#thomistic institute

[apesoformythoughts]

Our mortality gives a kind of flavor to human thinking that I don’t think you’ll ever find in a machine […] Since we are natal and mortal beings, there is no guarantee that our thinking is off the shelf correct, like some technologically generated consumer item. This leads us to a special sort of anxiety, a sort of being-unto-death which is the experience of our finitude. And that anxiety is the dignity and the burden of not being a machine.

#artificial intelligence #thomistic institute #reason

[pink-fiat003]

It’s that listening-to-hours-of-lectures-on-your-patron-saint time of the day

#catholic #christian #st albertus magnus #love you angelicum thomistic institute

[hislittleflower-throughconcrete]

Coming back from the Catholic Tumblr grave to say a few things

If you are a student, you can attend intellectual retreats hosted by the Thomistic Institute for free. They even have scholarships available to help cover costs of transportation. They are SO worth it. I attended my first one recently and it allowed me to deepen my understanding of Who I Love in a beautiful way.

Maybe everyone else in Catholic world is aware of this already, but if you haven't listened to Matt Maher's Adoration album, do it, because it is so peaceful and beautiful and full of wonder and I just love the Eucharist ok.

That is all.

#Catholic #things people already know probably but make me happy

[philosophiakalia]

awesome talk

#catholic #dominican #wisdom #thomas aquinas

[crusadingspacewarrior]

From your last answer, why do you think God lets evil exist then?

This is a philosophical question called The Problem of Evil. To explain this properly it has to be kept in mind that God possess all of the divine attributes, or "all of the omnis". God is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), omnibenevolent (all-good), among others such as being omnipresent. The problem of evil however is only concerned with God's divine knowledge, power and goodness so those are the attributes that will be focused on.

Some philosophers believe that God cannot possess all of the divine attributes because it would create a paradox. If God were omniscient He would know that evil is a problem and He would do something about it. If God were omnipotent then He would be powerful enough to do something about it. If God were omnibenevolent He would be opposed to evil and do something about it. Evil still exists however meaning that at least one of the divine attributes must not be true. Therefore, at least one of the divine attributes must be given up in order for everything to work.

This may be understandable but I believe this is wrong, God can still possess all of His divine attributes and I'll quickly explain why. God allows evil to exist because us resolving problems essentially gives us something to do. One could not experience or truly appreciate what true goodness means unless one were to understand privations of goodness - evil. That is why God gave us freewill with the ability to reason. God wants to share His rule with us on earth by having us participate in it through moral behavior. By not stealing from the cookie jar, being a hero and saving a person from a burning building, or kicking the senile old pedo out of office - instances of bringing about goodness - we are then participating in God's rule. That's the problem of evil explained and resolved briefly. There are also different types of evils which I won't go into detail here because this answer is already kinda long. If you're interested I highly recommend watching some videos by the Thomist Institute on Youtube. They have plenty of well explained videos by priests going over St. Thomas Aquinas' philosophy where he dealt with the problem of evil and explained the metaphysics of God.

#anon ask #philosophy

[bwitiye]

Hi, Could you recommend some introductory resources to start reading about Thomas Aquinas?

Thanks🩵

hi!

ive mostly learned about aquinas from watching the thomistic institute’s aquinas 101 series (on youtube for free), which gives a good walkthrough of the necessary background philosophy and then gets you into thomism; it’s really good, it’s done by dominican friars.

for books, i’ve not read any about aquinas (i’ve read relevant parts of the summa, but i don’t really read descriptive literature), but ive been told that GK chesterton’s the dumb ox is good (and it sparked a decent bit of the modern interest in aquinas), as is louis de wohl’s the quiet light, and josef pieper’s guide to thomas aquinas.

if you’re not religious, i would recommend getting into aquinas’ writings on the human person, which is what i find the most interesting. also, his proofs for the existence of god (though they do require knowledge of aristotelian concepts like act and potency, causes, etc.). it’s a real mental trip to have to consider just how different the mindset of the people in aquinas’ day was from our own.

