Again with Bossuet in Elevations on the Mysteries, XV-VIII: Let us look again at the words of the Angel: You will find a child in swaddling clothes, on a manger; you will know by this sign that it is the Lord. Go in the Court of the Kings; you will recognise the newborn Prince, by …
The Angels Announce Jesus to the Shepherds
Continuing on in Bossuet's Elevations on the Mysteries, XV-VII: The shepherds, imitators of the holy Patriarchs and the most innocent and simple flock in the world, guarding and keeping the night watches over their flock. Holy angels, accustomed to converse with the shepherds of old, with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, announced to those in the …
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The Stable and the Manger
Continuing in Bossuet's Elevations on the Mysteries, XV-VI: God prepared the world a great and new spectacle when he made a poor King to be born and he made him a palace and a suitable cradle. He came unto his own: and his own received him not. They found no place for him, when he …
Joseph and the Trip to Bethlehem
More from Bossuet's Elevations on the Mysteries, XV-V: After the dream of Joseph and the word of the angel, this holy man was changed. He became a father, he became a husband by the heart. Others adopted children: Jesus adopted a father. The tender care which he gave Mary and the divine child was the …
His Name Will Be Emmanuel: Bossuet on "God With Us"
From his Elevations on the Mysteries, XV-IV: His name will be Emmanuel: God with us. These are the mystical names which the Prophets give in spirit, to explain certain effects of divine power, which are necessary for those who use them. If we understand the force of that name Emmanuel, we find that of the …
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The Two Choices at Jonestown
This comment from one Dr. Clarence Charles on the testimony of Sir Lionel Luckhoo is worth repeating: As I meditate on Psalm 1 today, I contrasted the glorious life of Sir Lionel Luckhoo and its outcome, with the inglorious one of Jim Jones and his clan and their outcome in a piece entitled, "Eleven Days …
Let's Not Do Something Stupid About the Russians
It's supposed to be the time of year for joy and merriment, but I've seen a few things lately that bother me about the immediate course of the country. Most of those concern foreign policy, that necessary evil Americans aren't very good at, even with all the years of travel and media coverage. (I think …
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The Marriage Pledge: A Gratifying Step on Civil vs. Ecclesiastical Marriage
It's been a bit since Ephraim Radner and Christopher Seitz "crossed the Rubicon" and set forth The Marriage Pledge, which calls ministers to stop officiating civil marriages.  Reactions have been mixed.  The fact that I can say that shows that the steady legalisation of same-sex civil marriage has forced Christians--who have been working to "preserve marriage", …
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The Most Important Goal in Life
Today is the Feast of Christ the King. The script that calls out the liturgical year on this site simply refers to this as the Sunday before Advent, and that's what it was for centuries. The idea of this feast--at the end of the liturgical year--comes from the "new theology", one that generally gets a …
My Challenge to Church of God Ministers: Take the Marriage Pledge
Many of you know that, in spite of a lot of what turns up on this blog, I am a member of the North Cleveland Church of God and worked for the church's International Offices in the Lay Ministries Department for 13 1/2 years. Â So I'm not a stranger to at least some of our …
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Positive Infinity 