Kevin ClemensThe Catholic Church teaches that “there are seven sacraments in the Church: Baptism, Confirmation or Chrismation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony” (CCC 1113). But what are these sacraments? Where did they...
Mark GiszczakCatholics love the Bible. From the Easter Sunday stroll on the road to Emmaus when the risen Jesus conducted the very first Christian Bible study—“he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45)—to today, Christians have always been...
There is a long tradition in the Church of praying Sacred Scripture—known as lectio divina (“divine reading” or “holy reading”)—as a privileged way of pondering God’s word in our hearts. In his excellent book, Hans Boersma...
As the season of Lent gets underway, many Catholics understandably look for a concrete plan for their prayer life to complement their disciplines of fasting and almsgiving. Some will work their way through one of the great spiritual classics, such...
Blake AdamsThis time of year, children ask, “Is Santa Claus real?” And my instinctive response is: Yes! He was a fourth-century bishop in modern Turkey. He goes by many names: Weihnachtsmann, Sinterklaas, Dun Che Lao Ren, among others. You may know...
Few individuals figure so prominently in the accounts of Jesus’s life in the Gospels as John the Baptist, the “friend of the bridegroom” (John 3:29), Teacher (Luke 3:12), and, more recently, JBap and “Creepy John.” Monikers aside, to this day John...
The onset of the Advent season finds many Catholics seeking more regular and intentional spiritual disciplines. Some will begin the new liturgical year by taking up the Liturgy of the Hours, others will commit to a holy hour in front of the Blessed...
Visitors to the minor basilica San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome are met with a somewhat puzzling sight when they come upon a famous sculpture of Michelangelo that adorns the tomb of Pope Julius II. The sculpture in question is of Moses, but what is...
This article will introduce the field of patristics and the figures commonly known as the Church Fathers by exploring a few key questions: What is patristics? When was the patristic period? Who are the Church Fathers? Are the Church Fathers still...
Persuaded by friends and teachers, I began to read St. Thomas Aquinas’s Bible commentaries alongside other modern commentaries whenever I studied Sacred Scripture. To my surprise, I found the Angelic Doctor underwhelming. Sure, there...
VerbumPope Emeritus Benedict XVI is remembered as “the greatest mind to reach the papacy in a millennium.” His work on theology and biblical studies will shape the Church for centuries to come.
The word sanctorum can be the genitive plural of sancti (“saints,” that is to say, the faithful, as we find it used in St. Paul), and thus it describes the communion among the faithful. It can also be the genitive plural of sancta (“holy things”)...
Fr. Devin Roza and Fr. Andrew Dalton join us from Rome in a series of videos on how to use Verbum 10! Throughout the videos they show how to use the software to explore the topic of the Eucharist.
The new Verbum is here!
Every time I hear a story of how Verbum has helped priests and deacons in homily or bible study preparation I get so excited because that means I have freed up their time to be with their people and continue to serve the Church.
Join us in celebrating and praying for the recipients of the Catholic Biblical Association's annual Emerging Scholars Fellowship.
Por primera vez en la historia, Verbum ofrece su nueva biblioteca básica en español con acceso gratuito a partir de hoy. Presentando … ¡Verbum 9 Español Básico!
We learned this week of the death of Joseph Blenkinsopp, one of the towering figures of Catholic biblical scholarship.
Hans Urs von Balthasar is, by reputation, notoriously difficult and inaccessible. But the introduction to his magnum opus is lucid and readable:
What then, some one will say, is a Christian never allowed to desire a prominent position in society? The Christian is not forbidden to wish for anything that is good. He may desire to occupy even a high and distinguished office, if he feels himself...
For a Christian, the very consciousness that he begins to recover from spiritual sickness, already gives him both comfort and consolation, which, increasing from day to day, fill his soul with peace and joy.
I am a native New Yorker and have worked for the Catholic Church for more that 25 years. I am passionate about helping Pastors and Catholic parishes grow and thrive.
My college years were spent at Thomas Aquinas College, a small Catholic college located in Santa Paula, CA. It was here that my knowledge of the faith grew in leaps and bounds as I frequented the sacraments, read scripture, and studied the works of...
Yesterday was Sunday of the Word of God. When Pope Francis instituted the day he wrote, "It is fitting that the life of our people be constantly marked by this decisive relationship with the living word that the Lord never tires of speaking to his...
Introducing Verbum product specialist Angela Lott, who wrote a thesis comparing Pope John Paul II and Orthodox theologian Sergius Bulgakov.
When introducing St. Augustine’s theology to students, we run the risk of turning dynamic, important issues like grace and sacraments into dry, boring “head knowledge” of heresies St. Augustine refuted. I’ve found this is a special danger in my...
I ask, then, as concerns the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, such as I have drawn it out to be, is it capable of being apprehended otherwise than notionally? Is it a theory, undeniable indeed, but addressed to the student, and to no one else?
The Traditional Latin Mass, remembering Fr. Joseph Koterski, S.J. and Thomas Gordon Smith, the Catholic School and humanistic education, and early Balthasar.
Software Católico Verbum will soon be available in Brazil and for the rest of the Portuguese-speaking world!
Origen's interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan begins with a paraphrase of an unnamed patristic writer: