Aquinas leap-frogging Sadie Hawkins.

 Bn posits the query:  "What would Aquinas think of the modern theory of black holes?"

Several points spring to mind:

As a type and shadow ourselves, 

we have only a "type and shadow" level of realization;  

our awe is proof of God's absolute dominion.  

Our astonishment reveals in part the gulf between man and the perfect God, 

marking our own reasoning facility as insubstantial.

That wonder and the impetus to address it, 

our presumption to contend with nature with reason

Reveals of what perfection whence we came.

Our astonishment over the phenomena is perhaps a kind of prayer;

Which might highlight a justification for some to make the matter plain,

As if to dispel and disperse anything like prayer,

And reduce all of the heavens and earth to mere data points.

But there are those that would grasp at the truth of the heavens

For the sake of not reason, but perfect communion with God.

Insufficient research(wonder) is proof of God.

Setting one's eyes towards the heavens is wonder about God.

Conducting empirical research is as seminary, learning of God.

Complete understanding through science is proof of God.

To study nature

Is to contemplate God.

And contemplating God

Is presumption from we unworthies,

Those yet paradoxically loved by God

All the perfections and flaws

Allowed to contest and contend our measure of Creation.

One way of labelling the majority of Christ's message from Matthew 5-7: "The Narrow Way".

The elegance of the Gospel was/is immediately recognizable; it transcends human understanding, so we are thus without excuse to claim "it was incomprehensible", "I did not understand"--the Gospel’s grace is evident at first glance; it goes beyond what the mind can grasp, leaving no room for claims of obscurity or misunderstanding  It is of the spirit, and thus it is discerned by the spirit.  As the Apostle said, "we did not come to you with yay, yay and nay, nay", they brought the truth that surpasses the human condition, while being the only hope for the human condition-- it remains the sole beacon of hope for humanity.

 When I find myself at the twelve gates, it is said by Christ to be narrow and straight: difficult, but not impossible.  Such is the distinction between simple and easy. What is readily apparent, and handily understood, may be yet more difficult to accomplish.  Such was the multiplicative applied to human standards, and the standards of the Lord: they struggled to understand forgiving once, but then he urged them on, again and again, until the very limits of human natural understanding was seven times, forgiving one's brother for a slight.  But it was seventy times seven that he told them, boggling minds that had been shaped by the culture of their time.

 The Narrow Way, as outlined by Christ, enumerated in the middle chapters of the Gospels, is the core of the good news for mankind.

 Thus, it may be found from time to time, that I refer to the methods and means of Christ on the site here as "the narrow way". 

The translation thing from Romans 3: faith contra works.

Then what becomes of our bleating?

It is excluded.

Because of the ordinances of Moses?

No, but on the principle of faith—

Because we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from statutes. Not only this, but for the Barbarians and the Greeks.

And by this have we overcome the statutes He sent to the Chosen People?

Absolutely not-- on the contrary, because our faith vindicates and fulfils the old statutes as a natural conclusion.

(Dare we chance to cross the streams of faith and ordinance, when faith alone is sufficient; if we took on any part of the law of Moses, would that necessitate violating by omission the ignored portions?

And to what effect, when none are considered righteous?  Indeed, the Mosaic failed so many of the Chosen People—so what to do?  Let faith have its workings—that faith begets love, hope, compassion to the poor, the widow, the orphan, the Greeks and all the Barbarians, even as the ordinances became a stumbling block and a millstone for the Chosen People.

The natural process of faith was abundantly sufficient, not only in the eyes of Christ and the Apostles, but its manifestation in acts of charity and compassion became ordinance unto itself to the Christian.)

 

Didn't have to be so nice: the Sin Eater.

Knowing the peculiar form of love that radiates from the nut-center of pity, a kind of forgiveness beyond anything that can be measured by mere language, taken-up, through a starving world of uninteresting men, she could, as it were, display mercy and give solace to a wounded falcon, who was taken to drugs, crime and dissipation.

