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The canon of the New Testament slowly took shape over the first 300 years of Christianity. Some books, like the four Gospels, were widely accepted early on, whereas others were doubted by many for a long time. But by the fifth century, the New Testament canon of twenty-seven books was firmly settled. In spite of this, over a thousand years later, Martin Luther dismissed four of those books when he translated the New Testament into German.Four on the Chopping Block?Martin Luther was excommunicat …

Let's take a look at the differences between the Catholic and Protestant understanding of the Sacrament of Confession. If Protestantism is true, the power that Jesus gave men to forgive sins died with the apostles.  For Protestants, it seems clear from the New Testament that God forgives sin directly, without agents or intermediaries. The whole point of Jesus’ becoming man, after all, was to reveal to us that we now had direct access to God. Matthew’s Gospel describes …

Pope Benedict XVI shocked the Church and the world at the Consistory on February 11, 2013, when he told the assembled cardinals, “After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.” Benedict believed that his age and health had led to an inability to “adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me” and stated that &ld …

Misconceptions about the past can persist for centuries, despite the diligent work of historians, either because vested interests benefit from the distortions or because the fanciful version is more fun.  - Piers Paul ReadPope Leo XIII (r. 1878-1903) was annoyed. The Church was under attack by intellectuals seeking to limit its influence in society and by Italian nationalists and revolutionaries who intensely disliked the papacy. Leo was also concerned because when surveying the metho …

Lectio Divina Lectio (Latin for “reading”) is an ancient way of letting God’s words speak to you as personally and as uniquely as possible. Normally, this practice takes a scene from the scriptures and allows them to serve as an opportunity to see our own life’s journey as an extension of God’s activity in history. Try it in these steps:  Select a brief passage that draws you; perhaps this could be the Gospel reading for the Mass that day.  Con …