#mein #religion #thomas aquinas #aquinas #catholicism #christianity #religious studies #thomism

[utopense]

ENCUENTROS UNIVERSITARIOS TOMISTAS

Los días 26 a 29 de septiembre tuvo lugar el primer Encuentro Universitario Tomista, organizado por el Instituto Santo Tomás de Balmesiana y el Thomistic Institute del Angelicum (Roma). El tema de este primer encuentro fue: LA ACTUALIDAD DEL TOMISMO La Iglesia no ha dejado de recomendar a santo Tomás como guía segura en los estudios filosóficos y teológicos. Pero podemos preguntarnos: ¿tiene…

View On WordPress

#Doctrina #Tomismo

[urbanhermit]

Etienne Gilson died on 18 September 1978 (1884–1978) French philosopher and historian. Gilson taught the history of medieval philosophy at the Sorbonne (1921–32) and then took the chair of medieval philosophy at the Collège de France. In 1929 he helped found the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies in Toronto, Canada. Although primarily a historian of philosophy, he was also one of the leaders of the Roman Catholic neo-Thomist movement. He was elected to the French Academy in 1946. His works include The Philosophy of St Thomas Aquinas (1919, trs. 1924); The Christian Philosophy of Saint Augustine (1929, trs. 1960); The Spirit of Mediaeval Philosophy (2 vol., 1932, trs. 1936); God and Philosophy (1941); Being and Some Philosophers (1949); and The Philosopher and Theology (1960, trs. 1962). I was introduced to Gilson in my two courses on the writings of St Thomas Aquinas at Duquesne University of the Holy Ghost when I was in Pre-Novitiate at Laval House. Together with Jacques Maritain, they both did much to bring Thomism into the 20th Century. Maritain would teach for Gilson at the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies was founded in Toronto by Gilson. https://www.instagram.com/p/CirNw34uFMt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[spiritualdirections]

Baylor professor Alexander Pruss gave a terrific talk at MIT asking the questions: 1) What are mathematical concepts such that they can apply to the real world outside our minds? and 2) How can mathematics be beautiful?  and suggesting that the existence and creative activity of God is the best answer to both of these questions.

Slides for the talk are available at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ws5IqVf38i7JqIuNKjhwdXqjvjdGIcoU/view?usp=sharing

Audio available at: https://soundcloud.com/thomisticinstitute/god-beauty-and-mathematics-prof-alexander-pruss

(BTW, You can tell this is an MIT audience when the speaker makes a joke about mathematical functions, and some people actually laugh...)

#alexander pruss #thomistic institute #proofs for the existence of God #MIT catholic

[catholicartistsnyc]

Meet: Melissa Maricich

MELISSA MARICICH is an NYC-based actress, singer, dancer, producer and writer, as well as a Catholic Artist Connection board member. (www.mmaricich.com or [email protected])

CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION (CAC): What brought you to NYC, and where did you come from? How long have you been here, and why did you decide to move here? 

MELISSA MARICICH (MM): I was born and raised near Seattle, Washington. Specifically, a lovely spot called Maple Valley, where I grew up on multiple acres of countryside as one of nine kids. I started out as a dancer, but once my voice sort of "kicked-in" during high school I became involved in musical theatre which led to greater interest in acting and film. Because New York has both theatre and film I was encouraged to move here rather than LA initially. A couple of years after gaining experience in the professional scene in Seattle I did just that, and moved to New York to further my opportunities of work in the entertainment industry.

CAC: How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist? Do you call yourself a Catholic artist?

MM: I want it to be very clear in my interactions with people that I am a Catholic, but I don't think my work could be termed "Catholic Art.” Our vocation as Catholics is to love and serve God and our neighbors, which we should do through our work, whatever that work may be; whether as postal workers or Hollywood / Broadway stars. I see my work as being a job (that I love to do), that often takes place in the secular arena, which is part of what gives me a greater opportunity to share the Good News of the Gospel.  Whatever our daily occupation may be, it should be a means by which we strive to serve and love. 

CAC: Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?

MM: One of the beautiful things about life in New York is the hugely diverse places and ways one can make connections. I've met Catholic actors and artists in as many ways as the number of individuals I've connected with.  I've also hugely benefited from the Sheen Center and people I've met there - very particularly all the people I'm involved with for Catholic Artists Connection and Catholic Artists NYC... a perfectly "unbrazen" plug on my part, for the people making this very interview possible :)

CAC: How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?

MM: The artistic world would have to make a decision to be humble enough, and open-minded enough, to entertain the thought that those with faith could have good reason for their beliefs. However we can only be responsible for ourselves and I think the artistic world will be more open to us once it is confronted with, and realizes, how many more of its members are people of faith than it currently suspects. That accomplishment rests in great part on our being more courageous, vocal and generous in sharing the Gospel. Of course, that definitely requires Prudence about the right time, place, and manner in which we share. (As an aside, I think that is a beautiful function the secular world unwittingly provides us with - opportunities to grow in virtue: particularly Prudence, Courage and Charity/)

CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment? Which parish(es) do you attend? 

