Carl E. Olson's Blog, page 335

Abp. Charles Chaput: Civil unions not about love, equality; they are doorways to "gay marriage"

From Archbishop Charles J. Chaput's most recent column, "Voice your support for marriage and thank these lawmakers" (April 4, 2011) on the Archdiocese of Denver website:

Christians believe in the dignity of all human life, without exception.  But the civil unions debate is not about ensuring the basic rights of homosexual persons. Those rights are already guaranteed under law. Nor is it finally about love or personal equality. Civil unions ensure neither of these any better than marriage does.

The civil unions debate is finally about securing legitimacy for social arrangements and personal behaviors that most societies and religious traditions have found problematic from long experience—and that a great many people see as morally troubling, not because they are "haters" or "frightened" or "bigots" or "uneducated"—that kind of language is the real bigotry in this debate—but because they've carefully thought through the implications for society at large.

Senate Bill 172, quite shrewdly, did not limit its definition of "civil unions" to same-sex couples. But same-sex couples would inevitably be the main beneficiaries—as was obvious even at the committee hearings. It's also worth noting that in every state where civil unions have become law, the political pressure for "gay marriage" has not declined; it has increased. Same-sex unions, whatever legal form they take, cannot create new life. They cannot duplicate the love of a man and woman. But they do copy marriage and family, and in the process, they compete with and diminish the uniquely important status of both.

Read the entire column.

New from Ignatius Press: YOUCAT

Now available from Ignatius Press:

YOUCAT (Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church)

by Christoph Cardinal Schoenborn

YOUCAT is short for Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, which will be launched on World Youth Day. Developed with the help of young Catholics and written for high-school age people and young adults, YOUCAT is an accessible, contemporary expression of the Catholic Faith. The appealing graphic format includes Questions-and-Answers, highly-readable commentary, summary definitions of key terms, Bible citations and inspiring and thought-provoking quotes from Saints and others in the margins. What's more, YOUCAT is keyed to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, so people can go deeper. It explains:

What Catholics believe and why (doctrine)

How Catholics celebrate the mysteries of the faith (sacraments)

How Catholics are to live (moral life)

How they should pray (prayer and spirituality)

The questions are direct and honest, even at times tough; the answers straightforward, relevant, and compelling. YOUCAT will likely become the "go-to" place for young people to learn the truth about the Catholic faith. Illustrated

What Pope Benedict XVI has to say about the YOUCAT project:

Excerpts from the Foreword:

"Dear young friends!

Today I recommend for your reading an unusual book....Should we not attempt to translate the Catechism of the Catholic Church into the language of young people? Should we not bring its great riches into the world of today's youth? Of course, there are many differences even among the youth of today's world. And so now, under the capable direction of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, YOUCAT has been produced for young people. I hope that many young people will let themselves be fascinated by this book.

Many people say to me: The youth of today are not interested in this. I disagree, and I am certain that I am right. The youth of today are not as superficial as some think. They want to know what life is all about....This book is exciting because it speaks of our own destiny and so deeply engages every one of use.

So I invite you: Study this Catechism! That is my heartfelt desire. This catechism was not written to please you. It will not make life easy for you, because it demands of you a new life. It places before you the Gospel message as the "pearl of great value" (Mt 13:45) for which you must give everything. So I beg you: Study this Catechism with passion and perseverance. Make a sacrifice of you time for it! Study it in the quiet of your room; read it with a friend; form study groups and networks; share with each other on the Internet. By all means continue to talk with each other about your faith...."

• Benedict XVI describes New Youth Catechism (YOUCAT) as "extraordinary" and "gripping" (Feb. 3, 2011)
• Sample pages from YOUCAT (Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church) (Mar. 17, 2011)

Fr. Fessio discusses Ratzinger's classic book, "Introduction to Christianity"

Kris McGregor of DiscerningHearts.com recently interviewed Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., about Joseph Ratzinger's classic book, Introduction to Christianity, first published in German in 1968 and published in 1990 by Ignatius Press, with a second edition (featuring a new Preface) published in 2004. Listen to the interview here or download the mp3 file.

Time to Take Religious Freedom Seriously

Time to Take Religious Freedom Seriously | Philip F. Lawler | Editorial | Catholic World Report | April 2011

Christians in the West must press their government leaders for action against persecution.

Two years into his administration, President Barack Obama still has not filled the post of roving US ambassador for religious freedom. Meanwhile in Pakistan the government's only Christian cabinet minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, was assassinated for suggesting that the country's blasphemy law should be changed.

