Leftopia,..the Magical Land of Stupid...

And now for another installment of speaking with Lefties, the show where truth is orwellian and facts are hidden worse than in a 'Where's Waldo?' book!  (Funny anecdote, I always thought 'Where's Waldo?' was only in french,..'Ou est Charlie?'..Oh well...:))  This past week, during our CHRISTMAS time off, (not holiday time, or wintersoltice time, or winter festival time,..got that off my chest!)  I was innundated with emails concerning my so-called closed mindedness and lack of pastoral concern (whatever the hell that means,..) for issues of equality and justice!  You see about two years ago, I wrote a post on the evils of socialism and how it is incompatible with Catholic thought.  It basically denies the theological reality of original sin, and props up man to act as his own saviour.  Liberation theology became its bastard offspring, after having an ongoing affair with marxism.  (see here )  Now these people penetrate the establishment on all levels, politically, socially and yes even inside the Church.  They espouse Cardinal Bernadin's seamless garment crap and instead of looking at truths through a Thomistic lens, and then following suit, they equate everything in the same basket.  Example, 'Yes candidate 'A' is pro-life, but he's not taking care of the south american coffee pickers getting minimum wage!  So that must cancel it all out!' You see the logic?  No?  Because there is none!  

A few weeks back I was introduced to a Fox news commentator named Steven Crowder.  American by birth, he was raised in Canada, actually Montreal and is blowing the whistle on all this stuff!  His insights are intelligent, witty and wait for it,...FACTUAL!  Yes, the left having an issue with truth has a hard time getting its act together especially if it does not suit their marxist agenda!  Some examples,..(Let me set this up, typical university professor enters classroom wearing Palestinian 'kaffiya,' a Jack Layton hugging Barrack Obama pin and begins to lecture on the human rights violations of the US in the Middle East, Israel on everything and 'capitalism' as the 'Mein Kempf' of economic theory!  So, the students eat this stuff up!  I know, I was one of them!)  Some of the myths include;

Pope Pius XII was a silent nazi sympathizer who did nothing during WWII.  FACT:  Pope Pius XII did more than any other person to save Jews from extermination.  (see here)  The theory that he was anti-semitic arose from a protestant playwright 5 years later after his death!!!!!!  The chief Rabbi of Rome, Israel Zolli converted to Christianity because he was moved by Pius's defense of the Jewish people!!! Lefties, on this one you lose, you only expose yourselves not only as ignorant, but as a malicious parasitical cancer that grafts itself onto society!  (Yes, this one I take personally, because I've had to endure many a 'spirit' of VII priest propogating that lie!)

Israel is an evil country which must give back land to the Palestinians in the occupied territories.  FACT;  Can anybody name one country that wasn't formed through violence?  Number two, can anybody name one country whereby when it was formed, another country was formed specifically for the people living there at that time!  (Jordan was formed in 1948, for the people eventually known as the Palestinians.  Why eventually?  Because prior to 1948, there was no such f'n thing as a 'Palestinian!' )  It sucks that both people can't live in harmony, it really does, but when the 'Palestinians' refuse negotiations with Israel, thereby claiming it as Islamic land, and will only settle for a ten year truce, (Remember 'prophet' Muhammed, that peaceloving kind of guy, broke his ten year truce in two years instead!) and will never recognize Israel's right to exist!  It really is sad for the Arabs living there, but how about fighting this war through education, reign in your terror groups, or maybe do a little introspection on the metaphysics of Islam?  Just sayin,..The 'Left' love to tell you about how Israel attacked Syria and Egypt in the six day war, but forget to mention that those two countries already amassed their troops right on the bourder!  Wait a minute, after the asskicking Israel gave them, they still gave back land!!!!  Does anyone not see the irony?

Just two examples of pothead stupidity that we are forced fed through CBC, BBC and of course Hollywood, because we know how politically savvy they are, Sean Penn?  C'mon,..not exactly Ben Stein!  Critiquing anything the Obama administration is failing at brands you as rascist!  Back to Crowder,...I'll be putting a link up to his site, and I truly suggest you check out his youtube videos, he even has a 'Quebec Corner!'  I won't even mention that the producers of Jon Stewart's 'Daily Show' basically admitted Stewart's bias in an email concerning Crowder...Ooops,..just did!  Hehehehe...(Look it up!)

