As Catholics, we hear the word sin almost as frequently as we hear our own name. However, our concept of sin is often oversimplified and reduced to only what a person does. In his seminal work Cur Deus Homo? (why the God-man?), Saint Anselm identifies two modalities of sin that will be discussed in this essay. The first modality – the one most of us think of – is an action contrary to God’s will. Often, sin is seen as... Read more
The word science often conjures up images of people in lab coats working with microscopes. It is likely to seem quite strange then to consider theology as a science, yet that is precisely what no less an authority than Thomas Aquinas considered it. If science is concerned with proximate causes and effects, and if God is the ultimate or first cause, then the study of God (theology) is queen. This queen has produced several princes, some greater than others. One... Read more
Following the biblical tradition, Catholicism greatly emphasizes forgiveness and justice by seeking to balance the desire for justice and the need for forgiveness. At the individual level, that entails forgiving those who harm us while seeking justice. However, forgiveness and justice appear to be contradictory concepts. How can we forgive someone for a wrong while simultaneously asking that they be punished in accordance with the dictates of justice? In this essay, I will examine the Catholic teachings on forgiveness and... Read more
“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
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In