Notes from Gathered for the Journey Six (6) essays David McCarthy

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Hope is not naïve optimism—―..hope gives us the ability to face the possibility thatimportant matters of life might turn out badly.‖ (181)Impacts our relationship with God and with other people:Frees us from anxiety for the ―victory has already been won.‖Opens us to the needs and sufferings of others..Virtue of Love (181)Faith and hope are not needed in heaven; but, ―the love of God, in contrast, will alwaysbe present in heaven for it is an inexhaustible source of pure self-giving and otherreceivingaction.‖ (181)Modern Misunderstanding of ―love‖Worldly loves are not in se bad but limited. For true love is ―life-giving andtransformative,‖ in its ―power.‖ (181)Such worldly loves cannot be ―self-sustained and self-sufficient‖; they becomedeceptive when they seek to be complete in themselves—sexual love devolvesinto lust when ―a person ignores the fullness of a loving relationship and putsphysical desire at the center.‖Even romantic love proves closer to Christian virtuous love in being otherdirected;but it can be too focused on seeking romantic moments alone—and notbe directed to others. God‘s love is bountiful and human love in relationship withGod in Christ ―naturally expands to include others.‖ (182)Note: Miller argues that 1 Cor. 13 often read at weddings is more accurately realized inself-giving love in communio—―love in a community of faith, where the individual giftsand talents of each are given to serve the good of all.‖ (182)―In short, God‘s love is better represented, not by the wedding, but by the weddingbanquet, where the poor and outcaste are invited in, where we are invited into an everwideningbounty of God‘s hospitality (Luke 14:15-24).‖ (182)II. Divine Action, Human Freedom and Fulfillment (182)What of human freedom?Miller notes that ―the theological virtues raise difficult philosophical questions.‖ (182)1. Does God—who gives us these dispositions—―make us act in accord with thosegifts?‖ (182)2. Do these virtues undermine and discount human choice and action?Fundamental Moral Theology Page 28 of 54Class Notes – Father Michael Seger
How God operates in CreationThe issue: ―We need to understand how grace—so attractive, effective, and powerful—influences us to live a better life without destroying an essential part of what makes ushuman, our free will.‖ (182)Miller issues a disclaimer—a highly complex explanation—but urges patience andattention (182)Miller argues that ―the relationship between God‘s grace and human freedom is at theheart of the Christian moral life.‖ (182, 183 top)First—what is the relationship of God‘s power to our own? (183)Miller says that this relationship is ―best seen in our ability to freely choose something.‖(183)Miller lays out four options (183) of divine power and human freedom. Each option ismade up of two propositions—logic dictates that one of these options must be true.Reasoning ProcessFirst—we must define our term of ―freedom‖. Miller notes that we tend to be sloppy andindiscriminate –he will use a philosophical definition:―A person is ‗free‘ only when he or she is able to both choose and initiate what is chosenwithout any external influence or coercion.‖ (emphasis added, 183)Three Caveats:Note—1. ―this does not mean the person must have the power to complete the task in orderto be free.2. Nor does it mean that we are solitary and have not been formed within acommunity; we all become persons within a social structure and our actions bothinfluence and are influenced by others.‖3. Nor does it mean that a free person must be able to things her o she is notphysically or intellectually able to do (such as levitation or speaking Swahili ifnever before studying the language), or things that are logically impossible to do(such as becoming a cat). Such actions have no bearing on the liberty of humanfreedom.‖ (1873)Is the choice non-coerced, unbiased and undetermined? Is it chosen simply ―because heor she wanted to make it?‖ (184) Then it is free.Secondly—we must define ―all powerful‖ ―ability to do anything I want to do—baringa logical impossibility‖ (184). This applies to Almighty God, but not a human person.[Recall: we are dealing with a theological issue—a mystery of our faith—even though weproceed philosophically]Fundamental Moral Theology Page 29 of 54Class Notes – Father Michael Seger
Page 1 and 2: Notes from Gathered for the Journey
Page 3 and 4: Note: the emphasis is on the Inspir
Page 5 and 6: --a ―gift from God for the purifi
Page 7 and 8: Well, two historical reasons:1. Fir
Page 9 and 10: considered the real intentions of t
Page 11 and 12: David Cloutier: ―Human Fulfillmen
Page 13 and 14: Tragic Mistake—we instrumentalize
Page 15 and 16: V. Who Loves Me and Whom Do I Love?
Page 17 and 18: Like the person finding the pearl b
Page 19 and 20: Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt --
Page 21 and 22: to Aryanism, a powerful, divisive h
Page 23 and 24: liberal. In other words, it runs th
Page 25 and 26: c. ―Reading‖ may mean tracing t
Page 27: God’s gift of theological virtues
Page 31 and 32: Miller draws his conclusions using
Page 33 and 34: Grace in Developing Natural GiftsGr
Page 35 and 36: Dana Dillon and David McCarthy -
Page 37 and 38: Rational Insight into Human Inclina
Page 39 and 40: 6.of social life.‖ (i.e. military
Page 41 and 42: The ―Texture‖ of Human Reason
Page 43 and 44: Kant again—he ―attempted to gro
Page 45 and 46: Truth and Virtue: shaping our consc
Page 47 and 48: William C. Mattison, III ―Moral V
Page 49 and 50: II. Naming and Defining the Four Ca
Page 51 and 52: Mattison keeps the discussion philo
Page 53 and 54: V. The Significance of Infused Virt

Notes from Gathered for the Journey Six (6) essays David McCarthy

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?