Category: Catholicism

New Patristics Book from Mike Aquilina

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Mike Aquilina recently asked on his blog to make this video go viral.   It is the trailer for Mike’s latest book, A Year With The Fathers: Patristic Wisdom For Daily Living.  Well, since one of the aims of this blog is to introduce people to the Early Church Fathers, I could hardly refuse!

I’ve read most of Mike’s books – he really is the go-to guy for getting into Patristics.  In his new book he “gathers the wisest, most practical teachings and exhortations from the Fathers of the Church, and presents them in a format perfect for daily meditation and inspiration”.

“Learn to humbly accept correction from St Clement of Rome. Let Tertullian teach you how to clear your mind before prayer. Read St Gregory the Great and deepen your love of the Eucharist. Do you suffer from pain or illness? St John Chrysostom’s counsels will refresh you. Do you have trouble curbing your appetite for food and other fleshly things? St John Cassian will teach you the true way to moderation and self-control”

This is one of my biggest reasons for loving the Fathers – they have so much practical wisdom to share with us in our day-to-day lives.  Needless to say once I’ve finished this blog entry I’m going to Amazon to order a copy 🙂

Beginning Ignatius’ letter to the Romans

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This week in the JP2 Group we will be beginning our study of the letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch, an Early Church Father who died in about 107 AD.

We will begin with the letter which I think most clearly communicates Ignatius’ character, his inspiring letter to the Romans in which Ignatius pleads with that church not to try and get his death sentence changed.

After looking at several different translations of this letter, I have created my own abridged version so that we will be able to complete our study of this letter in a single evening. I have decided to make this abridged version, together with its audio, available on this blog:

“St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Romans” PDF
“St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Romans” Audio

Sunday Lectionary: A God who goes looking…

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Below is a reworked version of a reflection I first presented at Cheltenham’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on 26th January 2008…

Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear [Jesus]. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” …

Jesus said: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.  Soon after, that son got together all he had, set off for a distant country where he squandered his wealth in wild living.

After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’

So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  The son said ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s feast and celebrate.

The older brother was angry and refused to go into the house. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'” – Luke 15:1-2, 11-32

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The Church Football Team

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Back in England, a lot of churches have a football team which plays in the local league.  A while ago this got me thinking…

On the church football team…

…there is strict adherence to the rule book…

…the guy in black makes the calls…

…everyone loves the team captain…

…family is always on the side of the pitch cheering on the play…

…those “on the wing” have a crucial role to play…

…the team strip is kick-ass…

…they take the after game baths very seriously…

…and only the team captain is allowed to take the final penalty.

Sunday Lectionary: Jesus Number One!

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I hadn’t planned to write about last weekend’s Gospel reading, but it has kept coming up in conversation and I’ve spoken to some people who have been really troubled by Jesus’ words, perhaps rightly so:

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them,

“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.  Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?  Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’

Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.

In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

Masochism or poor linguistics?

What did Jesus mean when he said we must “hate” our family and even “hate” our own lives? That sounds rather masochistic!

Is this just a bad translation?  Actually, no, it’s not.  The Greek word being used here is “miseo”, which, according to Strong’s Greek Lexicon means “to hate, pursue with hatred, detest”.

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Know your Rites

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The other week I resumed a former “hobby” of mine.  When I was living back in London I would often go and visit Eastern Rite Catholic churches…

What’s Rite?

A “Rite” in this context generally refers to a group within the wider Catholic Church which is associated with a particular liturgical tradition.  The main Rite with which most people will be familiar is the “Latin Rite”.  This is what is followed in most Catholic churches in Western Europe and the United States.  However, what most people don’t know is that there are six other Rites in the Catholic Church. The Catechism in paragraph #1203 lists these other Rites as Byzantine, Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Maronite and Chaldean. The majority of married Catholic priests (yes, you heard me right) will be found in these Eastern Rite Catholic churches where the discipline of celibacy is not exercised in the same way.

I love visiting Eastern Rite churches – I get to explore an unfamiliar liturgy, but unlike when I visit Protestant churches, I also am able to receive communion because the churches which I visit are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome.  So far, I have participated in Maronite and Byzantine (Melkite & Ukrainian) liturgies.

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