Communion of Saints: December 2008 Archives

Listening to Tradition, Thursday, December 18, 2008

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"Beloved, how should we regard the loving-kindness of our Savior? We should cry out and praise His goodness with power and with trumpets! Not only should we appear like Him, but should follow Christ's example for heavenly conversation. We should carry on what He began. In suffering, we shouldn't threaten. When we are verbally abused, we shouldn't berate in return. Instead, we should bless those that curse us and commit ourselves to God in everything. For He judges righteously. Those who do this adapt themselves to the Gospel. They will have a part with Christ, and, as imitators of apostolic conversation, He considers them worthy of praise. They will receive the praise Paul gave the Corinthians when he said, 'I praise you that in everything you are mindful of me.'"


Athanasius

Listening to Tradition, Sunday, December 14, 2008

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"If we confess Christ, we will become like Peter. We will be considered blessed as he was. Flesh and blood haven't revealed to us that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the Living God, but the Father in heaven has, so that we can become citizens of heaven. This revelation carries to heaven those who unveil their hearts and receive "the spirit of the wisdom and revelation" of God. And if we say like Peter, 'Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God,' not because flesh and blood revealed it to us, but because our heavenly Father's light has shone in our hearts, we become a rock, or a Peter . . .Christ is the spiritual Rock from whom His people drank and every disciple of Christ is a rock. Every word of the church and its government is built upon every such rock."


Origen

Listening to Tradition, Tuesday, December 2, 2008

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No one is free from the risk of persecution . . . But how serious it is for Christians who are unwilling to suffer for their own sins when He who had no sin suffered for us!  The Son of God suffered in order to make us children of God, but people won't suffer to continue being children of God!  If we suffer from the world's hatred, Christ first endured the world's hatred.  If we suffer rebukes in this world, if exile or torture, the Maker and Lord of the world experienced harder things than these.

 

St. Cyprian

About this Archive

This page is a archive of entries in the Communion of Saints category from December 2008.

Communion of Saints: July 2008 is the previous archive.

Communion of Saints: January 2009 is the next archive.

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