One of my Lenten disciplines this year was to re-read The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, a work — at times beautiful, at times stultifyingly dull, but always challenging — that records the traditions of the desert monasticism that flourished from the fourth through seventh centuries in Egypt, Arabia, and Palestine. These were people who … Continue reading Watch Your Heart: A Reflection for Wednesday of Holy Week 2021
Today, the Gospel returns to the second half of John 12. Much of this passage was our Sunday Gospel just a couple of weeks ago. But today's reading adds on some interesting words, which are well worth pondering today. You may remember that the passage begins with Jesus talking about the wheat that bears its … Continue reading While It Is Still Light: A Reflection for Tuesday of Holy Week 2021
In yesterday's reflection for Palm Sunday, I wrote about how the crowd's false expectations about Jesus blinded them to what he was telling them about who he was. Today, on Monday of Holy Week, I'd like to pick up on a similar thread from today's Gospel: If the crowds could not see Jesus as he … Continue reading The Lazarus Problem: A Reflection for Monday of Holy Week 2021
There's a longstanding joke (of sorts) in Christian circles that the Gospels are essentially passion stories with extended prologues: Close to forty per cent of the Gospel according to Mark covers the week between Palm Sunday and Easter morning. As Jesus' earthly life nears its end, events speed up, and the narrative slows down accordingly. … Continue reading A Case of Mistaken Identity: A Reflection for Palm Sunday 2021
Today we grieve. Today we wail, scream, pound our fists and rend our garments. Today we sit in silence and let the tears flow. Today we make dinner and sweep the floor. Today we grieve. Yesterday's drama — conspiracies of convenience, trials before kangaroo courts, crowds screaming for the other guy to be released in … Continue reading Today, We Grieve (A Reflection on Holy Saturday)
Matthew Root 