Urged to pass a resolution condemning the persecution of Christians, the European Parliament instead approved a vague statement, worded in general terms, decrying intolerance of all faiths. Meanwhile in Egypt Copts were slaughtered, in China "house churches" were raided by police, in Nigeria a Christian village was torched.

In Iraq, Chaldean Christians are hunted down and executed, gangland-style, by Islamic zealots. In Afghanistan a Christian man faces the death penalty for the "crime" of conversion from the Islamic faith. And these are countries where American troops are shedding their blood in defense of freedom!

The Pope's Plea

In his message for the World Day of Peace this year, Pope Benedict gave the world's leaders a much-needed reminder that religious liberty is an essential aspect of human freedom. It follows logically that to pursue freedom without acknowledging religious liberty is to embark on a hopeless quest. In fact, the Holy Father observed, it is a downright dangerous quest, because false conceptions of freedom beget new threats to human rights, new threats to peace.

Unfortunately the leaders of the Western world have not yet recognized the force of the Pontiff's argument. The policy-makers of Europe and America cling to the illusion that they can somehow promote freedom, both at home and abroad, while ignoring religious affairs. This approach will not work. It cannot work. It is a recipe missing an essential ingredient.

Read the entire editorial on www.CatholicWorldReport.com...

The Son of God separates light from darkness, for all of eternity

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Fourth Sunday of Lent | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• 1 Sam. 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
• Psa. 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
• Eph. 5:8-14
• Jn. 9:1-41 or 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

Streams of light shine brightly and streaks of darkness run deeply throughout Scripture, from start to finish, beginning with the opening verses of Genesis: "And God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness" (Gen. 1:3-4).

St. John's Gospel opens with a purposeful parallel of Genesis 1, describing the Incarnate Word as the "light of men," explaining, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (Jn. 1:4-5). "I am the light of the world," Jesus proclaimed, "he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (Jn. 8:12). This, of course, increased the conflict between the light and darkness, and some of the religious leaders sought to stone Jesus immediately prior to the events in today's Gospel reading (see Jn. 8:58-59).

The story of the Jesus healing the man born blind reveals dramatically how some choose to embrace light and life while others desperately submerge themselves in darkness and death. Whereas God, in Genesis 1, separated the light from the darkness in creating the world, St. John describes the God-man separating the light from darkness—first, in performing a physical miracle and, secondly, in shining the light of faith on the blind man. The man born blind embarked on a remarkable journey into the light, even as the Pharisees stumbled further into the darkness.

Jesus' act of making mud from his spittle and smearing it on the man's eyes was completely gratuitous; the man had apparently not said anything. Rather, he listened and obeyed, matter-of-factly telling his astounded neighbors that Jesus had told him to wash in the pool of Siloam, "So I went there and washed and was able to see." He knew Jesus had healed him, but little else. Yet he must have spent time mulling over the miracle, for when the Pharisees pressed him about the identity of Jesus, he said, "He is a prophet."

This growth in spiritual vision paralleled the physical transformation from being blind to having sight. And it continued, for when questioned a second time by the Pharisees—who arrogantly claimed they knew Jesus was a sinner—the man mocked their refusal to accept his testimony and the obvious fact of the miracle. They, for their part, unwittingly admitted the truth: "We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from."

So, the man born blind initially knew little, but grew quickly in true knowledge, while the Pharisees, who claimed to know much, demonstrated how they could be taught nothing about God—or by God. The man made an astute theological deduction: since only someone from God could heal him of blindness, Jesus was from God, and was thus devout and holy. Rather than admit their mistake and acknowledge their blindness, the Pharisees stamped the man a sinner and cast him out. "So great is the blindness of men," wrote St. Augustine woefully in his Confessions, "who even glory in their blindness!"

There was one final step for the man to take into the light of faith. Again, it was Jesus who sought him out and asked, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" God, the lover of mankind, keeps offering faith, often through prodding questions: Who am I? Do you believe in me? Do you need me? The man, upon learning that he was gazing on the face of the Son of Man, simply said, "I do believe, Lord"—and worshipped Jesus.

