22 09, 2016

7 Priest-Myths Unveiled

By |2016-09-29T15:02:25+00:00September 22nd, 2016|Theology|

Myth #1: A priest can give you permission to skip Sunday Mass if you had a very busy weekend (for example, a Saturday wedding.) Truth: Sunday Mass is part of the Third Commandment. A priest can not dispense you from God’s commandments. No sooner could a priest give a frisky married man a dispensation on the 6th commandment for his travels than he could give a person a dispensation for fulfilling a matter of Divine Law. I blogged recently on the different levels of authority here. If you are sick or having a baby or travelling (i.e Mass would be impossible) then there is no sin in missing Sunday Mass. [...]

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16 09, 2016

Sacred Heart in the Eucharist

By |2016-09-20T04:08:46+00:00September 16th, 2016|Theology|

One of the reasons I love the Traditional Latin Mass is because the Collect (the beginning prayer to God after the Introit and the Kyrie) usually links heaven and earth. For example, the collect of the votive Mass of St. Joseph reads: Oh God, who in Thine unspeakable Providence didst vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph for Thy most holy Mother’s spouse, grant we beseech Thee, that we who revere him as our protector upon earth, may become worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven. I have wondered for a few years why the old Mass always ties heaven to earth in the opening prayer. It has to be [...]

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7 09, 2016

Catholics and iPhones

By |2018-07-13T02:29:23+00:00September 7th, 2016|Theology|

Leisure: The Basis of Culture is a book written by Josef Pieper, a 20th century expert on St. Thomas Aquinas. In this book, Pieper demonstrates that a Christian civilization can not be sustained by technology and production as seen in Protestantized countries like Germany. On the southern and more Catholic side of Europe, we see how Italy and Spain close down business for afternoon siestas. Although Italy and Spain are less and less Catholic every year, they retain some aspects of what was once a Christian culture, namely, leisure. For Pieper, leisure is not laziness but an ability to enjoy the good things of life via contemplation and community.  This includes God and family. [...]

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20 08, 2016

A World That Runs on Sacrifice

By |2016-08-21T20:28:39+00:00August 20th, 2016|Theology|

We Christians tend to see the crucifixion as a horrible event, and the resurrection as that which rectified everything. This is actually true. It is totally true, in fact. But there’s a mysterious line in Revelation that seems to say that something of the crucifixion precedes even creation itself. Revelation 13:8 speaks of Jesus Christ as "the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world." There are many translations but I think this is the best translation considering the Greek ἀρνίου τοῦ ἐσφαγμένου ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου, translated by St. Jerome as agni qui occisus est ab origine mundi. What does it mean that the Lamb was [...]

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7 08, 2016

Women’s Swimsuits

By |2016-08-09T15:55:06+00:00August 7th, 2016|Theology|

Just in time for the Olympics, I have some good things to say about the clothing of female athletes below, but you'll have to wait for that. Many of you know the historical roots of the bikini:  French engineer Louis Réard worked in his mother's lingerie shop in the 1940s.  There, he designed and got the word "bikini" from the name of the first post-bellum atomic-bomb site, Bikini Atoll, for obvious reasons.  He tried to find a French model to first debut his invention in 1946, but he could not find one.  He ultimately had to hire a stripper.  It took a while for the bikini to catch on in the United States.  As [...]

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5 08, 2016

Transfiguration and the Song of Songs

By |2016-10-19T05:10:16+00:00August 5th, 2016|Theology|

—Written by one of my spiritual directees who entered women's religious life. The Song of Songs illustrates the journey of the Bride, a journey toward love. A journey involves a process, a traveling toward something which one desires but has not yet attained. Highly susceptible to losing his way on a long journey, a pilgrim often encounters numerous and varied obstacles. The Bride in the Song of Songs is no exception. One’s first outlook on the Song of Songs may circulate around the book as brimming over with vibrant images and profound expressions between two lovers. Although this description definitely defines the Song of Songs, it does not include every [...]

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25 07, 2016

Capitalizing “He” for Jesus

By |2016-07-25T15:39:23+00:00July 25th, 2016|Theology|

When I first read “Lord of the Rings” in high school, I skipped over all the elf and orc songs. I had no intention of ever learning elvish like a total weirdo, so I thought it wasn’t vital to the plotline. A few years later in University, I was doing my undergraduate at Boston College, and Dr. Peter Kreeft pointed out something I had never realized:  For Tolkien, the elvish language was a Tolkienesque way of speaking in tongues. It turns out the Elf and Orc songs are among the most important parts of the entire book, for the songs were to communicate the unspoken essence of the race. This is because Tolkien [...]

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16 07, 2016

Women Saints’ Problems

By |2016-07-20T03:18:11+00:00July 16th, 2016|Theology|

I'm not sure who originally compiled this, but it is encouraging to know:  You're not alone in your struggles.  These are the women of the school of Christ crucified.  (After writing this blog post last night, I woke up and realized I needed to add an important Nota Bene:  The below listing of saints is not a green-light for women to be doormats.  Most of these women tried to preserve their lives and even live normal lives.  The list below is simply a way to push against the Calvinist idea that suffering is a sign of divine disfavor.) Abusive or Unfaithful Husbands Physical Abuse St. Rita of Cascia Verbal Abuse Bl. [...]

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8 07, 2016

St. Joseph versus Child-Sex-Trafficking

By |2016-07-08T13:34:49+00:00July 8th, 2016|Theology|

When it comes to triumph over unjust suffering, there are few saints more inspiring than the Apostle Paul:  "I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church.” (Col 1:24)  But in the Old Testament, the gold medal of joy amidst suffering must go to Joseph of Egypt.  When we consider that Joseph was betrayed by his family and sold into slavery, we begin to meditate on the plight of the millions of children sold into slavery today.  When Potiphar’s wife unsuccessfully tries to seduce him, she falsely [...]

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