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
One of the things that strikes me so much about Julian of Norwich is how she seems to have avoided the trap of spiritual consumerism that so many of us fall into when we have peak religious experiences, of wanting to repeat the excitement and the highs rather than being grateful for what God has … Continue reading Our Daily Light
Yesterday we saw how, in the midst of her first vision (of the blood streaming from Jesus’ head under the crown of thorns), Julian saw the image of all of creation as a sphere no bigger than a hazelnut, from which she concluded that all things are created by God, loved by God, and sustained … Continue reading Nature and Grace Are of One Accord
Yesterday, we looked at how Julian of Norwich oriented herself towards her faith and desires. The things she knew were a little weird — wanting to witness Christ’s Passion and a near-fatal illness — she asked for on the condition that God not give them to her if they weren’t good for her; and the … Continue reading Everything that is Good (Reprise)
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
Matthew Root 