Wisdom from St. Thomas Aquinas

Bishop Robert Baron sends out a news letter from time to time. Yes, in part he is trying to promote and sell the Word on Fire resources for the New Evangelization. He is also sharing a wealth of teaching free of charge.

Here is a little something Word on Fire sent out today about St. Thomas Aquinas. It is intended to promote  their series Catholicism:Pivotal Players.

The quotes are especially rich in truth and  beauty.  The statement about loving both those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject struck me today. Both help us find the truth. The human tendency is to love those who love us and who think like we do, and to not love those who think differently. The Gospel asks us to love both those who love us and those who do not - or even just those who think differently.

St. Thomas Aquinas - Part 1 & 2

This is a 2 video series  done by Ryan M. Reeves (PhD Cambridge) who is Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. I think he did a great job of summarizing the life and teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas. 

It was through reading St. Thomas that it dawned on me.  Most of my favorite Christian theologians were actually Roman Catholic - priests, monks, and even bishops like St. Augustine. 


So, why wasn’t I also Catholic?

Well, there’s a bit more to it than that. Basically, though, I couldn’t ignore the fact that my ancient friends  held to doctrines that I had been taught were idolatrous and pagan. It didn’t add up in my mind anymore. For example, how could an idolatrous and pagan Church - the Great Whore of Babylon - produce a St. Thomas Aquinas? 

I had to admit that she really couldn’t if what I had been taught about her were true. Basically, Protestants are taught that the Church started out good, but then sometime during about the 3rd Century when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, she went syncretistic. All kinds of pagan ideas were blended with the Church. It wasn’t until the time of the Reformation that things began to be straightened out. 

The Catholic Church was at best, apostate. Sure. I didn’t ever doubt that there were real Christians in the Catholic Church. In general, though, Catholicism was a dead religion leading people away from Christ. 

So, such a religion should not be able to produce anything like an Aquinas who was very obviously a part of that system. 

So, it dawned on me that my thinking was flawed.

St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, and so many others down through the centuries were all Roman Catholic - not just plain Christians, though they are also just plain Christians. They have blessed all Christians, not just Catholics. They were certainly not Protestant nor proto Protestant.

Through a friend, I was shown one of the fatal flaws in Protestant reasoning. That is, how could the Holy Spirit have allowed the Church to be apostate for over 1,000 years until men like Martin Luther and John Calvin came along to fix things? Why would God let that happen? 

Anyway, I thought  Dr. Reeves did a good job of zeroing  in on the key tenets of Thomism for all believers.

“Grace perfects nature.”

The grace of God doesn’t make us into something we were not meant to be in the first place.

Also, there are things that any person can come to know just by observation and human reason. However, we cannot know the mysteries of God without grace and revelation.

Aquinas worked on how nature and grace can be synthesized into a greater whole.

My Reformed friends that I wrote about in 2 posts were trying to do that as well - to synthesize philosophy of science with their theology. I don’t think it worked very well. I think they fell into falsificationism. Not sure if they will be able to “tweak” their philosophy to fit better with their theology. Maybe. The philosophy of science needs to somehow integrate the mysteries of God, and I don’t know how it could do that. 

For me, I’m fine with the concept of “Grace perfects nature.”

There are Reformed scholars and teachers who are also Thomists. I have said this before, but a couple of my favorite Calvinistic theologians turned out to be Thomists. How about that? So, Reformed theology is not opposed to Thomism. 

Do Christians, Jews, and Muslims all worship the same God?

Christians have differing opinions about whether or not Christians, Jews, and Muslims all worship the same God.

I don’t want to get into a subject that is extremely complex and in doing so, stir up animosity. However, this is something that I think all of us wonder about.

I have heard it argued from several different points of view. However, I agree with the Catholic Church that the answer is “yes”.  All 3 do indeed worship the same God. Here is some evidence to support that belief.

1. There are striking similarities in worship between Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Songs, hymns, prayers, laws, and preaching are all part of each religion.

2. All 3 claim Abraham as our father. All 3 claim to be worshipping the God of Abraham.

3. All 3 claim the Bible or parts of it as God’s Word in some way.

4. All 3 are monotheistic.

5. All 3 have similar foundational beliefs. I know little about Islam.  I know a lot about Christianity. I know something about Judaism.  Those who do know Islam tell me that there are striking similarities in matters of faith and practice.

