tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post1338547255918056712..comments2024-03-05T11:44:26.154-08:00Comments on The New Theological Movement: What sins lead to spiritual blindness?Father Ryan Erlenbushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07557817305024750902noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-90884212550790727332011-04-29T23:16:17.830-07:002011-04-29T23:16:17.830-07:00Michelle,
Prayer will conquer all things! ... stil...Michelle,<br />Prayer will conquer all things! ... still, there will be much struggle at times and many difficulties -- certainly, there is always the cross ...<br /><br />Having Masses offered and also offering communions and holy hours will be extremely important .... also, mortifications ... know that all things are at least permitted by the divine providence for the good of those who love God.<br /><br />Prayers for you and for your parents! +Father Ryan Erlenbushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557817305024750902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-24028644728601134842011-04-29T21:49:46.692-07:002011-04-29T21:49:46.692-07:00This explation is absolutely amazing because it de...This explation is absolutely amazing because it describes something that our family is kind of dealing with and has been dealing with for quite some time. I also like Sharon's post as well because Marriages are suffering unbelievably. It's like when the mind is tuned in to lust, it closes every other door...nothing else exists. I'm trying not to be judgmental here, but the situation above has led to my parents getting a divorce after over 46 years. My father has been excessively cruel to my mother, hateful (physically and verbally abusive too). He even tells me things about their intimate life. I don't think a father should tell a daughter these things. It is nasty. He said that my mom should be grateful for his mistress because she saved my parents marriage in some way. My dad calls her all of the time and is hateful to everyone. Not even his 85-year-old mother can get through to him. In fact, he called his mistress in front of my grandma this week. He has a one-track mind. While my parents aren't Catholic (I am) I live with them. I have had the house blessed, Masses said for each of them, prayers said, including a novena to St. Rita. Nothing works for Dad. Dad only wants one thing and everyone better get out of his way. Problem Sorry to go on, but I could use advice. This is like hell on earth. Thanks. MichelleP12MichelleP12noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-31049696017319121542011-04-19T10:56:56.177-07:002011-04-19T10:56:56.177-07:00Thanks Father. I suppose that some married couples...Thanks Father. I suppose that some married couples do struggle with problems arising from the husband's lack of self-mastery -- in fact, I'm sure that many if not all couples have at least occasional difficulties in this regard, especially early in marriage.<br /><br />It might be very helpful to hear and read more (any?) orthodox preaching and writing on this topic, if such can be provided prudently in a public venue. So in that sense I'm in full agreement with Sharon.<br /><br />With that said, as a married father of three I can attest that a pregnancy without complications offers an opportunity for an abundance of marital joy (<i>qua</i> marital) -- which opportunity, when approached with prudence and sensitivity, can be a particular blessing for faithful Catholic couples who are accustomed to periodic continence at other times.<br /><br />So it would be sad to know that some couples cut themselves off from this opportunity because of a mistaken understanding of sexual morality. I mean, continence within marriage certainly has its benefits, but 40+ weeks of continence without any objective need for it is getting a bit much!Bennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-38629985358366761622011-04-18T23:21:08.699-07:002011-04-18T23:21:08.699-07:00Ben,
Without getting into too many details, I must...Ben,<br />Without getting into too many details, I must admit that your question is a very good one.<br /><br />I guess that I don't know for sure what Sharon meant either. I presume that she refers to prenatal sex diagnosis -- the practice in China (and perhaps elsewhere) of discerning the gender of the child and then killing the baby based on social status (generally prefering males to females).<br />Though, perhaps, she refers specifically to marital relation within marriage while the wife is pregnant ... I do not know much about this (being a priest, I cannot speak from experience) ... but I have heard that, in some cases, this can cause serious health problems for the child.<br />Obviously, we live in a culture where the male libido has driven the women into compromising their health (the PILL would be a good example of this) ... perhaps this is what Sharon means...