From the beginning of a letter to Polycarp by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr
Ignatius, also called Theophorus, to Polycarp, who is bishop of the Church of Smyrna, or rather who has for his bishop God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, greetings…
From a sermon by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, bishop
All holiness and perfection of soul lies in our love for Jesus Christ our God, who is our Redeemer and our supreme good. It is part of the love of…
From the life of Saint Ignatius from his own words by Luis Gonzalez
When Ignatius reflected on worldly thoughts, he felt intense pleasure; but when he gave them up out of weariness, he felt dry and depressed. Yet when he thought of living…
From a sermon on charity by Saint Basil the Great, bishop
Man should be like the earth and bear fruit; he should not let inanimate matter appear to surpass him. The earth bears crops for your benefit, not for its own,…
From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop
Our Lord’s words teach us that though we labor among the many distractions of this world, we should have but one goal. For we are but travelers on a journey…
From a homily on the second letter to the Corinthians by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop
Again Paul turns to speak of love, softening the harshness of his rebuke. For after convicting and reproaching them for not loving him as he had loved them, breaking away…
From a homily on the second letter to the Corinthians by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop
Our heart is enlarged. For as heat makes things expand, so it is the work of love to expand the heart, for its power is to heat and make fervent….
From a sermon by Saint John Damascene, priest
Ann was to be the mother of the Virgin Mother of God, and hence nature did not dare to anticipate the flowering of grace. Thus nature remained sterile, until grace…
From a homily on Matthew by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop
The sons of Zebedee press Christ: Promise that one may sit at your right side and the other at your left. What does he do? He wants to show them that it…