farag mikhail

＂Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.＂
Matthew 5:6

How do we hunger for righteousness? Readers are given a fresh opportunity to reconsider the words of scripture and liturgy from a modern perspective as they explore the familiar traditions and practices of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. Farag Mikhail presents stories of modern and ancient Christian heroes - some familiar, others less well-known - who come alive in a contemporary and relatable way, as readers prepare for, and participate in the spiritual practices of Lent.

With surprising and challenging reflections, familiar concepts of almsgiving, prayer, fasting, repentance, reading of Scripture, forgiveness, and pilgrimage are given fresh insight. Questions at the end of each chapter prompt thoughtful actions to enhance the Lenten journey and invite the reader to draw closer to God and share the love of Christ with their neighbors.

Readers searching for a lively and invigorating way to rededicate themselves to the spiritual journey of Lent, are treated to a captivating blend of biblical truths and cultural context. Farag Mikhail offers historical and theological insights to apply to our everyday lives as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the Resurrection.

If we pay closer attention to the earliest Christian Lenten traditions, we’ll discover how Lent was a period during which individuals who wanted to become Christian prepared themselves not for personal transformation, but to join the body of believers, the communion of saints, through baptism. By examining our liturgical prayers and Scripture readings developed over centuries, we’ll discover the ways Lent has always been a time for individual repentance, yes, but first for giving and forgiving, for mending relationships and building new ones, for fighting injustice, and for growing in intimacy with God communally, not just individually.
--Introduction, Hunger for Righteousness

Phoebe Farag Mikhail is a writer, speaker, educator, activist and lifelong learner of theology. Her first book is Putting Joy into Practice: Seven Ways to Lift Your Spirit from the Early Church. She has also contributed to the anthology Darkness is as Light, and her writing has appeared in Plough, Faith & Leadership, Christianity Today, Faithfully, and Sojourners, among other publications. She is a Sacred Writes Public Scholarship on Religion Fellow, and blogs about faith, family, relationships and community at BeinginCommunity.com. She serves alongside her husband at St. Antonious & St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church in New Jersey, and together they are raising three children.