<br /><br />In any case, it would be hard to argue that all marital relations during pregnancy are immoral ipso facto ... <br /><br />Peace! +Father Ryan Erlenbushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557817305024750902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-63452106467993963402011-04-18T22:44:42.952-07:002011-04-18T22:44:42.952-07:00Sorry if this is slightly OT and a little late in ...Sorry if this is slightly OT and a little late in the game, but I was just wondering what Sharon meant above by "prenatal sex".<br /><br />Taken at face value it sounds like it could include a husband and wife having marital relations while the wife is pregnant. I had not heard that this was immoral or even that anyone considers it so, which is why I was both surprised to see it listed alongside sodomy et al., and mildly surprised also that no one else asked what Sharon could have meant.<br /><br />Sorry if I'm misunderstanding something (maybe it was an iPhone autocorrect and Sharon meant to type something else?)Bennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-10618925962960332632011-04-08T10:54:07.350-07:002011-04-08T10:54:07.350-07:00I recall reading in a book about Evagrius' tea...I recall reading in a book about Evagrius' teachings that lack of ascesis leads to sins of the flesh, which he considered to be essentially gluttony and lust. The pharisees, it seems, for all their fasting were not doing such a good job according to the view expressed in the post. Going back to Evagrius, IIRC he placed spiritual blindness as an effect of pride, and that generally sins of the spirit tended to be a greater problem to those who were a bit along the spiritual path.Marco da Vinhahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06092410765851812842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-30407301392067258292011-04-07T09:57:10.267-07:002011-04-07T09:57:10.267-07:00@Nick,
If you are still reading the comments to th...@Nick,<br />If you are still reading the comments to this post...<br />... I do hope that you don't feel that we (I and Regine as well as Venessa) are beating up on you too much. That is certainly NOT my intention!<br /><br />You have been a great contributor to the blog and have made many good comments...I just don't want the combox to get unnecessarily controversial and bogged down with silly arguments.<br />So, please do continue to comment on future posts -- may we all strive for the truth!<br />Peace to you. +<br /><br /><br />@Regine and Venessa, thank you for your kind comments. <br /><br />@Reginaldus (Anonymous, 3:59pm), I take the pen-name "Reginaldus" in honor of three: Reginald of Piperno (disciple and friend of St. Thomas), Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange (the greatest Thomist of modern times), and (in a much lesser sense) Reginald Foster (a rambunctious Latinist who worked at the Vatican for years and used to teach Latin courses in Rome).<br />I'm glad you enjoy the blog! +Father Ryan Erlenbushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557817305024750902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-48901843244330014462011-04-07T06:59:23.111-07:002011-04-07T06:59:23.111-07:00Fr, Reginald, thank you very much for this great a...Fr, Reginald, thank you very much for this great article. The explanation is very clear. <br /><br />reginaldus, that is also my name.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-30954688598954243182011-04-06T19:40:29.318-07:002011-04-06T19:40:29.318-07:00I was reluctant to say anything because I felt tha...I was reluctant to say anything because I felt that Fr. Reginaldus could handle this situation with Nick, and he has. But I, too, had no problem understanding Fr. Reginaldus' article, and I am not the scholarly type, except that I give myself a chance to really hear what the author is saying, and not my interpretation of what he is saying. Thanks Fr. Reginaldus for a great post.Reginehttp://luzonmd@yahoo.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-88906818768534305842011-04-06T10:09:50.512-07:002011-04-06T10:09:50.512-07:00@ Nick
Not to offend you. But Father Reg is right....@ Nick<br />Not to offend you. But Father Reg is right.Even I was surprised at reading the first comment that how could you misunderstand the essence of the post. Peace out bro.<br /><br />VenessaTangenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13399042325645797973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-85585599867640032162011-04-06T08:15:54.793-07:002011-04-06T08:15:54.793-07:00Lust and gluttony are sins of the sensitive appeti...Lust and gluttony are sins of the sensitive appetite according to St Thomas. In the context of the Gospels, where harlots and publicans are treated more leniently than Pharisees, I wonder if it's relevant that Our Savior in this passage is making a distinction between the kind of blindness that can be healed (sins of the flesh?) and the kind that is untreatable because the blind man can't be persuaded that he is blind (the root sin of pride?)Willahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17374272000644968446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-1940732142538106092011-04-06T06:53:58.712-07:002011-04-06T06:53:58.712-07:00Nick,
