When it comes to matters of faith, there are three options: a person can believe in God, not believe in God, or be unsure. From this, a question naturally arises: why do some come to faith while others reject belief in God? In this essay, I endeavor to examine the phenomenon of belief and why some come to faith while others do not. What Does It Mean To Believe? Belief is broadly defined as a state or disposition of the... Read more
Catholicism is its own universe, and to be Catholic is to become – among other things – immersed in the tradition. A significant part of that tradition is the celebration of certain seasons and feasts. In the following essay, I will examine the seasons, feasts, and even time that make up the Catholic universe. Time And Season “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” – Ecclesiastes 3:1. The presence of seasons and holy... Read more
Did God create human beings, or did human beings create God? Is God an actual being (indeed, the ground of existence itself), as Catholicism asserts, or is He simply an idea in the mind of some? How one answers those questions has profound significance on matters of morality, truth, and ultimate meaning. In the following essay, I will explore each of these positions. The Need For God It should come as no surprise that the history of theology and most... Read more
Pursuing the spiritual life is beautiful and complex. It is beautiful because of the truth it illuminates (and beauty and truth are interchangeable at the level of the transcendental). However, it is also complex because of the many layers and difficulties involved. In the following essay, I will discuss some of the struggles innate in living a spiritual life. To do so, I will follow Saint Francis’s observations by incorporating Jacob’s ladder as the metaphor and point of departure. Jacob’s... Read more
Nothing ends that does not begin, and nothing begins without an ordained end. Applied to the Bible, the Book of Genesis must be understood in the light of the Book of Revelation. It is easy to pursue the study of the Bible and theology as a good in itself, but it must be noted that these things cannot, or at least ought not, be divorced from the human condition. In turn, a biblical perspective (or a rejection of it) affects... Read more
The letter Q has developed a reputation in modern culture. For most people, Q is the guy who provides James Bond with gadgets. For others, Q refers to a character in Star Trek. Catholic theology, too, has a mysterious character known as Q. In this paper, I will examine what is known as the Q hypothesis. I will begin by exploring its development and the evidence supporting it. Lastly, I will discuss its criticisms. First, however, what or who is... Read more
One aspect (Immanuel Kant would argue the only aspect of value) of religion on society is its insistence on an ethical code or manner of conduct. Nevertheless, if he is honest, even the most ardent anti-Catholic must admit the enormous contribution Catholicism has had to the development of law, particularly in the West. It is this contribution that I will examine in this paper. The Need For Law Catholicism – following the Bible – states that human beings are made... Read more
Pope Francis is well acquainted with controversy. Most recently, he raised some eyebrows with his comment on comparative religions. Speaking in Singapore, Pope Francis remarked, “They [the various religions] are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all.” Putting aside Pope Francis’s effort to ingratiate himself with a religiously mixed audience, I want to examine the issue of religious “equality.” In this paper, I will explore whether all religions are essentially equal regarding... Read more
Excepting Jesus, there is no more influential figure in the Catholic tradition than Mary. Millions pray to her, miracles have been attributed to her, and the Church celebrates as many as eighteen feast days in her honor. In this paper, I briefly examine the extraordinary life of Mary, a figure whose influence has been the cause of comfort and controversy. I will delve into her life and explore the profound theological implications of her role as the mother of God.... Read more
It is said that the third child is affectionate and uncomplicated. However, I can make no such claims about my personality despite having been preceded into this world by two sisters. My parents were immigrants; my father was of German descent, and my mother was French. Both had been deeply affected by World War Two, if for no other reason than the fact that my parents were Jewish. My childhood could not be considered typical. We moved quite often, meaning... Read more
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