Podcasts about Apostolic Tradition

Michael Lofton covers Pope Francis’ health update, Cardinal Fernandez’s critical comments of gender ideology and James White’s critique of Apostolic Tradition.

Fr. Mike breaks down the Catechism's teaching that divine revelation consists of both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition and emphasizes why both sources are of equal importance in the Faith. He also clarifies the difference between Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions. Lastly, Fr. Mike encourages us to receive with docility the teachings and directives of the Magisterium of the Church, trusting in the authority of the Pope and the bishops. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 80-87. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

The Gospel was handed on in two ways — orally and in writing. Both Scripture and Tradition are sources of Divine Revelation. Fr. Mike describes how the first apostles left bishops as their successors, passing down to them their teaching authority, and this apostolic succession is preserved until the end of time. The passing on of the Faith isn't something reserved for bishops but something we are all called to participate in. Through the Holy Spirit, God's Word is present and active in the Church today. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 74-79. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Lucia, a young listener, called in to The Patrick Madrid Show with the kind of question that stops you in your tracks: “How do we know we believe in the right God?”  Big question for a little voice, right?   Jesus: The Proof   First off, Patrick answered by going straight to the source: Jesus. We know we're believing in the right God because Jesus Christ: the second person of the Holy Trinity, proved it over and over again with some pretty amazing miracles. Think about it:   -Healing people left and right   -Casting out demons   -Raising people from the dead   Let's not forget the time he fed 5,000+ people with just a few loaves and fish!   Patrick explains that Jesus didn't just perform these miracles to be a crowd-pleaser. No, He was revealing Himself as God in the flesh, saying: "I am the Son of God. I am revealing God to you!"     His Death and Resurrection   If you're still wondering, "Okay, but how do I know for sure?", here's what you need to remember: Jesus predicted His own death and resurrection. Guess what? He actually did it. He told His apostles, "Hey, they're going to arrest and kill me, but I'll be back in three days." He pulled it off. Hundreds of people saw Him after He rose from the dead.    The apostles themselves saw Him, ate meals with Him, and even touched Him to make sure they weren't just seeing things. People died for this belief. These eyewitnesses of the risen Jesus didn't recant their faith, even under torture or execution. Why? Because they knew it was true.   We Have the Receipts: Bible and Tradition   The Bible?  It's filled with Jesus' teachings and the testimonies of those who witnessed His miracles. Patrick also reminded Lucia that Catholic tradition (what we call Apostolic Tradition) is just as important. Passed down from the apostles themselves, this tradition helps us make sense of the Bible and deepens our understanding of God's truth.   Faith in the One True God   In a nutshell, we know we believe in the right God because:   -Jesus revealed Him through miracles and teachings.   -Jesus died for us and rose again, proving He's God.   -The martyrs were so convinced by what they saw, they died for it.    -The Bible and Apostolic Tradition back it all up.   Patrick wrapped it up saying that, if you trust in Jesus and His teachings: especially in the context of the Catholic Church, you can be 100% sure that you believe in the right God.   Lucia? Totally satisfied.    If you're asking the same question? Well, we hope this gives you that same sense of peace and certainty. Believe in Jesus. Trust the Church. 

The Grace of Martyrdom *The Extraordinary Witness of St Ignatius of Antioch *Where Sense Experience Will Lead Us *St Ignatius and the Daughter of Zion *The First Theologian of the Blessed Virgin *Apostolic Tradition is Important

Today, we sit down with Mike Gendron, a former Catholic who discovered the truth in the Bible and left the Catholic Church after 35 years. As the founder of Proclaiming the Gospel ministry, Mike has developed numerous resources to equip and encourage Christians to be effective witnesses to Roman Catholics. In this episode, Mike shares his deeply personal journey, revealing how reading the scriptures opened his eyes to the significant differences between Catholic doctrine and biblical truth. We dive into some highly controversial topics, such as: Was Mary truly a virgin her entire life? What does it take for a Catholic to get into heaven? Does even the pope make it into heaven? Whether you're Catholic, Protestant, or simply curious about these beliefs, this episode offers insightful perspectives on faith, tradition, and the pursuit of truth. Get your tickets for Share the Arrows: https://www.sharethearrows.com/ Pre-order Allie's new book: https://a.co/d/4COtBxy --- Timecodes: (02:00) Introduction and Background (05:00) Mike Gendron's Journey from Catholicism to Christianity (10:00) Differences Between Catholicism and Protestantism (18:00) The Bible vs. Catholic Teachings (21:00) Venial Sin and Purgatory  (24:00) Apostolic Tradition and Catholic Practices (34:00) The Marian Doctrine & Immaculate Conception (44:30) The Eucharist and Transubstantiation (51:00) Advice for Those Struggling with Faith Transitions --- Today's Sponsors: Jase Medical - Enter now for a chance to win a Jase Case for life at https://www.jase.com/allie , and use promo code “ALLIE” at checkout for a discount—giveaway ends August 31st! A'del — try A'del's hand-crafted, artisan, small-batch cosmetics and use promo code ALLIE 25% off your first time purchase at AdelNaturalCosmetics.com Birch Gold — protect your future with gold. Text 'ALLIE' to 989898 for a free, zero obligation info kit on diversifying and protecting your savings with gold. Seven Weeks - Experience the best coffee while supporting the pro-life movement with Seven Weeks Coffee; use code ALLIE at https://www.sevenweekscoffee.com to save up to 25% and help save lives. --- Relevant Episodes: Ep 997 | Why Do Catholics Pray to Mary? | Guest: Trent Horn https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-997-why-do-catholics-pray-to-mary-guest-trent-horn/id1359249098?i=1000654720287 --- Buy Allie's book, You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love: https://alliebethstuckey.com/book Relatable merchandise – use promo code 'ALLIE10' for a discount: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in Labuan Bajo, Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Isaiah 38: 1-6.21-22.7-8; Rs psalm 38: 10.11.12abc.16; Matthew 12: 1-8 FAITH IS CHARACTERISTICATED BY MERCY   The theme for our meditation today is: Faith is Characterized by Mercy. To clarify the life of faith characterized by mercy, we should make a comparison with the faith that is animated by sacrifices. Our Eastern traditions and culture are familiar to sacrifices. Everyone recognizes this as an ancestral religious practice that has been passed down to children and grandchildren to this day.   So in many indigenous traditions and cultures, we know of sacrificial animals and perhaps in some places, the ritual practice even shows a human person to be the sacrificial lamb. Actually, this also happened in the Old Testament before the coming of the Lord Jesus into the world. The main meaning of sacrificial animals is to cleanse the symptoms, dangers and threats that haunt human life. By offering a sacrificial animal, its blood becomes a sign of the solution to an activity, the peace that comes to accompany life together and a new life that will be enjoyed in the future.   When the Lord Jesus was in the world, one of His most basic teachings was to provide correction to faith practices based on these sacrifices. At a certain point, the focus of believers is precisely on offering to the God Most High the blood and flesh of the worshiped animals, on behalf of themselves, their city, and their nation. What's worse is that the prices of these animals are set to soar so high that ordinary people can't afford them. Jesus Christ strongly opposed the practice of such faith.   The Catholic missionary priests and religious men and women who have come to our country to evangelize our homeland, try to enter into the lives of our ancestors and carry out inculturation duties. The Christian faith that originated in the Apostolic Tradition and the Early Church was implemented into our culture's native religious practices and rituals. We can say that this activity was successful and able to grow our Church both nationally and locally. We always witness a practice of faith that is adaptive, in the sense that traditional rituals in the form of sacrificial ceremonies are carried out first, followed by the celebration of Church Sacraments as the culmination of the expression of the Christian Faith which brings to us Divine graces.   A simple question to ponder is: What is the true meaning of the celebration of faith marked by the Sacraments of the Church which we view as the pinnacle of our life of faith? The meaning is that Jesus Christ acts through the Sacraments, perfecting every form of animal blood sacrifice carried out by believers. The Lord Jesus' action, according to today's Gospel, was an act of mercy. This is an act of compassion from the Lord Jesus for the fragility of humans who celebrate their faith. God's total act of mercy is to sacrifice Himself for the salvation of all mankind.   Our faith is actually characterized by God's mercy, through which all forms of sacrifice for us humans are perfected. This faith is what saves us. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O God of all wisdom, accept our daily offerings and unite it with the sacrifice of Your Son Jesus Christ, our Savior. Glory to the Father... In the name of the Father...

Patrick grapples with the poignant question of animals' souls and the tender care we owe to all creation. He treads the line between firm belief and compassionate understanding, reflecting on how to assert the truths of our faith with love. Discussions also venture into the realm of apostolic tradition and its inextricable tie to interpreting Scripture, emphasizing its necessity over the 'scripture alone' viewpoint. Patrick sheds light on the perils of heresies and the significance of safeguarding the truth for our eternal future. It's been a thought-provoking session reminding us of the complexity of our beliefs and the importance of tradition in our spiritual lives.   Nicholas - I went on a min-retreat and this guy was talking about how we are all Jesus. That didn't sound right to me. What are your thoughts? Can godparents bless godchildren? Tony - My dog died a few days ago and my daughter is wondering if he went to heaven? (09:37) Eliazar - I don't understand Apostolic Tradition. Can you explain it and how it relates to the bible? (18:59) Steve - Do we believe in the same God as Jehovah Witnesses? (39:38) Renee - Are holy medals good or bad? (46:46)

We have all heard of "7th Heaven." Is it real? Are some tortures in Hell worse than others? Fr. Chris Alar explains Church teaching, based on Scripture and Apostolic Tradition, of the different degrees of Heaven and Hell and what each is like. Discover more about the Catholic faith on Divine Mercy Plus! Support Our Ministries.Fair Use Policy

Fr. Mike breaks down the Catechism's teaching that divine revelation consists of both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition and emphasizes why both sources are of equal importance in the Faith. He also clarifies the difference between Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions. Lastly, Fr. Mike encourages us to receive with docility the teachings and directives of the Magisterium of the Church, trusting in the authority of the Pope and the bishops. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 80-87. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

The Gospel was handed on in two ways — orally and in writing. Both Scripture and Tradition are sources of Divine Revelation. Fr. Mike describes how the first apostles left bishops as their successors, passing down to them their teaching authority, and this apostolic succession is preserved until the end of time. The passing on of the Faith isn't something reserved for bishops but something we are all called to participate in. Through the Holy Spirit, God's Word is present and active in the Church today. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 74-79. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

In this episode we look at 2 Timothy. This Epistle shows us an example of Apostolic Tradition and how Church leaders should handle themselves. 2 Timothy is good instruction for all of us. Check it out!

Experience a powerful message about the extraordinary life of Mary, the mother of Jesus! The lessons of faith, humility, and the transformative power of God's plan are truly inspiring. Mary's unwavering trust in God amidst uncertainty challenges us to embrace faith amid life's challenges. Her humility, as seen in the Magnificat, encourages us to value humble service over self-promotion. Our worship will highlight Mary's compassion and maternal love, urging us to intercede for others and embody Christ's love in our actions. Her resilience in the face of trials, from Bethlehem to the cross, teaches us that God's grace is sufficient in our weaknesses. Let's take a moment to reflect on Mary's example and find inspiration for our own journeys of faith.

We will dive into the stories of remarkable women like Mary Magdalene, Elizabeth, Martha and Mary, the Samaritan Woman at the Well, the Woman with the Issue of Blood, the Widow with the Two Mites, Priscilla, Phoebe, Dorcas (Tabitha), Lydia, Euodia, and Syntyche.

This week Adrienne and Pastor Dan discuss his recent sermon about the Apostolic Tradition of Jesus' beloved, John. John went from "son of thunder" to lightning as his Spirit-filled life progressed. He changed with God's help and so can you. 

We continue the Apostolic Tradition series with the Apostle John. His unique insight into both the nature of Jesus and future events has made his Gospel, epistles, and Revelation some of the most significant truths in Christian theology. Without his writings, our understanding of salvation and our future would be woefully incomplete.  Like John, some of us are called to deep contemplation and interpretation of the cosmos and the struggle between good and evil. Christian Believers of every type stand as beacons of light in a world that strains to balance the value of pragmatism, theoretical, and artistic endeavors. That's why the Church is vital to the well-being of a society. A local communion of saints comprises a body of people who witness to sublime biblical truth that gives order in chaos, liberty to the oppressed, and beauty from ashes.  What is your role?  How are you obediently fulfilling it for the LORD?

Today's Topics: 1) Gospel - Lk 12:39-48 - Jesus said to His disciples: "Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." Then Peter said, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?" And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2) Synod on Synodality retreat looks to "transcend all our disagreements" https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255542/synod-on-synodality-retreat-looks-to-transcend-all-our-disagreements 3) Panelists sidestep Apostolic Tradition question at Vatican press briefing https://catholicvote.org/panelists-sidestep-apostolic-tradition-question-at-press-briefing/ 4) Bishop Strickland weekly show excerpt and our reflections

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Our theme of "The Apostolic Tradition" will continue with the Apostle James the lesser, or as he's called in "The Chosen" Little James. Using him as our example, we will explore how God consistently uses "lesser" people to accomplish great things for the Kingdom. This will be a very encouraging message for people with disabilities and those who love them. 

We continue to gain insight from the Apostolic tradition as we focus on James, drawing parallels between his discipleship with his brother, John and the well-known partnership of brothers, Peter and Andrew. James was a natural leader who played a significant role in the early Christian community in Jerusalem, particularly in decision-making during the Jerusalem Council. James experienced the full cost of leadership as his crucial contributions and ultimate sacrifice under the persecution of Herod Agrippa I revealed. James' lasting impact as leader of the Jerusalem Council's brought unity in the early Christian community that still impacts current Christian Believers. As always, the Bible offers broader leadership principles, encouraging self-reflection and relating James' qualities to the potential impact you may have when called into leadership, even within the context of your personality and culture. 

In this message, we will learn about the Apostle Andrew by applying some family dynamic psychology. You'll gain insight into Andrew's discipleship style, and it's going to help you with your discipleship and your own family dynamics.

Like Paul, Peter was devout Jew who was deeply rooted in Jewish traditions. Paul's education and mission targeted the Gentiles. Paul initially vehemently denied Him before a dramatic conversion while Peter quickly accepted Jesus as the Messiah. Their personalities differed as well, with Peter being impulsive and relational, while Paul was determined and intellectually engaged. However, both experienced transformative moments that led to humility and dependence on God's grace. This weekend we will see, once again, that humility is the key to success in the Kingdom of Christ. 

This week we will revisit the Apostle Paul. His experience with intolerance and grace is worthy of reexamination, as it is utterly relevant to our times. From Paul we learn that exposure to diverse communities can be transformative as it chips away our prejudices, filling voids one may have experienced in previous circles. Paul continued to maintain essential boundaries of doctrine but his truth cam with God's love. His discipleship ministry came with a wide front door and a narrow back door. Love accepts all comers in grace and sharpens holiness with truth. 

“Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” Those words should raise gooseflesh across your body as they ring loudly from our televisions, digital devices, radios, podiums, streets, and even some pulpits. Outraged and offended people bent upon the destruction of their enemies protesting in the streets and before public buildings. Religious authorities exacting punishing retribution upon congregations and clergy who oppose their ideologies. While their rhetoric does not explicitly say so, their rage and violent speech cries out, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” (Acts 22) Sound scary? Wish we could fix this fractured society? The Apostle Paul was part of the problem until he changed and became part of the solution.

This week we will meet Thomas the Apostle to learn what else he was known for... Seems like he just shake that "doubting Thomas" nickname. It turns out, he's a great example for a Labor Day weekend. Let's look at how he discipled working class folks and influenced other pragmatists. It's another.

The Bible informs us that God will judge all Creation, including you and me. That day God will decide your eternal fate. As Christian Believers we are banking on God's grace through Christ's redemption on our behalf.  How do you suppose you'll do on that day?  When you hear all the people who claim the true religion condemning the others, what do you think?  When you see self-proclaimed Christians behaving badly, what do you think?  When you realize how many convincing counterfeits the Enemy has launched, does it worry you?  Only the LORD knows for sure but it seems likely that His grace to save is profoundly evident on Judgement Day, but how?  What if it all comes down to knowing the Lord Jesus Christ?  What if you find yourself standing face-to-face with Jesus?  Will you know him?  Will his voice and Word sound familiar to you?

Today we meet Philip the Apostle. His encounter with Jesus marked the beginning of his transformative journey, from embracing Christ's teachings to introducing his best friend, Nathanael to Jesus, showcasing the power of personal testimony. As a missionary, Philip bridged cultures, navigating challenges and contributing to the dispersion of Christianity. Amidst Roman oppression and hardships, his compassion and evangelistic fervor shone. Philip's enduring legacy of faith, dedication, and inclusivity inspires believers to navigate challenges with unwavering devotion, spreading Christ's love and fostering faith across the Roman Empire. 

This next series of messages is about the Apostles and their lives following Jesus' ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It's another part of our general theme of defining Shiloh Church after COVID and disaffiliation. We are a people dedicated to God's eternal purpose as defined by biblical-apostolic institution; the indwelling leadership of the Holy Spirit, and traditional Wesleyan-Methodism.  This series of messages called "The Apostolic Tradition" will explore the narratives of the apostles and their influence on the emerging Church of the first centuries. We will especially observe how they lead new converts on the path of discipleship. Our goal is to witness the growth of global Christianity through the apostolic tradition and its followers, so that we can model their examples on our discipleship pathway.

What is the deposit of faith? Is the Latin mass a part of Apostolic Tradition and is an attack on the Latin Mass the same as an attack on the deposit of faith itself? Michael Lofton answers these questions, and more, in light of Bishop Strickland’s recent tweet about the Latin mass.

Fr. Jacob Hsieh is a Nobertine priest of St. Michael's Abbey and a teacher of Latin, religion and chant.  In this episode, he discusses Sacred Scripture.Beauty of Our Catholic Heritage  airs live weekdays at 6:00am and 11am  Pacific Time go to spiritfilledevents.com website or download our Spirit Filled Radio App for Android or Apple Devices.APPLE LINK FOR APPGOOGLE PLAY LINK FOR APPArchives of shows from Spirit Filled Radio are available on podcast at spiritfilledevents.comWeek 7 Sacred Scriptures/Holy ScripturesNotes on Week 8 Deposit of Faith The Deposit of Faith is the body of saving truth entrusted by Christ to the Apostles and handed on by them to be preserved and proclaimed. Jesus ordered them to teach the nations "everything I have commanded you" and assured them "know that I am with you always, until the end of the world." (Mt 28:18-20).  Both Oral Tradition and Scripture "come from the same divine wellspring." A shorthand formula for this is:                   Deposit of Faith = Apostolic Tradition (or Sacred Oral Tradition) + Sacred Scriptures       3. Apostolic Tradition--Jesus commissioned the Apostles to "go, therefore, and make disciples of all               nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to             carry out everything I have commanded you" (Mt.28: 19-20). He promised that the Holy Spirit would             "instruct you in everything and remind you of all that I have told you" (John 14:26). Just before his                 ascension into heaven Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole                           creation" (Mk 16: 15).  He commanded them to do precisely what He himself had done, namely,                     deliver the Word of God to the people by the living voice and granted them, through the Holy Spirit,               the gift of tongues. He told them, "He who hears you hears me and he who rejects you rejects                 me, and he who rejects me rejects Him who sent me." (Luke 10:16)        4. It was by this oral Apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which books should be included in                 the New Testament.  Many were already in use in the house churches (Christianity was                                   "underground" for three centuries and much persecuted) Week 8 Follow Up Evangelization Challenge1. Prepare a few statements that you can share with people who question the authority of the Catholic Church as being the True Church of Jesus Christ.  This preparation will give you a way to practice apologetics regarding your Catholic Faith.  The Lord will provide the opportunity to share this prepared statement, down the road of your faith journey. 

