Instituted by Christ and founded on the apostles, the Church on earth is the kingdom of heaven in its seed and beginning. The Church is God the Father’s intended home for all people, deigned to be so from before time began. She is inclusive, barring no person from communion with her and her founder, Jesus Christ. It is only the individual who voluntarily excludes himself by rejecting communion with the Church through free-choices that are incompatible with the love of Christ and the rule of his kingdom.
Theology
Jesus’ Teaching Parables: The Mustard Seed
Was Jesus wrong about mustard seeds? If we’re worried about that, we’re missing the point. Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed is not intended to make scientific horticultural statements. Rather, he used the example and imagery of mustard seeds and the bushes they produce to make a metaphorical comparison with the kingdom of heaven.
Responding to Mighty Deeds
Today’s gospel serves as a powerful lesson—admonishment—against Catholics who have been entrusted with the fullness of divine revelation and the treasury of the Christian faith in Christ, yet have nevertheless squandered it through acts of injustice, apostasy, and heresy toward the Tripersonal God.
Video: Faith, Reason and Science
This video explores the complementarity of faith, reason, and science, and answers the critique that faith is unnecessary since science can answer every important question.
Is God After You?
At all times and places, God labors to draw you to himself. Are you aware of God’s presence? The prophet Hosea gives a beautiful description of the gracious mercy and compassion of God, who allures his fallen people to himself by speaking to their hearts with words of love.