1the Mendicant\ men-d i -k n t \ : b eggar i n t h e Fr a n c i s c a n t r a d i t i o n

w i n t e r 2014 v o l. 4 n o. 1

Paul of Tarsus was neither one of the Twelve nor ever knew Jesus in the flesh. Nonetheless, he totally trusted his personal experience on the Damascus road and largely wrote on his own authorityagainst his own past, the Jewish tradition for which he was a zealot, and even against the new Christian establishment in Jerusalem. Paul was in a category of his own; his let-ters, and those from his school and disciples (Ephesians, Colossians, Hebrews, and others), are nearly one half of the New Testament. Where did he get the courage to say so much with such authority? He hardly ever quoted Jesus directly! He mostly taught about Christ, or the Christ Mystery, which is the same risen presence that you and I encounter every day.

His primary influence on the development of what became Christianity (many call him the originator of the very notion of church) and on some of the thought patterns of Western civilization are foundational and dynamic. Paul made Jesus essential lifestyle and cosmic message into a conceptual theology that many could work with and build upon. Jesus did it, and Paul theologized about what Jesus did.

Paul, of course, created huge problems through his zeal and sin-gle-hearted devotion to the Christ. To paraphrase Carl Jung, The greater light you have, the greater shadow you cast. Pauls dualistic distinction between flesh and spirit has had untold negative conse-quences on Christian self-understanding, yet I sincerely believe the message is not at all what he intended. He lived inside a totally cosmic notion of Christ, a mystical understanding of the whole message, an ongoing under-standing of the one incarnation that was continued in real people (1 Cor 12), and even the physical elements

of bread and wine (1 Cor 11:17-34). Only a mystic could make these extrapolations so clearly and so convincingly.

Paul also had a very practical desire to create realtime communication hubs for this transcendent message. He wanted to establish very practical communities that would illustrate how transformed people livewhich often made him descend into simplistic moralisms to get there (Rom 1:18-31, 5)much like a father wanting to raise perfect kids. Unfortunately this is all many people can remember,

maybe because it sounds like Mom and Dad all over again. It makes Paul look like a petty churchman instead of the high level mystic and utterly courageous man that he really was.

I end this short article on Paul by pointing out that all of his moralizing and judging in Romans 1 is totally undone in Romans 2:1-11, where he states that we are not to judge others, because we do the same thing ourselves! Mystics love to talk in such paradoxes, so that we can be driven toward a God who alone can resolve them. Paul does the same with Jews and Greeks,

tradition and freedom, flesh and Spirit, law and grace, and the one and the many. As a result, only non-dual thinkers (contemplatives) are really prepared to understand him.

You may know Ive accepted an invitation to lead a study pilgrimage

from October 23rd through November 1st, 2014, follow-ing the 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys of Paul, onsite, in Phillipi, Ephesus, and Thessalonika. My hope is to reteach, with new emphasis, what I spoke of in the CD set titled The Great Themes of Paul, and will address in the February 25, 2014 webcast, Meeting the St. Paul You Never Knew.

Jesus DID it, and Paul theologized about what

Jesus did.

Paul: A Man Born out of Due Time

2Connect with CAC

Visit us online at cac.org to learn more about CACs educational programs and resources

Sign up to receive monthly news and daily meditations by email: cac.org/sign-up

Stop by our Visitor Center and Bookstore at 1823 Five Points Rd SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Support CAC by donating securely online at cac.org/support-cac or send a check, payable to CAC, to the address below

Write to us at info@cac.org or CAC, PO Box 12464, Albuquerque, NM 87195

Turning Information into Transformation The question for us is always how can we turn information

into transformation? How can we use the sacred texts, tradition, and experience to lead people into new places with God, with life, with themselves? Richard Rohr, OFM

We seek to empower individuals to live out their sacred soul tasks in service to the world through:

Conspire Symposia: Seven-year series of events following Fr. Richards underlying themes

Online Education: Self-paced, online courses connect-ing learners worldwide

Living School: Two-year program, combining onsite and online learning

Webcasts: Live teachings from Fr. Richard streamed online, around the world

Bookstore: A comprehensive selection of books and recordings (many available only at CAC)

Daily Meditations: Free daily studies sent by e-mail to over 100,000 individuals

A Note from the Executive Director

For CAC, 2014 is beginning as the season of St. Paul. The February webcast with Fr. Richard promises to open our minds and hearts as we meet and come to understand the mystical genius Paul. Without question, Paul multiplied and deepened the reality of his and our mystical relationship to Christ. He carried the story of his own encounter with God every-where he went. Pauls invitation to experience God directly and to share that experience has transformed our awareness of what it means to multiply.

