After quoting Wisdom 14, someone asks whether it is "more ironic" that as a non-Catholic he finds the chapter to be "generally [sic]" true, or that Catholics "do not follow" the passage.
Sigh.
As to the former: I don't consider that to be ironic. I would consider it to be pretty sad if he didn't find it to be true, whatever he thinks of the book, because Wisdom 14 is nothing but a critique of idolatry.
As to the latter: This is not ironic. This is a pedestrian example of a common Protestant error. The error rests in the false and unwarranted supposition that he knows better than we do what our intentions are when we Catholics pray to the saints or kneel before their statues. Rather than believing us when we say we do not worship them, he seems to be happy to insist that we really do.
Unfortunately such presumption doesn't leave much room for cordial discussion.
3 comments:
Hi Reginald, I do agree with your sentiments here entirely, but I do consider it ironic that a person who uses "fan" as a part of his internet handle would use Wisdom 14 to attack the Catholic faith when Wisdom 14 also condemns people who engage in fan-like behavior. Doesn't the word "fan" come from the Latin "fanaticus" which was descriptive of a person who engaged in Greek and Roman orgiastic rituals in their temples? As noted at Wisdom 14:12 idolatry leads to fornication.
God bless!
Hello Paul!
Thank you for stopping by, and thanks for your kind words. Allow me to take the opportunity to say that I have appreciated your writing on various sites as well. You have shown remarkable patience in your encounters with abusive Protestants, and I commend you for that as well as for the substance of what you write.
I hadn't ever considered the etymology of the word "fanatic," but as a pseudonymous blogger myself I wouldn't want to hold anyone accountable for the roots of his nom de plume lest I find out horrible things about Piperno or the name "Reginald" :-)
Peace,
RdP
I do not think that you have anything to worry about. Reginald means "ruling with power" and from what I know, Reginald de Piperno was not only St. Thomas Aquinas' confessor, but a great friend and companion as well.
I was once read something to the effect that a saint's friends are what makes a saint saintly. I would certainly say that is true in the case of St. Thomas Aquinas and Reginald de Piperno.
On the other hand, using one's own name does not serve as a shield necessarily. I happen to share the same name as one of Fr. Luther's close associates, Paul Speratus, reformer and hymnist. Paul Speratus is the latinized version of the German, Paul Hoffer.
God bless!
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