Artificial intelligences do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain, do not mature through relationships, and do not know from within what love, work, friendship or responsibility mean. Nor do they have a moral conscience, since they do not judge good and evil, grasp the ultimate meaning of situations, or bear responsibility for consequences. They may imitate or even simulate, but they do not understand what they produce, for they lack the affective, relational, and spiritual perspective through which human beings grow in wisdom. #MagnificaHumanitas
The Catholic Church’s triumph over paganism is so complete that the very place where Christians were once fed to lions is now the same place where the Pope freely carries the Cross
As we begin our journey through #Lent, let us ask the Lord to grant us the gift of true conversion of heart, so that we may better respond to His love for us and share that love with those around us.
“Attribute to God every good that you have received. If you take credit for something that does not belong to you, you will be guilty of theft.”
~St. Anthony of Padua
A while back I was listening to a space with atheists and a Christian briefly made the moral argument for God.
The atheist interrupted him and said “I don’t need God for morality because I’m a secular humanist, I base my actions on human wellbeing.”
The Christian had no response.
I think that’s unfortunate because when you see what’s going on here the response will be obvious.
But first: what do we mean when we talk about “morality?”
When we say “that was moral” or “morality exists” or “without God there is no morality” what are we talking about?
We’re talking about right and wrong, human obligations, we’re talking about whether or not humans really are supposed to act certain ways and wrong when they don’t. That’s what we’re talking about.
So when an atheist says “I’m a secular humanist so I’m moral and I don’t need God for that” they don’t know what is even being talked about. Saying “I base my actions on a goal or standard” doesn’t equal “humans have real moral obligations.”
Imagine for a moment that you’re trying to figure out if there’s a correct way to make pancakes, what are the essential ingredients, how much? Is there any such thing as a “correct” pancake recipe? Then someone comes along and says “I can say a correct pancake recipe exists because I make pancakes with eggs and flower.” Do you see how telling me what YOU do, doesn’t in any way justify whether or not what you do is RIGHT*?
If “I base my actions on things I value” means you’re moral, why aren’t Nazis moral? Why aren’t utilitarians? Pretty much everyone bases their actions and behavior on what they value, but the question is… are their actions right?
The question is not, “do their actions align with their values” because why wouldn’t they?
Notice that we don’t condemn Hitler because his actions weren’t in line with his values, we condemn him because he committed great evil and his values were immoral.
So when an atheist makes this move… just ask them: what makes secular humanism any more moral than nazism, communism, or any other ideology that humans also base their actions on?
I understand that one of the topics under consideration at the Consistory of Cardinals is synodality. I’m speaking as a bishop who was an elected delegate to both rounds of the Synod and Synodality in Rome and who has just presided over a local synod in my own diocese. Synods are good and useful tools for the determination of practical pastoral strategies, but they oughtn’t to be forums for debate regarding doctrine. When settled teaching becomes a subject for synodal determination, the Church devolves into relativism and self-doubt—as is clearly evident in the misconceived “Synodal Way” in Germany. I’m sympathetic with the founders of the journal “Communio”—Joseph Ratzinger, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Henri de Lubac—who broke with the journal Concilium the stated purpose of which was the perpetuation of the “spirit of Vatican II.” The great Communio theologians said that councils are indeed sometimes necessary in the life of the Church but that one sighs with relief at the end of a council, for the Church can then return to its essential work. As long as it sits in council, the Church is in suspense, unsure of itself, wringing its hands. It was precisely the perpetuation of the spirit of Vatican II that led to so much vacillation and drift in the years when I was coming of age.
So, if we must continue with synodality, let it be dedicated to the consideration of practical means by which the Church can more effectively do its work of worshipping God, evangelizing, and serving the poor. And let it not be a defining and permanent feature of the Church’s life, lest we lose our verve and focus.
There was a line from Zohran Mamdani’s inaugural address yesterday that took my breath away. He said he intended to replace “the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.” Collectivism in its various forms is responsible for the deaths of at least one hundred million people in the last century. Socialist and Communist forms of government around the world today—Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, etc.—are disastrous. Catholic social teaching has consistently condemned socialism and has embraced the market economy, which people like Mayor Mamdani caricature as “rugged individualism.” In fact, it is the economic system that is based upon the rights, freedom, and dignity of the human person. For God’s sake, spare me the “warmth of collectivism.”
Ways to be a better Catholic man:
— Get up early
— Start the day on your knees before God
— Pray the Liturgy of the Hours
— Walk frequently, lift heavy, sprint once in a while
— Eat real food, avoid junk
— Fast AND Feast in a way that gives glory to God
— Take your family to mass & make Sundays intentional
— Commit to a weekly Holy Hour
— Go to confession more often
— Pray and sacrifice on Fridays for people in your life who need it
— Write down your goals/habits and get accountability from your brothers for following through
— Examine your conscience daily, learn from your mistakes, thank God for your blessings,
— Get to know your Blessed Mother and other saints and ask them for help and intercession
— Get to know your local priests, have them over for meals, pray together, and engage in edifying conversation.
— Get together with other Catholic men to pray, discuss goals/challenges, and find ways to serve the community together.
— Develop a strong reading discipline
— Learn about the virtues and use the concepts to continually evaluate your life and take steps to grow in holiness
— Fiercely guard your media inputs.
— Counter every temptation to lust by praying for God’s blessing and protection on the women you encounter
— Avoid news/church drama unless it is strictly necessary for the fulfillment of your particular vocation
— Pray for your priests, bishop, and the pope (whether or not you like them)
What else?
Anytime there are rumors of reunion between the Orthodox and Catholics,
The Orthodox squirm.
Catholics rejoice.
This is because everyone knows there is a 0% chance that Rome will change her position.
Pope Leo XIV and Patriarch Bartholomew I imparting their respective Apostolic Blessing on those gathered at the Patriarchal See of Constantinople on the Feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew, the First-Called.