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Show 106: The Divine Attributes, part 2 · The Uncensored Catholic

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  The f A Hey, y'all, welcome to today's show. Today we'll get
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  back to questions and answers from radio replies. And you may remember from last
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  Friday's show that the questioner who has a rather we're called a secularist universalist mentality
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  very common to today, is questioning the priests, and they asked today,
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  is it not likely that the worship of sun gods and earth gods was replaced
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  by the milder form of the sacrifice of Christ God, and that Christianity will
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  also yield to a more ethical system. They answer, it is absurd and
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  quite unhistorical to maintain the derivation of the divinely revealed worship of the True and
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  infinite God, given precisely to correct the errors of men from the humanly invented
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  worship of sun gods and Earth God. Us. Also, human reason will
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  never invent a more ethical system than that prescribed for all men by the author
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  of all justice. It is a little bit early to talk of a more
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  ethical system when men cannot even live up to the ethics of present Catholicity.
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  The Catholic Church tells her children to avoid sin as a very plague to be
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  strictly temperate, chaste, and pure, to practice humility, yet to possess
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  courage of the saints in resisting all evil inclinations and overcoming obstacles to their sanctification.
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  To be strictly just and truthful in their relationship both with God and their
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  fellow men. To be faithful for life and the duties of marriage. To
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  love and worship God because he is God, and not merely because as long
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  as they feel like doing it. Catholic ethics. Catholic ethics perfect all that
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  is noblest in man, and culminate in that supreme charity which thinks no evil,
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  much less utters it. When men have come to this standard, then
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  it will be time to speak of a more ethical system. But when they
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  do attain it, their intelligence be so unclouded by the influence of lower passions
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  that they will clearly see that they have attained the full truth. To Catholics,
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  of course, all this is clear by the very gift of faith.
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  Person says, you speak of faith, but faith is an emotion and an
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  involuntary action of the senses. I answer, if that is your idea,
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  no wonder you find difficulty, But that is not faith at all, And
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  certainly not the faith required by the Catholic Church. By faith, we believe
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  things. Now. People do not believe with their feelings and emotions. They
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  believe with their minds. Belief is a mental conviction. If I tell a
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  woman that her son has been killed, her faith in my knowledge and veracity
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  will make her believe the truth that her son has actually been killed. From
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  this knowledge. Emotion may flow as an effect, but an effect is not
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  its cause. Faith, then, is not an emotion, nor is it
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  of the senses. Faith is an intellectual admission that a certain thing is true,
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  because although we have not seen the reality ourselves, we reasonably admit that
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  the one who has told us must be reliably informed and not intending to deceive
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  us. Nor is faith involuntary. If I see an accident, I know
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  that it occurred and is useless to tell myself that it did not occur.
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  But if you tell me of an accident and I did not see it myself,
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  then I have no direct evidence. All my evidence is indirect, and
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  I can choose to believe you or not to do so. I can put
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  my faith in what you tell me or refuse It. Should console you to
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  know that the Catholic Church is just opposed to the idea of faith you condemn
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  as you yourself are opposed to it. In fact, she has solemnly defined
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  such a type of assent to be no faith at all, and forbids any
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  priests receive into the church one who believes that such a character can do for
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  the intellectual conviction known as faith. Very true. As I have mentioned,
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  it's not easy to become Catholic. It's incredibly easy to become a Baptist or
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  a Methodist or whatever. Methodists do have a certain confirmation process, essentially for
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  children. I don't know that any adults really, I mean, I mean
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  I was a Methodist youth minister. I don't remember ever having confirmation classes for
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  adults. Now they may in some churches, I don't know. But if
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  you want to become a Baptist, just go to a Baptist church. Seriously,
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  it's that easy. Put yourself down on the register of a member of
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  the church and they'll start dunning you for money every month. You know,
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  at least once a year. To become a Catholic you have to go through
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  r CIA. I was actually able to do that one on one with a
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  priest I didn't have to sit through the classes like most people. But you
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  have to prove that you actually understand the tenants and doctrine of the Catholic Church,
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  which are quite complex and voluminous, before you can essentially apply to enter
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  the Catholic Church. It's not easy. Person says, your faith may be
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  right, but may it not be wrong? Well, they answer, the
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  true Christian faith cannot lead one to error. We prove that God has said
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  a thing and believe it because he said it. Doubt would be possible.
