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Earlier in my priesthood, I pastorally ministered to a man who had cared for his adult son during his son’s battle with cancer. As I came to know the man, he shared with me the account of his son’s life and holy death. When the son was first diagnosed with cancer, no one realized how serious it was. As the medical team did more tests, it became clear that the cancer was terminal, and that the young man’s physical life was nearing its end. In response to this news, the father t …

Another question that arises when we’re talking about our relationship with the saints, and the honor that is due to them, is, “Must I have a devotion to the saints?”Well, it depends on what we mean by devotion. If we intend to include within our definition of “devotion” the recognition of certain facts about them, then yes. For example, we must honor them by acknowledging their saintly status and our communion with them in the body of Christ. And, as mentioned in …

When we speak about reason, we mean uses of the human mind to seek and to understand the truth. We can use our reason in academic disciplines such as psychology, mathematics, and history. Reason is also exercised in producing various technologies and in living life wisely. Two uses of human reason are especially important when considering the relationship between faith and reason. One is found in science, in which people use the method of empirical verification to determine whether or not some …

Protestant View on Scripture Interpretation Protestants Say: Scripture is self-interpreting; therefore, the believer’s private interpretation is what the Holy Spirit intended. Catholic Response to Self-Interpretation of Scripture The Catholic Response: This assertion is problematic for several reasons. First, the Bible nowhere says it is self-interpreting; rather, it explicitly states or shows that it is not. See for example 2 Chron. 17:7-9; Neh. 8:1-9; Matt. 13:18-23; Luke 24:27, 45; …

The Gospel vs. Myths and Fiction Unlike myths, the gospel is based on historical facts. It is not “Jesus and the Seven Dwarves.” Its events are attested, chronicled, archived, preserved. They are not fiction, and neither are they a parable that uses fiction to convey moral lessons or wishful thinking. The gospel is not real because it’s intellectually satisfying or because it provides emotional consolation. It is not real because it’s a cherished family tradition. It is not real b …