St. John Chrysostom s Homily - 917 Words

Sermons on Christmas morning focus on the birth of a baby wrapped in swaddling cloth laid in a manger in ancient Bethlehem, such sermons proclaim the wonders of the Nativity. However, such sermons do more than just communicate the joy of our Savior’s birth, for this celebration, as exemplified in St. John Chrysostom’s homily, is an ideal setting to address the question of â€Å"who is Christ†. There are many themes and topics in Chrysostom’s Christmas morning sermon and through his speaking of Jesus Christ’s birth, the Incarnation, he addresses heresies, enumerates Christian doctrine, and announces various elements of Christology. Chrysostom opens his sermons rejoicing over the salvific moment of Christmas and makes known how Christmas is a merciful gift and expression of true humility by God (110). Such an importance of the grace of this moment is also found in the writings of St. Leo the Great and St. Augustine as they both affirm this is an act o f generosity not failure or necessity by God. This is important to redemption and to Christology because it shows how Christ was not obligated to save humanity but did so out of love of Creation. With this gift makes it salvation possible, for without the Word’s free participation our unpayable debt could not be satisfied as St. Augustine explains. While His incarnational gift allowed Christ to the Savior and Mediator by costing the Son of God to suffer and die on the Cross, this gift did not cause Him to be â€Å"departed from theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Wayne C. Booths The Company We Keep : An Ethics Of Fiction1051 Words   |  5 Pagesthinkers have already speculated that laughter is a symptom of Satan’s influence. After all, as St John Chrysostom points out in one of his homilies, the Son of God never laughed (88). Indeed, most biblical references to laughter are rather negative. In the Old Testament, for instance, the Ecclesiastes says that â€Å"laughter is mad† (2:2) and that â€Å"[s]orrow is better than laughter† (7:3). Similarly, St Paul in his letter to the Ephesians cautions his readers that â€Å"silly talk† should be avoided (5:4)Read More Abortion Essay - The Church Was Pro-Choice1132 Words   |  5 Pagesprovided the soul to the fetus are both false. Further, the allegation that the Catholic Church which has consistently opposed contraception would be indifferent to induced abortion must be considered suspect on its face.    By way of background: St. Paul in his epistle to the Galatians uses the Greek word pharmakeia in condemning the effects of self-indulgence which can include abortion and other uses of drugs with magical or evil intent. The first recorded explicit Catholic opposition toRead MoreRites Of The Catholic Church Essay2169 Words   |  9 PagesMass with their cultures. The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches defines ‘rite’ as follows: Rite is the liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary heritage, distinguished according to people s culture and historical circumstances, that finds expression in each autonomous church s way of living the faith. Rites were utilized to separate how sacramental tradition were celebrated. There are seven Rites in the Catholic Church. All of the rites of the church branched out from the sameRead MoreThe Omnipotence And Omniscience Of God Essay1897 Words   |  8 Pagesa voluntary act of love for humanity, and a complete submission to the Will of the Father. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Matthew 24:36. St. John Chrysostom speaks about this passage in his seventy- seventh homily, and according to him he says: And how, if all things were made by Him, and without Him was not even one thing made, was He ignorant of the day? For He who made the world it is quite plain that He made the times