The Christian Vanguard

Julia: Hey dad, what's this? Dad: That's a cocoon, sweetheart. Julia: A cocoon? What's that? Dad: A cocoon is where caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Julia: A butterfly? Oohhh I want to see the butterfly! Dad: Well, you're going to have to wait for that, sweetie. Julia: Awww. But why can't we just take a peak now? Please? Dad: Because you're going to hurt it. If you take it out, you'll kill it, and the caterpillar will never grow up into a big beautiful butterfly. Julia: I don't want to kill it. Dad: Good. Now leave it alone. Julia: Can I take a picture of it? Dad: Sure thing. *Click* Julia: Hey dad! Look! The flash was able to see through the cocoon! Dad: Wow sweetie, that's neat! That kinda like how baby Rachel is in mommy's tummy, isn't it? Julia: Oh, you mean that triangle picture with no color? Dad: Yes, that's called an ultrasound, dear. Julia: Do the pictures hurt baby Rachel? Dad: No, they don...

The following is a reply to a Bible study a protestant sent to me. It is only an exercise for me concerning Catholic apologetics. Nothing I haven't said before, but I'll keep it up here just for reference.  The stated purpose of the Bible study outline is to aid those who wish to seek truth by having people compare the Catholic Church to the Bible. A protestant assumption is being made here, however, that the Bible alone is the measure of truth. It is not, for scripture itself says that the pillar and foundation of truth is the Church (1 Tim 3:15) and that we are supposed to hold fast the traditions passed on to us (2 Thess 2:15). Further, Christ comes to establish a Church and one that will not fall (Matt 16:18). While this is perhaps a great weakness for protestants, it is not the focal point of this study. As the quoted Constitution on Revelation says (which is properly entitled Dei Verbum ), we hold both the Church Tradition, or the deposit of faith, and scripture on the...

Matthew 23:9 is cited as contrary to the Catholic practice of calling priests "father". This is not a good understanding of the text. First, this would exclude calling even our biological fathers "father" and clearly Jesus didn't mean that (Matt 15:4-6). Nor does he mean this in a spiritual sense as he also warns us to not call other people teachers (v. 8 & 10), but clearly we have hundreds of well accredited and trained theological professors at seminaries all across the world. So what does Jesus mean? As indicated in v. 11, he means that we do not take these titles so that they supplant the place of God, because that is pride. The preceding two paragraphs starting at the beginning of the chapter make this evident that this is the issue with those whom Jesus is criticizing and why. With that in mind, consider the second problem with this understanding of the text, which is that it is actually done with approval elsewhere in the Bible. In the parable of...

Last night I had one of the most satisfying dreams ever, in which I got to see and play with a great friend that I lost last year. I was walking down the neon lit street into a middle class neighborhood when I bumped into my friend Julia. I haven't seen her in almost a year, so naturally I am thrilled to see her again. She expresses hesitation to dialogue with me, but I try to assure her that I am up to no funny business and that I'm genuinely happy to see her again. Somewhat skeptical, she allows me to walk her to a cafe where she was scheduled to do a spoken word poem (which is odd because that's not like her to do). Afterwards, we hung out and laughed a lot.  I woke up almost in tears because such great happiness was over and learned to be unreal. I love dreaming. Rarely do I get nightmares. But what this all points to, and what I take consolation in, is the hope that at the end of history, I get to be reunited with all my lost friends, Julia included. 

At the recommendation of my professor, I purchased a Great Courses audio course titled, "Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills." Here is my review.

I want to list some of my favorite spiritual films, because in cinematic culture, those who want to get a good Christian message across do so terribly. I mean, look at "God's Not Dead", "Fireproof" "Left Behind" and I'll stop there. It's just as bad as modern Christian music. I read somewhere that these films get Christianity right, but they get all the rest of the culture wrong. So these films are films that I like that strike a good balance. Calvary : A priest knows his days are numbered and continues to try to administer God's graces upon his small Irish town.  Risen : Tastefully done. This story follows a Roman soldier during the climatic days of Jesus' ministry.  The Way : A father tries to finish El Camino de Santiago for his deceased son. Meets broken people along the way.  A Man For All Seasons : The story of St. Thomas More's martyrdom. How we could use someone like him today.  For Greater Glory : An acc...