Month: October 2015

Theology of a Body: Finding Homo-Religiosus

“In many ways, throughout history down to the present day, men have given expression to their quest for God in their religious beliefs and behavior: in their prayers, sacrifices, rituals, meditations, and so forth. These forms of religious expression, despite the ambiguities they often bring with them, are so universal that one may well call man a religious being ….” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 28)

Scientists dig up dead bones in order to discover clues about our past. Talkative paleontologists tell us that “the bones speak,” but often times the paleontologists say much more than the bones! But what if, in digging up dead bones, we find more than just dead bones? What if…

“One of the most amazing [bodily] preservations is that of Saint Andrew Bobola [1590 to 1657]. Prior to his martyrdom he was partially flayed alive, his hands were hacked off and his tongue was torn from his head. Splinters of wood were riven under his fingernails, and his face sustained such mutilations that he was scarcely recognizable. After hours of further tortures and mutilations, he was dispatched by a sword’s blow to the neck. His body was hastily buried by Catholics in a vault beneath the Jesuit church at Pinsk [Poland], where it was found forty years later perfectly preserved, in spite of the open wounds, which would normally foster corruption. Although his grave had been damp, causing his vestments to rot, and in spite of the proximity of decaying corpses, his body was perfectly flexible, his flesh and muscle soft to the touch, and the blood which covered the numerous wounds was found to be like that which is freshly congealed. The preservation was officially recognized by the Congregation of Rites in 1835. Even though the [body] was roughly handled during its numerous translations, the body remains after 300 years in a marvelous state of preservation” (The Incorruptibles by Joan Carroll Cruz,

p. 36)

There are many other remarkable – indeed, truly miraculous – examples in the lives of the saints of the phenomenon of incorruptibility (Joan Carroll Cruz documents 102 such cases in her book). Three of the most amazing cases involve Blessed Matthia Nazzarei, Blessed Charbel Makhlouf, and the abandoned dwarf, Blessed Margaret of Castello. I cannot summarize these cases in this short note, but you will find that they are truly extraordinary examples of the miraculous phenomenon of incorrupt bodies.

If scientists draw truly important conclusions from the examination of skeletal remains what are we to make of the preternatural phenomena of incorrupt bodies which clearly have defied the physical laws of bodily decomposition? Saint Bernadette’s body is incorrupt (see photo above), having been exhumed and examined on three occasions. What are we to make of her incorrupt body? After all, it was to this lowly peasant girl the Virgin Mary appeared in 1858 in Lourdes, announcing to Bernadette: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” There are important revelations here about sin leading to death, but holiness to life, that touch upon the most profound mysteries of our lives (ref. see “Epilogue” of Origin of the Human Species by Dennis Bonnette).

“The bodies of holy martyrs and others now living with Christ, bodies which were His members and temples of the Holy Spirit, which one day are to be raised up by Him and made glorious in everlasting life, are to be venerated by the faithful; God gives men many benefits through them.”

(Council of Trent)

Tom Mulcahy, M.A.

References:

The Incorruptibles by Joan Carroll Cruz (TAN Books); and Origin of the Human Species by Dennis Bonnette (Sapientia Press). The photograph above is of the incorrupt body of Saint Bernadette (to whom the Virgin Mary appeared at Lourdes).

Note: The conditions for an incorruptible, as distinguished from those who are intentionally preserved, are discussed by Joan Carroll Cruz in her book’s Introduction. She mentions on page 23 that of “all those saints mentioned in this volume, the preservation of only about one percent are credited to deliberate intervention….”

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THE WORLD’S SHORTEST INDULGENCED PRAYER (A SIMPLE BUT POWERFUL DEVOTION TO THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY)

“The faithful who apply indulgences as

suffrages for the dead are practicing

charity in a superior way and with their thoughts

on the things of Heaven are dealing more

virtuously with the things of earth.”

(Apostolic Constitution on Indulgences)

My mission: to come up with a short but powerful devotion to the Holy Souls in Purgatory who are counting on our prayers so that they may advance to the one thing their hearts desire and yearn for: union with God.

Plan: Find the shortest indulgenced prayer possible that can be offered up all day long for the Holy Souls with virtually no effort.

