Tuesday, 24 March 2015
WOW! What a condemnation of some German clerics
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=24422
Look at this. Schism in the making..or worse. Thanks to a fellow blogger for the update.
Look at this. Schism in the making..or worse. Thanks to a fellow blogger for the update.
At a February 25 press conference, Cardinal Marx—who is the president of the German bishops’ conference, as well as a member of the Council of Cardinals—said: “We are not a branch of Rome.” Regarding the hotly debated issue of allowing Communion to remarried Catholics, which will be discussed by the Synod of Bishops in October, he said: “We cannot wait for a Synod to tell us how we have to shape pastoral care for marriage and family here.”
In a letter to the editor of Die Tagespost, Cardinal Cordes took issue with those statements. He said that he had chosen “to object publicly to some of the utterances, in order to limit the confusion which they have caused.”
“The existing German ecclesial apparatus is completely unfit to work against growing secularism,” Cardinal Cordes said.
“The existing German ecclesial apparatus is completely unfit to work against growing secularism,” Cardinal Cordes said.
Reminder on the CDF an USCCB on Medjugorje
Vatican Insider reports the Holy Father’s homily during Mass at St Martha’s on November 14, which also has relevance to this subject: discussing the reading about the Spirit of Wisdom, Pope Francis commented, “Curiosity …leads us to say “But I know a visionary who receives letters from Our Lady, messages from Our Lady.” He added in the homely imagery for which he is noted, “But look, Our Lady… is not a postmistress, sending messages every day.” He warned the faithful not to seek “strange things” or “novelties with worldly curiosity.”
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2013/11/15/the-cdf-has-done-something-about-medjugorje-finally/
and
from here http://communio.stblogs.org/index.php/2013/11/medjugorje-visionaries-not-permitted-to-speak-church-advocates/
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2013/11/15/the-cdf-has-done-something-about-medjugorje-finally/
and
from here http://communio.stblogs.org/index.php/2013/11/medjugorje-visionaries-not-permitted-to-speak-church-advocates/
“Oh! How sweet and glorious is this virtue of obedience, which contains all the other virtues! Because it is born of charity, and on it the rock of the holy Faith is founded; it is a queen, and he who espouses it knows no evil, but only peace and rest.” St. Catherine of Siena.
The legitimate investigation of the Holy See continues as you can see from this letter of October 21, 2013 of the US Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò to the General Secretary of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Monsignor Ronny Jenkins. Archbishop Viganò writes on behalf of Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The letter reiterates an April 10, 1991, directive not to adhere to unverified proposals.
The legitimate investigation of the Holy See continues as you can see from this letter of October 21, 2013 of the US Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò to the General Secretary of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Monsignor Ronny Jenkins. Archbishop Viganò writes on behalf of Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The letter reiterates an April 10, 1991, directive not to adhere to unverified proposals.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is clear: “clerics and the faithful are not permitted to participate in meetings, conferences or public celebrations during which the credibility of such ‘apparitions’ would be taken for granted.”
We owe the bishops practical obedience, which means not contradicting the local ordinaries decisions on visionaries. We owe the CDF real obedience, as that body is part of one of the levels of the Teaching Magisterium of the Church.
Some people I know are having difficulties in their families, while the mother and father insist on following false seers. A direct consequence of disobedience, a sin, could be loss of faith in the children. Deception in spiritual matters can afflict entire families and lead individuals away from the Church.
I know followers of Medjugorje would believe in women priests and ssm. And, they have been to the shrine many times.
Think. Only obedience can lead to holiness, not the chasing after apparitions. Christ said this to St. Margaret Mary Alocoque: "…not only do I desire that you should do what your Superior commands, but also that you should do nothing of all that I request of you without their consent. I love obedience, and without it no one can please Me"
quotations of the saints found here...
We owe the bishops practical obedience, which means not contradicting the local ordinaries decisions on visionaries. We owe the CDF real obedience, as that body is part of one of the levels of the Teaching Magisterium of the Church.
Some people I know are having difficulties in their families, while the mother and father insist on following false seers. A direct consequence of disobedience, a sin, could be loss of faith in the children. Deception in spiritual matters can afflict entire families and lead individuals away from the Church.
I know followers of Medjugorje would believe in women priests and ssm. And, they have been to the shrine many times.
Think. Only obedience can lead to holiness, not the chasing after apparitions. Christ said this to St. Margaret Mary Alocoque: "…not only do I desire that you should do what your Superior commands, but also that you should do nothing of all that I request of you without their consent. I love obedience, and without it no one can please Me"
quotations of the saints found here...
Follow-up on Priest's Letter from England and Wales
I was however greatly concerned to read in their press statement the accusation that there “has been a certain amount of pressure not to sign the letter and indeed a degree of intimidation from some senior Churchmen”.
