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Tracking Down the Holy Ghost: Reflections on Love and Longing
Frank Griswold writes out of his understanding that “all things have the potential to reveal the Divine and the mystery of love that lies at the heart of the universe . . . ” Though a teacher, preacher, recognized ecumenical and interfaith leader, and former head of the Episcopal Church, he describes himself as a seeker still, “a person under construction.” Griswold’s opening words set the “These pages are the fruit of my effort to gather up fragments from what I have learned along the way about myself, about love and longing, about God and God’s ways with us. If you are drawn, as I have been, to follow lines of spiritual motion, perhaps the stories and reflections in these pages will be an encouragement along the way. You may discover revelatory moments in your own life you have overlooked because they seem so ordinary and mundane . . . ” Though not a memoir, the book includes autobiographical material to give readers a sense of the writer as a friend and companion who shares their journey. It also illustrates and brings to life various teachings drawn from the Great Tradition as well as contemporary authors and spiritual guides.
176 pages, Paperback
Published November 17, 2017
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About the author
Frank T. Griswold III
6 books4 followersFrank Tracy Griswold III is a retired American bishop. He was the 25th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 18, 2018
Why do we need this wisdom from former Episcopal Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold right now? Because, at the heart of this little book is an invitation from a survivor of conflict to walk along with him through various dramatic encounters and discover, in the end, that Spirit can guide us not only to our own individual solace—but toward re-establishing ties in a deeply divided community.
Griswold knows what he’s talking about. He’s most famous as the man at the helm of the Episcopal church when Gene Robinson was elected as the first openly gay Episcopal bishop and the entire denomination threatened to implode. Yes, in this book, Griswold briefly describes how he weathered that storm and brought a majority of other bishops to support Gene. But that’s not the main point of Tracking Down the Holy Ghost. The main point of this pilgrimage-on-paper is to explore Griswold’s larger faith in the potential to heal our divided world:
“I have learned over the years that moments of resistance and unsettlement are almost always invitations to deeper prayer and greater availability to the motions of the Spirit,” he writes, citing sages including St. Francis, Carl Jung, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Evelyn Underhill, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Flannery O’Connor—to whom Griswold credits his book’s title. For some readers of this review, that list of citations alone is so rich and deep that it’s reason enough to purchase a copy of Griswold’s paperback. Don’t you want to know how he assembles that particular jigsaw puzzle of great thinkers?
The book is not merely a knitting together of the wisdom from these sages. You’ll turn the pages here because Griswold’s narrative is woven with wonderful nuggets from his own life. Among the most delightful is a true story about Griswold quite unexpectedly encountering and re-encountering an angel—enough said. Read the book for details about that surprising angel.
But, here’s the main reason to take this pilgrimage with Griswold: Anyone who has read this far in this review will agree that we desperately need some spiritual guidance if we hope to survive and heal today’s culture of conflict.
Griswold knows what he’s talking about. He’s most famous as the man at the helm of the Episcopal church when Gene Robinson was elected as the first openly gay Episcopal bishop and the entire denomination threatened to implode. Yes, in this book, Griswold briefly describes how he weathered that storm and brought a majority of other bishops to support Gene. But that’s not the main point of Tracking Down the Holy Ghost. The main point of this pilgrimage-on-paper is to explore Griswold’s larger faith in the potential to heal our divided world:
“I have learned over the years that moments of resistance and unsettlement are almost always invitations to deeper prayer and greater availability to the motions of the Spirit,” he writes, citing sages including St. Francis, Carl Jung, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Evelyn Underhill, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Flannery O’Connor—to whom Griswold credits his book’s title. For some readers of this review, that list of citations alone is so rich and deep that it’s reason enough to purchase a copy of Griswold’s paperback. Don’t you want to know how he assembles that particular jigsaw puzzle of great thinkers?
The book is not merely a knitting together of the wisdom from these sages. You’ll turn the pages here because Griswold’s narrative is woven with wonderful nuggets from his own life. Among the most delightful is a true story about Griswold quite unexpectedly encountering and re-encountering an angel—enough said. Read the book for details about that surprising angel.
But, here’s the main reason to take this pilgrimage with Griswold: Anyone who has read this far in this review will agree that we desperately need some spiritual guidance if we hope to survive and heal today’s culture of conflict.
August 30, 2018
Knew Frank when I was Director of Krisheim Center in Chestnut Hill.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews