The below article was provided by regular reader and commentator, Pilgrim. The Travels of a Christian Pilgrim “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psalm 51:17) Saint Augustine in his Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, begins with the proclamation that “anyone who piously and earnestly ponders the Sermon on the Mount – as we read in the Gospel according to Mathew – I believe he... Read more
Two days before my father passed away, the doctors gave him strong pain medication after one of the procedures to drain his lungs of fluids due to his congestive heart failure. Due to the medication, he mostly slept and hardly acknowledged me. Except for the one time he did… He opened his eyes, and in a moment of uncommon seriousness, looked me in the eyes and said, “I think it’s time to say goodbye.” He then closed his eyes and... Read more
JRR Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), lived and died a devout Roman Catholic. His books, including LOTR, reflect his Catholicism. He went so far as to verify this fact in one of his letters. Tolkien’s legendarium, The Silmarillion, also reflects this worldview. In this work, Tolkien lays out the foundation for the world eventually occupied by “the good”: Frodo, Bilbo, Aragorn, and Gandalf, and “the evil”: Saruman and Sauron. As with Catholicism, Tolkien’s legendarium includes the... Read more
We live in a fascinating time of Church history. Some on the Left side of the ideological spectrum think Pope Francis is open to the possibility of blessing same-sex unions. Moreover, some on the Right also see this same openness on the part of the Pope, yet they decry it as another indication of the chaos surrounding the Francis papacy. Still others, including me, think the Pope is not open to blessing same-sex union. However, the language Pope Francis uses,... Read more
Hello Michael, First, allow me to state that I enjoy watching your channel, Reason & Theology, and find your content exceptional and engaging. For the most part, I agree with your clarifications of Pope Francis’ comments and teachings. However, as I have written about on my blog at Patheos (The Latin Right), many of the Holy Father’s actions contribute to the hermeneutic of “suspicion” many traditionalist clerics and pundits employ when engaging the Pope’s writings and comments. I ask you... Read more
One day, a man visited his doctor for routine tests. His doctor ran the tests and discovered the man had a very treatable form of cancer. He provided the man a care plan and referred him to a trusted oncologist. An inquisitive man, the man researched his form of cancer online and discovered that some doctors considered his cancer a good and totally natural occurrence. He also found websites and online groups that advocated for not treating the cancer and... Read more
In a recent article concerning the five dubias addressed to Pope Francis, I concluded that the faithful require greater clarity from the Holy See. Not alone in my conclusion, I then posted an open letter from a priest in the trenches also calling for greater clarity from Pope Francis directly. Sadly, for this priest, the Pope’s ambiguity harms his ministry. After reading articles from various authors and the comments by those who read my blog, it hit me—maybe ambiguity and... Read more
On October 6th, 2023, Fr. Joseph Illo, priest in the archdiocese of San Francisco, posted an open letter to Pope Francis on his personal blog. I reached out to Fr. Illo and received permission to share the open letter in its entirety. An Open Letter to Pope Francis Dear Pope Francis, I am writing to you in the spirit of parrhesia, a biblical word you have used several times to encourage us to speak freely, boldly, and without fear of... Read more
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) My Protestant friends and I have an ongoing debate regarding church authority. A main issue concerns is the Catholic need for an infallible authority (the Magisterium). Now, we both accept the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, and as the inerrant Word of God, we agree that the Bible is authoritative. However, we disagree on its ultimate role within the church. This, in turn, returns us back to our... Read more
Today begins the First Session of the Synod of Synodality (SoS) in Rome. The SoS represents a significant moment in modern Church history. While a mere consultive and not a magisterial organ, Pope Francis may implement some recommendations from the SoS. If so, this will impact all Catholics throughout the world. In anticipation of this, or in an attempt to influence the SoS, this week five cardinals released their five dubias (doubts) addressed to Pope Francis in July, Pope Francis’... Read more
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