The purpose of listing the following comments is to establish credibility of the work and not for prideful purposes.
From seminarians of the Saint Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Winona, Minnesota after submitting some of the work to them:
“Your work on St. Thomas is quite comprehensive ... I appreciate it very much and plan on saving it for reference.”
“Thank you for your kind thoughts and for sharing your work with me. It is indeed impressive. ... May God BLESS you AND your WORK.”
*** THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS A PREVIEW. PLEASE CHECK AGAINST FINISHED BOOK. ***
+
JMJ
CATHOLIC QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR THE LATTER DAYS
==================================================
This paper is dedicated to the ONE God in THREE Divine
Persons, The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost,
and is also dedicated to the Holy Family, Jesus, Our
Lord, King and Redeemer, Mary, Virgin, Queen, and Mother,
and Saint Joseph, Foster and Virginal father of us all and
is also dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, who found for
me many of the questions and answers in this paper.
1 Saint Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon Him[God], for
He hath care of you."
"omnem sollicitudinem vestram proicientes in eum quoniam
ipsi cura est de vobis"
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
The author wishes to remain anonymous.
This work is intended to aid in the salvation of the
atheist, pagan, agnostic, indifferent, Scientist, buddhist,
hindu, muslim, follower of any religion, jew, protestant,
fallen away Catholic, "cafeteria" Catholic, Novus Ordo
Catholic, lukewarm Catholic, Charismatic, Sede Vacantist,
Feeneyite, Indult Catholic, Traditional Catholic,
theological expert and child alike.
Some travelers during a trip to the Holy Land found this image
among their negatives, but no one remembers seeing it.
"Each time My Face is contemplated I will pour My Love into hearts, and
through My Holy Face many souls will be saved."
(Our Lord to Mother Maria Pierina)
The HOLY VEIL of Saint Veronica
Saint Veronica's original name was Seraphia and Holy Mother the Church changed it to
in Latin "Ver Icon","Veronica" in Latin ("Veritas", Truth, "Icon", Image)
for "True Image" of Christ.
Many miracles have been performed through this Image of the Most Holy Face of Jesus
This is a photograph of The Holy Shroud of Turin photographed for the
first time in 1898. When developed, the image was much clearer
than that on the Shroud. The Holy Shroud is a reverse image of Our
Lord's Holy Face as though he was looking into a mirror.
Our Divine Lord's Precious Blood forms the number 3 on His Sacred
Forehead in honor of the Most Holy Trinity.
This is a larger image of The Holy Face. It was our sins that caused
this disfiguration in Our Divine Lord's Most Holy Countenance.
Saint John 14:8-9 "Philip saith to him: Lord, shew us the Father; and it is enough for us.
Jesus saith to him: Have I been so long a time with you and have you not known me? Philip, HE THAT SEETH ME SEETH THE FATHER ALSO. How sayest thou: Shew us the Father?"
Saint Paul Colossians 1:14-15
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins:
WHO IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD, the firstborn of every creature"
The Most Holy Face of Jesus is the Perfect Reflection of the Father.
Tuesday is the day dedicated to the Most Holy Face
This is a MIRACULOUS color image of the negative of
Our Lord's Holy Face some years later which is a positive,
Our Lord's original Holy Countenance.
Prayer of Saint Therese of Jesus to the Holy Face:
"O Jesus, who in Thy bitter Passion didst become
"the most abject of men, a man of sorrows", I venerate Thy Sacred Face
whereon there once did shine the beauty and sweetness of the Godhead;
but now it has become for me as if it were the face of a leper!
Nevertheless, under those disfigured features, I recognize Thy
infinite Love and I am consumed with the desire to love Thee and
make Thee loved by all men. The tears which well up abundantly in
Thy sacred eyes appear to me as so many precious pearls that I
love to gather up, in order to purchase the souls of poor sinners
by means of their infinite value. O Jesus, whose adorable Face ravishes
my heart, I implore Thee to fix deep within me Thy Love, that
I may be found worthy to come to the contemplation of Thy
glorious Face in Heaven. Amen."
"Sinners shall find in MY HEART the source and infinite ocean of mercy."
(Our Lord to Saint Margaret Mary)
Sorrowful and Immacualte Heart of Mary, Pray for us.
Saint Anthony, "Finder of the lost", "the Ark of the Testament"(Holy Scriptures expert),
and "Hammer of Heretics", Pray for us.
Dear Frank and Kathleen,
In all truth, I deserve a VERY deep place in hell, but I
HOPE in God's Mercy to hopefully one day make it to heaven.
One morning I had a dream, and in my dream I had many
questions about God. When I woke up I prayed EARNESTLY to
the Most Holy Ghost, by the powerful intercession of the
Blessed Virgin and Saint Joseph, and Saint Anthony of Padua
for the answers, atleast where to find the answers. I then
proceeded outside walking for hours, with my micro cassette
recorder and dictated the answers to these common questions
than men have about God. Most of the questions were derived
after my dream. I am NO mystic, in fact again I deserve a
very deep, deep, deep place in hell, but I HOPE in God's
Mercy and I want to share with you my results, the fruit of
prayer. I hope you enjoy this paper.
In the Love, Mercy, and Justice of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
A sinner who hopes for salvation.
The answers to these questions are based on the fact that
God is perfectly balanced, He is balance itself, and that He
is perfect justice, perfect mercy and perfect fairness.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
NOTE: Click on the question to go to the page the answer is on.
Yes. In fact it can be shown that it is absolutely
impossible for a beginingless time to exist. Let us
consider 4 hypothetical situations considering the existence
of time. 1. Time without a beginning without an end. 2. Time
without a beginning with an end. 3. Time with a beginning
without an end. 4. Time with a beginning with an end. We
will determine and prove philosophically which situations
are absolutely metaphysically impossible in the sense that
they can not exist and which situations are possible. Before
we continue, we must define some of the attributes of time,
particularly past, present and future. Time is a continuum,
the duration of successive, continuous, irreversible,
chronological, and sequential instances progressing forward
in such manner that the present instant of time progresses
forward in time known as the flow of time. This one and
only one present instant, in which simultaneous events can
occur, as it progresses forward into time causes its prior
past instance to exist from our point of view and the next
future instant to exist from our point of view as the new
present instant. The key to proving that time has a
beginning is in the understanding of the relationship
between the present and the past. A past instant can not
exist without the one present instant progressing forward in
time. A hypothetical beginingless time has infinite past
instants in the past. For this to be possible the one
present instant would have had to have progressed forward in
time and caused all the infinite past instants in the past
to exist. The one present instant can only cause one past
instant to exist one instant at a time. The existence of a
past instance comes about through a process that begins and
ends. This process is the one present instant existing and
then progressing forward in time to the next instant. It is
impossible for there to exist infinite past instants in the
past because the one present instant had to cause the very
first past instant to exist before any other past instances
could exist. It is absolutely impossible for there to exist
an infinite number of past instants in the past
simultaneously if there very existence is dependent on one
present instant causing there existence one instant at a
time and because of the fact that the present instant
progresses forward in time and not backwards in time. There
had to be a beginning point in which the one present
instant caused the very first past instant to exist before
all other past instances could exist. Again, at some time on
this hypothetical beginingless timeline, since the present
instant progresses forwards and not backwards it had to
have caused the very first past instant to exist. How can
we be sure that at some time, the present instant caused the
very first past instant to exist? The present instant
progresses forwards and absolutely would not be able to
progress forwards without some cause. It has always been
known as an undeniable fact since the very first man that
every effect has a cause. Anything or anyone that is real,
that exists tangible or intangible, that travels or
progresses from one point to another point whether that
point is tangible or intangible, grows or decays, in affect
changes in anyway absolutely must have had a cause for any
effect to occur. Granted, the present instant is intangible,
but nevertheless as real and as important as our intangible
thoughts. Thoughts are intangible but have a cause as will
be discussed later. Time itself is intangible, though
measurable, very real, and in fact man governs his
activities around time. Because the present instant had a
cause to initially progress it forwards in time, for
absolutely nothing progresses itself forwards without a
cause, whether tangible or intangible, thus it therefore had
a beginning, began to progress forward in time and cause the
very first past instant to exist. The fact that the one
present instant travels forward in time makes it impossible
for the one present instant to have caused an infinite
number of past instants to exist unless it was always
traveling forward in time without a starting point which is
absolutely metaphysically impossible. Anything traveling
continuously in one direction absolutely had a starting
point but does not necessarily have to have an ending point.
An entity similar to time that has no starting point has a
present instant that does not travel and this entity also
has no end. An entity as described as such does not have a present instant that progresses forward in time, is entirely different than time and will be discussed later.
The only way someone or something could not have had a starting point is if it does not travel from one point to another, never changes, always is. Furthermore, if someone was so mad as to believe that an effect does not need a cause, it can still be proven absolutely that time had a beginning. Something, tangible or intangible always progressing forwards could not have possibly caused everything behind it, for example past instants, to exist in an infinite direction behind it in the past if each past instant was created one instant at a time. Consider an airplane that hypothetically, though impossible, was always flying forwards, that never had a start, that never took off from an airport. That airplane could not have possibly caused an infinite stream of smoke in an infinite direction behind it because that plane was always traveling forwards causing one fragment of stream behind it, one fragment at a time. There had to have been a first fragment.
If time did not have a beginning point, then that would mean
the present moment was never traveling forwards because each
and every past moment was created by the present moment
traveling forwards. If the present moment was never traveling
forwards then there could be not even one past moment which
proves that time indeed did have a beginning.
page 2
How can we philosophically(natural reason) prove that there exists absolutely ONE Supreme Being?
We know that since time had a beginning, a being had to
create it, for every effect has a cause, and there was an
instant when time did not exist and then later existed. If
this being that created time had a beginning then by the
same principle, some other being had to create that being
that created time, and if that being also had a beginning
then yet another being had to create him. It is
metaphysically impossible for their to be an infinite series
of beings that create each other with NO root, with no ONE
being that had no beginning! So quite simply, ONLY ONE
SUPREME BEING created time dependent on no other being for
His existence, otherwise, again He would have had a
beginning and not be supreme. So by proving this Being had
no beginning, proves HE is the ONE SUPREME BEING.
