North of the Shire

John Martignoni’s latest newsletter, taking on the vitriolic anti-Catholic Mike Gendron reminded me of something that struck me the last time I read his newsletter on the same topic.

Guilt and Temporal Punishment

A core element of the doctrine of purgatory and also of merit and indulgences is the distinction between punishment due to the guilt of sin, and the temporal punishment that may quite likely be a result of that sin.

The Broken Window

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Here’s a fascinating look from a very articulate and plain-spoken man who converted from Calvinism to the Catholic Church. He brings something unique to the discussion, in my opinion, which I have not seen brought into focus, and which caught my eye and ear. First the discussion with Fr. Mitch Pacwa and Dr. David Anders.

I think back and realize that in the course of my life, for the sake of brevity and short-hand shall we say, somewhere along the way I fixed a time point of my own conversion experience, my own “born-again” experience in my youth, growing up in an Evangelical Protestant home. There is a time Continue Reading »

The reason I am returning to this issue of Sola Fide is because I recently received John Martignoni’s latest newsletter, and it contains a link to the following video.

But what I found interesting is the novel way that he approaches the Scripture passage James 2:26. (We’ll include the verse of contention #24)

[24] You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
…
[26] For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.

-RSVCE

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Here are a couple of segments that pertain to the discussion from our most recent post.

That is a question I have asked at various times, trying to understand the great mystery of our redemption. Here’s an answer from Father Barron that makes a lot of sense;

Here’s another from Insight Scoop posted by Carl Olson of Father Barron talking about why God made the world.


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Here’s a fascinating article. I heard it mentioned on the radio today and was intrigued.

Apparently Dr. Bloom has conducted studies that conclude, at least to his own satisfaction, that it is demonstrable that babies have the recognition of good and evil from the time they are born.

My response is a long drawn out, “duhhhh!” Continue Reading »

Anti-Catholic

One particular anti-Catholic of note today was brought to my attention through John Martignoni’s Newsletters(138, 139). His name is Mike Gendron and his mission, at least in a principle part, is to evangelize Catholics. In the world of apologetics that makes him fair game for direct and public response, and once one gets a taste of his imflammatory rhetoric, one ceases to be overly concerned with gentleness of response, or any nuance of the truth.

Seeking the Truth

Here’s a quote from an Apostolic Exhortation called “Reconciliatio et Paenitentia” that Pope John Paul II issued on December 2, 1984. This is an important document here because it is the source of a quotation that Mike Gendron uses to misrepresent Catholic teaching. The following deals with our approach to those, among others, who are outside of communion with the Church, such as Mike Gendron. Continue Reading »

Several times I have heard the idea expressed from some Protestant quarters, that the Sermon on the Mount and other such teachings of Jesus Christ seem to tend toward obedience to the Law, fasting, penitential living and generally tending toward “works” because Jesus was speaking as a Jew, to Jewish people and was still himself under the Law as a Jew. This was because he had not yet died and risen from the dead and therefore the New Covenant was not yet in force. This explanation, of course, is a result of Sola Fide or Faith Alone, and is a necessary part of its foundation. Continue Reading »