Sermon Tone Analysis

We are so affected by what we give our attention to.

What have you been giving yours to?

1) You cannot control all energy - so be cautious what you open yourself up to.

Notes:

Ronald Rolheiser quotes from pages 24-31 “The Holy Longing”

The premodern world understood that spirituality is about how we channel our eros and, for them, the path needed to channel it correctly was the path that directed that desire toward God, the path of genuflection)That path, also often became the path of fear and the path of control through, external taboos, prohibitions, and laws.

The premodern world understood that spirituality is about

how we channel our eros and, for them, the path needed to

channel it correctly was the path that directed that desire toward

God, the path of genuflection)That path, also often became the

This had a mixed result, not all of it bad.

On the one hand, they lived with a lot more fear, superstition, restriction, and timidity than we do.

On the other hand, they had both a social stability and a psychological substantiality that we, for the most part, can only envy.

Put more simply, we can look at how they handled their spiritual and erotic energies and consider them legalistic and uptight, but their families and communities held together better than do our own and they were less restless and slept more peacefully than we do, because all those high symbols and restrictions, whatever their dysfunctions, taught them that they were immortal beings, created in God's image, whose every action, however private, was important.

They did not have to give themselves their own meaning.

Because of this, a real irony perhaps, they suffered less from both depression and inflation than we do.

path of fear and the path of control tl;uQu.gg,

external taboos,

prohibitions, and laws.

·

This had a mixed result, not􀇽fjt b<14, On the one hand,

they lived with a lot 􀇾ore fear, superstition, restriction, and timidity

than we do>On the other hand, they had both a social

This had a mixed result, not all of it bad.

On the one hand, they lived with a lot more fear, superstition, restriction, and timidity than we do.

On the other hand, they had both a social stability and a psychological substantiality that we, for the most part, can only envy.

Put more simply, we can look at how they handled their spiritual and erotic energies and consider them legalistic and uptight, but their families and communities held together better than do our own and they were less restless and slept more peacefully than we do, because all those high symbols and restrictions, whatever their dysfunctions, taught them that they were immortal beings, created in God's image, whose every action, however private, was important.

They did not have to give themselves their own meaning.

Because of this, a real irony perhaps, they suffered less from both depression and inflation than we do.

stability and a psychological substantiality that we, for the most

part, can only envy.

Put more simply, we can look at how they

Exposition.

handled their spiritual and erotic energies and consider them legalistic

and uptight, but their families and communities held together

better than do our own and they were less restless and slept more peacefully than we do, because all those high symbols and restrictions, whatever their dysfunctions, taught them that they were immortal beings, created in God's image, whose every action, however private, was important.

They did not have to give themselves their own meaning.

Because of this, a real irony perhaps, they suffered less from both depression and inflation than we do.

better than do our own and they were less restless and

slept more peacefully than we do because all􀇿 high SY!Jl..hols

and restrictions, whatever their dysfunctions, J:a􀈀ght them that..

they􀈁 we􀈂m􀈃􀈄rtal b􀈅!!!g􀈆 cre.:ited in God's image, whose eveu,:_

􀈇ti􀈈n, however private, was importa11t)They did not have to

Today, whatever our sophistication we are naive about the nature of energy.

Unlike Jung, we consider it friendly, as something we need not fear and as something we can manage all on our own, without the help of a God or of external rules and taboos.

In fact, we tend to disdain any external force, religious or secular, that would in any way censor or restrict an absolute freedom to let energy flow through us.

Obedience and genuflection are not very popular.

We want to manage energy all on our own.

The Current Struggle with Christian Spirituality 25

give themselves their own m ean ing.'>

Because of this, a real irony

perhaps, they suffered less from both depression and inflation

than we do.

oda ur so histication we are naive about the

Today, whatever our sophistication we are naive about the nature of energy.

Unlike Jung, we consider it friendly, as something we need not fear and as something we can manage all on our own, without the help of a God or of external rules and taboos.

In fact, we tend to disdain any external force, religious or secular, that would in any way censor or restrict an absolute freedom to let energy flow through us.

Obedience and genuflection are not very popular.

We want to manage energy all on our own.

n􀈉ture of energ􀈊Unlike Jung, we consider it friendly, as somethmg

w e need not fear and as something we can manage all on

our own, without the help of a God or of e xternal rules and

taboos.,In

fact, we tend to disdain any external fo rce, religious

freedom to let energy flow through us.

Obedience and genuflection are not very popular.

We want to manage energy all on our own.

or secular, that would in any way censor or r estrict an absolute

f:'eedom to l et energy flow through us.

Obedience and g en uflection

are not very popular.

We want to manage energy all on our

own.

Par tly this is a good and necessary step in human matu r ation

Partly this is a good and necessary step in human maturation and partly it is its opposite.

The rejection of any external censor of our actions can be a sign of growing up and it can also be a sign of infantile grandiosity, the child in the high chair, demanding that the world revolve around him or her.

In either case, we pay a price for demanding to manage all on our own, mostly in our incapacity to find that fine line between depression and inflation.

What this means is that, all on our own outside of the classical social and ecclesial taboos, we invariably fluctuate between being out of touch with the deep source of energy, depression, and not being able to properly contain it, inflation.

We are rarely on an even keel, always either too low or too high feeling dead inside or unable to act or sleep properly, because we are too hyper and restless.

and partly it is its opposite.

The rejection of any external censor

of our actions can be a sign of growing up and it can also be a

Exposition.

􀈋 ign of infantile grandiosity, the child i n the high chair, demandmg

that the wor ld revolve around him or her.

In eith er case, we

Partly this is a good and necessary step in human maturation and partly it is its opposite.

The rejection of any external censor of our actions can be a sign of growing up and it can also be a sign of infantile grandiosity, the child in the high chair, demanding that the world revolve around him or her.

In either case, we pay a price for demanding to manage all on our own, mostly in our incapacity to find that fine line between depression and inflation.

What this means is that, all on our own outside of the classical social and ecclesial taboos, we invariably fluctuate between being out of touch with the deep source of energy, depression, and not being able to properly contain it, inflation.

We are rarely on an even keel, always either too low or too high feeling dead inside or unable to act or sleep properly, because we are too

(OPTIONAL) Mostly though, in this struggle, it is depression, feeling dead inside, that is the big problem.

Generally speaking, today, in the western world, most of us adults live in a certain chronic depression.How is this to be understood?

pay _a price !or demanding to manage all on our own, mostly in

our mcapacity to find that fine line between depression and inflation.

What this means is that, all on our own outside of the

classical social and ecclesial taboos, we invariably fluc tuate be

􀈌een being out of touch with the deep source of energy, dep ression,

Exposition.

hyper and restless.

and not being able to properly contain it, inflation.