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Four Reasons That the Incarnation was Fitting, According to St. Thomas Aquinas Msgr. Charles Pope • December 9, 2018 • Incarnation of Jesus, Piero di Cosimo (1505)As we approach the Christmas feasts, it is good for us to ponder aspects of the Incarnation. In this post, I would like to consider what St. Thomas Aquinas teaches about its fittingness. God was not radically “required” to do everything as He did. We do well to ponder why the manner of the Lord’s incarnation is “fitting,” why it makes sense.St. Thomas, referencing St. John Damascene, gives four reasons for the fittingness...

The migrant caravan is like something out of a future, apocalyptic dystopia—or, to go back in time, perhaps an image from Exodus—where thousands of men, women, and children trudge a thousand miles under the hot tropical sun across hot tarmac and dirt roads, hoping to land on America’s doorstep, in search of opportunities not to be found in the failed, crumpled, venal, socialist states from which they hail.What is President Trump to do? Welcome them all in, as one interpretation of Pope Francis’s recent exhortations seems to imply? Turn them back? If so, how? Persuasion? Water cannons? Trump has...

We are joined tonight by Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, OP. from Thomistic Evolution. Fr. Nicanor is a biologist and a Dominican priest committed to the idea that evolution is completely compatible with traditional Thomistic theology. His fantastic site can be found at: http://www.thomisticevolution.org/about-us/

January 28, 2017 Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 Heb 11:1-2, 8-19Brothers and sisters:Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a placethat he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go.By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; for he was...

Four Arguments for the Fittingness of the Incarnation According to St. Thomas Aquinas Msgr. Charles Pope • December 18, 2016 • As we approach the Christmas feasts, it is good for us to ponder aspects of the Incarnation. In this article, I would like to consider what St. Thomas Aquinas teaches about the fittingness of the Incarnation. God was not radically “required” to do everything as He did. We do well to ponder why the manner of the Lord’s incarnation is “fitting,” why it makes sense.St. Thomas, referencing St. John Damascene, gives four reasons for the fittingness of the...

Why Did the Second Person of the Trinity Become Incarnate Rather Than the Father or the Holy Spirit? Msgr. Charles Pope • December 19, 2016 • As we continue to await the fast-approaching Feast of Holy Christmas, it is good to ponder some aspects of the Incarnation. Among the questions for us to consider is why it was the Son, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, that became incarnate, rather than the Father or the Holy Spirit.Most people have never even thought of this question let alone sought to answer it. God could have chosen many different ways...

In this sense, the citations of Saint Thomas Aquinas in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium have drawn our attention. So it’s a good idea to examine each one of the affirmations of Aquinas in their original context, with the objective of analyzing the fidelity and concordance of this application to his line of thought.

What Is the Deepest Root of Sin? It’s Not in Your Wallet and It’s Much Closer Than You Might Think By: Msgr. Charles PopeIn polling friends as to what they think is the deepest root of all sin, I got three main answers. One was a shrug indicating no answer at all (i.e., “I dunno”). Another was to refer to Scripture: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils (1 Tim 6:10). I’ll discuss below why this is an inadequate answer. The third main response was that original sin (and the concupiscence that followed) is the source of all of our other...

The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas THE FIFTH ARTICLE: "He Descended into Hell." The death of Christ was the separation of His soul from His body as it is with other men. But the Divinity was so indissolubly conjoined to the Man Christ that although His soul and body were disunited, His Divinity was always most perfectly united to both the soul and body. This we have seen above. Therefore in the Sepulchre His body was together with the Son of God who together with His soul descended into hell.[1] REASONS FOR CHRIST'S DESCENT There are four reasons why...

What Are Passive Purifications and Why Are They Needed? By: Msgr. Charles PopeHave you undertaken certain Lenten practices or abstinences to assist you growth in holiness? If so, you do well. Practices such as these are included in what are known as “active purifications.” Active purifications consist of our holy works and efforts and our mortifications, which, by the grace of God, help to purify our mind, our heart, and what is called our “sensitive appetite.”However, there are also “passive purifications,” which are quite essential for our growth in holiness and our readiness to see God one day. These purifications are called passive because they are...

