(tears of things - pt. 6)

I'm going to get through this book eventually...

Here is a brief synopsis and my highlights from chapters 7 & 8 of Richard Rohr's 'The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for An Age of Outrage.' 

ChatGPT summary:

In chapters 7 and 8 of The Tears of Things, Richard Rohr explores the idea that suffering and loss are essential parts of life, not to be avoided but embraced as opportunities for growth. He discusses how our society often tries to shield itself from pain, but true transformation happens when we accept our wounds. Rohr highlights how God works through these difficult moments, showing us the deeper truths of life, including the importance of compassion and humility. He encourages readers to see the "tears of things" as a sign of the beauty and meaning that can come from life's struggles, rather than something to fear or reject. These chapters remind us that growth often comes from facing the hardest parts of our journey. (chatgpt)

Chapter 7 highlights (The Alchemy of Tears: How We Learn Universal Sympathy and Grace) --

p. 96 - "Are we the only animal that cries and sheds tears as an emotional response? It seems so, but what function do they serve for us? Jesus says we should be happy if we can weep, but why? Tears seem to appear in situations of sadness, happiness, awe, and fear -- and usually come unbidden. What is their free message to us and to those who observe them? Has humanity gotten the message yet?... There is only one book in the bible named after an emotion: the book of Lamentations. (from the first two paragraphs of ch.7)

p.98 - "Has God changed, or have we just grown up enough to hear a grown-up God?"

p. 98 - "Tears reveal the depths at which and from which we care."

p. 99 - "Life is inherently sad, the prophets want us to know. Humanity is foundationally unfaithful to love and truth, they seem to shout." 

p. 99 - "Tears invite participation in a wider world and pull us out of our isolation."

p. 101 - "We all need to feel and know, at this cellular level, that we are not the first ones who have suffered, nor will we be the last. Instead, we are in one universal parade - God's 'triumphal procession,' as Paul calls it (2 Cor. 2:14)..."

p. 103 - "You don't think yourself into crying. You cry yourself, if you will allow, into daring new ways of thinking and feeling."

***p. 103 - "All things first and finally deserve tears much more than hatred, fixing, or denial." 

***p. 109-110 - "Don't believe those who tell you that you can grow while staying in full control. It is a lie. In all of our lives, deeper love has to do with giving up some measure of control... ...you must die before you die... ...Giving up control assumes there is someone to give up control to - someone I can trust to do an even better job."

p. 111ff - "Alchemy: The Process of Whole-Making" "These seven stages of alchemy are all spontaneous inner reactions to outer or conflicting events"..

p. 113 - "I began this book by saying that I saw in the prophets a slow but real movement from extended rage and anger (where many of us tire of them), through different forms of holy disorder, to tears and sadness, and then morphing into compassion as their mature response to evil and injustice."

*p. 115 - "You must cooperate with grace."

Chapter 8 (The Three Isaiahs: The Heart of Prophecy) --

p. 117 - "What has come to be known as the 'III Isaiah theory' provides a perfect example of how knowing the historical context is necessary to understanding the text. Such a view of Scripture helps us realize that real people in real contexts wrote the Bible; it did not fall out of thin air onto an inspired page. When we take Scripture literally and uncritically, with a bit of study, we can make it say whatever we want, even if it is the justification of war, slavery, fabulous private wealth, gun culture, polygamy, or genocide - all of which has been done without shame by people who read the Bible literally...

p. 117 - "Using what is known as the 'historical-critical method' of biblical interpretation gives us much more honesty and accountability in our interpretations..." 

***p. 119 - "Divine perfection is precisely the ability to include imperfection! God forgives by including the mistake and letting go of the need to punish it. We can do the same." ... "Forgiveness is not denial, but 'yes and': Yes, you did wrong, and I forgive you."

p. 123 - "...the language of redemptive suffering instead of the universally admired language of redemptive violence."

p. 124 - "...the rejected and silenced ones always expose what the culture actually idealizes."

I'd forgotten how much good stuff there was in these two chapters. Which is a reminder to myself why I should do this with every good book I read. ;)

Perhaps instead of wishing one another a "good day"... we should be wishing one another more "tear-filled days"? Or, simply, "Have a good one!" :)