A fresh way of thinking about spirituality that grows throughout
life
In Falling Upward, Fr. Richard Rohr seeks to help readers
understand the tasks of the two halves of life and to show them
that those who have fallen, failed, or "gone down" are the only
ones who understand "up." Most of us tend to think of the second
half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health
issues, and letting go of life, but the whole thesis of this book
is exactly the opposite. What looks like falling down can
largely be experienced as "falling upward." In fact, it is
not a loss but somehow actually a gain, as we have all seen with
elders who have come to their fullness.
* Explains why the second half of life can and should be full of
spiritual richness
* Offers a new view of how spiritual growth happens?loss is
gain
* Richard. Rohr is a regular contributing writer for Sojourners
and Tikkun magazines
This important book explores the counterintuitive message that
we grow spiritually much more by doing wrong than by doing
right.
Autorentext
Fr. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province. He founded the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1986, where he presently serves as Founding Director. Fr. Rohr is the author of more than twenty books, an internationally known speaker, and a regular contributing writer for Sojourners and Tikkun magazines, and the CAC's quarterly journal, Radical Grace.
Klappentext
PRAISE FOR FALLING UPWARD
"Understanding the spiritual aspects of aging is as important as appreciating the systems and biological processes that age us. Richard Rohr has given us a perfect guide to what he calls the 'further journey,' a voyage into the mystery and beauty of healthy spiritual maturity."
Mehmet Oz, M.D., host of the "Dr. Oz Show"
"Falling Upward calls forth the promise within us and frees us to follow it into wider dimensions of our spiritual authenticity. This 'second half of life' need not wait till our middle years. It emerges whenever we are ready and able to expand beyond the structures and strictures of our chosen path. With Richard Rohr as a guide, this mystery can become as real and immediate as your hand on the doorknob."
Joanna Macy, author of World as Lover, World as Self
"In Falling Upward, Richard offers a simple but deeply helpful framework for seeing the whole spiritual lifeone that will help both beginners on the path as they look ahead and long-term pilgrims as they look back over their journey so far."
Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christianity and Naked Spirituality brianmclaren.net
"The value of this book lies in the way Richard Rohr shares his own aging process with us in ways that help us be less afraid. We begin to see that, as we grow older, we are being awakened to deep, simple, and mysterious things we simply could not see when we were younger."
Jim Finley, retreat leader, Merton scholar, and author of The Contemplative Heart
"This is Richard Rohr at his vintage best: prophetic, pastoral, practical. A book I will gratefully share with my children and grandchildren."
Cynthia Bourgeault, Episcopal priest, retreat leader, and author of The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, Centering Prayer, Inner Awakening, and The Wisdom Way of Knowing
Zusammenfassung
A fresh way of thinking about spirituality that grows throughout life
In Falling Upward, Fr. Richard Rohr seeks to help readers understand the tasks of the two halves of life and to show them that those who have fallen, failed, or "gone down" are the only ones who understand "up." Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite. What looks like falling down can largely be experienced as "falling upward." In fact, it is not a loss but somehow actually a gain, as we have all seen with elders who have come to their fullness.
- Explains why the second half of life can and should be full of spiritual richness
- Offers a new view of how spiritual growth happens?loss is gain
- Richard. Rohr is a regular contributing writer for Sojourners and Tikkun magazines
This important book explores the counterintuitive message that we grow spiritually much more by doing wrong than by doing right.
Inhalt
The Invitation to a Further Journey vii
Introduction xiii
1 The Two Halves of Life 1
2 The Hero and Heroine's Journey 17
3 The First Half of Life 25
4 The Tragic Sense of Life 53
5 Stumbling over the Stumbling Stone 65
6 Necessary Suffering 73
7 Home and Homesickness 87
8 Amnesia and the Big Picture 97
9 A Second Simplicity 105
10 A Bright Sadness 117
11 The Shadowlands 127
12 New Problems and New Directions 137
13 Falling Upward 153
Coda 161
Notes 169
Bibliography 177
The Author 183
Index 185