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What is Purgatory?
Most Christian denominations do not believe in purgatory. This is specifically a Roman Catholic belief. And in the popular Catholic mind, purgatory is too often mistakenly conceived of as a
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Unfinished Business and the Communion of Saints
When I was growing up, 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/unfinished-business-and-the-communion-of-saints/
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Our Sometimes Stingy Hearts
John Muir once asked, “Why are Christians so reluctant to let animals into their stingy heaven?” The same might be said of us as churches: why are we so reluctant
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A Naivete of the Heart
Darkness is only bad because there is light. Sin can only happen if first there is love. Karl Rahner makes a very insightful comment about the text in the Gospels
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The Narrow Gate
A priest I know shares this story. Recently, on their priests’ retreat, the retreat director began his opening presentation with these words: we take for granted that most people are
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Father’s Day
What makes for a father? Fifty-six years ago, my father died, late on a December night. As clearly as I remember his death, I remember the bitter cold. Within a
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Our Language Regarding Suicide
I generally try to be sensitive to using politically correct language, though sometimes that can be exasperating because of various hypersensitivities where people are too easily offended. Simply put, someone
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The Struggle to Be Sincere
Who are we really? Who are we when we are stripped naked in soul: stripped of ego, stripped of the image we have of ourselves, stripped of the hype, fads,
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Inviting Each Other to Our Better Selves
I grew up in a rural area where most everyone was either a first or second-generation immigrant. Most of us were just above the poverty line, struggling economically and struggling
https://ronrolheiser.com/inviting-each-other-to-our-better-selves/
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Feeding Off Sacred Fire
There’s a lyric in a song by Gordon Lightfoot which tries to interpret the struggle going on in the heart of Miguel de Cervantes’ mythical hero, Don Quixote. His goodness