It should be shocking to us to hear that senior clerics are intimidating priests who simply wish to remain faithful to the unchanging teachings of the Church. Unfortunately, I was not surprised by this allegation.
Back in December the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales published a document that insinuated that priests who remain faithful to the Catholic doctrine and discipline of the sacraments are guilty of an attitude similar to the fourth century heresy of Donatism. It is difficult to see this as anything other than an attempt to intimidate clergy who are unwilling to go along with the radical agenda being pursued by senior clerics, particularly with regard to the reception of Holy Communion by the divorced and “remarried”, and with regard to attempts to undermine the teaching of the Church on homosexuality and same-sex unions.
The President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Vincent Cardinal Nichols, indicated his openness to the reception of Holy Communion by the divorced and “remarried” at a press conference on 21st October 2014 despite authoritative and irreformable Church teaching to the contrary.
from the SPUC site, pointing out pressure from bishops and maybe cardinals
http://spuc-director.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/senior-churchmen-accused-of.html
Please pray for all of these people
http://www.france24.com/en/20150324-live-airbus-passenger-plane-crashes-southern-france/
Two teachers and maybe more than sixteen students from a high school are dead.
Stay in the state of grace, Readers.
Two teachers and maybe more than sixteen students from a high school are dead.
Stay in the state of grace, Readers.
Excellent News from Voice of the Family
Almost 500 priests sign support of traditional marriage in England and Wales.
I get the updates directly sent to me. Please sign up for these.
Here is the list and more on this website. Fourteen priests I know are not on this list...I hope they just missed it. Nice showing of Ordinariate priests. There are supposedly five million Catholics in England and Wales and there must be thousands of priests. I have looked for a recent statistic on numbers and only found a newspaper comment that there are about 4,500 priests in England and Wales.
Also, see here for what the laity can do. http://the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/further-on-priests-support-for-marriage.html
Also, see here for what the laity can do. http://the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/further-on-priests-support-for-marriage.html
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Today's Gospel
More and more of us are beginning to realize how many people are actually choosing hell over heaven. Too many Catholics make the mistake of thinking that people are deceived by satan, without realizing that people choose to live in the here and now, seeking comfort, living in the sensual only, choosing satan.
We cannot "slide into heaven", but we can "slide into hell"--any one of us.
John 8:21-30Douay-Rheims
21 Again therefore Jesus said to them: I go, and you shall seek me, and you shall die in your sin. Whither I go, you cannot come.
22 The Jews therefore said: Will he kill himself, because he said: Whither I go, you cannot come?
23 And he said to them: You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world.
24 Therefore I said to you, that you shall die in your sins. For if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sin.
25 They said therefore to him: Who art thou? Jesus said to them: The beginning, who also speak unto you.
26 Many things I have to speak and to judge of you. But he that sent me, is true: and the things I have heard of him, these same I speak in the world.
27 And they understood not, that he called God his Father.
28 Jesus therefore said to them: When you shall have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know, that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father hath taught me, these things I speak:
29 And he that sent me, is with me, and he hath not left me alone: for I do always the things that please him.
30 When he spoke these things, many believed in him.
Knowledge of Divine Things Part Twenty-Four
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| http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Homan_The_Brazen_Serpent.jpg |
Firstly, the snakes were sent to punish those who complained and moaned against God and His servant, Moses.
Secondly, some people died in their sin.
Thirdly, those who cried out for mercy were healed by looking towards the bronze serpent, an analogy for the Crucifixion,
Why?
Christ on the Cross took on all the sins of mankind--all. He was the offering to God the Father for our sins, so that we could be healed and freed from sin. If we look towards Christ on the Cross, we shall be healed.
We have to look at our sin; we have to look at Christ. Self-knowledge comes from reason cooperating with grace. Moses forced the people to look at the punishment on the cross-like structure to be healed.
We have to look at Christ takng our punishment upon Himself to be healed.
Sin comes not only from the passions, but from faulty thinking moved only by the passions. Reason is the gift from God which can be enlightened by grace and study, to bring us all to repentance.
Numbers 21:4-9Douay-Rheims
4 And they marched from mount Hor, by the way that leadeth to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom. And the people began to be weary of their journey and labour:
5 And speaking against God and Moses, they said: Why didst thou bring us out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, nor have we any waters: our soul now loatheth this very light food.
6 Wherefore the Lord sent among the people fiery serpents, which bit them and killed many of them.
7 Upon which they came to Moses, and said: We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and thee: pray that he may take away these serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the Lord said to him: Make brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.
9 Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.
Some readers still do not see the connection between heresies, mortal sin, excommunication and the lack of reason in the Church members, both lay and clerical.
