It has been said — though I know not by whom — that Confirmation is “a sacrament in search of a theology.” Confirmation preparation programs often emphasize the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and state that Confirmation, in some way, complet … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – April 2019
April 30, 2019 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Do Baptized Converts Need Confession First? Question: During the Easter Vigil, non-Christians are baptized, receive First Communion and are confirmed, while converts are received into full communion with the Church, meaning also and above … [Read more...]
A God with Skin
Recapturing the Incarnational Nature of the Sacraments
January 1, 2019 by Mark C. McCann
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. (Jn 1:14) Since her beginning, the Catholic Church has been an incarnational institution, a B … [Read more...]
Encountering Christ’s Love in the Sacraments
September 27, 2017 by Douglas G. Bushman, STL
In every way, the sacraments are about God’s love, fully revealed in Jesus Christ. In them, Jesus makes Himself present as the one who loves us “to the end” (Jn 13:1). In each Sacrament, He says: “I love you; I have given my life for you (Jn … [Read more...]
Sacramental Fruitfulness and the Power of Pentecost
August 1, 2016 by Dr. Ralph Martin, STD
It has become quite evident that there is something like a “sacramental crisis” occurring in the Church today, that Sr. Sara, in her opening remarks, referred to as “this extraordinarily critical moment.” I would like to briefly explore thre … [Read more...]
At That First Fish Fry: A Message for Ordinary Time
May 14, 2016 by Alan L. Anderson
So we now pass from the great liturgical seasons of Lent and Easter to “ordinary time.” Since mid-February, the Church has traveled the spiritual desert of Lent, has reveled in the joyous celebration of Easter, and has witnessed the final cu … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
May 14, 2016 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Question: Can a person who has been involved in past homosexual acts become a priest if he has overcome this tendency? Answer: This question is urgent in the culture because homosexuality is almost celebrated today. This fact has led the … [Read more...]
“The Indelible Mark”
Sacramental Character in Patristic and Scholastic Theology
May 12, 2015 by Nicholas Senz
The history of the development of doctrine is, in many ways, a history of language. It is a story of the perpetual struggle to adequately communicate the divine realities in human words, or at the very least, to attempt to do so without … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
January 11, 2013 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Is Baptism by water "Baptism in the Holy Spirit?" Can medical research on incapacitated patients ever be justified? Is Baptism by water "Baptism in the Holy Spirit?" Question: I have often heard the phrase “Baptism in the Holy Sp … [Read more...]
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