What does it mean to speak truthfully about God?

In this episode of In Focus, Dr. Dominic De Torre introduces the theology of analogy — the way the Church speaks about God without reducing Him to a creature or making Him unknowable. He explains the difference between univocal, equivocal, and analogous language, explores why analogy is essential for Catholic theology, and shows how it allows us to speak meaningfully about God’s wisdom, goodness, and being while preserving His transcendence.

For more, read Dr. De Torre’s article Analogy here: https://www.ect.org/en/article/analogy

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Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 13 and Christ's parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price.Jesus does not teach that the Christian life is about despising the good things of this world. Rather, He reveals that every created good finds its proper place when ordered to the greatest good: God Himself.The saints do not hate the world. They simply love God more than the world. When we discover Christ, every sacrifice becomes intelligible because nothing compares to the treasure of knowing Him.The Christian life is not ultimately about what we lose, but about the One we gain.

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Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Romans 8 and St. Paul's teaching that "we do not know how to pray as we ought."Prayer is not something we accomplish on our own. Even in our weakness, the Holy Spirit comes to our aid, interceding within us and raising our minds to God.The Christian life does not begin with finding the perfect words or mastering the right formula. It begins with God's own Spirit drawing us into communion with Him.Before we know how to pray, the Holy Spirit is already praying within us.

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Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 13 and the Parable of the Sower.Every seed hears the word, but not every seed bears fruit. Some receive it with joy, yet have no root. Others hear and understand, becoming deeply rooted in Christ.Jesus reveals that lasting faith is more than an emotional response or intellectual interest. True understanding comes only by remaining rooted in Him, the eternal Word.The Christian life begins by hearing Christ, grows through understanding Him, and bears fruit by remaining rooted in Him.

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In this episode of the Encyclopedia of Catholic Theology podcast, Dr. Richard DeClue reflects on his journey from studying biology and selling Porsches to becoming a Catholic theologian and professor at the Word on Fire Institute.

He discusses his formation at Belmont Abbey College, Boston College, and the Catholic University of America, before exploring Eucharistic ecclesiology and why the Eucharist is essential to understanding the Church's origin, nature, structure, and mission.

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Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 11 and Christ’s words: “You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and revealed them to little ones.”

Jesus is not condemning intelligence or praising ignorance. He reveals that the mysteries of God are not mastered through human ingenuity but received through union with Him.

The little ones are those who allow themselves to be shaped by Christ rather than relying upon themselves. Divine reality is greater than any human mind can grasp on its own.

The Christian life does not begin with moral effort or self-improvement. It begins with Jesus, who reveals the Kingdom to those willing to receive it.

Only little ones are content to live in Him.

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What is the relationship between the Eucharist and the Church? In this episode of In Focus, Dr. Richard DeClue introduces Eucharistic ecclesiology — the study of the Church understood through her intrinsic connection to the Eucharist. He defines the theological framework, traces the Eucharist's role in the Church's origin, nature, structure, and mission, and shows how the sacrament is not merely something the Church does, but what makes her the Church.For more, read Dr. DeClue's article Eucharistic Ecclesiology here: https://www.ect.org/en/article/eucharistic-ecclesiology?previousUri=%2Farticles

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Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 10 and Christ’s challenging words: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.”Jesus is not asking us to love our families less. Rather, He reveals that no human relationship is capable of bearing the fullness of the love He desires to give us.The deepest loves of family and friendship are real and good, but they remain finite. Only Christ is infinite enough to sustain the love for which the human heart was created.When we love Jesus first, our love for others is not diminished—it is transformed. In Christ, we learn to love our family, our neighbors, and even ourselves with a love that shares in His own divine charity.Only Jesus is great enough to become the reason for every other love.

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Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 10 and Christ’s command: “Fear no one.”We often live according to how we are perceived by others, shaping our lives around their judgments, whether favorable or critical. This tendency can become so strong that our sense of identity is rooted more in the minds of others than in reality itself.But Jesus redirects our attention. We do not exist most truly in the thoughts of others, but in the knowledge and love of God. Human opinion does not constitute our being, nor can it save us.The problem is not that others think about us—but that we allow their thoughts to define us. What others think is neither creative nor salvific.God’s knowledge, by contrast, is real, creative, and sustaining. He knows us into being, and His knowledge is ordered toward our salvation.To “fear no one” is to live not in reference to human judgment, but in the truth of how we exist before God.

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Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 9 and the significance of Jesus’ compassion.When Jesus sees the crowds, His heart is “moved with pity.” This reveals something essential: the emotional life is not inherently disordered or sinful.Christ shows us that to be human is not only to think and to choose, but also to feel. And because Jesus is like us in all things but sin, His emotions reveal their true purpose.The problem is not that we have emotions—but that they are wounded. And what is wounded can be healed.Grace does not bypass the human person. It transforms the whole person—intellect, will, and even the affective life.No part of our humanity is beyond the reach of Christ.

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