Ecce Verbum
Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) On Socialism "At the very beginning of Our pontificate, as the nature of Our apostolic office demanded, we hastened to point out in an encyclical letter addressed to you, venerable brethren, the deadly plague that is creeping into…
Inequality of conditions is a law of nature, Socialism's claims disproved
🔗 source
more:
🔗Property, labour and the value of human work, rejection of liberalism and socialism
🔗right to property
#socialism #communism
🔗 source
more:
🔗Property, labour and the value of human work, rejection of liberalism and socialism
🔗right to property
#socialism #communism
Ecce Verbum
Humility of Christ (2) How are we to come to this saving humility, leaving behind us the deadly swelling of arrogance? By exercising ourselves in it in all things, and by keeping in mind that there is nothing which cannot be a danger to us. For the soul…
On false and true greatness
1.Vanity
Archbishop Ullathorne examines the connection between pride and vanity:
“If we compare pride in its elation to a dark, swelling wave, vanity is the foam upon its surface. If we compare pride to a soul-destroying fire, vanity is the smoke that flies out of it. The word vanity sounds of things hollow, shallow, and trifling; but that is no trifle which makes the soul light and trivial and unrobes her of her dignity.”
“The vain man has such an image of his perfection before his eyes that, when you point out his failings, he cannot recognise them as belonging to that image. Give a much-needed advice, especially intended for him, and if there are fifty persons present he will applaud its wisdom and see its application to everyone but himself. Give him the same advice in private, and whatever be the wisdom and authority of the adviser, and however kind and gentle the admonition, it wounds him to the quick that anyone should think of him that of which he is so utterly unconscious, although everybody sees it but himself. There is no armour so impenetrable to advice as the chain-mail of vanity.”
All the world is a stage: “Our converse with our fellow-creatures is too often a comedy of vanity, vainglory, or pride. For more characters are acted on the stage of the world than on the stage of the theatre. It is more difficult to be simple before man than before God; yet even before God how much there is in many souls that come before Him which is far from simplicity and near to vanity.
For instance, when you wish to show the Eternal Majesty, who sees every fibre of your poor nature, what fine speeches you can make to Him in your prayers. We are constantly managing our reputation with our neighbours either by fictitious presentations of one’s self, or by suppression of one’s true character, or by being one thing to one’s self and another to one’s neighbour, playing the comedy of vanity in one way to one person and in another way to another. Self-love moves us to act these parts, although the actor most commonly appears through the character.”
Michael F. Glancey, Characteristics From the 🔗Writings of Archbishop Ullathorne,1889
🔗 2. Pride
🔗 3. Humility
#humility
1.Vanity
Archbishop Ullathorne examines the connection between pride and vanity:
“If we compare pride in its elation to a dark, swelling wave, vanity is the foam upon its surface. If we compare pride to a soul-destroying fire, vanity is the smoke that flies out of it. The word vanity sounds of things hollow, shallow, and trifling; but that is no trifle which makes the soul light and trivial and unrobes her of her dignity.”
“The vain man has such an image of his perfection before his eyes that, when you point out his failings, he cannot recognise them as belonging to that image. Give a much-needed advice, especially intended for him, and if there are fifty persons present he will applaud its wisdom and see its application to everyone but himself. Give him the same advice in private, and whatever be the wisdom and authority of the adviser, and however kind and gentle the admonition, it wounds him to the quick that anyone should think of him that of which he is so utterly unconscious, although everybody sees it but himself. There is no armour so impenetrable to advice as the chain-mail of vanity.”
All the world is a stage: “Our converse with our fellow-creatures is too often a comedy of vanity, vainglory, or pride. For more characters are acted on the stage of the world than on the stage of the theatre. It is more difficult to be simple before man than before God; yet even before God how much there is in many souls that come before Him which is far from simplicity and near to vanity.
For instance, when you wish to show the Eternal Majesty, who sees every fibre of your poor nature, what fine speeches you can make to Him in your prayers. We are constantly managing our reputation with our neighbours either by fictitious presentations of one’s self, or by suppression of one’s true character, or by being one thing to one’s self and another to one’s neighbour, playing the comedy of vanity in one way to one person and in another way to another. Self-love moves us to act these parts, although the actor most commonly appears through the character.”
Michael F. Glancey, Characteristics From the 🔗Writings of Archbishop Ullathorne,1889
🔗 2. Pride
🔗 3. Humility
#humility
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Ecce Verbum
marriage- Lutheran and Catholic. pdf.pdf
Catholic v. Protestant views of celibacy and marriage
source: 🔗Mother of all earthly laws- Lutheran Reformation of Marriage,
John Witte
more:
Witte's book / 🔗From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western Tradition, John Witte
🔗 St. Augustine on the "sacramentum" of marriage
🔗 De Bono Coniugali
source: 🔗Mother of all earthly laws- Lutheran Reformation of Marriage,
John Witte
more:
Witte's book / 🔗From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western Tradition, John Witte
🔗 St. Augustine on the "sacramentum" of marriage
🔗 De Bono Coniugali
Ecce Verbum
Ought we to pray for others? "On Prayer and the Contemplative Life" by St. Thomas Aquinas S. James, in his Epistle, says : Pray for one another that ye may be saved. As we said above, we ought in prayer to ask for those things which we ought to desire. But…
St. Augustine on praying for those who don't share our Faith
Discourse on Psalm 32,29
"We entreat you, brothers, as earnestly as we are able, to have charity, not only for one another, but also for those who are outside the Church. Of these some are still pagans, who have not yet made an act of faith in Christ. Others are separated, insofar as they are joined with us in professing faith in Christ, our head, but are yet divided from the unity of His body. My friends, we must grieve over these as over our brothers. Whether they like it or not, they are our brothers; and they will only cease to be so when they no longer say our Father.
