Clement I of Rome. The Peace and Harmony of the Universe

"And GOD saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good…

"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible (Gen. 1:31, Heb. 11:3)." 

St. Clement I of Rome: "…let us look steadfastly to the Father and Creator of the universe, and cleave to His mighty and surpassingly great gifts and benefits of peace. Let us contemplate Him with our understanding, and look with the eyes of our soul to His long-suffering will. Let us reflect how free from wrath He is towards all His creation.

Milky Way by Dave Harvey (MGIO*)

"The heavens, revolving under His government, are subject to Him in peace. Day and night run the course appointed by Him, never hindering each other. The sun and moon, with the companies of the stars, roll on in harmony according to His command, within their prescribed limits, and without any deviation. The fruitful earth, according to His will, brings forth food in abundance at the proper seasons, for man and beast and all the living beings upon it, never hesitating nor changing any of the ordinances which He has fixed. The unsearchable places of abysses, and the indescribable arrangements of the lower world, are restrained by the same laws. The vast unmeasurable sea, gathered together by His working into various basins, never passes beyond the bounds placed around it, but does as He has commanded. For He said, “Thus far shalt thou come, and thy waves shall be broken within thee (Job 38:11).” The ocean...and the worlds beyond it, are regulated by the same enactments of the Lord. The seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, peacefully give place to one another. The winds in their several stations fulfil, at the proper time, their service without hindrance. The ever-flowing fountains, formed both for enjoyment and health, furnish without fail their breasts for the life of men. The very smallest of living beings meet together in peace and concord. All these the great Creator and Lord of all has appointed to exist in peace and harmony; while He does good to all, but most abundantly to us who have fled for refuge to His compassions through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be glory and majesty for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Clement to the Corinthians, Chs. 19, 20, A.D. 70-90) 

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* The Vatican Observatory Research Group operates the 1.8m Alice P. Lennon Telescope with its Thomas J. Bannan Astrophysics Facility, known together as the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT). This is located at the *Mount Graham International Observatory (MGIO) in southeastern Arizona.

Leo the Great. The Transfiguration: The Voice of God the Father

The Transfiguration of Jesus (Matt. 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-9, Luke 9:28-36)

"Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and brought them up to a high mountain by themselves…

 

“While he [Peter] was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My Beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.‘ When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them and said, ‘Arise, and do not be afraid.’ And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus alone (Matt. 17:1, 5-8).”

Leo the Great:  “…as a bright cloud overshadowed them , behold a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him (Matt. 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35).” The Father was indeed present in the Son, and in the Lord’s brightness, which He had tempered to the disciples’ sight; the Father’s Essence was not separated from the Only-begotten. As the effulgence of the Son’s body was displayed to their sight, so the Father’s voice from out the cloud was heard by their ears. And when this Voice was heard, “the disciples fell upon their faces, and were sore afraid (Matt. 17:6, Luke 9:34),” trembling at the majesty…. For when the Father said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in Whom, I am well pleased; listen to Him,’ was it not clearly meant, This is My Son, Who is eternally from Me and with Me (John 8:42)? This is My Son, not adopted but true-born, not created from another source but begotten of Me, nor made like Me from another nature, but born equal to Me of My nature (John 1:14). This is My Son, “through Whom all things were made, and without Whom was nothing made (John 1:3).” All things that I do He does in like manner, and whatever I perform, He performs with Me inseparably (John 5:19) and without difference: for the Son is in the Father and the Father in the Son (John 14:11) and Our Unity is never divided. [John 10:30: "I and the Father are one."]

