Let's dive deep into life and its complexities
Today (03/17), at Mass, one of the hymns contained the following verses: “You (God) are the Artist and the Potter; we are the Canvas and the Clay.” This line draws from Scripture passages such as Isaiah 64:7, Jeremiah 18:2-6, and Romans 9:20-21. And while these passages refer to God shaping and molding those who do…
Reading On Free Will and On Free Choice is a wonderful reminder of how the early Church Fathers tackled and impressively worked through philosophical and theological arguments that have been redressed today as New Atheist talking points — which, through modern eyes, seemed to be portrayed as revolutionary, as if, well, nobody had already surgically dissected and well refuted…
During a typical debate or apologetics-oriented conversation, whoever makes a positive claim — say, what is good is good because God says so — must then prove why the claim is true. And while a statement such as ‘what is good is good because God says so’ teeters on begging the question / circular reasoning,…
By Cee Vee Often referred to as the ‘teleological argument’, or argument from design, Thomas Aquinas’ Fifth Way sets itself apart from Aquinas’ other four proofs for the existence of God. While the other four proofs have their own merits by showing God as a necessary, unmoved mover, uncaused cause outside of time, space, and…
Introduction Since its institution in the early first century AD, the Eucharistic liturgy has been the bedrock gathering and highest form of worship for Catholic Christians. Featuring six liturgical rites — five among the Eastern Catholic Churches and one Roman rite for Western Catholics — the twenty-four churches total, in communion with the Pope, all…
Christopher Vitale Introduction / Survey Considered to be a quintessential work of Pauline contributions to Christian theology and ecclesiology (Neufeld 22), Ephesians reveals a Christian community that has not only spread widely and evolved greatly in its movement throughout the Mediterranean regions, but also identifies the ‘Church’ as inextricably linked with Christ as head of…
While there is no denying that the Gospels do not feature Jesus saying the exact words, “I am the Son of God,” there are plenty of other examples in Scripture where Jesus does not make a direct statement about himself, yet most Christian denominations believe in the associated teaching. For instance, Jesus never says, “Hey…
This blog post will explore the how the meanings of Wisdom and Word, two titles ascribed to Jesus, evolved from Old Testament Scripture into New Testament / early Christian interpretations of Christ as Logos. Beginning with Wisdom, its roots in the Old Testament show a range of interrelated meanings. These meanings are found primarily in…
What is the first thought that comes to mind when you hear the word epiphany? Does it make you think of someone having a earth-shaking, mind-blowing, the-planets-have-finally-aligned, and the universe-is-in-now-in-complete harmony, “A-ha!” moment? Well, even if not so dramatic, one definition of epiphany is to have a dramatically mind-altering awareness — you suddenly see the…