Result: Consulted The Handbook of Indulgences and discovered on page 82, #55, that “a partial indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who devoutly sign themselves with the cross while saying the customary formula: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Now, an indulgenced prayer is normally made for your own benefit, but can be applied as a suffrage to the poor souls in Purgatory, thus reducing their sufferings in Purgatory and advancing them nearer to the one true goal of life: to be with God in Heaven. Those souls are counting on our prayers!

WONDERFUL EFFECTS OF THIS DEVOTION

(I am relying on Father Faber, who makes the following points in various contexts in All for Jesus; the whole inspiration and basic content for this note comes from him)

1. You begin to make the Sign of the Cross with awesome reverence knowing you are helping the poor souls;

2. In practicing this devotion you grow closer to the Trinity as you say their names with tenderness and love; and you remind yourself, in signing yourself with the cross, that the cross is the true wisdom of God, i.e., love entails sacrifice;

3. You give great glory to God because you assist Him in the ultimate goal of His love: bringing souls to Heaven to praise Him;

4. You practice the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Love because you practice faith in the supernatural value of this devotion as revealed by the Church, you hope for something you cannot see, and you show love for your brothers and sisters in Purgatory by making this prayer applicable to them;

5. You grow in holiness since this prayer, which could have been made for your own welfare as an indulgence to reduce your time in Purgatory, is given in loving sacrifice as a suffrage to the poor souls;

6. You develop a habit of devotion that keeps your mind attuned to the supernatural operation of grace and to the goal of life: salvation! (and this is an attitude which acts as an antidote to worldliness – our arch enemy); and

7. It is possible that when these souls reach Heaven they will pray for you and for your salvation – ALL THIS BY REVERENTLY MAKING THE SIGN OF THE CROSS A FEW TIMES A DAY with the preface of saying: “For the Holy Souls in Purgatory,” or for Grandpa Smith or Aunt Mary. How easy can Jesus make things for us! Or you could say, “MotherMary, For the poor souls in Purgatory you love so much.”

Now imagine for the next 40 years you made such an act of love, by making the sign of the cross for the poor souls 5 times a day (30 seconds of prayer). At the day of judgment, you will have said about 73,000 (seventy-three thousand) prayers for the poor souls in Purgatory! What an awesome devotion in the Communion of Saints!

For the souls in Purgatory: “In the Name of the Father….”

Yours in the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

Tom Mulcahy, M.A.

Source: All for Jesus, F.W. Faber

Note: In the updated Manual of Indulgences this prayer is found on page 98, #28, part II (4th Edition). Image: Vatican flag.

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THE NEW TESTAMENT BASIS FOR PURGATORY: THE IMAGE OF A PURIFYING FIRE

“For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29)

In his encyclical on hope, Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict XVI does a wonderful job of demonstrating how 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 clearly supports the doctrine of Purgatory. It is interesting to note, as well, that Dr. Scott Hahn, a Protestant convert, mentioned this New Testament passage in 1 Corinthians as being decisive for him in accepting the Church’s teaching on Purgatory (he says, “I must admit that theologically and psychologically 1st Corinthians 3 basically sealed it up. It was all sewn up for me when I worked through this, praying, studying, pondering. I think it’s strong and clear.”)

Here is the text in question from 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. (NIV)

Now I know this text can be difficult to figure out, but it really isn’t that complicated. Let’s imagine you were contracted to build a house. If you have built your house out of high quality materials like gold, silver and costly stones, a fire will not burn it down. But if you built your house out of inferior materials like wood, hay or straw, the house is going to burn down when tested by fire. Now, what about your spiritual house? Are the good works you’ve performed during your life in order to build your spiritual edifice – are these works going to withstand the fiery scrutiny on judgment day? Or have low quality and shabby materials marred the appearance of your spiritual edifice?

Now there are two things that can happen to you if you’re inside a burning house: you can either perish in the fire or escape outside to safety! In the latter instance, where you escape, the fire proves to be remedial or purifying. Your shoddy workmanship is consumed, but yet you escape and live. In the context of judgment, this image of a saving or purifying fire sounds a lot like Purgatory! And in the passage in question from 1 Corinthians 3, Saint Paul speaks of such a situation where the shoddy workmanship is burned up and yet the “the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Corinthians 3:15).

