"We are travellers…not yet in our native land" – St. Augustine
No man can possibly be happy in a place where he is not in his element and where all around him is not congenial to his tastes, habits, and character.
When an eagle is happy in an iron cage, when a sheep is happy in the water, when an owl is happy in the blaze of noonday sun, when a fish is happy on the dry land – then, and not till then, will I admit that the unsanctified man could be happy in heaven
– JC Ryle, Holiness, 1879
Last month I had a conversation with someone on Facebook who saw strip clubs as perfectly wholesome places. When I meet someone who holds an opinion like this, I usually invite them to read the following interview:
“You can get a large audience together for a strip-tease act—that is, to watch a girl undress on the stage.
Now suppose you come to a country where you could fill a theatre by simply bringing a covered plate on to the stage and then slowly lifting the cover so as to let every one see, just before the lights went out, that it contained a mutton chop or a bit of bacon, would you not think that in that country something had gone wrong with the appetite for food?”
– CS Lewis, Mere Christianity (Book III)
I’ve had quite a few conversations recently where I’ve referenced two of Christ’s parables. In the process of having these discussions, I’ve started to see the importance of these stories and seen the need for every Christian to spend some time with them to grasp the truths they contain, particularly with regards to the nature of the Church. Both of these parables are found in Chapter 13 of Matthew’s Gospel, in the section known as “The Parables Discourse”…
Some brothers once asked Silvanus, “What way of life did you follow to be endowed with such prudence?” He answered, “I have never let any bitter thought remain in my heart.”
– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V