The prophet refers to some men saying: When they say to you: You are not our brothers, you are to tell them: You are our brothers. Consider whom he intended by these words. Were they the pagans? Hardly; for nowhere either in Scripture or in our traditional manner of speaking do we find them called our brothers. Nor could it refer to the Jews, who did not believe in Christ. Read Saint Paul and you will see that when he speaks of "brothers," without any qualification, he refers always to Christians. For example, he says: Why do you judge your brother or why do you despise your brother? And again: You perform iniquity and commit fraud, and this against your brothers.
Those then who tell us: You are not our brothers, are saying that we are pagans. That is why they want to baptize us again, claiming that we do not have what they can give. Hence their error of denying that we are their brothers. Why then did the prophet tell us: Say to them: You are our brothers? It is because we acknowledge in them that which we do not repeat. By not recognizing our baptism, they deny that we are their brothers; on the other hand, when we do not repeat their baptism but acknowledge it to be our own, we are saying to them: You are our brothers.
If they say, "Why do you seek us? What do you want of us?" we should reply: You are our brothers. They may say, "leave us alone. We have nothing to do with you." But we have everything to do with you, for we are one in our belief in Christ; and so we should be in one body, under one head.
And so, dear brothers, we entreat you on their behalf, in the name of the very source of our love, by whose milk we are nourished, and whose bread is our strength, in the name of Christ our Lord and His gentle love. For it is time now for us to show them great love and abundant compassion by praying to God for them. May He one day give them a clear mind to repent and to realize that they have nothing whatever to say against the truth; they have nothing now but the sickness of their hatred, and the stronger they think they are, the weaker they become. We entreat you then to pray for them, for they are weak, given to the wisdom of the flesh, to fleshly and carnal things, but yet they are our brothers. They celebrate the same sacraments as we, not indeed with us, but still the same. They respond with the same Amen, not with us, but still the same. And so pour out your hearts for them in prayer to God".
#mentalprayer #unity
Discourse on Psalm 32,29
"We entreat you, brothers, as earnestly as we are able, to have charity, not only for one another, but also for those who are outside the Church. Of these some are still pagans, who have not yet made an act of faith in Christ. Others are separated, insofar as they are joined with us in professing faith in Christ, our head, but are yet divided from the unity of His body. My friends, we must grieve over these as over our brothers. Whether they like it or not, they are our brothers; and they will only cease to be so when they no longer say our Father.
The prophet refers to some men saying: When they say to you: You are not our brothers, you are to tell them: You are our brothers. Consider whom he intended by these words. Were they the pagans? Hardly; for nowhere either in Scripture or in our traditional manner of speaking do we find them called our brothers. Nor could it refer to the Jews, who did not believe in Christ. Read Saint Paul and you will see that when he speaks of "brothers," without any qualification, he refers always to Christians. For example, he says: Why do you judge your brother or why do you despise your brother? And again: You perform iniquity and commit fraud, and this against your brothers.
Those then who tell us: You are not our brothers, are saying that we are pagans. That is why they want to baptize us again, claiming that we do not have what they can give. Hence their error of denying that we are their brothers. Why then did the prophet tell us: Say to them: You are our brothers? It is because we acknowledge in them that which we do not repeat. By not recognizing our baptism, they deny that we are their brothers; on the other hand, when we do not repeat their baptism but acknowledge it to be our own, we are saying to them: You are our brothers.
If they say, "Why do you seek us? What do you want of us?" we should reply: You are our brothers. They may say, "leave us alone. We have nothing to do with you." But we have everything to do with you, for we are one in our belief in Christ; and so we should be in one body, under one head.
And so, dear brothers, we entreat you on their behalf, in the name of the very source of our love, by whose milk we are nourished, and whose bread is our strength, in the name of Christ our Lord and His gentle love. For it is time now for us to show them great love and abundant compassion by praying to God for them. May He one day give them a clear mind to repent and to realize that they have nothing whatever to say against the truth; they have nothing now but the sickness of their hatred, and the stronger they think they are, the weaker they become. We entreat you then to pray for them, for they are weak, given to the wisdom of the flesh, to fleshly and carnal things, but yet they are our brothers. They celebrate the same sacraments as we, not indeed with us, but still the same. They respond with the same Amen, not with us, but still the same. And so pour out your hearts for them in prayer to God".
