The Holy Angels
Today, September 29th, the Church celebrates the feast of the Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael, and on October 2nd celebrates the memorial of the Guardian Angels. In light of these liturgical celebrations, it would be good to have a basic understanding of angels and the role they…
The Argument from Existence: Aquinas’s Philosophical Approach to God
Aquinas’s argument for the existence of God starts from his commonsense theory of existence for particular things. For Aquinas, existence is something things present in reality actually have or participate in. Existence, in other words, is that in virtue of which something is included in reality, or actually is, instead…
30th Anniversary of Veritatis Splendor
St. John Paul II wrote, during his relatively lengthy reign as Supreme Pontiff, many noteworthy and helpful documents. His first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, reminded the faithful of the efficacy and universal scope of Jesus’s salvific work, setting the stage and tone for his entire pontificate; his last, Ecclesia de Eucharistia,…
St. Irenaeus on the Holy Eucharist
St. Irenaeus of Lyons, a second-century Greek bishop that established churches in what is now the south of France, is a go-to Church Father when it comes to establishing the early Christian belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. His teaching is very clear: “the mixed cup…
Are you Vicious?
Are you a vicious person? The answer to this question depends on whether you have vice. But what is vice? Perhaps it’s best to contrast it with virtue. Where virtue is an enduring disposition, or habit, to perform good human acts—acts that are befitting our nature as human beings, vice…
Stay Connected!
Alcuin & the Power of Music
On May 19th the Church formally recognized and duly honored our beloved patron, Bl. Alcuin of York. In a fitting act of veneration, I choice to mark the date by reclining at the end day with a glass of scotch and reading one of the many letters penned by Blessed…
Pentecost & the Fire of the Holy Spirit
The days of the Jewish Pentecost, the celebration of God giving the Ten Commandments to Moses, were accomplished. Christ promised to return, and He did. He promised to send the Holy Ghost which fulfilled the prophecy of Joel 500 years before the birth of Christ: “And it shall come to…
Fra Angelico’s “Annunciation” & Mary’s Obedience
I recently taught a class on sacred art to a local parish’s men’s club. One of the paintings that we discussed was an altarpiece of the Annunciation done by Blessed Fra Angelico, which is held at the Prado Museum in Spain. In this particular painting, the left side depicts Adam…
Faith of Our Fathers: St. John of Damascus
The Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, written by St. John of Damascus, is one subsection of the first major systematic treatise written in the history of the Church: The Fountain of Wisdom. To be sure, major predecessors existed, but the Fountain of Wisdom differs in that the near entirety…
The Young Imagination: Cold, Aslan & Allegory
I recall with some clarity reading aloud to my daughter the sacrifice of Aslan in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I watched as her young intellect grappled with the emotions and the rationale of his sacrifice. Yet, once an understanding of the literal text had settled,…
On Dante & Good Shepherd Sunday
On Holy Thursday, in the year 1300, Dante the Pilgrim finds himself lost in the woods. He is afraid and alone. Each time he attempts to escape the darkness, to run toward the light, he is block by a wild beast. Running through the woods, his “heart plunged deep in…
The Road to Emmaus & the Breaking of Bread
The Emmaus story is one of the most intriguing resurrection appearances of Jesus to his disciples. Like the story of Mary Magdalene when she does not immediately recognize Jesus outside the tomb, the identity of Jesus is concealed from the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Only when Jesus…
Good Friday & Emmaus Sunday
My wife and I are finishing a small cabin on 10-acres that sits on the top of a 1,000 foot hill off of 6 miles of dirt road near Checotah, which means that I have a long commute, but I do not mind. It affords me an opportunity to listen…
Faith of Our Fathers: Irenaeus of Lyons
In the above summary of the Rule of Faith, Irenaeus emphasizes baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as the means by which God saves sinners and gives them the new birth of eternal life, making them His sons and daughters and heirs of His Kingdom….
Palm Sunday & the Sanctus
This Lenten season, my parish has opted to use the Latin responses during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Though my experience with singing Latin is minimal (and it would probably be best for the world if it remained that way), I have often found myself humming or event chanting the…
Recent Comments