Category: History

St. John Chrysostom on Marriage…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

You have heard how important obedience is; you have praised and marveled at Paul, how he welds our whole life together, as we would expect from an admirable and spiritual man. You have done well. But now listen to what else he requires from you; he has not finished with his example. Husbands, he says, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church. You have seen the amount of obedience necessary; now hear about the amount of love necessary. Do you want your wife to be obedient to you, as the Church is to Christ? Then be responsible for the same providential care of her, as Christ is for the Church. And even if it becomes necessary for you to give your life for her, yes, and even to endure and undergo suffering of any kind, do not refuse. Even though you undergo all this, you will never have done anything equal to what Christ has done. You are sacrificing yourself for someone to whom you are already joined, but He offered Himself up for one who turned her back on Him and hated Him. In the same way, then, as He honored her by putting at His feet one who turned her back on Him, who hated, rejected, and disdained Him as tie accomplished this not with threats, or violence, or terror, or anything else like that, but through His untiring love; so also you should behave toward your wife. Even if you see her belittling you, or despising and mocking you, still you will be able to subject her to yourself, through affection, kindness, and your great regard for her. There is no influence more powerful than the bond of love, especially for husband and wife. A servant can be taught submission through fear; but even he, if provoked too much, will soon seek his escape. But one’s partner for life, the mother of one’s children, the source of one’s every joy, should never be fettered with fear and threats, but with love and patience. What kind of marriage can there be when the wife is afraid of her husband? What sort of satisfaction could a husband himself have, if he lives with his wife as if she were a slave, and not with a woman by her own free will? Suffer anything for her sake, but never disgrace her, for Christ never did this with the Church.

If we are to defend marriage in the public arena perhaps it would be good to know what we should be supporting.

Read more here.

The Way of Life and the Way of Death…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

There are two Ways: the Way of Life and the Way of Death and the difference between these two Ways is great.

The Way of Life is this: first, you shall love the Lord God, your Creator; and second, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Do not do anything to your neighbor that you would not want done to yourself.

These words mean this: speak well of those who slander you, pray for your enemies and fast on behalf of those who work against you. For where is the merit in loving only those who love you? Even non-Christians do that! If you love those who hate you, you will have no enemies. Guard against the lust of the flesh. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek as well and you will exemplify your faith. If someone compels you to go one mile, go another one as well. If someone takes your coat, give up your shirt as well. If someone tries to rob you, do not resist, even if you think you might prevail. Give help to anyone who asks of you, without looking for repayment, for it is the Father’s pleasure that we should share His gracious bounty with everyone. We are blessed when we give freely in accordance with God’s command.

The second commandment of the Lord’s Teaching is this: do not commit murder; do not commit adultery. Do not practice sexual immorality. Do not steal. Do not practice witchcraft. Do not kill an unborn child by abortion. Do not commit infanticide. Do not be greedy and envy your neighbor’s possessions. Do not commit perjury or give false testimony. Do not slander anyone or be malicious towards anyone. Do not equivocate in thought or speech. Do not be deceitful. What you say should not be false of empty but exemplified in your actions. Do not take advantage of other people or swindle them. You must resist any temptation to hypocrisy, arrogance and spitefulness. Do not hate anyone. Do not be quick-tempered. Do not be fanatical or quarrelsome. Beware of lust, for lust breeds adultery. Do not always be looking for omens or follow fortunetellers for this leads to idolatry. Have nothing to do with witchcraft, astrology or magic. Do not lie. Do not be a grumbler. Do not be over-anxious to be rich or admired, for this leads to conceit. Learn to be meek, for the meek shall inherit the earth. Practice humility and be patient, merciful, quiet and honorable, always paying attention to the things of God. Do not associate with those who are eminent in their own eyes but choose as your companions those who are humble and just. Do not create division, but bring peace among those who are divided. Make all your judgments with justice and show no partiality towards anyone. Do not turn away from those in need, but be willing to share whatever you have. Do not look upon your possessions as your own. Do not be hesitant or complain when you give. Make an offering as a ransom for your sins. Remember who the eternal Paymaster is who will give you your reward in due time. Do not fail to cherish your sons and daughters and teach them to love and revere God even while they are young. See that you do not neglect the commandments of the Lord, but keep them just as you received them, without any additions or subtractions of your own. In church, confess your sins and do not come to your prayers with a bad conscience. That is the Way of Life.

The Way of Death is this: it is completely evil and filled with destruction and damnation. Along the Way of Death is found murder, adultery, theft, sexual immorality of all kinds, idolatry, perjury, hypocrisy, duplicity, deceit, pretentiousness, arrogance, malice, greed, treachery, jealousy, obscene speech and a lack of love for God. The Way of Death is tread by those who oppose truth, love lies, show no mercy to the poor and do not know the rewards of righteousness. Gentleness and patience are beyond their conception; they care for nothing good or useful and love their empty life. They do not know God their creator. They are utterly and altogether sunk in iniquity.

Be watchful over your life! Watch out that you are not led astray from the Way of Life by those who do not know God. If you are able to carry the Lord’s yoke, your life will be full and complete.

 

– taken from an ancient Christian document called The Didache or The Teaching of the Apostles, written anonymously circa 125-150AD.

