BIG C CATHOLICS

August 6th, is the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. It was declared a universal feast by Pope Callixtus III in 1456 to commemorate the victory of Christian forces at the Siege of Belgrade. The Transfiguration is found in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17:1–9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28–36 describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16–18 refers to it). It is the only miracle involving Jesus exclusively. Prefiguring His Ascension and manifesting His Divinity, Jesus, is transfigured, becoming resplendent in glory upon Mt. Tabor. At that moment, Christ's interior Divinity and Beatific soul overflowed His body, so that Jesus shone as bright as the sun. The apostles Peter, who according to Aquinas, loved Jesus the most, James, who was the first of the Apostles to die for his faith, and John, who the Lord loved especially, were the only eyewitnesses. From the Gospel of Mark: Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transf

It was precisely to Mary Magdalene that St. Thomas Aquinas reserved the special title, "Apostle of the Apostles" ( apostolorum apostola ), dedicating to her this beautiful comment: "Just as a woman had announced the words of death to the first man, so also a woman was the first to announce to the Apostles the words of life" ( Super Ioannem, ed . Cai , § 2519). — Pope Benedict XVI

Note: The philosophical concepts below have been greatly summarized. Christ, the Divine Logos, is the embodiment of truth, beauty and goodness. Aristotle's insight is but a reflection of the perfect knowledge and wisdom of God. The brilliant Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) in his treatise on ethical conduct, Nicomachean Ethics , discusses the "Golden Mean." It is a way of acting that enables us to live according to our ideal nature, improve our character, and deal effectively with life's hardships while striving for the good of all. The golden mean is the desired middle between two extremes, one of excess and the other of deficiency. For example, to Aristotle, courage is a virtue, which if taken to extreme is recklessness, and, in deficiency, is cowardice. Aristotle's ethics is practical and decidedly teleological. He believed the end of human life is happiness (Greek: eudaimonia ). Today, happiness is understood as the emotional state of joy, cont

I recently came across the following by Dr. Douglas Flippen which was excerpted from his larger work Faith & Reason  [Christendom College, Front Royal, VA, Spring 2006, see pages 65 – 106]. Doctor Flippen poses the question: Was Saint John Paul II familiar with and influenced by the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas? Flippen answers in the affirmative, after a chronological review of the evidence, focused primarily on the works of St. John Paul II himself, but also including the evaluations of others. The article, " Was John Paul II a Thomist or a Phenomenologist? ", is quite long and scholarly. It is worth reading, however, if only for its consideration of which was more influential on the thought of John Paul, Max Scheler's phenomenology or Aquinas' Thomism. Given the frequency with which some Theology of the Body scholars designate St. John Paul a phenomenologist, Dr. Flippen's conclusion that John Paul was a Thomist who utilized phenomenology is a much nee

Aristotle was one of the most brillant men to have ever lived. Hs philosophy was used by St. Thomas Aquinas in the later's synthesis of reason and revelation. Below are two explanations of Aristotle’s metahysical theory of causation, also known as the four causes. from which the Angelic Doctor borrowed heavily . Aristotle’s four causes are answers to four common sense questions we can ask about change in the world around us. They are; What is a thing made of?, Who made it?, What is it that is being made?, and What is it being made for? When it comes to human productions, the answer to these questions is usually easy. When it comes to answering these questions as they occur in nature, it becomes more difficult. Regarding human production, if you asked a shoemaker what he was making his shoes out of he might reply “leather.” If you asked a gunsmith producing a rifle what he was making it out of he might reply “wood and steel.” According to Aristotle, what a thing is made of is

Grant, O Lord my God, that I may never fall away in success or in failure; that I may not be prideful in prosperity nor dejected in adversity. Let me rejoice only in what unites us and sorrow only in what separates us. May I strive to please no one or fear to displease anyone except Yourself. May I see always the things that are eternal and never those that are only temporal. May I shun any joy that is without You and never seek any that is beside You. O Lord, may I delight in any work I do for You and tire of any rest that is apart from You. My God, let me direct my heart towards You, and in my failings, always repent with a purpose of amendment. Amen. — St. Thomas Aquinas 

