The Self-Effacement of Love, the Impotency of Despair, and Man's Destiny in Eternity

Rose-window of Notre Dame in Paris

This is an ambitious post in that I want to lay the groundwork for some very theoretical and abstract ideas of mine on the meaning of love, the role of despair, and how this reflects the mystery of God. I aim to investigate the image of God from how I have come to understand human love, and hopefully reach upwards to reflect on God’s love for mankind. You must forgive me first for the shallowness of my own soul and the inability with which I am able to comprehend these topics. This post is not so much a form of philosophical proof as an exposition and exploration of opinion, and perhaps in a certain sense persuasion.

God grant me faith. God grant me grace. God grant me hope. God, lay the foundation of my heart in love.

Revelations 22:1-2, The River of Living Water that flows from the Lamb and God’s Throne

Catholic Nick over at his webpage has stumbled on to a very interesting phrase in Scripture that may point towards a Scriptural affirmation of the Filioque clause in Latin theology. The Filioque refers to a phrase inserted into the Constantinopolitan-Nicene Creed in the Latin West during the Middle Ages to say that the Spirit proceeds from the Father AND the Son. It is a difficult theological question and deals with the theology of the Trinity. There is another very good reference and explanation of this in a Catholic website as well.

To Know Nothing but God and the Soul: The Prayer of St. Augustine in Soliloquies Bk 1 Ch1, Part 3 of 5

This post regards a third portion of St. Augustine’s prayer in Soliloquies Bk 1 Ch1 and so I would like to bring an analysis of the third part of the saints prayers so that we can ourselves learn how to reflect on the prayers handed down to us by the saints, and learn how we ought to pray to the Lord. Our Lord is not concerned with the repetition of vain formulas, as many Protestants rightly try to bring up against Catholics, but He is not opposed to formalized prayers that we may use as an aid to a deeper devotion. One Hail Mary said with great love for our Lord and our Lady will bring great grace to the soul who completes that prayer, imagine then what great grace will be open to the soul who prays the Rosary with complete devotion then! May the Lord then grant us to pray always with our hearts even in the times when we pray the prayers commended to us by others. In fact, let us learn by their wisdom.

Remarks on our selected painting above

Hello avid readers!

In case you are wondering, hmm, I wonder why the blogger of this blog chose to use that picture of the artist Botticelli? And what is it a picture of?

I will relate to you the purpose of the painting perhaps in part, though I will try not to use a thousand words here.