Whoever tells you that theology does not play a role in Bible translation is selling you something. It is probably a “very accurate” translation, or maybe a “very literal” one. There are lots of problems with being too literal when translating, though there is at least one potential benefit: there may be less injection of […]

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Christians have been venerating the Blessed Virgin Mary for a long time. A really, really long time. Nevertheless I think one may be excused from wondering whether its antiquity doesn’t tell us something about its validity as a form of Christian piety. For now though I will simply appeal to […]

St. Thomas writes the following about attaining true happiness: [M]an cannot attain his end of Perfect Happiness by his own powers, but only by God’s grace. [ST I-II q.5 a.5] The Throne of Grace Why? Because for man, perfect happiness comes only through seeing God Himself. Aquinas refers to what St. Paul writes in 1 […]

In the first few years after we became Catholic we made intermittent attempts at praying the Rosary on a regular basis. Invariably these efforts petered out, but I remember that on most occasions I found myself to be more spiritually motivated and enthusiastic when we finished. This struck me as surprising because I did not […]

In answer to this question we must say “It depends.” Some folks think that Catholic acceptance of any Protestant Baptism at all is a Vatican II novelty. This is not the case. Here is what the Catechism of the Council of Trent says: Those who may administer Baptism in case of necessity, but without its […]

Some Protestants suggest that Jesus’s words in Matthew 6:17 are an unconditional prohibition of the use of ashes in association with fasting (and presumably that their use at the beginning of Lent is therefore unwarranted): But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face. (Matthew 6:17) For them it seems pretty clear […]

Readers of Called To Communion will recognize the name Fred Noltie, since in July of last year he wrote a guest post for us titled “The Accidental Catholic.” Recently we invited Fred to join the CTC team, and we’re delighted that he has agreed. Fred was in the Presbyterian Church in America for twenty years, […]

Fred Noltie This is a guest post by Fred Noltie. Fred was in the Presbyterian Church in America for twenty years, attending both Covenant College and Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. On the Easter Vigil of 2005 he and his family were received into full communion with the Catholic Church at St. Lawrence parish in […]