The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible explains 1 Corinthians 3:15 in this manner:

“Some Christian workers, whose efforts are shabby and imperfect, will pass through God’s fiery judgment like a man who barely escapes a burning building with his life. This prelude to salvation will involve painful spiritual consequences, which, though severe, will spare them eternal damnation….Catholic tradition interprets Paul’s teaching in the light of Purgatory…a final stage of purification for those who are destined to heaven but depart from this life still burdened with venial sins or with an unpaid debt of temporal punishment incurred from past sins (i.e., mortal sins already forgiven but imperfectly repented of). Passing through fire is thus a spiritual process where souls are purged of residual selfishness and refined in God’s love (CCC 1030-32).” (Pages 288-89)

Here is the beautiful and profound way in which Pope Benedict explains in his encyclical, Spe Salvi, how 1 Corinthians 3 illuminates the Church’s teaching on Purgatory:

“Paul begins by saying that Christian life is built upon a common foundation: Jesus Christ. This foundation endures. If we have stood firm on this foundation and built our life upon it, we know that it cannot be taken away from us even in death. Then Paul continues: “Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Cor 3:12-15). In this text, it is in any case evident that our salvation can take different forms, that some of what is built may be burned down, that in order to be saved we personally have to pass through “fire” so as to become fully open to receiving God and able to take our place at the table of the eternal marriage-feast.

47. Some recent theologians are of the opinion that the fire which both burns and saves is Christ himself, the Judge and Saviour. The encounter with him is the decisive act of judgement. Before his gaze all falsehood melts away. This encounter with him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us, allowing us to become truly ourselves. All that we build during our lives can prove to be mere straw, pure bluster, and it collapses. Yet in the pain of this encounter, when the impurity and sickness of our lives become evident to us, there lies salvation. His gaze, the touch of his heart heals us through an undeniably painful transformation “as through fire”. But it is a blessed pain, in which the holy power of his love sears through us like a flame, enabling us to become totally ourselves and thus totally of God. In this way the inter-relation between justice and grace also becomes clear: the way we live our lives is not immaterial, but our defilement does not stain us for ever if we have at least continued to reach out towards Christ, towards truth and towards love. Indeed, it has already been burned away through Christ’s Passion. At the moment of judgement we experience and we absorb the overwhelming power of his love over all the evil in the world and in ourselves. The pain of love becomes our salvation and our joy. It is clear that we cannot calculate the “duration” of this transforming burning in terms of the chronological measurements of this world. The transforming “moment” of this encounter eludes earthly time-reckoning—it is the heart’s time, it is the time of “passage” to communion with God in the Body of Christ. The judgement of God is hope, both because it is justice and because it is grace. If it were merely grace, making all earthly things cease to matter, God would still owe us an answer to the question about justice—the crucial question that we ask of history and of God. If it were merely justice, in the end it could bring only fear to us all. The incarnation of God in Christ has so closely linked the two together—judgement and grace—that justice is firmly established: we all work out our salvation “with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). Nevertheless grace allows us all to hope, and to go trustfully to meet the Judge whom we know as our “advocate”, or parakletos (cf. 1 Jn 2:1).” (nos. 46-47, Purgatory specifically mentioned in no. 45 )

Historically, it is quite clear that the early Christians believed in a state of purification after death. We know, for example, that the Christians living in the catacombs in Rome inscribed prayers for the dead on the walls. In addition, prayers for the dead are contained in some of the earliest Christian writings. Another key proof text in scripture is 2 Maccabees 12:46, which states: “It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins.” Obviously, we would not pray for the dead if they were already in heaven. Every Catholic Mass offered throughout the world includes prayers for the living and the dead, and there is an extraordinary list of Catholic saints who have experienced private revelations of purgatory, the most recent of which include Saint Padre Pio and Saint Faustina Kowalska (the saint of the Divine Mercy revelations). Finally, is there not in our hearts a God-given instinct to pray for the souls of the dead? In Letters to Malcolm C.S. Lewis makes mention of this instinct to pray for the dead:

“Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me. And I hardly know how the rest of my prayers would survive if those for the dead were forbidden. At our age, the majority of those we love best are dead. What sort of intercourse with God could I have if what I love best were unmentionable to him? I believe in Purgatory.”

