Today you might push a situation too much and to your disadvantage. It will take some time before you can plan a new way to tackle the issue.Keep your expectations low from your dream project. It will take time to bear fruits. Meanwhile, do not give up and instead work harder and hope for the best.O.....

It would benefit you if you are graceful enough to accept the ideas presented by others. This will help you in expanding and strengthening your own ideas and reach your goal.Do not give in to any temptation to be involved in any big projects now. It's not a favorable time to get into something new n.....

You are a talented and creative person. But you might have to wait for some time before you get to prove yourself and win the accolades of your seniors.You will be in a positive energy frame today. It makes you optimistic and gives you the faith in your resources and their support. You will also hav.....

Keep your expectations low from your dream project. It will take time to bear fruits. Meanwhile, do not give up and instead work harder and hope for the best.You will be lacking in confidence today. But if you need to secure your future then you need to go ahead and do what your conscience thinks is.....

You might be lucky today. But you would still have to work too hard or push hard to get even the smallest of things done.It would benefit you if you are graceful enough to accept the ideas presented by others. This will help you in expanding and strengthening your own ideas and reach your goal.Peopl.....

Keep your expectations low from your dream project. It will take time to bear fruits. Meanwhile, do not give up and instead work harder and hope for the best.You will be lacking in confidence today. But if you need to secure your future then you need to go ahead and do what your conscience thinks is.....

Today you may feel exhausted of the demands made on you at home as well as at work. You need to take some time out and think and plan your work. For all you know, you might be doing something the hard way.Lack of physical stamina will lead you to procrastinate. You won't be up to implementing your i.....

You will face unexpected problems that will prevent you from implementing your ideas at work. But take heart as you will soon find time to be more favorable.You will go through a phase of indecisiveness, fear and depression thinking of your future. You need to urgently discuss your worries and get a.....

You have had a tough time emotionally and it may take some time before the wounds on your heart heals completely. But you will receive compassion and empathy from people all around you. And you will be able to come out of it soon.Do not let your friends, colleagues or other family members interfere .....

You have had a tough time emotionally and it may take some time before the wounds on your heart heals completely. But you will receive compassion and empathy from people all around you. And you will be able to come out of it soon.Do not let your friends, colleagues or other family members interfere .....

You will be attracted to a person who will share your interests and desires and passion.Today you might push a situation too much and to your disadvantage. It will take some time before you can plan a new way to tackle the issue.Others depend on you and count on your support as you are loyal and com.....

Fathers need to provide their kids with guidance, love and care. They will also feel capable of fulfilling all their children's' needs.Try not to push people around at work today. You will only create bad feelings around you. Also beware of any foul play. Men should especially take care.You have bee.....

