• Eucharist as a Sacrifice:

  The Mass, also known as the Eucharist, is a central act of worship in Catholic Christianity. It is seen as a sacrifice, but not a physical sacrifice like the one Christ offered on the cross. 
• Spiritual Sacrifice:

  The sacrifice is understood as a spiritual offering, where the faithful join with Christ in His self-offering to the Father. 
• Continuation of Christ's Sacrifice:

  The Mass is viewed as a continuation of Christ's sacrifice, where His sacrifice on the cross is made present and available to believers. 
• Offering of Gifts:

  During the Mass, the bread and wine are offered to God as gifts, which are then consecrated and transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. 
• Communion with God:

  Through receiving Holy Communion, the faithful are united with Christ and participate in His sacrifice. 
• Praise and Thanksgiving:

  The Mass also includes prayers, hymns, and scripture readings, which are a way to praise God and give thanks for His salvation. 

The four types of love, often discussed in philosophical and theological contexts, are Storge (affection, familial love), Philia (friendship, brotherly love), Eros (romantic or sexual love), and Agape (unconditional, selfless love). These categories help to understand the diverse ways in which humans experience and express love. 

Elaboration: 

Storge (Affection):
This type of love is often associated with the natural bond between family members, such as parents and children, or siblings. It is a deep and enduring form of love, often characterized by empathy and a sense of belonging. 
Philia (Friendship):
Philia refers to the love between friends, characterized by mutual respect, companionship, and a shared interest or bond. It's a love that is not based on physical attraction or romantic desire, but on shared values and experiences. 
Eros (Romantic Love):
Eros is the passionate and intense form of love that is often associated with romance and sexual attraction. It is a love that can be both exhilarating and challenging, as it involves a deep emotional connection and a desire for intimacy. 
Agape (Unconditional Love):
Agape is often described as the highest form of love, a love that is selfless, unconditional, and sacrificial. It is a love that is not based on personal gain or preference, but on a desire to serve and care for others. 

These four types of love are not mutually exclusive, and they can often overlap and intertwine in different ways. For example, a romantic relationship can incorporate elements of both Eros and Agape, while a strong friendship can involve elements of both Philia and Storge. 

Lectio Divina: read, reflect, respond, rejoice!

My Lectio Divina: Matthew 7:13-14, 21, 24

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

{The narrow gate is Jesus. I have to listen and obey Jesus. The way is constricted. It is so narrow that I must put all my strength into listening to Him. Just because I have a Bible, just because I go to Church, just because I give alms, is meaningless. Everyone can deceive themselves into thinking actions save. It is listening and obeying Jesus’ direction that saves. He has a plan for me. He knows every move I should make. I am to be listening for Him to direct my life. He bought me with his own blood. My life has been redeemed by Him. My life is not mine anymore, I belong to Him. This is the narrow constricted road-give my life to Christ. I belong to him and he belongs to me, this is covenant. My part is to have faith and trust that his plan for me is perfect for my soul and glorifying to him. Even evil can be brought to good. I can rest in His care. 

Few want to give up their life. They reject his direction. They want to control their own life. They want their own idea of happiness. They want what they want, how they want, and when they want. Sadly, they don’t understand the only true happiness is being in union with God. 

Oh my God, what freedom! To let go of who I think I should be, who I thought I want to be and to let you make me who you made me to be. What joy and release of worry and anxiety! Thank you for explaining the narrow constricting way. 

If I do listen and obey Your direction, I am building my life on a rock! It will weather the storms. It will not be moved! You are my Rock!

I confess I still try and take the reins of my life. It is a constant battle to lay it down on your altar. Please Savior, help me want to at least want to lay it down! I need your grace to even want it! Keep opening my heart Jesus. Help me let go and LISTEN to you! Then please help me OBEY!  You are my only true happiness. Amen}

Some are definitely predestined. 

Predestination, in Catholic theology, refers to God's eternal plan and decree regarding the supernatural end of rational beings, especially humans [^3]. It involves both God's foreknowledge and His immutable decree of eternal happiness for the elect [^3]. The Catholic Church navigates between the extremes of Pelagianism and Predestinarianism, affirming that salvation is primarily God's work but also the fruit and reward of meritorious actions [^3].

#### Key Aspects of Catholic Teaching on Predestination:

1.  **Twofold Predestination**:

    *   The Catholic Church acknowledges that there is predestination for those who die in a state of grace and reprobation for those who die in sin [^3]. However, the term "predestination" is typically reserved for the Divine decree of happiness for the elect [^3].

