I discovered this unusual image in El Salvador in the chapel where Archbishop Oscar Romero was murdered. It is, of course, Teresa of Avila–who wears the biretta as a sign of her erudition as a doctor of the church. Now that Therese of Lisieux is also a Doctor of the Church it would be interesting to know if there are any images of her in a biretta…I think Mantilla the Hon might have something to say about this… Read more
Did you know that the original Infant of Prague was owned by St Teresa of Avila? Here’s the story: In 1628 the small, 19″ wooden, wax coated statue was given by the Spanish princess Polyxena Lobkowicz to the Discalced Carmelites. The princess who was Spanish, had received the statue as a wedding gift in 1603 from her mother, María Manrique de Lara y Mendoza, a Spanish noblewoman. She, in turn, had received it as a wedding gift in 1555 and... Read more
Jump over here for my latest article for Integrated Catholic Life. It’s about lessons in communicating the Catholic faith from C.S.Lewis. Read more
As a fundamentalist boy I had to learn my Bible verses from the King James Bible. One I remember clearly is Hebrews 11.1 “For faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” For some reason I always loved the way that rolled off the tongue. It had a marvelous and mysterious meaning. I knew it sounded grand, but didn’t really know what it meant. What does it mean that faith is the substance... Read more
Do similarities between pagan religions and Christianity dis prove the Christian claims? To understand the relationship between pagan religions and Christianity it is important to understand the Catholic idea of the ‘development of doctrine.’ This was first set out by fifth century theologian Vincent of Lerins.In this excerpt from his writings he explains how truth develops within the church. This is based in Christ’s statements that he has other things that he cannot tell his disciples now, and his promise that... Read more
Guest blogger Mantilla Amontillado is the founder of Veritas Vestments. She holds a degree in Ecclesiastical Haberdashery from Salamanca University. She has done the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella three times on horseback and is engaged to the famous matador, Senor Augusto Torquemada. Hey hon! I sorry I not been talking for so long, but my business, Veritas Vestments is going real fast like one of the bulls that is running through the streets of Pamplona. You are asking me... Read more
London’s Daily Telegraph reports an article from a top neurosurgeon who says he went to heaven during and near death experience. Heaven was full of pink fluffy clouds and shimmering winged beings and lovely music and there was a pretty lady too who went with him on his out of body journey. The Telegraph also reports Professor Colin Blakemore’s skeptical response. You can read that one here. What are we to make of NDEs? For the believer they confirm his... Read more
The religious life requires faith, but what is ‘faith’? One of the greatest misunderstandings among believers and non-believers alike is the concept of ‘faith’. Let’s rattle through the misconceptions before we try to say what ‘faith’ really is. First is the idea that faith is ‘blind’. The non believers often blame believers for believing something which we know isn’t true. We are accused of not only having blind faith, but demanding it of others. We are accused of not allowing... Read more
Today’s poll from the Pew Forum tells us that nearly one in five Americans are ‘nones’. That is to say, they do not affiliate with any religious denomination. Fox News headlines it as “America No Longer Has a Protestant Majority.” The reality is that all the denominations are down and an increasing number of Americans are choosing not to join a church at all. Why is this? Lots of reasons: There are social and demographic reasons. 1. Increased mobility. Religion... Read more
I’ve got this exciting new theory I want to try out on you. I’ve just thought of it myself, and maybe it’s old hat and been around forever, but I’m only a convert, so if it is the classical spiritual teaching of some great monastic teacher or spiritual director and I’ve never heard of it, then it’s my bad. This is it: There are the seven deadly sins, and we call them the ‘Capital Sins’ because they are like the... Read more
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Fr. Dwight Longenecker
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