Introduction In his encyclical letter, Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis greatly emphasizes the importance of believing in God’s love for us. The prominence of this theme is indicated by the title of the encyclical’s first chapter, "We Have Bel … [Read more...]
Archives for 2017
Lumen Fidei and the Revelation of God’s Love as the Foundation of Our Faith
April 8, 2017 by Dr. Jeffrey Froula
The Imperishable Crown
Martyrdom as the Fulfillment of the Baptismal Call
April 8, 2017 by Tyler J. Worthy
At the heart of the mystery of Christian life is a paradox: although those who are baptized receive all of the supernatural grace necessary for entering eternal life, they do not on that account escape the harsh reality of the present … [Read more...]
“Do You Love Me more than … These?”
April 8, 2017 by R. Thomas Richard, PhD
Introduction The catch of exactly 153 fish in the closing chapter 21 of John’s Gospel has been an exegetical challenge for a very long time. “So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fift … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
April 8, 2017 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Question: Why was baptism by John so crucial for Jesus, but not for Jesus’ followers? Answer: The baptism by John is the last in a number of rituals established by God as a part of the progressive preparation of the human race for the co … [Read more...]
Homilies for April 2017
March 26, 2017 by Deacon James H. Toner, Ph.D.
Fifth Sunday of Lent—April 2, 2017 Readings: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/040217.cfm EZ 37:12-14; PS 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; ROM 8:8-11; JN 11:1-45 As St. Paul tells us today, we are consecrated to the truth, not to the ways of th … [Read more...]
Cry of Abandonment? No, Proclamation of Faith
Psalm 22 and Matthew 27
March 26, 2017 by Paul Senz
“The New Testament is concealed in the Old, the Old Testament is revealed in the New.” These words of St. Augustine of Hippo have become axiomatic for Christian Scripture scholars. In particular, when a passage from the Old Testament is dir … [Read more...]
Ite ad Joseph
March 26, 2017 by Fr. Tim McCauley
"Ite ad Joseph" (Go to Joseph)—a million pilgrims a year visit the Oratory on Queen Mary Road in Montreal where these words are inscribed at the base of a statue of St. Joseph at the main entrance. In the Old Testament story of Joseph and h … [Read more...]
The Maltese Bishops on Divorce and Remarriage
March 26, 2017 by Dr. John M. Grondelski
The ongoing fallout from the ambiguous norms of Amoris Laetitia (AL) continues, the most recent being a letter to clergy, “Criteria for the Application of Chapter VIII of Amoris Laetitia,” issued January 8 by the Archbishop of Malta and the … [Read more...]
Prayer as the Key to Forgiveness
March 26, 2017 by Carolyn Humphreys, OCDS
At times, the word "unforgiven" can be terrifying, especially if someone does not forgive us. We do not know what to think or what to do. Evil is all around us, and within us, and can easily magnify when forgiving is not practiced. However, … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
March 26, 2017 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Question: Concerning Eucharistic adoration, some chapels have a small monstrance with a door in front of it and when people are not going to be present the whole time they are instructed to close the door. Is it alright to do this with … [Read more...]
Early Spring Reading
March 26, 2017 by Book Reviews
Jennifer Roback Morse & Betsy Kerekes, 101 Tips for Marrying the Right Person (Notre Dame, IN.: Ave Maria Press 2016), 127 pp. $13.95. Paperback. ISBN-13: 978-1-59471-671-3. Reviewed by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. Raïssa M … [Read more...]
Munus Docendi
March 9, 2017 by David Vincent Meconi
Fr. Karl Rahner (1904-1984) began as a faith-filled and imaginative theologian, someone who, even now, still provides unmatchable insights into the nature of divinity, and into the searching soul who longs to cleave to God. Rahner worked … [Read more...]
Martyrdom and Us
March 9, 2017 by Dr. William Newton
Writing about the martyrs is a little daunting when I reflect on my own numerous infidelities to the Lord, even under the most trivial of social pressures. To use a phrase in English, I cannot “hold a candle” to giants like St. Thomas More a … [Read more...]
Children of Divorce: Conflicts and Healing
March 9, 2017 by Dr. Richard P. Fitzgibbons, MD
“Children need their parents’ stable union.”[1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (Vatican, 2003), n. 2381.] The numerous psychological and spiritual struggles in the child of divorce (henceforth referred to as COD) are documented bo … [Read more...]
Silence and Weakness
The Martyrdom of Alfred Delp and the Apostasy of Sebastian Rodrigues
March 9, 2017 by Fr. Peter Nguyen
What ultimately makes a Christian martyr—an individual’s heroism or the grace of God? Martyrdom is a radical call to assume the form of Christ’s self-sacrifice on the Cross for the sake of others, however the martyr’s vocation neither consis … [Read more...]
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