2.  **Gratuitous Nature of Predestination**:

    *   Catholic theologians agree that predestination, viewed as God's intention, is gratuitous, including the first grace that cannot be merited by humans [^2].

    *   Predestination in execution, which involves bestowing grace and glory, depends partly on God's mercy and partly on human cooperation [^2]. The actual bestowal of glory is considered a reward for true merit [^2].

3.  **Reaching Salvation**:

    *   Those who die in a state of justification or sanctifying grace are considered among the predestined [^3]. This includes children who die in baptismal grace and adults who convert on their deathbeds [^3].

    *   People outside the visible Church can be among the predestined if they depart in the state of grace, such as catechumens, Protestants in good faith, schismatics, Jews, Muslims and pagans [^3].

4.  **The Role of Divine Knowledge and Human Liberty**:

    *   God's infinite knowledge encompasses all graces and series of graces He can prepare for each soul, along with the foreseen consent or refusal in each circumstance [^1].

    *   God knows infallibly what the response of human wills will be to His graces before His choice [^1]. No one is excluded from salvation because they are unable, but because God knows they will not wish to accept it [^1].

    *   The Divine decree does not negate God's will to save all people, which is realized through human liberty, allowing both the elect to fall and the non-elect to rise [^1].

5.  **Assurance of Predestination**:

    *   While God has infallible foreknowledge, individuals cannot have absolute certainty that they are among the predestined without a special Divine revelation [^2]. The Council of Trent condemned the idea that one could have certainty of faith in their own justification and election [^2].

6.  **God's Universal Salvific Will**:

    *   God does not deny the assistance necessary for salvation to those who, through no fault of their own, lack explicit knowledge of God but strive to live a good life with the help of grace [^4].

    *   The Holy Spirit offers all people the possibility of participating in the Paschal Mystery in a way known to God [^4].

#### Avoiding Heretical Views:

*   **Pelagianism**: This heresy suggests that predestination is merely a reward for natural merit, undermining the gratuity and supernatural character of eternal happiness [^3].

*   **Predestinarianism (Calvinism and Jansenism)**: This error attributes everything to God alone, denying free will and the possibility of supernatural merits [^3]. It suggests that eternal damnation is solely due to the Divine will, with irresistible concupiscence acting on the sinful will [^3].

In summary, Catholic doctrine on predestination emphasizes that God has an eternal plan for salvation, but this plan respects human freedom. While God offers grace to all, allowing them to choose salvation, those who are ultimately saved are predestined through a combination of God's grace and their own meritorious actions.

[^1] [Catholic Encyclopedia Predestination](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/f2c979a8-871d-4f46-a059-320d3b837a76/ref/Predestination)

[^2] [Catholic Encyclopedia The Nature and Attributes of God](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/f2c979a8-871d-4f46-a059-320d3b837a76/ref/The%20Nature%20and%20Attributes%20of%20God)

[^3] [Catholic Encyclopedia Teaching of St. Augustine of Hippo](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/f2c979a8-871d-4f46-a059-320d3b837a76/ref/Teaching%20of%20St.%20Augustine%20of%20Hippo)

[^4] [The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die without Being Baptised 81](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/618318ef-9104-45fa-bf61-2935fcd44006/ref/81)

Keller frequently shows that “there are three ways to live: one way to be reconciled to God, but two ways to reject him” (49). Keller offers regular reminders that we must trust that Jesus delivers us from both our bad deeds and our damnable good works—works we think gain us favor, standing, or blessing. As Keller outlines these two ways to reject God, he ends up preaching against legalism as much as against overt rebellion.

Yes, salvation is conditional, requiring both God's grace and human response [^3] [^4].

Here's why:

*   **God's Initiative:** Salvation is initiated by God as a free gift of His mercy [^2]. This gift is offered to all people through Christ [^1]. God's grace is the source of righteousness, goodness, and merit [^5].

*   **The Necessity of Acceptance:** While salvation is a gift from God, it requires a free response and acceptance from each individual [^3] [^4]. This acceptance is demonstrated through faith, which involves committing oneself to God and responding to His love with love for others [^3].

*   **Faith and Good Works:** Faith is itself a gift from God, given through the Holy Spirit [^1]. This faith leads to a renewal of life and good works [^1] [^5]. These works are not the cause of salvation, but rather a result of it [^5]. They are the way that believers walk, as ordained by God [^5].

