Forgotten Among the Lilies: Learning to Love Beyond Our Fears [Hardcover]

Ronald Rolheiser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2005

The author of The Holy Longing explores the debilitating obsessions that often dominate our lives and offers down-to-earth guidance for learning to leave our fears, anxieties, and guilt “forgotten among the lilies.”

“Rarely do we taste the food we eat or the coffee we drink. Instead we go through our days too preoccupied, too compulsive, and too dissatisfied to really be able to be present for and celebrate our own lives,” Ronald Rolheiser writes in the introduction to this powerful collection of essays.

Forgotten Among the Lilies shows that there is a better way to find contentment and joy. Only by trusting in God’s grace and providence, Rolheiser argues, can we move beyond our obsessions and rejoice in what we have and who we are.

With his trademark blend of insight, compassion, and honesty laced with humor, the author teaches that it is possible to experience freedom instead of anxiety, solitude instead of loneliness, and a generosity of spirit that returns to the giver far more than it costs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this book of poignant meditations, theologian Rolheiser pleads an important case of idealism, romanticism, fulfillment and pure love (eros) in an age of skepticism, cynicism and despair. Pulling from a host of spiritual classics, he succeeds at inspiring his readers, translating with impressive acumen the wisdom of theologians like Karl Rahner, poets like Rainer Maria Rilke and contemporary writers like Annie Dillard. He aptly engages readers in deep philosophical questions without losing them in abstract language because he diligently connects his theological ideas to concrete, common experiences. Rolheiser writes about such topics as self-expression, innocence, friendship, forgiveness, prayer, sexuality and social justice with his signature touch of empathy and eloquence. However, in his effort to inspire optimism, he dodges some controversial issues and appears at times to dangerously discount some very real illnesses (e.g. depression, anxiety disorders), which may require psychiatric and physiological treatment beyond his recommended method of "praying it through." Titled appropriately after the last line of St. John of the Cross's poetic masterpiece, "The Dark Night of the Soul," Rolheiser's reflections capture postmodern anxiety and despair; he accurately identifies some alarming trends in contemporary culture, such as the "Friday Night Syndrome"—what he calls our society's need for constant excitement. Overall, his words offer readers a perspective of hope and provide spiritual nourishment at its best. (May)
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Review

Praise for The Holy Longing

“A master weaver is at work here. … I found my soul on every page. At least we have a guide who helps us know what to do with the fire of desire within us. At last a comprehensive, life-giving approach to sexuality. At last a dynamic understanding of how the paschal mystery plays in our own lives. At last a way to weave love for the poor and struggling people with the highest mystical love of God—I love this book.”
—Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking


Praise for The Restless Heart
“Ronald Rolheiser examines the pain of loneliness and the meaning of our longing with compassionate precision. The book is not simply an exercise in personal spirituality—it also comes at a time when great social and political harm is done because many of us cannot endure and enjoy who we are in our loneliness. A much-needed antidote to the uneasiness of the times.”
—Alan Jones, Dean of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, author of Living the Truth, and coauthor of Seasons of Grace


“Ronald Rolheiser has emerged as one of the finest spiritual writers of our time. In this new edition of his earliest work, he tills the soil where the holy longing is cultivated, nurtured, and sustained: the lonely human heart. He holds the key to helping loosen the suffocating grip of loneliness so that our deepmost desires flourish and find rest in God.”
—Michael Downey, Cardinal’s Theologian, Archdiocese of Los Angeles

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday (May 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385512317
• ISBN-13: 978-0385512312
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #967,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timely Collection of Essays Regarding the Spiritual Life, September 18, 2005

By 

Timothy Kearney (Haverhill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Forgotten Among the Lilies: Learning to Love Beyond Our Fears (Hardcover)

Ronald Rolheiser has many gifts he brings to spiritual writing. First he is a person of deep faith. He is also aware of the world we live in today, both its good points and its flaws. Combine this with a keen insight into people and a Catholicism that combines the best of the Catholic tradition with current insights into what feeds and nourishes people and you get an idea of what he brings to the table.

FORGOTTEN AMONG THE LILIES is a departure from some of his other works. Instead of being a monograph about a certain subject, it is a collection of essays based on article sand columns he has written over the years and talks he has given. He divides them into thirteen categories and in each category there is a selection of essays. Most are short and can be read in one sitting and used for reflection. The themes of Rolheisser's earlier works such as the emptiness we can experience without God, the need for a fruitful prayer life, and the importance of belonging to a community of believers can be found in this volume. His writings reflect the concerns of the time including the aftermath of September 11, 2001 and the clergy sexual abuse scandal facing the Catholic Church but are focused solely on the two situations.

At times I have been in discussion groups where articles by Rolheiser have been used to begin the debate. I have found that lively and interesting conversations have followed reading his works. This book which is ideal for either individual or group reading will certainly enliven a reading group or adult education class.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful to an old parish priest, July 27, 2005

By 

Rev. Brad Karelius (Santa Ana, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Forgotten Among the Lilies: Learning to Love Beyond Our Fears (Hardcover)

This new book is a collection of his columns on spirituality. Ron Rolheiser continues to invite me deeper into intimacy with God, by considering my deep passions, addictions, longings, and to believe that God is present in all things. By his own honesty and transparency in this book, Father Rolheiser invites you and me to be real and honest with God and ourselves. Father Brad Karelius, Pastor, Messiah Episcopal Church, Santa Ana, CA

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten Among the Lilies, October 30, 2005

By 

Sister M. Fest (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Forgotten Among the Lilies: Learning to Love Beyond Our Fears (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book for readers who have enjoyed other works of Ron Rohlheiser. The title comes from the last stanza of the pem "Dark Night of the Soul" and assures us that we can leave our fears, guilt, anxieties, compulsions, etc. to be "forgotten among the lilies" when we rest our heats on the bossom of Jesus. It is a contemporary book on Providence.