I had a Southern Baptist friend who thought it was amusing, when visiting Catholic churches, to wave to the image of Mary and say, "Hi Mary!" When I challenged him on what seemed a mark of disrespect he said cheerily, "Y'all say, 'Hail Mary' and 'Hail' just means 'Hi', so it's my way of saying 'Hail [...]
Have you ever noticed that modernist Biblical scholars don't believe in the infallibility of the Bible, but they do believe in the infallibility of their own theories? The Biblical critics love to get down and pick over the New Testament. They've made an industry of it. There's form criticism and source criticism and literary criticism and [...]
from Guest blogger Paul Thigpen. Paul Thigpen PhD. is an editor at TAN books and the author of hundreds of article and dozens of books on the Catholic faith. His book of prophetic prophecy--The Burden-- is a powerful pointer to the perilous times we live in with a passionate call to repentance. Learn more about The Burden here. GHOSTS [...]
It took me a while to appreciate the Sacred Heart of Jesus devotion. To tell the truth, as a convert, it all seemed kind of sappy, sentimental and well, French. All hearts and flowers and perfume--almost like a Valentine from Jesus. Yucch. But then I learned about St Margaret Mary Alacogue and realized that she (like [...]
Any convert to the Catholic faith will soon come across this phrase, "Offer it up." Ordinary Catholic mothers used to say it when their kids were grumbling: "Offer it up dear!" The idea behind this practice is really one of Catholicism's treasures. It is the belief that our sufferings can be joined with those of Christ [...]
…was crucified, died and was buried … When my nephew was getting ready for college he told me he was expected to write a paper in his first week entitled, “How do I know I exist?” After discussing the matter for some time he concluded that the best thing to do was to punch his professor [...]
There are a few details in today's Mass readings which come together in a remarkable way. The reading from I John says that those who engage in sin engage in lawlessness. This is because sin is something disordered. There is nothing original in sin. Sin is always the distortion or destruction of something beautiful, good and [...]
Any convert from Anglicanism has gotta have Bl.John Henry Newman right up there on the list of patron saints. Here are ten reasons why I love him and why he is so important for our age. He started as an Evangelical - Did you know that he used to go out on "Beach Missions" when he [...]
Here is a beautiful and mystical hymn/poem by the Victorian convert F.W.Faber. As all good hymns should do it blends deep theology, sublime worship and radiant insights. Amid the eternal silences God's endless Word was spoken none heard but He who always spake and the silence was unbroken. Oh marvelous! Oh Worshipful! No song or sound is heard, [...]
Do you remember that creepy movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Some kind of alien bug invades earth and takes over people's bodies replacing them with soul-less replicas. The horrible thing about the film is that the aliens are not huge hybrid insectoid lobster monsters, but just as ordinary as the guy and girl next door. [...]