Vivat Agnus Dei

As we have discussed previously, the world's idea of freedom can best be captured by the unanswered, dismissive question, "Why not?"[1] Also, as previously discussed, this reduction of religion to the moral (Kantianism), or of those who believe that which pertains to any religion as blind followers, each in their turn reduces any argument against a behavior with at least probable negative outcomes to mere attempts at control, an obsessive-compulsive perfectionism that would negate subjectivity (rigid psychological tendency), or to a spirituality divergent from corporal legitimacy (Gnosticism). Because our culture clings so foundationally to the demoralization of sex, its role, and its ideal context, cohabitation, like abortion, the definition of marriage, and the nature of love, has become a controversial issue that many come to discuss only once "loaded for bear" and often without listening. Moreover, although the "pro-cohabitation choice" side of thi...

  Among St. Thomas Aquinas’s Five Ways for demonstrating the existence of God, the Fifth Way—often called the argument from governance or finality—has frequently been conflated with what is popularly known as the “argument from design,” William Paley’s “watchmaker argument,” or modern forms of “intelligent design.” While these arguments share a family resemblance, Aquinas’s Fifth Way differs from them in method, metaphysical depth, and philosophical ambition. At its core, the Fifth Way is not an inference from complexity alone, but an argument from the intelligibility, regularity, and ordered directedness of nature toward an intellect that grounds and sustains that order. A careful comparison clarifies both the strengths of Aquinas’s approach and the limited, though pedagogically useful, role of the watchmaker analogy. The Fifth Way and the Governance of the World Aquinas’s Fifth Way begins with an observation about the natural world: non-rational beings consistently act for ends....

This question is the foremost question of ethics because it is what joins or separates—depending on our answer—what is objectively good from what we subjectively feel compelled to pursue. Every person desires to be happy, and rightfully so (cf. Ps 4:7; Jn 16:24, Ps 16:11 ). However, real happiness does not lie on the other side of evil (cf. Rom 6:23) . This is where the Catholic Church becomes unpopular, for it reveals the depth of humanity’s fall. If we pursue happiness through what in fact engenders suffering, we seek our destruction and rejoice in it (cf. Prov 14:12 ).[1] This destruction disposes us to greater comfort with evil, creating conditions in which undesirable realities arise—both internal and external—and relationships at every level (with God, others, and ourselves) are degraded (cf. Jas 1:14–15 ).[2] This raises the question of what constitutes real happiness—happiness that does not produce these absurdities yet makes one truly joyful and unburdened. I would argue, and...

The argument from miracles is often presented as a proof for the existence of God. However, its strength and persuasiveness are largely dependent upon the interpretive framework of its audience. This essay will argue that while miracles can serve as powerful confirmations of belief, their value as arguments against atheism is significantly limited by the epistemological commitments of non-theists. The epistemological restraint of atheists already disallows them to consider abstract or not immediately present evidence, which is the reason they are not theists. The effectiveness of miracle-based arguments is therefore derivative of the effectiveness of arguments from experience. Even if they were presented with a miracle before them, it is likely they would assert it is just a phenomenon that science does not yet have the capability to describe, predict, or affect—or that the laws of nature do not perfectly obtain at every moment and place. Sometimes even the greatest of miracles cannot...

"Come to life I remember this Just like paradise (And cyanide) Take a bite The taste of all your sin You've lost your appetite (For sacrifice)" These lyrics come to us from a brand-new song "Silos" by Starset. Before we begin our discussion, I must restrain the category for you lest you think I am discussing something that includes a broader category than my meaning. By rock music, I am not thinking about any song with electric guitar and not even [any with gravelly vocals]. I do mean music, which, in the delivery as well as lyrics, demonstrates some truth about the effects of sin and belief held by those broken by the pain of abuse, regret, and relational strife. By sad songs, I am actually expanding that category to include most of rap, pop, and hip-hop, because the sadness conveyed is not only whether the song is in a minor key but also demonstrative of that selfsame darkness invited in by sins, both our own and that of those we love. In either case, it is m...

Pictured (color-edited with some error in the shadow): Josemaria Escrivá The atheist, materialist, and even some scientific interpretations of the "soul" differ sharply from that which the Catholic Church teaches. In the popular or materialist view, the soul is often portrayed as a "ghost in a machine," a Gnostic concept that posits the body as merely a vessel or the soul as merely a part of either the brain or mind. This misunderstanding becomes a strawman for atheists and materialists to refute, for it seems to conflict with empirical science. However, the Catholic understanding, rooted in Aristotle and perfected by St. Thomas Aquinas, presents no true quarrel with science. The Church teaches that the soul is the form of the body, constituting with it a single human nature (cf. CCC 365 , 382 ). As Aquinas beautifully articulates, "the soul is not in the body as contained by it, but rather contains the body" ( Summa Theologiae I, q. 76, a. 8 ). The soul,...

Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist In The Matrix Resurrections (2021), Morpheus tells Neo: “People believe the craziest things these days. They think the world’s built on choice... when it's really just another system of control.” If you have the slightest ear to Hollywood news, then you have likely heard about the Lively v. Baldoni lawsuit and the petty attempts at control which are its foundations, and even the ubiquitous relationship-ending circumstances that concern attempts to control the other whether out of malice or fear. Another instance of this is the pro-choice woman lashing out by assaulting a pro-life reporter that has recently surfaced . In both these examples of the appeal to force fallacy, one may note that it reveals there is an absence of substance to claim to the contrary of better things. So the question arises a priori, "Is moral regulation proper or antithetical to freedom?" However, given these examples and the popular bend they are expressions of, ...

Christ's Farewell to Mary Those who cannot understand the Church and what She actually teaches, hastily take up a loose statement or common condemning, one-line tropes which apparently discredit Her. The issue is it becomes a strawman fallacy, condemning something without truly knowing beforehand and looking elsewhere for truth wandering and settling for a normal that is believed to be the best possible as if one themselves has a monopoly on truth. Tragically, this is the state of the culture and because of this, there is no one grand reason in particular for the deference from the faith on the personal convictions of those who hold this or that in contempt whether it be that the Church contains sinners to the fact She must make decisions. The false but powerful narratives drive the darkness that man has invited in place of God and man remains there shocked at the killing of a world at war in every way feeling trapped and alone. This gives a particular expression to what Christ...