Sacred Fire
A Vision for a Deeper Human and Christian Maturity
A Vision for a Deeper Human and Christian Maturity
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.
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I don't know how to comment on this. I read it over too long of a period. There were quotes and ideas that were helpful, but a lot that I just did not get. One of the problems of books on the Christian life is that they can be either trite or unintelligible. This one was recommended by several in my spiritual direction class as helpful. I found it mostly unintelligible. Not unreadable, but I just wasn't really sure what it was doing too often. I probably would get more from it if I read it again more quickly a second time. But it is also intended to be a more advanced book to one of his earlier books. So maybe I should read that earlier books first and then come back to this.
The problem is that I have way too many books. And I never know when a book is worth spending more time on to understand better and when the book is just not for me and I should move on to something else.
