Just This

by Richard Rohr

Just This is a collection of brief and evocative meditations and practices. It invites us to cultivate the gift of waking up to the beauty of reality in all its glorious ordinariness. With his signature blend of contemplation, theology and pastoral sensitivity, Fr Richard Rohr creates a spaciousness for the soul to grow into a kind of seeing – one that goes far beyond merely looking, to recognizing and thus appreciating.

This is the heart of contemplation, the centerpiece of any inner dialogue that frees us from the traps of our perceptions and preoccupations. The contemplative mind does not tell us what to see; it teaches us how to see what we behold.

Praise for Richard Rohr’s The Divine Dance:
‘A beautiful choreography for a life well-lived.’
Bono, U2

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Religion, Theology, Christianity, Prayer, Christian

133 pages, Unknown Binding

First published October 1, 2017

About the author

Fr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard's teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized.

Fr. Richard is author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, Eager to Love, and The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (with Mike Morrell).

Fr. Richard is academic Dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Drawing upon Christianity's place within the Perennial Tradition, the mission of the Living School is to produce compassionate and powerfully learned individuals who will work for positive change in the world based on awareness of our common union with God and all beings. Visit cac.org for more information.

Reviews

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Richard Rohr. He shares a lot of wisdom about how to live and not be angry or anxious, and connect to the world around you. Very timely for me.

[Cara Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might just be the book I read everyday, over and over and over again. Contemplation + being present to the moment = that’s it, that’s all.

[Brooke Chytil · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEAUTIFUL book!
I love Rohr’s work and the way he is able to break down spirituality and psychology in a way that is tangible and meaningful.
This one took me a while to get through because it is dense and I loved to read a section and take a bit to soak it in.
Rohr’s words are so kind and wise and full of grace.

[Joel Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

seriously life changing. if you’re even considering reading this book, put it to the top of the list

[McKenna Parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book changed my life

[Julia Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of the best books I have ever read. I have owned it for three weeks and have read it three times so far. The pages are highlighted and the edges worn in just three weeks. If I had the money I would send it to many people I know. This is a wonderful guide to living a calm peaceful life through the use of contemplation. This book actually provides with with steps to make changes in yourself. As a Christian I can think of no better books to read. As a person wanting to live in peace I can think of no better book to read.

[Jennifer Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I take a break from Richard Rohr and then come back, I am always reminded how no other author compares for me. His words resonate in my innermost being and speak directly to whatever is going on in my present circumstances. It’s almost mystical in nature. Just This is the latest example of picking up a book exactly when I needed to read it.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is worth getting and keeping close by... contemplations on how we get stuck in our small lives and advice, or rather wisdom, that leads you to truly see, in the present moment, how to continually choose an alternative experience, to be awestruck by great love or profound loss.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

[Corbin Hillam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should probably read this once a month.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve taken a year to read through this one…and will return to it regularly!

Within these pages were many new-to-me practices and perspectives on contemplative prayer that I needed, as some of my more worn practices weren’t seeming to be meaningful anymore.

A book on awe and wonder and breath prayer and surrender and relationship and non-dualistic thinking…this invitation to take a long, loving look at the real…will be returned to again and again.

[Callen Scaroni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meditative practices and principles inspired by Christ and informed by Scripture. A great book that provided my first time experiencing Eastern practices such as meditation, heart awareness, and breath work coming together with worship and prayer. Overall message is to behold the love and grace of God all around you, and look around at any given moment and say “Just this!”, this is all I need and everything I’ve longed for. Quick easy read. A book I will reference for years to come!

[Valerie Campbell Ackroyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on Audible as my morning meditation; it was so good. I actually want to buy the book so I can highlight it and make notes. That would mean buying on Kindle because I find it so much easier to highlight and make notes. But there is no Kindle edition for this so I am thinking of buying a paperback. However I've just bought a book by Fr. Keating, whom Rohr recommends in the book as a good "go to" for centering prayer so that may have to wait.

Anyway, if you are interested in prayer and seeking God in the Christian sense, you might enjoy the book. One section that especially caught my attention, and that I try to think about whenever I get into that frame of mind, is the one about the Furies. Rohr describes them as Ancient Greek goddesses who wreak havoc. Where the word "furious" comes from of course. His point is that thinking about those images--of harridans with snakes in their hair, screaming--is a good one to call to mind whenever our mind becomes "furious." However he hastens to say that righteous anger is not a "bad" thing--sometimes it's important to get angry about injustice. But he goes on to say that living in that anger is what is damaging. Absolutely true and sometimes I live in my anger too long. Good reminder to let it go.