St. Thomas Aquinas, the universal teacher and one of the most brilliant minds to ever contemplate the ways of God, dispensed wisdom and common sense. In honor of his feast day, here are twenty-five quotes from the Angelic Doctor. To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.  *** The soul is like an uninhabited world that comes to life only when God lays His head against us.  *** There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.  *** Fear is such a powerful emotion for humans that when we allow it to take us over, it drives compassion right out of our hearts.  *** Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious. *** Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you.  *** Sor

Saint Thomas Aquinas [1225-1274] was born in 1225 at the castle of Roccasecca, in Italy. He dedicated his life to creating a complete synthesis of Catholic philosophy and theology. Although humble and quiet, Aquinas possessed one of the most intellectually curious minds in history. He is regarded as the Catholic Church's greatest theologian, philosopher and jurist. In 1244, Aquinas joined the nascent Dominican Order. Nick named the "Dumb Ox" by classmates, in undeserved derision, one of his lecturers, St.Albertus Magnus, exclaimed in reply: "You call him the dumb ox, but in his teaching he will one day produce such a bellowing that it will be heard throughout the world." Aquinas' greatest work, the  Summa Theologica is the definitive text for those studying to be priests. It is a work universally revered and consulted by adherents of multiple faiths, as well as those who profess none. Aquinas is the pride of the Dominican Orders. In addition to his inte

One of the most brilliant minds in the history of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 at the castle of Roccasecca, in the present day Lazio region of Italy, the youngest of nine children. Thomas’ father was a man of means and nobility. Thomas's mother would try to prevent Thomas from joining the Dominican Order. His family expected him to enter the Benedictine Abbey where his uncle was the abbot. Thomas Aquinas dedicated his life to creating a complete synthesis of Catholic philosophy and theology. In honor of his feast day, [January 28] here are ten things every Catholic should know about the Angelic Doctor. 1. Before Aquinas was born, a holy hermit told his mother that her son would be a great learner and achieve unrivaled sanctity. From, " Saint Thomas Aquinas of the Order of Preachers ," by Fr. Placid Conway, OP, comes this account of the holy hermit’s prediction concerning the unborn Aquinas’ future life and accomplishments: The future holiness o

The Apotheosis of St. Thomas Aquinas, (alterpiece) Francisco de Zurbarán, 1631 One of the most brilliant minds in the history of the Church was St. Thomas Aquinas, born 790 years ago. He dedicated his life to creating a complete synthesis of Catholic philosophy and theology. But when he was 48 years old, he stopped writing. When asked why, he answered: "The end of my labors has come. All that I have written appears to be as so much straw after the things that have been revealed to me." What had happened was this. On the feast of St. Nicholas (December 6) he had a vision of Christ, who said to him, “You have written well of me, Thomas. What reward would you have for your labor?” Thomas answered, "Nothing but you, Lord." Jesus gave him what he asked, and Thomas seems to have recognized how infinitely superior this new wisdom was to anything he had ever known. Three months later he passed into eternal life. From Fr. René Butler's homily .

Matthew Coffin In his Theology of the Body, Saint John Paul II seeks to establish an adequate anthropology in which the human person, in both his spiritual and physical dimensions, reveals truths about God. George Weigel has called it, "one of the boldest reconfigurations of Catholic theology in centuries." Part 1 examines the philosophical developments that preceded it. Major schools of thought have been greatly oversimplified in order to show how John Paul II’s contribution is necessary, transformative, and faithful. Augustinianism Prior to the thirteenth century, the dominant school of thought in Catholic theology was that of St. Augustine. Early in the fifth century, Augustine refuted the heresy of Pelagianism. Pelagius taught that Adam’s original sin did not taint human nature. For that reason, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was neither necessary nor redemptive. A neo-Platonist, Augustine uses the philosophy of Plato, together with the deposit of faith, to op