Every so often, there will be a report in the news indicating the openness the Catholic Church has for the existence of aliens. From stories about Br. Guy Consolmagno, who runs the Vatican Observatory in Arizona, making it clear that the church is interested in the possibility of alien life, to Pope Francis indicating he would baptize an alien if an alien came to him and asked for it, it sometimes appears that the Catholic Church not only has embraced... Read more
Jeremiah got a sense of how God’s eternity relates to our creaturely existence in the way that God, from all eternity, knew Jeremiah and his mission in the world: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5 RSV). This is not a verse, as many think, that indicates anything about the personhood of the person in the womb; rather, it... Read more
Not only did Paul come to believe in Jesus, he also came to believe that he had been given a special mission by Jesus, one which granted him apostolic authority. Nonetheless, he knew he couldn’t act upon that mission until he was accepted by the church. This required him to humble himself, which was not easy for him to do. He had to address those whom he previously persecuted, explaining to them why they should accept him, not only as... Read more
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philip. 2:4 RSV). What Paul said here applies universally, and is a good standard, not just for Christians, but for everyone. We should be concerned about the common good. We should desire to work together, doing what we can to make things better for everyone. We must understand that our interest must not be in the promotion and service of money, but... Read more
Rigid legalism offers us an unbearable burden which can and will wear us out if we succumb to its temptation. If we heed its call, it will place more and more demands upon us, until, at last, we find it tries to obligate us to something which we cannot do. For, it is clear, its demands are never-ending, while our potential is limited. So long as we think we must obey its every whim, we will not be able to... Read more
Jesus taught the public through stories. “With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything” (Mk. 4:33-34 RSV). Through stories, we can express our hopes and fears, our thoughts and desires, and work through all kinds of speculations and ideas which we have in our minds. While stories are written and shared, in part,... Read more
The Seventh Ecumenical Council, the Council of II Nicea (787) made it clear that we are to honor God in many fashions, including and especially through the use of images. Idolatry, to be sure, remains a sin, but just because idols use images does not mean the use of images itself is idolatry (just as everything that moves is not a horse). Idolatry has us give the kind of worship and love which is due to God, the absolute, to... Read more
It should not be surprising that for the 60th anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II, critics of its implementation once again attacked the notion that the faithful should follow the “spirit of Vatican II.” They show, in and through their criticism, that their understanding of dogmatic theology, and how it is engaged, is limited at best, and heretical at worst. Not only do they want to restrict the Christian faith to dogmatic declarations, they think those declarations must... Read more
“Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited” (Rom. 12:16 RSV). We are to give to everyone, especially those society looks down upon, love and respect. We must support human dignity. Those whom others would like to ignore, must not ignored; their inherent dignity must be made clear so that they can find their proper place in society. Everyone should lovingly engage everyone else; we should all try to treat... Read more
One of the things the Christian faith teaches us is that we are in this together, that we must not look out solely for our own good, ignoring the needs of others. The story of Cain and Abel, in part, shows the spirit of individualism and where it leads. For Cain has no care or concern for his brother; indeed, he is willing to kill his bother for his own gain. In the end, he suffers the consequences of his... Read more
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