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Whether God Is in All Things?
God is indeed in all things in multiple ways: one, by way of agency in something, just as a real estate agent has authority to represent the interest of her seller. Two, where the mover of the moved comes into contact, resulting in the moved being moved on the initial action of the mover, who is God. Thus, resulting in some kind of action or understanding of the intellect. Three, as long as something is in being, God must be present there, for something that is in being has its own essence because God created it. In the same way, the essence of God is also present, not as the essence of the person, but of its own essence at the same time while subsisting within it. Whether God is Everywhere? God fills a space by way of another through agency, will, influence, through creatures – giving them breath, hope, love, and the like. In another way, God fills a boundary directly in that His very presence is there, for He fills a place with being and existence. Furthermore, both the corporeal and incorporeal nature that is God can move in and out of one place or many places all at once, multiple times, or individually, because He is God, and this belongs to Him alone as He is of a different order of being as we know it. In this way, He alone is indeed everywhere. Whether God is Everywhere by Essence, Presence, and Power? By way of essence, God is in all things in the way He is their Efficient Cause and is present in all things that are created by Him. God is strongly present in the rational creature who is known by Him by way of intellect, particularly the Saints, through grace. By way of power and presence, God is present in the way that creatures and the like are subjected to His laws, rules, boundaries, limits, and likeness associated with its kind. In the same way, His authority can be felt and experienced in the operation of a creature in as much as they are limited or allowed to a function and understanding of the intellect. For example, a chicken’s likeness is to lay eggs, both to repopulate, but to also feed other living creatures. The chicken does not need to be instructed on the matter but acts upon it by design and power from the One whom it was created by. Just as the insect pollinates crops for food, the honeybee makes its honey – delicate ecosystems are the product of creative design, influence, and power – not accident, as the atheist, who believes in a series of accidents causing perfect conditions might suggest. The power of God is in all these things, working to an intelligent outcome. As for the person who does not perceive or acknowledge the force of God, even in their own lives, the atheist does not accidentally get to work on time or do his laundry. The atheist must wake up on his own and deliberately get dressed and prepare his day. He may drink some coffee and take transportation to his job. Through all these successive actions, he deliberately arrived at his place of work, not accidentally. In the same way, perfect occurrences cannot appear out of an electric blender of many different ingredients and causes. If this were the rule, matter would be a disorderly and ugly blend of many things that are nonsensical. However, this is not the case, for the very essence of God is actively guiding all things to their purpose and calculated end. Whether to Be Everywhere Belongs to God Alone? To be everywhere primarily and absolutely belongs to God alone and is proper to Him. Where He is not, there is no being or existence, for anything that Is must have His presence in some way. It is impossible that God would not be capable of this, or that something else other than God would be capable of the same function, especially as a creature – which is impossible.
I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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Whether God is Infinite?
God is the First Principle from which infinity is attributed to. Depending on what someone would consider the first principle as, the finite and the infinite could be improperly co-mingled, as were the case for the ancient pagan philosophers who held the view that the material principle of body and form, thus going forth into the entire universe, was that First Principle. As the Saint explains in his discourse, this is false, because where these philosophers co-mingled finite attributes with the infinite, who is God and not constrained to material body and form, their future assessments were flawed because their principal view of infinity was false. Clearly, the God of the Universe is not and cannot be received by anyone or anything and is of His own Essence and Being, to which all things that come into being are denominated from, thus He is Perfect and Infinite. Whether Anything but God Can Be Essentially Infinite? Anything outside God is from God and not infinite. Infinity belongs to God alone, who is the First Principle. Although something may have infinite potential, this is not absolute infinity. For example, a squared limestone block could be carved into an unimaginable number of shapes and figures by the sculptor. In the relative sense, the forms and shape in potentiality is infinite in matter (by way of accident or free choice the sculptor engages in). However, not in the absolute self-subsisting way that is God who is infinite in a much more perfect way matter and form can never attain to, nor can the human intellect ever fathom in fullness. Whether an Actually Infinite Magnitude Can Exist? An infinite magnitude cannot exist because everything that exists has a surface, a body, a form, and a boundary line or term. In other words, the thing that is finite has a boundary, and must form something of a body through its surface, thus filling a space determined by its likeness. Now, even if a mathematician says, “let this line be infinite,” as we often see in algebraic visual expressions, this would not mean that the line is actually infinite. The mathematics teacher simply takes what is finite, subtracting what is intended for use, and calls what he uses “infinite” for the sake of the problem or lesson to illustrate a concept that the human mind by way of its form and likeness can understand. Infinity belongs to God alone, who is His own essence, and is of a separate order from creatures who are finite and are constricted to their form, boundaries, and terms, thus filling the space they were ordained to according to His will. Whether an Infinite Multitude Can Exist? God has ordered all things in a state that can be measured by His agency. Thus, an actual infinite multitude cannot exist because God has set a number to all things according to His will as Creator so they may be measured and put into use, as stated earlier. However, in potentiality (accidents or the choices creatures can make on their own by the freewill which was given to them), the idea of an infinite multitude could exist by way of the principle of division because the decisions the free will allows is not confined by what is actual.
I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. CategoriesAll
Whether God Is Good?