There absolutely can be NO such concept of more than
one God in existence. For if there was more than one God,
then those beings would not be supreme, for there is ONLY
ONE SUPREME BEING. The very definition of SUPREMACY is
ABSOLUTE GREATNESS, being the GREATEST with NO EQUAL. It is
a total contradiction to say their are two or more beings
who are the GREATEST simultaneously, for that is an
impossibility, a contradiction. Some attributes of God
is that He is ALMIGHTY, ALL POWERFUL, ALL KNOWING, and SUPREME.
To say that there exists more than ONE God, is like saying a
3 sided pyramid has more than one HIGHEST POINT, which is
impossible, a contradiction. Only ONE being can be SUPREME.
Exodus 20:2-3 "I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out
of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou
shalt not have STRANGE gods before me." There is ONLY ONE
God who is all knowing, all mighty, all powerful, all
majestic, all loving, all merciful, all just and all good,
just to name a few of God's attributes, which are not
divided, unlike man's attributes that can be singled out and
divided, one in existence, and are attributed to God
simultaneously. God's attributes are not
in composition nor division but are one and from His
Divine essence, His Divine nature, which is His "act-of-being"
(ipsum esse in Latin), which is one and
the same with His "act-of-understanding" as Saint Thomas teaches us
(Summa Theologica, FIRST PART, QUESTION 34, ARTICLE 2),
a constant theme of the Divine Essence, in his Summa.
page 3
How can we philosophically(natural reason) prove eternity exists and define some of its attributes without the aid of theology(divine revelation)?
We know that the one present instant of time progressing
forward can not metaphysically create an infinite past
consisting of infinite past instances. We know that the
Supreme Being, God, exists in an instant that came from no
beginning. If the instant God exists in progresses forward,
then it creates past instants, but we know an instant, a
present instant that travels forward without a beginning is
absolutely metaphysically impossible as was proved. A
present instant with no beginning can not travel forward
with an infinite past as was proved in the fact that time
has a beginning. So this proves the instant God exists in
does not travel forward. Since this instant has no
beginning, does not travel forward creating past instants
and causing future instants to become new present instants,
then it sits still. It is an eternal "present" instant. So
eternity is the intangible entity God exists in with no
beginning, no end, no past and no future, simply an eternal
"present" in our limited way of understanding and describing
such undescribable mysteries.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, THE "ANGELIC DOCTOR"
(THE SUMMA THEOLOGICA, QUESTION 10, ARTICLE 4, "Whether eternity differs from time?")
Reply to Objection 2: The "now" of time is the same as regards its subject in the whole course of time, but it differs in aspect; for inasmuch as time corresponds to movement, its "now" corresponds to what is movable; and the thing movable has the same one subject in all time, but differs in aspect a being here and there; and such alteration is movement. Likewise the flow of the "now" as alternating in aspect is time. But eternity remains the same according to both subject and aspect; and hence eternity is not the same as the "now" of time.
page 4
What are some reasons proving that God exists?
Based on the SUMMA THEOLOGICA (FIRST PART, QUESTION 2,
ARTICLE 3) and on "REASON'S ARGUMENTS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF
GOD" LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 57-11577 Nihil
Obstat: RT. REV. MSGR. ARTHUR F. TERLECKE, Censor Deputatus
Imprimatur: +SAMUEL CARDINAL STRITCH, D.D., ARCHBISHOP OF
CHICAGO JANUARY 7, 1958:
Nothing moves itself. Suppose then that we reason back down
the line of moving things until we come to the first moving
thing, The question then arises, What made this first thing
move? For it could not start itself. This First Mover is
God. A person may ask, "What caused this?" when he looks at
anything in the universe, will lead him back from one cause
to another to another until he reaches back to the first
created cause, But the question is still unanswered. What
caused this cause? And the only answer that makes sense is
that the First Cause of all is independent; no one caused
it; it exists of itself. This First uncaused Cause is God.
The next question might be, what or who caused God. The
answer to this question is in the understanding of the
difference between time and eternity. In time, created by
God, which has a beginning and will have an end, things
change, they have a beginning and an end. In eternity,
nothing changes and nothing has a beginning or an end. God
exists in eternity, and therefore had no beginning, will
never have an end, and never changes. Things and beings did
not "just happen." We see as we look back in history traces
of ancient civilizations that designed and built cities. We
see that more advanced civilizations built and designed more
sophisticated cities and technology. The human being is the
most complex being in existence amongst all creatures. We
know that someone had to design man, he did not just come
about at random. God perfectly designed and created man and
all creatures and all things. Some beings and things depend
on other beings and things for their existence. We can
conclude that if there were not some being outside the
universe who was not dependent upon any other being, then
there just never would be anything. God is that being who is
dependent on nothing and in whom all living things,
creatures, and things are dependent on.
page 5
In what manner did the universe come about?
Even if the Big Bang theory were true, it can not be
explained how the initial particles came about and where the
initial force that accelerated those particles to form the
universe came from.
Newton's First Law of Motion states that "body at rest tends
to stay at rest and body in uniform motion will stay in
straight line uniform motion unless acted upon by an outside
force" Newton's Second Law of Motion states that "the
acceleration of a body is proportional to the force being
applied": Force = Mass X Acceleration. Newtons's Third Law
of Motion states that "for every force there is an equal and
opposite force (action and reaction)".
Even if it could be argued that the initial particles in the
Big Bang theory were always there, always existed in time,
never had a beginning, this seriously violates Newton's Laws
of Motion and cause a paradox, a contradiction, an
impossibility. Objects tend two stay at rest or in a uniform
motion and ONLY can exist in one of these two states.
Let us first examine if the initial particles were at rest.
If they were always at rest, where did the initial force
that caused them to accelerate and later result in again,
one of two states, rest or uniform motion, uniform velocity,
come from? Objects can not accelerate without a force being
applied to them. A force is any INFLUENCE that can cause an
object to be accelerated. Let us examine the argument that
the force that influenced the initial particles was always
there, always existed in time, never had a beginning.
Consider a ball hitting another ball, for example in a game
of Billiards. The pool stick accelerates the cue ball to hit
another ball. That other ball interacts with the cue ball
and exerts an equal and opposite force, a reaction on the cue
ball. This initial force that acted on the initial particles
had an equal and opposite force, a reaction on this initial
force. How was this initial force affected by this reaction?
The Big Bang theory can not explain where the reaction of
the initial particles on the initial action, force went. Was
it absorbed by the initial force? Where did it go?
Did it remain in the Universe? If this reaction remained in the
Universe, where is this reaction, this force in relation to
the initial particles that were accelerated by this force?
This would violate the law of conservation of energy which
states that the total energy of a system and its
surroundings is constant, in other words, no energy is lost,
it remains in the surrounding system.
Second, let us examine if these initial particles were
always in a uniform motion, always in time. If the initial
particles were always in uniform motion, then this could not
possibly create the Universe with its many orbits of for
example, planets about a star, and moons about a planet.
Some force had to accelerate these initial particles in
motion to get them to form the universe. Objects in a
constant velocity do not change unless an outside force is
applied to them to get them to accelerate and thereby cause
changes in there speed and direction. If objects are in
uniform motion, they neither change their speed nor
direction. Some outside influence must have caused these
initial particles in uniform motion to accelerate, change
their speed and direction in order to form the universe and
its many orbits. This brings us back to the first
examination of if the initial particles were always at rest.
The question can not be answered with science of where this
initial force that caused the initial particles to
accelerate and later result in again, one of two states,
rest or uniform motion, uniform velocity, come from?
The first and second examinations are impossible because for
objects either at rest or uniform motion to accelerate, they
need an initial force. The question that can not be answered
by science is again, where did this force come from, and we
know we need force to accelerate objects from Newton's Laws
of Motion. Since time had a beginning and later will be proved has an end, science can not explain where the initial particles came from.
If an object were in motion, then there must be some agent that is responsible for that motion. And when that agent stops, the motion stops. According to Aristotle, there is a privileged being: The Prime Mover. He is the first agent, responsible for moving objects, which, in turn, move other objects. The Prime
Mover, he argued, must be at Absolute Rest. By "absolute"
rest, we mean that all observers will universally agree on
that state of rest. In this space-time, the Prime Mover must be present at all locations in the x, y, z directions simultaneously sustaining its existence at the same time in an unchangeable state of rest, independent and outside of both time and the universe at the same time having all points of view in time, eternity, space and outside the universe simultaneously.
page 6
What is a summary of God’s creation?
First, we must understand that the Bible was never meant to
be a Scientific Reference Book, but rather a Doctrinal Truth
Faith Book. The Holy Ghost inspired the Scripture writers to
explain the truths of religion in a way ordinary people
could understand, for example in stories and parables. The
seven days of creation in Genesis written by Moses was meant
to explain that God created all of creation and creatures.
Each day of creation may or may not have been a 24 hour
period but some period of time.
Since God surely exists by the use of our natural reason, had no beginning and will never have an end, He created all of creation which had a beginning. “God had created the angels at the instant indicated by the word of Moses: ‘God said: Let their be light, and light was made.’ He speaks here not only of material light but also of the intellectual or angelic lights.” according to the Mystical City of God by Venerable Mary of Agreda(Revelations on the Life of Mary dictated by The Blessed Virgin Mary herself, and approved by countless Theologians). This would indicate that the earth and its solar system had already been formed when the angels were created. Ecclesiasticus 24:45 "I will penetrate to all the LOWER PARTS of the earth, and will behold all that sleep, and will enlighten all that hope in the Lord." “God created the earth conjointly with the heavens in order to call into existence hell in its center”(Mystical City of God) It is common doctrine amongst scholastic theologians that hell is located in the center of the Earth. Earth would have needed to be formed when Lucifer and the fallen angels rebelled against God, so that they could be sent to an existing place, hell, which is in the center of the earth.