Blessed John Paul the Great,.........Ora pro nobis!

L'Eglise Quebecois,..

Living in 'La Belle Province' certainly has its fair share of unique characteristics.  To the outsider, things like the 'language police' (OLF) and Law 101 conjure up images of George Orwell's 1984.  Now of course it isn't really that bad,..but there are times when you just want to,..well,..either scratch your head quizically or just up and move to Ontario!

Growing up,.I was fluently bi-lingual, (tri-lingual if you count Italian as well, but my italian leaves much to be desired,.) and my parents lived in LaSalle which was/is a working class italian influenced section of the greater Montreal area.  My schooling up until 9th grade was done primarily in french and then from grade 10 to grade 12, mostly in english.   When I was a month away from my 18th birthday, I remember it all too well,..the year 1995,..the year of the REFERENDUM.   What happened?  Basically Montreal and the Outaouias regions along with parts of Quebec City voted No!  The rest of the geographic landscape voted OUI!  So let's imagine the Church of Quebexico as it would be today had the seperatists won,..Now for those who understand why politics and the Church in Quebec are intermingled, you need only a little history lesson on Maurice Duplessis.

Quebec,..2011(Fiction)

Montreal's empty Churches have nearly all been sold as the Quebec schism took place shortly after the 1995 referendum,..Pauline Marois was installed as the first Queen of Quebec amidst an internal conflict over whether or not she'll also lead the Quebec Church.  The Churches that weren't sold, also double as mosques, to house Quebec's nearly one quarter muslim population in order to better dialogue, because as long as 'les musulmans' s'exprimes en francais, there is really no problem.  The local Bishops are now elected in by the people to create there own creed and there own objective reality.  The Grand Seminaire has been hijacked by the diocese and turned into a centre for ecumenical dialogue and commitee meetings focusing on pottery, baking and just being nice,..(except to anglos,..)  The english side of the diocese chose to remain with Rome except for a few sellouts adhering to the poltergeist known as the 'spirit' of Vatican II.  Soooo,. Vatican II is ruled intolerable and therefore incompatible with 'le peuple Quebecois.'  Consequently the english are exiled to the deepest part of the west island and oppressed by the Queen Pauline.  The Church headed by Fr Tiffany immediately attempts to ordain woman, marry gays, ban all english, alow abortion/contraception in the name of tolerance, again unless your an anglo whereby they just sterilize you.  Convents are turned into Reiki wellness centres focusing on Tai Chi healing, Yoga and Voodoo.  The Latin Mass has however been banned because its not open enough...All this in the Quebecois Church!  Isn't being open fun?  Vive Pauline!!!

Marie Reine du Monde,.........prier pour nous.

Do Whatever He Tells You,...

The following thoughts, I drew inspiration from Fr Gerry Martineau, my parish priest and his homily about the Blessed Mother.  The more I journey toward wherever God is leading me in life, the more I draw inspiration from the witness of the Blessed Mother.  Last Sunday became another 'Aha!' moment.

The weeks of Advent allow the Christian for a time of preparation, not just for Christmas, but also for Jesus's Second Coming which He promises us.  The Gospel readings leading up to Christmas begin with Jesus Himself, declaring 'No one knows the day or the hour,.' Next we have Gospels concerning John the Baptist who acts as a preparatory prophet, calling on people to 'prepare the way of the Lord!'  Finally this past weekend was the Blessed Mother!  Her response was/is EPIC!!! (Be it done to me according to Thy will..) Just reread the Gospel of St Luke!!  Dear protestant friends,..keep an open mind, then read Genesis 3:15,..then reread the Gospels,..ALL FOUR OF THEM!!!  It isn't an ecumenism thing!  It ain't a politically correct thang,..It's a 'Get yer head out of yer ass thang!!!'  The Blessed Mother should not be dividing us,..She should be the woman uniting us! 

Hail Mary Full of Grace,...........pray for us!

Why The Priest Needs Philosophy

Okay,...time to step away from the Optimusmastro character and revert back to Marco (imagine Bruce Banner!)  The following is a paper that was done a few months back regarding why Priests need philosophy.  In light of the recent metaphysical dimension of the last few posts, I thought I would reprint it!  Please look past any spelling mistakes as I had to translate it,..(I had originally written it in french...)