The preeminence of the good ultimately belongs to God, who is the First and the Last – the efficient cause that brings all things to an end, according to God’s essence who imposes Species, Mode, and Order on all things put forth into being. For what something does, is according to its likeness and is desirable to the creature who carries out the action. Goodness and perfection are sought out in the created thing according to its likeness and this is what we recognize as a pursuit to know God and draw closer to Him. All things that are in “being” put their calculated end to God whether they fully realize it or not. Some find this goodness of knowledge in pursuits that lead to goodness, and the knowledge of Him without ever encountering the gospel – thus indicating a higher intelligence bringing forth a calculated end in the being who shouldn’t know Him, but does anyway, despite the odds and circumstances that prevent knowledge of a higher truth. Whether God is the Supreme Good? God is the supreme good in a simple fashion in the way all things that are good flow from Him as the first efficient cause, as explained previously. Just as something cold may come from a drink, which one can call “cold,” so there exists a better “cold” in the form of air conditioning. Even then, a more perfect and good cold exists beyond a drink and central air, and that can be found in ice. So, it is the same for God, who is the supreme good in every way, even though there is goodness in other created things to which He alone is the source. Whether to Be Essentially Good Belongs to God Alone? The perfection of all things is found in God essentially. The perfection found in something else is good by participation or accidental, in that the thing demonstrating the perfection is demonstrating what comes from God. God alone is goodness to which everything in existence finds its end or fulfillment. For example, when a man rides a horse, the horse will demonstrate speed by using its legs to go forward. In the same way, the horse is demonstrating utility by also providing transportation for the man, who is the rider. The goodness of speed and the usefulness of transportation is being demonstrated on the horse by participation. However, the goodness of speed and usefulness in the horse is just an example of what usefulness in transportation and speed can do when confined to this one event with its circumstances. Surely, the speed of a meteorite is faster than a horse but cannot be a means of transportation for the man. In the same way, the speed we recognize in the meteorite and the horse is called “participation,” and is good; good in the way it was meant to be good according to its likeness, and to which the speed is perceived. A more perfect speed that can equate and surpass both the horse and the meteorite from above and below can essentially be found in God, who proportions the goodness of speed to the meteorite and horse in such a way the created things can carry out the function of demonstrating speed. Whether All Things Are Good By the Divine Goodness? All things that are in being are good, for they were made good by The One to which all goodness flows from. This is the Divine Goodness. However, there is also goodness in the sense that something has being, so that something is good to the point it was made in such a way – imitating the principle of divine goodness according to its likeness. Even pagan philosophers of early Europe acknowledged through their many writings a goodness rooted in a divinity to which they were unaware of, because it has not been revealed to them. Nonetheless, by natural knowledge of a higher principle and source to which all mankind possesses, even to the remotest regions of the world, the innate knowledge of the Living God exists, along with His effects, attributes, and characteristics associated with goodness according to the likeness of the thing in being.
I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. CategoriesAll
Whether Goodness Differs Really from Being?
Goodness and being are the same, for a thing that exists in its fullness is goodness. The only difference between goodness and being in idea is that goodness possesses an aspect of desirability, which in turn is striving for perfection, something all things seek to obtain within themselves both small and great. To be is simply not enough, for one must seek perfection or attempt to obtain it, in accordance with its being. In our daily lives, we seek a false sense of goodness in inanimate objects, vanity, false pretenses, injustice, sin, and violence. We heap abuse on others for the pursuit of our own goodness, which can never be achieved in its fullness without God as the sole objective, for goodness within ourselves or the goodness sought in other things will always fall short when we reject Him, who is prior to being. Whether Goodness is Prior in Idea to Being? Being is what something is in actuality. It is proper for the intellect of intelligible beings to realize they exist in actuality since their own conscience is aware of its own existence. This comes first before goodness, for the goodness one may want to seek is a desirable attainment of perfection in idea. Thus, being in idea is prior to goodness. The secular world declares all beings exist by way of accidental formation and that there is no absolute goodness or truth, for all is relative to one another, void of evil and good. They say this very thing as they actively attack the good and support the evil in their daily lives and throughout the world. Logical reasoning did not bring them to this conclusion, nor did supernatural grace. What brought them to this conclusion is the influence of evil; the one who says, “down is up, and up is down.” The wicked one. Who did he tell this to? To 19th century pseudo-cult philosophers trying to make a living for themselves by proclaiming the gospel of death to would be listeners. Philosophers like Jung, Bentham, Nietzsche, Marx, and Darwin. The Moderni Man of this age worships their secular morality overlords at the altar of false relativism. Just because one does not believe in good or evil does not mean they are no longer subject to its power. What we know as goodness is the ongoing perfection of union with God, who is the First and Final Cause. What we know as evil is the deficiency of the good (which is God) or a half shape which never could come to full circle. Whether Every Being is Good? Any being that is not God is a creature from God. Since God is the ultimate good and The One from whom all beings come forth from, it can be said that every being is good because they were all made good by God who is the ultimate and first good. Even people, events, or actions we deem as evil or not good have an element of goodness whether it was prior in time before the act or a consequence of evil that leads to a greater good after the act or