St. Anthony Of Padua Parish U/Sule

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LIVING AND THINKING FAITH: How Catholics Embrace the Paradoxes, Struggles, and Unknowns of Christian LifeCatholics are c...
01/10/2024

LIVING AND THINKING FAITH:
How Catholics Embrace the Paradoxes, Struggles, and Unknowns of Christian Life

Catholics are called to live deeply integrated lives, where thought and faith are not separate, but intimately connected.

The journey of faith is filled with paradoxes, struggles, and unknowns, requiring both intellectual engagement and active participation in God’s plan.

Living as a true Catholic means balancing the tension between reason and faith, certainty and mystery, suffering and joy.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 159) reminds us that “faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.”

In order to live fully as both thinkers and "livers" of faith, Catholics must engage in four key areas:

1. Embracing the Paradoxes of Faith

2. Facing Struggles with Hope and Resilience

3. Navigating the Unknowns with Trust in God

4. Uniting Thought and Action in Faithful Living

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1. EMBRACING THE PARADOXES OF FAITH

Catholicism is built on several paradoxes that challenge our understanding but reveal deeper truths when approached with both intellect and faith.

One of the greatest paradoxes is found in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, where life emerges from death, and victory comes through what seems like defeat.

Another is the belief that God is both infinitely transcendent, beyond all understanding, and yet intimately immanent, present within creation and within each of us.

HOW TO EMBRACE THE PARADOXES

To live this paradoxical faith, Catholics must:

▪︎Accept Mystery with Humility:

Not every truth can be fully comprehended by the human mind.

The mysteries of the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Eucharist are beyond complete understanding, but they call for a humble acceptance rooted in faith.

St. Augustine famously said, "If you understand it, it is not God," acknowledging that part of our relationship with God involves embracing the divine mystery.

▪︎Think Deeply, Trust Even Deeper:

Catholics are called to use their reason to explore the depths of these mysteries, but also to trust in the revelations of God.

Faith and reason work together. For instance, St. Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologica is a testament to how the intellect can explore faith, but it also concludes that ultimately, God’s nature is beyond human comprehension.

▪︎Live in the ‘Already, but Not Yet’:

The Catholic vision of the Kingdom of God is another paradox.

The Kingdom is already inaugurated through Christ’s death and resurrection, yet its full realization is still to come.

This calls Catholics to live in a state of hope, working for justice, love, and peace in the present while knowing that complete fulfillment is still future (Philippians 3:20).

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2. FACING STRUGGLES WITH HOPE AND RESILIENCE

Catholicism does not shy away from the reality of human suffering, struggle, and failure.

Instead, it embraces these experiences as opportunities for spiritual growth.

The struggles of life—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—are not meaningless, but are avenues through which God draws us closer to Him.

HOW TO FACE STRUGGLES

Catholics are called to:

▪︎Find Meaning in Suffering:

Pope John Paul II’s Theology of Suffering teaches that human suffering, when united to Christ’s suffering, takes on a redemptive quality (Colossians 1:24).

Catholics can face struggles by understanding that their pain, when offered up, can have spiritual value for themselves and others.

▪︎Cultivate Virtue in Adversity:

Struggles often build virtues like patience, humility, and fortitude.

The Book of James teaches that “the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:3).

Faithful Catholics are invited to see struggles as a way to grow in these virtues, leading to deeper holiness.

▪︎Lean on the Communion of Saints:

Catholics do not struggle alone. The communion of saints—both those in heaven and those on earth—offers spiritual support through intercession, prayer, and community.

By leaning on this spiritual family, Catholics gain strength and perspective in their trials.

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3. NAVIGATING THE UNKNOWNS WITH TRUST IN GOD

Life is full of uncertainties, and faith requires learning to trust in God’s providence even when the path is unclear.

The Catholic faith teaches that God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9), and that His plan unfolds in ways we cannot always understand.

HOW TO NAVIGATE THE UNKNOWNS

Catholics are called to:

▪︎Surrender Control:

Trust in God involves letting go of the desire to control every aspect of life.

This is a spiritual practice of surrender, where Catholics learn to pray as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).

▪︎Trust in Divine Providence:

The concept of Divine Providence assures Catholics that God is guiding all things toward His ultimate plan for good (Romans 8:28).

Even when the future is unclear or troubling, Catholics are called to place their trust in God, knowing that He is with them in every moment.

