In addressing the “pillars” of the argument in favor of same-sex marriage, I have discussed the contention that homosexuality is a genetically determined condition that is fixed and permanent. However, before making the leap to societal recognition of a “right” to homosexual acts and institutions that support them, gay activists must somehow confront the reality […]
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[Ed: Pete Brown is working on his doctorate in biblical studies at Catholic University of America. We thought this was interesting and that you might enjoy it, too.] Today is the feast of Sts. Timothy and Titus. These two were known as early bishops in the Church—Timothy of Ephesus and Titus of Crete. But really, […]
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The Church faces great intellectual challenges in every age. In the early Church, the main problem was in dealing with philosophical problems like Gnosticism, which held that the material world is evil and that it was absurd for God to become man and to consist of three persons. The Church happily submitted to such philosophical […]
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The Church has always identified the Apostle John as the author of the fourth Gospel and the beloved disciple described in that Gospel. This common belief is richly reflected in the Church’s liturgy. The universal Church today celebrates the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist. The readings, prayers, and antiphons unmistakably reflect the belief of […]
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In case you haven’t heard, Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, recently made the news for his comment that the account of the Magi is but “legend” and for calling into question other aspects of the Christmas story. Some observations: (a) Dr. Williams’ apparent desire to “debunk” aspects of the Gospel narratives is not unique to […]
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December 17th marks a turning point in the Advent season. We are now unmistakably in the home stretch. As we heard at Mass last Sunday, “the Lord is near”–Christmas is just around the corner. December 17th marks the beginning of the “O Antiphons” in Evening Prayer, which draw on some biblical titles of our Lord […]
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One of my young son’s favorite books is the P.D. Eastman classic Are You My Mother? In this story, baby bird becomes separated from his mother and frantically goes in search of her. Along the way, he asks many creatures and even inanimate objects if they’re his mother, but none of them are. Finally, when […]
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In case you haven’t yet heard, here are three items that I found very encouraging today. (1) Today the USCCB has removed from the Catholic News Service site the favorable review of The Golden Compass. American Papist has the details as well as some insightful commentary. It looks like the film isn’t doing as well as the box […]
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Today’s Gospel at Mass was St. Luke’s account of the healing of the paralytic. One verse from that passage has always stood out to me: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘As for you, your sins are forgiven’” (Lk. 5:20). Jesus attributes the healing–physical and spiritual–of the paralytic to the faith of his four […]
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“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks the blind man in today’s Gospel. The blind man replies, “Lord, please let me see.” Doesn’t this episode apply to all of us? Don’t we all wish to see? We all desire a stronger faith, a clearer sense of God’s will for us, perhaps even […]
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