event is committed (which is the work of the Lord who makes even the good come out of evil). For the deficiency of goodness can be described as a basketball missing the basket when shot. It falls short, and doesn’t quite add up, and is what we call “evil.” However, it is important to remember that God made all things good in His likeness according to His will as they should be and the perfect outcome for anything is fulfilling its purpose as God intended. The waters were made good, but sometimes a hurricane forms over them, in the same way, ice is good as well - but exposed too long you can freeze to death, fire is good for it keeps us warm and dry - but get too close to it and it shall burn your flesh. For the fallen angels were made good without pain or suffering in the full knowledge of God, but in their goodness, they chose to not quite meet the mark, and become evil - thus condemning themselves. In the same way, man and woman were made good in the likeness and image of God the Father, but by their own free will and choices (accidents) they chose disobedience and sin which ultimately led to death. It is God who made us good, but not all of us wish to remain that way. For the starting point is good, and if one remains in it, that person shall remain as God intended - which is good. But if that person strays from the goodness the Lord ordained and ruled, that person has much to fear, because the deficiency of their actions and disorder shall lead them on paths of destruction that will bring evil into their lives, even though they were made good and perfect in the eyes of God, and they shall never achieve a higher state of perfection other than what the Lord has ordained for them as creatures. For only “God is good alone,” and by His hand further good sprang forth, which is us and all living things as we know them. Now in Babylonia, man says “I cannot accept how the Lord made me. I know what I will do, I will become a woman!” A demon told them this. For it were the demons who originally rebelled and chose to become what was not meant for them. So naturally they too, would pursue, dwell, influence, whisper, and flock to the sins of men, and encourage it further so as to draw them further from their inheritance - which is God alone. The man of this age - the one who turns from God to pursue secular humanism, atheism, satanism, and occult practices, false idols, and the lower pleasures and desires of the flesh make themselves deficient as the fallen angels did and if they do not change, like the angels, the Lord shall enter into judgment with them as well. This is not a better “becoming” or evolution, as some who heard the gospel of death proclaim, no - it is an act of devolving and descending to lesser heights and lower regions, for the one who draws further away from God becomes uglier, more confused, hateful, more prone to sin, and thus plunges oneself further into the abyss that is the darkness where the unclean spirits dwell and every kind of torment awaits them so as to destroy them. Whether Goodness Has the Aspect of a Final Cause? All things made by God desire goodness according to their form and state of being. Just as a honeybee’s goodness is the labor it puts into the honeycomb, for the good of the colony, so it is for the man to replicate himself through his seed and produce viable offspring for his family lineage. The goodness of the vine produces solid healthy pumpkins, which are ripped from the vine and later discarded, while the apple tree recesses for the winter for another future harvest during the following warmer season. What is first in its cause is also last in its cause, thus goodness also precludes the idea of an efficient and formal cause. This principle remains true from least to greatest – from individual creature to the very plan God has laid out for mankind since the creation, the fall in the garden, the law, the prophets, the coming of the Messiah (when the Lord walked the earth in the flesh), and the end of the age where all created things are called back to the Creator to account for their ways so as to experience complete beatitude or eternal condemnation. Whether the Essence of Goodness Consists in Mode, Species, and Order? Something is as good as it is supposed to be, so far as it is perfect. Perfection is desirable and is what all things ascertain to. For example, the goodness of the human heart is to pump blood throughout the body to keep itself alive. The perfection of the heart is to pump blood to vital organs efficiently and effectively. Its measure, or mode, shows that the form it takes to pump blood suits the purpose of pumping blood to the heart in an efficient manner, thus sustaining blood flow and ultimately life. Species come from form, considering that everything which does something has a form, and whether that something is added to or taken away determines its species. For example, the hearts of mammals differ from the hearts of reptiles and amphibians, and this belongs to species. As for its ultimate end or final cause, according to its species – this is the order. The order of the human heart is to keep the person alive and functional for the duration of his or her span of life. In other words – self-preservation. In further questions, there will be a deeper understanding of differentiating between parts that make up a composite body that has been fashioned with a soul which is the intellect. All things considered, Mode, Species, and Order are the essence of goodness, for as it was addressed previously that God made all things “good.” Whether Goodness is Rightly Divided into the Virtuous, the Useful, and the Pleasant? Goodness is divided into the virtuous, the useful, and the pleasant based upon the principle of desirability as it pertains to living things moving from beginning to end in their form, being, and appetite. The goodness of virtue can be found in the appetite to which it moves for its own sake. In other words, moral excellence for its own sake, not for any ulterior motive. As for usefulness, the movement of the appetite towards a thing desired which completes or puts to rest the desire of the appetite or the thing that was sought but has now been fulfilled. In other words, solving problems, completing a task which holds a desirable end state, or meeting a need both for oneself and others. As for the thing which fulfills or brings the appetite to a conclusion in the form of rest in the thing desired, can be called the pleasant. For example, the man is bored and leans towards appreciating artwork and cultural traditions. He uses his allotted time in boredom to attend an art gallery showing, resulting in the satisfaction of his appetite towards creative expression, thus putting the desire or need to rest for the time being through the activity conducted.
I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. CategoriesAll
Whether God is Perfect?
