Quotes from Fr. Richard Rohr

The way to transmute the pain of life is to reveal the wounded side of things, evil, even, and then place the wound inside of sacred space. The Bible is about naming, facing, and then forgiving the wounds of history.

Before the truth 'sets you free', it tends to make you miserable.

Humans are creators of meaning, and finding deep meaning in our experiences is not just another name for spirituality but is also the very shape of human happiness.

God tries to first create a joyous yes inside of you, far more than any kind of no . . . Just saying no is resentful dieting, whereas finding your deeper yes, and eating from that table, is always a spiritual banquet.

May the God of peace make you whole and holy, may you be kept safe in body, heart, and mind, and thus ready for the presence. God has called you and will not fail you" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Forgiveness is to let go of our hope for a different or better past." It is what it is, and such acceptance leads to great freedom, as long as there is also accountability and healing in the process.

Did you ever notice that Jesus himself was not really that upset at the bad behavior that most of us call sin? Instead, he directed his critical attention toward people who did not think they were sinners, who could not see their own shadows or dark sides, or acknowledge their complicity in the world's domination systems.

Every missed rite of passage leads to a new rigidification of the personality.

Our starting place was always original goodness,10 not original sin. This

Know that things are okay as they are. This moment is as perfect as it can be. The saints called this the "sacrament of the present moment.

If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it.

Once we begin to learn the contemplative mind, we realize it is almost the natural way of seeing—and we have unlearned it! It is quite natural, as we see in children before the age of six or seven when they start judging and analyzing and distinguishing things one from another.