The patriarch Joseph, the son of Jacob, is in many ways a type of Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and the patron of the universal Church. The Mass readings from Genesis over the last couple of days call to mind parallels between the two Josephs. In his magnificent daily devotional series, In Conversation with […]
The Ascension of Jesus Christ was celebrated today in many dioceses around the world, although some still celebrate the feast on Ascension Thursday. Here’s a brief Q and A that explains a few key points about the doctrine. Why is the Ascension important? The Ascension of the resurrected body of Jesus into heaven is important for many reasons. […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-06-05 20:33:052011-06-05 21:54:45Q and A on the Ascension
If the Apostles had fabricated the Easter account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, they wouldn’t have done this: the Gospels say that women were the first to discover the empty tomb of Christ, and to encounter him in his now glorified body. In fact, each of the four Gospels presents Mary Magdalene as the […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-05-10 22:42:332011-05-10 22:42:33Authenticating the Resurrection of Jesus: The Testimony of Women
In the last post, we noted powerful evidence for the empty tomb: enemy attestation. The religious authorities of Jerusalem and the early Church both agree: On Easter Sunday, the body of Jesus is not in the tomb. The question is: Why? Christians, of course, affirm the reason is the bodily Resurrection of the Lord. The […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-04-28 22:03:442011-04-28 22:10:43Authenticating the Resurrection of Jesus: The Empty Tomb
The Bible is refreshingly clear about what is at stake if the Resurrection of Jesus didn’t happen: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith…but Christ has indeed been raised from the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:14, 20). Today, Easter Sunday, is the first day of the Octave of […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-04-24 13:23:522011-05-04 15:40:30Authenticating the Resurrection of Jesus: the Jerusalem factor
Even as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday, this Holy Saturday is a good time to examine the reality of Jesus’ death and burial. It has become necessary to do this because both events have been denied by skeptics over the years. It is also important because, in order for […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-04-23 17:20:242011-04-23 17:20:24Authenticating the Death and Burial of Jesus
Luke’s Gospel tells us about the two criminals who were crucified on either side of Jesus: “Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-04-22 21:18:292011-04-22 21:20:55Good Friday and the "Good Thief"
When we set about creating The New Mass iPhone app, the very first person I called was Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa. He and I had met when we were presenters at a couple of conferences. He was also the only Canadian on the translating committee for the new English version of the Mass. Recently, […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-04-20 20:06:282011-04-20 20:06:28Archbishop Terrence Prendergast on The New Mass
Today’s National Post ran a front-page story about the upcoming new English translation of the Mass: “Vatican’s new Mass ‘elitist’, priests say”. These priests are based in Ireland, and my own Irish eyes weren’t exactly smiling when I read their views. They are, in a word, wrong – on so many levels. Judging from the […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-04-12 08:55:202011-04-12 15:21:58Re: Vatican's new Mass 'elitist,' priests say
When Saint Paul wrote (quoting an early creedal statement of the Church), that Jesus “was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:4), what scriptures were in mind? For that matter, when Jesus himself predicted his suffering, death, burial, and Resurrection “on the third day” (cf. Mark 8:31; Matthew 16:21; […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-04-02 15:38:102011-04-02 15:40:52On The Third Day...
I’m not a huge poetry guy, but I’ve always been struck by this one: “Seven Stanzas at Easter”, by John Updike. I made use of it last night as I was giving a talk about the liturgical seasons of Lent and Easter. Updike’s poem emphasizes the bodily, corporeal reality of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-03-30 15:52:112011-03-31 06:18:35"Seven Stanzas at Easter" by John Updike
Today’s Gospel reading at Mass raises a very common question posed to Catholics: Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-03-22 20:59:092011-03-22 20:59:09Call No Man "Father"?
