Blessed is the Kingdom

The Near Occasion of Sin

Fr. Christian Mathis | February 28, 2012

Deacon Sean Smith reminds us of the need to fight temptation by avoiding the near occasion of sin. You can listen to his homily here.

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Tags: Chancellor of the Realm, Deacon Sean Smith, forgiveness, homilies, Lent, Noah's Ark, sin, temptation, The Flood

Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my arms for battle, who prepares my hands for war. (Psalm 144:1) This morning I was struck during morning prayer by the words above from Psalm 144. It is the prayer of a soldier, one who knows that if he is to win the battle, he must [...]

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Tags: battle, prayer, Psalms, spiritual warfare, temptation

The Christian’s Greatest Enemy

Fr. Christian Mathis | October 7, 2011

It was by constant watchfulness over themselves, by assiduous self-denial, and humble prayer, that all the saints triumphed over their spiritual enemies. They never laid down their arms. A Christian ought to be afraid of no enemy more than himself, whom he carries always about with him, and whom he is not able to flee [...]

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Tags: Butler's Lives of the Saints, prayer, saints, spiritual warfare, temptation

Onward, Christian Soldiers

Fr. Christian Mathis | September 2, 2011

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; Forward into battle see His banners go! I think it’s safe to say that there are many Christians these days who are somewhat uncomfortable with the use of military imagery and language [...]

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Tags: First Letter of Peter, Gaza, Letter to the Ephesians, Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, peace, prayer, spiritual battle, temptation

You’ve Got A Friend In Me

Fr. Christian Mathis | May 23, 2011

Reveal all your thoughts and feelings regularly to a trusted person. Maxim #14 Everyone needs a trusted friend who is there to listen without judgement and to share in all the ups and downs of life. It is essential to the Christian life to have someone who knows us well enough to offer good advice [...]

Category: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Tags: 55 Maxims, confession, First Letter of Peter, Fr. Thomas Hopko, friendship, Reconciliation, sin, spiritual direction, temptation, trust

On Not Feeding Temptation

Fr. Christian Mathis | May 11, 2011

Do not engage intrusive thoughts and feelings. Cut them off at the start. Maxim #13 Temptations often begin small. When sitting down to pray the silence can be interrupted by a the many small things on the agenda for the day. An attractive person can catch one’s eye and the mind turn quickly to lustful [...]

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Tags: 55 Maxims, Fr. Thomas Hopko, temptation

Fighting the armies of Satan

Fr. Christian Mathis | January 13, 2011

This week I came across a passage in Williston Walker’s A History of the Christian Church that has had me pondering about the early Christian martyrs. Walker writes, In the face of persecution, imprisonment, and death, believers understood that they were being called, by unwavering confession of their Lord, to share the suffering by which [...]

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