February 6, 2010 by theophilusmonk
Coffee Talk Redux is a reflection on things God is teaching me. In some cases the ideas for these topics may arise from some conversation I may have had with someone, or a thought that crossed my mind, something I have written, or perhaps something I read somewhere, or maybe a combination of all of these. In any case think of this as a discussion on what God is teaching us to help us grow in our understanding of His will for us.
The challenge facing man is for him to make sense of his life and learn how to live with others. In order to do this man first needs to consider the basic question concerning his existence, that is where did we come from and how were we made? Our understanding of what man is and what he is to do may be found in God’s revelation to man as provided in the Sacred Scriptures. From this source man can begin to understand his origins and God’s plan for man’s salvation through the redemptive act of His Son Jesus Christ. Through the Genesis accounts of creation we find that mankind is the last and the highest of God’s creations. In Genesis 1:26 we learn that man is created in the image and likeness of God and that he is called into relationship with his Creator. Continue Reading »
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February 5, 2010 by theophilusmonk
“The majority of Christians today live alongside people of other faiths. In this, they are not unlike the earliest Christians, who proclaimed Jesus as Savior and Lord in the face of the many gods and lords of Greco-Roman society. Like them, we are called to embrace, embody, and declare the truth that God has revealed himself definitively and finally in Jesus Christ. Through his death and resurrection, sinners find forgiveness of sin and are reconciled to God. How then shall we proclaim the finality of Christ, given the fact of religious pluralism and the relativizing of absolute truth claims that often comes with it?,” for more on this follow this link http://www.christianitytoday.com/globalconversation/february2010/index.html .
Posted in in the news | Tagged Bible, christ, christian, christianity, church, faith, god, jesus, jesus christ, religion, theology | 1 Comment »
January 29, 2010 by theophilusmonk
Coffee Talk Redux is a reflection on things God is teaching me. In some cases the ideas for these topics may arise from some conversation I may have had with someone, or a thought that crossed my mind, something I have written, or perhaps something I read somewhere, or maybe a combination of all of these. In any case think of this as a discussion on what God is teaching us to help us grow in our understanding of His will for us.
The Apostle John proclaims Jesus’ divinity as the Christ saying in John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” St. John is saying that Christ was true man and true God and these two natures coexisted in the person known by him as Jesus. However, it is through Christ’s Resurrection that the truth of Christ’s divinity as proclaimed by St. John is in fact confirmed since resurrection from the dead is beyond the power of a human. Being able to prove Christ’s Resurrection therefore “shows that he was truly ‘I Am,’ the Son of God and God himself (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 653).” Christ’s Resurrection is the essence of our Christian belief and “is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition; established by the documents of the New Testament; and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery along with the cross (CCC, 638).” Continue Reading »
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January 27, 2010 by theophilusmonk
The Liturgy of the Hours as a “Liturgy” is part of the public worship of the Church. It is “of the Hours” since it refers to the prayers of the Church which consecrate the different hours of the day. The Liturgy of the Hours is also known as the Divine Office. The Liturgy of the Hours is the official prayer of the Church and consists of an arrangement of Psalms, hymns, readings, intercessions, and prayers that are read seven times during the day. These prayers are known as the Morning Prayer; Daytime prayer at Midmorning, Midday, and Midafternoon; Evening Prayer; and Night Prayer. There is also an Office of Readings which may be read at anytime during the day or even the night before. The Liturgy of the Hours is not just for the clergy or the religious, but everyone is invited to pray the Divine Office and participate in the prayer of the whole people of God. This is a great way through prayer to stay focused on God during the day and to increase your spiritual development. Unlike the single volume Christian Prayer, this is the complete four volume set with a more extensive set of non-biblical readings from the Church Fathers and other writers. You can order the complete set or one volume at a time for a given season of the Church year from this link http://www.catholicbookpublishing.com/BrowseByDepartments.aspx?DepID=90 , be sure to get each year for a few bucks the St. Joseph Guide for the Book Christian Prayer which has the right pages for each day of the liturgical year which is available from the second link above.
Posted in book recommendations | Tagged Bible, christ, christian, christianity, church, faith, god, jesus, jesus christ, meditations, religion, spirituality, theology | 1 Comment »
January 27, 2010 by theophilusmonk
Here are two takes on why God allows evil, “Nearly two weeks following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, pictures and video of the rubble still move us. Stories stir our compassion to give, to consider hosting refugees. Suffering still pricks our consciences, even though the pattern has become all too familiar in recent years after the tsunami in Southeast Asia, the hurricane in New Orleans, and the earthquake in China.