Fr. Jacob Hsieh is a Nobertine priest of St. Michael's Abbey and a teacher of Latin, religion and chant.Download our Free App and listen to all of our showsAPPLE LINK FOR APPGOOGLE PLAY LINK FOR APPWeek 6 Catholic Church Holy Tradition/Sacred TraditionNotes and Summary   What will we learn this week?  What is the definition of "Tradition"To hand down something/ pass on a natural levelSacred Tradition: You are handing down "holy things", or "eternal things"Jesus gave to us the mysteries of the church teachingsDoctrine of the FaithPathway to Jesus Tradition has been under attack for a long timeyou can can't change the eternal truth of our Catholic faithTruth is TruthDifferent with Protestants believe only the bible is where we get truthThis is not trueThe bible itself was handed down to us by sacred traditionThere is The  Church's doctrine/eternal truth/sacred tradition  that tells us which books are in the bibleSacred Tradition must be expressedTradition is not dynamic because dynamic means changeOur Catholic Church's Doctrine is unchangingFormulation of the doctrine has changed, which mean give a more defined expression of The Church's DoctrineHowever, the actual truths have not changedThe Formulation of The Doctrine has been clarified over time through the saints/ doctor's of the Church Reflection QuestionsHave you learned something new today?Is it clear to you that The Bible is part of the Doctrine but it doesn't stand alone.  We need the church teachings and the scriptures to live by.  Have you been challenged by protestants  before? Maybe not knowing how to respond when they proclaim the bible alone is all you need for the truth?Evangelization ChallengeShare with a someone you know about how we need both the traditions of the church and the bible.  This could be share with a protestant friend or a family member that has been away from the Church. It's possible to share what you have learned.  Maybe you can share "i Thirst Follow -UP so your friends/family can learn what you are learning about you can give them this link to share and sign-up! I Thirst Follow-Up It's a gift of faith that can really transform a person's life!The Catholic Catechism on TraditionTHE PROFESSION OF FAITH SECTION ONE"I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE"ARTICLE 2THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION   74 God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth":29 that is, of Christ Jesus.30 Christ must be proclaimed to all nations and individuals, so that this revelation may reach to the ends of the earth: God graciously arranged that the things he had once revealed for the salvation of all peoples should remain in their entirety, throughout the ages, and be transmitted to all generations.31   I. THE APOSTOLIC TRADITION   75 "Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the most high God is summed up, commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own person and promulgated with his own lips. In preaching the Gospel, they were to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be the source of all&

Tune into this week's episode, where Julia and Fr. Sean cover paragraphs 74–83 in the Catechism. They discuss Tradition and Scripture! Enjoy this episode and visit ⁠⁠https://petersburgparishes.org/podcast/⁠⁠ to tune in to previous episodes across various podcast platforms!

This is part 18 of the Early Church History class. I wonder how many Christians in the world today believe the gifts of the spirit ceased in the time of the apostles? I know there are quite a few. Many others, however, believe they are available today and make time for them in their worship services. This is one of those topics about which we don't need to guess. We have the historical record and can just look and see if generations after the apostles continue to speak in tongues, prophecy, cast out demons, or perform miraculous healing. In today's episode we'll survey what the data say about the first five hundred of Christian history. We'll also cover the Montanists, a lesser-known movement centered on prophecy, tongues, and asceticism. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz29T8ApWCc&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2lk3B0I7Pa77hfwKJm1SRI&index=18 —— Links —— Check out our series on gifts of the spirit with interviews from different perspectives here. More Restitutio resources on Christian history See other classes here Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here —— Notes —— Gifts of the Spirit in General Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 82.1; 88.1 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 2.32.4 Tertullian of Carthage, On Baptism 20 Novatian of Rome, On the Trinity 29 Apostolic Constitutions 8.1-2 Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy Didache 11.7-12 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 5.6.1 Tertullian of Carthage, Against Marcion 5.8; On the Soul 9 Hilary of Poitiers, On the Trinity 8.33 Montanism (Excursus) 165 - Montanus began speaking in tongues and prophesying, initiating a movement called the New Prophecy[1] Sayings of Montanus “Behold, man is like a lyre and I fly to him like a plectrum. Man sleeps and I stay awake. Behold, the Lord is the one who throws human hearts into ecstasy and gives a heart to men.” (Panarion 48.5.1)[2] “I am the Lord God, the Almighty, who abide in man.” (Panarion 48.11.1) “Neither angel nor envoy, but I the Lord God, the Father, have come.” (Panarion 48.11.9) Maximilla and Priscilla became prophetesses. The New Prophecy people emphasized obedience to God, asceticism, fasting, celibacy, and spiritual experiences. They rejected remarriage and any serious sin after baptism. They survived until the mid-sixth century when Justinian initiated a persecution in Pepuza. Exorcisms Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 30.3; 76.6; 85.2-3 Tertullian of Carthage, On the Shows 29 Origen of Alexandria, Against Celsus 7.4 Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition 20-21[3] Healing and Miracles Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 2.31.2 Origen of Alexandria, Against Celsus 1.46, 67 Cyprian, Letters 16.4.1; 39.1.2 Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition 14 Apostolic Constitutions 8.26 Disappearance with Time Causes for diminishment Reaction to Montanists' emphasis on the spirit Constantinian shift watered down Christianity, resulting in the gifts mainly finding expression among the desert fathers and mothers. Rigidity of church services and authority solely among bishops and councils quenched the spirit. John Chrysostom, Homilies on 1 Corinthians 29 Augustine of Hippo, Homilies on 1 John 6 Review Christians throughout the first five centuries believed that gifts or charisms of the spirit were available to Christians. We have several reports of speaking in tongues as well as prophecy from the Didache, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Hilary. In the second century, Montanus began a movement called the New Prophecy that emphasized the gifts of the spirit. New Prophecy leaders included female prophets such as Maximilla and Priscilla as well as a male theologian named Tertullian. Though excommunicated by many churches and persecuted by the government from Constantine onward, The New Prophecy movement endured for four centuries. Christians associated demons with the gods the pagans worshiped and confidently believed they had the power to drive them out. Casting out demons was standard operating procedure in churches both for first-time visitors and at baptisms. Miraculous healing, including raising the dead, was well-known to early Christians. Church orders said someone with the gift of healing would be obvious to all in the church. Over time, possibly due to a reaction against the Montanists, the Constantinian shift, or the rigidifying of church services, the gifts of the spirit diminished. By the fourth century, John Chrysostom said speaking in tongues and prophecy had ceased. By the fifth century, Augustine thought it silly to expect tongues. [1] Others called them Phrygians, Cataphrygians, and Montanists [2] Epiphanius of Salamis, Panarion 48.5.1, trans. Philip R. Amidon (New York: Oxford 1990), 170. [3] Available online at http://www.bombaxo.com/hippolytus-the-apostolic-tradition/

It seems to be commonly held among scholars that the so-called monarchical episcopate (i.e. the system of having one bishop governing a city church with presbyters working with him) was not apostolic and did not come to Rome until the late second century or even later. That is the opinion of scholars such as Alistair Stewart (in his commentary Hippolytus: On the Apostolic Tradition), Brent Allen (in his Hippolytus and the Roman Church in the Third Century), and others such as the late great J.N.D. Kelly. By this figuring the Christians in Rome had no one leader who spoke for all of them, but were divided into a number of self-governing communities with different leaders described by various titles. A single leader who could speak for all the communities in Rome only arose in the late second century (with Bishop Victor) or the early third century (with Bishop Pontianus). Writers such as Irenaeus who asserted there were such singular leaders and bishops in Rome from the days of the apostles were, according to this theory, anachronistically projecting back a later system into an earlier time. It also follows therefore that the document known as the Apostolic Tradition, ascribed to Hippolytus and dating from the early third century, cannot be taken as evidence of a monepiscopate in Rome at that time, but must be regarded as the result of extensive redaction. What are we to make of this? Need we dump that section of Irenaeus' work?

It seems to be commonly held among scholars that the so-called monarchical episcopate (i.e. the system of having one bishop governing a city church with presbyters working with him) was not apostolic and did not come to Rome until the late second century or even later. That is the opinion of scholars such as Alistair Stewart (in his commentary Hippolytus: On the Apostolic Tradition), Brent Allen (in his Hippolytus and the Roman Church in the Third Century), and others such as the late great J.N.D. Kelly. By this figuring the Christians in Rome had no one leader who spoke for all of them, but were divided into a number of self-governing communities with different leaders described by various titles. A single leader who could speak for all the communities in Rome only arose in the late second century (with Bishop Victor) or the early third century (with Bishop Pontianus). Writers such as Irenaeus who asserted there were such singular leaders and bishops in Rome from the days of the apostles were, according to this theory, anachronistically projecting back a later system into an earlier time. It also follows therefore that the document known as the Apostolic Tradition, ascribed to Hippolytus and dating from the early third century, cannot be taken as evidence of a monepiscopate in Rome at that time, but must be regarded as the result of extensive redaction. What are we to make of this? Need we dump that section of Irenaeus' work?

It seems to be commonly held among scholars that the so-called monarchical episcopate (i.e. the system of having one bishop governing a city church with presbyters working with him) was not apostolic and did not come to Rome until the late second century or even later. That is the opinion of scholars such as Alistair Stewart (in his commentary Hippolytus: On the Apostolic Tradition), Brent Allen (in his Hippolytus and the Roman Church in the Third Century), and others such as the late great J.N.D. Kelly. By this figuring the Christians in Rome had no one leader who spoke for all of them, but were divided into a number of self-governing communities with different leaders described by various titles. A single leader who could speak for all the communities in Rome only arose in the late second century (with Bishop Victor) or the early third century (with Bishop Pontianus). Writers such as Irenaeus who asserted there were such singular leaders and bishops in Rome from the days of the apostles were, according to this theory, anachronistically projecting back a later system into an earlier time. It also follows therefore that the document known as the Apostolic Tradition, ascribed to Hippolytus and dating from the early third century, cannot be taken as evidence of a monepiscopate in Rome at that time, but must be regarded as the result of extensive redaction. What are we to make of this? Need we dump that section of Irenaeus' work?

(May 13, 2023) Deacon David L Hall reminds us today of the importance of keeping God's commandments, as our token of love and gratitude towards our Creator.  

This is part 11 of the Early Church History class. Have you heard of the Roman emperor Constantine? He had a massive impact on Christianity. Not only did he end the brutal persecutions of his predecessors, but he also used the Roman government to actively support the Church. However, his involvement also resulted in significant changes that eventually led to the merger between Church and State called Christendom. In this episode you'll learn about the good and the bad effects of Constantine's involvement in Christianity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQDFaIh2SsY&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2lk3B0I7Pa77hfwKJm1SRI&index=11 Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— More podcasts about Constantine Get Kegan Chandler's book, Constantine and the Divine Mind Find out more about this summer's Family Camp here. More Restitutio resources on Christian history See other classes here Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here —— Notes —— Today, we're looking at one of the most influential people in church history: Constantine (272-337). Also called Constantine the Great or Constantine I There would be 10 more emperors named Constantine. Constantine 11th was the last Roman emperor who died when the Muslims conquered Constantinople in 1453. Constantine's “Edict of Milan”[1] 303-313 - The Great Persecution 313 - Toleration granted to Christians and all religions Restore confiscated property Constantine's Favoring of Christianity Exemption from public office Tax exemption Use of cursus publicus Printing of Christian scriptures Closing of law courts on Sundays Abolition of face-branding as a punishment Constantine and Churches Donated 3,000 bags of money to church in African provinces Rebuilt and enlarged damaged churches Built new churches, especially through his mother, Helena Helena also allegedly finds the true cross (relic). Constantine's Government Appointed government officials that were Christians Sought advice from Christian bishops on decisions Shared his table with Christians Had bishops accompany soldiers Christian Attitude Toward Military Prior to Constantine Jesus and his apostles taught to love enemies (Matthew 5.5, 9, 38-48; 1 Thessalonians 5.15; Romans 12.14, 17-21; 1 Peter 3.8-11) Didache 1.3-4; Justin Martyr, First Apology 39, Irenaeus, Against Heresies 4.34, Tertullian, On Idolatry 19, Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition 16.17-19, Origen, Against Celsus 5.33, Cyprian, Epistle I: To Donatus 6, Arnobius, Against the Heathen 1.6, Lactantius, Divine Institutes 5.8.[2] Preston Sprinkle: “Despite the presence of Christians in the military, it is clear that no single Christian writer before Constantine sanctioned the use of violence, not even toward bad guys.”[3] Constantine's Vision Had been a worshiper of Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) Allegedly saw something above the sun Had a dream in which Christ told him to use his initials, chi rho (also called, labarum), on his soldiers' shields (“in this you will conquer”) At the battle of the Milvian Bridge, Constantine defeated Maxentius, fished his body out of the river, decapitated him, and paraded his head through the city on a stick. Christian Leaders Seek Favor Christians requested the emperor to persecute other Christians. Constantine's Edict Against the Heretics Novatians, Valentinians, Marcionites, Paulians, Cataphrygians Currying imperial favor to defeat one's Christian enemies became a standard tactic. The Constantinian shift initiated a new stage in church history—Christendom, the idea that a society or nation could be Christian. Before long, all infants would be baptized, making everyone a member of the church by birth. Everyone would be raised Christian. The government would pay clergy their salaries. How many of these so-called Christians followed Christ? Evangelism was no longer needed. The kingdom had come. The Roman Empire became the holy Roman Empire and was seen as God's kingdom on earth. Review Constantine's involvement in Christianity brought several significant changes, both good and bad, initiating the “merger” of the church and the state known as Christendom. Constantine ended the persecution of Christians, issuing the Edict of Milan (along with Licinius) in 313. Constantine donated large sums of money to rebuild churches, build new churches, and support clergy. Constantine's favoritism of Christianity incentivized people to join the church. Christians changed from discouraging military participation to blessing it. Christians pursued the emperor's favor to persecute pagans, Jews, and other Christian sects with different beliefs. Constantine's desire to have Christian advisors in his entourage caused some Christians to begin identifying the Roman Empire as God's kingdom on earth. Rather than strict obedience to the teachings of Christ, Christendom came to lower the requirements for all, while the zealous left, pursued monasticism whether as isolated hermits or in communities. [1] Scholars point out that the “Edict of Milan” was really a letter sent from Nicomedia. [2] More quotations in David Bercot, Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs. [3] Preston Sprinkle, Fight (Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 2013), 212-3.

This is part 9 of the Early Church History class. How did Christians organize themselves in the first few centuries? We're taking a break from theology and switching to focus on practical matters of church offices, church governance, church discipline, conversion, and charity. As it turns out we have a surprising amount of information about how early Christians did church not only from scattered quotes, but from a series of church manuals that have survived. In some ways these church orders sound eerily familiar to modern ears and in other ways, utterly foreign. See what you think. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7tCjuTbHx8&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2lk3B0I7Pa77hfwKJm1SRI&index=9&t=1892s Sources The Didache (100)[1] Apostolic Tradition (215) (Hippolytus?)[2] Didascalia Apostolorum (230)[3] Apostolic Church Order (300)[4] Apostolic Constitutions (380)[5] quotes from others like Justin, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Cyprian, etc. Church Orders are notoriously hard to date (composite documents). They don't necessarily reflect the whole church and sometimes disagree with each other. They simply represent a snapshot of what Christians were doing in a particular time and place. Joseph Lynch: “In the innermost circle were the people who were full members, the baptized faithful. Two groups were in the second circle: the unbaptized catechumens (“those under instruction”) who were seeking entry to the inner circle and the baptized penitents who had been expelled from the inner circle and were trying to get back in. The huge third circle held the non-believers (pagans and Jews), the former Christians (apostates), and the unacceptable Christians (heretics).”[6] Bishops (Overseers) qualifications in 1 Timothy 3.1-7; Titus 1.7-9 extraordinary honor as God's representative 50 years old (if possible) learned (if possible) and skillful with words preach, administer communion, baptize, rebuke sin, restore repentant, visit the sick supported financially, but live moderately coordinate burying believers Presbyters (Elders) qualifications in Titus 1.6-9 functions in 1 Timothy 5.17; James 5.14; 1 Peter 5.1-4 (shepherd, anoint sick, teach) Tertullian: “The tried men of our elders preside over us, obtaining that honour not by purchase, but by established character. There is no buying and selling of any sort in the things of God.”[7] Deacons/Deaconesses (Servants) qualifications in 1 Timothy 3.8-13; Acts 6.3-6 take care of the poor, elderly, sick they “go everywhere night and day” (Apostolic Church Order 22) bring communion to people's homes encourage giving and handle distribution prior to communion a deacon “calls out in a loud voice: ‘Is there anyone who maintains anger with his neighbour?'” (Didascalia 11[2.54]) serve as ushers “[I]f anyone is found sitting in a place which is not his, the deacon within should warn him and make him stand up and seat him in the place which is his own, as is right” (Didascalia 12.7) “And the deacon should also observe that nobody is whispering or going to sleep or laughing or gesticulating, for it is fitting that they should be watching in the church respectfully and attentively, with ears alert to the word of the Lord.” (Didascalia 12.10-11) Acolytes (Subdeacons) acolytes were subdeacons they assisted the deacons helped with food distribution Virgins committed to celibacy served the congregation supported by the church growing significance in the fourth and fifth centuries return to them when we get to Jerome Widows qualifications in 1 Timothy 5.3-16 typically 60+ years old though Didascalia set the age at 50+ younger widows should get remarried widows could remarry once, but “after this she is a harlot” (Didascalia 14.2 [3.2]) office of a widow is one who committed to not getting remarried served the congregation especially in prayer supported by the church financially Apostolic Church Order 21“Three widows should be appointed. Two are to continue in prayer for all who are in temptation and for revelations concerning whatever is necessary. One is to assist women who are being troubled by sickness. She is to be a good minister, discreet in communicating what is necessary to the elders…” Exorcists cast out demons Readers Apostolic Church Order 19 “A reader should be appointed after careful testing. He should not be a babbler, or a drunkard, or a jester. He should be of upstanding life, submissive, well-intentioned, taking the lead in the assemblies on the Lord's days, who is good to listen to and is able to construct a narrative, aware that he labours in the place of an evangelist.” Doorkeepers presumably took care of maintenance needs Laity from Greek word for people regular members of the church the great majority submit to leadership Authority Structures local bishop decisions made by council of bishops pentarchy of patriarchs bishop of Rome emperor Christian Practices conversion communion prayer church discipline giving and welfare church service Day of Meeting Didache mentions gathering “the Lord's own day” but doesn't link it to the Sabbath (14.1) Justin says “Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly” (1 Apology 67) Epistle of Barnabas says they meet on the 8th day b/c that's when Jesus arose form the dead (15.8-9) Also met other days frequently (Didache 16.2) Order of Service Justin Martyr: “And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons.”[8] pre-service screening reading of scripture teaching (men only, cf. Didascalia 15.6 [3.6]) dismissal of catechumens prayer of the faithful kiss of peace communion Recommended Reading Worship in the Early Church by Justo and Catherine Gonzalez Review Several church orders have survived, which provide snapshots into how early Christians organized and worshiped Three main divisions: insiders, outsiders hoping to become insiders, and outsiders Roles within the church: apostles, prophets, bishops, elders, deacons, acolytes, virgins, widows, exorcists, readers, and doorkeepers Conversion was a lengthy process that involved years of instruction, regular attendance, exorcism, anointing, and baptism Catechumenates and the penitent had to leave prior to the prayer of the faithful, kiss of peace, and communion Leaders took church discipline seriously and both expelled people and welcomed the repentant back Christians voluntarily contributed to support their leaders and to care for those in need Meeting on Sundays, the church service included a screening, reading of scripture, a teaching, prayer of the faithful, kiss of peace, and communion. [1] Michael Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007). [2] The Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus of Rome, trans. Kevin P. Edgecomb, accessed Feb 13, 2023, http://www.bombaxo.com/hippolytus-the-apostolic-tradition/. [3] The Didascalia Apostolorum, trans. Alistair Stewart-Sykes (Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2009). [4] The Apostolic Church Order, trans. Alistair C. Stewart (Macquarie Centre, Australia: SCD Press, 2021). [5] the only version I have is in the ANF vol 7, but I did not use it in this lecture [6] Joseph H. Lynch, Early Christianity, (New York: Oxford, 2010), 105. [7] Tertullian, Apology 39, trans. S. Thelwall, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol 3, p. 46. [8] Justin Martyr, First Apology 67, ANF, vol 1, p. 186.

