Two Forms of Meditation

Last updated on: June 6, 2019 at 3:07 am By Henry Karlson

There are several ways to practice meditation. Each of them can provide unique encounters with grace, helping those who practice them become spiritually mature. It is possible to divide all of these practices into two particular types. The first could be described as kataphatic, embracing kataphatic theology and the attempt for imaginative or deliberative contemplation. The second could be described as apophatic, leading away from all discursive thought and into a silent union with the divine. That is, some forms... Read more

Those Who Promote A Coup Against Pope Francis Must Face The Consequences Of Their Actions

Last updated on: June 4, 2019 at 6:55 am By Henry Karlson

St. Augustine, writing against the Manichaeans, explained how heretics often wanted to identify themselves as Catholics, but yet no one, not even the heretics themselves, would point to their chapel when a stranger asked them where Catholics meet: The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter, to whom the Lord, after His resurrection, gave it in charge to feed His sheep, down to the present episcopate. And so, lastly, does the name itself... Read more

The Peaceable Kingdom and Us: We Must Fulfill Our Responsibility to Creation

Last updated on: June 3, 2019 at 6:05 am By Henry Karlson

Paul believed that Christ’s work on the cross was not just for but for the whole of creation. All things are brought together and made one. The whole of created being is brought together and shown to be one. God became not just a man, but a creature, a part of created being, so that all that has been created can be raised up and partake of the eternal kingdom of God. “For in him all the fulness of God... Read more

The Glorification of the Son: A Reflection on The Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council

Last updated on: June 2, 2019 at 4:14 am By Henry Karlson

It might seem strange that the last Sunday of the Byzantine Paschal cycle, coming after the Ascension, focuses on the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, that is, the Fathers of I Nicea. And yet, if one reflects upon the way the Father glorifies Jesus through his resurrection, then the relationship becomes more apparent: the Council of Nicea, in affirming the divinity of Jesus, affirms the glorification which the Father gives to the Son, the glorification which is given to... Read more

Ascended Beyond Space and Time

Last updated on: May 30, 2019 at 3:22 am By Henry Karlson

The final act of Jesus’ historical earthly ministry was his ascension into heaven. After his resurrection from the death, he enlightened the Apostles, showing them the correspondence between prophecy and what he had accomplished. Then he set them up to lead the church, giving it the foundation it needed to continue throughout history so that he could then ascend, exiting, as it were, the spatial-temporal mode of being: Then he said to them, “These are my words which I spoke... Read more

The Pope’s Important Words To A World Being Torn Apart By Nationalistic Ideologies

Last updated on: May 28, 2019 at 3:37 am By Henry Karlson

As the results of various elections indicate, right-wing nationalists are slowly rising in power in Europe. In the United Kingdom’s European elections, the Brexit Party, led by hard-liner Nigel Farage, garnished the most votes of a single party, while in Italy, Lega Nord, the far-right “league” party headed by Matteo Salvini came out on top. These nationalists often give rise to dangerous rhetoric against outsiders, with Muslims often on the receiving end of unjust bigotry. The rise of far-right nationalism... Read more

Life Is A Dream

Last updated on: May 27, 2019 at 3:35 am By Henry Karlson

In trying to console his friend, the decaconess St Olympia, St John Chrysostom reminded her of a truth understood by the ancient world, that in a sense, life is but a dream, a fable. When we wake up from sleep, we do not care about the glories and honors, or the pains and sorrows, we suffered in our dreams. Likewise, we shall have little to no care about those things once we reach the eschaton: Therefore, do not be cast... Read more

Healed From Blindness

Last updated on: May 26, 2019 at 4:12 am By Henry Karlson

I come to You, O Christ, blind from birth in my spiritual eyes. And I call to You in repentance: You are the most radiant light of those in darkness! (Kontakion of the Sunday of the Man Born Blind). For the Sixth Sunday of the Paschal Season, the Byzantine tradition commemorates the man born blind (Jn. 9:1-34). As demonstrated by the Kontakion for the Sunday, we are to led to see the relationship between Christ’s work with the man born... Read more

Even Without Expecting Utopia We Must Work To Make Things Better

Last updated on: May 23, 2019 at 3:08 am By Henry Karlson

Catholic Social Teaching cannot be dismissed as an optional part of the Catholic faith. It is not only a part of the deposit of faith, it represents a major part of it. Scripture presents social justice as an inherent part of the Gospel, even as it was a major part of the preparation of the Gospel with the people of Israel. Social justice is not some secondary extra to the faith: it is a part of the faith itself. There... Read more

Cardinal Burke’s Fight Against Religious Liberty and the Ideals of the United States

Last updated on: May 22, 2019 at 10:57 am By Henry Karlson

Cardinal Burke, once again promoting an alt-right ideology which counters the Christian faith, called for limiting Muslim immigrants into the United States, saying such would be patriotic. Without a sense of irony, he gave this statement at a so-called “Pro-Life” March in Rome on May 17, 2019, demonstrating that his position is hostile to the dignity of all humanity, thinking that preference can and should be given to some over others according to one’s religion (or lack thereof). Such a... Read more