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Title: A Christmas Carol Examined: Hark the Herald Angels Sing Text: Various FCF: We often neglect the deep theology in the Christmas carols we sing. Prop: Because Hark the Herald angels sing speaks much about the gospel, we should sing it with renewed vigor. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Genesis Chapter 3. We will reference several passages of scripture this morning but it might be wise for you to have this text open and in front of you. In light of the holiday season, I typically break for a couple weeks from whatever sermon series I am in, in order to better accommodate our traditions. What a joy it was to hear so many of our folks use the talents the Lord has given them to bring Him praise this morning. Next week I'll deliver my traditional year wrap up sermon. I'll give you some lessons I've learned and some recommendations I have. I'll also spend some time assessing where we as a church are and how we could improve. Today, I wanted to do something a bit different and a good deal shorter than I normally would. My wife actually gave me the idea, calling my attention to this particular Christmas Carol which was missing a verse or two in our hymn book. In looking into the carol, and to the distance between when most of the carols we sing were written and us singing them today, it became clear that I should devote time to taking a familiar carol and examining the rich theological depths which we unknowingly sing about each year. Today, we will consider the carol Hark the Herald Angels Sing. This is on page 192 in our hymnal. The Carol was written by Charles Wesley. He wrote five verses. Most hymnals, including our own, only have the first three verses. Primarily because George Whitfield, a good friend of the Wesley brothers, John and Charles, edited the song down to four verses, combining the last two verses into one. This edit was later removed and kept to 3 verses in most hymnals. This was not because of any theological differences or errors that Whitefield perceived, but primarily to shorten the song without repeating theological themes. Unfortunately, we will only have time to look at two verses this morning. But I will make it up to you by giving you two for the price of one. So, we'll look at the first verse which we always sing. Then we will look at Mr. Whitfield's cobbled together 4th and 5th verse, so you get some exposure to the last two verses that were later omitted from Charles Wesley's masterful carol. We'll follow the same general pattern. I will translate the idea into modern vernacular and then expand on the What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures in the line and prove it by quoting or referencing an appropriate scripture passage. But before we dive in, let's pray and ask the Lord to bless our study of this carol. Invocation: Loving Lord, we thank you for such a rich history of the church. For thousands of years your church has grown and your kingdom has spread. We can look to songs we sing today that were written hundreds of years ago and still find great and deep meaning in their words. Help us to be mindful of the things we sing and say. Help us to see the great meaning of this season and preach it to others with everything we are. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: Well, let's get to the verse that we all know. I.) The gospel is at the center of this Christmas carol, so we must sing it as though we were preaching it. a. [Slide 2] Hark! The herald angels sing, i. What does this mean: 1. Hark is an interjection. It is calling those present to listen closely. 2. No, the angel's name is not herald. 3. Rather this is the job of the angels who pronounced the birth of Jesus the Messiah. 4. In the song they are said to Sing this to the shepherds. 5. So, in our modern vernacular it would be – Listen up, the Angels are singing a proclamation from God. ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. When God has an announcement for us to listen to, He often prefaces the statement with something to get our attention. Like Behold. Or Truly Truly. Or Thus says the Lord God. 2. Although in Luke 2 we do see the angels announce this news – we do not have any record in the New Testament that they sang this news. It actually says they shouted. b. “Glory to the newborn King; i. What does this mean: 1. Glory means to give praise that is due to an important person. 2. Newborn King is self-explanatory 3. “Give the honor due to this child because he is THE KING ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. All the way back in II Samuel 7, God promised David that a King from his line would sit on the throne forever. 2. And in Luke 1:32-33 the angel Gabriel told Mary that Jesus would inherit the throne of His father David. c. Peace on earth, and mercy mild, i. What does this mean: 1. Peace here refers to the cessation of hostilities between two warring parties. 2. This is contrasted with the second phrase where this cessation of hostilities is instituted by this child who is merciful and humble – bringing salvation to sinners. 3. “Forgiveness and Rightness with God comes from this baby” ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. Isaiah 53 teaches that the first coming of the Messiah, Yahweh's Servant, will be meek and mild, a sacrifice for sinners. 2. Not coming as someone who would be esteemed highly. d. God and sinners reconciled!” i. What does this mean: 1. Reconciliation is when two parties settle up a dispute. All debts are paid. 2. This dispute, we are told in the song, is between God and sinners. 3. God and Sinners square. ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. The dispute we have with God is that He made us to be His worshippers but we have rebelled against Him both in Adam and in our own sin. Gen 3 and Eph 2 and Rom 1-3 2. Yet God has made promises to preserve a remnant and save His people from their sins. 3. Christ then, meek and mild King, is the instrument to settle all the debts. e. Joyful, all ye nations rise, i. What does this mean: 1. Joyful is the attitude or the manner that is being commanded. 2. Nations rising is indicating the global nature of this announcement. 3. All the world get up and be joyful ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. Throughout the Old Testament, God desired Israel to be a light to the nations. 2. And in the prophets we see promises that the Messiah will finally succeed in what Israel was tasked to do. 3. The nations will be reclaimed as Yahweh's 4. And God ruling the nations will be praised and rejoiced in because the gentiles will be adopted into God's family too. f. Join the triumph of the skies; With th'angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!” i. What does this mean: 1. This is what the nations are told to do. They are told to join the triumph. 2. What triumph? 3. It is actually going all the way back to the beginning of the song. The announcement being made about the triumph of God over sin and peace on earth. 4. How? By the Messiah being born this day in Bethlehem. 5. So joyfully the nations are to rise up and announce the same message that the angels are announcing to the shepherds. ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. We see this happen in the New Testament. 2. The Gentiles not only inherit the gospel and become grafted into the promise of the Israelites, but they now become the heralds announcing the coming of the King. 3. A King who was born, lived, died, was raised, and ascended. All to save sinners and reconcile them to God. g. Summary of the Point: The first verse of this carol is nothing short of the gospel message. It is the announcement that Christ has come to make us right with God and change the world forever. Now not just Jews, but all the nations will rise up and announce this message as the world shifts and the Kingdom of God expands. So, as we sing this verse – we must recognize the potent dose of gospel truths being conveyed in a few seconds. And as we sing it out, we fulfill the words of this opening verse to joyfully join the triumph the angels sang about that Christmas night 2000 years ago. Transition: Let us move to the two verses not included in our hymnal. I.) Deep doctrine of redemption is found in this carol, so we must sing it as though we were preaching it. a. [Slide 3] Come, Desire of nations, come, i. What does this mean: 1. To be the desire of nations is to be the one thing that will truly fix the world. The one King that will bring everything back to what it is supposed to be. 2. This is, of course, the work of the Kingdom Christ began at His incarnation and will be completed when He returns to set up His Kingdom on the New Earth. 3. Come, one who will fix everything, Come! ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. We referenced psalm 2 just last week. 2. The eternally begotten Son of God - Jesus the Messiah, is this one that the nations must kiss lest He be angry and pour His wrath out on them. 3. Christ came first as a meek and mild child but will one day return as a conquering King. 4. The nations would be wise to kiss the son. To welcome Him. To pay homage to Him. 5. He is… after all… their only hope. b. Fix in us Thy humble home; i. What does this mean: 1. To fix is to establish something. 2. A home would be a residence. Humble of course meaning meager or unworthy. 3. Establish in us a little hovel for You to dwell in. ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. This probably doesn't reference God living or dwelling with us in the New Kingdom. Although that could be it. 2. Givin the context this no doubt refers to the coming of the Spirit of God to indwell those who are partakers of the New Covenant which is inaugurated in the blood of Christ. 3. This is foretold in Isaiah 44 and Joel 2 where God tells the Israelites that He will pour out His Spirit… ON ALL OF THEM. 4. In the New Testament we are explicitly told that the Holy Spirit indwells all who believe by true faith. c. Rise, the woman's conqu'ring Seed, i. What does this mean: 1. Rise again means to come out and do something. 2. A seed is an offspring or a child. 3. Come conquering child of the woman ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. This is pulled straight from the protoevangelium, or the first gospel announcement given by God Himself in Genesis chapter 3. 2. After the fall of mankind, God promises that unto the Woman he would give an offspring that would undo what had been done in the fall. 3. This offspring would be at odds with the offspring of the serpent or the children produced by the temptation and fall of Adam and Eve, which was instigated by the serpent in the garden of Eden 4. Revelation 12:9 identifies the serpent as none other than the Devil, or Satan himself. 5. This harmonizes texts like Ephesians 2; John 8; and 1 John 3:12 which identify people who act like Satan as his children or belonging to him. 6. This sets up the idea that there are two families. The family of God and the family of Satan. The Family of Satan is the family we are all born into because of the fall of Adam. 7. God creates a new family, through seed of the woman, in which we can be adopted. More on that in a bit. d. Bruise in us the serpent's head. i. What does this mean: 1. The serpent's influence is truly IN us. 2. Otherwise, this is fairly self-explanatory. ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. The term used in the Genesis promise is to strike, bruise, or crush. 2. Although many preachers have made the connection that Christ bruises his heel while crushing the head of the serpent – the scriptures do not overtly teach this. 3. But it is a logical and theological possibility. 4. Certainly, Paul says that if the forces of darkness knew that His death would lead to the salvation of His people, they wouldn't have done it. 5. The song references the destruction of Satan's power over us and the cessation of his claim on us as his children. e. Now display Thy saving power, Ruined nature now restore; Now in mystic union join Thine to ours, and ours to Thine. i. The rest of verse 4 goes on to speak of our restoration and salvation. ii. These are excellent lines, but Whitfield saw the next verse communicate similar teachings and decided to combine it together. iii. Still these words do add some to the meaning of the song. iv. But we'll have to cover them more deeply another time. f. [Slide 4] Adam's likeness, Lord, efface, i. What does this mean: 1. To efface something is to erase it. It is to undo something. 2. Adam's likeness refers to Adam as our first representative and how we have inherited his sin from him. 3. Erase the original sin of Adam from us ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. Although it has been attacked in recent years, the doctrine of Original Sin has been held to by the church since the beginning. 2. If something else were taught in scripture then we should cast the teaching aside. However, Romans 5, Ephesians 2 and many other passages seem to establish this doctrine not only as plausible but as orthodox. 3. Adam was our representative being the first man created. Because of his failure, we inherit the sin-disease through his line. 4. Seeing it this way helps us to understand the scriptures when they seem to paint our problem of sin beyond even just our own personal sin. National sins and even sins that we didn't commit but inherit culpability in. Even our sinfulness before we seem to be able to willfully commit sin (ie babies crying for no reason or crying when nothing is actually wrong) These all make sense when we understand sin as something like a hereditary spiritual disease. 5. This also explains and expands the teaching of the virgin birth, keeping Jesus from inheriting this same sin nature. By being born of a virgin, he is not technically a son of Adam. Truly and completely human, but not from Adam's line. Therefore, He is a second human representative. g. Stamp Thine image in its place: i. What does this mean: 1. To stamp an image is relatively clear. 2. Instead of Adam's likeness, give us your likeness God. ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. As a New Adam, all under Christ's headship and representation inherit a new name, a new nature, and a new birth. 2. They are put into a new family and made into a new person. 3. The old has passed away and the new has come. h. Second Adam from above, Reinstate us in Thy love. i. What does this mean: 1. These last two lines we'll take together. 2. The first Adam was formed from the dust and given life by the breath of God. 3. The Second Adam was conceived by the Holy Spirit in dust (in Mary's womb). 4. He is not from earth as the first Adam was. He is from above. A true man… but with a different fountainhead. 5. Adam was once fully in the love and grace of God. He was sinless and in right standing with God. 6. The song asks for Christ to reconcile us to God… which provides bookends between the first verse and the last. ii. What doctrine is this showing us from the Scriptures: 1. This is the primary work of the second Adam. 2. Christ becomes our second representative both passively and actively. 3. Actively he did what Adam did not. He kept the whole law of God without sin. 4. Passively he paid for what Adam could not. He accepted the penalty for human sin by suffering the full wrath of God as a human. 5. 2 Corinthians 5 says that He became sin who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God. 6. He is a perfect substitute not only for us but for Adam, our first representative. 7. He alone is capable of returning us to the relationship we had with God in the garden… and even making that relationship closer, since we are now not just a created being of God's, but actually His children. i. Let us Thee, though lost, regain, Thee, the Life, the inner man: O, to all Thyself impart, Formed in each believing heart. i. This is the rest of verse 5 which goes on to say similar things to what has been said already. j. Summary of the Point: Once again we must notice that the gospel is on display in these verses. And in these last two verses – the gospel is explained in rich and full theological detail. Details that are not found in the shallow end of the pool. This is well beyond the Sunday School answers of “Jesus died because He loved us.” But rather the representation of a Second Adam taking our place and restoring humanity's hope. Such are the words of this Christmas Carol. And when we sing it, we preach the gospel to one another and all who hear it. Make sure that you do that from now on. Conclusion: [Slide 5] I can think of no better application than to have the praise team come and we can sing this carol together. We'll sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing/King of Heaven but with one minor modification. We will add verse 4, which is the cobbled together verses 4 and 5 of Charles Wesley's original carol. You sing with us and sing it loud, knowing that you sing, you announce, you preach… the gospel of Jesus Christ in this carol. Benediction: May the God who humbled Himself to take on human flesh Who was wounded for our transgressions and chastised for our peace May the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace Bring to you a season of hope as you celebrate His birth and look ahead to His return Until We meet again… Go in peace.

