June 29, 2018

In a vision, the Shepherd tells Hermas that you can’t tell the righteous from the sinners by looking at them. In this life, we’re all like trees in the winter: who can tell which are living and which are dead? He showed me many trees that had no leaves; they were withered, and they all looked alike to me. And he said to me, “Do you see these trees?” “I see, sir, that they are all alike, and all withered,”... Read more

June 28, 2018

Do you think that anything escapes God’s notice? asks St. Ambrose. Even when we shut out the sun, its heat penetrates the innermost rooms of our house. Think how much more penetrating God must be. But what can be more foolish than to suppose that anything escapes God’s notice, when the sun that supplies our light enters even hidden spots, and the strength of its heat reaches to the foundations of a house and its inner cham­bers? Who can deny... Read more

June 27, 2018

St. Ambrose summarizes the opinions of classical philosophy on duty. Then he explains why a Christian has a different idea of duty: a Christian measures everything by eternity, not by our brief life on earth. The philosophers believed that duties were derived from what is virtuous and what is useful, and that from these two one should choose the better. It may happen, they say, that two virtuous or two useful things will clash together, and the question is, which... Read more

June 26, 2018

In this transcript of the trial of St. Justin Martyr and his companions, Justin argues that no terrors the prefect threatens can shake a Christian’s confidence. It’s far more important to have a clear conscience before the judgment seat of Christ. Prefect. Listen, you who call yourself educated, and think you know the true doctrines. If you are scourged and beheaded, do you believe you will ascend into heaven? Justin. I hope that, if I did endure these things, I’d... Read more

June 25, 2018

The last judgment may be coming very soon, says St. John Chrysostom. But whether it is or not, your own death is the end of the world for you. You need to be ready all the time, and you can do it by imitating John the Baptist. Let us imitate John the Baptist: leaving luxury and drunkenness, let us go over to the life of restraint. For surely this is the time of confession both for the uninitiated and for... Read more

June 24, 2018

Does the resurrection of the dead seem strangely unlikely? Well, of course, says Aphrahat—God’s miracles should seem marvelous to us. But it’s no big deal for God, who has done much more marvelous things. Concerning then this resurrection of the dead, dear friends, according to my power I will instruct you. From the beginning God created Adam—molded him from the dust of the earth, and raised him up. Now if, while Adam did not exist, (God) made him from nothing,... Read more

June 23, 2018

There’s a crisis in youth ministry today and it not something that has happened overnight. It has been a slow creep over the last couple years. Everett Fritz joins me this week for a discussion on what we can do to right the ship when it comes to engaging youth and young adults in the faith. Listen in as we chat about what is is that teens need and Everett’s two-fold solution to the problem with retaining youth that we... Read more

June 23, 2018

If heaven is so great, why don’t you just kill yourself now? St. Justin Martyr explains to his pagan persecutors that God doesn’t work that way. God made us for a reason; the time of our death is not our will, but his. But someone might say, “Then why don’t you all just go and kill your­selves, and pass over to your God right away, and not bother us anymore?” I’ll tell you why we don’t kill ourselves—but why, when... Read more

June 22, 2018

The historian Eusebius tells the story of a young girl, a holy virgin in Tyre, who came to speak with the Christians about to be martyred. The enraged gov­ernor arrested her and subjected her to hideous tortures—but she still stood firm. Because this girl had endured this severe punishment and the combs without a word, and still survived, he again commanded her to offer sacrifice. She then raised her lips and opened her eyes, and looking around with a joyful... Read more

June 21, 2018

God didn’t just tell us that the resurrection would happen, says Aphrahat. He has proved that he can raise the dead by numerous resurrections in history, witnessed by reliable witnesses. And it was not only in words, dear friends, that God said, “I make the dead live,” but also in deeds he showed it to us by many testimonies, so that we might have no hesitation in believing it. He showed it beforehand plainly; for through Elijah a wonder was... Read more


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