September 6, 2026
This weekend, we offer a podcast to guide your personal reflection or small church conversations.
As preparation for our learning together this fall, here is a conversation with Richard Rohr about the first chapter in his latest book: The Tears of Things:Prophetic Wisdom for An Age of Outrage. Rohr explores the biblical prophets’ responses to suffering and injustice and invites us to face our own ‘tears’ in order to be awakened to a deeper, more compassionate life with God.
This is especially relevant as we explore what it means to hear and to love God in September at All Church, and as we study the book of Amos together this October-November.
If you are short on time, we suggest you start listening at minute 2:42 until 35:30 but the entire 90 minute conversation is well worth listening to.
What are the ‘tears” Rohr refers to? How does this relate to the journey of biblical prophets as they move from anger to grief to love? “Prophets knew the soul must weep to be a soul at all.”
Rohr discusses ‘original sin’ as the collective sin of humanity: “We’re all sinners. We all participate in a broken, bleeding culture.” How is this different from what is often taught about sin and sinners and original sin?
Pointing to Jesus as the ultimate example of solidarity with sinners, Rohr describes the gospel as “widening circles of solidarity”. In this vein, we are invited to “…find where your compassion comes naturally, easily. That’s your beginning place…where you can live in natural union with God. Trust that place and build from there, dragging the circle outward.” Can you hear an invitation from the Holy Spirit in these words that you can live out in your own life?
