Catholic Reflections from Lockdown
Reading Time: 31 minutes As we commemorate a year since the start of lockdowns across the world, we would like to share a series of journal entries written during COVID. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Clarifying Catholicism, nor of everyone affiliated with Clarifying Catholicism. We welcome respectful responses in the comments […]
Book Review: Why We’re Catholic
Reading Time: 3 minutes Review of: Why We’re Catholic: Our Reasons for Faith, Hope, and Love by Trent Horn. Published 2017 by Catholic Answers, Inc. By Ben Daly-Labelle, University of Rhode Island The apostle and our first pope Saint Peter tells his audience in his first epistle “but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to […]
Tolkien and Immortality
Reading Time: 15 minutes Written by Mary Biese (Notre Dame) | Edited by Mary Boneno The following was a college essay written by Mary Biese. It has been edited and approved by Mary Boneno. If you have a Theology essay that you would like published that received a grade of an A- or higher, please be sure to contact […]
Blessed Carlo Acutis: Meet the Teen Who Could become the First Millennial Saint
Reading Time: 6 minutes By Christopher Centrella, Franciscan University Alleluia! Alleluia! “Death is defeated! The King is alive!” Just this past Saturday, October 10, the Holy Father beatified the first millennial, Blessed Carlo Acutis. Carlo was a regular teenager in so many ways—he enjoyed playing video games, was a computer genius, and loved hanging out with friends. But above […]
Suffering: Free and Fallen
Reading Time: 6 minutes By Mary Biese, University of Notre Dame It is evident that suffering plays a large part in our world, especially in our daily lives; it is an unavoidable aspect of the human experience. But why do we suffer? More specifically, how can an all-good and all-powerful God exist when suffering exists? In this essay, […]
The Mysteries of Mercy in the Divine Comedy
Reading Time: 11 minutes The following was a college essay written by Jonathan Stodola. It has been edited and approved by Zachary Maher. If you have a Theology essay that you would like published that received a grade of an A- or higher, please be sure to contact us. By Jonathan Stodola, Saint Louis University In a work filled […]
To Receive or not to Receive: Eucharist in the Pandemic
Reading Time: 10 minutes The opinions expressed by the below two authors do not necessarily represent those of the Clarifying Catholicism writing staff. We encourage healthy discourse in the comments below! Whenever a major and divisive crisis pops up, we at Clarifying Catholicism enjoy encouraging our writers to engage in point-counterpoint discussions of them. Our last article was on […]
A Word of Hope: Divine Mercy
Reading Time: 7 minutes Available in Spanish here. For more information about this topic, please watch the following video: By Christopher Centrella, Franciscan University Let’s face it: We live in hard times. Besides this recent coronavirus pandemic, there is so much chaos in our world today. Many people struggle with intense emotional and mental pain; so many believe that […]
Poland: Where Suffering Meets Hope
Reading Time: 9 minutes By Joshua Feibelman, Franciscan University “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever!” (Ps 117: 1) “The cross means there is no shipwreck without hope; there is no dark without dawn; nor storm without haven.” – Pope St. JPII “Some day, we will know the value of suffering, […]
The Constant Calling
Reading Time: 5 minutes By Haley Buser, Mount St. Mary’s What does it mean to receive a call that is never ending? Why would someone want to pursue our hearts amid brokenness? What is holding us back from responding to this call? God is gently saying, “My son…” “My daughter…” “I am right in front of you, and yet […]
