JP2 Group in Southern Cross
The Young Adult group which I help coordinate was in our Diocesan newspaper this week, The Southern Cross. Here’s the article :
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Tag: JP2 Group
JP2 Resources
Every week since the start of the year I have brought a handful of CDs to the JP2 Group to hand out. These CDs have contained a selection of the best faith-related podcasts I’ve found on the Internet. Previous CDs have included material from Peter Kreeft, Catholic Answers, Devin Rose, A Good Story Is Hard to Find, Fr. Robert Barron and, of course, the legendary Catholic Stuff You Should Know.
My aim in doing this has been to bring people into contact with a wide range of Catholic resources, in the hope that they find a few speakers they really enjoy and who help them in their spiritual journey. So today I thought that I would write this short post, pointing to the Resources page of the JP2 website in the hope that the readers of this blog may also benefit.
Nostra Aetate
In the concluding post for the “Introduction to Islam” series I quoted the Second Vatican Council document “Nostra Aetate” since it provides Church teaching regarding non-Christian religions in general, and Islam in particular.
In the JP2 Group we will be working through this Council document, once we have concluded our current series.
In preparation for this study I have put together a formatted PDF of this document. I also recorded the text onto MP3, which I thought I would also post here:
Nostra Aetate (Download)
Beginning Ignatius’ letter to Polycarp
Well, we’re finally here! The last letter of St. Ignatius of Antioch! I’m posting this a bit earlier than usual because the next couple of weeks are going to be rather busy.
Each of the Ignatius’ letters are special for different reasons, but his letter to Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, holds a special place in my heart.
In some ways it reminds me of the book of Proverbs, since Ignatius often offers Polycarp advice in the form of short exhortations.
This is the only personal letter Ignatius wrote to a fellow bishop and should, in my not so humble opinion, be required reading for all pastors and all those who minister in the Church.
When I have friends who enter the seminary, they usually receive a card from me with a quotation which comes from somewhere in this letter. Whenever I become discouraged in the ministries in which I serve, this is the document I usually dig out.
“St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to Polycarp” PDF
“St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Polycarp” Audio
I said this was Ignatius’ last letter, but that is not strictly true, for there was one final letter he wrote, to both his “God Jesus Christ” and to the “Catholic Church”. However, this was a letter of a different kind… Rather than being written in private, this letter was written in an amphitheatre before thousands of jeering Romans. Rather than using parchment, he used his own flesh and, in place of ink, his own blood.
St. Ignatius, pray for us.
Beginning Ignatius’ letter to the Smyrnaeans
The final two letters of St. Ignatius which we read are both sent to the city of Smyrna. The first letter is sent to the Church as a whole, the second specifically to their bishop, Polycarp.
This first letter is special for many reasons, but particularly because it contains Ignatius’ clearest declaration of faith about the Eucharist, as well as being the earliest recorded use of the phrase “Catholic Church”. Invented at Nicea? I don’t think so.
Here is my abridged version of the letter:
“St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Smyrnaeans” PDF
“St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Smyrnaeans” Audio
Beginning Ignatius’ letter to the Philadelphians
Ignatius is moving!
Thus far we have been reading the letters this inspirational martyr wrote from the city of Smyrna, but we must now follow him to Troas where he will write his last three letters before completing his journey to Rome and to the mouths of the wild beasts!
Ignatius now addresses the schism and the Judaising attempts at the church in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. Here is my abridged version of the letter:
“St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Philadelphians” PDF
“St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Philadelphians” Audio
Beginning Ignatius’ letter to the Ephesians
This week in the JP2 Group we will be continuing our study of the letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch, martyr of the early 2nd Century.
Last week we read his words to the Trallians where Ignatius presents unity with the bishop as a defence against heresy. This week we move on to the letter he wrote to the Ephesians, the community in which Paul lived for three years and to whom he wrote a letter which we find in Sacred Scripture.
In this letter Ignatius pulls together all the different topics we have seen him address in his letters thus far: unity, the episcopacy, heresy, the Eucharist etc. However, as well as being a nice revision of all we have seen thus far, he also gives us some advice on how to deal with those outside the Church.
After looking at several different translations, I have, again, created my own abridged version so that we will be able to complete our study of this letter in a single evening. The letter to the Ephesians is quite long so unfortunately I had to cut quite a bit. Anyway, here it is:
“St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Ephesians” PDF
“St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Ephesians” Audio