So many of you multiply our work, and for that we are grateful. Introducing theological thinking, especially non-dual thinking, is not an easy thing to do. However, you continually find ways to receive Fr. Richards teaching and humbly share it with others: a daily meditation here and there; a Tweet; a homily; a new article, book or recording.

People tell stories of how they were introduced to Fr. Richards work, often crediting those in their lives who began listening to this contemporary prophet who introduced them to a God who is loving, compassionate, and inclusive. And because they could hear that message, they discovered their belovedness and were able to trust the underlying benevolence of the universe. In turn, they have been able to love more mindfully, fearlessly, and joyfully.

Like Paul, why not be a multiplier in 2014? Its as risky as being struck by God and traveling a different road the rest of your life. Its as rewarding as being your authentic self.

Thank you for partnering with Fr. Richard and CAC, sharing 21st century spiritual teaching with others. There is no better story than your own.

May the light and its silent Author bless you. Alicia Johnson, Executive Director

An educational center grounded in the Christian mystical tradition

3Ripples in the World: CAC Multipliers

We are honored to share stories of friends who take teachings and turn them into palpable actions and blessings for others. These multipliers extend our reach much further than we could ever dream. Thanks to the many, in addition to those named here, who allow the ripples of love to cross the still surface of their souls and become waves of transformation.

On November 5th, I lost the contest to be the new Mayor of Minneapolis. It had been a ten-month battle but I was determined to run the campaign from my identity as an initiated male (Men As Leaders and Elders [M.A.L.Es.], a program inaugurated by Fr. Richard Rohr and transitioned from the CAC to Illuman, Inc.). The stress of campaigning was a threat to

spiritual balance, and I found an anchor in a steady diet of centering prayer. The narcissistic flood of biographical detail, reprints of ones name, and the proliferation of ones image were hazardously fattening to the false self, so I kept reminding myself that it was about the people of Minneapolis, not about me.

So here I am, once again, in a life full of uncertainty, in the liminal space of transition. But I am not alone. Thankfully, I have the support of a group of initiated men who know me well, and who have heard my highs and lows over the years. They even held a special blessing ceremony for me at the start of the race.

I am grateful that the language, experience, and ideas of the initiation process and the wise words of Richard Rohr added context and balance to the whole experience. With Gods help, I am pretty much ready for anything. Don Samuels emigrated from Jamaica in 1970 at age 20. He is an industrial designer who worked at executive levels in the toy industry before graduating from Luther Seminary. He is the 5th Ward Council Member on the Minneapolis City Council.

For many years my husband, Rainer, and I have given courses and retreats at Benedictine abbeys. In our work we concretely discuss and share Fr. Richards teachings on con-templative prayer, non-dual think-ing, spirituality of the two halves of life, and Emerging Christianity. We are convinced that these good news teachings should be spread throughout the world.

Fr. Richards teachings and my connection to him, both in Germany and at CAC in Albuquerque, have changed my life. I have more freedom to trust myself and to realize

my lifes calling. Fr. Richards teachings have been like a bottle-opener for my inner voice, my inner knower.

As a Type Three on the Enneagram, I always needed much appreciation for my work. However, by practising contemplative prayer regularly, I am more in touch with my True Self and it has become less important to me what others think of me.

I will never forget one of Fr. Richards statements at a lec-ture at the Kirchentag, during a tour Rainer and I organized in Hannover, Germany in 2005: You are important, and you are not so important.a statement that has kept me balanced.

As a child of God I have great dignity and a special gift for this world, and, at the same time, I must step aside, be humble, and recognize that I am not the hub of the world.Ulla Peffermann-Fincke, an Enneagram instructor and pastoral counsellor at Benedictine abbeys, gives retreats and courses for personal and spiritual growth. She currently lives in Lbeck, Germany with her husband Rainer, a Lutheran Pastor.