▪︎Seek Discernment:

Catholics navigate the unknowns by seeking discernment through prayer, spiritual direction, and the sacraments.

The Holy Spirit, who is the source of wisdom and guidance, helps believers discern God’s will in the midst of uncertainty.

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4. UNITING THOUGHT AND ACTION IN FAITHFUL LIVING

Catholics must not only think about their faith but also live it out in action.

The Letter of James (James 2:17) emphasizes that “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” The integration of thought and action is critical to living a full Catholic life.

HOW TO UNITE THOUGHT AND ACTION

Catholics are called to:

▪︎Live Out the Social Teachings of the Church:

Catholic social teaching calls believers to engage with the world by promoting human dignity, justice, and care for the poor.

This reflects the belief that faith is not just a private matter but has a social dimension.

Thinking Catholics engage with issues like poverty, environmental stewardship, and human rights from a perspective informed by both faith and reason.

▪︎Practice the Works of Mercy:

The corporal and spiritual works of mercy are concrete ways Catholics are called to live out their faith.

Feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, and instructing the ignorant are all actions that demonstrate a living faith that goes beyond intellectual assent.

▪︎Participate in the Sacraments:

The sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, are essential to uniting thought and action.

The Eucharist is the “source and summit” of Catholic life, where faith is nourished and lived out.

Through the sacraments, Catholics are strengthened to live out their faith in daily life, drawing from God’s grace to become “doers of the word” (James 1:22).

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CONCLUSION:
Living as Catholic Thinkers and Livers of Faith

To be Catholic is to embrace the whole of life with both mind and heart, balancing the paradoxes, struggles, and uncertainties of Christian existence.

It is an intellectual faith that calls for deep thought, contemplation, and discernment, but also a lived faith that calls for action, love, and service.

Catholics navigate these challenges by integrating thought and action, trusting in God’s plan, and growing through suffering.

By uniting faith and reason, living out the Gospel in word and deed, and embracing the mysteries of the Christian life, Catholics become both thinkers and livers of faith, witnessing to the world the profound truth of the love and grace of God.

GRACE AND STRUGGLE:The Catholic Understanding of Human Duality Towards Good and EvilIn Catholic theology, the human tend...
06/07/2024

GRACE AND STRUGGLE:

The Catholic Understanding of Human Duality Towards Good and Evil

In Catholic theology, the human tendency towards good and evil is understood through several nuanced concepts:

1. ORIGINAL SIN AND HUMAN NATURE

- ORIGINAL SIN : According to Catholic doctrine, all humans inherit original sin from Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden of Eden. This doesn't mean personal guilt for their sin but a state of fallen nature, which inclines humans to sin (concupiscence) and separates them from God.

- HUMAN DIGNITY : Despite the fall, humans retain intrinsic dignity because they are created in the image of God (imago Dei). This inherent dignity is the basis for our capacity for good.

2. FREE WILL AND MORAL AGENCY

- FREE WILL : Catholics believe that free will allows individuals to make moral choices. This ability to choose is fundamental to human dignity and moral responsibility.

- MORAL AGENCY : Humans are moral agents who can choose to follow God’s will or reject it. This capability for moral decision-making emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility in actions.

3. GRACE AND SALVATION

- GRACE : Catholics believe that God’s grace assists humans in overcoming the inclination to sin and in striving for good. Grace comes through the sacraments, prayer, and living a virtuous life.

- SALVATION : The sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ offer salvation and the possibility of eternal life. This redemptive act allows for reconciliation with God and the forgiveness of sins.

4. THE ROLE OF CONSCIENCE

- CONSCIENCE : Catholic teaching emphasizes the formation and following of one's conscience, which is considered the “inner voice” guided by reason and divine law. A well-formed conscience helps distinguish good from evil and directs moral decisions.

- FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE : It involves education and reflection, aligning with the teachings of the Church and the example of Christ. Regular examination and confession help maintain a healthy conscience.

5. THE SACRAMENTS AND VIRTUOUS LIVING

- SACRAMENTS : Through the sacraments, especially Baptism, the Eucharist, and Reconciliation, Catholics receive grace that strengthens them against sin and fosters a life of virtue.

- BAPTISM: Cleanses original sin and initiates the person into the Christian community.

- EUCHARIST: Nourishes the soul and unites the believer with Christ.