*   **The Role of the Church:** The Church is an instrument of God's grace, cooperating in His work of salvation through evangelization [^2]. God gives the gift of salvation through the Church [^6].

*   **Universal and Integral Salvation:** Salvation is offered to all people and concerns the whole person, including their personal, social, spiritual, and physical dimensions [^7]. It begins in this life and is completed in the future, with the resurrection and eternal communion with God [^7].

*   **Avoiding Passivity:** God's plan of salvation does not leave people in a passive state, but calls them to be active participants in their relationship with Him [^3]. This relationship is like that of a child to a parent, as exemplified by Jesus' relationship with the Father [^3].

*   **Grace and Sanctification:** God's grace heals the soul from sin and sanctifies it, making believers a new creation in Christ [^10]. This grace is the source of ongoing sanctification [^10].

*   **Means of Salvation:** Christ's sacrifice provides a superabundant satisfaction for the sins of humanity and makes available the means of salvation to all [^8].

*   **Love as the Motivation:** The faith that leads to salvation works through love, not fear [^9]. This love arises from the Holy Spirit, who makes believers lovers of God [^9].

In summary, salvation is a gift from God that requires a response of faith, which then leads to a life of love and good works.

[^1] [Compendium of the Social Doctrine 39](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/21d06633-8734-43cd-b8bc-9ab3b84ebc30/ref/39)

[^2] [Christianity and the World Religions 86](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/ca528f3a-39e7-450e-971c-05ef95f7937b/ref/86)

[^3] [Evangelii Gaudium 112](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/7be34cc1-4084-45e7-adac-b583e91e7b83/ref/112)

[^4] [1997 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification 16](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/2c2dae97-fd15-4b6c-8ea4-6e3632723e05/ref/16)

[^5] [Letter 1 III](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/381486d6-e7bc-43b5-85b4-a19b4d3ad7e6/ref/III)

[^6] [To Bishops visiting the Pope from other African countries in Kumasi (May 9, 1980) - Speech 3](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/fd654390-464d-486e-8e0f-6995b8f1dcbf/ref/3)

[^7] [Compendium of the Social Doctrine 38](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/21d06633-8734-43cd-b8bc-9ab3b84ebc30/ref/38)

[^8] [CCC 1999](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/0583c069-d4bf-42dd-97de-c19f0b80150f/ref/1999)

[^9] [Catholic Encyclopedia Salvation](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/f2c979a8-871d-4f46-a059-320d3b837a76/ref/Salvation)

[^10] [On the Spirit and the Letter 56](https://www.magisterium.com/docs/32fbc5ba-ce02-400a-b385-33d61ea9dc3b/ref/56)

God is more than a Father. 

He is Holy God wanting to transform his children into a Holy People

Matthew 6:33

But seek first His kingdom 

and His righteousness, 

and all these things will be added to you.

The Kingdom of God is not a place, but God's authority and power being exercised. It's about God's will being done on earth as it is in heaven. The Kingdom of God also refers to a way of life characterized by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It involves prioritizing God's values and principles in all areas of life. Individuals are called to enter the Kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ and to live according to His teachings, submitting to His rule and authority. 

Everyone is broken in sin and weak, with the devil breathing down their necks! Forgive! Do to others what you would have them do to you! You are being unforgiving to yourself!

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive others for their transgressions, 

your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 

But if you do not forgive others, 

then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Everyone is broken in sin and weak, with the devil breathing down their necks! Do Not Judge! Do to others what you would have them do to you! You are judging yourself!

Matthew 7:1-2

Do not judge, 

so that you will not be judged. 

For with what judgment you judge, 

you will be judged; 

and with what measure you measure, 

it will be measured to you.

Psalm 86:15-16 LSB: But You, O Lord, are a God compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.

But You, O Lord, are a God compassionate

(God's compassion is not just a feeling, but a response that moves him to act and deliver his people-a deep sense of empathy and sympathy for others' suffering, coupled with a desire to alleviate their distress)

gracious, 

(undeserved favor and kindness. God gives generously and freely, without any requirement for our worthiness or merit.)

Slow to anger 

(he is patient and not easily provoked-God uses this patience as an opportunity for repentance and shows his love for humanity-God's slowness to anger is not a sign of indifference to sin, but rather an indication of his deep love and compassion for humanity. He gives people time to repent and change their ways)

and abundant in lovingkindness 

(deep and unwavering affection, kindness, and loyalty, particularly in the context of God's relationship with humanity. It emphasizes God's commitment to His covenant and His faithfulness to His promises)

Key Characteristics of Lovingkindness:

• Faithful love: It's a love that is not conditional or fleeting, but rather enduring and reliable. 

