This ancient Easter homily, by an unknown preacher known as Pseudo-Chrysostom, offers a profound and deeply theological meditation on the meaning of the Christian Passover, that is, the Paschal Mystery — Christ’s death and resurrection — at the very heart of Christian faith and life. In it, the preacher deftly unfolds how the Old Testament prefigurations find their fulfilment in Christ, and how this fulfilment redefines not only salvation history but the daily life of every Christian [ … ]
Divine Office | Office Of Readings
Office Of Readings | Eastertide Week 2, Sunday | Divine Mercy | A Reading From The Sermons Of Saint Augustine | A New Creation In Jesus Christ | Love Revealed By Jesus
In this Easter sermon, Saint Augustine speaks tenderly and passionately to the newly baptized, those who have recently passed through the saving waters of baptism at the Easter Vigil. His words are full of warmth, joy, and hope, as he invites these ‘little children in Christ’ to recognize the extraordinary gift they have received and to live according to the new life that has been planted within them [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Easter Saturday | A Reading From The Instructions To The Newly Baptized At Jerusalem | Bread Of Heaven And The Cup Of Salvation
Christian Art | A Boy At Prayer Receives Communion | Eucharist | Jesus Saves Office Of Readings | Easter Saturday | A Reading From The Instructions To The Newly Baptized [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Easter Friday | A Reading From The Instructions To The Newly Baptized At Jerusalem | On The Anointing With The Holy Spirit
In the early Church, the days after Easter were not merely about looking back to the resurrection of Christ — they were about awakening the newly baptized to the mystery that they had just entered. The Jerusalem Catecheses, a series of teachings attributed to St. Cyril of Jerusalem or a contemporary bishop in the 4th century, offer us a glimpse into that world. Today’s passage reflects on what happens after baptism — the anointing with chrism — and why it matters so deeply [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Easter Thursday | A Reading From The Instructions To The Newly Baptized At Jerusalem | Buried In Water, Born Into Light
On Easter Thursday, the Church offers us a rich excerpt from the Jerusalem Catecheses, a fourth-century instructional series traditionally attributed to Saint Cyril of Jerusalem. These catechetical homilies were addressed to the newly baptized—those who had just undergone the great mystery of Christian initiation at the Easter Vigil. Today’s reading draws us into the heart of what baptism meant in the early Church—and what it still means for us now [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Easter Wednesday | A Reading From A Paschal Homily Of An Ancient Author
The Easter season draws us into the heart of the Christian mystery: that through Christ’s death and resurrection, something entirely new has entered the world — not just a promise of hope, but a real, living transformation of humanity. The anonymous homily for Easter Wednesday is steeped in this joy. With deep scriptural echoes and imagery drawn from the early Church’s experience of baptism and rebirth, it offers a vision of the Risen Christ not just as one who was raised, but as the source of resurrection itself [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Easter Tuesday | A Reading From The Addresses Of Saint Anastasius Of Antioch
Saint Anastasius of Antioch offers a deeply theological meditation on one of the central mysteries of the Christian faith: that the immortal God truly suffered and died. Drawing on Scripture, the early Church’s understanding of the Incarnation, and Christ’s own words, Anastasius explains why this suffering was not only possible, but necessary. This paradox—that the impassible God underwent suffering—is not a contradiction but the heart of divine love revealed in Christ [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Easter Monday | A Reading From The Homily Of Melito Of Sardis On The Pasch | Praise Of Jesus Christ
Melito of Sardis, writing in the second century, gives us one of the earliest and most powerful reflections on the mystery of Easter. His homily, poetic and theological, offers not just a celebration of the resurrection but a sweeping vision of salvation history fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The tone is triumphant and exultant—fitting for the season of Easter—but the substance is rich with meaning. At its heart, the homily proclaims a profound truth: that in Christ, death is not the end, but the beginning of new and eternal life [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Holy Saturday | A Reading From An Ancient Homily For Holy Saturday | Harrowing Of Hell
Holy Saturday is unlike any other day in the liturgical year. It is a day suspended between death and life, darkness and light, silence and song. This ancient homily for Holy Saturday enters deeply into that liminal space—the moment when Christ, having died on the cross, descends to the realm of the dead. In doing so, it invites us into the mystery of the Harrowing of Hell: Christ’s triumphant entry into the underworld to liberate those held captive by death since the dawn of time [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Good Friday | A Reading From The Instructions Of Saint John Chrysostom To Catechumens
