Simplicity: The Art of Living by Richard Rohr

Once again, Richard Rohr, an international spiritual leader, calls the Church back to its roots in his book, "Simplicity: The Art of Living."  The book contains a series of talks he gave in Germany, full of insight, wisdom and challenge.  Each talk is followed by questions and answers.  The author speaks with authority, citing the joy that follows a life of simple living and love of God and of all creation, as lived by St. Francis of Assisi.

As usual, Rohr used provocative titles for some of the chapters in his book -- "God the Father --God the Mother?"; "Getting Rid of the Church;"  and  "What is this "Women's Stuff?"  He also speaks of the challenge of contemplation, the political commitment of Christians and their vocation to live the simple life.  He gives guides to that simple life, evoking the principal that "Less is More."

Of our concept of God, he says many of us have a Santa Claus image, others a Zeus-image, of a god who hurls thunderbolts. But when God calls Jesus "dear son", and even speaks of himself as a hen gathering chicks under her wings, and Jesus calls God "Abba", we see something of the feminine in God, the sympathy, compassion, love and  forgiveness. It may be our need for the feminine that we have a devotion to Mary, God's Mother.

Of the Church, Rohr reminds us of Jesus' speaking of the Church as a community of human beings, a little flock, the yeast, the leaven, not the "whole thing."  But we often see the Church as only institutional, sectarian, legalistic.  The early Christians and the base communities in Latin America portray another image of "church" and their reciprocal relationship with the institutional Church.

Richard Rohr offers surprising and original thoughts about the Church, the Reign of God, the importance of the simple life, prayer, contemplation, the Body of Christ, the Christian vocation in the social and political life of the world and the "patriarchal view" vs. the women's contribution to Church and society.  I invite you to read his book.