The Absurdity of the Pro-Abortion Movement and the Dignity of the Human Person

St. Augustine much in his life spoke out against the vices and evils of his time, whether it be the terrible schism of the Donatists from the holy Church, the errors of the Manicheans, the corruption of the Roman state, or simply those that lie in his and many other peoples live, and if we aim to follow in his footsteps we must do much the same. The Catholic Church speaks out sharply against the sin of abortion, and threatens automatic excommunication for anyone who willingly participates or assists in an abortion. The Church knows deep in her heart by the reflection of what she has received from her Bridegroom, Christ, that abortion necessarily entails the murder of a person with an eternal soul, fastened and created by the Lord at conception. The reasons are simple then why abortion is wrong; the reasons against it are quite convoluted so as to distract us from the real evil of murdering our innocent children. Here I will begin to try and shed some light on some of the reasons why abortion is an unjust deed, the arguments will come from Christianity and right reason.

Reading the Psalms with St. Augustine: Psalm 2

It has been quite some time since my last posting on the Psalms, the beautiful collection of hymns and prophecies. In the early Church the Psalms were one of the most profound works considered by the holy Doctors and Fathers, and indeed if any of us want to learn more about St. Augustine or more about the Church or more about our Lord, then we must start by being firmly rooted in Scripture. And so we must again come to reflect on the Psalms, but let us do so through the lens and teaching of St. Augustine, for he is a Doctor of the Church who’s theology comes so strongly from his own study of Scripture and his reflection on the traditions of the Church passed down to him through St. Ambrose and his brother bishops. The words of St. Augustine will come from his Enarrations on the Psalms, which can be found on New Advent.

Here then let us look to the Psalm first, reflect on it that God might enlighten us, and listen to the wisdom of St. Augustine who was lifted up by God, and come again to rest on what the Lord speaks in the Scriptures.

Humorous Jokes

Hello good readers,
I wanted to make a post about putting up some jokes that I've enjoyed in the past few days. Many of them are quite childish or silly jokes, which I find to be the best sorts of jokes. I am not a fan of crude jokes, though sometimes I admit that I will laugh at them. I have been thinking of making some posts lately, but I have been very busy, and I have wondered myself at how un-intellectual or holy I am to make many of my posts. I am probably very open to ridicule by many, but I know that I too am a man, ignorant and weak as I am, and that the shared humanity that all men have is something that exalts us and grants us purpose. Our proper resting place transcends us and lies in God who so desired to show us that our place is not on this Earth that He chose to become man united to Himself (man and God). So let us in the spirit of friendship share some good jokes, rejoicing in the love of life, especially in hope of the one to come.

Now then, let's have some jokes! :-)

Pope Pius XI On St. Augustine

Herein is a great encyclical by Pope Pius XI regarding the holy virtues and life of our beloved St. Augustine, whom we petition and ask that our hearts be touched by that same Lover who touched his heart.
Ad Salutem, papal encyclical by Pius XI

It is quite long, but it is a very skillful and beautiful expression of how powerful the life of St. Augustine is to Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Great posts from Dr. Lilles on the life of Prayer

Those who've been reading my posts may see that I try to put a big emphasis on the need for prayer in the Christian life. It is most important for salvation, and no doubt for those who want to study theology, they must strive vigorously for their salvation in Christ. Who would want to be lead by a theologian who does not have Heaven and God's love as his aim?

Anyway I wanted to provide some links to great essays written by Dr. Lilles over at his blog:
Beginning to Pray

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

Now we come to the concluding aspects of St. Augustine’s prayer in Soliloquies Bk 1 Ch 1. If we might remark on a few themes from St. Augustine’s prayers it might be outlined as follows: The desire to know God and then to adore Him with every single aspect of the heart, no matter how small, the desire to be set free from errors and follow Christ in the fullness of truth, the desire to understand one’s own heart and soul so as to steer it clear of shipwrecks and land in our intended resting place, God, and a desire to have a clean and pure heart. All these things are part of the Augustinian prayer life, we might say, especially the zeal of the heart to place all trust and love in God.

To Know Nothing but God and the Soul: The Prayer of St. Augustine in Soliloquies Bk 1 Ch1 part 4 of 5

Here I remark again in commentary on the prayer of St. Augustine at the outset of his Soliloquies, the famous work in which St. Augustine works out in his own mind what he must do with his life and how he must seek God. We could learn a thing or two from the holy Doctor.