Corpus Christi Blog

Heresies (Part 2 of 2)

07-30-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Last week we looked at what defines a heresy and how the church has used heresies as opportunities to clarify and solidify doctrines so that we can be confident in the truth. We also examined the heresy of Gnosticism, which held many false beliefs, and how St. Irenaeus was able correct them through his writings.

Today, we’ll examine the heresies of Arianism and Nestorianism.

READ MORE

Heresies (Part 1 of 2)

07-23-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

I often write about how the Church’s authority is important, especially when it comes to sorting out and teaching the Truths of the Faith, since we often get it wrong when we try to do it ourselves. You can find an in -depth examination on the three sources of authority in the Catholic Church – Scripture, Tradition, Magisterium – on my website. In this two-part series, I will explain yet another reason why we need the authority of the Church to protect the truth of who Jesus is and what we believe about Him: heresy.

READ MORE

Occultism

07-16-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

We live in a society today where we see an ever-increasing rejection of God in a variety of ways. That said, turning away from God is actually contrary to human nature. “The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself” (CCC #27). We, as a human race, inherently want to know God and all the things that come with knowing Him. Without God, in our weak humanity, we attempt to understand things in ways which cause us to remain unsatisfied and longing for more.

READ MORE

Cremation and Scattering Remains

07-09-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

The Catholic Church has always held a high regard for the human body. Jesus, the Word of God, took on human flesh to dwell among us and, in doing so, He elevated the dignity of all our bodies. Our bodies are so valuable to our very being that, at the end of time, our bodies will be resurrected to be reunited with our souls for eternity. Angels, who are higher beings than humans in the created order, were not given bodies and will only ever be pure spirit. In her diary, St. Faustina said, “If the angels were capable of envy, they would envy us for two things: one is the receiving of Holy Communion, and the other is suffering.” In other words, because they lack bodies, they are unable to participate in the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which is a unique gift reserved just for us humans. For this reason, I would like to examine the Church’s teaching on a practice very common in our world today – the scattering or keeping of the cremated remains of loved ones.

READ MORE

Religious Liberty

07-02-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

As we celebrate our freedom this week on Independence Day, July 4th, it is a good time to see what the Catholic Church has had to say about religious liberty over the course of its history. As we understand it today, religious liberty is a fundamental human right. Every man should be free to seek the truth and express his understanding of the truth through his religion. However, because the Church exists in an ever-changing world, her perspectives of religious liberty and discussions regarding freedom have evolved over the centuries.

READ MORE

Individual Spiritualities

06-25-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

In past articles and reflections, I have often referred to the Catholic Church and its members as the Mystical Body of Christ and what that means practically in the various aspects of our religious and spiritual lives. I will begin with a brief reminder of the Church’s definition of the Body of Christ and will then discuss how we can build and strengthen that body through our individual, private, spiritual practices.

The Mystical Body of Christ consists of many members. These members include us, here on earth, along with the souls in Purgatory and those in Heaven. Together, all of us are united under the Head of the body – Jesus Christ. With your own body, every member has its own unique function – your eyes see, your nose smells, and your ears hear, etc. However, despite the diverse functions, each member is united in the body as a whole, so that as each member functions, it affects your entire body.

READ MORE

Iconoclasm

06-18-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

When you walk into just about any Catholic Church around the world, there is a distinctive feature common among them – the presence of art, statues, and other imagery that depict Jesus and other heavenly beings and realities. Those who have been Catholic most or all of their lives probably find the presence of these images natural or comfortable, but, as it turns out, there have been periods in our Church’s history where the use of such items has been both condemned and defended. In this article, I’ll talk about something called iconoclasm and why it is considered a heresy by the Catholic Church.

READ MORE

The Mystical Body of Christ — Reflected in the Family and Nourished by the Eucharist

06-11-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Happy Feast of Corpus Christi (also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ) where we celebrate the true presence — body, blood, soul, and divinity — of Christ in the Eucharist. Since this is the feast day of our namesake, Corpus Christi Catholic Church, it is particularly special to us. We have such a gift in the Eucharist as it is through this sacrament, not a mere symbol contained in bread and wine, that we receive and are nourished by Christ Himself according to His own words: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51).

READ MORE

The Most Holy Trinity

06-04-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Today we celebrate the feast of The Most Holy Trinity, in which we honor who God really is — a union of three individual persons with one divine nature — a perfect family, complete in Himself. In full transparency, this is not one of my favorite topics on which to write. Though I do appreciate the beauty of the Truth of the Trinity, wrapping one’s head around this mystery, while attempting to put it into words that will never fully do it justice, requires a certain level of mental gymnastics. With that, it seems the best place to begin is with the word mystery.

READ MORE

Pentecost

05-28-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Last week we celebrated the Ascension of Christ, when He entered the heavenly sanctuary as the high priest to sit at the right hand of the Father, offering Himself as a perpetual sacrifice in atonement for our sins. This week, we celebrate Pentecost, which could only occur after the Ascension, so we’ll examine how they are related.

When Jesus took His seat upon His heavenly throne, it was the final act of the Paschal Mystery. It brought God’s whole plan of salvation to its completion or – more accurately – to its fullness. Everything that God had promised, beginning in the Garden of Eden where He promised a remedy to sin (Gen 3:15), through the Old Testament fathers and prophets, and then ultimately in the Incarnation of His Word, was finally fulfilled with the Ascension. Being seated on His throne is the completion of Jesus’ earthly mission and He will not leave His throne until the end of time. It is from the throne that a king is able to give his subjects gifts. Jesus had surely given gifts to the people all along, but those gifts were not given in their fullness because Jesus’ mission had not yet reached its fullness. Let’s look to scripture to see how this unfolds.

READ MORE

Ascension of the Lord

05-21-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

It has been six weeks since we celebrated the glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on Easter. It was a glorious day, indeed, when the disciples came to the realization that the man they had put all of their hope in was, in fact, alive again, having “rebuilt the temple in three days” as He had promised (John 2:19). However, Jesus’ work did not end with the Resurrection. There was still more to come.

READ MORE

The Holy Bible

05-14-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

Have you ever wondered how our Bible originated? Who determined which books would be contained in the Bible and how do we know they’re correct? We ought to be reading from scripture every day, but at minimum, we hear the Word of God spoken at every Sunday Mass in the form of readings, psalms, and liturgical prayer. We rightfully trust that this book we hold in our hands is exactly as it should be because our Church has said that it is so. How did our Church come to this conclusion, though? Let’s examine the history and development of the canon of books contained in our Sacred Scripture.

READ MORE

Purgatory

05-07-2023Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A. in Theology and Catechetics

I will end the three-part series on the afterlife this week with the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory, which offers us such a great gift of hope, provided it is properly understood. Purgatory is a teaching that is unique to the Catholic faith alone. The Catholic Church is sometimes accused of making the doctrine up in the Middle Ages in order to justify the buying and selling of indulgences, but there is no truth to that argument. (You can find my article on indulgences by doing a keyword search on my website.) Some have also claimed that there is no scriptural basis for the doctrine of Purgatory. I hope to clear up some of the confusion, provide some support for the doctrine, and illustrate what a great gift it is. *Note: You may want to read this article with your Bible, as I cite too many Scripture verses to quote them all.*

READ MORE