THE BISHOP STRICKLAND HOUR: We Are Defenders of Apostolic Tradition - Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas gives guidance. A production of Virgin Most Powerful Internet Radio. https://virginmostpowerfulradio.org/

Fr. Mike breaks down the Catechism's teaching that divine revelation consists of both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition and emphasizes why both sources are of equal importance in the Faith. He also clarifies the difference between Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions. Lastly, Fr. Mike encourages us to receive with docility the teachings and directives of the Magisterium of the Church, trusting in the authority of the Pope and the bishops. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 80-87. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB.

The Gospel was handed on in two ways — orally and in writing. Both Scripture and Tradition are sources of Divine Revelation. Fr. Mike describes how the first apostles left bishops as their successors, passing down to them their teaching authority, and this apostolic succession is preserved until the end of time. The passing on of the Faith isn't something reserved for bishops but something we are all called to participate in. Through the Holy Spirit, God's Word is present and active in the Church today. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 74-79. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB.

St. Sebastian of San Francisco & Jackson (Nov. 30), Apostle to all America and first American-born priest, reposed in 1940 after his remarkable labor for Christ and His lost sheep. This essay comes from his book “Preaching in the Russian Church” and shines light, in a clear and simple way, on the truth of the uniqueness of the Orthodox Church. This saint is worthy of far greater recognition than he currently receives for all that Christ did through him. 0:09 Introduction by Fr. Seraphim Rose from The Orthodox Word 3:02 St. Sebastian: What is the Orthodox Church? 3:55 The true and divine doctrine of holy faith 5:08 Heresy, or injury to the teaching of Christ 7:39 God the Father 8:00 God the Son 8:23 God the Holy Spirit 9:05 To be saved one must belong to the Orthodox Church 13:03 conditions of the true of lawful hierarchy 13:13 1) grace-filled Apostolic Succession 15:06 2) confesses the truth and is foreign to heresy 15:22 3) The Sacraments must retain the form and actions, otherwise the Sacrament may not be valid. 16:49 4) the true and lawful hierarchy must obey the rules and canons universally accepted by the Orthdoox Church. 17:27 5) also needed is unity in a spirit of peace and love. 17:59 The Orthodox Church is the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church ”What is the Orthodox Church? The Orthodox Church is a body or community of people who, 1: correctly believe in Divine Revelation; and, 2: who obey a lawful hierarchy instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, through the Holy Apostles.” “In the course of time the Apostolic Tradition, which was transmitted orally at first, was gradually, as the necessities of the Church demanded, committed to writing; and it is found in the works of the Holy Fathers and teachers of the first several centuries.” “The Apostles transmitted the power of conferring the Holy Spirit only to bishops.” -context is the example of how the Deacon Philip could not bring down the Holy Spirit on the Samaritans ”Therefore, it is the duty of Christians to obey the Church, for outside of her there is no salvation.” This text can be found in Issue #5 of The Orthodox Word: https://archive.org/details/100101V17N05061981SepOctNovDec/001%20V01N01%201965%20Jan%20Feb/ ALSO, listen to the Life of St. Sebastian (five parts) here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzFKi22k2KYiAmhiJ6mQaberXVJ0FZePY Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/orthodox-wisdom/message

THE BISHOP STRICKLAND HOUR: Hold Bishops to Apostolic Tradition- Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas gives guidance. A production of Virgin Most Powerful Internet Radio. https://virginmostpowerfulradio.org/

We must stick with that which is doctrinally accurate. Our practices must be in line with the truth of God's word. This is what being apostolic is all about. Just as is being already given in the word we must stick to in the church.

August 13: Saints Pontian, Pope; & Hippolytus, Priest: MartyrsLate Second Century–c. 235Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: RedPatron Saint of Montaldo Scarampi, Italy (Pontian) and prison guards (Hippolytus)An exiled Pope dies along with a learned priestToday's martyrs died on the island of Sardinia, perhaps from overwork in the mines or perhaps from starvation or neglect rather than execution. In a pacific interlude following the persecution which was their doom, a later pope, Fabian, returned their bodies to Rome for dignified burial. Pontian was interred in the papal crypt in the Catacombs of Callixtus near so many of his fellow popes of the 200s. In 1909 the original marble epitaph on Pontian's tomb was found among the shards littering the floor of the catacombs. It reads ΠONTIANOC ƐΠIC MPT (Pontian, Bishop, Martyr), although the abbreviation for “martyr” was engraved by a different hand. Tombstones are very economical. Hippolytus was buried in a Roman catacomb, subsequently named in his honor, which became a pilgrimage site. The links among today's martyrs are their common date of burial, August 13, and their place of death. Hippolytus is by far the more significant figure.Pope Saint Pontian was consecrated Bishop of Rome in 230. He is chiefly known for convening a Roman Synod which confirmed a prior condemnation of the Egyptian theologian Origen. Like so many other bishops of his era, Pontian also dealt with divergent positions over how the Church should re-integrate Christians who had abjured their faith during a persecution. Should they be re-baptized, do public penance, or be welcomed back privately? Tensions over this issue perdured for many decades and deeply wounded Church unity. During a persecution, Pontian was exiled, but first graciously resigned in 235 so that a successor pope could be elected. For this magnanimous act, he was remembered as “distinguished” in contemporary documents.Saint Hippolytus is an elusive figure. He was most likely from Rome. Some traditions, however, state he was from Lyon and was a disciple of Saint Irenaeus. Incredibly for a saint, Hippolytus is also traditionally labeled an anti-pope for resisting Pope Callixtus' lenient attitude in reintegrating into Church life the lapsi who had rendered homage to false gods. Hippolytus was later reconciled to the Church which he loved enough to disrupt. Besides being a controversialist, Hippolytus was the most impactful theologian in Rome before the legalization of Christianity. When the great theologian Origen came to Rome from Caesarea, he heard Hippolytus preach. Most of Hippolytus' works have been lost, but enough translated fragments of his original Greek writings survive to capture his importance. He wrote on Scripture, dogma, law, apologetics, Christ, and also authored a comprehensive polemical work entitled A Refutation of All Heresies.Hippolytus is most famous as the author of the Apostolic Tradition, which preserves some of the most ancient liturgical texts of the primitive church. The original of the Apostolic Tradition does not exist, and later translated fragments are of dubious provenance, making the work a fluid, composite text of different eras. Nevertheless, the core document is a one-of-a-kind artifact, allowing a modern Christian to peek through the keyhole into the liturgy of the early, praying Church. Hippolytus doesn't just describe the words and actions of the liturgy, as the earlier Didache and Saint Justin Martyr did. Instead, he writes down the actual prayers. The Apostolic Tradition contains the earliest known rite of ordination. The ordination rite of a bishop used today by the Catholic Church still largely adopts this ancient text. Hippolytus provides the first example of the Virgin Mary being invoked in liturgical prayer. And Hippolytus' prayers for the Eucharistic banquet include the third-century words of consecration! This text is the source for a significant portion of today's Eucharistic Prayer II, perhaps the most commonly used Eucharistic prayer at Mass. When the faithful throughout the world hear the familiar cadence of Eucharistic Prayer II each Sunday, they are hearing a distant echo—it's the sound of priestly voices from the third century.As he did on so many significant Roman tombs, Pope Damasus (366–384) wrote an inscription on the tomb of Hippolytus more than a century after the saint died. Part of it reads: “Wherever he was able to go, he had spoken of the Catholic faith so that all might follow it. Thus our martyr deserves to be acknowledged.” Indeed. And at the entrance of the forever-closed catacombs of Saint Hippolytus, a personalized graffiti from an ancient pilgrim is carved into the wall, a tender petition invoking today's saint: “Hippolytus, keep Peter the sinner in mind.” Saint Hippolytus, keep all of us in mind.Saints Hippolytus and Pontian, you lived at a difficult time and gave such public witness that you were exiled when many others were not. Your headship of the Church led to your demise. You were isolated, suffered want, and died as a result. May we count our own hardships little in light of yours.

Honouring the friends of God with much reverence, the Prophet-King David says, "But to me, exceedingly honourable are Thy friends, O Lord" (Ps. 138:16). And the divine Apostle, recounting the achievements of the Saints, and setting forth their memorial as an example that we might turn away from earthly things and from sin, and emulate their patience and courage in the struggles for virtue, says, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every burden, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1). This commemoration began as the Sunday (Synaxis) of All Martyrs; to them were added all the ranks of Saints who bore witness (the meaning of "Martyr" in Greek) to Christ in manifold ways, even if occasion did not require the shedding of their blood. Therefore, guided by the teaching of the Divine Scriptures and Apostolic Tradition, we the pious honour all the Saints, the friends of God, for they are keepers of God's commandments, shining examples of virtue, and benefactors of mankind. Of course, we honour the known Saints especially on their own day of the year, as is evident in the Menologion. But since many Saints are unknown, and their number has increased with time, and will continue to increase until the end of time, the Church has appointed that once a year a common commemoration be made of all the Saints. This is the feast that we celebrate today. It is the harvest of the coming of the Holy Spirit into the world; it is the "much fruit" brought forth by that "Grain of wheat that fell into the earth and died" (John 12:24); it is the glorification of the Saints as "the foundation of the Church, the perfection of the Gospel, they who fulfilled in deed the sayings of the Saviour" (Sunday of All Saints, Doxasticon of Vespers). In this celebration, then, we reverently honour and call blessed all the Righteous, the Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Shepherds, Teachers, and Holy Monastics, both men and women alike, known and unknown, who have been added to the choirs of the Saints and shall be added, from the time of Adam until the end of the world, who have been perfected in piety and have glorified God by their holy lives. All these, as well as the orders of the Angels, and especially our most holy Lady and Queen, the Ever-virgin Theotokos Mary, do we honour today, setting their life before us as an example of virtue, and entreating them to intercede in our behalf with God, Whose grace and boundless mercy be with us all. Amen. Apolytikion Fourth Mode Your Church, O Christ our God, clothed itself in the blood of Your martyrs from throughout the world, as though it were a robe of linen and purple; through them, she cries out to You, "Send down upon Your people compassion, grant peace to Your commonwealth, and to our souls, great mercy." Kontakion Plagal Fourth Mode The world offers You, the author of all creation, as the first-fruits of nature, the God-bearing martyrs. O most merciful, by their intercessions, through the Theotokos, maintain Your Church in perfect peace.

Saint Athanasius ChurchContra Mundum SwaggerVideo Version 

Today's Topics:  1, 2) Model suffers extreme muscle pain after becoming addicted to vaping as a teen, now warns others  https://www.theepochtimes.com/model-suffers-extreme-muscle-pain-after-becoming-addicted-to-vaping-as-a-teen-now-warns-others_4291469.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_campaign=breaking-2022-03-17-4&utm_medium=email2&est=IZiFM8ULgkFm%2B7yDWlImtcn82zyaMKFPDFAILPaiSiz%2FgkTla15c42b5TdOAt0lS4g%3D%3D  3) Spanish-language ad campaign - CatholicVote launched two Spanish-language ads targeting Catholic Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ)and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) on Wednesday. The ads call the senators out for failing to address issues of importance to Hispanic voters while focusing on unpopular far-left priorities such as the failed Women's Health Protection Act  https://catholicvote.org/catholicvote-launches-spanish-ads-targeting-pro-abortion-catholic-senators/  4) Two Bishops in need of correction - Cardinal George Pell said the Vatican should correct two senior European bishops for rejecting the Church's teaching on homosexuality. Jesuit Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg and Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg have both called for changes to the teaching in recent interviews. Cardinal Pell said the Catholic Church is “not a loose federation where different national synods or gatherings and prominent leaders are able to reject essential elements of the Apostolic Tradition and remain undisturbed.”  https://www.ncregister.com/blog/cardinal-pell-calls-on-vatican-to-correct-2-senior-european-bishops-for-rejecting-church-s-sexual-ethics

Henry's broad focus for this session is the peace testimony of Friends (Quakers) and early Christians. The peace testimony was generally held during the first two to three centuries by early Christians. He begins by reading an excerpt on the Friends peace testimony from a document called, “A Brief Synopsis of the Principles and Testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends” adopted by 1913 by all seven of the Conservative yearly meetings in existence at that time.                 Next, Henry moves on to the “Peace Declaration of 1660” created by Friends to give to the English king, King Charles II.   The “Peace Declaration of 1660” was written to make clear that Friends were not in any way connected to the rebellion and violence advocated and practiced by the Fifth Monarchy Men.                 Later, Henry moves to multiple biblical passages which support the Friends peace testimony: Isaiah 11:6-9 (from which the Friends' derived the concept of the peaceable kingdom), Matthew 5:43-48, and Romans 12:19-21.  Next he refers to Matthew 5:5.   Henry finishes the biblical examples with a reading of James 4:1-3.                Moving from biblical references, Henry then reads and comments on some very early Christian writers, drawing examples from the book, The Early Christians by Eberhard .  Henry  mentions Hippolotus' writing in “The Apostolic Tradition”.  These extra-biblical excerpts from the Christian community were all written when being a Christian was illegal, and punishable by death.When it comes to Quaker writings and their adherence to the peace testimony he quotes William Penn and Robert Barclay, in his Catechism.Finally, Henry goes on to show how Barclay, in other places restates this theme of the peace testimony that Quakers are called not to return evil for evil, but be initiators of the Peaceable Kingdom.Documents:A Brief Synopsis of the Principles and Testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends“Statements Opposing War”, A pamphlet reprinted in 1993, probably available at Stillwater Friends Meeting in Barnesville, Ohio. It provides a number of testimonies from various Friends in Ohio Yearly Meeting covering much of the 20th century.The Apostolic Tradition, by Hippolytus of RomeA Plea Regarding Christians by Athenagoras of AthensFirst Apology, by Justin Martyr.  See also here.A Catechism and Confession of Faith, by Robert BarclayGreek:Telos: (often translated as “perfect”) in the Greek means, be fully developed spirituallyHuios: childrenChildren of God vs son(s) of GodCredits: The words to the music are from Margaret Fell's Letter to the King on Persecution in 1660.  The music was composed and sung by Paulette Meier.  Paulette's work can be found at Paulette meier.com 

AD Mark Soliman- A talk on the origin, role, and importance of Dogma and the living Apostolic Tradition. Click the icon below to listen.

AD Mark Soliman- A talk on the origin, role, and importance of Dogma and the living Apostolic Tradition. Click the icon below to listen.

Hippolytus was a prominent leader in the church at Rome in the 3rd Century. His most influential work was The Apostolic Tradition. This work was his defense of the faith, which also laid down many practices and traditions that were followed by the church for centuries. Hippolytus was martyred for the faith.

Saint Athanasius ChurchContra Mundum SwaggerVideo Version

Zaq and Jesse peruse parapgrahs 74-79 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Boyle, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church and Grace Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about why we read the Church Fathers, how we regard their writings, and where we find our Lutheran theology in these writings from Church Fathers. He also gives us an exemplary summer reading list: Polycarp of Smyrna, Epistle to the Philippians, Martyrdom (d. 155) Ignatius of Antioch, Letters to the Churches, Martyrdom (d. 108/140) Epistle of Barnabas (70-132) Justin Martyr, First Apology (100-165) Irenaeus, Apostolic Preaching (130-202) Melito of Sardis, On Pascha (d.180) Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition (170-235) Cyprian of Carthage, Unity of the Catholic Church (210-258) Athanasius, On the Incarnation (296-373) Cyril of Jerusalem, Lectures on the Sacraments (313-386) John Chrysostom, Marriage & Family Life (347-407) Augustine, Confessions, On Christian Teaching, Enchiridion (354-430) Cyril of Alexandria, Unity of Christ (376-444) Leo the Great, Sermons (beginning at XXI, especially 73-74) (400-461) Gregory the Great, Pastoral Rule (540-604) You can find many of these writings for free at ccel.org/fathers, and you can also purchase several of them in the Popular Patristics series from St. Vladimir Press at svspress.com. Share your progress with us on social media! Find us @KFUOradio on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Find the Lutheran Witness online articles referenced in this episode at witness.lcms.org/author/geoff-boyle.

