The horrific Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the ensuing war in Gaza have raised many questions among Catholics: Should they support Israel? And if so, should they do so on purely political or moral grounds (such as … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – December 2023
November 24, 2023 by Book Reviews
Politics After Christendom: Political Theology in a Fractured World. By David VanDrunen. Reviewed by M. Ciftci. (skip to review) Pondering the Permanent Things: Reflections on Faith, Art, and Culture. By Thomas Howard. Reviewed by S.E. … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – August 2023
July 27, 2023 by Book Reviews
Murmuring Against Moses: The Contentious History and Contested Future of Pentateuchal Studies. By John S. Bergsma and Jeffrey L. Morrow. Reviewed by Fr. Peter Heasley. (skip to review) The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught Me to … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – May 2023
April 26, 2023 by Book Reviews
Joseph Ratzinger and the Healing of the Reformation-Era Divisions. Ed. by Emery De Gaál and Matthew Levering. Reviewed by M. Ciftci. (skip to review) Benedict XVI: Servant of Love. By Bénedicte Delelis. Reviewed by Christopher Siuzdak. (s … [Read more...]
The Book of Jonah
On Repentance, Mission, and Compassion
April 4, 2020 by Fr. Matthew Gonzalez
Of the twelve minor prophets, the book that has been consistently pondered and examined with much fascination is the Book of Jonah. This is attributed to its mythical imagery, which illustrates the prophet’s journey to the land of Nineveh. U … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – February 2020
February 10, 2020 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Purgatory and Filthy Lucre Question: I teach RCIA and a catechumen in my class said he was taught that Catholics dreamed up Purgatory as a way to get money from people. I know Purgatory is referred to in Maccabees and responded that … [Read more...]
The Bible as Official History
January 17, 2019 by Michael Warner
A person who holds a Bible handles something that is both utterly unique and so common as to seem ubiquitous. Millions of copies in hundreds of translations have appeared since Herr Gutenberg invented his famous press. Individual books of … [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...]
The Prophetic Power and Practice of Jubilee
A Gift of Shalom
December 28, 2015 by Dr. Marc Tumeinski
Introduction: “Rich with Joy and Peace” St. Luke's description of Jesus' proclamation of His mission tells us that, on a sabbath day in a synagogue in Nazareth, the Lord stood up to read ... “He has sent me ... to proclaim the accep … [Read more...]
Winter Reading for January 2016
December 28, 2015 by Book Reviews
Introducing the Old Testament: An Overview of Its Content and Its Message. John F. Fink. (Staten Island, NY: St. Paul’s Publishing, 2015) 136 pages; $12.95. (Reviewed by Kenneth Colston) The Marian Mystery: Outline of a Mariology. Denis F … [Read more...]
Summer Reading for August 2015
August 30, 2015 by Book Reviews
Soul-Centered: Spirituality for People on the Go. Jim Clarke. (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2015) 144 pages; $14.95. (Reviewed by Melinda Selmys) _____________ Make the Words Your Own: An Early Christian Guide to the Psalms. Benjamin … [Read more...]
How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian
The Problem of Divine Violence as Considered in Recent Curial Documents
July 12, 2015 by Dr. Matthew J. Ramage, PhD
Introduction If God exists, he is not the God of the Christian Bible. At least this is the conclusion drawn by many prominent authors and cultural commentators in our society today. The rise of agnosticism and atheism in contemporary … [Read more...]
Theology of the Body: Insights for the Synod on the Family
May 31, 2015 by Dr. Peter Kahn
Introduction The upcoming Synod of Bishops on the Family, in October 2015, faces a huge challenge. The preparatory document for the synod reminded us that many families find themselves crushed and abandoned. [1. Holy See, "The Vocation … [Read more...]
Christ Is the Fulfillment of the Law
The Holy Law Is Not an End in Itself
November 14, 2014 by Eduardo Echeverria
The core teaching in Pope Francis’s homily on October 13th is summarized in the following conclusion: Do I believe in Jesus Christ, in Jesus, in what he did: He died, rose again, and the story ended there. Do I think that the journey c … [Read more...]
Fall Reading for October 2014
October 29, 2014 by Book Reviews
History of the Catholic Church: From the Apostolic Age to the Third Millennium. James F. Hitchcock (Ignatius Press: San Francisco, 2012) 584 pages. (Reviewed by Fr. Brian Van Hove, SJ) The Word Made Love: The Dialogical Theology of … [Read more...]
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