Gregory the Great's point of departure is Jesus' statement "the harvest is great but the laborers are few." He notes that while priests, bishops, and preachers abound, there are few who have the zeal and courage to speak the truth even when it offends and...
This excerpt from the Confessions of Saint Augustine helps us understand what the author means by the title of his book: his goal is to confess his own weakness and at the same time to confess God's goodness - the mercy of one who sees...
Caesarius of Arles' point of departure in this meditation on divine mercy is one of the beatitudes found in the Gospel of Matthew: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." He exhorts us to become "mercy's slaves" who receive divine mercy & give...
Peter & Paul have a common feast day. And though they each have their own basilica in Rome, the dedication of both are celebrated on the same day. St. Leo, 5th century bishop of Rome, shows that this is because they were united...
Gregory of Nyssa continues his reflections on the Beatitude "blessed are the pure for they shall see God" (Mat. 5:8) by showing how purity of heart is the key the opens the way to seeing, to the hope of the vision of God....
Gregory of Nyssa, commenting on the beatitude "blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God," compares God to an inaccessible rock, a mountain peak impossible to climb except to those lifted up, as Peter was, by the strong hand of Jesus....
Athanasius writes that God the Word assumed our nature and took a human body in order to offer it in sacrifice, winning us salvation from sin and death....
Augustine makes clear that though grace must come before any good works that are truly pleasing to God, grace necessarily leads to good works which are really God's works in and through us as we tred the path of humility....
St. Ambrose here provides a poetic and moving description of the role of the book of psalms in the prayer life of the Church. Though many devotional prayers are are to be found in the treasury of the Christian Tradition, it is the psalter...
Cyril of Alexandria discusses the words of Jesus "I am the vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5)l; how the Holy Spirit is the bond uniting us with Christ & one another, making us bear fruit....