Standing in Bethlehem's ancient cave, it's easy to see why tradition loves the image of the Lamb of God born among temple lambs—yet every nativity scene adds an ox and donkey the Gospels never mention. In this Christmas reflection, Greg explores how early Fathers like Origen and Ambrose saw Isaiah 1:3 fulfilled in these humble beasts recognizing their Creator while humanity missed Him. Discover layers of Jew/Gentile unity, creation testifying (Romans 1 & 8), Eden's harmony restored with the New Adam and Eve, Christ's transformation of the "unclean" donkey, and how pagan myth becomes historical fact in the Incarnation—the ultimate Lamb who redeems us all. SUPPORT THIS SHOW Considering Catholicism is 100% listener-supported. If this podcast has helped you on your journey, please become a patron today! For as little as $5/month you get: • Every regular episode ad-free and organized into topical playlists • Exclusive bonus content (extra Q&As, Deep-Dive courses, live streams, and more) • My deepest gratitude and a growing community of like-minded listeners ➡️ Join now: https://patreon.com/consideringcatholicism (or tap the Patreon link in your podcast app) One-time gift: Donate with PayPal! CONNECT WITH US • Website & contact form: https://consideringcatholicism.com • Email: consideringcatholicism@gmail.com • Leave a comment on Patreon (I read every one!) RATE & REVIEW If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating (and even better, a review) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen — it really helps new listeners find us. SHARE THE SHOW Know someone who's curious about Catholicism? Send them a link or share an episode on social media. Thank you! Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat.

