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Telegraph
3 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Sacred Mysteries: How God acts from the inside of everything
The Gospel of St John is extraordinarily well written. I don't mean the other Gospels are badly written, but in St John's we find a beautifully composed work by a single author. The so-called prologue of this Gospel, starting, 'In the beginning was the Word,' has been so praised for its sublimity that its meaning is sometimes skated over. I've just been reading the Commentary on the Gospel of John by St Thomas Aquinas, and was struck by what he says early on about the Word of God before he 'was made flesh, and dwelt among us'. John says: 'He was in the world.' Thomas says he was in the world as an efficient cause (in the language of Aristotle) but with a striking difference. 'Other agents act as existing externally...' he says, 'But God acts in all things from within, because he acts by creating.' To create, he says, is to give being to the thing created. The Latin word for 'being' that he uses is esse, the infinitive. This in his vocabulary is the act of being that makes anything exist as what it is. Esse is sometimes translated into English as 'existence', but it is more than the fact of existing; it is the power each thing has to act as itself. In our case, esse is the difference between being alive and dead. 'Since existence [ esse ] is innermost in each thing,' Thomas says, 'God, who by acting gives existence, acts in things from within. Hence God [the Word] was in the world as one giving existence to the world.' This is very different from the mental picture people may have of God sitting in heaven and commanding things to be created. It is true that God is not part of the world and that he transcends everything that we know. But when the old Catechism answer said that 'God is everywhere', it meant, among other things, that God is interior to the vital being of anything. All this applies to the Word of God, God the Son, before ever he took upon himself human flesh and was born in Bethlehem. There is a puzzle here because, since God is present in a volcano, say, and gives it its existence and power to act, then, when the volcano erupts, God has responsibility. Certainly volcanoes function by ordinary secondary causality, for which we like to construct laws of nature. But the volcano would not continue to exist from second to second did God not sustain it in being. Fortunately, this cuts both ways. God's sustaining presence is also part of his almighty power: he does whatever he wants to. He is in charge, so if things look pretty bad at one moment, he can bring them to good. And if things seem bad to us, the Word made Flesh suffered as badly in his death as anyone could. God can do his good work while allowing secondary causes to act according to their laws. He can also allow human beings to exercise their freedom to do good or evil while he brings wicked plans to nothing, or rather to a good conclusion. The fierce logician, Peter Geach, in his book Providence and Evil, likens God to a master chess-player, winning the game whatever moves the opponent chooses. This applies in specific cases, not just in the lump. So someone with faith in God believes that it is wise to trust him, for there is nothing to be gained by going against the principles of good behaviour that he has revealed in his commandments. In the Bible, Joseph was thrown by his brothers into a pit to die. When, by fortune, he ends up in Egypt and prospers, and feeds his brothers in famine, he tells them: 'It was not you who sent me here, but God. . . You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.'
Irish Independent
09-05-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Popular Kerry priest Fr Tom recalls his Peruvian connections to the new Pope
While Fr Looney had left Peru before Fr Prevost arrived, they both worked in similar locations throughout their time in the South American nation and for both it had a lasting impact. Fr Looney feels the poverty witnessed by Pope Leo XIV in Peru will influence his tenure as head of the Catholic Church. He said Robert Prevost was very much trusted in crisis-torn Peru given he was Archbishop and a key leader of the Peruvian church there. There was also much political strife in the country throughout his tenure in South America and this experience will stand to him in today's world. "He is man of peace and unity.' "I didn't know him personally. I would have left Peru before he was ordained but I know him through his colleagues.' Cardinal Prevost spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru and became a cardinal only in 2023. During his time in Peru he joined the mission in Trujillo and was director of the joint formation project for Augustinian candidates from the vicariates of Chulucanas, Iquitos, and Apurímac. Over the course of eleven years, he served as prior of the community (1988–1992), formation director (1988–1998), and instructor for professed members (1992–1998), and in the Archdiocese of Trujillo as judicial vicar (1989–1998) and professor of Canon Law, Patristics, and Moral Theology at the Major Seminary 'San Carlos y San Marcelo'. These too were places that Fr Looney spent time in. "I was 10 years in Trujillo – it is the third city of Peru with a lot of poverty,' said Fr Looney. Many of those that Fr Looney worked with down through the years, including Fr Sean O'Sullivan and Fr John B O'Sullivan, would have got to know Fr Prevost during his time. ADVERTISEMENT "At least five or six missionaries from Kerry would have served with him.' Fr Tom, as he is known in Kerry, was also a professor in the Seminary where Pope Leo XVI was professor. "We have a lot of connections. It is unusual that I taught in the college where he later became professor.' In 2014 when Pope Francis appointed Fr Prevost as apostolic administrator of the diocese of Chiclayo, this too was an area Fr Looney knew well and he has strong connections to. The following year, he was named bishop of the city. On September 26, 2015, he was named bishop of Chiclayo and became a naturalized Peruvian citizen before becoming bishop. By 2023 he was promoted to archbishop before this week being elected Pope.