- RECONCILIATION: Offers forgiveness and restoration to grace after sin.

- VIRTUOUS LIVING: Practicing virtues such as faith, hope, and charity, along with the cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance), helps combat the inclination towards evil and promotes moral growth.

6. THE SPIRITUAL STRUGGLE

- SPIRITUAL WARFARE : Catholicism acknowledges the ongoing spiritual struggle between good and evil within individuals. This battle is part of the Christian life and requires vigilance, prayer, and reliance on God's grace.

- ROLE OF THE CHURCH : The Church provides guidance, support, and communal worship, helping individuals navigate this struggle and grow in holiness.

SUMMARY :

Catholic teaching on the human duality towards good and evil involves recognizing the inherited fallen nature due to original sin, the importance of free will in moral decisions, the necessity of divine grace for overcoming sin, the role of a well-formed conscience, the sacraments, and virtuous living.

This framework encourages a life-long journey of conversion, repentance, and growth in holiness, supported by the Church and the grace of God.

✝️ In Your Prayers Kindly Pray For the repose of Late Rev. Fr Cyril Anene, C.S.Sp and Rev. Fr Isaiah Agorchukwu, C.S.Sp,...
02/07/2024

✝️ In Your Prayers Kindly Pray For the repose of Late Rev. Fr Cyril Anene, C.S.Sp and Rev. Fr Isaiah Agorchukwu, C.S.Sp, They Were Buried at the Holy Ghost Novitiate Chapel, Awo-Omamma, today dated 28/6/2024.

We continue to pray for their eternal response and God’s consolation to all of us who mourn them. Amen ✝️.

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02/08/2023

A LESSON FROM THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

I give you this lesson from the foot of the cross, but it is in prayer that you will understand it. Christ prayed for three hours on the cross; this was truly a crucified prayer, without either interior or exterior consolation. O God! what a grand lesson! Beg God to impress it on your heart. Oh, how much food for meditation! While Jesus agonized on the cross He spoke His first three words, which were three arrows of love; and then He kept silence until the ninth hour, praying during the entire interval. I leave you to consider how devoid of consolation was this prayer.

Repose on the naked cross, and make no other complaint than this infantine cry : My Father, my Father, Thy will be done! and then be silent. Continue to repose on the cross until the happy moment of your mystical death. This precious death is more desirable, than life. Then, as St. Paul said, your life will be hidden with Christ in God (Col. iii. 3), and you will find yourself in this profound solitude that you love, and entirely despoiled of every created thing. Now is the moment to suffer in silence and in peace; resign yourself to the agony you suffer, and it will conduct you to mystical death.

The life of the servants of God is a continual death. For you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. I wish you to die this mystical death. We have just celebrated the birth of Our Lord, and I am confident that you are born mystically in Christ daily, more and more ; and I desire you to die in Him in a mystical manner, from day to day, more perfectly, and to dissipate, in the abyss of the Divinity, all those little distractions that annoy you.

He who is mystically dead seeks only God, Who is so good and so great. He casts away all other thoughts, however good, in order to think only of God. He patiently awaits the ordinances of God; he ignores all else, that there may be no obstacle to the divine operation which is effected in the secret of the soul—there where no creature, neither angelic nor human, may approach; for God alone dwells in this secret place, which is the essence, the spirit, the sanctuary of the soul, where the heavenly hosts themselves are attentive to this divine operation, to this divine birth, which takes place every moment for him who is so happy as to be mystically dead on the cross.

St. Paul of the Cross

DELIVER US FROM EVIL Scott Hahn Deliver us from evil is a somewhat misleading translation. In the Greek New Testament, t...
24/07/2023

DELIVER US FROM EVIL

Scott Hahn

Deliver us from evil is a somewhat misleading translation. In the Greek New Testament, there is a definite article before the word evil. So Jesus actually commanded us to pray for deliverance from the evil or, more precisely, the evil one.

It makes a difference, and a rather large one at that. For there is only one evil, and that is sin. I don't mean to be dismissive of other sufferings loneliness, rejection, grief, cancer, physical disability, mental illness. These can be horrific trials. But they cannot defeat us if we remain strong with God's own strength. Even if disease or murderers should take our lives, we will not die indeed, we will never die as long as we keep faith.

