One of the big questions in any religious or philosophical tradition is ‘What does a good (or holy) life look like?’ Often there are two poles, which we might call the ‘purity’ pole, where goodness is judged by adherence to rules and strictness of behaviour, and the ‘celebration’ pole, where goodness is judged instead on … Continue reading Of Water and Wine (And Joy!): A Reflection on John 2.1-11
This past Sunday, I reflected on the beautiful words of Isaiah 43.1, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” The theme of that post was on the interplay of specificity and generality of God’s call, how God calls all of us (generally), but all of … Continue reading The Great Reversal: Further Thoughts on Isaiah 43.1-7
There was a time a few years ago when I was feeling particularly low. It wasn’t a clinical depression, nor was it just the usual frustrations of work, dating, politics and whatnot. It was more of a pervasive feeling of being isolated, invisible, misunderstood, and anonymous in the world. Then one evening, my spiritual director … Continue reading Called by Name: A Reflection on Isaiah 43.1-7 and The Baptism of Jesus
I was recently reminded of a bumper sticker that was popular among Christians about twenty years ago that read, “Wise men still seek Him.” It’s a lovely (if gendered!) sentiment, using the figures of the Magi, those Astrologer-Priests from the ‘East’ who visit the baby Jesus, as examples for us of what wisdom looks like. … Continue reading Wise Men Still … : A Reflection on Epiphany 2022
On the Second Sunday of Christmas, the lectionary directs us to the wonderful prologue of the Gospel according to John, a beautiful and profound hymn to the Mystery of God and the incarnation. Last year, I wrote about how the full and perfect theophany that is Jesus reveals to us not only who God is, … Continue reading Divine Vulnerability: A Reflection on John 1.1-18
Matthew Root 