Truth Hurts

I have lost a fifth of my readers since I started the Knowledge of Divine Things series. I am not surprised.

Again, many people believe that politics and Church politics are the way to change the world.

No. Without Catholics learning to think like Catholics, we have lost the political battles.

Knowing one's self, God, one's faith, and acting out of reason must be the real "new evangelism". We need aggressively reason-based courses for adult Catholics to stop the hemorrhaging of people from the Church into Protestantism and charismatic cults.

Jansenism, Neo-Pelagianism, Pelagianism, Modernism and most of the other heresies have crept into sermons, catechetical groups and bible studies. I have witnessed this since the 1970s. The proliferaton of people at the top choosing teachers and catechetical leaders, who think in prostestant ways and choose those who do as well, is one reason I do not work in the Church. I am, simply, too Catholic.  I think like a Catholic.

Without a philosophical approach, theology crumbles into personal opinion without an understanding of who Christ is, who Mary is, what the Church is, who we are....and so on.

Last week, a young man moving towards ordination told me that the Church needs "aggressive, sophisticated adult education". That is what I am trying to do on this blog.

Obviously, I am failing in my attempt to make the connection between the chaos in the Church and heresies--which are faulty thinking on the nature of Christ, usually, and the nature of man, as well as the nature of society.

I shall plunge ahead, speaking to the remnant, who understand that without a framework of thinking, conversion inside and outside of the Church will not happen, and the Church will end up a small, persecuted group of people who have prayed, reflected, obeyed. Very small....a very small remnant...

Of course, the huge problem is that in seminaries and Catholic universities alike, St. John Paul II's apostolic constitution, EX CORDE ECCLESIAE in the second level of infallibility has systematically been ignored by rectors, bishops, cardinals especially in the United States...a sign of gross disobedience.

I thank those faithful readers who continue to follow this blog for their readiness to learn.

I hope those who have jumped ship in the past week will join us again. Time is short for having the freedom to speak out on religious teaching. from this little heart in the Church.

Sad Days in England

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11488480/Watch-Mob-launches-anti-Semitic-attack-on-Stamford-Hill-synagogue.html

Link to a popular post of the past

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/03/are-you-fighting-wrong-battles-could-be.html

Alter Christus

As an older, traditional Catholic, I cannot bear the calling of priests by their first names. First of all, I must know twenty Father Toms, and ten Father Bobs. Someone will say, "Oh, I saw Father Bob "today." Useless comment, as then I have to ask, "Which one?"

The custom seems to me to be totally disrespectful.

Also, it betrays a misunderstanding of the laity's relationship with a priest.

We are not equal to a priest. Sorry. Each priest is an Alter Christus, another Christ. We are not. Their office is superior to us in all ways. They are superior to us in a mystical, spiritual, even physical manner.

To make matters worse, recently online, I have seen priests referred to by their first name only, without "Father".

Even a wife of a priest in public should call the husband priest, "Father".

Someone also referred to another priest as a "lovely guy" online recently.

My goodness, what happened to propriety?

Would someone call Christ a "lovely guy"? Can we move away from this, please?

I cannot understand this lack of respect for the office of the priesthood. But, the priesthood is not merely an office.

Here is the Pope Emeritus from his homily from the Mass concluding the Year of the Priest, June 11, 2010.

The priest is not a mere office-holder, like those which every society needs in order to carry out certain functions. Instead, he does something which no human being can do of his own power: in Christ’s name he speaks the words which absolve us of our sins and in this way he changes, starting with God, our entire life. Over the offerings of bread and wine he speaks Christ’s words of thanksgiving, which are words of transubstantiation – words which make Christ himself present, the Risen One, his Body and Blood – words which thus transform the elements of the world, which open the world to God and unite it to him. The priesthood, then, is not simply “office” but sacrament: God makes use of us poor men in order to be, through us, present to all men and women, and to act on their behalf. This audacity of God who entrusts himself to human beings – who, conscious of our weaknesses, nonetheless considers men capable of acting and being present in his stead – this audacity of God is the true grandeur concealed in the word “priesthood”.

Readers might one to re-read this.

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2013_01_28_archive.html

Knowledge of Divine Things Twenty-Two--Fides et Ratio Fourteen

This post may help readers understand most succinctly the entire purpose of this series.

St. John Paul IL neatly explains the three types of theology he wants to emphasize.

In the last post, he referred to dogmatic theology as needing a basis of rational discourse. This is obvious.

In fundamental and moral theology, the same basis must be the basis of learning and application. This section of the encyclical must be some of the most beautiful words in the entire text.

