Insane for the Light

Insane for the Light

A Spirituality for Our Wisdom Years

About the Book

A spiritual journey through life’s final years and its “mellowing of souls”—the long-awaited conclusion of Father Rolheiser’s trilogy of modern spiritual classics, following The Holy Longing and Sacred Fire

As the shadows lengthen and we find ourselves no longer in the morning or noon of life but rather face its approaching dusk, we uncover a new spiritual task: to give away the final years of our lives and, ultimately, our deaths. So argues beloved author Ronald Rolheiser. During life’s first years, we embark on a search for meaning and discover in ourselves a profound, unquenchable thirst for the Divine. And when we reach adulthood, we realize that we are called to give our lives away―to our spouses, children, careers, friends, and neighbors in need. But in the end, we must learn to let it all go.

In this highly anticipated conclusion to Father Rolheiser’s spiritual classics, The Holy Longing and Sacred Fire, and with characteristic attentiveness and care, Rolheiser accompanies readers on a spiritual journey through life’s final years and the mellowing of our souls. In these years, bitterness can give way to forgiveness, mere imagination to profound and subtle faith, wishful optimism to virtuous hope, and control to surrender. Readers will learn to see in Jesus a model for a spirituality of holy passivity rather than activity and find in him the courage to overcome the darkest nights of faith.

Drawing on the work of John of the Cross and Henri Nouwen, Rolheiser outlines a spirituality capable of giving away one’s death―and by that a spirituality of truly living.
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Praise for Insane for the Light

Praise for Ronald Rolheiser

“Ronald Rolheiser is one of the great Christian spiritual writers of our time, as well as one of my own personal favorites.”—James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

“When Ron Rolheiser writes, it is clear, compelling, and challenging, plus it is about issues that matter to the soul.”—Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico

“A master weaver is at work here.”—Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking

“Rolheiser dares to ask the hard questions, but they are our questions—the deep ones we are slow to let surface. Then he dares to answer them with clear answers delivered in simple, straightforward language.”—Rev. Basil Pennington, OCSO

“[Rolheiser] writes clearly and engagingly; his language can at times be lyrical. He is never sentimental—and all the time he is absolutely grounded in reality.”—Herbert O'Driscoll, author of A Doorway in Time
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About the Author

Ronald Rolheiser
Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I., is a specialist in the fields of spirituality and systematic theology. His regular column in the Catholic Herald is featured in newspapers in five different countries. He is the author of the prizewinning The Restless Heart as well as Forgotten Amongst the Lilies, The Shattered Lantern, and An Infinite Horizon. He lives in Canada. More by Ronald Rolheiser
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