God created time, space, placed all matter He created from nothing, into the universe into space, applied all the energy originating from God, as a constant quantity to always exist in the universe, to the matter accelerating it in motion forming all the galaxies, solar systems, stars, planets, moons and so on, and on earth created vegetative life, irrational animal life, beasts, and human beings, rational animals, male and female to be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 1:1-31, 2:1-3)
More specifically, God created 4 entities in the following order:
1) Time
2) Space
3) Matter
4) Energy
and the energy God applied to the matter formed all
the galaxies, solar systems, stars, planets, moons and so on, and earth
and later God created life forms, Angels, vegetative life, plants, irrational animals, beasts, and rational animals, man.
God had to create Time first so events could take place. He did not create time, space, matter and energy simultaneously for that would violate the very definition of simultaneous and time. For two or more events to be simultaneous, happen at one instant in time, time must exist first. Next God created the intangible space to put the matter in that he created next. As we see clearly in Holy Scriptures, God interferes as little as possible with His creation and His creatures. He simply gives them a "push" sort of speak and lets them go freely as they will but he Wills that they conform their will to His. By this principle, most likely God compacted all the matter together with virtually no space between the initial particles and no energy was infused or applied to it yet. If God were to divide a room in two, and then divide again in two, He could do so forever, for all eternity. So to Him there is no smallest amount of space. So virtually their was no space between the matter. This matter contained absolutely no heat. Heat is simply the movement of particles, or simply the vibration of particles. This matter was absolutely frozen, as cold as one could imagine. Atoms did not even exist. For even atoms are energized. The electrons orbit the nucleus and that requires energy. Most likely God then applied an enormous amount of energy to the matter for the very first time that were meant to co-exist together(mass and energy in which it MAY be possible to convert one to another), causing particles to accelerate and electrons to orbit nucleuses, thus forming atoms. The energy was created and applied after the matter, otherwise that would violate Newton's Second Law of Motion: Force = Mass X Acceleration for relatively slow moving objects and Albert Einstein's famous equation: E=mc2,(Energy = Mass X (Speed of Light squared)) for relatively fast moving objects close to the speed of light. If there is no mass to accelerate then energy can not exist by itself. God applied the energy to the matter and it was heated up to such a degree that it most likely exploded and formed the Universe over some time. This theory conforms to Holy Scriptures, again, to the fact that God interferes as little as possible with creation and creatures. God could have individually placed every smallest particle in the place He wanted in the Universe but it would seem more likely that He simply executed four simple actions to accomplish the same with as little interference as possible. Create time, space, put the matter in the space and apply all the energy in the Universe to the matter and let things happen by their natural course.
The energy God applied to the initial particles is a CONSTANT that was, is and will remain a constant. In other words the same amount of energy God infused into the universe at the beginning of Creation will always remain the same which is what the law of conservation of energy states.
How did the matter react to the energy God applied to it?
The law of conservation of energy states that the total energy of a system and its surroundings is constant, in other words, no energy is lost, it remains in the surrounding system. So when one object strikes or applies a force to another object there is a reaction that remains in the surrounding system, primarily due to friction, although if the force striking an object took place in space with no friction, there would still be a reaction. This is why it is impossible to achieve a perfect transfer of energy.
Consider that the Spiritual world is on a much higher level of reality and existence than the material world because God is Spirit and God's existence is dependent on nothing and all material existence is dependent on God as well as spiritual, but for now let us consider the material existence. Absolutely no person, no spirit can resist God if they saw Him face to face. How much more so would matter NOT resist God, matter being on a much lower level of existence than the spiritual world. So the question concerning the Big Bang theory and how it can not explain how the initial force on the initial particles was affected by the reaction and where the reaction of the initial particles on the initial action, force went can be answered with a little help from theology. Was it absorbed by the initial force? Where did it go? Did it remain in the Universe? The initial force God, absorbed none of His own energy, for God wastes nothing. And the answer to where the reaction went is that there was absolutely NO REACTION. It was A PERFECT TRANSFER OF ENERGY. When God applied the energy to the matter, the matter resisted in NO WAY. All of the energy went from God directly with no loss into the universe totally absorbed by the matter heating it up for the first time, and all of this energy is all the energy in the entire Universe that exists in the past, today and until the end of time. This amount of energy God put in the Universe is a CONSTANT with NO LOSS of energy and NO REACTION!
page 7
What is the commonality amongst all creation?
All creation has a spiritual aspect, the state of actual
existence, in the sense that it is linked to God, who is
pure Spirit, and all creation exists in the mind of God, or
it would immediately cease to exist. All of creation is in a
STATE of being, as opposed to an act-of-being, as Saint Thomas teaches (ipsum esse in Latin), that God alone executes such an action of being, of existence. God executes His own existence where as creation is a STATE of being in the mind of God.
God thinks about His creation and therefore it exists. If God
stopped thinking about the rock then that rock would cease to exist. God has a thought of the rock and that thought sustains its existence. God's thoughts of all his creation sustains its
existence.
Consider the philosopher Rene Descartes' famous statement: "I think therefore I am", in Latin: "cogito ergo sum".
The phrase "I am" indicates existence. We exist NOT because we think, but rather because GOD THINKS.
Our existence is dependent on God alone. "God thinks of us, therefore we exist."
Man's power to think is a gift from God, from some powers of the soul, namely, reason, intellect, imagination and memory,
that DO NOT constitute the source of our existence.
Descartes' statement "I think therefore I am" is heretical and deifies man, makes man God
as we see more and more in today's faulty philosophy,
that abandons more and more the philosophy of our beloved Saint Thomas Aquinas.
God manifested His essence when He spoke to Moses "I AM WHO AM". (Exodus III,
14) Almighty God is the ONLY One who can say "I AM" where as man, can only say
"I exist because God thinks of me". We should always thank God for our existence
who continually sustains it in His Mind.
"'TO BE' AND 'TO UNDERSTAND' ARE NOT THE SAME IN US. Hence
that which in us has intellectual being, does not belong to our nature.
But in God 'to be' and 'to understand' are one and the same"
(Summa Theologica, FIRST PART, QUESTION 34, ARTICLE 2)
page 8
What are the powers of creation amongst simple creation to
more complex creation?
NOTE: The following is based on the Summa Theologica(Part I,
Question 77(Of those things which belong to the Powers of the Soul in General),
Question 78(Of the Specific Powers of the Soul),
Question 79(Of the Intellectual Powers),
Question 80(Of the Appetive Powers in General),
Question 81(Of the Power of Sensuality),
and Question 82(Of the Will)
The following conclusion of non-living material creation most likely needs some tweaking:
Matter, for example, a rock, has the state of actual existence, in that its existence is solely dependent on the thought of that rock existing in the mind of God.
All matter has the power to attract other matter known as the force of gravity and
some matter under certain conditions has electromagnetic forces produced by
electric currents naturally or artificially that attract or repel such as the
electromagnetic field of the molten core of the earth that may be produced by
electrons traveling through a spiritual medium about the center that may be composed of
crystallized iron, that has power, for example,
over a compass needle, in which the behavior of the electromagnetic field "lines"
or "lines" of force,
which truly are field waves propagating considered as a whole in curvatures in much
the same way, which can be graphically represented, of a fish "wiggling" forward
displacing water in which that "wiggling" forward motion forms a wave itself and
in which that fish propagates itself in a curve like fashion around an object such as
a rock deep in the ocean; curvature composed of a field wave; the behavior and effects of these electromagnetic field waves
from the center of the earth may change over the passage of time.
A body of mass rotating or spining about a central point that is not constant will eventually loose its consistency, angular momentum, stable rotation, and even perhaps a stable angle of rotation. This may be caused by the molten lava in the center of the earth being positioned with various densities at precise points by a spiritual medium. This perhaps could change the angle at which the earth rotates about itself in an almost undetectable degree which would change the angle of the rays of the sun striking the earth which could change temperature and the weather itself. This can be seen by the various and different effects of gravity on different places of the earth due to different densities of mass beneath it.
NOTE: Saint Thomas Aquinas in his Summa teaches that the whole
physical world and universe is entrusted by God to the
keeping of Angels: stars, nations, man and so on.
And now there exists a great battle between Good Angels and fallen ones in keeping
the order of the universe particularly in orbits. One solution is to ask the
ArchAngel Michael to send hosts of Angels for help.
Electromagnetic forces as well as other types of field lines are a cornerstone of physics,
and in fact light itself is an electromagnetic wave. Without electromagnetic energy
produced by electric currents both naturally and artificially, technology as we know it
at this time, would be impossible.
Matter and energy co-exist together, for example energy in the form of light, an
electromagnetic wave, and heat, the vibration of particles,
consuming the material substance of a match or for example pure "linear" momentum which
is impossible to achieve of an object with velocity in which change in velocity requires
energy due to the resistance of the property of inertia, to accelerate or decelerate that object or angular movement in which an object with
velocity is always accelerating due to its constant change in direction and in which transactions
and redistribution of each matter and energy, constantly take place in the universe.
There is no absolute pure linear momentum due to the fact that every body of mass in the
universe orbits either elliptically or circularly some other body of mass
with the CORRECT PROPORTIONALITY RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER
or in the
subatomic particles of the atom itself orbiting some primitive form point conceptually with no mass,
but as a pure position in space and due to the fact that field waves interact with one another.
Consider any linear movement on the earth. That object
is also in another path of motion orbiting another point, such as the sun which is also
orbiting another point and so on.
The "vibration" not due to particles bouncing off each other in a certain volume of space,
but orbital oscillation of a particle is maintained within a certain volume of space by
gravitational force. Oscillation appears more linear as the orbit decreases in size.
A body of mass orbiting another body of mass possesses angular momentum which is
maintained by gravitational force because that body of mass is accelerating
which is Einstein's principle of equivalence in which gravitational acceleration
is indistinguishable from acceleration in which angular momentum is a form of
due to its constant change in direction.
