March 23, 2008
An Easter Message of Hope
I was recently emailed this and thought it made a wonderful Easter post: "The Cross had asked the questions; the Resurrection had answered them. The Cross had asked the question: How far can Power go in the world? The Resurrection answered:...
December 6, 2007
Theology of the Body and the Gift of Self
In light of the feast of St. Nicholas and the gift-giving associated with this saint, this article will add a twist to the idea and focus on the gift of self. The main idea of the theology of the body...
November 28, 2007
Why We Need Jesus to Save Us – A Short Reflection for Advent
To continue to savor the feast of Christ the King we celebrated last Sunday and to help us anticipate His birth during Advent, I wanted to post a short reflection on Jesus our Lord and savior based on the Catechism...
November 23, 2007
The Importance of Defining Doctrine and the Universal Inquisition
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith often creates much controversy as it keeps the faith pure with definitions of doctrine, and with its past association with the Inquisition. Before he became pope, Cardinal Ratzinger headed this office with...
October 2, 2007
Ask Your Guardian Angel to Help You Against the Fallen Angels
Do you ask your Guardian Angel to intercede for you? Have you given your Guardian Angel a name? I must admit I’ve been ignoring mine until recently. Fortunately the Church has a feast day for our Guardian Angels on October...
July 12, 2007
Did Pope Benedict XVI really reassert that other Christian denominations are not true churches?
Recently, a hot topic for the media has been a certain document issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith entitled RESPONSES TO SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE DOCTRINE ON THE CHURCH. It's classic to me...
April 8, 2007
Without Easter, all is Lost
If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. - - 1 Corinthians 15:14 I often hear people suggest that Jesus wasn't "really" raised from the dead. Everything from a...
February 23, 2007
Who died on the Cross? A Lenten Meditation
Lent is upon us. As Catholics, we focus on our mortality and our relationship with Jesus Christ during the forty days of Lent in preparation for Easter (just as Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before His public ministry)....
February 6, 2007
Social Justice and the Family
Do you know the leading cause of poverty in the United States, according to the president of DePaul University? Last September I was at the National meeting for the St. Vincent de Paul Society where he was the keynote speaker,...
February 1, 2007
A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI
The following is a reflection written by Pope Benedict XVI on the "New Man". Enjoy! The breakthrough to the new man takes place in Jesus Christ. In him the real future of man, what he can be and should be,...
October 16, 2006
What's An Annulment?
For many, both within and outside the Catholic Church, this question is both important and relevant. Marriages between individuals who have been previously married are becoming more and more common. For these types of marriages to occur in the Catholic...
October 9, 2006
Faith That Works: Understanding the Catholic Church's teaching on Faith and Works
This isn’t the first time the topic of faith and works has been addressed on this blog, and I’m certain it won’t be the last. However, I thought that for ecumenical purposes it would be worthwhile to clearly state what...
July 17, 2006
Understanding the Priesthood
To many in the world today the idea of the Catholic priesthood is foreign. Many mistakenly believe that the priesthood is some elite society within the Catholic Church that rules the Church in a tyrannical way or for personal gain....
May 25, 2006
Ecumenism, Apologetics, and Unitatis Redintegratio
"If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all...
May 11, 2006
What In The World Is Holy Water?!
It's Sunday morning....you wake up, get dressed, and head to church. For those of you that are Catholic, you walk through the front (or side) door, dip your fingers in the holy water, make the sign of the Cross, and...
May 2, 2006
Marian Theology in the Early Church
May is considered to be a Marian month, so I thought it would be appropriate to consider what the Early Fathers taught about Mary. On the Immaculate Conception "He was the ark formed of incorruptible wood. For by this is...
April 9, 2006
Palm Sunday: Jesus Enters Jerusalem
This is an excellent passage from Fulton Sheen’s Life of Christ: “Tell the daughter of Zion, Here is your king, who comes to you in gentleness, riding on a donkey.” - - Matthew 21:5 The prophecy came from God through...
February 24, 2006
The Mediaevals on the Nature of the Real Presence
Considering the discussion many of you have entered into regarding the article “The Eucharist in the Age of the Fathers” I thought it would be appropriate to post the next chapter from Nichols' book. I believe that in any historical-theological...