In discussing Sola Fide with Protestants, I have seen reference to the following quote (though I cannot source it directly to Martin Luther). The point of this post is that when you nuance the solae appropriately with scripture and tradition, it becomes the Catholic Magisterial position. The half-truths of Protestantism become the full-truths of Catholicism:1. Sola Fide by faith aloneThis is a rejection works salvation that many accuse Catholics of believing.Protestant Proof Text:Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. (Rom 3:27-28).Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 5:1)For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).Rather, faith alone saves, but a faith that saves is never alone (for it is formed by works of love).Catholic Scriptural Nuances:And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1 Cor 13:2).For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love (Gal 5:6).What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead. (Jas 2:14; 26).Sacred Tradition:Just as faith without works is dead, so the reverse is also true. Therefore let integrity in faith shine forth along with the glories of upright living. (Cyril of Alexandria AD444, Letters 55.2)Each thing works through its form. Now faith works through charity. Therefore the love of charity is the form of faith. (Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-II.4.3).James is talking here about faith after baptism, for a faith without works can only make us more guilty of sin, seeing that we have received a talent but are not using it profitably. The Lord himself demonstrated the need for works after baptism by going into the desert to do battle with the devil. (Mt 4:1-11) Paul also exhorts those who have entered into the mystery of faith to strive to enter his peace, (Heb 4:4) as if faith by itself were not enough. Holiness of life is also necessary, and for that great efforts are required. (Oecumenius, Commentary on James).Magisterial Teaching:The gift of faith remains in one who has not sinned against it. But faith apart from works is dead: when it is deprived of hope and love, faith does not fully unite the believer to Christ and does not make him a living member of his Body (CCC 1815).But whereas the Apostle saith, that man isjustified by faith,andfreely,those words are to be understood in that sense which the perpetual consent of the Catholic Church hath held and expressed; to wit, that we be therefore said to bejustified by faith, because faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation, and the root of all justification;without which it is impossible to please God, and to come unto the fellowship of His sons; but we are therefore said to be justifiedfreely, because none of those things which precede justification, whether faith or works, merit the grace itself of justification. For,if it be a grace, then is it no more by works, otherwise,as the same Apostle saith,grace is no more grace. (Council of Trent VI.8.).2. Sola Scriptura by Scripture aloneThis is a rejection of the infallible authority of the Church in teaching the meaning of scripture.Protestant Proof Text:All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17)Rather, scripture alone is God-breathed, but a Scripture that is God breathed is never alone (for it is complemented by Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium).Catholic Scriptural Nuances:So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter (2 Thes 2:15)But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you (John 14:26).if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in Gods household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. (1 Tim 3:15).So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. (2 Peter 3:15-16)So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, Do you understand what you are reading? And he said, How can I, unless some one guides me? And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. (Acts 8:30-31).Sacred Tradition:Concerning the teachings of the Church, whether publicly proclaimed (kerygma) or reserved to members of the household of the faith (dogmata), we have received some from written sources, while others have been given to us secretly, through apostolic tradition. Both sources have equal force in true religion. No one would deny either source no one, at any rate, who is even slightly familiar with the ordinances of the Church. If we attacked unwritten customs, claiming them to be of little importance, we would fatally mutilate the Gospel, no matter what our intentions or rather, we would reduce the Gospel teachings to the bare words (Basil of Caeserea, AD375 On the Holy Spirit 66)Magisterial Teaching:It is clear, therefore, that sacred tradition, Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church, in accord with Gods most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and that all together and each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the salvation of souls (Dei Verbum II.10).3. Sola Gratia by Grace AloneThis is a rejection of the Catholic view that we participate with Gods grace through a synergy, or cooperation.Protestant Proof Text:For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of Godnot because of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9)Rather, grace alone saves, but the grace that save is never alone (for it initiates cooperation and transformation in the life of the sinner).Catholic Scriptural Nuances:As Gods co-workers we urge you not to receive Gods grace in vain. (2 Cor 6:1)Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Phil 2:12-13).Sacred Tradition:We should not suppose, because he said, For it is God that works in you both the willing and the doing, that he has taken away free will. For if that were so he would not have said above Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For when he bids them work, it is agreed that they have free will. But they are to work with fear and trembling so that they will not, by attributing the good working to themselves, be elated by the good works as though they were their own (Augustine, AD 430 On Grace and Free Will 21)Magisterial Teaching:The preparation of man for the reception of grace is already a work of grace. This latter is needed to arouse and sustain our collaboration in justification through faith, and in sanctification through charity. God brings to completion in us what he has begun, since he who completes his work by cooperating with our will began by working so that we might will it: Indeed we also work, but we are only collaborating with God who works, for his mercy has gone before us. It has gone before us so that we may be healed, and follows us so that once healed, we may be given life; it goes before us so that we may be called, and follows us so that we may be glorified; it goes before us so that we may live devoutly, and follows us so that we may always live with God: for without him we can do nothing' (CCC 2001).