From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Journey of the Mind to God:   
      
   Christ is both the way and the door. Christ is the staircase and the   
   vehicle, like the "throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant," and   
   "the mystery hidden from the ages." A man should turn his full   
   attention to this throne of mercy, and should gaze at him hanging on   
   the cross, full of faith, hope, and charity, devoted, full of wonder   
   and joy, marked by gratitude, and open to praise and jubilation. Then   
   such a man will make with Christ a "pasch," that is, a passing-over.   
   Through the branches of the cross he will pass over the Red Sea,   
   leaving Egypt and entering the desert. There he will taste the hidden   
   manna, and rest with Christ in the sepulcher, as if he were dead to   
   things outside. He will experience, as much as is possible for one who   
   is still living, what was promised to the thief who hung beside   
   Christ: "Today you will be with me in paradise."   
   --Excerpt from treatise by Saint Bonaventure   
      
   <<>><<>><<>>   
   19 December – St Pope Anastasius I   
      
   (Died 401)   
   – Widower, Priest and Pope – born in the 4th century in Rome, Italy –   
   Papal Ascension, successor to Pope Siricius on 27 Nov. 399 until his   
   death on 19 Dec. 401 of natural causes. Among his friends were   
   Augustine, Jerome and Paulinus. Jerome speaks of him as a man of great   
   holiness who was rich in his poverty.   
      
   Anastasius was known as a pious youth and, apparently, cared nothing   
   for material things as an adult. He was born about the year 330, a   
   Roman, whose father’s name was Maximus. When he was a young man,   
   Anastasius must have married and had at least one son. Relatively   
   early, it would appear, Anastasius was widowed and never remarried.   
      
   It was a time of peace and growth for the Catholic Church and, despite   
   wars in far off regions of the empire, it was a time of relative peace   
   in the Western provinces. Anastasius became a cleric and, it would   
   make sense to assume, so did his son.   
      
   However, just a few years before Anastasius became Pope, in 395,   
   Emperor Theodosius died, leaving his 11 year old son, Honorius, to   
   govern. The half-Vandal Stilicho, became regent and power behind the   
   throne. Within three years, Stilicho declared war on the North African   
   province, when he heard rumours of the province seceding and moving to   
   the Eastern Empire. Africa was Rome’s bread basket. The city of Rome   
   panicked and civil turmoil resulted. The rebellion was quashed within   
   a year and Anastasius was consecrated with the promise of more peace.   
      
   The Church had converted to Latin as its universal language, due to   
   the expansion of the faith. It became necessary to have a common   
   language for councils and synods, at this point. Many of the fathers   
   of the Church and theologians thus wrote in, or had works translated   
   into, Latin. It often happened that the original authors were long   
   dead at the time of the translation. Thus was the scenario when   
   Anastasius ascended the Chair of Peter. The new pope, consecrated 27   
   November 399, received a letter from Patriarch Theophilus of   
   Alexandria, expressing strong doubt about Origen’s fidelity to the   
   Church. Rufinus of Aquiliea had taken the time to translate   
   Origen’s“First Principles”from the original Greek. St Jerome, the   
   elderly man who had worked so hard on the “Vulgate Bible”, had   
   attacked Rufinus’ work. He felt the writings of Origen did not meet   
   his sense of orthodoxy. Not being familiar with Origen’s work,   
   himself, Anastasius called a council to consider the problem. The   
   council ultimately agreed with Jerome and claimed that Origen’s work   
   was heterodox, thus eliminating it from acceptable belief.   
      
   “If Origen has put forth any other writings, you are to know that they   
   and their author are alike condemned by me. The Lord have you in safe   
   keeping, my lord and brother deservedly held in honour.”   
   from his letter to St Simplicianus   
      
   Meanwhile, on the south side of the Mediterranean, the North African   
   Christians were battling another heresy – the Donatists. Their main   
   argument, in a nutshell, was that sacraments were only valid,   
   depending on the spiritual character of the priests and bishops. For   
   the better part of one hundred years, the arguments had been   
   continuing, despite the death of Donatus in 355 and several synods   
   trying to straighten it out. In the late 300s, Augustine of Hippo   
   argued and tried to settle the question. This was apparently of high   
   interest to Anastasius, who encouraged the fight against this heresy.   
   He did not live to see Emperor Honorius’ secretary of state declare   
   Donatism illegal. But Augustine did.   
      
   St Anastasius instructed priests to stand and bow their head as they   
   read from the gospels.   
   Anastasius died in Rome on 19 December 401, having ruled just over two   
   years. He was buried in the Catacomb of Pontian together with his son   
   and immediate successor, Pope Innocent I, which is probably a unique   
   case of a pope being succeeded by his son.   
      
   from Anastpaul 2019   
      
      
   Saint Quote:   
   He who remembers the presence of God is less open to other thoughts,   
   especially bad thoughts. As long as we believe that God sees us, we   
   are restrained from daring to sin before such a Witness and Judge. In   
   two ways the presence of God is an antidote against sin: first,   
   because God sees us, and secondly, because we see God.   
   -- St. Ignatius   
      
   Bible Quote   
   Now when the apostles, who were in Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria   
   had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. 15   
   Who, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the   
   Holy Ghost. 16 For he was not as yet come upon any of them; but they   
   were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid   
   their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost.  (Acts   
   8:14-17)   
      
      
   <><><><>   
   A new "creation" in Christ   
   If we want to receive the abundant new life and the fruit of the   
   Spirit which the Lord Jesus freely offers us, then the "outer shell"   
   of our fallen sinful nature must first be broken and be put to death.   
   In baptism our "old nature" which was enslaved by sin is buried with   
   Christ so we may rise to new life with Christ through the cleansing   
   waters of baptism. Paul the Apostle describes this death and rebirth   
   in Christ as a “new creation” which Christ accomplishes in us through   
   the power of his saving death and resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:17).   
      
   This process of death to the “old fallen self” is both a one-time   
   event which occurs in our baptism, and it is also a daily, on-going   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)