February 2, 2006
St. Augustine and the Real Presence
There has been much discussion on this site about whether or not St. Augustine and other Early Fathers actually believed in the Real Presence. This article will focus specifically on St. Augustine. Some have insisted that Augustine believed that the...
January 6, 2006
Evolution and the Christian Reality
I've been meaning to address evolution as it applies to Christian thought for a while now, so I've made it a New Year's resolution to do so. In our society, the theory of evolution is taught as fact in schools...
November 16, 2005
The Correlation of Sacred Scripture with Church Tradition
Joachim has once again graced our lowly site and posted an excellent refute to comments made by a fellow blogger. After reading Joachim's comment I felt it worthy of being a post in and of itself. If you wish to...
November 12, 2005
"Are Catholics Allowed To Read The Bible": An Article by Francis J. Ripley
I stumbled upon this article recently and I felt that it adequately addresses this common misunderstanding held by many Protestants. It also sheds some light on just how active the Catholic Church has been in making Sacred Scripture available to...
November 11, 2005
A Reflection on Virtue
In an age when many chose to create their own code of ethics, of right and wrong, of good and evil, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on virtue. What is virtue? Why is virtue necessary? Are there...
September 27, 2005
Praying For The Dead
Why do Catholics pray for the dead? Before we can answer this question there are two points that need to be made. First, the Catholic Church believes that the Body of Christ is One. This simply means that there exists...
September 26, 2005
"I Believe In Life Everlasting": The Catholic Church's Teaching on the Last Things
Due to recent comments made on this blog, I felt it necessary to lay out in clear detail exactly what the Catholic Church teaches in reference to death, the particular judgment, heaven, purgatory, hell, and the final judgment. Some of...
July 6, 2005
Why are we here?
Isn’t this the ultimate question: what purpose do we serve? In other words, why did God make us? I’m not just asking why God created the earth and people, I’m asking, why did God create you? Why do you exist...
June 23, 2005
Struggle with Sin
The road and ascent to God, then, necessarily demands a habitual effort to renounce and mortify the appetites; the sooner this mortification is achieved, the sooner the soul reaches the top. But until the appetites are eliminated, a person...
May 29, 2005
Is The Catholic Church The Antichrist? Inquiring Minds Want To Know...
I felt a need to address this topic due to several comments that have been made by some of you alleging that the Catholic Church is the antichrist. It is hard for me to imagine how any "thinking" human being...
May 2, 2005
What Is Confession And How Does It Work?
In most of my discussions with various Protestants and members of other religions the topic that inevitably comes up is Confession. Many think that Confession is some kind of ritualistic practice that the Catholic Church uses to magically forgive sins...
April 27, 2005
"Ut Unum Sint": An Ecyclical Letter of the Holy Father John Paul II on Commitment to Ecumenism, Part 4
Renewal and conversion 15. Passing from principles, from the obligations of the Christian conscience, to the actual practice of the ecumenical journey towards unity, the Second Vatican Council emphasizes above all the need for interior conversion. The messianic proclamation...
April 25, 2005
Priestly Celibacy: Why Can't Catholic Priests Get Married?
Priestly celibacy has been a hot topic these days in the media and among certain Catholics. Many attempt to conclude that celibacy is at the root of the sex abuse scandal that manifested itself in the Catholic Church here in...
April 24, 2005
"Ut Unum Sint": An Ecyclical Letter of the Holy Father John Paul II on Commitment to Ecumenism, Part 3
The way of ecumenism: the way of the Church 7. "The Lord of the Ages wisely and patiently follows out the plan of his grace on behalf of us sinners. In recent times he has begun to bestow more...
April 22, 2005
The First Message of Pope Benedict XVI
The following was the first message of Pope Benedict XVI given at the end of the Eucharistic Concelebration with the members of the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. It is outstanding! Wednesday, 20 April 2005 Grace and peace...
April 18, 2005
So What's the Big Deal About Sin?
Recently, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with an extraordinary group of young people at our local parish. The experience, in many ways, has renewed my zeal to "proclaim the Gospel always." It has truly been a blessing...
