Bookish Notes: Fathers of the Church: St Clement

 

Well this is timely and I'm a huge believer in synchronicity:   Currently reading Fathers of the Church by Mike Aquilina and the Apostolic father I'm reading about  this week is St Clement of Rome who wrote the Letter to the Corinthians.  I highlighted a few things but the entire text of the letter can be read on New Advent

In it he writes:

"Owing, dear brethren, to the sudden and successive calamitous events which have happened to ourselves, we feel that we have been somewhat tardy in turning our attention to the points respecting which you consulted us; and especially to that shameful and detestable sedition, utterly abhorrent to the elect of God, which a few rash and self-confident persons have kindled to such a pitch of frenzy, that your venerable and illustrious name, worthy to be universally loved, has suffered grievous injury.

We Should Obey God Rather Than the Authors of Sedition:  It is right and holy therefore, men and brethren, rather to obey God than to follow those who, through pride and sedition, have become the leaders of a detestable emulation. For we shall incur no slight injury, but rather great danger, if we rashly yield ourselves to the inclinations of men who aim at exciting strife and tumults, so as to draw us away from what is good.  Let us be kind one to another after the pattern of the tender mercy and benignity of our Creator.

Let us cleave, therefore, to those who cultivate peace with godliness, and not to those who hypocritically profess to desire it. 

For [the Scripture] says in a certain place, This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And again: They bless with their mouth, but curse with their heart. And again it says, They loved Him with their mouth, and lied to Him with their tongue; but their heart was not right with Him, neither were they faithful in His covenant. Let the deceitful lips become silent, [and let the Lord destroy all the lying lips, ] and the boastful tongue of those who have said, Let us magnify our tongue: our lips are our own; who is lord over us? For the oppression of the poor, and for the sighing of the needy, will I now arise, says the Lord: I will place him in safety; I will deal confidently with him."

And if you made it this far and are still with me, what this says to me is it time to put all the vitriol behind us, let go of the past, quit paying attention to the negative, seek the good, pray for the future, and have faith.  It's time to move on and see what the future brings with optimism and hope.  Of course I've always been the gal who like the story about the boy in a roomful of crap, grabs the shovel and starts digging, saying 'there's a pony in here somewhere.'  Credit goes to Ronald Reagan for that little gem. 

 Peace out!