6. Christianity began as a Jewish sect. Islam began, many argue, as a Christian heresy. Therefore we all 3 have a similar history, beginning with Abraham to the present day, really.

What is the belief that all 3 worship the same God not saying?

1. Saying that all 3 religions direct their worship towards the same God isn’t saying that they are the same religion. They are not all the same religion.

2. Saying that all 3 religions worship the same God is not the same as saying that as Christians, we do not think Muslims need to come to Christ as Savior - or Jews, for that matter. We believe in going into all the world and preaching the Gospel.

3. We believe that the God we worship loves all mankind. Therefore the fact that Christ died for the sins of the world extends to the Muslim world.

4. Our Christian understanding of God’s being is not the same at all of either Judaism or Islam. There is nothing like the Trinity or even the Incarnation in either religion - only in Christianity.


Now, having said all that, it must be made clear that the Catholic Church - and all of Christianity - has real differences with Islam.


St. Thomas Aquinas wrote extensively about the religion of Islam, showing its errors.

Falsificationism

I edited this a bit. Just FYI. 

At another blog, there was some interesting, and at times a bit heated discussion about epistemology. Here are some thoughts. First, it will be obvious that I don’t have a background in science, mathematics, or philosophy. These are just my impressions of the kinds of arguments that were being made. 

1. It seemed to me that 3 of the guys were trying to marry a kind of philosophy of science to their Reformed theology. It got pretty strange, really. 

2. It seemed to me that said marriage was not made in heaven. 

3. The problem I saw was that said “marriage” led to their making at least one heretical statement. For me, that one statement was the test case to see if their epistemology based on a philosophy of science was compatible with their confession of faith. 

4. The specific example that I glommed onto and would not let go was the resurrection of Jesus Christ. One of the interlocutors said that someday the body of Jesus Christ might be found. 

5. Say what? Now, a skeptic would say that, or could say that. I have never heard an orthodox Christian of any stripe make that statement. He said it more than once as well. I thought maybe the first time was a typo, but then he repeated it. 

6. So, I bird dogged that particular bit of information. If their epistemology in any way cast doubt for a Christian on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, then it had to be flawed. Now, they seemed to say that allowing for human error is not the same as having doubts. That may be, but it still didn’t quite add up. 

7. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the key Gospel event. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 states that the Gospel is “Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the 3rd day.” Christianity stands or falls on that event. 

8. Skeptics of all kinds are free to deny or question the resurrection of Jesus Christ, at least for now. In fact, most who are now Christians at one time or another did have doubts about that event. A real Christian might have doubts from time to time as well. 

However, any Christian who claims to be orthodox gets into trouble if his epistemology leads him to say that the body of Jesus might now be found.  It is a self contradictory position to take. It is like saying, “I believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead, BUT it is possible to find His dead body.” The two ideas cancel themselves out. 

If - or since - Jesus Christ rose from the dead, His dead body cannot ever be found because there is no dead body of Jesus at this point in time. He was dead for 3 days, and then alive from the dead. 

That is the orthodox position. It always has been. It always will be. Anyone who claims orthodoxy knows that. 

9.  The 3 guys constantly appealed to the principle of falsification in order to defend their epistemology. It seems to me that they were probably falling into the error of what is  called “falsificationism.”  It is taking the concept of “falsification” from the philosophy of science and stretching it beyond its usefulness. While that concept may be useful for certain hard sciences, it does not explain all kinds of knowledge - science - nor does it explain all kinds or levels of knowing. 

10. My 3 friends had to finally admit that they did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ because it  is falsifiable. They believe because it is part of our common faith. They don’t really think that the body of Jesus might be found someday.  One even stated that he had certitude - which is the highest level of certainty. IOW, he has no doubt about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They believe by grace through faith. Faith is a gift of God. (see Ephesians 2:1-10) That gift and that grace is available to anyone who will receive it. Sure. The evidence for the resurrection is presented, so faith does not destroy human reason and our need to know based on facts. 

I knew that they really do not doubt the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I’m not sure what they were trying to prove. They kept saying that no human being is omniscient. Any human being might be wrong. 

No one denies that. However, a person doesn’t have to be omniscient to be able to know stuff. Sure. Any given individual might be wrong about any number of things. 

The problem comes when a person claims to hold to the common faith that all Christians confess - Jesus Christ rose from the dead. 

