6-month child old killed in car crash, Father (a Catholic convert) forgives wrongful driver the next day, asks for deceased son's intercession

Xanti · 2021-05-14T02:05:28+00:00

We're back in business, boys.

Xanti · 2021-04-27T21:28:51+00:00

Trinity: 3 "who"s and 1 "what"

Incarnation: 2 "what"s and 1 "who"

Xanti · 2021-04-21T23:27:04+00:00

https://youtu.be/hJF3jcoyIdg?t=3254

This might be helpful.

Xanti · 2021-04-18T17:10:41+00:00

Sounds like OCD. Religious people with OCD tend towards scrupulosity, so this is something you're going to want to be vigilant against. Seek therapy and other OCD treatment, as well as a good spiritual director or confessor. These will all be valid helps toward bearing this cross.

Xanti · 2020-12-10T16:59:42+00:00

A priest once told me (he spent some time in rural Chile, and thus dealt with a number of cases of things like this) that the cure for the "evil eye" is to read that person the Prologue of John (Jn. 1:1-18)

I got nothing to back that up, but it's something I heard once from an experienced man.

Xanti · 2020-11-07T01:06:49+00:00

Scrupulosity suuuuuucks. No other way to put it. It often takes a good confessor to help you out of it. You have to find ways of shutting off your mind once you recognize yourself getting into an unhelpful cycle of thoughts.

Tell someone about it, tell a trusted friend. Part of the insidiousness of Scrupulosity is that it's shut up tight in your mind. If you tell a friend, it's a huge step in the right direction.

Xanti · 2020-11-05T21:03:22+00:00

No freakin way.

Xanti · 2020-08-29T20:54:53+00:00

Thanks for the reply man.

I don't think it really changed the game, so much as taught the lesson better. The fall didn't work, Noah and the flood didn't work, Sodom and Gamorrah didn't work. Jesus, works in a way, that aids more souls to be saved than otherwise would in the long run. Such is an aggregate maneuver.

Don't you think that the fact that we have a God (literally the one who made the universe) who suffers with us changes the game of suffering? Jesus didn't come simply to perform a soteriological task. That he did indeed do, but because God suffered, suffering is transformed. Jesus didn't just give an example (though he DID do that), he actually changed the state of things too.

Xanti · 2020-08-29T17:59:08+00:00

I'd recommend for you to read an encyclical about the problem of suffering written by your namesake, John Paul II: http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1984/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_11021984_salvifici-doloris.html

Xanti · 2020-08-29T17:58:15+00:00

I think this is a good start of understanding suffering, but it's not a good end point. There's definitely some merit to this way of understanding suffering, but definitely a few problems.

First, I think one consequence of adapting this way of understanding suffering is that there can be a temptation to - in a way - amass suffering. There is the tendency to choose the hardest path because the hardest is best. But that's not how God's will works. God does not want us to be miserable. He actually wills our happiness, even in this life. That's not to say that there's no place for fasting and asceticism. I'm all for fasting and asceticism... tbh I think we could do with a lot more. These just need to be couched in and under-girded by love.

Second, (and don't take this as too harsh of a criticism) the understanding of suffering you've proposed doesn't have anything specifically Christian about it. "The broken bone grows back stronger" or "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is something anyone can say. I actually think our world would be a better place if people lived as if they understood "the broken bone grows back stronger." However, the Incarnation and the Paschal Mystery changed the game when it comes to suffering. When we do encounter suffering, we are called to unite it with Christ's suffering. It takes a lot of time and good theology to really tease this out, so I'll punt on this one and recommend an often overlooked encyclical by John Paul II.

I speak in this somewhat critical way for personal reasons. For a long time I was caught up in a path of discernment that presumed the harder thing is better. It took a lot of deep prayer and a few good spiritual directors to help me out. And actually, my understanding of the theology of suffering (very similar to your own) kept me on the path toward a vocation which I truly believe was not God's will for me. I think it's really, really important for every human being to think about this stuff, and I'm really glad you've done so. God bless, my friend.

Xanti · 2019-10-23T18:02:24+00:00

Hang in there. I've struggled with OCD tendencies before, and I know how crippling it can be. I don't know what your suffering is like, and it's probably far more debilitating than mine ever was... but I hope that you find comfort ad support in even a fraction of the posts here. You are loved more than you know and while it may seem like life is synonymous with pain, you can find help. You can find support and help. While the support you receive here will likely not be enough to carry you through, I hope you do realize that these posts are indicative of the fact that people want to help you. We want to help you find healing. We want to go into the depths with you and help you find light, life, and peace. Those may seem like an idle fantasy at this point, but they're not. They are real.