The final chapter of the Bible, describing God's servants worshipping the Lamb in heaven, states, "they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. And night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light…" (Rev. 22:3-5). At the end of history, the Son of God separates light from darkness, for all of eternity.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the March 14, 2010, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

The Truth About the Crusades, 101

First Principles Journal (an excellent periodical that I've enjoyed reading for many years) has just posted an essay, "Four Myths about the Crusades" by Paul F. Crawford:

In 2001, former president Bill Clinton delivered a speech at Georgetown University in which he discussed the West's response to the recent terrorist attacks of September 11. The speech contained a short but significant reference to the crusades. Mr. Clinton observed that "when the Christian soldiers took Jerusalem [in 1099], they . . . proceeded to kill every woman and child who was Muslim on the Temple Mount." He cited the "contemporaneous descriptions of the event" as describing "soldiers walking on the Temple Mount . . . with blood running up to their knees." This story, Mr. Clinton said emphatically, was "still being told today in the Middle East and we are still paying for it."

This view of the crusades is not unusual. It pervades textbooks as well as popular literature. One otherwise generally reliable Western civilization textbook claims that "the Crusades fused three characteristic medieval impulses: piety, pugnacity, and greed. All three were essential."1 The film Kingdom of Heaven (2005) depicts crusaders as boorish bigots, the best of whom were torn between remorse for their excesses and lust to continue them. Even the historical supplements for role-playing games—drawing on supposedly more reliable sources—contain statements such as "The soldiers of the First Crusade appeared basically without warning, storming into the Holy Land with the avowed—literally—task of slaughtering unbelievers";2 "The Crusades were an early sort of imperialism";3 and "Confrontation with Islam gave birth to a period of religious fanaticism that spawned the terrible Inquisition and the religious wars that ravaged Europe during the Elizabethan era."4 The most famous semipopular historian of the crusades, Sir Steven Runciman, ended his three volumes of magnificent prose with the judgment that the crusades were "nothing more than a long act of intolerance in the name of God, which is the sin against the Holy Ghost."5

The verdict seems unanimous. From presidential speeches to role-playing games, the crusades are depicted as a deplorably violent episode in which thuggish Westerners trundled off, unprovoked, to murder and pillage peace-loving, sophisticated Muslims, laying down patterns of outrageous oppression that would be repeated throughout subsequent history. In many corners of the Western world today, this view is too commonplace and apparently obvious even to be challenged.

But unanimity is not a guarantee of accuracy. What everyone "knows" about the crusades may not, in fact, be true. From the many popular notions about the crusades, let us pick four and see if they bear close examination.

Read all about the four myths.

Related IgnatiusInsight.com Articles and Excerpts:

• Rethinking the Crusades | Jonathan Riley-Smith | The Preface to the fourth edition of What Were the Crusades?
• The Crusades 101 | Jimmy Akin
• Were the Crusades Anti-Semitic? | Vince Ryan
• Crusade Myths | Thomas F. Madden
• Urban II: The Pope of the First Crusade | Régine Pernoud
• The Truth About Joan of Arc | Régine Pernoud
• Mistakes, Yes. Conspiracies, No. | The Fourth Crusade | Vince Ryan

"Members of the Catholic Church commit sins and do evil things, sometimes really, really evil things."

A reader just left the following comment, which really needs no additional commentary:

Anne Rice asks:

"Is there a conflict of interest here on this blog?
Is anyone connected with this blog a friend or associate of notorious convicted sexual abuser, Jesuit Donald McGuire?

If this is the case, perhaps you can explain in detail."

My family and I knew Donald McGuire (I won't call him "Fr. McGuire") for many, many years. He was very close to us. He presided at my wife's and my wedding, as well as my brother's wedding. I participated in many retreats he led, including many in my parents' home, where he was surrounded by children and grandchildren as we all ate dinner together in the evenings.

Through it all, we all thought he was a wise and holy man. He was highly intelligent and had a disarming way about him. We never had a clue what a deviant son of a bitch he was. We never knew that he was probably lusting mightily for another victim among us. Luckily, he never molested any of us or our kids or grandchildren. However, after he was revealed as a molester, I recalled a confession with him when I was a teenager and he rubbed my shoulders as he talked to me. I thought it was odd at the time, but I figured he was trying to be sensitive and compassionate and that's as far as it went. Perhaps I was too old for him.

If I had the chance, I would give McGuire a piece of my mind. I would tell him how disgusted I am with him and how deeply hurt I am that he has caused such pain and anguish, as well as scandal, as a result of his deviance. I would tell him how utterly disappointed I am that he was such a filthy sham. But most of all, I would beg one thing of him: that he genuinely repent and ask for forgiveness from God and his victims. My understanding is that he has refused to do so to this day. And that, too, is a tragedy.

