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New: "The Case for Catholicism: Answers to Classic and Contemporary Protestant Objections"

Now available from Ignatius Press:

The Case for Catholicism: Answers to Classic and Contemporary Protestant Objections

by Trent Horn

This is the most up-to-date, comprehensive, and thorough defense of the Catholic Church against Protestant objections in print. This book is especially relevant as the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation draws near and discussion of the arguments made against the Church during that time in history receive renewed interest.  

The Case for Catholicism answers arguments put forward by early Reformers like Luther and Calvin as well as contemporary defenders of Protestantism like Norm Geisler and R.C. Sproul. It provides a meticulous defense of the biblical and historical nature of Catholic doctrines from Scripture and church history. Finally, in both answering Protestant objections to Catholicism and in providing evidence for the Faith, The Case for Catholicism cites modern Protestant scholars who question Reformation assumptions and show how evidence from Scripture and church history support aspects of Catholic theology.

This book is divided into four sections, with each answering a key question Christians have asked about the nature of their faith. Those key questions are:

• What is my authority?
• What is the Church?
• How am I saved?
• Who belongs to the body of Christ?

The Case for Catholicism will become a reliable, resource for any Catholic who desires a well-researched, readable, and persuasive answer to Protestant arguments made against the Catholic faith.

Trent Horn, a convert to Catholicism, has a BA in history from Arizona State University, and an MA in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is a regular guest on the radio program Catholic Answers Live, and a lecturer nationwide on the Catholic faith. He is the author and the author of Answering Atheism, Persuasive Pro-life, and Hard Sayings.

New: "Humility Rules: Saint Benedict's Twelve-Step Guide to Genuine Self-Esteem" by J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B.

Now available from Ignatius Press: 

Humility Rules: Saint Benedict's Twelve-Step Guide to Genuine Self-Esteem

by J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B.

Saint Benedict's fifth-century guide to humility offers the antidote to the epidemic of stress and depression overwhelming modern young adults. But the language of The Rule by Saint Benedict is medieval, and its most passionate advocates are cloistered monks and nuns. How then does this ancient wisdom translate into advice for ordinary people?

With candor, humor, and a unique approach to classical art, Father Augustine, a high school teacher and coach, breaks down Saint Benedict's method into twelve pithy steps for finding inner peace in a way that can be applied to anyone's life.

Drawing upon his own life experiences, both before and after becoming a Benedictine monk, the author explains every step, illustrating each chapter with color reproductions of sacred art that he has embellished with comic flourishes. The winsome combination is sure to keep readers from taking themselves too seriously—which is already a first step on the path to humility.

J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B., is a monk of Saint Louis Abbey.  He serves as the Director of Chaplaincy at the Saint Louis Priory School, where he teaches English and Theology, and coaches rugby.  During his spare time, Father Augustine supervises the juggling team, cultivates carnivorous plants, raises carpenter ants, and surfs.

"This book could not be more perfect. The author shares with C.S.Lewis his rare talent of taking profound thought and turning it into the language ordinary people understand. Many have tried to do as Lewis did, but of those who have achieved it, Fr Augustine is the most successful."
— Walter Hooper, Literary Adviser to the Estate of C.S.Lewis

"My apostolate has worked with many thousands of teens and young adults. I know how real self-esteem challenges are for them.  Fr. Augustine's book is a good antidote to this. It is full of practical, relevant advice based on a rule that's been road-tested for 1,500 years.  I highly recommend this refreshing and engaging read!"
— Curtis A. Martin, Founder and CEO of FOCUS

"With warmth, wit, and honesty, Humility Rules presents a fascinating window into the way of the monk, showing how St. Benedict's wisdom enables us to find freedom in Christ wherever we make our home. The depth of this book's spirituality makes it an engaging introduction to the Benedictine way for readers of any age." 
— Dawn Eden, Author, Remembering God's Mercy

"Secular culture loves things monastic like monk-made bread and calming meditation. But the heart of the Benedictine life is humility. This deceptively light hearted book offers a series of enlightening contrasts to make humility an attractive proposition today. This is an excellent introduction to truthful living for a culture steeped in illusions."
— Dom Christopher Jamison, Monk, Writer, Broadcaster

"Humility rules. It really does! This fun and insightful look at the Rule of Saint Benedict brings ageless wisdom to everyday life. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book! Then ask God to help you live it. For in His kingdom, the way down is truly the only way up."
— Joanna Weaver, best-selling author of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

New: "Report from Calabria: A Season with the Carthusian Monks"

Now available from Ignatius Press:

Report from Calabria: A Season with the Carthusian Monks

by A Priest

Devoted to silence, prayer, and austere simplicity, the Carthusian monks guard their solitude jealously and rarely allow visitors to live with them. The author of this book, however, was privileged to spend four months with the Carthusian community in Calabria, Italy, the resting place of the founder of their order, Saint Bruno. The American priest followed the daily regimen of the monks and wrote to family and friends in order to share his experiences and insights. His engaging and informative letters are presented in this book along with professional four-color photographs provided by the monastery.

Report from Calabria describes and illustrates the distinctive features of the Carthusian way of life as they were encountered by the author. Historical background and excerpts from the writings of Saint Bruno round out the priest's experiences. The contemplative vocation—bracing and yet deeply human—comes alive in this vivid account of very little happening yet a lot going on.

About the author: The American priest who lived with the Carthusian monks in Calabria, Italy, for four months and wrote this book about his experiences and insights wishes to remain anonymous.

"I am very moved to be able to read about the Carthusian monks in Calabria. It is heartening to share even a day with those holy men. They make me so grateful for the vocation I was given, but their lives are even more meaningful for those living in the midst of modern pain. To see them in the pages of this book eating, working, and praying in silence and solitude is just amazing. They are basically attempting to find God within the human conditions most human. Through them we see so clearly that we find God by accepting our lives  as gifts from him and by appreciating our being born, in flesh and blood, in profound likeness to God himself, as fully revealed by the Second Person of the Trinity, who became man. The Report from Calabria could very well be a report from God himself telling us what we cry and anguish to know."
— Mother Dolores Hart, O.S.B, Author of The Ear of the Heart

"Report from Calabria is a beautiful book.  The author's short sketches capture the silent rhythms of worship and contemplation at the heart of Carthusian life and the humanity of hidden lives in the cloister. The photographs show a world that few people get to see.  Most importantly, this book points to the profundity of daring to enter a dialogue of silence with the heart of the Lord.  Each one of us invited to know the Lord in silence.  Report from Calabria is a guidebook to a beautiful place, and to the beauty of interior and silent communion with the Lord."   
— Most Rev. James D. Conley, S.T.L., Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska

"This book is a gem.  The Carthusians have long captivated the imagination of the Catholic world: by their austerity, their silence, their seclusion, and their mysteriousness. Although they will never say so themselves, they've lived up to their motto: 'Never reformed because never deformed.' This book is an honest and stunningly beautiful view of the inside life of a Charterhouse. Through these pages you can feel the cold of the cell, smell the pasta in the midday meal, and sense the profound reverence of the Carthusian liturgy. This book will make you want to pray."
— Most Rev. Michael C. Barber, S.J., Bishop of Oakland

"The Carthusian life, typically so unknown and hidden, has found another privileged account. The anonymous priest-author enjoyed four months of full participation in Carthusian life in Calabria. The letters written during his monastic stay and collected here display an observant eye and sensitive insights for both external detail and for the rich depth of dedicated silence, solitude, and prayer that marks the Carthusian life. Anyone moved some years back by the extraordinary film Into the Great Silence will find in this book another fascinating appreciation for the daily self-giving of these hidden monks who live all for God."
— Fr. Donald Haggerty, Author, Contemplative Provocationsand The Contemplative Hunger

The Gospel of St. Matthew: The Unity of the Life of Jesus

The Gospel of St. Matthew: The Unity of the Life of Jesus | Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis | From the Introduction to Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word (Vol. II): Meditations on the Gospel According to St. Matthew

The Gospel according to St. Matthew is not a text simply stringing together haphazard events and occasions that present Jesus teaching valuable and true things. Beyond this, the Gospel text portrays the unity of Jesus' whole life. Very likely the earliest nucleus of the Gospel text is what is now its conclusion, that is, the narrative of Jesus' Passion, death, and Resurrection, which narrative no doubt constituted the heart and substance of the primitive oral kerygma, or "proclamation" of the faith by the apostles and their successors. Everything else in the Gospel text came later, composed to show how everything in Jesus' life and teaching eventually had to lead to his atoning death out of love.

