Behind the Scenes of the Daily Meditations
Daily Meditations Editor Ali Kirkpatrick shares how the Daily Meditations are created — from an idea to your inbox.
In early fall each year, we begin the process of discerning a theme for the next year’s “Daily Meditations.” We invite the CAC Dean of Faculty to reflect on something they have been spiritually ruminating on that feels relevant and important. We dialogue with staff across departments, discuss what’s arising for us, and consider the insights we’ve heard from our dedicated readers. We hold these elements in place as we reflect on the state of the world and how the meditations might contribute to the CAC vision of “transformed people working for a more just and connected world.” The theme development process is collaborative and often leads to some unexpected results. A potential theme that might have been “alive” in one round of conversations lies dormant days later, while something that only skimmed the surface early-on ultimately leads us to deep and restorative waters.
Exploring Richard’s Wide Body of Work
After the theme is decided, we develop a list of topics and organize them into fifty-two weekly possibilities. These become the weekly topics that readers receive in their inboxes each week — themes like Homecoming, Jesus’ Healing Ministry, Pilgrimage, Prophetic Truth, or Everyday Mysticism. We check that we aren’t repeating a topic from the previous year, and ensure that we can share a new angle and fresh material. Once this list is approved, the team begins to build out the year’s meditations.
An important part of creating the Daily Meditations is establishing a thematic “Richard through-line,” so that each week is grounded in his teachings and lineage. We research relevant material from Richard’s vast body of published and recorded work—anything that ties into the weekly theme. We draw from Richard’s more recent works such as The Tears of Things or The Universal Christ, and recent episodes of the Everything Belongs podcast. We also return again and again to his classic teachings from books like Eager to Love, Things Hidden, and Breathing Underwater, as well as older conferences like Following the Mystics Through the Narrow Gate with co-teachers Jim Finley and Cynthia Bourgeault.
Broadening Our Perspective
Having established the “Richard through-line” for the week, we broaden our research to draw on the wisdom of the wider Christian contemplative traditions. How can we include not only Richard’s work, but also the work of CAC faculty and the contemplative traditions that have inspired each of them? Mystics such as Francis and Clare of Assisi, along with Julian of Norwich, are always favorites, and we also take inspiration from books like Brian McLaren’s Do I Stay Christian?, Barbara Holmes’s Crisis Contemplation, and the latest season of James Finley’s podcast Turning to the Mystics. We make sure to ask, “What voices aren’t included?” An essential focus of our team research is to include voices that have been historically pushed to the margins of our cultural, Christian, and contemplative traditions. This includes BIPOC voices, as well as the voices of women, LGBTQ+ authors, and people with disabilities.
Once the research for a weekly topic is gathered, it’s my task as the editor to weave together the submitted materials to create a cohesive week of devotional meditations that we hope will inspire, challenge, inform, and expand our individual and collective hearts and consciousness. With Richard’s teachings at the center of each week, I know I have a solid foundation to build on.
Finally, after I complete drafting a week’s worth of meditations, they move through an editing process that includes our Digital and Print Publications Manager, Mark Longhurst. The Meditations proceed to contractor Judy Traeger for proofreading, our research librarian, contractor Therese Terndrup, who checks primary source citations, and ends with our Digital Channels Specialist Olivia Chalkley, who places the content in our digital platforms. In the case of the Daily Meditations, many hands, heads, and hearts join together. The meaningful and rewarding work of creating the Daily Meditations allows each member of the team to contribute to the continuing legacy of Richard Rohr and the mission and vision of the CAC.