The pagan philosopher Celsus wrote a tract accusing the Christians of hating reason. Not at all, says Origen (himself a careful and logical thinker). But not everyone can be a philosopher. That simple people should be saved is the most important thing, but Christian philosophers investigate their faith thoroughly. He goes on to tell us that, in taking up opinions, we should follow logic and a logical system, since people who assent to opinions without following that course are very... Read more
Secular learning is good and useful, says St. Basil, when we understand that our true goal is heaven. By understanding history and science and other things the world teaches, we exercise our minds for understanding the higher truths of Scripture. Young men, as Christians we believe that this human life is not supremely valuable. We do not recognize anything as an unconditional blessing if it benefits us only in this life. Family pride, strength of body, beauty, position, universal acclaim,... Read more
Welcome to what I call “The Clergy Speaks”, a new recurring feature here at The Catholic Book Blogger. “The Clergy Speaks” is a column focusing on one question I have asked various members of the clergy. That question is: What five books would you recommend as must-reads for Catholics today? I left the responses open to current or classic books with the only restriction being that the Bible and the Catechism could not be used as they are a given.... Read more
St. Athanasius, the great defender of orthodoxy, tells us that the faith of the martyrs is strong proof of the truth of Christianity. Take up the faith, he says, and you will understand what the martyrs know. Is this such a little proof of the weakness of death? When young boys and girls who are in Christ despise this life, and practice to die, is that such a little proof of the victory won over death by the Savior? Now,... Read more
PETE: Matt you serve as Executive Director at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Can you tell us a little about the Center and its mission? MATT LEONARD: The St. Paul Center is a Catholic non-profit founded about twelve years ago by Dr. Scott Hahn, his wife Kimberly, and Mike Aquilina. The Center is all about getting Catholics into Sacred Scripture. Particularly, we want to help Catholics read the Bible from the heart of the Church. And we accomplish... Read more
Is it better to be ignorant than to be educated? Not at all, says St. Clement of Alexandria. The more you learn, the better prepared you are to understand and defend your faith. Some people who think themselves naturally gifted don’t want to touch either philosophy or logic. They don’t even want to learn natural science. They demand bare faith alone—as if they wanted to harvest grapes right away without putting any work into the vine. We must prune, dig,... Read more
Arguing that a well-rounded education is good for a Christian, St. Clement of Alexandria tells us that there are many ways of looking for truth. But the only way to find the whole truth is in Christ. When many men drag the ship down to the water, we can’t call them many causes, but one cause made up of many. For each man by himself is not the cause of the ship’s being dragged, but along with the rest. In... Read more
God created the universe, and it was very good. But that doesn’t mean every use of every created thing is good, says Tertullian. When we use God’s creation to do evil, the fault is ours, not God’s. Everyone is ready with the argument that everything—as we teach—was created by God and given to man for his use, so it all must be good, because it comes from so good a source. Now, no one denies what everyone knows, for nature... Read more
This week the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology sponsors the CBB giveaway. One lucky winner will receive all 8 volumes of the Letter and Spirit Journal edited by Scott Hahn (you can read the review here). I use Rafflecopter to run my giveaways which makes it simple for you and me! Enter below. The contest starts at midnight tonight EST and will end 12AM EST Friday 8/08 with a winner being announced later that day. Good Luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway Read more
In ancient times as well as our own, people brought forward supposedly scientific arguments against the resurrection. St. Gregory of Nyssa answers them: don’t judge God’s capabilities by your own. Because human reason is so weak, there are some who—judging divine power by the limits of our own—insist that what is beyond our capacity is impossible even for God. They point to the fact that the dead of past ages have disappeared, and to the ashes of those who have... Read more
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