Fundamental theology is that which examines God in Revelation to the Catholic Church, specifically as the keeper of the truth as set down by Christ. Fundamental theology deals with the very foundations of the faith, such as the call of Peter to be the first Pope, and so on.

Dogmatic theology, referred to in the last post, has to do with the formal teachings of the Church, the dogmas, It is a science of the interpretation of dogma.

Moral theology, (and we have a dire lack of superb moral theologians at this time), deals with ethics of all types: sexual, social, medical and so on.

67. With its specific character as a discipline charged with giving an account of faith (cf. 1 Pet 3:15), the concern of fundamental theology will be to justify and expound the relationship between faith and philosophical thought. Recalling the teaching of Saint Paul (cf.Rom 1:19-20), the First Vatican Council pointed to the existence of truths which are naturally, and thus philosophically, knowable; and an acceptance of God's Revelation necessarily presupposes knowledge of these truths. In studying Revelation and its credibility, as well as the corresponding act of faith, fundamental theology should show how, in the light of the knowledge conferred by faith, there emerge certain truths which reason, from its own independent enquiry, already perceives. Revelation endows these truths with their fullest meaning, directing them towards the richness of the revealed mystery in which they find their ultimate purpose. Consider, for example, the natural knowledge of God, the possibility of distinguishing divine Revelation from other phenomena or the recognition of its credibility, the capacity of human language to speak in a true and meaningful way even of things which transcend all human experience. From all these truths, the mind is led to acknowledge the existence of a truly propaedeutic path to faith, one which can lead to the acceptance of Revelation without in any way compromising the principles and autonomy of the mind itself.⁹⁰

Similarly, fundamental theology should demonstrate the profound compatibility that exists between faith and its need to find expression by way of human reason fully free to give its assent. Faith will thus be able “to show fully the path to reason in a sincere search for the truth. Although faith, a gift of God, is not based on reason, it can certainly not dispense with it. At the same time, it becomes apparent that reason needs to be reinforced by faith, in order to discover horizons it cannot reach on its own”.⁹¹

Moral theology has perhaps an even greater need of philosophy's contribution. 

Hence the problems in the synod....

In the New Testament, human life is much less governed by prescriptions than in the Old Testament. Life in the Spirit leads believers to a freedom and responsibility which surpass the Law. Yet the Gospel and the Apostolic writings still set forth both general principles of Christian conduct and specific teachings and precepts. In order to apply these to the particular circumstances of individual and communal life, Christians must be able fully to engage their conscience and the power of their reason. In other words, moral theology requires a sound philosophical vision of human nature and society, as well as of the general principles of ethical decision-making.

I state that all the misconceptions of the relationship between men and women in marriage and the lack of understanding regarding sin in homosexual relations which was expressed last October in Rome stem from this very problem of the lack of a sound philosophical vison of human nature and society, as well as of the general principles of ethical decision-making.

to be continued...

On Alexandras Times Three

Last week, I missed the feast day of the Defender of Humanity, St. Alexandra, wife of Diocletian, who attempted to spare the lives of the Christians. but failed. Her own husband demanded her death in 303. (See my series on February 24th in the list). Some have her feast day as April 23rd or the 24th, and some on March 20th.

A text written on the martyrdom of St. George mentions her as Empress and defender of George.

Another Alexandra, a single woman, whose feast day is September 15th, was a hermit who spun flax, prayed and meditated all day, being fed by an unknown woman. She lived a life of reparation and penance.

A third is Blessed Alexandrina of Balazar, Portugal, a real victim soul. Here is a bit from St. John Paul II's homily from her beatification Mass on April 25, 2004.

"Do you love me?", Jesus asks Simon Peter, who replies: "Yes Lord, you know that I love you". The life of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa can be summarized in this dialogue of love. Permeated and burning with this anxiety of love, she wished to deny nothing to her Saviour. With a strong will, she accepted everything to demonstrate her love for him. A "spouse of blood", she relived mystically Christ's passion and offered herself as a victim for sinners, receiving strength from the Eucharist: this became her only source of nourishment for the final 13 years of her life.

With the example of Blessed Alexandrina, expressed in the trilogy "suffer, love, make reparation", Christians are able to discover the stimulus and motivation to make "noble" all that is painful and sad in life through the greatest evidence of love: sacrificing one's life for the beloved. 

Her feast day is October 13th.