Today's fast paced multicultural society has become a haven for ideas, fads, cultural norms and trends

each adhering to a certain set of guidlines or rules. The same can be said for religion as it is interpreted

by today's standards. What exactly do I mean by 'standards?' Well by way which humanity looks

upon religion as a cafeteria of differing beliefs, myths and superstition. It can be said that thanks to

mass media, the religious landscape is littered with not just differing and competing 'Christianity(s)' but

but also differing viewpoints on Catholicism as a whole and priesthood in particular. Therefore it is the

thesis of this paper to argue the necessity of philosophy in training future priests. Priests of today are

facing an up hill battle from the secularized world, differing religious traditions and finally it could

noted an internal identity crisis threatening the very fabric of Holy Orders.

Too often the Christian or Catholic can be labelled 'superstitious and closed minded clinging to

mythological truthes concerning a divine which orders humanity to its natural end. It is in this light,

where we must put aside the lense of Faith and thus put on the lense of Reason to justify not only

proofs or arguments for God's existance but also enable the future priest to speak to the world on moral

issues or ecumenical ones by establishing universal 'Truthes' based upon critical thinking. Topics such

as Abortion, euthanasia, and homosexual marriage have presented themselves upon the radar screen

within the politcal agenda, and thus need warranted attention from a priest seeking to better educate his

flock. In these case, the fallacious argument that 'its in the Bible!' would not suffice especially when

speaking with an unbeliever. In this instance, philosophy must step up to answer by proposing a

common universal truth based on logic.

1.What is Philosophy?

According to its greek root words, Philo and Sophia, philosophy literally translates as lover of wisdom.

In this light, the philosopher is one constantly seeking 'truth' to answer life's basic questions. Before

the Church, or Revelation for that matter was even a considered thought in the minds of men, the pre

-Socratics attempted to find the source, or 'arche' of all things. Sifting through different ideas and

theories, mankind sought to achieve the common goal of 'happiness' true authentic 'happiness.' Vatican

II reiterated in Optatum Totius; '

15. -Philosophical subjects should be taught in such a way that students are first of all gradually led to a solid and coherent knowledge of human nature , the world and God, guided by the philosophical tradition of lasting value.-

Taking this into account, the potential future priest candidate will no doubt have the rational tools and

intelligence necessary to combat the many differing mosaic of ideas and morality our current world is

now experiencing.

2. Philosophy as Anchor for Truth.

Authentic, true philosophy is properly speaking, studying a series of effects back to its cause. Pope

John Paul II is his encyclical 'Fides et Ratio' (Faith and Reason) argued that a proper

understanding of theology can never divorce itself from Truth. His opening line clearly outlines and

surmises his premise;

-Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves (cf. Ex 33:18; Ps 27:8-9; 63:2-3; Jn 14:8; 1 Jn 3:2). -

In his encyclical the Holy Father outlines the complamentary nature between Faith and reason. Faith

by itself only reveals what is mystery whereas reason seeks understanding in attempting to

intellectualize and show the Faith not as mere 'superstition' but as a full completion and answer to what

the profound thinkers without revelation could naturally grasp at. In other words, theology must take

off where philosophy leaves us, and thus provide us with an intellectualized Faith capable of standing

on its own. Simply put Truth is Truth. Therefore in comtemplating the mystery of God, whether we

get there by blind faith, or by reason, we are still ordered towards the same end. Herein lies at the core

the beauty of Catholicism, by which through its compatibility with reason, today stands alone through

its unique priestly formation stressing at first Truth as we can know it, and then Faith as the natural

answer to many of these philosophical questions.

The following is taken from the CCCB, (Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops) Decree on the

Training of priests

-Why do future priests need philosophical training? What are the principal reasons?Philosophy for seminarians should be given atheological context, so that they may grasp “with everincreasing clarity the Mystery of Christ, which affectsthe whole course of human history, exercises anincreasing influence on the Church, and operatesmainly through the ministry of the priest” (Decree on

the Training of Priests, 14).-

-

Once again, going back to the beginning, the priest, who as an 'alter Christus' is seen as much more

than just a 'minister as the protestant understanding who have it, must be prepared to dialogue and

discourse in a world filled with differing opinion. Knowledge of philosophy becomes a tool for in my

opinion three key areas. Morality, Inter Faith and Ecumenism, the last two being somewhat

synonimous. Once again, returning to John Paul II,..another encyclical by the name of 'Pastores Dabo

Vobis, the priest in his time writes,.

