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886
St. Augustine on Apostolic Succession
“For if the lineal succession of bishops is to be taken into account, with how much more certainty and benefit to the Church do we reckon back till we reach Peter himself, to whom, as bearing in a figure the whole Church, the Lord said: ‘Upon this rock will I build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it !’ The successor of Peter was Linus, and his successors in unbroken continuity were these: — Clement, Anacletus, Evaristus, Alexander, Sixtus, Telesphorus, Iginus, Anicetus, Pius, Soter, Eleutherius, Victor, Zephirinus, Calixtus, Urbanus, Pontianus, Antherus, Fabianus, Cornelius, Lucius, Stephanus, Xystus, Dionysius, Felix, Eutychianus, Gaius, Marcellinus, Marcellus, Eusebius, Miltiades, Sylvester, Marcus, Julius, Liberius, Damasus, and Siricius, whose successor is the present Bishop Anastasius. In this order of succession no Donatist bishop is found. But, reversing the natural course of things, the Donatists sent to Rome from Africa an ordained bishop, who, putting himself at the head of a few Africans in the great metropolis, gave some notoriety to the name of “mountain men,” or Cutzupits, by which they were known.”
Augustine, To Generosus, Epistle 53:2 (A.D. 400)
*Augustine, here, describes what Apostolic Succession means. Its pretty clear which definition is a later invention intended to back into a presupposition.*
“In like manner as if there take place an ordination of clergy in order to form a congregation of people, although the congregation of people follow not, yet there remains in the ordained persons the Sacrament of Ordination; and if, for any fault, any be removed from his office, he will not be without the Sacrament of the Lord once for all set upon him, albeit continuing unto condemnation.”
Augustine, On the Good of Marriage, 24:32 (A.D. 401).
886
God Sharing Some of His Glory with His Creatures
Psalm 8:5 Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor.
Psalm 149:4-5, 9 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory. Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches.. . . This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the Lord!
Proverbs 16:31 A hoary head is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.
Isaiah 60:1-2 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.
Isaiah 60:4 . . . the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
Lamentations 3:17-18 my soul is bereft of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, "Gone is my glory, and my expectation from the Lord."
Ezekiel 10:19 And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight as they went forth, with the wheels beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the house of the LORD; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.
Ezekiel 11:22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.
Daniel 2:37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,
Mark 10:37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."
John 5:44 How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
Romans 2:6-7, 9-10 For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;.. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.
Romans 5:2 Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
Romans 9:22-23 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory,
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Ephesians 3:16-19 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God.
2 Thessalonians 2:14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed. (cf. 5:4)
2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature
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Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted what was spoken by Paul, and reviled him. [blaspheemeo (βλασφημέω) Strong's word #987]
Acts 18:6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be upon your heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." [blaspheemeo (βλασφημέω) #987
Christians
1 Peter 4:4 They are surprised that you do not now join them in the same wild profligacy, and they abuse you; [blaspheemeo (βλασφημέω) #987
Saints in Heaven
Revelation 13:6 it opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. [blaspheemeo (βλασφημέω) #987
Moses
Acts 6:11 Then they secretly instigated men, who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God." [blaspheemos (βλάσφημος) Strong's word #989
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Blasphemy Against Creatures and Immaterial Things in Scripture
(Not Just Against God)
Holy Scripture contains the Greek words blaspheemeo [βλασφημέω](Strong's word #987), blaspheemia [βλασφημία] (#988), and blaspheemos [βλάσφημος] (#989). They are often applied to men or angels. Hence Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (one-volume) states (p. 107):
Likewise, The New Bible Dictionary (1962, "Blasphemy", p. 159):
God is blasphemed also in His representatives. So the word is used of Moses (Acts 6:11); Paul (Rom. 3:8; 1 Cor. 4:12; 10:30) . . . because these representatives embody the truth of God Himself (and our Lord in a unique way) an insulting word spoken against them and their teaching is really directed against the God in whose name they speak (so Mt. 10:10; Lk. 10:16). . . .
