|
1
|
- The Call to Holiness
- in Jesus Christ
|
|
2
|
- “In the silence of the heart God speaks,
- The fruit of silence is prayer,
- The fruit of prayer is faith,
- The fruit of faith is love,
- The fruit of love is service,
- The fruit of service is peace.”
- -Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
|
|
3
|
|
|
4
|
- Questions on Spirituality – 9:00 - 9:30
- Spiritual Theology I – Doctrinal Foundations 9:30 – 10:15
- Questions/Discussion 10:15 - 10:30
- Break 10:30-10:45
- Spirituality Theology II – Growth in Holiness 10:45 - 11:45
- Questions/Discussion – 11:45 - 12:00
- Lunch
- Prayer/Discernment/Pitfalls – 1:00 – 2:00
- Questions/Discussion 2:00 - 2:15
- Break 2:15 – 2:30
- Sanctity in Action - Bl. Teresa of Calcutta DVD 2:30 – 4:30
|
|
5
|
- What is Spirituality?
- What is the Difference of Being Spiritual and Being Religious?
- What is Christian Spirituality?
- What is Catholic Spirituality?
- Why Should I Be Spiritual?
- How Does One Grow in Spirituality?
- If I Could Change One Thing in my Spiritual Life, What Would It Be? (Optional to share)
|
|
6
|
|
|
7
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
10
|
|
|
11
|
|
|
12
|
|
|
13
|
- Fides Quae Creditur
- “The Faith Which is Believed”
- The objective dimension
- The Content of the Faith
- Achieved by Mind/Intellect
- Supported by Study/Inquiry
|
|
14
|
- Curtain Call – Outline of the Specific Presentation
- Levels of Hierarchy of Slides
- Highest – Yellow – The Sun
- Middle High – Blue – The Sky
- Middle Low – Green – The Trees
- Lowest – Brown – The Ground
|
|
15
|
- Nature and Scope of Spiritual Theology – What is it?
- The Goal of Our Striving – Why we do it?
- Life in Christ and Mary – How we do it?
- The Supernatural Organism – Our Tools
- Perfection of the Christian Life – What it looks like?
|
|
16
|
- Asceticism vs. Mysticism? No, spirituality.
- Morality vs. Spirituality? No, holiness
and sanctity.
- Spirituality vs. Doctrine? No, spiritual theology.
- Definition of Spirituality.
- Sources of Spiritual Theology.
|
|
17
|
- No, spirituality.
- “There is but one path to Christian perfection, though it admits of
ascetical and mystical stages, and the mystical life is not the result
of extraordinary graces, but is the normal development and perfection of
the grace received by every Christian in baptism.”
- Every Christian is called to be a mystic.
|
|
18
|
- No, holiness and sanctity. The
devil is spiritual but is not moral.
Some atheists are moral, but they are not spiritual. A saint is holy, and therefore moral
and spiritual.
- Vatican II – Universal Call to Holiness
|
|
19
|
- No, spiritual theology.
- Spiritual Theology presupposes what sacred doctrine teaches about the
nature and properties of the Christian virtues and it studies the laws
of their progress toward perfection.
|
|
20
|
- Spirituality – in its widest sense, it is any religious or ethical value
that is concretized as an attitude from which one’s actions flow.
- Christian Spirituality – a participation in the mystery of and life of
Christ through the interior life of grace, actuated by faith, charity,
and other Christian virtues.
|
|
21
|
- In a strict sense, the only authentic spirituality is a spirituality
centered in Jesus Christ and through Him to the Trinity.
- Why? Created grace, the vital
principle of the spiritual life, only comes through Jesus Christ.
- Other religions, to varying degrees, have “seeds of truth” that point to Jesus
Christ.
- Christ died for all – His universal salvific will.
- Christ is uniquely the way to salvation. Nothing else can save (no person or
religion).
- For those outside the Church who are saved, they are only saved through
Christ and His Church.
|
|
22
|
- Sacred Scripture (The Bible) – The rule and standard of all authentic
spirituality. It needs an
authentic interpreter.
- Sacred Tradition – Unlike purely human tradition, which is subject to
error, the living tradition of the Church is infallible as regards the
essential content of the deposit of faith.
- One Single Sacred Deposit of the Word of God – Scripture and Tradition
|
|
23
|
- The First thing necessary is to know the goal or end, then to select the
proper means to that end, and finally to utilize the means for attaining
the end.
- Spiritual Life has three goals:
- Glory of God (ultimate goal)
- Beatific Vision (proximate goal)
- Sanctification (proximate goal)
|
|
24
|
- Intrinsic Glory – God is infinitely perfect and has no need of anything
outside himself. The reason for
creation is God’s love and goodness.
- Is this egoism by God? – He can’t desire anything distinct from
himself; he wills simply to communicate that goodness.
- Extrinsic Glory – The whole created universe exists to manifest the
goodness of God. We strive for perfection to praise and glorify Him (an
advanced motive in later stages of spiritual life).
|
|
25
|
- Beatitude or perfect happiness is man’s ultimate perfection.
- Man’s final beatitude (heaven) depends on:
- Total perfection of the Individual. (Dying in the state of grace [no
mortal sin at death] but without perfection requires purgatory before
heaven.)
- 2) Knowledge of the good possessed in glory (in heaven we see clearly
the triune God as he is, one more perfectly than another, depending on
their merits.)
|
|
26
|
- Every living thing naturally seeks and tends to its perfection.
- “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matt 5:48
- “It is God’s will that you grow in holiness.” – 1 Thess 4:3
|
|
27
|
- “I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father
but through Me.” - John 14:6
- Therefore, the primary goal of every Christian is to unite himself with
Christ to the point of being configured with Him. Incorporation in Christ is the only
way of attaining salvation.
- Mary’s spiritual maternity of us is not something added extrinsically to
her divine maternity of Jesus; they are one and simultaneous.
|
|
28
|
- Preliminary Point: Grace builds on Nature, rather than covers it.
- Tools for the Soul:
- Sanctifying Grace
- Actual Grace
- Infused Virtues
- Gifts of the Holy Spirit
- Fruits of the Spirit, Beatitudes
|
|
29
|
|
|
30
|
- Defn: The supernatural quality in the soul that gives one a formal
participation, although analogously, in the very nature and life of God.
(The sun and the mirror).
- St. Thomas Aquinas: The minimum degree of sanctifying grace in one
individual is greater than the natural good of the entire universe.
- Grace makes us adopted children of God with the Trinity dwelling in us,
gives us supernatural life, and gives us the capacity for supernatural
merit.
- We lose it by mortal sin, and regain it through the Sacrament of
Confession or in special circumstances, perfect contrition.
|
|
31
|
- Defn: A transient stimulation or movement by which the soul is prompted
to do or receive something relating to salvation.
- Actual grace is closely related with man’s cooperation with God. Even the just person in the state of
grace needs special help from God to avoid all sin and to persevere in
grace.
|
|
32
|
- Theological Virtues: ordain the faculties to the supernatural end or
goal of God - Faith, Hope, and Charity.
