Repentance, in my opinion, is something we do not hear enough of. In sacred scripture we read of the great heroes of faith constantly turning away from sin and toward the Lord. The same can be said about the lives of the great saints we celebrate throughout history. Why is it that we hear so little of repentance? Perhaps it depends on the parish and setting, but how often do we hear of the love of God and His mercy?... Read more
In the second century Gnosticism threatened to tear the young Christian Church apart. It was a heresy that taught that all matter was evil, Jesus was spirit, and that true salvific doctrine was passed down through a secret oral tradition. To combat this growing problem the early Church father St. Irenaeus wrote a lengthy treatise titled Against Heresies. Foundations Of The Creed One of the methods used by the great Church Father was the rule of faith. In describing the... Read more
We are full swing into the year and Lent is now here. Time has flown by. Every year we hear the conversations about who will give up what, but sometimes we forget that we can take up something, too. Lest we forget, Lent is a season of repentance and preparation for Easter. During this time, we remember the passion of our Lord, our own sin, and how through the grace of Christ we can become better. Here are three ways... Read more
Before my entrance into the Catholic Church very little thought was given to how the faith was transmitted. The Bible was basically all we needed and other things, like statues, were idolatrous and took our minds off Christ. At least that is what was taught, but that is not the case. There are many means that have developed over the centuries that has helped spread the Gospel. Christ In Art Most churches, whether Protestant (the older buildings anyway) or Catholic,... Read more
Within the course of salvation history there have been many questions about the work of Christ and the role of the human freedom, or free will. There has been no shortage of theories, and Church history shows that there have been many heresies from those trying find a synthesis between the two. There seem to be two extremes when it comes to this issue. Those who think that Christ will save us no matter what we do after coming to... Read more
On February 26 we celebrate Ash Wednesday. That great day marks the beginning for the season of Lent. For some Lent is a season that brings to mind drudgery and self deprecation, but is this what Lent is all about? Is it about us merely giving something up, or is there much more to it? Lent reminds us that spiritual warfare is real. It is a call to arms in which we latch on to Jesus and head into battle.... Read more
The Great Commission In the last several posts we have seen how the discipleship theme is deeply intertwined within Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew ends his Gospel with a call for discipleship that is popularly called the Great Commission. The Great Commission is seen in Mt. 28:19-20 which states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded... Read more
Jesus Calls And Matthew Follows Perhaps one of the most powerful stories of discipleship in Gospel involves the very call of Matthew himself. This calling takes place in Mt. 9:9-13 and reads, As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were... Read more
Jesus gives a very clear example of what it means to be the light of the world in Matthew chapter 5. This example is seen in Mt. 5:43-48 which states, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise... Read more
On my journey into the Catholic church there were three things that had the potential to derail me. Mary, Mary, and Mary. One of the objections I had, which sprang from my Baptist days, was the title of Mother of God for Mary. After all God is eternal and has always existed. That title, at least in my mind back then, meant that somehow Mary was exalted to a deified state in which she surely didn’t belong. How can a mere... Read more
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