The greater the mass of an object with
momentum, the more linear it appears relative to the universe as a whole when actually it will always
have a slight curve even if that curve is undetectable due to the affect of other field waves near it
and due to the fact that its path of movement is in other paths of movement, other more
larger frames of reference, the largest being the whole universe.
As the mass of an object with an over all size orbit relative to a smaller mass and orbit with
the same proportions increases, the greater the velocity the smaller mass possesses.
The smaller the mass in the smallest amount of space that mass can be contained inside of, relative
to the entire volume of space of the universe as a whole that has no
oscillation, as a frame of reference, the greater the orbital oscillation.
From Max Planck's observations, the amount of energy required to vibrate or increase orbital
oscillation of the same number of particles even if they be sub-atomic at a given
frequency in the same interval of time is a constant.
Planck discovered that there existed a smallest undividable unit of energy called
the Quanta, in Latin, "how much", which is where Quantum Mechanics comes from. Energy is
transmitted or redistributed in units of Quanta in which the mass of a light wave,
a photon, possesses one quanta. Consider a particle in orbital oscillation at the
atomic level and some field wave propagating at it. The smaller the orbit, the more
circular it is and thus the smaller the radius and thus the greater its velocity and angular momentum
as well as the greater the number of instances that field wave hits the particle in a given
time interval or the more frequently that particle gets hit and due to gravity it
maintains its orbit but its angular momentum increases and thus its "vibration"
increases or rather its orbital oscillation increases and thus energy in the form
of heat is transmitted. Also, the greater the frequency of the field wave and
the smaller the radius of the orbit of the atomic particle the greater the chance
that field wave will hit the particle and thus a better transfer of energy
will take place.
There is no smallest volume of space. Since God who is Pure Spirit can divide a room for example in half,
and then further divide that room in half, he could do so forever. With each division, to
God it would be as though there was still a great deal of space left since He is Pure
Spirit.
However, the reverse is not true. The volume of space in the Universe is NOT infinite because
God created it and if it was infinite, there would be no way to distinguish God from the Universe,
His Creation in which He is absolutely distinct from. He exists both inside and outside the
Universe and is not one and the same with any of it.
Since mass takes up space, it is in terms of and in three dimensional space. Mass has
volume. Because there is no smallest volume of space, likewise there is no smallest
amount of mass. That is not to say that there exists infinitely smaller and smaller
sub-atomic particles but to say that we can not absolutely say what particle is the
smallest or that the particle we think is the smallest even exists and has certain
effects under certain circumstances.
It would make reasonable sense and also with the understanding of how much God respects
the practical world, that certain subatomic particles much smaller than protons, neutrons,
and electrons with a certain angular momentum actually always cause gravitational field waves
that propagate at the speed of light. It would also make sense to be consistent that
certain other subatomic particles also cause under certain conditions
only on electrically charged particles,
electromagnetic
field waves that propagate at the speed of light. There may exist under rare circumstances even
smaller subatomic particles that cause at this time other and unknown field waves that
may be more powerful, possess more energy, and cause more wondrous effects than the two field
waves we already know of, again under certain rare conditions.
The smallest sub atomic particle orbiting the primitive form point would have a radius
of virtually 0 and would virtually be still and
it would not have any spin or rotation about itself.
Perhaps the smallest sub atomic particle is enclosed in a hollow sphere that reflects
certain field waves inward covering the surface area of the entire particle
and certain field waves outward at the same time in much the same way a spherical object would
have light from a lamp hitting its entire surface area in an enclosed room with white walls.
In other words in a bigger picture in order to have sunlight 24 hours a day, our solar system
would have to be enclosed in a hollow white sphere.
In this hypothetical possibility, darkness would no longer exist in our solar system.
One advantage to such a shield would be that it could protect a solar system from
an undetected meteor shower that can appear and reappear through the use of the
"quod non comprehendi vigor".
This phenomena may exist somewhere else in the universe.
If a body of mass is rotating about an axis or has any spin at all, it is not directly orbiting the primitive form point because of the many points of angular momentum within it and due to the fact that it would have its own center and not the primitive form point. Therefore the smallest subatomic particle has no rotation about itself or any spin about itself.
Perhaps there exists some central point in the universe that all bodies of mass orbit very much like the smallest subatomic particle.
This smallest sub atomic particle perhaps orbits the primitive form point faster than the speed of a light photon. The energy required for this to be possible is absolutely incomprehensible, "quod non comprehendi vigor". Note: Perhaps access to this energy is what makes Black Magic in any form possible. This smallest sub atomic particle would perhaps be smaller than the photon mass that comprises the electromagnetic light wave and that may contribute or be the means, the medium with a certain elasticity, tightness, stress for light to propagate through in much the same way that water molecules oscillate extremely faster than the water wave itself propagating through it. Note: If light was not composed of both mass and energy, the neurons in the retina in an eye could not detect it.
The field waves propagating from the smallest sub atomic particle relative to the primitive form point utilizing the "quod non comprehendi vigor" for good purposes could perhaps change transportation and communication as we know it under certain rare circumstances such as a blessed object.
Perhaps one circumstance could be due to such particles temporarily loosing their property of inertia in relation to space, the resistance to acceleration and deceleration. If Mass = rest mass / [ (1 - square root of: ( (velocity squared) / (speed of light squared) ) ] and the velocity of the particle is greater than the speed of light, an imaginary number would be formed which has no physical significance and retaining its characteristics would have to reappear somewhere else.
Inertia could have been caused by the sin of Adam. Perhaps in the beginning, inertia did not exist in the Garden of Eden making Newton's law Force=Mass X Acceleration meaningless. In the beginning, suffering did not exist and work was effortless but rather an act of the Will out of Love for God and fellow man. But God made suffering, a result of evil, into a greater good and the means of our salvation.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the ETERNAL MOMENT in time of
the one Sacrifice on Calvary, through the ministry of the priest,
of the body and blood of Christ, under the appearances of
bread and wine, God the Son, offered to God the Father,
in the unity of God the Holy Ghost, in atonement for sins is
made present to us in our present moment in time in an unbloody manner.
Each time we assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, it is exactly
as if we were standing by the side of Mary, Mary of Cleophas,
Mary Magdalen and Saint John. (Saint John 19:25-27)
This ETERNAL moment of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass intersects time
and is not bound by its limitations. If one were to be so CLOSELY UNITED
to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, it MAY be possible to traverse time.
The following MAY be impossible:
First it may be possible to relate the first four dimensions in a
Pythagorean triangle with one side being the dimensions of space,
the other the dimension of time and the hypotenuse the relation
between them.
Now consider as before Mass = rest mass / [ (1 - square root of: ( (velocity squared) / (speed of light squared) ) ] and
Time = rest time / [ (1 - square root of: ( (velocity squared) / (speed of light squared) ) ].
Recall the smallest sub atomic particle perhaps orbits the primitive form point faster than the speed of a light photon
under the condition of a temporary loss of the property of inertia in relation to space.
Under this condition time would also be imaginary, complex, and undefined.
Such "ghostly" particles could appear and reappear in the past, present, or future
not at all interacting with other particles in the same space and time, nor
interfering with events but merely observing or witnessing them.
All this would be caused by the absolutely incomprehensible, "quod non comprehendi vigor",
that must originate from God that perhaps Good and fallen angels have access to.
“God had created the angels at the instant indicated by the word of Moses: ‘God said: Let their be light, and light was made.’ He speaks here not only of material light but also of the intellectual or angelic lights.” according to the Mystical City of God by Venerable Mary of Agreda(Revelations on the Life of Mary dictated by The Blessed Virgin Mary herself, and approved by countless Theologians).
(Summa, First Part, Question 108, Article 7) "It is written
(Judges 5:20): "Stars remaining in their order and courses,"
which is applied to the angels." Angels keep the stars in
order and on their course.
Perhaps light itself travels through an Angelic medium.
If a particle the same size as the smallest sub atomic particle came into contact with the smallest sub atomic particle, the charge of each unknown at this time, would convert mass into energy but the question would be how to convert the energy back into mass. Such particles are known as anti-particles but would be most efficient at the smallest sub atomic particle.
Consider that motion is a body of mass at one position at a certain time and
in a future instant at a different position in which the difference in time
can be measured that was caused by the application of energy for a period of
some time or by its own inertia during the total interval of time the body of
mass changed its position. Furthermore we must consider the effects of unknown
field waves that can be applied to a body of mass for some period of time
and how the variables of the total interval of time, for example as it
approaches 0, distance and position factor in.
Consider the known four dimensions: time and the X, Y, and Z planes, and they must
be considered in that order because with out time there can be no space. Thought
itself is a dimension on a much higher level of reality than the other four
dimensions. God Himself is Pure Thought and Thought is what exists outside the
universe, God's Thought which requires no time, no time that is to think. God's
thought is Instantaneous.
Simultaneous on the other hand is distinct from instantaneous in that it is two or more events
occurring at the same instant in time.
Since the movement of an Angel is determined by the determination of his will
and his movement is NOT instantaneous as Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches,
(SUMMA, FIRST PART, QUESTION 53, ARTICLE 3), then therefore the speed of his thought is
also not instantaneous because if it was he would be equal to God. This speed of thought
is the ability to see the relation between two similar concepts and further to connect
them with other concepts and so on and so forth and is measured by the rate at which these
connections are made. Any Angel of the Nine Choirs, even the lowest had the opportunity to
approach, the best he could, the speed of the Thought of God which is Instantaneous
according to the determination of his will which is a fruit of his Love for God, during
his test period at the beginning of Creation. It may be possible for time dilation to occur in the dimension of thought.
