1 John 4:16-19

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us.

Fr. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province. He founded the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1986, where he presently serves as Founding Director. Fr. Rohr is the author of more than twenty books, an internationally known speaker, a regular contributing writer for Sojourners and Tikkun magazines, and the CAC’s quarterly journal, Radical Grace.

We invariably prefer the universal synthesis, the answer that settles all the dust and resolves every question – even when it is not entirely true- over the mercy and grace of God. Jesus did not seem to teach that one size fits all, but instead that his God adjusts to the vagaries and failures of the moment. This ability to adjust to human disorder and failure is named God’s providence or compassion. Every time God forgives us, God is saying that God’s own rules do not matter as much as the relationship that God wants to create with us.

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life

Prayer

Holy God, we give You thanks for creating us in Your image and for seeking to be in relationship with us. Forgive us when we turn our backs to You and pursue our own selfish interests. Help us to strive to follow You, to love You, and to seek to do Your will. Amen.