tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post2857907164415396639..comments2024-03-28T20:30:10.681-04:00Comments on southern orders: AS THE POLARIZATION IN THE CHURCH WIDENS, SOME BECOME HYSTERICAL AND PARANOID AND PROFESS A LOSS OF CATHOLIC FAITHFr. Allan J. McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16986575955114152639noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-34202134111370651182015-11-13T21:10:57.183-05:002015-11-13T21:10:57.183-05:00Evil is done when an act is committed which is con...<br />Evil is done when an act is committed which is contrary to the will of God. If one commits a mortal sin, it is gravely evil. The commission of a venial sin is an evil act which is less grave. Satan and his minions are evil incarnate. Being in the position they once occupied, so close in proximity to God, their disobedience imputed to them the the greatest degree of guilt and evil. Their definitive, prideful act of disobedience to God, redounded to their being cast far from the position of holiness they once enjoyed to it's very opposite. It is Satan and his followers and agents who are the principalities and powers which we, as followers of Christ, are charged with the task of doing spiritual battle with. It is they who are behind the evil so predominant in the world today which is causing much death and destruction and contributing to so many souls being lost.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05809499822558662728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-48336324185677191502015-11-13T16:58:16.489-05:002015-11-13T16:58:16.489-05:00Good behavior does not exist until someone acts. ...Good behavior does not exist until someone acts. This "good" does not exist on it's own without an actor carrying it out.<br /><br />We have evil and we have Evil. The latter is a real presence indeed, no doubt about that. But the good and the evil that are done by humans - the moral/immoral choices we make - don't exist until they are realized in human acts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-14743257342146865562015-11-13T08:58:22.375-05:002015-11-13T08:58:22.375-05:00BTW, I had a professor who said that "theodic...BTW, I had a professor who said that "theodicy" was a contraction of the two words "theological" and "idiocy." Trying to justify the ways of God to man is presumptuous, prideful, and...well, dumb.Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-51490882612642186312015-11-13T08:26:29.617-05:002015-11-13T08:26:29.617-05:00You are chopping logic. Evil is a positive and act...You are chopping logic. Evil is a positive and active will in the world. It cannot be attributed to some negative ontology. Scripture makes very clear that evil is an active force in the world, not the mere absence of something. Also, in your Platonic scheme, if something is good, then it necessarily exists...it cannot be absent. Good equals truth and beauty in the Platonic world view. Existence is a necessary attribute of these things, else they would not be good. So, there is on good that should be there. It is either there and good, or it is not good. This is why Platonism breaks down as a theological aid. The Church believes that evil is a real presence. Else, why exorcisms, Baptisms, and all the rejection of Satan and all his works? Was Jesus just dreaming in the Wilderness? Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-77638358868430378142015-11-13T07:47:59.038-05:002015-11-13T07:47:59.038-05:00Evil is not "less good." It is the abse...Evil is not "less good." It is the absence of some good - a good that should "be there."<br /><br />Lying is evil because truth should be found. Abortion is evil because the good of life is destroyed. Destruction of the environment is evil because the good of respect for God's creation is not there, with the attendant absence of respect for those whose lives are disrupted or destroyed.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-20498972284048035042015-11-12T20:39:18.791-05:002015-11-12T20:39:18.791-05:00Anonymous, this business about evil being just &qu...Anonymous, this business about evil being just "less good" or an absence of good is an Augustinian/Neo-Platonic problem that was never satisfactorily resolved either by Augustine or by later theologians. Denying the reality of evil is a form of heresy itself because it implies that Christ's Incarnation and Sacrifice were redundant or unnecessary. This is an old theological issue, usually resolved in sophomore philosophy courses. Platonism/Neo-Platonism, by the way, is incompatible with Christian theology, even if it was used by analogy as a tool for understanding. I agree with your other points.Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-59535593841136526552015-11-12T14:09:33.908-05:002015-11-12T14:09:33.908-05:00Here are the things the Catholic Church teaches ab...Here are the things the Catholic Church teaches about predestination and the doctrines surrounding it: <br /><br />•God is the source of all good. God does not create evil (which isn’t really a “thing”, but rather an absence of a good). God cannot do an evil act.