The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121125.cfmOn December 11, the Marian Fathers celebrate the spiritual founding of our community, dating back to 1670 when St. Stanislaus Papczyński made his solemn oblation and offered his whole being to God and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without original sin. In his vow, he promised to promote and defend her honor even to the cost of his life. Today, Fr. Matt reminds us that this mission continues.Before the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was officially defined in the 1800s, St. Stanislaus endured opposition and misunderstanding—yet he remained steadfast. Why? Because Mary is the New Eve, created immaculate to cooperate perfectly with Christ, the New Adam, in God's plan of redemption. As Fulton Sheen often noted, humanity fell through a man, a woman, and a tree—and God redeemed us through a Man, a Woman, and the Tree of the Cross.Mary's sinlessness reveals the beauty of the new creation, where Jesus makes all things new. She shows us not only who she is, but who we are called to become through grace. Fr. Matt explains why the Church Fathers taught that Mary experienced no birth pains in Bethlehem: her true labor pains came later at the Cross, where she became the Mother of all the living. Her Immaculate Conception is not a detail—it is the key to understanding who we are in Christ and the destiny God desires for us.As we approach Christmas, distortions about Mary often resurface, especially depictions that undermine her immaculate dignity. But honoring her means honoring God's work in her. St. Stanislaus's vow challenges us today: defend her honor, protect the truth of the faith, and never allow the Queen of Heaven to be diminished. When we keep Mary in her rightful place, the Holy Spirit finds a dwelling place in us just as He did in Nazareth. ★ Support this podcast ★

Join Catholic evangelist and bible teacher, Hector Molina as he explores the Mass Readings for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (C).Mass Readings:2 Samuel 5;1-3Psalm 122;1-5Colossians 1;12-20Luke 23;35-43"A Walk in The Word" podcast is a weekly bible study and reflection on the Sunday Mass readings led by International Catholic evangelist and bible teacher, Hector Molina.PODCAST HOMEPAGE: https://awalkintheword.buzzsprout.comYOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/c/hectormolinacatholicevangelistSupport: Are you enjoying these videos? Become a Patron and partner with me in spreading the Good News! www.patreon.com/hectormolina/You can also show your support for the podcast by visiting: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hectormolina#solemnityofchristtheking #feastofchristheking #vivacristorey #sundaymassreadings #catholiclectionary #catholic #sundaygospel #sundaygospelreflection #catholicbiblestudy #awalkintheword #catholicpodcast #bibleinayear #wordonfire #sundayhomily #hectormolina

Erin is joined by Ontario's Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce to discuss his Energy for Generations plan and broader developments in the electricity sector. They explore Ontario's pioneering efforts in nuclear energy, specifically the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) in Darlington. They also discuss critical minerals, grid security,  modernization of the electricity distribution sector and the idea of a sovereign electricity grid as part of Ontario's continued technology leadership within the G7.

Who is Mary in God's plan of redemption? Is she “Co-Redemptrix”? “Mediatrix of All Graces”? What does the Church actually teach about these titles — and why has there been renewed discussion about them?In this special votive Mass, Fr. Jason offers clarity on the Blessed Virgin Mary's unique role in salvation history, following the recent doctrinal note Mater Populi Fidelis. The Church affirms that Jesus Christ alone is the one true Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) — but His unique mediation is inclusive, not exclusive. In other words, Christ invites us to share in His saving work through participation, not competition. When we intercede, when we bring others to the faith, when we cooperate with grace, we are participating in His mediation.Mary's cooperation is utterly unique. From her “fiat” at the Annunciation to her suffering at the foot of the Cross, she united her will entirely to her Son's redemptive mission. As Vatican II teaches (Lumen Gentium 61), “The Blessed Virgin was the handmaid of the Lord in gaining for us the greatest of all graces — redemption and salvation.” Through her motherhood, she became the living vessel through which the Author of Grace Himself entered the world.Yet we must be clear: Mary is not divine, not a redeemer apart from Christ. She is the Mother of the Redeemer, the Mediatrix through whom God chose to send His grace into the world — the New Eve standing beside the New Adam, the Ark of the New Covenant seen in Revelation 11–12.As Fr. Jason reminds us, “Lex orandi, lex credendi” — as we pray, so we believe. The Church's liturgy itself honors Mary as “the Mother of Grace” and “Mediatrix of all graces,” reflecting the faith of the centuries. Through her perfect cooperation with God's will, she models how we, too, are called to cooperate in Christ's saving work.Let us love her, honor her, and imitate her — not as a rival to Christ, but as the first and greatest disciple of the Lord. Watch this full homily on DivineMercyPlus.org or the free Divine Mercy Plus (DM+) app to learn more about what the Church truly teaches about Mary's role in salvation.#frjason #marian #marians #marianfathers #marianhelpers #divinemercy #thedivinemercy #catholic #catholicism #romancatholic #romancatholicism #mary #mediatrixofgrace #coredeemptrix #marianbeliefs #mariology #theology #catholictiktok ★ Support this podcast ★

