A forum of Catholic Thought

The eloquent ambiguity of 'I believe'

There is an eloquent ambiguity in the way in which the opening word of the Nicene Creed has come down to us. Our best evidence suggests that in the formula that goes back to the Nicene Fathers themselves, ...



The works of the Father: How Jesus teaches us to liveDr. R. Jared Staudt

God has appointed us to bear fruit. In the spiritual life, it can be hard to judge whether we are blossoming or wilting, so often trapped in isolated thoughts and feelings. Jesus, however, stands as our ...

Scripture Reflection for March 16, 2025, Second Sunday of LentDeacon Greg Kandra

Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14 Philippians 3:17-4:1 or Philippians 3:20-4:1 Luke 9:28b-36 This Sunday's readings seem to be all about wonder -- in Genesis, we hear about a sky ...

What are the different kinds of sin?Jenna Marie Cooper

Q: At a recent Mass, the priest talked about "mortal sin," about which I'd previously heard, but then he mentioned "venial sins" and "temporal sins," and even "sins of omission." I'm not familiar with ...

The prayer that Jesus taught usFather Robert M. O'Grady

The eighth and final of the "Notes on Prayer" series is the result of a collaboration between the late Father Ugo Vanni, an Argentinian Jesuit New Testament scholar who spent most of his teaching career ...

The Trump executive order on IVFFather Tadeusz Pacholczyk

On Feb. 18, President Trump issued an executive order entitled, "Expanding Access to In Vitro Fertilization" (IVF), in which he stated, "My Administration recognizes the importance of family formation, ...

'De Colores'Eileen McLaughlin

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and amidst the strife of World War II, a layperson, Eduardo Bonnin, responded to the cultural turmoil with prayer, community, ...

Helping the Missions and Filling Easter Baskets, Too!Maureen Crowley Heil

Every day, missionaries are the face of God's miraculous love to countless people around the world. Whether it be in pastoral ministry, health care, education, or numerous other ways, missionaries ...

40 daysScott Hahn

In today's epic Gospel scene, Jesus relives in His flesh the history of Israel. We've already seen that, like Israel, Jesus has passed through water and been called God's beloved Son (see ...