The term is also used, in a weaker sense, of slanderous language addressed to men (e.g. Mk. 3:28; 7:22; Eph. 4:31; Col. 3:8; Tit. 3:2). Here the best translation is 'slander, abuse'. Even immaterial things can be blasphemed, such as the "word of God" (Titus 2:5: "discredited" in RSV), "good" [acts] (Rom 14:16), "teaching" or "doctrine" (1 Tim 6:1), "the way of truth" (2 Pet 2:2), "matters of which they are ignorant" (2 Pet 2:12). Follow the Strong's word links for comprehensive documentation of usage. Zondervan Dictionary of Bible Themes (#5800: "Blasphemy") also shows a wide application of blasphemy in the Bible:
God blasphemed indirectly Rejecting his word and his servants blasphemes God Ne 9:26 See also 2Ch 36:16; Ps 107:11; Isa 5:24 Defiling sacred things blasphemes God Lev 22:1-2 See also Eze 20:27-28; 22:26; Mal 1:6-13 Despising the poor blasphemes God Pr 14:31 See also Am 2:7; Jas 2:5-7 Speaking against his people blasphemes God Zep 2:8-11; Ac 9:4-5 To persecute the church is to persecute Jesus Christ; Ac 26:9; 1Ti 1:13; Rev 2:9 Slandering celestial beings blasphemes God 2Pe 2:10-12; Jude 8-10 (M. H. Manser, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999)Blaspheemeo (βλασφημέω) Strong's word #987 is applied to God (or "his name" -- which, in the Hebrew mind, is the same thing) in Matt 27:39; Mk 3:29; 15:29; Lk 12:10; 22:65; 23:39; Rom 2:24; 1 Tim 6:1; Js 2:7; Rev 13:6; 16:9, 11, 21. Blaspheemia (βλασφημία) Strong's word #988, is applied to God in Matt 12:31; Rev 13:1,5; 17:3. Blaspheemos (βλάσφημος) Strong's word #989, is applied to God in Acts 6:11
It may be directly against God . . . or angelic beings (Jude 8-10; 2 Pet. 2:10-12). . . . Persecuting Christians is also blasphemy (1 Tim. 1:13). The community has to suffer blasphemy (Rev. 2:9; 1 Cor. 4:13; 1 Pet. 4:4). Opposition to Paul's message is necessarily blasphemy (Acts 13:45 [+ 18:6]) because it attacks its basic content. . . . A bad action is blasphemy either because it resists God's will or beings Christianity into disrepute (1 Tim. 6:1; Jms. 2:7; Rom. 2:24; Tit. 2:5).Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (ten-volume set) elaborates:
3. But the Christian, too, is in danger of giving cause for blasphemy. Denial of Christ in persecution would be such. Hence Paul can say of his activity as a persecutor: αὐτοὺς ἠνάγκαζον βλασφημεῖν. Even in partaking of idol meats Christians in bondage could see blasphemy (1 C. 10:30), as distinct from Paul. Violation of the obligation of love even in such matters ὑμε͂ν τὸ ἀγαθόν (R. 14:16) could expose to scandal. False teaching is blasphemy when it perverts from the way of truth (2 Pt. 2:2; R. 3:8). The blasphemy does not have to find verbal expression. Any bad or unloving action can contain it, either because it resists the holy will of God or because it causes the enemies of Christianity to calumniate it (1 Tm. 6:1; Jm. 2:7; R. 2:24; Tt. 2:5). The basis is clearly set out in 2 Cl., 13, 2–4. (Vol. 1: 1964- (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley and G. Friedrich, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (624). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans)Blasphemy Against Men, as God's Representatives St. Paul
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Veneration of the Saints and Angels
Dave Armstrong
The Bible looks negatively on what it describes as "blasphemy" - not just against God, but against holy persons or those set apart for His purposes (Moses: Acts 6:11; St. Paul: Acts 13:45; 18:6; saints in heaven: Rev 13:6; Christians in general: 1 Pet 4:4), and against angels (2 Pet 2:10; Jude 8; Rev 13:6). The same words for blasphemy are used for men, angels, and God.