#mentalprayer #unity
Ecce Verbum
Wealth without sin *(Sirach 13:24 ) Wealth is good as long as it's free of sin; the ungodly speak of poverty as an evil in and of itself. *In the words of Jesus, the rich man's road to heaven is particularly winding and difficult. It is full of dangers…
Peter Chrystologus on mammon
*He was bishop of Ravenna at the time when Ravenna was effectively the Imperial city; he is said to have received the epithet Chrysologos from the Empress Galla Placidia, who was ruling the western Roman empire as regent at the time he was appointed.
"Whoever is free from captivity to this mammon, and is no longer weighed down under the cruel burden of money, stands securely with his vantage point in heaven, and from there looks down over the mammon which is holding sway over the world and the worldly with a tyrant's fury.
It holds sway over nations, it gives orders to kingdoms, it wages wars, it equips warriors, it traffics in blood, it transacts death, it threatens homelands, it destroys cities, it conquers peoples, it attacks fortresses, it puts citizens in an uproar, it presides over the marketplace, it wipes out justice, it confuses right and wrong, and by aiming directly at morality it assails one's integrity, it violates truth, it eviscerates one's reputation, it wreaks havoc on one's honor, it dissolves affections, it removes innocence, it keeps compassion buried, it severs relationships, it does not permit friendship. And why should I say more? This is mammon: the master of injustice, since it is unjust in the power it wields over human bodies and minds."
source: 🔗
Sermon 126, section 5, page 183
from St. Peter Chrysologus, Selected Sermons, Volume 2, William Palardy, tr. Catholic University of America
*He was bishop of Ravenna at the time when Ravenna was effectively the Imperial city; he is said to have received the epithet Chrysologos from the Empress Galla Placidia, who was ruling the western Roman empire as regent at the time he was appointed.
"Whoever is free from captivity to this mammon, and is no longer weighed down under the cruel burden of money, stands securely with his vantage point in heaven, and from there looks down over the mammon which is holding sway over the world and the worldly with a tyrant's fury.
It holds sway over nations, it gives orders to kingdoms, it wages wars, it equips warriors, it traffics in blood, it transacts death, it threatens homelands, it destroys cities, it conquers peoples, it attacks fortresses, it puts citizens in an uproar, it presides over the marketplace, it wipes out justice, it confuses right and wrong, and by aiming directly at morality it assails one's integrity, it violates truth, it eviscerates one's reputation, it wreaks havoc on one's honor, it dissolves affections, it removes innocence, it keeps compassion buried, it severs relationships, it does not permit friendship. And why should I say more? This is mammon: the master of injustice, since it is unjust in the power it wields over human bodies and minds."
source: 🔗
Sermon 126, section 5, page 183
from St. Peter Chrysologus, Selected Sermons, Volume 2, William Palardy, tr. Catholic University of America
Ecce Verbum
Adultery vs the ethos of the Gospel notes based on The Redemption of the Body and Sacramentality of Marriage, John Paul II 1)"For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so" (Mt 19:8). 'Hardness…
The book of Genesis and the essence of marriage
🔗 source: Manual of Catholic Theology, J.Wilhelm PhD, T.B.Scanell D.D, section 128
#marriage
🔗 source: Manual of Catholic Theology, J.Wilhelm PhD, T.B.Scanell D.D, section 128
#marriage
Ecce Verbum
The Saints on love of our neighbor "I give unto you: a new commandment that you love one another, as I have loved you. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" Jn 13,34. “He who has the goods of this world…
"Love your enemies"
Christ tells us: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" [Mt 5:44]. We are therefore called to love all people, including our enemies. What does this love consist of?
St. Thomas' explanation: He writes that love towards enemies can be practiced in three ways. The first way is when we embrace our enemies with love as our friends. The Angelic Doctor calls this way of loving perverse and contrary to the virtue of charity. Such love would consist of loving evil, and this is unacceptable. Our enemies are against us and wish us evil. This we should dislike, and there is nothing wrong with hating it.
The second way is to include the love of enemies within the scope of the love of all men, for they are of the same nature and created for eternal life. In this view, they are not our enemies, and in this respect, we should love them with a duty arising from virtue and divine commandment. For he who loves God and neighbor cannot exclude anyone, even his greatest enemies, from this universal love of neighbor. To do so would be to contradict the virtue of infused love, which is conferred with sanctifying grace and is indissolubly united to it.
Thirdly, it is possible to consider the love of enemies on a case-by-case basis, that is, when one has love for some particular enemy of his. As St. Thomas teaches, the virtue of love does not demand such love as an absolute necessity. It is impossible for habitual love to necessarily demand from us the actual love of all individual people. What is necessary, on the other hand, is the readiness to undertake an act of love towards each individual enemy when necessary. If, on the other hand, one actively loves one's enemy out of necessity for God's sake, this is an example of perfect love. It is then perfect love because the neighbor is to be loved for God's sake, and the more one loves God, the more he shows his love.
Showing love to one's neighbor without regard to the obstacle of enmity testifies to a perfect love that is not discouraged by any obstacle, for no obstacle is greater than God, who is loved first, and through Him everything else is loved.