In addition to these reasons which demonstrate the reasonableness of the Church’s teaching on Purgatory, Catholics need to be aware of the strong support found in Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians (Chapter Three) for Purgatory and its purifying fires.

Tom Mulcahy, M.A.

References: Pope Benedict XVI, Encyclical Spe Salvi; Ignatius Catholic Study Bible; Dr. Scott Hahn audio, “Purgatory: Holy Fire”; and Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating.

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THE POWER OF MUSIC AND PARADIGM SHIFTS

Piano, Hand, Playing, Music, Keyboard

There is music that moves you in the right direction. And there is music that moves you in the wrong direction. Some music is more or less neutral, and neutral means you really ain’t going anywhere.

But let me be a little more specific. There is music which clearly draws us closer to God, the source of all Goodness, and this music is very valuable. On the other hand, there is demonically influenced music which is positively harmful.

Who can deny that music has a profound influence on our emotions and feelings? Yet music runs even deeper than that: it influences our values and beliefs and the very person we become.

We have witnessed for ourselves that music has influenced significant segments of society to embrace a lower standard of sexual morality and even the use of mind altering drugs. I know people who joke about not even remembering the 1960s!

The other day my 17 year old nephew, who I still manage to occasionally beat in basketball, told me about the “27 club,” which is a group of musicians who all died at the age of 27, mostly due to drug and alcohol abuse. Members of this club include Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison. Music can take us profoundly in the wrong direction; and it would be a mistake to overlook a demonic influence.

I hear about sincere Christian friends who went to the recent Rolling Stones concert. I wonder if they considered, if only for a moment, whether there was a demonic influence there that they were exposing themselves to? It is never a good thing (however unintentional) to rejoice or take pleasure in evil, or to show any sympathy for the devil. Songs that extol sexual immorality normally have a demonic influence. Do good; avoid evil. When one considers the value of rap music it is interesting to consider how many rappers have been killed in violent acts. I won’t even comment on the relationship between vile language and the demonic. And people are shocked that Pope Francis speaks so frequently about the influence of the devil!

Then there is Christian praise and worship music. Lives have been literally healed and saved by it. This is a paradigm shift worth noting: the shift from secular music to Christian praise and worship music. This paradigm shift is like a revolution in the spiritual life. Suddenly we are changed; the music we listen to is literally drawing us into God. Now we are not only listening to beautiful music – more than that we are engaging in acts of praise and worship that mold us into children of God.

Music is like a creation. It is a composition: a thought brought to fruition. When God created the world he rested in the complacency that all he had done was GOOD. Can we say that about the music we listen to?

Tom Mulcahy, M.A.

P.S. Clearly there is good secular music. In fact, some of the best secular music has a quasi-religious dimension to it. But we must discern between good and evil. And this discernment involves a true assessment of how the music we listen to has helped to shape and influence the person we have become. I maintain that for Christians it is helpful, more and more, to expose ourselves primarily to Christian music. I note that some of the contemporary secular music I sometimes hear has an introspective, angst-ridden quality to it (it feels almost like a defeated existentialism). This music seems to me to be in need of Christian hope. Jailhouse Rock is a catchy tune of low value, but when Elvis sings the Gospel hymn, Lead Me, Guide Me, the song has power to lead one safely through the valley of the shadow of death (that type of power is transformative).

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JOHN 3:16: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PERISH?

Stranded, Ships, Wrecks, Abandoned

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)

The question was brought up the other day, “What does it mean to perish?” Besides John 3:16 (quoted above) we also have 2 Peter 3:9 letting us know that it is not God’s will that anyone should perish. The verse says,”The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” But the question is: what does it actually mean to perish?