This is because these men and angels serve as His messengers (2 Cor 8:23), direct representatives (Matt 10:40; Lk 10:16; Jn 13:20), ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20; Eph 6:20; Phlm 1:9), or witnesses (Jn 15:27; 19:35; 21:24; Acts 1:8; 2:32; 3:15; 10:39-41; 23:11; 1 Pet 5:1; Rev 1:2; 6:9). Indeed, Christians are even described as "fellow workers" with Him (1 Cor 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1; Phil 2:12-13). The Church is equated with Jesus Himself (both being persecuted in the same actions: Acts 26:11, 14-15), and there is also an identification of the Church "Body of Christ" with Christ Himself (1 Cor 12:27; Eph 1:22-23; 5:30; Col 1:24).
The aspect of divinization, or theosis, is a biblical motif of very close identification and union with God:
Acts 17:28 (RSV) for 'In him we live and move and have our being': . . .
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18) Ephesians 3:19 . . . to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 4:13 . . . mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. 2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, [4] by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine natureIn other words, the key is affinity with, or closeness; proximity to God. Just as God can be blasphemed, in a lesser but still very real sense, so can His ambassadors and witnesses. There is the primary Being: God, and the secondary ones: His vessels. They reflect and represent God; therefore, as such, people can scorn and reject and blaspheme them just as they do God. It seems to straightforwardly follow, then, by analogy, that if a rejection or blasphemy of God can be expressed via an essentially lesser but connected rejection or blasphemy of His ambassadors (the lesser vessel being in close affinity with the greater source), by the same token and principle and logic, conversely, the worship of God can be expressed via an essentially lesser but connected veneration of His ambassadors. In this manner, the wider application of blasphemy in Scripture to creatures suggests by symmetrical analogy, a wider application of honoring: expressed in veneration of creatures, which is distinct (but not altogether disconnected) from the adoration that God alone is entitled to, as Creator. The creatures reflect the Creator like the painting reflects the painter, or moonlight, the sunlight that is the source of it. Moreover, we see that the Bible refers blasphemy of men almost solely to the most eminent of God's followers (Paul, Moses, and perfected saints in heaven): and angels even higher in the scale of things. Thus, by analogy, the relatively greater veneration would be towards those who had attained a higher holiness and sanctity; hence in the Bible we see a differential "system" of blasphemy / veneration not unlike how the Catholic Church ranks lesser and greater saints, with the greater receiving more veneration. Lastly, the biblical data about blasphemy of immaterial holy things (the gospel, Christian doctrine, the law, the Temple) leads to the opposite analogy of reverence of those same holy things and places (The Holy Bible, the Holy Land, Church sanctuaries etc).
886
St. Augustine on Saints and the nature of latria
"No one officiating at the altar in the saints’ burying-place ever says, We bring an offering to thee, O Peter! or O Paul! or O Cyprian! The offering is made to God, who gave the crown of martyrdom, while it is in memory of those thus crowned. The emotion is increased by the associations of the place, and love is excited both towards those who are our examples, and towards Him by whose help we may follow such examples.
We regard the martyrs with the same affectionate intimacy that we feel towards holy men of God in this life, when we know that their hearts are prepared to endure the same suffering for the truth of the gospel. There is more devotion in our feeling towards the martyrs, because we know that their conflict is over; and we can speak with greater confidence in praise of those already victors in heaven, than of those still combating here.
What is properly divine worship, which the Greeks call latria, and for which there is no word in Latin, both in doctrine and in practice, we give only to God. To this worship belongs the offering of sacrifices; as we see in the word idolatry, which means the giving of this worship to idols. Accordingly we never offer, or require any one to offer, sacrifice to a martyr, or to a holy soul, or to any angel."