God must be perfect because He alone is the first principle and first efficient cause which is before any material principle that consists of matter which is imperfect. Superseding all causes and principles, God is of His own order, unlike anything else that is set forth as potential, and is perfect in every way. If God was not of this order, then it would not be God, but a mere potentiality and not actuality to which all things come forth from. Secular and pagan society holds the material principle, which is imperfect, higher than the efficient cause of all things, which is the first principle, to which we know as God. It is why they do not recognize God or His perfection in creation, because they have chosen to worship the material principle (potentiality/imperfection) over what is the first principle (actuality), which is God and is perfect, thus becoming deluded in their thinking and corrupt in their souls, settling for idols of wood, stone, and vain human honor. Just as the Holy Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:19-25, informing the gentiles and first believers to avoid idol worship and to be aware of the truth of their surroundings as evidenced through the lens of their newfound hope and faith. Whether the Perfections of All Things are in God? Everything that is perfection or perfect within a genus or effect is set forth from the first efficient cause, which is God and who is the very essence of perfection to which comes forth in created things, matter, forms, elements, and the like. Since God is the prerequisite to a genus or a thing that does something, it is logical to infer that through His agency, perfection comes – whether in the form of heat to fire, cold to ice, or acts and expressions of love and goodness in humans. The perfection of love, which is selfless and perfect in every way, and demonstrable in humans from God, is misaligned or distorted in pagan society. Those who reject the existence of God and the many perfections He alone bestows upon mankind and created things, have turned love into a corporeal action, a way of providing material needs, or a self-serving arrangement consisting of many parasitic emotional exchanges that are not found in love, but are found in servitude, slavery, and bondage. They view love as a type of ownership, and do not know what it is like to love, which is perfect and comes from God. Some value the beast and pet over their fellow brother and sister who are made in the likeness of God and declare on many occasions that they love their subjects more than their neighbors, relatives, and co-workers. But this is not love, but ownership. Thus, like the demons, they take by force, and misuse and distort the perfections of the Living God to make what He made perfect, and which comes from Him alone, into something lesser and void of perfection, all while denying His existence and the very gift which came forth from Him in the example of love. Whether Any Creature Can Be Like God? God is the first universal principle of all things set forth. As much as something is like its being, it is like God, but not exactly like God in the fullness as God, for God transcends all genus and being. We may see an effect to the likeness of God from a creature or thing within a set genus, but God is not like the creature, for this would be impossible as the Creator does not mimic or come forth from the created. For example, we could claim, “my friend runs like a cheetah.” A human is not a cheetah, nor can it ever become a cheetah. In the same way, a human being cannot run as fast as a cheetah, although we may say that someone can “run like a cheetah.” In this way, the likeness of the fast athlete mentioned can be associated with a cheetah, although it is clear the person will never mimic the complete likeness of a cheetah. So also in this way, a person can be like God in that this person loves much and brings comfort to the one who is in need, ultimately being like God to that person in the sense of comforting a sorrow. However, such an example is subject to distortion and confusion because society attempts to misalign the values and being of God to make Him like them who are created, sinful, and imperfect. They do this in vain, for He is not like us in as much as He should conform and change to us, who are lesser and only a being by participation, in comparison to God, who is an Essential Being. Therefore, God’s love for us does not equal approval of our actions, for even though we may be like Him in ways that belong to our existence by participation, He is not like us, no matter how much we try to make Him like us. If that were the case, then He wouldn’t be God, and there would be no need for a messiah, for man himself would become his own light and salvation, to which we know is impossible. Why? Because if the angels, who were made stronger and smarter than us thought they could become their own light, but instead, descend into depravity, ugliness, imperfection, sin, and the likeness of fiery hell, us as humans all the more who think we can become our own “light” shall fall into this same error - for we are weaker and less intelligent than the fallen angels who became demons and are self-condemned because of their disobedience and pride - for pride alone is the hallmark of the demon and is the one thing it cannot disguise well. The demon can mimic virtue so as to trick others to its ways and doctrines, but they cannot resist their own pride and vanity. For if they were to do that, they would no longer be demons!
I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. CategoriesAll
Whether God is a Body?
It is impossible that God is a body because He is the One who is unmoved and the very Force that puts all bodies in motion. All bodies must be set forth in motion by the unmoved, which simply Is, and does not require anything beyond Himself to be put in motion, for there exists no such thing that can move the Unmoved, to which we refer to as God. All things that are, apart from the Unmoved, which is God, must come from the Force which puts them into being. An apple does not come before the tree, and a cake does not come before the baker. The tree and the baker put the apple and cake into motion and being, just as God puts the apple tree and baker of the cake into being so the apple and the cake may exist. God is the maximum of nobility from which lesser noble bodies are put into existence from Him. A body alone without a soul is a corpse, decaying and returning to the earth. A living body with a soul is a composite and is known as an animated body, which is the opposite of an inanimate body that is void of the soul. A human being made in the likeness and image of God is special in the sense that our reasoning, intelligence, and longing of our souls to seek Him in truth are superior as compared to animals. By way of the world, we can either draw closer to Him by rejecting the trends of modern-day life, which is everything that is opposed to God, or we can pull further away from Him by our actions in succumbing to the temptations, desires, noise, and confusions of the world. It is important to differentiate between being of the world and participating in the world while not being part of it for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Whether God is Composed of Matter and Form? God is not composed of matter and form because these are attributes found in a body. It is proven that God is not a body and cannot be measured or contemplated in fullness by way of the corporeal sense alone. Since mankind is corporeal, that is consisting of matter and form, which is a body, and must be moved by the original Unmoved Mover who puts all things into existence, it would be impossible that God is composed of such elements because He is the Creator of such elements and does not need them to Be for the sake of His own existence because He alone was before them. By way of perfection, God is the true source of