In this episode we welcome Fr. Matthew Maxwell. We will discuss in detail the meaning of the Sacred Tradition of the Church, the Sacred Scriptures, and the role of the Magisterium of the Church. Apostolic Tradition: Jesus Christ did not write a “text book” to transmit the revealed truths to all men, but instead established His Church on St. Peter and the Apostles, and entrusted to them the responsibility of passing on all those truths (the “Deposit of Faith”) to all generations through history, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Sacred Tradition is the transmission of the Deposit of Faith by the Apostles to their successors “by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received.” (Dei Verbum 7) Sacred Scripture: Some of the Apostles, and their immediate disciples put into writing—under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—what they gathered from the life and teaching of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Sacred Scripture contains and transmits infallibly everything that God wanted to communicate to men about the truths necessary for salvation. The Canon of Scripture is the entire list of books recognized by the Church as “inspired” by God. (Dei Verbum 11) The Magisterium of the Church is the “teaching authority” given by Christ to St. Peter, the Apostles and their successors. The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ" (DV 10). The Church puts forth the teachings of Christ through dogmas, symbols of Faith, Encyclicals, Documents of Councils of Bishops (like the Council of Trent, or the Second Vatican Council) and Catechisms. After discussing these points, Fr. Matthew will give us the story of how he discerned his call to be a Priest in Miles Christi, and some other fun facts! All these topics can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, numbers 74 to 141. Besides, one of the Church Fathers, Tertullian, witnesses clearly to the truth of the Apostolic Tradition as a source of revelation, in one of his writings, which you can find in the Second Reading of the Office of Readings for the Feast of Sts. Philip and James (May 3). The quote is from his “Treatise On the Prescription of Heretics” (Cap. 20:1-9:21,3; 22,8-10: CCL 1, 201-204). It can be found here: https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/tradition-of-the-apostles-tertullian/  Email us at info@forcollegecatholics.org with any feedback, shout-outs, or questions you might have! Podcast Website: www.forcollegecatholics.org Miles Christi Religious Order www.mileschristi.org Intro music from www.pond5.com Recorded at the Miles Christi Family Center, South Lyon, Michigan Gear used - Mic: Shure MV7 Dynamic Microphone & ATR 2100-XLR - Recorder: ZOOM H6 Portable Recorder - Software: Adobe Audition

A Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent Ephesians 5:1-14 & St. Luke 11:14-28 by William Klock In the ancient Church this Sunday marked the beginning of an intensive period of preparation for those to be baptised at Easter.  This was sort of the point from which there was no turning back.  This is what we read in The Apostolic Tradition, dating to the Second or Third Century: They who are to be set apart for baptism shall be chosen after their lives have been examined: whether they have lived soberly, whether they have honoured the widows, whether they have visited the sick, whether they have been active in well-doing. When their sponsors have testified that they have done these things, then let them hear the Gospel. Then from the time that they are separated from the other catechumens, hands shall be laid upon them daily in exorcism and, as the day of their baptism draws near, the bishop himself shall exorcise each one of them that he may be personally assured of their purity. Then, if there is any of them who is not good or pure, he shall be put aside as not having heard the word in faith; for it is never possible for the alien to be concealed.[1]   Our Epistle and Gospel accordingly emphasise the commitment made by the catechumens to follow Jesus. In the Gospel Jesus gives us a dramatic picture of a man possessed by a demon.  The demon is cast out—sent packing.  Jesus describes the demon in hopeless desperation looking for a new home—as if he were wandering the wilderness.  But he finds nothing.  Eventually he gives up.  He goes back to the man who had been exorcised and sees that someone has “cleaned house” while he’s been gone.  The man looks more attractive than ever, so the demon goes out, finds seven of his friends who are also looking for a home, and brings them back to afflict this poor man.  As Jesus says, “The last state of that man is worse than the first.” Now, the point of Jesus’ story isn’t to give us a theology of demon possession or exorcism.  The story is about Israel and Jesus point is that something drastic had to change.  God’s people had gone off the rails.  As we read in last week’s Gospel, Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of Israel—he came to get God’s people back on track with the ministry and the mission the Lord had given them through Abraham.  Do you remember what that was?  It was to be a light to the nations.  And for the most part, down through her history, Israel had failed.  There had been many different reform movements and reformers through the years.  Some were superficial and some went deep, some were successful and some weren’t.  But none of them ever manage to set Israel straight permanently.  Eventually she went off the rails again and each time it got worse, just as the man in the story was worse after the house-cleaning than before.  Again, something needed to change and that’s what Jesus came to do.  In Jesus the God of Israel returned to his people, not just to rebuke them for their sins, not even just to forgive them for those sins, but to rebuke, to forgive, and—most importantly—to make them his dwelling place, to incorporate them into his life and to transform them from the inside out. In Jesus we see the faithfulness of God, because in Jesus we see his promises to Israel—and through Israel to the nations—fulfilled.  Jesus provides forgiveness for all the past failures and offers a way of life that sets God’s people back on course for the kingdom and it all centres on and in Jesus himself.  St. Paul describes this new life and this new way of living—this new way of being Israel—in our Epistle today from Ephesians.  Our passage is lifted from the middle of a longer section that begins with Paul describing what some call his “put off/put on” principle.  It’s a principle we see in the story of the demon-possessed man in the Gospel.  When it comes to God, when it comes to his kingdom, when it comes to our loyalties there is no neutral ground.  Again, Jesus didn’t come to forgive our sins so that we can start over with God and hopefully get it right this time.  That won’t work.  We’d just make a mess of things all over again.  No.  Jesus came to forgive and to fix what is broken in us.  In forgiving us he makes us right with God so that by the gift of the Holy Spirit he may then incorporate us into the life of God.  The Spirit regenerates our hearts, turning them from self and sin back to God and to holiness.  The Spirit renews our minds, setting them too on the things of God.  And the Spirit, in uniting us to the life of God, gives back to us the gift of life.  Adam was given that gift, but in sinning he rejected it, he was cut off from the life of God and cast out of his presence and subjected again to death.  But in the Spirit we are connected with that life again, giving us a foretaste of the resurrection that awaits all those who are in Jesus.  And so Paul insists: We’ve got to put off the old and put on the new. It’s either the old, sinful self-centred self or the new Jesus-centred self.  There’s nothing between.  There’s no neutral state.  If you want to participate in life in Christ, you’ve got to put off the old life centred on self and put on this new life that Jesus has made possible. The Scriptures have all sorts of different ways of describing and illustrating this life.  Jesus talks about himself as a vine and about us as the branches that were once dead wood, but are now grafted in.  In other places he talks about roots and trees and about branches that fail to bear fruit being pruned off and other branches being grafted in so that they can bear fruit.  St. Paul likes to use the image of the body: Jesus is the head and we, his people, his Church, are all the various and essential constituent parts.  But here in this passage about putting off and putting on Paul uses the powerful image of adoption.  Look at Ephesians 5:1-2: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. As I said, our Epistle begins into the middle of a longer discussion.  The “therefore” follows Paul’s admonitions in the second half of Chapter 4.  In 4:17 he writes: “Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live.”  He then goes on to talk about all sorts of sin and sinful thinking: licentiousness, greed, stealing, laziness, dirty talk, bitterness, fighting, and anger.  This is how the Gentiles live, but Jesus has given us new life.  He’s incorporated us into Israel—into God’s people.  (Remember that he’s writing Ephesians to Gentile Greeks.)  And now Paul pauses for a minute to remind us why.  Why do we need to put off those old ways and put on new ways of life?  He refers to it as imitating God—allowing our character to be shaped by his character and he tells us that we need to do this because we’ve been made his children.  It’s the imagery of adoption. Brothers and Sisters, consider this: Jesus is God’s Son.  If we are in him—taking hold of him in faith not just for forgiveness, but for life itself—then that makes us by adoption sons and daughters of God as well.  In Jesus we are adopted into God’s family.  In Jesus we are made children of God.  And it has been true of God’s family—his children—from the beginning that they are called to live like the family, to imitate God their Father.  Going all the way back to Israel’s time in the wilderness as she was gathered around Mt. Sinai where God gave his law to Moses.  It was there at Sinai, after the Lord had rescued Israel from Egypt, that he made her his people.  In Leviticus 19:2 he declared through Moses: “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”  God’s people are to be holy because God himself is holy.  The torah—the law—was given to Israel to show her what that holiness looked like. Now in Jesus the law is fulfilled.  Paul now says to be imitators of God because we are his children and we do that best by looking to the example of Jesus.  What does holiness look like?  In Jesus we see that it looks like love—specifically, love in action.  And love in action manifests itself supremely in sacrifice.  The best example of holiness that Paul can think of is the sacrifice of Jesus.  In Jesus the Word of God became incarnate, humbling himself and taking on our human form, being born of a virgin, being scorned, rejected, humiliated, and finally crucified—all for the sake of men and women who were his rebellious enemies.  Jesus’ example of loving sacrifice is the embodiment of holiness.  In the temple the smoke that rose from the sacrifices as they were burnt on the altar was symbolic of their being pleasing to God and as Paul describes Jesus’ loving sacrifice in those same terms: a fragrant offering, a fragrant sacrifice.  Again, in Jesus we see what true love looks like and in that true love we see true holiness. Is sacrificial love hard?  Of course.  It’s especially hard when we realise that this isn’t just about sacrificially loving the people we already naturally love, but that we’re also called to sacrificially love our enemies and the people who have hurt us.  We’re called to sacrifice our old way of sinful and self-centred life for the sake of God, which means giving up so many things we love and so many things in which we used to find security.  It’s hard.  I don’t know anyone who has yet to perfect it.  And yet it shouldn’t be a chore.  It shouldn’t be a dreary duty.  And that’s because grace is at the heart of it.  Brothers and Sisters, we are called to love sacrificially because in Jesus God has loved us sacrificially—giving his life for our sake—for the sake of his own enemies.  As his children, sacrificial love should be our nature.  But this is just it.  This is why it’s so important that we consciously put off the old self and put on the new.  We are not capable of sacrificial love on our own.  It’s part of the character that comes with life in Jesus.  It’s part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  And so we have to cooperate with the Spirit, we have to cultivate the life of Jesus the Spirit makes possible.  The more we live in, the more we rely on, the more we cultivate the grace of God in our lives—that unmerited favour that comes to us through the cross of Christ—the more gracious our character will become and the more grace will infuse our nature and our character.  This is why Paul stresses our duty to love in terms of the love Jesus has shown us—reminding us of the loving grace we have been shown ourselves.  This is the cross-centred, this is the Jesus-centred life with God’s grace always at the centre of everything and always shaping our thoughts and our actions. Now, whenever we talk about “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots” we need to remember grace, we need to remember the cross, we need to remember Jesus—we need to remember that we don’t earn or merit forgiveness or life by doing or by not doing.  Forgiveness and life are gifts of grace.  Paul’s been talking about “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots” and he’s interjected this point about love and grace here, reminding us that we aren’t God’s people because we act a certain way.  Absolutely not.  We act a certain because we are God’s people.  We aren’t Christians because we’re holy.  We’re holy because we’re Christians.  And with that he carries on in verse 3:   But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.  Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.  For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 5:3-6) The first two things Paul lists as being contrary to this life of loving sacrifice are sexual immorality and covetousness or greed.  Why these two?  Because of all the sins Paul could have listed, these two are the most inherently idolatrous; these two are the most at odds with the character of God and the character of the Christian.  Fertility cults were a major part of pagan worship and often involved “sacred” prostitution.  Some temples were little more than brothels.  In the Old Testament this word for sexual immorality, porneia, was often used to describe Israel in her unfaithfulness, prostituting herself to foreign, pagan idols.  In the New Testament the Church is described as the bride of Christ.  To fall back into our old, sinful ways is to be unfaithful to our Lord.  And throughout Scripture, marital fidelity is the picture often used of God’s love for his people and the love God’s people should have for him.  Greed boils down to idolatry as well and it characterizes the opposite of the sacrificial love we see in Jesus.  Love gives everything it has, but greed is never happy and insists on taking and accumulating more.  Greed and sexual immorality are so utterly contrary to the character of God and his children that we should find it absolutely scandalous that either of these sins might be connected with the Church, with the people of God. In fact, Paul warns: sexual immorality and greed are the characteristics of idolaters and since idolaters by definition reject God, such people have no inheritance in God’s kingdom.  In fact, they stand in his wrath .  They are not and have no right to call themselves sons and daughters of God.  And Paul warns: It’s not just that sexual immorality and greed should not be part of our character, but that we should have nothing to do with those who are characterized by sexual immorality and greed. This is first a call for the Church to exercise discipline when it comes to her own members.  The Church cannot turn a blind eye to churchgoers who are unrepentantly greedy or unrepentantly immoral sexually.  For their own sake, those whose character is contrary to their profession of faith must be held accountable even to the point of being put out of the Church if they persist in sin and refuse to repent.  Turning a blind eye to their sin means giving them false assurance of salvation.  This is what church discipline is about.  It’s not punitive; it’s meant to be redeeming and reconciling. Second, while being light in the darkness means engaging with those lost in the dark, as Christians we must be careful not to fall back into darkness ourselves.  It means trusting in Jesus and committing ourselves to a life and an agenda of holiness in imitation of our Father, rather than trusting in or collaborating with the darkness that so permeates the business and political spheres around us.  Remember, the cross and the empty tomb declare that the days of this present evil age are numbered.  Jesus is Lord and his kingdom is breaking into the world.  In light of that knowledge it is foolish for Christians to invest themselves and to trust in a system that is passing away.  To do so is a betrayal of our citizenship in God’s kingdom.  It’s a betrayal of the family into which we’ve been adopted.  We need to remember Paul’s warning to have nothing to do with darkness. This is the sort of life we’re called to put off as we find new life, new identity, new character in Jesus.  Paul goes on in verse 7: Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.  But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. (Ephesians 5:7-14a) Notice, it’s not just that at one time we were in the dark and have now been brought into the light.  That’s true, but Paul says something even more striking: We were once darkness ourselves, but now through the Lord Jesus we are ourselves light.  Again, our character has been utterly and completely transformed.  We were dead; in Jesus we are alive.  We were darkness; in Jesus we are light.  We were once greedy, selfish sinners; in Jesus our lives are characterized—or should be characterised—by the same sacrificial love he has shown to us.  And so instead of taking part in works of darkness, instead of backing the darkness, we are called to bear the fruit of light.  Paul says that these are the things that are good and right and true.  Through the prophet Micah the Lord called Israel as his people to reflect his own character.  They were to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.  That’s a good place to start.  We’re to seek out, Paul says—to discern—what is pleasing to the Lord and for that we have the Scriptures.  In the Bible we have the witness to God’s own character which he calls us to imitate.  We have the witness of the prophets as they called Israel to holiness, to justice, and to mercy.  And in the New Testament we have the example of Jesus which Paul draws on here.  It’s impossible to be darkness and light at the same time, so put off the works of darkness and put on Christ—put on the light. And our light should have an impact on the darkness.  The ugly reality of evil hides under cover of the darkness, but as light drives the darkness away it exposes evil and all its ugliness.  In the presence of light evil has no place to hide and no way to deny its ugliness.  In verse 14 Paul says something difficult—Bible scholars disagree on the precise point he’s making when he says that “anything that becomes visible is light”, but the gist seems to be that as much as evil hates to be exposed, that exposure is what brings redemption.  J.B. Phillips puts it this way in his paraphrase: For light is capable of “showing up” everything for what it really is.  It is even possible (after all, it happened with you!) for light to turn the thing it shines upon into light also.   At one point each of us was laid bare to the soul by the light and that being laid bare moved us to repentance and to faith.  Now it’s our duty to be the light that lays darkness bare and calls others to repentance and faith.  And so Paul finishes with what was probably a hymn sung at Easter or at baptisms: Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper,          and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14b) Each of us was once asleep—unaware—of our death and subjection to sin, but the light of Christ was shone us.  It cut through the darkness and laid bare our sin, but in it too we heard the proclamation of the Good News: that Jesus is Lord.  He died to conquer sin and he rose to conquer death.  That light moved each of us to turn away from our sin and to take hold of Jesus in faith for the forgiveness and life he gives.  And with that Paul brings us full-circle.  In Jesus we have new life.  In Jesus we’ve been adopted as sons and daughters of God.  In Jesus we’ve been given new character.  In Jesus we who were once darkness have been made light.  Dear friends, if you are still asleep, open your eyes to the light.  As painful as it is, let the light expose your sin so that you can repent and turn instead to Jesus.  Take hold of the light in faith and become light yourself. If you have taken hold of Jesus in faith, remember who and what he has made you.  In your baptism Jesus has plunged you into the Holy Spirit.  You are light, not darkness.  Your character has been transformed.  Have nothing to do with the darkness.  Have nothing to do with the sin that hides under its cover.  Put off the old man or the old woman and put on Jesus Christ out of gratitude for the sacrificial love that God has shown you in Jesus and knowing that your character of light is meant to glorify God and it’s meant to witness Jesus to others who are still caught in the dark. Let us pray: Almighty God, consider the heartfelt desires of your servants, we pray,  and stretch out the right hand of your majesty to defend us against all our enemies, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen. [1] Ap. Trad. XX.1-4

The Resolution is: The Doctrine of Papal Primacy given at Vatican I is true to Apostolic Tradition. Fr. Patrick (John Ramsey) was born in 1970 in New Zealand. He attended the University of Waikato in Hamilton New Zealand, completing Bachelor's degrees in Science, majoring in Mathematics, and in Law with honors. He then completed a Master of Theology in Orthodox Studies at the University of Wales, in 2010 followed by a Ph.D. in Orthodox ecclesiology in 2015 at the University of Winchester, England. He presently works as a distance tutor for the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge, England. He serves as a priest in the Western Rite deanery in the UK under the Russian Church Outside Russia. He has enjoyed engaging in Facebook discussions for a number of years after contributing to Orthodox blogs before this.   Erick Ybarra is a Latin rite Catholic speaker and blogger. Having graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.S, he currently works for a global manufacturer in Technology. While entering University as an atheist, he had an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ through the Reformed Baptist tradition. After spending years as a Protestant, he crossed the horizon to high-Church Anglicanism where he prayerfully studied the Bible and Church History leading to his conversion to the Catholic Church. He is a co-host for popular YouTube channel Reason and Theology and has made plenty of public appearances on Catholic social networks. His writings specialize in Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, and he can be found at www.ErickYbarra.org. He is a Husband and Father of 5 children, living in the upper Midwest of the United States.   Join my email list and get my FREE ebook! https://pintswithaquinas.com/understanding-thomas/    SPONSORS Hallow: http://hallow.app/mattfradd  STRIVE: https://www.strive21.com/  Catholic Chemistry: https://www.catholicchemistry.com/    GIVING Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattfradd  This show (and all the plans we have in store) wouldn't be possible without you. I can't thank those of you who support me enough. Seriously! Thanks for essentially being a co-producer coproducer of the show.   LINKS Website: https://pintswithaquinas.com/  Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/matt-fradd  FREE 21 Day Detox From Porn Course: https://www.strive21.com/    SOCIAL Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PintsWithAquinas  Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattfradd  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pints_w_aquinas   MY BOOKS Does God Exist: https://www.amazon.com/Does-God-Exist-Socratic-Dialogue-ebook/dp/B081ZGYJW3/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=fradd&qid=1586377974&sr=8-9  Marian Consecration With Aquinas: https://www.amazon.com/Marian-Consecration-Aquinas-Growing-Closer-ebook/dp/B083XRQMTF/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=fradd&qid=1586379026&sr=8-4  The Porn Myth: https://www.ignatius.com/The-Porn-Myth-P1985.aspx    CONTACT Book me to speak: https://www.mattfradd.com/speakerrequestform 

