Author Archives | Fr. Paul Scalia

Fr. Paul Scalia - who has written 93 posts on Catholic Exchange.


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How to Argue

Posted on 20 March 2010

All children argue. And the children of God are no exception. Indeed, sometimes we ought to have a good argument. No, we ought not fall into those petty fights and silly quarrels that we often do. But neither should we…

God on Trial

Posted on 20 February 2010

Traditionally, the Church has understood Our Lord’s three temptations in the desert as a summary of the temptations we face. St. Thomas observes, “The matter of all sins were included in the three temptations.” By this interpretation, Our Lord occupies…

The Inaugural Address

Posted on 23 January 2010

We always attach particular importance to a president’s inaugural address. That speech captures the newly sworn-in president’s intentions and purpose for his term. It sets the tone and charts the course for the next four years. So we make special…

Cowardly Relativism, Kingly Truth

Posted on 21 November 2009

Pontius Pilate would feel very much at home in our culture. His cynical question — “What is truth?” (Jn 18:38) — captures the prevailing mindset of our day. It provides a three-word summary of relativism — the view that objective…

Bartimaeus: The Everyman

Posted on 24 October 2009

We know very little about the people our Lord healed. We know he healed many, but we hear few details about them. And yet from each one of them we can learn something about ourselves and about the healing we…

Pharisees, Good and Bad

Posted on 29 August 2009

It is probably not a sign of spiritual health when you agree with the Pharisees. We know that the Pharisees opposed our Lord in His ministry and message. Yet few of us would dispute their criticism that some of our…

The Seal of Approval

Posted on 01 August 2009

In the “electronic age” we may not grasp the significance of a seal. After all, we will more likely hit the “send” button than seal and post a letter. We will sooner click “open” than break the seal of an…

His Native Place

Posted on 04 July 2009

Tucked away in a little room on the ground floor of the National Gallery of Art you will find a wonderful medieval sculpture called “Holy Kinship.” It depicts Jesus, Mary and Joseph — and our Lord’s grandmother, grandfather, aunts, uncles…

On Familiar Terms

Posted on 06 June 2009

We grow so accustomed to and familiar with certain things that we risk losing sight of their significance. “Familiarity breeds contempt,” the old saying goes. Not outright, malicious contempt, perhaps. But certainly such neglect and disregard that appear contemptuous. Such…

Spiritual Pruning

Posted on 09 May 2009

Imagine plants could speak, as if in a J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis story. Then, as we pruned them in the spring, they would cry out in pain, begging for mercy. After all, the annual snipping, cutting and trimming

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