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What is Contemplative Prayer?

...s is what Jesus instructed (and did: Luke 5:16)!   Matthew 6:6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Psalms 62:1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;from him comes my salvation. Psalms 62:5For God alone my soul waits in silence,for my hope is from him. Isaiah 41:1Listen to me in silence, O coastlands;let the peoples renew their strength;let them approach, then let them speak;let us together draw near for judgment.   Let us not forget that the voice of God is not necessarily loud and dramatic, but a small, still vo...

Lent Day 25: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 41-50

...e name of Jesus. So now, if even the devil himself confesses that he is weak and defeated, then we should no longer despair at the demons for we know their weakness now, and can now despise them. Let us consider in our soul that the Lord is with us, who put the evil spirits to flight and broke their power. Let us consider and lay to heart that while the Lord is with us, our foes can do us no hurt. Coming to a close on his teaching about evil spirits, Anthony gives us the simplest way in which we can test the spirits: If a vision or apparition appears before you, don't lie down in fear, all you need do is ask, “who are you and from where do you come?...

Lent Day 28: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 71-80

...ers which Jesus did which show that “Christ is no longer a man but God”; so they do themselves “much injustice” to have not read the Scriptures properly in order that they should see that “the deeds of Christ prove Him to be God come upon earth for the salvation of men”. Since they allegorise all of creation with the Greek legends of Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis etc, they “do not worship God Himself, but serve the creature rather than God who created all things” and “make gods of the things created” instead of giving the rightful honour to the “master builder” who is the Creator of all things; and at this, Anthony silenced his opponents. A...

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

...e 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 which it has to walk”. Leo refers this back to what Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 as a way of living in such a way that we don't get too caught up in this life and this world that we forget about the divine prom...

The Problem of Suffering and How We Approach it

...ring from Jesus’ teaching when he speaks about a local tragedy of a tower collapsing and killing some people: Luke 13: 4-5 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No […] Can we do anything about it? Christianity isn't about trying to philosophise about why we suffer, but rather it's to do with how we respond to suffering. We accept that it's a reality of our lives and world, and then go about trying to make it better. James makes the point in his epistle when explaining that “pure religion” is “to care for orphans and widows...

Creedal Christians: The Nicene Creed

...one Lord Jesus Christ, And in one Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 10:9; Eph 4:5,6 the Son of God, the only-begotten of his Father, the only-begotten Son of God, John 3:16; Matthew 16:16   begotten of His Father before all worlds, John 1:2 God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, Light of Light, very God of very God, John 17:22; John 8:12; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9 begotten (γεννηθέντα), not made, begotten, not made, John 1:2; 3:16 being of one substance (ὁμοούσιον) with the Father. being of one substance with the Father, John 1:18; 1...