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr Lectionary: 417All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint Pontian and Saint HippolytusSt. Pontian became Pope in the year 230. Five years later, after Pope Urban I, he was exiled to the mines of the Italian island of Sardinia during a period of Christian persecution. There, he decided to resign from his papal office and died a martyr for the faith.Hippolytus was a priest and well-respected theologian in the early third century. But in 217 he rebelled against the Church when Callistus became Pope. He, too, was exiled in 235 to the Sardinian mines, where he met Pontian. Pontian helped Hippolytus reconcile with the Church bevore he died, andHippolytus, too, died as amartyr. His writings were important, including "A Refutation of All Heresies", "Song of Songs", and "The Apostolic Tradition". Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

Full Text of ReadingsThursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 416All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint Pontian and Saint HippolytusSt. Pontian became Pope in the year 230. Five years later, after Pope Urban I, he was exiled to the mines of the Italian island of Sardinia during a period of Christian persecution. There, he decided to resign from his papal office and died a martyr for the faith.Hippolytus was a priest and well-respected theologian in the early third century. But in 217 he rebelled against the Church when Callistus became Pope. He, too, was exiled in 235 to the Sardinian mines, where he met Pontian. Pontian helped Hippolytus reconcile with the Church bevore he died, andHippolytus, too, died as amartyr. His writings were important, including "A Refutation of All Heresies", "Song of Songs", and "The Apostolic Tradition". Saint of the Day Copyright CNA, Catholic News Agency

Go forth and teach all nations. Mat 28:19. And this is brought about by Apostolic Tradition. CCC 11

Preaching for the Feast Day of Saint Mary of Magdala, Nontando Hadebe offers a reflection on claiming the apostolic tradition of Mary Magdalene: "As we celebrate Mary Magdalene, we rise up as women and we say we have a tradition that can be traced to a direct commandment from Jesus to speak. And we shall speak: we shall speak with authority; we shall speak with intelligence; we shall speak for ourselves..." Dr. Nontando Hadebe is a lay woman theologian and senior lecturer at St. Augustine College in South Africa, specializing in African Theology, Pastoral & Contextual Theology, Feminist & Womanist Theology, Liberation Theology and Pastoral Psychology. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/07222020 to learn more about Nontando, to view her video, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

In this episode, we continue our discussion of Justin Martyr's account of ancient Christian worship, focusing this time on the Lord's Supper (eucharist) and Lord's Day worship. Justin Martyr wrote an early account of ancient Christian worship. It was written by a believer for an unbeliever. He does not assume that his intended reader—the Emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161)—knows anything about Christian worship. Second, while Pliny describes the worship practices of the Christians in Pontus, Justin describes the liturgical customs of the church in Rome. Justin lived and worshiped in Rome, but he didn’t convert in Rome. He most likely converted to Christianity in Ephesus around 130 A.D. So he was familiar with the liturgical customs of both Western and Eastern Christians. Third, Justin’s account is descriptive not prescriptive. It’s not a church order (e.g. Didache, Apostolic Tradition). It is simply a description of what Christians were already doing not what Justin thought they ought to do. https://vimeo.com/408626530

In his first apology (ca. 150–155 A.D.), Justin Martyr wrote an early account of ancient Christian worship, describing ancient practices regarding the sacraments and Lord's Day worship. It was written to an unbeliever, and therefore Justin does not assume that his intended reader—the Emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161)—knows anything about Christian worship. Moreover, while Pliny describes the worship practices of the Christians in Pontus, Justin describes the liturgical customs of the church in Rome. Justin lived and worshiped in Rome, but he didn’t convert in Rome. He most likely converted to Christianity in Ephesus around 130 A.D. So he was familiar with the liturgical customs of both Western and Eastern Christians. It is also important to understand that Justin’s account is descriptive not prescriptive. It is not a church order (e.g. Didache, Apostolic Tradition). It is simply a description of what Christians were already doing not what Justin thought they ought to do. https://vimeo.com/405980301

Here is the definitive case for Communion on Tongue. Today is a longer episode but it is because I go through ever case for communion on the tongue.Starting with scripture moving on to church Fathers, Councils of the Church, Popes, Saints, Apparitions, Visions, Exorcist, modern Bishops, Priests, and Cardinals. I also include a brief history of the indult of Communion on the Hand by Pope St. Paul VI. A few quotes that I did not get to include in the podcast are below. “There are really no serious arguments for communion in the hand. But there are the most gravely serious kinds of arguments against it.” - Dietrich Von Hildebrand“Behind communion-in-the-hand – I wish to repeat and make as plain as I can – is a weakening, a conscious, a deliberate weakening of faith in the Real Presence.” - Father John Hardon“The fact that only the priest gives Holy Communion with his consecrated hands is an Apostolic Tradition.” - Council of Trent“Like it or not, therefore, the gesture of communion in the hand now conveys just one idea: I repudiate the dogma of transubstantiation...Communion in the hand is a built-in sacrilege that destroys the faith - and it has worked its evil everywhere.” - Fr. Anthony Cekada“Communion in the hand is a major spike through which the Lord today is being re-crucified in His Church.” - David Martin, Our Lady’s Workers of Southern California“Also, I want to state very clearly that the experiment of giving communion in the hand has been a disaster.” - Fr. Benedict Groeschel Contact Me:Email: FonsecaProduction@gmail.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Catholic-Conversations-293620534878287/Twitter: @ffonzeInstagram: @ffonzeWebsite: http://catholicconversations.buzzsprout.com/

