Lenten Day Twenty-Six: Richard Rohr

March 11, 2024

“Jesus Christ never said worship me.  Instead he said, ‘follow me.’”  Richard Rohr

Franciscan priest and spiritual teacher, Father Richard Rohr, has perhaps had more influence on my spiritual journey than any other author.  I’ve read many of his books (my personal favorite is Everything Belongs) and I appreciate the way he thinks out of the boxes of church doctrine.  He definitely has pushed the boundaries of Catholicism, even being called a “heretic” by some, but then Rohr is in good company with Jesus the Christ, the “blasphemer.”  What I particularly like about Rohr, even though sometimes it can be quite uncomfortable, is that he pulls no punches, as today’s quotation illustrates.

We Christians call Jesus our “king,” which is rather ironic since Jesus never asked to be a king, much less to be called one.  He even turned down a kingdom during his time of temptation in the wilderness, and his reply to the Romans as to whether he was a king was, “So you say.”  In everything Jesus did, he pointed to God.  After displaying his divinity to Peter, James, and John, he didn’t expect them to bow down to him or build him a temple.  Instead, he expected them to follow him to Jerusalem where he knew death awaited.  But isn’t it easier to bow down and worship instead of to follow?  Worshipping feels a lot better than following.

Christians are pretty good at worshipping Jesus.  If you look at a church budget, you might be surprised at how much is allocated for music, choir, streaming, bands, location, instruments, etc.  Often, it’s more than the amount set aside for service and outreach.  Of course, hopefully in worship we are being nurtured and prepared for service, for following Jesus so that we can take up his ministry of feeding the hungry, tending to the poor, loving our neighbor.  Hopefully, after we worship Jesus, we are ready to forgive that person for whom we hold a grudge, we are ready to ignore that insult, we are ready to spend time with God, we are ready to share what we have with those who have not, we are ready to stand up for the oppressed, we are ready to welcome the stranger, we are ready to be humble.

Maybe so many people call us hypocritical because we’d rather worship than follow.  We’d rather say the words than do the deeds. The disparity even puzzled Jesus who asked, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, but do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).  Jesus’ question and Rohr’s statements are words for me to take to heart as we get nearer the cross this Lenten season.

Blessings ~ Rosemary