• Loyalty and commitment: It reflects God's dedication to His covenant and His people. 

• Mercy and compassion: It demonstrates God's tenderness and willingness to forgive. 

• Grace and favor: It signifies God's unearned and undeserved love. 

• Enduring nature: God's lovingkindness is not temporary, but rather a constant and unchanging attribute of His character

and truth.

Biblical truth is not just about facts but also about the fundamental reality of things, as God created and ordained them. It's the "way things really are”

The Bible identifies God as the source and final standard of truth. He is the author, governor, and judge of all truth. Truth is also linked to moral integrity, honesty, and faithfulness. 

Free choice of the will-Augustine

lust is the evil in adultery lust is also called “desire” all evildoings are evil precisely because they come bout from lust, that is, from a blameworthy desire.

 

to understand that lust is the evil in adultery, consider the following. If a man does not have the opportunity to sleep with someone else’s wife but it is plain somehow that he wants to do so, and that he is going to do so should the opportunity arise, he is no less guilty than if he were caught in the act.

 

Surely evil people desire to live without fear, just as good people do. But the difference is as

follows. Good people pursue this by turning their love away from things that cannot be possessed without the risk of losing them. Evil people, on the other hand, try to remove hindrances so that they may securely attach themselves to these things to be enjoyed. The end result is that they lead

a life full of crime and wickedness, a life which is better called death.

 

With respect to chastity, well, seeing that it is a virtue, who would doubt that it is located in the mind itself? Therefore, it cannot be taken away by a violent rapist.

 

Do you think that lust is more powerful than the mind itself, which we know has been granted governance over lusts by eternal law? I do not myself think so. The weaker commanding the stronger

would not be a case of being completely in order. Accordingly, I think the mind must be more powerful than desire for the very reason that it rightly and justly dominates desire.

 

Then no vice-ridden mind overcomes a mind equipped with virtue.

 

Therefore, since (a) anything equal or superior to a governing mind possessed of virtue does not make it the servant of lust, on account of justice, and since in addition (b) anything inferior to it could

not do this, on account of weakness, as the points we have agreed on between us establish, we are left with this conclusion: Nothing makes the mind a devotee of desire but its own will and free choice.

 

such a mind justly pays the penalties for so great a sin.

 

 

What is a good will?

augustine : A will by which we seek to live rightly and honorably, and to attain the highest wisdom. Now see whether you do not seek a right and honorable life, and whether you do not passionately want to be wise – or at least whether you would venture to deny that we have a good will when we want these things.

 

a life which is not unhappy is happy.

 

someone is happy when he takes delight in his own good will, and on account of it he attributes little worth to anything else that is called good but can be lost even when the will to retain it remains.

 

anyone having a contrary will is unhappy?

even if we have never been wise before, nevertheless it is by our will that we have and deserve either a happy and praiseworthy life, or an unhappy and disgraceful one?

 

Anyone who wills to live rightly and honorably, if he wills himself to will this instead of transient goods, acquires so great a possession with such ease that having what he willed is nothing other for him than willing it.

 

If indeed the joy occasioned by acquiring this good elevates the mind calmly, peacefully, and steadfastly, this is called the happy life. You do not think that living happily is something other than rejoicing in

genuine and certain goods, do you?

 

Then why do they not all attain it? We had said and agreed that it is by the will that people deserve the happy life, and it is also by the will that they deserve the unhappy life; the end result is that people

deserve what they get. But now some sort of contradiction has cropped up, and, unless we look into the matter carefully, it will work to undermine the earlier carefully crafted and solid argument. How does anyone suffer an unhappy life by his will, since absolutely no one wills to live unhappily? That is, how does someone gain the happy life through the will, when everyone wants to be happy and yet so many are unhappy?

 

Does it happen because it is one thing to will in a good or evil manner, another to deserve something due to a good or evil will? Those who are happy (who must also be good) are not happy simply because they

willed to live happily. Even evil people will this. Instead, it is because they willed to live rightly, which evil people are unwilling to do. For this reason, it is no wonder that unhappy people do not attain what they will, namely the happy life. They do not likewise will what goes along with it, namely living rightly, and without willing this no one is worthy of the happy life or attains it.