Knowledge of Divine Things Twenty-Two--Fides et Ratio Thirteen

This next section applies to all of us to a certain extent, although not all are called to be theologians. We are, by our baptism, called to come to an understanding of the basics, not only for the appropriation of our own faith, but for evangelizing. This section proves to be one of the most important in the entre work. Objectvity and rationality must alway be part of the study of the structure of knowledge about sacred things, sacred words, sacred texts.

65. Theology is structured as an understanding of faith in the light of a twofold methodological principle: the auditus fidei and the intellectus fidei. With the first, theology makes its own the content of Revelation as this has been gradually expounded in Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Church's living Magisterium.⁸⁸ With the second, theology seeks to respond through speculative enquiry to the specific demands of disciplined thought.

Philosophy contributes specifically to theology in preparing for a correct auditus fidei with its study of the structure of knowledge and personal communication, especially the various forms and functions of language. No less important is philosophy's contribution to a more coherent understanding of Church Tradition, the pronouncements of the Magisterium and the teaching of the great masters of theology, who often adopt concepts and thought-forms drawn from a particular philosophical tradition. In this case, the theologian is summoned not only to explain the concepts and terms used by the Church in her thinking and the development of her teaching, but also to know in depth the philosophical systems which may have influenced those concepts and terms, in order to formulate correct and consistent interpretations of them.

These skills are woefully missing in so many priests, bishops and cardinals. Theology based on philosophy will be intelligible, logically consistent, clear and not contradictory to Tradition or the Scriptures.

66. With regard to the intellectus fidei, a prime consideration must be that divine Truth “proposed to us in the Sacred Scriptures and rightly interpreted by the Church's teaching” ⁸⁹enjoys an innate intelligibility, so logically consistent that it stands as an authentic body of knowledge. The intellectus fidei expounds this truth, not only in grasping the logical and conceptual structure of the propositions in which the Church's teaching is framed, but also, indeed primarily, in bringing to light the salvific meaning of these propositions for the individual and for humanity. From the sum of these propositions, the believer comes to know the history of salvation, which culminates in the person of Jesus Christ and in his Paschal Mystery. 

If a lay person, for whatever reason, cannot appropriate some truths, that person must be obedient in order to be saved. This assent of faith is a humble recognition of limitations of all sorts.

Believers then share in this mystery by their assent of faith.

Now, one of the main purposes of this entire series comes to the fore in St. John Paul II's text.

Meaning must be articulated in the form of argument, as well as in narrative. 

Going to Mass in such desert, this can be woefully not the case in too many parishes.

For its part, dogmatic theology must be able to articulate the universal meaning of the mystery of the One and Triune God and of the economy of salvation, both as a narrative and, above all, in the form of argument. It must do so, in other words, through concepts formulated in a critical and universally communicable way. Without philosophy's contribution, it would in fact be impossible to discuss theological issues such as, for example, the use of language to speak about God, the personal relations within the Trinity, God's creative activity in the world, the relationship between God and man, or Christ's identity as true God and true man. 

How beautiful it is to want to know Christ through the gifts of faith and reason. This drive is a true sign of the saint, the one who loves.

This is no less true of the different themes of moral theology, which employ concepts such as the moral law, conscience, freedom, personal responsibility and guilt, which are in part defined by philosophical ethics.

It is necessary therefore that the mind of the believer acquire a natural, consistent and true knowledge of created realities—the world and man himself—which are also the object of divine Revelation. Still more, reason must be able to articulate this knowledge in concept and argument. Speculative dogmatic theology thus presupposes and implies a philosophy of the human being, the world and, more radically, of being, which has objective truth as its foundation.

What an indictment these last two paragraphs are for so many clerics today, who merely think from the emotions, in the passions, and not from conceptual reflections, rational discourse, argument.

The meaning of what it means to be human ultimately gets lost in the chaos resulting from the lack of thinking.

Such is the Protestant heritage and the charismatic empahsis on the emotions......

to be continued....

Knowledge of Divine Things Twenty-One--Fides et Ratio Twelve

Continuing with the encyclical, one finds another one of those lines which grab one's attention, and I go backwards into the text to share this one, and some of the thoughts below.

It is this conviction which I stressed in my Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor: “There is no morality without freedom... Although each individual has a right to be respected in his own journey in search of the truth, there exists a prior moral obligation, and a grave one at that, to seek the truth and to adhere to it once it is known”.²⁵

The moral obligation is twofold. One obligation belongs to the individual, and the other to the society, to allow this search for truth.

Moving on and picking up where I left off on Saturday, St. John Paul II reminds us of the danger of a highly technological culture which has given up asking the basic questions on the nature of man and the goal of man.