MM: I've found a home and welcome at St. Joseph's Church in Greenwich Village. It has a vibrant community, with particular connections to NYU and the students there. It is served by wonderful Dominican priests. I've met performers through some of the parish ministries, even the Thomistic Institutes' talks and lectures there (which are hugely formative and inspiring I might add). I highly recommend signing up for the emails and updates for the Thomistic Institute events. I've not once been sorry I spent my time in attending them!

CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find artistic fulfillment?

MM: A number of mentors, teachers and coaches are of course essential in this. It's fulfilling and satisfying to work with people who help you to be your best, who challenge you and help you to actualize your potential. I have a wonderful voice teacher (feel free to contact me if you are looking for one!). The Barrow Group (take Seth Barrish's class) and Jon Shears' "Take Action" Workshop (film work) are both wonderful resources. The Growing Studio and Max Theatrix are particularly helpful for musical theatre performers and making connections. The Growing Studio is how I was connected to my current agent. 

CAC: How have you found or built community as a Catholic artist living in NYC?

MM: I'd say the simplest description for how it has, and is continuing to happen for me, is simply by being open with the people I meet and by connecting as much in the moment with those who I come across as I possible. You'd truly be shocked at the strange way you can meet people in the business, and even other Catholic performers. Especially if you're simply willing to smile, say hello and introduce yourself. 

CAC: What is your daily spiritual practice?

MM: It can shift from time to time, but there are particular forms of prayer and different saints that tend to regularly be in the forefront. The Rosary - and with it Marian Consecration. St. Joseph, Francis of Assisi, Peter, Therese, Padre Pio, etc. etc. Whenever possible during the week daily Mass, and Adoration. And some kind of religious reading of which there's a large variety. Definitely anything Chesterton, or Lewis. Other recommended material is The Light of Christ, by Fr. Thomas Joseph White. A number of podcasts of which the most recent addition is Stacey Sumereau's "Called and Caffeinated". And Bishop Barron's "Word on Fire" is a staple.

CAC: What is your daily artistic practice? 

MM: They aren't ALL always daily simply due to constrictions of time, but, as much as I can I'll have hour-long voice practices a couple times a week, dance classes, reading on pertinent info for acting/material that is inspiring for production/writing ideas. 

CAC: What resources have you found helpful in securing housing/roommates?

MM: 80/20 Housing is quite the resource. For females, look into St. Agnes Residence or other women's residences. Unfortunately I don't know of the equivalent for guys... sorry fella's!

CAC: How can you find work in NYC? 

MM: If you are looking for a survival job, be willing to tell/mention it to random people you know or meet that you are looking for a job. I got my first hostessing job (glamorous, I know) because I mentioned in passing that I was looking for consistent work to a girl I was doing a temp-job with. She said, totally off-the-cuff "Oh, my roommate is leaving a place right now, and they are looking to fill it. I'll send them your resume." 

CAC: What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in NYC?

MM: Gingerb3ardMen Photography. Billy Bustamente Photography. Sean Turi Photography.

CAC: What are your top 3 pieces of advice for Catholic artists moving to NYC?

MM: Don't be afraid, and give yourself some grace and slack in expectations when you first arrive. (Of course don't slack in your devotion to doing what you know is necessary in pursuing excellence in your craft but DO cut yourself-slack in your expectations of immediate or worldly "success"). And make sure to get out of the city every now and then! Take the train up the Hudson or somewhere cute on Long Island. Get out of town every now and again. 

If you have recently arrived in this busy City, Welcome! Glad to have you here and look forward to meeting you soon!

#catholic #artist #catholic artist #catholic artists nyc #catholic artist connection #new york #new yorker #st. joseph's greenwich #church #thomistic institute #dominicans #barrow group #growing studio #max theatrix #80/20 housing #st. agnes residence #gingerb3ardmen #billy bustamente #sean turi #melissa maricich

[digiknow]

#UCSB #Event #Thomistic Institute

[apesoformythoughts]

#SoundCloud

[windowinthesky88]

Five Favorites: Week 3

Five Favorites: Week 3

-1-

This morning I got an email from Veils by Lily. It was announced of new veils titled, Chinese Blossom Veils. They are so beautiful! Looks like I might be seeing if I can get one with our next pay.

