Why does the Catholic Church forbid membership in Freemasonry and masonic organizations?
Bring Back the Vesting Prayers!
Here is a well-intentioned but ill-advised promotional video for attending Holy Mass. Well, perhaps "ill-advised" is a little harsh. He's a good priest. https://youtube.com/shorts/WmLs4wfej-A?feature=share It serves to remind me that we should bring back the vesting prayers of the Traditional Latin Mass: Washing Hands Da, Dómine, virtútem mánibus meis ad…
A Visit to Assisi
On a recent pilgrimage to Italy We took a bus through the beautiful Italian countryside from Rome to Assisi where we saw the tombs of St. Claire and St. Francis, St. Francis' habits and the basilicas of St. Francis and St. Claire. We'll have to go back to see the…
The Horns of Moses
We were blessed to have had the opportunity to visit the Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains) while on a recent pilgrimage to Rome, and while at the basilica, we saw Michelangelo’s magnificent statue of Moses which has been housed there since the 16th century (“The…
A Journey Through the Scriptures
A Bible Study Toolbox for Catholics Some Interpretive Principles The Four Senses of Sacred Scripture– Catechism of the Catholic Church…
Bible Study Tools for Catholics
Sacred Scriptures Online Bibles Some Good Bible Study Apps BibleGateway.com (Includes many versions of the Bible, including Catholic bibles with…
Handling Bible Difficulties
Here are some posts that explain some of the more difficult passages of the Bible.
A Brief History of the Seven Deadly Sins
At a recent meeting of our Catholic study group, one member said, “I heard a priest say that there was once an eighth deadly sin…
Why do they like the Latin Mass?
"What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even…
On Servile Work
The first precept of the Church is: "You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor" Catechism of…
The Catechetical Instructions of St. Thomas Aquinas
Here’s an English translation of a great catechism written by St. Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century Dominican friar, saint and doctor of the Church: Aquinas,…
Irreconcilable Differences: Why the Catholic Church Forbids Masonic Membership
Why does the Catholic Church forbid membership in Freemasonry and masonic organizations? A brief history Freemasonry began as a guild…
Parrésia: Boldness and the Holy Spirit in Acts
A word study of the Book of Acts of the Apostles After reading the Acts of the Apostles from beginning…
A Brief History of the Seven Deadly Sins
At a recent meeting of our Catholic study group, one member said, “I heard a priest say that there was…
Bring Back the Vesting Prayers!
Here is a well-intentioned but ill-advised promotional video for attending Holy Mass. Well, perhaps "ill-advised" is a little harsh. He's…
Proverbs and the Poor
The seeds of Our Lord’s social teaching were given in God’s revelation to Israel, the Old Testament. Here is an…
The Six Days of Creation
Introduction St. Thomas Aquinas has provided the Church with an intriguing interpretation of the six days of creation described in…
A Brief History of the Latin Vulgate
Introduction What role does the Latin Vulgate, St. Jerome's translation of the Sacred Scriptures into Latin, play in the Church…
On the Death of King David’s Baby
This comment recently appeared on our Catholic Study Group Facebook page: Here’s the short answer: Yes, God punished David by…
The Priestly Blessing
Let’s linger in the Sinai desert with the Israelites and consider one of the oldest blessings in the Bible, one…
Artistic or Pornographic? A Theological Analysis of Nude Art
Nude art has long been the subject of theological debate, regardless of Christian denomination. Although respect and public display of…
Is Aslan on the move?
“They say Aslan is on the move- perhaps has already landed." And now a very curious thing happened. None of…
Perspective Matters
French mail carrier Ferdinand Cheval built his house, the Palaise Ideal (aka Fracteur Cheval), out of unusual stones he found…
Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin
And this is the writing that was inscribed: mene, mene, tekel, and parsin. Daniel 5:25 RSV The story of “the…
Reflections on the Book of Job
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin…
Some Good Bible Apps
As a follow up to our discussion during a recent meeting of our Catholic Study Group I thought it would…
Parrésia: Boldness and the Holy Spirit in Acts
A word study.
In Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke frequently uses two words, Παρρησία (parrésia, boldness) and Παρρησιάζομαι (parrésiazomai, to speak boldly), which have implications for us.
A Brief History of the Seven Deadly Sins
At a recent meeting of our Catholic study group one member said, “I heard a priest say that there was once an eighth deadly sin – sadness.” The glove was thrown to the ground and I just had to check this claim out.