In this deeply moving catechesis, St. John Chrysostom leads us into the mystery of Christ’s Passion, focusing our attention on the extraordinary power and significance of his blood. For Chrysostom, this blood is not just a historical detail or a symbol of suffering—it is life itself. It is protection, healing, rebirth, and nourishment. It is the very source from which the Church is born [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Thursday Of Holy Week | Maundy Thursday | A Reading From The Homily Of Saint Melito Of Sardis On The Pasch
On Holy Thursday, the Church gathers to remember the Last Supper—the evening when Jesus, in a quiet upper room, gave his friends the gift of the Eucharist, and with it, a new covenant sealed in his blood. The reading from Saint Melito of Sardis, a bishop from the second century, helps us understand the deeper meaning of what took place that night and how it connects to the cross and the resurrection that followed [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Wednesday Of Holy Week | A Reading From The Homilies Of Saint Augustine On Saint John’s Gospel
In this meditation, Saint Augustine leads us to the very heart of Holy Week: the mystery of divine love revealed in the passion and death of Christ. The reading centers on Christ’s declaration from the Gospel of John: ‘No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’ (John 15:13). For Augustine, this is not merely a moving sentiment but the highest expression of divine charity (caritas), the model of love that defines the Christian life [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Tuesday Of Holy Week | A Reading From The Book Of Saint Basil On The Holy Spirit
In this reading, Saint Basil the Great—a towering theological mind of the early Church—guides us into the heart of the Paschal Mystery. His meditation on Christ’s passion and our participation in it through baptism offers profound insight into the transformative meaning of Holy Week. Basil’s message is simple but immense: by one death and resurrection—Christ’s—the world was saved. And we, through baptism, are drawn into that saving mystery [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Monday Of Holy Week | A Reading From The Sermons Of Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine begins by naming the Passion of Christ as ‘the hope of glory and a lesson in patience’. In other words, it is both a promise and a pattern. The Cross, he tells us, is not only what saves us—it also teaches us how to live. It shows us how God loves, and how we are called to love in return: not with power or prestige, but with endurance, humility, and self-giving [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Palm Sunday | A Reading From The Addresses Of Saint Andrew Of Crete | On The Palm Branches
On Palm Sunday, the Church invites us to enter once again into the drama and mystery of Christ’s final journey to Jerusalem—a journey not just toward a city, but toward suffering, death, and glory. In his beautiful and contemplative homily, On the Palm Branches, Saint Andrew of Crete opens this moment to us not as passive observers of history, but as participants in Christ’s Passion, called to walk with him and to imitate his self-offering [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Saturday, Lent Week 5 | A Reading From The Addresses of Saint Gregory Nazianzen | A Lenten Sermon
Saint Gregory Nazianzen’s reflection on the Passover, offered in the final days of Lent, is a deeply poetic and theologically rich meditation that invites us to contemplate not only the mystery of Christ’s passion but our participation in it. As we draw near to Holy Week, his words are both a solemn preparation and a call to spiritual maturity [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Friday, Lent Week 5 | A Reading From The Treatise Of Saint Fulgentius Of Ruspe To Peter On Faith
This powerful reading from Saint Fulgentius offers a rich meditation on the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice, drawing us deeply into the mystery at the heart of the Christian faith. It’s a fitting reflection for the final days of Lent, as we prepare to enter into Holy Week and contemplate Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Thursday, Lent Week 5 | A Reading From ‘Lumen Gentium’, The Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution On The Church
This powerful text from Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church from the Second Vatican Council, invites us to reflect on who the Church truly is — not just what she does or how she’s organized, but her deepest identity as the people of God, drawn together by grace, and sent into the world to be a sign of unity and an instrument of salvation [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Wednesday, Lent Week 5 | A Reading From The Discourses Of Saint Augustine On The Psalms
In his commentary on the psalms, Saint Augustine invites us to reflect on the nature of prayer in the light of the Incarnation. Christ, he says, prays for us, prays in us, and is the one to whom we pray. This threefold pattern expresses the deep mystery of how Christ, as both God and man, draws us into communion with the Father.
