Catholic Education, Franciscan University, and the Pseudo-Catholic Media

Last updated on: January 15, 2019 at 3:25 pm By Henry Karlson

The writings of St. Clement of Alexandria have long been criticized and censored by those who thought they were scandalous. He was a convert, a philosopher, a humanist, a catechist, and a major patristic theologian who often reflected upon and engaged the views of a diverse group of thinkers, many of whom he contested but nonetheless thought their ideas were important enough to mention to his readers. He wanted Christians to know what was being said by Christians, non-Christians, and... Read more

Mystical Theology of Dionysius: Transcendental God-Talk. Conclusion. Part Nine.

Last updated on: January 14, 2019 at 4:05 am By Henry Karlson

While the truth must present itself to us, instead of us trying to establish and create it for ourselves, we can speak of it in various symbolic ways, even as we can and do encounter it through several such symbols. That is, as we grasp after the transcendent and we encounter it, we take back with us the various ways it reveals itself to us, giving us the means by which we can speak of it. In our love for... Read more

Abraham The Migrant

Last updated on: January 10, 2019 at 8:01 am By Henry Karlson

Abraham, the great patriarch and prophet, was called by God to live the life of a migrant: Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I... Read more

Love is the Answer

Last updated on: January 8, 2019 at 4:10 am By Henry Karlson

When asked by a scribe which commandment was the greatest of all, Jesus said that it was love – love for God first, and then love for one’s neighbor: Jesus answered, “The first is, `Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, `You shall love your... Read more

Mystical Theology of Dionysius: Transcendental God-Talk. Conclusion. Part Eight

Last updated on: January 7, 2019 at 4:04 am By Henry Karlson

The truth is something which is revealed, and not something which we create or establish through our intellectual pursuits. This does not mean such pursuits are worthless. They are to be used to help us understand what has been revealed. What we can establish is a derivative representation of the truth, but such a representation is true so long as we do not hold it as absolute: we must let it participate in and unite with the absolute truth itself... Read more

The Theophany and the Cleansing of the Earth

Last updated on: January 5, 2019 at 7:48 am By Henry Karlson

The contamination and pollution of nature, caused by human sin, can be seen defacing the world over. Consumeristic greed enjoys the bounties of the world, the fruits of nature, while ignoring the needs of nature itself. Waters are polluted. The food which we eat is contaminated. The air we breathe is filled with various toxic fumes. The rain which comes down to water the ground is acidic, destroying what it touches. Climate changes, with excessive heat melting the polar ice... Read more

The Shared Hope of Hans Urs von Balthasar and Origen

Last updated on: January 3, 2019 at 8:30 am By Henry Karlson

Hans Urs von Balthasar famously taught that we should hope that everyone will be saved. As I have explained in my book, The Eschatological Judgment of Christ, Balthasar’s hope was only that, a hope, not a certainty that all would be saved. He was hopeful that God’s desired end, the salvation of all, could happen, but he stood against those who thought they knew this would happen: he was not a universalist. Likewise, contrary to the way some might think... Read more

Saint Basil the Great

Last updated on: January 1, 2019 at 4:06 am By Henry Karlson

Saint Basil the Great once challenged his listeners by asking them, “How can I bring the sufferings of the poor to your attention, so that you might realize from what misery you are collecting riches for yourself?” [1] This challenge was one which he knew personally. He was raised as a member of a large, wealthy Christian family. His family’s resources allowed him to receive a great education in Caesarea Mazaca, Constantinople, and Athens, before engaging a practice of law... Read more

Mystical Theology of Dionysius: Transcendental God-Talk. Conclusion. Part Seven

Last updated on: December 31, 2018 at 4:08 am By Henry Karlson

We can speak of the truth, because the absolute truth is indeed true. But when we speak of it, all we can do is speak of the truth in a relative form, that is, in a conventional form which we must distinguish from the absolute truth itself. When we try to ascend beyond the relative truth through abstraction, we will never reach the absolute truth as it is in itself. We could, through this process, establish a better representation of... Read more

Against Triumphalism

Last updated on: December 27, 2018 at 4:05 am By Henry Karlson

The Matrix Reloaded and The Last Jedi share much in common. Both films were highly criticized by fans because they were radically different from the style and storylines fans expected of them. In the original Matrix, Neo was established as a kind of messianic savior who would save humanity from machines which had taken control of the world; in all previous Star Wars films, the Jedi were presented with all pretense of romantic triumphalism, suggesting that with the return of... Read more

I came to Jesus at night to ask about being born again. Who was this Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council?