all perfection, to which the created owes tribute to their Creator, who is also the maximum of what is perfect. Matter and form are also associated with agency by which the agent pursues a cause within its material bodied form. God is the original cause, the One who puts all Causes into being, who is of His own essence formed within Himself, thus it is impossible that God be composed of matter and form, which is corporeal, for God is incorporeal and is the One who calls the corporeal into being. Thus, it is impossible that God would be composed of matter and form, for He alone is everywhere and can be found in all things put into existence because all things in existence came from Him. Things that come forth from a source do not equate to it becoming the source itself, rather, they become a representation of the source in the form of matter and composition. Corporeal worship of matter manifests itself into desire and pleasure. Pursuit of these properties alone, void of God, will lead to sin (death). The body is made of both soul and body, spirit, and matter. In the days of faithlessness and boastfulness, the children of the dark have become filled with demonic pride. We see that matter and form has become the unspoken rule. You need a job to be respected. You need money to be taken seriously. You need substantial achievements to be recognized as worthy of honor. You need sculpted physiques to be attractive and worthy of a partner. Although these examples come with the past and can co-exist with a soul in great rapport with God, it has occurred that the true nature of mankind’s composite state of body and soul is being rejected for the corporeal sense, which is lesser, and often dominating all things in life of the composite. In other words, the Moderni Man has replaced his true nature with a false one that is temporary and void of the spirit that was given to him for his benefit by the One Most High. Whether God is the Same as His Essence or Nature? Something can be defined as a thing which represents it, but not describing it in fullness. For example, a machine that is functional, that is, to complete a specific task effectively to the specifications it was designed to complete, can be described in this manner in the sense that it carries out its function to be recognized by someone who observes it. In the same way, humanity may be of a human, but it is not the only part that makes up a human. The flesh, the blood, the eyes, and even the ligaments are also part of that human, but alone is not the fullness of the human. The effects of something are a representation of that person or thing, such as a woman singing a song. The song being sung is not the woman, but is a mere representation of her, especially if she wrote it herself. In the same way, since God is His own essence and nature, the effects of Him in the world consisting of matter and form may represent Him to a degree, but never in its fullness, because as stated earlier, God does not consist of matter and form, but is truly in Himself. Thus, God is the same as His essence and nature, for it is also written, “The Lord is One.” Knowing that the Lord is fully active in the world to varying degrees, some greater than another, and others being a better representation of Him, we see that in Babylonia, society in general terms within itself is having trouble depicting Him more accurately. Through misinformation, lies, faithlessness, and even the supposed faithful using Him to sell merchandise and extract sorted gain for themselves as for the purpose of ministry and false worship, we see that the effects of God as represented by supposed believers who claim to know Him represent Him to a lesser degree. A church without an altar that is void of the Body of Christ (his presence) as compared to a Church with an altar containing His presence is an example of demonstrating the fullness of God to a lesser degree. Whether Essence and Existence are the Same in God? God is His own essence and existence because He is the first efficient cause. In created things, its existence may differ from its essence, which indicates another agent at work that is either prior in time or coming later. Nothing created can create itself, for this is impossible. God’s existence must be His own essence because He is the One who Creates and is therefore not the Created. As we see with sin, which was not created by God, but is the product of a potentiality from creatures who were given a free will from God who is the actuality, or the Unmoved, it just so happens that the existence of the sinful man, who is destined to die in his ways, becomes separated from the path shown to him for what his essence was designed to be which is the path of life and goodness in God, void of sin. A schism between essence and existence is occurring and growing larger among swathes of people throughout the world, especially in western societies, where the boy strays from his essence to become a girl in existence, which is false. A woman knows what is good and just but decides to do what is evil and wrong, thus straying from her essence given to her by the First Efficient Cause, which is God, who made her in goodness, but now has become an instrument of death by way of sin, which is the state of existing while perpetually opposing her essence given to her. Whether God is Contained in a Genus? God is not contained in a genus, for a genus must come before what exists, summing up its principles and attributes into a categorical spectrum understandable by whoever contemplates it. Not true for God, because nothing comes before Him, therefore, God is not contained in a Genus. People who do not know the Living God often attempt to depict His words and testimony as a falsity - lumping the belief in God into false categories, for example, Christian nationalism, mythology, fanfiction, sci-fi, or magic. In this sense, these labels are not the principles of any genus for what they are attempting to describe, which is God, who is indescribable, nor are they appropriate categorical elements to describe what they heap abuse upon through lack of understanding and ignorance. Whether in God There are any Accidents? It is impossible that there be any accidents in God. For it was concluded earlier that God is an actuality, and not a potentiality. In other words, He is the Unmoved (actuality) that makes all things moving (potentiality). There can be accidents caused by those of the moving, who are moved by the First Mover, who Himself is Unmoved. For people like you and me, we incur fault and perform accidental things we regret every day, because our potential is divisible by infinity (as we understand finite/infinite things), according to the free will the Lord has given us. Not so in God, for He doesn’t give Himself anything, or needs anything from anyone else, for He was before all things, and everything He puts into existence is purposeful and intentional. For what springs forth from the created that is not good or accidental can also be called a privation (not quite right/lacking in something) according to Saint Thomas Aquinas. This is not attributed to God but is recognized as a deficiency. It is also proper to call what we know as a deficiency “sin.” For the man does not quite add up to what he was made for, when he decides (accident) to pursue lower pleasures and desires such as sexual immorality, thus defiling the Holy Temple that is his body, and rendering this sacred space inhospitable for God’s Holy Spirit, which was meant for him since the beginning of the age. In the same way, a decision (accident) the woman makes to pursue a career that calls her to lie and harm others financially, would be a deficiency of the good, for not telling the truth in order to take something from someone that does not belong to her is what we would attribute to sin - for it is a lack of charity that one does this and an act of selfishness. As the atheist falsely proclaims, “this