Jesus told us the weeds would grow among the wheat--and McGuire was a one helluva weed. I am thankful he was revealed for what he was. And the Jesuits who covered up his misdeeds should be "weeded out" as well.

But none of this has anything whatsoever to do with the truth of the one, holy Catholic, and apostolic Church. People who persecute the Church because some men have committed evil do exactly what the devil would have them do. Members of the Catholic Church commit sins and do evil things, sometimes really, really evil things. That's no surprise. Those who aren't sick do not need a doctor.

But God gave us the Church as His Mystical Body. No evil by any individual, whether it's a lay person, priest, bishop or pope, changes that fact nor can it change the nature of the Church.

My faith wasn't shattered one bit knowing that McGuire was a fraud and a scumbag. It only confirmed to me that we so need the Grace that flows through the Church. My prayer remains that even a miscreant like McGuire will participate in that Grace by confessing his sins, repenting, and atoning.

Thank you, Tom. Here is a lengthy 2007 NPR news article about McGuire and his sickening past. Shortly after it was written, McGuire was finally dismissed from the Jesuits and laicized the next year; he is now serving a 25-year prison term after conviction on federal sex-abuse charges.

"Is there a sinister agenda behind the Ignatius blog's attack on me personally..." Wha...?

The National Catholic Register site has a CNS piece, "Popes and Saints Take on 'Suspicion and Conspiracy'" by Beth Griffin, about a conference, "Suspicion and Conspiracy: Defending the Reputation of Noble Individuals" at Fordham University:

Jesuit Father Joseph Koterski, a philosophy professor at Fordham, said Pope Benedict XVI thought very deeply about how to respond, or how not to respond, to indirect accusations against the Church.

He said the Pope's 2006 encyclical Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love) is a model for Catholics to answer charges made using innuendo and suspicion, instead of those developed through traditional forms of scholarly argument that present actual evidence for the position taken.

Father Koterski described psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, socialist Karl Marx and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche as "masters of suspicion" because they attacked the Church and its motives with innuendo and insinuation, rather than straightforward argument. He said Pope Benedict is "our German shepherd standing resolutely in the face of three German wolves."

"The distinctive feature of arguments preferred by the masters of suspicion, and of postmodern and deconstructionist thinkers in their wake, is to proceed by raising suspicions about the motives of their opponents," Father Koterski said. When charges are based on resentment or envy, rather than evidence or argument, the target is put on the defensive.

"A modest response can make it seem that the accused is really guilty and incapable of mounting any more of a defense, while a vigorous response can easily suggest one is trying to hide something under the very energy of the reply," he said.

Father Koterski said in Deus Caritas Est Pope Benedict steers a middle course by combining an extremely clear but rhetorically modest explanation of genuine Catholic doctrine with an exposure of the main misrepresentations that are part of the smokescreen laid down by the masters of suspicion.

The Pope then provides stories of Catholic saints and martyrs whose sacrifices are above suspicion, Father Koterski said.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen famously wrote: "There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church—which is, of course, quite a different thing" (Preface to Radio Replies [TAN, 1979; vol. 1], by Rumble and Cary, p. ix). On one hand, I understand his point, especially since I was raised in a Fundamentalist setting in which I heard and read numerous crazy and false ideas about Catholicism. And my recent post about Anne Rice certainly elicited some telling responses from people who simply cannot conceive that the Catholic Church is anything but corrupt, abusive, and even evil.

But I don't think Sheen's remark can account well for the fact that many people really do hate the Catholic Church because they rightly see that she stands up against the faddish sins of the age, especially those sexual in nature. As Peter Kreeft writes in Catholic Christianity: A Complete Catechism of Catholic Beliefs Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Ignatius Press, 2001):

By its own admission, what our age finds most unacceptable in the Church's perennial wisdom is her sexual morality. Almost every controversial issue dividing "dissenters" from the Church's teaching is about sexual morality: fornication, contraception, homosexuality, divorce and most especially abortion.

The Church has always shared her Master's holy unpopularity. But never before the "sexual revolution" did this unpopularity center almost exclusively on sex. In all eras and cultures, fallen man has never been very good at obeying any of God's commandments. Man has always failed to practice what he preaches. But today he denies the preaching, the ideal itself, when it concerns sex.

