St. Theophilus of the second-century exclaims: “(consuming the Body of Christ) makes man divine, by inebriating him, as it were, with divinity.” — How much time has passed since my Baptism, my second birth? O that it feels like an eternity! “Pray without ceasing,” St. Paul says. And I realize now that I can no longer cease for a moment on my journey to perfect sanctification. Prayer for my salvation was answered both…

A biblical discourse on the papacy and the hierarchal structure of Christ’s Temple — Let us begin this extended discourse with the words of St. Pope Leo the Great: “Through the Apostles’ trumpet blast go out for the salvation of all men, as it is written: “Their sound has gone out into every land, and their words into the ends of the world.” But…

St. Clement of Alexandria (150–215 AD) “[the true Christian] also prays in the society of angels, as being already of angelic rank, and he is never out of their holy keeping, and though he pray alone, he has the choir of the saints standing with him.” — David Bercot says at the 54:49 minute mark in his lecture about images and prayers to the saints, “But what about in the second and third centuries? Well again I’m just gonna tell you flatly, there is no record anywhere in the ante-Nicene writings of any Christian praying to a…

A guide for meditating on the sorrows of the Blessed Mother — Legend says that Mary was assumed into the heavens not too long after Jesus’ left the earth because of her sorrow in his absence. Jesus’ greatest sorrow was said to be watching his mother cry for him. Meditating on the sorrows of Mary not only brings us closer to Mary…

An excerpt from ‘Treatise Concerning The Christian Priesthood’, Book 6 — Accordingly the time is now come that I should utter to thee the only thing which I have left unspoken. Perhaps it may seem to many to be incredible, but even so I shall not be ashamed to bring it before the world, for though what is said is proof…

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ “ (Matt 19:14) — “Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out…We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.” (3 John 1:6–8) Donate here: https://www.givesendgo.com/worldyouthdaylouisville

Meditations written during my stay at the Abbey of Gethsemani — Originally published on Substack: https://michaelsnellen.substack.com/ Preface: In the hills of Kentucky, those of which some say within lies the heart of America, I stayed in the oldest monastery in America: The Abbey of Gethsemani. In the Trappist spirit, I pondered thoughts of eternity and the present, and in my own fashion…

The 4th-century historian Eusebius: “we have learned also that the likenesses of his apostles Paul and Peter, and of Christ himself, are preserved in paintings” — John Calvin, who doesn’t have as much knowledge of archeology as we do today, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion wrote: “Let us remember that for five hundred years, during which religion was in a more prosperous condition, and a purer doctrine flourished, Christian churches were completely free from…

Anabaptist apologist David W. Bercot makes the claim. I make the refutation. — At the 40:33 mark in his lecture entitled What the Early Christians Believed About Images and Prayers to Saints, Protestant writer/speaker David W. Bercot , who specializes in the early Christian writings, made a remarkable yet preposterous claim: the early Christians didn’t use incense in their worship. I will address…