Truth does not contradict truth, so long as the fullness of the truth remains the goal. But if someone tries to pursue an element of the truth and try to separate it from the rest of the truth, then the truth can be abused and lead people astray. For, as Marsilio Ficino warned, “So one who pursues this truth and that truth, separated from the highest truth, without doubt does not light upon truth but upon falsehood.”[1] We can see... Read more
During the Great Fast, we are reminded of our needs. We need food and drink. We need each other’s help. We need grace. More importantly, without God, we are nothing. Without the gifts of God, gifts which help sustain us, we are also nothing. The more we think we are something special, the more we forget how dependent we are on others, the more we forget how dependent we are upon God, the less we will open ourselves to receive... Read more
Government should work for the common good. Politics should be about establishing the best policies which help establish the common good. Those in positions of authority should realize their call is one of service for the people. When they hold power, it should not be for their own sake, but for the sake of others. Thus, if a politicians interferes with the political process so as to gain power for themselves and ignore the common good, they should be removed... Read more
St. Hildegard of Bingen, even in her lifetime, was looked upon with amazement for her knowledge and wisdom, as well as her prophetic insight which gave her the kind of authority rarely held by women until the modern age. Nonetheless, she was a woman, and as a woman, she often had to fight for her rights as she often found herself in conflict with various ecclesial and secular authorities. As a woman, she was expected to be obedient to all... Read more
Jesus told us not to be afraid. We should not look out to the world in fear; we should not be overly worried about those who unjustly threaten to do us some harm if we don’t follow them in their wicked ways, because, though we might indeed suffer, they are limited in what they can do to us and eventually their power will come to an end But he also told us to fear the one who can destroy our... Read more
God truly works in mysterious ways, shocking us out of our complacency. Often, what God does is counterintuitive, and yet the effectiveness of God’s work reveals that what we thought to be folly is actually wisdom. Once we realize we have been so wrong in regards our expectations, we learn to reconsider everything, especially ourselves, so that we put aside all that we thought we knew in order to be awakened to the greater truth which is revealed to us... Read more
Conspiracy theories develop when people do not want to believe some inconvenient truth. They want to find an alternative truth which they can hold onto which does not inconvenience them. This often leads to the search for a scapegoat, finding someone to blame for a particular crisis, so that instead of doing what needs to be done in order to deal with the crisis itself, society is encouraged to attack the scapegoats. Since this does not deal with the crisis,... Read more
Good does not need evil, but evil needs the good, for goodness is ontologically connected to being itself. What exists, in its existence, is good. Evil thrives on the good; it uses and abuses the good, distorting and corrupting it, so that as evil feeds on the good, it weakens and lessens it. If evil were not stopped, it would prove to be self-destructive, for it would destroy the good through its corruption, and once the good was destroyed, evil... Read more
Paul, showing his knowledge and understanding of the teachings of Jesus and how they related to his Jewish heritage, implores us to love our neighbor. He tells us that when we do so, we fulfill the law: Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are... Read more
God, by nature, is simple. God has no parts. Likewise, God, by nature, is incomprehensible to us. We can never comprehend the divine nature. Any attempt to do so will come up empty. Due to the simplicity of God, we can’t divide the divine nature up into lesser parts in order to comprehend them. For if we could do so, that would mean God is composite, composed of parts, and not simple. This is why anything which we comprehend about... Read more
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