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Faced with such a dire time of tribulation, Christians have wondered whether they will have to live through it. The historic answer, for both Catholics and Protestants, is that we will. Jesus warned us we would have to face persecution (John 15:20).  However, in the nineteenth century, dispensationalists began teaching that Christians will not have to face this trial. Instead, before the great tribulation begins, they will be caught up to heaven and spared the …

Liturgical seasons are days and weeks set aside on the Church calendar for ongoing celebration of events in salvation history. The Church has these seasons to extend celebration of important events in the life of our Lord through time.  In General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, released after Vatican II by the Congregation for Divine Worship, the CDW said of Easter: “The fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost are celebrated in joyful exultation as one feast day, …

In short, Catholics must believe everything that the Church professes about what God has revealed to be true: the articles of faith. There are also precepts—basic requirements of religious practice—that the Church instructs believers to observe. And then there is the long list of pious beliefs and practices that, though not exactly required, are part of the rich fabric of Catholic life.   For the teachings on articles of faith, the place to begin is with the creeds. This w …

The four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are our principal sources of information about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. For two thousand years, they have nourished the faith of Christians across the world. In our own, skeptical age, the Gospels still have a unique place. Even those who don’t regard Jesus with the eyes of faith acknowledge that he is the most influential man ever to have lived, having left a major mark on history, culture, and language. There is tremendous …

The Leadership Roles in the Old Covenant In establishing his covenant with the Israelites, God also established three different leadership roles: priests, prophets, and kings. The role of the Israelite priests was to offer sacrifices as God described to Moses and his brother Aaron; Aaron and his descendants were to be the priests. The prophets were God’s spokesmen; he commissioned them to proclaim his laws and to warn the Israelites of the consequences when they violated these laws Beginn …