Many years ago, I heard a well-known psychiatrist and author tell a story about someone who wanted to know why he seemed to have such a problem with the Church. He responded by saying, I dont have a problem with the Churchthe Church has kept me in business for years.Consistent with this statement, much of my 25-years in private practice as a

counseling psychologist has been spent addressing guilt and shame created by our fundamentalist Christian belief systems.I recently saw a sign on a church near my office that said We are too blessed to be depressed. I wondered how many of my patients would drive past that sign and feel somehow weak and ashamed for struggling with their situations. In my opinion, people who enter therapy are, in one way or another, on a path of descent as Fr. Richard teaches. This is where we, as therapists, are usually asked to intervene. I frequently use Richard Rohrs teachings and healing rituals to address issues such as addiction, grief, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and childhood trauma; and it is difficult to describe the transformative effect these teachings have had on my patients, as well as myself. On a personal level, I have had, and will continue to have, my own paths of descent, and it has been through many of Fr. Richards teachings that I find my own peace and comfort. I am so very grateful for the CAC and for Fr. Richard for their ministry, and want to take this opportunity to thank them for all that they do.Sherry Fleming is a counseling psychologist in private practice in Abilene, TX. She is also a volunteer with Therapy Dogs International and the American Red Cross.

Don Samuels

Ulla Peffermann

Sherry Fleming

4Richard Rohrs Daily Meditations A new year, a new message, and a new feature

Putting Everything Back Together Again: A Primer for Living a Whole Life

Over 100,000 people around the globe receive Fr. Richards Daily Meditations. CAC has been sending these free email reflections every day since 2008. And 2014 is no exception, thanks to people like you who sup-port this work with your financial gifts!

This year, the meditations follow the tra-jectory of a life, from the silence before birth through the development of ego, the fall that can drop us into the second half of life, a jour-ney of descent (through suffering, humility, and shadow), ever emancipating us for greater matu-rity and eldership, and eventually the silence again of full union.

Early in life we splitself from others, body from mind, life from death, acceptable from unacceptable self. Fr. Richard offers a map for the journey toward wholeness, toward freeing the True Self. This primer focuses on the ways in which we experience transformation.

Fr. Richard describes our contemplative practice as a laboratory in which we learn to die and to receive the Divine gaze. The rest of our life becomes the field in which we live out this way of surrender and participation in Love, returning the gaze of grace to the Beloved, mirrored in everyone we meet.

A Sabbath for Busy Readers In 2014, each week of meditations closes with

a special Sabbath reflection: key thoughts from the preceding days (Remember) and an invitation to a unique contemplative practice (Rest). We hope the Remember digest gives those who dont read on a daily basis the opportunity to follow along and return to the full message, if it calls to them. The Rest practices bring the weeks teaching deeper, below head into heart and body, to integrate and connect Fr. Richards words with authentic life.

Fr. Richard

offers a

map for

the journey

toward

wholeness,

toward

freeing the

True Self.

Staff PicksEverything Belongs, an excellent introduction to Fr. Richards teachings, taught me to trust the river and its flow because the river is Gods providential love. Andee Dunick, Events Manager

In the talks, Emerging Church, I most value the raw passion of Alexie Torres-Fleming and the vibrant energy of Shane Claiborne, offered within the framework of a mature and ancient faith. Peter Knipper, Facilities Coordinator

The Enneagram and the Discernment of Spirits is the perfect introductory tool for the beginner! It encouraged me to discover and understand my Enneagram type and helped me in my day-to-day relationships, as well. Morgan Overton, Customer Service and Technical Support

Spirituality/Religion: Both And is a crucial teaching on my

ongoing journey of transformation Paul Swanson, Director of Curriculum

I think about Emotional Sobriety on an almost-daily basis, usually right around the time my ego is about to throw a little temper tantrum. Lisa Tannenbaum, Bookstore Team

WHAT FR . R ICHARD IS READING

I recommend Amos Smiths book Healing The Divide: Recovering Christianitys Mystic Roots (Resource Publications), for which I happily wrote the Afterword. The book might appeal most to those who are theologically inclined; how-ever, Amos clarification of how the early church named the Jesus-paradox of human and divine and then failed to make it a dynamic message has strong implications for every Christian life.

5What are current Living School students experiencing? A Conversation with Alana Levandoski

Mendicant: Tell us a bit about yourself and what drew you to the Living School.