• For this reason the synod desired to "contextualize" the subject of priests, viewing it in terms of today's society and today's Church in preparation for the third millennium. This is indicated in the second part of the topic's formulation: "The formation of priests in the circumstances of the present day."

The challenges facing the Church, include, among other religions, especially Islam, is secularlism.

Truth is seen as something relative and thus emptied out of its objectivity has given us the fruits of

Abortion as was seen with the 'Hebert' article whereby even the disputability of a human being is

called into question. Philosophy steps in to answer these questions and show that you do not

necessarily have to resource yourself to Faith and the Bible especially while engaging a worldly

person. If the person is religious, a muslim,..then it becomes an entirely different story.

3. Philosophy as a starting point for Inter Faith dialogue.

Pope John Paul II started calling different religious leaders of different faiths to Assisi in order to pray

for peace. Apart from the secularist attack,.the Church it can be argued since the reforms of the

Second Vatican Council has found Herself more open to understanding Her interfaith and ecumenical

mission. Since dialogue and more importantly fruitful dialogue must be achieved so as to push

forward with her goal of evangelization, philosophy can used as a starting point to find common

ground. In other words, to seek what we share in common so that we may be able to better understand

where our friends in other religions are coming from so as to determine how far they are from

Catholicism. St Thomas Aquinas compaired the relationship of other religions to the Church in terms

of 'potentials' or by how much Truth they already possessed. In this light, the priest while speaking

cannot begin a theological discourse without establishing certain 'universalities' and how they got

there. Deep within the fabric of every human being, lies at the very core a true desire for Truth and

for the Divine. Both are one. Thus, philosophy can allow us that window to use our intellects with

adherents of other religions to bring them into a fuller understanding of who God is,.and how we as

man can be happy. A socratic dialogue can take place with a muslim whereby commonalities can be

establishment thus paving the way for Truth to prevail.

4. Philosophy as a key to Morality

Abortion. The very word conjures up debate and stirs emotions. As was briefly alluded to earlier, our

generation is faced with a moral vaccuum giving no clear indicator of whether or not Truth exists or

can be attained. Thus, our morality has suffered and one of the great holocausts of our time, Abortion

exists on a thin line enjoying support at times from well meaning people. The future priest knowing

that he'll have to deal with this said issue can resource himself within the philosophical context and

present to mankind, politicians and other just exactly when a human being is a human being. The same can be said for the just war argument. Peter Kreeft writes,.

• Most of the controversies in our world today can be understood and solved only by good philosophy and theology; for instance, the relation between world religions, especially Islam and Christianity; human life issues such as abortion, euthanasia and cloning; the justice of wars; the meaning of human sexuality and of the "sexual revolution"; the relation between mind and brain, and between human intelligence and "artificial intelligence"; the relation between creation and evolution; how far we are free and responsible and how far we are determined by biological heredity and social environment; the relation between morality and religion, and between religion and politics; and whether morality is socially relative or universal, unchanging and absolute. -

Can it thus be sufficient to say that philosophy can at least attempt to produce a coherent plan for

humans to act in a just moral manner? The future priest knowing that he is dealing with essentially all

of these issues must be ready to give intelligent answers, cognitive and well thought out essentially

being able to dismantle the opposition's argument and present in its place a strong testimony of truth

regardless of whatever Faith tradition one belongs to especially in light of these moral issues,

Abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia and contraception.

5. Philosophy as an aid to Ecumenical Dialogue.

Unlike Inter-Faith dialogue, Ecumenical dialogue has at its goal, since the second Vatican Council the

mission that all Christians be one as Christ Himself is one. Obviously sin on both sides caused this to

be not quite the case. Philosophy, especially coming from the priest allows him to engage our

seperated brethren in serious thought. Most of the time, the philosophical training is cut and dry and

thus invites a sincere search for Truth. Examples of this can be found with regards to the subjectivist

positions and subsequent morality in some of the more 'liberal' mainstream protestant groups to the

'fideistic' fundamentalist groups clinging to a rigidity not based on common sense. The protestant

mosaic, being what it is offers a variety of opinion, and not much philosophy.