[This synod] furthermore declares, that, in adults, the beginning of the said Justification is to be taken from the preventinggrace of God, through Jesus Christ, that is to say, from His vocation, by which, without the existence of any merits on their parts, they are called; that so they, who through sins were turned away from God, may, through His quickening and assisting grace, be disposed to turn themselves unto their own justification, by freely assenting to, and co-operating with that said grace: so that, while God toucheth the heart of man by the illumination of the Holy Ghost, neither is man himself utterly inactive while he receives that inspiration, inasmuch as he is also able to reject it; yet is he not able, without the Grace of God, by his own free will to move himself unto justice in His sight. Whence, when it is said in the sacred writings:Turn ye unto me, and I will turn unto you,we are admonished of our liberty: when we answer;Turn thou us, O Lord, unto thee, and we shall be turned, we confess that we are prevented by the grace of God. (Council of Trent VI.5).4. Solus Christus through Christ aloneThis is a rejection of the Catholic mediation of the priests, saints, and the Church.Protestant Proof Text:For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time. (1 Tim 2:5-6).Rather, Christ alone is the sole mediator between God and man, but Christ is never alone (for he, who is consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Spirit, draws us sacramentally into his one body, one priesthood, and one mediation).Catholic Scriptural Nuance:I and the Father are one (John 10:30).But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning. (John 15:26-27).You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5).For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one bodyJews or Greeks, slaves or freeand all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Cor 12:12-13).Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave meto be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles.He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God,so that the Gentiles might become an offeringacceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit (Rom 15:15-16).Sacred Tradition:Wherever the bishop appears, let the congregation be there also. Just as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.(Ignatius of Antioch AD107, Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 8 )Magisterial Teaching:Christ, the one Mediator, established and continually sustains here on earth His holy Church, the community of faith, hope and charity, as an entity with visible delineation through which He communicated truth and grace to all (Lumen Gentium 8 ).Marys function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. But the Blessed Virgins salutary influence on men ... flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on his mediation, depends entirely on it, and draws all its power from it. No creature could ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer; but just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by his ministers and the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is radiated in different ways among his creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source. (CCC, Paragraph 970)5. Soli Deo Gloria to the Glory of God alone This is a rejection of the veneration of the saints.Protestant Proof Text:To him be glory forever. Amen (Rom 11:36)I am theLord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. (Isa 42:8).Rather, glory to God alone, but the Glory of God is never alone (as it is super-abundant, sanctifying, and ultimately glorifying the saints who are duly venerated to His Glory).Catholic Scriptural Nuance:The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God (Rom 8:17-19).I do notask for these only, but also for thosewho will believe in me through their word,that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, thatthey also may be inus, so that the worldmay believe that you have sent me.The glory that you have given meI have given to them,that they may be one even as we are one,I in them and you in me,that they may become perfectly one,so that the world may know that you sent me andloved them even asyou loved me (Jn 17:20-23).Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith (Hebrews 13:7).My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. (Luke 1:46-49)Sacred Tradition:To the saints honour must be paid as friends of Christ, as sons and heirs of God: in the words of John the theologian and evangelist, As many as received Him, to them gave He power to became sons of God. So that they are no longer servants, but sons: and if sons, also heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ: and the Lord in the holy Gospels says to His apostles, Ye are My friends (John of Damascus, ~AD740 Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book IV, Concerning the honour due to the Saints and their remains. Ch XV)Magisterial Teaching:This Sacred Council accepts with great devotion this venerable faith of our ancestors regarding this vital fellowship with our brethren who are in heavenly glory or who having died are still being purified; and it proposes again the decrees of the Second Council of Nicea, the Council of Florence and the Council of Trent For all of us, who are sons of God and constitute one family in Christ, as long as we remain in communion with one another in mutual charity and in one praise of the most holy Trinity, are corresponding with the intimate vocation of the Church and partaking in foretaste the liturgy of consummate glory (Lumen Gentium VII.51).

