We have come to the second part of an extended series on discipleship and the teachings of Jesus in Matthew.  These teachings are found in five blocks of material that are found at various places in the Gospel.  We continue our examination of The Sermon on the Mount where we…

We begin here with a series on discipleship and witness.   The Will of the Father At the end of Matthew 12, we are told that Jesus’ mother and brothers wish to speak with Him.  He responds in a striking, unsettling way. “‘Who is my mother, and who are my…

This article is another in the series on the early Christian apologists.  Minucius Felix, a lawyer, came from Latin speaking Africa.  On a certain day, he and two friends and colleagues were walking along the seashore near the Tiber at Ostia, a seaport of Rome.  During their excursion they engaged…

In the New Testament, terms with political and civic meaning are used to describe heaven.  The company of heaven–the saints, martyrs, and angels–are a society of individuals whose King is the Lord God Himself.  Already in the Old Testament Yahweh, the true God, is known as the King of the…

In the sixth century Saint Benedict wrote a rule for his community of monks that has been fundamental to western monasticism over the centuries.  Reflecting biblical principles, the rule in most ways is applicable to the local congregation.  Chapter 4 gives a list of good works that are basic to…

In his great work, The City of God, Saint Augustine describes two cities that exist throughout human history–the City of God and the City of Man.  The City of Man is characterized by self-love and pride while the City of God shows forth humility and love of God.  These two…

This year again, the Philadelphia suburbs have been attired in Christmas decorations accompanied by brilliant lights.  But, it seems that in many places the nativity itself, the essential symbol of the season, less brilliantly has accompanied the brighter lights.  This circumstance is symbolic of the fact that our Lord was…

The Third Article of the Creed concerns the Holy Spirit and the holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Both are embedded firmly in our confession of faith. It is the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Gospel that brings people to faith and unites them to the Church. The Church…

Because Jesus exorcises demons in His ministry, the religious leaders accuse him of being possessed by Beelzebul (the devil). Jesus responds by pointing out how ridiculous to accuse Him of casting out a demon by the prince of demons (the devil).  He then pronounces a judgment on those who so…

You’ve probably heard it–OMG, three letters, is like so many other things referred to with three letters–CIA, IRS, FBI, WHO, AOL, MSN, NBC, CBS, ABC, BBB, FCC, HIV, MTV, MSG, HCL, thus QED.  All these acronyms are acceptable in usage, if people you are speaking to know what they mean.…