Christ In Rome
I saw this pop up in my Facebook memories and wanted to share it again. This is my favourite statue of Christ in Rome. When my buddy Joe was in Rome several years ago, I sent him on a scavenger hunt to find it…
Tag: Christ
Yes, Jesus Claimed To Be God
Sin, you and Christ
Chrysostom and Marriage
Yesterday was the feast day of one of my favourite Early Church Fathers, St. John Chrysostom . I’ve said for a while now that I’ve wanted to work to produce something which introduces Pope St. John-Paul II’s “Theology Of The Body” using the writings of St. John Chrysostom, to use this revered eastern father as a gateway for Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians who haven’t really been exposed to the Catholic Church’s former pontiff’s magnum opus.
Below is a short video from the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology which speaks a little bit about St. John Chrysostom’s beautiful theology surrounding marriage:
What should I say?
The other day a friend of mine sent me a text message saying her coworker was mourning. It was the anniversary of her husband’s death in Afghanistan. Her coworker was asking the question: “Why would God let this happen?”. My friend asked “What should I say?”. Here’s the text message I wrote in reply:
I would say something like “I could talk about some of the different reasons why bad things happen to good people (fallen world, free will, sinful man, God’s plan etc.), but the truth is I don’t know… None of us fully comprehends why terrible things like this happen.
What I do know is that God is the expert at drawing good out of bad, bringing healing out of pain. When Jesus hung on the cross it looked to the world like defeat, but out of the cross came victory over death so Jesus endured it for love of the world.
Your husband, no doubt, joined the military because he thought that it was the right thing to do, to protect the country and people he loved. Jesus did the same.
I can’t explain specifically WHY your husband died, but I CAN say that, if Jesus’ death shows us anything, it’s that suffering is not meaningless and that great acts of love and sacrifice can change the world”
When we encounter someone who is suffering, there is always the temptation to talk about big theological concepts of God’s will, His sovereignty and the fallen nature of humanity. However, in my experience, when people are suffering, this kind of talk is neither helpful nor comforting. We can only point them to the Cross. Apart from the Cross, suffering has no meaning or purpose.
Even then, words are often ineffective. Actions speak much louder. When someone is suffering and I don’t know what to say, there’s a temptation to just avoid that person since I can’t “do” anything. We must fight that temptation! Sometimes all I really need to do is just show up. Be there for my friend. Listen to her. Cry with her. Pray with her. If that person is English, make a cup of tea 🙂
The presence of a friend during a time of suffering speaks much more loudly of the love of God than any words ever could. Love them like Jesus.
Mark Hall, Casting Crowns
Descent into Hades
Jesus = Religion
The following question is asked by the artist on the YouTube video “Why I hate religion but love Jesus”:
“What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion?”
Hmmm…well, I guess I’d probably tut and then roll my eyes.
Next, I think I’d open my Bible to Matthew’s Gospel:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” – Matthew 5:16-18
I think I then might flip over to the Epistle of St. James:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world – James 1:27