Saint of the Week: Gregory the Great

This week the Church in the West remembers Gregory the Great (Gregory the Dialogist if you are Orthodox). Gregory was the Bishop of Rome during a time of great trouble. He was a great man who found himself in a position of power, although he did not want it. He was a monk who sought to live out his days in quite prayer. When he was elected Pope in 590 he laid aside his own desires and took of the office. His love for christ and his church was renown winning him the title, "the last good Pope" by John Calvin in his institutes, and resulting in his canonization immediately following his death.

Here are the things you need to know about Gregory:

1. He negotiated a peace with the Lombards, who had besieged Rome. To this day no one knows how.
   
2. He helped bring a great deal of power to the Papacy
3. He was a monk at heart
4. His four volume Dialogues are an important source for Church history.
5. He is responsible for many liturgical reforms, some of which are still used today
6. He was NOT behind "Gregorian Chant" which bears his name. The association came 200 years after his death when a new form of chant appropriated his name in a propaganda campaign attempting to fabricate a historical connection.

Finally here is a word of Wisdom from Gregory the Great:

"Every day you provide your bodies with good to keep them from failing. In the same way your good works should be the daily nourishment of your hearts. Your bodies are fed with food and your spirits with good works. You aren't to deny your soul, which is going to live forever, what you grant to your body, which is going to die."

St. Basil the Great blasts Sola Scriptura

This week's Patristic quote comes from Saint Basil. It deals with how Scripture and tradition interact with one another. I would like to hear different people's perspectives on this. Is the Gospel indeed "Bare Words" without the traditions of the Church? Why?

Concerning the teachings of the Church, whether publicly proclaimed (kerygma) or reserved to members of the household of faith (dogmata), we have received some from written sources, while others have been given to us secretly, through apostolic tradition. Both sources have equal force in true religion. No one would deny either source - no one, at any rate, who is even slightly familiar with the ordinances of the Church. If we attacked unwritten customs, claiming them to be of little importance, we would fatally mutilate the Gospel, no matter what our intentions - or rather, we would reduce the Gospel teachings to bare words.

St. Basil the Great

"On the Holy Spirit"

Saint of the Week: Augustine of Hippo

This week the Western Church remembers Augustine of Hippo. If you are a part of the Orthodox church you may remember his feast a couple months ago on June 15th.

Augustine is THE teacher of the West. He was hugely influential on both Catholic theology and the theology of Luther and Calvin. Much of his theological influence came out of his fights against others which led to some strong positions on the nature of Original Sin, and predestination.

Augustine was a convert to Christianity later in life. His journey to faith began after hearing the rhetoric of Ambrose, and reading "The Life of Antony"

One day he heard children singing "take up and read" he opened the scriptures to romans and was convicted of the truth of the Gospel. He was baptized in 387.

Here is what you need to know about Augustine:

1. His works "Confessions" and "City of God" are 'must read' Christian classics
2. He fought against Pelagianism - Which taught works-righteousness
3. He is a "Doctor of the Church" for Catholics
4. He has influenced nearly every theologian in the west Catholic AND Protestant
5. He opposed the religion of Manichaeanism, which he was once an adherent of.
6. He argued against the Donatists who were elitist schismatics at his time.

Augustine is credited with the prayer, "Everlasting God, in whom we live and move and have our being: You have made us for Yourself, and hearts are restless until they rest in You."

St. John Climacus on the blessing of a conscience

This week I would like to highlight two sayings by one of the fathers, St. John Climacus  Both of these quotes are related to the dangers of a conscience that no longer bothers you...

"We ought to be on our guard, in case our conscience has stopped troubling us, not so much because of its being clear, but because of its being immersed in sin.

St. John Climacus

"A 'good' conscience is one that stands ready to convict oneself immediately with shame. There IS a difference between a 'good' conscience and a 'clear' conscience. The clear one can be dead or deceived."
St. John Climacus.

Saint of the Week: Bernard of Clairvaux

This week the Western Churches remember Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Bernard worked for peace within the church during a time of division.  Born in 1090 he lived through a time of tumult in the church. The church had just split with the east, and the crusades were about to begin. Bernard played a major role in the history of the church during his life.

