Should we lie when the Nazi stands at the door and asks us his infamous evil question? Traditional proposals about how to solve this problem by means of what is called “mental reservation” tend to be unsatisfying, because they are based on t … [Read more...]
Articles
“Given Up for You”
Ronald Knox on the Mass as a Sacrifice
September 7, 2020 by Fr. Charles Fox
Failure to believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is not the only crisis of Eucharistic faith the Church currently faces. It is the most well-publicized crisis of faith, because studies have consistently shown a decline … [Read more...]
St. Joseph’s Greatness in Heaven
September 7, 2020 by Fr. Stanley Smolenski, SPMA
There has been a longstanding pious tradition in the Church that St. Joseph was assumed body and soul into heaven. This was the teaching of eminent theologians and members of the hierarchy, such as the Doctors of the Church, St. Augustine … [Read more...]
Some Unpolitical Thoughts in a Time of Crisis
September 7, 2020 by Fr. John M. McDermott, SJ
The former mayor of Chicago and Obama political advisor, Rahm Emanuel, made himself noteworthy by recently reiterating his political principle, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do … [Read more...]
Today’s Disbelief in the Existence of Personified Evil
The World, the Flesh, and the Devil
August 28, 2020 by John Boyle
In my vocation as a coach, I have regular contact with youth and young adults, and they often confide their troubles to me. I have met many who have struggled with temptation, fallen into sin, and become enslaved by sinful habits. Their … [Read more...]
Reality, Grief, and Transformation
Lessons from Paul’s Letters to the Church at Corinth
August 28, 2020 by Sister Maria Pascuzzi
Nearly two millennia ago, Paul founded a Christian community in Corinth, a port city characterized by all the diversity and rough-and-tumble usually associated with busy transport hubs. He had spent eighteen months there working to mold a … [Read more...]
Reclaiming a Lost Voice in Catholic Moral Theology
Who Was Fr. Gommar DePauw?
August 28, 2020 by Fr. Albert Marcello
Many Catholics attached to the traditional rites of the Church are familiar with the brief video “Why the Latin Mass.” Fr. Gommar-Albert DePauw, the speaker, was a priest famous for his celebration of the Tridentine Mass during the pre … [Read more...]
Hope in the Darkness
August 28, 2020 by Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, OP
For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. . . . I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. – Psalm 71:5, 14 Many psychological and scientific studies will be published in the upcoming months r … [Read more...]
Cultivating Time for Eternity
Ecology, Exceptionalism, and Apocalypse
August 28, 2020 by Matthew Tsakanikas, STD
The importance of ecology is no longer disputed. We must listen to the language of nature and we must answer accordingly. Yet I would like to underline a point that seems to me to be neglected, today as in the past: there is also an ecology … [Read more...]
Healing Paralysis in Contemporary Society
An Ecclesial Reading for Division and Isolation
August 28, 2020 by Thomas A. Hunter
The dramatic Markan narrative of the healing of the paralytic prompts a dialogue with contemporary issues, allowing an addressing of the complexities of our current era. There are two programmatic keys that highlight our reading: (1) Mark … [Read more...]
Father, Receive These Gifts
July 2, 2020 by Samantha Mattheiss
Pope Francis, in his 2016 annual meeting of the pontifical academies, called for local parishes to be “oases of beauty, peace, acceptance.” This is consistent with the Church being “Mother of us all” (Gal 4:26) — a place where all can be fed … [Read more...]
Vatican II’s “Religious Liberty” Revisited
July 2, 2020 by Fr. Regis Scanlon, OFMCap
Today, threats to religious liberty in the United States are very much in the news. The most striking example is the Supreme Court’s recent decision in June 2020 that the LGBT community must be granted civil rights status in employment m … [Read more...]
I Will Give You a New Heart
July 2, 2020 by Paul Fahey
It was not until after I finished my undergraduate degree in theology that I was explicitly introduced to the idea of theosis, the doctrine of God making men sharers in his divine life. Based on my personal experience, as well as my … [Read more...]
No Peace, No Justice
Why the Rioters Are in the Wrong
July 2, 2020 by Richard H. Bulzacchelli, STD
In cities across the country, people are rioting in the streets in response, they say, to the death of George Floyd, who lost his life on May 25, while police, in Minneapolis, apprehended him on suspicion of passing counterfeit currency — a … [Read more...]
Alpha and Omega
July 2, 2020 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
Francis of Assisi is known to have said: “Sanctify yourself, and you will sanctify society.” On the Christian map, there are many roads to sanctity. Whatever the road, there is only one major and very necessary guide for this journey. His na … [Read more...]
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