At some point in my spiritual pilgrimage to the full communion of the Catholic Church from an Evangelical Protestant upbringing, it became apparent to me that the only way that I could infallibly believe the deposit of divinely revealed … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – May 2023
April 26, 2023 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Guilt in the Spiritual Life Question: Can you explain guilt to me? Is it good or bad for the soul? Answer: To understand the place of guilt, it is necessary to recall that every moral act involves three powers of the soul: the … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – March 2019
March 10, 2019 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
What Is the Institutional Church? Question: I hear a lot about the “institutional church.” It seems to be a phrase trotted out by people who want to see the moral law changed or to question authority. What is the “institutional churc … [Read more...]
On Whose Authority…
February 12, 2016 by Gary Knight
Jesus has a peculiar, almost provocative way of opening up the deeper recesses of prejudices for inspection. In the New Testament, this is often by way of a rabbinical question. "You ask by what authority I make these proclamations: I will … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
December 14, 2015 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Question: I would like to study the problem of universal ideas in Thomas Aquinas. Can you give me some insight into understanding this problem, and some sources on how to research this problem in Catholic authors? Answer: Pope Benedict i … [Read more...]
What Does Authority Have to Do with Religion?
February 24, 2015 by Fr. John M. McDermott, SJ
“Authority” is generally used as a derogatory term in our world. Nazism gave the word a bad name as German officials, one after another, at the Nuremburg war trials sought to excuse themselves by claiming that they were just obeying a hig … [Read more...]
Recognizing a Link in the Hermeneutic of Continuity
A Brief Look at Blessed Pope Paul VI
November 14, 2014 by Fr. Matthew J. Albright
The ranks of those declared blessed and saint by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit constitute the great array of our brothers and sisters who have been lifted up as models of holiness and powerful intercessors. While … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
October 13, 2014 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Is it true that Vatican II was a complete break with the past? Is authority in society optional? Is it primarily a matter of the intellect or the will? Question: This year the Church is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the … [Read more...]
Benedict XVI on Freedom in Obedience to the Truth: A Key for the New Evangelization
May 12, 2014 by Dr. Matthew J. Ramage, PhD
... the more fundamental task ... is to form human hearts, beginning with those who have already been evangelized and need to be “newly evangelized,” those who know something already, but are not living it; those who are showing up in the pe … [Read more...]
Theologians’ academic respectability
October 22, 2012 by Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ
The teaching authority of the Church is the only guarantee the theologian has for both his academic respectability, and his intellectual freedom. Over the years, we have printed many articles on the proper relationship that should exist … [Read more...]
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