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Science and Religion
In certain circles it is believed that science trumps religion. The idea is simple and uncompromising: Religion cannot stand up to science. The hard facts of science ultimately render faith
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Living with Frustration and Tension
Among William Blake’s infamous Proverbs from Hell we find this one: Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires. There are subtle layers of meaning to this,
https://ronrolheiser.com/living-with-frustration-and-tension/
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The Humiliation of Crucifixion
When Jesus sweated blood in the Garden of Gethsemane and asked his Father to let the cup of suffering pass him by he wasn’t, for the most part, cringing before
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Tortured Complexity
I was born into this world with a tortured complexity. For long time I have puzzled over the causes of my psychological anguish. Ruth Burrows, the renowned Carmelite writer, begins
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On Being One with the Saints in Praising God
We are all familiar with a refrain that echoes through many of our Christian prayers and songs, an antiphon of hope addressed to God: Grant that we may be one
https://ronrolheiser.com/on-being-one-with-the-saints-in-praising-god/
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Taking Pain to the Heart
Writing in his journal during a time of bitter heartbreak, Henri Nouwen wrote these words: The great challenge is living your wounds through instead of thinking them through. It is
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Turning Inner Chaos into a Peaceful Garden
Almost all spiritualities have a special place for deserts, wilderness, and other such places where we are unprotected and in danger from untamed nature, wild beasts, and threatening spirits. This
https://ronrolheiser.com/turning-inner-chaos-into-a-peaceful-garden/
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The Challenge of Accepting Pleasure without Guilt
Many of us suffer from a certain inchoate guilt. Simply put, we struggle to healthily enjoy pleasure without guilt, to not feel guilty about feeling good, to not be apologetic
https://ronrolheiser.com/the-challenge-of-accepting-pleasure-without-guilt/
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On Fasting and Praying in Secret
The philosopher, David Hume, once made a distinction between something he called as genuine virtues and something he termed monkish virtues. Genuine virtues, he said, were those qualities inside us
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Haiti and the Theodicy Question
Where is God in the countless tragedies that happen in our world? Where is God when bad things happen to good people? Where was God during the Holocaust? These are