Blog

Roots of Mary’s Assumption Some are surprised that the doctrine of Mary’s bodily assumption was not defined until 1950, using little biblical support. The pope decreed that all Catholics must hold and believe as divinely revealed “that the immaculate Mother of God, the Ever-Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” (Munificentissimus Deus44). Yet this doctrine was no twentieth-century innovation, as Tim Perry explai …

Immaculate Conception and God’s Election The Immaculate Conception. For non-Catholics, this dogma of the Church may be one of the most misunderstood doctrines there is. Here are some common questions Catholics get, and how to respond to them: Temptation, Suffering, and Mary’s Humanity Question:Why does Mary have to be holy at the moment of her conception instead of being purified shortly before God chooses her to be his mother? Response:God chooses and elects those w …

Do We Want the Eucharist to Be True? I want first to address those who might still be unsure of whether to believe in the Eucharist. To them, I would ask (or you might ask), “Do you want the Eucharist to be true?” Since our desires don’t make something true or not, that question may seem irrelevant, but it isn’t. Faith involves the intellect and the will. It’s not just about knowing, for instance, that God must logically exist. It’s about the heart saying “yes” to him and desiring him. If we …

Fulfilling Our Deepest LongingI still remember feeling betrayed by the Catholic Church.I became a Catholic in 2012 because I was convinced that the Church checked out on paper. I was able to see the biblical, historical, and rational reasons for its claims. However, I soon began to notice a wide chasm between the Catholic Church as described in theory and the Church as seen in action. I came to call it a conflict between “paper Catholicism” and “experiential Catholicism.” The cognitive dissonanc …

The Canon of Scripture and Its Origin The clearest example of a sacred Tradition that both Catholics and Protestants accept is the canon of Scripture. The word canon comes from a Greek word that means “rule,” and refers to the Church’s official list of inspired writings. You can find this list in the table of contents of every Catholic or Protestant Bible.The canon of Scripture was first declared in Rome in A.D. 382and was later defined at two Catholic councils in North Africa(Hippo in A.D. 3 …