At the centre of Augustine’s reflection is the conviction that Christ is inseparably united to his Church. Christ is the Head; the Church is his Body. Together, they form one person, what Augustine elsewhere calls the Totus Christus – the whole Christ. This means that the voice of the Church in prayer is the voice of Christ; and the voice of Christ, especially in the Psalms, is the voice of his Body. We speak to God in him, and he speaks to God in us [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Tuesday, Lent Week 5 | A Reading From The Sermons Of Pope Saint Leo The Great
Office Of Readings | Tuesday, Lent Week 5 | A Reading From The Sermons Of Pope Saint Leo The Great ‘The cross of Christ is the source of all blessings, [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Monday, Lent Week 5 | From The Commentary On The Penitential Psalms By Saint John Fisher, Bishop And Martyr
Saint John Fisher (1469–1535), a scholar, bishop and martyr during the English Reformation, is remembered for his unshakable fidelity to the Catholic Church and the sacramental life of the Church. His Commentary on the Penitential Psalms, written before his imprisonment, is rich in theological clarity and pastoral care. This particular reflection—focused on the priesthood, atonement, and the mercy of Christ—is a deeply Lenten meditation, inviting the sinner to repentance and trust in the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Sunday, Lent Week 5 | From The Easter Letters Of Saint Athanasius | Jesus Is The Feast Of Easter
In this image, Athanasius collapses the categories of subject and object. Christ is not only the one who invites us to the feast; he is the feast. The sacrificial lamb, the priest who offers it, and the table at which it is shared—these are all fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. This theological density reflects Athanasius’ wider understanding of the Incarnation: that in Christ, God has assumed all dimensions of our reality to redeem them [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Saturday, Lent Week 4 | From The Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution ‘Gaudium Et Spes’ On The Church In The Modern World
The Church acknowledges the value and benefits of human progress—technological, scientific, social—but recognizes that progress alone does not guarantee justice, peace, or happiness. Instead, when such progress is pursued without a moral compass, or when it inflates pride and self-interest, it leads to new dangers: environmental damage, economic inequality, even the threat of self-destruction (e.g., nuclear war, totalitarianism). The reading echoes the biblical theme of Babel—human achievement detached from God leads to division and confusion [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Friday, Lent Week 4 | A Reading From The Easter Letters Of Saint Athanasius
This reading is drawn from one of the Festal Letters of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296–373). Each year, the bishop of Alexandria would issue a letter announcing the date of Easter and offering reflections on its theological and spiritual meaning. These letters were deeply pastoral in tone and also rich in doctrinal teaching, reinforcing central truths of Christian faith [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Thursday, Lent Week 4 | From The Sermons Of Pope Saint Leo The Great
Pope Saint Leo the Great’s reflection on the Passion of Christ invites us to fix our gaze on the crucified Jesus, not only as an act of devotion but as an essential means of recognizing our own humanity in Jesus. Pope Saint Leo emphasizes that the suffering and death of Christ are not distant historical events but realities that intimately concern every believer. True reverence for the Passion, he insists, requires an interior transformation, where we experience in our hearts the effects of Christ’s death and resurrection [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Wednesday, Lent Week 4 | From The Letters Of Saint Maximus The Confessor | God’s Mercy To The Penitent
Saint Maximus was born around 580 in Constantinople to a distinguished family and initially served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court. However, he left political life to become a monk, devoting himself to asceticism, prayer, and theological study. His writings would later reveal a deep synthesis of biblical exegesis, patristic thought, and Neoplatonic influences [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Tuesday, Lent Week 4 | Pope Saint Leo The Great’s Lenten Reflection On Love And Charity
Pope Saint Leo the Great’s meditation on love and charity in Lent is both a scriptural and theological reflection on the essence of Christian life. Drawing from Christ’s command to love and the apostolic teachings on charity, he urges believers to examine their hearts, forgive as they have been forgiven, and give generously. Lent, in his view, is a season to embody these virtues, aligning the believer with the mercy and generosity of God [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Monday, Lent Week 4 | A Reading From The Homilies Of Origen On The Book Of Leviticus
Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–c. 253) was a prolific early Christian scholar and theologian whose works shaped Christian thought. His method of biblical interpretation often sought deeper, spiritual meanings beyond the literal text, emphasizing typology—the idea that events and figures in the Old Testament prefigure their fulfilment in the New Testament. His homily on the high priest’s atonement exemplifies this approach, presenting Christ as the ultimate realization of the Levitical priesthood [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Sunday, Lent Week 4 | Laetare Sunday | From A Treatise On John By Saint Augustine
The reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) reflects key themes from Saint Augustine’s theology, especially his understanding of Christ as the ‘way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6). Saint Augustine frequently emphasized the journey of the soul toward God, a journey that requires divine grace to overcome sin and spiritual blindness. His doctrine of illumination—whereby human understanding is enlightened by God—resonates in this reading, as he speaks of Christ as the light that heals spiritual blindness and leads believers to truth [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Saturday, Lent Week 3 | A Reading From The Addresses Of Saint Gregory Nazianzen | Serve Jesus In The Poor | Acts Of Mercy
The reading for Saturday of the Third Week of Lent, attributed to Saint Gregory Nazianzus (c. 329–390), is a meditation on mercy as an essential Christian duty. Gregory, one of the Cappadocian Fathers, was a theologian and preacher whose writings shaped Christian thought on the Trinity, Christ, and the moral life. In this reflection, Saint Gregory Nazianzus argues that true worship is not found in sacrifice alone but in acts of love toward the poor [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Friday, Lent Week 3 | Pope Saint Gregory The Great’s Reflection On Job And Christ | Christology
As Pope from 590 to 604, Pope Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540–604) led the Church during a time of great upheaval, marked by political instability, the collapse of Roman infrastructure, and the threat of barbarian invasions.