In my first Encyclical Letter I stressed the danger of absolutizing such an approach when I wrote: “The man of today seems ever to be under threat from what he produces, that is to say from the result of the work of his hands and, even more so, of the work of his intellect and the tendencies of his will. All too soon, and often in an unforeseeable way, what this manifold activity of man yields is not only subject to 'alienation', in the sense that it is simply taken away from the person who produces it, but rather it turns against man himself, at least in part, through the indirect consequences of its effects returning on himself. It is or can be directed against him. This seems to make up the main chapter of the drama of present-day human existence in its broadest and universal dimension. Man therefore lives increasingly in fear. He is afraid of what he produces—not all of it, of course, or even most of it, but part of it and precisely that part that contains a special share of his genius and initiative—can radically turn against himself”.⁵³

Fear underlies the sexual revolution, in my opinion. as people seek comfort in sex rather than the harsh reality of facing one's self in the Dark Night. Fear causes people to stop growing, to get caught up in seeking comfort of all kind. Lust and greed, as well as gluttony, can come from a fear of being alone in an increasingly man-made environment. 

In the wake of these cultural shifts, some philosophers have abandoned the search for truth in itself and made their sole aim the attainment of a subjective certainty or a pragmatic sense of utility. This in turn has obscured the true dignity of reason, which is no longer equipped to know the truth and to seek the absolute.

Both the search and desire for a subjective certainty and utilitarianism, distort a view of man and society to the point of destroying the very dignity of humans, and the need for the individual, independent relationship with God.

We have seen how the Church must intervene and contradict false philosophies, which too often become ideologies. Some of these ideas are repetition, but worthy of reconsidering.

In our own century too the Magisterium has revisited the theme on a number of occasions, warning against the lure of rationalism. Here the pronouncements of Pope Saint Pius X are pertinent, stressing as they did that at the basis of Modernism were philosophical claims which were phenomenist, agnostic and immanentist.⁶⁶ Nor can the importance of the Catholic rejection of Marxist philosophy and atheistic Communism be forgotten.⁶⁷

Later, in his Encyclical Letter Humani Generis, Pope Pius XII warned against mistaken interpretations linked to evolutionism, existentialism and historicism. He made it clear that these theories had not been proposed and developed by theologians, but had their origins “outside the sheepfold of Christ”.⁶⁸ He added, however, that errors of this kind should not simply be rejected but should be examined critically: “Catholic theologians and philosophers, whose grave duty it is to defend natural and supernatural truth and instill it in human hearts, cannot afford to ignore these more or less erroneous opinions. Rather they must come to understand these theories well, not only because diseases are properly treated only if rightly diagnosed and because even in these false theories some truth is found at times, but because in the end these theories provoke a more discriminating discussion and evaluation of philosophical and theological truths”.⁶⁹

And, some of the clerics at the synod are caught up in the various errors of thinking, which St. John Paul II neatly describes below.

An example of this is the deep-seated distrust of reason which has surfaced in the most recent developments of much of philosophical research, to the point where there is talk at times of “the end of metaphysics”. Philosophy is expected to rest content with more modest tasks such as the simple interpretation of facts or an enquiry into restricted fields of human knowing or its structures.

In theology too the temptations of other times have reappeared. In some contemporary theologies, for instance, a certain rationalism is gaining ground, especially when opinions thought to be philosophically well founded are taken as normative for theological research. This happens particularly when theologians, through lack of philosophical competence, allow themselves to be swayed uncritically by assertions which have become part of current parlance and culture but which are poorly grounded in reason.⁷²

It is painfully obvious that so many bishops and even cardinals lack philosophical competence, and are swayed for popular ideas....Have we not seen that in America last week?

There are also signs of a resurgence of fideism, which fails to recognize the importance of rational knowledge and philosophical discourse for the understanding of faith, indeed for the very possibility of belief in God. One currently widespread symptom of this fideistic tendency is a “biblicism” which tends to make the reading and exegesis of Sacred Scripture the sole criterion of truth. In consequence, the word of God is identified with Sacred Scripture alone, thus eliminating the doctrine of the Church which the Second Vatican Council stressed quite specifically. Having recalled that the word of God is present in both Scripture and Tradition,⁷³ the Constitution Dei Verbum continues emphatically: “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture comprise a single sacred deposit of the word of God entrusted to the Church. 

