“Behold your mother.” What follows is an introduction to Mary. I will review the four dogmas of the Catholic Church concerning Mary and seek to address some criticisms of Mariology in Catholic theology. Finally, I will show how Mary remains a model for Catholics. Mary of Nazareth Approximately fifteen miles west of the Sea of Galilee, in the northern district of present-day Israel, lies the City of Nazareth. At the time of Mary’s birth, around 18 BC, Nazareth had a... Read more
“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven; it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” – Saint Therese of Lisieux. To be a person of faith is to pray. But what exactly is prayer? Is worship the same as prayer? Are there different types of prayer, and what purpose does it serve to pray? The subject of worship and prayer is so rich as... Read more
“Grace does not destroy nature but perfects it.” – Thomas Aquinas. The desire of the faithful is to share in the divine life, the life of grace. But what is grace? What relationship does it have with faith? Can we choose to have faith, or is it an imposition? In the following treatise, I will discuss what Catholicism means by faith and grace. I will also expound on how free will interacts with grace to produce faith. What is Grace?... Read more
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” – John 1:14. In many ways, the stories of the Bible are stories of humanity’s encounters with God. Divine condescension is the phenomenon of God “lowering” Himself to interact with creation. It is this remarkable act that I wish to discuss. I will begin by defining what theology means by divine condescension and review examples of it in the Bible. I will also address divine condescension in relation to the... Read more
“The animals possess a soul and men must love and feel solidarity with our smaller brethren. All animals are fruit of the creative action of the Holy Spirit and merit respect and they are as near to God as men are.” – Pope John Paul II. In part one of this exposition, I began my argument that at least some non-human animals possess spiritual souls that are immortal. I defined the various types of souls and contrasted the soul and... Read more
“Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds. And so it happened: God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle, and all kinds of creeping things of the earth. God saw how good it was.” (Genesis 1:20-25) It is the intention of this two-part thesis to argue that at least some species of non-human animals possess immaterial, and therefore, immortal souls. This position is certainly not... Read more
“If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago. Perhaps no other question in theology is more troubling than the problem of evil. The question may be formulated in... Read more
“If you understand, it is not God.” – Saint Augustine. A striking aspect of human history is its religiosity. (http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s1c1.htm). It seems that to be human is to have some sense of the divine. In this exposition, I will contrast the pagan and biblical concepts of God. I will also review what Catholicism teaches about God and His nature. However, we must start with the most important question any person can ask. Does God exist? Does God Exist? I am... Read more
“The priest is not a priest for himself – he is a priest for you. After God, the priest is everything.” – Saint Jean Vianney. What are we to make of such an audacious statement? Is the priest’s place so lofty that he may obtain to such claims? In my previous expositions, I have endeavored to provide a treatment of each of the sacraments of the Catholic Church. I conclude the series with an examination of the sacrament of holy orders.... Read more
“Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, and suffering are but the kiss of Jesus – a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.” – Mother Teresa. Perhaps the most remarkable events depicted in the Gospel are those of miraculous healing. Scripture is replete with occasions of Jesus healing the sick and the dying and even raising the dead. While it is convenient to focus on the physical... Read more
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