Blog Search Results

Lent: Day 17 - Justin Martyr: First Apology: Chaps. 60-68

...keness of angels; but now, by the will of God, having become man for the human race.   The Eucharist This chapter gives us a glimpse at how the early church took Communion together and what it meant for them. Only baptised believers were allowed to partake. Prayers of “considerable length” were then first offered to bless the bread and wine, which upon conclusion, everyone would “salute one another with a kiss” (Romans 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12; 1 Thess 5:26) before the “bread and a cup of wine mixed with water” was handed out to everyone present by the deacons. Even if some were absent, a portion was kept and hand-delivered to those who w...

Lent Day 23: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 21-30

...ly men or angels in order to trick us into listening to their lies. Even if, Anthony says, they take on the appearance of seemingly godly beings or people, and even if they speak things which have a sliver of truth or quote Scripture (for even Satan quoted Scripture to Jesus in the desert, and the demoniacs declared Jesus to be the Son of God), pay no heed since they do not do this to aid our discipline of righteousness, but rather to tire us out and lead us to abandon the principles of the faith out of despair and from feeling burdened. For the demons do all things --they prate, they confuse, they dissemble, they confound--to deceive the simple. They din, la...

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

...ures, the angels will assure you and turn fear into joy. But if it is of evil origins, the fear remains and spirit may fumble with clever words of deception and trickery to hide it's purpose. Remain steadfast in your faith and purpose of mind with Christ and tell that demon to flee in the name of Jesus, and he will! The growth of the monastic life at this time (about 305 AD) As Anthony taught on these things, the people rejoiced and came to despise the evil one even more and became strengthened in their faith. So their cells were in the mountains, filled with holy bands of men who sang psalms, loved reading, fasted, prayed, rejoiced in the hope of things...

Lent: Day 7 - Ignatius to the Trallians

..., seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, [and] taken up in glory” (1 Tim 3:16) is the cornerstone of our faith. Anything less is not the Gospel, and that is what Ignatius was emphasising to this church. I'm going to close by quoting Ignatius’ “history of Christ” just because I really like the way it summarises the Gospel: Stop your ears, therefore, when anyone speaks to you at variance with Jesus Christ, who was descended from David, and was also of Mary; who was truly born, and did eat and drink. He was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate; He was truly crucified, and [truly] died, in the sight of beings in hea...

Lent Day 27: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 61-70

...e to mean angels because he is then opposed by “certain bitter and terrible beings” which would seem like demons. They try to stop his passage by accusing him of his sins, but the ones accompanying Anthony tell them that, “the Lord has wiped out the sins from his birth” but that only since the time he became a monk can they accuse him; they failed and Anthony was allowed to pass. Suddenly Anthony found himself back in his body as before and was astonished at “against what mighty opponents our wrestling is” and recalled what Paul taught in his epistles about our battles being against the “ruler of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2). So he taught al...

Lent Day 34: Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures: Lecture XXIII

...with the angels above by reciting the hymn of the Seraphim seen in Isaiah 6:3, “so we may be partakers with the hosts of the world above in their Hymn of praise”. Prayers and intercessions The next order of service is the prayers to “commemorate also those who have fallen asleep before us” – but what’s interesting here is the implication that it’s not just in remembrance of the faithful who had died before them, either long ago in the Prophets and Apostles, or for those in “who in past years have fallen asleep among us”, but that “at their prayers and intercessions God would receive our petition” [emphasis mine]. Here’s an early examp...