The Eucharist is not simply a cultural legacy. It is more than a moving performance or a beautiful ritual symbolizing transcendence. And liturgy is more than aesthetics.
Thomas P. Rausch
Thomas P. Rausch, S.J., is the Emeritus T. Marie Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
Trump, the ‘religious right’ and white Christian nationalism
With an important election coming in 2024, white Christian nationalism is emerging as a serious threat to our democracy.
Posted inFaith, News Analysis
Christians are dying for their faith all around the world. Do U.S. Catholics care?
Pope Francis has announced a commission to identify new martyrs, and in its latest report, Open Doors International has identified 76 countries where Christians suffer “high and extreme levels of persecution.”
Posted inExplainer, Faith
Papal infallibility is often misunderstood. Here’s what it means—and what it doesn’t.
Papal infallibility is not always properly understood. Some on the right think that the magisterium can resolve every question or problem with a declaration. Those on the left often grow impatient and dispute its interventions.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
What do Catholics mean when we say the Eucharist is ‘the true body and blood’ of Christ?
It is not sufficient for contemporary Catholics simply to repeat the formulas of the past.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Pope Francis and the dehumanizing nature of contemporary economies
Two recent books by Benjamin McKean and Vincent Bevins show the violence done to developing countries in the name of economic prosperity and U.S. political hegemony.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Two new books on salvation ask the ultimate question: Are you saved?
Two new books show that Christian approaches to salvation are not as monolithic as one might think.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
Will a new gathering of Orthodox scholars and leaders push ecumenism forward?
The work of IOTA could help move the ecumenical movement forward. IOTA plans to meet every four years, on the model of the Olympics. It could become a blessing for all the church.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Why the Catholic Church can (and does) change
Review of Ross Douthat’s latest book, “To Change the Church.”
While the church always strives to honor what Jesus said about divorce and remarriage, it has made pastoral accommodations since its earliest days.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
A Muslim scholar sets out to investigate Jesus Christ
The Islamic Jesus draws on the presentation of Christ in the Quran to find new common ground for the People of the Book.