by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Several decades ago, when our family was still Episcopalian, a new parishioner remarked that I seemed to have a “high Christology.” Responding to my comment that I had no idea what he was talking about, he explained that a high Christology believes in Jesus’ pre-existence as God’s Son. A “low […]
The Strongest and Greatest Man of All Born on Earth
September 12, 2014 By
by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh We aren’t better than John the Baptist. Do you have a doubt. Get over it! Remember one more person, the strongest and greatest man of all born on earth, John the Baptist, Christ’s friend. He was in prison, in death horror. He was waiting for death to come, when suddenly […]
Why The Eternal Word Was Baptized
January 3, 2014 By
by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon From the traditional accounts of Jesus’ Baptism, the Gospel of John preserves only one detail: the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus in the likeness of a dove. This detail is preserved, moreover, not directly in narrative itself, but in a quotation from John the Baptist: “I saw the […]
About The Paschal Lamb
May 7, 2013 By
by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Very early in the Fourth Gospel, John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29) The Evangelist tells us that John repeated this identification on the following day (1:36). For the rest of the Fourth Gospel, nothing […]
Why Did Christ Need Baptism
November 8, 2010 By
A question asked by many is, “Why did Jesus need to be baptized?” To answer this, let’s first explore the nature of baptism as explained by Saint John Chrysostom. Jewish Baptism Saint John Chrysostom points out that the Jewish Baptism was one of cleansing. He says, There was a Jewish baptism, which cleansed from bodily […]
Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John
May 24, 2009 By
St. John the Baptist was the Forerunner of our Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrate his nativity on June 24th. He preached repentance to all, and though a celibate himself preached especially for the honor of marriage (to Herod and Herodias). He preached for about 90 days, then was imprisoned and beheaded. You know when they […]