source: Against Faustus, Book XX, section 21; NPNF 1, Vol. IV)
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Saint Augustine on Deuterocanonical Books / so-called "Apocrypha
"Now the whole canon of Scripture on which we say this judgment is to be exercised, is contained in the following books:—Five books of Moses, that is, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; one book of Joshua the son of Nun; one of Judges; one short book called Ruth, which seems rather to belong to the beginning of Kings; next, four books of Kings, and two of Chronicles—these last not following one another, but running parallel, so to speak, and going over the same ground. The books now mentioned are history, which contains a connected narrative of the times, and follows the order of the events. There are other books which seem to follow no regular order, and are connected neither with the order of the preceding books nor with one another, such as Job, and Tobias, and Esther, and Judith, and the two books of Maccabees, and the two of Ezra, which last look more like a sequel to the continuous regular history which terminates with the books of Kings and Chronicles. Next are the Prophets, in which there is one book of the Psalms of David; and three books of Solomon, viz., Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes. For two books, one called Wisdom and the other Ecclesiasticus, are ascribed to Solomon from a certain resemblance of style, but the most likely opinion is that they were written by Jesus the son of Sirach. Still they are to be reckoned among the prophetical books, since they have attained recognition as being authoritative. The remainder are the books which are strictly called the Prophets: twelve separate books of the prophets which are connected with one another, and having never been disjoined, are reckoned as one book; the names of these prophets are as follows:—Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi; then there are the four greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel. The authority of the Old Testament is contained within the limits of these forty-four books. That of the New Testament, again, is contained within the following:—Four books of the Gospel, according to Matthew, according to Mark, according to Luke, according to John; fourteen epistles of the Apostle Paul—one to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, one to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, two to the Thessalonians, one to the Colossians, two to Timothy, one to Titus, to Philemon, to the Hebrews: two of Peter; three of John; one of Jude; and one of James; one book of the Acts of the Apostles; and one of the Revelation of John.
source: On Christian Doctrine, Book II, Chapter 8, section 13: "The Canonical Books"; NPNF 1, Vol. II
886
The Church headed by Christ, not by men
In the third part of the Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas asks the question whether it is proper to Christ to be the Head of the Church and answers in the affirmative. It is inaccurate to claim that the Church has set the pope as the head of the Church instead of Christ.
St. Thomas followed Saint Augustine and believed in the universal jurisdiction of the pope and also in the unique Headship of Christ over the Church:
It is written (Colossians 2:19): “The head” of the Church is that “from which the whole body, by joints and bands being supplied with nourishment and compacted groweth unto the increase of God.” But this belongs only to Christ. Therefore Christ alone is Head of the Church.But how can St. Thomas affirm that Christ is the Head of the Church even while other men, especially the pope, are understood to be the head of the Church? St. Thomas answers in two ways. First because other men are called “head of the Church” in a limited sense whereas Christ is called ‘Head’ in the proper and fullest sense.
First, inasmuch as Christ is the Head of all who pertain to the Church in every place and time and state; but all other men are called heads with reference to certain special places, as bishops of their Churches. Or with reference to a determined time as the Pope is the head of the whole Church, viz. during the time of his Pontificate, and with reference to a determined state, inasmuch as they are in the state of wayfarers, Summa 3.8.6The second reason St. Thomas gives is that Christ is called the Head of the Church by His own power and authority whereas other men are only called head of the Church because they are acting in Christ’s place. We call the general the head of the army but not to the exclusion of the king’s headship. The general takes the place of the king on the battlefield, but he does not replace the king as the ultimate head. When we call the general “head,” we do not deny the headship of the king. When we say that the father the head of the family and that there cannot be multiple heads of the household, we do not deny the headship of Christ. God established this same principle of complementarian hierarchy in the Church, which Paul calls the “household of God.” We do not deny Christ as the true Shepherd when we say that pastors ‘shepherd’ their flocks, and neither do we deny His Headship by calling other men ‘head’ in a limited sense:
Secondly, because Christ is the Head of the Church by His own power and authority; while others are called heads, as taking Christ’s place, according to 2 Corinthians 2:10, “For what I have pardoned, if I have pardoned anything, for your sakes I have done it in the person of Christ,” and 2 Corinthians 5:20, “For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God, as it were, exhorting by us.” , Summa 3.8.6St. Thomas also quotes St. Augustine saying, “If the rulers of the Church are Shepherds, how is there one Shepherd, except that all these are members of one Shepherd?” St. Thomas concludes, “So likewise others may be called foundations and heads, inasmuch as they are members of the one Head and Foundation.”
