Did the Virgin Mary know about the Resurrection before it happened? There’s a gap of thirty years, called the “silent years” of Jesus, in which Scripture simply doesn’t tell us what happened between Jesus’ infancy and the beginning of His public ministry. But there’s one interruption to this silence, a single event that Scripture records from… Continue reading Mary’s Foretaste of the Resurrection
Author: Joe Heschmeyer
The Attraction of a Priestly Life Well Lived
Zbigniew Kotyłły, John Paul II (2012) This year, Holy Thursday falls on the tenth anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. Each year on Holy Thursday, the saintly pope would write a letter to his priests, in honor of Christ’s institution of the priesthood at the Last Supper. The last of these letters,… Continue reading The Attraction of a Priestly Life Well Lived
Stump the Seminarian, Holy Week Edition
Today’s question, from Ian, is a timely one. It gets to the heart of the Paschal Mystery, and the relationship between the Mass, the Last Supper, and Good Friday: “The Mass is referred to as the “unbloody” re-presenting of the sacrifice on Calvary. But how do we square this description with the fact that the… Continue reading Stump the Seminarian, Holy Week Edition
The Most Important Moment in History: Why the Incarnation Matters
Today is the Feast of the Annunciation, which celebrates the Angel Gabriel’s message to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It also celebrates the Incarnation, which is brought about through Mary’s faith-filled response (“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word,” Luke 1:38). This is the greatest event… Continue reading The Most Important Moment in History: Why the Incarnation Matters
6 Early Christian Controversies That Protestantism Can’t Explain
Woodcut of St. Patrick, Nuremberg Chronicle (1493) In an article entitled Saint Patrick the Baptist?, Stephen R. Button tries to claim St. Patrick for Evangelical Protestantism… or at least disassociate him from Roman Catholicism. Button is hardly alone: you can find similar attempts by Don Boys and others, some of them dating back several decades. The argument tends… Continue reading 6 Early Christian Controversies That Protestantism Can’t Explain
Pope Francis: a Voice for Voiceless Christians
Pope Francis has once again show himself to be one of the only world leaders willing to give a voice to the Christians being slaughtered by Islamic radicals: With pain, with much pain, I learned of the terrorist attacks today against two churches in the city of Lahore in Pakistan, which have resulted in numerous… Continue reading Pope Francis: a Voice for Voiceless Christians
Dan Brown, Call Your Office: The Strange True Story of the Vatican’s Nuclear Arms Agreement
Did you know that the Vatican City has a nuclear arms agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency? It’s true. In fact, the Vatican has specifically promised the IAEA that they will “make every reasonable effort” to let them know if someone starts a nuclear program that is (a) within Vatican City, and (b) outside… Continue reading Dan Brown, Call Your Office: The Strange True Story of the Vatican’s Nuclear Arms Agreement
Two Steps for Beginning Your Examination of the Catholic Church
St. Peter’s, Rome In 2007, Dr. Francis Beckwith, the president of the Evangelical Theological Society — the nation’s largest Evangelical coalition of scholars, with over 4,000 members — announced that he was converting (technically, reverting) to Roman Catholicism. Last week, I had the opportunity of meeting Dr. Beckwith, and hearing his reversion story in person (I’d… Continue reading Two Steps for Beginning Your Examination of the Catholic Church
5 New Testament Promises for the Church Today, Tomorrow, and Forever
Image from the Waldburg Prayer Book (1476),showing the Coronation of Mary, and the Sacrifice of the Mass Stat crux dum volvitur orbis is the motto of the Carthusian religious order. It’s Latin for “The Cross is steady while the world is turning.” It’s a recognition that the Gospel is timeless and eternal. But the Gospel… Continue reading 5 New Testament Promises for the Church Today, Tomorrow, and Forever
Faith Alone v. Forgiving Trespasses: How the Lord’s Prayer Contradicts the Reformation
Lines from the Lord’s Prayer, in various languages.From the Eucharist Door at the Glory Facade of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain. It’s Lent in Rome. That means it’s time for one of the great Roman traditions: station churches. Each morning, English-speaking pilgrims walk to a different church for Mass. This morning, on the way to… Continue reading Faith Alone v. Forgiving Trespasses: How the Lord’s Prayer Contradicts the Reformation