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  Doubt would be possible. Only could God be deceived or deceive mankind? But
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  he cannot. He knows all things and is truth itself. Also, he
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  has given abundant external signs to confirm his revelation. We are certainly right because
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  he must be right. All right, Let's move on to the Father Spirago's
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  exhaustive explanation of the Catechism, and we are still underingly will be quite a
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  while. The apostles creed, and right now we're talking about the nature the
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  aspects of God. How do we define who God is? How do we
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  understand it? And we're up to point number subheading number seven. I guess
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  and that is God is supremely good. He loves his creatures far more than
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  a father loves his children, which is a very good thing. In my
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  case, my ted has been part of my life since I was five.
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  God loves his creatures and loads him with benefits. He is love itself.
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  The spring cannot but send forth water, and the sun liked. The goodness
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  of God differs from that of his creatures, as the sun differs from light
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  shed upon a wall. His creatures are good because God sheds his goodness upon
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  him them. Hence, our Lord says, none is good but one,
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  and that is God. It's from the Gospel of Mark. The love of
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  God extends to all the creatures that he has made. That's a reference to
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  Wisdom, chapter eleven, verse twenty five. As the sun lights up the
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  boundless firmament. So God extends his goodness to all creatures. Not one of
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  them is excluded from it, not one of them is forgotten by God.
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  So reverence to the Gospel of Luke. But God has especial love for mankind.
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  He imparts countless benefits to them, and sent his son on earth to
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  redeem them. What wonderful bodies God has given us. He has bestowed upon
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  our senses, And he has bestowed upon us our senses and the gift of
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  speech. How many gifts he has conferred upon our souls. He has given
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  us understanding, free will, and memory. For our bodies, he gives
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  us food, drink, clothing, health, etc. How well he has
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  provided for our necessities on this earth, light, warmth, the air,
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  the plants, the trees, and their various fruits. How many powers he
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  has implanted in nature for us to use for our own benefit, coal,
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  salt, stone, marble, precious stones, etc. He has in fact
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  made man lord of the whole world. He loves us far more than we
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  love ourselves. His love for us is far greater than that of the fondest
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  mother for her child, the love of all creatures for God is not nearly
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  his greate as the love of God for each one of us. But above
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  all, God has shown his love for us in this that he gave his
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  only begotten son for us. Abraham could not show his love for God in
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  any more a perfect way than this, that he gave to God that which
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  was dearest to him, his only son. God did just the same.
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  He gave us his dearest and best possession his only begotten son. Our Lord
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  says of himself, greater love has no man than to lay down his life
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  for his friends. From the Gospel of John, he underwent his sacred passion
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  and death in order to prove the excess of his love for us. Someone
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  asked me the other day, why do Catholics call it the passion? This
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  is suffering? Why don't they call it the suffering of Christ. Well,
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  it's actually and passes means suffering, so that's where we get the word for
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  from. And Uh, if you love anything, you suffer because of it,
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  and that's why it's called a passion. So you know, my love
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  of music is something that's taken me decades. I mean it's taking me decades
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  to learn to play the instruments that I play. You know, that's hard
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  work. I mean callous fingers and lots of hard study. That's a passion.
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  I've suffered for what I what I love. You know, it's the
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  same in a romantic relationship. I mean, heck, it's the same when
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  I'm carving wood and getting blisters or cutting myself. I mean I cannot make
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  my wood carvings without suffering to do so, yeah, uh, this you
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  know that's the way you understand it. That's why we call passion passion.
