One of the striking triumphs of God in our difficult world is the recurring miracle of Christmas. Once a year the whole of mankind, believers and unbelievers, must think of an event from which all history before and after is … Continue reading
Category: Articles
Trinitarian Processions
This paper summarizes Catholic teaching on the procession of the Son from the Father, and of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son. Given that the Son and the Holy Ghost are consubstantial with the Father, that is, … Continue reading
What’s the Filioque?
One of the doctrinal controversies between the schismatic, so-called Orthodox churches of the East and the Catholic Church is a dogma expressed in one word: Filioque (Fee-lee-OH-kway). But what does this word mean? Filioque is Latin for “and the Son.” … Continue reading
Why is the Holy Ghost called “Holy”?
The following is from Blessed Columba Marmion’s masterful Christ, the Life of the Soul. In the larger context, Abbot Marmion is considering the mystery of holiness, first in God, then in men. After speaking of holiness considered as an attribute … Continue reading
Communism and Woman by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
The article below is the text of a radio program that was produced by the National Council of Catholic Men, in cooperation with NBC, and broadcast nationwide on The Catholic Hour of March 2, 1947. We present it in these … Continue reading
Heaven’s Icon: Sister Lucy’s Vision at Tuy, Spain
The devotion to the Heart of Mary had a long history before the revelations of Our Lady of Fatima. But — as with the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which took on a whole new dimension with the … Continue reading
Catholics, Protestants, Grace, and the Spiritual Life
This paper answers the following question: Given what Catholics believe about grace, merit and justification, why is it much more logical for Catholics to have treatises on progress in the practice of the presence of God and growth in mystical … Continue reading
The Four Kinds of Magisterial Statement and the Various Responses Catholics Owe to Each
A much more in depth treatment of this subject is found in our “The Three Levels of Magisterial Teaching.” The discrepancy in numbering the levels (three vs. four) is explained by the fact that some theologians, apparently following Cardinal Avery … Continue reading
Father Brian Harrison on the Necessity of Explicit Faith
Father asks: “Can an ‘implicit faith in Christ’ be sufficient for salvation?” He answers “No.”
The Old Law as a Preparation for the New
After the Original Sin, man was left in a condition of alienation from God. Whereas before the sin, he enjoyed infused knowledge in his intellect, loving obedience in his will, spontaneous virtue in his emotions, and no sickness or death … Continue reading
Mary at Bethlehem, by Saint Peter Julian Eymard
Saint Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868) was born at La Mure, a little town in the diocese of Grenoble, France. His entire life from his infancy to his death was a perpetual hymn of praise in honor of the Blessed Eucharist.
The Miraculous Image of Guadalupe, a Mystery to Science
THIS AUTHOR HAS NOT had the blessing of visiting the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, nor does he ever expect to be given that privilege. Therefore, in describing the miraculous Image I can only relate what has come to … Continue reading
The Four Senses of Scripture
There are two basic senses of Holy Scripture: the literal (or historical) and the spiritual. The spiritual sense is further divided into the allegorical, the tropological (or moral), and the anagogical. St. Thomas cites St. Gregory the Great on the … Continue reading
First Canonized Saint of the United States, Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini
God sees all things and all acts an eternity before they are or happen. Most are aware of this paralyzing truth, of course. But, because our finite minds cannot really grasp it, we tend to give little if any thought … Continue reading
The Joy of Being Catholic
The idea that the life of a Catholic, even on the natural level, should be markedly different from the life of, say, an Episcopalian, or a Jew, or a Buddhist, is not so readily apparent as some might assume. The … Continue reading