Embracing this deposit and united with their pastors, the People of God remain always faithful to the teaching of the Apostles”.⁷⁴ Scripture, therefore, is not the Church's sole point of reference. The “supreme rule of her faith” ⁷⁵ derives from the unity which the Spirit has created between Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church in a reciprocity which means that none of the three can survive without the others.⁷⁶

Moreover, one should not underestimate the danger inherent in seeking to derive the truth of Sacred Scripture from the use of one method alone, ignoring the need for a more comprehensive exegesis which enables the exegete, together with the whole Church, to arrive at the full sense of the texts. Those who devote themselves to the study of Sacred Scripture should always remember that the various hermeneutical approaches have their own philosophical underpinnings, which need to be carefully evaluated before they are applied to the sacred texts.

Fideism is one of the many heresies found in the majority of charismatics.

Reason helps us all sort out the dangers of faulty thinking, coming to trust in the sacred absolutes of the Church.

Other modes of latent fideism appear in the scant consideration accorded to speculative theology, and in disdain for the classical philosophy from which the terms of both the understanding of faith and the actual formulation of dogma have been drawn. My revered Predecessor Pope Pius XII warned against such neglect of the philosophical tradition and against abandonment of the traditional terminology.⁷⁷

56. In brief, there are signs of a widespread distrust of universal and absolute statements, especially among those who think that truth is born of consensus and not of a consonance between intellect and objective reality. In a world subdivided into so many specialized fields, it is not hard to see how difficult it can be to acknowledge the full and ultimate meaning of life which has traditionally been the goal of philosophy. Nonetheless, in the light of faith which finds in Jesus Christ this ultimate meaning, I cannot but encourage philosophers—be they Christian or not—to trust in the power of human reason and not to set themselves goals that are too modest in their philosophizing. The lesson of history in this millennium now drawing to a close shows that this is the path to follow: it is necessary not to abandon the passion for ultimate truth, the eagerness to search for it or the audacity to forge new paths in the search. It is faith which stirs reason to move beyond all isolation and willingly to run risks so that it may attain whatever is beautiful, good and true. Faith thus becomes the convinced and convincing advocate of reason.

One can only say again and again, that reason and faith go together and are not mutually exclusive.

The next section I already reviewed, on St. Thomas Aquinas. In the next post on this encyclical, I shall continue with the saint's review of the overlap of philosophy and theology.

To be continued...

Chapel Beginnings

I am setting up a little chapel in the house where I still am. It looks great, but I have no linens. If anyone has any from their grandmothers, let me know.

I have a table for an altar and two large candlesticks (borrowed). I do not have a camera on my phone, but I can take this chapel down and set it up somewhere else.

A reader got me some icons, and I shall be getting some statues.

This is a beginning, and the room is so peaceful, one can feel the presence of God despite no Eucharistic Presence. I use it for the Hours I say, rosary, chaplet, and other prayers, as well as meditation.

A small start....

Nice reminder on marriage

http://onthesideoftheangels.blogspot.com/2015/03/on-christian-marriage-arcanum.html

Yippie! Go Pope Francis!

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1351011?eng=y

ROME, March 20, 2015 – “This does not resolve anything,” Pope Francis has said with regard to the idea of giving communion to the divorced and remarried. Much less if they “want” it, demand it. Because communion “is not a badge, a decoration. No.”

In his latest big interview Jorge Mario Bergoglio threw cold water on the expectations for substantial change in the doctrine and practice of Catholic marriage, which he himself had indirectly fostered:

> Los primeros dos años de la “Era Francisco” en entrevista a Televisa

“Overblown expectations,” he called them. With no more references to the innovative theses of Cardinal Walter Kasper, which he had repeatedly extolled in the past but now seems to be keeping at a distance.

Hey, Guys!

I have been on this street more than once...watch and share!

The great heritage of knowledge in our Church

http://www.vaticanobservatory.va/content/specolavaticana/en.html

 How cool is it that the Vatican has an observatory? And connected to one in Arizona? Cool, really cool.

The Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest astronomical research institutions in the world. Though we can trace our roots back to the reform of the calendar by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, the modern version of the Observatory was established by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 “so that everyone might see clearly that the Church and her Pastors are not opposed to true and solid science, whether human or divine, but that they embrace it, encourage it, and promote it with the fullest possible devotion.”

A worthy cause to which to donate. http://www.vofoundation.org/

http://www.vofoundation.org/support-us

Sad, sad, sad

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/finland-schools-subjects-are-out-and-topics-are-in-as-country-reforms-its-education-system-10123911.html?cmipid=fb

One of the best educational systms in the world has capitulated to Deweyite utilitarianism.

Sad. Finland, with the highest math, science and reading skill results in the Western World, will rue the day. Another sign of BB, imho. Remember, Bismarck did the same thing and what resulted what the Holocaust, because the populace had been changed from thinkers to sheeple.