In this episode, we conclude our analysis of the second part of Marcus Grodi's evidence from the early church fathers that led to his conversion to Roman Catholicism: the Eucharist. We briefly review the points on the Eucharist discussed in the previous two episodes. Then we address not only Grodi’s claim that the early church writers “unanimously” believed in the “real presence” of Christ in the Eucharist, but we also provide evidence of the rewriting and reinterpreting of the primitive, Biblical, apostolic liturgy in favor of the late 4th century novel Roman Catholic liturgy. Faced with the stark contrast between the early, apostolic liturgy in which a Eucharistic tithe sacrifice was offered prior to the consecration of the elements, and the later 4th century and medieval liturgy of Roman Catholicism in which the Eucharistic mass sacrifice was offered after the consecration of the elements, scholars, apologists, translators and theologians have reinterpreted and rewritten the early liturgy to make it consistent with the later. To do this, they repeatedly rewrite, translate and interpret the early liturgy in such a way as to collapse the Eucharistic tithe offering into the consecration—the epiclesis—making it appear that the early Church’s Eucharistic tithe offering was actually a liturgical offering of consecrated bread and wine—Christ’s body and blood—to the Father. The early church absolutely did not do this, and it was not until the latter part of the 4th century that the superstitious, idolatrous, abominable Roman mass sacrifice emerged. Unable to explain the discontinuity, scholars and theologians simply assumed that whatever was taught at the end of the 4th century must be what the early writers meant. We provide evidence of the rewriting of the early liturgy to force it to comport with the medieval liturgy. And thus, the foolish, the ignorant, the superstitious and the simple are misled into thinking the apostolic and subapostolic church offered the abominable Roman Catholic sacrifice of the mass. Marcus Grodi is just one of millions to fall for the lie.Show Notes:Marcus Grodi: The Early Church Fathers I Never Saw - The Journey Home (3-19-2007)The “Sacrifice of the Mass” originally referred to the tithe offering, because unbelievers, the backslidden and the unconverted were dismissed just before the tithe was to be offered. The tithe offering came to be known as the sacrifice of the dismissal, the sacrifice of the “mass”.Athanasius, Against the Arians, part 1, chapter 2, paragraph 28 (341 AD), “And how could it be that Oblations were offered when catechumens were within ? For if there were catechumens present, it was not yet the time for presenting the Oblations.”Justin Martyr, First Apology, 65 (155 AD) “But we, after we have thus washed him who has been convinced and has assented to our teaching, bring him to the place where those who are called brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer hearty prayers…”Hippolytus, Anaphora, chapter 20 (215 AD), “Those who are to be baptized are not to bring any vessel, only that which each brings for the eucharist. It is indeed proper that each bring the oblation in the same hour.”The primitive liturgy of the church was a Eucharistic thank offering (the tithe), followed by an apostolic Amen, followed by a consecration of bread and wine taken from the Eucharist, followed by a meal. A Eucharist. An Amen. A Consecration. A meal.1 Corinthians 14:16 “Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?”Justin Martyr, First Apology, 65-66 (155 AD) “And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings (eucharistian), all the people present express their assent by saying Amen. … so likewise have we been taught that the eucharisted food is made into the body and blood of Christ by the prayer of his word [the consecration]” (more on this below) (Note: the Greek is found in Migne, PG vol 6, cols 428-429).Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, letter [9] to Bishop Sixtus of Rome (254-258 AD) [Note: it is epistle IV in Migne’s series on the greek fathers; the letter is also recorded in Eusebius, Church History, Book 7, Chapter 9, where he refers to it as epistle VI]: “For I should not dare to renew afresh, after all, one who had heard the giving of thanks, and who had answered with others Amen; who had stood at the holy table, and had stretched forth his hands to receive the blessed food, and had received it, and for a very long time had been a partaker of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.”The consecration in the primitive liturgy was simply the words of Christ spoken over the bread and wine at the Last Supper: this is My body, broken for you, this is My blood, shed for you.Justin Martyr, First Apology, 66 (155 AD) “…but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the eucharisted food by the prayer of His word, becomes the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, "This do in remembrance of Me, this is My body;" and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, "This is My blood;" and gave it to them alone.”Irenæus, Against Heresies, Book IV, Chapter 17 (174-189 AD) “He took that created thing, bread, and gave thanks, and said, "This is My body." And the cup likewise, which is part of that creation to which we belong, He confessed to be His blood…”Irenæus, Against Heresies, Book V, Chapter 2, paragraph 3 (174-189 AD), “When, therefore, the mingled cup and the manufactured bread receives the Word of God, and the Eucharist becomes the blood and the body of Christ .…”Tertullian, Against Marcion, Book IV, chapter 40 (208 AD), “Then, having taken the bread and given it to His disciples, He made it His own body, by saying, "This is my body” ….”In the early liturgy, the consecration was spoken after the bread had been distributed, or as the bread and wine were being distributed.Justin Martyr, First Apology, 67 (155 AD) “…and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given…”Tertullian, Against Marcion, Book IV, chapter 40 (208 AD), “Then, having taken the bread and given it to His disciples, He made it His own body, by saying, "This is my body” ….”Origen, Against Celsus, Book VIII (248 AD), “But we give thanks to the Creator of all, and, along with thanksgiving and prayer for the blessings we have received, we also eat the bread presented to us; and this bread becomes by prayer a sacred body, which sanctifies those who sincerely partake of it.”Cornelius, Bishop of Rome, letter to Fabian of Antioch (251-253 AD) [Recorded in Eusebius, Church History, Book 6, chapter 43], ““For when he has made the offerings and distributed a part to each man, as he gives it he compels the wretched man to swear in place of the blessing…”Ignatius of Antioch, To the Smyrnæans, paragraph 7 (107 AD), “They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again.” When understood in the context of the early liturgy—in which unbelievers were not allowed to participate in the Eucharist, the Eucharist was the tithe offering, the consecration was not spoken until after the Eucharist had been distributed to the participant, and the consecration was the simple recitation of “This is My body, broken for you… This is My blood, shed for you”—Ignatius’ words speak not of a conviction of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, but rather of the gnostic’s unwillingess to speak the words of consecration over the Eucharisted bread.Justin Martyr, First Apology, 65-66 (155 AD), “And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced … . And this food is called among us Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. … we been taught that by the prayer of His word [the consecration], the eucharisted food (ευχαριστηθείσαν τροφην) becomes the flesh and blood of Jesus.” When understood in the context of the early liturgy, in which unbelievers were not allowed to participate in the Eucharist, the Eucharist was the tithe offering, and the consecration was not spoken until after the Eucharist had been distributed to the participants, Justin’s words are understood not to refer to a conviction that the Eucharistic prayer changes the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, but rather that the unconverted were dismissed from the liturgy before the Eucharistic prayer over the tithe, and the words of consecration were then spoken over the bread and wine that had already been “eucharisted.”Ignatius of Antioch, To the Romans, paragraph 7 (107 AD)Ignatius of Antioch, To the Trallians, paragraph 8 (107 AD)Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 70 (155-167 AD)“Now it is evident, that in this prophecy [allusion is made] to the bread which our Christ gave us to eat, in remembrance of His being made flesh for the sake of His believers, for whom also He suffered; and to the cup which He gave us to drink, in remembrance of His own blood, with giving of thanks.”Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, Chapters 109- 124 (155-167 AD)“Now, that prayers and giving of thanks, when offered by worthy men, are the only perfect and well-pleasing sacrifices to God, I also admit.”Irenæus, Against Heresies, Book IV, Chapter 18, paragraph 5 (174-189 AD)“…that as bread from the earth, receiving the summons (έκκλησιν) of God, is no longer common bread but an Eucharist composed of two things, both an earthly and an heavenly one; so also our bodies, partaking of the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, having the hope of Eternal Resurrection.” (Keble, 361) [Here Irenæus says we partake of the Eucharist, but by, implication only after the Eucharist is consecrated (see Book V, chapter 2, below), and that it was already the Eucharist when it was first summoned by the Lord for the tithe. Irenæus has established a parallel to make a point—when the bread is summoned for a tithe, it becomes heavenly, and not just earthly, for, though earthly, it is now set apart for heavenly purposes; so too, we though earthly, are set apart for a heavenly destiny when we receive the consecrated bread. Notable, indeed, that the bread becomes the Eucharist —taking on twin realities—when it is summoned for a tithe, not when it is consecrated. We will discuss the variance between Keble’s translation and Schaff’s below.]Irenæus, Fragment 37 (late 2nd century)“And therefore the oblation (προσφορα, offering) of the Eucharist is not a carnal one, but a spiritual; and in this respect it is pure. For we make an oblation (προσφερομεν, offering) to God of the bread and the cup of blessing, giving Him thanks in that He has commanded the earth to bring forth these fruits for our nourishment. And then, when we have perfected (τελέσαντες, completed, finished) the oblation (προσφοραν, offering), we invoke the Holy Spirit, that He may exhibit (αποφηνη, apophene) this sacrifice (την θυσιαν, the sacrifice, not this sacrifice), both the bread the body of Christ, and the cup the blood of Christ, in order that the receivers of these antitypes (αντιτυπων) may obtain remission of sins and life eternal.” Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, Book I, chapter 6 (202 AD)“Elsewhere the Lord, in the Gospel according to John, brought this out by symbols (συμβολων), when He said: ‘Eat my flesh, and drink my blood;’ describing distinctly by metaphor (allegories, αλληγορων) the drinkable properties of faith and the promise, by means of which the Church, like a human being consisting of many members, is refreshed and grows, is welded together and compacted of both — of faith, which is the body, and of hope, which is the soul; as also the Lord of flesh and blood”Tertullian, Against Marcion, Book IV, chapter 40 (208 AD)“Then, having taken the bread and given it to His disciples, He made it His own body, by saying, "This is my body” that is, the figure of my body.”Hippolytus, Anaphora, chapter 38 (215 AD)“Having blessed the cup in the Name of God, you received it as the antitype of the Blood of Christ.”Origen, Homilies on Numbers, Homily 7, paragraph 2: “At that time the manna was food ‘in an enigma,’ but now, ‘in reality,’ the flesh of the Word of God is ‘true food,’ just as he himself says: ‘My flesh is truly food and my blood is truly drink.’ [John 6:55].”Origen, Homilies on Numbers: Homily 23, paragraph 6:“…doctrinal and solid words that are brought forth in a way that is filled with faith in the Trinity, … All these things are the flesh of the Word of God.”Origen, Homilies on Exodus, Homily 13:“I wish to admonish you with examples from your religious practices. You who are accustomed to take part in divine mysteries know, when you receive the body of the Lord, how you protect it with all caution and veneration lest any part fall from it, lest anything of the consecrated gift be lost. For you believe, and correctly, that you are answerable if anything falls from there by neglect. But if you are so careful to preserve his body, and rightly so, how do you think that there is less guilt to have neglected God’s word than to have neglected his body?”Roman Catholics wish to use this citation from Origen to show evidence of a belief in the “real presence” of Christ in the consecrated bread and wine. The problem is, Hippolytus shows the same reverence for consecrated bread because of what it symbolizes:Hippolytus, Anaphora, chapter 38 (215 AD)“Having blessed the cup in the Name of God, you received it as the antitype of the Blood of Christ. Therefore do not spill from it, for some foreign spirit to lick it up because you despised it.”And Tertullian shows the same reverence for unconsecrated bread and wine just because of what it could be used to symbolize:Tertullian, The Chaplet, Chapter 3“We feel pained should any wine or bread, even though our own, be cast upon the ground.”If Tertullian is careful not to spill bread and wine because of what they could symbolize, and Hippolytus is careful with consecrated wine because of what it does symbolize, Origen’s care for the consecrated bread can hardly be used to prove an early belief in the “real presence” of Christ in the consecrated bread.Cyprian of Carthage, Epistle 57, paragraph 4 (254 - 257 AD) (note that by “present a person in the offerings” Cyprian means “to commemorate that person in the offerings):“But I and my colleagues, and all the brotherhood, send this letter to you in the stead of us, dearest brother; and setting forth to you by our letter our joy, we express the faithful inclination of our love here also in our sacrifices and our prayers, not ceasing to give thanks to God the Father, and to Christ His Son our Lord; … For the victim which affords an example to the brotherhood both of courage and of faith, [ought to be offered up when the brethren are present.”Cyprian of Carthage, Epistle 62, paragraph 7 (254 - 257 AD) (note that Cyprian says we could not drink Christ’s blood until after the cross—which means He could not have given His disciples His blood to drink the night before He died):“The treading also, and pressure of the wine-press, is repeatedly dwelt on; because just as the drinking of wine cannot be attained to unless the bunch of grapes be first trodden and pressed, so neither could we drink the blood of Christ unless Christ had first been trampled upon and pressed, and had first drunk the cup of which He should also give believers to drink.”Catholic Encyclopedia, Cyprian of Carthage“We have always to remember that his experience as a Christian was of short duration, that he became a bishop soon after he was converted, and that he had no Christian writings besides Holy Scripture to study besides those of Tertullian.”Aphrahat of Persia, Demonstration 12, On the Passover (mid-4th century)“Our Saviour ate the Passover sacrifice with his disciples during the night watch of the fourteenth. He offered to his disciples the sign of the true Passover sacrifice.” (chapter 6)“The Passover of the Jews is on the day of the fourteenth…. [but] Our day of great suffering, however, is Friday, the fifteenth day. … our great day is Friday.” (chapter 8)Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 23, paragraph 20 (350 AD)“Trust not the judgment to your bodily palate no, but to faith unfaltering; for they who taste are bidden to taste, not bread and wine, but the anti-typical Body and Blood of Christ.”Gregory of Nazianzen, Oration 2, paragraph 95 (361 AD)“Since then I knew these things, and that no one is worthy of the mightiness of God, and the sacrifice, and priesthood, who has not first presented himself to God, a living, holy sacrifice, and set forth the reasonable, well-pleasing service, Romans 12:1 and sacrificed to God the sacrifice of praise and the contrite spirit, which is the only sacrifice required of us by the Giver of all; how could I dare to offer to Him the external sacrifice, the antitype of the great mysteries, or clothe myself with the garb and name of priest, before my hands had been consecrated by holy works; before my eyes had been accustomed to gaze safely upon created things, with wonder only for the Creator, and without injury to the creature;”Gregory of Nazianzen, Oration 45, paragraph 23 (381 AD)“Now we will partake of a Passover which is still typical; though it is plainer than the old one.”Macarius, The Elder (the Egyptian), Homily 27, paragraph 17“in the church bread and wine should be offered, the symbol (ἀντίτυπον) of His flesh and blood, and that those who partake of the visible bread eat spiritually the flesh of the Lord, and that the apostles' and Christians receive the Paraclete, and are endued with power from on high, 2 and are filled with the Godhead, and their souls mingled with the Holy Ghost” Homily 27, paragraph 17.On the introduction of kneeling during the consecration, after centuries of it being prohibited:“Eventually kneeling became more common in public prayer with the increase of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. … In the Eucharist we are invited to approach an even greater manifestation of God’s presence–the literal body, blood, soul, and divinity of God the Son–so it is fitting that we adopt what in our culture is one of the most reverential postures.” (Catholic Answers, Should we stand or kneel at mass? )On the introduction of communion on the tongue after centuries of receiving it in the hand:“It is certainly true that ancient usage once allowed the faithful to take this divine food in their hands and to place it in their mouths themselves. … Later, with a deepening understanding of the truth of the eucharistic mystery, of its power and of the presence of Christ in it, there came a greater feeling of reverence towards this sacrament and a deeper humility was felt to be demanded when receiving it. Thus the custom was established of the minister placing a particle of consecrated bread on the tongue of the communicant.” (Memoriale Domini: Instruction on the Manner of Distributing Holy Communion, Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship (May 29, 1969)).On the prohibition of lay reservation after centuries of the practice:“It is also true that in very ancient times they were allowed to take the Blessed Sacrament with them from the place where the holy sacrifice was celebrated. This was principally so as to be able to give themselves Viaticum in case they had to face death for their faith. … Soon the task of taking the Blessed Eucharist to those absent was confided to the sacred ministers alone, so as the better to ensure the respect due to the sacrament … .” (Memoriale Domini: Instruction on the Manner of Distributing Holy Communion, Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship (May 29, 1969)).John Henry Cardinal Newman“The acts of the fourth century .. may be fairly taken to interpret to us the dim, though definite, outlines traced in the preceding [centuries].” (John Cardinal Newman, On the Development of Christian Doctrine, chapter 4, paragraph 15). Such an assumption was necessary to explain, as Newman described it, the “want of accord between the early and the late aspects of Christianity” (Newman, On the Development of Christian Doctrine, Introduction, paragraph 20.)Rev. John Brande Morris, M .A.“[I]f there are early traces of identity of belief, they may be invisible, except to the eye of a Catholic, but perfectly clear to him. … What is intended is, not to assert that the present devotion to Mary existed in the early ages; that may be so or not: but that the principle on which it is based naturally led to it, and may be assumed to have been intended by God to lead to it.” (Rev. John Brande Morris, M .A., Jesus, the Son of Mary, 1851, pp. 25-33.)Phillip Schaff“[In Gregory of Nyssa] we have the full explanation of what Irenæus meant when he said that the elements ‘by receiving the Word of God become the Eucharist’ “. (Introduction to the Works of Cyril of Jerusalem, Chapter 7, Eucharistic Doctrine).William Wigan Harvey “…the prayer of consecration [is] mentioned by Justin Martyr in his First Apology, paragraph 65, and stated expressly by S. Basil to be something more than the simple words of Scripture.” (Harvey, W. Wigan, Sancti Irenæi Episcopi Lugdunensis, Libros Quinque Contra Haereses, volume ii, Typis Academicis, 1857, 205n.)Clement of Rome, Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 44“For our sin will not be small, if we eject from the episcopate those who have blamelessly and holily fulfilled its duties.” (Alexander Roberts, D.D. & James Donaldson, LL.D.)“Our sin will not be small if we eject from the episcopate those who blamelessly and holily have offered its Sacrifices.” (William A. Jurgens) “For our sin will not be small, if we eject from the episcopate those who have blamelessly and holily presented the offerings.” (Phillip Schaff)The original Greek is actuall “προσενεγκοντας τα δωρα” which literally translates as “offered the gifts.” (Migne, P.G. vol I, col 300)Justin MartyrDialogue with Trypho, Chapters 109- 124 (155-167 AD)“Now, that prayers and giving of thanks [ευχαριστιαι], when offered by worthy men, are the only perfect and well-pleasing sacrifices to God, I also admit. For such alone Christians have undertaken to offer, and in the remembrance effected by their solid and liquid food, whereby the suffering of the Son of God which He endured is brought to mind” (Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, chapter 117). (Migne, P.G. vol VI, col 745)First Apology, 13 (155 AD)“[Him] we praise to the utmost of our power by the exercise of prayer and thanksgiving (ευχαριστιας) for all things wherewith we are supplied, as we have been taught that the only honour that is worthy of Him is not to consume by fire what He has brought into being for our sustenance, but to use it for ourselves and those who need, and with gratitude to Him to offer thanks by word of processions and to send forth hymns (gr: διά λόγου πομπάς και ύμνους πέμπειν; la: rationalibus eum pompis et hymnis celebrare) for our creation, and for all the means of health, and for the various qualities of the different kinds of things, and for the changes of the seasons.” (First Apology, Paragraph 13) (Migne, P.G. vol VI, col 345).Lacking the greek word, epicleses, George Reith and Marcus Dods translated “διά λόγου πομπάς” as “invocations”.First Apology, 66 (155 AD)“… we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word … is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.” (Marcus Dods & George Reith)“… we have been taught that the food over which thanksgiving has been made by prayer in the word received from Him … is both the Flesh and Blood of Him the Incarnate Jesus.” (Phillip Schaff)“the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by him, … is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus” (Catholic Answers)The original greek is “τὴν δι᾽ εὐχῆς λόγου τοῦ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ εὐχαριστηθεῖσαν τροφήν”. (Migne, P.G. vol VI, cols 428-429). Here, “the prayer of His word,” or “εὐχῆς λόγου,” which is the Consecration, is spoken over “that eucharisted food,” or “αὐτοῦ εὐχαριστηθεῖσαν τροφήν,” indicating that in Justin, the Eucharistic prayer is not the Consecration, for the Eucharistic prayer took place before the prayer of His word. But all of these translations collapse the Eucharist (thanksgiving prayer) into the epiclesis (the consecration), such that the thanksgiving prayer makes the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.IrenæusAgainst Heresies, Book I, chapter 13, paragraph 2 (174-189 AD)“Pretending to offer the eucharist (εὐχαριστείν) in cups mingled with wine, and extending the word of invocation (ὲπικλήσεως) to unusual length…” (A Library of the Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church, Anterior to the Division of the East and West, volume 42, Five Books of S. Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons Against Heresies, Rev. John Keble, M.A., translator, James Parker & Col, 1872, 41) (Migne PG vo VII, col 580).Clearly, Irenæus has the “eucharist” separate from the “invocation” or “epiclesis” or “consecration.” But Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut collapsed the Eucharist into the Epiclesis, rending it, “Pretending to consecrate (εὐχαριστείν) cups mixed with wine, and protracting to great length the word of invocation (ὲπικλήσεως) …”Against Heresies, Book IV, chapter 18, paragraph 5 (174-189 AD)“For as the bread, which is produced from the earth, when it receives the summons (“έκκλησιν (ecclisin)”), of God, is no longer common bread, but the Eucharist, consisting of two realities, earthly and heavenly” (AH.IV.18.5, emphasis added). That is what the original Greek says. Ecclesin, the Greek word for Summons, indicating the Lord summoning the tithe. When it is summoned, it takes on two realities, earthly and heavenly. (Migne, PG, vol VII, col 1028). Migne, recognizing the problem this causes for the Roman Catholic argument for transubstantiation, added a footnote indicating that even though the greek says “έκκλησιν (ecclisin, summons)”, “επικλησιν (epiclisin, invocation) is preferred”. And thus, Protestant scholars have followed suit, rendering in English something that Irenæus is known not to have said:Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut: “For as the bread, which is produced from the earth, when it receives the invocation of God, is no longer common bread, but the Eucharist, consisting of two realities, earthly and heavenly;” Harvey, W. Wigan, Sancti Irenæi Episcopi Lugdunensis, Libros Quinque Contra Haereses, volume ii, Typis Academicis, 1857, 205n-206. “επικλυσιν is evidently the reading followed by the [Latin] translator, and is that which the sense requires.” Trevor, George, The Catholic Doctrine of the Sacrifice and Participation of the Holy Eucharist. Trevor acknowledges that Irenæus used the word ecclesin instead of epiclesin, but it doesn’t matter (Trevor, 321n) because it is so clear that Irenæus was obviously talking about a symbolic oblation of Christ’s body and blood, so the sense is the same. Now citing from George Trevor, in his 1876 work, on this very paragraph of Irenæus:“It is quite plain that the New Oblation of Irenæus is a sacrifice of Bread and Wine, offered both as the first-fruits of the earth and as symbols of the Body and Blood of Christ, who is the first fruits from the dead.” (Trevor, 322)John H. McKenna, The Eucharistic Epiclesis: A Detailed History from the Patristic to the Modern Era, wonders, credulously, what Irenæus must have meant when he said the bread takes on a heavenly reality at the invocation:“Irenæus argues from the real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist to the reality of the bodily resurrection: ‘ … For as the bread from the earth, receiving the invocation of God (προσλαμβανόμενος τὴν ἐπικλυσιν του Θεού) is no longer common bread…’” (Second edition, Hillenbrand Books, 2009, 46.) Yet, Irenæus did not write ἐπικλυσιν. He wrote έκκλησιν.Against Heresies, Book V, Chapter 2, paragraph 3 (174-189 AD)Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut have Irenæus saying the bread and wine become the Eucharist at the consecration:“When, therefore, the mingled cup and the manufactured bread receives the Word of God, and the Eucharist of the blood and the body of Christ is made…”But that is a mistranslation. Phillip Schaff provides this acknowledgement in the footnote: Irenæus said, rather, that the bread and wine were already the Eucharist before the consecration, and at the consecration, the bread and wine become the body of Christ:Phillip Schaff, footnote 4462“The Greek text, of which a considerable portion remains here, would give, ‘and the Eucharist becomes the body of Christ.’”Roberts’ & Rambaut’s mistranslation relies on the Latin, and obscures the fact that the Eucharist preceded the consecration, and that the bread and wine were already the Eucharist prior to the consecration.Fragment 37 (late 2nd century)“And therefore the oblation (προσφορα, offering) of the Eucharist is not a carnal one, but a spiritual; and in this respect it is pure. For we make an oblation (προσφερομεν, offering) to God of the bread and the cup of blessing, giving Him thanks in that He has commanded the earth to bring forth these fruits for our nourishment. And then, when we have perfected (τελέσαντες, completed, finished) the oblation (προσφοραν, offering), we invoke the Holy Spirit, that He may exhibit (αποφηνη, apophene), this sacrifice (την θυσιαν, THE sacrifice, not THIS sacrifice), both the bread the body of Christ, and the cup the blood of Christ, in order that the receivers of these antitypes (αντιτυπων) may obtain remission of sins and life eternal.” (Migne, PG, vol VII, col 1253)HippolytusAnaphora (215 AD)Katherine E. Harmon, Assistant Professor of Theology at Marian University in Indianapolis, IN. “My undergraduate students recently read the anaphora from a source which has been referred to as “the Apostolic Tradition according to St. Hippolytus of Rome.” Whether the students knew this lengthy title or not is unclear, as I, being a Notre Dame graduate, have taken an oath to use a heavy black marker to “x” out ruthlessly all references to Hippolytus in text books of liturgical history.” (The So-Called Apostolic Tradition of St. Hippolytus of Rome, February 12, 2105)Fragment on Proverbs 9Schaff: “‘And she hath furnished her table:’ that denotes the promised knowledge of the Holy Trinity; it also refers to His honoured and undefiled body and blood, which day by day are administered and offered sacrificially at the spiritual divine table, as a memorial of that first and ever-memorable table of the spiritual divine supper.”Not only is this anachronistic reading inconsistent with the early liturgy in general, but it is inconsistent with Hippolytus’ own liturgy (in the Anaphora) and that of his mentor, Irenæus. It is notable, as well, that Proverbs 9 is about Wisdom furnishing her table for a meal, not furnishing her table for a sacrifice. This reading in Schaff’s series on the Ante-Nicæan Fathers is surely influenced by the intentional mistranslation in Irenæus, Against Heresies, Book IV, chapter 18 in which the offering is made to take place after the epiclesis.Greek: “…και το τιμιον και αχραντον αυτου σωμα και αιμα απερ εν τη μυστικη και θεια τραπεζη καθ εκαστην επιτελουνται θυομενα εις αναμνησιν της αειμνηστου και πρωτγς εκεινης τραπεζης του μυστικου θειου δειπνου.” (Migne, PG, vol X, 628)Better English translation: “……and to His honorable and undefiled body and blood, as on the mystical and divine table each day the sacrifices have been administered, as a memorial of that first and ever-memorable table of the spiritual divine suppeThis rendering is not only consistent with Justin, who said the consecration occurs only after the food has already been offered as a Eucharist (First Apology, Chapter 66), and with Hippolytus’ mentor, Irenæus, who said the bread and wine were already the Eucharist when they were offered, but that the Eucharist becomes the body and blood of Christ at the consecration (Against Heresies, Book I, chapter 13; Book IV, chapter 17-18, Book V, chapter 2), but also with Hippolytus himself, who said that the bread and wine are offered along with cheese, oil, and olives in the Eucharist, but that the bread and wine do not become the body and blood of Christ until the consecration is spoken over them. Thus, consistent with the testimony of the early church, the body and blood of Christ are present on the “spiritual and divine table” every day the sacrifices are administered, but the body and blood of Christ are not what is offered.Additionally, this reading is consistent with Proverbs 9 which Hippolytus was expounding. His only point is that consecrated bread and wine are on the table, and thus Wisdom has furnished her table. But according to the early liturgy, when are the consecrated bread and wine on the table? They are on the table every day that the sacrifices have been administered, because the Supper is always preceded by the Eucharist.Gregory of NazianzenOration 18 (374 AD)Paragraph 20“Who was more sympathetic in mind, more bounteous in hand, towards the poor, that most dishonoured portion of the nature to which equal honour is due? For he actually treated his own property as if it were another's, … . This is what most men do: they give indeed, but without that readiness, which is a greater and more perfect thing than the mere offering.” Paragraph 25““How could anyone be more conclusively proved to be good, and worthy to offer the gifts (δωρα) to God?” (Migne, PG vol 35, col 1016)Oration 45 (381 AD)Paragraph 30“But, O Pascha, great and holy and purifier of all the world — for I will speak to you as to a living person — O Word of God and Light and Life and Wisdom and Might — for I rejoice in all Your names — O Offspring and Expression and Signet of the Great Mind; O Word conceived and Man contemplated, Who bearest all things, binding them by the Word of Your power; receive this discourse, not now as firstfruits, but perhaps as the completion of my offerings, a thanksgiving, and at the same time a supplication, that we may suffer no evil beyond those necessary and sacred cares in which our life has been passed; and stay the tyranny of the body over us; (You see, O Lord, how great it is and how it bows me down) or Your own sentence, if we are to be condemned by You. But if we are to be released, in accordance with our desire, and be received into the Heavenly Tabernacle, there too it may be we shall offer You acceptable Sacrifices upon Your Altar, to Father and Word and Holy Ghost; for to You belongs all glory and honour and might, world without end.” [These sacrifices are begin offered to Christ, and to the Godhead. Obviously, the sacrifice is not Christ’s body and blood."]Oration 18 (374 AD)Paragraph 29“Then, after adding the customary words of thanksgiving [της ευχαριστιας], and after blessing the people, he retired again to his bed, and after taking a little food, and enjoying a sleep, he recalled his spirit, and, his health being gradually recovered, on the new day of the feast, as we call the first Sunday after the festival of the Resurrection, he entered the temple and inaugurated his life which had been preserved, with the full complement of clergy, and offered the sacrifice of thanksgiving.” [Migne, Migne PG, vol 35, col 1021]. This is obviously a Eucharist offering of unconsecrated food. Nevertheless, Migne adds in a footnote the interpretation of Jacobus Billius, noting that “after adding the customary words of thanksgiving [της ευχαριστιας]”, which really only indicate that the Eucharistic prayers have been interrupted, can be understood to mean, “that the consecration is completed” [“vel ea intelligi posse, quibus consecratio perficitur”], demonstrating the propensity of the scholars to collapse the Eucharist into the Epiclesis.

