Customer Reviews

The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am a former Christian and have been on a spiritual journey for some time. I have been looking for a way to redefine my faith, to recommit to at least some of the Christian tenets I rejected years ago. Nothing I read helped me; authors (including C.S. Lewis, among others) all seem to assume that their readers share their faith. But in Rolheiser's book his first line says it all: "This is a book for you if you are struggling spiritually." I was struggling before I read the book, and I still am, but Rolheiser has helped me understand what the struggle is about. This is a book that can be read with benefit by believers and nonbelievers alike.

This is the most inspirational--and challenging--book I've read in this or any year. This book is full of practical advice for increasing the spirituality of both the individual and the church. While Rolheiser is a Catholic priest, the issues he discusses are relevant to all Christians. His ideas on the concept of community I found especially thought-provoking with regard both to church and family. They provide useful ways of maintaining the focus on God even in the loud, messy chaos of everyday life and for worshipping with a community of believers, all of which you might not choose to associate with in other circumstances. Rolheiser's chapter on Christian sexuality as energy can be inspirational for both single individuals and those who are married or in other relationships. I would highly recommend this book for individual study or group discussion among thoughtful Christians of all denominations.

Rolheiser does an amazing job of taking the reader on a journey of spirituality. He carefully crafted the book to help the reader understand the fundamentals of a solid Christian spirituality. Though clearly written from a Roman Catholic perspective, the writing and insight is so helpful that any Christian would benefit from it. This book will truly help one's reach expand his grasp spiritually.

The man who recommended this to me is brilliant for recognizing it as the best book on Catholic spirituality he had read in the last ten years.

This is the kind of book that starts great discussion groups and leads them to the formation of a community.

This is easily one of the best pieces of writing about Christianity that I've seen come down the pike in a long time. A sharp and engaging reflection on Christian spirituality which steers clear of both the vague, New Agey blather and humorless Evangelicalism filling Christianity sections of bookstores these days. Rolheiser is a Catholic priest, but the book is written with a wide audience in mind, and should be quite appealing to people who, like myself, come from another Christian tradition. The fact that I took issue with some of Rolheiser's arguments only increased my admiration for the book since it simply encouraged more reflection and never caused me to stop reading on. I heartily recommend this book to anyone looking for thoughtful guidance on what living an authentic Christian spirituality actually involves.

It is difficult to put into words how wonderful this book is. I finished it today, and plan on turning back to page one to read it over again. Ronald Rolheiser put into words and concepts issues of spirituality and Christianity that deepened my understanding of where I am and where I need to be. His chapters on incarnation were very powerful; and, his last chapter, "Sustaining Ourselves in the Spiritual Life" gave a good (and empathetic) grounding on how to make these ideas relevant each day.

I found Father Rolheiser offered us three critical benefits in his book: 1) Relevance. I found his observations valuable for any Christian seeking a spiritual relevance to their real life. 2) Specificity. His ability to simplify and clarify in a simple, easy to understand manner was the most refreshing tone I have read on this complex subject. 3)Inciteful. I found his wonderful detailing of the incarnation well worth the price of this book. Just a wonderfully appropriate and enjoyable read.

For those who have often shook their heads in dismay at the constant schitzophrenic warmongering between secular ideals and Christian beliefs, this book is a breath of fresh spiritual air. It is written in a straightforward comprehensive language and yet does not attempt to dismantle the basic tenets of Christian belief. Those who want a deeper understanding of the essential ideas which religion couches in antiquated and dogmatic terms will find in this book a blessing. Rolheiser, like any good writer, puts into simple and precise terms the anxiety and anguish that those who stand in the razor thin neutral zone between the religious and secular worlds feel. He is also refreshingly non-judgemental, reflexive and intelligent in his approach. This book is a wonder.

The search for spirituality has captivated many people in recent years, more than many other topic. Perhaps it is indicative of the aging of our population, as Baby Boomers and others contemplate the question of their own mortality. There have been countless books on discovering one's spirituality and cultivating our souls: primitive, modern, inner, outer, hidden, manifest, secular, ecclesiological, reflexive, contemplative, meditative . . . well you get the picture. For many, spirituality has been sought in the same way that one buys a computer: select the hardware; customize the software; choose the accessories; and hope the darn thing works when you plug it in. Truth - well after all, what is truth?

Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, author of THE RESTLESS HEART and a featured columnist and frequent magazine contributor on spirituality, provides a classic offering on Christian spirituality. This spirituality - founded on the objective truth of the Incarnation and the Paschal Mystery - provides a Christ-centered focus. The author moves from the essentials, the "non-negotiables" of Christian spirituality, to differing modes within the overall Christian context. Rolheiser explores various aspects: the solitary, the communal, the institutional, the contemplative. He provides reflection and practical suggestions.

The book is designed to lead the reader to a deeper relationship with God, ourselves and others.

"Everyone has to have a spirituality - either a life-giving one or a destructive one."

So begins Author Ronald Rolheiser's examination of Christian Spirituality in what has become his classic work, "The Holy Longing." Rolheiser writes with uncommon clarity in providing a foundation for Christian Spirituality and in stimulating us to rethink spirituality and our own spiritual journey. Rolheiser shows us that it is not enough to be "spiritual but not religious." The book will either be a reawakening or a disappointment to those who describe themselves this way.

Spirituality, Rolheiser points out, is about what we do with our souls and is subject of concern for all of us. "Spirituality is about being integrated or falling apart, about being within community or being lonely, about being in harmony with Mother Earth or being alienated from her. Spirituality shapes our actions, and in turn, our desire. Desire makes us act and when we act what we do will either lead to greater integration or disintegration within our personalities, minds, bodies...and to a strengthening or deterioration of our relationship to God, others, or the cosmic world."

Our age constitutes a virtual conspiracy against the interior life - narcissism, pragmatism, and unbridled restlessness. And today's secular society looks on Christian Spirituality with suspicion so in its place we now have cults of physical health, new gods (celebrities, star athletes) and new shrines (stadiums, pageants, reality TV). So, how are we to satisfy our fundamental dis-ease, that holy longing - that unquenchable fire that renders us incapable, in this life, of ever coming to full peace?

Rolheiser points the way. After defining the situation and the current struggle for our soul, Rolheiser provides an outline for a Christian Sprituality, the basis for Christian Spirituality (the Incarnation), and key spiritualities within a spirituality including ecclesiology, the Paschal Mystery, justice and peacemaking, and sexuality.

Rolheiser in "The Holy Longing" shows how true Christian Spirituality can come close to quenching the unquenchable and how spirituality is essential to having a healthy soul which holds us together and keeps us energized.

Simply astounding work. If you're a baby-boomer Catholic, you know how it felt to be caught between the fifteenth and twentieth centuries when Vatican II changed the face of the Church. Ron Rolheiser was certainly one such person. The Holy Longing bridges the gap between the old and new Church. He describes in modern thought and language a wonderful way to be a spiritual "adult," and the role of community in the growth of that spirituality. I think the essence of the book comes from these two quotes:

"... Jesus was prescribing four things as an essential praxis for a healthy spiritual life: a) private prayer and private morality; b) social justice; c) mellowness of heart and spirit; and d) community as a constitutive element of true worship.

"You cannot deal with a perfect, all-loving, all-forgiving, all-understanding God in heaven if you cannot deal with a less-than-perfect, less-than-forgiving, and less-than-understanding community here on earth. You cannot pretend to be dealing with an invisible God if you refuse to deal with a visible family."

If you like the works of C.S. Lewis, Henri Nouwen, and Thomas Merton you'll love this book. Required reading for anyone on a genuine search for spiritual meaning.