March for Life in Ottawa, Canada, March 9-10

 
One need only see the coverage of any major public event by EWTN, such as the one announced above, to realize that the public life of the visible church today is completely controlled by the Franciscans, and specifically those of the Scotist school.

Duns Scotus was a voluntarist. That means he emphasized and valued the will over the intellect.

It takes a real Thomist to see the proper relation of both intellect and will. For the will is the nobler faculty, to use St. Thomas' own term. The will is blind and depends upon the intellect to show it both the true, the intellect's proper object of the will. It is also the task of the intellect's judgmental power to discern the real from the only apparent good. For example, just about everything has an aspect of good - because the good is one of the three transcendental aspects of all being. But this particular good thing may not be the real good for me at this time and place. Getting into moral theology here, which branch of theology is the only one operative today. And it is not very strongly in evidence, as clearly evident to all. But the intellectual life of the church is in even worse condition, being in a position not only of near absence but where at all present, subject to hostility and contempt. This is to be expected in a society wherein "freedom" has become license. The awful thing about the will is that it tends to call to its defense, in every circumstance, except where it is unusually purified by a wise asceticism, all the lower passions and tendencies to evil that we suffer because of Original Sin.

Remember those three consequences: Darkening of the intellect. Weakening of the will. A strong inclination to evil.

But as Our Lord told St. Paul and also each one of us: "My Grace is sufficient for thee."

But I think we must have enough intellect left to understand that we must ask Him for these most precious gifts of His Grace....The intellect sees and judges - but it is the will that chooses. Therefore: Sin is always and only in the will.

The intellect brings the whole person to contemplation of Truth. The will brings the whole person to action for good works. The Saints are those in love with the truth and desirous of bringing all souls to this love for Truth by all appropriate means available in the Church and the world. Real good does not exist apart from the Truth. To save souls cannot mean anything but bringing souls to a love for the truth. The highest truths are those of Faith - for Truth is a hierarchy - reflecting the Hierarchy that is Reality. There are degrees of being and perfection. See the 4th Way of proving God's existence.

God alone is ALL being, all ACT, with no needs, - no potencies for further Being -- infinite Reality - Infinite Goodness - Truth and Unity - infinite power, infinite knowledge - infinite wisdom. Any good or perfection we can find in a creature is in God infinitely. What more can one say?

What needs to be said, and said constantly, is the prayer Our Lady gave to the three children at Fatima in 1917:

Oh My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee - and I ask pardon for all those who do not believe, do not adore - do not trust and do not love Thee.

These are abbreviations of the Acts of Faith, of Hope and of Love - the three Theological Virtues received in Baptism. How many Catholics today can say the Act of Faith - the Act of Hope and the Act of Charity in their entirety?