The dignity of work comes from, and must never be separated and made independent from, the dignity of the worker. If a worker’s dignity is undermined, or if it is utterly denied, and they are told they can only obtain it by work, they are being exploited. I see this happening often enough when the social safety net is removed and the poor are denied their basic needs. The poor are told they must work and find their needs supplied... Read more
When we recite the Nicene Creed, we proclaim our belief that Christ will “come again to judge the living and the dead,” and that his kingdom will have “no end.” These statements were put into the creed as a response to a popular, but bad, eschatological take, one which said that Christ’s kingdom would exist only for a thousand years (known as chiliasm). This is a notion which is often repeated, in one form or another, throughout Christian history, mostly... Read more
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he did more than merely levitate into the sky before disappearing; rather, he had his whole person, including material body, enter into a different modality of being, a modality all of us will have in eternity. Jesus didn’t go into space, he entered into the kingdom of God, which transcends space and time. But he will come again, that is, he will reveal himself to the world, enter into our modality of existence, once again... Read more
Christians know that they do not have to be circumcised. What most do not appreciate is why many Christians, at the beginning of church history, believed otherwise. Things have changed so much in church history the context of one of the most significant debates in Christian history is lost to them. While many were telling all would-be men who converted to Christianity they would have to be circumcised, following what they believed was established in the Torah, Paul said that... Read more
As an educated Catholic, as one who has studied more Catholic history than most Catholics will ever need, I examined many of the controversies which have affected Catholicism (and Christianity in general) throughout its long history. While my studies give me a historical and a theological perspective to deal with the crises which exist today, I fear it has also left me desensitized to them as well. It’s because I tend to look at the present moment as one part... Read more
We are born with original sin, and it influences us in many ways. Though it is not sin, it weakens our ability to do or choose what is good, especially because it leaves us spiritually blind. This does not mean it renders us completely incapable of doing good. Original sin weakens us, but it does not entirely undermine or destroy our intrinsic goodness. And its effects on people are not always the same. Just as not everyone who is legally... Read more
Christians are meant to be known for the way they love everyone, and not just their fellow Christians. This love should be especially given to those in need. They should learn from Christ who, at the beginning of his ministry, revealed that he came to promote justice in the world, represented by the Isaiah scroll saying he would set the captives free, bring relief to the poor and needy, and heal the infirm. He did not say that he would... Read more
While pride is said to have been the cause of Satan’s downfall, and through him, humanity, we are also told in Scripture that avarice (greed, the love of money) is the root of all evil. While these two claims might seem to contradict each other, it is possible to see them as working together. Vices can connect with each other, and emerge together, similar to the way virtues connect and emerge with each other. When we embrace one vice, we... Read more
The war in Iran continues. Despite Trump constantly claiming that the end is just days away, or that a temporary truce (or ceasefire) means the war is over (in order to say he is following the law), the war continues, and the cost for the war continues to rise. Trump and Hegseth still threaten Iran. The war which Trump began is an unjust war. Not only was there no properly established goal, the way the war has been and continues... Read more
Humanity is restored to its integral unity in Christ. In baptism, we join ourselves with him, and through him, with everyone else. For we all share the same human nature. While sin has caused us to lose our connections with everyone else, we find it in Christ, who took on human nature and now brings us all together as one in himself. In him, we share with each other the glory of the kingdom of God, the glory revealed to... Read more
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