Treasures of Our Faith with Deacon Richard Vehige

On Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time our church invites us to  reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Micah (7: 7-20) entitled  “The city of God awaits salvation through the forgiveness of sins”. Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon on Baptism by Saint Pacian, bishop.

Micah is the sixth of twelve Old Testament books. Most of this book explores Micah's accusations and warnings of God's impending judgment on Israel, but Micah also had a message of hope that countered these warnings and told of the restoration that God would one day bring about. The main message of the Book of Micah is that the people and their leaders need to leave behind their lives of sin and corruption in order to receive the grace of God. If they do not do this, their cities will be destroyed.

Saint Pacian was a bishop of Barcelona during the fourth century. A Spaniard by birth, he became bishop in 365. Little is known about his life beyond his extensive writings, which are themselves extant only in part in three letters and a short treatise. Among the topics he examined in his writings are ecclesiastical discipline, Baptism, papal supremacy, and orthodox teachings on penance against the heresy of Novatianism, which was then flourishing in Spain. St. Jerome praised Pacian for his eloquence and deep sanctity.

From a sermon on Baptism by by Saint Pacian, bishop: “The sin of Adam had come into all men. Through one man, the Apostle says, sin entered and through sin, death. Thus it has come to all men. Therefore, the justice of Christ must enter into men; and as the old Adam ruined his descendants through sin, so Christ must bring new life to all men through justice. The Apostle stresses this theme when he says: As through the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners, so too, through the obedience of one man, many were made just. And, as sin brought death to the offender, so grace through justice brings birth to life eternal.”

On Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time our church invites us to  reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Micah (4: 1-7) entitled  “The nations go up to the mountain of the Lord”. Our treasure, which follows, is from a discourse on the psalms by Saint Augustine, bishop.

Micah is the sixth of twelve Old Testament books. Most of this book explores Micah's accusations and warnings of God's impending judgment on Israel, but Micah also had a message of hope that countered these warnings and told of the restoration that God would one day bring about. The main message of the Book of Micah is that the people and their leaders need to leave behind their lives of sin and corruption in order to receive the grace of God. If they do not do this, their cities will be destroyed.

Saint Augustine was a late fourth century, theologian and philosopher, and Bishop of Hippo, Roman North Africa. He is also a preeminent Catholic Doctor of the Church. His writings influenced the development of western philosophy and western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period.

Throughout its many pages, Psalms encourages its readers to praise God for who He is and what He has done. The Psalms illuminate the greatness of our God, affirm His faithfulness to us in times of trouble, and remind us of the absolute centrality of His Word. The focus of Augustine's Explanations of the Psalms is on Christ. In fact, at one point he says, "Christ is the comprehensive mystery underlying all of Scripture."

On Monday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time our church invites us to continue reflecting on a passages from the book of the prophet Hosea (14: 2-10) entitled  “The call to repentance and the promise of healing”. Our treasure, which follows, is from a treatise On the Incarnation of the Lord by Theodoret of Cyr, bishop.

Book of Hosea, the first of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, considered as one book, The Twelve, in the Jewish canon. According to the superscription, Hosea began his prophetic activity during the reign of Jeroboam II (c. 786–746 bc). Most of Hosea's messages are announcements of God’s anger with Israel (the northern of the two Israelite kingdoms) and God’s impending judgement on this people. Hosea's messages focus on Israel's unfaithfulness to the Lord. This lack of faithfulness is seen in Israel's worship of other gods (alongside the Lord). The book of Hosea is about God’s loving relationship with the chosen people –a love that leads God to judge the people when they love other gods and oppress each other, but also a relationship to which God is faithful on the other side of judgment.

Theodoret of Cyr was fifth century influential theologian of the School of Antioch, biblical commentator, and Christian bishop of Cyrus. He played a pivotal role in several 5th-century Byzantine Church controversies that led to various ecumenical acts and schisms. 

On the Incarnation of the Lord  by Theodoret of Cyr was written about 431 attributed to Christ an integral human consciousness with a distinct psychological ego. In it Theodoret writes: “Of his own free will Jesus ran to meet those sufferings that were foretold in the Scriptures concerning him. He had forewarned his disciples about them several times; he had rebuked Peter for being reluctant to accept the announcement of his passion, and he had made it clear that it was by means of his suffering that the world’s salvation was to be accomplished. This was why he stepped forward and presented himself to those who came in search of him, saying: I am the one you are looking for. For the same reason he made no reply when he was accused, and refused to hide when he could have done so; although in the past he had slipped away on more than one occasion when they had tried to apprehend him.”

On Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time our church invites us to reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Hosea (2: 4a, 10: 25) entitled  “The punishment and future restoration of the Lord’s bride”. Our treasure, which follows, is from a Spiritual Canticle by Saint John of the Cross, priest.

