“The right which the Church has from Christ himself, to teach mankind, to make laws, to govern peoples in all that pertains to their eternal salvation,” Defining Church Teaching It is a common misconception, that the faithful do not hold a belief universally until it is formally declared by theContinue Reading
“When regard for the truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful.” Truth is a casualty of our modern era. We have become very good at sidestepping any admittance of an absolute truth. President Abraham Lincoln was once embroiled in a dispute with aContinue Reading
“As the new Heaven and Earth will represent the fullness of creation, we will also enjoy the fullness of our gifts.” How will we live in the new Heaven and the new Earth? Will the creatives among us continue to create? Will there be work? Will we be bored, sitingContinue Reading
“When we accept the offer of Jesus we experience the calm and serenity that Zaccheus experienced when salvation came to his house. This is the Peace of Christ.” The Repentant Sinner In 1886 Leo Tolstoy wrote a short story titled “The Repentant Sinner.” In the story a seventy yearContinue Reading
“Have we become so complacent in our faith that we have stopped striving to know God better?” The Danger of Complacency Are you too complacent in your faith? Complacency is a rejection of things as they might be. “Good enough” is the motto of the complacent person. Complacency makes peopleContinue Reading
“I could have done so much more.” Schindler’s Regret Oskar Schindler was a German industrialist living in Poland at the onset of the second World War. As the Nazi war machine began taking Jewish prisoners, Schindler saw an opportunity to make money. Because of his position and influence he wasContinue Reading
“Humility is the virtue that allows us to put our personal wants and desires to the side,” King Canute was once ruler of England. The members of his court were continually full of flattery. “You are the greatest man that ever lived…You are the most powerful king of all…Your highness,Continue Reading
“Every difficulty we encounter in our lives, is either sent by God or permitted by Him for our benefit.” David and Goliath David cried out, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” David was just a boy. He was not yet oldContinue Reading
“God has left his mark on humanity just as surely as He has left it on all of creation.” God has left His mark on all of creation, including man. It really cannot be otherwise. We see this reflected in our own nature. We can often identify the author ofContinue Reading
“as we travel the nave from west to east we are traveling through salvation history” The Gothic writ large In studying the Gothic style, with the aim of restoring it as a living tradition, we are sometimes faced with the challenge of finding liturgical examples. Byzantine iconography is relatively easyContinue Reading