We have also become accustomed to fielding questions about God’s role in such devastation. Writing on January 19 for the BBC, philosopher David Bain explored the question of why God allows natural disasters. Following in a long line of skeptics, Bain asked why God did not prevent the Haiti earthquake if he truly exists. He echoed the conundrum offered by David Hume in 1776: ‘Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil?’,” to read more follow this link http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/januaryweb-only/14-11.0.html?start=1 .
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January 25, 2010 by theophilusmonk
“
I still remember the moment, although it happened nearly 15 years ago. I was an evangelical seminary student in my 20s, preparing for the Christian ministry and struggling through classes in everything from exegesis to administration to pastoral care. Struggling, too, with my call and with a prayer life that seemed to consist mostly of talking to the ceiling. One of my professors, a gentle and quiet man with a background in spiritual formation and psychology, had just delivered a talk on prayer and personality in that morning’s chapel service. Maybe, I thought, he might have some answers to all the questions I was asking. Hesitantly I made my way down the hallway, knocked on his door, blurted out my confusions, and stumbled unawares into one of the church’s oldest practices: that mentoring along our faith journey that goes by the name of spiritual direction,” to read more follow this link http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thepastinthepresent/storybehind/soulcounsel.html .
Posted in in the news | Tagged Bible, christ, christian, christianity, church, faith, god, jesus, jesus christ, religion, theology | Leave a Comment »
January 25, 2010 by theophilusmonk
Theophilus Cafe is a place where we can have a running dialogue based on a question or issue that I post. Think of the Cafe as a virtual coffee house where you can gather with your friends and discuss the posted topic or just reflect on it. Please post your thoughts or response on this topic in the comments. So the question today is: What is your ministry?
Posted in theophilus cafe | Tagged Bible, christ, christian, christianity, church, faith, god, jesus, jesus christ, religion, theology | Leave a Comment »
January 23, 2010 by theophilusmonk
My soul pines for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes strain after your promise; when will you comfort me? Though I am shriveled like a leathern flask in the smoke, I have not forgotten your statutes. How many are the days of your servant? When will you do judgment on my persecutors? The proud have dug pits for me; this is against your law. All your commands are steadfast; they persecute me wrongly; help me! They have all but put an end to me on the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts. In your kindness give me life, that I may keep the decrees of your mouth. Psalm 119:81-88
Posted in meditations | Tagged Bible, christ, christian, christianity, church, faith, god, jesus, jesus christ, meditations, religion, spirituality, theology | Leave a Comment »
January 22, 2010 by theophilusmonk
With Lent only a few weeks away it is time to start to reflect on what kind of changes may be in order in your Christian journey. Lent is a time to slow down and examine our relationship with Christ, especially our life of prayer. Lent is a time of nurturing our deepest yearnings, our spiritual desires, and our intense longing for God. In this age of all kinds of technical gadgets like laptop computers, Wi-Fi, Twitter updates, emails, Facebook, netbooks, smart phones, and iPods and now iPads prayer can unfortunately take a back seat in our busy lives. All these gadgets keep us connected with each other but they also tend to become distractions that disconnect us from our Creator. However, prayer is essential to the spiritual life of a Christian and through prayer we contemplate the mysteries of Christ and proclaim that He is our Lord and our Savior. As Christians just going to church is not enough, but for our own spiritual well-being we must as Christ says go to our own rooms and pray to the Father in secret (cf. Matthew 6:6). In fact St. Paul says that we should pray without ceasing (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer throughout the day keeps us focused on Christ and is an effective spiritual weapon against the temptations and evils of our society. Prayer brings us back to that peace that is only found in Christ so “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts (cf. Colossians 3:15).” Continue Reading »
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January 21, 2010 by theophilusmonk
Haiti, earthquake, homeless, earns less than $2/day.
Los Angeles, City of Angels, to be paid $44 million to go away.
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Coffee Talk Redux is a reflection on things God is teaching me. In some cases the ideas for these topics may arise from some conversation I may have had with someone, or a thought that crossed my mind, something I have written, or perhaps something I read somewhere, or maybe a combination of all of these. In any case think of this as a discussion on what God is teaching us to help us grow in our understanding of His will for us.