Thought is superior to the other four dimensions. Using a visual representation,
three dimensions can be mapped to two dimensions with one perspective, for example a photograph that
has three vantage points that when conceptually are connected with lines are
perpendicular to each other. Four dimensions can be mapped to three with
four vantage points perpendicular to each other and two perspectives simultaneously, five to
four with five vantage points perpendicular to each other and three perspectives simultaneously, and so on which can be referred
to as "thinking outside the box." In the material world, the universe as a whole is considered the absolute frame of reference,
that has no orbital oscillation, no vibration in itself,
but in the spiritual is THOUGHT itself which conceptually is where the outer edges
of the universe touch Thought, God Himself. It is unknown what occurs at the smallest sub-atomic
particle. Does it orbit a primitive form point, or is it still relative to other
particles orbiting it?
It is not that Newton's laws are inconsistent with Einstein's laws but that each
has consistent results that satisfy certain circumstances, but not all.
Scientifically, philosophically and theologically speaking, power is NOT determined
in how "BIG" something is, but in how "SMALL" it is. The answers we are looking for
are literally right underneath our noses. Perhaps the answers we are looking for are
not somewhere out there in the universe but in the undiscovered nature of
subatomic particles, their behavior and effects,
of the very ATOM itself.
The behavior and effects of the sub-atomic particles of an ATOM are more difficult to discover
and understand than the behavior and effects of the largest body of mass in the universe!
All the laws of physics and science in general were established by God from the beginning of creation for men
to discover and use to further
bring about the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven.
In a sense all of creation is powerless, has no powers of itself, but God allows creation
to have certain powers to execute for the further glory of God.
Vegetative life also has the state of actual existence plus generative power and nutritive power. Generative power is the power to reproduce itself. Nutritive power is the power to assimilate the nutritive material substances and energy from its environment to supply what it has lost, grow, and also possesses an augmentative power to reach the stature and level of perfection that was meant for it.
Rational animals, men, have the power of
inanimate matter, the state of actual existence, as well as
all the powers of vegetative life plus the sensitive powers
of the soul, imagination, memory, intellect, both active and passive,
reason, both higher and lower, and the will. Irrational animals have the
qualities of rational animals except they solely react instinctively
to stimuli acquired through the senses with out reason, nor do they have a will.
The active intellect understands what it has perceived through the
senses or thoughts alone, via abstractions and deductions of these ideas through reason.
The passive intellect moves from potential to act, from
non understanding to understanding. The Divine Intellect is
purely an Active Intellect in that God understands all things
at once, does not acquire them as from potential to act, and this
is His Divine Essence.
Higher reason deals with matters concerning eternity and
lower reason deals with matters concerning temporal things
both which determine harmful from useful eternal and temporal matters.
The sensitive powers
supply knowledge of the universe via organic organs of the
body: skin, eyes, ears, nose and tongue. These organs
integrally connect the body with the soul's ability to
perceive its environment and learn more about its
surrounding universe. The ability of the sensitive power to
preserve what it has perceived is called the imagination
although some imagination is perceived by thought alone such
as one sleeping or the insertion of thoughts from good and
bad angels as Saint Thomas teaches. The difference between the irrational animal and the rational animal, man, is that the rational animal can distinguish between what imagination is useful and what is harmful through the use of particular or cogitative reason. Rational knowledge is a fruit of particular or cogitative
reason.
The estimative power exists in both rational and irrational
animals, in other words the instinctive reaction to stimuli
in its environment. The sheep flees when it sees a wolf and
the man if to near fire, moves away. The power of memory
allows both the rational and irrational animal the ability
to recall for actual consideration, imaginations previously perceived through the sensitive powers or the internal imagination alone. The power of intellect is one of the powers of the human soul but its power is not a pure and sole intellect as that of an angel. The divine intellect does not exist in its potential but in its act as always possessing all possible knowledge without ever acquiring it such as in active human intellect.
All knowledge gained or not yet gained by the human intellect already existed in the mind of God always from all eternity
and all this knowledge had its first cause in God. The
sensitive power of the soul is entirely passive and provides
the active intellect with sensible, perceiving through
the five senses, intelligbles, spiritual "digestible" entities via the imagination stored in the mind, and recalled through the memory. Non-sensible intellibles such as thoughts entered into our imagination such as the holy inspirations of our Guardian Angel and thoughts entered into our imagination by fallen angels
taught by Saint Thomas Aquinas, and such as those acquired in
a dream can also be provided to the active intellect. Reason
distinguishes knowledge that is harmful to the soul as
opposed to knowledge that is useful and aids us in
discovering truth. The powers of reason and intellect are not
distinct in that reason aids the intellect in discovering
useful matters both eternal and temporal.
Conscience, though not a human power, is an ACT that witnesses good and
evil actions, judges things that should be done and things that should
not be done by way of inciting or binding, and also accuses, torments,
or rebukes. These repeated acts, habit, of the conscience form and strengthen it.
The conscience can be and should be strengthened by the
intellect and reason. The conscience acts as a moral compass accusing
oneself of right and wrong and makes oneself guilty of sinful acts.
Guilt when not from scrupulosity is separation from God.
What should we do when we are tempted?
First, some temptations are our own fault because we do no avoid,
or worse, immerse ourselves into the near occasions of sin, and other
temptations are not our own fault due to circumstances out of our
control and finally other temptations are directly from the devil.
Some temptations are inserted into the imagination by fallen angels
and other Holy thoughts and inspirations are inserted by good angels,
such as our Guardian Angel as Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches. Some temptations
from the devil can be fierce and horrifically bad but we must at
once realize that those bad thoughts did not originate from ourselves,
and instantly immerse ourselves in prayer, the lifting up of our
minds and hearts to God aswell as communication with God, and durring
temptation we should also contemplate Our Lord Crucified or the Sorrows of Our Lady.
We must NEVER
turn back, contemplate or entertain a temptation, but rather let it
fall further and further into the past as a lost memory and again
immerse ourselves in ejaculatory prayers in the present. We must let
temptations drift away as a pebble that is dropped into the ocean and
falls deeper and deeper into the sea, further and further out of reach.
A scrupulous soul turns back at a temptation, contemplates it or worse even,
entertains it. A scrupulous soul wonders if he has sinned at the first
instant of a temptation. This is very dangerous and blocks the progress
of virtue. Those who try to be virtuous are tempted more than those who are
deep in vice, for the devil has already won those deep in vice.
SAINT ALPHONSUS MARIA De LIGUORI (Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church and LOVED the BLESSED VIRGIN)
Saint Alphonus, Thou who Loved the Blessed Virgin so much, grant us that same Love, and grant us Balance in our conscience, that we may Fear offending God at the same time not being scrupulous, but rather frequently examining our conscience, knowing ourselves, our strengths, our weaknesses, that we may know and understand that to separate ourselves from Our Loving Father is to have 1) knowledge, 2) consent, 3) and gravity in sin, and that if we lack in these three, to let temptations and scruples be lost as a forgotten memory as a pebble that falls deeper and deeper into an ocean, lest we cling to that pebble we will fall to the bottom and loose the very virtue we strive to achieve, and that if any of us should ever have the misfortune of falling into mortal sin, that we immediately ask the Father for forgiveness through His Only Begotten Son in the Unity of the Most Holy Ghost, NEVER despair, but rather promptly say a perfect act of Contrition for having offended God, a temporary "bandaid of reconciliation", promptly Trust and receive God's Mercy through the Sacrament of Penance, get up from our fall, pick up our Cross, follow Christ and joyfully accept all the suffering God gifts us with, the Royal Road to Heaven, in joyful resignation, self abandonment, and trustful surrender to the Merciful Most Perfect Divine Providence. Dear Saint Alphonsus, Pray for us. Amen.
The powers of the intellect and of the senses are distinct. The
appetitive power is passive and waits for an object to be apprehended.
What is apprehened by the intellectual appetite is distinct from the
sensitive. The intellectual appetite is moved by things outside the
soul, like a desire for knowledge and a further understanding of that
knowlege via the reason which is not a distinct power from the intellectual power in
rational animals unlike irrational animals that do not possess reason but are
pure beasts that act on instinct that men sometimes act like when they do not
utilize their God given gift of reason. In fact when men act on instinct, they
are worse than beasts because they reject the reason God gave them. The motive power of the intellect and
the senses are not distinct in that the higher appetite is moved by
means of the lower appetite. The intellectual appetite can and in most
cases these days is moved by the sensitive appetive but should be the
other way around.
The sensitive appetitive power apprehends an object, such as a man
seeing a woman dressed immodestly on the street, and can move the
intellectual appetite wich must use reason to determine if that object
is harmful to the soul or not and if it is harmful by way of higher reason,
such a one must utilize the power of the will choosing good and avoiding
evil by way of the intellect recognizing truth and error in the mind.
All appetites of the soul can obey and must obey both higher and lower reason to avoid sin
and progress in virtue.
Man's life is constituted in much more than the powers he is endowed with by God
but in his acts. The movement of his free will moves all the other powers of his soul which
is defined as his intention. Man voluntarily acts from his intentions by way of the power of
his God given will
both of which define the inner disposition of his soul towards God and his fellow man.
These repeated actions performed in a duration of time in the past
constitute in the present, habit. Repeated habitual good actions constitute virtue, and
repeated bad actions constitute vice. The greater the duration of time of actions performed
constitute greater virtue or greater vice. The greater the duration of time of bad actions
performed makes it more difficult to overcome vice but with God's grace obtained through
the sacraments and prayer, all bad habits can be overcome one at a time
by avoiding the near occasions of sin and
through the
replacement of bad habits with good ones such as the frequent reception of the sacraments,
the daily Rosary and constant and habitual ejaculatory prayers. This virtue constituted by
habitual good actions fullfills man's augmentative power to reach the stature and level of perfection God meant
for man's soul on earth as it was meant for in heaven.
What is virtue?
Saint Augustine says virtue "is a good habit in accordance with our nature."
Furthermore, virtue is the habit of doing repeated good acts with a supernatural motive,
for the love, sake, and glory of God.
What are the theological virtues?
Faith, Hope, and Charity.
What is the greatest theological virtue?
Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians, "So faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13).
What are good acts of faith, hope and charity?
Act of Faith:
"O MY God, I firmly believe that Thou art one God in three divine persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; I believe that Thy divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed them, Who canst neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen."
