Among the world’s religions, Catholicism is unique for its profession in that God became a human being, died by crucifixion, and was resurrected. The reasons for these events are irrevocably connected to the salvation of the human race. God became man in the person of Jesus so as to reconcile God and man, to join what had been sundered by original sin. Jesus’s death was payment owed to God for the debt incurred by original sin. But what about the Resurrection?... Read more
Among the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, the Eucharist stands as “The fount and apex of the whole Christian life” (Lumen Gentium, no. 11), for in this sacrament is the very body and blood of God incarnate. There are several ways in which this most unique and remarkable sacrament can be understood. These generally fall within the categories of thanksgiving (the English translation comes from the Greek word “eucharisteo,” which means to give thanks) or sacrifice. In this paper,... Read more
The Immaculate Conception is one of the most controversial doctrines of the Church. Rejected by the various Protestant denominations, the teaching of the Immaculate Conception has been known to confuse even Catholics. While the objections and confusion range from the biblical basis of the Immaculate Conception to what exactly it refers to (it has nothing to do with the birth of Christ), the question I shall address in this paper is one regarding Mary and free will. I will begin... Read more
It has been said that humor is the coming together of two incongruous things. In that context, one of the more humorous events depicted in the Bible is the baptism of Jesus. After all, baptism is conducted, first and foremost, for the remission of original sin. If Jesus is indeed God, and God cannot sin, then the baptism of Jesus is undoubtedly the coming together of two incongruous things. Humor aside, the baptism of Jesus presents an interesting theological question.... Read more
Within the Catholic Church, there are some two-thousand-five hundred religious orders. The existence of these religious orders dates back to the early Church and can now be found throughout the globe. In this paper, I will give a basic overview of the orders with Catholicism and how these orders are created. First, however, I will endeavor to explain what exactly a Catholic religious order is. Within the Catholic Church, a religious order is generally defined as an organization of persons,... Read more
“In His will, our peace.” – Dante Alighieri. Perhaps one of life’s most paradoxical aspects is the natural inclination for peace. Paradoxical because despite this human desire for peace, we inhabit a world filled with anger, hatred, and violence. In order to understand the reason for this incongruity between the desire for peace and a world riddled with discord, I will examine and contrast the two types of peace, one worldly and the other Godly. I will conclude by showing... Read more
It is estimated that the word fear appears over five hundred times in the Bible. While many of the uses of the word are intended as encouragement against being afraid, the Bible also has much to say about fear in relation to God and the transcendent. In this paper, I will examine the relationship between fear and God. I will begin by discussing the two primary uses of the word fear in a biblical context and conclude by suggesting that... Read more
Theological virtues are those virtues that are infused into the soul by God. Among the theological virtues is faith. This fact raises a question. If faith is a product of God’s Grace, can it be rejected? Said differently, if God has disposed the soul to faith, do we really have free will when it comes to belief? This question involves not only the existence of God but also those things that the Catholic Church teaches. To address this question, it... Read more
“The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church,” Tertullian famously remarked. Tertullian recognized that the more the world sheds the blood of Christians, the more the Church grows. While it may seem counterintuitive, the willingness of Christians to die for what they believe in often inspires others to become followers of Christ. In this paper, I will examine what constitutes martyrdom in the Catholic Church by examining some examples from the Bible. Finally, I will seek to place... Read more
One of the consequences of the Enlightenment was an effort to reduce religion to a moral framework. This effort was led by Immanuel Kant, who sought to deracinate the moral and ethical aspects of religion from the mystical aspects of faith. In following Kant, Thomas Jefferson went so far as to rewrite the New Testament, eliminating any references to miracles or the supernatural. Such efforts to de-mystify the Bible do it a great injustice, for much of what God intended... Read more
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