Is there intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe? The topic was in the news this week when astronomers at UC Berkeley and University of Hawaii […]
Pope Leo’s Roots
Sinners, saints and God's grace I had been praying for a good pope and hoping for an African pope, to be honest, but God surprised us with an American pope with some African ancestry. That he has Creole roots intrigues me. After Pope Leo’s election to the Chair of Peter,…
Pope Leo and the Neocatechumenal Way
Soon after attending the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Cardinal Secretary of State of Vatican City, said this about Pope Leo: I’ve always felt this serenity in Cardinal Prevost. I met him at the beginning of my service as Secretary of State for a thorny…
A March Through the Scriptures
A Bible Study Toolbox for Catholics Some Interpretive Principles The Four Senses of Sacred Scripture– Catechism of the Catholic Church or here to listen to an 8 minute podcast on the same topic. Science and the Old Testament – from the Fathers and the Magisterium On Violence in the Old Testament…
A March 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.
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,…
What Does the Catholic Church Teach?
There are several good sources to learn what the Catholic Church actually teaches. Catechisms, especially the Roman Catechism and the Catechism of the Catholic Church,…
Why Don’t Catholics Worship on the Sabbath?
The Seventh Day Adventists insist that Christians should set aside the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) for rest and worship instead of Sunday. Moreover, the Seventh Day…
On Eden and the Temple
We are often tempted to ignore passages of the Sacred Scriptures that concern Old Testament sacrifice and ritual, but that…
Pope Leo’s Roots
Sinners, saints and God's grace I had been praying for a good pope and hoping for an African pope, to…
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…
Hopes for a new pontificate
If they practiced at Nicaea what I perceive they now mean by "synodality" - especially as the Germans perceive now…
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…
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…
Some Catholic Jokes
Some relatively clean humor... A little boy was listening to a long and excessively boring sermon in church. Suddenly his…
Book Review: “A Map of Life”
"A Map of Life", by Frank Sheed, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1994. Originally published by Sheed & Ward, London, 1933.…
The Senses of Sacred Scripture
Before his conversion to Christianity, the learned St. Augustine had reached a stumbling block, or so he thought. His difficulty…
On False Prophets
The Book of Jeremiah gives us a clear picture of a false prophet, allowing us to identify them in our…
Ruth, Boaz, and the Coming of the King
The short Book of Ruth offers a refreshing change after reading the dark book of Judges. It is a short…
Book review: “Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus”
"Can you tell me the story of your relationship with God so far?" This "threshold question" is at the heart…
Catechisms and Other Doctrinal References
Catechism of the Catholic Church (USCC) Catechism of the Catholic Church (Vatican) Original Catholic Encyclopedia (1914) The Roman Catechism (The Catechism of Trent)
Book Review: “No One Sees God – The Dark Night of Atheists and Believers”
By Michael Novak, Doubleday, 2008 “No one has ever seen God, but as long as we love one another God remains in us and his love comes […]