With the Synod on Holy Scripture currently meeting in Rome, the Church’s teaching on Biblical inerrancy has become a timely topic of discussion. A little further down is a clip from John Allen’s interview with Cardinal Francis George on the … Continue reading
Category: Holy Scripture
The Four Meanings in Holy Scripture
I was asked by a friend to write something explaining the four meanings of Holy Scripture as taught by St. Thomas: namely, the historical (or literal), the allegorical, the tropological (or moral), and the anagogical. I am glad to comply … Continue reading
The Seven Words
Saint Thomas Aquinas once was asked from what books he had garnered his extraordinary theological wisdom. Pointing to a crucifix, the holy Doctor of the Church replied, “This is my book!” We see in this beautiful example how the wisdom … Continue reading
Is Bible Reading Safe?
We often hear the question asked, sometimes even by the well-instructed: “Is it safe to read the Bible?” The answer, of course, is: “Yes, certainly; the Church blesses and encourages the habitual reading of Holy Scripture by all the faithful.” … 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
Making Good Use of Scripture
(This piece is an excerpt from a lecture Brother Francis gave in the 1970s.) The Bible is the book that makes saints.
Imitating Christ’s Humility: Philippians 2
The Challoner edition of the Douay-Rheims Bible gives a good description of Philippians 2 at the head of the chapter: “He recommends them to unity and humility, and to work out their salvation with fear and trembling.” In broad overview, … Continue reading
The Magnificat, Hymn of the Incarnation
(The following is a talk he gave at the 2007 Saint Benedict Center Conference.) THE MAGNIFICAT (Luke 1:46-55) Author: Mary, a transcendently beautiful Jewish maiden. Age: Fourteen. Home: Nazareth, in the province of Galilee, Palestine.Year of composition: Nine months before … Continue reading
The Annunciation by Father Leonard Feeney, M.I.C.M.
When the Blessed Virgin Mary, the spouse of the angelic Joseph, the royal son of David, was fourteen years, six months and seventeen days old, there occurred to her, and for her and through her, the greatest event that ever … Continue reading
The House Upon a Rock
Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam . With these words, taken from the sixteenth chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel, 1 Our Lord promised to build His Church upon the petram (rock) of Petrus (St. Peter).
Saint Paul against the Liberals
Men, brethren and fathers, hear ye the account which I now give unto you. I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the truth of … Continue reading
A Better Testament
“But now [Christ] hath obtained a better ministry, by how much also he is a mediator of a better testament which is established on better promises.” (Heb. 8:6) The terms “supersessionism” and “replacement theology” are used by Jews and heterodox … Continue reading
The Ark of the New Covenant
In his Epistle to the Hebrews, St. Paul calls Our Lord the “high Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle” (9:11). Greater than the Israelite priests — those who “serve unto the example … Continue reading
Left Behind
Left Behind is a popular series of books written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Evangelical Protestants brilliantly capitalizing on their “pre-trib” version of the “rapture theory.” This article is not about those books, but about the Catholic custom … Continue reading
Lazarus, Come Forth! — An Easter Meditation
In an earlier issue of From the Housetops (No. 51), Brother Francis wrote an article on the four senses of Holy Scripture. The piece was intended to help readers study Scripture by employing a traditional method used throughout the ages … Continue reading