Ave Maria Press

The information in this article is largely based on several chapters in The Three Ages of the Interior Life by the great Dominican scholar, Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange. Pride Leads to All Sin The seven capital sins “are not the gravest sins of all; they are less grave than heresy, apostasy, despair, and hatred of God. [...]

Origen, the early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theologian who lived from c. 185-253 A.D., wrote, “…the Lord hates those who think that only one day (i.e., Sunday) is a festival of the Lord. Christians partake of the flesh of the Lamb every day, that is, they daily receive the flesh of the Word of God” [...]

Sin Enters through the Senses As a recap of the article “Does Sin Gain Entry Through the Imagination?”, the Church emphasizes the importance of a well-formed imagination for the good of the soul. While a natural and necessary faculty of the human mind, the imagination can also be a source of temptation and sin when [...]

In Part One, we considered the possibility of the Ordinary Magisterium erring. As a successor to St. Peter and as the Vicar of Christ, the Pope holds the position of primacy within the Ordinary Magisterium. Thus, a corollary to our titular question is: “Can the Pope Err?” Must a Catholic Obey the Pope in All [...]

What Is the Magisterium? The word “Magisterium” is often used in Catholic texts. Yet nowadays it is often left undefined. This is symptomatic of our era when so few Catholics are taught the fullness of the Faith due to poor catechesis and modern novelties. Father John Hardon (1914-2000), a trustworthy Jesuit, defined “Magisterium” as follows: [...]

In this six-part series, I have provided a critical review of the Vatican’s new and radically revised “Norms of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for proceeding in the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena,” published on May 17, 2024. Review of Three Grave Problems The first three parts brought to light three grave [...]

In the absence of a revelation from God, man in his natural state would most likely never have divided time into seven-day weeks. The day, the month, and the year are all based on obvious natural rhythms, but the seven-day rhythms that exist in nature are not as obvious. (However, there are many, as documented in [...]

Review of Four Grave Issues The previous articles in this series examined grave problems with the “Norms of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for proceeding in the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena,” published by Cardinal Víctor Fernández on May 17, 2024. –    First Problem: No Church authority may judge an event to [...]

Belief in Evolution Leads Many to Abandon the Faith What happened “In the Beginning…” to bring about the earth, the universe, and indeed, everything that we know and see? This question has mystified mankind from time immemorial. Was there even a beginning at all? Has the universe always existed? OR is there any truth to [...]

Lulled into a False Sense of Fidelity The previous articles in this series examined three grave problems with the “Norms of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for proceeding in the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena,” published by Cardinal Víctor Fernández on May 17, 2024. First Problem: No Church authority may judge an [...]

Concerning the Latest Document from Pope Francis and Cardinal Fernández – Read the Primary Document: “Norms of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for proceeding in the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena” [hereafter, Norms of the Dicastery]. – Read a Summary: “Vatican releases new norms on alleged supernatural phenomena” [hereafter, Vatican summary] on [...]

Concerning the Latest Document from Pope Francis and Cardinal Fernández – Read the Primary Document: “Norms of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for proceeding in the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena” [hereafter, Norms of the Dicastery]. – Read a Summary: “Vatican releases new norms on alleged supernatural phenomena” [hereafter, Vatican summary] on [...]