Quotes of the Early Fathers and Christians of the Church (33AD to 750AD)

You died and were born at the same time. The saving water became for you both a tomb and a mother.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386AD) on Baptism
Mini-Bio: Palestinian; bishop, scholar, Doctor of the Church

Saints throughout the Age of the Church

Charity is that with which no one is lost, and without which no one is saved. also The school of Christ is the school of charity. On the last day, when the general examination takes place, there will be no question at all on the text of Aristotle, the aphorisms of Hippocrates, or the paragraphs of Justinian. Charity will be the whole syllabus.

St. Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621AD) on Charity
Mini-Bio: Italian; cardinal-archbishop, Jesuit provincial, theologian, university professor, scholar, apologist, Doctor of the Church

Holy Quotes from the Popes of the Church

Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes. Each can draw the other into a wider world, a world in which both can flourish.

Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005AD)
Mini-Bio: pope: (1978 - 2005) Polish; The most traveled pope in history. During his papacy he has issued many letters clarifying and safeguarding the Churches teachings in moral areas. Has consecrated his papacy to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Quotes on Mary, Our Blessed Mother: a Marian Potpourri

Scripture meditation: Everyone who asks, receives, and the one who searches, finds; and to the one who knocks, it shall be opened. Luke 11:10

Reflection: In His eagerness to show you, mercy, God has given His Son as your Advocate. And then to make your confidence even stronger, He has given you another Advocate, who obtains through her prayers whatever she asks. Go to Mary, and you will see salvation.

St. Alphonusus Liguori (1696-1787AD)
Mini-Bio: Italian; bishop, Doctor of the Church, founder and first superior of the Redemptorists

52 Practical/Scientific Reasons to go to Church...besides the obvious ones.

Reason No. 23 - Improved Sex Life

Going to church obviously has a positive impact on many aspects of life, from boosting your immune response to improving your social life. But can it really improve your sex life? Aren't religious women "prudish," as some stereotypes suggest?

A study entitled "Sex in America", published in 1995, showed very high sexual satisfaction among "conservative" religious women. The study was carried out at the University of Chicago and the State University of New York at Stonybrook.

The study reconfirmed another study in 1997 by C. Travis and S. Sadd, entitled The Redbook Report on Female Sexuality, which concluded that very religious women achieve greater satisfaction in sexual intercourse with their husbands than do moderately religious or non-religious women.

Source:Michael, R.Y., J.H. Gagnon, E.O. Laumann, and G. Kolata. Chapter 6 in Sex in America: A Definitive Survey. Boston: Little Brown. 1995.

Travis, C., and S. Sadd. The Redbook Report on Female Sexuality. New York: Delacorte Press. 1977.

Used with permission. All rights reserved, ACTA Publications. http://www.actapublications.com

Quotes of the Early Fathers and Christians of the Church (33AD to 750AD)

It was impossible for man to come to know God's ways by his own efforts. But God did not leave man to err in search of the light of wisdom, wandering through inescapable darkness with nothing to show for his labor. At last He opened his eyes, and made the investigation of the truth His own gift, so that He might show the nothingness of human wisdom, and point out to man, who was wandering in error, the way of obtaining immortality.

Lactantius (240-323AD) on Grace
Mini-Bio: North African; apologist, professor of rhetoric at Nicomedia , tutor to Constantine's son, poet

Saints throughout the Age of the Church

We can't have full knowledge all at once. We must start by believing; then afterwards we may be led on to master the evidence for ourselves.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274AD) on Belief
Mini-Bio: Italian; Dominican philosopher, theologian, mystic, hymnist, Doctor of the Church

Holy Quotes from the Popes of the Church

Jesus is the joy of the earth; He is the physician of every human infirmity. He is personified in every person who suffers, arousing compassion and generous love. Jesus, therefore, is present always and everywhere.

Pope Paul VI (1897-1978AD)
Mini-Bio: pope: (1963-1978) Italian; Reconvened Vatican II, and implemented many of its reforms. Became the first pope in over 150 years to leave Italy. He enlarged the college of cardinals. Reaffirmed the church's ban on contraception.

Quotes on Mary, Our Blessed Mother: a Marian Potpourri

Scripture meditation: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will bring forth a son, and they will call his name Emmanuel, which means "God with us." Matthew 1:23

Reflection: The Virgin Mother gave birth from her fruitful womb and inviolate body to Him Who became visible for us, to Him by Whom she had been created. While conceiving, she was a virgin; a virgin in her pregnancy; a virgin while carrying her son; a virgin forever!