- Moral Virtues – dispose the faculties to the end in regard to the means
– cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude.
|
|
33
|
- Defn: Habits of the Holy Spirit that perfect the infused virtues
according to a supernatural mode.
The infused virtues operate by human reason illumined by faith
and prompted by actual grace. The
gifts operate by direct contact of the Holy Spirit.
- The gifts are not extraordinary charismatic graces. They are given with sanctifying grace
and are necessary for salvation.
|
|
34
|
- Fruits Defn: The virtuous acts
performed by those who are guided by the Spirit, such as Charity, Joy,
Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Fidelity, Meekness, and
Continence.
- Beatitudes Defn: The ideals that flow from Christian living, and so are
acts that flow from the virtues and the gifts, but are so perfect they
are more closely aligned with the gifts.
See Matt 5:3-10.
|
|
35
|
- The Nature of Christian Perfection
- Growth in Christian Perfection
- Christian Perfection and Mystical Experience
|
|
36
|
- Essential Perfection: Sanctifying Grace
- Operative Perfection: Charity – love of God and neighbor (the height of
perfection)
- Final Perfection: Intimate Union with God in this life of the
“transforming union” or highest grade of prayer.
- Secondary Perfection: Acts of the virtues other than charity.
- Instrumental Perfection: Evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and
obedience.
|
|
37
|
- Aspects:
- 1) There can’t be any true charity for our neighbor or ourselves, if it
doesn’t proceed from the love of God; this is different than a natural
inclination.
- 2) The capacity to love God is not increased in the soul without a
corresponding increase in the capacity to love one’s neighbor.
- 3) The difficulty of an act does not of itself add any essential merit
to the act. Merit depends on the
degree of charity with which the act is performed.
- 4) Charity is perfected by the Gift of Wisdom.
- 5) Charity can increase indefinitely in this life – thus, Christian
perfection has no limit.
- 5) Universal Call to Perfection – it applies to all people.
- 7) Grades of Perfection – purgative, illuminative, and unitive stages.
|
|
38
|
- Mystical Experience – The actuation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in
the divine or supernatural mode (rather than the ascetical state of the
infused virtues in a human mode), which normally produces a passive
experience of God or of his divine activity in the soul, but not
necessarily, as in the dark night of the soul.
- The Mystical State and Christian Perfection – Asceticism and mysticism
are not two distinct paths to Christian holiness; rather, they are two
stages on the same path to charity.
- Mystical Activity doesn’t necessarily result in infused contemplative
prayer, because certain Gifts of the Holy Spirit are oriented to the
will rather than the intellect.
|
|
39
|
|
|
40
|
|
|
41
|
- Conversion from Sin (basic negative means)
- Progressive Purgation (advanced negative means)
- Principal Means of Spiritual Growth (positive means)
- Virtues (positive means)
- The Theological Virtues (merit for grace)
- The Chief Moral Virtues (merit for grace)
- Secondary Aids to Spiritual Growth (positive means)
|
|
42
|
- The Psychosomatic Structure – Grace does not replace or destroy nature,
it works through and perfects it.
It is “incarnational” grace.
- The Struggle Against Sin – Free will
- Temptations – the flesh, the world, and the devil.
|
|
43
|
- Temperament – Heredity as the fundamental source. Physiological. Immutable except for secondary
modification.
- Character – Environment as the fundamental source. Psychological and ethical. Mutable.
- Free Will – the most important element of all by which we make choices.
|
|
44
|
- People usually manifest a combination of several temperaments, but one
will normally predominate. The
classifications are based on emotional qualities since they are the
psychosomatic reactions.
|
|
45
|
- Overview: Reacts quickly and
strongly to almost any stimulation or impression, but the reaction is
usually of short duration.
- Good qualities: serenity, optimism, keen intellect but often without
depth.
- Negative qualities: superficiality, inconstancy (abandon efforts of
longer duration), and sensuality.
- Ways for growth: reflection and thinking, resolutions to persevere, and
recollection, mortification, flight from occasions of sin, and custody
of the external senses.
|
|
46
|
- Overview: Easily and strongly aroused, and the impression lasts for a
long time. This temperament produces great saints and sinners. They don’t forget easily.
- Good qualities: Great energy and
activity, strong will, sharp intellect, constancy, magnanimity, and
liberality. More inclined to work
than to think (the temperament of administration).
- Negative qualities: Can exhibit
hardness, obstinacy, insensibility, anger, and pride. They can become ambitious, lack tact,
and exhibit coldness. They can be
impatient with the less talented.
- Ways for growth: Control and
guide their energies. They need
to cultivate humility, compassion, tenderness, and understanding. They should also develop a detachment
from themselves and a generous love for others.
|
|
47
|
- Overview: Weak reaction to
stimulus and difficult to arouse them, but after repeated impressions
the reaction is strong and lasting.
The melancholic person doesn’t forget easily.
- Good qualities: Inclined to
reflection, piety, and the interior life. Sharp intellect. The power of their will is affected by
their physical strength and health.
- Negative qualities: Exaggerated
tendency to sadness and loss of confidence in self. Excessive reserve with a tendency to
scrupulosity.
- Ways for growth: Inculcate a
strong confidence in God and themselves, and develop a more optimistic
view of life. Sometimes a regimen
of rest and nourishment is necessary.
|
|
48
|
- Overview: Rarely aroused
emotionally, and if so, only weakly.
Impressions received usually last a short time and leave no
trace.
- Good qualities: Work slowly but
steadily, not easily irritated by insults or misfortune. They usually remain tranquil,
discreet, and sober. They have a
lot of common sense and mental balance.
Have good hearts but can seem cold.
- Negative qualities: Can lose
opportunities from slowness. Tend
to live by and for themselves rather than in interest of events around
them.
- Ways for growth: They should be
directed to a lofty ideal and not allowed to become apathetic. They need to control themselves by
arousing themselves to put their powers to use.
|
|
49
|
- Education – family, school, church, and associates
- Environment – almost too numerous to mention. The most profound effect on
personality is found in the environment of youth (nutrition, climate,
neighborhood, home life, etc…).
- Personal Effort – By far the most important factor in forming character,
and so it can modify, correct, or nullify the effects of education and
environment.
- “Temperament is what our ancestors have made us, and character is what
we have made ourselves.”
|
|
50
|
- Defn: Every sin is a deviation
from man’s true ultimate end. Sin
is formally in the will and is an act of self-love in opposition to the
love of God.
- Categories:
- Mortal Sin
- Venial Sin
- Imperfections
|
|
51
|
- Defn: Sin which destroys the life
of sanctifying grace in the soul and separates one from God. Sin which kills charity in the heart.
- Impact: If one mortal sin can
cause such devastating effects, the habit of mortal sin can become
second nature to sinners and it becomes very difficult to convert to a
life of virtue.
|
|
52
|
- Vincible Ignorance – Ignorance that results from a completely
indifferent education or environment devoid of religious influence. They are capable of committing
deliberate mortal sin but their culpability before God is lessened. These souls can turn to God with
comparative readiness if the opportunity presents itself, since their
careless life came from ignorance rather than malice.