In Matthew's Gospel we see how, against all obstacles and opposition, Jesus moves with a sovereign sweep from the promises of God in the Old Testament, fulfilling them in his Incarnation as Messiah, to his identity as a man who does divine things and speaks divine words (parables, miracles, encounters, discourses), to the culmination of the story in his Passion, death, and Resurrection, and, finally, to the conclusion of the story in Jesus commissioning the apostles to do what they have seen him do and teach what they have seen him teach. In the end, they are to become what they have seen him be.

Thus, the main message of Matthew's Gospel is that we are not saved by detached "doctrines" or "truths", but by the whole life of this man, Jesus of Nazareth, in all its fullness and unity. All Christian theology is but a systematic reflection on this life, on everything it reveals about God and us and on everything this revelation implies for our own future life and behavior.

In the Gospel, Jesus Christ the person and his action in our lives have absolute primacy over anyone's teaching about Jesus Christ.

A comparison of the very beginning of the text with its very end may serve to detail the overarching unity of Matthew's Gospel and its fundamental message. At 1:23 Matthew inserts a quotation from the prophecy of Isaiah (7:14): "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel (a name which means 'God with us')." If we then turn to the last sentence in Matthew, we read: "Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (28:20). Now, these are words that only an incarnate God can speak with truth, and we suddenly realize that everything between these two quotations-the promise and its everlasting fulfillment--is meant by Matthew to represent an unfolding of what it means for "God to be with us" in the person of Jesus. Between these two passages there are five major sections of the Gospel, perhaps symbolic of the five books of the Pentateuch that constitute the Torah. Matthew's Gospel, thus, through its symbolic structure, is apparently claiming to contain God's definitive words and deeds, which fulfill and surpass the Torah but only through the presence and action of Jesus, the living Word made flesh: "It was said to you .... But I say to you" (cf. Mt 5:21-22, 27-28, 31-34, 38-39, 43-44).

Many other such layers of deliberate structuring may be discovered in Matthew's Gospel. It is possible to describe its total design as follows: The text consists of a body in five major segments, preceded by an introduction (Jesus' genealogy and infancy, 1:1-2:23) and culminating in the heart of the Gospel-the Passion, death, and Resurrection narrative (26:1-28:20). Each of the five central sections (3:1-7:29; 8:1-10:42; 11:1-13:52 13:53-18:35; and 19:1-25:46) may in turn be subdivided into a "narrative" and a "discourse" component (see tabulation on page 329), and it is possible to detect a correspondence between the events of the narrative and the theme of the discourse that follows it. And each of these five sections concludes with a formula such as "And when Jesus finished these sayings" (7:28).

There may well be an important theological point being made here through this structural arrangement, namely, that the Gospel is first and foremost about the interactive encounter between Jesus and humanity, portrayed in a narrative. All subsequent words of teaching and instruction, even those coming from Jesus himself, are but a persuasive reflection that seeks to delve more deeply into that primordial encounter in order to help the reader make it his own.

For instance, in the fourth central section (13:53-17:27) we read in the narrative portion about the feeding of the five thousand, then of the four thousand, about Peter's confession and his commission, and about the Transfiguration. Clearly, these are all events that portray different aspects of "church"--how Jesus fashions a community of believers out of the random scattering of humanity. What then follows in the discourse portion of section four is a formal exhortation sometimes called the "Sermon on the Church" (18:1-35), which deals with the qualifications for membership in the Kingdom, fraternal relations of either scandal or edification, and above all forgiveness.

Such a structural feature as we here describe--this thematic correspondence between "narrative" and "discourse" in each section--reminds us from a fresh angle that the Gospel is never mere philosophizing but always a portrayal of the Word incarnate, the eternal Son and Wisdom of the Father in whom event and word, prayer and deed, are one. Christ Jesus is no mere brilliant teacher and itinerant prophet; he is the divine Son made flesh, the person who, all at once, is cosmic Event, Word of truth, and Deed of salvation, and this dynamic richness of identity in Jesus is what the Gospel manifests at each step, both in its individual parts and in its total structure.

If, in our imagination, we put the Gospel text back into its original context of oral transmission, before it evolved into the form of a written text, we will begin to see its character as the record of an encounter between persons. The Gospel is not primarily words written in a book: this is only the final stage of a process that began with Jesus' real historical presence and interaction with people in the world. When the Gospel is proclaimed in the praying assembly of believers, we participate in the living memory of the Church from the beginning, the Church that was so careful to communicate in a living way and hand down to each generation of Christians the treasure of her experience of the Lord's presence in her midst.

The Gospel is a living tradition, something alive in our hearts and memory insofar as we are Christians, something continually shaping and nourishing our faith, thoughts, and deeds. This is why the Gospel is never more itself than when it is publicly proclaimed, heard, and commented upon during the Liturgy of the Word.

For instance, when we hear the Gospel of the Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-12) proclaimed on a given Sunday, we sense that that is the original setting in which the Gospel was meant to be read. Such a text communicates to us, not a historical sketch of someone who lived in the past and is interesting for a number of good reasons. Rather, such a text evokes a presence, not only by stimulating the power of imagination and memory, but by the power of the sacramental action of the Church in the Eucharist. The words of Matthew's Gospel are inseparable from the Eucharistic Sacrifice, because in his Gospel Matthew is proclaiming an event and a person that want to become a saving reality here and now in my life and in the life of all mankind. [3]

We must conclude, then, that the genre of the Gospel is not that of pure "history"; but neither is it that of myth, fairy tale, or legend. In fact, evangelion constitutes a genre all its own, a surprising novelty in the literature of the ancient world. Matthew does not seek to be "objective" in a scientific or legal sense. He is writing as one whose life has been drastically changed by the encounter with Jesus of Nazareth. Hence, he is proposing to his listeners an objective reality of history, but offered as kerygma, that is, as a proclamation that bears personal witness to the radical difference that reality has already made in his life. Whether this encounter with Jesus of Nazareth occurs literally in the flesh or spiritually through the faith of the Church is not as important as the fact that it does take place.

We, living twenty-one centuries later, are at no disadvantage! We should not want to answer questions that the evangelists themselves did not raise: the color of Jesus' eyes and hair, his height, and so on. Nor is it essential to ask: Did this or that occur precisely in the way described in the text? The historical nucleus obviously at the very center of the Gospel narrative is inseparable, in keeping with the genre of the evangelion or "good news", from the response of faith with which Matthew presents it so as to persuade his listeners to enter into the same experience of encounter with Jesus. This encounter will hopefully result in the transformation of their lives. When we approach the text of Matthew we must come to share in his own faith if we are fully to understand what he has written.

ENDNOTES:

[3] The unity of word, sacrament, and Christian life as constituting the total Mystery of Christ has seldom been explored so profoundly as in Jean Corbon, The Wellspring of Worship (Mahwah, NJ.: Paulist Press, 1988; new edition by Ignatius Press, 2005).