St. Thomas also explains what acts of love we are obliged to perform towards our enemies. These are first and foremost the prayers we make for all people and the kindnesses we show to the whole community. We must not exclude our enemies from these.
For if we exclude our enemies from the gifted community (e.g., praying for their salvation), it will be a symptom of the malicious vengeance and anger against which Christ and God's Revelation warn us.
However, when it comes to the benevolence we show only to a select few, especially those close to us, we can exclude our enemies, because showing this form of love is not absolutely commanded, but only the willingness to show such love in times of need. Nevertheless, to show such love towards one's enemies will be a manifestation of a perfect and particularly morally valuable love. Through such love, we not only guard against evil but also overcome evil with good, which is the peak of Christian perfection.
However, it should be remembered that no one becomes perfect immediately, but perfection is achieved by cooperating with grace, exercising the will in moral virtues, and repenting of one's sins. Let us remember that love is not morbid sentimentality or sinful submission, but a striving for the good of others without seeking our own benefit. Just as God, in granting his favors, does not overlook anyone, so we too should not overlook anyone in our love. Let Christ, who suffered and died on the cross for all people, be the supreme model of love, maligning no one but obtaining all the graces needed for salvation.
Based on:
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa, II-II, q. 25
#charity
Christ tells us: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" [Mt 5:44]. We are therefore called to love all people, including our enemies. What does this love consist of?
St. Thomas' explanation: He writes that love towards enemies can be practiced in three ways. The first way is when we embrace our enemies with love as our friends. The Angelic Doctor calls this way of loving perverse and contrary to the virtue of charity. Such love would consist of loving evil, and this is unacceptable. Our enemies are against us and wish us evil. This we should dislike, and there is nothing wrong with hating it.
The second way is to include the love of enemies within the scope of the love of all men, for they are of the same nature and created for eternal life. In this view, they are not our enemies, and in this respect, we should love them with a duty arising from virtue and divine commandment. For he who loves God and neighbor cannot exclude anyone, even his greatest enemies, from this universal love of neighbor. To do so would be to contradict the virtue of infused love, which is conferred with sanctifying grace and is indissolubly united to it.
Thirdly, it is possible to consider the love of enemies on a case-by-case basis, that is, when one has love for some particular enemy of his. As St. Thomas teaches, the virtue of love does not demand such love as an absolute necessity. It is impossible for habitual love to necessarily demand from us the actual love of all individual people. What is necessary, on the other hand, is the readiness to undertake an act of love towards each individual enemy when necessary. If, on the other hand, one actively loves one's enemy out of necessity for God's sake, this is an example of perfect love. It is then perfect love because the neighbor is to be loved for God's sake, and the more one loves God, the more he shows his love.
Showing love to one's neighbor without regard to the obstacle of enmity testifies to a perfect love that is not discouraged by any obstacle, for no obstacle is greater than God, who is loved first, and through Him everything else is loved.
St. Thomas also explains what acts of love we are obliged to perform towards our enemies. These are first and foremost the prayers we make for all people and the kindnesses we show to the whole community. We must not exclude our enemies from these.
For if we exclude our enemies from the gifted community (e.g., praying for their salvation), it will be a symptom of the malicious vengeance and anger against which Christ and God's Revelation warn us.
However, when it comes to the benevolence we show only to a select few, especially those close to us, we can exclude our enemies, because showing this form of love is not absolutely commanded, but only the willingness to show such love in times of need. Nevertheless, to show such love towards one's enemies will be a manifestation of a perfect and particularly morally valuable love. Through such love, we not only guard against evil but also overcome evil with good, which is the peak of Christian perfection.
However, it should be remembered that no one becomes perfect immediately, but perfection is achieved by cooperating with grace, exercising the will in moral virtues, and repenting of one's sins. Let us remember that love is not morbid sentimentality or sinful submission, but a striving for the good of others without seeking our own benefit. Just as God, in granting his favors, does not overlook anyone, so we too should not overlook anyone in our love. Let Christ, who suffered and died on the cross for all people, be the supreme model of love, maligning no one but obtaining all the graces needed for salvation.
Based on:
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa, II-II, q. 25
#charity
Ecce Verbum
St. Augustine on unity under one Shepherd 🔗Sermo 46 page 283 Small wonder that pride gives birth to division, and love to unity. But our catholic mother is herself a shepherd; she seeks the straying sheep everywhere, strengthens the weak, heals the sick…
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St Augustine on Deuterocanonical Books / so-called "Apocrypha"
"Now the whole canon of Scripture on which we say this judgment is to be exercised, is contained in the following books:—Five books of Moses, that is, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; one book of Joshua the son of Nun; one of Judges; one short book called Ruth, which seems rather to belong to the beginning of Kings; next, four books of Kings, and two of Chronicles—these last not following one another, but running parallel, so to speak, and going over the same ground.