This past Saturday, I was the speaker at the Newman Centre at the University of Toronto for a Lenten Day of Recollection. The topic was “Conversion”. Here I am (2nd from L, rockin’ the new goatee, no less!) with Josh Canning (far L) from the Newman Centre staff, Fr Kenneth LeBlanc (2nd from R, and […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-03-15 16:23:432011-03-15 16:36:37Day of Recollection at the Newman Centre
Today’s First Reading at Mass was taken from Genesis. It features what Pope John Paul II would call the key to understanding what came to be known as the “Theology of the Body”, John Paul’s legendary catechesis on human sexuality and embodiment. This key is the phrase, “The man and his wife were both naked, […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-03-13 21:45:252011-03-13 21:52:55The Theology of the Body in Genesis
Call it an Anglican communion confusion. Charles Lewis, writing in today’s National Post cover story, tells us that “Canadian Anglicans will hold discussions this spring about whether baptism is necessary for taking part in communion – questioning a requirement of Christianity that has existed for 2,000 years.” The reason? Numbers are down! The Anglican communion […]
The old joke is still funny: Why did Peter deny Jesus? Peter was still mad that Jesus healed his mother-in-law. All kidding aside, many non-Catholics look at the indisputable fact that Peter had a mother-in-law (who was indeed healed by Jesus in Mark 1:30-31), and therefore must have had a wife, and consider the Catholic […]
Tonight’s Oscars will feature plenty of worrying about clothing, as celebrities walk the red carpet and hope their wardrobe doesn’t – uh, malfunction – in the eyes of the critics and fashionistas watching worldwide. A far cry from the attitude the Lord espouses in today’s Gospel: Jesus said to his disciples: “No one can serve […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-02-27 22:03:482011-02-27 22:08:12What Not to Wear: Oscars Edition
I cringed inside when I saw the YouTube video. A friend of mine was getting baptized – for a second time. Why would he do that, you ask? He would explain during the video. The clip was from a testimony he gave just before getting rebaptized in a non-Catholic congregation. He spoke of how his […]
Today is the feast of the Chair of Peter, celebrating the enduring office of the Papacy that Jesus entrusted to the Church in Matthew 16, John 21, and elsewhere. Non-Catholics often question the Church’s interpretation of these Scriptures, but there’s no denying the reality of papal primacy in how the early Church actually operated in […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-02-22 21:32:462011-02-22 21:32:46The Authority of the Pope in the Early Church
Today’s Old Testament Mass reading from Genesis features the famous building of the tower of Babel in an attempt to reach heaven by human power. God stops them by confusing their language, scattering them to the ends of the earth (Genesis 11:8-9). Scholars have long noted that the account of Pentecost in Acts 2 is […]
http://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.png00Cale Clarkehttp://www.thefaithexplained.com/content/uploads/2015/04/FX-logo@2x.pngCale Clarke2011-02-18 22:50:262011-02-18 23:14:51Babbling Tongues, Tongues of Fire
“Go to Joseph”
BlogThe patriarch Joseph, the son of Jacob, is in many ways a type of Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and the patron of the universal Church. The Mass readings from Genesis over the last couple of days call to mind parallels between the two Josephs. In his magnificent daily devotional series, In Conversation with […]
Q and A on the Ascension
BlogThe Ascension of Jesus Christ was celebrated today in many dioceses around the world, although some still celebrate the feast on Ascension Thursday. Here’s a brief Q and A that explains a few key points about the doctrine. Why is the Ascension important? The Ascension of the resurrected body of Jesus into heaven is important for many reasons. […]
Authenticating the Resurrection of Jesus: The Testimony of Women
BlogIf the Apostles had fabricated the Easter account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, they wouldn’t have done this: the Gospels say that women were the first to discover the empty tomb of Christ, and to encounter him in his now glorified body. In fact, each of the four Gospels presents Mary Magdalene as the […]
Authenticating the Resurrection of Jesus: The Empty Tomb
BlogIn the last post, we noted powerful evidence for the empty tomb: enemy attestation. The religious authorities of Jerusalem and the early Church both agree: On Easter Sunday, the body of Jesus is not in the tomb. The question is: Why? Christians, of course, affirm the reason is the bodily Resurrection of the Lord. The […]
Authenticating the Resurrection of Jesus: the Jerusalem factor
BlogThe Bible is refreshingly clear about what is at stake if the Resurrection of Jesus didn’t happen: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith…but Christ has indeed been raised from the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:14, 20). Today, Easter Sunday, is the first day of the Octave of […]
