Posts by Ralph Patrick

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. . . This is how God showed His love among us:  He sent His one and only Son into the world.” 1 John 4 “And we are put on earth a little space,…

Christmas Day (Taken From “Christ the Eternal Tao” by Hieromonk Damascene) The Mind spoke, and through His Word answered the earth’s elemental moan.  Above that roaring cry He answered with a still small voice: “I will come. Will you receive me, then?”  But no man heard that voice.  Only a small young woman, who had…

“Greetings highly favored one, the Lord is with you. . . Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Luke 1 “From now on all generations shall call me blessed.” Mary’s Magnificat, Luke 1 Did you ever see the movie “Christmas Vacation” starring Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold?  It’s a…

Gaudete “And they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” Matt. 2:10 “What makes you happy?”  It’s a pretty common question.  A better one might be “What gives you Joy?” How would you answer that? Today is Gaudete Sunday in the Christian tradition.  It is the Sunday of Rejoicing, denoted by the pink candle on the Advent…

“Beyond question, great is the mystery of Godliness.” 1 Tim. 3:16 “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious, it is the source of all true art and science.”  Einstein What is it that you know for certain? What is it that you thought you were convinced of, that you thought you knew,…

“Darkness covered the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2 “And there was darkness over all the earth.”  Luke 23:44 It is no coincidence that Advent is observed during the darkest time of the year.  It is a time to anticipate the coming of…

“And as Jesus was returning, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.”  Luke 8:40 “Now Paul stayed two full years in his own rented lodging and welcomed all who came to him.”  Acts 28:30 “Welcome Christmas come this way, Fahoo fores dahoo dores, Welcome Christmas, Christmas day. Welcome, welcome fahoo…

“The God of your father shall help you and the Almighty shall bless you with blessings from heaven above.”  Genesis 49:25 The bible is full of blessings.  There are blessings from the beginning to the end and everywhere in between.  But one doesn’t need to look in a book, no matter how Good it is,…

“And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff.  But He…

“Love does no harm to another; Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” Romans 13:10 “Probably all laws are useless; For good people do not need laws at all, and bad people are made no better by them.”  Demonax the Cynic, 70 – 170 AD Demonax, a Greek philosopher, had it right.  Though he…