Sacred Fire - by Ronald Rolheiser (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

When one reaches the highest degree of human maturity, one has only one question left: How can I be helpful?--TERESA OF ÁVILA

Beloved author Ronald Rolheiser continues his search for an accessible and penetrating Christian spirituality in this highly anticipated follow-up to the contemporary classic, The Holy Longing. With his trademark acuity, wit, and thoughtfulness, Rolheiser shows how identifying and embracing discipleship will lead to new heights of spiritual awareness and maturity. In this new book, Rolheiser takes us on a journey through the dark night of the senses and of the spirit. Here, we experience the full gamut of human life, pleasure and fervor, disillusionment and boredom. But, as Rolheiser explains, when we embrace the struggle and yearning to know God we can experience too a profound re-understanding to our daily lives.

"What lies beyond the essentials, the basics?" Rolheiser writes. "Where do we go once some of the basic questions in our lives have been answered, or at least brought to enough peace that our focus can shift away from ourselves to others? Where do we go once the basic questions in our lives are no longer the restless questions of youthful insecurity and loneliness? Who am I? Who loves me? How will my life turn out? Where do we go once the basic question in life becomes: How can I give my life away more purely, and more meaningfully? How do I live beyond my own heartaches, headaches, and obsessions so as to help make other peoples' lives more meaningful? The intent of this book is to try to address exactly those questions: How can we live less self- centered, more mature lives? What constitutes deep maturity and how do we reach that place? And, not unimportantly, what constitutes a more adult, Christian discipleship? What constitutes a truly mature following of Jesus?"

As the poet Rainer Maria Rilke suggests, "Live the questions now." In Sacred Fire, Rolheiser's deeply affecting prose urges us on in pursuit of the most holy of all passions--a deep and lasting intimacy with God.

Review Quotes

"Ronald Rolheiser is one of the great Christian spiritual writers of our time, as well as one of my own personal favorites. I have read, and recommended, his beautiful book The Holy Longing more times than I can remember. His sequel, Sacred Fire, is a superb book--one to give to a seeker looking to find God, to a friend struggling with a relationship with God, to a devout believer looking to deepen his or her faith--or best of all, to yourself, as a way of coming to know the God who desires ever more to know you." --James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

"When Ron Rolheiser writes, it is clear, compelling, and challenging, plus it is about issues that matter to the soul. Well, here he does it again--and does it well!" --Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico

About the Author

RONALD ROLHEISER O.M.I., is a specialist in the fields of spirituality and systematic theology. His regular column in the Catholic Herald is featured in newspapers in five different countries. He is the author of the prizewinning The Restless Heart as well as Forgotten Among the Lilies. His book The Holy Longing has more than a quarter of a million copies in print.