Act of Hope:
"O MY God, relying on Thy almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon for my sins, the help of Thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen."
Act of Love:
"O MY God, I love Thee above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art all-good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured. Amen."
Pope Benedict XIII (1649- 1730) on January 15, 1728 granted a plenary indulgence to the acts of faith, hope, and love.
Our Lady of Fatima said "Pray, pray, a great deal, and make
sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to Hell because
they have no one to make sacrifices for them."
"O my Jesus, I firmly believe in Thee and Thy Holy Church,
and it is for the love of Thee, for
the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for all the
sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary that I
offer thee all my sufferings that dying souls at this present moment,
including my own miserable wretched self,
who desires and hopes for spiritual perfection,
may not be sent to hell, but instead to the
deepest part in purgatory." Amen
What are the Cardinal or Chief Moral Virtues?
THE FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES:
The function of PRUDENCE is to point out which
course of action is to be taken in any round of
concrete circumstances.
The holy virtue of Prudence very much helps in accomplishing the Will of God. Prudence is the delicate perception of what to do and say at all times, the best we can.
JUSTICE is a moral quality or habit which perfects
the will and inclines it to render to each and to
all what belongs to them.
TEMPERANCE may be defined as the righteous habit
which makes a man govern his natural appetite for
pleasures of the senses in accordance with the norm
prescribed by reason.
FORTITUDE or courage is the virtue of the man who,
being confronted with a nobel occasion of
encountering the danger of death[or a strenuous
situation], meets it fearlessly"
St. Thomas (Summa Theol., I-II, Q. lxi, aa. 2 and 4)
derives the cardinal virtues ... "In the intellect is
prudence; in the will is justice; in the sensitive
appetites are temperance restraining pleasure, and
fortitude urging on impulses of resistance to fear
which would deter a person from strenuous action
under difficulties..."
"Each man should so conduct himself that fortitude
appear in labours and dangers: temperance in
foregoing pleasures: prudence in the choice between
good and evil: justice in giving every man his own
[in suo cuique tribuendo]"
(De Fin., V, xxiii, 67; cf. De Offic., I, ii, 5).
What are virtues opposed to the seven capital sins?
HUMILITY is opposed to pride
GENEROSITY to covetousness
CHASTITY to lust
MEEKNESS to anger
TEMPERANCE to gluttony
Brotherly LOVE
for the SAKE of God to envy
DILIGENCE to sloth.
What are some good virtuous habits?
1) The habit of silence.
2) The habit of solitude.
3) The habit of intercessory prayer.
4) The habit of praying the Psalms.
5) The habit of praying the Rosary.
6) The habit of Eucharistic adoration.
7) The habit of lectio divina.(Divine reading of the Scriptures as a school of prayer)
8) The habit of spiritual reading.
9) The habit of ejaculatory prayer.
10) The habit of blessing others.
What is the Litany of Humility?
(accustomed to be said after celebration of Mass,
by Merry Cardinal del Val, secretary of state to
Pope Saint Pius X)
(for private use only)
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I go unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I,
provided that I may become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
What are some Scripture verses dealing with the virtue of Chastity?
Ephesians 5:1-5 "Be ye therefore followers of God, as
most dear children: And walk in love, as Christ also hath
loved us and hath delivered himself for us, an oblation
and a sacrifice to God for an odour of sweetness. But
fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it
not so much as be named among you, as becometh saints:
Or obscenity or foolish talking or scurrility, which is
to no purpose: but rather giving of thanks. For know you
this and understand: That no fornicator or unclean or
covetous person (which is a serving of idols) hath
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
1 Thessalonians 4:3. "For this is the will of God, your
sanctification: That you should abstain from fornication"
Matthew 5:27-28 "You have heard that it was said to them
of old: Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say to you,
that whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, hath
already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Galatians 5:16-21 "I say then: Walk in the spirit: and you
shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh
lusteth against the spirit: and the spirit against the flesh:
For these are contrary one to another: so that you do not the
things that you would. But if you are led by the spirit,
you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are
manifest: which are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty,
luxury, Idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities, contentions,
emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, sects. Envies,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like. Of the which
I foretell you, as I have foretold to you, that they who do
such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God."
Galations 5:24 "And they that are Christ's have crucified
their flesh, with the vices and concupiscences."
I Corinthians 6:13-20 "Meat for the belly and the belly for
the meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. But the
body is not for fornication, but for the Lord: and the Lord
for the body. Now God hath raised up the Lord and will raise
us up also by his power. Know you not that your bodies are the
members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and
make them the members of a harlot? God forbid! Or know you not
that he who is joined to a harlot is made one body? For they
shall be, saith he, two in one flesh. But he who is joined to
the Lord is one spirit. Fly fornication. Every sin that a man
doth is without the body: but he that committeth fornication
sinneth against his own body. Or know you not that your members
are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have
from God: and you are not your own? For you are bought with a
great price. Glorify and bear God in your body."
Genesis 18:20 "And the Lord said: The cry of Sodom and
Gomorrha is multiplied, and their sin is become exceedingly
grievous."
Genesis 19:4-8 "But before they went to bed, the men of the city
beset the house, both young and old, all the people together. And
they called Lot, and said to him: Where are the men that came in
to thee at night? bring them out hither, that we may know them:
Lot went out to them, and shut the door after him, and said:
Do not so, I beseech you, my brethren, do not commit this evil.
I have two daughters who, as yet, have not known man; I will bring
them out to you, and abuse you them as it shall please you, so that
you do no evil to these men, because they are come in under the
shadow of my roof."
(These evil men wanted to "know"(to have homosexual relations with)
the men staying with Lot.)
Genesis 19:24-25 "And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrha
brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he destroyed
these cities, and all the country about, all the inhabitants of the
cities, and all things that spring from the earth."
(The sin of Sodom and Gomorrha was homosexuality)
Leviticus 18:1,22-23 "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:...
Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: because it is
an abomination. Thou shalt not copulate with any beast: neither
shalt thou be defiled with it. A woman shall not lie down to
a beast, nor copulate with it: because it is a heinous crime."
(The Lord is commanding that we not commit any homosexual acts,
nor have sexual relations with animals. To "lie" and to copulate
means to have sexual relations.)
I Corinthians 6:10 "Nor the effeminate nor liers with mankind
nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor railers nor extortioners
shall possess the kingdom of God."
(The effeminate are men that dress like women or act like women.
The same goes for women. Women should not dress like men or act
like men. Men should be men and women should be women. "Liers
with mankind" are men who commit homosexual acts with other men.
The same goes for women. Women must not have sexual relations
with other women.)
Romans 1:27 "And, in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural
use of the women, have burned in their lusts, one towards another:
men with men, working that which is filthy and receiving in
themselves the recompense which was due to their error."
Genesis 38:9-10 "He[Onan] knowing that the children should not
be his, when he went in to his brother's wife, he
spilled his seed upon the ground, lest children should
be born in his brother's name. And therefore the Lord
slew him, because he did a detestable thing"
God greatly detests the sin of touching oneself impurely
and the Lord slew("to kill by violence") Onan for it,
for man's seed is sacred in the site of Almighty God and should not be wasted
because of its function in conception, the miracle of new life,
and co-creation with God. Likewise the flesh a woman provides
for conception, the miracle of new life, and co-creation with God
should not be tampered with in any way.
If we commit sins against the flesh, we are much more culpable than
Onan because we know Christ and His teachings. A brief moment of sinful pleasure,
of the flesh, worthy of hell, is absolutely nothing in comparison with the rewards
of being faithful to Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:9 "But, as it is written:
That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard: neither hath it entered into the heart
of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him."
I Corinthians 7:1-2 "Now concerning the things whereof
you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
But for fear of fornication, let every man have his own
wife: and let every woman have her own husband."
Ephesians 5:31-32 "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother: and
shall cleave to his wife. And they shall be two in one flesh.
THIS IS A GREAT SACRAMENT: but I speak in Christ and in the church."
Most souls are called by God to get married, and some souls are called by God to be single,
and others are called by God to enter the religious life.
Lust is the inordinate seeking of the pleasures of the flesh.
Lust defiles a man as no other sin does. It degrades man to
the level of the beast. Pride is the sin committed by Lucifer,
avarice by Judas, and lust by the brute. Lust
leads to loss of health and reason. It was the cause of the
deluge. It was the cause for the destruction with fire and
brimstone of Sodom and Gomorrha.
Impurity weakens the will and darkens the understanding.
For this reason amendment is very difficult, and the sinner
falls into many other sins. So Solomon, who yielded to lust,
finally lost all his wisdom and turned to the worship of
false Gods. From lust spring jealousy, hatred, murder, loss of faith,
despair, instability, worldliness, selfishness, and other sins.
We must learn to gain mastery of our own body and have control
of our sensitive appetites. In time through virtuous acts and self denial, our
sensitive appetites will diminish and our intellectuall appetite
will increase, and the motive power of the intellect will gradually
gain more and more control of the motive power of the senses.
There is much hope for one addicted and trapped by
the sin of lust. God's grace is sufficient to overcome lust
if we humbly and with confidence ask for His help.
2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said to me: My grace is sufficient for thee: for power is made perfect in infirmity. Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me."
A pure soul is immensely pleasing to God. The
angels and saints delight in such a soul and see the image
of God in him. Your guardian angel is elated with happiness
and joy. God the Holy Ghost finds his dwelling place in you,
and is pleased and honored to abide in you.
If one should have the misfortune of
falling into any mortal sin, such a one should immediately say
an act of contrition and promptly receive the Holy Sacrament
of Penance. This perfect act of contrition from the motive of sorrow for
having offended God greater than the fear of hell, is a temporary
"bandaid" of reconciliation,
and acts of virtue should not cease but such a one should
persevere in virtuous acts to
establish a stronger habit of virtue to overcome vice,
at the same time not receiving Holy Communion during this period
until one is able to receive the Sacrament of
Penance.