To conclude, Just how important is a philosophical formation in the future priest? It can safely be said

that it is essential. We have seen throughout this age that moral ambiguity, spiritual confusion, and

rampant secularism have all but extinguished any hope of metaphysical thought. The future it would

seem would be for the future priest no longer in a world that was once 'Catholic' be called on the carpet

to justify his views on differing subjects. The priest solidly in trained in philosophy specifically

Aristo-Thomism can be well equiped to articulate his positions from a purely rational point of view. In

this light, the priest, will not have to be seen as some relic of medieval superstition, but an actual

living breathing beacon for Truth! Technology, the fast paced consumerism and other contributing

factors have at times left the metaphysical masterpieces of the Greeks, but we must not forget, what

would they think of all this confusion and questions regarding issues that would be no brainers. In the

letter for the Congregation for Catholic Education, paraphrasing,..The modern culture has without a

doubt a certain hostility towards authentic philosophy. This last statement brings up yet another point

that was not truly addressed, and that is, as much as philosphy can anchor the potential priests faith in

God, it can also destroy it especially by deviating away from the Aristo-Thomistic mindset. (Aristotle

and Thomas Aquinas) Peter Kreeft, a well known Thomist thinker in the US, writes,..

-Philosophy can lead you to God, and theology can lead you further into God (or away from Him). And God is the source of all truth, all goodness and all beauty; that is, of everything we value. (If that is not true, then God is not God.) All truth is God's truth; when an atheist discovers some scientific truth, he is reading the mind of God, the Logos. All goodness is God's goodness; when an agnostic secularist loves his neighbor, he is responding to divine grace. All beauty is God's beauty; when a dissipated, confused and immoral artist creates a thing of beauty, he is using the image of God in his soul, being inspired by the Holy Spirit, however anonymously, and participating in God's creative power. -

Truth exists, it just does, and whether we get 'there' by Faith or by reason, we are still attempting to get

to the same thing. Mankind will always, maybe now more than ever ask himself, 'Who I am? Where

did I come from? Where am I going?' How can I be happy? The priest in his role as alter Christus

must be able to step up and be ready to articulate positions for why we are the way we are as Catholics

and not use theology to do it.

To summarize, future priests need metaphysical training the same way a boxer needs cardio and

stamina. It is the lifeblood of Truth to be able to wonder what is the 'Arche.' Now more than ever,

because of the reasons put forth in this answer,.Because of cultural shifts, because of morality and

because of pluralism and multiculturalism, because of interfaith dialogue and finally because of ecumenical dialogue. It is only through rational discourse that proper arguments can be put forth and

solutions metted out in the arena of reason alone. The Aristo-Thomism of the Catholic Church which

laid the groundwork for what we now call the modern university, is the only way for humanity to

recover its roots, studying a series of 'effect' back to its 'cause.' In this light, this priest, as bearer of

Christ to the world, must be prepared for that changed world, and thus meet it head on! Whether we

like it or not, forty-six chromosones are in a human being when the sperm meets the end! This makes

life fully life, and we didn't need the Bible to tell us, just our own active intellects!

Hope you enjoyed it,..I know, I know, just cause I have muscles, you didn't expect me to be so nerdy!!!

Philosophy Bedtime Story for Dummies,..

So it finally happened this past week!  I was called an 'idiot' for being Christian aaaand 'if I would open my eyes to the great scientists and thinkers' of today's modern era, I would see that God doesn't exist, it was all just a fancy made up story!  Weeell, all I can say is WOW!!!!!!!  Where do I begin?   A couple of weeks ago I was in the whore of Babylon by a well meaning evangelical who sincerely thought I over-intellectualized my Faith, and now,..according to this one person, I happen to be a well meaning 'idiot' for believing in God!  Talk about extremes!   'Can you demonstrate in a simple way,..the rationality of God?'  Here goes,..

