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We often think references to Jesus’ coming mean just one thing: the future Second Coming at the end of the world.  On this point, Scripture does not tell us when Christ will return. On the contrary, Jesus tells us that “it is not for you to know times and seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). And again: “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matt. 24:36). Thus, the Ca …

Faith, in the Christian tradition, is a theological virtue that comes from God as a gift. So any baptized person has received this gift of faith. The gift of faith is a habit that is still present in us even when we are not using it. If I have the habit of playing the piano, I remain a piano player even when sleeping or swimming. So the gift of Christian faith remains in a person whether or not a person is at the moment using this gift or even sensing this gift.  Indeed, Christian faith is …

A conflict between faith and reason arises only when people use incorrect definitions of these terms. It is true that reason involves the use of the mind to make sense of the world and justify the beliefs we think are true, whereas faith is belief in things unseen. As St. Paul wrote, “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:6).   However, faith is not “believing without evidence” or “belief in the absence of evidence” or “believing despite e …

The Christian response to sin is always necessary, but it need not be dire. For even before we turn back to God, he draws near to us, the sinner. And, if we allow him, God can use even our failings and faults to his glory and for our good. Romans 8:28 says that “all things work for good for those who love God,” and St. Thomas says this includes even our sins, for “God makes all things work together for their good to the extent that if they deviate and stray from …

I scrolled through my Facebook feed, one post after another. Photos of friends, pictures of coffee, quotes from famous people. Advertisements.  I stopped. There it was again!  The same ad that I had seen over and over for the past few months. I hardly ever paid attention to the ads on Facebook, except this one. This one. I didn’t even notice the product being advertised, but that didn’t really matter; it was the tagline that got wedged in my brain so firmly that it replaye …