Notes 136

As the world becomes Catholic (please God), the meaning of Catholic will change (to the original meaning, some will say).

Paul’s epistles are arguments, not panegyrics. Lectors, avoid pomposity!

“All the Reformers loved Augustine” (“Is the Reformation Over? Well, if you have to ask . . . ” by Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom). That is why the Reformation is over, but not yet the Schism.

What does [Peter] Kreeft feel he lost and gained? He gained an appreciation for the richness of God’s mystery. Having come to think of Protestant theology as overly infected with Descartes’ scientific view of reason, Kreeft learned to appreciate “wisdom rather than mere logical consistency, insight rather than mere calculation.” He also learned to worship God through all of his senses, not merely the mouth and ears of Protestantism. Perhaps most important, he found himself swimming within the two-thousand-year stream of historical Christianity. But Kreeft also speaks of losses. He inherited from his evangelical roots a serious concern for truth that he finds sadly missing among many Catholics. For example, although he finds Catholic theology quite clear on the subject of justification by grace through faith, &ldquoo;well over 90 percent of the students I have polled . expect to go to Heaven because they tried, or did their best, or had compassionate feelings to everyone, or were sincere. They hardly ever mention Jesus.” And he misses music. He remembers evangelical worship with “beautiful hymns, for which I would gladly exchange the new, flat, unmusical, wimpy ‘liturgical responses’ no one sings in our masses.” Kreeft envisions a time when all of these losses will be redeemed. “I think in Heaven, Protestants will teach Catholics to sing and Catholics will teach Protestants to dance and sculpt (Ibid.).

“Hell is a soul’s separation from God.” When, then, is earth?

“THERE IS ONLY THE CATHOLIC WAY AND THE FALSE WAY.”. This would be more believable if Catholics did not act so much like other people. Besides, what is meant is: “THERE IS ONLY THE ROMAN CATHOLIC WAY AND THE FALSE WAY.” This cannot be true.

Not every one who says Magisterium, Magisterium, will enter the kingdom of heaven.

People are reluctant to spend an hour doing what they supposedly desire to do for eternity.

You said so yourself: Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Popularity should never be a goal.

I should think that the angels share God’s interest in man.

How reconcile Unconditional Love with: “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” and “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” and “Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” and many other passages in the Bible? I don’t think one can.

We who do not love, who do not know love, who refuse love, talk about unconditional love.

We know that few find life; are we to hesistate until we are assured that all find it?

I shall strive to do good, even if damned.

Four bloggers: Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, Elihu.

Will I for all eternity desire to reason with thee? Will there forever be things too wonderful for me? Or will I say, Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further? Having heard thee by the hearing of the ear, shall then mine eye see thee?

Should one distinguish between: The Lord answered Job, and: The writer of Job wrote, The Lord answered Job? Reread Job before deciding.

Let not my portion be in this life.