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430AD)
Mini-Bio: North African; bishop, theologian, Doctor of the Church

52 Practical/Scientific Reasons to go to Church...besides the obvious ones.

Reason No. 3 - Happier Marriages

Can going to church improve your marriage? There is considerable evidence for this.

Take for example, one study published in the Review of Religious Research in 1990. The study was conducted by M.G. Dudley and F.A. Kosinski. They tested 228 married Bible Christian couples for private religious practice (personal and family prayer, Bible reading), intrinsic religiosity (how the person feels about religion), and religious practice (going to church, witnessing, financial support). After controlling for a number of variants, the best predictor of happy marriage was found to be consistent religious practice -- including attending church and personal and family devotion. This study is one of many that corroborate these findings across many faiths.

Source:Dudley, M.G., and F.A. Kosinski, "Religiosity and Marital Satisfaction: A Research Note," Review of Religious Research 32 (1990): 78-86.

Used with permission. All rights reserved, ACTA Publications. http://www.actapublications.com

Quotes of the Early Fathers and Christians of the Church (33AD to 750AD)

Listen to the Savior:: I regenerated you, unhappily born by the world to death. I set you free, I healed you, I redeemed you. I will give you life that is unending, eternal, supernatural. I will show you the face of God, the good Father.

St. Clement of Alexandria (150-215AD) on Salvation
Mini-Bio: Greek; theologian, head of the Catechetical School at Alexandria, Egypt

Saints throughout the Age of the Church

The Lord was baptized, not to be cleansed Himself, but to cleanse the waters, so that those waters, cleansed by the flesh of Christ which knew no sin, might have the power of baptism.

St. Ambrose of Milan (340-397AD) on Baptism
Mini-Bio: German; bishop, Doctor of the Church

Holy Quotes from the Popes of the Church

Allow the light and the healing presence of Christ to shine brightly through your lives. In that way, all those who come in contact with you will discover the loving kindness of God.

Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005AD)
Mini-Bio: pope: (1978 - 2005) Polish; The most traveled pope in history. During his papacy he has issued many letters clarifying and safeguarding the Churches teachings in moral areas. Has consecrated his papacy to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Quotes on Mary, Our Blessed Mother: a Marian Potpourri

Scripture meditation: Concerning mutual charity there is no need for us to write you, since you yourselves have learned from God to love each other. 1 Thessalonians 4:9

Reflection: The most powerful means we have for drawing down the benevolence of Mary toward us is a virtue. The virtue is love for our neighbor.

St. Gregory Nazianzen (329-389AD)
Mini-Bio: Cappadocian; archbishop, theologian, Doctor of the Church

52 Practical/Scientific Reasons to go to Church...besides the obvious ones.

Conclusion - Is going to church is good for you?

Is religion a fading phenomenon in America? Is it a relic of the past with no future? A TV-land view of America might lead us to conclude that religion has died out. It is true that church membership has dropped from a high of 75 percent in 1947 to a low of 65 percent in 1988 and 1990? If this were an election, however, 65 percent would be considered a fairly substantial majority. It must also not be overlooked that there are still half a million churches, temples, and mosques in the United States.

Belief in God, contrary to what many think, has remained quite stable. The authors of one study, entitled "Religion: The Forgotten Factor in Cutting Youth Crime and Saving At-Risk Urban Youth," wrote:

"Belief in God remains the norm in America, with levels of belief ranging between 94 percent and 99 percent over the past 5 decades."

Individually, the studies published in this book are interesting, but certainly they do not constitute proof of anything. Collectively, however these and dozens of other similar studies constitute a significant body of evidence that going to church is good -- good for you, good for your health, good for your marriage, good for your children, good for your community, and good for your country. And the more you attend the better the results seem to be. What's more, the good effects may last for generations.

Many from time to time have wondered, "What can I do, as one person, to make this world a better place?"

Perhaps we have found one answer:

Go to church!

Source:Larson, D.B., and B.R. Johnson, "Religion: The Forgotten Factor in Cutting Youth Crime and Saving At-Risk Urban Youth," The Jeremiah Project: An Initiative of the Center for Civic Innovation (1998): Report 98-2.

Used with permission. All rights reserved, ACTA Publications. http://www.actapublications.com