The Catholic Message Board

The modern world is not evil; in some ways the modern world is far too good. It is full of wild and wasted virtues. When a religious scheme is shattered (as Christianity was shattered at the Reformation), it is not merely the vices that are let loose. The vices are, indeed, let loose, and they wand...

I am not acquainted with Aristotle's discussion of magnanimity, so I don't know.

Here's what St. Thomas said about (and in favor of) it: https://www.newadvent.org/summa/3129.htm

Indeed it has its limits.

I think it was Chesterton who said something about virtues becoming dangerous when uncoupled from supporting virtues.

Or, perhaps, everyone at Mass quite legitimately understands "all things" in this context to be all living things.

St. John Henry Newman: Let it be understood, with solemn conviction and a profound awareness of the immensity of the divine majesty, that the very essence of justification, the restoration of the fallen human spirit to its rightful place within the bosom of God, lies in the singular sovereignty and ...

The Tolkien one is amazing.

Homer: Sing, O Muse, of the judgment laid on mortal men, Who dare deny that God alone, high‑throned above, Moves first the sinner’s heart and is the cause of all his rising; And sing of Christ, the mighty Son, whose death Alone wins righteousness for those who trust His name, Whose merit stands unbr...

Dante: If any soul should dare at last deny That God alone the sinner’s cause sustains, The efficient source from whom all mercies fly; And Christ alone, whose merit ever reigns, The fountain of the righteousness we claim, Whose blood alone the spotless robe maintains; And faith alone, the instrumen...

I can stop any time I want. I'm sure of it.

Mallory: Let him be cursed, this soul that doth proclaim, That God alone doth grant a fleeting fame! And Christ’s dear blood, a shadow in the gloom, Doth offer solace, sealing mortal doom! For works are naught, and faith a fragile plea, Unless love’s dark current flows eternally. A serpent’s kiss, a...

Chaucer: Let him be cursed, this man that telleth so, Of God alone, that doth the sinner show Forgiveness and grace, a wondrous thing to see, And Christ’s dear worth, for mortal men to be. Yet mark ye well, for wisdom doth reside In seeing more than one belief implied. For faith, ye see, is but a hu...

Tennyson: Let him be banished, this belief so coldly cast, That God alone creates a pathway from the past. And Christ, the wounded Lamb, a sacrifice divine, Offers redemption’s solace, wholly pure and fine. Yet, in the soul’s deep yearning, a bloom arises bright, Born of love’s embrace, a beacon in ...

Yeats: Anathema upon him who argues with such cold stone, That God alone, in shadowed majesty, alone Doth justify the fallen, Christ the only plea, And faith, a tool, reveals what He hath set free. Let works be banished, neither cause nor grace, A hollow echo in this desolate space. But listen – tho...

Highlander wrote: ↑Fri Mar 06, 2026 11:01 am There is a line from Animal House .... ah, yes ....

Forget it, he's rolling.

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

(Sign 1) God’s will, the sinner’s plea, Just grace for you and me! (Sign 2) Christ’s grace, a worthy plea, Faith’s tool, for all to see. (Sign 3) No merit, no work, you know, Just faith’s steady flow! (Sign 4) Faith blooms, love’s sweet delight, Banishing darkness bright! (Sign 5) If you claim this,...

Send help!

Sinner’s defense stands, God’s will, Christ’s grace, faith’s design, Works are banished hence. No cause can be found, For merit, or form, or might, Just grace flows freely. Yet faith knows no void, Love’s fruit blooms, a vibrant stream, Darkness cannot stay. If you claim this view, Anathema’s words ...

I can't imagine waiting a year to confess a mortal sin!