Most other areas of traditional morality are still assumed to be rightful and attainable ideals. But traditional sexual morality is almost always assumed to be unhealthy and unattainable, and the Church is usually portrayed as obsessed with sexual morality. This obsession with sex is not the Church's but the world's. There is much more to the Church's sexual morality than "just say no," much more to the Church's morality than sexual morality, and much more to the Church's teaching than morality.

Many (if not most) critics who rightly denounce sexual abuse by priests are unwilling to admit and condemn abuse by non-Catholic clergy and school teachers. They refuse to acknowledge the destruction wrought in society because of the "sexual revolution", which has reaped a bloody whirlwind of abortion and the catastrophic rending of families, marriages, and communities. To even put it this way immediately elicits the tired retort, "You're refusing to admit the sins of priests! You're defending molesting monsters!" No, I'm saying that all abuse is evil and that all sexual sins are sins, even when we carefully and rightly distinguish matters of gravity and culpability. (By the way, do read these two excellent posts by Fr. Chori Jonathin Seraiah: "Catholic Sex Abuse Scandal (really?)" and "Balancing the Issues".)

And so the critics, instead responding to reasonable defenses by Catholics resort to innuendo and insinuation and suspicion. For example, Anne Rice has described me on this Facebook page as "a frantic defensive Catholic" who is engaging in "hysterical defensiveness". This morning she commented on my post, stating, "Is there a conflict of interest here on this blog?
Is anyone connected with this blog a friend or associate of notorious convicted sexual abuser, Jesuit Donald McGuire? If this is the case, perhaps you can explain in detail." So, since I'm defending the Catholic Church and responding to her description of the Catholic Church as a "criminal organization", it's insinuated that I'm likely a friend or associate of Fr. McGuire (I have never known, met, or corresponded with any priest, including Fr. McGuire, who has been accused of or found guilty of abuse. Got it?).

She also posted the following this morning on amazon.com:

I want to thank the Ignatius blog for linking to this discussion group and to my Facebook page. The blog was of course condemning me for my work here, but the blog seems to exquisitely support my point: the rank and file must stop being defensive and speak up for the victims of abuse. The blog's post is wildly defensive.

The blog's actions will no doubt bring more Catholics and former Catholics, and Catholic critics, to this discussion, and I think that will be good for all.

Is there a sinister agenda behind the Ignatius blog's attack on me personally and their attack on this discussion?

Good grief. Well, one of my "hysterical" and "defensive" remarks in my original post was that Rice and Co. apparently believe that "Catholics who defends the Church and who see bias or worse in the media when it comes to the scandals are either unwitting dupes or devious hatchetmen." And now she publicly ponders, "Is there a sinister agenda behind the Ignatius blog's attack on me personally...?" I'll let readers of good will and sound mind draw their own conclusions about Rice's rhetorical methods.

The Shroud of Turin: 3 Film Collector's Edition

Now available from Ignatius Press:

The Shroud of Turin: 3 Film Collector's Edition

This is the definitive collection of three stunning films on the Shroud of Turin that spans 32 years of award-winning filmmaking on the Shroud by acclaimed British film producer & director David Rolfe.These films use the latest scientific, historical, medical and archaeological research on the Shroud to reveal the amazing evidence for the very strong possibility of the authenticity of it as the burial cloth of Christ. Many of the foremost experts worldwide on the Shroud were involved with the making of these films.

The Silent Witness
This film broke box office records when it opened up in London in 1978. Kenneth More narrates what became the most successful film ever made on the subject, winning a British Academy Award and many other international prizes. This film greatly expanded interest in the Shroud worldwide. 
53 minutes. English.

Shroud of Turin
Commissioned by the BBC in 2008, twenty years after the C14 test that cast a shadow over Shroud research, this film looks at how that test stands up against the weight of other evidence from history, archaeology, forensic medicine, art, and 3D analysis. It is the first film production to have direct access to film the Shroud in high definition.
59 minutes. English.

Shroud
The official film for the 2010 Exposition of the Shroud. Written by Ian Wilson, it tells the story of the Shroud for our modern age of high technology to show the image of the Man on the Shroud as never before seen. This film does not shrink from examining the religious significance of what has become the single most studied article in history.

48 minutes. In seven languages - English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Russian. DVD includes many "Special Features".

"Truly You are holy and most holy, and there are no bounds to the majesty of Your holiness..."

