For these sins that I commit every day of my life, I offer to You, O holy Father, the precious blood of Your Son, which was poured out on the altar of the cross. His blood cleanses me from all my transgressions. My sins hold me captive and are powerful enemies, but still more precious and efficacious is the ransom of Your Son. May that most perfect, full, and holy ransom of Christ avail for me, for the forgiveness of my transgressions. Amen. - Johann Gerhard, *Mediations on Divine Mercy* p. 37
20 March 2007
Old Lutheran Quote of the Day
For these sins that I commit every day of my life, I offer to You, O holy Father, the precious blood of Your Son, which was poured out on the altar of the cross. His blood cleanses me from all my transgressions. My sins hold me captive and are powerful enemies, but still more precious and efficacious is the ransom of Your Son. May that most perfect, full, and holy ransom of Christ avail for me, for the forgiveness of my transgressions. Amen. - Johann Gerhard, *Mediations on Divine Mercy* p. 37
I remember on the Orthodox-Lutheran discussion list, some EOs said that Gerhard was sort of the Father of Lutheran Scholasticism. Well, from reading excerpts of his works on your blog, Fr. Weedon, I can say I have rarely read more sublime meditations on the mysteries of the faith than in Johann Gerhard.
ReplyDeleteWow!
Edward,
ReplyDeleteThey were not wrong. Not by a long shot. Read some of Gerhard's dogmatic works and you can't tell at points if it is Gerhard or Thomas Aquinas! But to attend ONLY to his dogmatic works is not to know the whole man - his devotional works and his sermons, well they shine. Did you know that his Sacred Meditations is a free download? You can pick that puppy up here:
Sacred Meditations
You will not be sorry! PROMISE!
Fr. Weedon,
ReplyDeleteI just downloaded it.
Re: Scholasticism, I guess that is what happens when we read just snippets of a writer.
Thanks!
Something's backwards here.
ReplyDeleteThe precious Blood is actually something God offers US. (Lev. 17:11). God offers it to us to restore life to us.
What we offer Him is "a reasonable" (acomplished by reason, i.e., unbloody) sacrifice: ourselves (Romans 12:1). That's waht interests Him, and for our sakes, not for His, Who has no need of us.
Anastasia
Anastasia, you are sounding Lutheran again... :)
ReplyDeleteActually, I think the thought behind Gerhard's rather surprising language (surprising in the mouth of a Lutheran, I mean) is rather along the lines of the anamnesis of the eastern liturgies:
ReplyDeleteRemembering, therefore,...everything that was done for our sake, the cross, the ascension into heaven, the enthronement at the right hand, the second and glorious coming again: thine own of thine own we offer unto thee, on behalf of all and for all.
It IS the unbloody pleading of the blood, if you will.