St. Clement of Rome
St. Clement of Rome, or Pope Clement I, was a Pope and Martyr of the 1st century, whose feast was yesterday, November 23. He is listed as the first Apostolic Father of the early Church. His writing to the church at Corinth, 1 Clement (c. 96), demonstrates the apostolic authority of presbyters (elders). He also

Understanding Critical Scholarship
Listen carefully:

A visible enemy and an invisible faith?
The Gospel lessons during the last Sundays of the Church Year and the season of Advent stress, among other things, being alert or watching and praying. One teaching that comes up in the readings at this time is that of the Anti-Christ. One obvious understanding of the Anti-Christ is his role "against" Christ (see 1 Jn. 2:18-25, 4:1-4). There are many other passages that could be cited on this teaching but for purposes here John refers to a denial of Jesus coming in the flesh. A denial of Jesus coming "in the flesh" is of the anti-Christ.In looking at what church fathers have said concerning Matthew 24:15ff other interesting understandings of the Anti-Christ come

Last Sunday of the Church Year
"So we must live by the words of the Lord and support that apostolic ministry of the Church wherever it exists . . . “Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together.” Holy Church remains for He gathers us even on this Lord’s Day around His Body at the altar

Dogmatic Pragmatism
Eleanore Roosevelt is quoted as saying, "Small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events, great minds discuss ideas." This quote could be applied also to the study of theology.For years I have tried to understand trends within the Church that work against the study of theology, especially by her pastors. One might think that if there was a haven somewhere for the study of theology it would be in the Church(?) Pastors need to have at least the smallest interest in it even when they do not always have the time for it. Forces today not only downplay theology but work actively against such reflection and study. Without arriving at a solution to this ongoing tension or