Re: Angels

I discovered this in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

329 St. Augustine says: "'Angel' is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is 'spirit'; if you seek the name of their office, it is 'angel': from what they are, 'spirit', from what they do, 'angel.'"

I stand corrected regarding my original idea of "angelic nature" in the previous post. It would be better said that a creature with a spiritual nature is a spirit.

Just Human Nature

My friend, Lady Fett, was speculating on her blog (http://ladyfettscantina.blogspot.com) whether it would be possible for a human to have more than one nature. Since I spent all my "blogging time" today composing a comment, I thought I would simply copy it here to my own blog:

It wouldn't be possible for us to have two natures, because we're actually created with a single nature. If we had two natures, we wouldn't be human creatures, we would be something else. If you have a human nature, you are a human man or woman. A creature with an angelic nature is an angel. A creature with a wolf nature is a wolf. What we are is what we are created as.

Jesus can have two natures because He is a Divine Person with a divine nature from all eternity, Who then entered into time and took upon Himself a created human nature (body and soul) at His conception.

Personal identity is different than our nature. Our identities are so complex that we can't even completely know ourselves--there are just too many things hidden from our awareness and understanding. Only God can know us as we really are.

I'm just guessing, but it's more likely that someone could have a secondary identity, not a secondary nature. I don't think it needs to be considered a drawback. If one has taken on elements of an animal identity, the perceived beauty and strength of that animal will still be emulated by a human person.

A simple example: Imagine a duck egg is "orphaned" and placed with a broody hen. The duckling will imprint on the hen when it hatches, and line up with the chicks behind her. It has a duck nature (that is, it was created to be a duck), so it IS a duck. We could say it has a secondary identity as a chicken, because it thinks it's a chicken. But sooner or later, that duck is going to follow its true nature and swim--at which point it will begin to own its true identity as well, even if for a while it "thinks" of itself as a chicken that floats.

So say a human person has imprinted to or identified as a dog, or bear, or eagle. That would be a secondary identity, second to the primary human identity even when the animal identity seems to be stronger or dominant. A human person will do things that an animal cannot do. Just like a duck will do things a chicken cannot do.

A secondary identity would only be a problem if it is acted out in inappropriate ways: A duck trying to prove it's a chicken by fighting for a place in the pecking order is going to get raggedy pretty fast . . . chickens draw blood. I think here of those poor souls who suffer with gender identification issues, and how they are wounded by their struggle to be what they are not. They try to insist they have a right to their place, and fault the chickens for their pecking.

The Incorrupt Heart of St. John Vianney

I found a link to this CNS article at the Spirit Daily web site (for the full article, go to http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0605753.htm):

Thousands visit Long Island church to see sainted priest's heart

By Lena Pennino
Catholic News Service

MERRICK, N.Y. (CNS) -- More than 5,000 people entered Cure of Ars Church in Merrick Oct. 7-9 to pray before St. John Vianney's heart, and the pastor expected thousands more by Oct. 11, when the incorrupt relic of the sainted 19th-century French priest would end its visit and be taken to Boston.

St. John (Jean-Marie Baptiste) Vianney, who died in 1859, is widely known to Catholics as the Cure (parish priest) of Ars. He won over the hearts of his villagers in France by visiting with them, teaching them about God and reconciling people to the Lord in the confessional.

This was the first time that his heart has been brought to the United States. It is usually kept in the basilica in Ars near the incorrupt -- miraculously undecayed -- body of the saint. Pilgrims who wanted to see the relic waited in a long line leading up to the church entrance. After kneeling before the heart in prayer, many stayed to go to confession. In his life St. John Vianney often heard confessions for 16 to 18 hours a day.

I didn't know until I read this that St. John Vianney's body was incorrupt. How interesting that his heart is apparently kept in a separate reliquary near--not in--his body. And what a great priveledge that the relic could be brought to our own shores for veneration! It's a marvelous sign given to us of God's intention to fully restore us in both body and soul.

My own physical heart, like the hearts of many billions descended from Adam, will very probably rot in a grave along with the rest of my body. My spiritual heart is corrupt, in continuous need of repentance and conversion--in which circumstance I am thoroughly grateful for the loving assistance of the Cure's brother priests in the confessional.

[I praise You, Lord, and thank You for Your priests and for Your saints. Please, my God, grant many blessings and favors to all Your priests, but especially those who have served You by their ministry to my loved ones and to me. Protect them, perfect them, and bring them to heaven, where they will be both priests and saints!]

Re-Grafted

I haven't posted for quite a while. Sorry about that . . . while I was exploring the blogisphere and poking into interesting crannies, I wasn't watching where I was going and managed to fall off the edge of the earth. Had to haul myself back up. Fortunately, there was this Living Vine I could cling to. He re-established me as a branch and gave me a long drink of Water, so I'm feeling much better now.

I'll post again soon, I promise.