Rohring into Spring with Richard Rohr: Reading, Sharing and Praying Together

An undate on this little program.  First, below is the first proposal that was sent to all email addresses in the parish.

 

Spiritual Growth and Healing in Late Winter and Early Spring, TOGETHER

 

Yes, TOGETHER even if by zoom, and accompanied by each other and Richard Rohr, in the words of his acclaimed 2019 book, "The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten reality can Change Everything we See, Hope for, and Believe."

 

St. Luke’s Vestry agreed that Bruce MacDuffie could put such a program together.

 

One of the parts of Rohr’s book that grabbed me is the dedication which I quote here:

 

I dedicate this book to my beloved fifteen-year-old black Lab, Venus, whom I had to release to God while beginning to write this book.  Without apology, lightweight theology, or fear of heresy, I can appropriately say that Venus was also Christ for me.

 

 

The email offering from last month asked any who wished to participate to reply to me by Friday noon, January 21, so that I could obtain the needed quantity of books.  Six persons apart from Bruce  responded with a willingness to participate.  That is very small, but that is fine.  This does not work well with a large group.

 

So how will this work?  

At each session, we gather with a copy of the book in hand.  We open with a reading prayer and then take turns reading the book aloud around our small circle, perhaps each reader doing a page or two.   

      At any point, any of us can stop to raise a question or share an experience or thought.  We continue in this fashion until the last 5 minutes when we do two things: (a) decide on the next time all of us can ,meet together; (b) share a five minute mid-afternoon prayer time together.

 

1. No homework (except what you choose to do to implant the learning). 

2.  When to meet?  We agreed on an initial meeting on February 13 from 1-2:15 PM by ZOOM and/or in person in Whipple Hall.  IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE MEET TOGETHER ,TOGETHER THIS FIRST TIME.  

Why does this matter=?

1. This is not a book to consume and lessen our reading pile. IT IS NOT ONE TO SIMPLY MAKE UP WHATEVER WE MISSED  ON OUR OWN BUT RATHER TO SHARE WITH EACH OTHER IN THE PROCESS.  

2. It is a book in which we join to converse and grow and pray with each other in a very slow peaceful approach.

3.  That action will FORM us as a group with our comments and sharings being a critical part of that.