Review: A Journey through the Word on Fire Bible

Last updated on: August 14, 2023 at 10:24 am By Billy Kangas

The Word on Fire Bible, a remarkable literary achievement, now in its third volume, has impressed me as a great contribution to the illumination of sacred scripture in our world. As a biblical scholar myself, I have encountered countless resources that tend to lean heavily towards either historical context or personal spirituality. However, this extraordinary work finds the perfect balance between these perspectives while also showcasing the profound wisdom of two millennia of scribes, thinkers, saints, and artists who have... Read more

Controversial Celebrity Religious Conversions: Who Switched Faiths and Why?

Last updated on: May 26, 2023 at 10:52 pm By Billy Kangas

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This Easter marked my 10th anniversary as a Catholic. As someone who spent over a decade in Protestant ministry, leaving what I knew behind to take my young family into the unknown was not easy. However, after years of study (with perhaps divine intervention), I felt drawn towards Catholicism to deepen my connection with Jesus Christ. Joining the Catholic Church meant embracing its rich sacramental life, grounding myself in history, and committing to live out a spiritual journey with accountability... Read more

What resources should I use to pray the “Liturgy of the Hours?”

Last updated on: February 8, 2023 at 11:24 am By Billy Kangas

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Is there a general Liturgy of the Hours that most Catholics use, or are there a variety of them? There are lots and lots of prayer books that are used by Catholics. You will run into lots of different resources that offer forms of morning and evening prayer and many of them are influenced by the Liturgy of the Hours. However, the liturgy of the hours refers to a particular set of official prayers. This official set is what is required... Read more

The Great Schism: Why the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church Really Split

Last updated on: November 7, 2022 at 11:20 am By Billy Kangas

“Holy Father, keep [those you have given me] in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” Jesus prayed the above prayer in John 17 on the night he was betrayed and since that first day until now it is a prayer that the Church has struggled to see perfectly fulfilled. On that night, Judas’ betrayal violated that unity. The New Testament documents other breakdowns in Church unity – Paul and... Read more

What Bible do Catholics use?

Last updated on: July 8, 2022 at 12:16 pm By Billy Kangas

Scripture is the foundational record of God’s self-revelation to the world. It grounds catholic theology, saturates Catholic Prayer, and provides the language and images that inform Catholic symbols. In Scripture, we find the promises of God that root our faith and provide a rule and a guide in the development of Dogma as the church seeks to conform itself in each age to the image of Christ. The Catholic Church encourages all the faithful who are able, to read scripture,... Read more

CCC # 2559 – Prayer as Gift

Last updated on: June 14, 2022 at 8:18 am By Billy Kangas

2559 “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.”2 But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or “out of the depths” of a humble and contrite heart?3 He who humbles himself will be exalted;4 humility is the foundation of prayer, Only when we humbly acknowledge that “we do not know how to pray as we ought,”5 are we ready to receive... Read more

CCC # 2558 – Prayer as Relationship

Last updated on: May 23, 2022 at 4:09 pm By Billy Kangas

2558 “Great is the mystery of the faith!” The Church professes this mystery in the Apostles’ Creed (Part One) and celebrates it in the sacramental liturgy (Part Two), so that the life of the faithful may be conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father (Part Three). This mystery, then, requires that the faithful believe in it, that they celebrate it, and that they live from it in a vital and personal relationship with... Read more

Reflections on Prayer in the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Last updated on: June 14, 2022 at 8:14 am By Billy Kangas

Prayer has always been a central part of what motivates the writing here. The name of the blog, The Orant, is a term used to describe a figure who is praying in early Christian art. In choosing this name, my hope was that both I and the readers here might all become people who are more deeply formed by practices of prayer in our own lives each day. Prayer has been a foundational part of my own life, in leading... Read more

[Book Review] A History of Contemporary Praise and Worship: Understanding the Ideas That Reshaped the Protestant Church

Last updated on: March 3, 2022 at 11:11 am By Billy Kangas

I recently read through the fantastic new volume by Lester Ruth and Lim Swee Hong A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship: Understanding the Ideas That Reshaped the Protestant Church This study offers a new gold standard in understanding the history of contemporary praise and worship music. It helps move the understanding beyond many of the limited narratives that focus too narrowly on the Jesus People’s influence and takes seriously many of the efforts and movements both within the Pentecostal/Charismatic churches... Read more

Beginning in the the Wilderness

Last updated on: March 2, 2022 at 9:57 am By Billy Kangas

Jesus returned from the Jordan River full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. There he was tempted for forty days by the devil. He ate nothing during those days and afterward Jesus was starving.” Luke 4:1-2 Have you ever wondered why Jesus decided to begin his public ministry by retreating into the wilderness for 40 days? The voice of the Father declared Jesus his beloved Son, the Spirit descended on Jesus, and then…... Read more