Tag: prayer
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Still Being Changed
Daily Office Readings for Saturday, October 17, 2026: Psalms 30, 32, 42, 43; Sirach 15:9–20; Revelation 10:1–11; Luke 11:1–13 Some mornings I can pray about patience and then discover, before the morning is over, how much patience I still need. I want to listen with wisdom, but sometimes I am already preparing my answer while…
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Learning to See, Learning to Trust
Daily Office Reflection for Friday, October 9, 2026Psalms 16, 17, and 22; Sirach 1:1–10, 18–27; Acts 28:1–6; Luke 9:18–27 Sometimes I read a familiar word in the Sacred Writings and realize I am still learning what it means. Wisdom. Trust. Faith. I have heard these words since childhood. I have preached about them, studied them,…
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God With Us in the Struggle
Daily Office Reflection — Wednesday, October 7, 2026Psalm 12, 13, 14, 119:1–24; Jonah 1:17–2:10; Acts 27:27–44; Luke 9:1–17 I am having a difficult morning in a difficult week. As I sat with today’s Sacred Writings, I found people struggling, questioning, learning, and needing help. I recognized something of the life we all live. As far…
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Prayer at the Payroll Desk
Yesterday morning, I sat on a bench in the park. It was early and quiet. There was room to breathe, look around, and pray: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” This morning, I prayed those same words on my way to work. Then I arrived at the nonprofit where I do payroll, and the…
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Praying While the Questions RemainThe Curious Pilgrim
I find myself sitting beside the Professor in the Seventh Meeting of The Pilgrim Continues His Way. He asks questions I have asked, and some I am still asking. If God already knows what we need, why ask? If God’s providence is at work, what difference does prayer make? Can another person’s prayers really help…
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The Missing Piece of the Puzzle
Forrest Gump said life is like a box of chocolates. I have discovered that life is more like a crossword puzzle. It gives us clues, and we spend our lives discovering the answers. Sometimes it is like a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle: the pieces look so much alike, but somewhere they fit together to form the…
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The School of Prayer: Have Mercy on Me
Project: The Pilgrim Continues His WaySeries: With Christ in the School of PrayerUnceasing Prayer, Part 2 Source: The Pilgrim Continues His Way, Author Unknown, translated by Olga Savin, Shambhala, Boulder, 2001. In the Sixth Meeting of The Pilgrim Continues His Way, the Pilgrim and the Professor find themselves in a school of prayer. Their teacher…
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Before Unceasing Prayer, There Is Unceasing Grace
I have been sitting for quite a while with the Sixth Meeting in The Pilgrim Continues His Way. The Skhimnik is teaching the Professor and the Pilgrim about the mystery of salvation as revealed through unceasing prayer. There is much here that speaks deeply to me. I believe prayer is essential. I believe Paul when…
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The Harvest Becomes Seed Again
The Pilgrim Continues His WaySeptember 13, 2026The Pilgrim’s Account of the Fifth MeetingFellow Traveler: The BarinSource: The Pilgrim Continues His Way, translated by Olga Savin, Shambhala, 2001 I have learned so much from The Pilgrim Continues His Way, but this may be the clearest and most direct lesson I have received from the book. I…
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When Our Roads Cross
I continued reading The Pilgrim Continues His Way today. After saying goodbye to the military officer, the Merchant, and his hosts, the Pilgrim continued toward Kyiv. He walked for five days. Then something happened that I understand. He became tired. Not merely physically tired. He became weak and gloomy and found it difficult to pray.…
