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...]
Mary Is the Choice of God
Part I of a Marian Triptych
May 19, 2019 by Francis Etheredge
Where do we need to begin with a reflection on Mary, spouse of St. Joseph[1. Cf. St. John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos.] and Mother of the Lord? On the one hand, in the times in which we live, it could be argued that we need to recover … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – February 2019
January 28, 2019 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Why Do We Need Grace? Question: St. Thomas believed that man has an inborn understanding and disposition toward doing the good. What, then, is the purpose of the infusion of grace? Answer: I really do not know where you get the idea … [Read more...]
Natural and Supernatural Faith
November 14, 2018 by R. Thomas Richard, PhD
Introduction Well-formed Catholics know that we are infused at baptism with sanctifying grace and with the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Some know that these virtues reside in potency, and not automatically in actuality. … [Read more...]
On the Relationship Between Merit and Grace
A Thomistic Understanding of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
March 15, 2018 by Paul Chutikorn
There is often much confusion between the relationship of merit and grace and how it plays a part in our lives from a soteriological perspective. This confusion, from both non-Catholics and on behalf of some Catholics themselves, has led to … [Read more...]
Winter Reading 2017
January 20, 2017 by Book Reviews
A Theology of Grace in Six Controversies. Edward T. Oakes, S.J. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2016) 248 pages; $28.00 paperback. Reviewed by Steven J. Meyer, S.T.D. John Lawrence Hill, After the Natural Law: How the Classical … [Read more...]
The Paradox of God’s Predilection
December 20, 2016 by Jonathan Fleischmann
Recently, Pope Francis, like so many of his predecessors in the Chair of St. Peter, has emphasized God’s special predilection for sinners. Indeed, not on one occasion only, but on many occasions, our Pontiff has taken great pains to make t … [Read more...]
Revisiting Grace
November 21, 2016 by Fr. William P. Clark, OMI
There is an old Irish saying according to which there is an ebb and flow to every-thing except God’s grace. George Bernanos, in his Diary of a Country Priest, gives a touching illustration of that truth. It is the portrayal of a priest who b … [Read more...]
Christian Life: The Outworking of Christ’s Life Within Us
September 13, 2016 by Fr. John Navone, SJ
Christ Ascends the Mountain to Pray by James Tissot The Christian community of faith is born of the grace of God. Grace expresses what God does for us. Just as when we hear of the wisdom of God in the Bible, we think of how God’s action m … [Read more...]
Merit Revisited
December 11, 2012 by Fr. Joseph R. Upton
One of the most significant themes is the doctrine of merit. This long-forgotten element of Catholic teaching has made a remarkably ostensible reappearance in the new translation. It seems that the implementation of the new translation … [Read more...]
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