was the Lord’s doing” and “I wouldn’t do this if He alone did not make me this way” is false. For the things men and women do by their own free will are accidents and not attributed to God, for He is not the cause of sin, nor did He ever invent sin. Everything that the Lord made is “good.” Thus, it is impossible that what He made would be deficient or evil, for this is the decision (accident) of creatures, which come forth from their free will that was given to them as a gift from God, and is the sole variable that shall separate the created from the creator in the age to come. For the purpose of understanding this concept any further, it is important to realize the accountable actions on the Lord’s part stops at the measure where the created makes a choice, for He ordained that they shall choose (accidents) and either be glorified or condemned according to their ways. Does mankind receive help along the way? Of course they do, by way of grace. Whether God is Altogether Simple? God is simple; for He has no quantitative parts, no matter or form, He is not a composite being like creatures and humans, nor is His essence separated from His existence, He does not belong to a genus, nor can He be categorized in such a way. He is void of accident and contradiction, unlike created things, to which all things must adjust accordingly to in potentiality from actuality – which is God, the ultimate efficient cause, Unmoved in the sense He makes all things both matter, form, and the creature move. In His simplicity, He is absolute, not a part consisting of many parts, but the unifying force which causes all parts that are composite and complex to unite. People in the world do not value simplicity, nor do they recognize its treasure. Complex composite creatures strive further to make composite plans with complex points and outcomes, to the point they become unreachable. If they are reachable, those plans heap abuse upon other creatures, to which those creatures fall victim to. In the simplicity of God, His points, instruction, and handiwork has been made clear for all to see. But the world does not accept His simplicity, but chooses many complexities, even complex things that make no sense at all, which in turn start out as accidents (free choices) and then gradually morph into destructive outcomes. If the purpose of avoiding what is simple (God) is to do good by way of complexity (the way of the world), then the man who rejects what is simple finds himself achieving less than he ever intended, and in the process harming others according to the complex ways of this world that he pursued which is prone to deficiency (sin) and disorder. Whether God Enters into the Composition of Other Things? God cannot enter the composition of other things in the sense that He is co mingling with animated composite beings consisting of matter and form, for it would be impossible because what is a composite form consisting of matter in the animated sense is potentiality (created things, divisible by infinity) and is posterior of actuality and an efficient cause, which is simply God alone. The leg itself does not just kick the ball, but the man who controls his own leg uses his free will to enact the matter assigned to his form which puts forth in motion his composite parts (body and soul) to fulfill the act of kicking the ball. It has been proven previously that God is simple, and is not composite, nor is God in potentiality, which is the realm of the composite and created, but is before it in actuality and primacy. Therefore, God does not enter into the composition of other things in the sense we would think in reality. Furthermore, God does not enter us as if He is going to become us, nor does He need to do this. He may influence us by His will and the messengers He sends, but He does not enter into the composition of our bodies or things around us, for all of this belongs to Him in a different and much higher way than we can understand.
I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. CategoriesAll
Whether the Existence of God is Self-Evident?
Things in the world exist in two ways – known by us, and not known by us. When the essence of something is understood by all, it is accepted by all and becomes common knowledge. However, there are disputes of knowledge and knowing – mainly because the essence of something is not recognized by another but may be known to someone else. By way of a predicate and a subject, a proposition is established. For the existence of God, the predicate and the subject IS the proposition, for the Lord is truly in himself and exists through himself – to which all things that exist must come forth from. However, the Essence of God is not self-evident and must be demonstrated by familiar things man can associate to the material world through effects. Just as it was made known to the witnesses of great signs and miracles in the past, the same Essence of God is still ever present in our own day, even though the material world and its legions of unbelievers do not recognize it. As it was self-evident then, so it is now. The effects of God demonstrating his power in society are given a preferable label along with a different name to those who do not acknowledge Him with the intention of denying His self-existence. Whether It Can Be Demonstrated That God Exists? Causes are known by their effects (demonstrations). If bubbles can be seen forming at the top of the water, one can infer there is a fish or air pocket present below. So, one can see the effects of God in the world, and that everything that exists has a purpose, thus God demonstrates His effects to us which originates from Him as the First Cause. Nothing is an accident to God – how can it be? From a human perspective in our own experienced ways, does one accidentally bake a cake, accidentally build a house, or accidentally dress oneself in the morning before work? No, for a cake has ingredients that must be put together by the cause and will of another. A house must be planned and constructed by the efforts of many. Clothing must be made, purchased, and placed on one’s body in a desired fashion to cover nakedness, but it does this through a successive order, not accidentally as if it were to skip many steps to achieve its end state on the basis of chaos and randomness. In the metaphysical sense, it just so happens that man who has the freewill to choose many different things, just as he may determine what form he shall mold a lump of clay into, experiences a mode of being which is dependent on the will of God - and to Him, there is no accidents. But to the man who chooses many things, the act of his free will are “accidental” in the sense he chose to do something that God has not decided, but has entrusted the person to do through the ultimate gift of free will, which is the ability to choose and decide, which is what is referred to by Saint Thomas Aquinas as accidental, and outside the scope of what is not accidental which is God, who does not make any accidents, but ordains mankind to choose. Hence, there are no accidents in God, for this is impossible, and it just happens to be that SOMETHING cannot come from NOTHING, for this is impossible as well - but in mankind, through his freewill given to him by God, the choices that come forth by his hand is accidental in the sense it comes from the free will. For the purpose of understanding, it is important to determine what Saint Thomas Aquinas means by “accidents” in that He is not referring to God and the universe in this way, but the choices of humans, who are beings in potentiality as opposed to God who is being in actuality. These concepts will be discussed in further summary points. Whether God Exists? The existence of God is proven in five ways: one, all things that are in motion have been set forth in motion by another. Trace this back to the original “unmoved mover,” and this is what you will find that we know as “God.” Two, God is the