I have to admit that I rolled my eyes when I read this week's readings and saw that the Gospel appointed for today was the Feeding of the Five Thousand as told by St. John. It's one of those stories that's a little too familiar; some variation of this story is told a total of … Continue reading A Foretaste of the Kingdom: A Reflection on John 6.1-21
One of the biggest ways my approach to Christianity has changed over the years has been the shift away from theology that focuses primarily on doctrines and ideas towards one that focuses on change and growth in persons and communities. It's not that I no longer uphold those doctrines — far from it. Rather, it's … Continue reading Growing with Intention: An Integral Perspective on Spiritual Growth
Last week, I happened to be walking along the Corso Italia here in Toronto in the lead up to the final of Euro 2021. Seemingly every store window was draped in either green white and red bunting or the royal blue of Italy's national football team. It was a fun atmosphere and brought back the … Continue reading Jesus and the End of Tribalism: A Reflection on Ephesians 2.11-22
Despite its excesses, the postmodern movement has offered us a lot of gifts. One of these gifts is its insistence that story-telling always involves questions of power, and so in any history or tale we need to ask ourselves whose story isn't being told. We've seen some of the good fruit this approach can bear … Continue reading The Dancing Girl
The Christian story is the story of Jesus and so the Gospels are tellings of Jesus' story and focus almost entirely on him. It is always noteworthy, then, when they shift the focus away from Jesus and onto another character. Today's Gospel reading is one of these occasions, telling the story of the beheading of … Continue reading History Repeating: A Reflection on Mark 6.14-29
Matthew Root 