The books now mentioned are history, which contains a connected narrative of the times, and follows the order of the events. There are other books which seem to follow no regular order, and are connected neither with the order of the preceding books nor with one another, such as Job, and Tobias, and Esther, and Judith, and the two books of Maccabees, and the two of Ezra, which last look more like a sequel to the continuous regular history which terminates with the books of Kings and Chronicles. Next are the Prophets, in which there is one book of the Psalms of David; and three books of Solomon, viz., Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes. For two books, one called Wisdom and the other Ecclesiasticus, are ascribed to Solomon from a certain resemblance of style, but the most likely opinion is that they were written by Jesus the son of Sirach. Still they are to be reckoned among the prophetical books, since they have attained recognition as being authoritative.
The remainder are the books which are strictly called the Prophets: twelve separate books of the prophets which are connected with one another, and having never been disjoined, are reckoned as one book; the names of these prophets are as follows:—Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi; then there are the four greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel.
The authority of the Old Testament is contained within the limits of these forty-four books. That of the New Testament, again, is contained within the following:—Four books of the Gospel, according to Matthew, according to Mark, according to Luke, according to John; fourteen epistles of the Apostle Paul—one to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, one to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, two to the Thessalonians, one to the Colossians, two to Timothy, one to Titus, to Philemon, to the Hebrews: two of Peter; three of John; one of Jude; and one of James; one book of the Acts of the Apostles; and one of the Revelation of John.
source: 🔗 On Christian Doctrine, Book II, Chapter 8, section 13: "The Canonical Books"; NPNF 1, Vol. II
#scripture
"Now the whole canon of Scripture on which we say this judgment is to be exercised, is contained in the following books:—Five books of Moses, that is, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; one book of Joshua the son of Nun; one of Judges; one short book called Ruth, which seems rather to belong to the beginning of Kings; next, four books of Kings, and two of Chronicles—these last not following one another, but running parallel, so to speak, and going over the same ground.
The books now mentioned are history, which contains a connected narrative of the times, and follows the order of the events. There are other books which seem to follow no regular order, and are connected neither with the order of the preceding books nor with one another, such as Job, and Tobias, and Esther, and Judith, and the two books of Maccabees, and the two of Ezra, which last look more like a sequel to the continuous regular history which terminates with the books of Kings and Chronicles. Next are the Prophets, in which there is one book of the Psalms of David; and three books of Solomon, viz., Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes. For two books, one called Wisdom and the other Ecclesiasticus, are ascribed to Solomon from a certain resemblance of style, but the most likely opinion is that they were written by Jesus the son of Sirach. Still they are to be reckoned among the prophetical books, since they have attained recognition as being authoritative.
The remainder are the books which are strictly called the Prophets: twelve separate books of the prophets which are connected with one another, and having never been disjoined, are reckoned as one book; the names of these prophets are as follows:—Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi; then there are the four greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel.
The authority of the Old Testament is contained within the limits of these forty-four books. That of the New Testament, again, is contained within the following:—Four books of the Gospel, according to Matthew, according to Mark, according to Luke, according to John; fourteen epistles of the Apostle Paul—one to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, one to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, two to the Thessalonians, one to the Colossians, two to Timothy, one to Titus, to Philemon, to the Hebrews: two of Peter; three of John; one of Jude; and one of James; one book of the Acts of the Apostles; and one of the Revelation of John.
source: 🔗 On Christian Doctrine, Book II, Chapter 8, section 13: "The Canonical Books"; NPNF 1, Vol. II
#scripture
St. Augustine on devotion to the Saints and the nature of latria (what is worship?)
"As to our paying honor to the memory of the martyrs, and the accusation of Faustus, that we worship them instead of idols, I should not care to answer such a charge, were it not for the sake of showing how Faustus, in his desire to cast reproach on us, has overstepped the Manichæan inventions, and has fallen heedlessly into a popular notion found in Pagan poetry, although he is so anxious to be distinguished from the Pagans."
"It is true that Christians pay religious honor to the memory of the martyrs, both to excite us to imitate them and to obtain a share in their merits, and the assistance of their prayers. But we build altars not to any martyr, but to the God of martyrs, although it is to the memory of the martyrs."
"No one officiating at the altar in the saints’ burying-place ever says, We bring an offering to thee, O Peter! or O Paul! or O Cyprian! The offering is made to God, who gave the crown of martyrdom, while it is in memory of those thus crowned. The emotion is increased by the associations of the place, and love is excited both towards those who are our examples, and towards Him by whose help we may follow such examples.
We regard the martyrs with the same affectionate intimacy that we feel towards holy men of God in this life, when we know that their hearts are prepared to endure the same suffering for the truth of the gospel. There is more devotion in our feeling towards the martyrs, because we know that their conflict is over; and we can speak with greater confidence in praise of those already victors in heaven, than of those still combating here.
What is properly divine worship, which the Greeks call latria, and for which there is no word in Latin, both in doctrine and in practice, we give only to God. To this worship belongs the offering of sacrifices; as we see in the word idolatry, which means the giving of this worship to idols. Accordingly we never offer, or require any one to offer, sacrifice to a martyr, or to a holy soul, or to any angel."
source:
🔗Against Faustus, Book XX, section 21, Writings against the Manicheans
🔗 Against Faustus, Book XX, section 21; NPNF 1, Vol. IV), NE
#saints
"As to our paying honor to the memory of the martyrs, and the accusation of Faustus, that we worship them instead of idols, I should not care to answer such a charge, were it not for the sake of showing how Faustus, in his desire to cast reproach on us, has overstepped the Manichæan inventions, and has fallen heedlessly into a popular notion found in Pagan poetry, although he is so anxious to be distinguished from the Pagans."