New: "The Christian Meaning of Human Sexuality (Expanded Edition)" by Fr. Paul Quay S.J.

Now available from Ignatius Press:

The Christian Meaning of Human Sexuality (Expanded Edition)

by Fr. Paul Quay S.J.

Edited and with an Introduction by Joseph Koterski, S.J.

An updated and expanded edition of a classic work on the Christian meaning of human sexuality by an acclaimed teacher and priest. The unique gift of human sexuality allows us to choose, or not to choose, to participate in one form of God's creation. This book presents the understanding of human sexuality that divine revelation offers us. It is intended primarily for Christian adults who wish to know what kinds of sexual behavior are right or wrong, and to gain true insight into why such behavior is right or wrong for those who seek to love and live in Christ. For sexual morality is part of the mystery of our life in Christ and makes full sense only when seen as such.

Understanding of this Christian mystery, as far as we are given access to it, is offered us through the Scriptures and the living Tradition of the Church. This book uses Scripture and the teaching of the early Church Fathers to show what sexuality means in Christian terms, and is an indispensable guide to learning not just what the Church teaches, but why. Quay's insightful descriptions of the complementarity of male and female, a complementarity that is psychological, spiritual and bodily are exceptionally illuminating.

It also explains the Bible's frequent use of the symbolism of marriage and sexuality in its accounts of the Covenant to understand better the relationship between God and his people, and the relationship of spouses to one another. It reflects on the natural symbolism of the human body and of spousal communion as a way to understand what is right and proper in sexual activity, and what is not. The new material in this expanded edition considers the theology of natural family planning (NFP). It explains the moral principles that govern the use of NFP and also provides a theological reflection on the meaning of this practice.

Paul Quay, S.J ., Ph.D., was a longtime Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University of Chicago and the author of numerous articles for Catholic periodicals.

"A superb book that is intelligent, realistic and grounded in a profound faith in the truths about human persons and human sexuality set forth in divine revelation."
— William E. May, Ph.D., Professor of Moral Theology, Catholic University of America

New: "Five Proofs of the Existence of God" by Dr. Edward Feser

Now available from Ignatius Press:

Five Proofs of the Existence of God

by Dr. Edward Feser

This book provides a detailed, updated exposition and defense of five of the historically most important (but in recent years largely neglected) philosophical proofs of God’s existence: the Aristotelian, the Neo-Platonic, the Augustinian, the Thomistic, and the Rationalist.

It also offers a thorough treatment of each of the key divine attributes—unity, simplicity, eternity, omnipotence, omniscience, perfect goodness, and so forth—showing that they must be possessed by the God whose existence is demonstrated by the proofs. Finally, it answers at length all of the objections that have been leveled against these proofs.

This work provides as ambitious and complete a defense of traditional natural theology as is currently in print. Its aim is to vindicate the view of the greatest philosophers of the past— thinkers like Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Aquinas, Leibniz, and many others— that the existence of God can be established with certainty by way of purely rational arguments. It thereby serves as a refutation both of atheism and of the fideism that gives aid and comfort to atheism.

Edward Feser, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California. Called  by  National Review "one of the best contemporary writers  on philosophy", he is the author of  The Last Superstition:  A Refutation of the New Atheism, Aquinas, Scholastic Meta- physics, By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed, and many other  books and articles.

"A watershed book. Feser has completely severed the intellectual legs upon which modern atheism had hoped to stand."
— Matthew Levering, James N. and Mary D. Perry Jr. Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

"A powerful and important book. The concluding chapter, where Feser replies to possible objections to his arguments, is a gem; it alone is worth the price of this excellent work."
— Stephen T. Davis, Russell K. Pitzer Professor of Philosophy, Claremont McKenna College

"Edward Feser is widely recognized as a top scholar in the history of philosophy in general, and in Thomistic and Aristotelian philosophy in particular. This book is a must-read for  anyone interested in natural theology. I happily and highly recommend it."
— J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Biola University

"Refutes with devastating effect the standard objections to theistic proofs, from David Hume to the New Atheists."
— Robert C. Koons, Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin

"Yet another fine book by Edward Feser. He replies to (literally) all of the objections and shows convincingly how the most popular objections (the kind one hears in Introduction to Philosophy courses) are very often completely beside the point and, even when they're not, are 'staggeringly feeble and overrated'."
— Alfred J. Freddoso, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame

New: "The Immortal in You: How Human Nature Is More Than Science Can Say" by Michael Augros

Now available from Ignatius Press:

The Immortal in You: How Human Nature Is More Than Science Can Say

by Michael Augros

Many scientists and philosophers believe that you are no more than a machine. By their account there is no afterlife and you are no better than any other kind of animal. The existence of mankind, according to such thinkers, is purely the outcome of chance events. There never was any tendency, natural or supernatural, to produce life and the human mind. The universe is hostile or indifferent toward you, and you occupy no special place within it.

At the heart of this story of mankind lies not science but a rarely expressed philosophical assumption that modern science, at least in principle, tells all there is know about you and the world. With his unique blend of cogency, clarity, and charm, philosopher Michael Augros hauls that assumption out into the light and demolishes it. The Immortal in You demonstrates how an astute use of common sense and a study of common human experience reveal that there is more to you—much more—than science could possibly say.

From the author of Who Designed the Designer?, this modern response to the ancient exhortation "Know thyself" delivers a wealth of fresh, powerful, and uplifting ideas about what it is to be human, which will engage thoughtful readers regardless of their beliefs.

Michael Augros holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Boston College and teaches at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California. He is the author of Who Designed the Designer? A Rediscovered Path to God's Existence and of numerous scholarly articles that have appeared in such journals as the Thomist, Angelicum, and the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly.

"A fascinating journey of intelligent exploration into the greatest and most mysterious thing in the universe: yourself, your nature, and your destiny. This is far and away the best book I have ever read about the nature of mankind as far as natural reason can know it. On a scale of 1 to 10, I have to give it a 12."
— Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, Boston College; Author, Summa of the Summa

"Augros's fine book is philosophically deep yet accessible to the non-specialist, and it acknowledges what we know from modern science while demolishing the error of scientism."
— Edward Feser, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Pasadena City College

"In his Lost in the Cosmos, Walker Percy detailed how we materialistic moderns lost our common-sense grasp of reality, especially the reality of our selves. Michael Augros has given us one of the finest maps I've seen, detailing—patiently, wisely, and humorously—how we can find ourselves again."
— Benjamin Wiker, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Franciscan University; Author, In Defense of Nature 

"Through persistent questioning, Augros invites the reader to join him in an adventure in philosophy, a quest for self-knowledge."
— Thomas Hibbs, Ph.D., Honors College Dean, Baylor University 

"Don't be fooled by the light touch and the pop culture allusions. This book delivers some very interesting answers to the question posed by the psalmist, 'What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?'"
— Patrick Coffin, Host of The Patrick Coffin Show

"A master surgeon armed with words instead of scalpels, Augros makes his case meticulously, showing why the soul, the mind, and human purpose are real even if the sciences can't detect them. He never bashes science but makes a persuasive case that science doesn't have all the answers—or even the best questions."
— Brandon Vogt, Author, Saints and Social Justice

New: "From Islam to Christ: One Woman's Path through the Riddles of God" by Derya Little

Now available from Ignatius Press:

From Islam to Christ One Woman's Path through the Riddles of God

by Derya Little

Born and raised in Muslim Turkey, Derya Little wandered far and wide in search of her true home. After her parents' divorce, she rejected her family's Islamic faith and became an atheist. During her stormy adolescence, she tried to convince a Christian missionary that there is no God but was converted to Christ instead.