During the Great Fast in the Byzantine Churches (both Catholic and Orthodox), the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great replaces, so to speak, the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrystostom. I say, "so to speak", because the two liturgies are very similar, with one major difference being the long and very beautiful Anaphora of Saint Basil. This is what would called the Eucharistic Prayer in the West, and usually it is prayed silently by the priest while the choir/people sing various hymns. But in a few parishes, such as the one we attend, the priest reads the Anaphora aloud. It is a marvelous prayer that gives an amazing presentation of salvation history while offering praise and glory to God for his gifts of divine love and life. Here is the opening:

Priest: Master, Lord, God, worshipful Father almighty, it is truly just and right to the majesty of Your holiness to praise You, to hymn You, to bless You, to worship You, to give thanks to You, to glorify You, the only true God, and to offer to You this our spiritual worship with a contrite heart and a humble spirit.

For You have given us to know Your truth. Who is worthy to praise Your mighty acts? Or to make known all Your praises? Or tell of all Your wonderful deeds at all times? Master of all things, Lord of heaven and earth, and of every creature visible and invisible, You are seated upon the throne of glory and behold the depths.

You are without beginning, invisible, incomprehensible, beyond words, unchangeable. You are the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the great God and Savior of our hope, the image of Your goodness, the true seal of revealing in Himself You, the Father. He is the living Word, the true God, eternal wisdom, life, sanctification, power, and the true light. Through Him the Holy Spirit was manifested, the spirit of truth the gift of Sonship, the pledge of our future inheritance, the first fruits of eternal blessings, the life giving power, the source of sanctification through whom every rational and spiritual creature is made capable of worshiping You and giving You eternal glorification, for all things are subject to You.

For You are praised by the angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principalities, authorities, powers, and the many eyed Cherubim. Round about You stand the Seraphim, one with six wings and the other with six wings; with two they cover their faces; with two they cover their feet; with two they fly, crying out to one another with unceasing voices and everresounding praises:

Priest: Singing the victory hymn, proclaiming, crying out, and saying:

People: Holy, holy, holy, Lord Sabaoth, heaven and earth are filled with Your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna to God in the highest.

Priest: Together with these blessed powers, loving Master we sinners also cry out and say: Truly You are holy and most holy, and there are no bounds to the majesty of Your holiness. You are holy in all Your works, for with righteousness and true judgment You have ordered all things for us.

For having made man by taking dust from the earth, and having honored him with Your own image, O God, You placed him in a garden of delight, promising him eternal life and the enjoyment of everlasting blessings in the observance of Your commandments. But when he disobeyed You, the true God who had created him, and was led astray by the deception of the serpent becoming subject to death through his own transgressions, You, O God, in Your righteous judgment, expelled him from paradise into this world, returning him to the earth from which he was taken, yet providing for him the salvation of regeneration in Your Christ.

For You did not forever reject Your creature whom You made, O Good One, nor did You forget the work of Your hands, but because of Your tender compassion, You visited him in various ways: You sent forth prophets; You performed mighty works by Your saints who in every generation have pleased You. You spoke to us by the mouth of Your servants the prophets, announcing to us the salvation which was to come; You gave us the law to help us; You appointed angels as guardians.

And when the fullness of time had come, You spoke to us through Your Son Himself, through whom You created the ages. He, being the splendor of Your glory and the image of Your being, upholding all things by the word of His power, thought it not robbery to be equal with You, God and Father. But, being God before all ages, He appeared on earth and lived with humankind. Becoming incarnate from a holy Virgin, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, conforming to the body of our lowliness, that He might change us in the likeness of the image of His glory.

For, since through man sin came into the world and through sin death, it pleased Your only begotten Son, who is in Your bosom, God and Father, born of a woman, the holy Theotokos and ever virgin Mary; born under the law, to condemn sin in His flesh, so that those who died in Adam may be brought to life in Him, Your Christ. He lived in this world, and gave us precepts of salvation. Releasing us from the delusions of idolatry, He guided us to the sure knowledge of You, the true God and Father. He acquired us for Himself, as His chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Having cleansed us by water and sanctified us with the Holy Spirit, He gave Himself as ransom to death in which we were held captive, sold under sin.

Descending into Hades through the cross, that He might fill all things with Himself, He loosed the bonds of death. He rose on the third day, having opened a path for all flesh to the resurrection from  the dead, since it was not possible that the Author of life would be dominated by corruption. So He became the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, the first born of the dead, that He might be Himself the first in all things. Ascending into heaven, He sat at the right hand of Your majesty on high and He will come to render to each according to His works. As memorials of His saving passion, He has left us these gifts which we have set forth before You according to His commands.

Read the entire text for the Liturgy and Anaphora.