Read my posts on classical education. Home school.

Knowledge of Divine Things Twenty

A genius friend of mine noted that we in the Church must discuss ignorance as well as grace.

Pointing out St. Thomas Aquinas on ignorance, I thought this would be a good inclusion in this discussion on "divine things".

St. Thomas notes in the Summa I:11; Q 6; A 8 that there are three different kinds of ignorance. I have written many times on this blog that I do not believe that in the West there is inculpable ignorance or invincible ignorance. Much teaching in seminaries and catechetical courses have distorted Church teaching on this point.
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The three kinds of ignorance are concomitant, consequent, and antecedent. My comments are in blue.

If ignorance causes involuntariness, it is in so far as it deprives one of knowledge, which is anecessary condition of voluntariness, as was declared above (Article 1). But it is not every ignorance that deprives one of this knowledge. Accordingly, we must take note that ignorance has a threefold relationship to the act of the will: in one way, "concomitantly"; in another, "consequently"; in a third way, "antecedently." "Concomitantly," when there is ignorance of what is done; but, so that even if it were known, it would be done. For then, ignorance does not induce one to wish this to be done, but it just happens that a thing is at the same time done, and not known: thus in the example given (Objection 3) a man did indeed wish to kill his foe, but killed him in ignorance, thinking to kill a stag. And ignorance of this kind, as the Philosopher states (Ethic. iii, 1), does not cause involuntariness, since it is not the cause of anything that is repugnant to the will: but it causes"non-voluntariness," since that which is unknown cannot be actually willed. 

The key to understanding this is the relationship between the will and the intellect (I do not like the word "mind" as it has been so misued in pyschology). Concomitant ignorance does not cause something, but is in the realm of the unknown consequence. But, if the end was known, one would still act.

Ignorance is "consequent" to the act of the will, in so far as ignorance itself is voluntary: and this happens in two ways, in accordance with the two aforesaid modes of voluntary (3). First, because the act of the will is brought to bear on the ignorance: as when a man wishes not to know, that he may have an excuse for sin, or that he may not be withheld from sin; according to Job 21:14: "We desire not the knowledge of Thy ways." And this is called "affected ignorance." 

Many people think that affected ignorance is invincible ignorance. But, when one freely does not pursue knowledge because one wants to continue in sin, this is not invincible but caused ignorance. This intellectual attitude may be seen in St. Augustine's famous phrase, "...da mihi castitatem et continentam, sed noli modo", "Lord give me chastity and continence, but not yet." He was not yet willling repentance and holiness.

Secondly,ignorance is said to be voluntary, when it regards that which one can and ought to know: for in this sense "not to act" and "not to will" are said to be voluntary, as stated above (Article 3). And ignorance of this kind happens, either when one does not actually consider what one can and ought to consider; this is called "ignorance of evil choice," and arises from some passion or habit: or when one does not take the trouble to acquire the knowledge which one ought to have; in which sense, ignorance of the general principles of law, which one to know, is voluntary, as being due to negligence. Accordingly, if in either of these ways, ignorance is voluntary, it cannot cause involuntariness simply. 

The first point here is that one must learn and, also, pay attention to natural law, which is denied today. Passions and habits are our faults. We fall into these through repeated sin. Ignorance of this type is voluntary and causes voluntary actions. So many people excuse others by saying, "They are deceived." No, these who live in sin have chosen deception. This type of ignorance is consequent ignorance.

Nevertheless it causes involuntariness in a certain respect, inasmuch as it precedes the movement of the will towards the act, which movement would not be, if there were knowledge. Ignorance is "antecedent" to the act of the will, when it is not voluntary, and yet is the cause of man's willing what he would not will otherwise. Thus a man may be ignorant of some circumstance of his act, which he was not bound to know, the result being that he does that which he would not do, if he knew of that circumstance; for instance, a man, after taking proper precaution, may not know that someone is coming along the road, so that he shoots an arrow and slays a passer-by. 

Now remember the previous posts this week on the movement of the will towards action and the movement of the intellect which informs the will.  Antecedent ignorance is that which involves a person acting in such a way as not to know the consequences, spiritual or physical, of his action. 

One may question, as I do, whether there are people who really live in antecedent ignorance in 2015. Natural law is in the souls of all men, because they are human. No one is exempt from natural law. The Ten Commandments are based on natural law.

Such ignorance causes involuntariness simply.

