Today we remember St. John Eudes (August 19), a French priest who devoted his life to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (Eudists) and worked tirelessly to reform the clergy and promote devotion to the hearts of Jesus and Mary. St. John Eudes, pray for us, that we may love God and Mary with the same devotion and zeal.

In Hindu scriptures like the Brahma Purana and Padma Purana, Indra lusted after Ahalya, the wife of sage Gautama. As punishment, Gautama cursed him with a thousand vaginas covering his body, which later turned into eyes when he repented. Similar stories appear in the Mahabharata. These myths show gods enslaved to lust and shame, reflecting human weakness.

In contrast, Jesus Christ is perfectly pure and sinless. Scripture says:
> “He was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
Jesus never lusted but loved with purity. He honored women, forgave sinners, and gave His life for all. Unlike Indra, cursed for his sin, Jesus bore our curse though innocent:
> “Christ redeemed us from the curse by becoming a curse for us.” (Galatians 3:13)
Indra’s body was marked by shame, but Jesus’ body was marked by the wounds of the Cross the source of salvation. Pagan gods reflect man’s passions; Jesus reveals true divinity: holy, loving, and victorious. He is not a myth but the one true God and Savior.✝️

“Blessed is he who strives to please God, as much as others strive to please men”

Saint John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 30;11

If you’re a Protestant and you believe the four Gospels were divinely revealed, then you’ve already dismantled Protestantism. The Bible alone never tells you there are four Gospels, you get that from Sacred Tradition. And the very same early source that teaches the Gospel is fourfold also testifies that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of our Lord, that Rome holds the pre-eminent authority, and that every Church must be subject to her. #DoubleStandards

Jay Dyer gets busted by a non-believer for misrepresenting Catholic teaching, and now he’s more convinced of Catholicism.

Reasonably Anticipated Consequences can make an act Immoral

The morality of each and every human act, that is to say, every knowingly chosen act of a human person, is determined solely and entirely by three fonts of morality:
1) intention
2) moral object
3) circumstances

If one or more fonts is bad, the act is immoral; it is a sin. Only acts with three good fonts are morally permissible. There are no morally neutral acts.

There is much discussion among the faithful and particularly among moral theologians on the moral object. If the moral object is evil, the act is intrinsically evil and always immoral. But the font of circumstances often receives too little attention in discussions of moral theology.

The morality of each font depends on a different end:
1) intention — the intended end; the goal or purpose of the act
2) object — the end toward which the knowingly chosen act is ordered, by its very nature
3) circumstances — the reasonably anticipated good and bad consequences of the act

In each font, if the end is bad, the font is bad. And when one or more fonts are bad, the act is immoral; it is objectively a sin.

The human will chooses an intended end and a concrete act (with a moral nature determined by its object). But the will also chooses to act with the knowledge that actions have consequences. So each font proceeds from the will to certain ends.

The circumstances of the act, past and present, inform the person has to what the consequences of the act might be. The reasonably anticipated good and bad consequences, along with their gravity and their likelihood, are evaluated to see if the act does more harm than good. If so, the circumstances are bad and the act would be a sin to choose. It is always a sin to act when you reasonably anticipate that your act will do more harm than good.

This idea, that a prudent evaluation of the circumstances of an act can make the act immoral, is a doctrine of the Church. The three fonts of morality are taught by the Magisterium in Veritatis Splendor as well as in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other sources. It is not a mere theological opinion.
Applying this teaching on circumstances and morality requires a judgment of the prudential order. When an act is intrinsically evil, due to an evil moral object, the act is wrong by its type; that kind of behavior is always wrong to choose. Determining the type of the act (its genus or species or nature) will tell you if it is intrinsically evil or not. But determining if an act is wrong due to the circumstances requires an evaluation of many factors along with their moral weight.

This moral weight is affected by the likelihood of the good or bad consequences. The less likely an outcome is, the less moral weight it has. The morality of this font is also affected by the degree of harm in the bad consequences, and the degree of benefit in the good consequences, to all persons affected by the act. The totality of the foreseeable consequences of that act for all persons concerned.

#ethics #moraltheology

There Are No Morally Neutral Acts

Moral theology is based on the concept of human acts. Human persons are subject to the eternal moral law of God because we have reason and free will. By reason, we can know right from wrong. By free will, we can choose to do good or to do evil. An act is a knowing choice; it is an exercise of intellect, which understands the morality of a choice, and free will, which makes such a choice. A knowing choice is a deliberate (voluntary, intentional) act, based on the understanding provided by reason.

