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Lent Day 33: Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures: Lecture XXII

...ake it on faith that it is more. Consider therefore the Bread and the Wine not as bare elements, for they are, according to the Lord's declaration, the Body and Blood of Christ; for even though sense suggests this to you, yet let faith establish you. Judge not the matter from the taste, but from faith be fully assured without misgiving, that the Body and Blood of Christ have been vouchsafed (given) to you. Cyril then points to Solomon, saying he hinted at this grace found in the Eucharist in Ecclesiastes 9:7-8. “Go, eat your bread with enjoyment … Let your garments always be white” – receive the joy that Christ gives and press on toward salvation...

Lent Day 39: Leo the Great: Sermon XLIX (On Lent XI)

...n all the faithful without exception; because no one is so holy that he ought not to be holier, nor so devout that he might not be devouter.” Lent is a time of self-reflection and discipline, a time where we look at the life of Jesus and mourn his death as the disciples did, before we realise the reality of the resurrection which comes in a few short days. “Who is there who would not wish for additions to his virtue, or removal of his vice?” Leo asks rhetorically, referring to the benefits of the Lenten fast and discipline. “Blessed, therefore, is the mind that passes the time of its pilgrimage in chaste sobriety, and loiters not in the things through...

Slavery in the Bible – Does God Condone Slavery?

...e through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). In summary,  there are at least two types of slavery in the Bible: a forced slavery that God condemns and a willful slavery which, to a certain extend, God does not condemn, and in fact gives guidelines commanding that those servants should be treated right. Have you been freed from the slavery of sin? The Bible tells us that before we are born again we are slaves to sin (Romans 6:6) and the devil (John 8:34). We serve sin and the devil. We are enemies of God (Romans 5:10). The Bible says that all are sinners and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It says that, “There is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10...

That Ancient faith is Expanding!

...EXCITING UPDATES! Just a quick update for you about a couple of new and exciting things I am offering now! Firstly, I have now launched a new range of faith-inspired clothing, which you can see some examples of in the image banner above. If you want to proclaim Christ and your faith via what you wear (especially in these dark times where churches are closed), head on over to: https://thatancientfaith.teemill.com     The second thing to mention, as you may gather from the logo above, is that I now have a YouTube channel! I have begun it by doing a read through of my book, 40 Days with the Fathers, through Lent, so you can listen to the whole book for...

Why do bad things happen to 'good' people?

...severe in faith even when those around us doubt - like Job's wife and friends did: Then his wife said to him, “Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. The Tower of Siloam (James Tissot) But whether it is allegory, parable or historical, the righteousness of Job is one that is noted by God when speaking to Ezekiel, and James writes about Job's endurance as an example of being blessed by the Lord (Ezekiel 14:13-14; James 5:11). Even the discipl...

Lent: Day 11 - Ignatius to Polycarp

...steadfast faith, and also by reminding him off his duties and role as a bishop. There's a brief warning against “those who seem worthy of credit”, but actually “teach strange doctrines” which may fill Polycarp with some “apprehension”. This warning would seem to be against Docetism again, as in all of Ignatius's previous letters, which leads him to write this short creed about Christ just to reiterate the Church’s stance on the matter, and although it’s only short, I do like it, especially the parallelism: Look for Him who is above all time, eternal and invisible, yet who became visible for our sakes; impalpable and impassible, yet who became...