Although the Church was not the source of the injustices in their community, they believed those who were wasteful or did not give freely exacerbated the suffering of others.
As responsible thinkers in this society, then, it is important to endeavor to read [the book of Revelation] responsibly, keeping to the message as truly as we can.
Perpetua’s account [of martyrdom] is especially remarkable, because it is one of the few authentic voices of women from the Roman Empire.
Upon being asked how he survived months of torture without becoming embittered, Father Roman Braga said, “We forgive them because we want them to come to God and become people.”
In contrast to the three most influential worldviews of the Roman world— Gnosticism, Stoicism, Neoplatonism—Christianity proclaimed that our earthly realm and needs were of tremendous importance to both our humanity and God.
