Articles

Encounter God’s plan for the human person

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What is the Meaning of Image of God?

Our name, the Image of God Institute, is derived from two realities that are critical to understanding the human person in Sacred Scripture, the teaching of the Church, and the minds of Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.  Genesis 1:27: Man and woman are...

Love Song for a Savior

When I was in college, I was blessed to spend a semester abroad in Ireland, the mother country of my grandma and grandpa, who grew up on the west coast.  Studying at University College Dublin, I learned much about life, love and being Catholic that spring of...

Why Do We Love “It’s a Wonderful Life”?

What is the meaning of the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”?  Why does it move us so deeply?  What can it tell us about humanity?  My family and I watch this movie during either Advent or Christmastide each year and it always brings tears to our...
Personal Tribute to Pope Benedict XVI

Personal Tribute to Pope Benedict XVI

I became informed of the death of Pope Benedict XVI early yesterday from our chaplain, Fr. David Skillman.  Although expected due to the report of his declining health, my heart stirred with both sadness and joy, knowing that a beloved spiritual father…

Becoming a Work of Art

Becoming a Work of Art

In an interview with Vittorio Messori, Pope Benedict XVI, then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, stated that “the only real effective apologia for Christianity comes down to two arguments, namely, the saints the Church has produced and the art which has grown in her...

Being Attracted by the Beauty of Jesus Christ

Being Attracted by the Beauty of Jesus Christ

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later, Pope Benedict XVI) delivered an important address to the group Communion and Liberation in 2002 entitled “The Feeling of Things, the Contemplation of Beauty.”  He placed before us the beauty of…

The Person of Jesus Christ

The Person of Jesus Christ

The most foundational aspect of the lives and teaching of St. John Paul the Great and Benedict XVI is the focus on the Person of Jesus Christ and His relation to each human heart.  This may seem elementary at first; but when one considers points of emphasis...

Why Catholic Humanism?

Why Catholic Humanism?

Pope St. John Paul the Great and Pope Benedict XVI have a common thread in their writings and their partnership, both in the pre-papal years and during their pontificates: a particular emphasis on ‘Catholic Humanism’ – or perhaps put differently, theological...