Insane for the Light

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

“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

Each phase of life presents us with its own unique opportunity to connect with God and to bless those around us—even and perhaps especially in those later decades when careers, raising kids, and mortgage payments are behind us. 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.