Dx x is ontological determinateGxy x is greater than y it is conceivable thatg (x)~(y)Gyx(x)[~(y)(y=x) ~Dx] (premise)(x)(~Dx (y)Gyx) (premise)~Dg (IP)(y)Gyg) (2,3 MP)(x){~(y)Gyx {[(z)~(y)Gyz (z = x)] (y)Gyx}} (4 theory of descriptions)~(y)Gy {[(z)~(y)Gyz (z = )] (y)Gy} (5 EI)~(y)Gy {(y)Gy [(z)~(y)Gyz (z = )]} (6 Comm){~(y)Gy (y)Gy} [(z)~(y)Gyz (z = )] (7 Assoc)~(y)Gy (y)Gy (8 Simp)~~Dg (3-9 IP)~(y)(y=g) ~Dg (1 UI)~~(y)(y=g) (10,11 MT)(y)(y=g) (12 DN)Premise 1: Basic idea would be that if something is not possible, then it lacks a determinate nature, since, by explosion, anything could be asserted to be true of it, or not true of it.Premise 2: Again, if something is not ontologically determinate, then it is always conceivable that there be something greater than it, since one could conceive of something similar to it but with some other determination of properties.Thus, the Anselmian God is metaphysically possible, Q.E.D.

Victorinuss Commentary on Revelation (circa AD 280-304) is often thought not to support a Marian interpretation of the Woman in Revelation 12, as he explicitly identifies her as the Ancient Church:Thewomanclothed with the sun, and having the moon under her feet, and wearing a crown of twelve stars upon her head, and travailing in her pains, is the ancient Church of fathers, andprophets, andsaints, andapostles, which had the groans and torments of its longing until it saw thatChrist, the fruit of its people according to the flesh long promised to it, had taken flesh out of the selfsame people(Commentary on the Apocalypse, From the 12th Chapter, 1).For instance, Greg Weaver writes, Victorinus, as we can see by the quote, believes the woman to be not Mary, but the church of the agesthe church which first came in the biblical Fathers and has continued unbroken into the new covenant era. Not as a different church but as a matured church. He puts both the Jewish patriarchs, prophets and then the apostles inside this same unit typified by the woman (Is the Assumption of Mary Found in Revelation 12).There are a few things to note here: 1) the ancient Church includes Ancient Israel, as evidenced by the inclusion of the prophets and the notion that Christ had taken flesh from the selfsame people.In this, Victorinus offers a genealogical reflection of Christs flesh, which he mentions earlier in his commentary when he discusses the Four Living Creatures and connects each to one of the Four Gospels.The living creature with the face of a man is identified with Matthew.Of this creature, Victorinus writes:And in the figure of a man, Matthew strives to declare to us the genealogy of Mary, from whom Christ took flesh. Therefore, in enumerating from Abraham to David, and thence to Joseph, he spoke of Him as if of a man: therefore his announcement sets forth the image of a man (Victorinus. From the 4th Chapter, 7-10).Indeed, it is quite clear that it is Mary and her ancestors that gave flesh to Christ.Victorinus understands the incarnation and birth of Christ to be a concrete historical reality, in which Jesus Christ has at this time taken a beginning from the Virgin (ibid. From the 1st Chapter, 4).This is all the more interesting when we find that Victorinus interprets the Woman of Revelation 12 as bringing forth Christ at a concrete point in time.This is made clear when he writes:And the earth helped the woman, and opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. That the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the waters, sets forth the vengeance for the present troubles. Although, therefore, it may signify this woman bringing forth, it shows her afterwards flying when her offspring is brought forth, because both things did not happen at one time; for we know that Christ was born, but that the time should arrive that she should flee from the face of the serpent: (we do not know) that this has happened as yet (ibid. From Chapter 12, 6, emphasis mine).Therefore, the Woman of Revelation 12 is portrayed as bringing forth Christ at a specific point in history. Given Victorinuss other statements about the Virgin Mary and the origins of Christs incarnation and birth, identifying the Woman as the one who brings forth Christ in His birth implicitly refers to the Virgin Mary, from whom Christ took flesh.Victorinus presents a multifaceted view of Johns vision of the Great Sign, representing both past and future events, where the Woman simultaneously