This talk was given at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (UOC-USA) in Charlottesville, VA. In it, Fr. Anthony presents Orthodoxy's sacramental view of creation and uses music as an example of how the royal priesthood, in Christ, fulfills its commission to pattern the cosmos according to that of Eden. My notes from the talk: I'm grateful to be back in Charlottesville, a place stitched into my story by Providence. Years ago, the Army Reserves sent me here after 9/11. I arrived with a job in Ohio on pause, a tidy life temporarily dismantled, and a heart that didn't care for the way soldiers are sometimes told to behave. So I went looking for an Orthodox church. I found a small mission and—more importantly—people who took me in as family. A patient priest and his matushka mentored me for six years. If anything in my priesthood bears fruit, it is because love first took root here. Bishops have a sense of humor; mine sent a Georgian convert with no Slavic roots to a Ukrainian parish in Rhode Island. It fit better than anyone could have planned. The Lord braided my history, discovering even ancestral ties in New England soil. Later, when a young man named Michael arrived—a reader who became a subdeacon, a deacon, and in time a priest—our trajectories crossed again. Father Robert trained me; by grace I was allowed to help train Father Michael; and now he serves here. This is how God sings His providence—melodies introduced, developed, and returned, until love's theme is recognizable to everyone listening. Why focus on music and beauty? Because they are not ornamental to the Gospel; they are its native tongue. Beauty tutors us in a sacramental world, not a "God of the gaps" world—where faith retreats to whatever science has not yet explained—but a world in which God is everywhere present and filling all things. Beauty is one of the surest ways to share the Gospel, not as salesmanship or propaganda, but as participation in what the world was made to be. The Church bears a particular charism for beauty; secular beauty can reflect it, but often only dimly—and sometimes in ways that distort the pattern it imitates. Beauty meets the whole human person: the senses and gut, the reasoning mind, and the deep heart—the nous—where awe, reverence, and peace bloom. Music is a wonderfully concrete instance of all of this: an example, a symbol, and—when offered rightly—a sacrament of sanctifying grace. Saint John begins his Gospel with the Logos—not a mere "word" but the Word whose meaning includes order, reason, and intelligibility: "All things were made through Him." Creation, then, bears the Logos' stamp in every fiber; Genesis repeats the refrain, "and God saw that it was good"—agathos, not just kalos. Agathos is goodness that is beautiful and beneficial, fitted to bless what it touches. Creation is not simply well-shaped; it is ordered toward communion, toward glory, toward gift. The Creed confesses the Father as Creator, the Son as the One through whom all things were made, and the Spirit as the Giver of Life. Creation is, at root, Trinitarian music—harmonies of love that invite participation. If you like, imagine the first chapter of Genesis sung. We might say: in the beginning, there was undifferentiated sound; the Spirit hovered; the Logos spoke tone, time, harmony, and melody into being. He set boundaries and appointed seasons so that music could unfold in an ordered way. Then He shaped us to be liturgists—stewards who can turn noise into praise, dissonance into resolution. The point of the story is not that God needed a soundtrack; it is that the world bears a pattern and purpose that we can either receive with thanksgiving or twist into something self-serving and cacophonous. We know what happened. In Adam and Eve's fall, thorns and thistles accompanied our work. Pain entered motherhood, and tyranny stalked marriage. We still command tools of culture—city-building, metallurgy, and yes, even music—but in Cain's line we see creativity conscripted to self-exaltation and violence. The Tower of Babel is the choir of human pride singing perfectly in tune against God. That is how sin turns technique into idolatry. Saint Paul describes the creation groaning in agony, longing for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. This is not mere poetic flourish; it is metaphysical realism. The world aches for sanctified stewardship, for human beings restored to their priestly vocation. It longs for its music to be tuned again to the Logos. Christ enters precisely there—as the New Adam. Consider His Theophany. The Jordan "turns back," the waters are sanctified, because nothing impure remains in the presence of God. He does not merely touch creation; He heals it—beginning sacramentally with water, the primal element of both life and chaos. In our services for the Blessing of Water we sing, "Today the nature of the waters is sanctified… The Jordan is parted in two… How shall a servant lay his hand on the Master?" In prayer we cry, "Great are You, O Lord, and marvelous are Your works… Wherefore, O King and Lover of mankind, be present now by the descent of Your Holy Spirit and sanctify this water." This is not magic; it is synergy. We offer bread, wine, water, oil; we make the sign of the cross; we chant what the Church gives—and God perfects our offering with His grace. The more we give Him to work with, the more He transfigures. And then Holy Friday: the terrible beauty of the Passion. Sin's dissonance swells to cacophony as the Source of Beauty is slandered, pierced, and laid in the tomb. Icons and hymns do not hide the scandal—they name it. Joseph and Nicodemus take down a body that clothes itself with light as with a garment. Creation shudders; the sun withdraws; the veil is rent. Liturgically, we let the discomfort stand; sometimes the chant itself presses the dissonance upon us so that we feel the fracture. But the dissonance does not have the last word; it resolves—not trivially, not cheaply—into the transcendent harmony of Pascha. On the night of the Resurrection, the church is dark, then a single candle is lit, and the light spills outward. We sing, "Come receive the Light from the unwaning Light," and then the troparion bursts forth: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death…" The structure of salvation is musical: tension, longing, silence, and a resolution that is fuller than our peace had been before the conflict. Here is the pastoral heart of it: Christ restores our seal. Saint Paul says we are "sealed with the promised Holy Spirit." Think of a prosphora seal pressed into unbaked dough; the impression remains when the loaf is finished. Sin cracked our seal; everything we touched bore our corruptions. In Christ, the seal is made whole. In Baptism and Chrismation, that seal is pressed upon us—not only on the brow but on the whole person—so that our very engaging with the world can take on the pattern of the Logos again. We do not stop struggling—Paul's "what I would, I do not"—but we now struggle inside a music that resolves. Even our failures can become passing tones on the way to love, if we repent and return to the key. This is why the Church's common life matters so much. When we gather for Vespers and Liturgy, we enact the world's purpose. The Psalms give us perfect words; the Church's hymnody gives us perfected poetry. Music, rightly offered, is Logos-bearing—it is rational in the deepest sense—and love is the same. Music requires skill and repetition; so does love. Music benefits from different voices and timbres; love, too, is perfected when distinct persons yield to a single charity. Music engages and transfigures dissonance; love confronts conflict and heals it. Music honors silence; love rests and listens. These are not analogies we force upon the faith—they are the way creation is built. The world says, "sing louder," but the will to power always collapses into noise. The Church says, "sing together." In the Eucharistic assembly, the royal priesthood becomes itself—men, women, and children listening to one another, matching pitch and phrase, trusting the hand that gives the downbeat, and pouring our assent into refrains of "Lord have mercy" and "Amen." The harmony is not uniformity; it is concord. It is not sentimentality; it is charity given and received. And when the Lord gives Himself to us for the healing of soul and body, the music goes beyond even harmony; it becomes communion. That is why Orthodox Christians are most themselves around the chalice: beauty, word, community, and sacrament converge in one act of thanksgiving. From there, the pastoral task is simply to help people live in tune. For families: cultivate attentiveness, guard against codependence and manipulation, and practice small, steady habits—prayer, fasting, reconciliation—that form the instincts of love the way scales form a musician's ear. For parishes: refuse the twin temptations of relativism and control; resist both the shrug and the iron fist. We are not curators of a museum nor managers of a brand; we are a choir rehearsing resurrection. Attend to the three "parts" of the mind you teach: let the senses be purified rather than inflamed; let the intellect be instructed rather than flattered; and let the nous—the heart—learn awe. Where awe grows, so does mercy. And for evangelization in our late modern world—filled with distraction, suspicion, and exhaustion—beauty may prove to be our most persuasive speech. Not the beauty of mere "aesthetics," but agathos beauty—the kind that is beautiful and beneficial, that heals what it touches. People come to church for a thousand different reasons: loneliness, curiosity, habit, crisis. What they really long for is God. If the nave is well-ordered, if the chant is gentle and strong, if the icons are windows rather than billboards, if the faces of the faithful are kind—then even before a word is preached, the Gospel will have begun its work. "We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth," the emissaries of Rus' once said of their time at worship in Hagia Sophia. Beauty did not close their minds; it opened them to truth. None of this bypasses suffering. In fact, beauty makes us more available to it, because we stop numbing ourselves and begin to love. The Scriptures do not hide this: the Jordan is sanctified, but the Cross remains; the tomb is real; the fast is pangful. Yet in Christ, dissonance resolves. The Church's hymnody—from Psalm 103 at the week's beginning to the Nine Odes of Pascha—trains us to trust the cadence that only God can write. We learn to wait in Friday night's hush, to receive the flame from the unwaning Light, and to sing "Christ is risen" not as a slogan but as the soundtrack of our lives. So: let us steward what we've been given. Let us make the sign of the cross over our children at bedtime; let our conversations overflow with psalmody; let contended silence have a room in every home; let reconciliation be practiced before the sun goes down. Let every parish be a school for choir and charity, where no one tries to sing over his brother, and no one is left straining alone in the back row. If we will live this way, not perfectly but repentantly, then in us the world will begin to hear the old pattern again—the Logos' pattern—where goodness is beautiful and beauty does good. And perhaps, by God's mercy, the Lord will make of our small obedience something larger than we can imagine: a melody that threads through Charlottesville and Anderson, through Rhode Island and Kyiv, through every parish and prison and campus, until the whole creation—long groaning—finds its voice. Let God arise. Let His enemies be scattered. Christ is risen, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

What does it mean that Jesus is the New Adam? Fr. Brad breaks down this mystery of grace, freedom, and salvation.Morning Offering, October 21, 2025Every morning, join Father Brad as he begins the day with prayer and reflection. In a few short minutes, Father Brad guides you in prayer, shares a brief reflection grounding your day in the Church's rhythm of feast days and liturgy, and provides you with the encouragement necessary to go forward with peace and strength. Disclaimer: The ads shown before, during, or after this video have no affiliation with Morning Offering and are controlled by YouTubeLet us do as the saints urge and begin our days in prayer together so as a community of believers we may join the Psalmist in saying, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” (Psalm 5:3-4)________________