Her winding path through the riddles of God was not over, however. While attending a Turkish university and serving as a Christian youth minister, Derya began to compare the teachings of Protestantism and Catholicism, and during her doctoral studies in England, she entered the Catholic Church. Ultimately, she ended up in the United States, where has become a citizen and has settled down to raise a family.

Derya's story provides a window into both Islam and modernity. It shows that the grace and the mercy of God know no bounds. Rather, the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ reaches souls in the most unlikely places.

Derya Little has a Ph.D. in politics from Durham University in England. Her articles on foreign affairs have appeared in academic journals and Catholic World Report.

"Little has done the world a service by writing this courageous book. On her journey from Islam to atheism to Evangelical Christianity to Roman Catholicism, we see how the Divine Physician brings a healing balm to many open wounds people live with today."
— Kathryn Jean Lopez, From the Foreword; Senior Fellow, National Review Institute

New: "By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed: A Catholic Defense of Capital Punishment" by Edward Feser and Joseph Bessette

Now available from Ignatius Press:

By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed: A Catholic Defense of Capital Punishment

by Edward Feser and Joseph Bessette

The Catholic Church has in recent decades been associated with political efforts to eliminate the death penalty. It was not always so. This timely work reviews and explains the Catholic Tradition regarding the death penalty, demonstrating that it is not inherently evil and that it can be reserved as a just form of punishment in certain cases. 

Drawing upon a wealth of philosophical, scriptural, theological, and social scientific arguments, the authors explain the perennial  teaching of the Church that capital punishment can in principle be legitimate—not only to protect society from immediate physical danger, but also to administer retributive justice and to deter capital crimes. The authors also show how some recent statements of Church leaders in opposition to the death penalty are prudential judgments rather than dogma. They reaffirm that Catholics may, in good conscience, disagree about the application of the death penalty.

Some arguments against the death penalty falsely suggest that there has been a rupture in the Church's traditional teaching and thereby inadvertently cast doubt on the reliability of the Magisterium.  Yet, as the authors demonstrate, the Church's traditional teaching is a safeguard to society, because the just use of the death penalty can be used to protect the lives of the innocent, inculcate a horror of murder, and affirm the dignity of human beings as free and rational creatures who must be held responsible for their actions.

By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed challenges contemporary Catholics to engage with Scripture, Tradition, natural law, and the actual social scientific evidence in order to undertake a thoughtful analysis of the current debate about the death penalty.

Edward Feser is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California. Called by National Review "one of the best contemporary writers on philosophy," he is the author of The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism, Aquinas, Scholastic Metaphysics, and many other books and articles.

Joseph Bessette is a Professor of Government and Ethics at Claremont McKenna College (CMC) in Southern California, and also teaches in the Dept. of Politics and Policy at the Claremont Graduate University. He has a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago. Prior to arriving at CMC, Bessette worked nine years in criminal justice.

 

"Based primarily on the natural law, this excellent and much-needed book will be valuable to Catholics and readers of any faith who ask why capital punishment is justified."
— J. Budziszewski, Ph.D., University of Texas

"At long last, we have a serious and intelligent look at all aspects of the death penalty —its causes, its justification, its consequences for the victim, the criminal himself, and for civil society."
— James V. Schall, S. J., Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University

"An illuminating study of a subject often clouded by emotions.  An essential read for anyone who wants to understand this thorny subject."
— Robert Royal, President, Faith and Reason Institute

"The arguments in this book have clarified many of the contentions of this critical issue in my mind." 
— Fr. Robert A. Sirico, President, The Acton Institute

Settle for nothing less than the infinite mystery and infinite delight

The sky at the Cerro Tololo in the Valle de Elqui, Chile, is seen Oct. 11, 2015. (CNS photo/AURA Observatory of Chile via EPA)

Settle for nothing less than the infinite mystery and infinite delight | Carl E. Olson | Catholic World Report

The recent March for Science was a sad and sorry exercise in a view of reality that is flattened, dreary, and ultimately inhuman

Back in the early 1840s, John Henry Newman observed that physical philosophers—that is, scientists—"are ever inquiring whence things are, not why; referring them to nature, not to mind; and thus they tend to make a system a substitute for a God..." The "tending" has been, as they say, trending ever since. About a hundred years later, in 1948, Fulton Sheen remarked in his outstanding study Philosophy of Religion, that:

Science cannot give us a philosophy, not can it give us an ethics; it cannot give us a philosophy, because it immerses man in nature and avoids the important subject of his destiny. It cannot give us an ethics because science by itself is amoral. Morality comes from its ends, and science is indifferent to ends.

Lest it be thought that Sheen was anti-science or the enemy of scientists, consider his remark, from his 1928 book Religion Without God, that the "rock-surenes of 'Science' does not exist in the mind of the scientists themselves, although it does love and throb in the minds of publicists and propagandists. Scientists themselves disclaim they possess ultimate truth; rather they look upon it as a horizon toward which they are proceeding." Sheen was indicating that when a scientist begins to make metaphysical or philosophical assertions, he is no longer speaking as a scientist. Of course, a great number of famous scientists—Richard Dawkins and Stephen Hawking come to mind immediately—have used their scientific reputations in order to wade into waters that are better described as ideological and polemical. And even political.

All of those elements were obvious in the silly "March for Science" event that took place this past Saturday. I was blissfully unaware of the event until a friend sent a link to the local newspaper's coverage of the March for Science in Eugene, which featured some 1500 or so true believers. And I don't say "true believers" with any sarcasm or snarkiness; on the contrary:

“We teach science and we believe in science,” said Carrie Ann Naumoff, a fifth-grade teacher at Edison Elementary in Eugene. “We’re concerned that science is being blocked and interrupted. “We’re concerned about the EPA and concerned that ­scientists are being harassed for what they’re publishing. We want our students to have access to real information.”

"We believe in science." Whatever does that mean? What if the seventh-grade home-ec teacher (if such a thing still exists) exclaimed, "We believe in the culinary arts", or the 10th-grade French teacher solemnly explained, "We believe in language." Huh? But we do know what Ms. Naumoff means: she and the enlightened educating class are the guardians of science, which is the one, true source of truth and goodness, leading us into a future of, well, more science. However, such a belief is not really about scientific research and fact, but about a particular ideological perspective, generally called scientism, which is not about following physical evidence where it might lead, but flattening all of reality into the narrow confines of materialist proofs and premises.

Dr. Austin L. Hughes, a professor of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina, described it well in an 2012 essay titled "The Folly of Scientism":

Continue reading on the CWR site.

New: "Slaves in Paradise: A Priest Stands Up for Exploited Sugarcane Workers" by Jesús García

Now available from Ignatius Press:

Slaves in Paradise: A Priest Stands Up for Exploited Sugarcane Workers

by Jesús García

With its beautiful beaches and golf courses, the island of the Dominican Republic is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Caribbean. Yet when missionary priest Fr. Christopher Hartley arrived in the country in 1997, he discovered another side to this paradise: the deplorable living and working conditions of the people who harvest the country's sugarcane, and the illegal human trafficking that brings them to the plantations as slaves.

Inspired by the Gospels and Mother Teresa, Fr. Hartley carried out intense evangelization efforts in his large parish, which included several cane cutter camps. He brought the Good News of salvation in Christ and the sacraments of the Church to many workers and their families whose unjust treatment was being ignored at every level of society. Drawing from the social teachings of the Church, he denounced the exploitation, including in a speech before the president of the Dominican Republic and in meetings with the owners of the plantations. Because of his strong criticism, he endured harsh treatment, was threatened with death, and eventually had to leave the country.

This book chronicles Fr. Hartley's missionary work in the Dominican Republic. It includes detailed letters he wrote to his friends and benefactors about the needs of his people and the injustices they endured. Filled with rich spiritual reflections and apostolic passion, his letters tell heart-wrenching stories of human misery while revealing the deep and abiding faith he found among the poor.