I love this video. You go there, you see history, Our Lord's and St. Thomas Aquinas. Please take a moment and listen to Father Barron explain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDVLBUK5FGw

On the Summa Theologiæ "In the School of the Saints, Let Us Be Enamored" of the Eucharist VATICAN CITY, JUNE 23, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Today I would like to complete, with a third part, my catechesis on St. Thomas Aquinas. Even after more than 700 years since his death, we can learn much from him. We were reminded of this also by my predecessor, Pope Paul VI, who, in an address given at Fossanova on...

On Aquinas, Philosophy and Theology Faith "Protects Reason From Every Temptation to Mistrust Its Own Capacities" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 16, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Today I would like to continue a presentation of St. Thomas Aquinas, a theologian of such value that the study of his thought was explicitly recommended by the Second Vatican Council in two documents, the decree "Optatam Totius," on formation for the priesthood, and the declaration "Gravissimum Educationis," which deals with Christian...

On St. Thomas Aquinas He "Showed There Is a Natural Harmony Between Christian Faith and Reason" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 2, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today for the general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Pope returns to his cycle of catechesis on the great thinkers of the Middle Ages with a reflection on the figure of St. Thomas Aquinas. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, After a few catecheses on the priesthood and my latest trips, we return today to our principal theme, namely, to the meditation on some of the...

On Theology According to Thomas and Bonaventure "Different Accents in an Essentially Shared Vision" VATICAN CITY, MARCH 17, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, This morning, continuing last Wednesday's reflection, I would like to reflect further with you on other aspects of the doctrine of St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio. He is an eminent theologian, who merits being placed next to another very great thinker, his contemporary, St. Thomas Aquinas. Both scrutinized the mysteries of revelation, valuing the resources...

The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas THE TWELFTH ARTICLE: "Life everlasting. Amen." The end of all our desires, eternal life, is fittingly placed last among those things to be believed; and the Creed says: "life everlasting. Amen." They wrote this to stand against those who believe that the soul perishes with the body. If this were indeed true, then the condition of man would be just the same as that of the beasts. This agrees with what the Psalmist says: "Man when he was in honor did not understand; he hath been compared to senseless beasts, and made like...

If today’s Catholic bishops lived during the Nuremberg trials, they would have condemned the execution of nine of the defendants – including Ernst Kaltenbrunner and Hans Frank. Kaltenbrunner was responsible for mass executions of civilians and prisoners of war as Heinrich Himmler’s chief SS lieutenant; Frank oversaw the Nazis’ numerous atrocities as the governor of occupied Poland. Such a presumptuous proposition seems plausible given two Vatican officials’ opposition to Saddam Hussein’s death sentence – and the Catholic Church’s moral revisionism concerning capital punishment. Iraq’s High Tribunal convicted Saddam of committing crimes against humanity and sentenced him to death on Nov....

January 28, 2006 Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church Psalm: Saturday 7 Reading I2 Sm 12:1-7a, 10-17 The LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he came to him,Nathan said: “Judge this case for me!In a certain town there were two men, one rich, the other poor.The rich man had flocks and herds in great numbers.But the poor man had nothing at all except one little ewe lamb that he had bought.He nourished her, and she grew up with him and his children.She shared the little food he had and drank from his cup and...

January 28, 2005Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church Psalm: Friday 7 Reading IHeb 10:32-39 Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a great contest of suffering.At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction; at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated.You even joined in the sufferings of those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you had a better and lasting possession.Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense.You need endurance to do the will of God...

January 28, 2004Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church Psalm: Wednesday 7 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading I2 Sm 7:4-17 That night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:"Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD:Should you build me a house to dwell in?I have not dwelt in a house from the day on which I led the children of Israel out of Egypt to the present, but I have been going about in a tent under cloth.In all my wanderings everywhere among the children of Israel, did I ever utter a word to...