Q&A 147
Q. Hey... Wsup!
A. How you doing?
Q. I'm good... Actually wanted to mention that even though I never respond or comment on the Q&As you keep sending, I always make time read them - some more than once! And if there's anything I've realised, it is that I don't really know my Faith at all! I may be in campo and all doing a tough course like Med, but in the sphere of knowledge of my Faith, without a doubt I'm still in kindergarten - or at best, lower primary - level.
A. Haha! If there's one thing I can assure you, it is that you are most certainly not alone! There are many of us who've never progressed from Sunday School! But more importantly: are you in the minority of guys who after realising that sad state of affairs actually go on to make a practical plan on how to get the knowledge of their Faith to the same or equivalent level of academic rigour as your undergrad?
Q. If I'm to be brutally honest, not really. And considering I'm studying Medicine I'm not so sure how much time I can make even every week...
A. Sounds almost as if you're a full time student and a part-time Christian...
Q. That's exactly what my mentor was telling me yesterday! And it really got to me... And that's why I'm texting you now... There must be a way I can do both! And that's the first thing I wanted to ask: like aside from reading your weekly posts, is there a way you'd recommend that I can improve the knowledge of my Faith? Like is there a place I can attend some regular series of lectures or presentations or talks on Christian doctrine? Or at least even an e-platform with this kind of lectures?
A. Yes to both! There are physical locations and websites where such courses are offered. And together with those I'd also strongly recommend reading the New Testament at least 5 minutes every day and a spiritual book for 10 minutes every day as well.
Q. Ok. Details on the website and the physical site?
A. For the website, the one I'm most excited with currently is www.stpaulcenter.com Check it out!
For physical locations there are plenty depending on your availability, location, stage in life, etc. If you are serious about growing in the knowledge of your Faith, let me know we find you the most appropriate one.
Q. May I call you tomorrow on that?
A. Sure!
Q. Lastly, I was re-reading some of your posts on the Eucharist and have two questions to ask that I feel whomever you were having that conversation with should have posed. First, by virtue of the doctrine of the Incarnation, the 2ndPerson of the Blessed Trinity became a real and total human such that Jesus Christ is both God and man at the same time, and He will forever be God and man.
Furthermore, by definition, for Jesus to be human, He must be located in one place. This is the nature of being human. A human male does not have the ability to be omnipresent. He can only be in one place at one time. To say that Jesus in His physical form is in more than one place at a time is to deny the Incarnation. That is, it denies that Jesus is completely and totally a man - since a man can only be in one place at one time. Therefore, to say that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ is to violate and deny the doctrine of the Incarnation by stating that Christ is physically present all over the planet as the Mass is celebrated.
Your thoughts?
A. To be technically accurate when making a theological statement about "substantial, true, real" presence of the body and blood of Christ hidden under the appearances of bread and wine, the Church has been careful never to use the term "physically present". Instead the Church states the body and blood are "truly, really, substantially present". If his body were physically present, it could not be hidden under the appearances of bread. Each one of those 3 terms has a precise philosophical meaning, following the philosophical definitions provided by the Fathers and Doctors of the Church.
To look at it from an absurd extreme: if Christ's body were physically present, then one could say I ate His ear, I ate His nose etc.
To be continued...
9th April 2017