first efficient cause, which successively places all other causes into effect that works to an ultimate effect or end. Efficient causes other than God do not have their own cause, except for God alone, and cannot work to their own end – but will always fall into the design the Lord wills. If efficient causes were their own and not successive, that is, one cause causing another to occur, causes would go on to infinity. However, this is impossible, because the Lord has set an order of efficient causes in place that originates with Him that ends in an ultimate effect that He wills. The third way – possibility and necessity; for every necessary thing has its necessity in another, which makes that thing possible. “Something” cannot come from “nothing,” for this is impossible. Things that are, must come from something that Is, Was, or Both – God. The fourth way God can be proven is through successive degrees or changes. For something to reach its climax or “maximum,” it must gradually move upward the scale of intensity, effect, and perfection. Just as warm turns to hot and hot turns to fire, the feeling of heat is made perfect through the maximum of fire in its perfect state. Since fire is the cause of warmth and is also what makes an object hot, it serves as the ultimate cause for what makes something warm and hot. Therefore, there must be something that causes all goodness and perfection in all things to which we know as God – the ultimate maximum for all things set forth into existence. The fifth way is governance of the world. Natural bodies that lack intelligence (things such as storms and wave or wind patterns, slugs, worms, and ants) work towards an end almost all the time in the same fashion to achieve its end. Whatever is lacking in intelligence cannot achieve an end unless something was directing it that possesses intelligence and knowledge. Ultimately, an intelligent being directs its actions to an end, and this is what we know to be God. Secular data driven societies, as in the modern age, use datasets, statistics, and information collecting through surveys, exit polls, and registrations to build the profile of a person to better understand them and place them in datasets where their behaviors can be predicted on a larger scale and replicated through simulations. From there, a product line is determined, a course of action, or direction is taken. The pagans and unbelievers use swathes of recorded answers and actions to determine how they will extract sorted gain from others to harness additional power for themselves. In the absence of faith and morality, they direct their actions on the premises of probability; however, in blindness and error, they fail to consider the probable series of events which clearly demonstrate the surety of their very existence. Consider all the known variables in the universe that prevent life from occurring. To one who does not believe in the existence of God, this person may claim that all life is “accidental.” According to this unbeliever, the belief that all life is an accident and taken simply by chance can be represented as the value of 1 (for there is only one reason why something occurred – it is the outcome the unbeliever favors). Now, let’s just say that there are over 100,000 variables (there are more) in the known universe that can prevent life from occurring (stopping the accidental formation of life by way of chance – total outcomes). Through simple probability formula, we now have the following: 1 (the belief that life is an accident) DIVIDED INTO 100,000 (variables in the known universe that prevent life from occurring) When we divide 1 into 100,000, we receive 0.00001. In other words, there is a less than one percent chance, considering the known variables in the universe that prevent life, that life can accidentally occur. Nobody of a sound mind would risk their investments or their money on a less than one percent chance of receiving something in return or returning a profit – yet the unbeliever is willing to take this bet with his or her soul. Now let’s flip the equation around; for the one who believes in God and declares that He has made and created all things into being – including life itself, this position can be represented as 1 (favorable outcomes). Now, for the believer in God, this person declares there is only one outcome (the Lord’s will) and that position too can be represented as 1 (total outcomes). Yet again, through simple probability formula, we now have the following: 1 (the belief in God) DIVIDED INTO 1 (God wills it that life must occur) When we divide 1 into 1, we receive 1. In other words, there is a one-hundred percent chance God brings all things into existence that never were. So, what is the problem? It’s not that the concept of a higher cause and “unmoved mover” is impossible – in fact, He alone is the only thing that makes sense. The reason is obvious, for it is the one who says, “down is up, and up is down,” satan, he is the one who whispers in the ears of men. He tells them that their purpose and reason for existence is accidental, and that life can form itself out of nothing – which is impossible. Yet, in our age, the belief in the unbelief, the belief in nothing, the gospel of death, is truly a religion within itself that worships the void, the worm, and the rot. It just so happens these ones are the ones who commit the most harm in society – using all resources available to them to proselytize everyone around them through their destructive habits and attitudes that always lead themselves and others to sin. The opposite of life, which is from God, is death and when sin matures it always equals death.
I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. CategoriesAll
Whether, besides Philosophy, Any Further Doctrine is Required?
The salvation of man is so important that it must be built up by not only philosophical science through human reason, but also divine revelation through divine knowledge, which is a real sacred science. Seeking the Lord on a personal level gives rise to knowledge of divine things, which in turn manifests itself into good deeds – from which other people in society benefit. The more this happens, the better society becomes as a whole – a society which knows the way of the Lord and the precepts of the One Most High. A society void of knowing God descends into chaos and carries out the will of the evil one – whether it is intentional or unintentional in man. The closer we come to the judgment, the more man sets aside the divine in exchange for flawed human reason and vain pursuits which is sourced chiefly upon the principles of faithlessness and unending love for oneself (demonic pride). As it is written in 2 Timothy 3:1-9, the Apostle warns of the dangers that will be present in the last days while emphasizing the need for prudent individuals to be aware of the folly that will overcome man due to the increase in wickedness, and to avoid its influence towards the conclusion and fulfillment of God’s plan for all of creation. Whether Sacred Doctrine is a Science? Sacred Doctrine is a science because it comes from the principles revealed by God – which is a science that is above all things, just as a lesser science like the light of natural intelligence such as the knowledge of numbers which leads to a higher science such as the creation of a structure or machine confounded upon the principles of the lesser science through the understanding of mathematics. Principles revealed by God still exist in the world today, even though the secular world does not acknowledge its source. Court systems, bankruptcy, marriage, and the concept of property ownership are all principles set forth by the divine to which all in society are benefactors – even to those who do not acknowledge Him. Whether Sacred Doctrine is One Science? Sacred science is one science because all its parts and members lead back to the one source that is sacred, and to which its