So okay kiddies,..one day, a long time ago in a galaxy far far away,.(Earth) there was this dude named 'Thales' who came from Miletus(Turkey..).  He sat up and said to himself,..what caused me?  hmmm,..after speculation he concluded, 'Water!'  Up to bat next and from the same part of town was another guy named Anaximander, this dude was taught by that Thales guy, but he disagreed that water was the cause of all things, because well,.water itself must be caused so he(Anaximander,..don't wanna lose you now,..) proposed the idea that everything stems from a 'boundless infinite.'  Now Anaximander had his own pupils, who's names were Anaximenes and another super ultra cool guy named named 'Pythagoras.'  (At this point there eyes lite up because that name sounds kinda mathematical..)  Anaximenes, differed from his teacher again and concluded that 'air' is the cause of everything!   These guys are called the pre-socratics and they were searching for the 'Arche' or material cause of everything, because, well simply put, the greeks couldn't put up with babylonian mythology anymore, the idea that its raining so the 'gods' must be crying didn't fly..Now of course there were others, Heracletes, Herodotus and Xenophanes to name a few..  Okay kiddies, time to go for a peepee break!

So now that these people had tried to use their brains to figure out just what the hell caused us, there came this guy, and we can call him the Vincent K. McMahon of Philosophy!  His name was Socrates!   This dude was an Athenian and is largely credited as the father of western philosophy!  The thing is, he didn't write anything but instead relied on his star pupil Plato,..(you heard of him?  good job!) to write his thoughts down.  The Socratic dialogue or 'conversation was born whereby an athenian stranger would ask, object and inquire about life, the pursuit of happiness and justice and virtue!  It was sooo cool because well, all the objections were laid out, and Socrates would answer them!  His desire for a just society though, led him into what we call today Socratic paradoxes, namely that no one desires or does 'evil' willingly yet we are almost pre programmed to do so! (At this point flashbulbs should be going off,..'original sin' anybody?)  The end of life saw him accused by his society of corrupting the youth and blasphemy by introducing false 'gods.'  Socrates did not fear death, and instead drank the elixir of poison after delivering his apology.

Plato.  The man,..whooo!  If Socrates is the Vince McMahon, then Plato is the Hulk Hogan of western thought!  Plato's relationship to Socrates was that he was Socrates's student and it is alleged, one of the youths that Socrates corrupted.  He was a wrestler(woohoo) and proposed theories on Mathematics, ethics, logic as well as superb metaphysics.  Plato's philosophy proposed a 'world of universals' or 'forms.'  He argued that there must exist two worlds, one of 'form' so that we, being rational thinkers(unlike a dog or a cat) already have an understanding of 'things' as they are in perception.  To see a chair, I already have an understanding of 'chairness' or 'sitting' from the world of 'forms.'  (Uh oh,..remember these Greeks didn't have the Revelation of God yet, but already our minds are being 'lifted up shall we say?) Plato believed that it was not rational to not believe in an immortal soul, because of the whole idea of the body as we see it.  A great insight into his thought process, is the 'Cave,' whereby he illustrates man's prison inside the cave only seeing what perception allows him to but the, once he gets outside,..the real world, 'forms' become truly present!!!  The 'sun' representing the ideal of the 'good.'   Okay,..peepee break number two!,..

Now on to the next dude,..Hey all you tired atheists, have you figured it out yet, that in fact it actually takes more 'faith' to be an atheist than to have a belief in Go--(oops, not there yet,..) a 'higher life power force, Vector sigma, the Matrix,..whatever you want to call 'it.'  Now as much as Plato concerned himself with the world of 'forms' or 'ideas' in the end he was a dualist,..remember the cave analogy, well, he also applied it to the human body, that the soul was trapped in it, thus the body was a 'prison.'  Okay, enough about that Plato guy,..let's turn our attention to his student,..Aristototle!!!!!!! (Glass breaks,..hit the music,..)  Aristotle, (The Stone Cold Steve Austin of Philosophy) rejected his master's universe of ideas, and instead declared that all truth can be perceptively grasped in the now, and 'things' are the in themselves there own reason for existing!  Four elements made up everything and they were earth, water, fire and wind!  (The fifth one he proposed was Aether, which he claimed that the stars were made up of,..and thus incorruptible,..Hey!  No one ever said he was perfect right?)   He, obeserved that these earthly elements were corruptible and thus subject to 'change' sooooo,.he declared 'mobile being' as divisible by substance and accident, matter and form, essence and exostance and finally potential and actual!  Ex,..I,.Marco am going to a big room.  "I' the substance,.(Me) and in potential (going) to a big (accidental) room, (actual,..but always in potential,..).  So,..Plato concerned himself with the heav--(oops,..'other world',..) and Aristototle concerned himself with temperal things.  Now if everything is cause and effect,..this can't go on forever, right?  He proposed 55 levels each attracted to the other and ultimately a final/first cause as the immobile motor!  What was that???  Logic, Thought, les Pensees!  Boooyaaaa!!  (is this all making a little sense to you??)   Not for anything,..but the Gospel of Saint John and the 'LOGOS' should be firing off in your head right about,.......NOW!

