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Showing posts from November, 2012

Sons of Chivalry

When a damsel in distress needs to be rescued from a dragon's lair or a devil's dungeon. When a Liege-Lord desires to route and repel his enemies. They call upon the one and only noble knight. It might surprise many to know that knights weren't always the champions of chivalry or the valiant virtuous men they've so often been depicted as. Originally, knights were brigands. They were barbarians who were prone to every one of the deadly sins. There are accounts of these men raping women, slaying peasants (without cause), pillaging towns and stealing crowns. The early knights were denizens of debauchery. Their shining armor instilled fear instead of inspiring the fight for freedom. The Church disturbed by these uncouth and intemperate warriors, decided to do something to reform them. Thus the Chivalric Code was devised. The code was to promote pious and proper morals. Once implemented, the Code of Chivalry changed chevaliers, nay transformed them into godly soldiers of

The Templar Order

Templar Knight To become a Templar Knight it required the utmost devotion and sacrifice. Those who submitted themselves to the Order were obliged to make a vow before the Grand Master and the other Templar Knights. This vow included an oath of perpetually celibacy. This is the sacrifice of being clad in the white robe. It means being chaste and not building a family. The reason behind this rule was to make sure that knights had no attachments. They were to be Monastic Knights, because their charge was so perilous that they had to be prepared to give up their lives for the cause of Christ and the Church at any moment. It would be foolish for a Templar Knight to have a bride when he is required to put his life on the line for Palestine. The Templars were renowned for rushing into battle and putting themselves in harms way for pilgrims. However, there is a sect of the Templar Order that allowed men to join and maintain their families. These warriors were deemed Sergeants and they wer

Brother Against Brother

"A man's enemies will be the members of his own household." -Matthew 10:21 Growing up you are innocent. You are blind to the greater evils in the world. You believe that those who love you shall never turn on you nor forsake you. Then one day you wake up and your an adult and you find that those people whom you trusted most; those family members and dearest friends have become your worst enemies. How does this happen? Why does this happen? I've been trying to answer these questions for months. Only now do I think I know why "brother turns against brother" (Matthew 10:21) and why those we love become our adversaries. The answer is that the "devil is working overtime." The great falling away from the faith has begun. When we think of falling away from the faith, we think of backsliders or people who have abandoned following Christ. However, the definition of faith is trust. So could this verse be re-interpreted as the Great Falling Away fro

Conscientia

In this day and age it is easy to be persuaded to participate in something that is against your convictions. This threat to your distinct sense of what is acceptable for you isn't always threatened by overtly evil activities. It can be something a simple as a film. Often those we love will question our convictions and assure us that they approve of an activity. But the problem is that this is their own conviction not yours. The Apostle Paul says, "If you go against what you believe is right, then you are sinning." (Romans 14:23), This is what is call specific sin. This is a sin that is exclusive to a person, not to a collective of people. Whether is is right or wrong to see a certain horror film will be different for each individual person. For one the horror film is a entertainment meant to induce terror and adrenaline. For this individual it is fantasy and all the gore and gruesome moments are filtered out. For someone else the horror film is traumatic. A sensitive

All Saints' Day

Today is All Saints' Day, a polar opposite holiday to Halloween. All Saints' Day honors the memory of the saints who lived and died for the faith. For a saint there is no true death, for he or she who is in Christ shall be swept to paradise and live eternally. This is a day to think about life. To remember the lives of the believers who paved the way before us. I think of the Apostle Paul and his tremendous life. He was Pharisee of Pharisees. He persecuted the Christians and sought to route them when on the road to Damascus he encountered Christ. Paul undergoing a transformation became one of greatest Fathers of the Church. He ministered to the Gentiles and Jews alike. Through him God converted his children Israel, the Greeks, Scythians, and the people who physically put Christ on the cross, the Romans! Most of the New Testament was written by this audacious man. Paul is proof that even an enemy of Christ can become His most devout and faithful ally. Then there is the B