Alana: I live in a tiny house that my partner, Ian, and I built in the woods out-side of Edmonton, Alberta. I grew up in an evangelical environment; the music from my little country church inspired me to pur-sue music as a profession. It was many years before I experienced a descent that plunged me into letting go of false self. In the past 4 years, I have been more wary of the entrap-ment of action without being balanced, and I felt the Living School was a wise choice. The application process melted away false intentions, so I actually let go of attending the school, but then allowed it to resurface in an authentic place.

M: What aspect of the Living School experience thus far has impacted you the most?

A: To have modern mystic elders help us understand mystics from other ages has given me new depths to yearn for and helped me to see that the adventure isnt at a dead end!

M: How are you integrating these learnings (or unlearnings!) into your day-to-day life?

A: Jim Finley defined the 7th castle of Teresa of Avilas Interior Castle as unity with God, even amidst disruption. Presently, as I am speaking with you, I am nine months pregnant, one day past my due date. One of the students mentioned this in the student

forum: Whats in the way, is the way. That has become my mantra for these days of expectancy and challenge.

M: Thank you, Alana. Our prayers are with you, Ian, and your baby!

Emancipating and Multiplying through the Rohr Institute

The Rohr Institutes Living School for Action and Contemplation is a reality, thanks to the early sup-port of over 400 Charter Living Stone donors and a multitude of others who believe in this vision of multiply-ing Fr. Richards theological message. The overwhelming support affirms what we know to be truethis is emancipa-tory teaching. It reaches deep within our Christian Tradition and frees us to say yes to Gods radical love and yes to sur-rendering our lives to be instruments of that love. This teaching carries with it the potential to change lives for generations to come.

Our work grows and the opportunities to participate are many:

Consider becoming a student of the Living School! Visit cac.org/rohr-inst to learn more about the Living Schools deep-exposure lineage and teaching themes.

Take a single online course. Self-paced online courses are open to all! See the enclosed flyer for a list of courses and dates, and visit cac.org to register.

Conspire with us in person at the next symposium, September 2014. Rob Bell

and Ilia Delio join Fr. Richard, teaching us how the Trinity reveals a benevolent universe. (Registration opens in February.)

Support our workfuture funding will create new courses, more scholarships, and excellent faculty. Donate

securely online at cac.org/support-cac, send a check, or contact us for information about charitable giving. You can view the complete list of our Charter Living Stones at cac.org.

6SUPPORT THE WORK OF TURNING INFORMATION INTO TRANSFORMATION! The Center for Action and Contemplation is a non-profit educational organization. Please support this work by donating securely online at cac.org/support-the-cac or by sending a check, payable to CAC, to PO Box 12464, Albuquerque, NM 87195.Please also consider remembering CAC in your will. To learn more about making a charitable contribution, including stock transfers and bequests, contact Executive Director Alicia Johnson by email: ajohnson@cac.org.

A Primer for Living a Whole Life Richard Rohrs Daily Meditations continue in 2014,

following the arc of a life.

From innocent beginning, through inevitable brokenness, to putting everything back together, through ripening into

unionFr. Richard offers a map for the journey.Join over 85,000 individuals around the world who receive these

free daily studies by email, directly from Fr. Richard!Sign up at cac.org/sign-up

The landmark meditations from 2013 are available in book form, a keepsake volume exploring Fr. Richards seven core teaching themes.

Order Yes, And... at store.cac.org

live teaching with fr. richard

Meeting the St. Paul You Never KnewTuesday, February 25 5:00 p.m. (U.S. Mountain Time)

Fr. Richard introduces us to the biblical writer who has often been misunderstood. Pauls message is not individualistic

but cosmic, not moral but mystical, not so much about Jesus but about the Cosmic Christ.

Register for the webcast at cac.org

SAVE THE DATE!

C O N S P I R E 2 0 1 4AUGUST 31SEPTEMBER 2 , 2014 HYATT TAMAYA, SANTA ANA PUEBLO LANDS

Join Richard Rohr, Rob Bell, and Ilia Delio in person

as they reveal a benevolent universe and the loving face of God.

Sign up to receive our emails and youll be notified when registration opens: cac.org/sign-up

A C O N S P I R A C Y F O R G O D S Y M P O S I U M