On the Passover

Tell me angel, what deterred you? The slaughter of the sheep, or the life of the Lord? You were deterred because you witnessed the mystery of the Lord accomplish in the sheep. The life of the Lord in the sacrifice of the sheep. The figure of the Lord in the death of the Sheep.       On the Passover, Melito of Sardis

Boniface  attempted, in the place called Gaesmere, while the servants of God stood by his side, to fell a certain oak of extraordinary size, which is called, by an old name of the pagans, the Oak of Thor. And when in the strength of his steadfast heart he had cut the lower notch, there was present a great multitude of pagans, who in their souls were earnestly cursing the enemy of their gods. But when the fore side of the tree was notched only a little, suddenly the oak’s vast bulk, driven by a blast from above, crashed to the ground, shivering its crown of branches as it fell; and, as if by the gracious compensation of the Most High, it was also burst into four parts, and four trunks of huge size, equal in length, were seen, unwrought by the brethren who stood by. At this sight the pagans who before had cursed now, on the contrary, believed, and blessed the Lord, and put away their former reviling. 

–Life of Boniface, Missionary to the Germans

He is great in heaven who humbly submits to his neighbor

He is great in heaven who humbly submits to his neighbor, and, without any cause for shame, bears patiently accusations made against him, even though they are false, if by this he may be at peace with his brother.

St. Basil the Great, Homily 20

If He offers nourishment to the birds…

If he offers nourishment to the birds, will he not offer to humankind food to nourish them? If those who do not labor find food, will not people find food, to whom God has given both the wisdom to work and the hope to enjoy it? God made all animals for humankind’s sake, but he made humankind for his own sake. Therefore, if he serves animals for humankind’s sake, will he not serve humankind for his own sake? God made all things in wisdom, but he made humankind not only in wisdom but also according to his own wisdom. Therefore, to the degree that the creation of humankind is more precious than that of animals, to the same degree God’s solicitude over humankind is greater than that over animals. God made all animals so that they would exist as long as they do, but when they die, they would become as if they had never been, but he made humankind so that he would live not only before death but even after death. Indeed, he would live more after death than before death because he lives before death in temptation but after death in glory. Therefore, if he helps those whom he has created so as to live for only a little while, will he not help humankind whom he has made so that they may live forever?

Opus imperfectum on Matthew, Homily 16

Opus Imperfectum on Wealth

Consider, moreover, that he did not say, “Nobody can have God and wealth,” but “no one can be a servant of God and wealth.” It is one thing to have wealth and quite another to serve wealth. If you have wealth and your wealth does not make you haughty or violent, but you give to the poor as much as you can, you are master of your wealth, not its slave, because your wealth does not possess you, but you possess your wealth. But if your wealth makes you arrogant or violent and you do not give anything to anyone because you have been restrained by your greed, then you are a slave of your wealth and not its master, because your wealth possesses you, not you your wealth.

Opus imperfectum on Matthew, Homily XVI

A dread and marvelous mystery

A dread and marvelous mystery we see come to pass this day. He whom none may touch is seized; he who looses Adam from the curse is bound. He who tries our hearts and inner thoughts is unjustly brought to trial. He who closed the abyss is shut in prison. He before whom the powers of heaven stand with trembling, stands before Pilate; the Creator is struck by the hand of a creature. He who comes to judge the living and the dead is condemned to the cross; the Destroyer of hell is enclosed in a tomb.

Vespers of Great Friday, from the Orthodox liturgy

An indestructible energy making for love

At the heart of the desperate suffering there is in the world, suffering we can do nothing to resolve or remove for good, there is an indestructible energy making for love. If we have grasped what Jesus is about, we can trust that this is what lies at the foundation of everything.

Rowan Williams, Tokens of Trust, p. 10

What Christians can expect each other to take for granted

[The Creed] sets out what Christians can expect each other to take for granted. You might even say that it tells us why we can trust each other in the Christian community. We’re looking in the same direction, working with the same hopes and assumptions.

Rowan Williams, Tokens of Trust, p. 7