The Dispatch
Did Hans Urs von Balthasar teach that everyone will certainly be saved?
Whatever Balthasar’s position is, and whether or not it is correct, it isn’t universalism. […]
Jesus Christ
The Dispatch
Exodus and the Paschal Journey of Lent
“God spoke further to Moses: ‘Go and gather the elders of the Israelites, and tell them, The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and […]
The Dispatch
“Celibacy is not the absence of passion”: Fulton Sheen on celibacy and the priesthood
Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen could not recall a time in his life when he did not want to be a priest. At his First Communion, he prayed that one day he would be ordained […]
Columns
Love, Loyalty, and Justice
A couple of months ago I reviewed R.R. Reno’s book Return of the Strong Gods, in which the author calls for strengthening the loves and loyalties that hold Western societies together. At the end of […]
The Dispatch
The bullies and that book
Immediately after news broke on January 12 that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Cardinal Robert Sarah had written a book on the crisis of the priesthood in the 21st-century Church, online hysteria erupted—which rather underscored […]
The Dispatch
Why did Jesus bother to be baptized?
Readings: • Isa. 42:1-4, 6-7 • Psa. 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 • Acts 10:34-38 • Matt. 3:13-17 Growing up in a small Fundamentalist Bible chapel, I didn’t hear much about what baptism could or should […]
Essay
Seek the light of Christ—today!
When life’s tragedies strike, people’s hearts can ache with the question: “Where was God when we needed him?” Variations on this question, infused with a heavy dose of accusation, sometimes come from the lips of […]
Essay
Fatima to Vatican II: Mary, ‘Mother of the Church’ and Our Loving Mother
The title of Mary, “Mother of the Church,” was officially promulgated alongside Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) in 1964. It was instituted by Pope Francis as a liturgical memorial only last […]
The Dispatch
Christmas and Resurrection
We don’t often associate Christmas with resurrection. But we should. So let’s start by talking about Santa Claus. Christmas is openly under attack in contemporary society where the word has essentially been banned in favor […]
The Dispatch
The Immaculate Conception and the seamless garment of doctrine
Many Catholics misunderstand the meaning of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is also the patronal feast of our nation. In their minds they confuse the Immaculate Conception of […]