The other day, I introduced Wilkie Au and Noreen Cannon Au's eight movements of growth, as one framework through which we can explore what authentic spiritual growth looks like. Today, I'd like to look into the first of the eight movements they describe: "the movement away from facades, from a pretended self that we are … Continue reading The Movement away from Facades
I remember once hearing an Orthodox priest saying that he couldn't imagine becoming Protestant because Protestant prayer is so lonely. He said this because Eastern Orthodox worship — and all traditional Christian worship — makes no secret of its belief that when the faithful gather together in prayer, all the Saints, Angels, and Archangels join … Continue reading God Has Done So Much: Reflections on Angels and Guides
Last week, many Christians (myself included) were thoroughly saddened to learn the news that Jean Vanier, the founder of the l'Arche communities and a man revered by many as next thing to a saint, was found to have been a serial sexual predator. It's a sad statement on the state of our institutions that, while … Continue reading Saints Behaving Badly
After last week’s focus on the coming and work of the Holy Spirit, my thoughts this week naturally went to the people whose lives radiated with the Spirit’s energy, gifts, and fruit. This is a natural progression and, historically — in the East to this day and in the West until about the 8th century … Continue reading Communion of Saints
Matthew Root 