Archive for April, 2008
« Previous EntriesChrist the Teacher . . . and Subject
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008When it comes to catechesis, Jesus Christ is both the teacher and the subject that is “taught.” We simply cannot understand the Church’s catechetical ministry–that is, her response to the Lord’s call to make disciples of all nations–unless we grasp this fundamental point.
But wait a minute! In the definition of catechesis that we gave in […]
Laity on the Line
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008The Church emphasizes the fundamental equality that we share by virtue of our Baptism. All Catholics possess equal dignity as children of God, and all are called to holiness and to participation in the life and mission of the Church.
This equality exists, however, amidst distinct, complementary roles in the Church. The Church depends on the […]
Predictions and Fulfillment
Monday, April 28th, 2008In last month’s column, I surveyed several writers who viewed the Sexual Revolution and predicted dire effects, and I concluded with the predictions of Pope Paul VI in his 1968 encyclical, Humanae Vitae. The Holy Father suffered greatly and was widely rejected for his statements, but the others experienced no such effects. So, why was Pope Paul VI verbally […]
Vatican II Today
Friday, April 25th, 2008It’s hard to believe, but we are closing in on the 50th anniversary of the election of Pope John XXIII, who convoked the Second Vatican Council, the 21st ecumenical council in the Church’s history.
Pope Benedict XVI candidly admits the difficulties that have hampered the implementation of Vatican II. For the Holy Father, the key to […]
Complete Joy
Thursday, April 24th, 2008In today’s Gospel (John 15:9-11), Our Lord tells us something for the explicit purpose of imparting His joy to us, so that our “joy might be complete.” What was this joy-producing message? It was this:
“If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain […]
Abstinence and Red Carpets
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008With all the bad press that abstinence and chastity receive, it’s nice to hear some good news. This time it comes in the form of two new U.S. studies that “provide encouraging findings about abstinence education.” Check it out.
And from Poland, a creative way to spotlight religious life: The Catholic University of Lublin hosted a […]
Catechetically Speaking . . .
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008Today we begin at this blog a weekly series on the Church’s catechetical mission. As I noted last week, the inspiration for this series comes from the Holy Father himself, who desires that we bridge the gap between faith and the everyday lives of believers through sound catechetical formation.
This series has to start somewhere, and […]
Pope Benedict XVI at the United Nations
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008In my first week of law school, I studied an old statute in my legislation class which basically said, “For the purpose of this Act, ‘motor vehicle’ includes horse-drawn carriages.”
The purpose of this lesson was to demonstrate the power of the legislature. Everybody knows that a horse-drawn carriage is not a motor vehicle, but if that’s […]
Jesus Christ, Hope of the Saints
Monday, April 21st, 2008Shortly before the Holy Father’s arrival in the United States last week, I felt obliged to comment on a post by Peter Steinfels appearing in The New York Times’ blog. Steinfels mentioned that he stands by his review of the 1985 book The Ratzinger Report, in which he characterized the comments on the state of the […]
Bringing Faith to Life
Friday, April 18th, 2008Next Wednesday we will begin on this blog a weekly series on the Church’s catechetical ministry, which is nothing other than the practical application of Our Lord’s command to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt. 28:19).
Much of the impetus for this series comes from the recent addresses of Pope Benedict here in the United States. […]