Editor’s Note: In light of the news that Pope Francis has changed canon law to accommodate official women “lectors” and “acolytes,” we are re-publishing this article, which originally appeared here on July 17, 2015. In many contemporary debates concerning the …
Category: Theology
A Gorgeous Splash of Oriental Color: Epiphany Reflections
The Feast of the Lord’s Epiphany is traditionally observed on the twelfth day of Christmas, January 6th.1 In the universal law of the Latin Church, Epiphany is a holy day of obligation (can. 1246); the same law gives to conferences …
How Sweet are Thy Words
Let me begin with a massive understatement: the Bible is not an easy book, and few, too few, are the Catholics who make the study of it a regular part of their spiritual lives. Before we even delve into it, …
Between Christ the King and “We Have No King But Caesar”
The month of November begins with the great Solemnity of All Saints. But in the traditional Roman calendar, All Saints is preceded shortly before by an even greater feast—that of Christ the King, the One who creates and sanctifies the …
Catholics and Economics: Three Schools of Thought
The question of economics is central to the crisis in the Church, due to the fact that a great many of the controversial things in society that we lament — abortion, contraception, and divorce, to name just a few — …
No Other Gods: Three Questions That Can Help You Sift Pagan Chaff from Christian Grain
Ex umbris et imaginibus in veritatem “From shadows and images into truth”1 Various translations are possible, since imagines can be translated: ideas, appearances, phantasms, likenesses, simulacra, symbols, etc. For Newman, the darkness from which he had emerged could be described, …
Extra Ecclesiam, Nulla Salus: How Is the Church Necessary for Salvation?
What does it mean for someone to “know that the Church is necessary for salvation”? The documents of the Church always say: If someone knows this but does not act upon it, he cannot be saved. Are there really such …
The Antichurch Cookbook? Vatican’s New Directory for Catechesis (Part I)
NB: See the rest of this series, plus other articles on the same topic here. Readers are also encouraged to acquire a traditional Catholic catechism; see our list, or check Tradivox. Introduction The Vatican’s new Directory for Catechesis has received rather scanty attention in the …
The Flight to Eternal Rome and the Mass of the Revolution
About ten years ago, I was a confused, libertarian, atheist college freshman, and I was about to embark on a revolution – first downward towards Hell and then upwards towards Heaven. As a complacent atheist who grew up in New …
‘Is My Baby in Hell?’ A New Book on Limbo
Is My Baby in Hell?: Hope for Parents of Unbaptized Infants Michael Lofton R&T Press 106 pages $12.99 paperback, $2.99 e-book Michael Lofton is the host of the Reason and Theology show and is currently pursuing his Th.D. with Pontifex …