The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality

by Ronald Rolheiser

Book Overview

Ronald Rolheiser makes sense of what is frequently a misunderstood word: spirituality. In posing the question "What is spirituality?" Father Rolheiser gets quickly to the heart of common difficulties with the subject, and shows through compelling anecdotes and personal examples how to channel that restlessness, that deep desire, into a healthy spirituality. This book is for those searching to understand what Christian spirituality means and how to...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385494181
• ISBN13: 9780385494182
• Release Date: July 1999
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Reconnecting with spirituality

I am a former Christian and have been on a spiritual journey for some time. I have been looking for a way to redefine my faith, to recommit to at least some of the Christian tenets I rejected years ago. Nothing I read helped me; authors (including C.S. Lewis, among others) all seem to assume that their readers share their faith. But in Rolheiser's book his first line says it all: "This is a book for you if you are struggling spiritually." I was struggling before I read the book, and I still am, but Rolheiser has helped me understand what the struggle is about. This is a book that can be read with benefit by believers and nonbelievers alike.

Deserves To Become a Classic

This is easily one of the best pieces of writing about Christianity that I've seen come down the pike in a long time. A sharp and engaging reflection on Christian spirituality which steers clear of both the vague, New Agey blather and humorless Evangelicalism filling Christianity sections of bookstores these days. Rolheiser is a Catholic priest, but the book is written with a wide audience in mind, and should be quite appealing to people who, like myself, come from another Christian tradition. The fact that I took issue with some of Rolheiser's arguments only increased my admiration for the book since it simply encouraged more reflection and never caused me to stop reading on. I heartily recommend this book to anyone looking for thoughtful guidance on what living an authentic Christian spirituality actually involves.