“Listen to Him, therefore, unhesitatingly, in Whom I am well pleased, and by Whose preaching I am manifested, by Whose humiliation I am glorified; because He is “the Truth and the Life (John 14:6),” He is My “Power and Wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24).” Listen to Him, Whom the mysteries of the Law have foretold [represented by Moses], Whom the mouths of prophets have sung [represented by Elijah]. Listen to Him, Who redeems the world by His blood (Eph. 1:7), Who binds the devil and carries off his captives (Matt. 12:28-29), Who destroys the bond of sin and the compact of the transgression (John 8:34-36, Rom. 5:15-18). Listen to Him, Who opens the way to heaven, and by the... the cross prepares for you the steps of ascent to the Kingdom. Why do you tremble at being redeemed? Why do you fear to be healed of your wounds? Let that happen which Christ wills and I will. Cast away all fleshly fear and arm yourselves with faithful constancy; for it is unworthy that you should fear in the Savior’s Passion what, by His good gift, you shall not have to fear even at your own end.

“These things, dearly-beloved, were said not only for those who heard them with their own ears, but in these three Apostles the whole Church has learned all that their eyes saw and their ears heard. Let all men’s faith be established according to the preaching of the most holy Gospel, and let no one be ashamed of Christ’s cross through which the world was redeemed. Let no one fear to suffer for righteousness’ sake, or doubt of the fulfilment of the promises…since all the weakness of our humanity was assumed by Him, in Whom, if we abide in the acknowledgment and love of Him, we conquer as He conquered and receive what he promised. Whether to the performance of His commands or to the endurance of adversities, the Father’s Voice should always be sounding in our ears, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him” Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Pope St. Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome 440-461 A.D., excerpts of Homily 51 on the Transfiguration, given on the Saturday before the 2nd Sunday in Lent. Scripture references added.)

Cyprian of Carthage. The Lord's Prayer and Prayer of the Heart

"Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil (Matt. 6:9-13)."


St. Cyprian of Carthage: "... what can be a more spiritual prayer than that which was given to us by Christ, by whom also the Holy Spirit was given to us? What praying to the Father can be more truthful than that which was delivered to us by the Son who is the Truth, out of His own mouth?

"Therefore, beloved brethren, let us pray as God our Teacher has taught us. It is a loving and friendly prayer to beseech God with His own word, to come up to His ears in the prayer of Christ. Let the Father acknowledge the words of His Son when we make our prayer, and let Him also who dwells within our breast Himself dwell in our voice. And since we have Jesus as an Advocate with the Father for our sins, let us, when as sinners we petition on behalf of our sins, put forward the words of our Advocate. For since He says, that 'whatsoever we shall ask of the Father in His name, He will give us (Jn 15:16, 16:23),' how much more effectually do we obtain what we ask in Christ’s name, if we ask for it in His own prayer.

"But when we pray, let our speech and petition be disciplined, observing quietness and modesty. Let us consider that we are standing in God’s sight. We must please the divine eyes both with the habit of body and with the measure of voice. ...Moreover, in His teaching the Lord bids us to pray in secret — in hidden and remote places, in our very bedrooms (Matt. 6:6) — which is best suited to faith, that we may know that God is everywhere present, and hears and sees all, and in the abundance of His majesty penetrates even into hidden and secret places, as it is written, 'I am a God at hand, and not a God far off. If a man shall hide himself in secret places, shall I not then see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth (Jer. 23:23, 24).' And again: 'The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good  (Prov. 15:3).' And when we meet together with the brethren in one place, and celebrate divine sacrifices with God’s priest, we ought to be mindful of modesty and discipline — not to throw abroad our prayers indiscriminately, with unsubdued voices, nor to cast to God with tumultuous wordiness a petition that ought to be commended to God by modesty; for God is the hearer, not of the voice, but of the heart.