- Weakness – Those who sin out of weakness, lack of will power, or strong
attraction to sensual pleasure.
They sin with a greater knowledge than those who are ignorant,
but they sin because they are weak rather than evil. They should be encouraged to
resolutions, frequent reception of the Sacraments, and avoidance of
occasions of sin.
|
|
53
|
- Cold Indifference – Those who sin without remorse of conscience, who
silent the faint voice of conscience in order to continue a life of sin
without reproach. Conversion for
them is very difficult. One
possible way is for them to do spiritual exercises with a group of
persons in the same profession (e.g., a retreat or parish mission).
- Refined Malice – These sinners are most culpable because of their obstinacy and
malice. They attack religion and
the Church and may join an anti-Catholic sect. The only real method for conversion is
strictly supernatural: prayer, fasting, recourse to the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
|
|
54
|
- Defn: A simple deviation, not a total aversion from the ultimate
end. Sin which wounds but does
not kill charity in the soul.
- Effects:
- Deprives the soul of many actual graces.
- Lessens the fervor of charity and service of God.
- Increases the difficulty of the exercise of virtue.
- Predisposes for mortal sin.
|
|
55
|
- Helpful Hints:
- Reproach our hearts with sweet reproaches, using more compassion than
anger to help ourselves to amend our behavior.
- Specifically:
- Examination of Conscience
- Practice of Prayer
- Practice of Sacrifice
- Recollection
- Devotion to Mary and the example of the saints
|
|
56
|
- How to Remove
- Removing these imperfections requires stronger habits of virtue, which
flow from more intense acts (purity of motives with the deepest desire
of glorifying God with abandonment to his will) that flow from actual
grace.
- Prayer is extremely important since increase in actual grace can come
only from petition (prayer), since it doesn’t fall properly under merit.
|
|
57
|
- Does God tempt us? No, God never
incites us to evil, but he permits us to be tempted by our spiritual
enemies to give us an occasion for greater merit.
- Types of Temptations:
- 1) The Devil
- 2) The World
- 3) The Flesh
|
|
58
|
- “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the
- trees in the garden? – The Devil
- “God said, ‘you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree in the
- midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” – Eve
- “You will not die. For God knows
that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like
God, knowing good and evil.” – The Devil
- “The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes,
and desirable for gaining wisdom.”
- “So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she gave some to her
husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”
- “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they
were naked.”
- “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool
of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves, etc…
|
|
59
|
- Vigilance before temptation arises:
- Avoiding occasions of sin
- Exercising self-control
- Renewing firm resolutions
- Prayer – always
- During Temptation:
- Direct Resistance: Do exact opposite of temptation (say something nice,
rather than criticize)
- Indirect Resistance: Distract the mind to something else. Particularly effective for sins
against purity.
- Resist with serenity and peace rather than anxiety, since each repulsed
temptation increases merit and strengthens the soul.
- Speak to one’s spiritual director – “A temptation declared is already
half conquered.”
|
|
60
|
- The world and all things in it are good, so far as they come from the
hands of the Creator.
- The world becomes an enemy for the Christian only when we become so
attached to things of the world that we fail to advance in the love and
service of God.
|
|
61
|
- Avoid occasions of sin – “He who loves danger will perish in it.”
- Vivify One’s Faith
- Meditate on the Vanity of the World
- Ignore what the World Thinks – One who desires to reach sanctity must be
absolutely indifferent to what the world may say or think.
|
|
62
|
- The world can be conquered with relative ease by disdaining its pomp and
vanities; the devil cannot withstand the supernatural power of a little
holy water; but our flesh wars against us without ceasing.
- Two ways the flesh wages war on us:
- - By its insatiable desire for pleasure
- - By its instinctive horror of suffering
|
|
63
|
- Problem: Lawful pleasure can
frequently become an occasion or temptation to unlawful pleasure. This is why Christian mortification is
used not to put sin where there is no sin, but as a defense of the good.
- Spiritual Principle ”Christian perfection is absolutely impossible
without mortification.”
|
|
64
|
- Custody of the Senses – “What the
- eyes do not see, the heart does
- not desire.”
- Self-denial – “Those who do everything that is permitted will very
readily do that which is not permitted.” – St. Clement of Alexandria
- Beneficial Occupation – Sloth is the mother of all vices.
- Other Ways – Consideration of sin’s punishment, remembrance of the
Passion of Christ, prayer, reception of the Sacraments, devotion to Mary
|
|
65
|
- “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and
take up his cross and follow me. – Matt 16:24
- There is no sanctification without crucifixion with Christ.
- When everything else fails, there is still recourse to one’s suffering
to obtain the salvation of another sinful soul.
|
|
66
|
- “Horror of suffering is one of the principal reasons there are so few
saints. Many souls who strive for
sanctity do not wish to enter upon the way of suffering. They would like to be saints, but with
a sanctity that is comfortable and easy.
And when God tests them with some painful affliction of spirit or
persecutions and calumny or any other cross that, if well carried, would
lead them to the heights of sanctity, they draw back and abandon the way
of perfection. Perhaps they have
even reached the point where they asked God to send them some cross, but
it is evident that what they wanted was a cross of their own choosing
and, when they did not find it, they considered they had been deceived
and gave up the road to perfection.”
|
|
67
|
- Acceptance of Duties
- Resignation to Crosses
- Voluntary Mortification
- Preferring Suffering to Leisure
- Offering Oneself as a Victim – To be called a victim is easy and it
pleases self-love, but truly to be a victim demands a purity, a
detachment, and a heroic abandonment.
This is not for the beginner in the spiritual life, except by
miraculous grace.
|
|
68
|
- Why Purgation? Sanctifying grace
doesn’t exclude anything more than mortal sin. It leaves us with all the natural and
acquired imperfections we had when we were justified.
- The infused virtues received with sanctifying grace give the soul the
power to perform the virtues, but they don’t rid the soul of evil habits
against the virtues.
- The evil habits are destroyed only by the practice of the virtues and
the profound purification of all the faculties and powers of soul and
body.
|
|
69
|
- Active Purification of the External Senses
- Active Purification of the Internal Senses
- Active Purification of the Passions
- Active Purification of the Intellect
- Active Purification of the Will
- Passive Purgations
|
|
70
|
- Purpose: Restrain the excesses of
the external senses and to subject them to the rule of reason illumined
by faith.
- Measure: It isn’t necessary to deprive the senses of their proper
objects, but only to avoid placing one’s final joy in the sensate
pleasure without rising to God via them.
- Tool of Restraint: Mortification
- “He who has little regard for bodily mortification, under the pretext
that interior mortifications are much more perfect, demonstrates very
clearly that he is not mortified either interiorly or exteriorly.” –
St. Vincent de Paul
- Mortification must never be harmful to one’s health or make one
incapable of fulfilling one’s duties, which are more important.