Jesús García, a journalist for many years with the newspaper El Mundo, now works  in the Department of Communication of Aid to the Church in Need. As a reporter of religious news and events, he has written numerous stories on the work of the Church in different countries of the world, and is the author of three other books.

"Fr. Hartley's mission of love is fueled by his strong prayer life and his intimacy with God. You will discover a man who always makes time for prayer, often spending hours before the Lord. I pray that this book will inspire us all to a deeper faith in God and love for the poor."
—Cardinal Seán O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Boston, from the Foreword

"A favorite son of Mother Teresa, Fr. Hartley shows us the face of Jesus in the people he served. This book, quite simply, should be read by everyone! Read it and allow Christ to open your eyes to see him in all people, especially the poorest of the poor."
—Fr. Larry Richards, Author, Be a Man!

"Evangelization is not just about believing in Jesus, but about touching his wounds in our wounded brothers and sisters. That changes the wounded and it changes us. Fr. Hartley's life was changed and ministry was born when he saw the suffering poor. This is not just his call, it's ours too, for the poor, the unborn, and all in need."
—Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life

"This is a book that exudes hope, which generates the happiness and joy of living, and sparks a lively desire to do the same: to evangelize. The testimony of this beloved missionary priest transmits joy and light, as he transmitted that same joy and hope to those long-suffering brothers and sisters in the Dominican Republic."
—Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, from the Foreword to the Spanish Edition

But What Exactly is Easter?

Detail from "Resurrection" ("Воскресение", c.1892) by Mikhail Nesterov [Wikipedia]

But What Exactly is Easter? | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | CWR

"Christ, the Son of God, rose from the dead." In that brief sentence, if we look carefully enough, we can discover the whole order of being and our place within it.

I.

As a general principle, an honest man will want know what something is, or is said to be, before he decides whether he thinks it is true or that he must do anything about it. Take one’s relation to a doctor. Insofar as we deal with a doctor qua doctor, we want him to tell us the truth about what is wrong with us. If we didn’t, we should not bother him. We do not, if we are normal, want him to lie to us. Unless we know what the problem is, we cannot decide what, if anything, we need to do about it. And if we decide the doctor is incompetent, we still have to find one that is.

Definitions are good things. They are intended to tell us what a thing is in words we understand. Generally, we want to know what a thing is whether we like it or not. Indeed, we need to know what things can harm us and which ones help us. We understand that it is dangerous for us deliberately to choose not to know the truth about something. On the basis of what they are and of what we are, our knowledge relates us to everything that is not ourselves. 

In the Easter season, someone who does not know much about what it means might well ask: “What exactly is Easter anyhow?” Accurate knowledge of it is not always easy to come by. Indeed, we have the impression that many people do not want to know what it really is lest it make a demand on them they are not willing to consider. Still, what would be a fair and accurate answer to an honest inquiry about Easter that had no further purpose but to hear accurately what this word and the reality to which it refers mean?  On hearing the explication, the inquiring listener might say: “So that is what it means!” or “Makes no sense to me!” or “I had it all wrong” or “It’s really complicated” or “Run that by me again...” In any case, the question—“What is Easter?—is a worthy one.

II.

The word Easter can have several origins—an Anglo-Saxon goddess of Spring, a Frankish way of referring to the East and the rising Sun, a reference to the Jewish Passover. For Christians and anyone who wants to know about its meaning, it recalls the day on which Christ rose from the dead. Each of the three words—Christ, rose, dead—refers to a specific reality. 

Taken in itself, “Christ rose from the dead” is a straight-forward statement of what Easter means, of what it is to which the sentence refers. Spelled out, it recalls that a young Jewish man, called Jesus Christ, claimed to be the Son of God. He was executed in Jerusalem under Roman authority about thirty years after his birth in Bethlehem. Contemporary witnesses maintained that three days after his execution on a Cross, he rose again from the dead. The same witnesses initially had a hard time believing this event, but they also had more difficulty in denying what they saw and touched. So they concluded that it was a fact that they witnessed. 

“To rise again” means that the same individual, who was actually dead, reappeared, identified himself as the same person who died, though in a transfigured manner. Dead means what dead means. Life had ceased in him.

Once we understand what Easter means, we are not asked to accept this unexpected truth as if it had no justification. No one denies that most dead men stay dead. Even the two dead men whom this Christ was said to have brought back to life—the widow’s son and Lazarus—subsequently died. This did not happen to Christ. 

Throughout subsequent history, many efforts have been made to explain how this event and its testimony could not be true. These efforts have their value. Each time this Resurrection is denied, something new about its reality comes to be understood. Muslims, for example, maintain that God cannot suffer. Therefore, Christ was not God and was not crucified. Some Jews just after Christ’s death were worried that the disciples would claim that he rose again, as he said he would, so they paid some soldiers to testify that the body was carried away at night. The disciples, in this scenario, only pretended that it rose again.

Many different theories were subsequently developed to explain what happened as if it did not or could not have happened.

Continue reading...

To Glory in the Cross of Christ

Pope John Paul II prays at the Hill of Crosses in Siauliai, Lithuania, in 1993. (CNS photo/Arturo Mari, L'Osservatore Romano)

To Glory in the Cross of Christ | Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas | CWR

Every cross borne by any believer gains meaning and becomes life-giving when it is brought into a relationship with the Cross from which Jesus reigned as the King of Love and over which He triumphed in His glorious Resurrection.

During Lent, Mother Church focused our attention on the Cross and on Him hanging from it. Only the most hard-hearted are not moved to pity and sorrow. Our reflection on the mystery of the Cross, however, likewise causes us to glory in the Cross, acclaiming Jesus Christ as the “King of love on Calvary.”

At the same time, we must admit that this is at least, shall we say, a bit “out of sync” with modernity’s approach to suffering and death. Indeed, the late Father Pablo Straub of EWTN fame coined a word to describe the reaction of our contemporaries to the Cross; he used to say that our society suffers from “cruciphobia” – fear of the crucifix!

I thank God I was spared that disease from my boyhood. Permit me to share three personal anecdotes in that regard.

I had convulsions at birth, keeping me hospitalized for the first four months of my life. Everything went into remission until I was eight years old when I was hit in the head by an iron gate; that very night, the seizures returned, calling for daily medication and constant vigilance on the part of my parents, the Sisters at school, and the priests at church. An additional aspect of the monitoring was a quarterly electroencephalogram (EEG, for short), administered at St. Michael’s Hospital in Newark, the same place where I had been born. As some of you may know, in those early days of treating epilepsy, the EEG required that a kind of cap be secured to the patient’s head with medical thumb-tacks to penetrate the skull to obtain the brain waves. Believe me when I say I knew first-hand the meaning of excruciating pain, quite literally. I dreaded those quarterly but necessary hospital visits.

On one such occasion, my mother took advantage of the fact that the technician on duty that day was a Sister, whom she pulled aside to inform a bit about me and to ask if she could comfort me in any way. When Sister came back, she said: “Peter, your mother tells me you want to be a priest. A priest is a man of sacrifice – like Jesus the Priest. I know that when I place this cap on your head, it’s going to hurt a great deal, and I’m very sorry about that. But I want you to do a couple of things. I want you to look very intently on the crucifix on my habit as I press those pins into your scalp. See how Jesus suffered for you out of His great love. Tell Him you love Him in return, that you want to unite your sufferings to His, and that you wish to offer up your sufferings for your priestly vocation.”

I did as that gentle, loving and holy nun urged me. It didn’t eliminate the pain, but it did make it more bearable because it was placed in a bigger context – one that involved divine love, the salvation of the world, and my future life as a priest. Thanks to that nun, whose name I never knew, I have never experienced “cruciphobia” for a single day since.