What is the act of contrition?
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 I have offended
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.
page 9
What is the commonality amongst all life?
The commonality of all life is that it possesses an
intangible, that which can not be perceived by the senses,
part. Material life forms, vegetative and animal,
have an intangible part as will be shown later, just as immaterial life, spirits,
have an intangible spiritual essence. This intangible or immaterial part of
material life forms is more real than its material part because since God is
Spirit, the spiritual world is therefore more real than the material world.
page 10
How can we better know that the invisible intangible or spiritual world exists?
We know that the material world exists because we
can see it with our own eyes. Well, can we see thought? We
can not see thought, yet we believe thoughts exist because
we can think and can reason. We know our physical brain and
neurons exist because science tells us they exist. The
Mystery that only God knows is the connection between
invisible thoughts in our mind and neurons in our physical brain. The spiritual world mainly consists in thought, doctrines and truth, for God is thought, doctrine and truth itself. We know the spiritual world exists because we believe thought, doctrines and truth exist. Saint John 8:32 "And you shall know the TRUTH: and the TRUTH shall make you FREE." Therefore NOT knowing the TRUTH, but rather adhering to lies, falsity, error and heresy shall make you enslaved to sin and the devil. Saint John 4:24 "God is a spirit: and they that adore him must adore him in spirit and in truth."
page 11
How many parts does man consist of?
Two, a tangible and an intangible part. The tangible part is
man's body. How do we know that man consists of an
intangible part? We know because man can think, and thoughts
are intangible. These thoughts whether voluntary of the free will in the conscious mind or involuntary in the unconscious mind such in a dream are real but we are only culpable of our voluntary thoughts in the conscious mind, our free will. Science will never be able to explain the connection between the physical neurons in the brain and thoughts in the intangible mind. Actually much of man is intangible. Again, the sensible organic organs of the body: skin, eyes, ears, nose and tongue provide knowledge to the
sensible powers of the intangible part of man. The sensation
of heat from the skin is sent via electrical impulses via
the physical neurons to the brain that preserves what has
been perceived to the imagination, a part of the intangible
part of man. This perception of heat in the imagination is
again, intangible. The eyes collect reflections of light
off objects forming images that preserves what has been
perceived again, to the imagination, a part of the
intangible part of man. The ears collect vibrations from
sound that preserves what has been perceived again, to the
imagination, a part of the intangible part of man. The nose
senses physical auromas and preserves what has been
perceived again, to the imagination, a part of the
intangible part of man. The tongue senses tastes from food
and drink and preserves what has been perceived again, to
the imagination, a part of the intangible part of man.
So as we can see the sensible organic organs of the body:
skin, eyes, ears, nose and toungue are absolutely useless
without the intangible part of man, his sensitive powers:
imagination and memory in the mind. It is the intangible
part of man that animates him, that gives him life,
otherwise he would be dead as a corpse. The inangible part
of man also controls voluntary aswell as involuntary bodily
functions such as breathing, heart beat, blood pulsation and
so on.
Furthermore we know we consist of a body through our five senses; we can
see, hear, smell, touch and so on the body. The body is the
material part of our being, our existence. But we also have
an immaterial part of our being, the soul, or the spiritual
part. Because we know the spiritual world exists, we know we
consist of a soul, for if we did not have a soul, we could
not think. The soul is what makes us like to God who is
Spirit. It is what makes us into the image and likeness of
God. (Genesis 1:26) Again the spiritual world primarily
consists of thought and the soul which is spiritual is what
allows us to think and reason. Science will never be able to
explain both the distinction and connection between the
immaterial part of man and the material part, between the
physical neurons of the brain and invisible thought.
Animals, beasts, also have a material part and an immaterial
part, a soul, but their soul is mortal unlike man's soul
that is immortal and will live for ever in eternity either
in hell or in heaven. An animal, a beast can not reason, but
rather acts on instinct. Only with God can man determine
what is good from what is evil. An animal can not determine
what is good from what is evil and this is why the animal,
the beast is not rewarded with either heaven or hell. When
we do not reason, but rather act on instinct, we are worse
than the beast, because the beast can not reason and is
excused from reward or punishment, but man can reason and
when he behaves on instinct he is not using the gifts and
talents God gave him and is very culpable for his actions.
The body must be subject to the mind and the mind and the
will of man must be subject and conform to the Will of God.
The body must never control the mind and the will through
its unruly and irrational passions. The mind and the will
must say "NO!" to the body when the body asks for sinful
pleasures of any kind.
When man dies, his soul is temporarily separated from his
body until the last day at the resurrection. Both the souls
in hell and in heaven on the last day at the resurrection
will be reunited with their bodies and both their body and
soul will either be tormented in hell for all eternity or
rewarded to a degree unimaginable in heaven for all
eternity.
page 12
What is life?
To first be alive one must exist. God's very
essence is His "act-of-being". He is the continual cause of
His own existence from all eternity without a beginning or an
end. Our own existence is dependent on existing in the mind
of God and we are merely in the state of "being".
Life must be defined differently in different life forms:
vegetative, animal, rational and irrational, and spirits. The
vegetative life requires an intangible part to animate it as
will be shown later. The supernatural life of man's
intangible part, his soul, is the supernatural life of Christ
within himself in the form of sanctifying grace, and this
intangible part, his soul, animates his very being. Without
the soul, man's body would instantly die but his soul would
remain in existence and would be judged by God.
Good Spirits also possess the
supernatural life of God within them which animates their being.
Fallen Spirits remain in existence in the mind of God as well
as possessing their God given powers but do not possess the
supernatural life of God within them.
page 13
Can God's life be defined?
Let us first examine if God can
be defined. The very fundamental essence of God is His "act-of-being" Again He is the continual source of His own
existence for all eternity without a beginning or an end
dependent on no one for His existence. God manifested this
essence when He spoke to Moses "I AM WHO AM". (Exodus III,
14) This act-of-being is manifested in all Three Persons of
the Most Holy Trinity. To define an object we must first
assign it a genus, a category as well as assign it further
specific differences to differentiate it among other similar
genus. A human can be defined as an animal and further
distinguished from other animals as a rational animal and
further as a male or female and so on. There exists no
similar genus to God's essence, His act-of-being. The only
comparison would be no-being which is non-existent, nothing,
and an act-of-being can not be compared to nothing,
therefore God can not be defined, likewise his life can not
be defined, and made a genus because the only comparison it
would have is death, but we know for sure that it is His
life that is the very source of our life.
page 14
Can a desired effect be achieved through a series of
uncontrolled forces?
NO. Consider a
pool table. One breaks the balls, but it is metaphysically
impossible to break and get all the balls in every pockect.
If one gets the angle and force perfect for one of the
balls, he looses the angle and force on atleast one of the
other balls. The point is that if one were to add up all the
individual forces to get all the balls in a pocket and apply
that exact same force on the break, it is again,
metaphysically impossible to get each ball in a pocket. To
get each ball in a pocket requires a series of controled
forces at the precise angle to get each ball in a pocket.
Thus a desired effect can ONLY be acheived through a
series of CONTROLED forces.
page 15
When does life begin for a man?
Let us first examine philosophically what happens at the
start of man's life. Recall the example of the pool table
and the series of CONTROLED forces to get each ball in a
pocket. The same is done in mitosis. When the material
substance of the man and the woman unite, mitosis can
absolutely NOT take place whith out a series of CONTROLED
forces. Newton's Second Law of Motion states that "the
acceleration of a body is proportional to the force being
applied": Force = Mass X Acceleration. Each particle in the
very first cell of a man undergoes a series of very complex
and intrigate series of forces to accelerate the masses.
Without a control, again, it would absolutely be impossible
for mitosis, the parent cell to divide into two daughter
cells with all the genetic information to reproduce again
and again forming the human body, to take place. Consider
the complex process of the chromosomes that contain the
genetic information to reproduce, being distributed into the
two daughter cells. All living cells need energy for mitosis
to take place and to move materials across the cell
membrane. The energy is produced by mitochondria in the
cell, in the presence of oxygen and later released and
energy is also provided by nutrients from the mother through
the placenta, aiding in the mitosis, the splitting of the
parent cell into two daughter cells.
Could this all happen
by random???
NO. something is needed to Control all the
forces. Energy without control is chaotic. This Control is
the intangible part of man, his soul, which animates his
body, without which he would be dead as a corpse.
The soul is a MYSTERIOUS Supernatural and IMMATERIAL energy from God
with various powers from God, that gives natural life to the body and controls it,
though influenced by the body's sinful appetites, and that has the potential of
possessing the supernatural life of God, that Christ gives us through the sacraments
in the form of sanctifying grace. We will never comprehend the soul, and the soul can
exist by itself at the separation of body and soul at death.
The soul is the spiritual part of man.
Where
does this intangible part of man come from?
Certainly it
does not come from nothing. The Supreme and Almighty God
infused an imortal soul at conception into the very first
cell of man, in which God had not, the very first
mitosis would not even take place. Potential energy must
have Control to have a desired effect. Cell components
clearly do not make decisions how to control the energy
available to them. The intangible part of man, the soul
controls each and every transaction of energy applied to
mass, to the various cell components causing mitosis to take
place and the growth of man into the structural form God
intended for man.
Vegetative life also requires an
intangible element, a spiritual aspect for any mitosis to
take place. Mitosis in both plants and animals can not take
place without a series of CONTROLED forces which is caused
by an intangible part, a spiritual element origintaing from
Almighty God without which growth of living life forms is
impossible.
The spirit of God animates ALL life forms, keeps
them in existence and is the source of their very life. Any
tampering with the material substance the man and woman
provide for conception is a mortal sin, is a serious offense
against God who has Supreme dominion over all stages of
life. Any tampering with the DNA strands of man is also a
serious offense against God. In the Holy Sacrament of
Matrimony, ANY prevention of the union of the material
substance of both the man and women for conception is also a
serious offense against God with a few exceptions that must
be discussed with a True Traditional confessor.
page 16
What is metaphysics?