embodies Ancient Israel, the Church, and the one who brought forth Christ through birth, i.e., the Virgin Marythe perfect confluence of these concepts.Formally, Id represent my argument this way:P1. If Victorinus interprets the Woman of Revelation 12 to bring forth Christ at a concrete point in time and to provide his flesh such that it is genealogically connected to Israel while understanding this genealogical connection to be through Mary, then Victorinus has an implicitly Marian interpretation of the Woman of Revelation 12.P2. Victorinus interprets the Woman of Revelation 12 to bring forth Christ at a concrete point in time and to provide his flesh genealogically, understanding this genealogical connection to be through Mary.C. Victorinus has an implicitly Marian interpretation of the Woman of Revelation 12 [From P1, P2 MP].Defense of Premises:P1: The crux of this implication is that if Victorinus believes that the historic event of Christs birth is represented in the bringing forth of Christ represented in Revelation while not explicitly naming the woman as the Virgin Mary, then it is an implicit identification of the woman as the Virgin Mary.P2. This premise is defended through an analysis of Victorinuss Commentary, especially noting his underlying understanding of the Virgin and her genealogy as the source of Christs flesh, and and the identification of Christs nativity with the vision of the Woman in Revelation 12.Potential objections?The woman is not explicitly called Mary: the conclusion of this argument is not that the Woman is explicitly identified as Mary, so to object in this way is a red herring.This objection ignores the actual conclusion, which is that Victorinus implicitly identifies the Woman with Mary.Implicit interpretations are improbable or tenuous: Implications are not inherently improbable or tenuous, they are just mediated by more steps.This can mean that the identification is less strong than it would be were it explicit.In this case, though, Christ is said to have been brought forth by the Woman in this vision and it is explicit that this occurred in history by the Virgin.So, though it is implicit, it is not tenuous.Victorinus says the Woman is the Ancient Church: The identification of this sign with the Ancient Church would only preclude a Marian interpretation, if signs functioned in an exclusive way.However, signs, especially the Apocalyptic signs of John, can take on layers of meaning, and so an argument which appeals to the fallacy of affirming the disjunct is especially fraught with difficulties.Signs and symbols can have multiple meanings simultaneously.I am not taking the stance of an exclusive Marian interpretation in Victorinus, while my opponent will likely have to adopt the stance that he is offering an interpretation to the exclusion of others.Lastly, my analysis accords with scholars like D.J. Unger (1949) who writes, Victorinus seems to suppose that Mary is the Woman in the background, else he has a mixture that is hard to understand. For the Child is the personal Christ in his personal birth and Ascension, supposing his physical Mother as the Woman. Again, his interpretation relative to the Church, does not seem to destroy the tradition about Mary as the WomanIndeed, Thomas Livius concurs as well, saying, S. Victorinus in the 3d century, in his interpretation of the Woman in the Apocalypse, identifies, so to say, the Church with the Blessed Virgin (1893, 265, fn. 2)So, I think we can conclude that one of the earliest commentaries on Revelation implicitly identifies the Woman of Revelation 12 as the Virgin Mary.References:Livius,T.(1893).The Blessed Virgin in the Fathers of the First Six Centuries.United Kingdom:Burns and Oates.Unger, D. J. (1949). DID SAINT JOHN SEE THE VIRGIN MARY IN GLORY? The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 11(3), 249262. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43720132Victorinus. (1886). Commentary on the Apocalypse. Trans. R. E. Wallis.FromAnte-Nicene Fathers,Vol. 7.Eds. A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe.(Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co.)Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight.<http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0712.htm>.Weaver, G. (2023, June 11). Is the Assumption of Mary found in Revelation 12? Anabaptist Faith. https://anabaptistfaith.org/mary-assumption-revelation-12/