My second anecdote.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

New: "Fatima Mysteries: Mary's Message to the Modern Age" by Grzegorz Gorny and Janusz Rosikon

Now available from Ignatius Press:

Fatima Mysteries: Mary's Message to the Modern Age

by Grzegorz Gorny and Janusz Rosikon

400 pages | Hardcover

"The tragedies foretold in Fatima did not come to an end with the demise of Communism. The crisis has not been resolved. From a certain point of view it is still as serious as it ever was, as it is primarily a crisis of faith, hence a moral and social crisis."
— Pope Benedict XVI

The apparitions in 1917 of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three peasant children in Fatima, Portugal, are perhaps the most important private revelations in the history of the Church. At the height of World War I and on the eve of the Russian Revolution, Our Lady appeared in Fatima to warn us of another even greater world war, the spread of Communism, and a terrible persecution of the Church unless people returned to God. She asked for us to offer daily prayer and sacrifice for conversion of the world and salvation of souls.

Because of the prophetic nature of Our Lady's messages and their potential significance for the entire world, they have been the subject of much study and controversy, and they have influenced the decisions not only of many individuals, but also of Popes, Bishops, and heads of state.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of these important apparitions and messages for the modern world, renowned author-photographer team Grzegorz Górny and Janusz Rosikon traveled throughout Europe to tell the story of Fatima and its impact on the destiny of both individuals and nations. With stunningly beautiful four-color photographs on every page, and in-depth detail and insights on all aspects of the story and message of Fatima, they probe the mysteries of Fatima and their continued relevance for our modern age. Lavishly Illustrated.

Grzegorz Górny is a reporter, essayist, and film and television producer. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of the quarterly Fronda, and from 1994 to 2001 he co-authored a program under the same title that aired on the Polish national television. He has produced various documentary television series and authored numerous articles for European publications. His books include Battle for Madrid (2010).

Janusz Rosikon is a photographer and a member of the Association of Polish Artistic Photographers. His photographs have been featured in Time, Newsweek, and Reader's Digest.

"This is a very special book on the whole story, messages and meaning of Fatima. It is a great treasury of information and inspiration for the 100th anniversary of Fatima, filled with stunning photos and images. This book will help you to do what Pope Benedict XVI asked of us all - to learn, live and spread the message of Fatima!"
- Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R., Author, Fatima For Today

"What a masterpiece! Fatima Mysteries is the most comprehensive and thoroughly researched book I have ever read on the Fatima apparitions. It offers an historical, cultural, and theological presentation of everything there is to know about the importance of one of the greatest events in modern times."
- Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, Author, Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon

New: "Catholics and Protestants: What Can We Learn from Each Other?" by Peter Kreeft

Now available from Ignatius Press:

Catholics and Protestants: What Can We Learn from Each Other?

by Peter Kreeft

The widely read author and philosopher Peter Kreeft presents a unique book that focuses on the important beliefs that Catholics and Protestants share in common. He says this book is inspired by Christ's high priestly prayer in the Gospel of John "that they may be one," and by St. John Paul II's ecumenical encyclical, Ut Unum Sint, which is also based on Christ's prayer for unity. While there are still significant differences, Kreeft says that there has been a radical step of agreement on the single most important issue, justification.

Kreeft says the style of the book is that of Pascal, Nietzsche, Solomon, and Jesus: short answers, single points to ponder rather than long strings of argument. It is direct, simple, and confrontational, but vertically rather than horizontally, "directing arrows not against each other (Protestant or Catholic) but against our own hearts and minds and wills."

It is timely because, as Pope St. John Paul II said, this next millennium is destined to be the millennium of Christian reunification as the first millennium was that of Christian unity, and the second one of Christian disunity.

Above all, Kreeft says that this work is simple, not easy, or obvious, but condensed. It – like all of reality – is Christocentric. Its purpose is to be "like an Australian sheep dog, herding and hectoring Christ's separated sheep back to His face. For that is the only way they can ever return back to each other."

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy at Boston College, is one of the most widely read Christian authors of our time. His many bestselling books cover a vast array of topics in spirituality, theology, and philosophy. They include How to Be Holy, Practical Theology, Back to Virtue, Because God Is Real, You Can Understand the Bible, Angels and Demons, Heaven: The Heart's Deepest Longing, and A Summa of the Summa.

"Peter Kreeft has a remarkable gift for expressing complex issues in lucid, accurate, and pithy ways. He also has the fairness and insight needed to undertake a tractate to bring Catholics and Protestants into closer union. This book will no doubt help understanding and dialog between both."
— Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., Author, The Soul's Upward Yearning

"No one has taught me more about what healthy ecumenism looks like than the brilliant and eloquent Peter Kreeft. He is a peerless apologist for truth and has been an inspiration to me for over two decades on the happy and vital connections between serious Catholic and evangelical faith."
— Eric Metaxas, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Bonhoeffer; Host of the Eric Metaxas Show

"Readers will expect-- and be gratified to find -- what we always find in any work by Kreeft: thorough, solid, intelligent work, and agile prose style, brought to the service of dependable content. This book should help us to find a real step forward in the mutual understanding of these two sectors of the Ancient Faith."
— Thomas Howard, Author, On Being Catholic

"Peter Kreeft, one of our finest Christian writers today, has given us a passionate plea for Christian unity, one that builds upon the great common core of Christian belief confessed by faithful Protestants and Catholics alike. A volume full of faith-and hope."
— Timothy George, Dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University

"In his unique style, Kreeft avoids academic verbosity and cuts right to the chase. His uncanny ability to reduce the complex into readable text is like poetry in motion. Christians from various traditions will find this book a pleasure to read."
— Stephen Ray, Author, Crossing the Tiber

"If only this book had been written five hundred years ago! Peter Kreeft is a reliable sherpa, guiding us safely through the theological and historical impasses into which countless unwary Christians have stumbled."
— Patrick Madrid, Author, Life Lessons; Host of the Patrick Madrid Show

"This is a book that lives up to its title, and will be a useful resource for any Catholic with Protestant friends or colleagues - and vice versa. It invites the reader to explore these often contentious issues with respect for both perspectives, and with genuine hope for resolution and reunion."
— Holly Ordway, Author, Not God's Type

New: "That Nothing May Be Lost" by Rev. Paul D. Scalia

Now available from Ignatius Press:

That Nothing May Be Lost: Reflections on Catholic Doctrine and Devotion

by Rev. Paul D. Scalia

Fr. Paul Scalia reveals a scholar's mind and a pastor's heart in these inspiring reflections on a wide range of Catholic teachings and practices. Rooted in Scripture, these insights place the reader on a path to a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God.

Among the topics explored are deepening one's knowledge of Jesus, partaking of the life of grace through the sacraments, and cultivating the art of prayer as a continuous conversation with God.

Each section is introduced by a moving essay by a highly regarded Catholic. Fr. Paul Check, Jim Towey, Scott Hahn, Mary Ellen Bork, Gloria Purvis, Raymond Arroyo, Lizz Lovett, Helen Alvaré, and Dan Mattson offer their personal accounts of being Catholic, which are followed by Fr. Scalia's illuminations. Archbishop Charles Chaput contributes a thought- provoking foreword, which begins the reader's exploration of the many important aspects of the Catholic faith presented in this book.

Fr. Paul Scalia, a native of Virginia, studied theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Ordained in 1996, Fr. Scalia was appointed the Bishop's Delegate for Clergy in 2012. He has written for various publications and has served as a frequent contributor to the Arlington Catholic Herald and Encourage and Teach, the diocesan blog.

