First Truth St. Thomas Aquinas, in his disputations on truth, De Veritate, asks in Q. 14, art. 8 'Is First Truth the Proper Object of Faith?' It must be noted at the beginning the concern of St. Thomas was supernatural faith; that is, "the substance of things to be hoped for and the evidence of things that appear not." (Heb. 1:1) First, St. Thomas lists several difficulties in answering the question. St. Thomas lists sixteen different difficulties and in his Answers to the Difficulties he answers each one individually. Let us draw our attention to the first difficulty.

In the Hands of God The Old Testament writers spoke very frankly about the state of the just who had died. To the just man, the world is seen as just because they live within He who is justice itself. "Blessed are the clean in heart: they will see God." (Matt. 5:8) I was told once by a holy religious that "to the pure all things are pure;" that is, the cost of purity is fidelity to grace. As Bonhoffer once called it "costly grace." When the just person lives within that narrow path of grace he/she integrates his suffering with grace and "everything works together" for him/her. Death is no...

Living and Moving in Christ "I am the true vine and my Father is the vine grower." (Jn. 15:1) The first consolation of faith comes from knowing we live and move and fulfill our existence in the presence of God. Jesus teaches us in ways that are simple, true and touch the heart. He often uses images that everyone can identify easily. Of course we know what a vine is, but do we really? Have we ever been a vine or been part of one? Jesus challenges us to apply what is naturally true for a grape to ourself. We understand that the grape cannot truly produce its delicious fruit apart from the...

What is Infinite Love? The Catholic Church's tradition teaches us that God is absolutely infinite in every perfection. "Of his wisdom there is no end." (Ps. 146:5) The very nature of the Three Divine Persons is infinite. When we speak of infinite we understand its definition as meaning without limit. Naturally we are surrounded by many mutable realities. Among them are the things that makeup our daily lives: food, clothing, transportation, communication. All of these things are limited are are repeated again and again in infinitely different ways, yet they are all potential by their nature....

Introduction In this introduction to the inciting incident, the catalyst, or hook, which takes place in the first act of your screenplay or story . I often refer to several pros whose names are well-known to guide you in understanding the widest interpretations possible to the catalyst event. Among them are Dan Calvisi, Todd Klick, Neil Landau, Ellen Sandler, Jeffrey Schechter, Blake Snyder, David Trottier, John Truby and others. Incite To incite is to encourage and to push forward. (Unknown, 2013) Synonyms: catalyst, disturbing event, shocking event, upsetting event, heartbreaking event, the...

Path to the Truth When we first receive the faith we are unaware of the greatness of and its all-encompassing reality; however, we are given an insight into the beauty of our faith when we begin to express it and live it. How often when we were children we sought out the teachings of others who have been given the responsibility to teach us. We accepted first-hand their wisdom and guidance. We could not see within them as God does to see if they were living the truth or in the state of grace. We accepted their testimony as children who were seeking the truth and we accepted the teachings of...

The Spiritual Senses The very fact that great spiritual masters such as Saints John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Angela of Foligno, Thomas Aquinas, and Augustine have spoken of these "spiritual senses" makes it all the more necessary to define them in such a way as to bring them into our understanding. First of all, a precaution is being made not to confuse the purely sensual mode of knowledge presented to us by the natural senses in approaching the understanding of the spiritual senses. A poet or songwriter can speak of the presence of God in a flower or the face of a person. The same...

First Encounter With God's Presence What first comes to mind when we think of the divine indwelling? When I was a teenager, I used to ask myself the same question. I had already known that God had a plan for me and that I had a Guardian Angel. These truths were part of the training I received as a young Catholic teenager growing up in a small Southwest Louisiana town called Lake Arthur, La. There were only 3000 people in my entire hometown and that seemed to be quite a few people to me then. I frequently would reflect upon the experience of having a Guardian Angel so near to me. Also, I...

I am who I am St. Paul once told his listeners "I am who I am by the grace of God." Self-acceptance before God requires a mature surrender of who we are to God. God knows who we are and he creates us to love him. Grace will challenge us to let go of our false and pretentious self and accept the abiding presence of God in our hearts. Grace has no room for a foolish lifestyle. "Those who follow me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life." Being afraid to walk in the light because of the fear that we will not be accepted or for reasons the world imposes upon us can only lead us...

The reason for this writing has to do with my preoccupation with the themes of faith and money in my life and the life of others. First, my own interest in the subject grew out of the necessity of both subjects: faith and money. I found this to be a curious anomaly. An anomaly is "something that deviates form what is expected." For example, one expects things to be cut-and-dry or clear-cut, black-and-white, but this is not the case with the relationship with faith and money. It first of all means that money is an ambiguous entity we use in society which functions on a practical level of...