In this episode, we continue our analysis of the second part of Marcus Grodi's evidence from the early church fathers that led to his conversion to Roman Catholicism: the Eucharist. We provide evidence from the early church that “the Eucharist” referred to the tithe offering for the poor and prayers of gratitude to the Lord, and not to the Lord’s Supper. Bread and wine were then taken from the offering and consecrated for use in the Supper. Contrary to the Roman Catholic claim that the consecration turns the bread and wine into the Eucharist, the early writers believed the consecration turned the Eucharist into the body and blood of Christ. The Eucharist came first, and when the offering was over, the consecration was spoken, followed by the meal. What was offered in the liturgy was the sacrifice of gratitude in the tithe, and the sacrifice was over before the words of consecration were spoken and Lord’s Supper began. And even after the consecration, the bread and wine were still said to be figures, types, antitypes and symbols of Christ’s body and blood. This liturgical order prevailed for 300 until the end of the 4th century when the liturgical sacrifice began to occur after the consecration, and the Roman Catholic Sacrifice of the Mass was born. The liturgical sacrifice of Christ’s body and blood during the Lord’s Supper is a late fourth century novelty, nothing more. It was neither instituted by Christ nor practiced by the early church.Show Notes:Marcus Grodi: The Early Church Fathers I Never Saw - The Journey Home (3-19-2007)Irenæus, Against Heresies, Book I, chapter 13, paragraph 2 (174-189 AD)“Pretending to offer the eucharist (εὐχαριστείν) in cups mingled with wine, and extending the word of invocation (ὲπικλήσεως) to unusual length…” (A Library of the Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church, Anterior to the Division of the East and West, volume 42, Five Books of S. Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons Against Heresies, Rev. John Keble, M.A., translator, James Parker & Col, 1872, 41) [We will discuss the variance between Keble’s translation and Schaff’s translation in the next episode]Irenæus, Against Heresies, Book IV, Chapter 17 (174-189 AD)Irenæus, Against Heresies, Book IV, Chapter 18, paragraph 5 (174-189 AD)“…that as bread from the earth, receiving the summons (έκκλησιν) of God, is no longer common bread but an Eucharist composed of two things, both an earthly and an heavenly one; so also our bodies, partaking of the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, having the hope of Eternal Resurrection.” (Keble, 361) [Here Irenæus says we partake of the Eucharist, but by, implication only after the Eucharist is consecrated (see Book V, chapter 2, below), but that it was already the Eucharist when it was first summoned by the Lord for the tithe. Irenæus has established a parallel to make a point—when the bread is summoned for a tithe, it becomes heavenly, and not just earthly, for, though earthly, it is now set apart for heavenly purposes; so too, we though earthly, are set apart for a heavenly destiny when we receive the consecrated bread. Notable, indeed, that the bread becomes the Eucharist when it is summoned for a tithe, not when it is consecrated. We will discuss the variance between Keble’s translation and Schaff’s translation in the next episode.]Irenæus, Against Heresies, Book V, Chapter 2, paragraph 3 (174-189 AD)“Since therefore both the cup which is mingled and the bread which is made receiveth the Word of God, and the Eucharist becometh the body of Christ, and of these the substance of our flesh groweth and subsisteth: … even as the wood of the vine arched down into the ground beareth fruit in its due time, and the corn of wheat falling into the earth, and mouldering, is raised up by the Spirit of God, Who upholdeth all things: and afterwards by the Wisdom of God cometh to be used by men, and having received to itself the Word of God, becometh an Eucharist, i.e., the body and blood of Christ: so also our bodies, nourished thereby, and put into the ground, and dissolved therein, shall rise again in their own time, the Word of God giving them resurrection to the glory of God and His Father:…” (Keble, 453-54) [Here Irenæus makes a play on words — just as the bread of the tithe becomes the body of Christ when it receives the word of God {“this is My body; this is My blood”} at the consecration, so we will be raised up by the Word of God at the resurrection. Notable, indeed, that the bread was already the Eucharist when before it was consecrated. We will discuss the variance between Keble’s translation and Schaff’s translation in the next episode]Five Books of S. Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons Against Heresies, Rev. John Keble, M.A., translator, James Parker & Co., 1872Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book I (202 AD)Tertullian, On Prayer (208 AD)Tertullian, Against Marcion, Book IV (208 AD)Hippolytus of Rome, the Apostolic Tradition (c. 215 AD)The Didascalia (230 AD)Origen, Against Celsus, Book VIIICornelius, Bishop of Rome, letter to Fabian of Antioch (251-253 AD) [Recorded in Eusebius, Church History, Book 6, chapter 43]Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, letter [9] to Bishop Sixtus of Rome (254-258 AD) [Note: it is epistle IV in Migne’s series on the greek fathers; the letter is also recorded in Eusebius, Church History, Book 7, Chapter 9, where he refers to it as epistle VI]The Canons of the Council of Nicæa (325 AD)The Canons of the Council of Nicæa (Greek and Latin) (325 AD)Julius, Bishop of Rome, to the Accusers of Athanasius (341 AD) [Recorded in Athanasius, Apology Against the Arians, Part 1]Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 19 (c. 350 AD)Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 23 (c. 350 AD)Euchologion of Serapion of Thmuis (350-356 AD)Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 2 (361 AD)Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 18 (374 AD)Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 45 (381 AD)Gregory of Nyssa, On the Space of Three Days between the Death and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (382 AD)Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on Twelve Psalms of David, Psalm 38 (389 AD)John Chrysostom, Treatise on the Priesthood, Book III (387 AD)John Chrysostom, Homilies on Hebrews, Homily 17Divine Liturgy of John Chrysostom (398 AD)

Disciple Up #119 Show Notes What's So Important About the Cross? By Louie Marsh, 7-31-2019   Introduction: The only way to comment publicly on the podcast is at the FaceBook page, facebook.com/discipleup.  You can e-mail me at louie@discipleup.org.   Request for an upcoming episode I'm researching now.   Most of the information on today's episode is taken from John Stott's masterful book, “The Cross of Christ.” Link below.   The Centrality of the Cross   What part does the cross of Christ play in our Christian faith? Why did Jesus have to die on the cross, and why has the cross remained the central symbol of the Christian faith for over 2,000 years?   Christians agree that it was on the cross that Christ died to save our souls. But is it really central to our faith? Here's what Paul said, For Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speeches and high-sounding ideas, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power. I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God. 1 Cor. 1:17-18 (NLT) [See also Gal. 5:11; 6:12,14; Phil. 2:8]   To Paul there is more to the cross than it's use by God in redeeming mankind. He makes it central to his message and his life. As we begin our look at the cross of Christ we must start with attempting to discover why it is placed squarely at the center of our faith.   The Cross as a Sign and a Symbol   Every major group, movement, nation and religion has a visual symbol. Buddhism has the lotus flower and Islam the crescent. Ancient Judaism avoided a symbol for fear of making an idol, but modern Judaism has two symbols, the Star of David and the Menorah.   Secular states have symbols also. The Nazi's had the swastika, the Soviet Union had the hammer and sickle and the New Age Movement today uses the rainbow. Today almost every business or group has its own symbol (called a logo usually). This includes Christ's Church on the River!   In the early church the Christian symbol wasn't the cross. The earliest symbol was the peacock, which symbolized immortality. The first Christians also used a dove, the athlete's victory palm and of course the fish. Yet gradually the cross replaced all these. (It also precluded others from rising such as the manger, the empty tomb, etc.)   Instead the cross was chosen. It's two bars were already a cosmic symbol from antiquity of the axis between heaven and earth. When the church chose the central truth of the faith to commemorate they chose neither Christ's miracles nor teachings, they didn't even choose His resurrection! Instead they chose the cross. (By the way, just in case you're wondering, the crucifix doesn't seem to have been used before the 6th century AD.)   How they used the Cross   From the second century onward early Christians made the sign of the cross on themselves and others. Early Church Father Tertullian (A.D. 200) wrote this,   “At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of life, we trace upon the forehead the sign.”   Hyppolytus wrote The Apostolic Tradition (215 A.D.) about the traditional rites of the church. He recommended in private prayer to, “imitate him always, by signing the forehead sincerely; for this is the sign of his passion.”   It seems clear then that the sign of the cross was intended to identify and sanctify each act belonging to Christ. In the early church the cross of Christ was ever present in the life of the believer.   The Surprise of the Cross   It is surprising that the church chose the cross as their symbol when we remember the horror it was regarded with in the ancient world.   Cicero wrote, “To bind a Roman citizen is a crime, to flog him is an abomination, to kill him is almost an act of murder; to crucify him is – what? There is no fitting word that can possibly describe too horrible a deed…the very cross should be far removed not only from the person of a Roman citizen, but from his thoughts, his eyes, his ears.”   The first surviving picture of the crucifixion of Jesus is a caricature found on Palatine Hill in Rome, in a school for Imperial Pages. A crude drawing shows stretched on a cross a man with the head of a donkey. To the left stands another man with one arm raised in worship. Scribbled underneath are the words, “Alexamenos worships his God.”   In the light of all this why did the church choose the cross for its main symbol? Only one answer can suffice – that the centrality of the cross originated from the Lord Jesus Himself.   Scripture and the Cross   The centrality of the cross began early in Christ's ministry.  He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. (Mark 8:31-32)  The word plainly means “with freedom of speech or openly.” In a parallel passage (Matthew 16:21-23) the cross was so important that Jesus called Peter “Satan” when he urged Jesus to avoid it!   Jesus repeats himself in Mark 10:32-34. By saying the Son of Man will suffer and die Jesus daringly combined the two images of the Messiah in the Old Testament; the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 and the Reigning Son of Man of Daniel 7. Jesus said that He is both and will die before He reigns.   Jesus emphasis on the cross is also reflected in the amount of space the Gospels give to their accounts of His passion. It takes up between one-third and one-fourth of the Synoptic Gospels, and almost one-half of John!   The Apostles View of the Cross   How the Apostles viewed the cross can be discovered in their use of the word “tree.” Peter used it in Acts 5:30 and Paul used it in Acts 13:29.   Why is this so important? Because of what the book of Deuteronomy says, If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. Deut. 21:22-23   The Apostles deliberately drew to people's attention that Jesus died under a curse! Why on earth would they do that?   Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." (Galatians 3:13)  He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)   These Scriptures show that the ancient people guessed right about the cross. The cross of Christ indeed became the nexus of heaven and earth! For on the cross God met and dealt with man's central problem – sin!  Jesus did this by bearing our sins in His body!   Why Did Christ Die?   The standard Christian answer to this question is four fold: 1) He died for us (Rom. 5:8). Professor Martin Hengel has shown that the concept of a person dying voluntarily for his city, family, friends, the truth or to pacify the gods was wide spread in the Roman world. They even had a special word for it. That's one reason they so quickly understood the Gospel.   2) He died to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18). 3) Christ died to forgive our sins (1 Cor. 15:3). 4) Christ died our death, (Rom. 6:23) He died so that we might live.   All this means that the simple statement Christ died for our sins says a lot more that it appears to on the surface. It says that Jesus, though sinless and not needing to die, did die the death we deserve to die for our sins.   Do these answers fit the facts, as we know them from the Gospels? Or are they something cooked up later to explain what happened to Jesus? To find out let's look at two events beginning with Maundy Thursday and the institution of the Lord's Supper, and Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.   The Last Supper   When I read about the Last Supper the first thing that stands out to me is that Jesus doesn't spend the evening sadly looking back over His life and lamenting the fact He is going to die so young. Instead He look forward to His death as something that must happen and must be remembered!   Here in the only regular commemorative act ever authorized by the Lord Jesus, He is concerned not about His birth, miracles or teachings, but His death. Jesus is saying to us that above all else we must not forget His death and what it means!   According to Matthew and Paul Jesus said that His death and the shedding of His blood would forgive sins and bring about a new covenant (relationship) between God and man.   The Old Covenant was brought about by blood.  Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey."  Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words." ( Exodus 24:7-8)   Later the Prophet Jeremiah foretold a New Covenant,  "The time is coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Jeremiah 31:31 (See Jer. 1-34 for the whole picture) Six centuries after this prophecy Jesus said that His blood must be shed to bring this New Covenant into being.   The Lord's Supper was an advance dramatization of Christ's death. It is designed in such a way that everyone in the room is a participant! No one is a spectator – everyone must get involved. To take part in it you must personally take inside of yourself the bread and the cup. This symbolizes the necessity of personally making a choice about Christ.   Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. (John 6:53-55)   The Garden   The Gospel accounts of Jesus in the Garden use some very forceful words to describe what happened there. Luke says Jesus was in “anguish,” the Greek word means “Appalled reluctance.” Matthew and Mark use the word “troubled,” which means a “loathing aversion.”   Jesus said He was “overwhelmed” with “sorrow.” Mark says He was “deeply distressed,” a phrase that literally means “horror struck!”   What caused these very strong reactions? The Cup. What was The Cup? Some say that it was Christ's fear of physical death. To that I say – No way Jose!! Christ who knew that there life after death, who had brought people back from death itself, could not have feared it.   So what caused this reaction? In the Old Testament The Cup was a phrase often used to refer to God's wrath. As a nation or people sinned the cup would get fuller and fuller until at last it was filled up. Then God in His righteous wrath would pour out His judgment until the cup was empty and justice was satisfied.   Jesus knew that He was going to take upon and within Himself all His Father's wrath for all the sins of the world! This knowledge that He – a sinless being – would experience all sin – caused Him such horror.  He foresaw that this would separate Him from His Father for a moment – and that in Paul's words,  “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Cor. 5:21, NLT)   Yes The Cup had to be drunk. People often say that God can do anything – but that's not true. According to the Bible He cannot lie, cheat or fail to fulfill His Word. He also could not avoid the need for a sacrifice for our sins. His love drove Him to make the greatest sacrifice of all – Jesus dying on the cross for your sins and mine!   Why the Cross?   There are many theories about why God chose to use the cross to forgive us. Was it to satisfy the devil, as the early Greek Fathers (church leaders) thought? Was it to satisfy the Law as the early Latin Fathers thought? Or did God's sense of honor and justice as Anselm taught in the 11th century?   While there is some truth in each of these ideas, the plain fact is that the cross is necessary because it arises from within the nature of God Himself. So how and why does God react to sin? The Bible uses several words that will help us understand this question.   The first one is “provoked”. In Judges 2:12-13; 1 Kings 15:30, 21:22 among others places we see this word used. It expresses the inevitable reaction of God's perfect nature to evil. He is never provoked without reason and must react this way or He would cease to be God!   The second word is “burning.” It's used in Joshua 7:1, 23:16; Judges 3:7-8 & Hosea 8:5 and many other places. It's when God is provoked to anger that He is said to burn with anger. (See 2 Kings 22:17)   So there is something in God's essential moral being which is provoked by evil, which is ignited by it and that burns until the evil is consumed.   Our third and final word is “satisfaction.” The Hebrew word means “to be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, spent.” It's found in Ez. 7:8 and Lam 4:11 where God is described as about to “pour out” and “spend” His wrath. Notice that pouring out and spending go together. That which is poured out can't be gathered again, that which is spent is finished.   So, to sum this up, God is provoked to anger over sin, once kindled His anger burns and is not easily quenched. At last He unleashes it, pours out the cup, and spends it.   But this isn't a complete picture because it leaves out the background of God's wrath. What's that?  Believe it or not it's God's love!   Love and Wrath   In this section I'll be using human figures of speech here, because I don't have any others to use! Does the Almighty really have problems? Not from His perspective I'm sure, but from ours He's does! So I'm talking this way so that it will, hopefully, make sense to us mortals!   God's problem in dealing with humanity is described in Hosea 11:       "When Israel was a child, I loved him,         and out of Egypt I called my son.     But the more I called Israel,         the further they went from me.     They sacrificed to the Baals         and they burned incense to images.     It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,         taking them by the arms;     but they did not realize         it was I who healed them.     I led them with cords of human kindness,         with ties of love;     I lifted the yoke from their neck         and bent down to feed them.       "Will they not return to Egypt         and will not Assyria rule over them         because they refuse to repent?     Swords will flash in their cities,         will destroy the bars of their gates         and put an end to their plans.     My people are determined to turn from me.         Even if they call to the Most High,         he will by no means exalt them.       "How can I give you up, Ephraim?         How can I hand you over, Israel?     How can I treat you like Admah?         How can I make you like Zeboiim?     My heart is changed within me;         all my compassion is aroused.     I will not carry out my fierce anger,         nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.     For I am God, and not man--         the Holy One among you.         I will not come in wrath. Hosea 11:1-9   Paul expresses this dual nature of God, “he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26) This dilemma between justice and grace is always worked out in a way that is in perfect accord with both love and holiness.   The cross then is the event in which God reveals His holiness and love simultaneously. The cross is the only place where we can see that God's holiness and love are equally infinite. Emil Brunner wrote this daring sentence, “The wrath of God is the love of God.”   It might help us understand this if we think about why we discipline our children. We do it out of love – but they don't see it that way do they? Have you ever looked at God's wrath like a child?   Well you don't have to any longer because God's wrath against your sin was poured out, and spent on, the cross of Christ! There isn't any left to pour on you – it's was spent on the cross! That's what the whole New Testament means as Paul points out in Romans, “But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight—not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.” “For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.” (Romans 3:21-26)   The Achievement of the Cross   What did Christ's death on the cross achieve? To really answer that question we'll need to look at the four main images that the New Testament uses of Salvation. They are drawn from four different places: the shrine, the market place, a court of law, and the home.   Propitiation   I know, I know, this sounds more like a disease than anything else doesn't it? Well it's isn't! It comes from the ancient temples and shrines. It means to appease or to pacify anger. Is God an angry God who demands bribes and gifts to forgive us? No!   Propitiation is necessary because as we've seen sin arouses God's wrath. Pagan religion, and in some ways legalistic Christianity, say that we must provide propitiation for our sins. But the Bible doesn't say that! In fact it says the exact opposite!   In the Old Testament God provided the Law – “for the life of any creature is in its blood. I have given you the blood so you can make atonement for your sins. It is the blood, representing life, that brings you atonement.” (Leviticus 17:11, NLT)   In the New Testament God presented Jesus to save us as we saw in Romans 3:25.   Dr. David Wells wrote, “man is alienated from God by sin and God is alienated from man by wrath. It is in the substitutionary death of Christ that sin is overcome and wrath averted, so God can look on man without displeasure and man can look on God without fear.”   Redemption   Our next word comes from the ancient market place. The word literally means, “a ransom or price of release,” and was used of buying or setting free slaves.   Just was have we been redeemed from?  “He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right.” (Titus 2:14, NLT) Moral slavery, guilt, God's wrath etc.   We must never forget the great price Christ paid to redeem us. What was that price? First his incarnation (when he became a man, Phil. 2:5-7). Secondly his shed blood on the cross (I Peter 1:18-19).   We're looking at these things in a logical manner. Propitiation inevitably comes first, because until the wrath of God is appeased (that is until His love has found a way to avert his anger) there can be no salvation for us. Next, when we are ready to understand the meaning of salvation we begin negatively with redemption. Which is our rescue, at the high price of Christ's blood, from sin and death.   Justification   This third word is taken from the law court. Justification is the opposite of condemnation, and both are verdicts of a judge. Justification is the positive counterpart of redemption. It bestows on us a righteous standing before God. J.J. Packer wrote: “Justification by faith appears to be the heart of God's saving grace…like Atlas, it bears a world on its shoulders.”   The Source of our Justification according to Romans 3:24 is God's grace. “…and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24)   Grace means something freely given that brings about well being. Therefore self-justification is impossible (Rom. 3:20) and so God does it for us (Rom. 3:21-25). This is grace, a free gift that brings good.   The Ground of our Justification. We are justified by Christ's blood, “And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ,” (Romans 5:9, NLT). The blood shed on the cross allows God to make us right with him. Therefore justification isn't amnesty or an overlooking guilt, or a pardon without principle. It's not some plea bargain with God. Justification is an act of justice, a gracious justice, but justice nonetheless.   The Means of our Justification, is faith. “So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.” (Romans 3:28, NLT). But faith in what? Faith and grace belong together. Since faith's only function is to receive what Grace freely offers, you cannot split them apart. So we are made right with God by our faith in his gracious sacrifice of Christ on the cross.   Reconciliation   The fourth word or image of salvation is very popular because it's so personal. We've left the temple and the market place and the court of law behind, and now we've come home.   “And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.” (Romans 5:9-11, NLT)   To reconcile means to restore a relationship, or to renew a friendship. So this word presupposes an original relationship with God, which was broken, and that Christ recovered for us. Reconciliation is the opposite of alienation.   It's linked to justification in Romans 5:1: “Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” (NLT) Only after you have a right standing with God can you have peace through reconciliation.   Reconciliation is the fruit of justification. Peace is a synonym for, and a result of, reconciliation. It gives us peace and a personal relationship with God. According to Ephesians 2:13-18 it helps to bring us into peaceful and close relationships with those around us, especially those in the church.   How did this happen? According to 2 Cor. 5:18-22 it took place on the cross. “All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, "Be reconciled to God!" For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (NLT)   God was in Christ and together they reconciled us to them! God took the initiative, and reached out to us when we couldn't reach out to him!   Reconciliation is finished! All we have to do is accept it!   What Does All This Mean To Me?   The first thing that the cross assures us of is that God is not mad at you – ever!  His wrath's been placated by the cross. He's now free to love us completely and unconditionally because of the cross. We then should be free from fear (1 John 4:16-18).   The Death of False Guilt   False Guilt will die when we understand and take this to heart. False Guilt is feeling guilty over something that you shouldn't feel guilty about. If God has not condemned us how can we condemn ourselves?   And even if I am guilty the cross still rescues me! Justification teaches us that we are legally and morally in the clear – there's no reason to feel guilty. Reconciliation teaches us that God's not holding our sins against us- we have a restored relationship with Him! It also teaches us that we don't have the right to refuse to forgive someone God has forgiven!   This is the real answer to guilt – this and not psychology – holds the answers we need!   The cross says that God wants you! He paid an unbelievable price for you. This doesn't prove how wonderful you or I are – it proves how wonderful He is! He paid this price in spite of knowing, far better than we do, what terrible sinners we are!   And finally the cross teaches us that God's not going to give up on us! After everything He went through to propitiate His anger and to ransom us from sin – there's no way He's gonna quit on us now! (See 1 Peter 1:3-6)   Thank God for the Cross!   LINKS:   The Cross of Christ by John Stott - shorturl.at/GKZ56    