"Take as an example, Hannah (1 Sam 1:9-13)...she did not pray to God with a clamorous petition, but silently and modestly, within the very recesses of her heart. She spoke with hidden prayer, but with manifest faith. She spoke not with her voice, but with her heart, because she knew that God hears; and she effectually obtained what she sought because she asked it with belief. Divine Scripture asserts this, when it says, 'She spoke in her heart, and her lips moved, and her voice was not heard (1 Sam 1:13);' but God heard her. We read also in the Psalms, 'Speak in your hearts, and in your beds...(Ps. 4:4).' The Holy Spirit, moreover, suggests these same things by Jeremiah, and teaches, saying, 'But in the heart ought God to be adored by you (Baruch 6:6).'" (St. Cyprian (190-258 AD) Bishop of Carthage (248-258 AD) Excerpts from Treatise IV, On the Lord's Prayer)
 

+ St. Cyprian, Pray for us +

Cyril of Jerusalem. Jesus, the Beloved Son of God, is Baptized

"And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediatey from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him; and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:16, 17)". Also, Mark 1:10, 11; Luke 3:21, 22. 

St. Cyril of Jerusalem: "Jesus sanctified Baptism by being Himself baptized. If the Son of God was baptized, what godly man would despise Baptism? But Jesus was baptized not that He might receive remission of sins, for He was sinless; but being sinless, He was baptized, that He might give to those who are baptized a divine and excellent grace. For since the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise partook of the same (Heb 2:14), that having been made partakers of His presence in the flesh we might be made partakers also of His Divine grace: thus Jesus was baptized, so that we again by our participation might receive both salvation and honour. According to Job, there was in the waters the dragon that draws up Jordan into his mouth (Job 40:23). Since, therefore, it was necessary to break the heads of the dragon in pieces (Ps 74:14), Jesus went down and bound the strong one in the waters, that we might receive power to tread upon serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19). The beast was great and terrible. No fishing-vessel was able to carry one scale of his tail; destruction ran before him (Job 40:26, 41:13 LXX*), ravaging all that met him. The Life encountered him, that the mouth of Death might from then on be stopped, and all we who are saved might say, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory (1 Cor 15:55)? The sting of death is extracted by Baptism.

For you go down into the water bearing your sins, but the invocation of grace, having sealed your soul, will afterwards not allow you to be swallowed up by the terrible dragon. Having gone down dead in sins, you come up quickened in righteousness. For if you have been united with the likeness of the Saviour’s death (Rom 6:5), you shall also be deemed worthy of His Resurrection. For as Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world and died, that by putting sin to death He might rise again in righteousness; so you also, by going down into the water, and being in a manner buried in the waters... are raised again and walking in newness of life (Rom. 6:4)." (St. Cyril (315-386 AD) Bishop of Jerusalem, Doctor of the Church. Part of his Catechesis during Lent in 347 AD when Cyril was still a Priest.)

+ St. Cyril of Jerusalem, pray for us +

*LXX:. Job 40:26: And all the ships come together would not be able to bear the mere skin of his tail; neither shall they carry his head in fishing-vessels. 41:13: And power is lodged in his neck, before him destruction runs. (Septuagint [LXX] the Greek Translation of the Old Testament, the Early Church Scriptures)

Justin Martyr. The Word of Truth is Free

Jesus said...“If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (Jn 8:31, 32)

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St. Justin Martyr:  "The word of truth is free, and carries its own authority, refusing to fall under any skillful argument or the scrutiny of its hearers. It is believed for its own nobility, and for the confidence due to Him who sends it. Now the word of truth is sent from God; therefore the freedom claimed by the truth is not arrogant. For being sent with authority, it is not fitting that authority be required to produce proof of what is said; since there is no proof beyond itself, which is God.

God, the Father of the universe, who is the perfect intelligence, is the truth. And the Word, being His Son, came to us, having put on flesh, revealing both Himself and the Father, giving to us in Himself resurrection from the dead, and eternal life afterwards. And this is Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. He, therefore, is Himself both the faith and the proof of Himself and of all things. Therefore, those who follow Him, and know Him, having faith in Him as their proof, shall rest in Him. But since the adversary does not cease to resist many, and uses many and various arts to ensnare them, that he may seduce the faithful from their faith, and that he may prevent the faithless from believing, it seems to me necessary that we also, being armed with the invulnerable doctrines of the faith, do battle against him in behalf of the weak."  (Justin Martyr (100-165). Excerpts from Fragments of his lost work on the Resurrection)