Aquinas’ theology was rigid and apparently that’s a bad thing.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0r6hfjtuoAxyuOdPFWiQvB?si=d_6in657Q-ibr89J-vZlAw
Sources:
https://www.ncregister.com/cna/pope-francis-st-pius-v-teaches-us-to-seek-truth-and-pray-the-rosary
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Theologians never won the name “theologian” by their intellectual substance, but in their fidelity to tradition & glorification of God. From the thirteenth century through the present, the course of the Church was been steered by the academic theologians, and this was as much a problem in the 13th as it is in the 21st. St Thomas is fecund, but a Church which is always trimming at dogma by seeking definitions will always wind up cutti into & bleeding the dogma, and the tradition which seems firm while the theologian is trimming is already suffering. The Schools, intended to reify the faith, fostered the very problem they were I ded to combat, so that heresies, rather than becoming less prevalent, became more so. The Teilhardians always went to the example of St Thomas using the new science of his day to vindicate their oen ventures in novel metaphysics, and sadly, the Thomists had no firm ground to fight from, since the old guard Thomists had been sidelined. It took awhile for St Thomas to be acquitted for his apparent novelties, but those new expressions and methods would be used by the first generations of “Reformers” for not being traditional, and later generations for being TOO traditional. This inevitably results when speculative theology, academic theology, displaces the theology of the ones actually engaged in monastic struggle to save their souls. St. Thomas was engaged that way; but many of his would-be emulators, and opponents, were not.
“Keep to the ancient way and custom of the Church, established and confirmed by so many Saints under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. AND LIVE A NEW LIFE [ not Francis’s re-vamped “new” church ] Pray, and get others to pray, that God not abandon His Church, but reform it as He pleases, and as He sees best for us, and more to His honour and glory.”
–St. Angela Merici. 1474 – 1540
Very pertinent and real distinctions, Anthony. Thank you some more!
“Francis can’t help himself” . . is a good “boots-on-the-ground” rendering of the traditional
( Thomistic ) definition of “habit” . . and it takes three weeks? . . months? . . to change a (bad) habit
into a Virtue. See Fr. Ripperger on specifics.
It means that Francis (indeed, each and ALL of us) need CONSTANT prayers, for will stand, Lord,
should you be our judge!
The Church through Christ, and dedicated members, offer prayers and suplications 24/7. Won’t we be surprised when, arriving in the presence of “St. Peter and the Gate of Heaven”, who all have
been praying us “out of Hell and into Heaven” ! !
It is no wonder that Sts. Teresa of Avila, Alphonsus Ligouri, and John Vianney —to name only three of the Church’s “heavy hitters” —have always taught that abandoning (daily) prayer is the sure
road to eternal damnation . . into Hell.
But then again, from your direct quotes of Pope Francis, Anthony, he may [unknowingly ?] have a point, insofar as Thomas himself, towards the moment of his own approaching death, remarked:
“All I have written is like straw.” Here we need a Heavenly interpreter —the Paraclete Himself —to help us see BOTH sides of that “hay stack”.
Having researched the account of the feast of Corpus Christ, I’ll always be moved by St. Thomas’s
(assigned by the Pope) composing —writing! —both the liturgy and the hymns (“Adorote devote . . ” ;
“Tantum ergo . . “, still sung today) for this new feast celebrating the Real Presence. When finished,
Jesus —from the crucifix on Thomas’s desk —said, “Well done, Thomas My own. What do you
desire?” To which Thomas replied, “YOU, Lord. Only You!” [ I refuse to couch this event in the
current unbelieving fad, ” . . it has been reported that . .” ]
We’re into a Mysticism here which the “Dust” of time has virtually obliterated . . yet still REMAINS
as Real as each Consecration of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus . . MADE
REAL at each Mass by the Ordained Priest.
. . MORE real than in wartime. A heavily-fought, “odds against”, battle is all about HOLDING an
advantageous location. it’s a matter of life or death. If “interpreted” as a “rigid” attitude, or the Commander-in-chief first consults each of the defenders for their “synodal” analysis of DIRE straights, well, “game over”. L.O.L. !!!!
A drunk driver veeers into a tree. In the OR the surgeon quips, “Now George, wha d’you go and to
THAT for?” George slurs back, “Ah doan b ‘lieve ‘n trees!”
In like manner Pope Frankie continues to kick against that “rigid” permanent Rock —Peter —the
Sacred Deposit of Faith, Christ’s Church and the Mystical Body of Christ.
When Francis was bishop of Argentina, his Jesuit Superior General, Fr. Kolvenbach, wrote a scathing letter to the then papal nuncio clearly stating that Francis, among other things, was cunning and should never be promoted. The letter went “missing”. and in fact Francis was promoted and finally was made a cardinal by JP2. If the Church hierarchy doesn’t soon get their act together and begin excommunication proceedings against this antipope and his apostate cardinals and bishops, we are going to suffer the consequences. Talking about the many vagaries of an inveterate liar such as Francis, is useless. Action is needed because faith w/o action is against the Gospel message. Luther, a heretic and an apostate, was responsible for the Protestant schism because he/they believe that faith alone is all we need.