From Ignorance to Bliss
My Journey to the Catholic Church

Manicured lawns, kids playing in the streets, and dads barbequing in the summer: I grew up in the quintessential suburban American neighborhood. Each family was similar to the next, having the same values and outlook and each relatively the same size. One family on my street, however, broke the mold. Instead of the standard two or three children, this family had seven. I remember asking my mother why that family was so large, and her simple answer was, “Oh, they’re Catholic.” Knowing little of Catholicism and even less of how children were conceived, I figured that these “Catholics” must have a better relationship with the stork than the rest of us....More...

Jesus Christ: The New Adam
Adamic Typology in the New Testament

In the second century, a bishop by the name of Irenaeus was fighting the greatest heresy the Church had faced up to that time: Gnosticism. This heresy denied the creation of the world by God, instead attributing the events of the first chapters of Genesis to a lower “demiurge”. In response, Irenaeus emphasized the unity of creation with redemption – the same God who saves humanity in Jesus Christ also created Adam in the Garden of Eden. Christ’s work was one of “recapitulation,” and one of Christ’s tasks was to undo the wrongs committed by Adam. ...More...

Abolished or Fulfilled?
The Mosaic Law in Relation to the New Covenant of Christ According to the Fathers of the Church

The entire scope of salvation history consists of God’s covenants with man. From the covenant of creation to the covenants of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Christ, the development of the plan of salvation can be traced since the Fall of Man. The relationship between these covenants is at once both clear and obscure. Each covenant serves the same basic purpose: to bring man into a deeper relationship with God. However, on a human level, these covenants sometimes seem to be in conflict and even contradictory....More...

Removing Our Sinful Natures
The Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory

Purgatory is one of those subjects, like economics, about which nearly everyone has an opinion but few have in-depth knowledge. Protestants point to it as an example of a pernicious “tradition of men” which Christ wisely condemned. Orthodox Christians, who accept the possibility of an interim state between this life and heaven, are uncomfortable with many traditional depictions of purgatory as well as associated doctrines such as indulgences. And many Catholics today treat purgatory like a persistent rash they cannot get rid of...More...

Paul and the Sacraments
What is the Role of the Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist in the Pauline Concept of Salvation?

Over the centuries, the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist have been considered integral to the Christian concept of salvation. Although there has been much debate throughout the centuries regarding exactly how they integrate into the salvific plan of Christ in the life of the Christian, most Christians have acknowledged at least some role for them. This is no less true of the Apostle Paul.

The sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist did not originate...More...

History of Catholic Ecumenism
from Pope Leo XIII to Pope John XXIII

Since the Fall of Man, human sin has consistently been in conflict with the Will of God. Jesus’ prayer for the unity of Christians has not been exempt from this unending struggle. The consequence of this strife is that Christianity is separated into three major sections: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant. Schism, heresy, and as always, sinful pride are the reasons for these divisions. Yet in every age there are Christians sincerely seeking to follow their Lord’s commands; thus, each fissure of the Body leads...More...