Why Gatsby’s ‘Dead Dream’ Still Haunts America 100 Years Later
COMMENTARY: The classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald offers a keen appreciation of the human heart’s need for the transcendent.
Father Joseph Thomas
Opus Dei Father Joseph Thomas, based in Princeton, New Jersey, is dedicated to ministry that focuses on college students. He writes regularly on theological topics and is the author of The Theology of Divine Grace (Scepter, 2023). He also serves as the U.S. representative for the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
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Catholic Church Greeted Non-Christians With Open Arms in ‘Nostra Aetate’
COMMENTARY: What began as the Second Vatican Council’s statement on Judaism became a wider message of fraternity toward all non-Christian faiths.
A Church Led by Shepherds: Vatican II’s Blueprint for Bishops
COMMENTARY: The Council’s Decree ‘Christus Dominus’ is a vivid reminder of the meaning of the bishop’s pastoral role in the Catholic Church.
Orientalium Ecclesiarum: How Vatican II Drew From Eastern Catholic Tradition
COMMENTARY: Approved on the same day as ‘Lumen Gentium’ and ‘Unitatis Redintegratio,’ ‘Orientalium Ecclesiarum’ manifests the Church’s veneration for the Eastern Catholic Churches and their ancient tradition.
Christ Conquers All: The Real Drama of Exorcism
COMMENTARY: The International Association of Exorcists reminds us that exorcism is not a battle of equals but an exercise of the power of Jesus Christ.
Lumen Gentium: Mary, Mother of Christ and of the Church
COMMENTARY: The solemn approval of Vatican II’s Constitution on the Church had a decidedly Marian tone, marked by the document’s final chapter and Pope Paul VI’s declaration of Mary to be ‘Mother of the Church.’
‘Quiz Show,’ 30 Years Later: Seeking the Truth in a Culture of Deception
COMMENTARY: The Robert Redford movieprovides a compelling glimpse into the drama of the human conscience.
Vatican II at 60: The Decree That Committed the Catholic Church to Christian Unity
COMMENTARY: The concern for unity among Christians, present from the very origins of the Church, took on particular force in the early 20th century in what has come to be known as the Ecumenical Movement.
A Visible Sign of Christ: Vatican II on the Religious Life
COMMENTARY: Chapter 6 of ‘Lumen Gentium’ is a forceful testament to the vital importance of the religious life in the Church’s mission.
Vatican II at 60: ‘Lumen Gentium’ Harks Back to Traditional Truths
COMMENTARY: Chapter 7 of Lumen Gentium presents the Council’s teaching on some essential aspects of the Church’s teaching: judgment, the souls in purgatory, and our union with the saints in heaven.
