It’s been another wild week in the world, so it’s time to see what’s been been lighting me up and lighting my way.
The biggest highlight for me this week was wrapping up the writing for my Lenten series, Ways of the Saints. In particular, I got to spend a lot of time with Mother Maria Skobtsova (including reading her volume of Essential Writings in the Modern Spiritual Masters series, which is one of the few places where one can find her writing in English. I’m not exaggerating when I say that to my mind she’s the most vital, engaging, and radical disciple of Jesus since St. Francis of Assisi, and more people should be aware of her. I cannot express how grateful I’ve been for this series. It’s been so refreshing, encouraging, challenging, and inspiring to spend time with all these incredible people who have lived out their faith in such beautiful ways, often in times even more uncertain and dangerous than our own.
On Wednesday I met a good friend for dinner, a friend I normally only see in person 2-3 times a year. She made the comment that it’s so easy to get caught up in the easy routines of daily life and then suddenly realize one hasn’t seen one’s friends in months. It was a good reminder not to be afraid to reach out to the people we care about.
After going until mid-March without a single read that really stood out to be, I’ve been on a great roll since then. That continued this week, with such highlights as Olivia Waite’s Murder by Memory (2025) (which definitely answered my hope last week for something fun to appear soon) and the creepy but brilliant Strange Pictures, by the enigmatic Japanese artist Uketsu (2023, trans. 2025).
Musically, I spent the week basking in the multitude of wonderful releases from last week. But there were some highlights yesterday too, including:
- SABLE fABLE, by Bon Iver
- Growing Pains, by Trousdale
- And the Adjacent Possible, by OK Go
These are a few of the things that have been keeping me going and brightening up my way this week. So what’s lighting you up?
Matthew Root 