So far, the sacred practices I’ve explored here have all been ones with which I’ve had at least some experience. This week I’ve entered what is for me uncharted territory, a practice that is beloved by millions around the world, but has always confounded and confused me. This week, I am practicing praying the Rosary. … Continue reading The Rosary
I wrote earlier this week about my concerns about what I’ve seen from the Church’s attitude to religious ‘nones’, and more specifically to those who identify as ‘spiritual-but-not-religious.’ In this post I’d like to take a more positive approach, and look at some of the important lessons we might take from the rise of the … Continue reading Questions from the Nones
Hardly a week goes by when I don’t see a new think-piece on the rise of the so-called religious ‘Nones’, our neighbours who claim no affiliation to any religious tradition. Their numbers have been steadily rising in North America: According to a study by Pew released in 2013, religious Nones increased in Canada from 4% … Continue reading I ♡ Nones
Lent is a time of a preparation and self-appraisal, a time to see as clearly as we can the lay of the land of our souls. One tool that I have found helpful in this process, whether in preparation for sacramental confession or just to be more aware of the business I have to do … Continue reading Examination of Conscience
This week was the first full week of Lent, and so I wanted the practice for this week to be a specifically Lenten practice. And, since I first encountered it twelve years ago, no practice has jumped out at me as being ‘more’ Lenten, than the Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian. The famed … Continue reading Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian
Matthew Root 