- The person shouldn’t make mortification a goal or end, it is only a
means to an end. Sanctity
doesn’t consist in punishing the body.
|
|
71
|
- Purpose: Restrain the excesses of the internal senses and subject them
to reason illumined by faith.
- What are the internal senses? – imagination, memory, common sense, and
the estimative power
- Tools of Restraint:
- For the Imagination – custody of the external senses (sight), prudent
selection of reading material, attention to duties of the moment,
indifference to distractions (ignore, don’t combat them)
- For the memory – forget past sins, cease thinking of past injuries,
remember benefits from God
|
|
72
|
- Purpose: It is not advocated to
extinguish or repress the emotions, but to control their proper use, for
without great passion for God and the good, sanctity is impossible.
- Tools: Wholesome recreation or a journey, work, custody of the senses, a
regular schedule, reflection, and will power.
- Danger: Giving in to the passion
may quiet the urge temporarily, but it also gives the passion greater
strength for making future demands.
|
|
73
|
- Purpose: For Christian perfection, it is necessary that purification
reach the very depths of one spirit, beyond the external and internal
senses and the emotions. It is in
the depths that the deviations of the intellect and will are purified. After that, the passive purifications
will complete what a person can’t accomplish on his own efforts under
grace.
- Tools:
- Firstly, reject all vain, useless, and sinful thoughts.
- Secondly, overcome ignorance by studying truths of the faith and probe
their deeper meaning for one’s life, not just for curiosity.
- Lastly, avoid excessive attachment to one’s own ideas and opinions,
especially in matters of faith.
Especially important is obedience to the Magisterium of the
Church.
|
|
74
|
- The will seeks the good as known by the intellect, and as such is a
blind faculty that follows the intellect. The act of the will is love, or the
union of the will with God. Since
all our faculties have been affected by original sin, the will needs to
be rectified to a complete submission to the will of God.
- Tool: One needs to mortify one’s
desires before arriving at perfect union with God. Until the desires cease, even though
one performs virtues, he does not perform them with perfection.
- Tip: Some persons burden themselves with extraordinary penances and
exercises and think they’ll arrive at divine wisdom. If they would exert half the effort
in mortifying their desires, they would advance more in one month than
through years of other exercises.
- Tip: Beware of self-love, its manifestations are varied and almost
infinite. For some, even in
spiritual things, self-love becomes the center around which everything
must rotate.
|
|
75
|
- Purpose: God reserves for himself the passive purifications after the
soul has gone through the active purifications through its own efforts
with the help of grace. The
passive purifications are mystical in nature and necessary for
perfection of the soul.
- Types:
- Night of the Senses – a prolonged series of profound and persistent
aridities that submerge the soul in a very painful state and tests its
perseverance in the desire for sanctification.
- Night of the Spirit – An apparent abandonment by God in which the soul
is deprived of all delight and satisfaction in relations with God.
|
|
76
|
- The Sacraments (most efficacious means)
- Covered in sacramental theology course
- Meritorious Good Works (Virtuous Acts)
- The virtues are covered in moral theology course
- Prayer of Petition
|
|
77
|
- Defn: Sensible signs instituted by Christ to bestow grace on those who
receive them.
- Most efficacious means of spiritual growth in grace and charity, since
the sacraments infallibly produce grace in those who receive the
sacraments without placing an obstacle to receiving grace. Meritorious good works and prayer, by
contrast, inherently depend on the dispositions of the person for
receiving grace.
- The sacraments, like the deeds of Christ, retain their sanctifying power
for all time.
|
|
78
|
- Baptism bestows on the recipient the following (all the supernatural
powers needed to grow to Christian perfection):
- Sanctifying Grace
- Infused Theological and Moral Virtues
- Gifts of the Holy Spirit
|
|
79
|
- Not strictly necessary for salvation.
- Purpose: Strengthens the recipient for the apostolate, which comprises
any work or deed by which we bring God to souls and souls to God. This is done not just by witness of
life, but by being on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by
word.
|
|
80
|
- There is no great way of giving honor and glory to God than by offering
to him his beloved Son in whom he is well pleased.
- Requirements:
- One must be in the state of sanctifying grace since the Eucharist is a
Sacrament of the Living.
- Worthy Reception – sufficient knowledge and proper intention.
|
|
81
|
- “A second baptism” by the remission of sins, but more painful in the
need to acknowledge one’s sins, do penance, and amend one’s life.
- Regaining Sanctifying Grace – One doesn’t regain grace in the measure
possessed prior to mortal sin, but according to one’s actual disposition
in receiving the sacrament (contrition and purpose of amendment).
- Confession is invalid without a purpose of amendment that is firm,
efficacious, and universal.
|
|
82
|
- Completion of the Sacrament of Penance – it has, as one of its purposes,
to rid the soul of the remnants of sin and thus liberate the soul
completely.
|
|
83
|
- The natural and normal vocation for every man and woman. There are always those who for one
reason or another choose a celibate life, but the first presumption
should always be for marriage.
|
|
84
|
- The Church that Christ founded on Peter as its rock was from the
beginning a hierarchical Church because of the ministry of word and
sacrament committed to the apostles.
- “The Church from the apostles, the apostles from Christ, and Christ from
God.” - Tertullian
|
|
85
|
- The growth in holiness and grace from meritorious acts is not primarily
based on the external actions of apostolate or ministry, but to the
supernatural motivation of virtue imperated by charity that grows in
intensity.
- Since merit is determined by charity, an actual increase of grace
requires a more intense act of charity than the habit of charity
possessed in the here and now.
- We need grace to merit grace – no person can merit the first grace for
himself, so a person in mortal sin can do nothing for himself by way of
merit. However, since grace can
serve as a basis for merit, souls in a state of grace may by prayers and
good works merit the first grace for a person in sin.
|
|
86
|
- Requirements:
- Pray for oneself
- Pray for that which is necessary for salvation
- Pray piously (humility, confidence, attention, and in the name of
Christ)(n.b., don’t necessarily need sanctifying grace)
- Pray with perseverance
|
|
87
|
- Benefit: The acts of the virtues
merit
- an increase of grace.
- Variety of Exercise: The pattern
of exercise of the virtues will vary by one’s vocation or state of life,
as well as by one’s particular gifts or charisms.
- Types:
- Theological Virtues – the Christian virtues par excellence, since they
draw us away from the natural order to the supernatural and divine.
- Moral Virtues – These can be appreciated by those who live according to
purely human standards.
|
|
88
|
- Faith (Gifts of Understanding, Knowledge)
- Hope (Gift of Fear)
- Charity (Gift of Wisdom)
|
|
89
|
- Defn: A supernatural virtue infused into the intellect by which, thanks
to the movement and help of God’s grace, we believe what God reveals to
be true on the authority of God himself revealing.
- The Act – faith requires an assent of the intellect, command of the
will, and actual grace.
- Operation – Perfect operation requires the state of sanctifying grace
and the actuation of charity.