"Fr. Scalia has written a book that deepens our faith and leads us closer to God in a hundred different ways."
— Most Reverend Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia, from the Foreword

"Fr. Scalia has a unique gift of taking stories from Scripture that we've heard many times and casting them into a whole new light. In this book he opens up Catholic teaching in fresh and sometimes surprising directions that will change the way you think about your faith."
— Carrie Gress, Author, Nudging Conversations

"It is the great joy of a priest to see the two people he loves most, the Lord Jesus and whichever person he is caring for at that moment, in each other's arms. It is my hope that the many reflections Fr. Scalia offers us in these pages will bring us all into the arms of the only One who can ultimately satisfy."
— Fr. John Riccardo, Author, Heaven Starts Now

"Sacraments are symbols that convey the reality they signify. All other signs remain distinct from the things they signify. Only sacraments bring about what they signify. Sacramental signs convey the sacred reality itself. There can be no more perfect communication than this. Only God could express Himself in this way."
— Scott Hahn, from the Introduction to Chapter IV, The Sacraments

"One of the blessings of being a Catholic is discovering we are part of a large extended family of holy people. Their stories cover many centuries and diverse cultures, and knowing them, we come to a better understanding of Christ, the One they loved and followed."
— Mary Ellen Bork, from the Introduction to Chapter VI, The Saints

"As I read my friend Fr. Paul's moving and rich reflections on various feast days, an image from my childhood returned. It is of a Corpus Christi procession through the French Quarter around St. Louis Cathedral. Once again that eternal clash of the sacred and the profane that the rest of the world tries to ignore or deny is made manifest. This is what feast days are all about: dedicated times for us to stop and experience the deeper spiritual reality beyond the blur of our chaotic lives."
— Raymond Arroyo, from the Introduction to Chapter IX, Feasts: The Pattern and Rhythm of the Christian Life

Did Jesus rise from the dead and go directly to heaven?

The Spiritual Resurrection Theory appears to be alive (ahem) and well at the Associated Press | Carl E. Olson | The Dispatch at CWR

The always excellent Terry Mattingly of Get Religion points out that the Associated Press reveals a bit of biblical and theological illiteracy in a March 20th piece about the renovations done to the shrine in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The report begins in this way:

The tomb of Jesus has been resurrected to its former glory. Just in time for Easter, a Greek restoration team has completed a historic renovation of the Edicule, the shrine that tradition says houses the cave where Jesus was buried and rose to heaven.

The problematic phrase—"the shrine that tradition says houses the cave where Jesus was buried and rose to heaven"—is repeated in the photo caption. Mattingly writes:

OK, I know that this is complicated. Maybe there needs to be an expanded entry in the Associated Press Stylebook covering the events of Holy Week, Easter and the Ascension?

Attention AP corrections desk: Christians around the world do not believe that Jesus was "buried and rose to heaven" from the tomb cut into the stone of Gethsemane. They believe that he was buried there, was resurrected, then ascended to heaven 40 days later. Church tradition points to Mount Olivet as the site of the Ascension.

This very issue is addressed in one of the 75 or so questions found in my book Did Jesus Really Rise From the Dead? (Ignatius Press/Augustine Institute, 2016):

Q. Was the Resurrection also when Jesus ascended into Heaven and was exalted there by the Father?

This is a common misunderstanding, even among some Christians. It is even, as Brant Pitre points out [in The Case for Christ] remarkably popular “especially among scholars who do not believe in Jesus’ bodily resurrection. Nevertheless, this idea is (literally) dead wrong.”  That is because the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, as the creedal statements above indicate and Scripture clearly attest, took place forty days after the Resurrection; the two are entirely distinct events, even though the Ascension is made possible because of the Resurrection.  The risen Jesus, in fact, told Mary Magdalene that he had not yet gone to the Father:

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (Jn 20:16–17)

In addition, Luke begins Acts of the Apostles by stating, “To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).

The key point here is that the Resurrection was not a spiritual event only, during which Jesus was exalted, in some form, into Heaven; rather, it was a miraculous event in which Jesus was raised from the dead with real and glorified body, becoming “the first‐born from the dead” (Col 1:18; cf. Rev 1:5). And forty days separated that event from the Ascension, during which time Jesus, according to Paul, “appeared to Ce’phas, then to the Twelve.  Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles” (1 Cor 15:5–7).

Mattingly reminds readers of a similar error made by The New York Times in a May 2013 piece about Pope Francis' first Urbi et Orbi message: "Easter is the celebration of the resurrection into heaven of Jesus, three days after he was crucified, the premise for the Christian belief in an everlasting life."

These sort of mistakes certainly betray sloppiness and a lack of basic knowledge, which is frustrating enough. But a deeper issue, I suspect, is the implicit assumption that the Resurrection is an entirely spiritual event, having little or nothing to do with the material realm. This general approach to the Resurrection can be described as the Spiritual Resurrection Theory; here is an excerpt from Chapter 9 ("Physical and Spiritual") of my book:

Q. What is the Spiritual Resurrection Theory?

This is the idea that the Resurrection of Jesus was purely spiritual and not at all corporeal or bodily.  The risen Jesus was a spirit.  Those who encountered him encountered the spirit of Jesus. His corpse is irrelevant, in this view. Whether dogs ate it or it remains buried in a tomb makes no difference. Jesus’s body wasn’t transformed; he was raised a spirit.

Q. Who advocates the idea of the Spiritual Resurrection Theory?

Some theologically liberal Christians espouse the Spiritual Resurrection Theory, or a form of it. It is held by John Shelby Spong, John Dominic Crossan, and Marcus Borg, among others. Jehovah’s Witnesses, oddly enough, also advocate a form of it. They think the various Resurrection appearances recounted in the New Testament do not reflect Jesus’s actual resurrected state, but involve various bodies he assumed or materialized in order to indicate to his disciples his continued existence as a spirit. Unlike most people who reject the traditional understanding of Jesus’s Resurrection, advocates of the Spiritual Resurrection Theory generally appeal to the New Testament to support their views. As a result, the case against the theory involves a careful review of certain New Testament passages.

There is much, much more, as you can see from the table of contents and the Introduction.

New: "The Porn Myth: Exposing the Reality Behind the Fantasy of Pornography"

New: The Porn Myth: Exposing the Reality Behind the Fantasy of Pornography

by Matthew Fradd

The Porn Myth is a non-religious response to the commonly held belief that pornography is a harmless or even beneficial pastime. Author Matt Fradd draws on the experience of porn performers and users, and the expertise of neurologists, sociologists, and psychologists to demonstrate that pornography is destructive to individuals, relationships, and society. He provides insightful arguments, supported by the latest scientific research, to discredit the fanciful claims used to defend and promote pornography.

This book explains the neurological reasons porn is addictive, helps individuals learn how to be free of porn, and offers real help to the parents and the spouses of porn users. Because recent research on pornography's harmful effects on the brain validates the experiences of countless porn users, there is a growing wave of passionate individuals trying to change the pro-porn cultural norm-by inspiring others to pursue real love and to avoid its hollow counterfeit.

Matt Fradd and this book are part of that movement, which is aiding the many men and women who are seeking a love untainted by warped perceptions of intimacy and rejecting the influence of porn in their lives.

Matt Fradd is the founder and executive director of The Porn Effect, a website dedicated to exposing the reality behind the fantasy of porn and offering help. He speaks to about 50,000 people every year on the harmful effects of pornography and how to free from it. He is the author of several books, including Delivered: True Stories of Men and Women Who Turned From Porn to Purity.

