-
Perspective on a Scandal
A number of things should be clarified to help us properly contextualize the present crisis of sexual abuse within the church. What needs clarification? Three things in particular: The effect
-
Awakening the Christ-Child
Christmas cannot be taken for granted. Swiss theologian, Hans Urs Von Balthasar, once wrote: “After a mother has smiled for a long time at her child, the child will begin
-
On Being Loved Sinners
We’re strange creatures, more lovely than we think and more sinful than we imagine, too hard and too easy on ourselves all at the same time. Human nature is a
-
A Meditation on Joy
Every year on the third Sunday of advent, the church asks us to do a meditation on joy. That seems a curious thing to ask, though it becomes less curious
-
The Promise of Christmas
It’s easy to be cynical about the hype surrounding Christmas, not just because it starts earlier each year and seems focused on everything but the birth of Jesus, but also
-
Lighting Advent Candles
To light a candle is an act of hope. In the days of apartheid in South Africa, Christians there used to light candles and place them in windows as a
-
Privileged Communication within the Communion of Saints
When I was a child, as part of our family prayer, we used to pray for a happy death. In my young mind, I had a certain conception of what
https://ronrolheiser.com/privileged-communication-within-the-communion-of-saints/
-
Twenty Years In Exile
November 15th marked an anniversary of sorts for me, twenty years of writing this column. I began it in 1982, as a bi-weekly piece, while I was doing doctoral studies
-
Turning our Eyes Toward Heaven
It’s not easy to be centred, rooted, secure in who we are, able to give the world our best. More commonly, we find ourselves adrift, unsure of ourselves, with most of
-
The Anthropological Function of Gossip
In his novel, OSCAR AND LUCINDA, Peter Carey, offers this colourful image of gossip. In a small town there are rumours about the priest and a particular young woman. Here’s
https://ronrolheiser.com/the-anthropological-function-of-gossip/