faith – Page 109 – Shameless Popery

St. Paul Summarizes the Old Testament

I. Acts 13Today’s First Reading, from Acts 13, finds St. Paul and his companions in the synagogue on the Jewish Sabbath. After “the reading of the law and the prophets,” the men are asked if any of them has “a word of exhortation” to share. Paul then gets up, motions with his hand, and says… Continue reading St. Paul Summarizes the Old Testament

Immigration and Christian Charity

S. Williams has posted a couple of comments on my last post, and my response is too long to fit as a comment. So here goes: S. Williams, I’m not even sure where to start. Yours is the perfect example of why St. Paul condemns “party spirit” on his list of mortal sins of the… Continue reading Immigration and Christian Charity

Catholicism and Arizona’s Recent Immigration Law

The Bible is pretty clear in its posture on immigration: we should be welcoming to those strangers in our lands, those “sojourners” among us: or, to use the language of Genesis 15:13 (and Psalm 39:12, etc.), “strangers.” In the Old Covenant, from Exodus 22:21 to the even more striking Leviticus 19:34, onwards, we’re told repeatedly… Continue reading Catholicism and Arizona’s Recent Immigration Law

Two Things to Consider Regarding Sola Scriptura

Nick responded to my last post, and pointed me to his blog post on the subject. There were two parts which I liked enough that I think that they’re worth mentioning here. 1. Sola Scriptura Wasn’t True When the Bible Was Written. These aren’t Nick’s words, these are James White’s. White, if you’re not familiar,… Continue reading Two Things to Consider Regarding Sola Scriptura

Two Types of Sola Scriptura

Back on April 3rd, Roderick_E said in response to a post about the two types of tradition (traditions of men and Sacred Tradition): The “anti-traditionalists” who shout “Sola Scriptura” but actually mean their private interpretation alone seem to fail to realize that Martin Luther even understood there is such a thing as the “ancient faith”… Continue reading Two Types of Sola Scriptura

The Sex Abuse Witch Hunt Frenzy

I was hoping that as the latest sex abuse media frenzy progressed, it would get a bit more introspective. Something this happens: at first, tea partiers were depicted as a bunch of ignorant white Southerners who were a white hood away from reorganizing the KKK. As the media coverage continued, you started to see glimpses… Continue reading The Sex Abuse Witch Hunt Frenzy

“Breaking Bread” and the Eucharist

Luke 24:41-42 has an interesting account of Jesus post-Resurrection: “And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. “What strikes me about this… Continue reading “Breaking Bread” and the Eucharist

How Can the Eucharist Be in More Than One Place at Once?

This week’s daily Gospel has been a walk through John 6, and taking it piece-by-piece, with an eye towards the whole, has been really interesting. One of the arguments I recently heard against the Eucharist was that since Jesus has only one Body, His Body and Blood can’t be present in each and every particle… Continue reading How Can the Eucharist Be in More Than One Place at Once?

Gamaliel’s Challenge

On Friday, the First Reading was from Acts 5:34-42, which describes the trial of the Apostles before the Sanhedrin: A Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel,a teacher of the law, respected by all the people,stood up, ordered the Apostles to be put outside for a short time,and said to the Sanhedrin, “Fellow children of Israel,be… Continue reading Gamaliel’s Challenge