Exultation of the Cross Behold the Man: The Cross and Our Shared Criminality Homily on the Passion and the Cross I Corinthians 1:18-24; St. John 19:6-11, 13-20, 25-28, 30-35 Christ was crucified among criminals, a mirror of our own sinfulness and complicity in His Passion.  Yet like the repentant theif, we are invited to turn to Him in humility, behold His mercy, and enter the Kingdom with the New Adam who reveals true humanity.  Enjoy the show! ++++++ Our Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, was condemned and put on a cross to die in the midst of criminals.  Not just the obvious criminals, such as the thieves on his right and his left, but he was surrounded by them.  For the entire world had been given over to sin.  The religious authorities, the ones who knew the law and the prophets, and should have been the first to support him, were certainly criminal.  They “assembled together… unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety and kill him.” (Matthew 26:3-4).  They were jealous of Jesus, seeing how “the world is gone after him.” (John 12:9).  They did not want a trial; they wanted his death.  Remember that when the good and law-abiding man, Nicodemus, called them on this and suggested to them that Jesus be brought before the court for a hearing, saying, “Does our law judge any man, before it hears him, and know what he does?”  They mocked Nicodemus, saying, “Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.”  They were not interested in the Law or the Truth or even the facts; they were preserving their own comfort and power, and were willing to break the law and commit murder (deicide!) to protect it.  They were criminals. Nor were they the only criminals.  Think also of Judas, who participated in their perfidy by betraying his alleged friend and teacher for thirty pieces of silver.  And then there was the entire crowd who came out, and in their own criminality, chose the convicted criminal Barabbas over Christ.  As St. Nikolai Velimirovic puts it; “God or a criminal?  And the criminals choose the criminal.” Yes, Christ was surrounded by criminals.  But before we condemn them, let's remember one of the first rules of biblical interpretation; when the scriptures speak of bad men, be they the scribes and pharisees, Judas, the Jewish people, or even common criminals, we are to think not just of them, but how it is that we are like them.  In our fallenness, it is easy to see the criminality of others, especially those with whom we disagree or are from other Babelic tribes than our own.  But so often their crimes are not obvious because they are so heinous, but because they have been magnified by the problems with our vision – we can only see darkness when our eyes are full of darkness and it is hard to see anything objectively when we have giant honking logs sticking out of our eye-sockets.  When tempted by such judgment, let us remember Christ, draw in the sand and say, “Let he who is without sin, throw the first stone.” Yes, we are all criminals of the sort that participated in the passion of our God; petty, jealous, riotous, scheming – it's all there in our hearts and on our lives for everyone to see.  We are the criminals of this story.  All of us have sinned against God and against His Way. But there was one criminal who stepped out of his sin and the propaganda of the devil, and repented.  He accepted that he had earned his suffering.  Again, paraphrasing St. Nikolai; blessed is the criminal who, in the midst of his very real agony, does not lash out in condemnation of the other criminals but rather recognizes that he has earned his cross because of his sins.  The resulting clarity then allows him to see the God-man in his midst, repent, beg for God's mercy, and then find himself in Paradise with his saviour.  We quote this saint every time we take communion: “Remember me, O Lord, when Thou comest into Thy kingdom”.  We imitate his words, but do we imitate the deep transformation that allowed him, while feeling such pain, to say them? And now that we have looked at the crowds of the scene described in today's Gospel, let us look to Christ.  Right before today's reading, Pilate had brought our Lord out before the people after he had been beaten and scourged and had a crown of thorns put on his head and had said, “Behold the man!”. Yes, let us behold the man.  For Jesus was both fully God and fully man.  And His humanity had brought Him immense agony.  Earlier, we saw Him as a man when He was an infant in a cave, and when He and his family fled to Egypt, and when He was hungry and thirsty and had no place to lay his head.  Of course we also saw Him as God, walking on water, quelling storms, healing the sick, and multiplying loaves.  But at no time was his humanity more on display than from the Garden of Gethsemane to the Cross.  First, sweat poured from his head like blood because of anguish, and then that blood was joined by more from the lashes and the crown and the nails.  Jesus in the Garden was tormented; as man he knew pain and was expecting more – and as God He had ordained this as the path to the salvation of the world.  St. Nikolai writes; “these two were in conflict and had to be brought into accord.”  And so the man-mind and will went from the tortured; “if Thou be willing remove this up from Me” to the submissive “nevertheless, not My will, but Thine, be done.”  And when He did this, He acquired a peace that could not be broken by unjust accusations, or blasphemies, or physical pain. Yes, “Behold the Man”!  Behold the sort of man that God had in mind when he first formed Adam.  A man obedient to God and willing to do everything so that some might be saved.  Think of His dignity as He went to His death.  Not only did He avoid grumbling and condemnations, “He worked for the good of all to His dying breath.” (SNV, 201)  He desired good even in the midst of the pain of crucifixion, even in the midst of the most supreme injustice, and even in the midst of those who reviled Him.  As St. Luke records, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Do we see the charity?  Do we see the love?  Are we not drawn to imitate Him in His magnanimity?  Rather than throwing their sins against their teeth and shouting it out to God for vengeance, He was merciful toward them.  For even if the criminals who assaulted Him used words to justify their blasphemy, they “knew not what they did.” “Behold the Man.” Are we men?  Are we willing to imitate the Ur-Man, the New Adam; the very definition of what it means to be a man?  Can we be charitable in our pain?  Can we look to the salvation or others from the depths of our despair? And if this is, at least for now, beyond our reach, let us then imitate the one at his side, and focus not on the sins of others, but on our own, and turn to God in repentance, crying; “Remember me, Lord, in Thy Kingdom.”

Mary is the New Eve, faithfully following the New Adam, Jesus, in this life and the next.

Christ, The New Israel and the New Adam. Mark 1:12-13

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Fr Seraphim's observations on the six days of Creation through his patristic mind and study of the Holy Fathers, who he says are the "sure guides" to understanding the spiritual life and the Holy Scriptures. Direct quotes taken from the book Genesis, Creation and Early Man which has been just re-released by Saint Herman Brotherhood. All are encouraged to order and read the full text in its context. Support the showVisit Our Site // Grab Some Merch // Become A Patreon Member

3 of 32 in a series through 1-2 Kings

The boys are back via satellite to talk about Adam's experience hosting a comedy show, policing a litterer while finding him a bus, Chris's decision on how to handle a bad opposing coach, the Mount Rushmore of natural disasters, and the first comedy special from Tom Green.

To support the ministry and access exclusive content, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/logicalbiblestudy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠For complete verse-by-verse audio commentaries from Logical Bible Study, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mysoundwise.com/publishers/1677296682850p⁠⁠John 21: 1-14 - 'Jesus stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish.'Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs:- 504 (in 'Mary's virginal motherhood in God's plan') - Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary's womb because he is the New Adam, who inaugurates the new creation: "The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven." From his conception, Christ's humanity is filled with the Holy Spirit, for God "gives him the Spirit without measure." From "his fullness" as the head of redeemed humanity "we have all received, grace upon grace."- 690 (in 'The Joint Mission of the Son and the Spirit') - Jesus is Christ, "anointed," because the Spirit is his anointing, and everything that occurs from the Incarnation on derives from this fullness...The notion of anointing suggests . . . that there is no distance between the Son and the Spirit. Indeed, just as between the surface of the body and the anointing with oil neither reason nor sensation recognizes any intermediary, so the contact of the Son with the Spirit is immediate, so that anyone who would make contact with the Son by faith must first encounter the oil by contact. In fact there is no part that is not covered by the Holy Spirit. That is why the confession of the Son's Lordship is made in the Holy Spirit by those who receive him, the Spirit coming from all sides to those who approach the Son in faith (abbreviated). - 1286 (in 'Confirmation in the Economy of Salvation') - He was conceived of the Holy Spirit; his whole life and his whole mission are carried out in total communion with the Holy Spirit whom the Father gives him "without measure." (abbreviated).- 161 (in 'The Necessity of Faith') - Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation. "Since "without faith it is impossible to please (God) " and to attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life 'But he who endures to the end.'"Got a Bible question? Send an email to logicalbiblestudy@gmail.com, and it will be answered in an upcoming episode!

In today's Passion account from John's Gospel, the author goes out of his way to tells us that the narrative begins and end in a garden. Obviously, the author is hearkening back to the beginning of Genesis and the Garden of Eden. It was there, as a result of man's disobedience, that man lost favor with God and was exiled from the garden. But now in this new garden, the New Adam has responded to God with obedience, thus cancelling out my death sentence for my own disobedience. Let us venerate the cross today with great gratitude, as Jesus has suffered for my sins in order to bring me healing, wholeness, and reconciliation with God.

