The assignment: “Explain how modern ideas about the relation of body to soul have affected the Biblical idea of the human person.” To answer this question, we must first explain the Biblical idea itself. Father Ashley states that human persons … Continue reading
Category: Theology
Aristotelian Epistemology and Leo XIII’s Thomist Revival
Of the three major approaches to Epistemology, (also known as “Major Logic,” or “Criteriology,” i.e., that philosophical discipline which studies the theory of knowledge), two constitute opposite, erroneous poles, while the third strikes a happy medium between them.
The Latin Mass and the Orthodox
Under the headline “Russian Orthodox prelate welcomes return of Latin Mass,” Catholic World News ran a report on Patriarch Alexei II’s positive reception on Pope Benedict’s motu proprio giving more freedom to the ceremonies of the Classical Roman Rite. Summorum … Continue reading
Jesus Christ and the Church: The Fullness of Divine Revelation
The assignment: Write a three page paper responding to the following questions. How can the finite man Jesus be the fullness of divine revelation? How can the finite Roman Catholic Church transmit the fullness of divine revelation? Include reference to … Continue reading
Boniface VIII and the Heresy of Statism
A Review of The Church at the Turning Points of History, by Godfrey Kurth. Paperback: 160 pages Publisher: IHS Press (September 1, 2007) ISBN-10: 1932528091 ISBN-13: 978-1932528091 History is the laboratory of wisdom, says my mentor. But for all the … Continue reading
The Heresy of Dual-Covenant Theology
I have just finished reading “The Old Covenant: Revoked or Not Revoked?” by Dr. Robert Sungenis. It is a study debunking the notion, now regnant in liberal theological circles, that the Old Covenant still stands side-by-side with the New Covenant. … Continue reading
‘The Faithful Departed’ by Philip F. Lawler
Philip F. Lawler , Editor of Catholic World News, has authored a new a book called The Faithful Departed, The Collapse of Boston’s Catholic Culture. Not yet released, the book can be ordered from Amazon.com at a pre-publication special price. … Continue reading
The ‘Relations’ in the Blessed Trinity
There are four internal divine relations in the Holy Trinity, of which only three are really distinct relations. To grasp this very important concept in the theology of the Triune God, we begin by considering again what we have said … Continue reading
Christmas and the Expectation of the Nations
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
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
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