Love is the natural state of the universe, and love of God first and foremost, since, after all, God is love. This is a basic assumption of the Christian faith, and yet, loving isn't easy for us. Most of us are, more of than we'd care to admit, counter-examples for this assumption about the world. … Continue reading A Drop of Water Poured into Wine: The Four Loves of St Bernard of Clairvaux
This series on knowing God began with the ancient truth that God can be known but can never be fully understood or described using human concepts and language. Then, over the past few weeks, we've talked about the importance (and limitations) of symbols in talking about God, and worked through how these truths played out … Continue reading Three Movements in Knowing God
We've had a rather apocalyptic beginning to 2020, with vast wildfires sweeping through the fertile parts of Australia. Our screens have been filled with images of men and women standing amidst the remains of their homes, images that are becoming all too common across the world (California, Oregon, BC, Alberta, northern Ontario, Greece, Spain, Australia, … Continue reading From Under the Rubble
Today marks a turning point in the liturgical calendar as the last Sunday before Lent. And today we remember the story of the Transfiguration (whose main feast is in August). For me, it's the perfect story to think about at this time of year, to mark this transition between the seasons of Epiphany and Lent. … Continue reading You are the Light of the World
In the most recent post in the series exploring esoteric spiritualities, I touched briefly on Kabbalah and the Tree of Life. Today I want to use the Tree of Life as a jumping off point to talk about the language of ascent and descent, its philosophical history, and its impact on Christian spirituality throughout the … Continue reading Ascent or Transformation?
Matthew Root 