. . . Always Enabled by God’s Grace St. Paul (c. 1468), by Marco Zoppo (1433-1478) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * (1-3-10) * * * * * Acts 2:38-40 (RSV) And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] For the promise is to you and to your children and to all... Read more
St. Joseph Church, Detroit, Michigan (my own home parish since 1991): view to the rear. Photo by “Nheyob” on 14 November 2013 [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license] * * * (6-4-07; revised and expanded on 1-22-16) * * * Many Christians are tempted to “go through the motions” when worshiping at church and to not have a strong commitment as disciples to Jesus Christ. One of the criticisms of Catholics is that the Mass is too ritualistic, or supposedly “cold” or... Read more
The Liberation of St. Peter, by Antonio de Bellis (1616-1656) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * I had an encounter with a former Catholic Protestant (Church of Christ) in a closed Facebook group, who was replying to my posted paper, 50 NT Proofs for Petrine Primacy & the Papacy. This guy concluded that my list was a fantasy and dreamt-up and that the Bible needs to state outright and explicitly that Peter was pope; he also questioned that the papacy... Read more
General Robert E. Lee in 1863 [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * This was a follow-up dialogue on my previous related post, Michigander Defends the Confederate Flag, which took place on the Patheos Facebook page. Samuel Alfred Justin Chasuk is from Louisiana. His words will be in blue. * * * * * Your argument is mostly persuasive, which is why I have no real love for the American flag and choose not to salute it or fly... Read more
St. Peter Preaching (detail; 1426-1427), by Masolina da Panicale (1383-1447) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * (2-20-09) * * From my 2009 book, Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths (mostly just Bible passages); except that these passages are from the RSV rather than the KJV (as in the book) * * * * * AUTHORITATIVE ORAL TRADITION (INCLUDING “WORD” AND “WORD OF GOD”) Matthew 13:19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away... Read more
. . . by Cross-Referencing to Texts on the All-Knowing Attributes of God the Father The Christ Pantocrator mosaic (13th-century) in Hagia Sophia (Istanbul, Turkey) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]** (10-21-11) * * * [all Bible passages: RSV] * * * God Knowing What is in Men’s Hearts * God the Father * 1 Samuel 16:7 “. . . the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 1 Kings 8:39 . . . ... Read more
. . . Striking Talmudic Parallels The Sermon on the Mount (1877), by Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834-1890) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (10-18-11) * * * This article has been re-uploaded under the title, Masturbation & the Sermon on the Mount (Talmudic Parallels). *** Read more
“Art4TheGlryOfGod Photography by Sharon” [Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0 license] (2-3-09) * * * This was written in response to a critic of mine, named Juan (words in blue below), who is active in an involved discussion on merit and related issues that is occurring on The Catholic Community Forum. Catholic apologists (and personal friends) John Martignoni and Jimmy Akin are also being charged with misrepresenting the Catholic faith and “grievous error.” I’m proud to be in their company. None of the accusations can withstand... Read more
*** (8-29-06) *** [Stephen Hand’s words will be in blue; Martin’s in green; Jim Scott’s in purple; I’m from Michigan; Stephen is from Boston, Martin from Tennessee. I don’t know where Jim Scott lives.]***** Southern man better keep your head Don’t forget what your good book said Southern change gonna come at last Now your crosses are burning fast Southern man I saw cotton and I saw black Tall white mansions and little shacks. Southern man when will you pay them back? I... Read more
(6-10-09)* * * * * 1) St. Augustine critiqued many belief-systems and practices in his famous spiritual autobiography. He critiqued, for example, astrology: I then turned my thoughts to those that are born twins, who generally come out of the womb so near the one to the other that the short interval between them–whatever importance they may ascribe to it in the nature of things — cannot be noted by human observation or expressed in those tables which the astrologer... Read more
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