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About Grace Theological College
Grace Theological College has met the requirements through the Florida Department of Education, Commission for Independent Education under the Fl Statute 1005.06 (1) (f) and Rule 6E-5.001 pursuant to religious institutions, to award religious degrees in the categories of ministry, counseling, theology, education, administration, music, fine arts, media communications, and social work.
Grace of Saragossa: 4th Century Immigrant and Martyr
St. Grace of Saragossa was born in Afghanistan during the 4th century. The events of her early life are unknown. She immigrated to Zaragoza, Spain where she lived as an unmarried, working, faith-filled Christian woman. Like so many of us Grace was an ordinary person seeking different and perhaps better opportunities while trying to live an ordinary life.
What set her apart and made her extraordinary however, was her faith. In the year 304 C.E., during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian, Grace was arrested for being a Christian. In order to save themselves, Christians were given the opportunity to worship to the emperor instead of God. Those that did were freed and permitted to live. Grace was given the same opportunity, however, she would not recant her faith. She was tortured, brutally beaten, and left to die
of her injuries in her jail cell.
Grace was not beatified. There was no need. She had already proven herself worthy to be welcomed into the ranks of the Saints. She was canonized by pre-congregation as St. Grace of Saragossa. We are deeply honored to walk in the footsteps of this ordinary woman who was made extraordinary by her commitment to her faith, and her courage for walking the talk.
St. Grace Church and Grace Theological College celebrate the faith, committment, courage, and life of St. Grace of Saragossa every day, and especially on March 13 of every year.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND GREEN ACTIVISM: GRACE THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE IS A "COOL SEMINARY"
https://www.coolcongregations.org/
WE WALK IN THE COURAGE OF OUR BELIEFS
A CELEBRATION OF EARTH DAY
--- It is such an important task for us to guard the planet, especially when the world is in such a critical climate situation. I am reminded of some of the laws that appear in The Bible to keep the ecosystem - and the social system of an agricultural society - balanced.
The most important, or rather “extensive”, law, is שְׁמִטָּה (to release), which prohibits all agricultural work on a specific piece of land every seven years, as we can read in Exodus 23:10-11:
“For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.”
The religious reasoning for that law is to commemorate the seventh day of the week of creation, but also to remind that the land belongs to God, so people cannot use it in any way they wish.
The practical reason is to let the land “resting”, which helps it to be more fertile and kills the pests that cannot survive without new crops.
The social reasoning is to minimize the gap between rich and poor people, so the poor can enjoy the fruit of the land even if they don’t own land of their own, which leads to another set of laws: לֶקֶט (Gleaning), שִׁכְחָה (Forgotten sheaves), פֵּאָה (Unharvested corners), פֶּרֶט (Fallen grapes), עֹלְלוֹת (Clusters of grapes that are poorly formed), and מַעֲשֵׂר עָנִי )Poor man’s tithe).
The main laws are described in Leviticus 19:9-10:
“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.
Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners. I am the Lord your God”,
and are expanded in Deuteronomy 24:19-22.
As we know, the importance of sharing food with neighbors and the less fortunate ones is so important, that even during the last arrangements to flee Egypt, the people were told (Exodus 12:4):
“If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat."
If you’d like to read some more, this is a very good starting point.
Let this week remind us again that as long as space colonies are not a common practice (yet), we have only one planet to live on, so it’s better if we protect it – together.
Professor Oded
Director: Humanities Department
Hebrew Language Professor
Grace Theological College
sacred activism, social justice, welcoming and affirming