How Christians Live…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

from the Apology of St. Aristedes of Athens to the Roman emperor, Antoninus Pius, circa 150 AD

Christians know and believe in God as the Creator of heaven and earth in whom and from whom all things exist. They have learned God’s commandments and they live by them in hope of the world to come! For this reason, they do not commit adultery or engage in sexual immorality; they do not give false testimony in court or withhold someone’s deposit or envy another person’s possessions. They honor their father and mother, they are helpful to their neighbors and as judges, they make decisions with justice and mercy.

Christians do not worship idols. Anything they do not want others to do to them, they do not do to others. Christian men do not enter into illegal marriages or engage in sexual promiscuity. Out of love for their slaves and children, if they have any, they encourage them to become Christians, and if they do so, they are called brothers and sisters without distinction.

Christians do not lie. They love one another and take care of the their widows; orphans are protected from those who would harm them. They willingly share what they have with those in need. They bring strangers into their homes and welcome them as true brothers and sisters. Christians, as they are able, provide for the burial of their poor when they die. They provide help to those among them who are imprisoned or oppressed because of their faith in Christ.

When there is a person in poverty or need among them and they do not have the resources at hand to help, they will fast for two or three days in order to provide the food needed. The good works they do are not made public to impress others, but, rather, are done unnoticed so that they may hide their deeds as one who finds a treasure and hides it (Matthew 13:44)

Every morning and at all hours they give praise and thanks to God for the gifts they have received; for food and drink also they give thanks to God. This is the content of the Christian’s law and the way they live their lives.

Christianity Close to Extinction…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

in the Middle East?

The “lion’s share” of persecution faced by Christians arises in countries where Islam is the dominant faith, the report says, quoting estimates that between a half and two-thirds of Christians in the Middle East have left the region or been killed in the past century.

The Question is…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

whether the well planned protests and violence against our embassies in the Middle East will cause us to defend or back off from our value of free speech. If we back off then the thugs have won and it will be a tragedy perhaps even greater, in its own way, than the first 9/11.

Let me explain. I don’t like it when people portray Jesus in horrible ways, which, in this culture they often do because they know Christians are not going to blow up buildings and kill people. I’m offended by such things, often deeply, but I understand that the value of free speech is such that I will have to put up with offense at times and quite frankly I would rather do that than have a series of government or social editors screening what I should and shouldn’t see, hear, read, watch, you know the drill.

As I’ve been surveying the www it has come to my attention that a General in the US Military called the pastor who apparently is making a film in which Mohammed is a character and asked him to back away from the project. He has done this in his official capacity as a military officer. This has also happened, in my research, at least one time before in different circumstances and with a different general.

We can’t have that. I don’t know if this soon to be revealed film is offensive to Muslims, or at least the ones who like to burn things and kill people. Quite frankly I don’t care. Free speech means that people have a right to say offensive things, stupid things, heretical things, things I don’t like. It also means that I have the right to speak my mind and somebody may not like that but that’s just the way it goes. The freedom is essential to faith, to science, to everything that makes life in a civilized world possible and once we have people in official government capacities asking us to “tone it down” we’ve already slipped into slavery to fanatics and become less of who we are supposed to be.

As for the screaming crazies who like to burn and kill in the name of their “prophet” I only have this to say. If your “prophet” is so weak and sensitive that he can’t take even a little criticism without inciting mayhem why do you believe in his revelation?

No…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

we don’t belong to the government, the government belongs to the people. This is a video from the Democratic National Convention but regardless of party it is a false sentiment and deeply outside the spirit of America.

From the Middle East…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

This is more or less what is happening today. The state of Israel is now the “Western out-post” in the Middle East (parallel to the old Crusader states) and Western geo-political and economic (i.e. oil) interests far out-weigh religious affiliations. The West has shown again and again that their “Christian brothers” in the east are expendable. Even among the Religious Right in the USA the safety and priorities of the state of Israel are far more important than the welfare of eastern Christians. Saddam Hussein had to go – he was a threat to Israel. Never mind that the new regime in Iraq does nothing to protect its Christian minorities. Syria is the same story. The Assad government has protected the ancient Christian communities in Syria. That counts for nothing. More important is the fact that Assad is anti-Israeli. In Reuters news this morning the Assad government was described as “the most oppressive regime in the Middle East.” Really? Then try being a Christian in Saudi Arabia! Right across the Middle East in this ‘Arab Spring’ the West is supporting “regime-change” that will install murderous anti-Christian Islamists to power. This is not a new turn in Western realpolitik. The West has shown that it is prepared to jettison its Christian façade when power and influence are at stake. It seems that not much has changed since the Crusades. No one really cares about the Christians in the east – least of all Christians in the West.

Read more here.

An Entire Generation…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ 1 Comment

perhaps more has been raised with the idea that the validation of any idea, proposition, or theory is firmly rooted in the emotions. Evidence is irrelevant. Logic is unimportant. The precedents of history are meaningless. If I “feel” something then it is true to me and the larger culture is obligated to endorse and support my convictions. The problem with this is that emotions are unreliable, easily manipulated, and subject to frequent change. Of course they’re important but when elevated to the level of deity they are a compass with no true north, an anchor with no rope leaving the person who lives their lives solely on them perpetually adrift.