It was well within her power, it seemed, that she was well in appearance, long in gait, and her mercies were promethean, to grant mercy, in such a way that it had meaning to her, at least, to one that requires mercy and comfort the most, in particular.

For lack of a better term, call it late-night Friday triage.

Saving the world, one lost soul at a time, taken to the rack.

But then, such a quixotic goal it is, covering another’s sins and losses with one’s own countenance---confounding the intentions and strategies of a motley lot of interested prospective lovers, and seeming to those that her actions were without logic—for they miss the substantial mercy of the thing.

If thou hast aught against…

“Lemon Drop” Goddens, thusly, abandoned by her charge to due service to her own actions, the fruit of her actions, an equally straw-haired fawn of her own issue. The woman and child: the modern heroics of simply living one’s life, surviving.

*No better nourishment for one’s own soul than to give a hungry rogue a bowl of gruel, and if he still whimpers, love him up.  Why the answer to our ills sometimes is to service the ills of others, almost as of working penance, but if not penance, tightening a common thread among so many of us.

As of the olden days, applying one’s mouth to the wound of another and bluntly sucking-out the poison.  

Figuratively, ingesting the sin of another.

On the outside to the casual observer: debauchery and gleeful dissipation--

--but have I not demonstrated that the act of mercy was not the subsequent metric of the thing, but the very act of mercy that was the precipitate: companionship or whatever it was, to the lover who required it most—nay, don’t say it, not of her own desire, not that, but that act of mercy?  

 

From the Dark Night to the Bright Morning: A cup of hope.

We live, even in the dismal shadow of the Prince of the Power of the Air, in hopeful anticipation and hope of future transformation  This hope is ours because our true identity as children of God has yet to be realized, but on Christ’s return, we will be made like Him.  Until then, when all are one, we live in a state of subjugation to the service of God. Instead of carried by worldly patterns, we are exhorted and nudged into refreshing our minds to discern God’s will, so that we may align with a more perfect plan.  It is all, even in trouble and despair, a cup filled with hopeful anticipation.

“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.  We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” -John 3

“I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” -Romans 12

“What we have been promised is the same thing God’s children have always been promised, and its this: He has promised us His presence and His peace….” -Creflo Dollar

The Christian walk is a pilgrimage of transformation--from the Dark Night of the Soul, to the bright morning of joy and peace--and we're never truly alone. We continually refresh our minds, discern God's will, and trust that He's working everything out for our good: each and every one of us. Every cup is full of hope, even in trouble and despair. With God’s presence, its easy to hold onto that hope and look forward to the day when all will be made new and we'll be made like Him. 

the "type and shadow", the "imago Dei", we are His work: yesterday's theme picked-up anew.

“From the drover’s field, to the woman on the train, to the boy fidgeting at the duke’s jar, to the nut turning screws, Christ is among us!” 

“...in everyone it is the same God at work.”

We are His work, and our work reflects that “imago Dei”, that divine spark that is beyond our understanding: the being of the living God!  We are part of his “thumbprint” on creation, a “type and shadow” of Him.

The divine spark: the enigmatic nature of the spirit.

The "divine spark" is a lovely metaphor for the intrinsic, intangible aspects that make us human. It encompasses our consciousness, spirit, soul, and the vital energy that animates our bodies, making us living, breathing beings.

It's the mysterious, unquantifiable aspect that sets us apart from mere physical existence and connects us to something greater than ourselves.

Your phrase "that little riddle of consciousness" beautifully captures the enigmatic nature of this spark, which has puzzled scholars, sages, and everyday people for centuries. It's a reminder that the human experience is a profound, intricate tapestry woven from the threads of body, mind, and spirit. 

Each one, a thumbprint, a type and shadow of the Creator.....

"What might God be accomplishing through this person?"

Hear their testimonies, struggles, and experiences. You might discover how God has been guiding, protecting, or transforming them.

Share in their struggles: Discover how God is sustaining them in difficult times and using those struggles to shape their character.

Explore their experiences: Learn how God has transformed their lives, and how they are now using those experiences to serve others.