If Scripture teaches us anything about Jesus, it's that He prayed, regularly and often. He taught us how to pray to God with the words of the Lord's Prayer, and to pray boldly. Persist in prayer and know that every prayer is heard and answered, often in unseen ways, and that God loves you and has not forgotten you, and will always keep His promise

The Gospel reference is Luke 11:1-13.

The story of Mary and Martha reminds us how easy it is for the demands of day to day living to make us neglect the truly important things in our lives: family, friends, and most of all, our relationship with God. As Martha stressed about keeping the household and entertaining Jesus and his disciples, Mary, in a radical act, sat at Jesus' feet and was taught along with His followers. This story's most important point is that there is a time for work, a time for play, a time for worship, and a time for learning; a successful life is a balanced life. We all need to take a break on a regular basis, and to sit at the feet of Jesus.

The Gospel reference is Luke 10:38-42.

The parable of the Good Samaritan rings truer than ever in these violent and stressful times. In it we learn of the kindness of the Samaritan, but also of the innkeeper who cared for the man who had been robbed, trusting that the Samaritan would indeed return to compensate him for his caring. We can appreciate their willingness to act with kindness and decency without disparaging the Priest and the Levite who passed by on the other side, but even today our response to those in need is determined too often by the response of others. This story calls us to renew our caring for the needs of those around us. God has set us as examples to the world; when we get involved, others will also, loving God by loving our neighbors without thought of reward.

The Gospel reference is Luke 10:25-37.

How do we avoid a tepid faith, a faith so bland, so meaningless and boring, that even God would not favor it? Like the seventy disciples sent out we must be committed, strong in our belief, and not hesitant to show and share our commitment to Jesus Christ. It takes the commitment of people for Jesus' Gospel to work; if we were willing to make even a small commitment to live that Gospel message, no one would doubt our power.

The Gospel reference is Luke 10:1-11,16-20.

Too often our love for tradition keeps us from seeing that the church is not an organization, but an organism that lives, breathes, and grows. We are called to look ahead and not back, at what lies before us and not at what is past. It is well and good to cherish the past, but our faith is all about living joyfully in the present, thinking about the future with God.

The Scripture references are 1 Kings 19:15-16,19-21, Psalm 16:5-9,11, and Galatians 5:1,13-25. The Gospel reference is Luke 9:51-62.

Jesus' commandment to love our enemies is perhaps the most difficult for us to embrace. It flies in the face of our wish to see our idea of justice done when we are wronged. When Jesus spoke of loving mankind, he used the word that translates into Greek as agape, an active feeling of benevolence toward others. This calls us not to compare ourselves to others, but calls us to compare ourselves to the perfection of God. As the Orlando shootings have shown us, even in the most horrific moments God is in the midst of it all.

The Scripture references are 1 Kings 19:10-15a, Psalm 43, and Galatians 3:23-29. The Gospel reference is Matthew 5:21-224,43-48.

Forgiveness is one of the most powerful forces we have as Christians. Through honest confession and repentance we can leave our transgressions, and those of others, behind and be graciously forgiven by God's love.

The Scripture references are 2 Samuel 11:26-12:10,13-15, Psalm 32:8-12, and Galatians:15-21. The Gospel reference is Luke 7:36-50.

Jesus was moved to the very depths of His being by the suffering of the widow of Nain, as told in today's Gospel lesson from Luke. Claiming as his own that which Death had seized to carry away, Christ showed us that even in our most desolate and suffering times God can and will fill us and support us if only we let Him in.

The Gospel reference is Luke 7:11-17.

Fr. Thomas Rosa shares with us how honoring the sacrifice made by our servicemen and servicewomen on Memorial Day, reflects also the sacrifice we memorialize each time we celebrate the Eucharist. Both bear witness to a greater love than the love of self.

The Gospel reference is Luke 7:1-10.

The Reverend Deacon John R. Dolan of Trinity Episcopal Church, Aurora, joins us this Trinity Sunday and shares that our whole Christian life is caught up in the life of the Trinity. Jesus emphasized the Spirit's role of abiding guidance to us all. As we look at the One God through the prism of our faith, we see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Scripture references are Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 and Romans 5:1-5. The Gospel reference is John 16:12-15.