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The fullest unhinged example of religion as a commodity is the rather fashionable, modern teaching known as the Prosperity Gospel, as well as the megachurch phenomenon that it seems to create. Although a predominantly Protestant expression, such a view of life has found its way into the hearts and parishes of Catholics.The Prosperity Gospel exaggerates the temporal blessings of “health and wealth” and gives bloated versions of biblical promises to its adherents. The basic idea is that God wants …

We tend to think of the relationship between a parent and a child as fundamentally a biological reality, a consequence of the way animals propagate life. But since the revelation of Jesus Christ, the revelation that God is a Father who from all eternity has begotten a Son, we now know that in God’s plan the relationship between a parent and a child is fundamentally a theological reality. That is, God’s fundamental purpose in creating the world so that there would be parents and children in it wa …

CHALLENGE: The value of Christ’s sacrifice was infinite. He paid it all. Therefore, there is no role for penance in the Christian life.DEFENSE: The value of Christ’s death on the cross was infinite—more than enough to pay for all the sins of mankind. But even after God has forgiven the eternal consequences of our sins, he wants us to experience some negative consequences.When a child misbehaves, there need to be consequences. If parents never applied any discipline, the child would never learn h …

A flourishing Christian family does not have to be one with no trials or serious difficulties. In fact, many trials—such as financial failure, personal tragedies, accidents, sickness, physical or mental disabilities, and so on—are not only compatible with a flourishing Christian family, they often cause the supernatural character of a flourishing Christian family to shine forth. Certain Christian virtues simply cannot grow to perfection without being tested through trials and obstacles. Even the …

The identification of four temperaments—choleric, melancholic, sanguine, and phlegmatic—goes back to ancient sources such as Hippocrates and Galen and was taken up again and developed in the Middle Ages. The enduring character of this doctrine reveals that it has struck on something perennially rooted in human nature. Most people have a predominant temperament (even if they have a secondary temperament and indeed some elements of all four) that has a predominant emotion associated with it as wel …