"Ut Unum Sint": An Ecyclical Letter of the Holy Father John Paul II on Commitment to Ecumenism, Part 2
Here is the next section from our Holy Father's Encyclical Letter on Ecumenism. In Christ, Joe CHAPTER I - THE CATHOLIC CHURCH'S COMMITMENT TO ECUMENISM God's plan and communion 5. Together with all Christ's disciples, the Catholic Church bases upon...
April 16, 2005
"Ut Unum Sint": An Ecyclical Letter of the Holy Father John Paul II on Commitment to Ecumenism
In my continual reflecting upon the life and the teachings of Pope John Paul II I came upon this jewel. I decided that rather than just point to the Vatican website I would provide the text here in bite-size pieces...
March 5, 2005
Free Online Instruction at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology
I know that I have pointed to this site in the past, but the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology has several biblical courses available online for anyone and everyone to make use of. They include: Beginner's Course No. 1:...
January 25, 2005
Catholic Carnival XIV: A Montage of Themes
This is the first time Deo Omnis Gloria has hosted the Catholic Carnival, so I hope you enjoy. The blogosphere is as varied as your local parish and thus we have an interesting selection of posts this week. In fact,...
January 18, 2005
Obedience and Faith
From a Catholic perspective, obedience and faith are two sides of the same coin – in fact, your faith is proven, in a sense, by your obedience to God. The Catechism states it this way: CCC 144. To obey (from...
January 10, 2005
A Reflection for Jehovah Witnesses
Jesus being God We know that the Jehovah Witnesses believe that Jesus is a god, but not the God, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. So let us look at this. In the OT we find many references...
December 22, 2004
The Sacraments: An Overview
Continuing our reflections on the Catechism, in particular the Seven Sacraments, I thought it would be good to step back and review what the Church has to say about the Sacraments as a whole. ARTICLE 2 THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IN...
December 20, 2004
Despair and Christmas
I’ve often heard the statistic cited that more suicides occur during the Advent/Christmas season than during any other time of year. This is not only depressing, but speaks to the materialism problem in our culture and the lack of simple...
Holy Orders (Priesthood) In The Economy of Salvation: What The Church Teaches
II. THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION The priesthood of the Old Covenant 1539 The chosen people was constituted by God as "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." But within the people of...
December 19, 2004
Confirmation In the Economy Of Salvation: What The Church Teaches
I. CONFIRMATION IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION 1286 In the Old Testament the prophets announced that the Spirit of the Lord would rest on the hoped-for Messiah for his saving mission. The descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus...
December 18, 2004
Baptism In The Economy Of Salvation: What The Church Teaches
I thought we would continue to look at what the Catechism says about the Sacraments in terms of their place in the "Economy of Salvation". II. BAPTISM IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION Prefigurations of Baptism in the Old Covenant 1217...
December 17, 2004
The Eucharist In The Economy Of Salvation: What the Church Teaches
The Eucharist....this is the big issue everyone. It has been the reason for the conversion of countless Protestants to Catholicism. It is "the source and the summit of Christian life." I would ask that everyone take time to read this...
December 2, 2004
The Catechism of the Catholic Church Online
Hello Everyone! This is just a quick post to make all of you aware of a wonderful resource that is available online....that's right, it's the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I challenge all of you to take time to learn...
October 20, 2004
Why are we here? Or, what is the purpose of life?
This is an intriguing question because it tries to understand the complex motives of God (which really can’t be understood by mere man). But I think it points to some very interesting ends at this point in the year. The...
October 7, 2004
Faith and Works: A middling perspective
I recently had the pleasure of reading a book called "Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box" published by the Arbinger Institute. It is directed towards managers and leaders in business, and those of you in such positions...
September 11, 2004
Does Original Sin really exist?
I’m a little surprised to be writing this article, but we’ve had a couple of posts lately that suggested a lack of belief and/or understanding of Original Sin. As far as I’m aware, every major Christian theology teaches that original...
September 5, 2004
Should Infants be Baptized?
The question of whether or not to baptize infants is answered differently among different protestant churches. But the real question is: what does Scripture teach? Does the Bible forbid baptizing infants?
