Deeply Rooted: Knowing Self, Growing in God

by Christopher Maricle

Spiritual growth sounds great, but what does it mean? There is something very grounding about trees. We understand how they grow and how dirt, seeds, water, and roots support the life and seasons of a tree. Using a tree as a metaphor, Christopher Maricle presents a model for spiritual growth that is easy to use and remember. Deeply Rooted borrows Catherine of Siena's image of the soul as a tree and categorizes it into four the garden, the soil and roots of the tree, the trunk and essence, and the fruits. The reader explores self-knowledge and knowledge of God and how these two work together to help the soul grow. KEY FEATURES --Each chapter offers a practice section with simple ideas to connect the chapter concept to daily life. --Conversational style writing with personal stories

143 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2016

About the author

Christopher D. Maricle is a Catholic layman who has been involved in church ministry since high-school days. He has served as a musician, retreat planner and Christian summer camp counselor.

Professionally, he began working in Catholic schools in 1986 and has been a teacher, elementary school principal and assistant superintendent of schools. Currently, he serves as a governance consultant for the California School Board Association.

He is a graduate of California State University in Sacramento. Mr. Maricle has a master's degree in educational leadership from St. Mary's College in Moraga, California.

He lives in California's Sacramento Valley with his wife and two children.

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Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've read on how to grow in faith, and I intend to re-read it often. The metaphor of a tree makes the message clearer, and the book's message is that we can all be better, more spiritual people if we start from knowing ourselves first, knowing God, and then working onward from there. This makes a lot of sense to me because so many of us think we can just be more spiritual by forcing ourselves. Maricle lets us put in foundational work first so that our growth is stronger, like one of Jesus's parables.