Just Ignore the Lion in the Corner? Facing the Reality of the Enemy

“My dear brothers, never forget, when you hear the progress of the Enlightenment vaunted, that the Devil’s best trick is to persuade you that he doesn’t exist!” – Baudelaire...

What Is Prayer? (2): God Is Not a Vending Machine

A glance at the Christian Inspiration shelves in a bookstore will reveal numerous books touting the power of prayer – to heal, to comfort, to inspire, to get what we want. We should tread carefully here. It is true that our Lord tells us to pray for “our daily bread”: we are indeed called to live in constant humble reliance on our heavenly Father, who hears us and responds to our prayers. However, we must not...

What Is Prayer? (1) It’s Like Gravity

Prayer is an example of Christian truth – it is true “all the way down.” Being true at one level, it is true at all levels, but it is not the same at each level....

“Strive to Enter by the Narrow Door”: the Reality of the Christian Life

If we open our eyes to see the Christian journey as it truly is, we may find the sight to be terrifying – and exhilarating....

Lessons from Fasting Failure

This year for Lent, I took on the discipline of fasting before the Eucharist. It doesn’t quite rank up there with St Antony of the Desert’s heroic efforts of asceticism, but my spiritual director felt that they would be a good discipline for me. My tendency is to want to take on more, do more, accomplish more, and so any discipline of letting go, of self-denial, is going against the grain for me – and is...