Rohr believes that humans share a sense of homesickness or nostalgia for their real spiritual home. This feeling is meant to guide us back home, which is finding God in us and us in God. Odysseus’s journey home to Ithaca represents this spiritual journey. However, as in the story, many people do not care to go home. Instead, they forget who they are or where they came from, and do not really “go” anywhere in life and hit spiritual dead ends.

In everyone’s lives, life happens to people, but they still have some will and their choices matter. Rohr laments that in modern culture people do not immediately believe in deeper meanings or enchantments, making the world feel “empty” and “inert” (58). He believes this is connected to people’s loneliness and sense of meaninglessness. However, he feels that science has helped to illustrate how alive the world is and has proven that life evolves. He believes that evolving life forms are God’s creation.

Rohr insists that people should resist numbing or distracting themselves from their discomfort, and that to stay on the surface level of anything, including religious teaching, is sinful. Deep experiences like loving, being in awe, or helping someone pass away can be transformative experiences that bring people some spiritual depth. He concludes his chapter by reiterating that, just as Odysseus came home to Ithaca, everyone is meant to come home to God and themselves.

Rohr relies on his own intuitive understanding of things, with occasional philosophical and mythological references, instead of invoking specific passages of scripture. He adds complexity to the traditional view of “sin” by arguing that numbing or distracting oneself from uncomfortable feelings is also a form of sin. This unique perspective adds to his argument that fully registering emotions and embracing them is a key part of spiritual growth. For instance, he connects feelings of homesickness with people’s willingness to go through challenges and seek God. He explains, “We are both driven and called forward by a kind of deep homesickness, it seems. There is an inherent and desirous dissatisfaction that both sends and draws us forward, and it comes from our original and radical union with God” (56). 

By presenting distractions as sinful, the author encourages the reader to be fully present to their real emotions—no matter how uncomfortable—so they can go beyond the surface level of their lives. He urges the reader, “We dare not try to fill our souls and minds with numbing addictions, diversionary tactics, or mindless distractions […] Sin is to stay on the surface of even holy things” (59). This argument solidifies his lesson to pay attention to life and one’s feelings, as they are important guides.

Chapter Lessons

• Feelings of homesickness or restlessness can prompt spiritual searching
• Do not distract or numb yourself from pain; instead, work with it as part of your spiritual journey
• Accept the challenge of spiritual growth instead of dwelling on the surface level of life

Reflection Questions

• Have you ever had the feelings of homesickness or nostalgia that Rohr describes? What emotional or spiritual practices do you partake in to help find your way “home”?
• Rohr argues that taking a superficial approach to things is a kind of  “sin.” What is an area of your life (e.g., an activity, a relationship, an aspect of your work) that you think you could learn to approach with more depth and meaningful engagement? What would being less “superficial” in this area look like?
• Which feelings are the most uncomfortable for you? Do you distract yourself from them, or embrace them? How?