TLDR: Humanae Vitae

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Humanae Vitae.  This was the papal encylcical which, in the face of mounting pressure to the contrary, reaffirmed the Church's teaching against contraception, sterilization, and abortion.  It is a document which effects my life every single day.

However, it can be a bit lengthy for some folks.  So I've decided to give it the same treatment I give the Epistles in my book, Too Long Didn't Read.  Today I'll be reducing Humanae Vitae down to 1/5 its size for those who want to dip their toes in.

Recent Presentation on Messianic Prophecy:

A little while ago I did a written study on some of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.  Recently I gave a presentation to the highschoolers on the subject.  I hope you enjoy!

[For the written version, see this:  LINK]

Short Answer: Does Isaiah say God made evil?

Dear Apologist, Why does God say He “creates evil”?

Chrysostem and Aquinas on Unanswered Prayer

Recently I confessed to a friend that I’m in no ways tempted to Atheism.  It seems absurd for the universe to have not have a first principle for its existence and intelligibility. No... if I’m tempted to anything it is “Deism”.  Deism is the belief that God fashioned the universe but doesn’t interfere with the events therein.

The foremost driver of this temptation is our lived experiences.  Most of our lives, from sunrise to sunset, have no obvious indicators of divine intervention.  The world seems so … natural.  And the presence of God in human affairs seems less than obvious.

Nothing drives this home more than the scandal of unanswered prayer.  We’ve all had times when we’ve asked for something which seemed like an unmitigated good… and then nothing happens.  This seems grossly contrary to the promises which Jesus made in several locations:

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” – John 14:12-13

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” – Matthew 21:21

Many times it can seem like Jesus wrote a blank check which cannot be cashed.  So today I wanted to share some thoughts from Saint John Chrysostem and Saint Thomas Aquinas on the subject.