I have always had a bit of mixed feelings about Bernard. On the one hand he fought against Abelard, who I strongly dislike. On the other hand he helped promote the Second Crusade, which in retrospect was a disaster. He was certainly a man of his own times and should be seen within the context he lived in.

Here are the essential things you need to know about Bernard:

1. He was an amazing preacher
2. He helped end the schism within the Church in 1130, judging between rival Popes
   
3. He was a big part of the Second Lateran Council, which among other things may have banned the use of crossbows against Christians. 
4. The Catholics call him a "Doctor of the Church"
5. He was the face of The Second Crusade
6. He took out the semi-Sabellian logician Peter Abelard

He is also credited with writing the classic poem "Oh Sacred head, now wounded." This poem is the basis for one of my favorite Hymns... I have included the lyrics below:

Lyrics (J.W. Alexander's version, 1830)

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
How pale Thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish, which once was bright as morn!

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!

Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.

My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

My Shepherd, now receive me; my Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me, O source of gifts divine.
Thy lips have often fed me with words of truth and love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me to heavenly joys above.

Here I will stand beside Thee, from Thee I will not part;
O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart,
When soul and body languish in death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.

The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside,
When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see,
Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.

My Savior, be Thou near me when death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me, forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish, oh, leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish by virtue of Thine own!

Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.

St. Anthony on fighting against sin

Hey everyone! I have decided to incorporate some weekly series into Orant. One of which will be called "Meet the Church Fathers" in this section I will be sharing patristic quotes and sayings that I find to be life giving and shed some wisdom on the Christian life. Today's quote comes from Saint Anthony, the father of Monasticism. It reflects on the merits of working with our hands in our battle against personal sin.

When the holy Abba Anthony lived in the desert he was beset by boredom, and attacked by many sinful thoughts. He said to God, 'Lord, I want to be saved but these thoughts do not leave me alone; what shall I do in my affliction? How can I be saved?' A short while afterwards, when he got up to go out, Anthony saw a man like himself sitting at his work, getting up from his work to pray, then sitting down and plaiting a rope, then getting up again to pray. It was an angel of the Lord sent to correct and reassure him. 'Do this and you will be saved. ' At these words, Anthony was filled with joy and courage. He did this, and he was saved.

St. Anthony
Via Athanasius in his The Life Of St. Anthony

Join the New Orant Page on Facebook

Hey After a lot of thinking I have come to the conclusion that that facebook "Page" application is actually much better for Orant then the "Group" Application

Thus I have decided to create a page...
PLEASE go to
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Orant-Billy-Kangas-Blog/143799592314775?ref=ts

and click LIKE

Or just do it here:


I will make it worth your while... I promise

The page aplication allows me to do some great stuff this group does not allow me to do.

Also Orant now has a Domain

http://www.theorant.com/

and a new look... as you can see

The real question with the THEORANT domain is should it be "The Orant" OR "Theo Rant"

I think both work.... What do you think!?

Michael Bloomberg on religious freedom

This week New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke in favor of building a Mosque in New York. It's a powerful and moving speech. It reflected a great deal of insight into the history of the struggles of religious groups in New York. It was also refreshing to see a politician stand up for religious groups, even to the point of showing personal emotion

I was bothered after the speech though when Christine Quinn began her speech by calling people who resisted the building of the mosque as "Unamerican." If we want to exhort the freedom of our nation we must recognize that freedom extends to those who are dissenters as well.

If we take seriously Bloomberg's call that this Mosque should be a place that brings unity we must stop the negative rhetoric and attempts to put folks 'in their place.'

This sort of thing does not change minds, but rather, it hardens hearts.

All in all I hope the message of religious liberty does find fertile soil in the hearts of New Yorkers.

Take a look at the video below.

Read "Orthodoxy" by G.K. Chesterton

There is probably no book outside of the Bible I quote more then "Orthodoxy" by G.K. Chesterton

It is truly a spiritual classic that is a must read for anyone who is serious about exploring the Christian faith.

Because of this I am so pleased to be able to post this book in it's entirety for free today!

Enjoy!