Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Catholic Book Blogger

Home
About
Publications
Contact
The Open Book Podcast
Children's and Teen Book Reviews
Interviews
The Clergy Speaks
More
- 2015 Book Reviews
  - 2014 Book Reviews
  - 2013 Book Reviews
- Author Interviews
- Archive Index

Home
Catholic

2018-04-09T08:07:42-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Weep, and find joy; Church Fathers: Day 254

Last updated on: April 9, 2018 at 8:07 am By Pete Socks

Weeping for our sins is the route to joy, says St. John Chrysostom. Real remorse and confession cleanse the soul, and God rewards our tears with peace. Much as after a violent burst of rain there is a clear open sky, so when tears are powering down, a calm follows, and peace, and the darkness that goes with our sins completely disappears. And as we were cleansed by water and the Spirit, so by tears and confession we are cleansed... Read more

A Year with the Church Fathers

Church Fathers

Mike Aquilina

Saint Benedict Press

Saint John Chrysostom

2018-04-08T05:43:29-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Keep your soul light as a feather; Church Fathers: Day 253

Last updated on: April 8, 2018 at 5:43 am By Pete Socks

The abbot Isaac told St. John Cassian that we can compare the soul to a feather. If nothing weighs it down, a feather can be carried up into the sky by the slightest breeze. But weighed down by impurities, it falls to the ground and is buried. We can very fittingly compare the nature of the soul to a very fine feather or very light wing. If it has not been damaged or affected by being spoiled by any moisture... Read more

A Year with the Church Fathers

2019-01-22T15:46:02-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Off the Shelf 067 with Gary Jansen – Life Everlasting

Last updated on: January 22, 2019 at 3:46 pm By Pete Socks

Gary Jansen currently serves as the senior editor of religion and spirituality at the Crown Publishing Group at Penguin Random House. He is the author of numerous books including The Rosary: A Journey to the Beloved , a bestselling memoir entitled Holy Ghosts and his exceptional book Station to Station: An Ignatian Journey through the Station of the Cross. He is a popular lecturer and commentator on spiritual topics, Gary has appeared on A&E, the Sundance Channel, the Travel Channel, Coast to Coast AM, CNN.com and NPR.... Read more

2018-04-07T05:35:37-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Make use of your sins; Church Fathers: Day 252

Last updated on: April 7, 2018 at 5:35 am By Pete Socks

Even your former sins can lead others to Christ. Palladius of Galatia tells the story of Moses the robber, who, having turned monk, converted other robbers by his example. Precisely because he had been a robber, other robbers paid attention to him. A certain Moses—this was his name—an Ethiopian by race and black, was house-servant to a government official. His own master drove him out because of his immorality and brigandage. For he was said to go even the length... Read more

A Year with the Church Fathers

2018-04-06T09:11:27-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Bear fruit that befits repentance; Church Fathers: Day 251

Last updated on: April 6, 2018 at 9:11 am By Pete Socks

It’s good to stop sinning—but it’s not enough, says St. John Chrysostom. We also need to bend over backwards to put things right. However we sinned, we should be doing the opposite to make up for it. By repentance I mean not just forsaking our former evil deeds, but also doing good deeds greater than the evil ones. “Bear fruit that befits repentance,” says John the Baptist (Matthew 3:8). But how shall we bear that fruit? By doing the opposite... Read more

A Year with the Church Fathers

Mike Aquilina

Saint Benedict Press

Saint John Chrysostom

2018-04-05T18:33:33-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Uproot sin and sow spiritual seed; Church Fathers: Day 250

Last updated on: April 5, 2018 at 6:33 pm By Pete Socks

St. Ambrose uses a farming metaphor to tell us about confession: you need to root out the weeds before you can grow the fruit you want. A perfect example, he says, is St. Paul, who sinned worse than almost any of us, actually persecuting believers for being Christians. So let us not be ashamed to confess our sins to the Lord. It’s true, we do feel shame when each one of us makes his sin known. But that shame plows... Read more

A Year with the Church Fathers

Mike Aquilina

Saint Ambrose

Saint Benedict Press

2018-04-03T09:48:17-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Learn to repent from Judas; Church Fathers: Day 249

Last updated on: April 3, 2018 at 9:48 am By Pete Socks

Christ gave Judas every opportunity to repent, not even holding back the Last Supper from him. St. Gregory the Great advises us to look to Judas as a good example of what not to do. When the Lord said, “Truly I tell you, one of you is about to betray me,” he showed that his betrayer’s conscience was well known to him. He did not confound the traitor by harsh and open rebukes, but met him with mild and silent... Read more

A Year with the Church Fathers

Mike Aquilina

Saint Benedict Press

Saint Gregory the Great

2018-04-02T20:43:16-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Off the Shelf 066 with Susan Muto – Gratefulness

Last updated on: April 2, 2018 at 8:43 pm By Pete Socks

Susan Muto, executive director of the Epiphany Association, is a renowned speaker, author, and teacher, and is dean of the Epiphany Academy of Formative Spirituality. Muto is a frequent contributor to scholarly and popular journals such as Mount Carmel and Spiritual Life Magazine, and served as editor of Epiphany’s online journals and courses, including Growing in, with, and through Christ. She is the author of more than thirty books, among them Twelve Little Ways to Transform Your Heart, Table of Plenty, Then God Said, and Virtues: Your Christian Legacy. She is... Read more

2018-03-31T05:29:19-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Excommunication is a last resort; Church Fathers: Day 248

Last updated on: March 31, 2018 at 5:29 am By Pete Socks

We see it all the time: politicians, professors, even priests who call themselves “Catholic” but embarrass the Church with their public denials of Church teaching. Why doesn’t the Church just throw them out right away? St. Ambrose answers that it is, and should be, a hard thing to cut a limb off the body. First the bishop tries everything in his power to heal the disease. The bishop should treat the clerics and attendants, who are indeed his sons, as... Read more

A Year with the Church Fathers

Mike Aquilina

Saint Ambrose

Saint Benedict Press

2018-03-30T06:05:45-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Repent for the sake of the Eucharist; Church Fathers: Day 247

Last updated on: March 30, 2018 at 6:05 am By Pete Socks

Against heretics who said that serious sinners could never be reconciled to the Church, St. Ambrose uses the example of the Prodigal Son. No matter how serious the sin, the Church always holds out the hope of reconciliation. Without the hope of the Eucharist, who would repent at all? And no wonder he was dying of starvation! He didn’t have the divine nourishment. Prompted by the lack of it, he says, “I will arise and go to my father, and... Read more

A Year with the Church Fathers

Mike Aquilina

Saint Ambrose

Saint Benedict Press

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: The book of Lamentations contains seven chapters.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Year with Mary A Year with the Angels A Year with the Church Fathers Book News Children's Review Featured CD Giveaway Guest Post Interview Linked Review Media review Movie Review New Releases Off the Shelf Review speakers Teen Review The Clergy Speaks The Laity Speaks The Open Book Podcast Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Catholic