<br /><br />•God allows humans to choose to do good or evil. We have free will. It is possible to reject God’s grace. (God knows in advance who will choose good and who will choose evil, but this foreknowledge is not forecause.)<br /><br />•God’s knowledge is infinite. There is nothing He does not know.<br /><br />•God wills (desires) that all be saved.<br /><br />•God always acts first. His grace comes and then we are empowered by it to be able to respond.<br /><br />•Even after saving grace is received, we can reject it later.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-13589928542673382342015-11-12T10:22:36.859-05:002015-11-12T10:22:36.859-05:00Anonymous, I agree with that.Anonymous, I agree with that.Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-18505690341321164202015-11-12T08:33:13.657-05:002015-11-12T08:33:13.657-05:00"Belief" is not an act of the will with ..."Belief" is not an act of the will with no external evidence. If a person says "I believe," but does not act on that belief, his words are meaningless and will not merit salvation. We are judged on our actions.<br /><br />Our actions do not compel God's will, but they are the concrete evidence that we either accept or reject God's will. And is is our actions that will form the basis of God's judgment when we stand before His throne to give an accounting of our lives.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-47568898804622877532015-11-12T06:26:26.507-05:002015-11-12T06:26:26.507-05:00Anonymous, are you really that dense? There is not...Anonymous, are you really that dense? There is nothing in that sentence that says sin has no theological significance. It simply says that there is nothing unique about environmental sins...it is just another in a long list of mankind's sins. Now, for a quick Christology lesson...it is by Christ's grace, his atoning Sacrifice that we will be judged...if we are believers....if our priorities are straight...if we believe in Him who was sent. Then, these sins of omission and commission are "not imputed to us." This is based on the "transcendent ramification" of the Incarnation and Sacrifice, of Christ's rising from the dead to overcome sin once and for all. This ramification, as you call it, was decided from all eternity...Christ's elect were chosen in Him from eternity, and we are talking a battle already won. Salvation history was decide from the beginning. We can, of course, reject this and go to Hell, but it does not have ramifications for salvation history. Our sins of omission and commission do not compel God's good and perfect will. The transcendent ramifications of sin took place in the Garden and in the Incarnation and Crucifixion. (See, Augustine; "City of God," and Paul; "Romans.")Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-81412183655111224782015-11-11T16:34:30.135-05:002015-11-11T16:34:30.135-05:00"There is nothing significant about this theo..."There is nothing significant about this theologically other than it is just another of fallen mankind's sins."<br /><br />The theological significance of sin - any sin - is that it has transcendent ramifications. It is by our actions - sins of commission and sins of omission - that we will be judged.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-90816066253076851192015-11-11T12:36:25.990-05:002015-11-11T12:36:25.990-05:00Now, Anonymous, is that what I said...you sure you...Now, Anonymous, is that what I said...you sure you aren't Kavanaught? You are deliberately misreading my words, which means you are either illiterate or treacherous. Which is it?Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-57270031652058230222015-11-11T10:10:07.319-05:002015-11-11T10:10:07.319-05:00To suggest that there is nothing theologically sig...To suggest that there is nothing theologically significant about sin is simply false. <br /><br />When a chemical company intentionally ignores industry standards and operates an unsafe manufacturing plant, and chemical spill at that plant kills hundreds or thousands of people and sickens others, this sin, too, is one of the worst. It shows utter disregard for the dignity of humans and shows that the company has put its profits ahead of the health and safety of the people living near the plant.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-84189701817046317952015-11-10T20:43:52.172-05:002015-11-10T20:43:52.172-05:00In so far as our irresponsible behavior harms othe...In so far as our irresponsible behavior harms others, of course it is sinful...just like any other sin. There is nothing special about so-called environmental sin. If we choose to foul our nest...so best. It is our own stupidity. There is nothing significant about this theologically other than it is just another of fallen mankind's sins. There are far worse sins, however, like unbelief, like leading the faithful away from true worship and belief into Gaia worship, lying about global warming and ecology, which harms others by restricting economic growth and productivity, and supporting Marxist and collectivist governments which are unproductive, restrictive of human freedom, and oppressive. Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-58445137618358653362015-11-10T13:32:46.935-05:002015-11-10T13:32:46.935-05:00Man did not create forests or rivers, gold deposit...Man did not create forests or rivers, gold deposits or rubber trees, or tidal marshes. We did not create the coral reefs, the 12,000 caddis fly species, or the Ganges river dolphin.<br /><br />These are not man-made, artificial things. When we choose to abuse the natural world - clear-cutting forests, mining gold without concern for toxic runoff, mindlessly filling in salt marshes - we are disrespecting the Creator and those whose lives are negatively impacted by these human actions. If our actions lead to coral bleaching, to the destruction of waterways in which caddis flies pupate, or to the disappearance of the Ganges dolphin, we have not been the good stewards of creation that we are called to be.<br /><br />When we fail to "maintain an attitude of prudence and attentively sift out the nature, end and means of the various forms of applied technology" (John Paul II, Meeting with employees of the Olivetti workshops in Ivrea, Italy (19 March 1990), 4: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 26 March 1990, p. 7.) we neglect our proper God-given role in the cosmos. This is sinful behavior and we will be judged accordingly.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-61415089827365331822015-11-10T13:03:35.671-05:002015-11-10T13:03:35.671-05:00Anonymous, you still do not get it...so, never min...Anonymous, you still do not get it...so, never mind.,Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-68143961462278190442015-11-10T10:40:53.981-05:002015-11-10T10:40:53.981-05:00'Destruction of the environment' doesn'...'Destruction of the environment' doesn't actually mean much in either secular or religious terms. Man created his own environment and didn't simply react to the wilderness around him. He felled trees to create a clearing for agriculture and used the same trees as fuel and building material. The preservation of a Constable landscape might be argued on aesthetic grounds but that is the way we look at it - it is essentially man-made and artificial.John Nolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027156691859606002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-43076671980365812732015-11-10T08:07:07.654-05:002015-11-10T08:07:07.654-05:00Gene - Catholics believe what the Bible says not b...Gene - Catholics believe what the Bible says not because the Bible says it, but because the Church teaches it to be true.<br /><br />The Biblical basis for care for the environment is pretty clear - the dignity of the human person, the universal destination of goods, and the primacy of the Common Good. What we do to the environment has an impact on us. When we degrade our own environments, we suffer, our dignity is attacked. When we degrade the environments of others (consumerism), they suffer and human dignity is attacked.<br /><br />Yes, destruction of the environment is sinful. And it is our sins that separate us from God and from others. That separation can transcend this life and be the basis for our judgment in the life to come.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-24004338294002818872015-11-10T03:19:52.355-05:002015-11-10T03:19:52.355-05:00'The reactions came simply because "I&quo...'The reactions came simply because "I" said it.'<br /><br />Could there be a better example of a)solipsism and b)paranoia?John Nolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027156691859606002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-56088124977259855892015-11-09T20:14:45.870-05:002015-11-09T20:14:45.870-05:00Anonymous, earthly concerns are given very little ...Anonymous, earthly concerns are given very little priority in Holy Scripture. The New Heaven and New Earth will be created by God, not Greenpeace or the Sierra Club. The Church should take a position on our relationship with the creation and, yes, good stewardship of the earth is a desirable thing. But, it has no ultimate meaning, is not determinative of salvation, and there is no theologically correct answer or response to the conflicting political or scientific opinions on the subject. All that stuff JP said is nice and I pretty much agree, but it isn't theology and it isn't important in the overall meaning of salvation history. That is about all I have to say on the matter. So, hug your trees, count your dolphins, don't buy anything ivory, and only use organic fertilizer on your marijuana patch.Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-14872795200121265172015-11-09T19:34:10.403-05:002015-11-09T19:34:10.403-05:00Re Marc: "It is an interesting paradox that e...Re Marc: "It is an interesting paradox that everyone seems to agree that one can lose one's salvation through works while insisting that one cannot gain one's salvation through works." <br /><br />Very interesting comment that has plagued me personally over the years. I would love to see priestly follow up on this. Thank youJennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06400691261382506978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-4858230448028297542015-11-09T17:35:26.301-05:002015-11-09T17:35:26.301-05:00It begins with two concepts: The Universal Destina...It begins with two concepts: The Universal Destination of Good, and the Common Good<br /><br />Nature, the work of God's creative action, is not a dangerous adversary. It is God who made all things, and with regard to each created reality “God saw that it was good” (cf. Gen 1:4,10,12,18,21,25). At the summit of this creation, which “was very good” (Gen 1:31), God placed man. Only man and woman, among all creatures, were made by God “in his own image” (Gen 1,27). The Lord entrusted all of creation to their responsibility, charging them to care for its harmony and development (cf. Gen 1:26-30). This special bond with God explains the privileged position of the first human couple in the order of creation.<br /><br />“The modern era has witnessed man's growing capacity for transformative intervention. The aspect of the conquest and exploitation of resources has become predominant and invasive, and today it has even reached the point of threatening the environment's hospitable aspect: the environment as ‘resource' risks threatening the environment as ‘home'. Because of the powerful means of transformation offered by technological civilization, it sometimes seems that the balance between man and the environment has reached a critical point”. (John Paul II, Address to participants in a convention on “The Environment and Health“ (24 March 1997), 2: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 9 April 1997, p. 2.)<br /><br />“If humanity today succeeds in combining the new scientific capacities with a strong ethical dimension, it will certainly be able to promote the environment as a home and a resource for man and for all men, and will be able to eliminate the causes of pollution and to guarantee adequate conditions of hygiene and health for small groups as well as for vast human settlements. Technology that pollutes can also cleanse, production that amasses can also distribute justly, on condition that the ethic of respect for life and human dignity, for the rights of today's generations and those to come, prevails”. (Ibid)<br /><br />Care for the environment represents a challenge for all of humanity. It is a matter of a common and universal duty, that of respecting a common good,[John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 40: AAS 83 (1991), 843.] destined for all, by preventing anyone from using “with impunity the different categories of beings, whether living or inanimate — animals, plants, the natural elements — simply as one wishes, according to one's own economic needs”.[John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 34: AAS 80 (1988), 559.] It is a responsibility that must mature on the basis of the global dimension of the present ecological crisis and the consequent necessity to meet it on a worldwide level, since all beings are interdependent in the universal order established by the Creator. “One must take into account the nature of each being and of its mutual connection in an ordered system, which is precisely the ‘cosmos' ”.[Ibid]<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-31836779584691096722015-11-09T17:27:25.661-05:002015-11-09T17:27:25.661-05:00Marc - My brother-in-law was an ex-Trappist. He d...Marc - My brother-in-law was an ex-Trappist. He died about 8 years ago. I'm not sure what you're referencing about monastics and salvation...Fr. Michael J. Kavanaughnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-86240801731327344312015-11-09T16:29:00.230-05:002015-11-09T16:29:00.230-05:00Anonymous, you have a very strange theology. And, ...Anonymous, you have a very strange theology. And, please show me in Scripture where it says anything about ecology or economic systems. You sound like a socialist...you need to re-read the CCC on socialism and communism. Oh, and people reject the gift by not believing works, or the lack thereof, are not determinative of salvation. This is theology 101. Take a look at the countries and people under socialist and communist governments if you want to see poverty and oppression. Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-61694480186078277582015-11-09T16:17:47.702-05:002015-11-09T16:17:47.702-05:00Anonymous,
I've just learned that the SSPX is...Anonymous,<br /><br />I've just learned that the SSPX is seeking donations to complete a school for poor students in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Do you see any problems with supporting this effort? Rood Screenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09816036539243214384noreply@blogger.com