Last January, during our pilgrimage to Jerusalem, our group visited St. Savior Armenian Monastery and its cemetery. We walked quietly among the graves of people from every walk of life—the powerful and the weak, the wealthy and the poor, the celebrated and the unknown. Yet in that cemetery, all those differences had disappeared. Each person had become a name written on stone. Some stones were large and beautifully carved. Others were simple and modest. But every stone carried

These days, we are cleaning and emptying St. Vartan Cathedral before the renovation begins. The sanctuary itself is familiar, beautiful, and orderly. But behind the spaces everyone sees and downstairs in the basement are rooms filled with things that have accumulated over many years; boxes, papers, keys, furniture, and objects someone once thought might be useful. Renovation begins with emptying. The same is often true of the human heart. We all have hidden rooms where we pla

Midnight is a strange time to sing, especially in a prison. The Book of Acts tells us that Paul and Silas were arrested for preaching the Gospel. They were stripped, beaten, and thrown into the darkest part of a prison. Their feet were fastened in stocks. Their bodies were wounded, and they had no reason to believe that morning would bring anything better. Yet Scripture tells us, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25). Their song wa