11. The starting point for our common Christian faith is God, who is omniscient. He really does know everything. He is the one who reveals Gospel truth in such a way that a person can know and believe. It really doesn’t matter what a person is able to know. What matters is God’s ability to reveal truth such that a person can be enabled by God to believe. 

It surprised me that these guys were starting with their own human inability instead of God’s total ability. Calvinists especially emphasize God’s total ability in contrast to man’s total inability to know spiritual truth. That is one thing I have appreciated about Calvinism. Yet here were 3 calvinists arguing articles of faith in a way that  I thought was backwards according to their own theology. 

It is very possible, even probably that I didn’t understand their arguments entirely. I don’t have a background in science and math. They do. I am just presenting my reactions to the arguments. Nothing more. I have no authority over anyone to impose anything at all on anyone else. It seemed to me that they were working too hard to try to refute Catholicism. In the process, I think that they were doing damage to their own theology. There is such a thing as protesting too much. 

That’s how I see it, for what it’s worth.  

Now, my friend TVD’s head will hurt if he tries to read this. My apologies to anyone else’s heads as well. The way I summarized the arguments might be flawed, but I think the basic idea is right. 

In summary:

If a person claims to be orthodox, and then says that the body of Jesus might be found, then “ something" is messed up. Isn’t that kind of like having your cake and eating it, too? Isn’t it kind of like wanting an escape clause in a marriage contract just in case things don’t work out? 

That “something” seems to be “falsificationism.”  

See Popper’s Falsification

What I really appreciate about such discussions is the fact that I learn so much myself. 

Falsificationism

From Missing the Mark on You Tube.

How do you tell science from what isn’t science?

Is Divine Revelation Needed?

St. Thomas Aquinas’ answer is a resounding “Yes!”  Unaided human reason can discover a lot about God. However, the things that have to do with our salvation cannot be known unless God makes them known. For that, divine revelation is both needed and provided. 

Thomas lays out the reasons as to why that is. One thing that stuck me when I first read this is the fact that he quotes from Sirach as sacred text. That means he accepted the Deuterocanonical books as inspired Scripture. So did those whom he was refuting. 

They quoted from Sirach 3, but left out a key part. Thomas includes it to show that God reveals things that are too high for human reasoning alone to grasp. 

 Hence the sacred text continues, "For many things are shown to thee above the understanding of man" (Sirach 3:25).

See also Romans 1.
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Article 1. Whether, besides philosophy, any further doctrine is required?Objection 1. It seems that, besides philosophical science, we have no need of any further knowledge. For man should not seek to know what is above reason: "Seek not the things that are too high for thee" (Sirach 3:22). But whatever is not above reason is fully treated of in philosophical science. Therefore any other knowledge besides philosophical science is superfluous.Objection 2. Further, knowledge can be concerned only with being, for nothing can be known, save what is true; and all that is, is true. But everything that is, is treated of in philosophical science--even God Himself; so that there is a part of philosophy called theology, or the divine science, as Aristotle has proved (Metaph. vi). Therefore, besides philosophical science, there is no need of any further knowledge.On the contrary, It is written (2 Timothy 3:16): "All Scripture, inspired of God is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice." Now Scripture, inspired of God, is no part of philosophical science, which has been built up by human reason. Therefore it is useful that besides philosophical science, there should be other knowledge, i.e. inspired of God.I answer that, It was necessary for man's salvation that there should be a knowledge revealed by God besides philosophical science built up by human reason. Firstly, indeed, because man is directed to God, as to an end that surpasses the grasp of his reason: "The eye hath not seen, O God, besides Thee, what things Thou hast prepared for them that wait for Thee" (Isaiah 64:4). But the end must first be known by men who are to direct their thoughts and actions to the end. Hence it was necessary for the salvation of man that certain truths which exceed human reason should be made known to him by divine revelation. Even as regards those truths about God which human reason could have discovered, it was necessary that man should be taught by a divine revelation; because the truth about God such as reason could discover, would only be known by a few, and that after a long time, and with the admixture of many errors. Whereas man'swhole salvation, which is in God, depends upon the knowledge of this truth. Therefore, in order that the salvation of menmight be brought about more fitly and more surely, it was necessary that they should be taught divine truths by divine revelation. It was therefore necessary that besides philosophical science built up by reason, there should be a sacred science learned through revelation.Reply to Objection 1. Although those things which are beyond man's knowledge may not be sought for by man through his reason, nevertheless, once they are revealed by God, they must be accepted by faith. Hence the sacred text continues, "For many things are shown to thee above the understanding of man" (Sirach 3:25). And in this, the sacred scienceconsists.Reply to Objection 2. Sciences are differentiated according to the various means through which knowledge is obtained. For the astronomer and the physicist both may prove the same conclusion: that the earth, for instance, is round: the astronomer by means of mathematics (i.e. abstracting from matter), but the physicist by means of matter itself. Hence there is no reason why those things which may be learned from philosophical science, so far as they can be known by natural reason, may not also be taught us by another science so far as they fall within revelation. Hence theology included in sacred doctrine differs in kind from that theology which is part of philosophy.