Community Pastor Karen Guess preaches from John 19:1-37 and invites us to stay with Jesus, reflecting on the cross on Good Friday. As we do, we will see Jesus making meaning of the world, our sin, and God's heart because he is King, our Passover Lamb, and the New Adam.

Certain sections of scripture cause our modern eyes to glaze over, but ancient eyes cherished the genealogies of Jesus Christ. Looking back over the ancestors of Jesus, we find some names we recognize and many others we don't. These generations teach us about how God fulfills his promises, how Jesus comes to bring good news to all people, and how in Christ our deepest hopes make contact with the real world.Application Questions: 1. How can this list of names help you trust God's promises more in your own life?2. What are ways God's grace in Jesus can meet you when you feel insignificant or undesirable?3. Jesus is divine perfection breaking into our human world. How can that give you hope in the midst of your daily life?

God commissioned Adam, and all humanity, to a role in God's creation, but Adam abdicated the mission by his sin. Another way the Bible talks about atonement is that Jesus came to be a New Adam and complete the mission that God gave humanity.

Irenaeus of Lyons was a pivotal figure in the early Church, bridging the apostolic era and the development of Christian orthodoxy. A student of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John, Irenaeus defended against Gnostic heresies, articulated the scriptural canon, and innovated theological concepts. His work, Against Heresies, refuted Gnostic dualism and solidified core Christian beliefs like the unity of God and the incarnation. Irenaeus also championed the "Rule of Faith" and episcopal authority as safeguards of authentic apostolic tradition. His doctrine of recapitulation framed Christ as the "New Adam," restoring humanity's relationship with God. www.twinsbiblicalacademy.com

We come at last to the big culmination of Jesus's earthly ministry. The goal of his life. The event he has set his face like flint toward. The event he has been marching forward to reach: the crucifixion. No one expected the Messiah to die on the cross. But we will look back and see that the signs were there in the Old Testament, left there like windows through the walls of the maze looking to the cross — the ladder, up and out. Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

New Adam and New Creation

Title: God Remembered Noah Passage: Genesis 8 God Remembers His Promises God's People are to Wait on the Lord and Trust His Timing Noah, A New Adam in a New Creation Unlike the Pagan gods, Our God Exercises Faithful Control Over all Things

Homily: Holiness Changes Everything (Sunday after Theophany) Ephesians 4: 7-13 St. Matthew 4: 12-17  Review/Introduction.  Ontology of Beauty.  Designed to provide a deeper appreciation for our faith and to demonstrate the blindness of materialism (to include the “new atheists”).  When materialists describe our appreciation for beauty, they either try to show how an appreciation for beauty somehow increased evolutionary fitness, or, in a more sophisticated way, say that it is a happy coincidence.  We know that there is more to beauty than these explanations allow.  God is beautiful, and His infinite beauty continually flows into creation as naturally as do logic, life, and love.  Beauty draws us into a growing relationship with something Good beyond ourselves, while at the same time resonating with and nourishing the spark of beauty within; it is not only real, but it is perfecting.  It's ontology is sacramental. Today we are continuing the feast of Theophany; the celebration of God's revelation to us of His Triune (Three in One; One in Three) nature at Christ's Baptism.  God the Father (the First Person of the Trinity) is revealed through His voice, which acknowledges Jesus as His Son (the Second Person of the Trinity), while the Holy Spirit (the Third Person of the Trinity) descends on Him and confirms this great truth.  This is an important thing for us to know, and we thank God for this revelation.  Among other things, the prayerful contemplation of the Trinity tells us much about how we, though separate persons, can and should be united; that the Church is more than a collection of like-minded individuals, and that the thing that they share is the thing that best defines them.  It describes how we can, as the Liturgy says, have “one mind” yet maintain our own identities, thoughts, and charismas.   Theophany as an Introduction to Holiness.  But it is not this mysterious truth that the Church, through the hymns and scripture of the feast, would have us focus on.  No, the poetry and prophecy of the feast of Theophany is on the reaction of creation to the presence of the Messiah, the Christ, the God-man Jesus; and in so doing it brings up another reality that – along with the reality of beauty that we discussed last week – “confounds the Greeks” (i.e. the new atheists and all materialists).  This reality is the ontology of holiness and its effect on creation.    Holiness I: a source and reflection of spiritual light, warmth, and power. Holiness is a quality that blessed things have; things that have been sanctified through their dedication to and proximity to the absolute source of spiritual light, warmth, and power.  This source exists outside of creation, but creation is designed to thrive under its influence; and having thrived, to become holy itself.  You get a sense of holiness when you perceive that something is “good”; and by good, I do not mean useful or pleasing.  These are the selfish perversions of “goodness”.  I mean when you can just tell that something is wholesome and right; when it just seems to radiate spiritual light, warmth, and power. Holiness II: Eden as the Cultivation of Holiness.   As the race created in the “Image of God”, humans had a special blessing to be cultivators of a holy creation.  The rest of creation, in turn, was created to respond to us.  But when we forsake holiness in favor of profanity, our special relationship with creation changed; we became as much of a curse to creation as anything else.   We, along with everything else, were created “good”, but we have forsaken this goodness and the result is a world that yields weeds and thistles along with fruits and vegetables. Holiness III:  But God desires the restoration of creation with us as its cultivator.   Old Adam – that is to say, old humanity – forsook holiness and lost its special relationship with the rest of creation.  Adam fell, and scripture tells us that creation groaned in agony as a result.  But here scripture is simply affirming something we already know: we are at odds with the world – some would say we are at war with it, and our attempts to subdue it through sheer force and technology have been met with, as God describes “thorns and thistles”.  The response of the best environmentalists can only mitigate the affects of this sundered relationship; and the desires of the purist secular and pagan ecologists, while well intended, cannot be realized through good will alone.  It seems that we are destined to wrestle with the world until either it or us are destroyed. But into this mess comes new hope: the New Adam; the one who never forsook holiness; the one who is, in fact, the pre-eternal source of holiness who chose to join the race of fallen Adam so that through Him it might be restored.   Spiritual warmth, light, and power radiated from His flesh.  He was holy and creation responded to Him.  The waters of the Jordan were transformed by His contact with it; water became the source, the mechanism, of the perfection of humankind.  All the wickedness that had come to dwell within the Jordan were “turned back” due to the presence of the messiah, the God-man Jesus.  Wickedness cannot abide the presence of holiness.  It is forced to either fight it or flee.  And this influence of Christ on creation did not stop at the Jordan.  The world could not be still at His presence: the good responded to Him as it was intended; the wicked either repented and joined Him in holiness or doubled down in its profanity.   Conclusion: the mission of the Church.   The marvelous thing is that through Him all of creation is being renewed.  His ministry on earth was just the start, the seed.  When it was planted in the earth at His death, it immediately sprang out of the earth with greater power and purpose.  Through Him, by embracing His holiness – now risen as the Holy Orthodox Church with Him as its root and head –  we can bring holiness to the world.  In the saints, this took very tangible form; but I know that you have seen it operate in your own life.  You respond to holiness and you have seen others do the same.  Some recoil in shock and revulsion; others reflect it back so that the mutual glow is increased. Am I being too abstract?  Try this.  The materialists say there is no proof of what I am saying: let's show how wrong they are.  Repay profanity with holiness.  When someone is being mean and spiteful, meet it with patience and kindness.  See what the reaction is.  If you are pure in your intent, there will be one of two reactions: either the spite will dissipate or it will attack.  In either case, do not stop the experiment: watch how your friends and enemies alike respond to the holiness you bring into their lives.  Watch how its presence in others affects you. Not only will this confound the new atheists in our midst, it will bring joy back into this troubled world.  And that is the real point of the Theophany of Our Lord.  

