Historical Controversies about Jesus
Anyone famous is bound to attract a lot of attention. Stretch that attention out for 2,000 years, and you have that much more room for doctrines to develop and controversies to get cooked up. Take a look [more…]
Sensing God in Catholicism
The five senses — sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste — are all used in Catholic worship. Catholics believe that the internal action of divine grace entering the human soul can't be seen, felt, smelled [more…]
Mary Magdalene: History's Holy Harlot
Christian tradition and art depict Mary Magdalene as a prostitute who repented of her evil ways and followed Jesus. That's why Christian outreach services for unwed mothers and prostitutes are often named [more…]
Considering Who Jesus Claimed to Be
People often think of the President of the United States as one of the most powerful people in the world. Perhaps that idea's due to the fact that he's got so many names, roles, and titles associated with [more…]
Looking at the Priesthood as No-Woman's Land
With an apparent priest shortage and so many Protestant denominations embracing women ministers, some people wonder why the Catholic Church doesn't allow female priests. First of all, it's [more…]
Reacting to the Reformation: The Council of Trent
Alessandro Farnese became Pope Paul III in 1534 and immediately came face-to-face with the Protestant Reformation. At first sight, Paul looked pretty much like his predecessors: born into a rich Roman [more…]
Jesus's Birthplace and Hometown
Both Matthew and Luke agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which is in Judea, near Jerusalem (where David was from and therefore where David's heir was expected to be born; see Micah 5:1). Both of these [more…]
Reliving the Biblical Christmas Story
Rather than just appear on earth one day, or "beam down" (to use Trek-talk), Jesus is said to have entered this world in the most orthodox of ways: childbirth. Jesus' appearance on earth is known as the [more…]
Important Biblical Events Timeline
The Bible is vast and encompasses everything from Creation to the end of time. This brief timeline represents key events that happened in the Bible: [more…]
The Bible’s Ten Commandments
Moses received Israel’s laws from God on Mt. Sinai. Although there were more than 600 laws given (613 according to Jewish tradition), the most notable and significant, inscribed onto two rock tablets by [more…]
The Books of the Bible
The Bible, maximally speaking, is comprised of the Old Testament (or Hebrew bible), the New Testament, and, if you are studying from the Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Bible, the Apocrypha. [more…]
The Bible For Dummies Cheat Sheet
You’ll feel more confident about your biblical studies when you see a timeline of the important events as they happened in the Bible, have an understanding of the books of the Bible and how they are organized [more…]
The Canonization Process for Sainthood
The process for being canonized as a saint is quite a lengthy one. Almost a grass roots movement, the path to canonization involves local interest and support. The faithful decide to invoke the intercession [more…]
Little-Known Facts about Saints
Everyone has a story, and saints are no exception. There’s a reason people call on different saints to help them through various circumstances. Their lives — or deaths — mean something. Here are a few [more…]
Patron Saints for the Modern World
Television and airplanes didn’t exist when most saints were alive, but saints are invoked for them nonetheless. Why? Saints often experienced things while they were alive that relate to events or items [more…]
What Are the Requirements for Sainthood?
To become canonized as a saint, a perfect track record isn’t required (or possible). Hence, being sinless isn’t on the list. So, what is required for sainthood? [more…]
Saints For Dummies Cheat Sheet
Saints were basically normal people. They just lived extraordinary lives or endured extraordinary circumstances. The Catholic Church honors them because of the miraculous impact their lives had on others [more…]
What Is Maundy Thursday?
Within the midst of the Easter season, Maundy Thursday — the Thursday before Easter — is one Christian holy day that many Christians and even many churches often overlook, yet it symbolizes a critically [more…]
What Is Good Friday?
Good Friday — the Friday before Easter — marks the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for the sins of the world. The term Good Friday [more…]
What Is Palm Sunday?
Christians observe Palm Sunday on the Sunday before Easter, celebrating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The reason they call it Palm Sunday stems from the fact that when Jesus rode a donkey into [more…]
What Is Pentecost?
Pentecost is a Christian holy day that celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit 40 days after Easter. Some Christian denominations consider it the birthday of the Christian church and celebrate it as such [more…]
Who Is St. Patrick and Why Do We Celebrate St. Patrick's Day?
Every March 17th, thousands of people don their greenest garb, march in Irish pride parades, eat green clover-shaped cookies, and quaff frosty mugs of green beer in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. But [more…]
What Is Lent and How Is It Observed?
On the Christian calendar, Lent is the 40-day period from Ash Wednesday to Easter. When it was first observed in the fourth century, its focus was on self-examination and self-denial in preparation for [more…]
What and When Is Easter?
Bar none, Easter is the single most important holy day of the Christian Church. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the central event in Christianity. To Christians, the resurrection backs [more…]
What Is Ash Wednesday?
The Christian season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and lasts for 40 days. Catholics and members of some Protestant denominations are asked to do modest mortifications and acts of penance during Lent [more…]