John of the Cross (1542-1591) was one of the greatest Christian mystics and Spanish poets, doctor of the church, reformer of Spanish monasticism, and cofounder of the contemplative order of Discalced Carmelites. He is best known for reforming his order together with Saint Teresa of Avila, and for writing the classic spiritual treatise “The Dark Night of the Soul.”

The Spiritual Canticleis one of the poetic works of the Spanish mystical poet Saint John of the Cross. In the Spiritual Canticle, John tries to explain the mystical process that follows the soul until it reaches its union with God. In order to achieve this, he uses an allegory: the search of (for?) the husband (Christ) by the wife (the human soul). The wife feels wounded by love, and this makes it to start the search of the Beloved; the soul asks everywhere for him in despair until they finally get together in the solitude of the garden (Paradise).

In relation to "the realities and experiences of this world", John teaches that all the goodness present in them "is present in God eminently and infinitely, or more properly, in each of these sublime realities is God".

On Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time our church invites us to reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Amos (9: 1-15) entitled  “The salvation of the just”. Our treasure, which follows, is from the beginning of a letter attributed to Barnabas.

The Book of Amos is the third of the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. According to the Bible, Amos was an older contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah, and was active c. 750 BC during the reign of Jeroboam II (788–747 BC) of Samaria (Northern Israel), while Uzziah was King of Judah. Amos is said to have lived in the kingdom of Judah but preached in the northern Kingdom of Israel with themes of social justice, God's omnipotence, and divine judgment became staples of prophecy. The book opens with a historical note about the prophet, then a short oracle announcing Yahweh's judgment (repeated in the Book of Joel). The prophet denounces the crimes committed by the gentile (non-Jewish) nations, and tells Israel that even they have sinned and are guilty of the same crimes, and reports five symbolic visions prophesying the destruction of Israel.

Born in Cyprus, Barnabas is numbered among the first of the faithful at Jerusalem. He preached the Gospel at Antioch and, as a companion of Saint Paul, accompanied him on his first journey. He was also present at the Council of Jerusalem. Upon returning to his own country, he continued to spread the Gospel and eventually died there.

The Epistle of Barnabas is a Greek epistle written between AD 70 and 132. The main message of the epistle is that the Hebrew scriptures — what would become the Old Testament in Christianity — were actually Christian documents from the beginning. According to the epistle, the Jews had misinterpreted their own law by applying it literally; the true meaning was to be found in its symbolic prophecies foreshadowing the coming of Jesus. The Jews broke their covenant from the very beginning, and are misled by an evil angel. After explaining its Christian interpretations of the Jewish scriptures, the epistle concludes by discussing "The Two Ways", also seen in the Didache: a Way of Light and a Way of Darkness.

On Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time our church invites us to reflect on a passage from the second letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians (11:30---12:13) entitled  “Paul boasts of his weaknesses”. Our treasure, which follows, is from the beginning of a letter to Polycarp by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr.

The Second Letter to the Corinthians is the most personal of all of Paul’s extant writings, and it reveals much about his character. In it he deals with one or more crises that have arisen in the Corinthian church. The confrontation with these problems caused him to reflect deeply on his relationship with the community and to speak about it frankly. One moment he is venting his feelings of frustration and uncertainty, the next he is pouring out his relief and affection. The importance of the issues at stake between them calls forth from him an enormous effort of personal persuasion, as well as doctrinal considerations that are of great value for us.

Saint Ignatius was a successor of Saint Peter as the bishop of Antioch. Condemned to death by being thrown to wild animals, he was brought to Rome for execution and was martyred there under the emperor Trajan in 107. On the journey to Rome he wrote seven letters to different churches. In these he discussed Christ, the structure of the Church, and the Christian life in a manner at once wise and learned. At Antioch, this day was observed in his memory as early as the fourth century.

On Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time our church invites us to reflect on a passage from the second letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians (11:7-29) entitled  “Against false prophets”. Our treasure, which follows, is from a catechetical instruction by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop.

The Second Letter to the Corinthians is the most personal of all of Paul’s extant writings, and it reveals much about his character. In it he deals with one or more crises that have arisen in the Corinthian church. The confrontation with these problems caused him to reflect deeply on his relationship with the community and to speak about it frankly. One moment he is venting his feelings of frustration and uncertainty, the next he is pouring out his relief and affection. The importance of the issues at stake between them calls forth from him an enormous effort of personal persuasion, as well as doctrinal considerations that are of great value for us.

Cyril of Jerusalem was a theologian of the Early Church. About the end of AD 350, he succeeded Maximus as Bishop of Jerusalem, but was exiled on more than one occasion due to the enmity of Acacius of Caesarea, and the policies of various emperors, Raised in Jerusalem and well-educated, especially in the Scriptures, he was ordained a priest by the bishop of Jerusalem and given the task during Lent of catechizing those preparing for Baptism and catechizing the newly baptized during the Easter season. His Catechesis remain valuable as examples of the ritual and theology of the Church in the mid-fourth century. The crises that the Church faces today may seem minor when compared with the threat posed by the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ and almost overcame Christianity in the fourth century. Cyril was to be caught up in the controversy, accused of Arianism by Saint Jerome, and ultimately vindicated both by the men of his own time and by being declared a Doctor of the Church in 1822.

On Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time our church invites us to reflect on a passage from the second letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians (10:1---11:6) entitled  “Paul’s defense”. Our treasure, which follows, is from a catechetical instruction by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop.

The Second Letter to the Corinthians is the most personal of all of Paul’s extant writings, and it reveals much about his character. In it he deals with one or more crises that have arisen in the Corinthian church. The confrontation with these problems caused him to reflect deeply on his relationship with the community and to speak about it frankly. One moment he is venting his feelings of frustration and uncertainty, the next he is pouring out his relief and affection. The importance of the issues at stake between them calls forth from him an enormous effort of personal persuasion, as well as doctrinal considerations that are of great value for us.

Cyril of Jerusalem was a theologian of the Early Church. About the end of AD 350, he succeeded Maximus as Bishop of Jerusalem, but was exiled on more than one occasion due to the enmity of Acacius of Caesarea, and the policies of various emperors, Raised in Jerusalem and well-educated, especially in the Scriptures, he was ordained a priest by the bishop of Jerusalem and given the task during Lent of catechizing those preparing for Baptism and catechizing the newly baptized during the Easter season. His Catechesis remain valuable as examples of the ritual and theology of the Church in the mid-fourth century. The crises that the Church faces today may seem minor when compared with the threat posed by the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ and almost overcame Christianity in the fourth century. Cyril was to be caught up in the controversy, accused of Arianism by Saint Jerome, and ultimately vindicated both by the men of his own time and by being declared a Doctor of the Church in 1822.

On the Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time our church invites us to reflect on a passage from the second letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians (6:1---7:1) entitled  “Paul’s sufferings and his exhortation to holiness”. Our treasure, which follows, is from a homily on the second letter to the Corinthians by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop.

The Second Letter to the Corinthians is the most personal of all of Paul’s extant writings, and it reveals much about his character. In it he deals with one or more crises that have arisen in the Corinthian church. The confrontation with these problems caused him to reflect deeply on his relationship with the community and to speak about it frankly. One moment he is venting his feelings of frustration and uncertainty, the next he is pouring out his relief and affection. The importance of the issues at stake between them calls forth from him an enormous effort of personal persuasion, as well as doctrinal considerations that are of great value for us.

Saint John Chrysostom was an important, fourth century, Early Church Father who served as Archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, and for his denunciation of abuse of authority of both ecclesiastical and political leaders. He was among the most prolific authors in the early Christian church. The word ’Chrysostom’ means ‘golden-mounted’. This name was given to him after he died because all his sermons were eloquent and lovely to hear

On Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time our church invites us to reflect on a passage from the second letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians (3: 7----4: 4) entitled  “The glory of the ministry of the new covenant”. Our treasure, which follows. is from the Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis

The Second Letter to the Corinthians is the most personal of all of Paul’s extant writings, and it reveals much about his character. In it he deals with one or more crises that have arisen in the Corinthian church. The confrontation with these problems caused him to reflect deeply on his relationship with the community and to speak about it frankly. One moment he is venting his feelings of frustration and uncertainty, the next he is pouring out his relief and affection. The importance of the issues at stake between them calls forth from him an enormous effort of personal persuasion, as well as doctrinal considerations that are of great value for us.

Thomas à Kempis was a fourteenth century priest, monk and writer. Thomas was born in the Rhineland town of Kempen near Düsseldorf in Germany. The school he attended included men devoted to prayer, simplicity, and union with God. Thomas was so impressed by his teachers that he decided to live his own life according to their ideals. He devoted his time to prayer, study, copying manuscripts, teaching novices, offering Mass, and hearing the confessions of people who came to the monastery church. From time to time Thomas was given a position of authority in the community of monks, but he consistently preferred the quiet of his cell to the challenge of administration. He was pleasant but retiring. The other monks eventually recognized Thomas's talent for deep thought and stopped troubling him with practical affairs.

Thomas wrote a number of sermons, letters, hymns, and information about the lives of the saints. He reflected the mystical spirituality of his times, the sense of being absorbed in God. The most famous of his works by far is The Imitation of Christ, a deeply spiritual book which speaks often of  humility, suffering for Christ, prayer, purity, simplicity, wisdom, patience, meekness and other such virtues. Throughout the book, readers find themselves experiencing the peace and wisdom that have comforted believers from all corners of the world. This consoling guide show readers how better to live the life of a Christian by closely following Christ's example. The Imitation of Christ enables those seeking guidance in the midst of today's challenges to find encouragement to imitate Christ in many of life's situations.