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  But passion actually means suffering. His attitude on the cross proclaims it. His
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  head bowed to give us the kiss of peace, his arms extended to embrace
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  us, his heart open to admit us therein and the blessed sacrament. His
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  love keeps him in the midst of us and seeks the closest union with us
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  in holy communion. Finally, has promised to grant all the prayers that we
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  offered his name, John fourteen fourteen. Among men, God shows the greatest
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  love to the just. A perfect soul. Say that, says Saint Alphonsis,
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  is dearer to God than a thousand imperfect ones. To them that love
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  God, all things work together for a good. It's from Romans, Oh,
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  how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou
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  hast hidden for them that fear thee. It's from Psalms. God rewards the
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  works of the just far beyond what they deserve. He repays them one hundredfold,
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  even in this present life. That's a reference to Matthew nineteen twenty nine.
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  I think he loves the just in spite of their sins and imperfections.
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  Just as a mother loves her child tenderly in spite of its many defects,
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  God manifests his love even to sinners. God continues to confer grace and benefits
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  upon sinners until the last moment of their life. He sends them troubles to
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  bring repentance, He finds some good in awe, and he also loves him
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  for what he hopes they may become. The love of God is like the
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  powerful magnet that draws iron to itself. Sometimes there is an obstacle in the
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  way, so that peace of iron cannot reach the magnet, but the magnet
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  continues to draw it all the same. So God continues to draw sinners even
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  though they do not come near to His goodness, by not punishing the lost
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  as much as they deserve. It is because of God's love for men that
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  hell will be so intolerable. The loss will say, if God had not
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  loved us so much, we should not be so miserable. Now. Since
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  God loves us so dearly, we should love him dearly. In return,
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  we should not be afraid of Him, but should draw near him a childlike
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  codes confidence. Since God is so good to us, we must also be
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  good to our fellow men. God has given us a command to love Him,
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  to love our neighbors, to love our enemies, and also to perform
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  works of mercy. God also wishes for us to be kind and merciful to
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  the brute creation zero point eight. God is very patient i e. He
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  leaves the center of time for repentance and a change of life. Men are
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  wont to punish quickly. Not so God. He hinders long the rebellion of
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  the wicked. It is not the will of God that a sinner should die,
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  but that he should be converted from his wicked ways and live. God
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  often teaches men long warning, and as for reference to Ezekiel, God often
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  gives men long warning of coming judgments. He gave those who lived in the
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  days of Noah a warning of one hundred and twenty years to the Ninovites,
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  forty days to the Jews, a warning of forty years before the destruction of
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  Jerusalem. A storm cloud does not break it once. We are forewarmed by
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  a gathering clouds and darkness. So God warns us of the coming punishments.
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  He does not at once cut down the barren tree It's a reference to Gospel
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  of Luke God's manners. God's manner of action is opposite to that of man.
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  Man constructs slowly but destroys quickly. God constructor of the universe in six
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  days, but he took seven days for the destruction of the little town of
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  Jericho. Even Man prefers to build up rather than to destroy. Much more
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  so, God, God is patient with us because he has compassion on our
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  weaknesses, and because he desires to make conversion easy to the sinner. God
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  deals with us as the mother deals with a peevish infant. She presses it
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  closer to her breast and coaxes it to be good. Knowest thou not,
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  says Saint Paul, that the goodness of God leadeth thee to penance. God
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  deals with us patiently for our sakes, not being willing that any soul should
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  perish, but that all should come to penance many sinners. God patience has
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  not been lost e g. Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Augustine, Saint Mary
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  of Egypt, et cetera. But with others it affects nothing. The same
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  sunlight hardens mud and softens wax. If God were not patient, with us,
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  no one could be saved, for we are all sinners who have been
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  unfaithful to Him. But though God is so patient, it is dangerous to
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  put off conversion, for the longer God delays his vengeance, the more terrible
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  it is when it comes upon the center. It is just like an arrow
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  from the bow. The more the bow is drawn back, the greater force
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  with which the arrow flies. Compare the awful end of Antiochus Epiphanies. That's
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  for Maccabees. As I always say, even if you're not Catholic and you're
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  listening to this, go get a book, Go get a Bible that it
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  contains the Book of Maccabee's, the two Books of Maccabees. There are such
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  incredible books, such examples of faith, so rich in teachings, that were
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  stripped out of the Protestant Bible simply because Martin Luther didn't like him. You
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  really owe it to yourself to see to read what all Christians read. The
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  Word of God unchanged until Martin Luther came around about five hundred years ago.
