Insane for the Light: A Spirituality for the Wisdom Years

Sister Margaret Kerry, FSP reviews a new book by Ronald Rolheiser about the gift of aging.

Insane for the Light: A Spirituality for the Wisdom Years

By Ronald Rolheiser

Published by Image Books

And finally insane for the light, you are the butterfly, and you are gone. (Von Goethe) 

The opening poem from Goethe gives this book its title. The subtitle tells us what it is about: Spirituality for Our Wisdom Years. What if you have not reached your wisdom years yet? Is this book for you? Naturally, it will be a great gift for your parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. It will be a marvelous book for our next senior’s book club in the convent.  

In Sacred Fire, Rolheiser highlighted the early generativity years of our lives. Now he highlights what he calls second generativity, moving toward becoming a blessing elder. From being a wife and mother to becoming a Sophia. From a husband and father to becoming a Magus. Rolheiser invites us to reflect on the midlife crises, disillusionment, and a tendency to busyness to escape from dealing with relationships and inner work.

Many are the same struggles as the early generativity years (the struggle to get our lives together) but now there is an “insanity” that draws us to give ourselves away. Finally, there is the struggle to give our deaths away. Each of these struggles remind me of Jacob wrestling with the angel. There is energy, there is a promise and there is fulfillment.  

Becoming a Wisdom Figure

First, Rolheiser reviews some thoughts from well-known wisdom figures who talk about aging and life stages. Each chapter deepens and nurtures spiritually. What does it mean to give and receive a spirit as Jesus did? How does achievement differ from fruitfulness? How might we live now to prepare for each stage of our life? What does it mean to undergo radical purification?  

There are many books written about surrendering to God. Rolheiser presents surrender through Biblical imagery. He asks what we should do in the dark night of faith. He speaks of developing the baptismal gift of prophecy as we age and how our aging blesses the young. As we age, we begin to sincerely say “Lord, have mercy” when the Liturgy begins. We become more aware of how we may have hurt others, of our selfishness, and how we hoped to raise our children well — and may have made mistakes.

Aging is a gift that gives us the time and space to reflect as we move toward death. It is about transformation and gratitude, surrender and forgiveness, an innate realization of God’s unconditional love.  

This book also has sections on remaining in communion with loved ones who have died, writing our own obituaries (a wonderful way to prepare for Confession!), thoughts on the afterlife, thoughts on unconditional love and the six stages of growth from Saint John of the Cross, transformation through love, prayer and service. Keep this on your bookshelf next to Sacred Fire. Both books will enkindle your spirit through the stages of human growth as “Christ is formed in you” (cf. Galatians 4:19). May you be insane for the light one day and bring sanity to the world through subversive joy. 

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Copyright 2025 Sister Margaret Kerry, FSP
Images: (top) detail from cover