Bloomberg
09-05-2025
- General
- Bloomberg
Pope Leo XIV has a 'Global Vision': Sister Mary C. Boys
Sister Mary C. Boys, Professor of Practical Theology at Union Theological Seminary, reacts to the first remarks from Pope Leo XIV and what they reveal about the new pope's vision for the church and Catholics around the world. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Pope Leo XIV slammed JD Vance and now the internet can't stop mocking him
JD Vance has been made fun of in a myriad of hilarious ways, from people accusing him of having coitus with a sectional to people pointing out that he was acting like a weird robot during the presidential campaign, to him being blamed for Pope Francis' death. But now the vice president is being dunked on because the new pope was chosen, and it seems like he might hate Vance as much as Democrats do. Pope Leo XIV, perviously known as American Cardinal Robert Prevost, has been an outspoken critic of the way Vance tried to use Catholic teachers to justify the Trump administration's draconian immigration policy, writing on social media, 'JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others,' USA Today reports. Pope Leo XIV also posted his approval of a public letter Pope Francis wrote, giving Vance, who only converted to Catholicism in 2019, a lesson on theology. This means that two popes in a row have thought that Vance needs to do better as a Catholic. This has predictably led to the internet tearing Vance to shreds. 'This new Pope had me at 'JD Vance is wrong,'' one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Another person joked, 'jd vance killed pope francis only for the new pope to hate him even more,' while someone else posted, 'good news everyone, the new pope still hates jd vance.' Keep scrolling to see the funniest reactions to JD Vance getting roasted for the new pope being critical of him! — (@) "jd vance killed pope francis only for the new pope to hate him even more" — (@) Me, seeing all the times our new Pope has dragged this administration AND JD Vance. — (@) "good news everyone, the new pope still hates jd vance" — (@) "This new Pope had me at 'JD Vance is wrong'' — (@) "The Vatican keeps in tradition of having a Pope who doesn't like JD Vance." — (@) "An American pope who fights with JD Vance on Twitter? I am so in" — (@) "I don't care how homophobic the new pope is as long as he excommunicates JD Vance, that's all I ask." — (@) "Pope Leo XIV is not a fan of Trump and JD Vance! MAGA isn't going to like this one." — (@) "The new pope appears to not have tweeted in 2024, returning only to pray for Pope Francis's health and criticize JD Vance" — (@) "For clarity - The new Pope thinks Trump and JD Vance are a couple of assholes. He's right." — (@) "Excellent job of maintaining continuity by picking another Pope who personally hates JD Vance" — (@) "JD Vance is such a bad catholic they gave us an american pope lmao" — (@) "the new pope being from illinois and also hating jd vance is so funny we're about to see heretofore unknown levels of midwest beef" — (@) "new pope hates JD vance" — (@) "Wow—this one's a mic drop from the new Pope. A sitting Cardinal (now Pope Leo XIV) publicly rebuking JD Vance for twisting scripture to justify a political agenda?" — (@) "italian catholics guarding the new pope from jd vance" — (@) "Pope Leo, recognizing that JD Vance is a loathsome piece of shit not only has Catholics ecstatic, it has the entire free world howling in delight! In history, there has never been an American president and vice president who are more globally despised than Trump and Vance." — (@) "Wow, the new Pope has directly gone after JD Vance before. I'm a fan!" — (@) "Even the Pope dunks on JD f'ng Vance." — (@) "Robert Prevost our new pope is: • From Chicago • Cubs Fan • Hates police brutality • Hates JD Vance • 69 years old (nice!) Yea I like this guy already…"
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Could the next pope come from Africa?
Cardinals from around the world are meeting at the Vatican to elect the next head of the catholic church in a secret conclave. There are thought to have been three popes from Africa in the past, but the last of those was more than 1,500 years ago. So, could the new pope come from Africa? And what is at stake for the continent as the catholic church chooses its next leader? Alan Kasujja speaks to Reverend Professor Paulinus Odozor, a Professor of Theology and African Studies at Notre Dame University.
