A tree grows in two directions at the same time. It reaches upward toward the light, and it reaches downward into the earth. The branches are visible. The roots are hidden. We admire the leaves, the blossoms, and the fruit, but no one stops to praise the roots. Yet without the roots, there would be no fruit. Before a tree can grow upward, it must first grow downward. Its roots must push through dark soil, damp ground, stones, and resistance. Long before anything beautiful app

At the Armenian Hagigadar Monastery in Suceava, Romania, August 2025 There is something fascinating about the sound of a church bell. When someone pulls the rope, the bell begins to swing. The clapper strikes the metal, and the sound travels through the air. It moves across the village, through the streets, and over the rooftops. But when the person releases the rope, the bell does not immediately become silent. The rope may be hanging still. The hand may have let go. No one

In ancient times, wrestlers often covered their bodies with oil before entering the arena. The oil made it difficult for an opponent to take hold of them. They could still be attacked, pushed, and thrown, but they were not easily grasped. The Church Fathers used this image to describe our baptismal anointing. At baptism, we are not only washed with water; we are also anointed with Holy Muron. The priest marks our forehead, eyes, ears, mouth, heart, hands, and feet with the sa