Dr Paul Allen

Thomas Aquinas once was asked, "Thomas, do you think that Jesus enjoyed the beatific vision through his whole life?" Thomas said, "I don't know, but I'm sure that our Lord was able to see things that our sin keeps us from seeing." Remember that the promise of the vision of God in the Beatitudes is a promise made to whom? To the pure of heart.  Beloved, the reason why you can't see God with your eyes is not because you have a problem with your optic nerve . What prevents us from seeing God is our heart, our impurity. But Jesus had no impurity, and Thomas said He was pure in heart, so obviously he had some experience of the beauty of the Father until that moment that my sin was placed upon him and the one who was pure was pure no more. And God cursed Him. It was as if there was a cry from heaven—excuse my language, but I can be no more accurate than to say—it was as if Jesus heard the words "God Damn You." Because that's what it m...

If we look at the intricacy of the drama of the events of Jesus’ crucifixion , we see that some amazing things took place so that Old Testament prophetic utterances were fulfilled to the minutest detail.  In the first instance, the Old Testament said that the Messiah would be delivered to the Gentile s (“dogs” or “congregation of the wicked”) for judgment (Ps. 22:16). It just so happened in the course of history that Jesus was put on trial during a time of Roman occupation of Palestine .  The Romans allowed a certain amount of home rule by their conquered vassals, but they did not permit the death penalty to be imposed by the local rulers, so the Jews did not have the authority to put Christ to death. The only thing they could do was to meet in council and take Jesus to Pontius Pilate , the Roman governor, asking him to carry out the execution. So Jesus was delivered from His own people to the Gentiles—those who were “outside the camp.” He was delivered into the ...

Thomas Aquinas (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Aquinas ’s  Summa contra gentiles , written to combat Greco- Arabic philosophy , is the greatest apologetic work of the  Middle Ages and so merits our attention. Thomas develops a framework for the relationship of faith and reason that includes the Augustinian signs of credibility. He begins by making a distinction within truths about God.  On the one hand, there are truths that completely surpass the capability of human reason, for example, the  doctrine of the Trinity . On the other hand, many truths lie within the grasp of human reason, such as the existence of God. In the first three volumes of the Summa contra gentiles, Thomas attempts to prove these truths of reason, including the existence and  nature of God , the orders of creation, the nature and end of man, and so forth. But when he comes to the fourth volume, in which he handles subjects like the Trinity, the incarnation, the sacraments, and the last ...

Aquinas ’s Summa contra gentiles , written to combat Greco- Arabic philosophy , is the greatest apologetic work of the Middle Ages and so merits our attention. Thomas develops a framework for the relationship of faith and reason that includes the Augustinian signs of credibility. He begins by making a distinction within truths about God.  On the one hand, there are truths that completely surpass the capability of human reason, for example, the doctrine of the Trinity . On the other hand, many truths lie within the grasp of human reason, such as the existence of God. In the first three volumes of the Summa contra gentiles, Thomas attempts to prove these truths of reason, including the existence and nature of God , the orders of creation, the nature and end of man, and so forth. But when he comes to the fourth volume, in which he handles subjects like the Trinity, the incarnation, the sacraments, and the last things, he suddenly changes his method of approach. He states that t...

Image of Stephen Fry (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) STEPHEN FRY AND CANCER Stephen Fry  was  asked  what he would say if he were "confronted by  God ."   Fry replied,  "I'd say, bone cancer in children? What's that about?  How dare you create a world to which there is such misery that is not our fault. It's not right, it's utterly, utterly evil.  Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain. That's what I would say." Interviewer:  "And you think you are going to get into heaven, like that?"  Fry replied:  "I wouldn't want to. I wouldn't want to get in on his terms. They are wrong. Now, if I died and it was Pluto,  Hades , and if it was the 12  Greek gods , then I would have more truck with it, because the Greeks didn't pretend to not be human in their appetites, in their capriciousness, and in their unreasonableness.  They didn't p...

The Immaculate Conception of the Venerable Ones, or of Soult (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In the Rosary, Mary is addressed as the “ mother of God .” This title has its roots in the creedal formulations of the ancient church wherein Mary is called Theotokos or “mother of God” (more technically the “bearer of God”).  The intent of this formulation was not so much designed to tell us something about Mary, but to make a bold affirmation concerning the child that she bore. Mary is the mother of God not in the sense that Jesus derived His divine nature from her but in the sense that Mary was the mother of a child who indeed is God incarnate. Given the church’s full confession of the deity of Christ it is a perfectly appropriate title for the woman who was His earthly mother. To esteem Mary as the mother of God is the common heritage of all Christendom and should not be a point of dispute among us. That Mary performs a role of intercessor is a point of dispute between Roman Catholi...

English: Picture of Mary Immaculate in Orthodox Church in Perlez, Vojvodina (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Hail Mary, full of grace, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus . Holy Mary, mother of God , pray for us sinners, now and in the hour of our death. Amen. These excerpts from the Rosary are an important dimension of the devotional life of millions of adherents of Roman Catholicism. The first section is taken virtually from Scripture itself, reflecting Elizabeth’s words to Mary on the occasion of Mary’s visit to her during their pregnancies (see article on pp. 8ff.). The second is an appeal to Mary’s intercession for sinners both in the present and at the time of death. In the Rosary, Mary is addressed as the “mother of God.” This title has its roots in the creedal formulations of the ancient church wherein Mary is called Theotokos or “mother of God” (more technically the “bearer of God”). The intent of this formulation was not so much design...