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Great Christian Thinkers - 2 St. Ignatius of Antioch
Great Christian Thinkers - 2 St. Ignatius of Antioch
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Ignatius of Antioch Saint Ignatius was the third bishop of Antioch, from 70 to 107, the date of his martyrdom. At that time, Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch were the three great metropolises of the Roman Empire… Taken from Great Christian Thinkers by Pope Benedict XVI
Great Christian Thinkers - 8 St. Cyprian
Great Christian Thinkers - 8 St. Cyprian
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Cyprian We come now to an excellent African bishop of the third century, St. Cyprian, “the first bishop in Africa to obtain the crown of martyrdom.” His fame, Pontius the Deacon, his first biographer, attests, is also linked to his literary corpus and pastoral activity during…
Great Christian Thinkers - 24 St. Paulinus of Nola
Great Christian Thinkers - 24 St. Paulinus of Nola
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Paulinus of Nola The Father of the Church to whom we turn our attention now is St. Paulinus of Nola. Paulinus, a contemporary of St. Augustine to whom he was bound by a firm friendship, exercised his ministry at Nola in Campania, where he was a monk and later a priest and a b…
Great Christian Thinkers - 60 St. Bonaventure
Great Christian Thinkers - 60 St. Bonaventure
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Bonaventure Interpreter of Francis I talk now about St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio. I confide to you that in broaching this subject I feel a certain nostalgia, for I am thinking back to my research as a young scholar on this author, who was particularly dear to me. My knowledg…
Great Christian Thinkers - 57 St. Clare of Assisi
Great Christian Thinkers - 57 St. Clare of Assisi
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Clare of Assisi One of the best-loved saints is without a doubt St. Clare of Assisi, who lived in the thirteenth century and was a contemporary of St. Francis. Her testimony shows us how indebted the Church is to courageous women, full of faith like her, who can give a crucia…
Great Christian Thinkers - 67 John Duns Scotus
Great Christian Thinkers - 67 John Duns Scotus
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
John Duns Scotus Another important figure in the history of theology is Blessed John Duns Scotus, who lived at the end of the thirteenth century. An ancient epitaph on his tombstone sums up the geographical coordinates of his biography: “Scotland bore me, England received me, Fra…
Great Christian Thinkers - 66 Marguerite D'Oingt
Great Christian Thinkers - 66 Marguerite D'Oingt
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
Marguerite D'Oingt With Marguerite d’Oingt, we are introduced to Carthusian spirituality, which draws its inspiration from the evangelical synthesis lived and proposed by St. Bruno. We do not know the date of her birth, although some place it around 1240. Marguerite came from a p…
Great Christian Thinkers - 68 St. Bridget of Sweden
Great Christian Thinkers - 68 St. Bridget of Sweden
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Bridget of Sweden On the eve of the Great Jubilee in anticipation of the Year 2000, the Venerable John Paul II proclaimed St. Bridget of Sweden co-patroness of the whole of Europe. I now present her, her message, and the reasons why - still today - this holy woman has much to…
Great Christian Thinkers - 70 Julian of Norwich
Great Christian Thinkers - 70 Julian of Norwich
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
Julian of Norwich I still remember with great joy the apostolic journey I made in the United Kingdom in 2009. England is a land that has given birth to a great many distinguished figures who enhanced Church history with their testimony and their teaching. One of them, venerated b…
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 4 The Gospel according to Matthew
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 4 The Gospel according to Matthew
by SPCK - Edward Adams
The Gospel according to Matthew Matthew’s narrative closely resembles that of Mark. It is generally accepted that Matthew drew extensively on the work of his forerunner in composing his Gospel. He incorporates the large bulk of Mark’s Gospel, adding to the beginning a genealogy a…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 3 A Single Vision
The Monastery Of The Heart - 3 A Single Vision
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
A Single Vision “Perform the Opus Dei where you are… Those on a journey are not to omit the prescribed hours but to observe them as best they can.” The Benedictine Rule is based on the notion that community life is the preeminent form of the spiritual journey, because it provides…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 6 Prayerful Reading
The Monastery Of The Heart - 6 Prayerful Reading
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Prayerful Reading “Listen readily to holy reading.” Benedictine spirituality is not an exercise in private devotion or personal pieties. Benedictine prayer is not simply ceaseless recitation of scripture passages and psalmic verse… Taken from The Monastery Of The Heart by Joan Ch…
Great Christian Thinkers - 1 St Clement, Bishop of Rome
Great Christian Thinkers - 1 St Clement, Bishop of Rome
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St Clement, Bishop of Rome After the first witnesses of the Christian faith, mentioned in the New Testament writings, we find the Apostolic Fathers, that is, to the first and second generations in the Church subsequent to the Apostles. And thus, we can see where the Church’s jour…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 23 Sacred Art
The Monastery Of The Heart - 23 Sacred Art
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Sacred Art “They are to practice their craft with all humility.” The bond between Benedictine spirituality and art goes deep. Medieval monasteries were centres of the arts and patrons of the arts because art, as a reflection of beauty- which is itself an attribute of God- came to…
The Monastery Of The Heart - 26 Epilogue
The Monastery Of The Heart - 26 Epilogue
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Epilogue As we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.” Benedictine spirituality is not a spiritual practice that waxes and wanes, comes and goes, as we grow and chan…
Great Christian Thinkers - 65 St. Thomas Aquinas
Great Christian Thinkers - 65 St. Thomas Aquinas
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Thomas Aquinas His Life and Context We continue our meditation on some of the great thinkers of the Middle Ages. We recently looked at the great figure of St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan, and here I discuss the one whom the Church calls the Doctor Communis, namely, St. Thomas A…
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 24 Food Offered to Idols