MSI Press Blog

  Catholic teaching holds that God could have created a world of automatons, incapable of sin, incapable of harm, incapable of choosing wrongly. But such a world would also be incapable of love, because love requires freedom. Love that cannot be refused is not truly love. A programmed response may resemble affection, loyalty, or obedience, but it lacks the essential quality that makes love meaningful: the ability to choose it freely. God desired more than creatures who would merely follow instructions. He desired sons and daughters who could know Him, respond to Him, and enter into a genuine relationship with Him. That freedom, however, carries risk. The same freedom that allows a person to perform acts of extraordinary kindness also allows that person to act selfishly, cruelly, or destructively. Freedom opens the door to both virtue and vice. God did not create evil acts, but He created free creatures capable of making decisions that can either align with His goodness or reject it...

  Islam and Judaism are often seen as close cousins among the world’s faiths. Both worship one God, both trace their lineage to Abraham, and both live by sacred law. Yet their paths diverge in how they understand revelation, prophecy, and the relationship between God and humanity. 1. The Shared Foundation Before exploring differences, it helps to see the common ground. Both faiths: Are strictly monotheistic — God is one, indivisible, and beyond human form. Value law, ethics, and community as expressions of faith. Emphasize daily practice — prayer, charity, fasting, and moral conduct. Reject the idea of divine incarnation. Their differences arise not from the nature of God, but from how God’s will is revealed and lived. 2. Revelation and Scripture Judaism holds that God revealed the Torah to Moses at Sinai — a covenant binding Israel forever. Islam teaches that God revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel — the final, perfect revelation completing earlier scr...

  The prophet Micah’s words are simple and seismic: “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” We quote it often. But what does it mean to walk humbly ? 1. Walking, not sprinting Humility begins with pace. Walking implies steadiness, not hurry. It’s the rhythm of someone who knows they’re not in charge of the universe. To walk humbly is to move through life aware that grace, not control, sustains us. 2. With God, not ahead of God Humility means companionship, not command. We don’t drag God into our plans; we listen for where God is already moving. It’s the difference between saying, “Bless what I’m doing,” and asking, “Show me what You’re doing.” 3. With others, not above them Walking humbly with God always includes walking kindly with people. Pride isolates; humility connects. It lets us see the divine image in others and recognize that every person is a fellow traveler, not a competitor. 4. In awareness, not self‑abasement...