Colijn de Coter, Saint Michael Weighing Souls (detail)(16th c.). Protestants typically believe that all sins are equally bad, and all Saints are equally good. For example, a Kansas middle school teacher is in hot water for writing, according to the Huffington Post, that “Being Gay Is ‘The Same As Murder’.” Despite the quotation marks, the teacher didn’t… Continue reading Are All Sins Equally Bad? Are All Saints Equally Good?
Tag: Saints
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux’s Parents and Vocational Discernment
Louis Martin, Thérèse’s father I’ve finally gotten around to reading St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s autobiography, The Story of a Soul. It’s a great read, but one of the things that fascinated me was actually from the introduction, which gave some background on Thérèse’s family. Thérèse’s parents were holy, and wanted to give their entire lives to… Continue reading Saint Thérèse of Lisieux’s Parents and Vocational Discernment
Who Was St. Mark? The Story of a Soul.
Today is the Feast of St. Mark, celebrating one of the four Gospel writers. What do we know about him from the Bible? Matthias Stom,The Evangelists Saint Mark and Saint Luke (detail) (1635) The place we hear the most about him is in the Book of Acts. St. Luke generally refers to him in Acts as “John,… Continue reading Who Was St. Mark? The Story of a Soul.
How the Summa Theologica Might Address a Zombie Uprising
Filippino Lippi, Triumph of St. Thomas Aquinas over the Heretics (detail) (1490) If you’ve ever skimmed through St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica, a few thoughts have probably crossed your mind. First, “this is a masterpiece!” followed quickly by, “…but why is there no section dealing with a zombie uprising?” Don’t get me wrong. The Summa… Continue reading How the Summa Theologica Might Address a Zombie Uprising
St. Joseph, Model for Priests
Today is the Feast of St. Joseph, my “name Saint.” We often see St. Joseph held up as a model for men, and in particular for fathers. This is as it should be, since God treats St. Joseph as the head of the Holy Family, which is fascinating, given the other two members of that Family:… Continue reading St. Joseph, Model for Priests
A Lenten Warning from the Saints
In Introduction to the Devout Life, St. Francis De Sales warns of a kind of false religiosity that can convince both others and ourselves that we’re right with God, when we’re not. Specifically, he warned of our tendency to “colour devotion according to our own likings and disposition”: One man sets great value on fasting,… Continue reading A Lenten Warning from the Saints
Is Prayer to the Saints Pointless?
In my experience, Catholic-Protestant dialogues about praying to Saints tend to have two steps. In the first stage, prayer to the Saints is viewed as something suspect, or even evil. In the second stage, prayer to the Saints seems harmless, but also pointless. Let’s address each stage in turn. Is Prayer to the Saints… Continue reading Is Prayer to the Saints Pointless?
Why Celebrate All Souls Day?
Today is All Souls Day, the companion feast to All Saints Day. While All Saints Day celebrates those souls who enjoy the Beatific Vision in Heaven, today reminds us that there are still souls in purgatory, and in need of our prayers. While today is not a Holy Day of Obligation, it’s worth making it… Continue reading Why Celebrate All Souls Day?
Why Celebrate All Saints Day?
Why does the Church make today a Holy Day of Obligation, requiring Catholics to attend Mass today? It’s because in seeing the Saints, we see our pathway to Heaven. In Mark 10:42-45, we learn from Jesus what true greatness looks like: Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as… Continue reading Why Celebrate All Saints Day?
Why St. Isaac Jogues Matters
At the start of this year, I followed Jennifer Fulwiler’s advice and got a Saint for the Year, using the website she set up. The Saint randomly chosen for me was St. Isaac Jogues, S.J. As I stated at the time, I was initially a bit disappointed. I’d never heard of St. Isaac, and people… Continue reading Why St. Isaac Jogues Matters