Category Archives: Fr Ron Rolheiser

CARING FOR OUR HEARTS 2006-09-24 “Be careful not to seek yourself in love, you can end up with a broken heart that way.” Therese of Lisieux wrote that. But what exactly does she mean, given that most of the time … Continue reading →

THE NOONDAY DEVIL 2004-05-16 When the Desert fathers first formulated a list of what they considered “deadly sins”, they included the sin of sadness. It wasn’t until the 17th century that it was dropped from the list, replaced by sloth. … Continue reading →

BIBLICAL ANXIETY 2004-10-24 The opposite of belief is not non-belief, but anxiety. To not believe, to not have faith, is to be anxious in a particular way. What way? We get a hint at an answer in Jesus’ rather-famous comment … Continue reading →

SETTING OUR ECCLESIAL GAUGES 2004-04-25 Karl Rahner once cautioned that we should never assume that everyone alive at the same time belongs to the same generation. Nowhere is this more true than in church circles today where we have multiple … Continue reading →

COMPASSION AND TRUTH 2004-02-01 Back when I was still teaching full-time, I was, for a period of time, the Acting Dean at a Theological College. In that role, I received one day a phone call from one of the local … Continue reading →

THE THERAPY OF FAMILY, COMMUNITY AND CHURCH 2004-06-13 Thirty years ago, Philip Rieff wrote a book entitled, The Triumph of the Therapeutic. In it, he argues that the widespread need for private therapy today exists mainly because community has broken … Continue reading →

STRUGGLING WITH BEING BLESSED 2004-07-26 Rock star, Janis Joplin, was once asked, “What’s it like being a pop idol?” Her answer: “It can be awful sometimes. You have no idea how hard it is to go out on stage and … Continue reading →