Falling Upward, Revised and Updated: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life

by Richard Rohr, Brené Brown (Foreword by)

Overview

An update to the bestselling Falling Upward from Franciscan Father Richard Rohr

In the revised and updated edition of Falling Upward, Richard Rohr seeks to help readers come to terms with the two halves of life. In this book, Rohr teaches us that we can’t understand the meaning of "up" until we have fallen "down." More importantly, Rohr describes what "up" can look like in the second half of life.

Most of us tend to think of the second half of life in chronological terms, but this book proposes a different paradigm. Spiritual maturity is found "when we begin to pay attention and seek integrity" through a shift from our "outer task" to the "inner task." What looks like falling down can be experienced as falling upward—and is not necessarily connected with aging. This new edition focuses on practical guidance that you can use to live a life of love and meaning in a world of suffering and challenge. Falling Upward is an invitation to living the gospel and a call to ongoing transformation.

• Gain a spiritual perspective on the "the common sequencing, staging, and direction of life's arc" and learn how to bring forth your gifts in the second half of life
• Grapple with difficult feelings, fears, and emotions associated with "great love and great suffering"
• Learn how we "grow spiritually much more by doing it wrong than by doing it right" Understand why so many of us resist falling into the second half of life

Readers of Rohrs previous works and those new to the remarkable teachings of this Franciscan priest will find comfort and inspiration in this guide to lifelong spiritual growth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781394185696
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	11/22/2023
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	20,731
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Fr. Richard Rohr, Franciscan friar and ecumenical teacher, is Founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation. Fr. Richard teaches how God’s grace guides us to our birthright as beings made of Divine Love. He is the author of numerous books, including Immortal Diamond.

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Table of Contents

Foreword vii

The Invitation to a Further Journey xi

Introduction xv

1 The Two Halves of Life 1

2 The Hero’s Journey 11

3 The First Half of Life 17

4 The Tragic Sense of Life 33

5 Stumbling Over the Stumbling Stone 41

6 Necessary Suffering 47

7 Home and Homesickness 55

8 Amnesia and the Big Picture 61

9 A Second Simplicity 67

10 A Bright Sadness 75

11 The Shadowlands 81

12 New Problems and New Directions 87

13 Falling Upward 97

Afterword 103

Coda 111

Notes 115

Bibliography 123

The Author 127

Editorial Reviews

Franciscan priest Rohr (The Naked Now) is a big-picture kind of thinker when it comes to characterizing the human journey. Life has two halves; life follows the pattern of a hero/heroine's journey; life is disorderly and inherently tragic. Elders and mystics are more inclined to such sweeping and subtle observations, and Rohr, born in 1943, fits in both categories. Rohr writes about spirituality in broad terms, but is deeply grounded in the writings and thinkers of his Catholic religious tradition. His discussion of familiar theological concerns—the necessity of suffering, the opportunities provided by mistakes—is fresh because imaginative and vigorous. His metaphors ("discharging your loyal soldier"), paradoxes (see the book's title), and arguments are not, however, easy to follow or even easy to summarize. They will frustrate some readers, but delight others who are attentive enough to follow the connections Rohr makes. This small, provocative book will make a particularly good gift for a thoughtful, spiritually open man. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Franciscan priest Rohr (The Naked Now) is a big-picture kind of thinker when it comes to characterizing the human journey. Life has two halves; life follows the pattern of a hero/heroine's journey; life is disorderly and inherently tragic. Elders and mystics are more inclined to such sweeping and subtle observations, and Rohr, born in 1943, fits in both categories. Rohr writes about spirituality in broad terms, but is deeply grounded in the writings and thinkers of his Catholic religious tradition. His discussion of familiar theological concerns—the necessity of suffering, the opportunities provided by mistakes—is fresh because imaginative and vigorous. His metaphors ("discharging your loyal soldier"), paradoxes (see the book's title), and arguments are not, however, easy to follow or even easy to summarize. They will frustrate some readers, but delight others who are attentive enough to follow the connections Rohr makes. This small, provocative book will make a particularly good gift for a thoughtful, spiritually open man. (May) (Publishers Weekly, April 11, 2011)

From the Publisher

Richard Rohr reads his own work with conviction in his voice. Rooted in Roman Catholic mysticism, Rohr explains why one must fail first in order to understand what it means to rise up. Thus, we are told that there are two halves to one’s life—the first half striving for success and oftentimes failing and the second half learning from the past failure. Rohr’s voice is calm and soothing, with a steady pace. As one listens to what he has to say, one gets the feeling that he wants to share with others what he has learned later in life. Whether one agrees with him or not, there are some gold nuggets to take away. T.D. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2011 - AudioFile