"A Humble Servant's Catholic Blog"

Many of us have been approached with the " are you saved " ice-breaker. And by now, if you've either read your Bibles or studied any amount of apologetics, you know the answer: " Yes! I was saved in Christ at my Baptism (1Pet 3:20-21). I HAVE been saved (Rom 8:24; Eph 2:5,8; 2Tim 1:9; Tit 3:5); I am BEING saved (Phil 2:12; 1Pet1:9); and I WILL be saved IF I persevere to the end (Mt 7:21; Mt 10:22; Mt 19:16-17; Mt 24:13; 1Cor 9:27; 1Cor 10:11-12, etc…). But sometimes we just want a quick Scripture reference to show how we are saved. EVERYONE knows we are saved by believing in Christ, which involves obedience to His Will (Jn 3:36). But what about the other ways we are saved? Straight from the Bible, here you go! We are saved... By believing in Christ (Jn 3:16; Acts 16:31) By repentance (Acts 2:38; 2 Pet 3:9) By baptism (Jn 3:5; 1 Pet 3:20-21; Titus 3:5) By eating his flesh and drinking his blood (Jn 6) By the work of the Spirit (Jn 3:5; 2 Cor 3:6) ...

-You know what causes that, right? -Did you guys plan it like that? -Will this be your last? -WOW, that's a lot of kids! -It's about time you got a pet. -You've got your hands full! -Are you Catholic, or Mormon? -That's just too many children! -How can you afford them all? -Won't that be a burden on society? -You need to get that "fixed". - What a beautiful family! This is just a sample of comments my wife and I (and other couples we know) have heard from friends, family, and perfect strangers over the years, beginning with our third child, believe it or not. (Isn't "three" supposed to be the new "two"?) I admit that I have made some of them myself, to other "large" families. I put "large" in quotations because, the fact is, families with more children than *I* am accustomed to aren't necessarily "large"; they're just families. But there is one question I have never be...

Are you Church history buff looking for an opportunity to participate in the restoration of a historical Christian monument? Or an architectural history nerd who would love the opportunity to help restore the very last building design by the man behind Annunciation Catholic Church's bell tower? A philanthropist looking for a great cause to donate to for the betterment of society, history, and faith? Need to donate some money to a charitable organization for tax purposes, but want to find something really worthwhile? Or do you simply have some spare cash or other assets looking for a good place to go? Look no further! The " Hail, Full of Grace Capital Campaign " has exactly what you are looking for! From the campaign homepage, we learn that " Annunciation Catholic Church is a vibrant and historic parish community that dates back to 1869. For over 140 years, our church has been ministering to the needs of our greater Houston community. As the mother church...

I recently toyed with an online questionnaire, "How Many Children Can You Handle?". Obviously the poll is meant for good fun, not as a means by which an adult determines how many children he/she should have. But I do wonder how many people take these things seriously. Judging by some of the comments, it seems many people do. Anyhow, I answered the questions honestly. I'd rather spend my free time on the couch; and a glass of wine seems far more relaxing to me than reading stories or playing outside on a trampoline; and I really don't like driving a mini-van. I mean, come on ! A mini-van?!?! Never mind one that's 16 years old and has stains from " no one know what it is " that have been there since " I have no clue ". I like comfort and quiet. I like CLEAN cars and prefer a sedan to an SUV. So, I should not have been surprised at the results of my "test". " You can handle one child ." After a solid five minutes of laugh...

On his CARM website, Matt Slick argues that the Catholic Church did not give us God’s Word.   And so, the Church would agree, because we believe the source of God’s Word is God.   He also is the source of authority in His Church.   However, Mr. Slick seems willing to misrepresent the Church’s claims and teachings, and so is willing to engage in deception in order to make his point.   This deception will be evident throughout his article, and will show itself no more than two sentences into his argument.   The Catholic Church, what many people today call the “Roman Catholic Church”, did indeed decide which books and letters were to be included in the Canon of Scripture.   Martin Luther, one of the so-called "Pillars of the Reformation” made this point clear.   To claim otherwise, there are some things that Mr. Slick is going to have to explain.   Among them are:   1) how did the Church come to know, without doubt, which books belong ...