Those who chose not to reflect either on natural law, ignoring the instincts which make us human, and those who refuse to study, or be obedient, as responsible for their actions. Most problems with ignorance are owing to sin. To keep stating people are deceived is to forget the fact that these people allowed satan to deceive they by choosing sin over and over, thus destroying knowledge of the good and discernment. Those living in mortal sin are in darkness by choice.

From this may be gathered the solution of the objections. For the first objection deals with ignorance of what a man is bound to know. The second, with ignorance of choice, which is voluntary to a certain extent, as stated above. The third, with that ignorance which is concomitant with the act of the will.

Recall what I wrote days ago in this series, that the intellect moves the will. A person is responsible for those choices, even though this person has habitually turned against grace and knowledge, and has followed his passions.

Readers might want to review these older posts.

More Reposts on Free Will, Virtues, Rectitude of the Will

12 Sep 2014

3) Self-discipline. After concentration will come perseverance . ... And I add; virtues of perseverance, honesty, diligence, temperance, justice, prudence, obedience, purity, courage (bravery), self-control, rectitude, integrity, love.

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Etheldredasplace: Rectitude of the Will Two

22 Sep 2012

Perfect Rectitude of the Will from the Master, St. Thomas Aquinas. If God allows me to do so, I just want to study St. Thomas for the rest of my life. There is so much in his work to ponder.

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Rectitude of the Will in Thomas Aquinas-One

22 Sep 2012

Rectitude of the Will in Thomas Aquinas-One. Posted by Supertradmum. The entire reason why we are here is to come to know, love and serve God in this world and to praise Him in the next. That is right out of my childhood ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

Etheldredasplace: More on Natural Law

12 Sep 2014

That some people cannot see goodness is others may be because they have been subjected to so much evil that they no longer believe in rectitude of the will. One of the greatest heresies is the denial of free will. Another ...

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/

To be continued...

I had to correct a priest who said Reiki was OK...

The Laity...coming into it's own.

The Meaning of A Fast Lent

The word Lent is actually from the root word meaning longer days, as in those days past the Spring Equinox. The root may be lencten---long or longer day(s).

Lent seems long to some people who are not use to fasting or abstinence. Lent may seem long this year as it came so early, when winter lasted long into February and March with a vengeance.

Lent goes slowly for some, but for me, this has been a "fast Lent". In fact, I want it to go on longer. Because I am far away from a church, I did not get to Ash Wednesday or any Stations of the Cross. I cannot get to daily Mass and there is no adoration for miles. I cannot afford taxis, and buses do not run at night in this area, or on Sunday, and are irregular during the week.

My Lented penance has been the absence of Christ in the Eucharist, a fast imposed on me.

I feel that I have not practiced Lent long enough, that there is so much more purgation and suffering to endure and I desire to do this. Joy comes in suffering. This is the big change. Like the souls in purgatory, I want to suffer. I desire the purgation. I want to suffer for those certain people for whom I pray. Suffering is efficacious. I think I know how the souls in purgatory feel when they have had a glimpse of God in the particular judgment, but are not yet ready for heaven. They must feel torn between the loss of the Beauty of God, and the absolute need for suffering.

Dante has souls in purgatory leaping back into the fire with joy to continue their purgation. This is where I am-leaping back into the suffering with joy and pain side-by-side.

Easter is coming too fast. Perhaps, because I am older, and things appear to go more quickly to the old rather than to the young, Lent has been too short.


This Lent, I have come into a great peace and acceptance of suffering with the newish knowledge that God's plans are so much bigger and more mysterious than one can ever imagine.

The falling away of a lifetime of some oppressions and the awareness of a grand scheme in life, which is just revealing itself, has been part of this Lent. So many people have come into my life asking me for spiritual direction, I have accepted this new role, which started in Malta.

Remember my posts on "God makes new doughnuts every day"? Well, my Lent has seen the making of dozens of new doughnuts. 

But, like someone facing the day of death, I want more time of purgation. Easter is only two weeks away, too soon is the time for rejoicing coming upon me. I want the struggle to continue until the goal is met. I am still in the race and that goal is so far away, that like a person in a marathon, I have to keep on running without the ribbon in sight.

Some people feel that time slows down almost to a stopping point in great suffering. For example, when one is in the hospital with a serious illness or operation, time becomes strangely inverted as schedules are lost, as night and day become confused, as the calendar seems set aside.

Physical and mental suffering mess up one's awareness of time. I remember the happy days of being pregnant with STS. I was the envy of friends, as I never had any morning or evening sickness and felt better preggers than I did most of my life. And the time went so fast, getting ready, making a nursery, until the last few days, which seemed to drag on, as I waited for Baby.

