tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-375441202011-06-08T02:18:00.473-04:00Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-82094979063775745922007-04-08T09:18:00.000-04:002007-04-08T09:30:26.400-04:00

Bona Pascha!One of the things that the theology of the body affords us is understanding how to untwist the lies. So often human desire is built upon lies, yet the desires still lead to the good. This is so true of the many sexual sins that scourge our world today. People are searching for what they believe to be good, unfortunately, they're looking in all the wrong places. Our job is then to

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-37785769358116631982007-02-26T14:21:00.000-05:002007-02-26T14:40:27.934-05:00

She said, "Yes."After a year long process, with a few months of in depth searching for the best possible way to ask, I just got word that I will become a Dominican this summer.Holy Mother Church has said yes to my proposition for marriage, and man, it's amazing to think that someday, I could be wed to that which is perfect.We can see in the life of the religious a great chance at becoming holy.

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-2150205172120300462007-02-23T18:56:00.000-05:002007-02-23T19:11:38.634-05:00

These words at the dispensation of ashes ("Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return"), two days ago, help bring us round course back to what out time on earth really means. These words help us to recognize that what time we have on earth is really a gift from the Lord, and that soon, we will, God-willing, enter into that eternal communion of love that is the Beatific Vision.Being

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-60985284053503566742007-02-09T10:15:00.000-05:002007-02-08T19:09:54.567-05:00

"Our task and joy is to offer ourselves to him, who offers himself for us, by offering ourselves to others."The Homily given at the Dominican House of Studies for the Presentation of the Lord has now been put online. As you get further and further into it, you begin to see more and more ideals of the TOB seeping into Fr. Lawrence's words. I hope you enjoy it.

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-52698753739088336252007-02-04T14:16:00.000-05:002007-02-04T14:19:38.554-05:00

This talk might as well be titled "Honesty and the Theology of the Body." I hope you enjoy it.“Witness to the Truth: Heroic Christian Honesty”

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-59312056868501792922007-02-04T00:00:00.000-05:002007-02-04T01:17:42.224-05:00

I hope that I don't scandalize anyone by this post (that's always a great way to start a blog entry). So in light of that, I must preface the main topic with a key point of the Theology of the Body.Pope John Paul II talks at length about a correct understanding of human sexuality. So, in light of women, they should act like women. They should also dress like women. They should dress modestly,

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-32862600984630414992007-01-12T22:16:00.000-05:002007-01-12T22:19:58.151-05:00

This is a link to a lecture that was given at the Dominican House of Studies in DC last night on "Man and Woman, Created to be Worshippers." The whole video is online.Enjoy. Notice that it outlined in a similar way to the original breakdown of the TOB.You can check out more posts from the Dominicans here.

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-6924341770746688662007-01-12T21:51:00.000-05:002007-01-31T19:29:43.694-05:00

This is another four part posting from St. Catherine of Siena's Dialogue (also from, A Treatise of Discretion). This has the same format as the last set of posts:"And they have a special participation with those whom they closey loved with particular affection in the world, with which affection they grew in grace, increasing virtue, and the one was the occasion to the other of manifesting the

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-49005682937481748952007-01-12T21:48:00.000-05:002007-01-31T19:29:32.389-05:00

The second half of the quote ties very nicely in with the first half.St. Catherine goes from talking about the soul bringing joy to the body, but here she mentions what will happen. The body will pass through walls? Is that part of the glorified body? While it's really cool, and while it'll be great to be neither injured by fire or water, we must look at something else here.In this passage St.

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-85796326773010378772007-01-12T21:40:00.000-05:002007-01-31T19:16:32.833-05:00

Here is the second half of the quote:"For, as the soul is made immortal, stayed and established in Me, so the body in that union becomes immortal, and, having lost heaviness, is made fine and light. Wherefore, know that the glorified body can pass through a wall, and that neither water nor fire can injure it, not by virtue of itself, but by virtue of the soul, which virtue is of Me, given to her

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-25270632445035627402007-01-12T21:39:00.000-05:002007-01-31T19:16:06.478-05:00

We can find great wisdom in this amazing quote. Now, at the same time, we must not think that St. Catherine is in any way saying the body isn't good. Rather, she's arguing that beacuse of the soul, the body has meaning.At first glimpse, this might seem to contradict JPII's assesment, that the body creates a theology of its own. Afterall, he does say, "At the Incarnation, the body entered

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-65542387172550124232007-01-12T21:28:00.000-05:002007-01-12T21:36:58.170-05:00

