Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit Pt. II
I want us to remember that the Beatitudes, including poverty of spirit, are not some special sort of Christian ethic or a list of rules that we must keep in order to “go to heaven.” Instead, they are supernatural attributes that flow from the people of God because they are being transformed by the grace of God.
Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit Pt. I
So he sits down, in the posture of an authoritative rabbi, and opens his mouth to teach them. And what he says next is the primary subject of this article: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Liturgical Theology Part II
Written by Dr. Tim Brophy ORTHODOXY LEADS TO ORTHOPRAXIS According to Pope Benedict XVI, “theories, in the area of Liturgy, are transformed very rapidly into practice, and practice, in turn, creates…ways of behaving and thinking.” The last portion of this paper will give several examples of the practices that logically flow from the various elements of Benedict’s liturgical theology. First, and perhaps most obviously, kneeling during certain parts of the liturgy fits well with its being an act of corporate prayer and worship.[1] Benedict points out that this is not only fitting for the liturgy but is also biblical. He points to Stephen (Acts 7:60), Peter (Acts 9:40), Paul…
Liturgical Theology Part I
Written by Dr. Tim Brophy INTRODUCTION In October of 1962, Father Joseph Ratzinger, a 35 year-old priest and professor from Bonn, Germany, was brought to Rome to serve as a peritus (i.e. scholarly expert) for the recently convened Second Vatican Council.[1] As their first order of business, the Council tackled the issue of liturgical reform and produced its first document, Sacrosanctum Concilium (i.e. “Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy”), on December 4, 1963.[2] Ratzinger, as part of the Council’s progressive wing, whole-heartedly embraced the liturgical reforms called for by the Constitution.[3] Looking back some 35 years later, he was still able to conclude that “the Constitution on the Liturgy, which…
Baptism & The Lord’s Supper Part II
Written by Dr. Timothy Brophy At the time of the Protestant Reformation, there was much disagreement regarding the nature of and, therefore, the number of sacraments. For the sake of brevity, I will focus on the conclusions and definitions that emerged from the English Reformation. Article XXV (“Of the Sacraments”) of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion states that “Sacraments ordained of Christ be not only badges or tokens of Christian men’s profession, but rather they be certain sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God’s good will towards us, by the which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm…
Baptism & The Lord’s Supper Part I
Written by Dr. Timothy Brophy The Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ceremonial rites (or sacraments) for his followers to observe. Baptism was given as a one-time rite of initiation into the New Covenant community and the Lord’s Supper as a regular rite of remembrance (Packer, 1993, 209). These were gifts from the Lord, given as signs and seals of their covenant relationship with God, and as means of grace until his second coming (Packer, 1993, 209-210). Originally part of the same initiation process, baptism and the Lord’s Supper have been inextricably linked from the earliest days of the church.