Now, throughout salvation history, God decides to reveal Himself to Moses on the mountain,..What is His name?  'I AM WHO AM'  Perfect pure Act, Pure being, no Potential,..this puzzle should be comin' together for ya,..right?  So now, Jesus comes and completely reveals God to man, reconciling ourselves to Him,..remember that predetermined 'original sin' nugget from earlier?  There were other thinkers along the way, including Epicurus, Augustine and the reigning heavyweight champion, St Thomas Aquinas!  His Summa Theoligica, although never finished, perfectly synthesized thought, creating the Catholic school of thinking known as Aristotelico-Thomist.  Truth is Truth!  Plain and simple, whether you get there by Faith or by reason, we are all going to the same beginning.

I realize that this blog post was superficial and condescending, but I believe it needed to be done in order to serve a purpose.  St Paul cites,.(Romans 2:14)   (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law,)...I think every human being on the planet longs for God,..whether they know it or not.  Again, I didn't expand on the idea, of souls being vegetative, sensitive or rational but I believe the Atheist really has no grounding whatsoever.  As far as his great scientists go,..Hawking, Dawkins,..they all propose theories rooted in subjectivist thinking!  A base philosophical precept states that 'something must come from something, something cannot come from nothing.'  The product of the enlightenment simply divorced reason from Faith,..and is a direct result of the protestant revolt,..(sorry prots, but it is the Truth!)  To the dude who called me an idiot,..remember as Catholics we are the ones responsible for the very idea of the university,..I'm not exactly Kirk Cameron trying to proove God using the banana, as well meaning as he is,..

God Bless,..sorry,.may the 'force' be with you.

From There to Here to,..The Vatican/SSPX...

New development in the Vatican/ Society of Saint Pius X talks!  Ok,..not really, but I had ya, didn't I?  It seems the doctrinal preamble sent to the society by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will not be signed and has been sent back to Rome in order to be more clarified,..this according to Archbishop Bernard Fellay of the SSPX.  If you are a new reader kindly search the archives if you want me to develop further upon the schism of the SSPX.  At any rate, these  'talks' of course center around Vatican II's interpretation especially regarding ecumenism and interreligious dialogue.  Rant time:  First off no one knows the contents of what the doctrinal preamble said, all we can do is speculate, BUT,..(yes a big 'but') what's really cute in all of this is still the 1970s 'Catholik fruitloop crew' of heterodoxy and marxism opining on television, print or other wise on this issue!  Hey guys, I thought we were supposed to be all inclusive!!!  C'mon you people are discriminating unfairly against the SSPX!  I mean afterall, since you people don't believe in excommunication, why were you so wrapped up in the Pope's lifting of SSPX excommunications?  Some consistancy please?  I know I'll get into trouble for this, but the heterodox crew along with their crayons and ecologically aware personalities can sometimes cause constipation.  Even when they yell at you for being too 'conservative' (key word for 'orthodox') you can't hit one because their average age is 78!!!  Here's a nifty idea,..let's let the Holy Spirit decide whether or not the SSPX returns to full communion! 

An email came in recently whereby I nearly laughed my ass off(in a good way!) so hard that I began to tear up!  The topic in question was how could I be certain I am called to priesthood.  Well,..the short answer is very simple!  I don't know if I'm called but that's why I have a Spiritual Director who will help me discern the process and thus guide me in such a way to see whether or not God is calling me to serve Him as a priest.  How did this happen?  Slowly but surely, step by step, I ran and ran and ran,..but guess what?  Now matter how much temporal success I was given, I always felt 'something' was missing, a sort of deep thirst that I did not know how to quench.   So I took the plunge...

Our Lady of Fatima,.........ora pro nobis.