In the martyrdom of St. Polycarp, we read one of the most common charges made against the Christians by Roman authorities: the accusation that Christians were atheists. Polycarp was asked to deny Christ, swear by Caesar, and say, “Away with the atheists,” that is, away with the Christians who deny the gods of Rome. Polycarp, as was often the case with the early martyrs, was willing to engage the words and use them against his accusers, to mock the abuse... Read more
This is the fourth post in a series on the titles of Mediatrix of All Graces and Co-Redemptrix. To read the first post, click here, to read the second post, click here, and to read the third, click here. Our discussion on the way Mary helps bring us grace should help us understand how and why she is given sometimes spoken about with the title Co-Redemptrix. This title, like her mediation which allows how to be called Mediatrix, comes from... Read more
In the first few centuries of Christian history, Christians were the outsiders, often looked upon with great suspicion, renegades worth of execution. The derision they faced was founded, in part, on gossip, where it was speculated, for example, that Christians were amoral libertines, engaged in orgies during their so-called “love-feasts,” while the product of their unions was said to be killed in infancy and fed to them during those same feasts. We find this, for example, in the opening sections... Read more
1. There is no God but God And Mary is His Mother. To and from the land of Nod, You will find no other. God is God, the divine One, God from God, divine Son, Glorify him with vocal tone, Singing, he is second to none. Proceeding forth, love from love, The Spirit is God, none-other, Reigning from heaven above We receive not another. Wherever we shall turn, God is to be found, In all vestiges, discern God is there,... Read more
It is often difficult for us to figure out our place in life. What are we supposed to do in it? Often, as the book of Ecclesiastes indicates, all we do seems to be in vain. Nothing seems to last. What, then, is the point? It seems all we leave behind is just rubbish. Do we just go about doing things without care for the good, taking life merely as a thing to enjoy when we are blessed by various... Read more
This is the third post in a series on the titles of Mediatrix of All Graces and Co-Redemptrix. To read the first post, click here, and to read the second post, click here. Just as Mary mediates our yes to God, and all that she has accomplished is handed over to Jesus who makes it his own and raises it higher through himself, so we find that Jesus sends grace back down, from himself, through her; she is the one... Read more
There is much confusion had by people when they hear that some “hope for the salvation of all.” While the intricate details of that hope are beyond our scope here, we are not going to set out and explain how God is able to work out that hope to make it possible. Instead, it is important to set a few things straight so that those arguing against such hope can argue against what it teaches and not what they erroneously... Read more
Note: this post and a previous one, On the Virtuous Life: The Good of Chastity in Marriage and in Celibacy were originally written as one piece, before I noted that the length required it to be split into two separate posts. I’ve tried to make each post able to be read on its own, making for some overlap between the two, but they are still best if read together.  Marriage was not established so that any and all forms... Read more
Doctor Who has been my favorite television series (and audio series) since I watched a Tom Baker story, Creature from the Pit, one auspicious Sunday evening of my youth. It was not the best Doctor Who story, and it should not have attracted me to the series. But it did. Long before the show became popular thanks to its rebirth, I have been a fan. And this is because I was able to see and enjoy this silly little story... Read more
This is the second post in a series on the titles of Mediatrix of All Graces and Co-Redemptrix. To read the first post, click here. A mediator is someone who represents two different parties. To say Jesus is the sole mediator between God and man does not say there are no mediators between Jesus and us. It is indicative, as we have seen, of the way only Jesus in his person, brings together divinity with humanity, restoring the original relationship... Read more
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