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Defying Darkness with Christmas Lights
In the days of apartheid in South Africa, one of the ways people expressed their opposition and their belief that someday it would be overcome, was to light a candle
https://ronrolheiser.com/defying-darkness-with-christmas-lights/
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Staring into the Light
In her book, Kitchen Table Wisdom, Stories That Heal, medical doctor and writer, Rachel Naomi Remen shares this story. When she was fourteen years old, she took a summer job
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Jesus’ Dysfunctional Ancestry 
The full story of how Jesus Christ came to be born includes elements that we do not easily imagine when we sing our Christmas hymns. Jesus’ family tree and bloodline
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God’s Anger – And our Feelings of Guilt and Shame
My early religious training, for all its strengths, placed too heavy an emphasis on fear of God, fear of judgment, and fear of never being good enough to be pleasing
https://ronrolheiser.com/gods-anger-and-our-feelings-of-guilt-and-shame/
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You Have Less Love in You Now Than When You Were Young
The first chapter of the Book of Revelation contains a powerful challenge that’s hidden within the overall esoteric language of that book. John, its author, speaking in the voice of
https://ronrolheiser.com/you-have-less-love-in-you-now-than-when-you-were-young/
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In Exile – Marking an Anniversary
Forty years ago in November of 1982, I began writing this column while a doctoral student in Belgium. I chose to call it “In Exile” for two reasons. Superficially, I
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Can Anything Good Come from Okarche Oklahoma?
It is not enough merely to have saints; we need saints for our times! An insightful comment from Simone Weil. The saints of old have much to offer; but we
https://ronrolheiser.com/can-anything-good-come-from-okarche-oklahoma/
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Workaholism and Greed
There’s only one addiction for which we are praised – overworking. With every other addiction, concerned others are looking to put you into a clinic or into a recovery program,
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Risking God’s Mercy
Shortly after ordination, doing replacement work in a parish, I found myself in a rectory with a saintly old priest. He was over eighty, nearly blind, but widely sought out
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Celebrating Fifty Years of Ordination
Fifty years ago, on an overcast, cold, fall day in the gymnasium of the local public high school, I was ordained to the priesthood. Beyond the grey sky, another thing
https://ronrolheiser.com/celebrating-fifty-years-of-ordination/