Time to bring back
“the Holy Longing” which never grows old. Rohleiser has gone on to write other books and give talks on spirituality, but his message in “The Holy Longing” never grows old. In terms easy to understand, he gives us a search for Christian spirituality. He is aware today as he was in 1999 of many sincere persons who struggle with their faith and with their churches. He wants to give them hope and enlightenment.
What are the problems Rohleiser wants to address? Family and community life are difficult. An anti-church element is evident in all circles. Some still see prayer as only a private matter. Some see it as a quest for justice which seems to be a difficult and oft impossible way of life. Great difficulties arise in trying to raise children in the faith. ( All in all, this is a complex time but with a Pope whose middle name is
“Compassion”, perhaps there is hope).
Rolheiser admits that so many struggle to find the right paths that will result in happiness and delight in life. What is the problem? Am I trying too hard or not hard enough to find meaning in my life? In the past such questions were addressed in a religious context, and answers were not so difficult to find. But there were still elements of superstition,
slavery, sexism, fate, fears of eternal punishment, and legalism that just seemed to divert the Christian from a path that was hopeful. Ours is not a golden age but we live in a different era that has some of the same problems.
If there weren’t enough problems out there, what about the inner problems? The spiritual demons which wreak havoc in one’s soul are named by Rohleiser
as: nativete about the nature of spiritual energy, pathological busyness, restlessness, problems with balance, and which lead to divorces such as those between religion and eros, between spirituality and ecclesiology, between private morality and social justice, and between the gifted child and the giving adult. Not easy problems to address, but Rohleiser proceeds in a simple fashion to lead the Christian to easy and not so easy
solutions.
He gives light to the mind and wisdom to the feet, warming the heart and clearing away the clouds. The message of Rohleiser never dies as he teaches the hard truths of compassion, forgiveness, and action in today’s world.