knowledge came from, that is God. In the secular world of today, science as sourced from accepted academia – which is influenced by political meddling and partisan belief systems – has morphed into a type of pseudo-religion with its own high priests (presbyters who preach the gospel of death – which is the belief in unbelief). These presbyters of the worm and rot have harnessed a cult following which declares that everything is an accident, and that something can come forth from nothing – which is impossible. These presbyters are so influential, that students, faculty, and people who are in respected positions stay their tongue in the appropriate settings, often choosing not to engage the radical belief system of nothing for fear of losing their status in society or suffering open persecution. For those who do challenge, they are dealt with through public ridicule, loss of opportunity and sanctions – often implemented by their school system, their professional association, or the wicked within the public who have the loudest voices, following, and influence. Whether Sacred Doctrine is a Practical Science? Practical science involves the concern of human operations, while Sacred doctrine is concerned with God and his works which is mankind. Nonetheless, Sacred doctrine is more of a speculative science because it involves divine things and revelations that are from the One Most High. With all things considered, Practical science can be viewed as the handiwork of God in the sense that all things shall lead back to Him. Sacred doctrine includes both because science and the things of the divine complement one another. In the world, people will consider the operation or end state of the matter or thing, and of course, the process it took to get there, but hardly ever placing special emphasis upon the source or the creation of what caused the thing to achieve its state of being in the present time it was observed. Practical science does not refute the existence of a God, but only presents to us what it took to come to our conclusion of the matter at hand. The discovery and secrets revealed by practical science only leads to more questions and unknown things, which in turn, when a solution is found, gives rise to more questions. Knowledge of the divine can answer those questions in a way we can understand them if one is willing to accept them – all in accordance with our faith in Him, to which all peoples are at different levels of spiritual development, and many, unfortunately, are in a complete state of unbelief and denial. So as a result, they settle for practical science or solely on the function of being. Whether Sacred Doctrine is Nobler than other Sciences? The point of a lesser practical science is to expertly define why something does what it does and how to successfully repeat similar results. All sciences are subordinate to Sacred doctrine because they all come from what is sacred and divine. The study of practical science will never disprove The One who created it or made it through His will possible for others to observe it, study it, and replicate its procedures. Whether This Doctrine is the Same as Wisdom? Sacred doctrine is wisdom above all wisdom. For the one who ponders the highest cause of all things, which Is above all things, follows a higher principle that explains all other lower principles. That person is also rightfully referred to as “wise.” For the one who does not ponder what is above, but simply labors and toils on the things that are in plain sight or below, his concerns stem from lower principles and purposes, whose source originates from a lower wisdom which is subordinate to God who is greater. Whether God is the Object of this Science? God is the object of this science. We also call it theology - the study of the science of the divine. The principles of this science include God as the subject matter and study. Others also view the study of such a science to be something else – such as salvation, signs, members of the body – to which Christ is the head, and other explanations that occur through miracles or unknown factors that cannot be understood or even perceived by way of human understanding. In all of this, they are referenced to God. Whether Sacred Doctrine is a Matter of Argument? Faith rests upon an unshakeable foundation of truth to which nothing can be demonstrated against as evidence to the contrary. Although sciences can be debated and discussed on the principles that make up the science, and new understanding can be presented by an additional discovery or proof of something that adds to the science, Sacred doctrine stands as divine revelation that calls all sub-sciences into being, even the point of dictating its rules of operation and outcomes. If one cannot accept the divinity of what is passed down through Sacred doctrine, then all that is left is the answering of objections to faith – seeing as how faith rests upon infallible truth and cannot be disproven. Hence, there is no argument against faith that can be demonstrated, only objections that can be answered. In present times, the opposite has occurred, where people believe the sub-sciences dictate divine knowledge and revelation or disprove the existence of such matters. For example, the cult of Darwinism, and the theory of evolution, which simply presents as how things change or evolve, have replaced the principle of central creation, and is used in such a way that it has become the unspoken rule for all things, almost as if it has metastasized into a religion within itself – the belief in the unbelief. Whether Holy Scripture should use Metaphors? Sacred science should use metaphors to convey divine things by way of material corporeal things. In scripture, divine lessons and spiritual truths are said in a way that all can identify them because mankind is both spiritual and material. What better way to convey the spiritual lessons through material examples to a student who is material by nature. Many non-believers or self-professed enemies of God like to make their arguments in the literal sense when attacking Holy Writ. When they attack the metaphors of Holy Writ, they often attempt to align the meaning of the lesson in the literal sense to scrutinize or deconstruct the spiritual message in the metaphor. In this instance, the original context is always removed and replaced with a hostile one. Whether in Holy Scripture a Word May Have Several Senses? Scripture itself consists of many senses – the historical or literal sense, the metaphorical sense, the spiritual sense, the analogical sense, the allegorical sense, and of course prophecy. The author of Holy Writ is God, who has poured out his Holy Spirit upon the authors of scripture. Furthermore, Holy Writ can tell of the past, the present, and the future all at the same time, even in the same words or sentences. In addition to this, through the knowledge and infinite wisdom of God, statements and stories of the bible can be applied both to great and small in every generation. To go a step further, the same scriptures also have applicable properties for all people as well throughout all time periods. As the Holy Apostle Peter once said in summary: “No scripture has its origin in the human will.” For He is all in all, and what He says can not only mean one thing but many things all at the same time through the infinite wisdom of His Majesty. The wars of the 20th century play-out like modern day bible stories – for example, the Six-Day war, World War I & II, and the use of mass atomic weapons which mimic events such as Sodom and Gomorrah.
I am blessed to be a Third Order Lay Dominican. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.
Commentary regarding Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae derived from: ST part (I), Q. 1-26 from newadvent.org with permission. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. |
mr. scott lowry, op
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