Authenticating the Death and Burial of Jesus
BlogEven as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday, this Holy Saturday is a good time to examine the reality of Jesus’ death and burial. It has become necessary to do this because both events have been denied by skeptics over the years. It is also important because, in order for […]
Good Friday and the “Good Thief”
BlogLuke’s Gospel tells us about the two criminals who were crucified on either side of Jesus: “Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, […]
Archbishop Terrence Prendergast on The New Mass
BlogWhen we set about creating The New Mass iPhone app, the very first person I called was Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa. He and I had met when we were presenters at a couple of conferences. He was also the only Canadian on the translating committee for the new English version of the Mass. Recently, […]
Re: Vatican’s new Mass ‘elitist,’ priests say
BlogToday’s National Post ran a front-page story about the upcoming new English translation of the Mass: “Vatican’s new Mass ‘elitist’, priests say”. These priests are based in Ireland, and my own Irish eyes weren’t exactly smiling when I read their views. They are, in a word, wrong – on so many levels. Judging from the […]
On The Third Day…
BlogWhen Saint Paul wrote (quoting an early creedal statement of the Church), that Jesus “was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:4), what scriptures were in mind? For that matter, when Jesus himself predicted his suffering, death, burial, and Resurrection “on the third day” (cf. Mark 8:31; Matthew 16:21; […]
“Seven Stanzas at Easter” by John Updike
BlogI’m not a huge poetry guy, but I’ve always been struck by this one: “Seven Stanzas at Easter”, by John Updike. I made use of it last night as I was giving a talk about the liturgical seasons of Lent and Easter. Updike’s poem emphasizes the bodily, corporeal reality of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. […]
Call No Man “Father”?
BlogToday’s Gospel reading at Mass raises a very common question posed to Catholics: Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they […]
Day of Recollection at the Newman Centre
BlogThis past Saturday, I was the speaker at the Newman Centre at the University of Toronto for a Lenten Day of Recollection. The topic was “Conversion”. Here I am (2nd from L, rockin’ the new goatee, no less!) with Josh Canning (far L) from the Newman Centre staff, Fr Kenneth LeBlanc (2nd from R, and […]
The Theology of the Body in Genesis
BlogToday’s First Reading at Mass was taken from Genesis. It features what Pope John Paul II would call the key to understanding what came to be known as the “Theology of the Body”, John Paul’s legendary catechesis on human sexuality and embodiment. This key is the phrase, “The man and his wife were both naked, […]
Re: Anglicans to consider opening communion to unbaptized
BlogCall it an Anglican communion confusion. Charles Lewis, writing in today’s National Post cover story, tells us that “Canadian Anglicans will hold discussions this spring about whether baptism is necessary for taking part in communion – questioning a requirement of Christianity that has existed for 2,000 years.” The reason? Numbers are down! The Anglican communion […]
The Apostolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy
BlogThe old joke is still funny: Why did Peter deny Jesus? Peter was still mad that Jesus healed his mother-in-law. All kidding aside, many non-Catholics look at the indisputable fact that Peter had a mother-in-law (who was indeed healed by Jesus in Mark 1:30-31), and therefore must have had a wife, and consider the Catholic […]
What Not to Wear: Oscars Edition
BlogTonight’s Oscars will feature plenty of worrying about clothing, as celebrities walk the red carpet and hope their wardrobe doesn’t – uh, malfunction – in the eyes of the critics and fashionistas watching worldwide. A far cry from the attitude the Lord espouses in today’s Gospel: Jesus said to his disciples: “No one can serve […]
The Biblical Basis for Infant Baptism
BlogI cringed inside when I saw the YouTube video. A friend of mine was getting baptized – for a second time. Why would he do that, you ask? He would explain during the video. The clip was from a testimony he gave just before getting rebaptized in a non-Catholic congregation. He spoke of how his […]
The Authority of the Pope in the Early Church
BlogToday is the feast of the Chair of Peter, celebrating the enduring office of the Papacy that Jesus entrusted to the Church in Matthew 16, John 21, and elsewhere. Non-Catholics often question the Church’s interpretation of these Scriptures, but there’s no denying the reality of papal primacy in how the early Church actually operated in […]
Babbling Tongues, Tongues of Fire
BlogToday’s Old Testament Mass reading from Genesis features the famous building of the tower of Babel in an attempt to reach heaven by human power. God stops them by confusing their language, scattering them to the ends of the earth (Genesis 11:8-9). Scholars have long noted that the account of Pentecost in Acts 2 is […]