Today's Gospel reading is the Parable of the Sower: God's Kingdom is described as a farmer who spreads seed over his lands. He does this abundantly, even wastefully, casting it onto the rocks and roadside as much as on his fields. It's a fascinating story because it presents a unique and perhaps surprising perspective on … Continue reading Working the Land (A Reflection on the Parable of the Sower)
I love how after forty years of being in the Church, the Scriptures can still take me by surprise sometimes. I was excited this week to see that the Gospel for today included Jesus' beautiful words offering rest and comfort for weary people: "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy … Continue reading Work. And Rest.
We've been hearing a lot lately in the news and public discourse about bodies, specifically about black bodies, brown bodies, and white bodies. The news has been difficult to watch. What the news reveals about our society and its values has perhaps been even more difficult for many of us to ingest. In recent years … Continue reading In Our Bodies
There's a strange story in Genesis 11 that goes like this: The peoples of the earth, wanting to gain fame and power, decide to build a tower that stretches up all the way into heavens. But God confuses their speech, so their venture fails and they scatter across the earth. The whole story of the … Continue reading Babel Revisited
Happy Pentecost! It's a brilliant, beautiful feast. And it's also an important feast for us, this year more than ever. But, before I begin, I have two confessions to make: I came to the readings weary from a week of horrible, frightening, heart-rending news, searching for words of peace and comfort. I didn't find them. … Continue reading Winds of Change (A Reflection for Pentecost 2020)
Matthew Root 