Dear Friend,
I have become increasingly convinced that we need a worldwide paradigm shift in Christian consciousness for how we relate to God. Thomas Kuhn said that a paradigm shift becomes necessary when the previous paradigm becomes so full of holes and patchwork “fixes” that a complete overhaul—which once looked utterly threatening—now appears as a lifeline.
I believe we are at precisely such a moment when it comes to Christianity’s image of God.
A few weeks back a friend asked me, “When you speak of the need for a paradigm shift, what is the primary shift that you are talking about?” Admittedly, there was much I could have offered, but I shared that the most significant shift in our view of God is the move beyond the reward/punishment paradigm.
In my first years of preaching in the 1970s, I often told a Sufi-inspired story called “The Angel with the Torch and the Pail.” The story goes like this:
An angel was walking down the streets of the world carrying a torch in one hand and a pail of water in the other. A person asked the angel, “What are you doing with that torch and pail?”
The angel said, “With the torch I am burning down the mansions of heaven, and with the pail I am putting out the fires of hell. Then, and only then, will we see who truly loves God.”
Operating with love as the source, not fear of punishment or even promise of reward, is a radically different Christian paradigm. To do this takes an experience of love from the Infinite One. Then you are free to love others and even to truly love yourself. The most loving people I have met across the world in my lifetime of teaching and travelling all seemed to know that if love is the goal, it must be love for everybody.
Thank you for being a partner in shifting the paradigm towards infinite love. The Center for Action and Contemplation is primarily funded by people like you who give freely and joyfully to support it. Everything we offer the world is made possible through your support and participation. We are deeply grateful for each and every one of you.
Please read the letter below from CAC’s Executive Director Michael Poffenberger about our vision for the future and how you can support it. Tomorrow, the Daily Meditations will continue exploring the theme of “Reconnecting to Our Source.”
Peace and Every Good,
Richard Rohr, OFM
Dear Friend,
In a 1992 article aptly titled “Not the Center for Activism and Introspection,” Richard explained why he named our organization the Center for Action and Contemplation. By contemplation, Richard meant the deliberate seeking of God through a willingness to detach from the passing self, the tyranny of emotions, the addiction to self-image, and the false promises of the world. Action, as he used the word, meant a decisive commitment toward involvement and engagement in the social order. Richard then added this line that has always stuck out to me:
Though “Love” is not in our Center’s name, I hope that it is the driving force behind all we do, just as it was for Jesus who knew God’s love intimately and fully, and for the early church who proclaimed that “God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).
The new paradigm of Christian consciousness is not actually new—it is just radically different to many of us who learned a very different story of God. Returning to the root image of God as love is a process of unlearning that requires moving from a dualistic mindset to a more contemplative, non-dual awareness.
The CAC works to catalyze this paradigm shift where spirituality and action are not separate but integrally connected, leading to personal healing and social transformation. This process calls for a transformation in consciousness where internal spiritual growth is directly connected with external efforts for collective healing.
As we approach 2025, we are redoubling our efforts to make our work accessible to a new and broader generation of spiritual seekers. In the coming months, we are excited to share the details of several significant initiatives we’ve been working on behind the scenes for many years. Your support has helped make this possible.
We encourage everyone who is able to consider becoming a monthly donor through the Bonaventure Circle of Support, the CAC’s monthly giving community making Christian contemplative wisdom more accessible to a new generation of spiritual seekers. Support from this community provides the CAC with the steady and predictable funding needed to enhance our programs, offer scholarships, grow our faculty, and introduce more people to the Christian contemplative path of transformation.
We thank you for your trust and partnership in making this possible.
In loving gratitude,
Michael Poffenberger
Executive Director
Center for Action and Contemplation
You can donate securely online at cac.org/dm-appeal or send a check (USD only) to CAC, P.O. Box 12464, Albuquerque, NM 87195. Donations are tax-deductible in the United States. EIN # 85-0354965. We invite donations of any size. Learn more about other ways to give, including gifts of stock, qualified distributions from your IRA, or a gift in your will at cac.org/support. Contact us if you have any questions or want to discuss making a transformational gift. Thank you for your ongoing support!