Metaphysics is the science that considers the existence of
both tangible and intangible beings and entities whether
alive or not. Philosophy and theology always deal with
metaphysics in the sense that they are sciences of again,
tangible and intangible beings and entities that exist, that
are reality and definite, thus resulting in the absolute
truth of matters which many times are beyond and not
available to our five senses. Examples of existence are the
body, the soul, spirits, consciousness, thoughts, grace,
time, matter, energy, and God Himself whose existence, as was proved, is on much higher level of existence
than our own existence because our own existence is entirely
dependent on the "idea", the thought, in God's mind and God's existence is dependent on absolutely no
other being having Him in their mind, because their is only
one Supreme Being, as was proved. So God is
entirely independent, and His own existence is dependent on
nothing at all. In (Exodus III, 14) God told Moses, "I am
who am" which denotes an act-of-being(ipsum esse) or an act
of existing which God alone can do. He alone exists by his
own power, "that which exists by itself". All creation is in
a state of "being" totally dependent on God sustaining
that "being" in His mind, otherwise if God stopped
thinking about anyone created person, spirit, life form,
matter, or any of His creation, it would instantly cease to
be, cease to exist. So in summary the two distinct forms of
existence are "being" applying to us and all of
creation and "act-of-being"(ipsum esse) applying to God
alone.
page 17
What is philosophy and theology?
Philosophy deals with truths accessible to the human
understanding knowable by natural reason alone and without
the aid of Divine Revelation(Theology). Theology deals with that which is Divinely revealed by God Himself, without which man could not possibly know, such as all of Holy Scriptures, the Summa Theologica of Saint Thomas Aquinas and the infallible teachings of the Church.
Some Philosophers go
so far as to consider truth as independent from God or if
they do consider truths as originating from God, they
isolate these derived "truths" apart from God. They consider
this "truth" as it relates to itself, how they perceive it,
not as how it relates to God or how it is RELATIVE to Him,
not how God perceives it, and ultimately not as its origin
and as its end in God. This is a dangerous philosophical
approach, because reasoning apart from God with no
foundation, for example studying the light from a light bulb
without considering its source, electricity, can easily
lead to error and heresy. Again, this is a dangerous
philosophical approach because it does not have God as its
origin and as its end.
Saint Thomas Aquinas' approach as MUST be the case of all
TRUE Philosophers and Theologians is to consider the truth
of matters, both temporal, eternal, material, and spiritual,
but ONLY in relation to God, as both its origin and its end.
A strong and solid Thomistic Philosophy is absolutely
crucial to having a solid and pure Theology.
Saint Thomas Aquinas in his Summa
Theologica has philosophical elements integrated into his
theology. Saint Thomas called such philosophical elements
"revelabilia", "revealable". For this reason, Saint Thomas,
explains that the distinction between theology and
philosophy does not adequately answer the distinction
between faith and reason. For the Faith teaches truths which
on the surface seem impossible to reason, but philosophy in
many cases makes these truths, to our very limited minds,
reasonable. At an early point in the history of mankind,
ordinary laymen considered the sun as smaller than the earth
from their point of view. But upon further philosophical
study, the "scientists" of the time concluded not only as
reasonable, but as fact that the sun was actually many times
larger than the earth.
page 18
How important is the philosophy and theology of
Saint Thomas Aquinas, the "Angelic Doctor" for the Church?
Very important! Pope Saint Pius X: "We will and strictly ordain that
scholastic philosophy be made the basis of the sacred
sciences… And let it be clearly understood above all things
that when We prescribe scholastic philosophy We understand
chiefly that which the Angelic Doctor has bequeathed to us…
They cannot set aside St. Thomas, especially in metaphysical
questions, without GRAVE disadvantage."!
"Suppress Thomas and I will destroy the Church!" exclaimed a
16th century enemy of the Catholic Church.
Around the middle of the thirteenth century, scholastic
theologians secured their ecclesiastical standing on the
theological handbook of the times: Sententiae of Peter the
Lombard. Around the year 1256 Saint Thomas began his
theological work. His Summa Theologica, comprising the whole
range of Catholic truth, replaced the Sententiae of Peter
the Lombard, and became the official theological handbook of
the priesthood, although more and more abandoned these days.
For the philosophy and theology of the Holy Priesthood is
almost entirely based on Thomism, on Our Beloved "Angelic
Doctor" Saint Thomas Aquinas Himself.
page 19
Why did Our Beloved Angelic Doctor not EXACTLY believe in
the Immaculate Conception?
Quite simply. The Angelic Doctor along with a number of
other Great Saints thought that if Mary was conceived
without original sin she would have no need of Christ's
Redemption. But on the contrary, her need of Christ's
Redemption was all the more greater realized in Mary than
any other person in the past, present and to come. Consider
a man walking towards a tar pit and falls in. Another man,
hands him a pole and frees him of the tar. Now consider a
very privileged woman who walks towards the tar pit, this
man grabs her before she can even fall in. So in the case of
Mary, Christ redeemed her from original sin by preventing it
from ever staining Mary's Soul which IS Immaculate. And Mary
can TRULY say "And my Spirit hath rejoiced in God my SAVIOR"
(Saint Luke 1:47)
The Immaculate Conception is in Holy Scriptures as will be
shown later and was defined by the Church.
However, Our Angelic Doctor implied the
Immaculate Conception when he stated that the Holy Verse
in Holy Scriptures: (Canticle of Canticles 4:7) "Thou art
all fair, O my love, and there is NOT A SPOT in thee" refers
to the Blessed Virgin. (Summa, Third Part, Question 27,
Article 4) VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: This was the absolute ONLY
OCCURRENCE in which Our Beloved Angelic Doctor was not
EXACTLY correct. Other wise who is to say, this part of the
Summa is wrong and this part is right. That would be TOTAL
CHAOS as we are seeing in both the conciliar church and the
TRUE CHURCH.
page 20
Does legitimate development of doctrine exist?
Absolutely NO development of doctrine can exist in the
TRUE Church!
Something can NOT change or develop that has already ended.
The "Unchangeable Deposit of Faith", "de Fide", ENDED at the
death of the last apostle, Saint John the Evangelist. So
therefore no new teaching can evolve or develop afterwards.
All of public revelation from Genesis to the Apocalypse
and all Holy Tradition whether by word, or epistle, (2
Thessalonians 2:15), comprises the "Unchangeable Deposit of
Faith." The Bible itself is tradition written down, it in a
sense is a branch of Holy Tradition. For Our Lord taught the
Apostles how to teach, govern and sanctify the Church from
His Resurrection to His Ascension for forty days, and very
little of it was recorded in Holy Scriptures. During these forty days, Our Lord taught the Apostles how to administer the sacraments, the source of grace for souls, and how to conduct His Church. This is
because Christ wants His little spiritual children to be
completely dependent on Him and the extension of Himself,
His Mystical Body, the Universal Church and to have a total
dependency on the One True Church Christ established, on the
knowledge of what is good verses what is evil. So if ANY
Saint no matter how holy they may be, taught something, not
of their own fault, contrary to the "Unchangeable Deposit of
Faith" or what was declared infalliblly, after their life on earth,
by a Sovereign
Pontiff alone or through a Council, then this in no way
supports the heretical belief in "legitimate development of
Doctrine", for that saint did not possess the gift of
infallibility and that teaching from that Saint is not
necessarily a part of the "Unchangeable Deposit of Faith" or
of the extraordinary magisterium. Again, something can NOT
change or develop that has already ended.
Doctrine can ONLY be further explained with the SAME meaning
and understanding. There is a clear and definite theological distinction
between development and explanation all too confused these
days. The First Vatican Council condemned the notion that dogma
can be reunderstood or develop into another. "If anyone says
that it is possible that at some time, given the advancement
of knowledge, a sense may be assigned to the dogmas
propounded by the church which is different from that which
the church has understood and understands: let him be
anathema[condemned]."
page 21
What are we to think of evolution and the accuracy of the
Bible?
First, we must understand that the Bible was never meant to
be a Scientific Reference Book, but rather a Doctrinal Truth
Faith Book. The Holy Ghost inspired the Scripture writers to
explain the truths of religion in a way ordinary people
could understand, for example in stories and parables. The
seven days of creation in Genesis written by Moses was meant
to explain that God created all of creation and creatures.
Each day of creation may or may not have been a 24 hour
period but some period of time. We are led to believe that
the age of the Universe is billions of years old. However if
this were true, then the Earth and Moon should be covered
with a great layer of space dust, meteoritic dust many feet
thick. The earth is much younger than we are led to believe. There is nothing
wrong in believing in evolution as long as one believes God
created the very first human man and human woman and infused
an immortal soul into their very being. In Genesis(2:7),
Moses does not explain how God created the slime of the
earth into Adam but leaves it up to private speculation. The
only way to explain the doctrine of original sin is the
truth that we all descended from one pair of common parents,
Adam and Eve. Even the great theologian and Scripture
writer, Saint Paul himself, refers to Adam and Eve on a
number of occasions as REAL and definite persons. (Romans
5:14, 1 Corinthians 15:22, 1 Corinthians 15:45 , 2
Corinthians 11:3, 1 Timothy 2:13-14)
Genesis 7:11-12 "In the
six hundredth year of the life of Noe, in the second month,
in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of
the great deep were broken up, and the floodgates of heaven
were opened: And the rain fell upon the earth forty days and
forty nights." There really and truly exists scientific
evidence that a world wide flood occurred as we are told in
Genesis. Fossils such as trees, many of them found upside
down, fishes, whales buried vertically found in the
sediments in the geological column could only have happened
if the sediment came down on top of them, that must have
been caused by the world wide flood. All the layers in the
geological column again must have been caused by the world
wide flood. Seashells and clams can be found on every major
mountain range that could only have ended up there if the
world wide flood occurred. Science in NO way disproves the
Bible, but rather demonstrates the Greatness of Almighty God
who governs the universe and established all the physical
laws of science for man to discover and use to further bring
about the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven.
