There is a paradox inherent in the act of faith. On the one hand, belief in God involves us in innumerable logical difficulties, especially involving the nature of time and free will and their relation to eternity. Just as a simple example based on today's readings, it seems revolting to our feelings that we should … Continue reading Sunday Thoughts; A Paradox of Faith
Sunday Thoughts
On the Honesty of God
It is sometimes asked whether God couldn’t have just forgiven mankind by a direct miracle following the Fall. Whether He couldn’t have simply declared that man was saved and foregone the Cross. I’ve heard many people, including priests and writers I respect, saying that He could have, but chose the Cross for other reasons. With … Continue reading On the Honesty of God
Words of the Saints: St. Augustine on Beauty
"Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air, amply spread around everywhere, question the beauty of the sky, question the serried ranks of the stars, question the sun making the day glorious with its bright beams, question the moon tempering the darkness of the following … Continue reading Words of the Saints: St. Augustine on Beauty
Words of the Saints: St. Thomas Aquinas on Revelation
From Summa Conta Gentiles, Book one, Chapter Five, on why it's fitting for some things to be accepted as revelation (emph. mine: St. Thomas didn't often use bold typefaces): "Again, this truth needed to be proposed to man as an object of faith so that he may have truer knowledge of God. For we only … Continue reading Words of the Saints: St. Thomas Aquinas on Revelation
Sunday Thoughts: Preparing to Prepare
I am not going to talk about the election. What will happen is completely out of my power to influence and I don't think my, what, five readers have much influence either, or particularly care what I have to say on the subject. There was a surprisingly good homily at Mass today (my present situation … Continue reading Sunday Thoughts: Preparing to Prepare
All Saints
The doctrine of the Communion of Saints is rather simple. It's that Christians don't leave the Church when they die. The work they began in this life doesn't end when they enter the next. We have a perspective problem in this life. In fact, it's very like being in high school (our education system has … Continue reading All Saints
Sunday Thoughts: Love and Unique Creation
In the beginning, God made all things and made them good. He made each thing to be itself and not another, to occupy its own particular place in creation and to reflect its own small portion of His infinity. God loves everything that is because it is what it is. I believe it was Dr. … Continue reading Sunday Thoughts: Love and Unique Creation
Sunday Thoughts: The Treasure in the Field
Deconstructing fairy tales is like deconstructing a ming vase; it's easy to do, but it says more about you than about the subject itself. When some wag sniffs at the 'love at first sight' trope, or writes smarmy novels about Cinderella realizing how shallow her love for Prince Charming really is, it only shows the … Continue reading Sunday Thoughts: The Treasure in the Field
Serpent's Den 