Hope in the City of God: A Letter from the President

On behalf of the board for the Eighth Day Institute, grace and peace to you in Christ!

There’s much that weighs us down today: partisan divide, life under COVID-19, divorce, miscarriage, economic strife, and the ongoing brokenness of Christendom, to mention just a few. Problems at home, problems in the state, problems in the Church—the question is whether there’s any hope.

In the collapse of the Roman empire, St. Augustine wondered the same thing. For him, the answer was found in the City of God. There we find peace and security, an end to our strife and joy beyond comprehension. Both the path and the goal are found in Christ. “As God, He is the goal,” St. Augustine says; “as man, He is the way” (Bk XI.2).

The Eighth Day Institute (EDI) stands with Christ. We find our hope in Him and Him alone. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Whatever political turmoil in which we find ourselves, we believe that our citizenship is with God. The way there is in the Body of Jesus. Our task at EDI is to come alongside the Church and cultivate a return to the common heritage of ancient Christianity. In so doing, we hope to overcome divisions and renew this culture through faith and learning.

In an isolating secularized culture where the Church’s voice is muffled through her many divisions, Christians need all the help they can get to strengthen their faith in God and love toward their neighbor. EDI offers hope to all Christians through our adherence to the Nicene faith, our ecumenical dialogues of love and truth, and our many events and publications to strengthen faith, grow in wisdom, and foster Christian friendships of love.

With that in mind, please remember us in your prayers—Erin especially as director, but also the board and the mission before us. I also invite you to donate generously to our Year-End Giving Campaign. We’re hopeful even in the midst of all that weighs us down, knowing that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. In Him we give thanks—for you, for the Church, for our sufferings, and for our life.

If you’re in town, join us for the regular gatherings of the Hall of Men or the Sisters of Sophia. Plan ahead and take time to attend the annual Symposium on January 14-16, 2021. For the scholarly minded, don’t miss our annual Florovsky-Newman Week next June. And bring your family to next fall’s Inklings Festival. Check out our web site, become a member, and get our weekly Synaxis, as well as our printed Moot. There’s so much here that strengthens our faith and propels our love.

Thank you to all of you who continue to support the work of EDI! If you’re not yet a member, consider supporting EDI financially at one of the tiers listed here. You’ll find there’s much hope and joy, despite the cultural wreck of the city of man. Our hope is in the City of God, where Christ is and we shall be also. We’d love to have you join us along the way.

Peace to you in Christ our life,

Fr. Dr. Geoffrey R. Boyle

President of The Eighth Day Institute

P.S. Become an Eighth Day Pillar with a gift of $1,000 or more (or $75/month) and our token of appreciation will include a new Eighth Day Institute t-shirt, plus a hand-crafted coffee mug, our annual winter blend of coffee, and a writing journal! Click here to see the goods.