However, persons in mortal sin can still possess an unformed
faith (i.e., without charity), but their acts are not meritorious. Only a serious sin against faith will
destroy the virtue of faith.
|
|
90
|
- Gift of Understanding - The
virtue of faith provides a knowledge of supernatural truths in an
imperfect manner, but the gift of understanding gives the intellect an
infused profound and intuitive penetration of the revealed truths and
even natural truths relating to a supernatural end.
- Gift of Knowledge – A supernatural habit through which the human
intellect, under the action of the Holy Spirit, judges rightly
concerning created things as related to eternal life and Christian
perfection.
|
|
91
|
- Defn: The supernatural virtue infused by God into the will, by which we
trust with complete certitude in the attainment of eternal life and the
means necessary for reaching it, assisted by the omnipotent help of God.
- For Beginners: Avoid the extremes
of presumption and despair.
|
|
92
|
- Defn: A supernatural habit by which the just soul, under the instinct of
the Holy Spirit, acquires a special docility for subjecting itself
completely to the divine will out of reverence for the excellence and
majesty of God.
- God in himself, as infinite goodness, can’t be feared. But he ought to be feared in so far as
he is able to punish us (servile fear).
However, the Gift of fear is filial fear, or the fleeing from sin
because it is offense against the God we love.
|
|
93
|
- Defn: A supernatural habit infused by God into the will, by which we
love God for himself above all things, and ourselves, and our neighbor
for God. The motive of charity in
all cases is divine goodness.
Purely human love, as such, is of no value in the supernatural
order.
- Practice: Charity is not increased by any act of charity whatever, but
only by an act that is more intense than the habit as actually possessed
here and now. Weaker acts don’t
increase charity.
|
|
94
|
- “Daily experience teaches us that a large number of good souls live
habitually in the grace of God, without committing any serious faults
but performing many good works and acts of sacrifice, but they are far
from being saints and live in spiritual slothfulness or tepidity. If they encounter any difficulty, they
become angry; if they lack anything, their lament is raised to heaven;
if their superior commands something that doesn’t please them, they
murmur or complain; if someone criticizes them, they become
enemies. All this shows clearly
that such individuals are still very far from Christian perfection.”
|
|
95
|
- Defn: A supernatural habit, inseparable from charity, by which we judge
rightly concerning God and divine things through their ultimate and
highest causes under a special instinct of the Holy Spirit, which makes
us taste these things by a certain connaturality.
- Distinctions: Those who
contemplate a thing and know it by its proximate cause have scientific
knowledge. Those who can reduce
their knowledge to ultimate principles possess philosophical wisdom. Those who, guided by faith, deduce
conclusions from the revelation of God possess theological wisdom. But those, presupposing faith and
sanctifying grace, judge divine and human things through their ultimate
causes by a kind of divine instinct possess supernatural wisdom, or the
gift of wisdom. Beyond this is
only the uncreated wisdom of the Beatific Vision of God in heaven.
|
|
96
|
- Prudence (Gift of Counsel)
- Justice (Gift of Piety)
- Temperance (Gift of Fear)
- Fortitude (Gift of Fortitude)
|
|
97
|
- Defn: A special virtue infused by God into the practical intellect for
the right government of one’s actions in view of the supernatural
end. It enables us to judge
accurately what is the morally good thing to do in particular
circumstances.
- Queen of the Virtues: Without
prudence, no other virtue can be practiced with perfection.
- Maxim: Not all things that are lawful are fitting and proper for a holy
Christian.
|
|
98
|
- Defn: A supernaturally infused habit by which the Holy Spirit enables
one to judge rightly in particular events what ought to be done in view
of the supernatural ultimate end and personal sanctification. The virtue of prudence operates by
reason enlightened by faith, but the gift of counsel operates under the
direct impulse of the Holy Spirit.
- It is especially important in situations when immediate judgment is
required and time is not available for a decision under the virtue of
prudence working in a human mode.
|
|
99
|
- Defn: A supernatural habit that inclines the will constantly and
perpetually to render to each one that which is strictly due.
- It is the first virtue in order of development, for the first moral
lessons taught a child are of justice, rights, and duties.
- Three types:
- Legal Justice – the individual giving society what is due for the
common good. (Up)
- Distributive Justice – The proportionate bestowal of goods in a society
according to the dignity, merits, or needs of each person. (Down)
- Commutative Justice – Justice in the fullest sense of the term, it has
to do with the rights and duties of individual persons among
themselves. It involves the
strict justice of obligation and restitution. (Sideways)
|
|
100
|
- Defn: An infused supernatural habit that arouses in the will via the
Holy Spirit a filial love for God as Father, and a sentiment of
universal love for all men and women as brothers and sisters and as
children of the same heavenly Father.
- The virtue of religion (part of justice) respects God as Creator of
everything that exists, but the gift of piety considers God as a Father
who has engendered supernatural life.
|
|
101
|
- Defn: A supernatural habit that moderates the inclination to sense
pleasures and keeps them within the limits of reason illumined by faith.
- Although temperance applies to all the senses, it particularly applies
to the senses of taste and touch because they invoke the greatest
sensation and therefore likely to be drawn beyond the rule of reason.
|
|
102
|
- Already discussed under the Virtue of Hope. It also applies to the Virtue of
Temperance.
|
|
103
|
- Defn: A supernatural habit that strengthens the will so that it will not
abandon the pursuit of the arduous or difficult good, even when faced
with grave danger to bodily health and life. It involves “attacking” and
“enduring”.
|
|
104
|
- Defn: A supernatural habit by which the Holy Spirit strengthens the soul
for virtue, with invincible confidence of overcoming any dangers or
difficulties that may arise.
- Distinction: The clearest difference between the virtue and gift of
fortitude is in the level of confidence.
The virtue gives strength to overcome obstacles, but the gift
imparts confidence of success.
|
|
105
|
- Recalling the Presence of God
- Examination of Conscience
- The Desire for Perfection
- Conformity to God’s Will
- Fidelity to Grace
- Plan of Life
- Spiritual Reading
- Holy Friendships
- Spiritual Direction
|
|
106
|
- Two Types:
- Exterior Representation – Visualizing God as ever present to us.
- Interior Recollection – An ever-increasing awareness of God’s presence
in the soul.
|
|
107
|
- Defn: Investigation of one’s
conscience to discover the good or evil acts one has performed, and
especially to verify one’s basic attitude regarding God and personal
sanctification. It is a review of
one’s progress to holiness, not an examination in preparation for the
Sacrament of Confession.
- Tips:
- It should look at virtues as well as failings. To overly concentrate on failings can
lead to despair or scrupulosity.
- The mere knowledge of our acts isn’t enough. We need to review the habits of our
soul to get an intimate knowledge of our souls.
- The best question to ask is “Where is my heart?”. Immediately one finds the answer
within oneself.
|
|
108
|
- When St. Thomas Aquinas was asked by one of his sisters what she should
do to reach sanctity, he answered her in one brief sentence, “Will It.”