Those last three days seemed like an eternity. Time slowed to a painful hour-by-hour waiting.

I am hoping that the last two weeks of Lent will "slow down", with the days becoming longer, I hope my awareness of God becomes more enlightened.

I am not ready for the great celebration of the Resurrection.

This has been a fast Lent.

Series on Divine Knowledge

...will resume tomorrow.  I have been involved in several things across many states and I need a break today. After midnight GMT I shall have posts back on the blog.

God has just answered a little prayer I said as I wanted some statues, ( I have none), to grace the empty house where I am still in residence. A reader just told me she was going to get rid of some statues as she is downsizing, and will give them to me, somehow. I am thrilled.

When I get these, I shall try and get photos of them to put on the blog.

Today's Gospel

The Scripture today does not merely focus our attention on to Good Friday, but to the Second Coming of Christ.

Christ is telling us that His hour of glory is coming, which is the winning of salvation for mankind through the Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

But, the prophecy which Christ is giving about His death also points to the final glorification of His coming at the end of the world.  Christ's Second Coming will be the great moment of His glorification, as the entire world, all the living and the dead will look on Him whose hands, feet, and side hold the wounds of His victory.

This final glorification encompasses the entire Gospel message. All will be judged by this Gospel.

The judgment which happens on Calvary will be finalized on that Last Day.

Through suffering, Christ earns His Kingdom, as God the Father willed.

Christ is the grain and we are the harvest. Do not waste His suffering in your life.

John 12:20-33 Douay-Rheims 

20 Now there were certain Gentiles among them, who came up to adore on the festival day.

21 These therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying: Sir, we would see Jesus.

22 Philip cometh, and telleth Andrew. Again Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

23 But Jesus answered them, saying: The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

24 Amen, amen I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die,

25 Itself remaineth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world, keepeth it unto life eternal.

26 If any man minister to me, let him follow me; and where I am, there also shall my minister be. If any man minister to me, him will my Father honour.

27 Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause I came unto this hour.

28 Father, glorify thy name. A voice therefore came from heaven: I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

29 The multitude therefore that stood and heard, said that it thundered. Others said: An angel spoke to him.

30 Jesus answered, and said: This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

31 Now is the judgment of the world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself.

33 (Now this he said, signifying what death he should die.)

The Mirror of Suffering

The spiritual warfare is racheting up and those who refuse to see that is happening in the Church will not have the weapons with which to fight satan.

It is he who is behind this hatred of the Truth, the Church, Tradition and Revelation.

He is the great blasphemer. He is the great deceiver.

How we withstand the onslaught of evil is the same way soldiers prepare for battle. Discipline and self-knowledge.

In today's psalm, we read this, a plea for purity of heart, steadfastness, which is courage, and the presence of God in our lives.

Read my perfection series, please. Read about purgation and reparation.

Last week, a friend of mine said she was afraid that many, many people will go to hell.

We have to face this fact and pray for those we love and even our enemies to repent.

Even those in the Church are in danger of apostasy.

Mirrors are being held up to us in these times so that we can see ourselves are we really are.

Mirrors in literature symbolize self-knowledge from reflection or deceit, depending on the usage. There is the famous mirror in Snow White, and in Shakespeare's Richard II, which I saw on stage years ago with Jeremy Irons playing the lead, there is reference to a mirror when Richard is no longer king. He has to adjust his view of himself.

Mirrors are in The Picture of Dorian Gray, one of the most frightening of tales, and in Through the Looking Glass,

God is allowing tribulation so that we have to look into the mirror of suffering and see who we really are.

There is a scene in the now old movie of Pride and Prejudice which haunts me, as it is an analogy to our lives of faith.

Elizabeth Bennet has just finished hearing Darcy's proposal and she is staring in the mirror for what seems hours. She is so absorbed in her thoughts, she does not notice Darcy coming in with the letter.

When she reads it, she begins to have to face the reality of her own prejudice, her own pride.

She has to face this new knowledge of herself and her previous uncritical view of her family.

She comes into truth, and when she does that, she is finally open to love. Truth first, then humility, then love....Jane Austen understood this in human relationships, and we have to understand this in our relationship with God.

This is an analogy for us as well. When we face the truth of ourselves, we are finally open to God's love for us.

God sometimes opens up our small worlds, just as Darcy came from a large, bigger world than Longbourn, a small world which Elizabeth has to leave in order to find herself, just as we must leave our petty kingdoms in order to find God and real love.

Now is the time for reflection and the choice to appropriate our adult faith. Now.

A pure heart create for me, O God,

  put a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

  nor deprive me of your holy spirit.