I believe that a careful study of the doctrine of the Church in the New Testament would lead any honest Christian to realize that the Church is necessary for salvation. The Church is necessary because of what Christ made it to be. Grace is necessary to be saved, and so he made the Church an instrument of grace.
The call for Christian unity resounds more loudly than ever. In what appears to be a disintegrating culture, unity among Christians may be the one source of real hope.
St. Chromatius of Aquileia (ad 340–408), preached something about these Beatitudes that I had never heard, but which was understood by many of the early Doctors of the Church. In a sermon on Matthew, Chromatius wrote:
Our Lord, our savior, establishes extremely solid steps of precious stones, by which saintly souls and faithful can climb, can rise to this supreme good, which is the kingdom of heaven…. Brethren, before your eyes are the eight rungs of the gospel, constructed, as I have said, with precious stones. Behold Jacob’s ladder which starts on earth and whose top touches heaven. He who climbs it finds the gate of heaven, and having entered it, will have endless joy in the presence of the Lord, eternally praising Him with the holy angels.
Since the beginning of the CHNetwork twenty years ago, the Board of Directors has been a crucial foundation to our work. They have been friends in the Lord, guiding our
Augustine reflected on the authority of Scripture, especially the authority of various interpretations of Scripture. His reflections can be relevant to the issue of sola Scriptura in the modern world.
It’s truly amazing, and disconcerting, how sincere brothers and sisters in Christ, who take the inspiration of Scripture so seriously, can yet so drastically disagree over even the most basic
I recently received an e-mail in which the author spoke about the issue of justification and salvation. He said he understands Catholic doctrine, but has some difficulty in accepting it
What kind of woman was Mary of Nazareth? As is true of Jesus, we know nothing of Mary’s physical appearance or demeanor. But the historical sources give us a rather
At EWTN’s Family Celebration this year in Vancouver, Marcus Grodi spoke on evangelization, starting in the home. Here he shares 10 practical suggestions for how we can cultivate conversion amongst
Once again, The Coming Home Network International will be hosting a Friday night social at this year’s Defending the Faith Conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville. The conference is being
My Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Years He who believes and is baptized will be saved. It wasn’t until I was a cognitive seven years old that the soul-altering waters of
This well-known proverbial saying is how I must begin as I consider sharing the Scriptures that God has used to open my very hard heart and stubborn mind. Whenever I see someone lost in sin, ignorance, bitter anger, abhorrent poverty, or addiction to false gods, I know that my on-going salvation has little to do with me, my intellect, or my will, but mostly God’s love, grace, and mercy. Even the little that has to do with my efforts—and continues to be my responsibility—is still only an active response to His grace. It’s all a gift. All of it. Thanks be to God.
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