Religion invariably contains instructions about what to do and what not to do. This makes it easy to think that religion might be, among other things, a sort of self-help system, where we figure out the right things to do,…
Following the Rules is Not Sufficient
The Five Levitical Sacrifices and Christianity
I sometimes ask my students if they have tried to read the Bible all the way through. Some hands go up. When I ask them how far they get, most say that they stop somewhere in the third book: Leviticus….
Synod on Synodality: Final Document – First Impressions
Yesterday, the Synod on Synodality released their final document. I have read what they have released and will share with you my takeaways. I am sure someone more learned can do a more thorough breakdown, but this will have to…
Temperance and Loving God
In Christian tradition, there are seven heavenly virtues and seven deadly sins. The theological virtues (faith, hope and love), some of the cardinal virtues (justice and courage) and many of the deadly sins (pride, anger, lust, envy, greed, sloth) get…
Not Big Enough To Be Small
I probably spend too much time on social media. In this regard, I know that I am not alone. Through my hours of scrolling, I have come across this atheist meme a few times: “CHRISTIANITY: Belief that one God created…
Accompany Without Affirming
I recently finished a month-long workshop hosted by my diocese. The topic was going over The Genesis of Gender by Dr. Abigail Favale. There were many wonderful insights regarding the philosophical roots of the modern gender movement. The sessions were…
Prepare While You Can
A natural human tendency is to think short-term. When a crisis is happening, the crisis is naturally top-of-mind, but when it is over, it is easy to dismiss it and think about other things. One of the biggest problems with…
You Cannot Vote For Evil
I haven’t written in the past about Catholic morality and voting. Because candidates and political parties are not perfect, you are morally permitted to vote for someone who may not uphold Catholic morals well. For example, if one candidate supports…
Q and the Synoptic Problem
For today’s article, I thought we would look at some modern Biblical Theory regarding the Gospels. While you may find greater spiritual profit in praying with the Scriptures, it is helpful to understand the modern methodologies so that you are…
Social Conflict and Christianity
It is undeniable that there seems to be a great deal of social conflict between so-called left and right political positions today. Positions are increasingly extreme, and the two sides seem more and more interested in demonizing the other side….