RECENT STATEMENT FROM POPE FRANCIS, CELIBACY, EASTERN CATHOLICISM, AND THE MYSTICAL LIFE

1/20 "At the heart of this [priestly] identity, configured to the Lord Jesus, is celibacy. Priests are celibate - and they wish to be - simply because Jesus was celibate. The requirement of celibacy is not primarily theological, but...

2/20

Some “Hellenists” believe that Our Lord is not an example of a “worthy god,” but is weak compared to their “based” gods (demons).

These figures, ironically, also claim to be Platonists. This foolish nonsense can be refuted from the writings of Plato who mocked the “gods."

1/ (For a more full investigation, do read St. Augustine’s “De civitate Dei contra paganos” and “De Vera Religione”)

I am going to merely quote three loci in Plato’s works that show his disdain for the demons you call “gods” and his praise for the life of Christ.

2/

Concrete vs. Abstract Names, an Issue in Divine Naming

Throughout Sacred Scripture and in the writings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, we run into a bit of an issue of how to name God that may be seen as a contradiction or an absurdity.

1/9 This is the difference between CONCRETE and ABSTRACT names of God.

In the first, we may say that we worship the "LIVING God." In the second, we say that Christ is "the LIFE." Further, we may call God "LOVING and merciful" or we may say that "God is LOVE."

2/9

Wonderful reflection from John Calvin:

"Could the desire of praise move him, who, before God, esteems himself far beneath the vilest thing, a most unworthy, miserable sinner, liable to fall at any moment into the grossest crimes, unless the helping hand of his Creator...

1/6 ...continually sustains him? How can he be puffed up at the thought of his good works, when he clearly perceives his inability to perform the smallest good, without being incited and, as it were, pushed on every moment by the grace of an Omnipotent God? How can he take...

2/6

Defending the Non-inherence of accidents in Transubstantiation:

As I study issues surrounding the Development of Doctrine, I have stumbled upon an interesting distinction between the process of reasoning in Physics (in the philosophical sense) and Metaphysics.

1/6 This leads to a more profound reflection on why the Protestant argument against transubstantiation by an appeal to the "necessary inherence of accidents" is problematic.

2/6

You can't claim you're any different from the bapticostal evanjelly down the road if you deny Semper Virgo.

You run off of the same prolegomena as they do. Honestly...I wish Trent would have asked Gavin about Semper Virgo. Nobody disagrees that Semper Virgo had the highest and strongest level of consensus before (and even after the Reformation).

If you care about magisterial authority and the value of consensus how can you deny?

St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us,
"That splendid adornment of the Christian world and light of the Church, blessed Thomas of Aquino, was the son of Landulph, Earl of Aquino, and Theodora of Naples, his wife, being nobly descended on both sides... When he was only four years..." "...old, he was given into the keeping of the Benedictine monks of Monte Cassino. He was thence sent to Naples to study, and there, while very young, entered the Order of Friars Preachers. This displeased his mother and brothers, and he left Naples for Paris. When he was on..."

Works I'll be reading over the next 3 months for my grad course on Scripture in prot scholastics:

Junius, Treatise on True Theology
---, Disputations on Holy Scripture
---, The Mosaic Polity
Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology

1/3 Van Mastricht, Theoretical-Practical Theology, Vol. 1
Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics
Synopsis Purioris Theologiae
Scheeben, Handbook of Catholic Dogmatics
(I'll be supplementing the relevant sections in the Sacrae Theologiae Summa)
Muller, Post Reformation Reformed Dogmatics

2/3

Saint Perpetua & Felicity, pray for us,
"Perpetua and Felicity were arrested during the persecution of the emperor Severus in Africa, together with Revocatus, Saturninus and Secundulus, and were cast into a dark dungeon, where Satyrus was added to their company. They were as..." "...yet catechumens but shortly afterwards they were baptized. After a few days they and their companions were led forth from prison to the court, and, after a glorious profession of faith, were condemned by the procurator Hilarion to the beasts. Thereupon they went down to..."

Classical Protestants, a helpful note from one who has studied your tradition and critiqued many of those opposing you.

That which is commonly referred to as “Protestant” is neither confessional nor “catholicke.”

When normies on the internet critique “prots”

1/3 They aren’t talking about you, nor are you in mind directly.

They are thinking about their Baptist parents or charismatic friends.

Really, I think the term “protestant” is quite useless.

