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On the Feast of the Nativity, a sermon by Leo the Great

...His great mercy, wherewith He has loved us, has had pity on us: and when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5), that we might be in Him a new creation and a new production. Let us put off then the old man with his deeds: and having obtained a share in the birth of Christ let us renounce the works of the flesh. Christian, acknowledge your dignity, and becoming a partner in the Divine nature, refuse to return to the old baseness by degenerate conduct. Remember the Head and the Body of which you are a member. Recollect that you were rescued from the power of darkness and brought out into God's light and kingdom. By the mystery...

Why do bad things happen to 'good' people?

...A question most often asked by Christians and non-Christians alike is "why do bad things happen to 'good' people?" I say 'good' in quotations because, as Paul writes in Romans 3:10, "There is no one who is righteous, not even one". In light of that this question is technically, fundamentally flawed, as it presupposes that some people are better or more worthy than others. We all do wrong one way or another, so at a base level and in comparison to a Holy God, no one is any more 'good' than another, which is Paul's argument I believe (but that's probably a whole other blog post for another day). But that aside, taking the question as it is, and assuming tha...

I am one with the Force; the Force is with me – A Star Wars theology

...God, have mercy on me a sinner"   This prayer is short and repetitive much like the Star Wars Force prayer, and was also first introduced by a monk (though a hermit monk rather than a warrior monk!). From the history of the Jesus Prayer I once read, it was the quest of a young monk who wanted to fully understand Paul’s encouragement to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:15-18) and he came across a hermit who taught him this method. The purpose of this Jesus Prayer, much like Chirrut Imwe’s use of the Force prayer, is to constantly bring to mind, and keep it focussed on, God at all times, hence “without ceasing” until you embody the words and they...

Lent Day 20: Cyprian: On the Unity of the Church: 19-27

...he Lord's mercy.” But now he laments because the “unanimity is diminished” among the believers and no longer do they sell their possessions or share things for the common good, as the Church once did. Now, he observes, “we do not even give the tenths from our patrimony (inheritance)” and would rather buy than sell to store up treasures in heaven. Thus has the vigour of faith dwindled away among us; thus has the strength of believers grown weak. Quoting Luke 18:8 about whether Jesus will find faith on earth, Cyprian says that this has now come to pass with the Church becoming idle and lazy in their faith, since many no longer take the teaching o...

Lent Day 29: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 81-94

...ho showed mercy by his means and healed the sufferers”. Persecutions from Arian sympathisers At another point, a General Balacius came against the Christians who didn’t hold to the Arian view of Jesus (the doctrine which states that the Son had a beginning and wasn’t eternally with the Father always). He was so ruthless that he “beat virgins, and stripped and scourged monks”! Anthony took it upon himself to write to this man with a prophetic warning telling him to cease his persecutions, otherwise wrath would come on him very shortly since “it is on the point of coming upon” him already. He ignore the warning, and only eight days later, died from...

Fasting: A spiritual and physical discipline

...God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” When words fail you and your mind is busy and cluttered, I have found this to be most helpful in stilling and focusing the mind completely on God. This practise dates back to around the 4th century when monks endeavoured to do as Paul instructed when he wrote to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). The prayer is simple and easy to remember, with the point that you can pray it anywhere, anytime when you want to focus; or during contemplative prayer when you have time to really focus on each word and phrase and its meaning. It is said that this prayer contains the essence of the Gospel, and so praying it conti...