The Mass—from the Latin, Missa; in Greek, Leitourgos, meaning “the work of the people.” It is the most sacred and solemn action whereby heaven and earth meet. It is the place where Catholics find their weekly (even daily) sustenance before heading out anew to live and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in whichever milieu we find ourselves. It is the holiest of hours.
One of the primary reasons there are in excess of 35,000 (and climbing daily) religious denominations is the great lack of central leadership. It seems that everyone is caught up in doing their own thing.
A Westerner imbibes the attitude that I can and should decide for myself what is right and wrong; that is why it is so difficult to embrace Catholicism for a person who has become highly secularized.
The process of conversion is a complex one that involves almost every aspect of a person’s life. This is the first article in a series of articles in which former Protestant pastor and seminary professor Dr. Kenneth Howell takes a deep look at “conversion.”
A priest friend of mine once told me that it was the Resurrection which convinced him of the truth of the Christian and Catholic Faith. He was raised in a
“My brother knows all about the Catholic Faith — he’s a Protestant theologian and has nothing but good things to say about the Church — but he doesn’t seem the least bit interested in converting.” Marcus Grodi explores common barriers to conversion.
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
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