886
"Love your enemies"
Christ tells us: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" [Mt 5:44]. We are therefore called to love all people, including our enemies. What does this love consist of?
St Thomas' explanation: He writes that love towards enemies can be practised in three ways. The first way is when we embrace our enemies with love as our friends. The Angelic Doctor calls this way of love perverse and contrary to the virtue of charity. For such love would consist in loving evil, and this is unacceptable. For enemies are against us as our enemies wish us evil. This we should not dislike and there is nothing wrong in hating it.
The second way is to include the love of enemies within the scope of the love of all men, for they are of the same nature and created for eternal life. In this view, they are not our enemies, and in this respect we should love them with a duty arising from virtue and divine commandment. For he who loves God and neighbour cannot exclude anyone, even his greatest enemies, from this universal love of neighbour. To do so would be to contradict the virtue of infused love, which is conferred with sanctifying grace and is indissolubly united to it.
Thirdly, it is possible to consider love of enemies on a case-by-case basis, that is, when one has love for some particular enemy of his. As St Thomas teaches, the virtue of love does not demand such love as an absolute necessity. It is impossible for a habitual love to necessarily demand from us an actual love of all individual people. What is necessary, on the other hand, is the readiness to undertake an act of love towards each individual enemy when necessary. If, on the other hand, one actively loves one's enemy out of necessity for God's sake, this is an example of perfect love. It is then perfect love, because the neighbour is to be loved for God's sake, and the more one loves God, the more he shows his love.
Showing love to one's neighbour without regard to the obstacle of enmity testifies to a perfect love that is not discouraged by any obstacle, for no obstacle is greater than God, who is loved first and through Him everything else is loved.
St Thomas also explains what are the acts of love to which we are obliged towards our enemies. These are first and foremost the prayers we make for all people, and the kindnesses we show to the whole community. We must not exclude our enemies from these.
For if we exclude our enemies from the gifted community (e.g. praying for their salvation), it will be a symptom of the malicious vengeance and anger against which Christ and God's revelation warn us.
However, when it comes to the benevolence we show only to a select few, especially those close to us, we can exclude our enemies, because showing this form of love is not absolutely commanded, only the willingness to show such love in times of need is commanded. Nevertheless, to show also such love towards one's enemies will be a manifestation of a perfect and particularly morally valuable love. Through such love we not only guard against evil, but overcome evil with good, which is the peak of Christian perfection.
However, it should be remembered that no one becomes perfect immediately, but perfection is achieved by co-operating with grace, exercising the will in moral virtues and repenting of one's sins. Let us remember that love is not morbid sentimentality or sinful submission, but a striving for the good of the other without seeking our own benefit. Just as God in granting his favours does not overlook anyone, so we too should not overlook anyone in our love. Let Christ, who suffered and died on the cross for all people, be the supreme model of love, maligning no one, but obtaining for all the graces needed for salvation
Based on:
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa, II-II, q. 25
886
+2The book of Genesis and the vessence of marriage
source: Manual of Catholic Theology
886
Peter Chrystologus on mammon
*He was bishop of Ravenna at the time when Ravenna was effectively the Imperial city; he is said to have received the epithet Chrysologos from the Empress Galla Placidia, who was ruling the western Roman empire as regent at the time he was appointed.
"Whoever is free from captivity to this mammon, and is no longer weighed down under the cruel burden of money, stands securely with his vantage point in heaven, and from there looks down over the mammon which is holding sway over the world and the worldly with a tyrant's fury.