 

Thus when we say that people are unhappy due to the will, we are not thereby saying that they will to be unhappy, but rather that they are in a condition of will upon which must follow unhappinesses, even

against their will. Accordingly, the fact that all people will to be happy and yet are not able to be happy does not contradict our earlier argument, because not all will to live rightly; the happy life is due to this one will.

 

Well, when he loves the law, does he love something changeable and temporal, or something stable and everlasting?

evodius : Surely eternal and unchangeable.

augustine : What about those who persist in their evil will but nonetheless desire to be happy? Are they able to love the law by which people such as themselves are deservedly punished by unhappiness?

evodius : Not at all, I think.

august ine : They do not love anything else, do they?

evodius : On the contrary, many things – namely the things their evil will is bent on acquiring or keeping.

august ine : I think you are talking about riches, honors, pleasures, physical beauty, and all the other things that they can fail to acquire despite willing to, and can lose against their will.

evodius : Those are the very things.

august ine : Surely you do not think that these things are eternal? You see that they are subject to the vicissitudes of time.

 

Then since it is clear that some people love eternal things and others temporal things, and since we have agreed that there are two laws, one eternal and the other temporal – if you know anything about

fairness, which group do you judge should be subject to the eternal law, and which to temporal law?

 

happy people dwell under the eternal law, due to their love for eternal things, whereas temporal law is imposed on unhappy people.

 

Hence the eternal law commands us to turn our love aside from temporal things and to turn it, purified, towards eternal things.

 

temporal law restrains through fear. It twists and turns the minds of the people, for whose governance it was designed, to what it wants. As long as people are afraid to lose these goods, they maintain a certain mode of conduct in using them, one appropriate to holding together whatever kind of state can be set up with such people.

 

Retribution for sin is not exacted when they love these goods, but rather when they are taken away from others through dishonesty.

 

Hence the selfsame things are used in a good manner by one person and in an evil manner by another. The person who uses them in an evil manner holds fast to them with love and is tangled up with

them. That is to say, he is controlled by things that he ought to control, and, in setting them up as goods for himself that need to be put in order and treated properly, he holds himself back from the [true] good.

However, the person who uses them rightly shows that they are goods, but not his own goods, for they do not make him good or better. Instead, they become good or better due to him. Hence he does not attach himself to them with love. Nor does he make them like the limbs of his mind (which happens through loving them), so that when they start to be cut off again he is not ravaged by pain and corruption. Rather, he is completely above them, possessing and governing them when there is need;

he is ready to lose them, and more ready not to have them.

 

We have now begun to see, I think, the power of eternal law, and to discover how far temporal law can extend in redress. We have also explicitly and adequately distinguished two kinds of things,

the eternal and the temporal, and again two kinds of people: some who follow and take delight in eternal things, and others who follow and take delight in temporal things. We have established that what each person elects to pursue and embrace is located in the will, and that the mind is not thrown down from its stronghold of dominance, and from the right order, by anything but the will. It is also clear that when a person uses something in an evil manner, the thing should not be blamed, but rather the person using it in that evil manner.

 

consider whether evildoing is anything other than pursuing temporal things and whatever is perceived through the body (the least valuable part of a human being), which can never be fixed, as though they were great and wonderful, having neglected eternal things, which the mind enjoys through itself and perceives through itself and which it cannot lose while loving them. For all evildoings – that is to say, all sins – seem to me to be included under this one heading. But I am waiting to know what you think.

evodius : It is as you say. I agree that all sins are contained under this one heading, when someone turns aside from divine and genuinely abiding things and towards changeable and uncertain things. Although

the latter are rightly located in their proper place and attain a certain beauty of their own, it is the mark of a twisted and disordered mind to be subject to pursuing those things he was set above, to be in charge of as he might so command, in accordance with divine order and right.

 

We have free choice of the will, and we sin through it alone. We have our existence from God;

whether we sin or act rightly, we deserve penalty or reward from Him.

 

if a person is something good and could act rightly only because he willed to, then he ought to have free will, without which he could not act rightly. We should not believe that, because a person also sins

through it, God gave it to him for this purpose. The fact that a person cannot live rightly without it is therefore a sufficient reason why it should have been given to him.

 

Free will can also be understood to be given for this reason: If anyone uses it in order to sin, the divinity redresses him [for it]. This would happen unjustly if free will had been given not only for living rightly

but also for sinning. How would God justly redress someone who made use of his will for the purpose for which it was given?

 

when God punishes the sinner, what does He seem to be saying but: “Why did you not make use of free will for the purpose for which I gave it to you?” – that is, for acting rightly.