We are not to judge others because we rarely have the basis to make a proper judgment about them. All we know is what we see. That is, we judge by external appearances. We judge by the things they let us see. We judge by looking at and examining a few actions. Thus, if what we know of someone is one or two actions they have done, no matter how good or bad they are, we do not know enough... Read more
The Christian faith presents the great, transcendent mystery of God, a mystery which is includes God’s loving relationship with us. Human language cannot properly express the fullness of the truth, but it can point to it. We can be directed to where it is to be found. We can, as it were, apprehend it, but we can never comprehend it. That apprehension, however, does allow us to have access to the truth, and through that access, to discern how some... Read more
The dignity of work is intricately linked to the dignity of the worker. Work for work’s sake is idolatrous. Work is meant for a purpose, which is, to help with the common good, a good which is to include the needs of the workers themselves. If a worker does not get their proper share of the common good, or if work does not contribute to the common good, but subverts it, as happens when many rich employers exploit workers, then... Read more
Jesus said he came to help the poor, to heal those suffering from all kinds of diseases and physical ailments, indeed, to liberate the oppressed from their oppression. He made this clear when he read from Isaiah and said that the words of the prophet were fulfilled by him, experienced by those in his presence: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to... Read more
It is Christian belief that the fullness of revelation is not bound to a book, or a collection of religious texts, but is given to us in a person, that of Jesus Christ. He is the God-man, the Logos or Son of God who became man in order to reveal to us that God is love. We are not to understand this love in some sort of abstract fashion, nor that such love can exist as a monad cut off... Read more
God seeks to do what can be done to make things right with us. God does not wish to punish us. God certainly does not desire us to suffer eternal perdition (cf. 2 Ptr. 3:9). God loves the world and all that is found in it (cf. Jn. 3:16). Through that love, God will do all that is possible to help us, to save us, even from ourselves and our rejection of divine love itself (that rejection is seen in... Read more
Humanity, like the rest of creation, is naturally good. God saw all things and saw they were good (cf. Gen. 1:31). Though, we often say, when we fail to live up to our potential, that it is due to something in our nature, in truth, it is not human nature which is bad, but rather, our failing is personal. That is, when we go astray, we do so as persons, persons who abuse or subvert the goodness of our nature... Read more
Scripture is full of prophets warning people about the consequences of their sins. And, sadly, it seems that the prophets’ warnings were not often heeded. Indeed, the people would listen to anyone else but them, anyone who would tell them what they wanted to hear instead of what they needed to hear. They would point to those who said they could continue on as they are, saying that they, not the prophets, were right. Of course, they did so at... Read more
Grace, and with it, holiness, is something which spreads the more people of good will come together. Indeed, even those who are not so holy, when they encounter holy men and women, will find that such holiness will inspire them, and likely have them make some changes in their lives (while most of the time, that change might be small, every so often, it will be huge). This is because holiness does not just stay in place but radiates from... Read more
Paul, in the book of Romans, gives one of the great foundations for the Christian understanding of the conscience. He suggests that everyone has been given a conscience and that they will be judged on the basis by which they follow its promptings in their lives: When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that what the law... Read more
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