There's a lot that's strange about the story of the visit of the Magi. Not least of these for skeptical Christians is that it's a story in which astrology works: The Magi trusted a portent in the skies of a royal baby in Judea and their faith in their craft was rewarded — even if … Continue reading Lord of the Starfields
I recently read a beautiful novel called The Lovely War. On the surface it's a fairly typical story about the strength of love amid the ravages of war. What sets it apart from similar stories is that the chapters are narrated from the varying perspectives of different Greek gods: Aphrodite (Love), Ares (War), Apollo (Creativity … Continue reading Archetypes
A term that comes up a lot in the world of contemporary spirituality is "energy." Practitioners of various spiritual modalities will talk about such and such an "energy" working in such and such a way. Some go so far as to call their practice "energy work." I hadn't given this much thought until a friend … Continue reading Energy
One of the great joys of reflecting on the feasts and seasons of the Church year is to see how they are all so deeply interconnected. We can't really think about Christmas without thinking about Easter; nor can we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus without thinking about his Transfiguration, or experience Lent without experiencing Epiphany. … Continue reading Christmas Gifts of the Spirit
O Immanuel, our king and our lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Saviour: Come and save us, O Lord our God. Most of us are familiar with the Immanuel prophecy through Isaiah 7. In context, Jerusalem is under threat from the combined armies of Israel and Aram and the prophecy offers hope that … Continue reading O Immanuel: God is with Us
Matthew Root 