- It should be the predominate desire, and all other goods must be
subordinated to it. Those who
wish to become saints must dedicate themselves to this task
professionally, putting aside all impediments.
|
|
109
|
- For Beginners – In this less perfect state, it is called Christian
resignation to the will of God.
It is not a stoic indifference, but a uniting of our wills to
God.
- For Advanced – In the perfect state, it is a holy abandonment to the
will of God. With holy
indifference, one doesn’t prefer health to sickness, wealth to poverty,
honor to dishonor, or a long life to a short life, but one simply
desires to do God’s will.
|
|
110
|
- God does not always inspire us directly, but sometimes sends the
inspirations through a secondary cause, such as a good book, a sermon,
or someone’s good example.
- We are called to follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit in any form
in which they are manifested to us.
|
|
111
|
- Defn: A schedule of the
occupations and practices of piety an individual should perform during
the day. It gives a constancy and
regularity to one’s efforts towards greater perfection, and avoids the
dangers of vacillation and wasted time.
- Tip: The plan of life should be adapted prudently to one’s particular
vocation and duties of one’s state of life.
|
|
112
|
- “Spiritual reading does for the mind what the Eucharist does for the
soul.” – St. Alphonsus Ligouri
- Tips:
- Not all spiritual books are of equal value. Sacred Scripture holds the first
place. Lives of the Saints
serve as edification and instruction.
All books must contain sound doctrine. It may pay to reread sections of a
book to more deeply to impress the instruction on the mind and heart.
|
|
113
|
- “True friendship is a rare and divine thing, a sure mark of a noble
soul, and one of the greatest rewards of true virtue.” - Fr. Lacordaire
- Defn: An alliance of souls who
are united to do good.
- Advantages:
- Having an intimate confidant to share advice and doubts.
- Having a prudent and sympathetic corrector.
- Having one who will console in times of trouble.
|
|
114
|
- Defn: The art of leading souls progressively from the beginning of the
spiritual life to the height of Christian perfection.
- What to look for in a spiritual director?
- Learning
- Prudence
- Experience
- Zeal for the Sanctification of Souls
- Humility
- Disinterestedness
|
|
115
|
|
|
116
|
|
|
117
|
- Definition of Prayer
- Some Aspects of Prayer
- Grades of Prayer
- Discernment of Spirits
- A Simple Discernment Method for Vocational and Life Decisions
- Pitfalls to Holiness
|
|
118
|
- Defn #1: “The raising of one’s
mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” – St.
John Damascene
- Defn #2: “A surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward
heaven, it is a cry of recognition and love, embracing both trial and
joy.” – St. Therese of Lisieux
|
|
119
|
- Why Pray
- Necessity of Prayer
- Difficulties in Prayer
- What to Pray for
- How to Measure Your Prayer Life
|
|
120
|
- We need to pray to God, not to make known to him our needs, but that we
may be reminded of the necessity of having recourse to God, and to
obtain what God has decreed. – St. Thomas Aquinas
- It is an error to believe that if we persevere in prayer, we shall
always obtain that which we seek.
Some things will be granted to us whether we pray for them or
not; some things will never be granted to us, no matter how earnestly we
pray; and still others will be granted to us only if we pray, because
God has decreed that they be given only on the condition that we ask
him.
|
|
121
|
- It is common theological doctrine that prayer is necessary for the
salvation of adults.
- Those who aspire to sanctity by giving themselves completely to the
active life while neglecting the life of prayer may just as well forget
about Christian perfection.
Experience proves that there is absolutely nothing that can
supply for the life of prayer, not even the daily reception of the
Eucharist.
|
|
122
|
- Distractions
- In vocal prayer, it is essential that one be attentive to the words
spoken.
- In meditation, one must give attention to the meaning of the words.
- In all kinds of prayer one must fix the mind on God.
- Beginners often focus on words, methods, and mechanical details. In
advanced prayer, the focus shifts to the content and purpose of prayer.
- Dryness
- Defn: A certain inability to produce the necessary intellectual and
affective acts, or an actual distaste of prayer.
- Causes: The individual, God, or the devil. One should first suspect that they
themselves are the cause.
|
|
123
|
- “It is lawful to pray for anything that it is lawful to desire.” – St.
Augustine
- It matters not whether we possess many worldly goods or only the
minimum; what matters is the manner in which we use them and the degree
of our attachment to them.
|
|
124
|
- “Humility is the foundation of prayer.
Only when we acknowledge that ‘we don’t know how to pray as we
ought’ are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. Man is a
beggar before God.’” – Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 2559
- The intensity of one’s life of prayer coincides with the intensity of
one’s charity and Christian perfection.
- True progress in the spiritual life consists in the ever more perfect
practice of the Christian virtues and not in the sweetness one
experiences in prayer. If one
goes after the sweetness of God’s gifts rather than loving God himself
in virtue and prayer, it is a type of spiritual gluttony.
|
|
125
|
- Ascetical Stage
- Vocal Prayer
- Meditation
- Affective Prayer
- Prayer of Simplicity
- Mystical Stage
- Contemplative Prayer
- Prayer of Quiet
- Prayer of Union
- Prayer of Conforming Union
- Prayer of Transforming Union
|
|
126
|
- The highest prayer, the Liturgy, is vocal prayer.
- Requirements: Attention
(intellect) and devotion (will).
- Devotion is so important to prayer that it would be better to recite
one Our Father devoutly than to say many prayers in a routine fashion.
- Any attacks on the practice of vocal prayer must be interpreted as the
sign of an evil spirit. Many
deluded souls and false mystics in history have attacked vocal prayer.
|
|
127
|
- Defn: A reasoned application of the mind to some supernatural truth in
order to penetrate its meaning, love it, and carry it into practice with
the assistance of grace.
- Requirements: It is a discursive type of prayer, and so attention is
indispensable. It must end in a
practical resolution for one’s life, for love cannot be idle.
- Distinction from Study:
Meditation consists not so much in thinking a great deal, but in
loving a great deal. – St. Teresa of Avila
|
|
128
|
- Lectio (Reading) – reading a spiritual passage, such as from Sacred
Scripture.
- Meditatio (Meditate) – meditate on the passage, how does it apply to
one’s life, develop a practical resolution for one’s life.
- Oratio (Prayer) – Pray for the will to apply the resolution; for greater
understanding; for others. Make
acts of the will (aspirations of love of God).
- Contemplatio (Contemplate) – Quiet before God.
|
|
129
|
- Defn: A type of prayer in which the operations of the will predominate
over discursus of the intellect.
It is a simplified meditation in which love predominates.
- Characteristics: The transition from meditation to affective prayer is
gradual and fairly easy.
- Tip: One shouldn’t try to force
the affections in this type of prayer, since it can be a source of
self-delusion. When an affection
is finished, one should return to discursive or vocal prayer.
|
|
130
|
- Defn: A simple loving gaze upon some divine object, whether on God, one
of His perfections, Christ, one of His mysteries, or a Christian
truth. It is a type of ascetical
prayer that is highly simplified.