What is the history of Communion on the hand? Dr. Taylor Marhsall and Timothy Gordon discuss the practice in the early Church and refute the idea that Communion in the hand as normative. Instead, they show that Communion on the tongue or in the mouth (Latin: ore) was the preferred and normative way going back to Apostolic Tradition as confirmed by the Council of Trent. They also explain how Communion in Hand was established by disobedience and a series of papal indults in the 1970s. The best course of action is to attend the Traditional Latin Mass. Do you find benefit from my videos and podcasts? If so, please help me make more by becoming a Patron via Patreon (and I'll send you some signed books as a Thank You. Click here to become a Patron. Watch the Youtube video by clicking here. Or listen to the audio mp3 here: The Taylor Marshall Show Podcast is now also available on Spotify: Play “Taylor Marshall Show” inside Spotify. Check out Patreon Patron Benefits! All these video discussions are free. Do you want to recommend a show, get signed books, and show support? Here's how: click on Patreon Patron link: Become a Patron of this Podcast: I am hoping to produce more free weekly podcast Videos. Please help me launch these videos by working with me on Patreon to produce more free content. In gratitude, I'll send you some signed books or even stream a theology event for you and your friends. Please become one of my patrons and check out the various tier benefits at: https://www.patreon.com/drtaylormarshall If the audio player does not show up in your email or browser, please click here to listen.  If you find this podcast episode helpful, please share this podcast on Facebook. Announcements: * The podcast is now on my channel on Youtube.com * The complete Sword and Serpent Trilogy is now published, including the the third Book: Storm of Fire and Blood. * Download the Study Guide at: http://swordandserpent.com * New classes at New Saint Thomas Institute. We have just begun our New Testament Studies curriculum. Please visit: newsaintthomas.com for more details. I'd love to read your feedback: While you listen to today's podcast, would you please take 30 seconds to write a review? Please click here to Rate this Podcast! Please Share Your Feedback: * iTunes:2,170,201 downloads on iTunes as of today. * Youtube: Leave a comment on Youtube here. * SHOUT OUTS: A huge “shout out” to all 1,072 (!) of you who wrote amazing 5-star reviews at iTunes. Please rate this podcast by 

I suppose the biggest news around our church is that VBS is happening next week! If you don't believe me, come to worship on Sunday, and you will see something up front never seen in the history of St. Patrick. You will have to take my word for it—you won't be disappointed. I will give you a hint: being “lashed to the mast” is a real possibility!This Sunday, and for the rest of the summer, we are talking about The Apostles' Creed, and I can't wait! Here is what is interesting to me about the Creed and the way people think in our day: for the most part, our culture is only excited about the new and the novel. Because of technology, things are changing so rapidly that it is easy to get addicted to the next new thing. For instance, it is hard for me to believe that fifteen years ago there was no such thing as iPhone or social media––two things that have totally reshaped the human landscape. I can't even remember life without them! Don't get me wrong, I love technology and it does tend to make life easier, if not always better. Yet I would propose there is more about what it means to be human and to thrive packed into this one short creed than in all the technological advances I have witnessed in my lifetime. The human things do not change. What it takes to thrive as a human being now was true centuries ago. So, I invite you to slow down and consider the wise words of Chesterton, who says that “tradition is the democracy of the dead.” He said that because, even in his day a century ago, people only listened to what was in vogue at the moment. His statement is a challenge: when a new thing comes along, how do you get wisdom to look at it? How do you keep from being caught up in the provincialism of the moment? Chesterton suggested that we look back at what people have said and done for ages––not that it is infallible, but it allows us to get outside our own little moment and think about things with “the wisdom of the ages.” So, we will do that this summer; we will look at the Apostolic Tradition, as it was codified into a few statements that describes the heartbeat of Christianity and what it means to be human.

Holding to tradition

www.pintswithaquinas.com Pints With Aquinas (the book!) - https://www.amazon.com/Pints-Aquinas-Thoughts-Angelic-Doctor/dp/0692752404 Among the Lilies podcast - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/among-the-lilies/id1149976656?mt=2 ---   Objection 1. It would seem that it is not necessary to confess to a priest. For we are not bound to confession, except in virtue of its Divine institution. Now its Divine institution is made known to us (James 5:16): "Confess your sins, one to another," where there is no mention of a priest. Therefore it is not necessary to confess to a priest. Objection 2. Further, Penance is a necessary sacrament, as is also Baptism. But any man is the minister of Baptism, on account of its necessity. Therefore any man is the minister of Penance. Now confession should be made to the minister of Penance. Therefore it suffices to confess to anyone. Objection 3. Further, confession is necessary in order that the measure of satisfaction should be imposed on the penitent. Now, sometimes another than a priest might be more discreet than many priests are in imposing the measure of satisfaction on the penitent. Therefore it is not necessary to confess to a priest. Objection 4. Further, confession was instituted in the Church in order that the rectors might know their sheep by sight. But sometimes a rector or prelate is not a priest. Therefore confession should not always be made to a priest. On the contrary, The absolution of the penitent, for the sake of which he makes his confession, is imparted by none but priests to whom the keys are intrusted. Therefore confession should be made to a priest. Further, confession is foreshadowed in the raising of the dead Lazarus to life. Now our Lord commanded none but the disciples to loose Lazarus (John 11:44). Therefore confession should be made to a priest. I answer that, The grace which is given in the sacraments, descends from the Head to the members. Wherefore he alone who exercises a ministry over Christ's true body is a minister of the sacraments, wherein grace is given; and this belongs to a priest alone, who can consecrate the Eucharist. Therefore, since grace is given in the sacrament of Penance, none but a priest is the minister of the sacrament: and consequently sacramental confession which should be made to a minister of the Church, should be made to none but a priest. Reply to Objection 1. James speaks on the presupposition of the Divine institutions: and since confession had already been prescribed by God to be made to a priest, in that He empowered them, in the person of the apostles, to forgive sins, as related in John 20:23, we must take the words of James as conveying an admonishment to confess to priests. Reply to Objection 2. Baptism is a sacrament of greater necessity than Penance, as regards confession and absolution, because sometimes Baptism cannot be omitted without loss of eternal salvation, as in the case of children who have not come to the use of reason: whereas this cannot be said of confession and absolution, which regard none but adults, in whom contrition, together with the purpose of confessing and the desire of absolution, suffices to deliver them from everlasting death. Consequently there is no parity between Baptism and confession. Reply to Objection 3. In satisfaction we must consider not only the quantity of the punishment but also its power, inasmuch as it is part of a sacrament. In this way it requires a dispenser of the sacraments, though the quantity of the punishment may be fixed by another than a priest. Reply to Objection 4. It may be necessary for two reasons to know the sheep by sight. First, in order to register them as members of Christ's flock, and to know the sheep by sight thus belongs to the pastoral charge and care, which is sometimes the duty of those who are not priests. Secondly, that they may be provided with suitable remedies for their health; and to know the sheep by sight thus belongs to the man, i.e. the priest, whose business it is to provide remedies conducive to health, such as the sacrament of the Eucharist, and other like things. It is to this knowledge of the sheep that confession is ordained.   --- Quotes from the early Church (taken from Catholic.com)   The Didache   "Confess your sins in church, and do not go up to your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. . . . On the Lord’s Day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure" (Didache 4:14, 14:1 [A.D. 70]).    The Letter of Barnabas   "You shall judge righteously. You shall not make a schism, but you shall pacify those that contend by bringing them together. You shall confess your sins. You shall not go to prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of light" (Letter of Barnabas 19 [A.D. 74]).    Ignatius of Antioch   "For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ are also with the bishop. And as many as shall, in the exercise of penance, return into the unity of the Church, these, too, shall belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ" (Letter to the Philadelphians 3 [A.D. 110]).  "For where there is division and wrath, God does not dwell. To all them that repent, the Lord grants forgiveness, if they turn in penitence to the unity of God, and to communion with the bishop" (ibid., 8).    Irenaeus   "[The Gnostic disciples of Marcus] have deluded many women. . . . Their consciences have been branded as with a hot iron. Some of these women make a public confession, but others are ashamed to do this, and in silence, as if withdrawing from themselves the hope of the life of God, they either apostatize entirely or hesitate between the two courses" (Against Heresies 1:22 [A.D. 189]).    Tertullian   "[Regarding confession, some] flee from this work as being an exposure of themselves, or they put it off from day to day. I presume they are more mindful of modesty than of salvation, like those who contract a disease in the more shameful parts of the body and shun making themselves known to the physicians; and thus they perish along with their own bashfulness" (Repentance 10:1 [A.D. 203]).    Hippolytus   "[The bishop conducting the ordination of the new bishop shall pray:] God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . Pour forth now that power which comes from you, from your royal Spirit, which you gave to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and which he bestowed upon his holy apostles . . . and grant this your servant, whom you have chosen for the episcopate, [the power] to feed your holy flock and to serve without blame as your high priest, ministering night and day to propitiate unceasingly before your face and to offer to you the gifts of your holy Church, and by the Spirit of the high priesthood to have the authority to forgive sins, in accord with your command" (Apostolic Tradition 3 [A.D. 215]).    Origen   "[A final method of forgiveness], albeit hard and laborious [is] the remission of sins through penance, when the sinner . . . does not shrink from declaring his sin to a priest of the Lord and from seeking medicine, after the manner of him who say, ‘I said, "To the Lord I will accuse myself of my iniquity"’" (Homilies on Leviticus 2:4 [A.D. 248]).    Cyprian of Carthage   "The apostle [Paul] likewise bears witness and says: ‘ . . . Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord’ [1 Cor. 11:27]. But [the impenitent] spurn and despise all these warnings; before their sins are expiated, before they have made a confession of their crime, before their conscience has been purged in the ceremony and at the hand of the priest . . . they do violence to [the Lord’s] body and blood, and with their hands and mouth they sin against the Lord more than when they denied him" (The Lapsed 15:1–3 (A.D. 251]).  "Of how much greater faith and salutary fear are they who . . . confess their sins to the priests of God in a straightforward manner and in sorrow, making an open declaration of conscience. . . . I beseech you, brethren, let everyone who has sinned confess his sin while he is still in this world, while his confession is still admissible, while the satisfaction and remission made through the priests are still pleasing before the Lord" (ibid., 28).  "[S]inners may do penance for a set time, and according to the rules of discipline come to public confession, and by imposition of the hand of the bishop and clergy receive the right of Communion. [But now some] with their time [of penance] still unfulfilled . . . they are admitted to Communion, and their name is presented; and while the penitence is not yet performed, confession is not yet made, the hands of the bishop and clergy are not yet laid upon them, the Eucharist is given to them; although it is written, ‘Whosoever shall eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord’ [1 Cor. 11:27]" (Letters 9:2 [A.D. 253]).  "And do not think, dearest brother, that either the courage of the brethren will be lessened, or that martyrdoms will fail for this cause, that penance is relaxed to the lapsed, and that the hope of peace [i.e., absolution] is offered to the penitent. . . . For to adulterers even a time of repentance is granted by us, and peace is given" (ibid., 51[55]:20).  "But I wonder that some are so obstinate as to think that repentance is not to be granted to the lapsed, or to suppose that pardon is to be denied to the penitent, when it is written, ‘Remember whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works’ [Rev. 2:5], which certainly is said to him who evidently has fallen, and whom the Lord exhorts to rise up again by his deeds [of penance], because it is written, ‘Alms deliver from death’ [Tob. 12:9]" (ibid., 51[55]:22).    Aphraahat the Persian Sage   "You [priests], then, who are disciples of our illustrious physician [Christ], you ought not deny a curative to those in need of healing. And if anyone uncovers his wound before you, give him the remedy of repentance. And he that is ashamed to make known his weakness, encourage him so that he will not hide it from you. And when he has revealed it to you, do not make it public, lest because of it the innocent might be reckoned as guilty by our enemies and by those who hate us" (Treatises 7:3 [A.D. 340]).    Basil the Great   "It is necessary to confess our sins to those to whom the dispensation of God’s mysteries is entrusted. Those doing penance of old are found to have done it before the saints. It is written in the Gospel that they confessed their sins to John the Baptist [Matt. 3:6], but in Acts [19:18] they confessed to the apostles" (Rules Briefly Treated 288 [A.D. 374]).   

See what happens when we are within the Apostolic Tradition! Aeneas raised from his bed, Tabitha from her death bed, the Paralysed man of 38 years raised to his feet. Christ is risen!

See what happens when we are within the Apostolic Tradition! Aeneas raised from his bed, Tabitha from her death bed, the Paralysed man of 38 years raised to his feet. Christ is risen!

See what happens when we are within the Apostolic Tradition! Aeneas raised from his bed, Tabitha from her death bed, the Paralysed man of 38 years raised to his feet. Christ is risen!

See what happens when we are within the Apostolic Tradition! Aeneas raised from his bed, Tabitha from her death bed, the Paralysed man of 38 years raised to his feet. Christ is risen!

See what happens when we are within the Apostolic Tradition! Aeneas raised from his bed, Tabitha from her death bed, the Paralysed man of 38 years raised to his feet. Christ is risen!

See what happens when we are within the Apostolic Tradition! Aeneas raised from his bed, Tabitha from her death bed, the Paralysed man of 38 years raised to his feet. Christ is risen!

Unit 10.2 - Community and Tradition of the Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies. Part 4 covers Catholic belief in Apostolic Tradition and how it relates to the Bible, Protestant view on Authority and the role of the Virgin Mary

Episode 20 (1:21:09) In this episode: The bread of presence; Early terms for Mass; Early gatherings; Hierarchy; The Real Presence according to the Early Church Fathers; Didache; Apostolic Tradition; Egeria; Early Eucharistic Prayers/AnaphorasRelated Web Sites:Fr. Bill's Web SiteMysteries of the Mass PodcastSubscribe Via iTunes

A 3-year-old Thanksgiving "tradition": The Eighth Ecumenical Campfire—and contest. This year's contest winners will receive the new book by Fr. Michael Keiser titled Spread the Word: Reclaiming the Apostolic Tradition of Evangelism. Tune in to this encore episode for details.

Bobby Maddex interviews Fr. Michael Keiser, author of the new Conciliar Press book Spread the Word: Reclaiming the Apostolic Tradition of Evangelism.

Homily given at the 11:30 Mass on Sunday, July 15, 2012, by Dcn. Larry Randolph, Christ the King Catholic Church. Jesus speaks to us in His Church through the Apostles. Jesus came to establish a Church; He establishes the Church through Apostolic Tradition. Faith is a gift we must open our hearts to and rediscover in our lives. He wants to have an intimate relationship with each one of us. We are all called to carry out the mission of Christ like the Apostles. Keywords: Faith, Tradition, surrender to God, conversion, Holy Spirit, vocations, evangelization

A 3-year-old Thanksgiving "tradition": The Eighth Ecumenical Campfire—and contest. This year's contest winners will receive the new book by Fr. Michael Keiser titled Spread the Word: Reclaiming the Apostolic Tradition of Evangelism. Tune in to this encore episode for details.

Bobby Maddex interviews Fr. Michael Keiser, author of the new Conciliar Press book Spread the Word: Reclaiming the Apostolic Tradition of Evangelism.

In this lesson, Carson wraps up the Understanding the Scriptures Bible course by empowering his students to read and interpret Scripture faithfully. He does this by examining paragraphs 109 through 119 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. First, we must determine the literal sense of the passage at hand by taking into account (1) the conditions of their time and culture, (2) the literary genres in use at that time, and (3) the modes of feeling, speaking, and narrating then current. Inseparable from and built upon the literal sense of Scripture, there are three additional spiritual senses that we may draw from the sacred page: (1) the allegorical, (2) the moral, and (3) the anagogical. Due to the fact that Sacred Scripture is not a purely natural creation of man and is inspired by the Holy Spirit, there are three criteria that the Church provide us with to interpret the Bible. First, we must be attentive to the content and unity of the whole Scripture. This is necessary because of God's plan borne out in Salvation History. This unifying plan unites the different passages and books of Scripture. Second, we must read the Scripture within the living Tradition of the whole Church... because Scripture was written in the heart of God's covenant family, the Church, which lives and moves through time, ever retaining the Apostolic Tradition in her memory. Finally, we must be attentive to the analogy of faith, which is the coherence of the truths of divine revelation. God does not reveal mutually contradictory truths. This final criterion is taken from a piece of advice relayed by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (12:6).