The Holy Longing: The Search for A
Christian Spirituality by Ronald
Rolheiser
An Insightful And Helpful Book
Long before we do anything explicitly religious at all, we have to do
something about the fire that burns within us, writes Ronald Rolheiser.
What we do with that fire, how we channel it, is our spirituality. From the
opening chapter, where Rolheiser eloquently compares the burning
spiritual fire of Mother Teresa, Janice Joplin, and Princess Diana, readers
will be fully engaged in a unique and altogether fascinating discussion of
Christian spirituality. As a regular columnist for the Catholic Herald,
Rolheiser has clearly honed his writing skills. Like an eloquent marriage
counselor, he deftly tries to reconcile the rift between contemporary
spirituality and Christianity. For example, he points to the four pillars that
support a healthy marriage of Christianity and spirituality, which are
Private prayer and private morality. Social justice. Mellowness of heart
and spirit. Community as a constitutive element of true worship. Building

upon these pillars, Rolheiser delves into the more challenging marital
tensions with chapters such as Christ as the Basis for Christian Spirituality
and a Spirituality of Sexuality. This is an excellent book for any Christian
who has longs to create a more holy and lasting spiritual union. --Gail
Hudson
Personal Review: The Holy Longing: The Search for A Christian
Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser
"unrest... [it] is about what we do with that incurable desire," This sums up
perfectly my current definition of "spirituality". As a 75 year old Cahtolic
who waded,stumbled, rose and fell in my unsuccessful search for a
meaningful relationship with my God, this book has shown me the way. It
showed me that I had been a child in the church all these many years,
expecting and allowing the "church" to make decisions for me. I bought
hook, line, and sinker what "sister said" or what "the church dictated."There
was little if any personal resposibility and I did exactly as I was told by "the
church." I made no mature choices for myself. That way I didn't have to
assume responsibility for my relationiship with God ... . thus the "longing",
the "incurable desire". It wasn't until reading this book and understanding
that it was my personal responsibility to asssume a relationship with my
God and that the "church" wouldn't do it for me that I finally grew up and
became an adult. I no longer look to the "church" to find it ... I now call
upon my God. He pushes me forward toward spirituality more than the
"Church" ever could. He and I are better friends now than ever before and
I now depend upon Him and not "the church." I'm all grown up now and He
and I together are working to calm "my madness" with increasing success
as I continue to grow.
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