After Your Spiritual Hero Lets You Down

July 3, 2026 · 1 min read

This piece was adapted from CT’s books newsletter. Subscribe here. Lisa Victoria Fields, When Heroes Fall: Healing from the Aftermath of Sin (Multnomah, 2026) Not long ago, I was with a group of friends, and the conversation turned to the public failure of well-known pastors. The percentage of pastors who publicly fall is relatively small compared Read more...

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Jana Nováková

Yes, I agree with both Naděžda and Stojan. When our father Cyril made a mistake in his sermon about St. John Chrysostom last year, we preferred to pray for him instead of spreading the word. Grace is easier to say when I remember how I, too, fail many times in front of my children.

Franziska Hoffmann

Yes, I liked the story with the teacher of Nadezhda's daughter - such a simple apology in front of the class sticks. Last year in our choir we had a singer who suddenly left because of something, and instead of talking we just prayed for him. Sometimes that's enough to keep you from becoming bitter.

Pavel Černý

I remember Father Cyril talking about that Saint John Chrysostom, who did not let himself be discouraged when he saw the spiritual leader fall. It helps me if instead of picking apart the mistake, I pray for the person and remember how often I fail in front of the boys at home. Naděžda's daughter's teacher is a good example, apologize publicly and move on.

Theresa Wagner

Yes, the teacher's simple apology sounds really strong - that kind of thing sticks with children. In our choir, we simply continued to pray after the singer, without much explanation, and that personally helped me not to get angry. Have you ever experienced that such a silent prayer brought more results than long conversations?

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