If you were to worship in an Armenian Rite church this weekend the prayer you would hear as the Priest ascended to the altar would be the poetic prayer: “We beseech you with outstretched arms, Tears and prayers, As we appear before you, You, who strike terror in our hearts, Judge us as we approach with trembling and fear, Presenting first this sacrificial offering of Words to your power that is beyond understanding” This poem as well along with 94... Read more

Do you have a list of prayer requests?  I have a friend who has one of the most amazing prayer lists I’ve ever seen. It’s pages and pages of names with the individual requests named. This friend goes through the whole list each day. It’s one of the most powerful testimonies I know of for the power of prayer.  I find it interesting that Jesus never gives us a list of everything we are to pray for. This is probably... Read more

St. Alexander was a member of the generation who experienced the shift from the persecution of the Church into an acceptable and promoted religion within the Roman Empire. As the leader of the Church in Alexandria he was charged with addressing some of the early controversies in the Church. He appears to have been able to navigate controversy with clarity and generosity. His letters seem to draw from a rich well of spirituality and love of God. Consider this rich... Read more

Have you ever wondered how successful God would be as a business owner? A few years ago I started a business in Ypsilanti Michigan with a few friends.  At the time I had no real background in business. My education and experience were all about theology and ministry.   One of my earliest challenges was to figure out how to participate in the economy of my community well embodying the grace-oriented economy of God. It became clear very early on... Read more

It is said of Blessed Christopher of Milan that he “He was truly a Christ-bearer, for he carried Christ not only in name but in his heart and on his lips.” As the church honored, Christopher this week let us ask how we might connect our words and our loves more deeply to God. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of faith that is passive – we do what comes naturally and easily. Bl. Christopher set another example before... Read more

Ethelbert was a pagan King in a territory of south-east England in the sixth century. His wife came from a ruling family in mainland Europe in order to create a powerful alliance. What was unexpected was that his wife would bring her faith with her to England which would change the trajectory of the Island. Through her influence, the door to Christianity was opened. Not only did Ethelbert convert, but missionaries were allowed into the land.  This reestablished the faith in England... Read more

Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the ones who seek, find; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Mt 7:7-8 Have you ever tried to fool God or impress God with your prayer? I know I certainly have.  I can easily fall into prayers that sound good but don’t... Read more

Today the Church honors Bl. Asccensión of the Heart of Jesus Nicol Goñi OP. She was a Spanish nun who traveled to Peru to bring education, care, and the message of Jesus Christ to poor and abandoned people in the Andes. This work required her to travel through many difficult and dangerous paths, but she made sure prayer was always at the center of her work. In spite of being so far from what was familiar to her, she felt... Read more

Have you ever worried that you missed what God had planned for your life somehow? In today’s reading, we hear the voice of God coming to Jonah a second time. I love this. Sometimes I worry that God’s call on my life has an expiration date. I worry that God had something in mind for me, but that I missed it. I worry that my mistakes have kept the will of God for my life from coming to fruition. This... Read more

Loving your enemies is hard. Yet, it seems to be an essential part of living the kind of Gospel Life God calls us to. Today the church honors one of its earliest Saints, and martyrs – Polycarp. Polycarp was an early leader in the church. He was one of the men who transmitted the faith to the next generation after the death of the Apostles. He wrote exhorting the men and women of the church to live a life of... Read more