Over Jerusalem I placed Hanani,
my brother, and Hananiah, the commander of the citadel, who was more
trustworthy and God-fearing than most.
If you want the job done
right always select a God-fearing person for the job.
Time After Pentecost[1]
As both the Bible and
Church Fathers attest, there are several distinct periods of sacred history.
These periods arise, are given their own set of dispensations, and then disappear.
The age before the Law was replaced by the age under it, and that age, in turn,
was closed during the time that Jesus Christ walked the face of the earth.
Likewise, the age of divine revelation (which ended at the death of the last
Apostle) gave way to a different era, the era immediately preceding the Second
Coming. It is that era in which we now find ourselves. Despite the expanse of
two thousand years and the plethora of cultural and technological changes that
separate us from the Christians who outlived the Beloved Disciple, we are still
living in the same age as they, the last age of mankind.
Whit Monday[2]
By what has God
most shown the greatness of His love? By giving up His
only-begotten Son to the most painful and ignominious death, that we, the
guilty, might be delivered from eternal death, and have life everlasting.
If, then, so
many are lost, is it the fault of God? No: as the physician gives up only the
incurable, so God condemns only those who believe not in Christ as their Savior
and God; who love darkness, that is, the principles and works which correspond
to their corrupt inclinations; who despise Jesus, the light of the world, and
His doctrines; who neglect the divine service, the public instructions, and the
reception of the holy sacraments; who take this licentious life for wisdom and
enlightenment; who refuse to be taught, and have pronounced their own
condemnation, even before the final judgment.
Why should we
love God? Because
He has loved us from eternity: He loved us when as yet we were not. If we love
him who does us some good, who helps us in need, or exposes himself to danger
for our sake, how much more should we love Him Who has given us all that we
have: the angels to be our guards, the sun, moon, and stars to be our light ;
the earth to be our dwelling-place ; the elements, plants, and animals to
supply our necessary wants, and to serve for our advantage and enjoyment; Who
continually pre serves us and protects us from countless dangers; Who has
subjected Himself for our sake, not merely to the danger of His life, but to
the most painful and humiliating death; Who forgives all our sins, heals all
our infirmities, redeems our life from destruction, and crowns us with
compassion and mercy.
Daily Devotions/Prayers
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