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All responses Most smiled responses
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I'm assuming you are referring to the "Bread of Life" discourse in Jn 6. For Catholic commentary on this and the entire Gospel of John see my blog post: "Online Scripture Commentaries on St. John's Gospel": http://phatcatholic.blogspot.com/2008/12/online-catholic-scripture-commentaries.html
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The four Marian dogmas state that:
1. Mary is the Mother of God,
2. she was conceived without the stain of original sin (and consequently committed no sins in her entire life),
3. she remained a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Christ,
4. she was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory
For more on the four Marian dogmas, see the "Mary" topical index page: http://phatcatholic.blogspot.com/2008/01/topical-index-page-mary.html -
The quickest way to answer this question is to refer you to the following website: http://gresham.kenrickparish.com/cbi/ The title may sound a little intimidating, but this site is actually quite accessible and it gives brief overviews of the various contexts and approaches to Scripture that are important for an authentic Catholic interpretation of the Bible.
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Well, I can only speak for myself here, but I know that I love the pope for many reasons. For one, I very much respect his intelligence of the faith. Pope Benedict XVI is a supremely learned man, very knowledgeable and wise. I can't say I've read a great many of his books, but what I have read has always impressed me greatly. In particular, The Spirit of the Liturgy, and his two-volume work on the life of Christ (Jesus of Nazareth) have been very influential in my life.
I also love the pope because he is my shepherd and I have confidence in him. I am thankful for the office of the papacy, that it exists as a sure guide and a sturdy foundation in my life as a Catholic. But, that this man in particular would fill this office is a real dream come true for me. When Pope John Paul II died, it was my hope that Ratzinger would take his place, but I never thought in a million years that it would actually happen. When it actually did, I was exceedingly happy. I knew that this was a man who could lead us in the right direction.
I love the pope, furthermore, for his devotion to the liturgy, to the "reform of the reform", to helping the Church to better realize the intention of the Council while at the same time embrace a "hermeneutic of continuity" in liturgy, and faith, and life with what has come before. In particular, I consider his work to make the Extraordinary Form more available and to complete the work of John Paul II in publishing the third edition of the Roman Missal to be extraordinary gifts to the Church.
Finally, I think he is a charming man. He's much more personable and accessible than I think anyone ever thought he would be. He is very "grandfatherly" and endearing to me. He is not quite the "star of the show" or the center of attention like JPII was, but instead has a sort of quiet confidence and calming effect on people. Of course, I've never met the man, so I'm not really sure what gives me that impression of him. Maybe it's his smile, or his German accent. At any rate, I can imagine sitting with him by a fire and just talking forever ... and I really like that about him. -
Catholics typically begin and end their prayer with the Sign of the Cross
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See my 8-pt debate on "Veneration vs. Worship". Part 1 is here: http://phatcatholic.blogspot.com/2011/07/facebook-apologetics-veneration-vs.html
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I accidentally posted the answer to a different question under this one. For my explanation of Gen 6:1-4, see this post: http://phatcatholic.blogspot.com/2007/03/angels-and-saints-part-4.html
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I don't think I got your entire question, but if you need help defending your faith, see my topical index page, where my posts are organized by topic: http://phatcatholic.blogspot.com/p/topical-index.html That will be the easiest way for you to find the information you need.
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A catechist is someone who teaches and/or passes on the Catholic faith. The word "catechist", like the other "cat-" words (catechesis, catechism, catechumenate, catechetics, etc.), comes from the Greek word katekhizein, which means "to echo down." As a catechist, that is essentially what I do: I take the echo of the faith that has reverberated through these many centuries, safeguarded by and entrusted to the Church, and send it out so that it can transform hearts and minds in its wake.
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I'm afraid I do not know where such a commentary could be found, at least online. You are welcome to peruse his works in English which are available online. There is not available as of yet any commentary of his on the Book of Revelation, but perhaps his words on the "new creation" were part of a work on some other book of the Bible or subject. I'm sorry I can't help you more! His works in English are here: http://dhspriory.org/thomas/
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After the person in question has been deceased for at least 5 years, then a request can be made to the person's bishop to begin an investigation of the person's life to discern if the person is a worthy candidate for canonization.
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I found that picture of Mary's Immaculate Heart by doing a Google image search, so I don't know very much about the image or who painted it. Sorry!
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The Council of Ephesus is known for three things: it defined the true personal unity of Christ, it declared Mary the Mother of God or "God-bearer" (theotokos) against Nestorius, and it renewed the condemnation of Pelagius.
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Unfortunately, I do not. I have a blog post where I have collected all of the Aquinas commentary I have been able to find so far. If someone manages to find his commentary on Matthew's gospel, please let me know! Here's the post: http://phatcatholic.blogspot.com/2006/09/scripture-commentary-by-st-thomas.html
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That person would go to heaven, but "right away" we cannot say. He may have to go to Purgatory first, if he has not adequately atoned for the temporal punishment that is due to his sin. This leads to your second question.
"Temporal punishment" is the effect that one's sin causes in this life to oneself and to the Body of Christ and the world. When one sins, he must ask the Lord for forgiveness, but he must also rectify the harm that his sin has caused to others. This is the purpose of the penance that one receives from the priest when he goes to Confession. Penance rectifies that harm, heals the wound that one's sin inflicts upon the Body.
If one has not healed all the wounds that his sin has caused, then this remains as a sort of blot on his soul when he stands before the Lord to receive His Judgment. God purges that blot away, refining souls through the fiery furnace of His love, which we experience as Purgatory.
Other things cause "blotches" too, specifically attachment to sin and any venial sins of which we have not sought out the Lord's forgiveness. -
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Tithing is actually one of the precepts of the Church that all Catholics are called to obey. The Fifth Precept is "You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church" which includes tithing. This is in Canon Law (cf. no. 222) and the Catechism (cf. no. 2043).
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phatcatholic’s Bio
I am a professional catechist and an amateur apologist with a passion for the Church and a desire to help others to know and love Her better.
