Evil. Its existence has been a thorn in the side of theology and philosophy for thousands of years. The reality of a world beset by evil has provided atheism with its most influential and compelling arguments against theism. What if, however, evil could actually be evidence for the existence of the God of the Bible? A (Brief) Exploration Of Evil We live in a world afflicted by earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, and hurricanes. This is to say nothing of the effects... Read more
“The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” – Numbers 6:24-26 The inevitable and luminous mystery that always seemed so far away is now pressing upon me. As I am writing these words, my mother is dying. It is surreal even to write these words. The woman who brought me into this world is now leaving it. Indeed, she would leave this world on... Read more
“Everything is grace,” declared Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, and Thomas Aquinas observed that grace perfects human nature. These two statements provide the point of departure for this essay. This article will examine the relationship – if there is one – between nature and grace. Specifically, how does grace perfect nature, and what are the consequences if that grace is rejected? To examine this question, we must understand what is meant by nature and grace. Nature And Grace The term nature... Read more
The intellectual history of Catholic theology is vibrant and surprisingly varied. Arguably, the two most significant contributors to that rich and varied theology are Saints Augustine and Aquinas. To be certain, there is much that Augustine and Aquinas agree upon. However, there are points of variance, and in the essay, I want to examine one such area of disagreement: Christology. Perhaps disagreement is too strong a word. Maybe it is better to state that there are different areas of emphasis... Read more
Saint Athanasius famously claimed that the “Son of God became man so that we might become God” (See Alexandria, Saint Athanasius Patriarch, and Penelope Lawson. On the Incarnation. St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1998). This statement invokes the question of the relationship between God and human beings. It is a question that Trinitarian anthropology seeks to answer. Trinitarian Anthropology: A Definition Of Terms At first glance, the terms Trinitarian and anthropology appear to be incongruent. After all, Trinitarian refers to the nature... Read more
In the Judean Desert, not far from the Dead Sea, there is a series of caverns known as the Qumran Caves. Except for the occasional visit by Bedouin nomads, these caves held little interest to the outside world. That would all change in the middle of the twentieth century. Between 1947 and 1956, thousands of writing fragments were discovered in these caves. These “manuscripts” would become known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. In this paper, I want to examine the... Read more
As anyone who knows me or has read my work is aware, I have no interest in politics. Nevertheless, I want to preface this paper by briefly mentioning two events involving politicians: the assassination of President Kennedy and the attempted assassination of Presidential candidate Donald Trump. On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy, a Catholic, was assassinated. On July 13, 2024, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, a nondenominational Christian, survived an assassination attempt. These two events provide the point of departure for this... Read more
Can philosophy improve religion and help us to understand God, or should philosophy and religion be kept separate, never the twain shall meet? In this paper, I will discuss the complicated and, I think, occasionally beneficial relationship between philosophy and religion, specifically Catholicism. Before commencing, providing a brief definition and explanation of religion and philosophy may be helpful. What Is Religion? Religion signifies those ways of viewing the world that refer to a notion of a transcendent reality that manifests... Read more
If theology is the systematic study of God, it is only natural that Catholic theology would investigate the relationship among the three persons of the Holy Trinity. One such path of inquiry is called Spirit Christology. Spirit Christology approaches the subject matter with three presuppositions. First, it views Jesus’ divinity as a result of his relationship with the Father, mediated by the Holy Spirit. Second, it focuses on Jesus’ humanity without diminishing His divinity. Finally, Spirit Christology emphasizes the role... Read more
The word mystery has a specific meaning when used in a religious context. It connotes a divinely revealed truth whose possibility cannot be rationally conceived. Rather, it must be divinely revealed and, even after its revelation, cannot be fully understood by the finite mind. The incomprehensibility of revealed mysteries derives from the fact that they are manifestations of God, who is infinite and, therefore, beyond the complete grasp of a created intellect. The Holy Trinity certainly is at the heart... Read more
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