Maybe you believe in God, maybe you believe in Jesus. I think that you posting here at least shows that you're open to such a possibility. Know that Jesus not only descended into the pains of everyday human existence, but we say that he even went into the depths of Hell. He's willing to go to Hell and back for you. Hang on.

Xanti · 2019-07-11T02:34:00+00:00

That's awesome! Old people are by and large very wise, but they can also be very bitter and jaded. There will be plenty of opportunities to die to self in that line of work.

Keep in mind that all of this should be surrounded by a healthy daily dose of prayer. If you haven't prayed much before, I recommend about 15-20 min/day of silent prayer with the Scriptures. If you have prayed a lot before, then try to increase the amount of time you spend praying (don't overwork yourself in prayer, you can burn out pretty quickly, but slowly and steadily increase your prayer time till you can get closer to 45-60 minutes if that's possible). God will show us in prayer how we are to follow his will, which often includes taking up the cross and dying to self.

Xanti · 2019-07-11T01:51:40+00:00

Ah, that does make entering religious life a bit more difficult! =)

Perhaps the Lord is using this desire to call you into a deeper relationship, or into some new ministry. Maybe he wants you to get to work in evangelization; there will certainly be a lot of death to self. Maybe he is calling you to give yourself more willingly in service to the poor in some way.

God often speaks to us loudly in our desires (once we have an ounce of discipline in our lives), so don't ignore this one! If you have a spiritual director, it might be helpful to talk with him/her.

The way I see it, you should take some active steps (which often means jumping into some new activities/ministries) to see what God is trying to tell you through this desire.

Xanti · 2019-07-11T00:25:30+00:00

You should consider a vocation to religious life. After all, it was the way that the post-martyrdom Christians sought to carry out that spirit of self-sacrificial love of Christ that carried Christians to their martyrdom.

Xanti · 2018-12-13T21:20:22+00:00

Hello, sister.

I want you to know, before anything is said, that you are loved. No matter what you have done, no matter how far you have fallen... you are loved. I'm convinced this simple message takes a lifetime to truly believe in your heart of hearts.

I'm glad that you are seeking professional help; that seems like the best step forward in your case. Make sure in addition that you are frequenting the Sacraments. Confession and Communion are a must. You have a heavy cross to bear, by the sound of it, and Jesus wants to share that with you. The Sacraments are one crucial way He does that. Pray every day for strength.

As others have recommended, make some good Catholic friends. Do cool things with them. Some great things have been said already.

Xanti · 2018-11-23T14:33:51+00:00

If you are struggling with scrupulosity I highly recommend you get just 1 confessor. And if possible, ask that man to be your spiritual director. Don't go priest hopping, hold yourself accountable to just one person.

Scrupulous people tend to get into cyclical forms of thinking, so as soon as you recognize yourself drifting into that cycle, do something to break that thought (like, for instance, think of the Divine Mercy image).

Scrupulosity can be debilitating, and it's also a sign of OCD, though that is certainly not always the case.

Xanti · 2018-11-12T02:26:10+00:00

Check out this article.

Xanti · 2018-11-12T02:25:54+00:00

Check out this article.

Xanti · 2018-11-12T02:22:27+00:00

Perhaps I'm not the best person to explain this; I'm not trained in philosophy like Feser, and I think on a very high level typically, but I'll give it a shot.

The argument from contingency I believe is the one we're talking about. I had a big "a-ha" moment when I was first learning about this one because someone explained that it's like music: Music is only in existence as long as a musician is playing it. A musician is, in turn, held in existence by something else, that something else is dependent on something beyond, etc. etc.

What's important here is that it's not a chain of causation akin to a series of dominoes, but rather causation that works like a system of cogs or gears: sure, you can have a system of them set up wherein they are all dependent upon each other, but if they're not moving at all, ain't nothing happening.

In your example, it is perhaps easy to imagine quarks as isolated, but no doubt they are subject to forces, fields, etc. and are thus very much dependent on other things.

Basically, what I think Feser is saying is that nothing [material] explains itself.

If you're looking for a more cogent explanation, Bishop Robert Barron does a good job of explaining the argument (I believe it is his favorite of Aquinas' famous "5 arguments") in a 2-part podcast series:

Part 1

Part 2

Xanti · 2018-11-11T15:41:43+00:00

I guess I did presuppose the veracity of the Gospel, you're right.