The only real danger, the only reality that deserves the name death, is evil. The only thing we really need to be delivered from is not trial, temptation, suffering, or the grave. The only real enemy is sin.

▪︎ THE FUTILE SYSTEM

All sin traces its ancestry to the sin of Satan, the fallen prince of angels. Before Adam and Eve faced him in the garden, he had already refused to serve God and enticed a third of heaven's angels to follow him in rebellion. Ever after, he has vainly waged war against God and all His works. He tempted our first parents and so cooperated in bringing the curse of death upon the world. Till now, he has never ceased his attacks against God's children. "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8).

The Devil lives to oppose God's will. He tempts us at every turn so that we might follow him in rebellion. For God does not will that anyone should ever sin. We don't have to look long or far to see that the Devil succeeds often in temptation. Perhaps he also succeeds often in the final devouring of souls.

Yet his work is perpetually futile. For God is omnipotent, and so His will is inexorable. God's plan will be accomplished. Almighty God, says St. Augustine, "would never allow any evil whatsoever to exist in His works if He were not so all-powerful and good as to cause good to emerge from evil itself."1 Even the greatest evil in history, the torture and murder of God's only Son, "brought the greatest of goods: the glorification of Christ and our redemption" (Catechism, no. 312). In the words of St. Paul, "where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Rom. 5:20).

Thus, the Devil's works are worse than futile. They are self-defeating. For when we resist his temptations, we grow stronger in virtue, and we gain divine life through grace. Even if we succumb to his empty promises, but then return to God in sorrow, we grow stronger still. As long as we remain united to Christ, we need fear nothing from our trials, for they can only work to our benefit.

Pope John Paul II summed it up well in his August 20, 1986, general audience. Satan, he said, "cannot block the construction of the Kingdom of God. . . . Indeed, we can say with St. Paul that the work of the evil one cooperates for the good (cf. Rom. 8:28) and that it helps to build up the glory of the 'chosen' ones" (cf. 2 Tim. 2:10).

The Scriptures give us proof positive in the Book of Job. The Devil afflicts Job with disease and poverty, and he brutally takes the lives of Job's children and his livestock. But Job remains steadfast in his faith in God's goodness. Through the ordeal, Job grows in wisdom, and he proves his love for God when such love seems, by a purely human standard, most difficult to give.

In the end, Job is holier, wiser, and even richer than he had ever been before; and so he is happier. Who gets the credit? Should we give the Devil his due? Except for God Almighty, no one worked harder to bring holiness to Job than did the Devil, and no one wanted it less.

▪︎ THE BEST POLICY

The "evil one" works no differently in your life than in Job's. No one is working harder for your holiness than the Devil, but no one wants it less. His work in an individual life is always a gamble. If he succeeds in tempting us to despair or to commit mortal sin, we consent to our own true death, the death of our soul. But if we, like Job (and, more, like Jesus) cling to "Our Father . . . in heaven" rejecting Satan and all his works and all his pomps we, too, will be holier, wiser, and richer in the end.

Again, this does not mean we should seek to do individual combat with the Devil. He is an angel of the highest order, with an intelligence that is far superior to the combined intelligence of all humanity. On our own, we do not have the strength to defeat him, and indeed he has been the downfall of many exalted minds and souls throughout history.

We pray for deliverance from Satan because we know that we cannot defeat him in a game of one-on-one; nor do we trust our weak faith. We gladly pray the prayer of realists, the prayer of weaklings, for that is what we are. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Amen!

St. Cyprian points out that these petitions are comprehensive insurance policies, providing coverage against every moral and physical evil. "When we have once asked for God's protection against evil and have obtained it, then we stand secure and safe against everything which the Devil and the world work against us. For what fear does a man have in this life, if his guardian in this life is God?"2

And He is not merely our Guardian, but our Father.

18/07/2023

IF YOU DON’T WANT ANYONE TO TALK ABOUT IT, THEN DON’T DO IT

Reflection for Tuesday of the 15th week in ordinary time, cycle I (18.07.2023)

Emotional blackmail is one of the tools used by malicious people to launch attacks on their victims. To do this, they often look out for certain areas of weakness in you, then they try to use them against you, knowing fully well that being mindful of your dignity and reputation, you would want to protect it (especially if you are a man/woman of high repute).

