URBANarmy

"Once we idealize social climbing, domination of others, status symbols, power, prestige, and possessions, we are part of a never-ending game that is almost impossible to escape. It has its own inner logic that is self-maintaining, self-perpetuating, and self-congratulating, as well as elitist and exclusionary." Richard Rohr

Closely connected to the independent's look at hubris syndrome today. here  Richard Rohr talks about the necessity of what I is to fail and fall... " ...politicians, priests, CEOs of anything, know-it-alls, must continue to fail and fall (spiritually speaking) or they never come to any real wisdom.The trouble is that we have to put up with them in the meantime and wait for another growth spurt. Sometimes that very power position makes failing and falling quite rare and even impossible for them. "  Richard Rohr

It is not you who shapes God; it is God who shapes you. If then you are the handiwork of God, await the hand of the Artist who does all things in due season. Offer the pottery of your heart, soft and tractable, and keep well the form in which the Artist has fashioned you.  Let your clay be moist, lest you grow hard and lose the imprint of the Potter’s fingers. —St. Irenaeus, 2nd century

The Creator has dreams for us and for the world, and we are apprentices, serving with awestruck faces as the Master Artisan shows us infinite ways to restore the world to the beauty of those dreams. Fr. Michael Simone, S.J.

"Words spoken in rage will make reconciliation very hard.   Choosing life and not death, blessings and not curses often starts by choosing to remain silent or choosing carefully the words that open the way to healing."

Loving how Teresa of Avila exists in that overlap where mission and spiritual formation makes sense of each other - 'by me, in me and through me'! Lord Grant that I may always allow myself to be guided by you, always follow your plans, and perfectly accomplish your holy will. Grant that in all things, great and small, today and all the days of my life, I may do whatever you require of me. Help me to respond to the slightest prompting of your grace so that I may be your trustworthy instrument of your honour. May your will be done in time and eternity- by me, in me, and through me. Amen — St. Teresa of Avila

Richard Rohr in his daily meditations has been taking me through what he calls the four splits. I wanted to park them somewhere to mull over sometime, which is why I started this blog in the first place. "The first split is between myself and other selves.  In the first half of life (and for many in the second half also) we spend most of our time accentuating and accessorizing that separate self. I’m better than you, I’m smarter than you, I’m better looking than you, I’m healthier than you, I’m whatever. It’s all about you after this unfortunate split. We choose to over-identify with our separate self and most of our thoughts and actions are self-referential. " "The second split is the separation of life from death.    We all pretend that we are going to live forever, and that we can avoid all forms of dying. To overcome this illusion, you must come to understand that life and death are not two, but one. They cannot be separated except by blindness and denial—but your me...