Pope St. Paul VI, addressing a group of United States Congressmen in the bi-centennial year of 1976, indicated that their service was to follow the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, that is, they were to defend life and promote true liberty and happiness for all the people of the United States: By the sacred trust committed to you by the people, and in loyalty to your very Declaration of Independence, you have been called to the service of defending… Read more
July 2, 2020
Recent Events And The Declaration Of Independence
July 2, 2020 By Henry Karlson
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July 1, 2020
We Must Not Take Pride In Any Apparent Victory Over Sin
July 1, 2020 By Henry Karlson
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When we overcome some temptation, when we are victorious against sin, we must be careful. We must not let our victory in that battle be the foundation for our spiritual defeat. We must not become proud of what we have done. We must be humble. Pride is one of the root spiritual poisons; it turn us away from the good by becoming too attached to what we have already made of ourselves instead of allowing us to cast it all… Read more
June 29, 2020
Peter And Paul Show Us The Way
June 29, 2020 By Henry Karlson
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Sts. Peter and Paul, two great Apostles, were both men who, over the course of their lives, found themselves being transformed by Christ. By the time of their martyrdom, they were ready for it; they had truly died to themselves, to their selfish desires, and so had cut themselves off from all external attachments which could get in the way of their love for Christ. At the end, they were truly ready to die for Christ, for they knew, they… Read more
June 28, 2020
Martyrs For Christ
June 28, 2020 By Henry Karlson
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Jesus, before the crucifixion, prayed for the church: When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I glorified thee… Read more
June 26, 2020
Religious Liberty Must Not Be Confused With Domination
June 26, 2020 By Henry Karlson
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Religious freedom is fundamental. But, affirming its value, we must not misconstrue what religious liberty is about. It is not the freedom to do anything and everything we want under the name of religion. It is not, moreover, the freedom which one has thanks to being in a state of power which gives some particular religion domination over others. Certainly, we can seem to be free when we are in power, when others, because of our power, cannot dictate to… Read more
June 25, 2020
We Must Not Let Our Discipline Get In The Way Of The Greater Good
June 25, 2020 By Henry Karlson
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It is good for us to develop a way of life, a discipline or rule of life which helps keep us focused doing what is right and good. But we must remember that there is a hierarchy of goods, and we must not absolutize some secondary practice, even if it is a good one like fasting, if it gets in the way of the greater good, such as our proper treatment of others. We can fast all we want, but… Read more
June 23, 2020
St. Photios And The Filioque
June 23, 2020 By Henry Karlson
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One of the saddest debates in Christian history is that over the inclusion and interpretation of the filioque clause in the Nicene Creed in the West. Orthodox believers stood (and continue to stand) on both sides of the debate. This is because, despite the different convention being employed, so long as the filioque was properly interpreted, the implication of the clause is perfectly sound and orthodox. However, when the charity which should keep Christians bonded together waned, political agendas arose,… Read more
June 21, 2020
To Have Christ As Lord (A Reflection For The Feast of Saint Mewan)
June 21, 2020 By Henry Karlson
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Christians believe Christ is Lord. This is what makes someone a Christian. There are many theological implications which come out of that belief. When we consider what it means to say Christ is Lord, we must contemplate what the title, “Christ,” means as well as what the title, “Lord,” means. Eventually, such explorations lead us to consider how Jesus is both the Christ, the promised anointed one, and the Lord, that is God himself. We must do more than explore… Read more
June 18, 2020
I Can’t Breathe: George Floyd At The Conjunction Of Racial And Environmental Injustice
June 18, 2020 By Henry Karlson
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“I can’t breathe.” George Floyd, in saying these words, spoke for all of us. “I can’t breathe.” This is the experience of so many minorities in the United States. “I can’t breathe.” That is, “I am oppressed. I am suffering. I am being cast aside. I am suffocating in oppression. I am dying.” We must recognize that these words speak of the fate of all of us if things do not change soon. We all will find out “I can’t… Read more
June 17, 2020
Hierarchies
June 17, 2020 By Henry Karlson
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God, who is all good, established his creation so that he could share that goodness with others. But God is infinite and unbounded, while every created being has their own limitations and boundaries. As such, nothing created comes close in comparison to God. God is infinitely greater than anything which he created. Nonetheless, God created a diverse array of beings, each with their own potentiality, and through that potentiality, each has their own way(s) to approach God. Those with greater… Read more
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