"It is true that Christians pay religious honor to the memory of the martyrs, both to excite us to imitate them and to obtain a share in their merits, and the assistance of their prayers. But we build altars not to any martyr, but to the God of martyrs, although it is to the memory of the martyrs."
"No one officiating at the altar in the saints’ burying-place ever says, We bring an offering to thee, O Peter! or O Paul! or O Cyprian! The offering is made to God, who gave the crown of martyrdom, while it is in memory of those thus crowned. The emotion is increased by the associations of the place, and love is excited both towards those who are our examples, and towards Him by whose help we may follow such examples.
We regard the martyrs with the same affectionate intimacy that we feel towards holy men of God in this life, when we know that their hearts are prepared to endure the same suffering for the truth of the gospel. There is more devotion in our feeling towards the martyrs, because we know that their conflict is over; and we can speak with greater confidence in praise of those already victors in heaven, than of those still combating here.
What is properly divine worship, which the Greeks call latria, and for which there is no word in Latin, both in doctrine and in practice, we give only to God. To this worship belongs the offering of sacrifices; as we see in the word idolatry, which means the giving of this worship to idols. Accordingly we never offer, or require any one to offer, sacrifice to a martyr, or to a holy soul, or to any angel."
source:
🔗Against Faustus, Book XX, section 21, Writings against the Manicheans
🔗 Against Faustus, Book XX, section 21; NPNF 1, Vol. IV), NE
#saints
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Ecce Verbum
St. Augustine on devotion to the Saints and the nature of latria (what is worship?) "As to our paying honor to the memory of the martyrs, and the accusation of Faustus, that we worship them instead of idols, I should not care to answer such a charge, were…
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Ecce Verbum
God Sharing Some of His Glory with His Creatures
Psalm 8:5 Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor.
Psalm 149:4-5, 9 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory. Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches.. . . This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the Lord!
Proverbs 16:31 A hoary head is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.
Isaiah 60:1-2 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.
Isaiah 60:4 . . . the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
Lamentations 3:17-18 my soul is bereft of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, "Gone is my glory, and my expectation from the Lord."
Ezekiel 10:19 And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight as they went forth, with the wheels beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the house of the LORD; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.
Ezekiel 11:22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.
Daniel 2:37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,
Mark 10:37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."
John 5:44 How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
Romans 2:6-7, 9-10 For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;.. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.
Romans 5:2 Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
Romans 9:22-23 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory,
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Ephesians 3:16-19 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God.
2 Thessalonians 2:14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed. (cf. 5:4)
2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature
#saints
Psalm 8:5 Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor.
Psalm 149:4-5, 9 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory. Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches.. . . This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the Lord!
Proverbs 16:31 A hoary head is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.
Isaiah 60:1-2 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.
Isaiah 60:4 . . . the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
Lamentations 3:17-18 my soul is bereft of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, "Gone is my glory, and my expectation from the Lord."
Ezekiel 10:19 And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight as they went forth, with the wheels beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the house of the LORD; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.
Ezekiel 11:22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.
Daniel 2:37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,
Mark 10:37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."
John 5:44 How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
Romans 2:6-7, 9-10 For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;.. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.
Romans 5:2 Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
Romans 9:22-23 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory,
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Ephesians 3:16-19 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God.
2 Thessalonians 2:14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed. (cf. 5:4)
2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature
#saints
Ecce Verbum
The position of Clement *Some falsely claim that there are gaps in the record of apostolic succession The very first extant list of of the first Bishops of Rome that we have is that of St. Irenaeus (Adv. Haer. 3.3.3): The blessed apostles, then, having…
St. Augustine on Apostolic Succession
“For if the lineal succession of bishops is to be taken into account, with how much more certainty and benefit to the Church do we reckon back till we reach Peter himself, to whom, as bearing in a figure the whole Church, the Lord said: ‘Upon this rock will I build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it !’ The successor of Peter was Linus, and his successors in unbroken continuity were these: — Clement, Anacletus, Evaristus, Alexander, Sixtus, Telesphorus, Iginus, Anicetus, Pius, Soter, Eleutherius, Victor, Zephirinus, Calixtus, Urbanus, Pontianus, Antherus, Fabianus, Cornelius, Lucius, Stephanus, Xystus, Dionysius, Felix, Eutychianus, Gaius, Marcellinus, Marcellus, Eusebius, Miltiades, Sylvester, Marcus, Julius, Liberius, Damasus, and Siricius, whose successor is the present Bishop Anastasius. In this order of succession no Donatist bishop is found. But, reversing the natural course of things, the Donatists sent to Rome from Africa an ordained bishop, who, putting himself at the head of a few Africans in the great metropolis, gave some notoriety to the name of “mountain men,” or Cutzupits, by which they were known.”