- Characteristics: The discursus of meditation has now been transformed
into a simple intellectual gaze; the affections experienced in affective
prayer have been united in a simple loving attention to God.
- The Result: Simplification of
life should characterize those who have entered the prayer of
simplicity, especially the deep and continuous recollection in God.
|
|
131
|
- Defn: Contemplation is an operation in which one experiences the happy
blending of the cognitive and affective powers providing great
delight. The knowledge is not
discursive, but intuitive, and the movement of love is not toward the
possession of the object loved but one of surrender to the object loved.
- Distinction: There is natural
contemplation, such as best found in the experience of the beautiful,
but supernatural contemplation is an experiential knowledge of God that
is somewhat indescribable, with the soul more passive than active.
|
|
132
|
- Charisms are given for the good of others and do not sanctify the one
who receives them or prove the sanctity of the one who receives them.
- Infused contemplation, on the other hand, is a grade of prayer ordained
to the spiritual good of the one who receives it, and it is also
meritorious and sanctifying. It
operates through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom and
understanding), presupposing sanctifying grace with faith informed by
charity.
|
|
133
|
- Defn: Mystical prayer in which
the intimate awareness of God presence captivates the will and fills the
soul and body with delight.
- Distinction from Contemplative Prayer: Contemplation principally affects
the intellect, but the prayer of quiet especially affects the will. The intellect and memory are still
free to realize what is occurring, but the will is completely absorbed
in God. Other faculties remain
free and can be occupied with the work of active life.
- Reflection: The activities of Martha and Mary begin to merge in a
beautiful manner. – St. Teresa of Avila
|
|
134
|
- Defn: Mystical prayer in which all the interior faculties, not only the
intellect and will, but the memory and imagination, are captivated. Only the external senses are now free,
which will be captivated in the following grade of prayer.
- Characteristic: Distractions are
now psychologically impossible, since the memory and imagination are
held captive.
|
|
135
|
- Defn: Mystical prayer in which
all the interior faculties and the external senses are captivated by
God. The soul is totally
divinized, so to speak, so God can move to full and final commitment of
the next grade of prayer, Transforming Union.
- Ecstacy: In the ecstatic experience of the Conforming Union, the soul
seems to peer into the very essence of God and discover divine secrets.
|
|
136
|
- The experience of mystical ecstasy in a sense fulfills the precept of
charity, “You shall love the Lord, your God, will all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deut 6:5, Matt 22:37
- Unlike prophetic ecstasy, which is a charism, mystical ecstasy is
sanctifying and meritorious.
- Without union with God in prayer, ecstasy would be a natural ecstasy or
trance, a falsification of mystical ecstasy caused by an evil spirit, or
a charismatic prophetic ecstasy.
|
|
137
|
- Defn: The highest degree of perfection that one can attain in this
life. St. John of the Cross
describes it as “transformed into God by love”, “God of God by
participation”, or “more divine than human.” St. Teresa of Avila calls it a
“spiritual marriage.”
- Three Elements: Transformation in God, mutual surrender, and permanent
union in love.
|
|
138
|
- The Christian life, if it is developed according to the supernatural
powers inherent in it, will lead to the transforming union of charity,
which is a prelude to the beatific vision of heaven. It is not reserved for a few select
persons.
- The highest perfection consists not in interior favors, raptures,
visions, or prophecy, but in bringing our wills so closely into
conformity with God’s will that as soon as we realize he wills anything,
we desire it ourselves with all our might, and take the bitter with the
sweet, knowing it is His Majesty’s will.
|
|
139
|
- Types of Spirits
- Some Hints on Discernment of Spirits
- Extraordinary Mystical Phenomena
|
|
140
|
- Three Types:
- 1) God – acting upon the person, and therefore extrinsic to the
personality.
- 2) Devil – the diabolical acting upon the person, and therefore
extrinsic to the personality.
- 3) Spirit of the Individual – Internal inclination to good or evil
manifesting itself as a personal trait (personality).
- Purpose of Discernment of Spirits: To judge whether a given act or
repetition of acts flows from the spirit of God, the diabolical spirit,
or the spirit of the individual.
|
|
141
|
- Characteristics:
- Always inclines us to the good
- Truth (if a person maintains an opinion against revealed truth or
infallible teaching of the Church, it is not from God)
- Gravity (God is not the cause of useless or frivolous things)
- Enlightenment – rather than confusion
- Docility – The spirit of obedience is one of the clearest signs that a
particular inspiration is from God.
- Discretion – The spirit of God makes the soul discreet and thoughtful.
- Humility – The Holy Spirit always fills the soul with humility.
- Peace – The soul experiences a profound serenity in its spirit.
- Flexibility of will – Unlike the rigidity of a soul filled with
self-love.
- Patience in Suffering – Bearing suffering with equanimity.
- Simplicity – Any duplicity, arrogance, or vanity is not from God.
- Liberty of Spirit – No attachment to created things, with complete
acceptance of what is sent by God, with gratitude and humility, even
trials and suffering.
|
|
142
|
- Characteristics:
- Always inclines us to evil
- Majority of temptations probably not from the devil.
- Fundamental Principle advocated by the Church – one may not attribute
to the preternatural order anything that can probably be explained by
natural causes.
- Spirit of Falsity, Hypocrisy, and Duplicity
- Confusion
- Morbid Curiosity in the occult or preternatural
- Obstinacy – one of the surest signs of a diabolical spirit.
- Pride and Vanity
- Disobedience and hardness of heart.
- Constant indiscretion and a restless spirit.
|
|
143
|
- Characteristics:
- Can incline one to good (right reason) or evil (selfish desires)
- The Signs of a Purely Human Spirit:
- Inclined solely to its own satisfactions; it is a friend of its own
comfort and an enemy of suffering.
- If a director or confessor goes against these inclinations, he is
immediately branded as incompetent or inept.
- It seeks success, honors, notoriety, applause, and pastimes.
- Summary: It cares for nothing
except its own egoism.
|
|
144
|
- One may not definitely attribute to a supernatural cause that which
could possibly have a natural (or diabolical) explanation.
- Natural impulses are spontaneous, can be traced to a natural cause, and
the impulse often persists in prayer.
Diabolical impulse is violent and difficult to prevent, arises
unexpectedly, and generally disappears in prayer.
- The somatic structure of the person, since it is organic, is so
necessitated in its functions that it can react in only a limited number
of ways. Thus, in many cases, the
most relied upon rule of discernment is to judge something by its
fruits, since the body can react similarly from a divine, diabolical, or
natural cause.
- All phenomena resulting from the activity of any natural power or
physical law, even if a human being can’t produce it, can be produced by
a diabolical power, with God’s permission. However, a diabolical power, can never
be essentially supernatural.
|
|
145
|
- Charisms – a special type of grace, that has as its purpose the
sanctification of others rather than the immediate purpose of the
sanctification of the one who receives it.
- Strictly gratuitous, and it would be excessively bold to ask God for
charisms, especially since it isn’t necessary for salvation.