[Bri McKoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was perfect for daily meditations. I went through an excerpt everyday. They are short writings but pack a powerful punch. Just like the book says, the writings in this book truly are prompts for practices and contemplations. I basically highlighted the whole book and several prompts caused me to sit in silence for periods of time or to journal. I will return to this book again and again.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is a short, contemplative book full of spiritual wisdom. Some of my favorite thoughts include:

-Learning to “see” through contemplation (how we see determines what we see, and we become what we are willing to see)
-Engaging in more transformational than transactional prayers (allowing God to change us through this sacred communion); prayer as sacred time and divine therapy; prayers that empty the mind to fill the heart; finding rest in prayer
-Our true selves are found in divine union, holiness in connectedness
-Suffering not to wound us but to expand us; nothing is wasted, not even our mistakes, God can use all for our good
-To be taught we have to allow wonder to draw us inward and upward (See Exodus 3:2-6)
-Heaven includes Earth and Earth reveals Heaven
-Peace is found in deep gratitude and deep contentment; practice silence

My biggest problem with this book, and Richard Rohr’s books generally, is that while they are full of spiritual and philosophical ideas, I learn better and am more affected by stories and personal experiences. I would’ve enjoyed and connected more with this book if it was a mix of both wisdom and shared experience. Also, some of his thoughts feel illuminating and important, and others not as much, but any spiritual seeker will be able to find something here that speaks to their soul.

-“While philosophers tend toward the universals and poets love the particulars, it is the mystics who teach us how to encompass both.”

-“Your job as a conscious human is to awaken early to this inherit beauty and goodness. So why wait until heaven when you can enjoy the divine flow in everything that you see now?”

-“Who even puts on an apron, sits them at table, and waits on them (see Luke 12:35-38). Do you realize what an extraordinary notion of God Jesus must have had to talk that way. God waiting on us. No problem to solve, just an immediate intimacy to enjoy. It is just such a moment that can both elicit awe and surrender from you.”

-“Jesus praises faith more than love. Faith is the ability to stand on the threshold, to hold the contraries in the darkness until you move to a deeper level where it is all from love and back to love.”

[N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book badly. It started off so well! I was drawn in by the exploration of the benefits of contemplation, and the idea of “how you see“ affecting “what you see“. But rather than build on those expectations, the book got progressively worse. I tried to get through to the end in search of more meat but I got fed up of spitting out so many bones after the section on “scanning for malware”.

I’m surprised this book was picked up by SPCK, what with all the fluffy and questionable theology in it. This quote from the aforementioned section was the last straw for me: “Stay at prayer for as long as it takes for you to move from negative energy to positive energy, from death to love; otherwise you have not prayed at all.” What of the Psalms and passages of lament that sometimes just ended in the middle of grief and pain without resolve until later?

This idea of complaint as redundant in prayer life can be deeply discouraging, when the Scriptures present a God unto whom we are encouraged to cast our anxieties. What good is a Saviour who invites us to come to Him weary and heavy laden, if we cannot bring our load? Granted, I imagine Rohr would say that “we can bring our load, but we mustn’t continue carrying it”. But what of the “thorns in the flesh“ that sometimes we must endure in this life, when even though God’s grace suffices and His power is made perfect in our weakness—surely He hears and takes in to account each plea for relief, and not only the final resignation to contentment with His will? God listens to the cries of His people, even when that’s all He hears from them for a season.

This book makes a lot of heterodox statements resting on questionable assumptions. Unsurprisingly, some of the author’s other publications are controversial. Too many bones, not enough meat.

[Margaret Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just This is a set of short reflections on the contemplative practice by Father Richard Rohr, a Jesuit theologian. It’s literally pocket sized. I left this little book by the couch so I could pick it up and read a few pages in the mornings or when I needed to quiet my mind. Many of the short essays or reflections are taken from other writings by Rohr. He has a unique way of both seeing spiritual issues in an expansive way - here he combines Buddhist thought along with Bible passages- and writing in an expansive way in that he writes in a collaborative way with the reader. There is a set of recommended practices towards the end of the book that don’t read at all in the same way as a lot of other pop theology. Rohr’s writing is also lyrical and humorous. It is free of both jargon and judgment and in that way makes a nice little companion in a dark or lonely hour. I’m planning on keeping my copy, but I will order more to be able to give to friends.