It holds sway over nations, it gives orders to kingdoms, it wages wars, it equips warriors, it traffics in blood, it transacts death, it threatens homelands, it destroys cities, it conquers peoples, it attacks fortresses, it puts citizens in an uproar, it presides over the marketplace, it wipes out justice, it confuses right and wrong, and by aiming directly at morality it assails one's integrity, it violates truth, it eviscerates one's reputation, it wreaks havoc on one's honor, it dissolves affections, it removes innocence, it keeps compassion buried, it severs relationships, it does not permit friendship. And why should I say more? This is mammon: the master of injustice, since it is unjust in the power it wields over human bodies and minds."
source: Sermon 126, section 5, from St. Peter Chrysologus, Selected Sermons, Volume 2, William Palardy, tr. Catholic University of America
886
St. Augustine on praying for those who don't share our Faith
Discourse on Psalm 32,29
"We entreat you, brothers, as earnestly as we are able, to have charity, not only for one another, but also for those who are outside the Church. Of these some are still pagans, who have not yet made an act of faith in Christ. Others are separated, insofar as they are joined with us in professing faith in Christ, our head, but are yet divided from the unity of His body. My friends, we must grieve over these as over our brothers. Whether they like it or not, they are our brothers; and they will only cease to be so when they no longer say our Father.
The prophet refers to some men saying: When they say to you: You are not our brothers, you are to tell them: You are our brothers. Consider whom he intended by these words. Were they the pagans? Hardly; for nowhere either in Scripture or in our traditional manner of speaking do we find them called our brothers. Nor could it refer to the Jews, who did not believe in Christ. Read Saint Paul and you will see that when he speaks of "brothers," without any qualification, he refers always to Christians. For example, he says: Why do you judge your brother or why do you despise your brother? And again: You perform iniquity and commit fraud, and this against your brothers.
Those then who tell us: You are not our brothers, are saying that we are pagans. That is why they want to baptize us again, claiming that we do not have what they can give. Hence their error of denying that we are their brothers. Why then did the prophet tell us: Say to them: You are our brothers? It is because we acknowledge in them that which we do not repeat. By not recognizing our baptism, they deny that we are their brothers; on the other hand, when we do not repeat their baptism but acknowledge it to be our own, we are saying to them: You are our brothers.
If they say, "Why do you seek us? What do you want of us?" we should reply: You are our brothers. They may say, "leave us alone. We have nothing to do with you." But we have everything to do with you, for we are one in our belief in Christ; and so we should be in one body, under one head.
And so, dear brothers, we entreat you on their behalf, in the name of the very source of our love, by whose milk we are nourished, and whose bread is our strength, in the name of Christ our Lord and His gentle love. For it is time now for us to show them great love and abundant compassion by praying to God for them. May He one day give them a clear mind to repent and to realize that they have nothing whatever to say against the truth; they have nothing now but the sickness of their hatred, and the stronger they think they are, the weaker they become. We entreat you then to pray for them, for they are weak, given to the wisdom of the flesh, to fleshly and carnal things, but yet they are our brothers. They celebrate the same sacraments as we, not indeed with us, but still the same. They respond with the same Amen, not with us, but still the same. And so pour out your hearts for them in prayer to God".
886
+3Catholic v. Protestant views of celibacy and marriage
source: Mother of all earthly laws- Lutheran Reformation of Marriage,
John Witte
886
On false and true greatness
1.Vanity
Archbishop Ullathorne examines the connection between pride and vanity:
“If we compare pride in its elation to a dark, swelling wave, vanity is the foam upon its surface. If we compare pride to a soul-destroying fire, vanity is the smoke that flies out of it. The word vanity sounds of things hollow, shallow, and trifling; but that is no trifle which makes the soul light and trivial and unrobes her of her dignity.”
“The vain man has such an image of his perfection before his eyes that, when you point out his failings, he cannot recognise them as belonging to that image. Give a much-needed advice, especially intended for him, and if there are fifty persons present he will applaud its wisdom and see its application to everyone but himself. Give him the same advice in private, and whatever be the wisdom and authority of the adviser, and however kind and gentle the admonition, it wounds him to the quick that anyone should think of him that of which he is so utterly unconscious, although everybody sees it but himself. There is no armour so impenetrable to advice as the chain-mail of vanity.”
All the world is a stage: “Our converse with our fellow-creatures is too often a comedy of vanity, vainglory, or pride. For more characters are acted on the stage of the world than on the stage of the theatre. It is more difficult to be simple before man than before God; yet even before God how much there is in many souls that come before Him which is far from simplicity and near to vanity.
