Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 12 Christian Unity (continued)
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 12 Christian Unity (continued)
by SPCK-Kenneth E. Bailey
The Cross and Christian Unity Christian Unity (continued) The sweeping nature of what Paul is saying takes the reader’s breath away. In cameo 3 Paul includes the full list that appeared in 1:12. Paul, Apollos, Cephas and Christ are mentioned. But here in cameo 3 being “of Paul” o…
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 11 Christian Unity Paul, Apollos and Cephas as One
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 11 Christian Unity Paul, Apollos and Cephas as One
by SPCK-Kenneth E. Bailey
Christian Unity Paul, Apollos and Cephas as One Paul now describes himself as a “master builder.” A good master builder can exercise his or her authority by becoming a servant. In fact, that authority, when exercised through servanthood, is in a marvellous way profoundly attracti…
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 11 The Death of Jesus
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 11 The Death of Jesus
by SPCK - Edward Adams
The Death of Jesus The crucifixion and death of Jesus is the “crucial” event of the shared gospel story, the climactic occurrence to which the whole course of events has been leading. Crucifixion was an excessively cruel and drawn-out mode of execution, designed to shock and inti…
Great Christian Thinkers - 11 St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Great Christian Thinkers - 11 St. Cyril of Jerusalem
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Cyril of Jerusalem Our attention is focused now on St. Cyril of Jerusalem. His life is woven of two dimensions: on the one hand, pastoral care, and on the other, his involvement, in spite of himself, in the heated controversies that were then tormenting the Church of the East…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 11 Sufficiency and Sharing
The Monastery Of The Heart - 11 Sufficiency and Sharing
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Sufficiency and Sharing “Do everything with moderation.” The purpose of the monastic life is never to amass wealth for the sake of the self. Instead, Benedict’s definition of the relationship between persons and things is sufficiency, not frugality… Taken from The Monastery Of Th…
Celtic Christian Spirituality - 11 Blessing as a Way of Life (Chapter 8)
Celtic Christian Spirituality - 11 Blessing as a Way of Life (Chapter 8)
by Skylight- Mary C.Earle
Blessing as a Way of Life Throughout the writings and prayers that we receive from the Celtic Christian tradition, life is known as a blessing and a gift. We come from the Holy One, whose essence is infinite goodness… Taken from Celtic Christian Spirituality by Annotation by Mary…
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 12 The Empty Tomb
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 12 The Empty Tomb
by SPCK - Edward Adams
The Empty Tomb None of the four evangelists describes Jesus’ actual resurrection, but they all report the discovery of the empty tomb, and all except Mark recount appearances of the risen Jesus to his followers. The resurrection accounts of the four Gospels are notoriously diffic…
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 13 Essay 2 Sex
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 13 Essay 2 Sex
by SPCK-Kenneth E. Bailey
Essay 2 Sex Paul is now ready to begin his second essay, which focuses on sexual practice and its theological foundation. The essay comprises four sections and one extended aside. The outline of the overall essay is as follows: 2.1. Immorality and the Church (4:17–6:8) 2.2. (Thre…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 12 NATURE AS SACRED TEXT
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 12 NATURE AS SACRED TEXT
by Christine Valters Painter
NATURE AS SACRED TEXT Every being is praising God The fire has its flame and praises God. The wind blows the flame and praises God. In the voice we hear the word which praises God. And the word, when heard, praises God. So all of creation is a song of praise to God… Taken from Le…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 13 Good Work
The Monastery Of The Heart - 13 Good Work
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Good Work “When they live by the labour of their hands, then they are really monastics.” Prayer and contemplation, Benedict is clear, are no substitute for work. Nor are they an excuse to detach ourselves from the holy act of human responsibility for making the world go round… Ta…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 12 Nourishment
The Monastery Of The Heart - 12 Nourishment
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Nourishment “Nothing is so inconsistent with the life of the monastic as overindulgence.” The seeker’s ideal is to be “in the world but not of it”- to be like everyone else but different where it counts. For those who seek to define this other quality of life by membership in a M…
Great Christian Thinkers - 14 St, Gregory of Nyssa
Great Christian Thinkers - 14 St, Gregory of Nyssa
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Gregory of Nyssa Theologian of Life in the Spirit In the last chapters, I spoke of two great fourth-century Doctors of the Church, Basil and Gregory of Nazianzus, a bishop in Cappadocia, in present-day Turkey. Today, we are adding a third, St. Gregory of Nyssa, Basil’s brothe…
Great Christian Thinkers - 13 St. Gregory of Nazianzus
Great Christian Thinkers - 13 St. Gregory of Nazianzus
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Gregory of Nazianzus His Life and Times After discussing St. Basil, a Father of the Church and a great teacher of the faith, I speak now of his friend Gregory of Nazianzus. Like Basil, he was a native of Cappadocia. As a distinguished theologian, orator, and champion of the C…
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 14 Essay 2 Sex (cntd)
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 14 Essay 2 Sex (cntd)
by SPCK-Kenneth E. Bailey
Essay 2 Sex The structure of this apostolic homily is similar to the homily that precedes it in 4:8-16. The one structural difference is that in the previous homily the stand-alone cameo is at the end. Here it is in the beginning. Otherwise the two homilies have the same structur…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 13 THE SACRED STORIES OF OUR LIVES
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 13 THE SACRED STORIES OF OUR LIVES
by Christine Valters Painter
THE SACRED STORIES OF OUR LIVES Like the Hebrew alphabet, the alphabet of grace has no vowels, and in that sense [God’s] words to us are always veiled, subtle, cryptic, so that it is left to us to delve their meaning, to fill in the vowels, for ourselves by means of all the faith…
Lectio Divina the Sacred Art - 14 Afterword