The Eucharist Is Not Mere Flesh And Blood

Last updated on: May 25, 2023 at 2:45 am By Henry Karlson

The eucharist is the real, sacramental presence of Jesus. The real presence is not about how Jesus comes to us, giving us a mere portion of his flesh and blood (infused with his soul and divinity). Communion should not be overly simplified in this fashion. Sadly, because of the way it is often taught in popular literature, many Catholics and non-Catholics misunderstand the real presence, thinking it implies that communion gives the faithful some physical portion of Christ’s body. This... Read more

God Is Mercy

Last updated on: May 23, 2023 at 2:05 am By Henry Karlson

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St. Leo the Great pointed out that God works with us, indeed, with the whole world, with mercy. God’s love is long-suffering and patient. God never desires to punish us but rather, to find a way for us to receive every grace we need to overcome the consequences of our sins. Nonetheless, Leo also explained, God does not force us to do so. If we don’t embrace God’s mercy and grace, we will have to face the punishment which we... Read more

Legends of Nicea

Last updated on: May 21, 2023 at 2:51 am By Henry Karlson

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Due to the importance of the council, and the limited historical records we have coming out of it, the Council of Nicea has become the stuff of legends. Stories have been told about it which have little to no empirical history to back them up. Some of them, like the story told about St. Nicholas punching Arius, have every indication of being pure fabrication. While it is possible St. Nicholas was at the council, as we do not have a... Read more

The Ascension And The Eucharist

Last updated on: May 18, 2023 at 2:49 am By Henry Karlson

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Christ’s ascent into heaven after the resurrection should not be understood merely as a physical elevation, as if he took off like a rocket, going to outer-space. It is about a metaphysical elevation, that is, the completion of the transformation of human nature as it is glorified and brought into the eschaton. This is portrayed symbolically; we are presented with a description of the ascent where it is said that he ascended into the sky, into the heavens. This presentation... Read more

How Can Pope Francis Promote Coptic Martyrs As Catholic Saints?

Last updated on: May 17, 2023 at 5:22 am By Henry Karlson

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The way Pope Francis placed 21 Coptic martyrs into the official Roman Catholic martyrology has left some people confused. How can Catholics recognize non-Catholic martyrs as saints? Even if Catholics can do it unofficially, should not the breach in communion between Rome and Alexandria make it that they are not given official status? Yet, the history of the church shows this is not unknown. We can find many saints whose status of saints can be seen as surprising if we... Read more

The Development Of Christian Doctrine And Human Dignity

Last updated on: May 16, 2023 at 2:45 am By Henry Karlson

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The Christian faith proclaims that each and every human person is inherently dignified because they are made in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gen. 1:26). While many believe this means that only humanity is made in the image and likeness of God, that is not what the text says. All it says is that humanity was made in God’s image. Just like saying every dog is a mammal does not mean every mammal is a dog, so that... Read more

Sometimes, There Is No One To Blame

Last updated on: May 14, 2023 at 2:48 am By Henry Karlson

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When we see someone who is truly down and out, such as some homeless man or woman living on the streets, we try to figure out what happened to them. What has led them to being in such a bad position? Was it something they did? Was it something others did to them? Who, exactly, is responsible? Some will try to blame the man or woman whom they see, others will blame society. Perhaps, in some situations, both claims will... Read more

Holiness Is Not Manipulative

Last updated on: May 12, 2023 at 2:46 am By Henry Karlson

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Holiness, true holiness, is developed through acts of love, love which is given to God, of course, but also love which is given to and shown to our neighbor. Since performance piety is not based upon love, but rather the desire to receive accolades for what we do, even if it might contain some good, it does not led us to the perfection of love expected from us. If all we can do at a particular time is give thoughts... Read more

Guns, Violence, And Death: The Spirit Of Anti-Christ

Last updated on: May 10, 2023 at 10:27 am By Henry Karlson

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Jesus is the lord of life. Seeing the way he promotes and affirms the value of all life, including and especially those who are treated as outcasts and less than human by society, Christians should promote the dignity of all human life, making sure everyone can attain and experience abundant life (cf. Jn. 10:10). Likewise, Jesus is the prince of peace, which means Christians should be servants of peace (cf. Isa. 9:6). Sadly, the way many Christians act, they seem... Read more

The Greatest Thing We Can Say About God Is Nothing

Last updated on: May 9, 2023 at 2:46 am By Henry Karlson

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Nothing. God is so great, no matter how sophisticated our words are, no matter how nuanced they are, they will always fail to comprehend God and God’s essence. They can serve as relative, conventional presentations of the truth as long as we accept that the ultimate truth lies beyond what is said, that is, when we recognize that they serve as pointers to the great, transcendent majesty of God. It is in this fashion that they help us apprehend God,... Read more