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Contemplation, or meditation in some groups, was rediscovered in contemporary Christian times beginning with the writings of Thomas Merton
in the 1950s and 1960s. The word most Christians are more familiar with is simply “prayer.”
Unfortunately, in the West, prayer had become something functional; something you did to achieve a desired effect—which too often puts the ego back in charge. As soon as you make prayer a way to get what you want, you’re not moving into any kind of new state of consciousness. It’s the same old consciousness, but now well disguised: “How can I get God to do what I want God to do?” It’s the egocentric self deciding what it needs, but now, instead of just manipulating everybody else, it tries to manipulate God.
This is one reason religion is so dangerous and often so delusional. If religion does not transform people at the level of both mind and heart, it ends up giving self-centered people a very pious and untouchable way to be on top and in control. Now God becomes their defense system for their small self! Even Jesus found this to be true of his own scribes, Pharisees, and teachers of the law.
Adapted from CAC Foundation Set: Gospel Call to Compassionate Action (Bias from the Bottom) and Contemplative Prayer (CD, DVD, MP3)
The Daily Meditations for 2013 are now available
in Fr. Richard’s new book Yes, And . . . .
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Breathing Under Water
Explore Richard Rohr’s teaching on 12-Step spirituality
Join others on the journey in the 8-week self-paced, online course, September 18 –
November 13, 2013.
“Truly helpful not only to addicts but to us all . . . . This is work in the best sense of the word. Take it slow. Take it easy. Take it into your heart and your ways.”
— CM, Arizona
The Breathing Under Water book is also available at
store.cac.org.
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