Love, and I repeat, is in the will, not in the passions or the emotions. Love in the will is an act of choice which is informed by the intellect, Now, both the will and the intellect may be influenced either by grace, or by sin.
Years and years of people giving into passions and emotional responses deadens the intellect to the point where some people can no longer choose virtue over vice.
Any sin is rooted in vice, venial as well as mortal. And, it is God's will that we are free from venial as well as mortal sin.
Venial sin is still some kind of selfishness, some kind of weakness giving over to vice.
Allowing God to perfect one in the journey through the Dark Night, coming out into Illumination, and eventually Union consitutes the call of every Catholic.
The laity, more than ever, since the papacy of Blessed Paul VI, who encouraged the laity to take hold of their faith, must "man-up" and become holy, with the aid of God's grace and reason.
Over a year ago, I wrote on this blog that the Age of Mercy is coming to an end, and the Age of Trial will begin. Under acute suffering, some people will turn to God and appropriate their adult faith, thus choosing the road to sanctity.
Most will not, out of ennui, sloth lust, anger, envy, greed, gluttony, pride and so on. It is a hard thing to stand back and state that many of our clerical leaders have actually chosen capital sins over the life of virtue.
Remember, there is no neutral territory in the spiritual life. One is either with God or against God.
Too many Catholics have simply refused to learn their own faith.
I encouraged readers to us all my posts which are worthy of copying out for groups in your homes. I especially encourage the use of the series, such as reparation, discernment, perfection, Doctors of the Church, and all the posts on the encyclicals.
Time will outstrip our efforts. We shall all be overtaken by the great silence of religious discussion.
Please do not waste time and resources.
Knowledge of Divine Things Twenty-Three--Fides et Ratio Fifteen
I shall skip the rather long and winding section on the philosophical richness the Church can borrow from other Catholic traditions, specifically the Eastern Churches (go back and review the Catholic definition of "church" on this blog two weeks ago and previously).
For the sake of time, and because I want to finish the walk through Caritas in Veritate before Easter, I am moving down to a section in Fides et Ratio which is a critique of different stances of philosophies, an important part of our understanding of Catholic ways of thinking as opposed to other ways.
Here is the section, with my comment, as usual, not in italics. One of those St. John Paul II pithy set of sentences at the end of this selection reminds us all of our duty in religion. The saint refers to the Early Church Fathers here.
Different stances of philosophy
75. As appears from this brief sketch of the history of the relationship between faith and philosophy, one can distinguish different stances of philosophy with regard to Christian faith. First, there is a philosophy completely independent of the Gospel's Revelation: this is the stance adopted by philosophy as it took shape in history before the birth of the Redeemer and later in regions as yet untouched by the Gospel. We see here philosophy's valid aspiration to be an autonomous enterprise, obeying its own rules and employing the powers of reason alone. Although seriously handicapped by the inherent weakness of human reason, this aspiration should be supported and strengthened. As a search for truth within the natural order, the enterprise of philosophy is always open—at least implicitly—to the supernatural.
As God created nature, nature can lead to God if one is using the natural order of thought. This is why Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote that one cannot study history without converting..."To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant."
As our faith is true and rational, such study can lead, with grace, to God. Faith perfects free will with the use of the intellect and will. I have quoted this many times on the blog with reference to the perfection of our entire being.
Moreover, the demand for a valid autonomy of thought should be respected even when theological discourse makes use of philosophical concepts and arguments. Indeed, to argue according to rigorous rational criteria is to guarantee that the results attained are universally valid. This also confirms the principle that grace does not destroy nature but perfects it: the assent of faith, engaging the intellect and will, does not destroy but perfects the free will of each believer who deep within welcomes what has been revealed.
But, Revelation brings deeper knowledge.
It is clear that this legitimate approach is rejected by the theory of so-called “separate” philosophy, pursued by some modern philosophers. This theory claims for philosophy not only a valid autonomy, but a self-sufficiency of thought which is patently invalid. In refusing the truth offered by divine Revelation, philosophy only does itself damage, since this is to preclude access to a deeper knowledge of truth.
76. A second stance adopted by philosophy is often designated as Christian philosophy. In itself, the term is valid, but it should not be misunderstood: it in no way intends to suggest that there is an official philosophy of the Church, since the faith as such is not a philosophy. The term seeks rather to indicate a Christian way of philosophizing, a philosophical speculation conceived in dynamic union with faith. It does not therefore refer simply to a philosophy developed by Christian philosophers who have striven in their research not to contradict the faith. The term Christian philosophy includes those important developments of philosophical thinking which would not have happened without the direct or indirect contribution of Christian faith.
"...faith purifies reason....faith liberates reason from presumption..." The following section rings so true for today, again, when we need to address the basics in the new evangelism.
