[dropcap]In[/dropcap] a recent theological discussion, someone spoke about the concept of sin as debt. I was curious as to what the patristic literature had to say and compiled these quotations from most of the major series translated in English. Unsurprisingly, I found quite a few more references to sin as debt in Western writers than […]
[dropcap]On[/dropcap] both sides, beloved, reap the utmost gain, and avoid the imitation of Adam knowing how many ills are begotten of laziness and imitate the piety of Job, learning how many glorious things spring from earnestness. Consider him, the conqueror throughout, and you shall have much consolation in all pain and peril. For as it […]
[dropcap]In[/dropcap] this series, we will read the Holy Scripture with the Church through the lens of the Holy Fathers who lived the Scripture and bequeathed their inspired interpretations to later generations for their edification and spiritual growth. Isaiah 1:19–2:3 And if ye be willing, and hearken unto me, ye shall eat the good things of […]
“But why,” someone asks, “are some punished here, but others only hereafter and not at all here?” Why? Because if all were punished here, we would all have perished, for we all are subject to penalties. On the other hand, if no one were punished here, most people would become too careless, and many would […]
[dropcap]Let[/dropcap] us examine a unique aspect of the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel according to St. Matthew: the inclusion of several women. The historical reality is that, in Biblical genealogies, women are not typically included. A person’s lineage was defined primarily by his or her male ancestors. But in Christ’s genealogy, […]
[dropcap]Tonight[/dropcap], brothers and sisters in Christ, we offer our hearts and prayers in this Evening Raising of Incense service on the eve of the Fourth Sunday of the blessed Coptic month of Paope. Every day, our loving Mother, the Holy Church, nourishes us with different spiritual teachings through the Katamerous, or the daily readings, which […]
[dropcap]Tonight[/dropcap], dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we offer our prayers through the raising of incense on the eve of the Third Sunday of the blessed Coptic month of Paope. Our Mother, the Holy Church, nourished us with a passage from the Gospel according to St. Mark 4:35-41, which described how our Lord Jesus Christ […]
[dropcap]Christ[/dropcap] our Lord was in Capernaum, the city that hosted Him during much of His earthly ministry, residing in one of the houses along with His disciples. St. Peter, however, was outside this house when certain tax collectors came and asked him whether our Lord paid something called the “temple tax.” Peter responded, “Yes,” and […]
Let not your heart be troubled:1 believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you, that I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive […]
“And I’ll tell you this, my child, that the days will come when the Christians will add to and will take away from, and will alter the books of the Holy Evangelists, and of the Holy Apostles, and of the Divine Prophets, and of the Holy Fathers. They will tone down the Holy Scriptures and […]