Patristic Quote of the Day

Now that sheep which had got separated from the ninety and nine, and then was brought back again, represents to us nothing else than the fall and return of the faithful; for it was a sheep not of some alien flock, but belonging to the same number as the rest, and was formerly pastured by the same shepherd, and it strayed on no common straying, but wandered away to the mountains and in valleys, that is to say some long journey, far distant from the right path. Did he then suffer it to stray? By no means, but brought it back neither driving it, nor beating it, but taking it upon his shoulders.—St. John Chrysostom, To Theodore After His Fall I:7.

Thanks, Linda W!

Unbeknownst to me, our dear friend Linda had written a poem about Cathy, the cat, after her last visit. Just perfect:

Cat

I saw you walk across the floor
your once feline sleekness marred with age.
You had the look of battles won in years gone by.
Eyes that no longer saw the things your ears no longer heard
cared not for their loss as your nose scoured the bowl for bits of food.

I reached down to stroke your still vibrant fur
it’s orange and white splotches dotted with black.
The incredibly silkiness of your coat testified to a health
the jumble of bones belied underneath as they poked about
like a mass of rocks and barbed wire that had been left for years in the rain.

How can your deafening purr display content
when your joints must ache with their twisted movement?
I hesitated to stroke your back with its terrain of silk covered boulders
but you leaning into my touch and the increase of your content
told me you are not any less a cat as my hand learned how to caress you.

LMW 10.13.13

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

But who sees this? You are not meant to see it. His reign and His teaching are a testimony. It is a preaching which testifies to things which no man can hear, see, or read in books of the law or anywhere else in the world.... He shall do nothing but preach, and His preaching shall be a testimony to the Father, how He is inclined, how He desires to make men blessed and to redeem them from their sins, and from the power of death and the devil. That is His testimony.—Martin Luther, Exposition of John 3 (Day by Day, p. 91).

Patristic Quote of the Day

And speak not to me of those who have committed small sins, but suppose the case of one who is filled full of all wickedness, and let him practice everything which excludes him from the kingdom, and let us suppose that this man is not one of those who were unbelievers from the beginning, but formerly belonged to the believers, and such as were well pleasing to God, but afterwards has become a fornicator, adulterer, effeminate, a thief, a drunkard, a sodomite, a reviler, and everything else of this kind; I will not approve even of this man despairing of himself, although he may have gone on to extreme old age in the practice of this great and unspeakable wickedness. For if the wrath of God were a passion, one might well despair as being unable to quench the flame which he had kindled by so many evil doings; but since the Divine nature is passionless, even if He punishes, even if He takes vengeance, he does this not with wrath, but with tender care, and much loving-kindness; wherefore it behooves us to be of much good courage, and to trust in the power ofrepentance. For even those who have sinned against Him He is not wont to visit with punishment for His own sake; for no harm can traverse that divine nature; but He acts with a view to our advantage, and to prevent our perverseness becoming worse by our making a practice of despising and neglecting Him.—St. John Chrysostom, To Theodore After His Fall I:4.

A grandpa's double joy

On Temporal Consequences

What is the Church's attitude toward the temporal consequences of sin? First, we admit that they are there and that they are not remitted by the keys. Most crassly, the thief on the cross had his sins eternally forgiven, but he also temporally died as a thief nailed to a cross—his temporal punishment was not remitted.

And yet, having said so much, we've not yet thought with the mind of the Church. For when we confess our sins in the Divine Service, we do not exempt OURSELVES from being utterly worthy of temporal punishments for our sins, and yet we dare to ask forgiveness for ourselves and relief even from temporal consequences.

Further, in the great Litany we ask for more. We ask for one another's relief from the temporal consequences of sin. Consider the way the Church teaches us to conclude our prayers following the great Litany:

L: O Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
C: Do not reward us according to our iniquities.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, You desire not the death of a sinner, but rather tha we turn from our evil ways and live. Graciously spare us those punishments which we by our sins have deserved, and grant us always to serve You in holiness and pureness of living; through Jesus, Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.

OR

L: Call on Me in the day of trouble.
C: I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.
L: Spare us, O Lord, and mercifully forgive us our sins. Though by our continual transgressions we have merited Your chastisements, be gracious to us. Grant that all these punishments which we have deserved may not come upon us, but that all things may work to our everlasting good; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.

Rather than ever saying to a brother or sister: "So sorry. You have to deal with the temporal consequences of your sins" (with the implied: "And thank God mine aren't as bad as YOURS!"), the Church teaches us to stand alongside our brother and sister and plead with them that the temporal consequences of OUR sin (theirs and mine, both equally worthy of punishments both in time and eternity) not be visited upon either of us. For who, indeed, then could ever hope to stand—now or in the coming Judgment?