Christian philosophy therefore has two aspects. The first is subjective, in the sense that faith purifies reason. As a theological virtue, faith liberates reason from presumption, the typical temptation of the philosopher. Saint Paul, the Fathers of the Church and, closer to our own time, philosophers such as Pascal and Kierkegaard reproached such presumption. The philosopher who learns humility will also find courage to tackle questions which are difficult to resolve if the data of Revelation are ignored—for example, the problem of evil and suffering, the personal nature of God and the question of the meaning of life or, more directly, the radical metaphysical question, “Why is there something rather than nothing?”.
God gave us Revelation because not all trues are easily discernable merely by the intellect. Although all truths can be known through the intellect, it is difficult for most of us to come to these truths without Revelation. This paragraph should be read in the beginning of every first philosophy class a seminarian ever takes. So much was lost in formation because of the misunderstanding that the philosophy of history is necessary for clerics to know.
The second aspect of Christian philosophy is objective, in the sense that it concerns content. Revelation clearly proposes certain truths which might never have been discovered by reason unaided, although they are not of themselves inaccessible to reason. Among these truths is the notion of a free and personal God who is the Creator of the world, a truth which has been so crucial for the development of philosophical thinking, especially the philosophy of being. There is also the reality of sin, as it appears in the light of faith, which helps to shape an adequate philosophical formulation of the problem of evil. The notion of the person as a spiritual being is another of faith's specific contributions: the Christian proclamation of human dignity, equality and freedom has undoubtedly influenced modern philosophical thought. In more recent times, there has been the discovery that history as event—so central to Christian Revelation—is important for philosophy as well. It is no accident that this has become pivotal for a philosophy of history which stakes its claim as a new chapter in the human search for truth.
The emotions, the passions, have been emphasized too much.
Among the objective elements of Christian philosophy we might also place the need to explore the rationality of certain truths expressed in Sacred Scripture, such as the possibility of man's supernatural vocation and original sin itself. These are tasks which challenge reason to recognize that there is something true and rational lying far beyond the straits within which it would normally be confined. These questions in fact broaden reason's scope for action.
The abandonment of Christian orthodoxy has been owning to, imho, the over-emphasis on the self and the falling into of nihilism by so many thinkers in the past 150 years.
In speculating on these questions, philosophers have not become theologians, since they have not sought to understand and expound the truths of faith on the basis of Revelation. They have continued working on their own terrain and with their own purely rational method, yet extending their research to new aspects of truth. It could be said that a good part of modern and contemporary philosophy would not exist without this stimulus of the word of God. This conclusion retains all its relevance, despite the disappointing fact that many thinkers in recent centuries have abandoned Christian orthodoxy.
Without an intellectual basis, how can clerics reach out to address the basic questions for the vast majority of confused adults, who have not taken the time to learn how to think?
77. Philosophy presents another stance worth noting when theology itself calls upon it. Theology in fact has always needed and still needs philosophy's contribution. As a work of critical reason in the light of faith, theology presupposes and requires in all its research a reason formed and educated to concept and argument. Moreover, theology needs philosophy as a partner in dialogue in order to confirm the intelligibility and universal truth of its claims. It was not by accident that the Fathers of the Church and the Medieval theologians adopted non-Christian philosophies. This historical fact confirms the value of philosophy's autonomy, which remains unimpaired when theology calls upon it; but it shows as well the profound transformations which philosophy itself must undergo.
Philosophy is the "handmaid of theology", aiding theologians in their approach to all aspects of human life.
It was because of its noble and indispensable contribution that, from the Patristic period onwards, philosophy was called the ancilla theologiae. The title was not intended to indicate philosophy's servile submission or purely functional role with regard to theology. Rather, it was used in the sense in which Aristotle had spoken of the experimental sciences as “ancillary” to “prima philosophia”. The term can scarcely be used today, given the principle of autonomy to which we have referred, but it has served throughout history to indicate the necessity of the link between the two sciences and the impossibility of their separation.
Yes, and those clerics who did not truly learn how to think, but merely to mimic, most easily fall prey to the false popular philosophies of the day--relativism, subjectivism--as well as the return of the oldest heresies of all. People continually ask me about discernment. Learn how to think, learn how to be objective and you will have discernment.
St John Paul II is stating that here.
Were theologians to refuse the help of philosophy, they would run the risk of doing philosophy unwittingly and locking themselves within thought-structures poorly adapted to the understanding of faith. Were philosophers, for their part, to shun theology completely, they would be forced to master on their own the contents of Christian faith, as has been the case with some modern philosophers. Either way, the grounding principles of autonomy which every science rightly wants guaranteed would be seriously threatened.
