“We are an Easter People, and Alleluia is our song!” – Pope John Paul II. As Catholics, it is quite easy to fall into a sense of existential comfort. The most important battle – the fight for our salvation – has already been won by Christ. This victory, celebrated most clearly on Easter, cannot be understated. Nevertheless, there is a crucial reason why Catholicism uses a crucifix, not just a cross, as a symbol. It is because Christ’s victory was... Read more
“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28. As Catholics, the belief that Christ atoned for the sins of mankind is paramount. If human beings are to have any hope of being freed from sin and thereby obtaining eternal life, it can only be because Christ has paid the price incurred by sin. For the purpose of this paper, I will define atonement... Read more
We live in a secular, reductionist, and cynical time that views anything related to the transcendent with suspicion, if not with contempt. However, for most of human history, the belief that the universe was designed and created was widely accepted. While most belief systems emphasize the existence of a God or gods, a relatively recent theory offers a different perspective. In this essay, I will examine intelligent design, explain what it is, how it came to be, and explore whether... Read more
“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” – John 8:51. Every Catholic, indeed every person who has ever professed faith in God, has died. Many of those, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, have suffered greatly. How do we reconcile the suffering and death of so many faithful with the belief that God has saved us? Formulated differently, is it possible to speak meaningfully of salvation if suffering and death remain ever present to us?... Read more
Two propositions must be considered foundational for Catholic theology: the existence of God and the fact that God is a personal being. In this paper, I will seek to prove the validity of the second proposition, that God is a personal being. However, to do so, I must briefly examine the arguments for the first proposition, that is, God’s existence and what Catholicism means by God. While it may be tempting, it is logically questionable to make claims about the... Read more
God is immanent, and God is transcendent. That is, God is everywhere, and God is beyond human comprehension. Are these two claims contradictory? Is it possible for God to be present in all things and yet remain beyond human understanding? In this essay, I will analyze the belief that the God of the Bible is in all things while simultaneously being beyond all understanding. This I will do by first examining each of these two traits of God, transcendence and... Read more
Is there anything more quintessential to religious faith than prayer? Regardless of the faith tradition, prayer is an essential component of what it means to be a believer in God. Nevertheless, prayer can be, and frequently is, defined in several ways. At its most basic, prayer manifests one’s relationship with God. However, since one’s relationship with God is frequently multifaceted, prayer too often has varying aspects associated with it. In this paper, I will examine four components that comprise prayer.... Read more
Plato once observed that beginnings are the most critical aspect of any endeavor. This principle may be applied to religions as much as to any other enterprise. Doubtless, several factors have led to the growth and enduring success of Catholicism, but the work and sacrifice of many early Catholics cannot be understated. In this essay, I will briefly examine four men whose lives of virtue and holiness made them not only saints but fathers of the Church. It should be... Read more
It has been said that humans are rational beings whose nature it is to know (Aristotle. The Metaphysics. Penguin UK, 2004). Such an anthropology necessitates intelligibility at both ends of the epistemological spectrum, the capacity of the mind to know, and the presence of intelligibility in the world that allows it to be understood. The concept of intelligibility is critical to the human endeavor. Only because the philosopher, the theologian, and the scientist presuppose the existence of order and intelligibility,... Read more
“Remember man, thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.” It is the season when the faithful are reminded that they are sinners who will die. While that may not be the most uplifting of concepts, the call to repentance and the reminder of our mortality has a long and meaningful history in the Catholic tradition. In this essay, I will examine three subjects that are vital to the Catholic teachings on repentance and mortality: ashes, Lent, and... Read more
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