Honeycom raises four points s/he thinks disproves the Eucharist. None do. They are, in turn: (1) Why would the Lord of the Universe turn Himself into a piece of bread so His followers believe they are consuming His body, blood, soul and divinity? Why would He become a Baby, and a poor Galilean at that, and… Continue reading Taking Jesus at His Word in the Eucharist
Tag: ECFs
An Early Church Father Worth Knowing: Optatus of Milevis
I. Who Optatus of Milevis Was Prior to last week, I’d never heard of St. Optatus, the bishop of Milevis in the middle-300s. I’m not alone: the preface to the 1917 translation of Against the Donatists, the only work of his we still have, calls him “perhaps the least known of all the Fathers of the Church.” As… Continue reading An Early Church Father Worth Knowing: Optatus of Milevis
Very Early Church Fathers on the Eucharist
My dad asked me last night for some resources showing the views of the Early Church Fathers on the Eucharist. A woman he does hospital ministry with had heard that the Church didn’t believe in transubstantiation until the 1200s. This is a common error: the Church defined the dogma in the 1200s, but only because before… Continue reading Very Early Church Fathers on the Eucharist
Pharisees, Pelagians, and Catholics on Justification
I’m sure most people reading this blog have heard more than they’d care to about justification this week, but there was one last point I wanted to bring up, both because it’s interesting, and because I said I’d address it earlier this week. The idea is this: many Christians, particularly Protestants, read “Pharisees,” and think… Continue reading Pharisees, Pelagians, and Catholics on Justification
Happy Veteran’s Day!
Today’s the day we honor those who’ve risked their lives to defend our country. Unlike Memorial Day, which honors the fallen, Veteran’s Day honors those still among us. In honor of our veterans, I thought I’d share one of Augustine’s letters which deals with how a Christian soldier ought to behave. It’s an important question after… Continue reading Happy Veteran’s Day!
The Historical Claim for Catholicism
Hilaire Belloc’s historical case for Catholicism is a simple enough two-part argument: (1) the early third century Church [the point in Church history where we start to get a substantial body of Patristic evidence] was clearly Catholic; and (2) the views of the Church in the third century are the views of the Church of… Continue reading The Historical Claim for Catholicism
The Early Church Was a Single, Organized Church
Today’s post is the first of what I forsee as two outlining Hilarie Belloc’s solid historical case for Catholicism from Europe and the Faith. He makes two major points: first, the Church in the early 200s is clearly Catholic; and second, the Church in the early third century accurately reflects what was taught in the… Continue reading The Early Church Was a Single, Organized Church
The Eucharistic Martyrs
Yesterday was my first Men’s Group with our new priest, Fr. Kelly, and I’ve got to say I’m pretty thrilled. We were talking about the upcoming readings for this Sunday, and he drew a parallel which ties in perfectly to the last post on St. Ignatius. In this Sunday’s Second Reading, 2 Tm 4:6-8, 16-18,… Continue reading The Eucharistic Martyrs
Why an “Obligation” to attend Mass on Sunday?
A friend asked me yesterday about the basis for “the Sunday obligation.” It’s a good question: the Catholic Church says that, as Catholics, we must attend Mass on Sunday (or the Vigil Mass the night before, which can be considered part of Sunday, based on the Jewish calendar), and that if we deliberately skip without good… Continue reading Why an “Obligation” to attend Mass on Sunday?
St. Augustine v. St. Justin Martyr on Double Predestination?
A few days ago, I suggested ChurchFathers.org, and noted that they had a great quote from St. Justin Martyr disproving double-predestination, since Justin, writing in 151 A.D., rejects the possibility of anything like double-predestination as (1) unthinkable – treating it as if it were something a Christian audience would obviously reject, (2) contrary to the justice of God,… Continue reading St. Augustine v. St. Justin Martyr on Double Predestination?