The word apologetics come from the Greek meaning “to explain and defend.” Catholic Apologetics is striving to understand, explain, and defend our Catholic faith.
I am not a fan of scary movies. Watching people blow off zombie heads or hunt ghosts in abandoned mental hospitals gives some an adrenaline rush. I just get a sense of stress and anxiety. Please don’t play dramatic music leading up to a jump scare. No, thank...
Catholic social teaching is rightly called “social” because it pertains to how we organize ourselves as a society. Rather, I should say as individual societies that are gathered up into one human family.
Groceries such as Whole Foods online are instantaneous. Gardens are not. Gardens are progressive. We scatter seeds and as we sleep they sprout and grow. Groceries market the obvious by deploying dye or colored lights to make produce more noticeable. Gardens do not....
The First Two Ecumenical Councils In this short article, we are going to look at a complicated and intricate controversy in the early Church pertaining to the nature of Christ Himself. First, we have to set the scene. In the year 381 AD, the Emperor Theodosius I...
Who Was St. Jude? Judas Thaddeus is often known in Greek as simply “Thaddeus” because this is the name used in the Gospels according to St. Matthew and St. Mark. When translators were putting the books of the Bible into English, they sought to distant this Apostle we...
In more than 6,100 Catholic schools across the country the annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week is underway. While there is much to celebrate in our nation’s unique Catholic education system, there is also much anxiety over plummeting enrollment and shuttered...
St. Thomas Aquinas addresses this question in his Summa Theologica, and to reduce his nuanced arguments into one word – maybe. Thomas makes clear, in full accord with Scripture and Church teaching, that some souls do go straight to heaven or hell. Souls of those who...
This promotional film for the March for Life produced by Blackstone Films is sure to build your passion and enthusiasm for the annual event held in Washington, D.C. each year near the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. This year, due to the pandemic, the March for Life...
We live in charged times for dialogue, particularly around sexuality. It can feel like “truth” and “charity” are in a tug of war for our attention and application. We know LGBTQ concerns are more than just “issues” that show up in our news feeds. Many of us have...
In this week's video of Ask a Priest Anything, Fr. George Elliott tackles some big questions: Why will we be reunited with our bodies at the end of time, how can Catholics answer questions about predestination and do the mother's of priests go straight to heaven when...
Niceness gets a bad rap these days. In politics, being too nice to one’s opponents is seen as a sign of unseriousness, even betrayal of one’s comrades and principles. In Church affairs, the “Church of Nice” gets dragged for being unwilling to stand up for truth and to...
Join Fr. Elliott for this week’s episode of Ask a Priest. You'll learn more about: Pope Francis' recent comments about Civil UnionsBishops - what they wear, blessings, and more!Cardinals - what do they do and why *typically* bishops are appointed to this position. Do...
In this week's episode of Ask a Priest, Fr. Elliott tackles some common misconceptions and questions for Catholic world: Do we become angels when we die? This is a common theme you hear in movies, or maybe from family members. The often well-meaning, "We now have...
“Foil” is an odd word. Readers probably understand “foil” as shiny thin wrap used for freezing meat, but it actually has many definitions. “Foil” may refer to one character in a story serving as contrast for another. “Foil” can also refer to a light sword used in...
What is a Doctor of the Church? Before we dive into this series on four amazing female saints, it is worth examining the question: what is a Doctor of the Church? Doctor comes from the Latin word “docere” meaning “to teach." A Doctor of the Church is someone...
Did you know at least 63% of Catholics under 18 and more than half of those in their twenties in the US are Hispanic? Latinos are the reason that the Church is still roughly a quarter of American Catholics this year, the same as it was in the 1970s. The harsh...
Do you believe in angels? The Catholic Church certainly does, but the teachings about these heavenly creatures are often misunderstood. Do yourself a favor and read about all the ways that angels can help you in your spiritual life! "Since God often sends us his...
The Bible has many references to angels. This will certainly not be an exhaustive treatment, but we will give some context to what angels are and then discuss the three archangels. What are Angels? The word “angel” comes from the Greek word “aggelos” meaning...
If you missed Ask a Priest Live with Fr. George Elliott, you can watch the replay here. Each Sunday at 3:00 PM Central, I go live on the Catholic-Link Facebook page. I will start with the Divine Mercy Chaplet, then provide a quick reflection...
Basis of Moral Theology – Object, Intention, and Circumstance Human acts are freely chosen because God has given us the gift of freedom. When we act deliberately, we are the author of our actions. If we act, then those actions can be morally evaluated as good or evil....
Boy Scouts of America – A Love Letter to a Organization of the Past I am an Eagle Scout and a former Scoutmaster. I loved Boy Scouts of America. As a young boy and then a teen, I went to Boy Scout summer camp almost every summer. I went to the National Scout Jamboree...
Every action has consequences. It’s not always a matter of weighing the pros and cons because some choices we consider have a con that should alert us to not look further into the pros. Yet, we still do, trying to justify our actions, our choices. Here in this...
In this two part series we will explore 1) Icons and Statues in the Catholic Worldview and 2) Images and Statues in Secular Culture Forbidden Images The First Commandment expressly forbids the worship of anyone and anything other than God. “I am the Lord your God, who...
Outside the Church There is No Salvation Can non-Catholics be saved? It is a big question, with a nuanced answer. Let us begin in 3rd Century Carthage. St. Cyprian coined the following perennial adage of the Church: “extra Ecclesiam nulla salus” which means “outside...
The Virtue of Justice Before we can begin to understand patriotism as a virtue, we have to first look to the broader virtue of piety. And before we can begin to understand piety, we have to understand the broader cardinal virtue of justice. The word “cardinal” comes...