From the Symbols on the Sacraments and the Conscience

Piepkorn once wrote to a man thinking of leaving the Lutheran Church:

I believe that you have acted wisely in not deserting the Church of your Baptism and Confirmation for another obedience. In my experience there is nothing to which a Christian can legitimately aspire in any other communion that is not implicit in the Church of the Augsburg Confession. If, at a particular time or in a particular place, that which he seeks is not explicit, it may be that God has called him to that time and place in order patiently to recover something that the Church of the Augsburg Confession has lost or neglected or overlooked. Let me counsel you therefore to stay where you are and faithfully to pray, to study, to witness and to work for a restoration of sacramental life to the Church that above all others is capable of most fully utilizing it. 

That last sentence deserves explication from the Symbols. In what way is the Lutheran Church "the Church that above all others" is "capable of most fully utilizing" the sacramental life? Consider these pertinent citations from the Symbols.

Baptism:

We must think this way about Baptism and make it profitable for ourselves. So when our sins and conscience oppress us, we strengthen ourselves and take comfort and say, ‘Nevertheless, I am baptized. And if I am baptized, it is promised to me that I shall be saved and have eternal life in both body and soul.’” LC

Absolution:

Now strictly speaking, repentance consists of two parts. One part is contrition, that is, terrors striking the conscience through the knowledge of sin. The other part is faith, which is born of the Gospel or the Absolution and believes that for Christ’s sake, sins are forgiven. It comforts the conscience and delivers it from terror. AC 

The people are very carefully taught about faith in the Absolution…Our people are taught that they should highly prize the absolution as being God’s voice and pronounced by God’s command. The power of the keys is set forth in its beauty. They are reminded what great consolation it brings to anxious consciences and that God requires faith to believe such absolution as a voice sounding from heaven. They are taught that such faith in Christ truly obtains and receives forgiveness of sins. AC

Eucharist:

No one is admitted to the Sacrament without first being examined. The people also are advised about the dignity and use of the Sacrament, about how it brings great consolation to anxious consciences, so that they too may learn to believe God and to expect and ask from Him all that is good. This worship pleases God. AC 

In general:

This whole matter was made up by idle men. They did not know how forgiveness of sins happens and how, by God’s judgment and the terrors of conscience, trust in works is driven from us. AP

Spiritually inexperienced people despise this teaching. However, God-fearing and anxious consciences find by experience that it brings the greatest consolation. Consciences cannot be set at rest through any works, but only by faith, when they take the sure ground that for Christ’s sake they have a gracious God. As Paul teaches, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God. This whole doctrine must be related to the conflict of terrified conscience. It cannot be understood apart from that conflict. Therefore, inexperienced and irreverent people have poor judgment in this matter because they dream that Christian righteousness is nothing but civil and philosophical righteousness. AP

A conscience full of fear has need of much consolation. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are signs that continually remind, cheer, and encourage despairing minds to believe more firmly that their sins are forgiven. AP

Everything, therefore, in the Christian Church is ordered toward this goal: we shall daily receive in the Church nothing but forgiveness of sin through the Word and signs, to comfort and encourage our consciences as long as we live here. LC

__________

Note especially the import of that last summary: how differently might our congregational life look today if everything, absolutely everything in them, and similarly in our transparochial life, were ordered toward that one goal? I think we'd see a genuine and deep renewal in the Church of the Augsburg Confession and it would, in this way, offer profound assistance in other jurisdictions as well. How differently would the Lutheran Church appear in today's world if she lived out and professed by action what she confesses in her Symbols of the relationship between the sacraments and the comfort of the troubled conscience? 

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

For He has not commanded thee to fly up to heaven to stare at what He does there, with His angels, but this is His command: 'This is my beloved Son; hear ye him.' In Him I have come down to you, so that you can see Me, and hear Me, and touch Me. There and nowhere else shall find Me, who desire Me and long to be free from their sins and be saved.—Martin Luther, Exposition of John xiv. (Day by Day, p. 89)

Patristic Quote of the Day

And not only is this the wonderful thing that he remits our sins, but that he not even reveals them nor makes them manifest and patent, nor compels us to come forward into the midst, and to tell out our errors, but bids us make our defense to him alone, and to confess ourselves to him. And yet among secular judges, if any tell any of the robbers or grave-riflers, when they are arrested, to tell their errors and be quit of their punishment, they would accede to this with all readiness, despising the shame through desire of safety. But in this case there is nothing of this kind, but he both remits the sins, nor compels us to marshal them in array before any spectators. But one thing alone he seeks, that he who enjoys this remission should learn the greatness of the gift. —St. John Chrysostom, Instructions to Catechumens, par. 4.

The vast majority of the time...

