Customer Reviews

The Shattered Lantern: Rediscovering a Felt Presence of God

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In this first book by Father Rolheiser he writes a clear and concise guide for those of us walking the contemporary and contemplative path.

He contends that "today we, the children of Western culture, post-modern, adult children of the enlightenment, struggle with practical atheism. Our consciousness is clouded with narcissism, pragmatism, and unbridled restlessness so much so, that we are contemplatively asleep. The road back is not a question of finding the right answers, but in living in a certain way. To approach reality and relationships with a certain set of attitudes. A proper praxis. And, like the Virgin Mary, after a certain gestation process, eventually you will give birth to Jesus. God enters the world as the conclusion of a gestation process.We must live in such a way that we give birth to God in our lives."

He routinely urged me to check my own comfort zone, such as "Endeavor to constantly discern your motivation, that is, be suspicious when the glory of God and your own glory habitually harmonize" and "Enter into the vulnerability of Christ, into his unwillingness to protect himself against pain as he fulfills God's will."

I found his observations about the church and religion today on the mark. His work is very readable and yet I found myself rereading a passage over and over because of the succinct, sometimes gritty, penetrating message. He makes the point that the journey takes time, practice and an ever vigilant opening of your heart. An excellent book that you will read over and over again.

Nietzsche once wrote, "God is dead!" Rolheiser responds, "No!" We simply are blind! If we could only remove the scales from our eyes, we would be able to see Him everywhere in our ordinary existence. Rolheiser states that the scales can be removed through contemplation, allowing us to see God "face to face."

This is a very spiritual book with great insights on the discipline of contemplation. Along with prayer and meditation, contemplation is one of the most effective ways of getting closer to God. This book helps the reader learn, understand and live the contemplative life.

"Blessed are the pure at heart, for they shall see God." Unfortunately, few of us are pure at heart. Rolheiser posits most believers rarely, if ever, see God in their lives. Something is wrong with us. This book first describes in some detail why we are not fully aware of God in our lives - excessive narcissism, pragmatism and restlessness are the culprits. Our perception is distorted because we lack the perspective of the contemplative: an infinite horizon where God is the background to all our ordinary experiences. Simply put, most lack the ability to see beyond their own heartaches and headaches.

The book then turns to the three main contemplative traditions in Western Christianity, the mystical tradition exemplified by John of the Cross, the Protestant contemplative tradition, and the philosophical tradition of Theism. Rolheiser does an excellent job of summarizing all three.

The book ends by succinctly explaining the spiritual exercises we can undertake to help purify our hearts, expand our awareness and reacquire a childlike heart of wonder and awe.

Read this book. Become a contemplative. See and feel God everywhere!

Rolheiser provides real insights in to why so many people are unable to see God as being active in their lives . His thought provoking discussions make one realize that living a contemplative life is far more than simply setting aside time for silence and meditation . He challenges the reader to be contemplative in the midst of a life of constant activity . Great book for group study .

Out of the many books on spirituality and mysticism I have read, this may be the best because of Rolheiser's ability to present the depth of spirituality in such understanabale language. Some spiritual authors write beyond my understanding - not true of Richard Rolheiser. I have felt that way about all that I have read of his. In the same vein you may also want to check out the work of Richard Rohr. Both of these writers have a way of taking you off the surface of your faith where we spend so much time to depths you wish you knew about long before.

Rediscovering the Felt Presence of God seems challenging but Rolheiser makes it ordinary. This book has deeply affected the way I view my experiences. It has returned as sense of worship and connection with God not only in my prayer life but in everyday experience. This book is a little deep but stay with it... you really don't need a degree in theology to "get' it you just need to want more of God.

This was a great, great book! It is an eye-opening, or better yet, a soul-opening guide to look at life in a whole new dimension and see as God sees. I definitely recommend it!

not since C.S. Lewis, has philosophy of religion met such high standards. Fr. Rolheiser may be Catholic, but his writing works for Protestants as well. I was surprised at the high quality of his thoughtfulness. Clearly Fr. Ron is a man of deep faith and intellect. I hope he continues to write.

I am re-reading this book again with my book club. It is an excellent book and as other reviewers have stated, Father analysis is succint, on point and frankly, very challenging.