{"id":24390,"date":"2024-11-11T22:37:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T03:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=24390"},"modified":"2024-11-12T11:08:29","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T16:08:29","slug":"24390","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=24390","title":{"rendered":"Annual Update"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"O Come, All You Unfaithful \u2022 Official Video\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/C-QHbpYjuIg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear CO Few brothers,     (annual update and funding letter from Richard)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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  \u201cfixes\u201d that a complete overhaul\u2014<strong>which once looked utterly threatening\u2014now appears as a lifeline.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I believe we are at precisely such a moment when it comes to Christianity\u2019s image of God.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few weeks back a friend asked me, \u201cWhen you speak of the need for a paradigm shift, what is the primary shift that you are talking about?\u201d Admittedly, there was much I could have offered, but I shared that the<strong> most significant shift in our view of God\u00a0<em>is the move beyond the reward\/punishment paradigm<\/em><\/strong><em>.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In my first years of preaching in the 1970s, I often told a Sufi-inspired story called \u201cThe Angel with the Torch and the Pail.\u201d The story goes like this:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><em>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, \u201cWhat are you doing with that torch and pail?\u201d&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The angel said, \u201cWith 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.\u201d&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Operating with love as the source, not fear of punishment or even promise of reward, is a radically different Christian paradigm<\/strong>. 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 <strong>if love is the goal,\u00a0<em>it must be love for everybody.<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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. \u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/email.cac.org\/t\/d-l-sldlkdl-tlkriywur-y\/\">Twice per year, we pause and ask for your financial support. If you have been impacted by the CAC\u2019s programs, including these Daily Meditations, please consider donating. We appreciate every gift, regardless of the amount.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please read the letter below from CAC\u2019s 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&nbsp;<em>&#8220;Reconnecting to Our Source.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Peace and Every Good,\u202f&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.cmail20.com\/ei\/d\/E9\/3AE\/B41\/100020\/csfinal\/2-99028a0145028a3c.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Richard Rohr, OFM<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear Dave,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a 1992 article aptly titled \u201cNot the Center for Activism and Introspection,\u201d Richard explained why he named our organization the Center for Action and Contemplation. By\u00a0<em>contemplation<\/em>, Richard meant the <strong>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.\u00a0<em>Action<\/em>, as he used the word, meant a decisive commitment toward involvement and engagement in the social order. <\/strong>Richard then added this line that has always stuck out to me:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><em>Though \u201cLove\u201d is not in our Center\u2019s name, I hope that it is the driving force behind all we do, just as it was for Jesus who knew God\u2019s love intimately and fully, and for the early church who proclaimed that \u201cGod is love\u201d (1 John 4:7-8).&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The new paradigm of Christian consciousness is not actually new\u2014it is just radically different to many of us who learned a very different story of God. <strong>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.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u200b. This process calls for a transformation in consciousness where internal spiritual growth is directly connected with external efforts for collective healing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019ve been working on behind the scenes for many years. Your support has helped make this possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We encourage everyone who is able to consider becoming a monthly donor through the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/email.cac.org\/t\/d-l-sldlkdl-tlkriywur-t\/\">Bonaventure Circle of Support<\/a>, the CAC\u2019s 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We thank you for your trust and partnership in making this possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In loving gratitude,\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.cmail20.com\/ei\/d\/E9\/3AE\/B41\/100020\/csfinal\/1-9901450000028a3c.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Heard of this? #Bible #god #Christianscripture #jesus #biblicalisrael\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H_KDi5H8WRo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear CO Few brothers, (annual update and funding letter from Richard) 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 \u201cfixes\u201d that a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24390"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24390"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24393,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24390\/revisions\/24393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}