Who should or should not receive the Eucharist? Should anyone be denied the Eucharist? These questions have generated much controversy in recent weeks as the USCCB has debated drafting a document on this topic. The controversy seems to be … [Read more...]
Articles
Images of God’s Temple in Salvation History
Its Fulfillment in Christ
July 29, 2021 by J.T. Knox
Four thousand years ago God promised Abraham that through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Implicitly this promise guaranteed a redeeming sacrifice for all mankind. In a reply to his son, Isaac, Abraham had uttered … [Read more...]
Discovering the Pearl of Great Price
Ratzinger on Relativism in the West
July 15, 2021 by Fr. Matthew Gonzalez
In the wake of a progressively globalized society, namely, the integration of the various cultures, markets, and political convictions, the world faces the question of determining a principle constituent of unification.[1. Joseph Ratzinger, … [Read more...]
Faith and Reason, Like Milk and Cookies, Are Better Together
July 15, 2021 by Fr. Kenneth G. Davis, OFM Conv.
The old comedy series “Get Smart” featured a gizmo called the cone of silence. It was a glass silo that descended upon a group who wanted to have a private conversation. It never worked very well. The information silos in which technology wi … [Read more...]
What’s Going to Bring Me Happiness?
The Implications of a Shift from a Morality of Obligation to a Morality of Happiness
July 15, 2021 by Br. John Paul Puschautz, CSJ
“ ‘What will bring us happiness?’ many say. Lord, let the light of your face shine upon us.” ~ Psalm 4:6. Do you ever feel like you are just going through the motions, checking off the good deed box because you feel obliged to do so? Do you … [Read more...]
Dante and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition on Faith and Reason
July 15, 2021 by Darrell Falconburg
The topic of the relatedness between reason and faith is important. As people leave the faith in high numbers, one of the reasons given is that faith and reason — more specifically, scientific reason — are viewed as incompatible. The Cath … [Read more...]
Doing the Works of Mercy with Mary, Mother of Mercy
July 15, 2021 by Louise Merrie
Although I have had a relationship with Mary since I was a child and had been praying the Rosary since my early twenties, I developed a closer relationship with Mary as a mother and came to understand her as the Mother of Mercy because of … [Read more...]
The Preeminence of the Eternal and the Dignity of the Human Person
July 15, 2021 by Rev. Kenneth M. Dos Santos, MIC
Do all men and women have their origin in the One True God? If so, have they been created to be concerned solely with what can be manipulated and obtained during this life, regardless of morality? Has mankind lost an awareness of the … [Read more...]
God Is Not Ineffective Against Evil
June 30, 2021 by Eric Manuel Torres
The problem of evil is a profound enigma. Even for people who believe in God, the presence of evil can be overwhelming. Many ask, “How could God be so silent or inactive?” A look at history reveals countless evils, including wars and gen … [Read more...]
Catholics in High Public Office Today
June 30, 2021 by Lawrence B. Porter, STL, PhD
Today there are approximately 51 million Catholic Christians in the United States. The U.S. population currently numbers approximately 330 million, and thus Catholics make up only about one fifth of the population. Nevertheless, there is an … [Read more...]
Clericalism and the Crisis of the Church
When Steve Skojec and Cardinal Marx Agree
June 30, 2021 by Richard H. Bulzacchelli, STD
It’s not news to anyone who’s been paying attention that the broadly-Catholic world is in a state of crisis. If you’re interested in the long history of how we got to this point, there are plenty of places to look, but that’s not what this e … [Read more...]
Newman, Aquinas, and the Development of Doctrine
June 30, 2021 by Dr. Joshua Madden
The question of the development of doctrine, and his investigation of its implications, was crucial to John Henry Newman’s conversion to the Catholic Church. The question with which he struggled was this: how can it be that the Christian f … [Read more...]
Heaven in the Heart
June 30, 2021 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
“It seems to me that I have found my heaven on earth, because my heaven is you, my God, and you are in my soul. You in me, and I in you — may this be my motto.” ~ St. Elizabeth of the Trinity What is the greatest earthly love we have known … [Read more...]
The Death Penalty Is a Failed Sacrifice
June 3, 2021 by E. Tyler Graham
The final abolition of the death penalty in the 2018 revision of the Catechism[1. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2267.] and follow-up confirmation in the latest Pope Francis encyclical, Fratelli tutti,[2. Pope Francis, Fratelli … [Read more...]
The Mystery of Miscarriage
Mary, Joseph, and the Theology of Pre-Natal Life
June 3, 2021 by Julia Hejduk
The deepest truth about the human person is contained in the words “Our Father.” Enfolded in this sublime opening to the Lord’s Prayer is God’s loving provision for and delight in each one of us; our connection to Jesus and to one another as … [Read more...]
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