Couldn’t agree more with Pope Benedict on this. Too many enemies of the Gospel would stifle its voice in public debate, all in the name of “tolerance.” “freedom,” “inclusivity,” and/or separation of church and state.
Daily Archives: February 1, 2010
An Interesting Idea for Baseball Realignment
Spring training is only 3 weeks away. Woo-hoo! (Hope springs eternal, but the Reds never do anymore.)
Here’s an interesting proposal for realigning baseball to make it more competitive. What do you think?
True Compassion
That person is truly compassionate who shows compassion even to his own enemy and treats the enemy well [as opposed to simply giving alms to society’s most helpless].
—Anonymous, Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 9
Chrysostom on Grace and Mercy
Since this fountain, this source of life, this table surrounds us with untold blessings and fills us with the gifts of the Spirit, let us approach it with sincerity of heart and purity of conscience to receive grace and mercy in our time of need. Grace and mercy be yours from the only-begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; through him and with him be glory, honor and power to the Father and the life-giving Spirit now and always and forever.
—John Chrysostom
St. Paul Contrasts God’s Wisdom to the World’s
The message about the cross doesn’t make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God’s power at work. As God says in the Scriptures,
“I will destroy the wisdom of all who claim to be wise.
I will confuse those who think they know so much.”
What happened to those wise people? What happened to those experts in the Scriptures? What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers? Didn’t God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish? God was wise and decided not to let the people of this world use their wisdom to learn about him. Instead, God chose to save only those who believe the foolish message we preach. Jews ask for miracles, and Greeks want something that sounds wise. But we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross. Most Jews have problems with this, and most Gentiles think it is foolish. Our message is God’s power and wisdom for the Jews and the Greeks that he has chosen. Even when God is foolish, he is wiser than everyone else, and even when God is weak, he is stronger than everyone else. My dear friends, remember what you were when God chose you. The people of this world didn’t think that many of you were wise. Only a few of you were in places of power, and not many of you came from important families. But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame. What the world thinks is worthless, useless, and nothing at all is what God has used to destroy what the world considers important. God did all this to keep anyone from bragging to him. You are God’s children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy. So if you want to brag, do what the Scriptures say and brag about the Lord.
—1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (CEV)
Augustine on Offering the Self
You ask what you should offer: offer yourself. For what else does the Lord seek of you but you? Because of all earthly creatures he has made nothing better than you, he seeks yourself from yourself, because you have lost yourself.
—Augustine, Sermon 48.2
From the Daily Office
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All whom the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
—John 6:35-40 (TNIV)
Notable and Quotable
The distresses of choice are our chance to be blessed.
—W. H. Auden, For the Time Being