Saints, Prophets and Spiritual Guides
They are often as close as our nightstand. They patiently wait with words that soak deep into our
consciousness and experiences that assure us that the spiritual life is not wishful thinking. Though their cultures and religions may differ, and
their time frames span more than a millennium, they each exhibited a
singleminded devotion to God that transformed ordinary people into the saints,
prophets, and spiritual guides we turn to today.
On the following
pages, explorefaith.org offers a subjective look at some of the spiritual
teachers who have shaped our lives. These essays are by no means comprehensive.
Numerous Web Sites catalogue different saints and spiritual guides in great
detail (and we will provide links to a few of the best).
Our coverage is
intended to show what these people can mean to us now, how they can help us
envision new realties in which a relationship with God is the core from which
all thoughts and actions spread. Here our explorefaith writers have mused about
the spiritual teachers in their lives who continue to give them guidance and
help them discover new avenues of devotion deep within.
It is our hope that their essays may kindle thoughts of those spiritual teachers
who have molded your life, and perhaps spur you to explore a few you might not
have known.
What we can learn from the
saints.
SPECIAL SECTIONS
C.S. LEWIS
Essays on the man who helped define modern-day Christianity: Who he was, how he lived, what he wrote and why he believed
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR
Audio reflections on Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. on the
40th anniversary of his death
THICH NHAT HANH
Teachings on peace, presence and reconciliation
RAM DASS
What a
1960s Guru Can Teach Us About Real Christianity
MORE SAINTS, PROPHETS AND SPIRITUAL GUIDES...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Apart from the image of a theologian who prays and reads the Bible, what is most compelling about Bonhoeffer is the way he opposed the Nazi regime—unflinchingly, sacrificially and from the very first week of Hitler’s rule.
Julian of Norwich
Julian of Norwich’s refrain of hope and joy has given comfort to seekers throughout the ages.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
The writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin help us grow in awareness of our responsibility to God’s planet Earth.
Rumi
How a Southern Baptist-turned-Buddhist came to revere a 13th–century Muslim mystic.
Saint Catherine of Siena
St. Catherine of Siena offers contemporary seekers a powerful example of blending contemplation with action.
Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
The many stories, even the legends, about Cuthbert give us a sense of a man who was able to speak the truth in love, and to guide communities in the midst of turmoil and confusion.
Saint Patrick
St. Patrick, who brought Christianity to the Irish in the fourth century,
still gives us inspiration and spiritual guidance today.
Saint Teresa of Avila
How the 16th century saint, Teresa of Avila, taught writer Linda Douty to truly experience the grace of God's love.
Simone Weil
Considered by Nobel laureate André Gide and others to be “the most truly spiritual writer” of the 20th century, Simone Weil would no doubt be confounded by all the fuss.
Saint Francis of Assisi
I cannot really explain why or how he became the saint that speaks most directly to me, but I feel a close relationship with Francis of Assisi and have so since high school.
Thomas Merton
I have not canonized Merton or sat awestruck at his feet or, God forbid, made him the object of “study.” I have, in a way, stayed in touch with him as if he were an old friend.
Soul Friends: The Celtic Saints
The Celtic saints are perceived to be anamchairde or “soul friends.” In
the Celtic tradition, it is understood that a soul friend is a spiritual
necessity.
What we can learn from the saints
Reflections on the lessons taught by the heroes of faith
