It’s been A WEEK — anyone with any sort of empathy has had to take a deep breath and shield their hearts before looking at the news. And in this part of the world, we've also bundle up in a few extra layers before leaving the house. I don't mind the cold, but it does … Continue reading What’s Lighting Me Up (January 25, 2025)
This section in the series The Christian Shadow has been about the ways, contrary to Jung’s accusations, Christian teaching and practice helps the faithful engage with the shadow, the dark parts of ourselves we’d rather not exist, and certainly not come into the light of day. Over the next two posts, I’m going to end … Continue reading Shadow and the Sacraments, Part 1: Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist
In Thursday’s post, we saw how the general Christian call to repentance, which is embodied not only in conversion, but also in the rituals of baptism and confession, is a call to address the shadow — those parts of ourselves we reject or deny as being ‘us’. Today I’d like to explore how other sacred … Continue reading Shadow and Sacred Practices
One of the big questions in any religious or philosophical tradition is ‘What does a good (or holy) life look like?’ Often there are two poles, which we might call the ‘purity’ pole, where goodness is judged by adherence to rules and strictness of behaviour, and the ‘celebration’ pole, where goodness is judged instead on … Continue reading Of Water and Wine (And Joy!): A Reflection on John 2.1-11
It’s been another wild week in the world, and my heart goes out especially to everyone impacted by the fires in Los Angeles. As we head into another week that threatens to bring with it a lot of uncertainty and fear for so many, it’s more important than ever to lean into the good, true, … Continue reading What’s Lighting Me Up (January 18, 2025)
Matthew Root 