Reason, says St. John of Damascus, is very closely linked with free will. With reason, we can decide what’s best for ourselves, and with free will we can do it—an ability we share with the angels. Everyone who deliberates does so believing that the choice of what to do lies in his hands—that he may choose what seems best as the result of his delibera- tion, and having chosen may act upon it. And if this is so, free will... Read more
Tatian tells us that both humans and angels were created through the Word, and that both were created with free will. Therefore it is just that the good are praised and the evil punished, because both good and evil acts come from the free choices of God’s creatures. The heavenly Word, a spirit that comes from the Father, a Word from the power of the word, in imitation of the Father who begot him made human beings an image of... Read more
The fall of the angels, says St. Augustine, shows us how completely every spiritual being—human or angelic—depends on the illumination that comes from God alone. The angels fell. The human soul fell. And thus they show us the abyss in that dark deep that would have been ready for the whole spiritual creation, if you had not said from the beginning, “Let there be light,” and there had not been light, and every obedient intelligence in your celestial city had... Read more
If fallen humanity deserved mercy, why not the fallen angels? One reason, says St. Gregory the Great, is our very weakness. Satan had the moral strength of a pure spirit, but we constantly struggle with the weakness of the body. God was able to create good things out of nothing. Likewise, when he willed it, he also restored, by the mystery of his Incarnation, the good things that were lost. Now, he had made two creations to contemplate him: the angelic... Read more
The evil angels, says St. Augustine, suffer the just punishment for their betrayal. We might have suffered the same way, but instead God chose to show us completely undeserved mercy. The whole human race was condemned, ruined. It delighted in evil. It plummeted from one evil to another. It made common cause with the fallen an- gels, and it was suffering the punishment—which was completely deserved—for its wicked betrayal. For we must say that God’s anger is quite rightly turned on... Read more
The angels who sinned cannot be forgiven, says St. Gregory the Great, because—having purely spiritual natures—they don’t have the excuse of the flesh. God is merciful to us because he knows that our nature is combined with an element that drags us down. The spirits of the angels sinned without forgiveness for this reason: be- cause they might have stood stronger, since no mixture of flesh held them captive. But we were given pardon after sin for this reason: because,... Read more
This week one lucky winner will receive a copy of Called to Teach: Daily Inspiration for Catholic Educators by Justin McClain, sponsored by Ave Maria Press (you can read Michele’s review here). I use Rafflecopter to run my giveaways which makes it simple for you and me! Enter below. a Rafflecopter giveaway Read more
Satan, says St. Gregory the Great, left his exalted position by his own wickedness, whereas we were persuaded by Satan to sin. Of the two, therefore, Satan is the more guilty, which is why we have the chance to be redeemed and he does not. “May God above not seek it, nor light shine upon it” ( Job 3:4). There is another way in which it was both appropriate that humanity should be recovered when lost, and impossible for the... Read more
As a teacher, Justin McClain knows what it means to be Called to Teach, and his “Daily Inspirations” truly are inspirational! This book is for all teachers, staff and administrators…and anyone else who works with Catholic children of all ages. It provides short bursts of daily inspiration so that even the busiest teacher has time to take a quick read each day. But the daily messages – reflections on scripture- are deep and long lasting, meant to be pondered as... Read more
The devil, says St. Augustine, did no damage to God in his fall, but only to himself. God knew beforehand what would happen, and how to bring good out of it. So why shouldn’t God make human beings, although he knew before- hand that we would sin, when he might crown us if we stood, and set us right if we fell, and help us if we rose, being always and everywhere glorious in goodness, righteousness, and mercy? Above all,... Read more
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