In the 2000-year history of theology, some of our greatest thinkers have struggled to define the precise relationship between grace and free will in the lives of individual Christians. Are we free to choose the good? Do we need grace even … [Read more...]
The Terminal State of Unbaptized Infants
June 24, 2022 by Nate Guyear
Since the earliest centuries of the Church, Christians have debated the terminal state of unbaptized babies. (This paper will use the term “unbaptized babies/infants” to represent all who die without baptism and without the cognitive abi … [Read more...]
What Would Augustine Say?
September 9, 2021 by Daniel J. Heisey, OSB
From the days of Herodotus, in the fifth century before Christ, when in Book 1 of his Histories he had two sixth-century men, Solon of Athens and Croesus of Lydia, meet who chronologically could not have met, it has been appropriate for … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – May 2021
May 20, 2021 by Book Reviews
Under Siege: No Finer Time to be a Faithful Catholic. By Austin Ruse. Reviewed by Matthew Kappadakunnel. (skip to review) Retrieving Augustine’s Doctrine of Creation. By Gavin Ortlund. Reviewed by Fr. Stephen Rocker. (skip to r … [Read more...]
Benedict XVI on Self-“Excommunication”
January 26, 2020 by Joel R. Gallagher
In his Encyclical Eccelsia De Eucharista, Saint John Paul II reiterated the proclamation of the Second Vatican Council that the celebration of the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”[1. Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia De … [Read more...]
“Many Shall Come from the East and the West”
A Comparison of the Preaching of Augustine and John Chrysostom
February 12, 2019 by Sr. Mary Dominic Pitts, OP
Introduction “Many shall come from the East and the West and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 8:11). The two great preachers of the fourth and fifth centuries — John Chrysostom, Bisho … [Read more...]
Early Fall Reading
September 8, 2017 by Book Reviews
The Concept of Woman: Volume III: The Search for Communion of Persons, 1500-2015. By Sister Prudence Allen, R.S.M., Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2016. 546 pages. Reviewed by Joshua M. Evans, Ph.D. Revelation. Catholic Commentary on Sacred … [Read more...]
Early Summer Reading
June 12, 2017 by Book Reviews
I Burned for Your Peace. Augustine's Confessions Unpacked by Peter Kreeft. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2016). Reviewed by Matthew K. Minerd, Ph.L. Desiring a Better Country: Forays in Political Theology by Douglas Farrow. (Montreal &a … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
March 23, 2016 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Question: At the Easter vigil, we read from Genesis that God, on the fourth day, created and separated light from darkness: on the fourth day, he created the sources of light. So, from whence comes the light of the first day? Answer: No … [Read more...]
The Curse of Crying and the Gift of Tears in The Confessions
December 28, 2015 by Sr. Mary John Kramer, OP
Tears manifest the reality of the finitude of man. Tears are most often an expression of being overwhelmed by passion. They can be consented to, embraced, wallowed in, squelched, or avoided. Tears are a silent confession of man’s own r … [Read more...]
Christian Friendship and the Communion of Saints
December 28, 2015 by Stephanie H. To
Not too long ago, the rector of the local Cathedral died after a battle with cancer. Though not entirely unexpected, his departure from this life affected me deeply. At his funeral, his usual chair next to the choir stalls remained empty, … [Read more...]
What a Catholic Education Owes Its Students
August 30, 2015 by David Vincent Meconi
As our students—big and small—begin to return to school, it is good to be reminded of what a truly Catholic education owes its students. For most of human history, education was a private affair between (usually) a young boy and his tutor. I … [Read more...]
How Augustine Made Us More than Matter—and Immortal
August 9, 2015 by Brother Justin Hannegan, OSB
St. Augustine was fascinated by the human soul. Before and after his conversion to Catholicism, he strove to understand its nature, its relation to the body, and its duration. Augustine’s thinking on the soul, like the rest of his life, fo … [Read more...]
Summer Reading for August 2015
July 27, 2015 by Book Reviews
The One-Minute Aquinas: The Doctor’s Quick Answers to Fundamental Questions. Kevin Vost, Psy.D. (Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 2014) 265 pages. $24.15. (Reviewed by Jeffrey S. Burwell, SJ) The Saint Jerome Study Bible: Genesis t … [Read more...]
Witnessing to Truth
Nostra Aetate and the New Evangelization
June 27, 2015 by Dr. Richard Francis Crane, PhD
The Vatican II declaration Nostra Aetate revolutionized the Catholic Church’s relations with non-Christian religions, especially Judaism. The fourth part of this short declaration marked a decisive shift in Catholic-Jewish relations, r … [Read more...]
Recent Comments