This is the first of a four part posting on St. Catherine of Siena's Description of the Eschaton from The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena (A Treatise of Discertion). The first part is a quote, the second is the explanation of that quote, the third is the second half of the quote, and the fourth is the explanation of that half. Enjoy part i :"They [the just] have a desire too, to regain the

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-52794584559756595852007-01-08T10:28:00.000-05:002007-01-08T10:41:23.208-05:00

In today's Office of Readings, we read:"He comes to sanctify the Jordan for our sake and in readiness for us; he who is spirit and flesh comes to begin a new creation through the Spirit and water...Jesus rises from the waters; the world rises with him." (From a Sermon by Saint Gregory of Nazianzus)Here, we are given an interesting thought. Christ sanctifying the world, not just humanity? When

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-10283824553404312772007-01-07T23:43:00.000-05:002007-01-08T11:01:53.133-05:00

Today, we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, and in light of that we can notice that Jesus was brought the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These are traditionally used to represent his role as priest (frankincense), prophet (myrrh), and king (gold).Priest - Bl. Marmion tells us that at Christ's coming, all of salvation history changed. Now, God worked through man. That is the power

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1167181071223612002006-12-26T19:42:00.000-05:002006-12-26T19:58:42.653-05:00

This is from the Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours for today: From a sermon of St. Fulgentius of Ruspe:"Yesterday our king, clothed in his robe of flesh, left his place in the virgin’s womb and graciously visited the world. Today his soldier leaves the tabernacle of his body and goes triumphantly to heaven."When we think of just what happened yesterday, the virgin birth of the

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1167068855476146332006-12-25T12:42:00.000-05:002006-12-25T12:49:48.383-05:00

Today, Christ is born!Through the birth of Christ, we can finally see salvation coming into the world. At the Incarnation, Christ took on human flesh in the womb of Mary, and the path to salvation began. However, at the Nativity, we can finally see the physical form of the Christ child. This is simply amazing, Christ taking on human flesh. He didn't need to, but nonetheless, he chose to become

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1166925416935902582006-12-23T20:41:00.000-05:002006-12-23T20:56:57.016-05:00

In continuing to read Bl. Columba Marmion for an Advent devotional, I came across these passages:"If ordinary bread, which is without life, preserves the life of our bodies, with what a wonderful life shall we not live who eat a Living Bread, Life itself, at the table of the Living God?" (Christ, the Life of the Soul, conference viii, ch. i)Furthermore, he explained this:"This prayer of the

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1166149444103610602006-12-14T21:19:00.000-05:002006-12-14T21:24:04.113-05:00

This is a great TOB insight that I make sure to expound upon later, but for right now, here's the thought (a little late since her feast was two days ago).______From The Memoirs by the secretary of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal:"'My dear daughters, many of our holy fathers in the faith, men who were pillars of the Church, did not die martrys. Why do you think that was?' Each one present offered

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1165593498860700452006-12-08T10:47:00.000-05:002006-12-08T10:58:18.866-05:00

Bl. Columba Marmion once wrote:"It is as if he [Christ] said: 'You will never attain to the Divinity save in passing through my humanity.'" (Christ the Life of the Soul, Conference on Prayer, ch. 7)In this, Bl. Marmion is going to show what the Body of Christ really means. To be one with Christ as a piece of His body is to gain eternal life. That is the path. That is what is meant by the idea,

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1165541668951800492006-12-07T20:25:00.000-05:002006-12-09T23:27:12.140-05:00

So now that "Christmas" time is here, what do you see everywhere? ...The image to the right is pretty much one that can be seen anywhere in any city (it's from DC though)...during Advent.When we think about it, these decorations should be put up Christmas Eve to celebrate Christmas the next day as well as the Christmas Season proper. It's Advent now, which is a preparation for Christmas. And,

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1165203242211508362006-12-03T22:30:00.000-05:002006-12-08T11:00:18.736-05:00

Tuesday, Thursday. 9:30 to 10:20 am. Existentialism. Silliness. Or is it?As I was sitting in my existentialism class last week, I couldn't help but notice how absolutely similar Sarte's notion of the human person is to the definition the Catholic Church has of the human person. Sartre dismisses the notion of the seperation of the facticity (the body) and the consciousness (the soul) that is held

News from a Weapon of Godnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1165005360104794882006-12-01T15:08:00.000-05:002006-12-01T15:40:24.200-05:00

So, I received an email from my good friend Patrick sometime last week (maybe before that) inviting me to post on this lovely blog. My immediate reaction was ... I have NO time for said things. But then, upon reflection, I realized that I can, in fact, write volumes about how my philosophy classes this semester relate to the Theology of the Body AND how existentialists are definitely so close ...

