Slavery in Rationalia? Does the title "Slavery in Rationalia" leave you puzzled? You've probably never heard of the place, much less considered the issue of servitude there. It's a curious topic. I'll get to it. I'd like to start, however, with a visit I once made a small local fish store. As I was paying for … Continue reading Slavery in Rationalia
St. Philip the Deacon: Serving Tables and Serving the Lord
St. Philip the Deacon Serving tables was just a start for St. Philip and the other deacons. Today (6 June) is the feast of one of the stars of the Acts of the Apostles, St. Philip the Deacon. In addition to "the Deacon," he also bears the name St. Philip the Evangelist. We should not … Continue reading St. Philip the Deacon: Serving Tables and Serving the Lord
Infinite Trinity, Finite Minds
So you and I are in good company if we find TheTrinity challenging. Fortunately, even if the philosophical explanations elude us, we can know the Triune God through the experience of Faith. Thanks be to God. And after all, isn't through experience, and not intellect, that we come to know love?
The Ascension and St. Matthias
But just as the first miracle of Jesus takes place at Cana before, as He tells His mother Mary, His "hour has come," in the selection of Matthias we see the Church acting as The Church even before she has fully taken up her mission.
Seen Any Miracles Lately?
Any Miracles At All . . . Well, have you seen any miracles? How many of us would know it if we had? The Jesuit Gerard Manley Hopkins, whose formation taught him to See God in All Things, wrote: Glory be to God for dappled things – For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow; … Continue reading Seen Any Miracles Lately?
St. Thomas Aquinas on Miracles
Most of us have little expertise on miracles. And yet it's a topic that comes up often in Catholic discussions. Needless to say, a lot of confusion can ensue. It seems helpful to have something handy that is short, to the point, and clarifying. St. Thomas Aquinas has provided us with just that in his Summa Contra Gentiles.
The Power of Prayer is Real Power
That is not to say that we discount the possibility of miraculous intervention (see below). But our prayers in response to human tragedies, for the most part, address things that are beyond the reach of any laws or “systematic approaches” we can enact in this world.
The Stench of Death: 5th Sunday of Lent
The Stench of Death The Stench of Death pervades the liturgy on this 5th Sunday of Lent. And not just figuratively. Consider today's Gospel. Jesus approaches the tomb of his friend Lazarus, who had been buried four days earlier. When Jesus instructs those present to move away the stone sealing the tomb, Lazarus' sister Martha … Continue reading The Stench of Death: 5th Sunday of Lent
Laetare, Jerusalem: 4th Sunday of Lent
Laetare Sunday represents more than a break midway through Lent. It's a demarcation, showing us that something is changing. It's a last breath of fresh air and a final glimpse of sunlight before plunging into the depths of Passiontide. We have a reminder of God's promise as we walk with Jesus on the Way of the Cross.
Well and Rock: 3rd Sunday of Lent
Allegorically, as St. Paul tells us, the Rock represents Jesus. Jesus himself tells us in the passage from John that the "water" he provides is, in fact, eternal life. The moral meaning of the Moses story is that, even when things look hopeless, God will provide. Anagogically, that only Jesus can provide true life, eternal life.