In today’s first reading, we are presented with the birth and growth of Moses, as well as his quest for justice. The fight for justice is one of the most difficult tasks to ever undertake, if not for anything, but for the fact that if proper care is not taken, even those for whom you are fighting, might at the end turn against you. This perhaps explains Lucky Dube’s popular lines; “If you stand for the truth, you will always stand alone.”

Coming back to the fellow who blackmailed Moses, one may begin to wonder what he intended to achieve by doing to Moses what he did. Because if his intentions were to make Moses feel guilty or to silence Moses in his fight against injustice, it was so unfortunate for him that all those plans never worked.

For as we continue reading through the book of Exodus, we shall see the feat that Moses will attain. One lesson to learn here, is that we should be careful how we malign people, because who God has blessed, no one can curse.

There’s a saying that “if you don’t want anyone to talk about it, don’t do it.” Dearly beloved, life is as simple as that; if you don’t want to be corrected for doing evil, then refrain from doing evil. The man who blackmailed Moses did that simply because Moses was correcting his wrongdoing. So too there exists in our society, many whose ways are not pure, many who daily plant the seed of hatred and discord, yet would not want to be corrected, and if you eventually do, they will be looking for ways to drag your name to the mud.

There’s a pin-drop silence from activists today because virtually everyone is trying to save his name. People are today so scared of toeing the path of truth, because they could be easily blackmailed and their good names dragged to the gutters. Our prayer today is for those who fight for the cause of right, that Christ may never allow them to stand alone. Shalom

HOW TO USE A SCAPULAR ACCORDING TO EXORCIST“In an exorcism the Brown Scapular is placed around the possessed person's ne...
16/07/2023

HOW TO USE A SCAPULAR ACCORDING TO EXORCIST

“In an exorcism the Brown Scapular is placed around the possessed person's neck..the Devil invariably shouts and groans, ‘It is fire! it is fire! Remove it, I beg of you! I cannot bear it any longer.’”~ Exorcist Fr. Robert Levis

“In an exorcism, the Devil confessed in pain that the rosary is, ‘The most outstanding of prayers... much feared in hell, as is the scapular.’” ~ Exorcist Fr. Jose Syquia

"I am enveloped within the mantle of our Lady. What can you do to me?" ~ Fr. Gabriel Amorth (Vatican's Exorcist)

An exorcist priest who wants to remain anonymous was wearing the Brown Scapular in the middle of an exorcism, and the Devil spoke to him and said, “Just take off that Scapular and I will show you what I will do to you!"

"Demons particularly hate the Brown Scapular — seeking, during expulsions, to rip it off the victim. The Scapular is very important because it provides a level of protection. In one case of possession that I had, the demon was a demon of impurity and every time he would manifest, the first thing he would do is try to get the Scapular the woman was wearing off.” ~ Exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger

FRIENDSHIPS Fr. Socrates B. Villegas The theme of the readings is friendship—friendship with the Lord. The first thing t...
16/07/2023

FRIENDSHIPS

Fr. Socrates B. Villegas

The theme of the readings is friendship—friendship with the Lord. The first thing that surfaces when we talk about friendship with the Lord is that there can be no proxies or substitutes. Your secretary can write a letter on your behalf. The respirator can breathe for you. The Osterizer can chew for you, but there is no machine, there is no personnel that can substitute for friendship with God.

Even if you have a holy wife or a holy husband, or holy parents or children, but if you do not follow their example of holiness, you will not be holy like them. When God makes friends, he makes friends personally; he does not do it by proxies.

The second thing about friendship with the Lord can be seen in the book of the prophet Jeremiah and in the parable in the Gospel. These readings tell us that friendship always entails sacrifice. Some of us may get away with making friends with people so easily. We give them gifts that may hurt only the pocketbook.

But when it comes to friendship with the Lord, there is no substitute for friendship based on sacrifice. If a friendship would be based only on dinners out, on outings and on parties and there are no opportunities to share aches, pains, and troubles together, that friendship is shallow.

The third thing about friendship with God, according to Jeremiah and the Gospel, is that it takes place between God and you. This rendezvous between you and God is not like this place, this church building. It is not a romantic restaurant or trysting place. The favorite place where you and God can stay together is your heart.

That is the favorite place of God. We can go to basilicas and pilgrimage places during this Jubilee Year, but if we have not had a rendezvous with God in his favorite place—which is your heart—then you will not be able to find him anywhere at all.

Jn 15: 13

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