July 9, 2004
The Fecundity of Marriage: An Excerpt From the Catechism of the Catholic Church
We have recently renewed some discussion about the use of contraception and the intrinsic evil of such as an action against the human person and God. I thought it would be good for all of our readers to become familiar...
July 1, 2004
The Transmission of Divine Revelation: An Excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
There has been much discussion on this blog about the relationship between Sacred Scripture and Tradition. In all fairness to our readers I felt it necessary to post the Catholic Church's teaching on this matter as found in the Catechism...
June 21, 2004
The Mass: The Heart of Liturgy
When considering the Mass, one can reach hasty conclusions as to the meaning and purpose of it in the life of the individual believer and the Church. In fact, many reveal their conclusions by making such premature statements as; I...
June 11, 2004
Faith and Devotion: An Excerpt from The Mystical Rose
I am currently reading The Mystical Rose by John Henry Cardinal Newman. For all of those not familiar with Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman it would be well worth your time to learn more about him. I have provided a...
June 1, 2004
What is Conscience?
In recent days we hear the word conscience quite a bit. Politicians claim they must follow their conscience rather than church teaching when deciding on matters of life or death. But what is conscience? How can you know if your...
May 29, 2004
Grace and Free Will in our Personal Lives
One of the requests in our Suggestion Box was an article explaining the relationship between Grace and Free Will in our lives. As I’ve argued before, we have free will which allows us to reject God However, we also require...
May 25, 2004
Is Jesus Christ God? Or just a “Son of God”?
There is a protestant denomination that claims that Jesus was not actually God, but merely a “Son of God” just as we are “sons of God.” The claim is based on the simple truth that Christ never states, “I am...
April 11, 2004
Christ has Risen
Christ has conquered death and proven that He is truly the Son of God. God bless, Jay...
April 9, 2004
Lent 2004: Our Sorrowful Gift
Keep in mind that today we received a terrible gift: the death of God to save us. Matthew 27:45-54. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out...
April 5, 2004
ABC’s Jesus and Paul by Peter Jennings
So I sat down and watched the Peter Jenning’s spectacular with some trepidation – it is made by Disney, after all. Initially, I thought the background information was very interesting; it did a decent job of getting the stage set...
March 21, 2004
Free will verses determinism
This is an interesting issue, since Christians adhere to one or the other of these philosophies, but often they are not aware of which they believe. I think the Bible clearly teaches one of these is correct and the other...
March 13, 2004
The Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church
A fellow blogger recently asked what the differences were between the Catholic Church and the Byzantine Church. Rather then simply answer this specific question I decided that it might be more appropriate to explain the relationship among the various rites...
March 6, 2004
The Spiritual Significance of Fasting
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. - Matthew 4:1-2 And they said to Him, "The...
March 4, 2004
Lent 2004: The Natures of God
This is from Fulton Sheen's Life of Christ as he discusses the trial of Jesus just before the Crucifixion. I thought it was very compelling: Our Blessed Lord had two natures: Divine and human. Both were on trial and on...
Slavery and Freedom
Recently an atheist dropped in on our site and made the argument that he was “tired of being a slave” to God, so he became an atheist. For now, I’ll leave alone the obvious issue that he seems to still...
March 2, 2004
The Devil: Resisting Our Deadly Foe
One thing I really found striking about Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" was the "real" presence of Satan. I feel that it is an absolute necessity to depict the presence of our great Enemy in a film about...
February 28, 2004
The Folly of Atheism
Lately, we’ve had some atheists hit the site and generally they’ve attempted to mock Christians as suckers. Particularly, they seem to suggest that all religions are similar and therefore none are true (talk about misunderstanding logic!). So, I thought I...
February 26, 2004
Lent 2004: Unwavering Focus on God
Luke 9:23-25. And He said to all, "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses...
February 24, 2004
The Devil Made Me Do It . . .
How much power does the devil really have over our lives? Often times, we hear someone suggest that the devil “made” me do it, but is this possible? First, it’s important to understand that there is a devil. The Devil...
February 22, 2004
Losing the Sacred: The Moving Away from Liturgical Music
I will begin this article with a question. What is the purpose of music at Mass? I think this would be a good question for any director of liturgical music at every parish. Today at Mass I witnessed an incredible...