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  Catholics have used the same Bible for over two thousand years. Protestants, unfortunately,
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  have lost some of the most beautiful and important books of the Bible.
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  And you know, even if you don't convert to Catholicism, you owe it
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  to yourself to have the full word of God. We must not think,
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  because God is so patient that he has forgotten our since say not I have
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  sinned, and what harm hath befallen me? The most highest patient? The
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  most high is a patient rewarder. A quote from Ecclesias. Uh clear,
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  Ecclesiastes. It's the old spelling, getting me again. I think it used
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  to be Ecclesiasticus. Anyway, it doesn't matter some point number nine. God
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  is full of mercy and compassion. I e. He very readily forgives our
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  sins when we are sincerely sorry for them. Our Lord gives a beautiful object
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  lesson of the mercy of God and the story of the prodigal son. See
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  how quickly God forgave the sin of David in Second Kings. It is a
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  property of God to have mercy and to spare. His mercy is infinite,
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  like the sea, It has no bounds. God requires of us that we
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  should forgive seventy times seven, how immensely merciful. Therefore, must God be
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  the mercy of God especially shows itself in the way in which he seeks out
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  the sinner, seeking to win him both by the benefits both by benefits him
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  by suffering he inflicts, both by benefits and by the suffering he inflicts,
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  and also by the love with which he receives again and again the greatest sinner
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  after his conversion, showing him a greater good will than before. God is
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  like the good shepherd who goes after the lost sheep until he finds it.
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  God sent the prophet Nathan to David. He himself sought out the Samaritan woman,
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  as from the Gospel of John. Often he sends troubles that through them
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  the prodigal son may be brought to his senses. He is like the fisherman
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  who tries every sort of device to entice the fish into his net. God
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  has always rayed a pardon even the greatest sinner, for he says, if
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  your sins be as scarlet, they should be made as white as snow,
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  and if they be red like crimson, they shall become white as wool.
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  In fact, the greater the sinner, the more lovingly does God receive him,
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  if he is willing to amend. Hence, David says to God,
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  be merciful to my sin, for it is great. God is like a
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  fisherman who is more glad to catch a big fish than small ones. No
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  one is lost because he's committed great sin, but many are lost because they
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  have committed one sin of which they will not repent. Even Judas would have
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  received forgiveness had he asked for it. God sometimes forgives the sinner in the
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  last moment of his life. He received the good thief on the cross.
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  Yet this is no reason for putting off repenance till the last. God justified
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  one man at the last moment, that none might despair, but only one
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  that none might presume, says Saint Augustine. A deathbed repentance is generally a
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  very doubtful business. The dying center forsakes his sins rather because he cannot help
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  it, than because from his heart he detests them. He is like a
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  mariner who throws his goods into the sea simply from fear of death, not
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  because he wishes to get rid of them. When is how rarely a conversion
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  made in peril of death proves lasting. If the sick man recovers, it
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  is absurd says Saint Bernadine of Siena, that a man who would not fight
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  when he was well and strong should be moved to the combat when he is
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  sick and weak. God also receives the repentance center most lovingly. See how
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  Christ received with tender compassion Magdalen, the woman taken an adultery, and the
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  thief on the cross, how kindly the father of the prodigal son received him.
