Gospel Resource

I was just introduced to ” Catena Aurea – The Golden Chain Of St. Thomas Aquinas” which is a commentary of the Gospels by the Early Church Fathers.  This compilation is actually available free online and is chock full of brilliant analysis from some of the earliest Christians!

Each chapter of the 4 Gospels has commentary from people like St. Augustine, Jerome, Origen, Ambrose, Hilary, Cyril and more.  How can it get any better than studying the Gospels with people who are less than a few centuries removed from the Apostles?!

So check it out and incorporate it into your Gospel study – you won’t be sorry you did!

Click here to read “The Golden Chain” and start learning!

Math, Jesus Style

Don’t you just love the story of the multiplication of the fish and loaves of bread?  How could you not?  There’s so many wonderful themes throughout!

No matter how many times I’ve heard it before, I always love the reminder that God takes the little we give to Him and multiplies it beyond our wildest expectations.

And even when we have doubts, if we just make a small act of faith, God always comes through for us.  Surely the disciples wondered what was the point of giving Jesus the few loaves and fish.  “What’s He think He’s going to do with it exactly?” one can easily imagine Andrew thinking to himself.

But still the disciples obeyed.  They gave Jesus the fish and bread, displaying faith.  After all, they could’ve simply despaired and not bothered to pass Him the food.  They could’ve tried to start a collection so they could buy at least more food.  But instead they had faith and gave Jesus the opening to work His miracle.

And so it is with us, if we have even a small amount of faith, if we give Jesus even the tiniest opening to work, He returns so much more and never fails us.  The story always ends with us “satisfied”, as were all who ate of the bread and fish.  How lucky are we to have a God like that?

Need a little inspiration?

Came across a really good post, called It Took Goliath that’s definitely worth checking out.  In a world that obsesses over pop stars, actors and athletes, sometimes we can all use the reminder that God is calling each and every one of us to be heroes for Him, and with Him.

Poverty, Simple Living & the Gospel

I just finished reading “Happy Are You Poor” by Thomas Dubay which is about what “authentic Gospel poverty” means.  He basically questions how anyone can call themselves a follower of Christ without a striving towards poverty as expressed in the Gospel.  Dubay distinguishes poverty from destitution, and the different levels that are proper to one’s vocation (i.e. religious, lay single, married) but overall the book is a really challenging read.

How we spend our money is of the utmost importance.  And when millions of people are starving while America is an obese nation, it becomes all the more important to give the topic serious thought.  But it’s an especially difficult subject since we all have our own idea of what is a decent standard of living, of what a “simple living” is.

Is owning one car too materialistic or ok?  Two cars?  Three cars?  What about $100 dinners?  $200 dinners?  Or yearly vacations?  Or $100 pairs of pants?  Or $50 pants?  There’s no doubt that what you would call “excess” on this list, someone else would view as a necessity and not a luxury.

And since it will be a while before I can clarify my thoughts on the subject, better to just share with you some of the questions Dubay poses that are certainly worth considering:

• Am I in love with God?  If not, why not?  What else matters?
• Do I rationalize my lack of factual frugality on the plea that “after all, I am detached from what I have?”
• Is my concern for the dire destitution of the millions in the third and fourth worlds mostly abstract, or does it change my concrete manner of living?
• Do I give to the poor not only from my superfluities but also from my own need?
• Am I vain in my dress…home…its furnishings…cars…or other possessions?

I know it’s much easier to just click away from the blog and not give it a second thought, but as Christians, how we live either enhances or reduces the credibility of the Gospel – so think about it!