A Protestant friend e-mailed me, troubled by something he’d read in an article about the Rosary, in which the author said: The will of the Blessed Virgin is completely conformed to that of Her Son, in other word – God. She is the most humble and chaste spouse of the Holy Ghost and will never… Continue reading Is it Idolatry to say that Mary Saves Us?
Tag: Jesus
Three Prophesies About Christ That Couldn’t Have Been Made Up
In the New Testament, Jesus is depicted as fulfilling numerous Old Testament Messianic prophesies. These prophesies provide objective verification that He is Who He claims to be. But how can we know that these things really happened? In other words, how do we know that the New Testament writers didn’t just make up these details,… Continue reading Three Prophesies About Christ That Couldn’t Have Been Made Up
Steve Martin v. John Dominic Crossan
A while back, I wrote a post on the historical accuracy of Luke 2:2. In a nutshell, some Biblical critics claim that the global census that St. Luke describes (in Lk. 2:1-2) as occurring during the reign of Herod the Great didn’t happen. I think that Mark Shea does a great job of answering this, using… Continue reading Steve Martin v. John Dominic Crossan
Does the Bible Condemn Repetitive Prayer?
One of the common arguments raised against Catholic devotions like the Rosary is that Catholics are praying the same few form prayers over and over again, and Scripture condemns repetitive prayer. After all, in Matthew 6:7, Christ says, “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they… Continue reading Does the Bible Condemn Repetitive Prayer?
Did the Gospels Evolve?
Caravaggio, Doubting Thomas (1603) A common claim from Biblical skeptics is that the earliest New Testament Books tell a very different story than the later Books: that the story of Jesus grew with time, becoming more and more incredible, and less and less historical. In other words, it’s the idea that the New Testament evolved from history… Continue reading Did the Gospels Evolve?
A Catholic Trillema: Why the Church Can’t Just be a “Good Denomination”
C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) C.S. Lewis famously argued that given what Jesus claimed about Himself, He was either Lord, liar, or lunatic — that if He wasn’t God, He couldn’t be considered merely a good man or a moral teacher. Lewis explained in Mere Christianity why this argument is important: I am trying here to prevent anyone… Continue reading A Catholic Trillema: Why the Church Can’t Just be a “Good Denomination”
God, King, Sacrifice: The Gifts of the Magi
Yesterday was (for most of us) the Feast of the Epiphany, which commemorates the Magi’s visit to the Infant Jesus. It’s easy to turn it into something schmaltzy, but this is actually one of the most theologically rich parts of the Bible. Jan de Bray, The Adoration of the Magi (1674) Gold: As I’ve explained before,… Continue reading God, King, Sacrifice: The Gifts of the Magi
Understanding Christ’s Humanity and Divinity
Christ Pantocrator (from the Hagia Sophia) A couple days ago, I was asked: If Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully God, was He human before the Incarnation? If He wasn’t, why would the Nestorian position be heretical, since Christ is fully divine and His humanity was only a later addition? And if He… Continue reading Understanding Christ’s Humanity and Divinity
Is the Shroud of Turin Authentic?
Italian researchers with the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development are claiming that the Shroud of Turin couldn’t have been a Medieval forgery, because the available technology to forge it wasn’t existent. And what they’re suggesting produced the image (a flash of light) is incredible. From a Telegraph article summarizing the… Continue reading Is the Shroud of Turin Authentic?
How Mary Built the Temple that King David Couldn’t
Yesterday’s First Reading was about King David, and his plans to build a Temple for the Lord, to store the Ark. It begins (2 Samuel 7:1-3): Now when the king dwelt in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies round about, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See… Continue reading How Mary Built the Temple that King David Couldn’t