In an essay in the National Catholic Register, Angelo Stagnaro, in explaining probability, hit the nail on the head. In doing so, he nailed shut the coffin of the Fine Tuning argument for the existence of God, thereby ending it. He demonstrated that valid values of probability are based on a purely logical focus, not […]
My exploration of the “faith alone” controversy began in a discussion with a non-Catholic coworker. One morning, this friend asked me to go to his church the following Sunday, since his church was “far easier” than what he perceived the Catholic Church to be or require. He indicated that all that was required to get to […]
The #MeToo movement has shaken the foundations of some of the culture’s most entrenched havens of sexual harassment, abuse and predation. The list of politicians, actors and other notable personalities seems to grow with each passing week. The movement also raises the deeper issue of human dignity, particularly as it relates to the objectification of […]
The intellectual mood of our time could be best described as self-congratulatory. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was taken as fact that liberal democracies would sweep the globe. There was even a legitimate school of thought which believed we were witnessing “the end of history as such”. No more history, just one long […]
Some revolutionaries, who want the Church to attempt to confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders on women, point to this verse from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess of the church which is at Cenchrea.” (Rom. 16:1) The Greek word they translate as “deaconess” is diakonos, which […]
Cormac McCarthy’s The Sunset Limited, a novel in dramatic form, revolves around a conversation between two men, Black and White, about the existence of God. White is a man in despair whom Black has just prevented from killing himself by jumping in front of an oncoming train. Black takes White home so that he […]
We Catholics are familiar with Lent as a time of fasting and penance. We are told every year that during this time we ought to abstain from a habit that is not beneficial for us and to take up a more fruitful spiritual practice. We are also obliged to abstain from meat and to fast. […]
There is a strand in American Christianity that is often called “me and Jesus” Christianity. To have Jesus, you don’t need the Church. You’ll most often find it in Protestantism, but it has also seeped its way into the Catholic Church. If you have ever heard anybody say that they love Jesus but hate the […]
Churches around the United States are disappearing. Parishes consolidating, dwindling numbers of cradle Catholics that no longer attend Church, mixed signals from the leadership of the Church lead to a confusing situation for the Catholic Church. Several questions come up. What is happening? How has it happened? Do we blame outside forces for the “failure” of […]
Some Catholic authors write as if they belong to a Church Beleaguered, not the Church Triumphant. Articles tend to be either defensive or angry attacks against adversaries. Many religious writers retreat, focusing only on like-minded souls, writing for a small, mutual admiration society. The rest are tempted to quit when it seems like the world is wearing […]
Substantial change, creation, and evolution are commonly acknowledged to be topics in philosophy, theology, and science, respectively. The integration of theology with philosophy within human knowledge is clearly manifest in Catholic seminary education, which places the study of philosophy prior to the study of theology. In contrast to philosophy and theology, which are primarily concerned […]
“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done” we pray in the Our Father. “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42), prayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. For someone seeking to live as a disciple of Christ, finding God’s will for our life is essential. It is something to keep learning about for […]
Anyone and everyone should be Catholic: God wants it because it is the best way to be a fulfilled human being. But how is someone Catholic? What does it mean to be Catholic? Who is a good Catholic? If you were arrested for being Catholic, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Keep in mind that […]
Even in this time of Lent in the Church, the world rolls on without any serious attention to God. Even within the Church, we often see more attention given to Fish Fry’s than we do Stations of the Cross. It’s a sad statement of our times that many appear to have chosen the wide path […]
Sex is great and belongs in marriage. Yet, when it comes to sex, Catholics often get a bad rap. Many people look at our beliefs about sex, specifically our belief that it should be reserved for marriage, and conclude that we are simply puritans who think it’s dirty and needs to be limited as much […]
As Valentine’s Day approaches this year, our country is in the midst of a cultural watershed moment. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a clear sense of direction about where to go from here and how to bring about lasting change. I am referring to the #MeToo movement and all of the revelations of […]
What does salvation mean? For a good part of my life, this particular doctrine was the subject of countless hours of contemplation and spiritual struggle. For some deep, divine reason salvation was my otherworldly wrestling partner, refusing to be bested, yet somehow still blessing me with its power to name and claim me as its […]
If you were on a committee to interview candidates for principal of a Catholic school, what question would you ask the candidates? I was on such a committee a few years ago. One of our first jobs was to decide which questions we would ask every candidate. My suggestion was: Why be Catholic? The other […]
My wife and I live in a small city, or actually more of a small to medium sized town with a population just slightly in excess of 29,500. No matter where we drive in town we can find a few Christian churches – some large, some small, and some tiny storefronts. Out of curiosity, I […]
John Nepomucene Neumann On January 5 we celebrated the anniversary of the birthday to Heaven of the first and great American Saint, Mgr John Nepomucene Neumann, Bishop of Philadelphia. Born in Bohemia, to a German-Czech family, missionary to the USA, bishop at the age of 41, John Neumann erected in his bishoprics a large number […]
I propose to give the New Atheists, and specifically Richard Dawkins, a fair shake by elucidating the innovative philosophy implicit in the New Atheism and specifically in Richard Dawkins’ writings. Typical Assessment of the New Atheism According to its critics, the New Atheism fails to present any philosophical innovation. That explains why Edward Feser in […]
So why does the Catholic Bible have 73 books, while the Protestant Bible has only 66 books? Some Protestants believe that the Catholic Church added 7 books to the Bible at the Council of Trent in response to Luther’s Reformation, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Original Catholic Canon In about 367 […]
Although the seeds of the papacy are scriptural, it takes a little digging to expose them. There is nothing more distinctly Catholic than the papacy. While just about every other Catholic belief can be found in at least some other Christian denominations, our beliefs about the papacy are unique. Nobody else believes that the bishop […]
This column is the last in a series of 3 columns on ethics and human happiness Knowledge of the Divine within the Created Order St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that knowledge of God for those without the Jewish faith, “is clear to their minds; God himself has made it clear […]
The Call to Evangelize Through Facebook and/or MeWe
Social media is a powerful vehicle for educating and evangelizing modern society about faith, social justice, morality, and the rights of the unborn from the Catholic Church’s perspective. Since social media allows and even facilitates the spread of untruths and damaging rhetoric, the faithful are called to serve by articulating the truth to both the […]
Sacred Mass: Does Our Behavior Reflect the Sanctity?
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops estimates that some 30,000 people came into the Church at the Easter Vigil Masses this year. That is wonderful news for the Church and for those who have joined the Church! We welcome everyone to Holy Mother Church and pray for the greatest blessings upon them. As Catholics […]
God’s Teaching is Clear But Society is Still Confused
It’s hard to understand why so many people today are unable to see that humans are not, and never will be, smarter than God. And we seem to be drifting further and further away from His teaching. About a year ago I opined that society’s fixation on the fun stuff – sporting events and entertainment […]
There’s Nothing New Under the Sun
The intellectual mood of our time could be best described as self-congratulatory. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was taken as fact that liberal democracies would sweep the globe. There was even a legitimate school of thought which believed we were witnessing “the end of history as such”. No more history, just one long […]
Humanae Vitae Two Generations Later Is More Interdisciplinary
This week I attended a Symposium commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the famous papal encyclical, Humanae Vitae, at the Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington DC. The conference featured an all-star list of speakers including Janet Smith, Helen Alvaré, Archbishop Charles Chaput, and other experts. I read Paul VI’s encyclical cover to cover the […]
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