Gregory’s interpretation of Job is deeply Christological and ecclesiological, meaning he sees Job as both a prefiguration of Christ and a representation of the Church. His exegesis follows the tradition of allegorical and moral interpretation that was common among the early Church Fathers, reading Scripture not only as historical narrative but as a living spiritual reality that speaks directly to the Christian experience [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Thursday, Lent Week 3 | From The Treatise Of Tertullian On Prayer | Spiritual Offering
In this reading, taken from De Oratione, Tertullian reflects on the nature and power of Christian prayer. He emphasizes that prayer is the true spiritual sacrifice that has replaced the physical sacrifices of the Old Covenant. This reflects a fundamental theological shift in Christianity: whereas the Old Testament sacrificial system required offerings of animals and grain, the New Covenant calls for an interior offering—prayer made in spirit and truth. Tertullian draws from the Gospel of John (4:23–24), where Christ teaches that true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth because God himself is spirit. In doing so, Tertullian situates prayer at the heart of Christian worship, making it an act of devotion that supersedes the old rites [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Wednesday, Lent Week 3 | From The Book Addressed To Autolycus By Saint Theophilus Of Antioch, Bishop
The second reading for today’s Office of Readings is taken from Apologia ad Autolycum (Apology to Autolycus), the only surviving work of Saint Theophilus of Antioch, a second-century Christian apologist and bishop. This work is a defence of Christianity addressed to a pagan named Autolycus, who was sceptical of Christian beliefs. In this passage, Theophilus argues that the ability to perceive God is not dependent on physical sight but on the inner purity of the soul. He draws a comparison between bodily vision and spiritual insight, explaining that just as blindness prevents one from seeing the light of the sun, so too does sin obscure one’s ability to recognize God [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Tuesday, Lent Week 3 | From The Sermons Of Saint Peter Chrysologus | Prayer, Fasting, Mercy
Chrysologus served as bishop during a time of theological controversy and social unrest in the western Roman Empire. The Church was navigating disputes over Christ’s nature, while many believers lived in an empire in decline, marked by economic hardship and moral corruption. In this setting, Saint Peter Chrysologus preached a faith that was not abstract but deeply practical. His emphasis on prayer, fasting and mercy speaks directly to the needs of his time and of ours. Spiritual devotion should not be disconnected from realities of daily life and needs of others [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Monday, Lent Week 3 | From The Homilies Of Saint Basil The Great
Saint Basil the Great’s homily, selected for Monday of the Third Week of Lent, meditates on the nature of true greatness and the proper orientation of human boasting. Saint Basil draws upon scriptural sources, particularly the writings of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 9:23-24) and Saint Paul (1 Corinthians 1:30-31; Philippians 3:8-11), to underscore that human wisdom, strength, and wealth are fleeting and should not be the source of pride. Instead, true boasting lies in knowing and understanding the Lord [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Sunday, Lent Week 3 | From The Homilies Of Saint Augustine On Saint John’s Gospel
In this homily, Augustine approaches the passage with an allegorical and doctrinal lens. He sees the Samaritan woman as a symbol of the Church, which initially stood outside God’s covenant but was drawn into His grace through Christ. Her gradual recognition of Jesus reflects the way the Church, and by extension every soul, comes to faith: first through an initial encounter, then through growing understanding, and finally through full acceptance of Christ’s truth. Augustine emphasizes that Christ, in his request for water, is not merely speaking of physical thirst but is ‘thirsting for her faith.’ [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Saturday, Lent Week 2 | From The Treatise Of Saint Ambrose, On Flight From The World
Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church, reflects on the soul’s journey toward God, urging believers to set their hearts on God alone. Echoing Christ’s teaching—’Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’ (Matthew 6:21)—Ambrose emphasizes that God, who never refuses good gifts, calls us to seek God with our whole being. This recalls the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5), which commands love for God with all our heart, soul, and strength [ … ]
Office Of Readings | Friday, Lent Week 2 | From The Treatise Of Saint Irenaeus, Against The Heresies
Saint Irenaeus, in this passage from Against the Heresies, presents a powerful reflection on God’s covenant and the purpose of the law. His approach to salvation history is deeply pedagogical: God does not impose laws arbitrarily but gradually leads humanity toward its true end—friendship with God [ … ]