The Three Isaiahs: The Heart of Prophecy with Cassidy Hall
In this episode of Everything Belongs, we explore Chapter 8 of Richard Rohr’s The Tears of Things. Our hosts consider how the book of Isaiah embodies Fr. Richard’s wisdom pattern of order, disorder, and reorder — and how prophecy moves us from anger to lamentation to expansive love.
Later, you’ll hear from author Cassidy Hall for a conversation about women’s often-erased voices, queerness as a contemplative lens, and the prophets on the margins.
Resources:
Learn more about Cassidy Hall here.
Grab a copy of The Tears of Things here.
To learn more about The Tears of Things and additional offerings, including the trailer, a FREE Reader's Guide, and more, visit thetearsofthings.com
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1:28:19
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1:28:19
The Alchemy of Tears with Rabbi Tirzah Firestone
What does it mean to cry with God—and be healed by our tears?
In this episode of Everything Belongs, we explore Chapter 7 of Richard Rohr’s The Tears of Things, called The Alchemy of Tears: How We Learn Universal Sympathy and Grace, which focuses on the "gift of tears" as a sacred pathway to healing and transformation. At Richard’s hermitage, co-hosts Mike Petrow and Paul Swanson discuss how grief, when honored, connects us to divine sadness and invites us into deeper compassion. Later, Mike and Carmen Acevedo Butcher are joined by Jungian psychotherapist, Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, to explore how we metabolize trauma and grief, heal intergenerational wounds, and move from pathologizing pain to putting it in service of love and justice.
Resources:
Find out more about Rabbi Tirzah Firestone here.
Learn more about Tirzah's book, Wounds Into Wisdom here.
Grab a copy of The Tears of Things here.
To learn more about The Tears of Things and additional offerings, including the trailer, a FREE Reader's Guide, and more, visit thetearsofthings.com
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1:24:29
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1:24:29
Unfinished Prophets: Elijah, Jonah, and John the Baptizer
How do we learn from imperfect spiritual teachers and embrace our own incompleteness?
In this episode, we're exploring Chapter 6 of Richard Rohr's final book, The Tears of Things, titled "Unfinished Prophets: Elijah, Jonah, and John the Baptizer." In an extended conversation at Richard's hermitage, hosts Mike Petrow and Paul Swanson dive deep into three biblical figures who never quite completed their prophetic journey from anger to sadness to love.
Later, Carmen Acevedo Butcher joins to discuss what it means to love our own imperfection and learn from flawed teachers without idealizing them. Mike and Carmen explore how perfectionism serves oppressive systems, why self-compassion is essential for spiritual growth, and address the significant absence of women's voices in prophetic literature.
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1:17:33
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1:17:33
Jeremiah: The Patterns That Carry Us Across with Dr. Walter Fluker
How do we live with hope when the path forward demands surrender?
In this episode, we explore Chapter 5 of Richard Rohr’s book, The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage, titled “Jeremiah: The Patterns That Carry Us Across.” Through conversation with Richard, we reflect on the prophetic vocation as a lifelong invitation to move from anger and lament into love—and how Jeremiah models that transformation.
After our dialogue with Richard, we’re joined by the beloved Reverend Dr. Walter Earl Fluker, Howard Thurman scholar and prophetic voice of ethical leadership. Together, we delve into what it means to be “dismembered to be remembered,” as Dr. Fluker shares his lifelong journey to find home, the role of the trickster God in transformation, and why there can be no liberation without struggle.
This episode walks the listener through the wisdom pattern of order, disorder, and reorder as it shows up in Jeremiah’s life—and our own. From ancient covenant to inner apocalypse, from personal grief to collective trauma, this episode is a deep meditation on how tears and laughter both reveal the path to freedom.
This episode invites you to consider: What if the tears you cry in sorrow are the same tears that prepare you for joy? What if the very act of being broken is the beginning of becoming whole?
Resources:
Listen to Dr. Fluker's episode of The Cosmic We here.
Grab a copy of The Tears of Things here.
To learn more about The Tears of Things and additional offerings, including the trailer, a FREE Reader's Guide, and more, visit thetearsofthings.com
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1:22:14
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1:22:14
Bonus: Fr. Richard and Greg Boyle Reflect on Lives Committed to Loving Action
What wisdom emerges when contemplative action meets radical compassion?
In this special bonus episode, we step outside the chapter-by-chapter rhythm of Richard Rohr’s final book, The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage, for a rare and intimate conversation between Fr. Richard Rohr and his longtime friend Fr. Greg Boyle. Together, they explore the soul of the book and the spirit of this moment in history.
Fr. Greg, founder of Homeboy Industries and author of Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times, joins Richard and CAC staff member Paul Swanson for a profound dialogue on everything from the death of Pope Francis and the surprising emergence of Pope Leo, to the themes of humiliation, humility, and radical belonging.
Together, they reflect on the journey from order to disorder to reorder, offering insight into how love acts in the world, especially among the most marginalized. Fr. Richard and Fr. Greg Boyle embody the very message they share: that transformation is always possible, and that love, when lived, is the greatest force for healing in our divided world.
The transcript for this episode can be found here
About Everything Belongs: Living the Teachings of Richard Rohr Forward
Join Richard Rohr, CAC staff, teachers, and guests on a journey through Fr. Richard’s foundational teachings on contemplative Christianity. Discover how to embody this wisdom in our daily lives, co-creating a world where everything and everyone belongs.
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