...I love being "the daddy." But I HATE it when it comes time to put down an animal. We sadly had reached that point with our cat, Cathy. Been with us for 14 years or so. Was always an outdoors animal until we moved to the village almost two years ago. I was prepared to let her remain outside and ask the Gleasons to take over feeding her, but Bekah wouldn't hear of not bringing her along with us. So she moved into our new home. She was already sick - horribly thin - and continued to get so. We switched her to a completely non-cereal diet and she perked right back up. But she grew steadily more deaf and blind and finally was just acting confused (as in, where DID I leave that litter box?).  So I knew we'd have to do the dirty deed. Bekah is steadfastly opposed to euthanizing animals and I get that, but, well, I can't afford to replace a carpet. So today we took her in. Bekah held her much of the way. She and Cindi waited in the car, while I took her in and stayed with her till she died. Very sad. She was a regular fixture for so many years on the playground of the school. The children would race out for recess and always some would come looking for Cathy to hold and pet. She ate it up. She'd run to meet the kids. Well, as I wrote on FB, we'll commend her to the hope of our Lord's words:  "Behold, I make all things new."

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

If we now have Christ as a gift through faith, we should go forward and do as He does for us. We should imitate Him in our whole life and in all our suffering. That is the way St. Peter presents this here—Martin Luther, on 1 Peter 4:3

Patristic Quote of the Day

All sinners are begotten of the devil, as sinners. Adam was made by God: but when he consented to the devil, he was begotten of the devil; and he begot all men such as he was himself. With lust itself we were born; even before we add our sins, from that condemnation we have our birth. For if we are born without any sin, wherefore this running with infants to baptism that they may be released? —St. Augustine, Homily on 1 John 3.

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Look at Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and all the saintly fathers. As soon as they began to rely on their own counsels apart from the Word of God, everything immediately slipped away from them, and they accomplished nothing. For unless God has preceded men with His Word, they accomplish nothing good. Without the action and the Word of God we do nothing, even though we may begin something.—Martin Luther, Commentary on Ecclesiastes 1.

Patrisic Quote of the Day

For see what He says; If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8). Consequently, if you have confessed yourself a sinner, the truth is in you: for the Truth itself is light. Your life has not yet shone in perfect brightness, because there are sins in you; but yet you have already begun to be enlightened, because there is in you the confession of sins.—St. Augustine, Homily on 1 John 1.

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

Such cleanliness no longer has any validity, but there must be “the covenant of a good conscience with God”; that is, you must feel in yourself a good and cheerful conscience—a conscience that is in league with God and can say: “He gave me this promise. He will keep it, for He cannot lie.” When you cling and cleave to His Word in this way, then you must be saved. Now the covenant is faith, which saves us. —Martin Luther. Luther's works, vol. 30: The Catholic Epistles (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.) (1 Pe 3:22). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

Patristic Quote of the Day

For the promise of good things does not so strongly induce the multitude to virtue; as does the threat of evil things compel by fear, and arouse them to the care of the soul. So that, although hell be the opposite of the kingdom of heaven, yet each has respect to the same end— the salvation of men; the one alluring to itself, the other driving them towards its opposite, and by the operation of fear correcting those who are carelessly disposed.—St. John Chrysostom, On the Statues, Homily 7, par. 4

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

In short, when you no longer accord the Word greater validity than your every feeling, your eyes, your senses, and your heart, you are doomed, and you can no longer be helped. For this is called an article of faith, not one of your reason or wisdom, nor of human power or ability. Therefore here, too, you must judge solely by the Word, regardless of what you feel or see.—Martin Luther, on 1 Corinthians 15.

Patristic Quote of the Day

If any man sin, an advocate, says he, have we. He says not, you have; nor says, you have me; nor says, you have Christ Himself: but he puts Christ, not himself, and says, also, We have, not, you have. He chose rather to put himself in the number of sinners that he might have Christ for his advocate, than to put himself in Christ's stead as advocate, and to be found among the proud that shall be condemned. Brethren, Jesus Christ the righteous, even Him have we for our advocate with the Father; He, even He, is the propitiation for our sins. This whoso has held fast, has made no heresy; this whoso has held fast, has made no schism. For whence came schisms? When men say, we are righteous, when men say, we sanctify the unclean, we justify the ungodly; we ask, we obtain. But what says John? And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.—St. Augustine, Homilies on First John (First Homily)

A nice text to meditate on in anticipation of Purification

translated by our own dear Matthew Carver: Congaudent angelorum.

Patristic Quote of the Day

Wherefore this also Christ has done, to lead us to a closer friendship, and to show His love for us; He has given to those who desire Him not only to see Him, but even to touch, and eat Him, and fix their teeth in His flesh, and to embrace Him, andsatisfy all their love. Let us then return from that table like lions breathing fire, having become terrible to the devil; thinking on our Head, and on the love which He has shown for us.—St. John Chrysostom, Homily 46 on John 6, par. 3