Romans 7:1-25

1 Cor 15: 21-22, 1 Cor 15:45-57

What is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception?Today, I decided to do something a little different.  I usually begin by sharing a scripture verse with you.  However, today is a very special day, at least in the Catholic Church.  There is a lot of confusion about this day and so I wanted to explain what we are actually celebrating today and why we are celebrating it.  Today, in the Catholic Church, we celebrate the Immaculate Conception.  When I was growing up I never understood how Mary could have immaculately conceived Jesus on the 8th of December and then delivered him on December 25th.  It didn't make sense to me and yet I didn't really question it.  It was not until I was an adult, I am not sure how many years ago, that I learned what we were truly celebrating.  I found this great article that explains what we are celebrating and why.  It is called, “8 Things You Need to Know About the Immaculate Conception,” by Jimmy Akin.  I will put a link for the article in the show notes.  (Click Here) for the article. This is where I found the information for this episode.The Immaculate Conceptions is not referring to Jesus' conception, it is referring to Mary's conception.  Mary has a human mother and father, her conception was not the same as Jesus'.  However, it was special in another way.  Here is how the Catholic Church explains it:CCC490 To become the mother of the Saviour, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.” The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”.  In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God's grace.CCC491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin. This means that Mary was not only free from original sin, but she was also free from person sin as well.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains:CCC493 The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia), and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”.  By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long. “Let it be done to me according to your word. . .”The next question Akin asks is, “If Mary was free from sin, does that mean she didn't need Jesus to die on a cross for her?"He answers, “No. What we've already quoted states that Mary was immaculately conceived as part of her being “full of grace” and thus "redeemed from the moment of her conception" by "a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race."The Catechism goes on to state:CCC492 The “splendour of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son”.  The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love”.CCC508 From among the descendants of Eve, God chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother of his Son. “Full of grace”, Mary is “the most excellent fruit of redemption” (SC 103): from the first instant of her conception, she was totally preserved from the stain of original sin and she remained pure from all personal sin throughout her life.The next question Akin asked is, “How does this make Mary a parallel of Eve?”  His is answer is:  Adam and Eve were both created immaculate--without original sin or its stain. They fell from grace, and through them mankind was bound to sin.  Christ and Mary were also conceived immaculate. They remained faithful, and through them mankind was redeemed from sin. Christ is thus the New Adam, and Mary the New Eve.The Catechism notes:CCC494 . . . As St. Irenaeus says, “Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.” Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert. . .: “The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith.”  Comparing her with Eve, they call Mary “the Mother of the living” and frequently claim: “Death through Eve, life through Mary.”Another question Akin asked was, “Was it necessary for God to make Mary immaculate at her conception so that she could be Jesus' mother?”Akin writes, “No. The Church only speaks of the Immaculate Conception as something that was "fitting," something that made Mary a "fit habitation" (i.e., suitable dwelling) for the Son of God, not something that was necessary. Thus in preparing to define the dogma, Pope Pius IX stated:And hence they [the Church Fathers] affirmed that the Blessed Virgin was, through grace, entirely free from every stain of sin, and from all corruption of body, soul and mind; that she was always united with God and joined to him by an eternal covenant; that she was never in darkness but always in light; and that, therefore, she was entirely a fit habitation for Christ, not because of the state of her body, but because of her original grace. . . .For it was certainly not fitting that this vessel of election should be wounded by the common injuries, since she, differing so much from the others, had only nature in common with them, not sin. In fact, it was quite fitting that, as the Only-Begotten has a Father in heaven, whom the Seraphim extol as thrice holy, so he should have a Mother on earth who would never be without the splendor of holiness [Ineffabilis Deus]."Many of you listening may have already known all about this special day.  However, I felt it was important to explain as I remember when I first found out what we were celebrating I was confused.  I didn't really understand at first and I would have loved to have had this article back then.  I know there are some people who don't understand that we aren't celebrating Jesus' immaculate conception and so I wanted to clear up any misunderstandings about this day.  For those of you who are Catholic, just in case you don't know, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conceptions is a holy day of obligation.  I hope you all enjoyed this little explanation and I hope you check out the article for more information.  Dear Heavenly Father, we are so grateful you gave us Mary so she could say yes to having your one and only son.  We are so grateful you came up with a plan to save us.  We are grateful for all you have done for us over the years.  We don't deserve anything and yet you give us so much.  We thank you Lord.  We love you and we celebrate and honor your beautiful daughter Mary today.  We honor you and your plan for her life.  You are so amazing how you plan everything out in advance.  You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  You are truly remarkable and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you tomorrow.  Remember, Jesus loves you and so do I! Have a blessed day! www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

The Greek word "Apocalypse" is the name of the last book of the Bible. Sometimes when we hear that word - Apocalypse - we think of catastrophe and destruction and chaos. But the word actually means what it's translated into in our Bibles: "Revelation" or "revealing."In this week's episode, Pastor Kevin sits down with Nancy Smith - a long time member of Saints Peter & Paul. Nancy "reveals" stories of her life, and how the Gospel - and the grace that it teaches - shaped her marriage, her family relationships, and her life.Through her sharing you might notice the courage she has to share her life stories. Because, as Nancy knows, she is not defined by the "Old Adam" (the sinful flesh that manifests in our lives), but by the "New Adam" (the new creation that she is - as one fundamentally defined by Christ and His grace).Blessings to you as you hear Nancy's stories, and consider the story God is writing in your life - and how His grace changes it all.As always, we hope you enjoy it!

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the King who comes as the New Adam, to restore what was lost in the garden. He will not be like the first Adam, who allowed evil in the garden and allowed his bride to dialog with that malicious presence. Instead, he will be true steward and protector of the garden, as God intended the first Adam to be, and he will restore in us through grace what has been lost to us through sin.

[Note: If you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, please resubscribe to this feed. The other one will be going away in the near future.] "Grifters Gonna Grift" merchandise coming soon! This episode exposes just how useful footnotes can be as we transition from dusk to darkness, with the confidence-men being replaced by the Cosmopolitan. Under Discussion: The WWE, how nothing ever changes, the New Adam, land ownership, stripping people of their "humanity," cognative fallacies, peace pipes, and more. This week's music is "The Ballad of the Costa Concordia" by Car Seat Headrest. Next episode will cover Chapters 27-38 of The Confidence-Man. You can find the full reading schedule here. You can find all previous seasons of TMR on our YouTube channel and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc. Please rate and review! It helps more than you know. Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.    

[Note: If you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, please resubscribe to this feed. The other one will be going away in the near future.] "Grifters Gonna Grift" merchandise coming soon! This episode exposes just how useful footnotes can be as we transition from dusk to darkness, with the confidence-men being replaced by the Cosmopolitan. Under Discussion: The WWE, how nothing ever changes, the New Adam, land ownership, stripping people of their "humanity," cognative fallacies, peace pipes, and more.  This week's music is "The Ballad of the Costa Concordia" by Car Seat Headrest. Next episode will cover Chapters 27-38 of The Confidence-Man. You can find the full reading schedule here. You can find all previous seasons of TMR on our YouTube channel and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc. Please rate and review! It helps more than you know. Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

The New Adam sermon by Rev. Dr. David Brown on October 6, 2024, from St. Francis Episcopal Church in Palos Verdes Estates, CA.  Readings by Wayfarers Chapel board member, and Seminarian Ben Gunter. Wayfarers Chapel is an Ecumenical Ministry of the Swedenborgian Church and the National Memorial to Emanuel Swedenborg located In Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. The chapel and grounds are temporarily closed due to land movement issues.  Support the show

Holiness and unity are the primary qualities of Christ's Church, and they are two sides of the same coin, reflecting the truth that Christians are members of one another because they are members of Christ by His indwelling and transforming Spirit. The Spirit is the crucial focal point in any consideration of Christ's Church and its life and function in the world. And the Spirit's -gifts- - His sovereign, wise, and manifold distribution of spiritual endowments - stand at the center of His relationship with the Church and His work within its members. This message examines the matter of spiritual gifts, not in abstraction or as a distinct doctrinal topic, but as the way in which the Spirit accomplishes His work of creational renewal. That renewal presently involves human conformity to the New Adam, but with a view toward the Spirit's ultimate accomplishment of summing up everything in the created order in Jesus the Messiah.

