Category: Revelation

AMBROSE:

Jerusalem certainly was besieged and taken by the Roman army … then, the desolation will be near since many will fall into error and depart from the true faith.… Then the day of the Lord will suitably come, and the days will be shortened for the sake of the chosen. Since the Lord’s first coming was to atone for sins, the second will be to prevent transgressions, fearing more might fall into the error of unbelief. False prophets and then famine will come. Tell me again of the times of Elijah, and you will find prophets of confusion, Jezebel, famine and drought on earth. What was the reason? Wickedness abounded, and love grew cold. read more

AMBROSE:

What is the treasury? It is the contribution of the faithful, the bank of the poor, and the refuge of the needy. Christ sat near this and, according to Luke, gave the opinion that the two mites of the widow were preferable to the gifts of the rich. God’s word preferred love joined with zeal and generosity rather than the lavish gifts of generosity.
Let us see what comparison he made when he gave such judgment there near the treasury, for with good reason he preferred the widow who contributed the two mites. That precious poverty of hers was rich in the mystery of faith. So are the two coins that the Samaritan of the Gospels left at the inn to care for the wounds of the man who had fallen among robbers. Mystically representing the church, the widow thought it right to put into the sacred treasury the gift with which the wounds of the poor are healed and the hunger of wayfarers is satisfied. read more

Our belief in the Resurrection does not paint a picture of what heaven is like, but it does provide us with some pretty clear truths.  Faith in the Resurrection is not just looking forward to the conclusion of a story that we haven’t gotten to the end of yet.  Christ reveals the Resurrection to us so that our way of living in this world might be transformed.  When we meditate on the Resurrection, we ought to ask ourselves, “if life will be changed at the resurrection, what is the eternal value of my current way of life?”  There will be no more marriage, because there will be no more death.  There will be no more computers or screens.  There will be no toil or necessity in work.  There will be no more education, schools, policies, diplomacy or politics.  There will no longer be night-time or sleep.  There will no longer be a need to explain, or prove, or convince anyone of anything.  We will no longer be Americans.  We will no longer be homosexual or heterosexual.  If we can understand the current conditions of human life as factors that limit human life rather than as what defines it and gives it meaning, we can already begin to enjoy – through hope – the resurrection. read more