Living our Spirituality in the Second Half of Life
A fall 2025 study from The Wisdom Years
There are, says Franciscan priest Richard Rohr, two major tasks to human life. The first is to build a strong “container” or identity. Here we establish our selfhood by our climbing, achieving and performing. But these concerns will not serve us as we encounter the second half of our lives – when a deepening spirituality reveals what our personal “container” was truly meant to hold. The second half of life is a further journey, a deeper journey, in which we find that the failings of the first half of our lives are actually the foundation for the second half.
In Falling Upward, Rohr leads us to see that “the heartbreaks, disappointments, and first loves of life are actually stepping stones to the spiritual joys that the second half of life has in store for us” (from the book jacket). We grow spiritually more by doing it wrong than by doing it right.
This fall, The Wisdom Years will take on a bold adventure as we dig deeply into Rohr’s insights in Falling Upward. We will embark on a heroic journey of transformation as we set aside our outer lives to reveal our inner ones.
Beginning on September 4, we will divide the 13 chapters plus introduction of Falling Upward into two seven-week sessions, finishing on December 18. (Sept. 4 to Oct. 16 and Oct. 30 to Dec 18. No sessions on Oct. 23 or Nov. 27.)
We will each read Falling Upward on our own then gather weekly on Thursdays at 4 p.m. (Central time) by Zoom for gentle but fruitful conversation. And we will hold hands along the way.
If you would like to join the Wisdom Years community for this dynamic study using Falling Upward, send an email to Marjorie George at marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.
There is no charge for this course, but you will need to provide your own book. (Note that Falling Upward was first published in 2011 then revised in 2023. You may use either edition for this course.) Purchase the book at St. Mark’s Bookstore (https://www.stmarksbookstore.com/) through their bookshop link (https://bookshop.org/shop/stmarksbookstoresa) or from your favorite book retailer.
Never let the cost of the book keep you from joining us. Scholarship funds are available.
Questions? Email to marjoriegeorge62@gmail.com.
Richard Rohr is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation which is dedicated to offering Christian contemplative wisdom through teachings, practices, and community engagement. The goal of CAC is to help people live out this wisdom in practical ways—so that they become instruments of love, peacemaking, and positive change in the world.
The Wisdom Years 