This is a snip from an on-going dialog with an atheist which focuses on an atheistic argument I had not encountered before: whether a theistic model for God is compatible with free will. As the argument goes, God [should He exist] is assumed NOT to have given “free will” to man according to the creation narrative in Genesis. Here’s a paraphrased summary of the position: “If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present, etc…then the following are true: -He foreknew the fall and His act of redemption; -He allowed His creation to reject Him; -He "authored", (His Word via the hands of men chosen by Him to write them) what we know as the Scriptures; -The "way" it was written is in His control; -The way it's written communicates that God assumes reasoning powers we were supposedly not granted until later.” The last statement in the hinge for this person’s argument. Since theists believe in free will, and since the Scriptures are written in such a way tha...

In several reports regarding “ The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable ” (GCGI), released by the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, media outlets wrongly summarized and reported that Christians “ should not evangelize Jews ”. Blogs and media outlets from every corner burst out with half-informed op-eds, and all the reactionary comments that go with them, reporting and commenting on a wrong conclusion by an  author who chose to write an article on a topic he/she had not taken the time to fact check. Are we surprised? Of course, I won’t pin all the blame on the media. Most Catholics have come to expect statements from our current Pope to be less than crystal clear and easily misrepresented. Most media outlets don’t recognize the difference between the various Vatican documents, either. I doubt that more than a handful would have recognized GCGI “… is not a magisterial document or doctrinal teaching of the Catholic Church, but is a reflection ...

This is a slightly paraphrased transcript of a friendly conversation that took place between Frank Turek and an atheist (see 6-minute video linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynJwvv7wlFc ). This is very similar to what any Christian or atheist could expect in an actual discussion (and very closely mirrors actual discussions I have had...minus the conclusion) about morality and whether morality implies or “needs” a God. Why would a person be an atheist if they ‘might possibly know’ that God exists? - The fact that there are so many terrible things in the Bible, like when God condones/approves the torturing of slaves, even with no reason given for the ill treatment of them. Why would anyone want to follow such a God if He ‘might possibly exist’? Why would you follow such a God? Okay, let’s not even look at the context of the passage you are referring to. Let’s assume what you just said is 100% true. As an atheist, why is that wrong? - Morally, one would...

In THIS article, I discussed fasting and abstinence in Christian tradition and explained how this practice is NOT at odds with 1Tim 4:3. Here, I simply provide some of the Scriptural passages that pertain to fasting, and let the Bible speak for itself. Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went back to Bethel and wept, sitting there before the Lord; they fasted that day until evening. (Judges 20:26) So they gathered at Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord. They fasted that day, and said, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. (1Sam 7:6) Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.(1Sam 31:13) They mourned and wept, and fasted until evening for Saul and for his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.(2 Sam 1:12) David therefore pleaded with God for the child; David fasted, and went i...

Many Christians come to face the question of whether it is okay to drink wine/alcohol. The Bible is clear that, while some wine drinking is good and approved by God, drunkenness is not. “Then he said, ‘Bring it to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.’ So, he brought it to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.” (Gen 27:25) “In the presence of the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose as a dwelling for his name, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, your wine, and your oil, as well as the firstlings of your herd and flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. But if, when the Lord your God has blessed you, the distance is so great that you are unable to transport it, because the place where the Lord your God will choose to set his name is too far away from you, then you may turn it into money. With the money secure in hand, go to the place that the Lord your God will choose; spend the money for whatever you wish – oxe...

In Part I , I described the video I had shared which made a logical case against denying God’s existence simply on the basis that “evil” exists and discussed a definition of evil which excludes God and relies on our own subjective opinions. It’s worth repeating that, without an objective definition of “evil”, all you are left with is subjective opinion ( …how I perceive something…which may differ from how someone else perceives the same thing ).   Subjectively defining evil becomes a meaningless mash of opinions which destroys any definition of evil. And this is where the dialog with “MC” comes in.   I had addressed this to another friend of mine [Jay], but it was “MC” who replied.   Dave:   God’s existence can’t logically be denied just because there is evil in the world.   In fact, wouldn’t you agree that the existence of evil implies that there is a way things are “supposed to be” (a.k.a. “good”)?     And if there is a way things a...