Contemplative prayer Is like striking a tuning fork… Once you are tuned, you will receive…
Richard Rohr
Striking A Tuning Fork
Topic: Prayer, Meditation, & Contemplation
Contemplative prayer is like striking a tuning fork. All you can really do in the spiritual life is resonate to the true pitch, to receive the always-present message. Once you are tuned, you will receive, and it has nothing to do with worthiness or the group you belong to, but only inner resonance, a capacity for mutuality (see Matthew 7:7-11), which implies a basic humility. We must begin with the knowledge that the Sender is absolutely and always present and broadcasting; the only change is with the receiver station, you and me.
Prayer is connecting with God/Ultimate Reality. It is not an attempt to change God’s mind about us or about events. Such arrogance is what unbelievers make fun of—and often rightly so. Prayer is primarily about changing our own mind so that things like infinity, mystery, and forgiveness can resound within us. The small mind cannot see great things because the two are on different frequencies or channels. We must match our resonance to Love’s. Like knows like.
Richard Rohr, OFM, born in 1943 in Kansas, is a renowned American Franciscan priest and celebrated writer on spirituality, presently based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ordained in the Roman Catholic Church in 1970, Rohr embarked on a spiritual journey that has since garnered widespread attention and respect. By 2011, PBS had recognized him as "one of the most popular spirituality authors and speakers in the world," a testament to his influential presence in contemporary spiritual discourse.
In his pursuit of spiritual growth and community building, Rohr has achieved noteworthy milestones. He attained his Master of Theology degree from the University of Dayton in 1970. The subsequent year saw him founding the New Jerusalem Community in Cincinnati, Ohio. But perhaps his most enduring legacy stems from establishing the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1986. Here, he has diligently served as the founding director and academic dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Rohr's teachings, embodied in the school's curriculum, revolve around seven themes explored deeply in his book, "Yes, And."
Rohr's contributions to Christian spirituality, while transformative for many, have occasionally faced scrutiny and opposition, especially from certain conservative Catholic factions. These groups have sometimes critiqued his interpretations and teachings as diverging from traditional Catholic orthodoxy. In this context, a defining moment in his career was his meeting with Pope Francis, who gave a heartfelt endorsement to Rohr's book, "The Universal Christ." This endorsement can be viewed as a significant vindication of Rohr's teachings. It not only bridged potential theological divides but also highlighted Rohr's influential and valued position within the broader spectrum of Christian thought and practice.
The Naked Now
Richard Rohr, The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See (The Crossroad Publishing Company: 2009), 101-104.
Richard Rohr
Theme: Meditation and Contemplation
About This Richard Rohr Quotation [Commentary, Part 1]
Richard Rohr’s exploration of contemplative prayer serves as an enlightening guide to a deeper spiritual resonance, emphasizing a connection with the divine that transcends traditional notions of worthiness and belonging. Through the analogy of striking a tuning fork, Rohr illuminates the essence of spiritual alignment: the act of tuning oneself to the divine frequency where prayer is not a plea but a reception. This concept introduces a shift from a performative spirituality to an experiential one, where the emphasis lies not on altering the Divine’s perception of us but on altering our capacity to receive and perceive the Divine’s constant, loving broadcast. Rohr’s perspective challenges us to move beyond the constraints of our limited, ego-centric viewpoints, urging a humble openness to the omnipresent message of love and unity.
About This Richard Rohr Quotation [Commentary, Part 2]
Delving deeper, Rohr articulates the transformative potential of prayer as a medium for inner change rather than divine persuasion. This transformation is not about intellectual conquests but about tuning the heart and mind to the frequencies of infinity, mystery, and forgiveness—elements that our ‘small mind’ often fails to comprehend. The process of aligning our inner resonance with the frequency of love is a journey towards recognizing the profound interconnectedness of life. Through contemplative prayer, we begin to understand that our individual perception of reality is but a single point in the interrelated network of existence, inviting us to embrace a more holistic and compassionate consciousness.
Finally, Rohr redefines prayer as a dynamic, participatory experience, a profound union between the human and the divine where the self is not so much an active doer but a willing participant in the divine flow. This reimagining of prayer challenges the ego’s drive for control, suggesting that true spiritual engagement lies in surrendering to a force much greater than ourselves, allowing us to be ‘prayed through.’ Such surrender leads to an experiential knowledge of God as not just an external entity but as an integral part of our own being, transforming our ‘I Am’ into a collective ‘We Are.’ In this sacred exchange, our life becomes a conduit for a larger purpose, not defined by our personal ambitions but by our willingness to serve and contribute to the greater whole, thus embodying the true essence of contemplative prayer as a journey of becoming, love, and humble service.
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