When it adopts this stance, philosophy, like theology, comes more directly under the authority of the Magisterium and its discernment, because of the implications it has for the understanding of Revelation, as I have already explained. The truths of faith make certain demands which philosophy must respect whenever it engages theology.
And, go back to Thomas....
78. It should be clear in the light of these reflections why the Magisterium has repeatedly acclaimed the merits of Saint Thomas' thought and made him the guide and model for theological studies. This has not been in order to take a position on properly philosophical questions nor to demand adherence to particular theses. The Magisterium's intention has always been to show how Saint Thomas is an authentic model for all who seek the truth. In his thinking, the demands of reason and the power of faith found the most elevated synthesis ever attained by human thought, for he could defend the radical newness introduced by Revelation without ever demeaning the venture proper to reason.
And, here below, we see why our anti-intellectual low-church protestants and the charismatics fail because of their continual disparagement of reason. I love it when John Paul II states, "in short", for he then is highlighting his thought, for us. Authority is necessary for both disciplines of philosophy and theology. And, what a powerful last few lines in this section....I find this examination of reason and faith moving, showing all how to find Divine Knowledge.
79. Developing further what the Magisterium before me has taught, I intend in this final section to point out certain requirements which theology—and more fundamentally still, the word of God itself—makes today of philosophical thinking and contemporary philosophies. As I have already noted, philosophy must obey its own rules and be based upon its own principles; truth, however, can only be one. The content of Revelation can never debase the discoveries and legitimate autonomy of reason. Yet, conscious that it cannot set itself up as an absolute and exclusive value, reason on its part must never lose its capacity to question and to be questioned. By virtue of the splendour emanating from subsistent Being itself, revealed truth offers the fullness of light and will therefore illumine the path of philosophical enquiry. In short, Christian Revelation becomes the true point of encounter and engagement between philosophical and theological thinking in their reciprocal relationship. It is to be hoped therefore that theologians and philosophers will let themselves be guided by the authority of truth alone so that there will emerge a philosophy consonant with the word of God. Such a philosophy will be a place where Christian faith and human cultures may meet, a point of understanding between believer and non-believer. It will help lead believers to a stronger conviction that faith grows deeper and more authentic when it is wedded to thought and does not reject it. It is again the Fathers who teach us this: “To believe is nothing other than to think with assent... Believers are also thinkers: in believing, they think and in thinking, they believe... If faith does not think, it is nothing”.95 And again: “If there is no assent, there is no faith, for without assent one does not really believe”.96
to be continued....
For the sake of time, and because I want to finish the walk through Caritas in Veritate before Easter, I am moving down to a section in Fides et Ratio which is a critique of different stances of philosophies, an important part of our understanding of Catholic ways of thinking as opposed to other ways.
Here is the section, with my comment, as usual, not in italics. One of those St. John Paul II pithy set of sentences at the end of this selection reminds us all of our duty in religion. The saint refers to the Early Church Fathers here.
“To believe is nothing other than to think with assent... Believers are also thinkers: in believing, they think and in thinking, they believe... If faith does not think, it is nothing”.95 And again: “If there is no assent, there is no faith, for without assent one does not really believe”.96  |
Different stances of philosophy
75. As appears from this brief sketch of the history of the relationship between faith and philosophy, one can distinguish different stances of philosophy with regard to Christian faith. First, there is a philosophy completely independent of the Gospel's Revelation: this is the stance adopted by philosophy as it took shape in history before the birth of the Redeemer and later in regions as yet untouched by the Gospel. We see here philosophy's valid aspiration to be an autonomous enterprise, obeying its own rules and employing the powers of reason alone. Although seriously handicapped by the inherent weakness of human reason, this aspiration should be supported and strengthened. As a search for truth within the natural order, the enterprise of philosophy is always open—at least implicitly—to the supernatural.
As God created nature, nature can lead to God if one is using the natural order of thought. This is why Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote that one cannot study history without converting..."To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant."
As our faith is true and rational, such study can lead, with grace, to God. Faith perfects free will with the use of the intellect and will. I have quoted this many times on the blog with reference to the perfection of our entire being.
Moreover, the demand for a valid autonomy of thought should be respected even when theological discourse makes use of philosophical concepts and arguments. Indeed, to argue according to rigorous rational criteria is to guarantee that the results attained are universally valid. This also confirms the principle that grace does not destroy nature but perfects it: the assent of faith, engaging the intellect and will, does not destroy but perfects the free will of each believer who deep within welcomes what has been revealed.
But, Revelation brings deeper knowledge.
It is clear that this legitimate approach is rejected by the theory of so-called “separate” philosophy, pursued by some modern philosophers. This theory claims for philosophy not only a valid autonomy, but a self-sufficiency of thought which is patently invalid. In refusing the truth offered by divine Revelation, philosophy only does itself damage, since this is to preclude access to a deeper knowledge of truth.
