Synod on Sacred Scripture October 5, 2008

I recently received a comment about a readers confusion regarding the Catholic Church and the role of Scripture.  I recommended that this reader purchase a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and read it while paying special attention to the Scriptural footnotes.  I also recommend to my readers in general to pay attention [...]

The Angelic Salutation October 5, 2008

From Baltimore Catechism No. 4:
Hail, Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Next in beauty to the Lord’s Prayer comes this prayer. [...]

Mary: The Morning Star October 4, 2008

Q: Why do Catholics call Mary the “Morning Star”?  There are only two people in the Bible given this name: Jesus, the true Morning Star, and Satan, the false “morning star.”
A: Jesus and Mary are both correctly called the Morning Star, but in difference senses.  Mary is called so only in relation to Christ, who [...]

Paul and the Virgin Mary September 27, 2008

In this year of Saint Paul, I want to answer the question I’ve been asked many times: if Mary is so important, why doesn’t the Bible, especially St. Paul, say more about her?
The question has a bad presupposition: that a subject’s importance can be judged by how often it is mentioned in the Bible.
So let’s [...]

A response to two comments August 26, 2008

Last July, during my unwanted hiatus from this blog, I received two comments which I never got around to responding to.
The first was on Hatred of the Virgin Mary, and the second on Do Protestants hate Mary?
Hey
I am a Lutheran, and I understand that when catholics ‘pray’ to saints, they are asking the saints to [...]

On the Soapbox: Television August 26, 2008

There are few Americans who can live without television. There are fewer who can live without the Internet. I admire anyone who can do away with any of these infernal devices. There is a couple from our parish that my wife and I are friends with. They have no TV in [...]

August 22: Queenship of Mary August 22, 2008

Today is the memorial of the Queenship of Mary.  Some non-Catholics object to the title “Queen of Heaven” on account of the book of Jeremiah:
“The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to offer libations to strange gods, [...]

Praying to [with] the saints May 28, 2008

Before I say anything, I wish to say something to Catholic apologists who insist on saying that we pray with rather than to the Saints. I understand where you are coming from. For Protestants, worship and prayer are synonymous; one is unable to pray without worshiping. Thus, some of you deny the charge that we [...]

One Minute Apologetics: Repetitive Prayer May 22, 2008

Romanus the Melodist May 22, 2008

For quite a while now, the topic of Pope Benedict’s Wednesday Audience has been the Church Fathers. Yesterday, he discussed the little-known Romanus the Melodist.
Translated by Teresa Benedetta

Dear brothers and sisters,
In the series of catecheses on the Fathers of the Church, I wish to speak today about a little-known figure: Romanus the Melodist, born [...]