- Example – prophecy, speaking in tongues
|
|
146
|
- Other Epiphenomena – visions, locutions, private revelations, reading of
hearts, hierognosis, flames of love, stigmata, tears of blood and bloody
sweat, exchange of hearts, inedia, prolonged absence of sleep, agility,
bilocation, levitation, penetration of bodies, mystical aureoles, sweet
odor, incombustibility, bodily elongation, and incorruptibility.
- These phenomena proceed from a supernatural cause other than
sanctifying grace, and may be for the benefit of others or as a divine
witness of the sanctity of the individual for the Church.
|
|
147
|
- The Five C’s
- Conformity – Does it conform to God’s will?
- Conversion – Does it encourage conversion?
- Consistency – Is it consistent?
- Confirmation – What confirms it?
- Conviction – Does the heart say “yes”?
|
|
148
|
|
|
149
|
- Background on the Demonic
- Types of Demonic Activity
- How do we fall prey to Demonic Activity?
- How to Defend Ourselves from the Demonic
|
|
150
|
- “A Christology that ignores Satan is crippled and will never understand
the magnitude of redemption.” – Fr. Amorth, Exorcist of the Archdiocese
of Rome
- Satan was the most perfect creature made by God. Satan tried to understand all of
creation but could not, because the plan was oriented toward Christ,
which couldn’t be revealed in His entirety until the Incarnation. Satan rebelled because he wanted to be
the center of creation. This is
why Satan continues to try and dominate the world.
|
|
151
|
- How does the devil oppose God and Our Savior? He tries to claim for himself the
adoration due to God and he mimics Christian institutions. Satan uses the idolatry of sex, which
reduces the human body to an instrument of sin, to mock the
Incarnation. Satan uses his
churches, his cult, his adorers, etc… to mock the Church.
- It is wrong to accept the opinion that there are spiritual beings not
mentioned in the Bible. There are
no good spirits other than angels; thee are no evil spirits other than
demons. The souls of the dead
during séances are probably demons.
God allows a soul to return to earth only in rare cases.
|
|
152
|
- To a demon, leaving the body of a person and sinking into hell is an
irrevocable death sentence; that is why the demon fights it to the
last. However, his eternal pain
will increase proportionately to the suffering he caused on earth.
- The glory of the angels, e.g., Guardian Angels, will be increased too
according to their good deeds; therefore, it is useful to invoke their
help.
|
|
153
|
- Ordinary Activity – Temptation.
- Extraordinary Activity – Six Forms:
- External Physical Pain caused by Satan
- Demonic Possession of the Body (not soul)
- Diabolical Oppression
- Diabolical Obsession
- Diabolic Infestation
- Diabolical Subjugation or Dependence
|
|
154
|
- “Where religion regresses, superstition progresses.” – Go to a bookstore
and see the occult section
- Four reasons we can fall prey –
- With God’s permission
- When we are subject to an evil spell
- A grave and hardened state of sin
- Association with evil people and places
|
|
155
|
- For Demonic Possession (Rare) – The Ritual of Exorcism
- For all other cases – the usual means to obtain grace
- Prayer
- Sacraments
- Almsgiving
- Leading a Christian Life
- Pardoning Offenses
- Soliciting the aid of Our Lord, Mary, the saints, and the angels
|
|
156
|
- Gnosticism
- Arianism
- Donatism
- Pelagianism
- Jansenism
- Quietism
- Modernism
|
|
157
|
- Error: A claim to a special knowledge (gnosis), often with an
understanding of a good god who created the spiritual (good) world and a
lesser god who was responsible for the material (evil) world.
- Error: The material is evil and the spiritual is good.
- On the Contrary: Jesus, the divine person, saves us through his human
nature. God became man (material)
with a human body.
|
|
158
|
- Error: Jesus is not God, but simply the first and greatest of all God’s
creatures.
- On the Contrary: The devil is the
greatest of all God’s creatures, but became evil. Jesus is not a creature, he is God.
|
|
159
|
- Error: The validity of the sacraments depends on the holiness of the
minister of the sacraments. If
the minister of the sacrament was a heretic, the sacraments did not
achieve its effect, i.e., the gift of grace.
- On the contrary: The power of the sacraments come from Christ, not the
minister.
|
|
160
|
- Error: Salvation can be achieved solely by upright moral behavior which
is possible for every human being, even without grace. One doesn’t need the sacraments,
grace, the Church, etc…
- On the Contrary: Open the
newspaper each day, and you’ll see the persistent reality of the effects
of original sin and the need for grace.
|
|
161
|
- Error: Human beings after original sin are not capable of acting
freely. Thus salvation depends
solely on God and His gift of grace.
The surprising result was a spiritual and moral rigorism.
- On the Contrary: Grace is given
to fallen human beings through Christ, but it doesn’t destroy freedom
but elevates it to the pursuit of pleasure and happiness through the
love of God.
|
|
162
|
- The path to God is to abandon all human faculties. All external acts, including the
celebration of the sacraments, are unnecessary to holiness. What is necessary is the quieting of
all human faculties.
- On the Contrary: This is
spiritual pelagianism. Jesus
Christ determines how one is saved, not the person. He saves us with our faculties, not by
abandoning them.
|
|
163
|
- Error: My individual lived experience of Jesus is the norm of belief and
acting. The result is a
questioning of dogma, the interpretation of Scripture, the practice of
sacraments, and the moral teachings of the Church.
- On the Contrary: It’s the
isolationist, survivalist style of belief. It’s all about me. I’m the pope! It’s the fall in the garden revisited
(I can determine good or evil).
|
|
164
|
- Beware of these categories at a bookstore: “Metaphysical” Studies,
Magical Studies, Mythology, Speculation, Divination
- Beware of these subjects (a survey of “Idiot’s Guide” books): Ghosts and
Hauntings, Astrology, Mythology, Celtic Wisdom, Oracles, Tarot, Toltec
Wisdom, Elves and Fairies, Past Life Regression, New Age “Spirituality”,
Neo-Paganism, Wiccanism (witchcraft), Numerology
- The First Commandment: “I, the
Lord, am your God… You shall not have other gods besides Me.” Deut 5:6-7
|
|
165
|
- Americanism – the movement propagated in the United States in the late
nineteenth century which claimed that the Catholic Church should adjust
its doctrines, especially in morality, to the culture of the
people. It emphasizes the
“active” virtues of social welfare and democratic equality, but
underrates the “passive” virtues of humility and obedience to
ecclesiastical authority. Pope
Leo XIII condemned Americanism in an apostolic letter, Testem
Benevolentiae (January 22, 1899) addressed to Cardinal Gibbons.
|
|
166
|
- One either has a Pope or He is the Pope.
- Will you look like Jesus or will Jesus look like you?
- E.g., Capitalism and Labor Unions
- E.g., Patriotism and Just War Doctrine
- E.g., Political Correctness and Moral Holiness
- What is more fundamental to you – Your Politics or Your Religion
- The Church is neither conservative nor liberal; She is Orthodox and
true.
|
|
167
|
|
|
168
|
|
|
169
|
|
Notes