Alexander Pope gave us the famous dictum, “To err is human; to forgive is divine.” One of the central elements of the Christian faith is its teaching on forgiveness. First, it reveals to us that God’s love is so great, God is willing to and able to forgive us, no matter what we have done. There is nothing which is unforgiveable so long as we embrace and accept forgiveness. But then it tells us, once we have been forgiven, we... Read more
J.R.R. Tolkien’s background such as having a priest, Fr. Morgan, as his guardian after his mother died, as well as his education, with his love for languages and ancient traditions, helped form his personal liturgical preferences. They led him to be disappointed in the various Catholic liturgical developments which occurred after Vatican II, as those changes were not in accord with his own predispositions. However, unlike many who hold similar liturgical inclinations, Tolkien understood the church could and did have... Read more
There is something rather twisted coming from so-called traditionalists who claim to represent the traditions of the Catholic Church, and they do so to try to justify themselves when they make it clear they reject the authority of the Pope. If they represent any kind of tradition, it is not Catholic tradition, but rather, the tradition of schismatics and heretics. Like schismatics and heretics in the past, they declare, without authority to do so, that what the Pope has authoritatively... Read more
Jesus offers himself in the eucharist as an act of love, giving us a chance to partake of him, and by doing so, find ourselves united with him and his life. We are not meant to treat the eucharist as some sort of magical talisman which helps us achieve our petty desires, nor as something which reinforces our selfish, egotistical mode of engagement with the world, but rather, as a gift of love which helps us to become what we... Read more
Fasting can be an invaluable tool. It helps us learn how to discipline ourselves. But, it should not be made into something it is not. It is only a tool. We must not think that if someone fasts they are holy. Someone can fast and still commit all kinds of great evil. We can fast and still be murderers. We can fast and still show cruelty to the poor and needy. We can fast while making a mockery out of... Read more
All one has to do is look at the border between Mexico and the United States, and the way so many Christians treat the border, to see how perverted the Christian faith has become in the United States. Instead of looking for a way to help migrants and refugees, who come to the border in extreme need, many Christians want to do whatever they can to hurt them, to make them pay for trying to come into the United States... Read more
Pride is a greater sin, indeed, a greater threat to the soul, than many, if not most, of those sins more routinely discussed in sermons, especially “sins of the flesh.” Anyone who is prideful of their own “purity,” that is, in their chastity, and look down upon others who have not been so “pure,” fail to see the greater impurity such pride has produced in their soul. Pride has people becoming judgmental, deeming their superiority means they have the right... Read more
Christian Scripture warns us of the possibility of hell, that is, of eternal perdition, but it also tells us of the possibility of the restoration of all things as it says God is going to be all-in-all, and the final enemy will be overcome. Hans Urs von Balthasar, understanding both positions are indicated in Scripture, said it would be a mistake trying to create and assert as necessary any synthesis we make of those two possibilities because we do not... Read more
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, we hear about a man who had two sons. One of them, the younger of the two, asked his father to be given his inheritance so he could go off and live life as he saw fit. Because he loved his son, the father did as he was asked, however saddened he was to do so. The elder son, on the other hand, stayed with his father, and helped him take care of... Read more
God’s all-deifying love is for all. God desires to share it with everyone, for God is love. If there were someone God did not love, then God’s love would be conditional, making it something which is not essential to God. There can be and will be nothing lacking in God’s love for creation, for there is nothing which is lacking in God. Where there is any deficiency in love, it is in us and our reception of God’s love. God’s... Read more
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