76. A second stance adopted by philosophy is often designated as Christian philosophy. In itself, the term is valid, but it should not be misunderstood: it in no way intends to suggest that there is an official philosophy of the Church, since the faith as such is not a philosophy. The term seeks rather to indicate a Christian way of philosophizing, a philosophical speculation conceived in dynamic union with faith. It does not therefore refer simply to a philosophy developed by Christian philosophers who have striven in their research not to contradict the faith. The term Christian philosophy includes those important developments of philosophical thinking which would not have happened without the direct or indirect contribution of Christian faith.
"...faith purifies reason....faith liberates reason from presumption..." The following section rings so true for today, again, when we need to address the basics in the new evangelism.
Christian philosophy therefore has two aspects. The first is subjective, in the sense that faith purifies reason. As a theological virtue, faith liberates reason from presumption, the typical temptation of the philosopher. Saint Paul, the Fathers of the Church and, closer to our own time, philosophers such as Pascal and Kierkegaard reproached such presumption. The philosopher who learns humility will also find courage to tackle questions which are difficult to resolve if the data of Revelation are ignored—for example, the problem of evil and suffering, the personal nature of God and the question of the meaning of life or, more directly, the radical metaphysical question, “Why is there something rather than nothing?”.
God gave us Revelation because not all trues are easily discernable merely by the intellect. Although all truths can be known through the intellect, it is difficult for most of us to come to these truths without Revelation. This paragraph should be read in the beginning of every first philosophy class a seminarian ever takes. So much was lost in formation because of the misunderstanding that the philosophy of history is necessary for clerics to know.
The second aspect of Christian philosophy is objective, in the sense that it concerns content. Revelation clearly proposes certain truths which might never have been discovered by reason unaided, although they are not of themselves inaccessible to reason. Among these truths is the notion of a free and personal God who is the Creator of the world, a truth which has been so crucial for the development of philosophical thinking, especially the philosophy of being. There is also the reality of sin, as it appears in the light of faith, which helps to shape an adequate philosophical formulation of the problem of evil. The notion of the person as a spiritual being is another of faith's specific contributions: the Christian proclamation of human dignity, equality and freedom has undoubtedly influenced modern philosophical thought. In more recent times, there has been the discovery that history as event—so central to Christian Revelation—is important for philosophy as well. It is no accident that this has become pivotal for a philosophy of history which stakes its claim as a new chapter in the human search for truth.
The emotions, the passions, have been emphasized too much.
Among the objective elements of Christian philosophy we might also place the need to explore the rationality of certain truths expressed in Sacred Scripture, such as the possibility of man's supernatural vocation and original sin itself. These are tasks which challenge reason to recognize that there is something true and rational lying far beyond the straits within which it would normally be confined. These questions in fact broaden reason's scope for action.
The abandonment of Christian orthodoxy has been owning to, imho, the over-emphasis on the self and the falling into of nihilism by so many thinkers in the past 150 years.
In speculating on these questions, philosophers have not become theologians, since they have not sought to understand and expound the truths of faith on the basis of Revelation. They have continued working on their own terrain and with their own purely rational method, yet extending their research to new aspects of truth. It could be said that a good part of modern and contemporary philosophy would not exist without this stimulus of the word of God. This conclusion retains all its relevance, despite the disappointing fact that many thinkers in recent centuries have abandoned Christian orthodoxy.
Without an intellectual basis, how can clerics reach out to address the basic questions for the vast majority of confused adults, who have not taken the time to learn how to think?
77. Philosophy presents another stance worth noting when theology itself calls upon it. Theology in fact has always needed and still needs philosophy's contribution. As a work of critical reason in the light of faith, theology presupposes and requires in all its research a reason formed and educated to concept and argument. Moreover, theology needs philosophy as a partner in dialogue in order to confirm the intelligibility and universal truth of its claims. It was not by accident that the Fathers of the Church and the Medieval theologians adopted non-Christian philosophies. This historical fact confirms the value of philosophy's autonomy, which remains unimpaired when theology calls upon it; but it shows as well the profound transformations which philosophy itself must undergo.
Philosophy is the "handmaid of theology", aiding theologians in their approach to all aspects of human life.
It was because of its noble and indispensable contribution that, from the Patristic period onwards, philosophy was called the ancilla theologiae. The title was not intended to indicate philosophy's servile submission or purely functional role with regard to theology. Rather, it was used in the sense in which Aristotle had spoken of the experimental sciences as “ancillary” to “prima philosophia”. The term can scarcely be used today, given the principle of autonomy to which we have referred, but it has served throughout history to indicate the necessity of the link between the two sciences and the impossibility of their separation.
