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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260701
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260702
DTSTAMP:20260628T114814Z
CREATED:20260628T114814Z
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UID:15124-1782864000-1782950399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:A reading from \nST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM \n◊◊◊ \nSuppose a pagan should say: “Where is your proof that Christ is God?” I \nmust first lay this proof as a foundation since everything follows from it. But I \nshall not draw my demonstration from heaven or any such divine source. For if \nI say that God created heaven\, earth and sea\, no pagan will stand for this as \nproof nor will he believe me; if I say that Christ raised the dead\, cured the blind\, \nand drove out demons\, no pagan will accept that either; if I say that he promised \na kingdom and ineffable blessings\, if I talk about the resurrection\, the pagan will \nnot only reject my arguments but he will laugh at them as well. \nHow shall I persuade him\, especially if he is ignorant and ill-informed? \nWhat source of proof can I use other than one on which we both together agree\, \none which is undeniable and admits no doubt? If I base my argument on the fact \nthat he created heaven and the other things of which I spoke\, the pagan would \nnot find it easy to believe me. What is there which even the pagan admits that \nChrist has done and which not even he would deny? \nThe pagan must admit that from Christ came the family of Christians. He \nmust admit that Christ founded the Churches everywhere throughout the world. \nFrom these facts I shall furnish proof of Christ’s power; I shall show that Christ \nis God; I shall maintain that it is not the mark of a mere man to bring under his \nsway so much land and sea in so short a time; I shall make clear that it is not the \nmark of a mere human to call men to such lofty deeds\, especially men who were \npreoccupied with such strange customs or\, rather men who were caught in the \ntrap of such an evil way of life. \nAnd still Christ had the power to set the human race free from all these \nevils – not only the Romans\, but the Persians\, and simply every race of \nbarbarians. And he succeeded in doing this with no force of arms\, nor \nexpenditure of money\, nor by starting wars of conquest\, nor by inflaming men \nto battle. He had only eleven men to start with\, men who were undistinguished\, \nwithout learning\, ill-informed\, destitute\, poorly clad\, without weapons\, or \nsandals\, men who had but a single tunic to wear. \nWhy do I say that he succeeded in doing this? He was able to persuade so \nmany nations of men to pursue the true doctrine\, not only in what concerns the \npresent life but also the life hereafter. He succeeded in winning over these men \nto drag down their ancestral laws\, to tear out their ancient customs\, long and \ndeeply rooted as they were\, and to plant in their place other ways\, which led \nthem from the easygoing life to his own program of austerity. And he succeeded \nin doing this when the whole world was waging war against him\, when they \njeered at him and forced him to endure the most shameful death of the cross. \nThe pagans will not deny that the Jews crucified him and subjected him to \ncountless tortures; they will not deny that he still preaches his message every \nday. And this message flourishes not only here but also among the Persians\, \nwho even today are still waging war against him. For among the Persians\, at this \nvery hour\, there are multitudes of martyrs. Men who were more savage than \nwolves hear his message\, become more gentle than sheep\, and accept the true \ndoctrine on immortality\, the resurrection\, and the ineffable blessings of the \nmysteries.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-441/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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