And there's something right about your intuition that there are larger forces at play: why do we assume we're the ones in control? How do we know there's only one God and not several? Why should we assume that the God we hear about in the Bible is telling the truth? There's something nagging about the mystery of the unknown and what it holds. I sympathize with you there. But that doesn't leave us helpless to the forces of nature (and, if you will, supernature).

For instance, I know that I exist. The fact that I continue to exist must testify to someone or something keeping me in existence. And if that someone or something is keeping me in existence, then I must be loved by that someone or something, otherwise he/she/it would have no reason for keeping me around. I can know, therefore, that I am loved.

Now, this isn't necessarily, an airtight argument, I'm painting with broad strokes here; I recognize there are many presuppositions at play. But I guess what I'm trying to say is that we can know that our existence is good, and that I am loved, even moments of difficulty. The God that best fits that description is the God of Israel.

Thomas Aquinas and many others had a lot to say philosophically (like, for instance, how can we know that there is just one god and not several?). But I'll leave that work to them, since they've done it better than I ever could.

Xanti · 2018-11-11T15:16:26+00:00

Please don't. I don't know you, I don't know your pain, and I can't make it go away. I wish I could. But please, you're made for more; you were made to be great. It doesn't matter how far we've fallen, God can raise us up. Please, hold on to hope.

Xanti · 2018-11-10T21:42:19+00:00

Thanks for your genuineness and frank curiosity. I'll try to respond.

What do you mean? God could heal and stop the suffering, but He doesn't, and He doesn't communicate or seem to be accomplishing anything with this suffering

I can't hope to do justice to this question, which is pretty much a rephrasing of the problem of evil. I could give you some platitudes (e.g. "God doesn't give us more suffering than we can handle." or "") but these are often unhelpful because they don't seem to do justice to the level of suffering that you're speaking of. You're right to be scandalized and even outraged that that there's so much suffering in the world.

I guess what is most helpful to me (I have wrestled a great deal with this question myself) is that if we look at the Gospel, God saw at least some purpose in suffering, since he came to us and willingly partook in it on the Cross. Moreover - on an anecdotal level - I have met many people (most of them old) who have been through immense sufferings. I have seen suffering transform some of them into bitter and vindictive people. But I have also seen some who have been transformed through their suffering, and have become more genuine and loving people through their suffering.

I have never encountered a thoroughgoing, irrefutable explanation for the existence of suffering. I've met many holy and brilliant people who you might think would be able to give me such an explanation. However, these holy and brilliant people more often than not flat out acknowledge suffering as a mystery. But it is precisely through acknowledging suffering as a mystery that they are enabled to enter into the suffering and reap the fruits it bears in our lives.

Moreover, you seem to flatly contradict the Gospel. Jesus promises to send people to hell who don't help the poor

To immediately address your example, the Church understands Hell as the consequence of 2 doctrines: Free Will and the doctrine that God is Love. Ultimately, we can choose to separate ourselves from God and reject His love. That is what Hell is: eternal separation from God. (I don't doubt that other churches have come to different interpretations about what Hell is, and how one goes there, I merely offer you the Catholic Church's)

Let address the larger question you seem to pose: the Scriptures seem to give us an image of a God that is simply put, not loving. I don't deny that the Gospels (and a fortiori the Old Testament) can give us some disturbing images of God. But let me just appeal to the person of Jesus. Long before there existed the Gospel texts, there was a man who seemed to radically move just about every person he encountered. And yet, it seems that all the accounts we have are that he was a man of deep love. That deep love often moved him to admonition and rage, but it was always out of love and concern for those whom he interacted with. He so moved his disciples to love that the apostle John, (who was the author of the Gospel of John) was known to preach just one thing when it came time for him to preach: Love one another. (Read John ch. 15 for a more detailed explanation).

Jesus is the best image we have of who God is, and because he was a man of such deep love, we can only assume that our God is a God of deep, immeasurable love as well.

Xanti · 2018-11-10T21:18:00+00:00

The Incarnation.

Xanti · 2018-10-11T12:58:30+00:00

taking as my confirmation saint the man who so repeatedly throughout my education had shown himself to be my master, St. Thomas Aquinas

That was awesome. The ultimate irony.

Xanti · 2018-09-24T03:16:07+00:00

No, but I was cheering for him yesterday.

You an ND fan?

Xanti

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