Life

This is from the 40 Days for Life devotional for today. 

Jonah 49 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” 10 Then the Lord said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”

God doesn’t value people and things like we do. Jonah loved a shade tree more than an entire city of sinful peo- ple. We love our dogs more than a ter- rorist. We love our cars more than a beggar on the side of the road. And sometimes, we love our money more than a child growing in a desperate teenager’s womb. But God isn’t like us. Genesis 1 tells us that humans were the capstone of God's creation.

-Devotional for Day 23, October 20, 2016Dennis DiMauro, Lutherans for Life

Life

Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

-- Job 12:9-10

2 + 2 = 5 if the party says so

Some of us spent - or wasted? - a lot of time talking epistemology over at the Old Life blog.  Below I cut and pasted what I think is a summary of the arguments that 3 of the Reformed guys were making. Yes, they actually used the example of 2 + 2 not necessarily = 4. 

What does it all mean?  For one thing, it means I am happy to be Catholic. That means a lot to me. 

This is a quote from George Orwell’s 1984. Thank you to my wise friend, TVD - Tom Van Dyke - for quoting this in a comment on his blog, American Creation. 

Only the disciplined mind can see reality, Winston. You believe that reality is something objective, external, existing in its own right. You also believe that the nature of reality is self-evident. When you delude yourself into thinking that you see something, you assume that everyone else sees the same thing as you. But I tell you, Winston, that reality is not external. Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. Not in the individual mind, which can make mistakes, and in any case soon perishes: only in the mind of the Party, which is collective and immortal. Whatever the Party holds to be the truth, is truth. It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the eyes of the Party. That is the fact that you have got to relearn, Winston. It needs an act of self-destruction, an effort of the will. You must humble yourself before you can become sane.' 
He paused for a few moments, as though to allow what he had been saying to sink in. 
'Do you remember,' he went on, 'writing in your diary, "Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four"?' 
'Yes,' said Winston. 
O'Brien held up his left hand, its back towards Winston, with the thumb hidden and the four fingers extended. 
'How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?' 
'Four.' 
'And if the party says that it is not four but five -- then how many?' 
'Four.' 
The word ended in a gasp of pain.

The Parable of the Rich Fool

The “thingdom” can get in the way of the “Kingdom.” We store all kinds of things away, but where do we find our comfort? 

Only 3 things last - faith, hope, and love, as the Apostle Paul says. (1 Corinthians 13) We should find our comfort in those things.

We need a spiritual cleaning out that will allow faith, hope, and love to grow in our lives. 

“Our barns must be filled with faith and hope and love, and not with things.” 

- Msgr. James Vlaun 

Daily Reflections Video for October 17, 2016

The Parable of the Rich FoolLuke 1213 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16 Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

The Key of the Kingdom

I hope to get a photo of this wooden key, but for now I will try to explain what it was like. 

It was about 3 feet high, made of beautifully crafted wood. On the top part of the key there was a shamrock shape representing the Trinity. Inside that part there was a small statue of Jesus - Sacred Heart. On the 3 parts of the shamrock there were little bumps representing the beads of a Rosary. 

The bottom part had 6 grooves on each side. These represented the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles. 

Fr. David said that he also had a kind of door that he would set up for the children’s Mass.

He would then open the door with the key and  lead the children through the door and into the kingdom of God. He would explain how they were leaving the world in order to become part of God’s Kingdom. Once inside he would explain to them what kingdom living was supposed to be like. 

At the proper time, he would tell them that it was time to leave and re enter the world. Once back in the world, they were to remember what they had learned and how they were supposed to live as part of God’s Kingdom. 

I thought the illustration was brilliant. It would work  in a Protestant setting as well. 