[Ronald Schoedel III · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have listened to this as an audiobook, straight through, over the course of a week or so. It can be listened to and benefited from that way. The book is, however, essentially a series of brief devotionals that can be read one each day or so. I am now reading it again, using each section as a prompt for prayer or contemplation.

As usual, the spirit speaks to me through Richard Rohr’s thoughtful words of seeking of God. I am beginning to really feel the joy and change in thoughts that comes through contemplative prayer. The word we usually see translated as “repent” in the scriptures is actually more like “change one’s mind or purpose”. Seeing God more clearly and feeling his spirit in my life more fully is absolutely a result of this “changing of mind and purpose” toward a more contemplative mindset.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The supreme work of spirituality, which makes presence possible, is keeping the heart space open (which is the result of conscious love), keeping in a "right mind" (which is the work of contemplation or meditation), and keeping the body alive with contentment and without attachment to its past woundings (which is often the work of healing). In that state, you are neither resisting nor clinging, and you can experience something genuinely new.

Those who can keep all three spaces open at the same time will know the Presence they need to know. That's the only prerequisite. People who can be simply present will know the Presence that connects everything to everything. It has little to do with belonging to a particular denomination or religion.”

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book on contemplation feels like a meditation itself. In ninety short but rich pages, Rohr explains plainly yet poetically and contemplatively what contemplation is and why we should practice it. Just This is a beautiful little book to savor and return to many times.

The twelve practices and prompts in the final chapter do not provide step-by-step instructions but rather offer illustrative descriptions of different meditations to try and contemplative ways to live. The reader is offered the opportunity to adapt these practices to fit into their own unique life, choosing whatever method works best for them.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Rohr always has something insightful to say. Although I don’t always agree with everything he says, he always challenges my mind and heart. From this book I gleaned important concepts like contemplation, staying present in the moment, freeing your mind from judgment, freeing yourself from the entrapment of intense emotions, disengaging from repetitive thoughts and behaviors, and ultimately paving a way to inner peace. This is a great book for anyone who enjoys philosophy, spirituality, and going deep into the human consciousness.

[Kyle Penner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This could be considered the quintessential Rohr. It covers the major topics from all his books, and each little snippet has enough wisdom to be pondered in for days.
Chapter 3 is amazing.
I will return to this book for years to come.

I guess the only knock against it is that I’m already quite familiar with Rohr’s work, so I’m not sure if this is best book to start with. It might be, but I’m not sure.

[Rona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book. It offers a series of prompts which are spiritual perspectives on things. There is something in here for everyone to enable them to deepen prayer life and relationship with God. Even if you aren't particularly religious, the positive effects of mindfulness and meditation are well documented, and this book is an enormous help with that.

[Christopher Golding · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and easy read to help prompt "practices for contemplation" in the Christian Tradition. Much of this work draws on Rohr's previously published work (study DVDs, books, and articles), yet here it is presented in an accessible book which goes to the heart of the considered, discerned path toward the Divine -- not just in words -- but in silence and intentional listening.

[Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful set of meditations that can only be taken in small doses; thankfully, that is how it is organized. As one already very familiar with Richard Rohr, Thomas Keating, and other contemplative thinkers, this book was perfect for me. For someone wanting to familiarize themselves with Richard Rohr, this might be too short or concentrated.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best spiritual book I have ever read. From a master teacher, I learned practical advice to live an intentional life centered on contemplation. That might sound like something only Franciscan friars do, but Rohr’s guidance helps me reorient my life in a way that places me and all humans as members, not rulers of our planet. A life’s work worth doing.

[Olivia Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

So insightful. I basically want to highlight every word on the page. I loved the emphasis on prayer and it made me think a lot about how I need to make changes in the way I pray and turn to God. I also loved how Rohr talked about the importance of being present here and now rather than waiting for heaven.

[L1ll14n · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick guide for those that need some spiritual direction. Short chapters that are designed to make you contemplate and to help guide meditations. Some great advice on how to quiet your inner dialogue.
Advanced reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reflective, powerful collection of reflections from Father Rohr. Maybe not the best intro to his work -but if you are familiar at all, this can serve as a regular (daily, even) source of healthy reflection and contemplation.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has taken quite a while for me to finish this book, even though it is short. I spent much time contemplating, pondering and reflecting on the rich morsels contained on each page. I know I will re-read it many times. This book was sent to me by a dear friend. I treasure the gift and the giver.