Augustine, To Generosus, Epistle 53:2 (A.D. 400)
*Augustine, here, describes what Apostolic Succession means. Its pretty clear which definition is a later invention intended to back into a presupposition.*
“In like manner as if there take place an ordination of clergy in order to form a congregation of people, although the congregation of people follow not, yet there remains in the ordained persons the Sacrament of Ordination; and if, for any fault, any be removed from his office, he will not be without the Sacrament of the Lord once for all set upon him, albeit continuing unto condemnation.”
Augustine, 🔗On the Good of Marriage, 24:32 (A.D. 401).
*The unity of the episcopate, based on the apostolic succession through the Sacrament of Holy Orders is one of the marks of unity of the Catholic Church.*
#unity
“For if the lineal succession of bishops is to be taken into account, with how much more certainty and benefit to the Church do we reckon back till we reach Peter himself, to whom, as bearing in a figure the whole Church, the Lord said: ‘Upon this rock will I build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it !’ The successor of Peter was Linus, and his successors in unbroken continuity were these: — Clement, Anacletus, Evaristus, Alexander, Sixtus, Telesphorus, Iginus, Anicetus, Pius, Soter, Eleutherius, Victor, Zephirinus, Calixtus, Urbanus, Pontianus, Antherus, Fabianus, Cornelius, Lucius, Stephanus, Xystus, Dionysius, Felix, Eutychianus, Gaius, Marcellinus, Marcellus, Eusebius, Miltiades, Sylvester, Marcus, Julius, Liberius, Damasus, and Siricius, whose successor is the present Bishop Anastasius. In this order of succession no Donatist bishop is found. But, reversing the natural course of things, the Donatists sent to Rome from Africa an ordained bishop, who, putting himself at the head of a few Africans in the great metropolis, gave some notoriety to the name of “mountain men,” or Cutzupits, by which they were known.”
Augustine, To Generosus, Epistle 53:2 (A.D. 400)
*Augustine, here, describes what Apostolic Succession means. Its pretty clear which definition is a later invention intended to back into a presupposition.*
“In like manner as if there take place an ordination of clergy in order to form a congregation of people, although the congregation of people follow not, yet there remains in the ordained persons the Sacrament of Ordination; and if, for any fault, any be removed from his office, he will not be without the Sacrament of the Lord once for all set upon him, albeit continuing unto condemnation.”
Augustine, 🔗On the Good of Marriage, 24:32 (A.D. 401).
*The unity of the episcopate, based on the apostolic succession through the Sacrament of Holy Orders is one of the marks of unity of the Catholic Church.*
#unity
Ecce Verbum
Aquinas contra globalism “A city which must engage in much trade in order to supply its needs also has to put up with the continuous presence of foreigners. But intercourse with foreigners, according to Aristotle’s Politics, is particularly harmful to civic…
A Thomistic Case for Tolerance
In his influential work, A Theory of Justice, John Rawls accuses Thomas Aquinas of not advocating “even a limited tolerance.” (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1971), p.216) It seems plausible to accuse Rawls in this matter of a superficial reading of Thomas, depending on one passage in the Summa Theologiae (II-II, q. 11, a. 3) without placing that passage in its larger context. Upon closer examination, one can see that Thomas in fact advocates more than just a limited tolerance, while explicating that a true theory of tolerance is not a theory of neutrality, but rather an admission that the objects of toleration are not themselves positive goods.
-“The Church is intolerant in principle because she believes; she is tolerant in practice because she loves. The enemies of the Church are tolerant in principle because they do not believe; they are intolerant in practice because they do not love.”
Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange
-"Whether we ought to love sinners out of charity...
I answer that, two things may be considered in the sinner: his nature and his guilt. According to his nature, which he has from God, he has a capacity for happiness, on the fellowship of which charity is based, wherefore we ought to love sinners, out of charity, in respect of their nature. On the other hand their guilt is opposed to God, and is an obstacle to happiness. Wherefore, in respect of their guilt whereby they are opposed to God, all sinners are to be hated, even one's father or mother or kindred, according to Lk. 12:26. For it is our duty to hate, in the sinner, his being a sinner, and to love in him, his being a man capable of [eternal] bliss; and this is to love him truly, out of charity, for God's sake."
Summa Theologica II-ii Q25 Art6
https://aquinasonline.com/tolerance/
#socialteaching
In his influential work, A Theory of Justice, John Rawls accuses Thomas Aquinas of not advocating “even a limited tolerance.” (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1971), p.216) It seems plausible to accuse Rawls in this matter of a superficial reading of Thomas, depending on one passage in the Summa Theologiae (II-II, q. 11, a. 3) without placing that passage in its larger context. Upon closer examination, one can see that Thomas in fact advocates more than just a limited tolerance, while explicating that a true theory of tolerance is not a theory of neutrality, but rather an admission that the objects of toleration are not themselves positive goods.
-“The Church is intolerant in principle because she believes; she is tolerant in practice because she loves. The enemies of the Church are tolerant in principle because they do not believe; they are intolerant in practice because they do not love.”
Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange
-"Whether we ought to love sinners out of charity...
