The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder

"Progress is never a straight and uninterrupted line, but we have all been formed by the Western Philosophy of Progress that tells us it is, leaving us despairing and cynical....We are indeed 'saved' by knowing and surrendering to this universal pattern of reality. Knowing the full pattern allows us to let go of our first order, trust the disorder, and, sometimes even hardest of all - to trust the new reorder. Three big leaps of faith for all of us, and each of a different character." - From the introduction

A universal pattern can be found in all societies and in fact in all of creation. We see it in the seasons of the year; the stories of Scripture; the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; the rise and fall of civilizations; and even in our own lives. In this new version of one of his earlier books (Hope Against Darkness), Father Richard Rohr illuminates the way understanding and embracing this pattern can give us hope in difficult times and the courage to push through messiness and even great chaos to find a new way of being in the world.

Reviewed by Kate Bell in Tui Motu August 2020

"Renowned spiritual writer Richard Rohr distills his 30 years of teaching in The Wisdom Pattern. Through the chapters in the first part he analyses the factors that have led to the major issues of postmodernism and the effects on our psyche, beliefs, spirituality, community, church, culture and society ”” and the planet as a whole. Then he introduces the hope of great awakenings necessary for transformation in all of those levels. The second part is concerned with “how””” introducing the nuts and bolts for personally and collectively finding a “third way”. I enjoyed Rohr's energetic conversational style with rich quotable pearls on every page! More significantly, I appreciated his critique of postmodernism and its polarising effect in society (perhaps more evident in the Culture Wars of his own United States). But best of all I found Richard's steps for trans-formation were immediate and personal. This volume is for anyone who is concerned about our present world, our way of thinking, being and believing. Richard provides an overview of the major features of this landscape and articulates the wisdom pattern that encapsulates the Pascal mystery of hope."