The Spirit of Truth

The Holy Spirit’s Role in a Deeper Understanding of Revelation

Jesus, who identified himself as the truth (Jn 14:6), indicated that it was “to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you” (Jn 16:7). Indeed, Christ promised to pray to the Father to send ano … [Read more...]

Who Were the Magi,
and Why Were They Wise?

“Where is the newborn King?” the Magi from the East asked the people of Jerusalem. “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage” (Mt 2:1–12). The Magi followed the star to the newborn King and then, having been warned in a d … [Read more...]

Understanding the Four Aspects of Dogma According to Bernard Lonergan in The Way to Nicea

Introduction As a professor of theology, and as academic dean of a seminary, I feel it’s important to lay a solid foundation for the student who is beginning his study of theology. In my introductory seminar in fundamental theology, t … [Read more...]

“Why Do I Exist?”: The Unavoidable Wonderment

(Socrates) “Could anything great really come to pass in a short time? And isn’t the time from childhood to old age short when compared to the whole of time?” (Glaucon) “It is a mere nothing.” (Socrates) “Well, do you think that an immortal b … [Read more...]

Jesus, the Flowing and Living Water of “Yhwh”

A Biblical Reflection of the Relation Between Ez 47:1-12 and Jn 5:1-16

This essay is a theological reflection of two biblical passages and their implicit allusions in matters of theology and Christian spirituality. The first episode is taken from Ez 47:1-12, concerning the pericope of the stream of water that … [Read more...]

Yes, We Can Know Truth Today

How astonishing it is to be a human person! Like vegetables, it is wonderful enough to be able to assimilate inanimate minerals and grow, as well as to reproduce our own kind. Like our dear pets, it is amazing that we have senses to know … [Read more...]

The Understanding of Revelation in “Dei Verbum” and the Response of Faith

While this notion of revelation, understood as the manifestation of ... Christ himself, has been with the Church since the very beginning. There have been many confusions and reductions over time that have altered the very essence of the … [Read more...]

Faith Needs Philosophy: A Primer on the Relationship between Reason and Revelation

The great philosophers that preceded the Judeo-Christian Revelation demonstrated many of the truths about God and the faith that are affirmed in Scripture, and are what St. Thomas calls the preambles of faith.   I recently had a brief … [Read more...]

The Septuagint in the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger / Pope Benedict XVI

In ascribing to the Septuagint a theological relevance reaching above and beyond the literal content of its Hebrew source, making it an “independent textual witness,” Benedict is drawing upon the theology of revelation that he began to dev … [Read more...]