Before I understood theology, I understood this: the love of Christ was not something I had to reach for. It was something I was already being held within. We do not learn the love of Christ by mastering it, but by receiving it.
Formed in Faithfulness: Joseph and Ecclesial Reordering
Over the years, I have encountered Joseph in many articles, books, and sermons. We often remembered Joseph as the boy with the beautiful coat, favored by his father, resented by his brothers, and carried along by youthful certainty. We often tell his story as one of suffering, perseverance, and eventual vindication. Yet we do not…
St. Joseph and the Virtues of Silence
Saint Joseph was the head of the holy family and an indispensable figure in sacred history. Yet one of the most striking qualities of Joseph in the gospels is his silence.
Miserable Offenders and the Mercy of God
In the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, we confess, “O Lord, have mercy on us, miserable offenders.” Those are deep, strong statements that reveal our condition and status.
The Bread of Life: Healing and The Eucharist
The risen Christ showed his scars—healed and transformed—to his disciples. The Eucharist joins us to that same reality. Not to minimize suffering or explain it away, but to acknowledge it. The table knows that we often need care before we consciously recognize it.
Reconciliation: The Grace Of Not Explaining Yourself
One of the most remarkable things in the bulletin at St. Laurence Anglican Church is the Saturday worship schedule, which reads: When I first came to St. Laurence, this line caught me off guard—both unfamiliar and quietly unsettling. Over time, it has come to feel like an invitation to restoration, calling me back into belonging….
Psalms and Prayers for Ice and Snow
I grew up in Chicago, where snow is a frequent fact of winter. We took note of the first snow and significant snowfalls, and every once in a while, an actual blizzard would come to shut down work and school. The danger in such a storm is often greater from ice than from snow; ice…
Mercy in the Midst: Courage to Stay in an Imperfect Church
As both a therapist and a parishioner, I have watched many weary believers seek refuge in liturgical traditions—drawn by beauty, order, and a sense of rootedness after years of spiritual fatigue within politicized or performance-driven church cultures. I have seen institutions rise to moments of grace and stumble into failure. The difference often lies not…
A Garden Enclosed
Anglican Compass is proud to announce the republication of the 1907 spiritual classic A Garden Enclosed: Practical Studies in Religious Life by Sister Frances Anna, writing anonymously as “A Sister of the Community of St. Mary.” This community is the oldest Anglican religious order in the United States. Below is an introduction by the Rev….