Saint Pope John Paul II (in his Apostolic Letter, SALVIFICI DOLORIS) has specifically addressed, in very sobering words, what it means to perish. In answering this question the Pope first says, “Salvation means liberation from evil, and for this reason it is closely bound up with the problem of suffering. According to the words spoken to Nicodemus, God gives his Son to ‘the world’ to free man from evil, which bears within itself the definitive and absolute perspective on suffering.” A few lines later the Pope specifically tells us what it means to perish. The Pope says:

“Man” perishes” when he loses “eternal life”. The opposite of salvation is not, therefore, only temporal suffering, any kind of suffering, but the definitive suffering: the loss of eternal life, being rejected by God, damnation. The only-begotten Son was given to humanity primarily to protect man against this definitive evil and against definitive suffering. In his salvific mission, the Son must therefore strike evil right at its transcendental roots from which it develops in human history. These transcendental roots of evil are grounded in sin and death: for they are at the basis of the loss of eternal life. The mission of the only-begotten Son consists in conquering sin and death. He conquers sin by his obedience unto death, and he overcomes death by his Resurrection” (no. 14).

What, then, does it mean to perish? It means to enter into the definite and never-ending suffering of hell caused by sin. The only liberation from this sin-driven eternal death is Jesus Christ. The Pope explains:

“Christ goes towards his Passion and death with full awareness of the mission that he has to fulfill precisely in this way. Precisely by means of this suffering he must bring it about “that man should not perish, but have eternal life”. Precisely by means of his Cross he must strike at the roots of evil, planted in the history of man and in human souls. Precisely by means of his Cross he must accomplish the work of salvation. This work, in the plan of eternal Love, has a redemptive character” (no.16).

Our escape from the ravages of sin is the Merciful Love of God manifested through His son, Jesus Christ, who died and gave his life for us (see Galatians 2:20), so that we need “not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Let us, therefore, draw closer to the Lord.

Thomas L. Mulcahy, M.A.

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SAINT PAUL’S HANDKERCHIEF AND THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS

“so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched [Saint Paul] were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” (Acts 19:12)

I had a dream about a faith-filled and holy Protestant man.

He was standing by the road in the throes of a dreadful and deadly illness, barely clinging to life. Suddenly, he sees a kind lady approaching him with Saint Paul’s handkerchief, the one mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, the one that God allowed to heal so many people. As he sees the relic coming close to him, his sense of hope ascends to an incredible height! His family is amazed that such a grace is being given to him. But suddenly something sends him a scruple and he reasons: why should I touch a handkerchief that touched Saint Paul, a mere human? No, I will pray directly to Jesus, lest I steal away Jesus’ glory by honoring Paul. The crowd is urging him to touch the handkerchief but he refuses to do so. Suddenly, Jesus appears to him to calm his fear of offending Him, and says: “My son, be not afraid, it will give me great glory if you touch the handkerchief, for Paul was once my great enemy but through grace he became a mighty image of myself, and his transformation into a saint has given my Father great glory.”

Suddenly the man realizes that by amazing grace Saint Paul has been incorporated into the mystical body of Christ. He – Paul – is a part of Christ’s body. The man sees that God is indeed glorified in His saints (see 2 Thessalonians 1:10). He touches Saint Paul’s relic. He’s healed. His wife is crying tears of joy. And everyone is saying, “praise God!”

What a great mystery the communion of saints is! How much does it tell us about how wonderful our Heavenly Father is! In the historical Protestant faith the model for justification is the courtroom and legal righteousness (imputed), but in the Catholic faith the model for justification is Divine sonship. We truly become sons and daughters of the eternal Father and cry out “Abba,”( Papa). Its all a family affair. And what gives a Father more glory than allowing his sons and daughters to partake of His own life, and eat at his table, and perform miracles like Jesus did, and bring his children’s prayers to Him.

“To venerate the relics of the saints is a profession of belief in several doctrines of the Catholic faith [including] the belief in the special intercessory power which the saints enjoy in heaven because of their intimate relationship with Christ the King; and… the truth of our closeness to the saints because of our connection in the communion of saints — we as members of the Church militant or pilgrim Church, they as members of the Church triumphant” (Fr. W. Saunders, “Church Teaching on Relics”). The fact that the New Testament identifies, in Paul’s Handkerchief, such a striking example of God’s power working through the relic of a Saint profoundly authenticates the Church’s teaching in this area.

