Faith does not need to push the river because faith is able to trust that there is a river. The river is flowing. We are in it.
Richard RohrJesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity; Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God
Richard RohrYou do need some successes as a young person. They don't inflate the ego necessarily, they just give you identity and ego structure. But, don't construct your life around creating those. Or you will become narcissistic and ego-centric. That won't get you anywhere.
Richard RohrGod is always bigger than the boxes we build for God, so we should not waste too much time protecting the boxes.
Richard RohrWho is telling us about the false self today? Who is even equipped tell us? Many clergy have not figured this out for themselves, since even ministry can be a career decision or an attraction to "religion" more than the result of an encounter with God or themselves. Formal religious status can maintain the false self rather effectively, especially if there are a lot of social payoffs like special respect, titles, salaries, a good self image, or nice costumes. It is no accident that the religious "Pharisees" became the symbolic bad guys in the Jesus story.
Richard Rohr