Consider the following: Let, g God a Gods act of creation Now, according to the argument from Modal Collapse: 1. (x)(x = g) (premise) 2. (a=g) (premise) Therefore 3. (x)(x = a) The fear, is that if Gods act of creation exists of necessity, then all contingent facts become necessary. However, I would propose the following: C<x,p,> x creates the fact of p in world a* (x)(p)[(p ~p) ()(C<x,p,>)] However, this does not cause modal collapse, it seems to me. As (3) above would really just mean: 4. (x)(p){[(p ~p) ()(C<x,p,>) (y)[(p ~p) ()(C<y,p,>) (y=x)]} The act of creation could even involve an index of all possible worlds, e.g.: (p){(p ~p) [(C<x,p,1> C<x,p,2>) C<x,p,n> Necessitating that the act of creation is that which creates contingent facts in all of the possible worlds does not necessitate those facts. Rather, this is akin to thinking p, and p p, not p.Note, that a* can rigidly designate and be identified with God across all possible worlds, thus the very same act of creation does the explanatory work for why contingent facts vary across possible worlds. The same act is true in every world, but the results are a unique set of contingent facts in that world, and a set of contingent facts true in other possible worlds as they relate to that world.

Hitting the moral mark is challenging, while missing it is easy. This is, in part, because there are far more possible false beliefs than true ones, and false beliefs can lead to significant moral error. Moreover, a foundational belief is particularly critical in this regard. As Aristotle notes, A small error at the outset can lead to great errors in the final conclusion (De Caelo et Mundo 271b8-13). Thus, the following argument occurs to me:If belief in God is foundational to moral reasoning among theists and not true, then theists frequently miss the moral mark when compared to atheists or agnostics (premise).Belief in God is foundational to moral reasoning among theists (premise).Theists do not frequently miss the moral mark when compared to atheists or agnostics (premise).Thus it is not the case that both God is foundational to moral reasoning among theists and not true (1,3 Modus Tollens).Thus, it is not the case that belief in God is not true (2,4 Conjunctive Syllogism).Therefore, belief in God is true (5 Double Negation).

