Once you know that God has loved you even in your unlovability—which is always the character of a vital spiritual experience—you can't be dualistic anymore, all quid pro quo thinking falls apart.
Now you're inside of mystery that holds imperfection. So now what does perfection become? Perfection becomes not the exclusion of the contaminating element, the enemy, but in fact perfection is precisely the ability to include imperfection. That's perfection!
Richard Rohr ~ The Little Way
Wow what a quote and so true!!! Dualism has destroyed the Church's influence in the neighborhood and the incarnational nature of our ministry.
ReplyDeleteYes. Mr Descartes would probably be turning in his grave at where his ideas had led us. But of course, he didn't start the fire. It was always burning since the world was turning.
ReplyDeleteAnd now I've quoted a loathed Billy Joel song, I'm going away now :)
But you forgot the most important part:
ReplyDeleteWe didn't light it but we're trying to fight it...
Ahh, is that what it says in that line? Thanks for impaling the song even further into my head :) I hate that song
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words...especially for recovering perfectionists like myself. I hate how freaky I can get (mostly when under pressure)
ReplyDeleteOh, to know deeper and deeper, deep down that it's gonna be alright...
It's gonna be alrigth...
aargh! stupid blogger keeps posting all my comments multiple times!!!
ReplyDeleteTo keep the fire analogy going
ReplyDelete"It's not the spark that caused the fire, it was the air you breathed that fanned the flame."
People like us that like Richard Rohr and what he writes are considered by some to be....nebulous. :)
LOL Manuela. Blogger was behaving badly yesterday and should have been sent to its room. It's gonna be alright. It's gonna be alright. It's gonna be alright.
ReplyDeleteKent - that quote is so wonderful because it's the type of one you have to walk into, wrestle with, look at from different sides. Mr Rohr is someone who always speaks into my heart. He has just about made it to my best dinner party ever group of people :)
I agree Sue.
ReplyDeletejust doing a little catch up here. wanted to let you know i printed out this quote myself last week when it showed up in my inbox. i love the perfection of imperfection!!!
ReplyDelete