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  God receives the center far more kindly than that. Before he knocks at
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  the door, it is opened to him, before he falls upon his knees,
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  before thee thou stretchest out thy hand to him. It's a quote from
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  Saint Ephraim. Our Lord says that there is more joy in Heaven over one
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  center doing penance than over ninety nine just men who need not penance. The
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  reason of this is that the center who does penance generally serves God more zealously
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  and faithfully. God bestows upon the center after his conversion greater benefits than he
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  did before he went astray. The father of the prodigal son killed the fatty
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  calf and maid a great feast with music and dancing. Sometimes the benefits God
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  bestows upon the converted center are external. More often they are inner consolations and
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  graces Wentnes Saint Paul raised to the third heaven in Second Corinthians. The good
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  shepherd has more joy over the return of the one wandering sheep than over the
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  ninety nine who never went astray point number ten. God is infinitely holy,
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  i e. He loves good and hates all evil. God's holiness is nothing
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  else than the love of his own infinite perfection, perfections. He is free
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  from the faintest stain, and therefore desires that all should be like to himself.
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  How pure is a blue heaven on which there is no cloud? How
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  pure is the white snow on which no spot is to be found? Yet
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  God is infinitely pure. Even angels are not pure in his sight. The
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  purity of the angels is compared with that of God is like the light of
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  a lamp compared to the light of the sun. All our justice is like
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  a soiled rag before the old God. That's from Isaiah. He says to
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  us, be ye holy, because I am holy. In Leviticus, with
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  this object he plants in our breasts the natural law conscience, which is with
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  this object he gave the law on Mount Sinai. With this object, he
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  attached evil consequences to evil deeds, and to cleanse the jests from i purities
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  that cling to them, he purifies them by suffering. It's a reference to
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  John fifteen two. He also cleanses them by the fire purgatory, since nothing
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  unclean can enter heaven. Why is it that the stains? Why is it
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  that the saints and angels in heaven are represented as dressed in white garments?
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  Why is it that at baptism a white robe is given to the newly baptized.
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  Be pure and holy, and then you will be a child of God.
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  All right, y'all, I guess we will wrap it up there for
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  to day. We got more to unpack on this subject tomorrow. I think
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  there were thirteen total subheadings under this topic, and we just got through ten,
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  so three to go. And I think we can wrap this one up
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  tomorrow so much. You know, I've already done. I guess two whole
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  shows on purgatory. I am tempted to give like a full explanation of the
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  Catholic doctrine of purgatory. And while Stan's Catholic and not should believe in it
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  and accept it because it's you know, if you actually understand the Bible,
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  you will understand that purgatory is a biblical concept. But more than even than
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  that, it's a matter of God's justice. As you just said, nothing
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  impure can enter heaven. I think was it John Knox? Perhaps could have
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  been Calvin hmm. May have have been Cotton Mather. It may have been
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  Cotton Mather who said that the Christian, even the best of us, were
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  like a pile of manure covered in snow, the snow being the grace of
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  God. Well, in heaven, all the physical is burned away, it's
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  gone. So where what becomes of our snowy covering. No, we have
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  to be perge, We have to become pure. We have to become perfect,
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  as our heavenly Father is perfect, and the justice of God demands that
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  what is lacking in this life must be made up in the next. And
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  remember, don't be afraid of purgatory. It's a great privilege. It's an
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  incredible privilege that what we through our own weakness and our lack of understanding the
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  flaws that we will leave this life with, we have one more chance to
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  make amends for things. You know, like Jesus said, you know,
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  it's like a debtor's penny where you won't get out until you paid back every
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  penny. But what a great privilege that is, because we're not for that
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  debtor's prison where someone has to pay back every penny. The penalty would be
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  death, eternal death. So again, really, all Christians should embrace the
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  doctrine of of purgatory. And if their Bibles still contain books like Maccabees in
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  which it explains that it's beneficial to pray for the dead, that's why the
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  you know, Martin Luther stripped those books from the Bible. All Christians would
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  still understand and believe that. Anyway, y'all, and the words of Saint
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  Padre Pio, pray, hope and don't worry, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.