Fr. David said that in one Mass where he used this key the children did not want to leave the kingdom and go back into the world! 

Of course, that is the idea of the Mass. One enters Heaven for a time, and then is sent back out into the world to live the lessons learned. 

Perseverance

Yesterday's readings at Mass were from Exodus 17:8-13, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2, and Luke 18:1-8. Each one of these passages has something to do with perseverance and faithfulness. Not everyone has the same gifts. 

I hope I can get a photograph of the beautiful wooden “key of the kingdom” that someone in the parish had made. It showed great Scandinavian style craftsmanship. Fr. David uses it as an object lesson for children. Yesterday he was going to use it in the 11 AM Mass, which was to be a children’s Mass. Even though his homily was mainly designed for children, I thought it was very appropriate for adults as well. 

Of course, I love object lessons anyway. 

Fr. David talked about how it would make no sense for him to try to persevere in the kind of wood working that was required to make the key. He would barely even know how to begin the work let alone how to persevere to its completion.

He believes that God wants him to persevere in contemplative prayer and his service to God as a priest. That is his area of struggle as well. Sometimes it is easy, and other times it is difficult. Sometimes all goes well, and other times there are failures. 

Others have different gifts where perseverance is needed.  

It was a good reminder that not everyone has to be good at everything. At the same time, everyone has gifts that need to be developed. Each of us needs to persevere. 

We rely on God’s grace in Christ. The Holy Spirit gives us strength. 

To illustrate this, Fr. David used a basketball. The object lesson was designed for children, but it works with adults as well. 

He pointed out that the basketball is imperfect, even though it is well made. It is not a perfect sphere. Even so, he had learned how to make it spin on his index finger much like the Harlem Globe Trotters do in their exhibition games. 

It was kind of impressive, because he really can do it. Eventually, though, because of the imperfections in the ball and in his own finger, the ball would fall - and it did. So, what did he do?  He tried again and got the ball spinning again. 

That is very much like our lives as Christians. Because of our imperfections we eventually fall for one reason or another. We get discouraged or lazy or sloppy and then stumble and even fall into sin. What do we do?  We get up and continue on. We persevere if we really do love God. 

He pushes us onward and upward. 

I thought that these 2 object lessons were great. I don’t think I could do the basketball trick, but maybe a top would work instead. It would go well for any children’s group - or even adult. 

Fr. David also explained how Luke 18:1-8 passage would be understood by Jesus’ audience in this way. Everyone in the community would have witnessed this exchange between the widow and the dishonest judge. They were all watching to see what the judge would do. In fact, it was likely that they encouraged her in her efforts to get justice. 

The Exodus passage also shows how the battle involved more in the community than just the soldiers. Moses did not go into battle, but he held his arms up the whole time. Others helped him keep his arms up. This is generally understood much like the story of the widow and the dishonest judge as an example of perseverance in prayer as a community, in communion with all the saints. 

The 2 Timothy selection emphasizes the patience, love, endurance, steadfastness, and faith that were Paul’s aim in life. They should be our aim as well, along with persistence. 

We need those qualities in our lives now as much or more than ever. 

Gospel Lk 18:1-8Jesus told his disciples a parableabout the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain townwho neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering meI shall deliver a just decision for herlest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen oneswho call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Walk on Water

My friend has a big decision to make. She has had some physical problems that make it very difficult for her to do her job. If she can’t meet a minimum requirement of hours, she will lose her job.  Even harder for her is the fact that her benefits include a home where she, her husband, and 3 sons now live. 

They have nowhere else to go at this time. 

She has to make a big decision. Either way, it is a huge step of faith for her.  If she stays, she will need to trust God for the physical strength to meet her work schedule. If they move, she will lose her salary and benefits. 

She and her husband are also in full-time Christian ministry, so quitting her job would be a relief in many ways, but a financial burden at the same time. 

So, I sent her this picture and reminded her of the story of Peter walking on the water. I told her that I didn’t know if she should move or stay where she was.

I told her that either way, Jesus was with them for their good. 

Maybe someone else needs to be reminded of this message today. 

Matthew 14
Jesus Walks on the Water22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land,[a] for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind,[b] he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Wisdom of TVD

When you're neither clever nor handsome, can't play ball and can't play guitar, aren't funny or charming, inventing your own theology and sneering at everyone else's becomes an attractive life goal.
TVD