Pope Francis on the Environment: Part One

Laudato si’ is the encyclical of Pope Francis on the environment. The title is not in Latin, but in an early version of the Italian language as it was in the process of developing from Latin. It’s in-between Latin and … Continue reading

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How many Americans will remain Catholic?

The new Pew Research Poll says that the number of Catholics in the U.S. declined from 23.9% to 20.8% from 2007 to 2014. But that is the number of persons who self-identify as Catholic, about 20% of the population. How … Continue reading

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Catholic Ethics: Faith and Reason

The Church teaches that the entire moral law, in all of its requirements and prohibitions, is accessible to human reason alone, without Divine Revelation. Right reason, the God-given faculty of abstract thinking, can never err — if it is used … Continue reading

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Bible Readings Week 14

For this week: read Luke 22-24 and John 1-2.

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Release To Us Barabbas!

The first century Jews would gather at Jerusalem three times each year: the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), and the Feast of Weeks (Jewish Pentecost). [Exodus] {23:14} Three times in each year, you shall celebrate feasts … Continue reading

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Mark Shea’s faulty Catholic Religion Quiz

In part I of the Quiz, Mark Shea makes a mess of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. See my explanation here: Did the Immaculate Conception preserve Mary from all sin? Shea is teaching grave errors to his readers, without … Continue reading

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The Many Errors of Religious Fundamentalism

There is a misconception that fundamentalism is necessarily accompanied by the use of violence. Some Muslim fundamentalists are violent extremists. But religious fundamentalism does not always advocate, nor result in violence. A Muslim can prefer a fundamentalist version of Islam, … Continue reading

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I don’t really want to comment on Bruce Jenner

But I feel morally obligated to correct a grave injustice by some of my fellow Catholics on this subject. One error, more generally, is the politicization of Catholicism. Certain Catholics are distorting the Faith, making it seem as if what … Continue reading

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An Alternate Version of the Divine Mercy Chaplet

From time to time, I change the wording of my recited prayers. One version of the Divine Mercy Chaplet I use changes the wording of the main prayer of the Chaplet to: For the sake of Jesus Christ’s sorrowful Passion … Continue reading

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Bible Readings Week 13

For this week: read Luke 17-21.

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Did the Immaculate Conception preserve Mary from all sin?

Over at the National Catholic Register, author Mark Shea has a quiz on Catholicism (part I). Question 2 reads as follows: “2. Which answer is false? The Immaculate Conception is A) the conception of Jesus Christ in the womb of … Continue reading

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In Defense of Medjugorje

I have long predicted that the Church would issue a disapproval of Medjugorje and Garabandal prior to the Warning, Consolation, and Miracle. I’ve written about this in my book: The Secrets of Medjugorje and Garabandal and I’ve discussed it on … Continue reading

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