The Catholic tradition has a great appreciation of the epistemological nature of the human person. Church thinkers have put a lot of time into the theory of how it is we know. After all, as the old catechism tells us right up front “why did God make you?” “to know him and love him.” This is sort of a 2-way street, we comprehend what we are, and how it is
October 27th, 2019
Have Mercy on Me a Sinner
Today in St. Paul’s 2nd letter to St. Timothy we are looking into the mind of an Apostle who knows the end is quite near for him. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Wow he could almost be reading from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, and in fact he likely knows it pretty well. Eudaimonia is the Greek philosophical term for the
October 13th, 2019
If We are Faithless, He Remains Faithful
The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful–for he cannot deny himself. From the second letter to St. Timothy. Continuing in the second letter to St. Timothy, we read St. Paul exhorting St. Timothy to keep the
October 6th, 2019
A Spirit of Power, Love, and Self-Discipline
“God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” from the second letter to St. 2 Timothy 1:1-14 This is probably the last letter written by St. Paul, during the time of his second imprisonment in Rome, perhaps from 66 to 68 AD. He knew that he would not escape punishment this time, and that he was nearing
September 29th, 2019
Fight the Good Fight of the Faith
“Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” From the letter to St. Timothy, As we continue our look at the first letter of St. Paul to St. Timothy, we notice language that is rich with theology, and full of encouragement to the bishop as he ministers among
September 22nd, 2019
The Prayer of the Righteous
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone…” From the first letter to St. Timothy. This week we continue reading the first letter to St. Timothy, in the second chapter. This bit is a teaching from St. Paul on prayer. The tradition handed down to us by the Church of England is contained in the Book of Common Prayer. The first prayer
September 15th, 2019
Christ Jesus Came Into the World to Save Sinners
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners– of whom I am the foremost.” from the letter to St. Timothy. The first and second letters to Timothy, along with the letter to Titus form what are called Paul’s Pastoral Epistles. Timothy is first mentioned in the 16th chapter of the book of the Acts of the Apostles. Paul and Barnabas had a falling out after a sharp disagreement over