-2-

If you have never heard of Aquinas 101, I would highly recommend it. Next week I will be finally getting back into working on the lessons they have produced. Should I mention it is…

View On WordPress

#Aquinas 101 #Books #FF #Five Favorites #Friendship #Landlines #Letter Writing #Long Lost Family #Retro Phones #Stationaries #Thomistic Institute #UK Televsion #United Kingdom #Unknown Soldiers

[sparrowinthefield]

OH MY GOODNESS I WILL PUT MY CHILD IN THIS

#this is amazing #the thomistic institute is on fire #with their merch #now I need a baby #a husband first #ughhh

[keow]

Hi! This is a weird ask, but would you be willing to post resources/arguments about Christianity being true? Like, were there specific ones that convinced you to convert? I was raised Catholic but didn't really believe it growing up, but would like to have the same feelings about faith and peace that you posted about. I'm in a bit of a bad place right now and would like to go back and deepen my faith but it's hard.

This isn’t a weird ask, don’t worry! I’d love to provide you with some resources :) I’ll try to include both visual and auditory mediums as I don’t know what your learning style is.

I don’t mean to overwhelm you with information, please forgive me if this is too much 😗

I’m going to split this up into different categories of content here, based loosely around my conversion journey—i.e. what I had questions and doubts about. Please remember that faith is a very personal journey and you may have different concerns altogether, but hopefully this will give you a starting point to jump off of.

First: Arguments for the existence of God

Breaking in the Habit - What is God?  

The Thomistic Institute on the Five Ways

Pints with Aquinas - Explaining Thomas Aquinas’ Proofs

Pints with Aquinas - The Best Argument for the Existence of God W/ Trent Horn

Lumen - Arguments for the Existence of God (overview)

Subcategory: Near death experiences This is clearly anecdotal evidence and therefore not as strong, but I found reading about near death experiences to be extremely interesting. I liked browsing the NDE subreddit :) The common experience of SOMETHING among those who nearly die is at least indicative of there being more beyond the material realm, and by extension, a God. 

Second: Arguments for monotheism

This isn’t a common apologetics issue unless you’re a convert from a polytheistic religion (which I was), so there’s less content on this.

Pints with Aquinas — Aquinas on Why There Can’t Be Many Gods

Jordan Peterson on Monotheism

Third: How reliable are the Gospels? Did Jesus even exist?

Biblical Archeology Society - Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible

Pints with Aquinas - Is the New Testament Really Historically Accurate? W/ Trent Horn

The Great Myths - History for Atheists  This is a SECULAR website created by an atheist seeking to correct the flaws in his fellow atheists’ arguments. Much to his chagrin, I found the website and now I’m a Christian. Here is their Jesus Mythicism series.

Influence - The Reliability of the Gospels

NAMB - The Historical Reliability of the Gospels

History - The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists?

The Science of Apologetics on the historical accuracy of the Bible 

Answers in Genesis - How Do We Know the Bible is True? 

Fourth: Was Jesus the prophesied Messiah?

Jews for Jesus - What Proof Do You Have That Jesus is the Messiah?

The Top 40 Messianic Prophecies

Two Messiahs in Judaism: Ben David and Ben Joseph

Be Thinking - Messiah: Jesus, the evidence of history

Fifth: The Resurrection (and the events thereafter)

The Resurrection, Evidence, and the Scientist

William Lane Craig Debates Ben Shapiro about Jesus 

Did the Resurrection Really Happen? | William Lane Craig

Capturing Christianity’s interview with Dr. Gary Habermas Short highlight from that video the Science of Apologetics on Evidence for the Resurrection

Links from the bottom of that post: One, two, three, four, five

Sixth: Did Jesus claim to be God? Theology of the Incarnation and the Holy Trinity

The Thomistic Institute on the Trinity: The Triune God (Aquinas 101) The Persons of the Trinity (Aquinas 101)

Breaking in the Habit - Did Jesus Claim to be God? 

Trinity explained by CS Lewis: Christian "Trinity" Explained in 3 Minutes The Three-Personal God by C.S. Lewis

Christianity.com - Did Jesus Claim to be God?

