Happy New Year!
Today marks the beginning of the Year of Faith. Hey Scott, what’s this all about?
Category: Catholicism
Real Men Still Do This
I was at lunch with a new friend the other day and, as a matter of course, as we were leaving the café, I opened the store’s door for her. Her reaction was one of utter surprise! She asked me if opening doors was an “English thing”! I replied no, it’s a “real man” thing.
It’s a complete joke!
You may have heard the joke that if you see a man opening a car door for a lady then it’s either a new lady or a new car. Unfortunately, this joke appears to be, in fact, reality. This is tragic! It’s so sad when a man does not think enough of the lady in his company so as to perform this simple act of kindness. It’s even more heartbreaking when a husband does not do this for the woman to whom he has pledged his life.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies… – Ephesians 5:25, 28
Tuesday Adventures
Yesterday at midday I got a text from Carrie, the Young Adult Coordinator for the Diocese. The speaker for that night’s “Faith On Fire” was ill and she needed a replacement speaker. This is how I came to find myself a few hours later standing in front of forty or so 18-25 year olds giving the talk “Social Media and Faith-“How to use it without being used by it”…
Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one speaking that night. After speaking for about half an hour, Timmerie Millington got up and shared with us how Social Media has played an important part in her Pro-Life work.
Throughout the night I rather shamelessly plugged my blog, so if you’re visiting here for the first time because of that, welcome! While you’re here, you should also go check out Timmerie’s Blog:
Church Councils
Two weeks ago in our Acts of the Apostles Bible study we covered Acts 15 where we heard about the Council of Jerusalem in AD 52.
In our discussion we also spoke about Ecumenical Councils, when the bishops of the world are gathered together to settle issues facing the Church. I said I would put something up here listing those councils. Here they are…
AD 325: Nicea
Issue: The Divinity of Christ
AD 381: Constantinople
Issue: The Divinity of Holy Spirit
AD 431: Ephesus
Issue: Mary as “Theotokos” (“God Bearer”)
AD 46I: Chalcedon
Issue: The two natures in Christ
AD 476: The Fall of Rome
AD 553: Constantinople II
Issue: Condemned a variety of writings.
AD 680: Constantinople III
Issue: The two wills in Christ
AD 787: Nicea II
Issue: The veneration of images
AD 869: Constantinople IV
AD 1054 Eastern Schism. The East has never held another council.
AD 1123, 1139, 1179, 1215: Lateran I, II, III and IV
AD 1245 & 1274: Lyons I & II
AD 1311: Vienne
AD 1414: Constance
Western Schism
AD 1453 Fall of Constantinople
AD 1512: Lateran V
AD 1545: Trent
Issue: Dealt with Luther’s teachings and made Church reforms
AD 1869: Vatican I
AD 1963: Vatican II
Beginnings of life
To mark the 40 Days For Life, here is the movie “180”…
What’s your Catholic IQ?
Think you’re kinda smart? Got a bit of time to spare? Want to answer 101 questions about Catholicism so that you can impress the ladies with your high Catholic IQ at coffee after Mass? Well, you’re in luck…
You never know, this might one day become a mandatory part of Canada’s immigration policy… 😉
Epicurians and Stoics
Yesterday, during our Acts of the Apostles Bible study, we read the section in Acts 17 where St. Luke talks about St. Paul’s interaction with some philosophers in Athens:
“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him” – Acts 17:16-18
Who were these “Epicurean and Stoic philosophers”? What did they believe? All will be answered in the video below:
So, the Epicureans were founded by Epicurus. They believed that things are “good” and “bad” based upon whether they give pleasure or pain. The Epicureans were negative hedonists, attempting to eliminate desires since Epicurus regarded it as a kind of pain. His followers didn’t fear death because once you’re dead no harm can come to you.
Zeno was the founder of the Stoics. They determined “good” and “bad” based upon whether something was seen as virtue or vice. Pleasure was seen as a vice and was therefore to be avoided. Unrealistic expectations were seen as the source of grief in life.