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We all have this tendency to make ourselves greater than we are, and make others smaller, and the consequences are division and destruction. Jesus knows this sinful tendency, and knows we are blind to it, so he puts up a mirror for us to see. As the disciples fight, he takes a small child and…
In our Armenian Orthodox tradition, we understand sacraments as visible signs of God’s invisible grace. And what is music, if not a sacramental echo of heaven? Strings, keys, and voices—physical things—become effective signs of divine movement. When we sing we don’t just say things-we experience them-emotionally and physically in our heart. So if the words…
Taken on its face, Jesus’s words today seem to be a rejection of the deepest held value we have on earth, the family. Yes as so often the case with Our Lord, what at first glance seems to be a rejection, is really just a redirection allowing us to honor our earthly families and see…
Galatians tells us: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” So I am not just being poetic and symbolic when I say we wear costumes and uniforms, it’s in the first reading you heard, the first time you entered church at your baptism. This means, me, name, name—everyone…
Jesus wants us to pay close attention to what we are building in our lives, because it matters more than anything. Most all of us work very hard to build a career, which helps us build a home and family, and secure our way in the world. This is necessary, and not at all easy,…
As Chesterton famously said, Christianity has not been tried and found lacking, but it’s never been seriously tried. The Bible, from cover to cover, agrees, demonstrating that the root of our problem is that we are born forgetful. We are children of God, but we forget who we are. We are born with a great…
There was a time when someone who had something of great value would often bury their treasure so that no one could find it and take it away. Of course, there was always the risk that one might forget where their treasure was buried, so to make sure that they would remember where it was,…