We have been looking at Matthew 10, where Jesus sends out the Twelve on a mission to Israel in light of the coming of the Son of Man.  The end of the world is the time of the judgment of God. At the beginning of the chapter Jesus instructs the…

Nihilism is a view of the world that denies that therein exist meaning, purpose, and moral values.  At bottom, it is a denial of the reality of God.  Human beings must form their own response to this meaninglessness including the possibility of suicide.  We must find our own meaning, if…

In Matthew 10 Jesus sends the apostles out on a mission to Israel.  He instructs them to go nowhere among the Gentiles (a mission that will come later, see Matthew 28: 16-20), but only to the lost sheep of Israel.  Along with casting out demons; healing the sick; cleansing lepers;…

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…