Yes, and those clerics who did not truly learn how to think, but merely to mimic, most easily fall prey to the false popular philosophies of the day--relativism, subjectivism--as well as the return of the oldest heresies of all. People continually ask me about discernment. Learn how to think, learn how to be objective and you will have discernment.
St John Paul II is stating that here.
Were theologians to refuse the help of philosophy, they would run the risk of doing philosophy unwittingly and locking themselves within thought-structures poorly adapted to the understanding of faith. Were philosophers, for their part, to shun theology completely, they would be forced to master on their own the contents of Christian faith, as has been the case with some modern philosophers. Either way, the grounding principles of autonomy which every science rightly wants guaranteed would be seriously threatened.
When it adopts this stance, philosophy, like theology, comes more directly under the authority of the Magisterium and its discernment, because of the implications it has for the understanding of Revelation, as I have already explained. The truths of faith make certain demands which philosophy must respect whenever it engages theology.
And, go back to Thomas....
78. It should be clear in the light of these reflections why the Magisterium has repeatedly acclaimed the merits of Saint Thomas' thought and made him the guide and model for theological studies. This has not been in order to take a position on properly philosophical questions nor to demand adherence to particular theses. The Magisterium's intention has always been to show how Saint Thomas is an authentic model for all who seek the truth. In his thinking, the demands of reason and the power of faith found the most elevated synthesis ever attained by human thought, for he could defend the radical newness introduced by Revelation without ever demeaning the venture proper to reason.
And, here below, we see why our anti-intellectual low-church protestants and the charismatics fail because of their continual disparagement of reason. I love it when John Paul II states, "in short", for he then is highlighting his thought, for us. Authority is necessary for both disciplines of philosophy and theology. And, what a powerful last few lines in this section....I find this examination of reason and faith moving, showing all how to find Divine Knowledge.
79. Developing further what the Magisterium before me has taught, I intend in this final section to point out certain requirements which theology—and more fundamentally still, the word of God itself—makes today of philosophical thinking and contemporary philosophies. As I have already noted, philosophy must obey its own rules and be based upon its own principles; truth, however, can only be one. The content of Revelation can never debase the discoveries and legitimate autonomy of reason. Yet, conscious that it cannot set itself up as an absolute and exclusive value, reason on its part must never lose its capacity to question and to be questioned. By virtue of the splendour emanating from subsistent Being itself, revealed truth offers the fullness of light and will therefore illumine the path of philosophical enquiry. In short, Christian Revelation becomes the true point of encounter and engagement between philosophical and theological thinking in their reciprocal relationship. It is to be hoped therefore that theologians and philosophers will let themselves be guided by the authority of truth alone so that there will emerge a philosophy consonant with the word of God. Such a philosophy will be a place where Christian faith and human cultures may meet, a point of understanding between believer and non-believer. It will help lead believers to a stronger conviction that faith grows deeper and more authentic when it is wedded to thought and does not reject it. It is again the Fathers who teach us this: “To believe is nothing other than to think with assent... Believers are also thinkers: in believing, they think and in thinking, they believe... If faith does not think, it is nothing”.95 And again: “If there is no assent, there is no faith, for without assent one does not really believe”.96
to be continued....
Numbers back up again..
one of my favorite movie scenes of all time...............
Well, yesterday was a busy post day.
God bless you all! Thanks!
News from SPUC
Monday, 23 March 2015
Head of Scotland's Catholic bishops says links between Church and SPUC will be strengthened by SPUC Pro-Life Scotland's new CEO
“The links between the church and SPUC in Scotland are already strong, but they will be strengthened and renewed as a result of John’s appointment.”SPUC Pro-Life Scotland pointed to John’s long involvement in pro-life work, which began in the 1990s when he chaired the East Kilbride SPUC group.
Below are the full statements from the Catholic Church in Scotland and SPUC Pro-Life Scotland welcoming John's appointment. I would like to take this opportunity, not only to extend a warm welcome to John, but also to express my gratitude to Donna Nicholson for her many years of hard work and flair as Director of SPUC Pro-Life Scotland.
Statement from the Scottish Catholic Media Office:
Monday 23 March 2015Statement from SPUC Pro-Life Scotland:
Bishops thank Parliamentary Officer for service
Scotland’s Catholic Bishops have thanked their Parliamentary Officer Mr John Deighan for his “resolute and dedicated service” to the Bishops’’ Conference over the past 16 years. Mr Deighan, who leaves to take up the post of Chief Executive Officer of SPUC (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) Scotland next month became the Catholic Church’s Parliamentary Officer in 1999 at the inception of the Scottish Parliament.