"I love how Matt has put the decision of whether porn is empowering to women squarely in the readers' hands, by providing an unbiased view of relevant information from multiple sources."
— Crissy Moran, Former Porn Performer

"More than a book, The Porn Myth is an invitation—a timely and clear invitation to love more purely, connect with others more authentically, and experience joy more fully."
— Jill Manning, PhD, LMFT, Author, What's the Big Deal about Pornography: A Guide for the Internet Generation

"One of the most compelling ways to engage the culture on pornography is to meet it on the field of scientific research with level-headed arguments. Matt Fradd does this, laying out a framework for exposing the negative impact of pornography and rethinking our passive consumption of digital sexuality."
— William Struthers, PhD, Author, Wired for Intimacy

"Matt Fradd provides insightful arguments, with the latest research, on nearly every subject relevant to porn—from the dangers of the porn industry to the negative effects porn has on the brain. He equips you to discuss the real harm of pornography and to dispel its myths."
— Dawn Hawkins, Vice President and Executive Director, National Center on Sexual Exploitation

"You will want to obtain at least three copies of The Porn Myth—one for you, one for your favorite minister or counselor, and one to keep on hand to give others."
— Ron DeHaas, Founder and CEO, Covenant Eyes

"The Porn Myth can help you to separate the myths from the facts about porn and to reclaim real love. It counters the falsehoods that have helped to spread porn addiction and sexual dysfunction, and inspires us to take action against them."
— Clay Olsen, CEO and Cofounder, Fight the New Drug

"Matt Fradd does a great job of debunking the myth that porn is harmless and even healthy. For winning a debate—or more importantly, a heart—over the problem of porn, this book is indispensable."
— Jason Evert, Author, Pure Manhood

"The Porn Myth is an important book that brings clarity to one of the most important issues of our time."
— Jennifer Fulwiler, Radio Host, The Jennifer Fulwiler Show

New: The Cardinal Müller Report: An Exclusive Interview on the State of the Church"

Now available from Ignatius Press:

The Cardinal Müller Report: An Exclusive Interview on the State of the Church

by Gerhard Cardinal Müller and Carlos Granados

Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is one of the most prominent Catholic figures today. As a leading cardinal inside the Vatican, he has a privileged perspective on the worldwide state of the Church and on the most pressing theological, doctrinal, and moral questions of our times, which he strives to answer in this interview in clear and inspiring terms, as did his predecessor Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in The Ratzinger Report. 

What are these questions? What do their answers call forth from the believer? Many people today do not see the lack of faith as a major problem in their lives; rather, what worries them profoundly is the lack of hope. The key questions therefore involve hope and whether the Christian faith as articulated by the Catholic Church can offer it. 

This interview with Cardinal Müller therefore takes hope as its basic subject. It is a "report on hope", that is, an in-depth discussion of hope in relation to faith and love, truth and mercy; in relation to Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church; and in relation to the family and the demands of contemporary society.

Gerhard Cardinal Müller is the Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. Formerly the Bishop of Regensburg, Germany, and a professor of theology, he is President of both the Pontifical Biblical Commission and the International Theological Commission. He is also the author of many books, including The Hope of the Family and Priesthood and Diaconate.

Fr. Carlos Granados is the General Director of the Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos (Library of Christian Authors). He holds a Ph.D in Sacred Scripture.

"Cardinal Müller, a strong Church leader in a time of confusion, offers thoughtful insights on the challenging issues of the day—from the culture to the family. Throughout he points us to a future filled with hope, rooted in truth." 
— Raymond Arroyo, New York Times Best-Selling Author, EWTN News Anchor, The World Over

"This bookoffers a credible, thoughtful, and compelling call to hope in the family, in society, in the Church, and—ultimately—in Jesus Christ.  Christian hope, as Cardinal Müller explains, helps every Catholic to live the universal call to holiness, and to become faithful missionary disciples of the Lord."
— Most Revered James Conley, Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska

"In this wide- ranging interview, Cardinal Müller, in clear and inspiring language, offers thoughtful insights into the possibility and reality of an authentic, faith-based hope that comes from Christ and permeates the Church, the family, and even society."
— Most Reverend Robert Vasa, Bishop of Santa Rosa, California

"Trust in God is the vital substance of things hoped for.  Cardinal Müller explains why faith is not credulity and hope is more than optimism."
— Fr. George Rutler, Author, He Spoke to Us

"It's a bold move to give a book a title that invites comparison with the great Ratzinger Report. But Cardinal Müller holds his own in these very rich reflections on the dimensions of hope in our time."
— Robert Royal, President, Faith & Reason Institute, Washington, D.C.

"Cardinal Müller reminds us that hope in God's providence is our strength and shield in the struggle to live out our Catholic faith in a troubled world. Problems find solutions when we turn to God and seek to conform our lives to the loving demands of the gospel."
— Fr. Gerald Murray, Pastor, Holy Family Church, New York, and a member of EWTN's "Papal Posse"

Peter, Trump, and Francis

Peter, Trump, and Francis | Carl E. Olson | CWR

No pope and no body of bishops—or laity, for that matter—have the authority to change, revise, reverse, alter, or fundamentally rework what has been gifted to the Mystical Body of Christ in Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture.

Last summer, while visiting family in Montana, I had a conversation with my brother-in-law—an Evangelical Protestant—about the papacy in general and the pontificate of Francis specifically. Chris's questions were very thoughtful and not contentious in any way; he was genuinely interested in what Catholics believe about the pope. So, for instance, he asked a common and understandable question: "Is the pope able to change doctrine or belief?" The question, he added, was inspired in part because he had read Francis was trying to change Church teaching in some ways; it was both confusing and fascinating to someone who had a master's degree from an Evangelical seminary and also had a certain level of interest in things Catholic.

My response was threefold. First, I said, it's essential to understand the Church teaches that Jesus Christ gave the apostles what is called "the deposit of faith"—consisting of Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture—and that the apostles, in turn, entrusted this depositum fidei "to the whole of the Church" (CCC 84ff; cf Dei Verbum 10). This body of belief and doctrinal truth cannot be changed or altered, but can be—must be!—defended, defined, explained, explicated, and otherwise conveyed. However, the "task of authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on, has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church..." (DV 10)

Secondly, I told Chris, the pope holds a unique place in the Magisterium, or teaching office, of the Church. So, for instance, the "task of interpretation [of the deposit of faith] has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome"; the Petrine office, in other words, always has a central and essential role in "unpacking" this deposit of faith.

Third, it's vital to understand that no pope and no body of bishops—or laity, for that matter—have the authority to change, revise, reverse, alter, or fundamentally rework what has been gifted to the Mystical Body of Christ in Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. This is why the Second Vatican Council stated, "This teaching office is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything which it presents for belief as divinely revealed" (DV 10; cf CCC 86)

I then said (perhaps not as well or as clearly as I hoped) that the authority of the pope is both tremendous and remarkably limited. It's not just that the pope cannot change anything in divine revelation, but that his office is one largely defined by negative powers. That is, the pope rarely puts forth "new" ideas or interpretations, but far more often exercises his authority by saying, "No, that is false" or "No, that is heretical" or "No, that is unbalanced". And when he does define some particular point, it is almost always in order to save it from a false, mishapen, or lacking interpretation. Thus:

But when either the Roman Pontiff or the Body of Bishops together with him defines a judgment, they pronounce it in accordance with Revelation itself, which all are obliged to abide by and be in conformity with, that is, the Revelation which as written or orally handed down is transmitted in its entirety through the legitimate succession of bishops and especially in care of the Roman Pontiff himself, and which under the guiding light of the Spirit of truth is religiously preserved and faithfully expounded in the Church. The Roman Pontiff and the bishops, in view of their office and the importance of the matter, by fitting means diligently strive to inquire properly into that revelation and to give apt expression to its contents; but a new public revelation they do not accept as pertaining to the divine deposit of faith. (Lumen Gentium, 25; emphasis added)

All of that is an introduction of sorts to some excerpts from a few recent articles about Pope Francis and what he is doing—or seems to be doing.

Continue reading on the CWR site.