Talk:Blog roll

Notes & Ideas for upcoming blog posts

Intercessionary prayer

See Intercession

OT sources

• Maccabees
• OT ppl praying for others

NT Sources

• Mary at Cana
  • she launches his hour on our behalf
• the Mission / Great Commission
  • apostles sent out to do God's work

Magisterium & Tradition

It takes two wings to fly: why science cannot prove God (or the limits of reason)

The modern Eucharistict miracles that have been subjected to DNA test yield a fascinating abcense of sequences, which render the DNA "impossible to trace or reproduce" (from https://www.ewtnvatican.com/articles/miracle-hunter-a-cardiologists-journey-into-eucharistic-miracles-1802)

Cardiologist Serafini >> says that if the DNA were identifiable it would destroy faith. From the article

Serafini believes that mystery still remains in the study of Eucharistic miracles. He says, “Finding the same DNA in different Eucharistic miracles would be too strong of a confirmation of the authenticity of the Catholic Eucharist,” It is something that would “annihilate, destroy, and humiliate our faith.” That is, it would make our belief in the miracle of the Eucharist unnecessary. Serafini believes, “We have to believe in the Eucharist. We don’t have to know the Eucharist as a proven scientific fact.” 

In light of these intriguing findings and the enigmatic nature of the DNA in Eucharistic miracles, Serafini poses a fascinating perspective. He believes the absence of easily traceable DNA in these miracles might serve a higher purpose. This lack of concrete scientific evidence allows faith to flourish unencumbered by empirical certainty. To him, the potential for an indisputable biological connection might overshadow the essence of belief itself. The mysterious and unexplainable nature of this miraculous DNA, in his view, preserves the sanctity and spiritual significance of the Eucharist, reinforcing the idea that faith should transcend scientific proof.  

Wings of Reason and Faith

Heaven, Hell, Nothing -- or Purgatory?

Recently went to a Rolling Stones concert.

Confessor and I agreed to embrace the music but not the message, especially "Sympathy", They're either all in, or not in at all -- which I suspect.

If I'm right, Heaven is the reward and Hell the punishment. If you're right, we die, and then nothing.

The only in between possible is purgatory. Natural law cannot fathom an eternal rewrard for evil. So much for "But I"m a good person."

"It is finished" -- completed? consummated?

John 19:28 not just mission accomplished but "finished" as in "conummated" -- the Church has been created, he has married the Church (consummated)

Bookends perfectly with Cana!

Salvation History

can break into parts but core idea: Jesus is fulfillment of OT

also in context of "Old Testament God is mean..." crap

"Embrace the Cross or be dragged by it"

Fr. Bitchalot, SC... see 8/23/24 homily podcast

tells JPII story "so much wasted suffering in our world" ... don't embrace it

pain wants our attention

Avoiding Wolsam's Pit

re discussion w/ Christopher

Maslow distinguished "deficiency needs" versus "growth needs". Deficiency needs, which can be physical or emotional, are those that when unmet will through through anxiety or fear motivate the individual to satisfy the need. These include hunger, security, physical or emotional love, friendship, status, etc. Deficiency needs satisfy waht is missing or "deficient." Growth needs are those that satisfy an individual's "self-actualization," which occurs only after an individual's deficiency needs have been met.

Criticism of Maslow's framework are obvious: nobody can satisfy all deficiency needs all the time. Thus the theory has been updated to show overlapping relationships among types and levels of needs. Nevertheless, those who adhere to Maslow's "hierarchy of needs" agree upon its goal of "self-actualization."

Maslow later added the "transcendence" to accommodate the obvious problem of "self-actualization" as a continuous need. That is, the individual can never be fully satisfied, thus the need for "transcendence" beyond the individual, or "spirituality."

Here's the problem. Even in a state of transcendence, by Maslow's definition, it is going to collapse into self-absorption.

> Wolsam's Pit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs#Transcendence_needs

Jesus, yeah, but the God of the Old Testament...

God chose the Hebrews not because they were special but to make them special - "apart" from the world.

The word "Holy" means "apart." Thus God's holy people were to be separate, different, apart from the rest of the world.

Why did he not care for the other peoples? And why did he never lose faith in the Hebrews when they strayed?

Across Salvation History, God grants Covenants with blessings and curses.

Jeremiah ... all the gore Daniel: Nebachaneezer: mean guy

This was the way of ht eancient world << bring in Edith Hamilton on the misery of the ancient world.

Two peoples escaped it, the Jews and the Greeks -- no mistake they had so much in common, btw.

hypocrisy

The libertines who complain about clerical hypocrisy ignore the fact that hypocrisy only exists in the face of a standard. The Left's greatest achievement is to remove hypocrisy altogether. It's not just the double standards of holding others to rules unobserved, it's the absence of standards altogether that magically remove the stains of hypocrisy. The only hypocrites are those with standards, and, of course, they are to be judged, and viciously.

It's all about abortion

I got into a conversation after Mass on All Saints Day with a couple as they were walking out to their '06 Volvo XC70. I love this car -- mine is an '05. The '06 model year was the last of the "five lunger" -- the great Volvo five-cylinder (who'd ever do that but some snow-burned, daylight-deprived Swedish engineer?). It's a great car. Theirs, it turns out, has 200K miles, a good 30K more than mine. We agreed in 1) our love for this car; and 2) our dislike for newer cars that are overly light and overloaded by electronics.

The conversation morphed into the Church and how the couple are Polish and Irish descendant, cradle Catholics, and I am a convert. It was great fun, until I got lectured on how Jesus drank wine out of a clay goblet, so why do we need this Cathedral? << imnage of C STM

Went downhill from there, with an admonishment to vote the right way on Tuesday. Donald Trump, it seems, is the devil himself, and Kamala Harris is a decent honest person. That's all good. Each to his own. But then, "abortion."

> why: he was ready for the objection > said essentially, that AGW is worse than abortion > his auth, "a saint" says aobrtion is "between a woman and God" > I said turn off the NPR. THey said they dont' listen to NPR< BBC Ouch!

Why did God choose the Jews?

God chose the Israelites not because they were special, to make them special. That is, they were special not because they were special (they weren't), but because God chose them, and for his purpose to bring his salvation to all the people:

I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/49?6=#29049006

"In three days I will rebuild this temple"

At the time, nobody had a clue what Jesus meant by this, but they understood him to say that he would destroy the Temple at Jerusalem https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/2?19 John explains that only after the resurection did the apostles understsand what he meant.

At his trial a witnesses accuses him of threatening to tear down the Temple

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/26:60 though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two* came forward who stated, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God and within three days rebuild it.’”

As witnesses to the Sanhedren, which was stacked against him, we infer that they were lying, but we may also see them as believing it.

Destruction of the Temple Foretold: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/24 Jesus left the temple area and was going away, when his disciples approached him to point out the temple buildings. 2

• He said to them in reply, “You see all these things, do you not? Amen, I say to you, there will not be left here a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

then the Great Tribulation

---

Jesus never threatened to tear down the temple. he warned about it. it's different from Sodom, which God struck down but even that we can see an event not of God's direct action but of his inaction.

As God warned Abraham, so Jesus warned the Christians. The even will happen, and God will not stop it from happening (he could).

So he didn't do it to punish the Jews. They brought it on themselves. He did bring salvation to some, Lot in OT, the Christians in 70 AD.