We all tend to look to others, desiring the approval of our peers. There is, to be sure, something natural about that: we are social creatures, and having our thoughts and deeds affirmed by others makes us feel as if we have found our place in society. The problem is that this easily turns into vainglory. We more than seek after the approval of others, we desire to be praised, to hear how great others think us to be. The... Read more
The Great Fast, Lent, is not only the time set aside to prepare the faithful for the Paschal (Easter) celebration, it is also the time during which the faithful should reflect upon their temporal existence and their preparation for their participation in the Resurrection of Christ at their own resurrection in the eschaton. The time of Lent can be seen to represent temporal, earthly existence and the slow spiritual evolution or pilgrimage of life which we go through before we... Read more
Saint Augustine with the way he understood original sin and salvation, suggested that the number of the saved would likely be far less than those who are damned, giving us the notion of the massa damnata, the great mass of the damned. In recent times, theologians with universalistic hopes have emerged, daring to hope that all might be saved, if not actually believing that some form of universal salvation will be the eschatological outcome. Because Augustine’s ideas were replicated by... Read more
The sexual abuse crisis affecting the Catholic Church, the sexual abuse crisis affecting society as a whole (for we find abuse in government, in Hollywood, in schools, in other religious traditions, and in our families) must be seen as a crisis which requires everyone to work together in order to establish a just and proper conclusion. Neither the hierarchy of the institutional church, the laity, the media, nor the secular government, can solve the abuse crisis alone. They must work... Read more
Jesus Christ, being the God-man, that is, being a divine person who assumed human nature to himself, is said to have two wills, one according to his divinity and one according to his humanity. This teaching sometimes confuses people because of how they understand what it means to will. If he is one person, should he not have one will? But, St. Maximos, the great theologian of the will, reminded us, the will is best attributed to nature, not to... Read more
There are many ways Christians find themselves engaging and reflecting upon the nature of the Christian faith in relation to other religions. Christian theological reflection on the status of non-Christian religion is underscored by many different theologies of religion, that is, many different theological interpretations which explain not only why other religions exist, but also, what Christians can think about their status in relation to the Christian faith.[1] Likewise, Christians, seeking to understand the freedom we all should have to... Read more
Early Christians, writing with the vigor of a newfound faith which had yet to deal with the messy issue of being a faith that extended through long periods of history, looked upon the great moral improvements promoted by Christians as representing the superiority of the Christian faith to other religions.[1] Christians worked together, lived together, suffered and died together, showed their love for one another – as well as for their persecutors.[2] It is easy to see how and why... Read more
Teaching, especially teaching in a leadership position, guiding others so they learn not only what to think but how to think and act, is a very important activity. Communities need teachers not only to pass down their values, but to reform them when needed. Not all beliefs, not all ideas, should be passed down. We are all called, in a way, to be teachers, because we all have something to share with others. Nonetheless, we are not all the same,... Read more
To be a person is to be social in nature: this is a truth, not only within humanity, but divinity itself. For the Trinity demonstrates God is personal, not because God has some created other as a partner (though he does), but because in the eternity of God, the Father begets the Son and the Spirit spirates from the Father and through the Son. The inter-personal relationship of the Trinitarian persons is a divine society, forming the foundation for all... Read more
In the sixteenth century, accusations against the Jews led to the confiscation and examination of many important Jewish works, like the Talmud, in order to determine whether or not they should be destroyed. Some recent Jewish converts, combined with some influential Dominicans, had encouraged this, and the emperor, Maximillian I, at first followed their advice, until he stayed his decision and decided to ask the Archbishop of Mainz what he should done. Thankfully, the archbishop asked two scholars, one of... Read more
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