Posted on by Reason2bCatholic

Divine Office | God showed his love through his Son

In today's Office of Readings we encounter a reading from the Letter to Diognetus (ca. 2nd c.). The Letter to Diognetus is a Christian apologetic work dating from the 2nd century, probably from late in that century. It was initially attributed to Justin Martyr but is now agreed to be by an unknown author. Whoever it was by, the letter seems to have passed out of general knowledge very early, since none of the standard authorities such as Eusebius mention it. The identity of the recipient is equally unknown. It is valuable as showing the nature of Christian belief in those very early days, and it is different from other Christian apologies in that it seems not to be a spontaneous work of explanation or justification, but a detailed response to a detailed series of questions. For a reflection on "God showed his love through his Son," please click on the image. Peace be with you!

Posted on by Reason2bCatholic

Divine Office | The plan of redemption through the Incarnation

In today's Office of Readings we encounter a reading from the treatise "Against the Heresies" by St. Irenaeus (ca. 130 - 202 A.D.) Whenever we take up a Bible we touch Irenaeus’s work, for he played a decisive role in fixing the canon of the New Testament. It is easy for people nowadays to think of Scripture – and the New Testament in particular – as the basis of the Church, but harder to remember that it was the Church itself that had to agree, early on, about what was scriptural and what was not. Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr, was a disciple of St. Polycarp, who was the disciple of St. John the Apostle. For a reflection, "The plan of redemption through the Incarnation," please click on the image. Peace be with you!