Ryan Reeves - The Incarnation and Jesus Christ (In 90 Seconds)

The Thomistic Institute on the Incarnation: The Meaning of the Incarnation (Aquinas 101) Motives of the Incarnation (Aquinas 101)

Bishop Robert Barron - Understanding the Incarnation

Seventh: Miracles and saints just because I personally think they’re really fun!

Lessons from Lourdes: Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette

Pints with Aquinas - Scientific EVIDENCE for Eucharistic Miracles? w/ Fr. Terry Donahue

Actual information on incorruptible saints 

Our Lady of Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun

The Shroud of Turin: The Catholic Talk Show  Mr. Mythos  Lecture on the Shroud

Our Lady of Guadalupe

The miracles of St. Padre Pio

PDFS AND STUFF— Writings of saints, theologians, and apologists.

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

The (searchable!) Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas

Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis

Early Christian writings from the Church Fathers

Saints’ Books - A collection of free writings from Catholic saints

St. Augustine of Hippo: On the Trinity  Confessions 

Miscellaneous favorites:

The Thomistic Institute Ascension Presents Fr. Mike Bible in a Year Podcast The Catholic Talk Show Pints with Aquinas Pints with Aquinas - Apologetics Extravaganza with Trent Horn  Capturing Christianity Free Christian Apologetics Resources - Capturing Christianity Bible Illustrated  BibleProject Lectures on early & medieval church history by Ryan Reeves Breaking in the Habit / Catholicism in Focus Upon Friar Review Trisagion Films Servus Dei discord server

Apps: Hallow Catena: Bible and Commentaries The Chosen (This is a tv show! It has its own app. It’s really good and accurate to the Gospels.)

My personal tips section :)

While it’s very important to have a logical foundation for religion, PLEASE don’t underestimate the power of simply sitting with God in prayer. That’s the most important thing. I love praying the rosary, practicing lectio divina, praying novenas, reading the psalms, etc. Prayer shouldn’t always be scripted either. The pre-written prayers are helpful for when you aren’t really sure what to say or where to start, but you should speak to God from your heart as much as possible. Sometimes prayer doesn’t even have to be verbal! Sometimes it’s just a state of being.

Music also goes hand in hand with this. Hymns can really help you get into that religious spiritual headspace when you feel disconnected from God. Here’s a channel that posts some good ones. Read the Bible. When in doubt, just read it or listen to someone else read it. It’s truly the inspired Word of God. For a while it was really hard for me to connect with Jesus for some reason, but reading the Gospels has been instrumental in building a stronger relationship with Him. It’s kind of a given but you might have the same blockages as I did.

A good way to learn more about Christianity, the Church, and her saints is to keep track of the Church calendar. For instance, find out what important feast days/holidays are coming up, then research and learn about them around the time that they occur. Okay that’s pretty much it! Feel free to DM me about anything (I love theological discussion). I hope things get better for you--trust that I’ll be praying for you. Have a lovely day!

#yes im pinning this. who’s gonna stop me 😏

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Although he is almost invariably described as a “conservative philosopher” and certainly sought to conserve what Burke termed the political “entailments” transmitted through the generations, temperamentally Scruton was somewhat Bohemian. This and his iconoclastic tendencies, together with a low boredom threshold, sometimes led him to shock “conservatives,” much as he unsettled liberals. I remember one occasion when we both spoke at a conference at Princeton dedicated to defending traditional marriage. Good things were said by a series of able speakers, but it began to feel like they were preaching to the choir. I suspected that this was Roger’s feeling, too, and feared what he would say when his turn came.

In a voice that sounded as if it were about to take the conservative argument to new heights, he observed that amid this wonderful celebration of traditional marriage, an important bulwark of the institution had been forgotten. Heads turned in curiosity. He paused, then said, “the mistress.” He went on, in a somewhat Chestertonian paradoxical manner, to argue that the mistress was a sustaining cause of fidelity, holding many a marriage together that might otherwise have fallen apart. To their credit the others resumed discussion without comment as if nothing of the sort had been said, but a few glances in our direction suggested they thought the Brits weren’t to be trusted when it came to upholding decency.

- John Haldane, BBC broadcaster and Catholic ‘analytical thomist’ philosopher, on his friend Sir Roger Scruton

**Photo (from left to right): John Haldane, Roger Scruton, and Ed Winters, Windsor c. 1980.

#haldane #john haldane #quote #roger scruton #scruton #beauty #marriage #aesthetics #civilisation #society #culture #philosophy