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Thoughts on Magnifica Humanitas: Part 6 (Chapter 4)

Due to some unforeseen changed in my personal life (you know, little things like career change and going back to graduate school), I have fallen woefully behind on continuing my reflections on Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas . This is also partly due to the fact that I found Chapter 4 to be a bit of a slog to read through and mentally process. So, I have taken some weeks to got through it and collect my thoughts. While I would quibble a bit over various sections in the preceding chapters and prologue, I was generally on the same page of where he was going (or at least where I thought he was going) with this encyclical. His overviews and recaps of Catholic Social Teaching since Rerum Novarum in the late 1800s have been solid. He took a few liberties in his summations of Catholic Social Teaching, but, for the most part, I was in general agreement with where he started and where he landed in those chapters.  Chapter 4 was a bit of a different bird. I was a bit surp...
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Annulment and Abuse

I got a question about abuse and whether that is grounds for annulment under Catholic canon law. As I am not a Canon lawyer (nor do I really wish to become one because a Marriage tribunal would never want me on the tribunal because I would ask too many really hard questions), I queried our Marriage Tribunal and received this response.  First, the question (redacted fro privacy):  What does the church do in cases of abuse in marriage? Is remarriage permitted after? It seems to me that abuse is a violation of vows . . .   The answer I received from my Diocese's Marriage Tribunal that is remarkably succinct and on point: First, abuse depending on the circumstances, is certainly grounds for a separation or even a divorce to ensure the safety of the abused spouse and any children. The question of remarriage is a little more complicated. To remarry after a divorce requires showing that the original marriage was null, that it was in fact defective somehow and therefore ...
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Weeds and Creation: A Reflection for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

     In the intricate design of creation, God acts as the ultimate sower. He plants seeds of faith within the hearts of humanity, and cultivates a garden of that eventually produces the fruits of hope, grace, and redemption. Today’s Bible readings illuminate the Divine intention behind this act of sowing. These passages invite us to think about the importance of nurturing the seeds of faith that God has sown in our lives, by recognizing that our response to His grace can yield a bountiful harvest for ourselves and for others.      Wisdom 12:13, 16-19 reminds us of God’s omnipotent role as the just judge who governs creation with wisdom and compassion. This passage underscores that God, in His infinite understanding, knows the hearts of all people. He also knows the complexities of the world because He created it. His decision to sow seeds of faith in us is a testament to His desire for our flourishing and reconciliation. God’s mercy is a guiding force, enc...
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Changing course, or getting back on track?

I apologize for no blog updates this week. I am woefully behind due to the 4th of July holiday, myself catching a bit of a summertime cold, my daughter having to have a tonsillectomy this coming week, and starting school again as a graduate student this next week. Life has been extremely busy for me this week. I hope to return to regular blogging again this weekend or early next week.  I can't remember if I have shared my latest personal news.  f I have not, I guess it is time to let the cat out of the bag. After much thought and prayer (for like the last 5 years at least), I have decided to get back into education. I initially had a teaching license in Tennessee 25+ years ago but never used it (and it long since expired). So, as of August 1st, I doing two things. One is that I am going to be starting a new job at a small country school outside of town. Initially, going to be a para/substitute/bus driver (and probably get drafted to be an assistant football coach at so...
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Reflections on Magnifica Humanitas, part 5

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I apologize for being woefully behind on my continued reflections on Pope Leo XIV's latest encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas.  I have been meaning to sit down and write my thoughts on Chapter 3 for a few weeks now, but real life has taken over.  There is one thing I would clarify before continuing. I have noticed particularly in Chapter 3, but beginning in previous chapters of this encyclical, the Pope Leo has started using the terms "technocrat" and "technocracy" quite a bit. As someone who understands what he is referring to, this does not bother me. Unless I missed it, he never clearly defines what he means by those terms; he alludes to (dare I say heehaws around) definitions, sometimes imprecisely. As I do not believe these terms are common English parlance outside certain political science and techno-babble circles, I feel the need to try to define the terms, or at least my understand of them, as it becomes a very central concept in Chapter 3.  As I understan...
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Calvinism and Catholicism

 I had a question/comment posed to me:  I wanted to discuss a couple points of theology. What really made me want to convert was a fundamental disagreement with Protestantism on two things: Grace and "total depravity. Concerning the former, I don't view grace as a one and done deal. I believe we have to cooperate with it via our free will. We have to put our money where our mouths are and show up. When I found the Church actually teaches this it was a massive breath of fresh air, as I had lived in the tension of seriously disagreeing with Protestantism on this point. Concerning the latter, I think people are generally good, as we were made in the image of God, but have a tendency to sin. The Church, of course, conceptualizes this as Original Sin. The idea that we're totally depraved is refuted by the fact that we're not totally depraved. That one is kinda easy. And again, living in that tension. Some protestant denominations believe it more than others, but that notion...
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Council of Trent on Marriage

 Had an interesting question posed on the meaning of the Council of Trent's teaching on marriage: Good morning! I’m really struggling with a teaching expressed by the Council of Trent and wonder if you can help me understand it: “If any one saith, that the marriage state is to be placed above the state of virginity, or of celibacy, and that it is not better and more blessed to remain in virginity, or in celibacy, than to be united in matrimony; let him be anathema.” My difficulty isn’t that I think marriage should be considered superior to celibacy. I don’t have any problem saying that both are good gifts from God or even that virginity for the sake of the Kingdom has a unique significance. What I’m struggling with is the idea that one vocation is objectively more blessed than the other. If God genuinely calls some people to marriage and others to celibacy, why would faithful obedience to one divine vocation be considered more blessed than faithful obedience to another? If a woman ...
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