Terms like sin and the soul are both old and familiar to most people of faith. How often, however, do we stop and think about the meaning and significance of these terms? In this paper, I would like to examine the relationship between the soul and sin. Specifically, the affect that sin has upon the soul. For the most part, Catholic theology draws its understanding of the soul from the work of Thomas Aquinas. In turn, Aquinas’ view was influenced... Read more
The title of this article may be misleading. A more accurate rendition would be “The seven last phrases (or sayings) of Christ.” Questions of semantics aside, the seven last words refer to the final statements of Christ leading up to His death. As one would expect, the words spoken by Christ have been the subject of study and speculation for two thousand years, and “the seven last words” are no exception. In this article, I will review each of the... Read more
“Ain’t there nothing sacred no more, lord, ain’t there nothing sacred no more?” – David Allan Coe A Church is broken into, and the Tabernacle is stolen. A person curses God. These are examples of sacrilege and blasphemy. In a secular and postmodern world, these terms will likely be considered old-fashioned or even ignorant. Yet these examples raise an important question. Has human history reached a place where there is no room for the transcendent? And if that is the... Read more
The Gospels tell us that Jesus suffered greatly in His earthly life, and Jesus Himself prophesizes about His suffering as we read in the Gospel of Luke. “The Son of Man [Jesus] must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” Yet the fact that Jesus suffered presents a dilemma. The dilemma rests on three propositions: that Jesus is God, that God is impassible,... Read more
It seems to me that any discussion on Catholic social teaching must begin with three presuppositions or first principles. They are that human beings are created in the image of God, that we are social animals by nature, and that the Triune God is communal. With those three presuppositions as a point of departure, I will examine seven themes of social teaching in the Catholic tradition. Before commencing, however, defining what is meant by Catholic social teaching may be... Read more
We are at war with ourselves. Within every person, a conflict exists between the spirit and the body. From a Catholic perspective, the outcome of that conflict is essential to the salvation of the soul. In this paper, I will discuss an essential weapon in the conflict between body and soul; mortification. I will begin by discussing the need for mortification and how it is depicted in the Bible. Lastly, I will examine the various types of mortification common in... Read more
In the wake of tragedy, one often hears, “our thoughts and prayers are with the victims.” Recently, this seemly harmless bromide has been met with ridicule. While one expects any statement pertaining to faith to be attacked by atheists and agnostics, the phrase “thoughts and prayers” is now being held in contempt by religious people, including Christians. One such example of a Christian criticizing “thoughts and prayers” comes from the Chaplin of the United States Senate. Following the murder of... Read more
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” – Matthew 28:19-20. Every person in the Bible who encounters God is sent on a mission. From Abraham and Moses to Peter and Paul, to encounter God is to be tasked with doing His work. This holds not just at the level of the... Read more
God is simple. It seems almost blasphemous to write those words, so ingrained is the belief that simplicity often connotes a negative term. A thing is considered simple if it is unsophisticated. This interpretation is not, however, what theology means, and the term Divine simplicity is a crucial concept in the Catholic understanding of God. In this paper, I will endeavor to explain what Divine simplicity means, its significance in understanding God, and some of the difficulties associated with Divine... Read more
As a convert to Catholicism, I am always amazed by the faith’s beauty and traditions. Yet one of the most startling and, if I may be allowed, strange practices held by Catholicism are those of relics. In this essay, I will explain this unusual and ancient tradition and the biblical basis for its use. I will begin by exploring what exactly relics are and their purpose. Lastly, I will review the types of relics maintained by the Catholic Church and... Read more
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