Nostalgia (Week 2)

The section about nostalgia was striking to me. It reminded me of a Feist song called "Past in Present," which contains the line, "so much past inside my present" (I'll add the aside that I don't really get the rest of the lyrics of that song!) . . . Anyway, I appreciated the point that nostalgia can be unhealthy, and that it "never deals with something that touches depth," although at the same time, it has "a power to touch our deepest parts in the same way we are touched by love and truth." That wording is confusing b/c it seems like they are the same thing. But although that wording could use some clarification, I think I know what he means because it really rings true that there is a difference between experiences that are truly deep and those that are powerful, but essentially superficial and not real. I suppose that is the problem--nostalgia is dwelling on something that IS NO LONGER real, regardless of how real it once was. I liked Rolheiser's wording when he said that it sometimes comes looking like "the angel of light." True, funny, sad.

Another part of this section that rang true for me was that we need to accept loss and death in our life, when it happens. A few thoughts I had . . . One is that this is very very difficult. Second, I thought about all the different ways we experience loss, places where we might practice the acceptance of that loss: in death, in break-ups or divorce, when we move or change jobs and lose touch with people . . .

Then I also thought about how counterproductive Facebook is in this regard. Renewing contact with some people can be good, but for the most part, it is silly and superficial. No need to address other problems with facebook (e.g.: the pope's point that we should reduce our use of technology in order to focus on real relationships and not virtual ones . . .and how ironic that I am typing this on a blog. . . ).

That is all. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Rolheiser Syllabus

Week 1, February 22-28:
1. Restlessness, Spirit and the Martyrdom of Obscurity (Doubleday 1-26)
2. The Unfinished Symphony: Dreams and Friendship (Doubleday 27-35)
“The Unfinished Symphony” and “Friendship is Liberating Too”

Week 2, March 1-7:
2. The Unfinished Symphony: Dreams and Friendship (Doubleday 36-53)
“Women, Men and Friendship” through end of chapter
3. Passion, Love and Sex (Doubleday 55-74)
“Romance Gives An Inkling of Heaven” through “Sexuality is More Than Sex”

Week 3, March 8-14:
3. Passion, Love and Sex (Doubleday 75-82)
“No Salvation in Sexology” through end
4. Keeping Fire in One’s Eyes: Losing and Recovering Innocence (Doubleday 83-112)

Week 4, March 15-21:
5. Prayer and the Monasticism of Daily Life (Doubleday 113-139)
6. Living Under The Mercy (Doubleday 141-149)
“God Overcomes Scrambled Eggs” and “Love Through Locked Doors”

Week 5, March 22-28:
6. Living Under The Mercy (Doubleday 150-162)
“Suicide, Despair, and Compassion” through end
7. Touching The Hem of The Garment (Doubleday 163-184)

Week 6, March 29-April 4:
8. Receiving the Spirit for Our Own Lives: The Paschal Mystery, Waiting and Chastity (Doubleday 185-202)
9. In Weakness, Strength (Doubleday 203-219)

Week 7, April 5-11:
10. The Bosom of God Is Not a Ghetto: Catholicity and Justice (Doubleday 221-243)
11. Reading The Signs of The Times: Keeping One’s Balance In A Complex World (Doubleday 245-258)
“Keep Your Faith in Balance” through “Being Normal Is Not Our Goal”

Week 8, April 12-18:
11. Reading The Signs of The Times: Keeping One’s Balance In A Complex World (Doubleday 259-270)
“High Season for Religious Foes” through end
12. Death Washes Clean: The Communion of Saints (Doubleday 271-292)

Week 9, April 19-25:
13. It Is Not Good To Be Alone: Community and the Church (Doubleday 293-306)

Rolheiser Section One - sample post

This is a sample post, just to show you how to post and comment. If you click on comments you should see comments to this post.



What do you guys think of the quote, "Learning to Love Beyond Our Fears?"