The Orant - Page 2 of 78 - Conversations About Following Jesus

Praying the Kyrie Eleison – Lord Have Mercy

February 7, 2018 By Billy Kangas

I pray. Prayer grounds me and guides me. I believe in it and I practice it. There are few prayers closer to my hear then the Kyrie. It’s the ancient cry of the church in response to brokenness and pain. We sing it every Sunday at mass, as a cry to God, right at the beginning. I pray it like breathing; all day, every day. It’s really one of the core prayers of my life. I recorded a reflection upon… Read more

Thanksgiving for the Incarnation

December 28, 2017 By Billy Kangas

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I wrote this prayer of thanksgiving for the Christmas season this year. I have been trying to pray it as a reminder of the true depth and beauty of what happened at Christmas; which is a great season to give thanks for the incarnation. I pray it would be a blessing to you this year in some way. Father we thank you for the incarnation. We thank you for sending and showing us your love. We thank it’s revelation in flesh… Read more

Joining Jesus in His Mission

December 11, 2017 By Billy Kangas

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Last week I was invited to speak at the disciple’s night with my friends at ID 916. It was a really positive experience for me. I met a lot of great young folks who were very much alive in their faith and seeking after Jesus. My talk was about joining Jesus in his mission. I connected 5 practices and prayers to the “five senses.” This is a tool I have found very helpful in my own walk and life and… Read more

My time on “The Journey Home”

November 26, 2017 By Billy Kangas

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Earlier this year I had a chance to spend a couple days with my friends at the “Coming Home Network” down in Ohio. If you’re not familiar with the organization, they try to offer support to people who are struggling with joining the Catholic Church. They focus primarily on pastors. They were a support to me when I was thinking about leaving protestant ministry and becoming Catholic. I often re-read the hand-written cards I got in the mail during this… Read more

Fr. Solanus Casey – Beatification reflection

November 25, 2017 By Billy Kangas

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This past Saturday was the beatification of Fr. Solanus Casey. He is now only one step away from being recognized as a Saint by the Catholic Church. Fr. Solanus has been a major inspiration in my life in so many ways. He started out as a simple door keeper at St. Bonaventure’s monastery in Detroit. As the great depression hit many began to knock at the monastery’s back door desperate for food. He couldn’t turn people away. At first he’s share a… Read more

Checking in with Ralph Martin

November 24, 2017 By Billy Kangas

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I sat down with Ralph Martin recently to talk about my faith journey. If you don’t know Ralph, he’s been a voice for renewal in the Church for the past 50 years. I thought the conversation we had was productive. Below is a video of the conversation if you’re interested in it. It was part of his EWTN program called “The Choices We Face.” I’d love to hear your own thoughts on the conversation. Take time to comment below. Thank… Read more

Start with Thanks!

November 22, 2017 By Billy Kangas

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I recently gave a talk on how being thankful can become a powerful practice to bring the light of God into every area of our life. In it I highlight that thankfulness is like a powerful light that cuts through the darkness in the world and highlights the good that God has created in every person and place and is working in every person and place to demonstrate His love. I hope this season we can all practice and share… Read more

Checkmate

November 21, 2017 By Billy Kangas

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I once heard it said that Chess is the only form of art in which composition and performance are combined in a single action. This is also true of life. Each decision we make is improvisation, and composition. Each has the potential for great beauty. Like chess, the beautiful is often seen in sacrifice and the surprise. Unlike chess however, victory is not in conquest but in our captivity to a greater love. To find ourselves checkmated by grace. Read more

God: A Craftsman of Love

September 15, 2017 By Billy Kangas

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It was Thursday a couple weeks ago. We were out in the Garden at Cultivate for harvest. We do this a couple times a week. We invite community members to come out and help us pick the ripe plants that we then donate to local food pantries. Sometimes I just look around the shop and see who I can recruit. This time I invited a couple kids who were on their iPads waiting for their dad to finish a meeting…. Read more

The Rage That Got Us Here: Reflections on Charlottesville

August 13, 2017 By Billy Kangas

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Rage is deceptive seeing vengeance as a cure for the pain within It casts blame blindly it finds the weakest victim the lazy coward hurt can not heal hurt it opens the wound again clinging to the pain I wrote these verses this morning because I am still reeling from yesterday. I’m trying to keep the rage at bay. It’s hard. But I’m recognizing it was rage that got us here in the first place. People who raged at the… Read more