You have taken one line and read it entirely...Nick,<br />You have taken one line and read it entirely out of context. Then after criticizing me, you have presented yourself as a martyr, offering your sufferings up to the Lord...<br />This isn't the first time you have done this...<br />It really does get pretty old after a while...Father Ryan Erlenbushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557817305024750902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-52830186442248526822011-04-05T23:44:19.546-07:002011-04-05T23:44:19.546-07:00"@Nick, If you honestly think that I hold St...."@Nick, If you honestly think that I hold St. Thomas as greater than the Blessed Virgin Mary, then you are accusing me a serious theological and moral error.<br />I suspect, rather, that you are simply nit-picking a particular point in order to draw me into a controversy and show how wise you are in comparison with myself."<br /><br />I suspected you were exaggerating Saint Thomas' honor, which I see among some of his devotees. Just as I see some devotees of Mary raise her to the level of a goddess. <br /><br />More than that, the Lord corrected me on <a href="http://blogsofasoul.blogspot.com/2011/03/matthew-519-and-1111.html" rel="nofollow">this post</a> about sanctity, especially as regards Mary's, and I so I wished to correct you too, lest you fall into the same error as I did. <br /><br />You are free to accuse me of sin, and if I have sinned I pray I be punished by God. If not, I offer up any accusation you might make of me to Him. And if that is also a sin, I pray He correct me again.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-49582784529086408642011-04-05T15:19:34.723-07:002011-04-05T15:19:34.723-07:00I found your post very interesting about the Phari...I found your post very interesting about the Pharisees and sexual sins because I always wondered how they got ahold of the woman caught in adultery and why the man was not dragged in front of Jesus with her. I've always suspected that since the Pharisees were hypocrites in some things that they were also hypocrites in this instance.Barbhttp://www.sufferingwithjoy.com/blog/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-16551437541327580742011-04-05T14:38:23.054-07:002011-04-05T14:38:23.054-07:00St. Thomas was called the ox. He was not fat per ...St. Thomas was called the ox. He was not fat per se but was aesthetically too thickly built and was not pleasingly proportioned. I believe he was gingery and balding. Probably he was not dignified to look at and was nerdy. But oh, what was lurking on the inside!<br /><br />So, brave anonymous can stop insinuating that the "angelic doctor" and great saint was gluttonously sinful. His canonization ruled that out for all time.Bradnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-54177384752009258092011-04-05T14:17:35.685-07:002011-04-05T14:17:35.685-07:00On St. Thomas' weight...take a look at this fu...On St. Thomas' weight...take a look at this fun little blog post...<br />http://asksistermarymartha.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-fat-was-he-as-fat-as.htmlFather Ryan Erlenbushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557817305024750902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-13757204719520289082011-04-05T14:15:49.020-07:002011-04-05T14:15:49.020-07:00@Anonymous (10:25pm)
St. Thomas was fat, in fact, ...@Anonymous (10:25pm)<br />St. Thomas was fat, in fact, he was extremely large.<br />However, this does not mean he was a glutton -- he could not have been, since the Dominican way of life was very strict at that time. Also, we have testimony to the fact that he ate very moderately and fasted often.<br /><br />There are many ways a person can become heavy -- it's not always from over-eating. Hence, it is possible that Thomas had a glutton allergy or some other un-diagnosed medical condition that would have adversely affected his metabolism and weight. It is said that he suffered also from dropsy (which would make him heavier).<br /><br />It is good to know that the saints were real humans. Many of them were not "skinny"...why, even St. Therese of Lisieux was slightly embarrassed when she found herself getting a little plump after she entered the convent!<br /><br /><br />Finally, to all... please have the good manners to post some name, tag, id, pseudonym to your comment, at least at the end...like so.<br /><br />-ReginaldusFather Ryan Erlenbushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557817305024750902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-61599170138479112452011-04-05T13:25:09.366-07:002011-04-05T13:25:09.366-07:00I thought St. Thomas Aquinas was fat...I thought St. Thomas Aquinas was fat...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-14092966615692571152011-04-05T13:11:54.478-07:002011-04-05T13:11:54.478-07:00@Brad,
