Yesterday, we saw how Julian came to understand that God turns everything intended for evil to the good of the faithful. This idea turns the idea of sin and its relative importance on its head. And, versed as she was in a medieval monastic spirituality that emphasized the the dangers of sin, this probably came … Continue reading Sin is Nothing
The theme of sin and temptation to sin runs all through today’s Sunday readings. There’s the story of the temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden from Genesis, Paul’s reflections on the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin, and the Gospel reading features the temptation of Jesus in the desert. As one might expect … Continue reading Strength against All Devils: A Reflection on Matthew 4.1-11
Welcome to Lent, the time of year when we shine the light of the Gospel into our own hearts in humble self examination. As I mentioned on Sunday, this year, our guide through Lent will be the wonderful English mystic, Julian of Norwich — in thirty-nine short, daily reflections. Over the twenty years since I … Continue reading A Posture of Faith: A Reflection for Ash Wednesday 2023
The Maundy Thursday service in my Anglican tradition is a busy one, doing a lot of the heavy lifting of Holy Week. In it we remember the Passover, the Last Supper, and Jesus’ ‘new commandment’ to love one another. And then, after all that, we read Psalm 22 and the story of Jesus’ agony and … Continue reading Take This Cup: A Reflection for Maundy Thursday, 2022
One of the many important conversations that has emerged in our culture over the past decade or so is the conversation around ‘privilege’ — the structural advantages in a social and political system that make it easier for certain people to thrive based on factors such as class, race and ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. This … Continue reading Paul on Privilege: A Reflection on Philippians 3.3-14
Matthew Root 