Either way, to angry shout down RC/EO for their mistake is quite useless

2/

While there is a certainly a role for the extinguishing of concupiscence in marriage, all should be able to say with Tobias “Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose.” 🧵

https://twitter.com/thisisfoster/status/1624114717290536961

One of the most damaging moral attitudes I was exposed to as a Protestant (and I think it’s fair to say that it is a Protestant problem since I’ve seen the same attitude in older authors, but, am open to correction) is their attitude towards sex.

Chastity is clearly…

Apparently we're fighting about marrying 18 year olds...I married an 18 year old and things turned out fine Pretty sure both these pics are from 2019...time flies

In a video yesterday, I proved that St. Newman was not the inventor of the DoD, but that there was already a long tradition on the matter. Since most do not want to go through the entire video to hear what everyone has to say, I will summarize here.

1/13 There are two schools before the 16th century.

First, the Thomists who believed in the definability of theological conclusions (i.e., conceptually distinction conclusions that followed from revelation, yet is objectively--really--identical to the original revelation).

2/13

St. Thomas' Glorious Theocentrism:

All due honor to St. Dionysius, the famous convert of Athens and disciple of St. Paul, but St. Thomas purifies and sets in order the teaching of St. Dionysius on the Divine names.

1/8 I am not saying that St. Dionysius was wrong (far be it from me!), but, his usage of terms betrays that he did not set theological science in relation to its formal object, i.e., God under the intimate aspect of His Deity.

2/8

Perry, always a plesure to hear from you.

I have clarified my position on multiple occasions and have heald (substantially) the same position as I always have.

So, I am not sure whether you are being dull, dishonest, or if I am obscure (the last option is, as always,...

1/

https://twitter.com/Acolyte83349490/status/1616111738134605825

...the most likely)

First, I do not remember ever intending to make a video against you. If you could pull up a SS of that, that would be great.

Second, I have always distinguished between Palamas and the Palamites. Reading Pino, I was glad to see that my... 2/

One of St. Dominic's last exhortation to his closest disciples was to steer clear of women:

"On his deathbed he summoned twelve of the more prudent brethren and, after exhorting them to be zealous in promoting the Order and persevering in holiness, he warned them... ...against any questionable association with women, especially the young, whose attractions can be a snare for souls not solidly rooted in purity. 'Behold,' he said, 'up to this hour the grace of God has kept my flesh unsullied; yet I confess to not escaping the...

Usurer lies to St. Dominic and burns to death from the Eucharist (actually happened twice...one repented and didn't die):

"In the presence of the [attending] priest, [Dominic] asked him to command that his usuries be returned. He refused to acquiesce, saying that he did not... ...want to leave his sons and daughters paupers; and so St. Dominic left with the others and with the Body of Christ. Now the [jurist's] friends were confused; they asked him to promise until he received Communion, lest he should not have Christian burial. He did...

The real reason is that the question is ambiguous.

"Human" can just as easily refer to the "type" of hypostasis as to that which the hypostasis possesses.

Same reason Thomists have always distinguished the sense in which we say that the hypostasis is "composite."

https://twitter.com/MrCasey62/status/1615695158603055105

So, no...you cannot blame everything on Vatican II. I'm sure laymen of all ages would have had a bit of trouble answering this.

Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange on Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus:

One of the sharpest debates that arises is over the Catholic Dogma that "Outside the Apostolic Roman Church, nobody can be saved."

1/13 Many claim that the post-conciliar church has denied this truth by speaking of the possibility of salvation for those united visibly to the Church.

Yet, when we look at pre-conciliar theologians, we see that the teaching of the post-conciliar church is

2/13

Anthony the Great, pray for us,
"Anthony was an Egyptian, the child of noble and Christian parents, whom he lost while yet very young. On one occasion he entered a Church, and heard these words of the Gospel, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to..." "...the poor. He took these words as if they were addressed to himself personally, for this was the obedience which he thought every word of the Lord Christ should meet with. He therefore sold his whole possessions, and gave the price to the poor... Finding himself, as it..."

On the Errors of Young Internet Catholics (Pt. 1, On Faith):

I have frequently spoken against individual errors I have encountered in being around internet Gen Z Catholics, whether trad, moderate, or liberal (this also applies for Protestant and "Orthodox").

1/20 In this thread, I would like to summarize these critiques and order them for ease of reflection.

In order to better order these errors, I will list them as they contradict the theological virtues: 1. faith (lex credendi), 2. hope (lex orandi), 3. love (lex vivendi).

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