I love the connection between Job and the b...@Brad,<br />I love the connection between Job and the blind man; Job's friends and the Pharisees.<br />Peace! +Father Ryan Erlenbushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557817305024750902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-21892504707413701332011-04-05T13:11:18.410-07:002011-04-05T13:11:18.410-07:00Cordelia,
You are quite right in connecting intemp...Cordelia,<br />You are quite right in connecting intemperance with lust. In fact, intemperance is also opposed to the Gift of Wisdom, but not so much as lust is. <br />Gluttony leads to what is called "Dullness of sense" -- which is a partial loss of taste for heavenly things.<br /><br />So, yes, gluttony and lust are related insofar as they both encourage each other, and they are both opposed to the same virtues and the same Gift of the Holy Spirit.<br /><br />Peace to you! +Father Ryan Erlenbushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557817305024750902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-11966223331331441312011-04-05T13:01:01.986-07:002011-04-05T13:01:01.986-07:00@Anonymous (7:16pm),
Please do not think that I am...@Anonymous (7:16pm),<br />Please do not think that I am claiming that lust is worse than pride! Certainly it is not!<br /><br />Moreover, spiritual blindness is not the worst of all vices -- apostasy and despair are worse, for example.<br /><br />As pride is the root of all the other vices, it is also the root of all sins ... however, the most direct cause of spiritual blindness is not pride, but is lust.Father Ryan Erlenbushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557817305024750902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-31499569692588810782011-04-05T12:58:39.477-07:002011-04-05T12:58:39.477-07:00@Veronica (anonymous 7:10pm),
As per the article, ...@Veronica (anonymous 7:10pm),<br />As per the article, any mortal sin results in spiritual blindness -- for any and all mortal sins destroy charity in the soul.<br />However, some vices are attributed more directly to certain sins -- thus folly and blindness arise from lust, while despair is connected with sloth (for example).<br /><br />Hence, any in persistent mortal sin (sexual or otherwise) will become spiritually blind -- but we still connect blindness most especially with sins of lust.<br /><br />Hope that helps! +Father Ryan Erlenbushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557817305024750902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-61950151794563154062011-04-05T12:53:05.705-07:002011-04-05T12:53:05.705-07:00@Nick, If you honestly think that I hold St. Thoma...@Nick, If you honestly think that I hold St. Thomas as greater than the Blessed Virgin Mary, then you are accusing me a serious theological and moral error. <br />I suspect, rather, that you are simply nit-picking a particular point in order to draw me into a controversy and show how wise you are in comparison with myself.Father Ryan Erlenbushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557817305024750902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-28460108390882565572011-04-05T11:37:21.409-07:002011-04-05T11:37:21.409-07:00Great post, Reginaldus. Hi.
I enjoyed laetare...Great post, Reginaldus. Hi.<br /><br />I enjoyed laetare's readings and still ponder them. They put some fear into me. <br /><br />The gospel selection impressed me also by Christ's declaration that sin did not cause (in this case, at least) suffering versus the pharisees' declaration that the man was surely guilty of sin and thus suffering. Why are we men so snooty?! So uncharitable by reflex. Original sin, I suppose, of course. But what a shame. Our 'sin remains".<br /><br />Paganism's superstitious shamanism, hinduism, buddhism etc ad nauseum have all come into the modern West via new age and with it, the bulloney law of attraction aka karma. Karma is cynicism itself and the antithesis of the charitable reflex: the blind man deserves it -- or his parents did! I'm sure Mother Teresa has lots to say about that.<br /><br />Job's friends wanted him to admit his karmic guilt, known or unknown, correct? But, like John's blind man, Job was without sin that had deservedly and directly caused his sufferings. Sounds like Job's friends were reading too many Oprah book club selections!<br /><br />As with any time a disaster occurs and man scowls upwards at heaven in non-understanding contempt, everything that happens, good, but usually painful, is an attempt by God to give us an opportunity for (re)conversion, i.e. actual grace trying to help us to (re)attain sanctifying grace.<br /><br />Our Lady of Akita, pray for us.Bradnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578980753063154388.post-60795979375026821282011-04-05T10:16:17.072-07:002011-04-05T10:16:17.072-07:00I have always thought that lust is interconnected ...I have always thought that lust is interconnected with being overly sensual; in particular, loving good food too much. Isn't the lack of the virtue of temperance also related to lust?Cordelia at Catholic Phoenixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04781343757689670170noreply@blogger.com