Commenting on the move, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, President of the Bishops’ Conference said;
“John has provided dedicated and energetic service to the church in Scotland for 16 years and we wish him well in his new role. His ability to skilfully analyse political developments and track legislative changes has been immensely helpful to the Bishops’ Conference.”
The Archbishop added;
“The links between the church and SPUC in Scotland are already strong, but they will be strengthened and renewed as a result of John’s appointment.”
Responding to the Archbishop’s comments. John Deighan said;
“I have been privileged to work with the Scottish Bishops during a period of great political and parliamentary change and thank them all for their support and friendship over many years.”
“The greatest human rights challenge of our time is the right to life from conception. SPUC had been an outstanding organisation in its efforts to defend unborn children and those threatened by euthanasia. I greatly look forward to leading the organisation as it continues its work in this vital area and to continued collaboration with the Bishops’ Conference. I am confident there is much we can do to bring the justice of our cause to the attention of our fellow citizens and our politicians.”
ENDS
Peter Kearney
Director
Catholic Media Office
5 St. Vincent Place
Glasgow
G1 2DH
0141 221 1168(T)
0141 204 2458(F)
07968 122291(M)
pk@scmo.org
www.scmo.org
Note to Editors:
1. John Deighan was appointed Parliamentary Officer to the Bishops’ Conference in June 1999, a new post, created by the Catholic Church to coincide with the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament, he will take up his new post on 20 April 2015.
2. For further information on SPUC Scotland, contact Stephen Shaw on 01466 751267 (on Wednesday 25 and on Thursday 26 March call 0141 221 2094)
Appointment of New CEO
SPUC Pro-Life Scotland is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr John Deighan as their new Chief Executive Officer following 15 years as Parliamentary Officer with the Catholic Bishop’s Conference in Scotland where a considerable part of his work was in the pro-life field, particularly on the end of life issues of euthanasia and assisted suicide.
John’s long involvement in pro-life work began in the 1990s when he chaired the East Kilbride SPUC Group. He stood as a pro-life parliamentary candidate in both the 1997 General Election and the Paisley South by-election later the same year and has for the past nine years run the Paisley Pro-Life Group.
This strong foundation of pro-life work coupled with his extensive knowledge of the Holyrood Parliament gained through his role with the Scottish Catholic Bishop’s Conference made him the ideal candidate for the position.
Welcoming the appointment, Stephen Shaw, Board Chairman of SPUC Pro-Life Scotland stated
“We are delighted that John has accepted our offer and we feel confident that his appointment will bring a new enthusiasm for the pro-life cause in Scotland. I feel sure his undoubted commitment will encourage others to be more active and will attract new supporters to work in defence of life at all stages of its development, from conception to natural death”
For further information please contact
Stephen Shaw
s.w.shaw@btinternet.co.uk
0141 221 2094
Ian Murray
ian51@blueyonder.co.uk
07914515376
From A Reader
A reader sent me this concerning the coming persecution in and out of the Church. It is rather beautiful
I have an analogy for you they I believe fits what is going on in the Church today. I was meditating on all that is happening and thus us what struck me.
The Church is being pruned much like a gardener prunes and cares for his roses.
If let to grown with out care and pruning the bush will grow weak. Producing small weak roses that have little fragrance and produce no seed.
The dead diseased stalked will eat away at the healthy ones causing those to die off as well.
To protect the bush and produce beautiful roses with a great fragrance the gardener will prune heavily once a year at the coldest point of the year...keeping only the strongest stalks. Sometimes, he must choose between two very strong stalks that are growing too close together. He may prune one of the two stalks (martyrs) for the greater good of the bush.
In the spring time strong new stalks will grow producing abundant roses. Some roses may be left to seed producing a new rose, (charisms and movements), some roses will be harvested. If not cared for some roses will die on the bush. Then the cycle will begin again.
Such is one reason for the coming persecution in and out of the Church.
I have an analogy for you they I believe fits what is going on in the Church today. I was meditating on all that is happening and thus us what struck me.
The Church is being pruned much like a gardener prunes and cares for his roses.
If let to grown with out care and pruning the bush will grow weak. Producing small weak roses that have little fragrance and produce no seed.
The dead diseased stalked will eat away at the healthy ones causing those to die off as well.
To protect the bush and produce beautiful roses with a great fragrance the gardener will prune heavily once a year at the coldest point of the year...keeping only the strongest stalks. Sometimes, he must choose between two very strong stalks that are growing too close together. He may prune one of the two stalks (martyrs) for the greater good of the bush.
In the spring time strong new stalks will grow producing abundant roses. Some roses may be left to seed producing a new rose, (charisms and movements), some roses will be harvested. If not cared for some roses will die on the bush. Then the cycle will begin again.
Such is one reason for the coming persecution in and out of the Church.