"Freedom makes man a moral subject. When he acts deliberately, man is, so to speak, the father of his acts. Human acts, that is, acts that are freely chosen in consequence of a judgment of conscience, can be morally evaluated. They are either good or evil.” (CCC1749)

No human act is morally indifferent to one’s conscience or before God. Every deliberate choice of the human person, every exercise of intellect and free will, every knowing choice, is subject to conscience and to the eternal moral law of God.

The claim that some acts are morally-neutral is a common false teaching. There are three reasons typically given as the basis of this claim.

1. Acts that are neither virtuous, nor sinful
Some persons say that an act such as taking a walk or eating a meal is morally neutral. What they mean is that the act deserves neither reward nor punishment. Virtuous acts in cooperation with grace deserve a reward. Sinful acts necessarily refuse cooperation with grace and always deserve punishment. But some acts are neutral as regards reward and punishment.
Suppose that, when you die and are judged by God, you point out to God that, on a particular day, you ate three square meals and got a good night’s sleep.You won’t be punished for this type of act. By neither will you be rewarded.
However, it is certainly false to say that this type of act is morally neutral. An act is moral, if it is permissible without sin. An act is immoral, if it is not permissible without sin. Moral acts are never sinful. Immoral acts are always sinful. Even if an act deserves no reward, it might still not be a sin. A knowingly chosen act is always either morally good or morally evil.

2. A hypothetical lacking sufficient information
Some persons say that killing is morally neutral, because an act of killing can be either moral self-defense or immoral murder. Given a hypothetical situation in which person A kills person B, the claim is made that the act is morally neutral because we don’t know if the act is self-defense or murder. But this only applies as long as the knowledge needed to judge the act in a hypothetical is lacking. Every knowingly chosen act of killing another human person is either moral or immoral. If we do not have enough information to make the proper judgment about the morality of a particular act, the act is nevertheless either good or evil. A lack of knowledge does not make the act itself morally neutral.

3. Objects, rather than acts
Some persons say that contraception is morally neutral. They claim that “contraception” is merely a pill or a device, and therefore contraception itself is morally neutral. The typical argument of this type then goes on to justify the use of such an “object” in various ways as being sometimes moral, and other times immoral, based on intention or circumstances. However, this type of claim misrepresents the meaning of the term “contraception” as it is used in moral theology and magisterial documents.
The term “contraception” refers to contraceptive acts. When we say contraception is intrinsically evil, we don’t mean that an object is evil, but that an act is evil. To fall within the realm of morality, contraception must be an act.

There are several terms used to signify this idea of an act subject to morality: knowingly chosen act, deliberate act, voluntary act, intentional act, concrete act, objective behavior, etc. But in every case, when a human person makes a deliberate knowing choice, his act is subject to the moral law.

#moraltheology

Hey everyone, I've got a prayer request

I'll be getting married on the 30th of August. Please keep me and my wife-to-be prayer💪

We are currently doing a 9 day novena in preparation for my wedding. If it would be amazing, it would be amazing if everyone would like to join in spirit

If you can't, then a simple Hail Mary would do

Thank you, and God bless!

PRAY FOR OUR BROTHER
THE MALAYSIAN CATHOLIC❤️

🌅 Morning (On Waking Up)

1. Sign of the Cross and say:
“In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

2. Morning Offering (traditional form):
> O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.

3. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

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⛪ During the Day

Angelus (Traditionally at 6 AM, 12 Noon, and 6 PM)
> The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary…
(This keeps Our Lady close to your heart daily.)

Short aspirations (whenever you remember):

“My Jesus, mercy.”

“Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.”

“Totus Tuus, Maria.”

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🌇 Evening

1. Examine Your Conscience (2–3 minutes):
• What sins did I commit today?
• Did I love God and neighbor?
• Did I avoid occasions of sin?

2. Act of Contrition (traditional):
> O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

3. Rosary (at least one decade, but if possible, the full five decades daily).

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🌙 Before Bed

After Psalm 91 and the commendation prayer:

4. Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loreto) – if you have time, this is a beautiful way to end the day under her mantle.

If too long, simply say: “Sub tuum praesidium” (the oldest Marian prayer):
> We fly to thy protection, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

5. Guardian Angel Prayer:
> Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God’s love commits me here,
Ever this night be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

6. Finally, make the Sign of the Cross and rest in peace with God.

👆A short guide to help those feeling spiritually dry and having difficulty praying.