Father Ron Rolheiser: The Ache That Makes Us Human

Everything Happens with Kate Bowler

Everything Happens Studios

Health & Fitness, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

4.8 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 29 April 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There’s an ache at the center of being human. The kind that doesn’t go away with a fresh to-do list or a good night’s sleep. It’s the longing for more. The grief of what wasn’t. The quiet ache of ordinary life—school pickups, grocery runs, scan results, and the slow accumulation of things we didn’t choose.

In this tender and deeply wise conversation, Kate Bowler speaks with Father Ron Rolheiser—beloved Roman Catholic priest, theologian, and bestselling author—about the ache that lives in all of us... and why it might be the most holy part of who we are. This episode is for anyone who feels a little restless, a little disappointed, or just plain tired—and is looking for a spirituality big enough to hold the beautiful, unfinished life they’re living.

In this conversation, Kate and Ron discuss:

Why we all have an ache inside of us (and why that’s okay)
The convalescence you may need from church communities that have hurt you
How living in six-month intervals can teach us what really matters

If you liked this episode, you’ll also love:

Nadia Bolz-Weber, “The Insight of Outsiders”

Richard Rohr, “Learning to Hold On, Learning to Let Go”

Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts.

Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Hussam Mnhaj, and I have been lying to you.
0:02.8	I only pretended to be a comedian so I could trick important people into coming on my podcast,
0:07.2	Hussein Mn Mnhajh doesn't know, to ask them the tough questions that real journalists are way too afraid to ask.
0:12.8	People like Senator Elizabeth Warren.
0:14.9	Is America too dumb for democracy?
0:18.8	Outrageous.
0:19.6	Parenting expert, Dr. Becky.
0:21.7	How do you skip consequences without raising a psychopath?
0:25.0	It's a good question.
0:26.0	Listen to Hassam Minaj doesn't know from Lemonada Media, wherever you get your podcasts.
0:31.3	Hi, everyone. I'm David Dukhany.
0:34.1	Join me on my podcast, Fail Better, where we use failure as a lens to reflect on the past and analyze the current moment.
0:41.4	I speak with makers and performers like Rob Lowe, Rosie O'Donnell, and Kenya Barris, as well as thinkers like Kara Swisher and Nate Silver,
0:49.6	to understand how both personal setbacks and larger forces impact our world. Listen to fail better,
0:56.0	wherever you get your podcasts. There's an ache at the center of being human. The kind that
1:08.3	doesn't go away with a fresh to-do list or good night's sleep.
1:11.9	It's the longing for more and the grief of what wasn't.
1:18.5	This is Everything Happens, and I'm Kate Bowler.
1:22.2	I asked you all what you long for, and your answers just took my breath away. People wrote in with
1:30.3	answers like, a mom who acts like a mom. Somewhere to call home. One more moment with my son.
1:38.9	A life untouched by regret. Subtle ease. Yeah, I get that. My soul dog to live forever. Man, these longings,
1:49.7	they tell us things. They tell us about something that we love or something that we miss or something
	...

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