For instance, when you wish to show the Eternal Majesty, who sees every fibre of your poor nature, what fine speeches you can make to Him in your prayers. We are constantly managing our reputation with our neighbours either by fictitious presentations of one’s self, or by suppression of one’s true character, or by being one thing to one’s self and another to one’s neighbour, playing the comedy of vanity in one way to one person and in another way to another. Self-love moves us to act these parts, although the actor most commonly appears through the character.”
Michael F. Glancey, Characteristics From the Writings of Archbishop Ullathorne,1889
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+2https://www3.nd.edu/~maritain/jmc/etext/cp45.htm
Inequality of conditions is a law of nature, Socialism's claims disproved
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St Augustine on putting up with bad shepherds
Epistle 208 (§§2-4, 6-7
*from a letter of St. Augustine written in AD 423 to a consecrated virgin who was scandalized by the behavior of bishops in her own time.
(§2) I exhort you, therefore, not to be too much troubled by those offenses which for this very reason were foretold as destined to come, that when they came we might remember that they had been foretold, and not be greatly disconcerted by them. For the Lord Himself in His gospel foretold them, saying, “Woe unto the world because of offenses! For it must needs be that offenses come; but woe unto that man by whom the offense comes!” [Matt. 18:7] These are the men of whom the apostle said, “They seek their own, not the things that are Jesus Christ’s.” [Phil. 2:21] There are, therefore, some who hold the honorable office of shepherds in order that they may provide for the flock of Christ; others occupy that position that they may enjoy the temporal honors and secular advantages connected with the office. It must needs happen that these two kinds of pastors, some dying, others succeeding them, should continue in the Catholic Church even to the end of time, and the judgment of the Lord. If, then, in the times of the apostles there were men such that Paul, grieved by their conduct, enumerates among his trials, “perils among false brethren,” [1 Cor. 11:26] and yet he did not haughtily cast them out, but patiently bore with them, how much more must such arise in our times, since the Lord most plainly says concerning this age which is drawing to a close, “that because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold.” [Matt. 24:12-13] The word which follows, however, ought to console and exhort us, for He adds, “He that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved.” [Matt. 24:13]
(§3) Moreover, as there are good shepherds and bad shepherds, so also in flocks there are good and bad. The good are represented by the name of sheep, but the bad are called goats: they feed, nevertheless, side by side in the same pastures, until the Chief Shepherd, who is called the One Shepherd, shall come and separate them one from another according to His promise, “as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats.” [Matt. 25:32] On us He has laid the duty of gathering the flock; to Himself He has reserved the work of final separation, because it pertains properly to Him who cannot err. For those presumptuous servants, who have lightly ventured to separate before the time which the Lord has reserved in His own hand, have, instead of separating others, only been separated themselves from Catholic unity; for how could those have a clean flock who have by schism become unclean?
(§4) In order, therefore, that we may remain in the unity of the faith, and not, stumbling at the offenses occasioned by the chaff, desert the threshing-floor of the Lord, but rather remain as wheat till the final winnowing, [Matt. 3:12]
(§6) ... For there are both good and bad in the Catholic Church, which, unlike the Donatist sect, is extended and spread abroad, not in Africa only, but through all nations; as the apostle expresses it, “bringing forth fruit, and increasing in the whole world.” [Col. 1:6] But those who are separated from the Church, as long as they are opposed to it cannot be good; although an apparently praiseworthy conversation seems to prove some of them to be good, their separation from the Church itself renders them bad, according to the saying of the Lord: “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathers not with me scatters.” [Matt. 12:30]
(§7) ...Committing to Him your heart, your vow, and your sacred virginity, and your faith, hope, and charity, you will not be moved by offenses, which shall abound even to the end; but, by the unshaken strength of piety, shall be safe and shall triumph in the Lord, continuing in the unity of His body even to the end.
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+3Saint Augustine and Christian Marriage
screenshots: Introduction to "De Bono Coniugali" by St. Augustine
