One of the main criticisms of liturgical or common prayer is that it quickly becomes rote. As though if it’s read from a page, it can’t be from the heart; and if it’s not from the heart, it’s just the kind of vain repetition Jesus warned us against (Matthew 6.7). What this argument fails to … Continue reading Resetting the Narrative: The ‘Normal Beginning’
Yesterday, I introduced this year’s Lenten series, which will be daily reflections on famous or important liturgical prayers. As a general principle, I’ll be treating the season of Lent like a liturgical day, starting with the evening offices then going through the daytime services. But today I’m going to start with the quintessential Lenten prayer … Continue reading A Faith That Works: The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian
A recurring theme here lately has been the contrasts between the kingdoms of this world and their theologies of glory on the one hand, and the kingdom of God with its theology of the cross on the other. Nowhere does Christianity’s theology of the cross come to the fore more than in the Western Christian … Continue reading A Kingdom of Dust and Ashes: A Reflection for Ash Wednesday 2026
The Gospel assigned for today contains the most familiar words of the Christian faith, the Lord’s prayer. The passage continues Jesus’ discussion about performative spirituality on which I commented last week. Jesus has just taught the disciples to be avoid flashy displays of their fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. And now he pushes on, teaching them … Continue reading When You Pray…
After a few weeks of practices involving the shifting seas of my thoughts and thoughts-about-thoughts, I returned this week to the firm and fertile ground of ancient Christian spirituality. Specifically, I turned to the quintessential prayer of the Christian East, known as the Jesus Prayer, which combines elements we associate with prayer (petition and language) … Continue reading The Jesus Prayer
Matthew Root 