As we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ this octave, let’s talk about the case against the Resurrection. One of the most common reactions to the Resurrection is simply that the idea is ridiculous. But in fact, there’s strong HISTORICAL evidence for the truth of the Resurrection that has to be grappled with, regardless of your religious persuasion. Here’s a little bit of it.
Tag: faith
Herod and Pilate—on Trial
It’s no coincidence that Herod’s life and Pilate’s are also intimately bound up with the other’s. St. Luke mentions that, after the trial of Jesus, “Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other” (Luke 23:12). And in each case, we might say that it’s really Pilate and Herod who get put on trial. Why? Because these two allegedly powerful men each have before them a man they personally know to be innocent, a man that they want not to execute. Whether they know it or not, this is the most important moment in each man’s life, the moment for which he will be remembered for all of history.
Why is Sin Such Damned Fun?
We’re about to enter into Good Friday, the day on which Jesus died for our sins. So what’s the deal with sin? It’s very easy to think of sin as fun, and virtue as sort of missing out on the fun for the sake of some future reward: a sort of Mardi Gras v. Lent contrast. Why IS such (literally) damned fun? And how do we respond to the charge that we’re just anti-fun?
Scripture, Tradition, and Hand-Me-Down Bibles
That’s a good starting place to talk about the relationship between the Bible and Tradition… and the way in which the Bible is itself a Tradition. Catholics and Protestants often talk past one another on this topic. Protestants tend to hear “custom or rule,” whereas Catholics mean “something passed on.” And it’s too bad, because you simply can’t have Christianity without Tradition.
Perseverance of the Saints: An Illogical Doctrine
Protestants who believe in the doctrine of “perseverance of the Saints” (that the saved can never lose their salvation) often point to 1 John 2:9 as support. There, St. John speaks of those who “went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.” Here’s why it’s irrational to base belief in perseverance of the Saints on that verse.
The Cross and Purgatory
If you understand the message of the Cross, you’ll see why Purgatory makes sense but also why it’s appealing to want to deny it. St. Peter didn’t want to hear about Jesus being glorified through suffering (Matthew 16:21-22), and he didn’t want to hear about how he would be glorified through suffering, either (John 21:17-21). But as St. Paul reminds us, we have been made “fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Our glorification is through the Cross (His and ours) or nothing at all.
Say Hello to “The Catholic Podcast”!
The Catholic Podcast is LIVE today! Here’s what it is, why we’re doing it, where to find it, and what you can do to listen in and to spread the word.
St. Peter: Rock or Stumbling-Stone?
Today’s the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, and a worthy time to remember that St. Peter and his papal successors serve as both a Rock and a Stumbling-Block for the Church.
Who is the “One Loaf” in Mark 8?
In Mark 8:14-21, he says that the Apostles are in the boat with “one loaf,” yet they then protest that they have no bread. How can both of these details be true, and what is meant by the “One Loaf” in the bread with the Apostles?
The Hidden Weapon in the Evangelization of the World
I have a new post up for Catholic Answers’ online magazine, looking at the hidden weapon in the evangelization of the world: how the family can convict the world in sin (and what that even means!)