Holiness and unity are the primary qualities of Christ's Church, and they are two sides of the same coin, reflecting the truth that Christians are members of one another because they are members of Christ by His indwelling and transforming Spirit. The Spirit is the crucial focal point in any consideration of Christ's Church and its life and function in the world. And the Spirit's "gifts" - His sovereign, wise, and manifold distribution of spiritual endowments - stand at the center of His relationship with the Church and His work within its members. This message examines the matter of spiritual gifts, not in abstraction or as a distinct doctrinal topic, but as the way in which the Spirit accomplishes His work of creational renewal. That renewal presently involves human conformity to the New Adam, but with a view toward the Spirit's ultimate accomplishment of summing up everything in the created order in Jesus the Messiah.

Holiness and unity are the primary qualities of Christ's Church, and they are two sides of the same coin, reflecting the truth that Christians are members of one another because they are members of Christ by His indwelling and transforming Spirit. The Spirit is the crucial focal point in any consideration of Christ's Church and its life and function in the world. And the Spirit's "gifts" - His sovereign, wise, and manifold distribution of spiritual endowments - stand at the center of His relationship with the Church and His work within its members. This message examines the matter of spiritual gifts, not in abstraction or as a distinct doctrinal topic, but as the way in which the Spirit accomplishes His work of creational renewal. That renewal presently involves human conformity to the New Adam, but with a view toward the Spirit's ultimate accomplishment of summing up everything in the created order in Jesus the Messiah.

Jesus's Kingdom demands a new, moldable perspective.

Jesus's Kingdom demands a new, moldable perspective.

Father Joshua Fons speaks to the Men on Sunday, September 22nd, 2024 about the ways masculinity is under attack in our culture, and how Jesus, the New Adam, gives us the Model of true masculinity. Jesus shows us what true greatness looks like, and our world desperately needs men like Him.

As the incarnation of of Son of God approaches its most dramatic moment, Jesus urgently decides to... tell some stories. In this episode, we'll learn why the stories Jesus tells in the last week of his life actually are very urgent, and why Jesus focuses here on stories about work. Along the way, we'll learn what kind of "boss" God is, what kind of work he expects us to do, and what's at stake if we fail. Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes. Click here to see all episodes of The Extraordinary Story Listen to “The Extraordinary Story with Tom Hoopes” wherever you listen to podcasts: click here for Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or Podbean.

The New Adam 9/1/24 Is Jesus the New Adam?

Send us a Text Message.Ever noticed patterns and parallels in the Bible, like Noah as a new Adam, pointing to Christ as the second Adam? Dr. James Hamilton joins us to discuss his book Typology: Understanding the Bible's Promise-Shaped Patterns. In this episode, we'll explore how Old Testament themes and characters foreshadow the fulfillment found in Jesus. We'll discuss:-How historical correspondences in the Bible build significance.-Key patterns like Adam & New Adam, Exodus & New Exodus, and more.-How typology enhances our understanding of Scripture.If you're eager to see Old Testament promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ, you won't want to miss this interview!Book: https://a.co/d/5cszJQ9Jim Hamilton is Professor of Biblical Theology at Southern Seminary and senior pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church.

In this episode, host Johnny Mac excitedly discusses several top comedy stories. Highlights include the trailer for Adam Sandler's new stand-up special on Netflix, a look at the trailer for the new 'Saturday Night' movie featuring iconic SNL cast members, and Kill Tony's live show at Madison Square Garden. Other stories cover Nikki Glaser's reaction to Taylor Swift's concert cancellation due to a terror threat, Steve Martin declining an SNL offer, and Kelsey Cook's special moving from YouTube to Hulu. Additionally, former SNL cast members are doing a live reading of 'Star Wars: Episode II', and Tenacious D is back on track. The episode also touches on Kevin Nealon's comedy outlook and anecdotes, and updates on Brett Goldstein and James Austin Johnson's health issues affecting their performances.00:00 Introduction and Excitement for Today's Show00:21 Adam Sandler's New Stand-Up Special01:40 Saturday Night Movie Trailer Breakdown03:15 Kill Tony Live at Madison Square Garden03:48 Nikki Glaser Reacts to Taylor Swift Concert Cancellation05:14 Steve Martin Declines SNL Role05:46 Kelsey Cook's Special Moves to Hulu07:17 Jack Black and Tenacious D's Return08:26 Podcast Updates and Upcoming Episodes10:21 Kevin Nealon's Comedy and SNL Memories12:11 Star Wars Live Reading Event Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed! Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories' with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show! We now have Merch!  FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there's free shipping? Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media  Contact Johnny Mac at John at thesharkdeck.com Buy Me A Coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com/dailycomedynewsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news--4522158/support.

Deuteronomy 6:16-25Matthew 4:1-11

Today's return to the Sundays in Ordinary Time gives us one of the foundational biblical texts: The story of the aftermath of the Fall. While God created the man and the woman in a state of perfect harmony with Himself and with one another, we see how quickly these relationships fall apart when the man and woman commit the original sin. May we be convicted that sin always brings disorder and seek to encounter continually the only One who can heal us from the disorders of our heart, the New Adam, Jesus Christ!

Questions Covered: 05:11 – Is Mary being the new Eve and Jesus the New Adam a strictly Catholic belief? 13:48 – Is it ok to read Protestant theologians? 22:22 – What is the Catholic answer to how do I get to heaven? 39:08 – Christians should love abortion since it guarantees heaven 45:44 – My non-Catholic friend asked: If Christ finished the sacrifice but the mass is ongoing, how is it actually finished? …

To support the ministry and access exclusive content, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://patreon.com/logicalbiblestudy⁠⁠⁠⁠ For complete verse-by-verse audio commentaries from Logical Bible Study, go to: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mysoundwise.com/publishers/1677296682850p⁠ John 3: 31-36 - 'The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to him.' Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs: - 504 (in 'Mary's virginal motherhood in God's plan') - Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary's womb because he is the New Adam, who inaugurates the new creation: "The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven." From his conception, Christ's humanity is filled with the Holy Spirit, for God "gives him the Spirit without measure." From "his fullness" as the head of redeemed humanity "we have all received, grace upon grace." - 690 (in 'The Joint Mission of the Son and the Spirit') - Jesus is Christ, "anointed," because the Spirit is his anointing, and everything that occurs from the Incarnation on derives from this fullness...The notion of anointing suggests . . . that there is no distance between the Son and the Spirit. Indeed, just as between the surface of the body and the anointing with oil neither reason nor sensation recognizes any intermediary, so the contact of the Son with the Spirit is immediate, so that anyone who would make contact with the Son by faith must first encounter the oil by contact. In fact there is no part that is not covered by the Holy Spirit. That is why the confession of the Son's Lordship is made in the Holy Spirit by those who receive him, the Spirit coming from all sides to those who approach the Son in faith (abbreviated). - 1286 (in 'Confirmation in the Economy of Salvation') - He was conceived of the Holy Spirit; his whole life and his whole mission are carried out in total communion with the Holy Spirit whom the Father gives him "without measure." (abbreviated) - 161 (in 'The Necessity of Faith') - Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation. "Since "without faith it is impossible to please (God) " and to attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life 'But he who endures to the end.'" Got a Bible question? Send an email to logicalbiblestudy@gmail.com, and it will be answered in an upcoming episode! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daily-gospel-exegesis/message

He might just be the new go-to guy for breaking NFL news.