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Powerlessness and Frustration
Several years ago, at a retreat, I witnessed an interesting exchange between two men. The first man was white, a clinical psychologist by profession, physically slight, short of stature, and
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God’s Unconditional Love
Recently I had lunch with a former student of mine, a very idealistic young man who teaches religion in a Catholic High School. He shared with me about his struggles
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Needed – A Theology of Original Sin
My parents had a working theology of original sin. Perhaps they weren’t exactly clear as to what original sin was, but they had, at the very core of their understanding
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On Not Hiding From God
During the last year of her life, Therese of Lisieux corresponded regularly with a young man named Maurice who was preparing to become a missionary. This man, despite being very
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Annual Thoughts From The Court-Jester
In humour there is the constant rumour that God exists. Our ability to laugh and to laugh within any situation, no matter how dire and threatening it may be, suggests
https://ronrolheiser.com/annual-thoughts-from-the-court-jester/
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Christ As Wounded
There is a story told, a legend perhaps, about St. Theresa of Avila. One day the devil appeared to her, disguised as Christ. Theresa wasn’t fooled for even a second.
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Suicide – Love Through Locked Doors
About one year ago, I wrote a column on suicide. Among other things, I suggested there that suicide is the most misunderstood of all deaths. Given the positive response to
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Our Mystical Centre
Where does our faith lie? What’s its seat? Where does it take its ultimate root? Bernard Lonergan once suggested that faith is God’s brand on us. God has seared our
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The Transforming Power of Beauty
Few things in this life have the raw power of beauty. What’s beautiful stuns us, holds us, draws us to itself, awakens us, and transforms us. Beauty enchants. Drawn by
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Turning the Other Cheek
One of the best-known but most-ignored lines in scripture is Jesus’ challenge to “turn the other cheek”. What did he mean by it? First off, the text needs a careful