Quote of the Week

Brought to you by…

Fr. Richard Rohr via The Liturgists podcast

I finally found my jam

My husband is really into podcasts.  He’s got all his go-to favorites for when he’s out jogging, driving in the car, gardening, you name it.  I’ve struggled to get into them with the same gusto.  I usually opt for silence when I’m out and about or an old tv show in the background while I’m cleaning.  But now I’ve found one!

The Liturgists.

So far I’ve listened to two and they have both been incredible.  Listening to them felt like sitting in an especially engaging college lecture.  Or maybe I just miss being in school?

Either way, this morning I decided to drive down to Alki for a walk along the waterfront and I thought maybe I’d give a podcast a go.  I listened to the Liturgists one a couple weeks ago called Black & White on my way to a work meeting and found it engaging and provoking on multiple levels.   So as I scrolled through the endless options and I saw that the Liturgists’ guest this week was Franciscan friar Richard Rohr, I knew this was the one.  I’ve read a few excerpts of his writing in the past and was eager to hear his interview.

SO GOOD!

He spoke of experientially knowing God, reconstructing our understanding of the Christian faith rather than deconstructing it, the distinctions between Jesus and Christ (I hadn’t realized there were any), the importance of the trinity and so many other things.  I listened and thought, “yes!  this is the kind of Christian I’d like to be.”  I’ve often thought of the kind of Christian I don’t want to be but I’ve been unable to pinpoint a solid example of what I do want my faith to look like.

Enter…
<—- this random white guy!  Who knew?

I wouldn’t have expected a Franciscan friar (I’m not even sure what that is) to enliven me this much but he did.  And I’m looking forward to checking out some of his books.  Anyhow, it’s hard to choose just one quote from the podcast but this is the one that made me say “oooh!!”  out loud in the car on my way back from my walk.  It was the only time he delved a little into the current political climate and it definitely caught my attention.

“We’ve made Jesus too small.  And when he is too small, he is captured by culture.  Italians made him into an Italian.  The Swiss made him into a Swiss.  And we’ve made him into an American business man which is why we can possibly elect an American business man President and think he’s a Christian.”

You can check out the full podcast here.

Past Quotes

David James Duncan
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Christian Wiman