May 25th, 2021 by Dave Leave a reply »

Wholeness as Holiness

Spare me perfection. Give me instead the wholeness that comes from embracing the full reality of who I am, just as I am.

—David Benner, Human Being and Becoming

Author and psychotherapist David Benner writes of the importance of embracing “wholeness” as a path to holiness, which recognizes and affirms the “oneness” of who we are, without needing to eliminate or perfect any part of ourselves. This generates the same goodwill towards others, leading to greater love. 

The harmonic of the universe is wholeness, not perfection; more specifically, it is wholeness that involves differentiation. Fusion is a union that sacrifices differentiation; wholeness retains differentiation. Without wholeness, we hear only the cacophonous noise of the various parts of our selves, clanging together. Without differentiation, we hear only the pure sound of a single tone, but not its harmonics. . . .

How do you know if you are on a path that leads to increasing wholeness and involves living out of wholeness? You will hear harmony, not simply the cacophony of a fragmented self. You will also sense the energy of the larger whole—an energy that goes beyond your own. You will, at least occasionally, experience the thrill of being simply a small part of a large cause, the thrill of being a tool, seized by a strong hand and put to an excellent use. You will be comforted by knowing that we are all interconnected. In a very real sense, therefore, what you do for another, you do for yourself. Love passed on to others becomes the most meaningful form of self-love, and care of the earth and its inhabitants becomes care of self.

We live wholeness when we re-member our story and, through it, experience a deeper sense of being part of a greater whole. We live wholeness when we know we belong—to people, to a place, to a community and tribe, to earth, to God (however named), and to the cosmos. . . . We live wholeness when we know that what we already have is enough and that all we need is to be resourceful with it.

Living wholeness is participating in the dynamism of love that gathers everything together into greater unity and consciousness. It is to live with an openness of mind and heart, to encounter others, not as strangers, but as parts of one’s self. When we enter into the heart of love in this way, we enter the field of relatedness and come to know our truest and deepest belonging and calling.

Wholeness and love are inseparable. . . . In the words of Ilia Delio, “Our challenge today is to trust the power of love at the heart of life, to let ourselves be seized by love, to create and invent ways for love to evolve into a global wholeness of unity, compassion, justice, and peacemaking.” [1] This is living wholeness and love.

We Turn Around One Thing

Unity is not the same as uniformity. Unity, in fact, is the reconciliation of differences, and those differences must be maintained. We must actually distinguish things and separate them, usually at a cost to ourselves, before we can spiritually unite them (Ephesians 2:14‒16). Perhaps if we had made that simple distinction between uniformity and true unity, many of our problems, especially those of overemphasized, separate identities, could have been overcome. The great wisdom of Pentecost is the recognition through the Spirit of an underlying unity amidst the many differences!

Paul already made this universal principle very clear in several of his letters. For example, “There is a variety of gifts, but it is always the same Spirit. There are all sorts of services to be done, but always the same Lord, working in all sorts of different ways in different people. It is the same God working in all of them” (1 Corinthians 12:4–6). We see this beautiful diversity and yet unity in the universe itself—from Latin, unus + versus, “to turn around one thing.”

Although we here at the Center are fully committed to the perennial tradition—the recurring themes and truths that surface in all the world’s religions—we are not seeking some naïve “everything is one.” Rather, we seek the hard fought and much deeper “unity of the Spirit which was given us all to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Here we must study, pray, wait, reconcile, and work to achieve true unity—not a foolish and boring uniformity, which is rather undesirable and even unholy. The deeper unity we seek and work for is described by Julian of Norwich when she writes, “The love of God creates in us such a oneing that when it is truly seen, no person can separate themselves from another person” [1], or any other creature, I would add. This is something that we can embrace originally at a primal and then deeper levels of consciousness. Children already enjoy this unity at a pre-rational level, and mystics later enjoy it consciously at a trans-rational and universal level.

So what we might now call deep ecumenism is not some form of classic pantheism or unfounded New Age optimism. It is the whole method, energy, and final goal by which God is indeed ushering in an ever recurring “new age” (Matthew 19:28).

What has been “unveiled,” especially this past year with the pandemic, is that we really are one. We are one in both suffering and resurrection. Jesus’ final prayer is that we can consciously perceive and live this radical union now (John 17:21‒26). Our job is not to discover or even prove this, but only to retrieve what has already been discovered—and rediscovered—again and again, by the mystics, prophets, and saints of all religions. Until then we are all lost in separation—while grace and necessary suffering gradually “fill in every valley and level every mountain” to make a “straight highway to God” (Isaiah 40:3–4).

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Drawing of the historic front building

Explore Radical Love in Our New Podcast
Love. Period

How do we live from a space of inclusive love? Tune in to our new podcast, Love. Period, from Rev. Jacqui Lewis PhD and the Center for Action and Contemplation. Writer, scholar, activist, and pastor of New York City’s Middle Church, Dr. Lewis brings her devotion, clarity, and energy to this conversational podcast.  

Love. Period. with Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis

In dialogue with artists, activists, and faith leaders, such as actor Titus Burgess, Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor, Mark Charles, V Ensler, and many others, Dr. Lewis reveals the transformative potential—and urgent need—for radical love in our times.  

Listen to Love. Period on your favorite podcast platform or online.

Catch the Replay of Every Thing is Sacred:
a Live Broadcast with Richard Rohr

Richard Rohr and Patrick Boland in a side-by-side zoom call.

Do you yearn for a deeper understanding of the embodied Christ? Join us for a replay of the first-ever live broadcast with Richard Rohr and Patrick Boland, authors of Every Thing is Sacred. In this sold-out event, Fr. Richard and Patrick discussed life-changing ways to live within the wisdom of the Universal Christ. 

Watch the replay on YouTube.

Exploring the Wisdom Path with Cynthia Bourgeault

Discover what it takes to create—and sustain—a wisdom rhythm in your life. Connect and learn with others on the journey toward the Wisdom Way in this 14–week online course from Cynthia Bourgeault and the CAC. Financial assistance is available for those who apply by July 28. Registration closes August 4, or when full.

Learn more about The Introductory Wisdom School
Time commitment: 4–6 hours a week
Course runs August 11 – November 16, 2021

Learn About Our Values-Based Financial Model

As the CAC continues to grow in resources through generous financial support, we wondered: How do we meet our financial needs from a place of love? We learned our financial decisions must consider both our organizational health and our responsibility to the common good.

This drive led us to establish a new financial philosophy, which embodies our commitment to align our financial decisions with our organizational values and spiritual lineage.

Our new financial model captures Fr. Richard’s theological themes around money, operational implications around our financial resources, and the CAC’s key financial principles.

Financial Principles

  1. We operate from a clear definition of “enough.”
  2. We practice transparency.
  3. We seek for money to never be the barrier to participation.
  4. We understand exchanges of money first and foremost as vehicles for advancing our mission and message.
  5. We commit to spend simply, equitably, and sustainably.
  6. We lead with giving and generosity.

Where we now stand as an organization is just the beginning. We have big plans. Finding the right set of questions seems the best place to discern what comes next. We look forward to sharing the outcomes and impacts of this journey with you.


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