I answer that, two things may be considered in the sinner: his nature and his guilt. According to his nature, which he has from God, he has a capacity for happiness, on the fellowship of which charity is based, wherefore we ought to love sinners, out of charity, in respect of their nature. On the other hand their guilt is opposed to God, and is an obstacle to happiness. Wherefore, in respect of their guilt whereby they are opposed to God, all sinners are to be hated, even one's father or mother or kindred, according to Lk. 12:26. For it is our duty to hate, in the sinner, his being a sinner, and to love in him, his being a man capable of [eternal] bliss; and this is to love him truly, out of charity, for God's sake."
Summa Theologica II-ii Q25 Art6
https://aquinasonline.com/tolerance/
#socialteaching
Thomistic Philosophy Page
Tolerance
A Thomistic Case for Tolerance In his influential work, A Theory of Justice, John Rawls accuses Thomas Aquinas of not advocating “even a limited tolerance.” (Cambridge: Harvard Uni…
Ecce Verbum
Is faith alone enough to justify a sinner? The Sacraments of Baptism and Penance-the means by which Justification is obtained Q. What does the sinner become by receiving the sacrament of baptism or penance? A. He becomes a child of God, a temple of the…
The Sacrament of Penance -development
🔗Poschmann, Penance and the Anointing of the Sick
The sacrament of penance as we find it in the Apostolic Fathers tends to be presented as a one-time restoration for grave sins. (However, it was not the exclusive penitential practice, because deathbed repentance was recognized even for recidivists, at least as far as we can tell, and penitence outside that of the restorative was also practiced.) It was also public, primarily in mortification, but also requried open confession to the community in order to receive their prayers. In some cases, it also seems ot have required taking up a vow of religious life, with a vow of perpetual chastity, in an order of penitents.
Slowly an alternative developed for clergy and religious - private secession or withdrawal into solitude - to deal with the practical complications in those cases, as well as to conform to the theology of ordination and of monastic vow; and taking a monastic vow (benedictio penitentiae) likewise comes to be seen as an equivalent to joining an order of penitents, if done by permission of the Church for that reason.
Private penance arises in fifth or sixth century in remote areas (e.g., Britain and Ireland), where penitential matters had to be handled by priests with often scattered flocks rather than bishops in city centers. This then flows back to the center and, because it puts more emphasis on confession than mortification, intersects with developing practices of spiritual direction. Attempts to crack down on this and return to public canonical penance failed, due to the difficulty of the latter, so instead the procedures for private penance were standardized, although public penance continued for notorious sins.
IV Lateran introduces the requirement of periodic private confession, although in this it was supporting an already spreading practice.
Reconciliation to communion, however, continued for a long time to be a separate process but (again for practical reasons) in the second millenium faded.
*Note that Jesus Himself is the model of private confession and absolution.
*At the same time that private confession is spreading, penitential pilgrimage (in which one goes on an extended pilgrimage to receive at the end a penance imposed by a bishop, especially the Pope) also began to be popular as a substitute for canonical penance. (cf. Njal's Saga)
*Early mortification for penance seems primarily to have been social, but corporal chastisement (esp. flagellation) keeps springing up, especially in monastic contexts.
#sacraments
🔗Poschmann, Penance and the Anointing of the Sick
The sacrament of penance as we find it in the Apostolic Fathers tends to be presented as a one-time restoration for grave sins. (However, it was not the exclusive penitential practice, because deathbed repentance was recognized even for recidivists, at least as far as we can tell, and penitence outside that of the restorative was also practiced.) It was also public, primarily in mortification, but also requried open confession to the community in order to receive their prayers. In some cases, it also seems ot have required taking up a vow of religious life, with a vow of perpetual chastity, in an order of penitents.
Slowly an alternative developed for clergy and religious - private secession or withdrawal into solitude - to deal with the practical complications in those cases, as well as to conform to the theology of ordination and of monastic vow; and taking a monastic vow (benedictio penitentiae) likewise comes to be seen as an equivalent to joining an order of penitents, if done by permission of the Church for that reason.
Private penance arises in fifth or sixth century in remote areas (e.g., Britain and Ireland), where penitential matters had to be handled by priests with often scattered flocks rather than bishops in city centers. This then flows back to the center and, because it puts more emphasis on confession than mortification, intersects with developing practices of spiritual direction. Attempts to crack down on this and return to public canonical penance failed, due to the difficulty of the latter, so instead the procedures for private penance were standardized, although public penance continued for notorious sins.
IV Lateran introduces the requirement of periodic private confession, although in this it was supporting an already spreading practice.
Reconciliation to communion, however, continued for a long time to be a separate process but (again for practical reasons) in the second millenium faded.
*Note that Jesus Himself is the model of private confession and absolution.
*At the same time that private confession is spreading, penitential pilgrimage (in which one goes on an extended pilgrimage to receive at the end a penance imposed by a bishop, especially the Pope) also began to be popular as a substitute for canonical penance. (cf. Njal's Saga)
*Early mortification for penance seems primarily to have been social, but corporal chastisement (esp. flagellation) keeps springing up, especially in monastic contexts.
#sacraments