So why pray to a saint in Heaven? : because it shows great confidence in the amazing munificence of the redemption merited by the Precious Blood, that sinners are made into saints and allowed participation in the very Trinitarian life of the omnipotent Creator. How great God is!! Far from detracting from God’s glory, the doctrine of the communion of saints is a rather amazing manifestation of it.

Tom Mulcahy, M.A.

P.S. It would be incredulous to think that Saint Paul, now glorified in heaven, has less influence in the Communion of Saints than what he had on earth! If we can pray for each other, consider what the Saints in Heaven can do! Its a beneficial practice to make friends with a new Saint and to be devoted to that Saint for a particular need which corresponds to that Saint’s particular sanctity. See what happens!

I see the influence of listening to many hours of Scott Hahn tapes in my third to last paragraph.

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THE HEALING OF EMOTIONAL LIFE

Light, Healing, Sky, Trees, Nature

The beautiful emotions God has given us work tremendous good in our lives when they are under the guidance of our rational and spiritual faculties. A child lives his life primarily on an emotional level, but to mature he must gradually bring his emotional life under the control of right reason and spiritual life. In this context it may be helpful to see our lives from this four-fold perspective:

1. Physical Life;

2. Emotional Life;

3. Rational Life; and

4. Spiritual Life

What is being urged upon us here is the proper management of our emotional life by the higher faculties of human reason and Divine grace. By spiritual life, then, I am referring to the life of grace given to us by God which flows to us by way of prayer and sacramental life. Recourse to prayer and the sacraments is a great aid in healing impaired emotional life.

We know very well that letting our emotions flow freely can be psychologically healing – as in sharing our emotions and feelings with a friend or in therapy. But in a different context unregulated emotional life can be very damaging. In this sense if emotional life is not brought under the control and guidance of rational and spiritual life it can become a tyrant – and as such inordinate anger or sadness can even lead to violence or other destructive conduct.

We see in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus seemingly crushed by the weight of sorrow and grief – yet he has the strength of mind and the strength of grace to complete his mission, saying to the apostles, “Arise, let us go” (Matthew 26:46). Jesus teaches us to place our emotional life under the guidance and strength of grace.

Once a person I knew quite well was suffering significant emotional turmoil and had clearly strayed from the light of right reason. His emotional life had simply engulfed his rational life. I told this person that he had always been a person of great common sense, and that this would be a good time for him to gather-up and make good use of the excellent common sense God had given him. He took my advice and within a few days he was doing much better.

Spiritual life can profoundly impact our emotional life for the better. Thus, if we are experiencing to a harmful degree the emotions of bitterness and resentment, we can take recourse to spiritual life in order to re-channel these vexing emotions into positive forces. By allowing the powerful spiritual virtues of meekness and gentleness to descend into our emotions, we can heal our emotions and make them occasions for acts of virtue and charity. Thus, what started out in the direction of hatred ends in the life-giving direction of charity! “The act of virtue,” Saint Thomas Aquinas says, “is even more meritorious when it makes good use of the passions [or emotions] in view of a virtuous end.” Therefore, “passions or emotions regulated…by right reason…are forces to be used in the service of virtue” (Fr. Garrigou-LaGrange). Here we see a fundamental insight of Saint Thomas: that grace builds upon nature.

Right reason involves not only a knowledge of the virtues but in addition the elimination of what psychologists call cognitive distortions (meaning erroneous ways of thinking). Becoming acquainted with the ten common distorted ways of thinking, and correcting the ones that pertain to you, is one of the most valuable things you can do for emotional health and well-being (see link below). Learning to recognize and correct defective thinking patterns is essentially curative.

Finally, spiritual life involves prayer and the sacraments. Suffice it to say in this short note that the Sacraments of Reconciliation, the Eucharist (including Eucharistic adoration), and the Anointing of the Sick are powerful means of healing grace. Moreover, as Father Padovani, a therapist, points out, we can bring our broken emotions to God freely in prayer. In prayer we approach God in faith and hope, theological virtues which in and of themselves are pathways to healing since they direct us towards God. In prayer we can ask God for the “ever-new graces” we need to heal distorted or impaired emotions. God can restore beauty and balance to our emotional life, or give us the grace to carry the crosses that no one can avoid on this earthly pilgrimage.