Lamplighting Prayer Three

Memory is a powerful thing. Just about anything in our environment can trigger a memory, good or bad. Even bad memories make us feel alive among the struggles of life. On the other hand, forgetting our memories can make us feel lost and empty. So, let’s talk about memory. O Lord our God, remember us…

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Prayer of the Ninth Hour

We are making our way through the day focusing on the Hours of Prayer. If you have been engaging in the prayers, then you are ready for the Prayer of the Ninth Hour, the time when Christ died on the Cross. Our Lord and Savior hung on the Cross for three hours before lifting up…

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Prayer for the Sixth Hour

It’s about the most unamerican idea the Church could suggest. American society is based upon doing your best work in exchange for being honored and promoted. The better you are, the more you are given by others. The Christian life, on the other hand, teaches voluntary suffering. Today’s Daily Lenten Journey continues our series on…

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When Will We Learn?

There is a reason the saying, “hindsight is twenty-twenty” is so popular. It is true. Looking in the rearview mirror is always a reminder that we should have known better. As Bugs Bunny’s used to say, “I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque.” We do know better. The Lord said to…

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Episode 422 – The Cross Leads to Life

People along with the priest worshiping in the church

During Great Lent we are not simply following rules. We are learning to deny ourselves. We are learning to take up our Cross. We are learning how to follow Christ. If we spend life focusing on ourselves, we will never take up the struggle of our cross. The Church focuses on the Cross so that…

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Half-Way Evaluation

Today is the half-way point of Great Lent. You now realize the days go by quickly when you’re focusing on Christ. You also realize that Pascha will be here ‘before you know it,’ and you still have work to do. It’s time for evaluation. Let’s review what the Church has asked us to focus on…

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2023 Daily Lenten Journey – Day 25

A golden abstract artwork of the Jesus

There is an old joke among parents. If your children are quiet, they’re up to something. All parents know this to be true. Children who are getting in trouble avoid detection at all costs. As parents we laugh, but as a Church we weep. If left alone, we all eventually get in trouble. These are…

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2023 Daily Lenten Journey – Day 21

A golden abstract artwork of the Jesus

Half-way through Great and Holy Lent we are brought face-to-face with the Veneration of the Precious and Holy Cross of Christ. In the Gospel read on the Third Sunday of Lent, Jesus calls each of us to discipleship with the words, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his…

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