Vivat Agnus Dei

Continued from  Carruthers, Carter. "Confession: The Call to Forgiveness Pt. 1" Vivat Agnus Dei, March 9, 2025. https://vivatagnusdei.blogspot.com/2025/03/confession-call-to-forgiveness-pt-1.html. Third, what does God's forgiveness consist of? This is a much tougher question because, for humans, forgiveness only means appealing the case to God ( Psalm 103:10-12 ). God is the just judge; He is not swayed by favoritism toward sin ( Deuteronomy 10:17, Acts 10:34-35 ). He comes to His judgment seat loving both parties ( Wisdom 11:24-26, Romans 5:8 ). Perhaps, then, the question is not "What will God do?" but "What is God's ultimate design?" ( Ephesians 1:9-10 ). In our pain, we can only see juridical contrariety, but God is not interested in punishment—He is interested in salvation from sin, its reality, and its effects ( Ezekiel 33:11, John 3:17 ). His hopes are not suffering, but healing, love, and communion ( Jeremiah 29:11, 1 Timothy 2:4 ). If, by ...

Apologies that this will be a long post, but it is a big topic. I have heard this question twice from people in my life, and I have also found myself on the other side of it. So, to paraphrase in a more pointed way:  "How, in God's good justice, can He forgive you for hurting me—especially when I do my best to abide by His rules and love Him—while, when something befalls me, I am told to forgive and surrender it, yet He just forgives?"  A loaded question, no doubt! In fact, it echoes the Epicurean philosophy of the day—one that everyone condemns when it is used against them, yet many justify when they themselves seek to be forgiven. So, let’s answer it. However, I must say there are misconceptions embedded in this question, which means we will need to consider multiple aspects. This requires nuance—something often undesirable when suffering is already present. Let’s break this down and examine it properly by separating the question into broader inquiries: What is the real...

Safety is an essential human concern and a foundational concept in understanding human flourishing and God’s providence. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines the "safety need" as “a desire for freedom from illness or danger and for a secure, familiar, and predictable environment.” This constitutes the second level of Maslow’s motivational hierarchy, immediately following basic physiological needs. While this definition provides a psychological framework, the Catholic perspective—and perhaps even traditional cultural insights—invites deeper consideration. Specifically, how does one reconcile the innate human desire for safety with the demands of faith, particularly in scenarios such as martyrdom or interpersonal conflict? The answer to this question hinges on the definition of human flourishing and the extent to which trust in God’s providence, grace, and the promise of eternal life are applied. This perspective often diverges from the purely psychological inte...

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you. Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13-18 From before you were conceived, God loved you because He knew you and was prepared to choose good things for you, knowing our every sin and seeing the hurt and confusion they often come from.[1] There is no love song, poetry, Bible verse,...

It is tempting, especially when we are hurt by the sins of others or when we find ourselves enslaved to our own "favorite sins" but also generally, to question "Should God really be as sure as He seems to be, that the permission of evil (usually through allowing free will) actually brings about a greater good?" We must remember at such times that we are tempted to deny a few key truths when we ask this question. The title question is not formulated in a clear or Catholic way but in a common way. Thus, let us reformulate it to allow for a more meaningful answer. We will set aside the problem of evil for another more in-depth and direct post(s) on that. Our question perhaps ought to be "In the context of free will, why did God not create us sufficiently wise, virtuous, in relationship to God, etc. to inspire us to better recognize the full weight of sinfulness that it was not only death but suffering of many kinds all often the worst imaginable." I would ans...

Building from  Commandments Toward Communion , and the Series on Love. Undoubtedly, in a culture where individualism is so esteemed, it is no wonder divorce rates soar and discussion of its immoral nature is avoided.[1] Whether we are discussing an indissoluble marriage or a friendship, division is not the will of God, because the closer the relationship the greater damage a rupture of communion brings. Divorce, producing preeminently negative effects, is a rupture of the foundational communion essential for society and the formation of children in love/holiness, severing the highest and most complete communion material man is capable of, and undermining the dignity of man, which rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion. First, divorce is a rupture of the foundational communion essential for society, severing the highest, most complete communion amid material man. Marriage (between a man and woman) is the most profound union that human beings can achieve, because ...

"Well, I don't judge people on their worst mistakes." Natasha Romanoff of the MCU In order to know what it means to love most deeply, most boldly, most mercifully, we must first answer: how does God love? To do this well we must begin by saying that even to say that human words cannot begin to broach the answer is itself an understatement of just how incomprehensibly infinite and exceeding to human sense, expression, and estimation the love of God truly is, let alone the fact we are the aspiring fallen beloved of Him Who alone loves. Candidly, my original post/first attempt on this was focused on the end in mind and not so much on deriving what God has provided us in answering this question and in doing what He has taught/shown us, after all He gave the command. Nevertheless, it is precisely this question (how does God love?) whose answer truly answers what it means to "love the sinner and hate the sin", to not "judge people by their sins", and so not...