News from a Weapon of Godnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1164521994658874182006-11-26T01:04:00.000-05:002006-11-26T16:39:21.223-05:00

Today, I was blessed with a very unique opportunity.I work at a funeral home, and a few times a month we get to deal with a family that has a baby, either stillborn, premature, or has died soon after death, that we receive and perform the necessary duties for a funeral. Today, we dealt with an 18-week-old stillborn.It was an extremely well-formed body and a true testament of the Theology of the

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1164521043879213182006-11-26T01:02:00.000-05:002006-11-27T17:07:51.313-05:00

To the left, we see the Blessed Mother as she visits her cousin Elizabeth.To the right, we see a church dedicated to the Blessed Mother, of which pilgrims visit quite frequently.In both, we see the dwelling place of the Lord. How beautiful to see the church as having a "pregnant belly," so to say. For under the dome is the location of the place of consecration, a place reserved for the

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1164253413990468622006-11-22T22:43:00.000-05:002006-11-22T22:43:34.003-05:00

I'd like to offer my sincerest apologies for not posting this first, but for those who might be unfamiliar with the Theology of the Body, here is a brief summary of the teachings that Pope John Paul the Great conveyed through his teachings. You must keep in mind that this doesn't attempt to even begin to sum up what the Pope has given us in the Theology of the Body (TOB), but here is an effort

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1164246387313092512006-11-22T20:46:00.000-05:002006-11-22T20:46:27.316-05:00

Psalm 63: 2-6"O God, you are my God-- for you I long!For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts,Like a land parched, lifeless, and without water.So I look to you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory.For your love is better than life; my lips offer you worship!I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands, calling on your name.My soul shall savor the rich banquet of

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1164244734307934652006-11-22T20:05:00.000-05:002006-11-30T19:08:02.930-05:00

The other night, I was talking to a guy who seems to be at odds with the Church, and this most likely results from a lack of proper catechesis as a youth. We ended up discussing priestly celibacy, and so certain sections of the Pope's catechesis on the issue in the Theology of the Body naturally came to mind. But, the his catechesis was so skewed that it would take quite a while to bring him up

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1164159870460902462006-11-21T20:33:00.000-05:002006-11-27T17:07:05.620-05:00

Our Lady, Full of Grace...pray for usIn light of Blessed Fra Angelico's Annunciation above, think about the difference between the moments of the Annunciation and that of the Incarnation. Then look back at the image in light of the Incarnation.If you look at the expression on Blessed Mary's face to the right, you will notice that she's not actually looking at St. Gabriel, she is staring off into

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1163868814421749482006-11-18T11:29:00.000-05:002006-11-18T13:08:12.083-05:00

"It [the bride] does not ask for liberty, nor reward, nor nor heritage nor even knowledge, but a kiss - clearly after the manner of the chaste spouse burning with a holy love and altogether powerless to conceal the flame that consumes her." (St. Bernard, On the Canticle of Canticles, Chapter 4)Chaste love. What a beauty! The love that the bride shares for the Bridegroom in the Canticle of

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1163797236019010472006-11-17T15:57:00.000-05:002006-11-17T16:00:36.026-05:00

In light of the Bishops document, "'Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper': On Preparing to Receive Christ Worthily in the Eucharist" here is a reflection on the Most Holy Eucharist and how the Theology of the Body applies to the Most Blessed Sacrament:“This is my Body…this is my Blood”(Mark 14:22-24). “My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (John 6:55). “Whoever eats my

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1163566855686163212006-11-14T23:47:00.000-05:002006-11-15T09:10:38.570-05:00

Spirit AND Body = Good“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor. 6:19-20)The human body is a beautiful thing. Society often tells us otherwise. For so long, we have lived in a world where we are told “Spirit good…body bad.” If we fall into this

Matthaeus Evangelistahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503798435791950025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37544120.post-1163390497013003972006-11-12T23:00:00.000-05:002006-11-14T23:47:50.086-05:00

Man is made in the image and likeness of God. Through God, man may begin to fully realize who he is. Man is made in God's image, not the other way around. The bodies we have are made in the likeness of the body that Christ was to assume. It is in that light that our bodies are made the way they are, male and female. The intricacy and connection between male and female shine forth in their

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