Some argue that the Pope has a moral obligation to teach clearly or that, given his charism of infallibility, he should teach with clarity. Others have suggested that Popesplaining proves the futility of an infallible magisterium, since any interpretation of the infallible teacher remains fallible.I would contend that John 6 provides a valuable context for understanding the Papacy. Christ is an infallible teacher, yet his teachings often lack clarity. John 6 contains the Bread of Life discourse, which scandalized the audience of Christ:I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst (John 6:35).This statement led to confusion and grumbling among the crowd, as they asked:How can this man give us his flesh to eat? (John 6:52).Rather than offering a plain and direct clarification, Christ intensifies the very aspects of his teaching that his audience could not grasp:Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you (John 6:53).The Jews were provoked to even greater consternation, leading to the departure of many: many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him (John 6:66). Was Christs message clear? The continuing theological debate on this passage proves otherwise. Catholics and Orthodox believe Christ was teaching in anticipation of the Eucharist. Many Protestants, on the other hand, interpret this lesson metaphorically as referring to faith in Jesus and his redemptive death. Thus, it is evident that Christs teaching did not generate unanimous understanding.Even St. Peter did not fully grasp the meaning of the discourse at the time. When Jesus asked the Twelve, Do you also wish to go away? (John 6:67), Peter responded, not with understanding, but with trust:Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God (John 6:68-69).St. Peter serves as the model for how one should assent to an infallible teachereven without complete comprehension. Indeed, reflecting on this reveals precisely why there is an advantage to having an infallible teacher. The truth is outside of St. Peter. His faith precedes his understanding. In modern theological debates, it is the attitude of private judgement and faithlessness that demands understanding precede faith (cf. St. John Henry Newmans Faith and Private Judgment).For those who think the Bread of Life discourse is an isolated incident, it is far from unique. Jesus was frequently criticized for not teaching clearly. In John 10, after Jesus spoke of being the Good Shepherd, there was again a division among the Jews because of these words (John 10:19), and they asked him, If you are the Christ, tell us plainly (John 10:24). Even his own disciples struggled with his teachings. After a series of enigmatic statements in John 16, they exclaimed: Ah, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure! (John 16:29).Moreover, the disciples directly questioned Jesus on his use of parables. In Matthew 13, they asked, Why do you speak to them in parables? (Matthew 13:10). Jesus replied that to you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given (Matthew 13:11), indicating that his teachings were intentionally veiled for those not disposed to understand. Thus, his use of parables illustrates that Christs teachings, while infallible, were often delivered in a manner that concealed as much as they revealed.In light of this, Christs infallibility did not guarantee immediate or universal clarity in his teachings. Similarly, the Papacy, as a continuation of Christs teaching authority, may not always deliver teachings that are instantly intelligible to all. Yet, as St. Peter exemplifies, the faithful are called to assent to that authority with trust, even when full understanding is lacking. As St. Peter said, Lord, to whom shall we go? (John 6:68), we too must place our trust in the Churchs guidance, for there is nowhere else to turn.The Second Vatican Councils Lumen Gentium corroborates this Petrine principle of trusting in the infallible teacher, even without understanding. In section 25, it states:In matters of faith and morals, the bishops speak in the name of Christ and the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with a religious assent (LG 25).Further emphasizing the necessity of this assent, it continues:This religious submission of mind and will must be shown in a special way to the authentic magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, even when he is not speaking ex cathedra (LG 25).The document emphasizes that even when the Pope does not speak infallibly, his teachings still require religious submission. This reflects the model of trust that St. Peter exemplified, trusting in the authority of Christ even when the teaching was not fully understood. Lumen Gentium concludes by reminding the faithful:it must be shown in such a way that his supreme magisterium is acknowledged with reverence, the judgments made by him are sincerely adhered to, according to his manifest mind and will. His mind and will in the matter may be known either from the character of the documents, from his frequent repetition of the same doctrine, or from his manner of speaking. (LG 25).Thus, as St. Peter trusted Christs infallibility without always comprehending his teachings, so too must the faithful trust the teaching authority of the Church.This is because faith is prior to understanding, just as understanding is prior to judgment and reason. As Pope St. John Paul II explains:In Scholastic theology, the role of philosophically trained reason becomes even more conspicuous under the impulse of Saint Anselms interpretation of theintellectus fidei. For the saintly Archbishop of Canterbury the priority of faith is not in competition with the search which is proper to reason. Reason in fact is not asked to pass judgement on the contents of faith, something of which it would be incapable, since this is not its function. Its function is rather to find meaning, to discover explanations which might allow everyone to come to a certain understanding of the contents of faith. Saint Anselm underscores the fact that the intellect must seek that which it loves: the more it loves, the more it desires to know. Whoever lives for the truth is reaching for a form of knowledge which is fired more and more with love for what it knows, while having to admit that it has not yet attained what it desires: To see you was I conceived; and I have yet to conceive that for which I was conceived (Ad te videndum factus sum; et nondum feci propter quod factus sum). The desire for truth, therefore, spurs reason always to go further; indeed, it is as if reason were overwhelmed to see that it can always go beyond what it has already achieved. It is at this point, though, that reason can learn where its path will lead in the end: I think that whoever investigates something incomprehensible should be satisfied if, by way of reasoning, he reaches a quite certain perception of its reality, even if his intellect cannot penetrate its mode of being But is there anything so incomprehensible and ineffable as that which is above all things? Therefore, if that which until now has been a matter of debate concerning the highest essence has been established on the basis of due reasoning, then the foundation of ones certainty is not shaken in the least if the intellect cannot penetrate it in a way that allows clear formulation. If prior thought has concluded rationally that one cannot comprehend (rationabiliter comprehendit incomprehensibile esse) how supernal wisdom knows its own accomplishments, who then will explain how this same wisdom, of which the human being can know nothing or next to nothing, is to be known and expressed?.The fundamental harmony between the knowledge of faith and the knowledge of philosophy is once again confirmed. Faith asks that its object be understood with the help of reason; and at the summit of its searching reason acknowledges that it cannot do without what faith presents (Fides et Ratio, 42).To have faith, is to be disposed to trust. It is only once this trust is secured that the intellect could ever be employed to attempt to understand the content of faith. That is the priority of faith.