“Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” – Philippians 2:6-8. As is often the case with Scripture, the above verse from Philippians is intricate and inclusive of several significant theological implications. Accepting that the author of... Read more
The foundation of the Catholic faith is the belief in God. Yet it seems belief in God presupposes knowledge. One cannot believe in something one is entirely ignorant of. This fact leads to the purpose of this paper, how can one come to know God? To address this question, I will discuss how human beings come to the knowledge of something and whether it is possible to have knowledge of God. Epistemology Epistemology is a term used predominantly to refer... Read more
Every art and science has its own unique set of terms and language. This is true of theology, as well. One such term is the communication of idioms. In the following paper, I will endeavor to explain what is meant by the communication of idioms. I will then seek to place the idioms within the broader context of ontology and the Catholic doctrine of the hypostatic union. Idioms, Union, And Ontology The phrase communication of idioms is a term of... Read more
Is there anything more symbolic of religion than miracles? The concept of God intervening in a person(s) life is almost quintessential to the religious experience. Unfortunately, the secular and skeptical age we live in takes a dim view of miracles, seeing them as unscientific or superstitious. This interpretation is, of course, a misunderstanding of the nature of miracles specifically and causality generally. In this paper, I will discuss what miracles are (and are not) and enumerate five principles essential to... Read more
Catholicism is not about doctrine or philosophy or even about the Bible. At its core, Catholicism is about a person, Jesus Christ. The study of that person within Catholic theology is called Christology. In this paper, I will endeavor to provide a brief introduction to a subject that is exceedingly rich and complex. I will discuss how Christology developed in the Church and the two main types of Christology. Lastly, I will address Christology’s importance in the Catholic faith. The... Read more
One of the most common traits shared by the saints and by religious people, in general, is spiritual dryness. Many of the most significant Catholics in the tradition’s history – from John of the Cross to Mother Teresa – have experienced and written about encountering spiritual dryness. In this article, I will discuss what spiritual dryness means, why it is experienced, and how many spiritual masters in the Catholic tradition have dealt with it. First, defining what Catholicism means by... Read more
“This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Such was the response of many who heard the words of Jesus that day in the synagogue in Capernaum. What did Jesus’ audience find so difficult to accept? In this article, I will discuss one of the most – if not the most – theologically significant statements in the Bible. It is also one of the strangest and most challenging to understand. John 6:54 In the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel,... Read more
The philosopher Immanuel Kant thought that religion could be and should be reduced to ethics. For Kant and the philosophers of the enlightenment, the value of religion was limited to the virtues it inculcated. In this article, the third paper in a series on sin and virtue, I will discuss what the Catholic Church has categorized as the theological and cardinal virtues. Previously, I had endeavored to examine the seven deadly sins and the seven heavenly virtues. I will begin... Read more
Not without reason, religion – including Catholicism – is often seen as a set of rules and things one is forbidden to do. While sin certainly plays a significant role in Catholic thought, so does virtue. Virtue may be defined as traits and behaviors that characterize a good person. Put differently, virtue “is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself.... Read more
Sin and virtue are, of course, of great importance to Catholicism. In this work, I will begin a three-part series on sin and virtue. Specifically, I will discuss the seven deadly sins, the seven lively virtues, and the seven heavenly virtues. I will commence with the seven deadly sins. The existence of sin is one of the most ubiquitous aspects of the biblical faiths. Judaism classifies six hundred and thirteen commandments that it identifies as sinful acts. In Islam, too,... Read more
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