Our November Saturday meeting will be Saturday, November 5, at 7:00 am, in the meeting room off the commons.
The meeting will start at 7:00 AM and finish by 7:55 AM so guys can attend Mass at 8:00 AM
Note that this Saturday’s 8:00am Mass will be a Mass of Remembrance for deceased brother knights, in case anyone would like to attend after the meeting.
The following will be our points for discussion from Practical Theology by Peter Kreeft.
Chapters 310 - 330
Email from Tom:
Here are my notes for Saturday's session:
Gents,
Before I jump into a discussion outline, I wanted to include a link to a recent interview with Dr. Peter Kreeft on a Catholic podcast, Pints with Aquinas-
Morality, The Lord of the Rings, and Awkward Jokes w/ Dr Peter Kreeft
You can listen via Apple Podcasts or even watch on YouTube (link here). I have thoroughly enjoyed Pints with Aquinas and would recommend checking out other discussions or interviews (they tend to be very long, one to three hours).
Outline
Practical Theology, themes of sections 310-330 + a conversion story from 25 years ago (Dr. Mann- friend of my family and a father, grandfather, doctor, WWII veteran)
310-311: helping the dead + funerals
312-314: praying to saints (All Saints and Souls this week- very appropriate)
315-316: the second coming of Jesus, a new universe
317-329: the resurrection for us and heaven (body/age/gender; activities; concreteness/charity/impassibility; sin)
330: Two judgments (what and why)
I found the following sections to be of particular interest (*please find 1-2 sections that piqued your curiosity as it's always good to find the influence of the Spirit in various passages):
310- How We Can Help the Dead
If our prayers and works could not help the dead, then this would point toward death being stronger than love
Love (charity) is more than a feeling, but actually an "ontological (nature of being) union between souls"
God has provided faculties that transcend present time- memory and hope
Reminder that Purgatory is created by God out of love for our rehabilitation (not vengeance upon us!)
Initial thoughts- praying for the dead is good! The section also made me think of ancient Egyptian culture, specifically in regard to preparing tombs with food, clothing, etc. (not necessary but an interesting means to prepare a dead person for the "way" or journey of the soul).
317/318- Resurrection of the Body/Personal Identity of the Resurrection Body
Just as Christ has a material body in heaven (Ascension was not the undoing of the Incarnation), we will ultimately be a person comprised of both body (material) and soul (spirit)
Quote- "...a thing is more conformed to God when it has all that the condition of its (God-designed and God-created) nature requires."
Our present body is more ghostlike than that which we will have in heaven!
Common philosophical/theological errors- body as lesser or unimportant to the human person, reincarnation, soul pre-existence
Argument against abortion- we are not "two souls," one being animal/sensitive and the other being rational/spiritual... being one immortal, rational, spiritual soul from the moment of conception is more than just life as the zygote is an individual human being
Initial thoughts- I am reminded of trying to argue with a Jesuit priest about God's creation as arbitrary (in the confessional no less!). The "treat your body as a temple" saying fits well into this section, especially with St. Paul's note on the seriousness of sins against the body.
325- Wounds in the Resurrection Body
Jesus showed His Wounds to Thomas, yet His Body is resurrected... what does this mean for us?
Quote- "A certain beauty will shine through them, a beauty though in the body, yet not of the body but of virtue."
Compare a manipulated complexion of a movie star versus a wrinkled saint like Mother Theresa
Initial thoughts- how would each of us, our fam/friends, our culture find peace in this? There are those people (all of us in our own way, certainly) that actively destroy their bodies or reject what has been given to them or to others (masochism or sadism). Do we find confusion or beauty in this section?
330- The Need for Two Judgments
There are two last judgments- individual and particular
We need to be judged individually (this makes sense) but the social sin of the fallen world is what will be judged in the "Particular Judgment" (a la Book of Revelation?)
We only get a glimpse under the curtain of God's providential wisdom (possibly why we get hung up on justice and the problem of evil)
Initial thoughts- I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings reference from Kreeft (if you listen to the podcast you'll see he's quite the fan of Tolkein). This section really leads us into the last "hurrah" for our December meeting (more heaven, hell, and judgment).
General Questions
Where did you find inspiration, joy, or spiritual curiosity when reading 310-330?
What did you find confusing (anything that might warrant additional discussion, research, and prayer)?
Which passages might be linked directly or indirectly to other sections we have already read?
Godspeed,
Tom
You can purchase the book at:
The Catholic Company - https://www.catholiccompany.com/practical-theology-350-ways-your-mind-can-help-you-become-a-saint-i79986/
or at Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Theology-Spiritual-Direction-Aquinas/dp/1586179683/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3FJGW0G4LYK2X&dchild=1&keywords=practical+theology+peter+kreeft&qid=1610326011&sprefix=practical+theology+peter+%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-1
Thanks to Tom R for volunteering to facilitate our November meeting.
Thanks to Steve G for facilitating our October meeting!
Email lshadowen@aol.com to volunteer to facilitate a meeting!
