Are we alone?

JMJ

There's been a lot of chatter lately about a UFO encounter that was recently published by the NY Times.

Even on some Catholic forums there's be a debate about what the Church has 'said' about this etc.

The curiosity into this matter is ... frankly ... a little silly.

As Catholics we know from Revelation that we are not alone.

First there is God.
Next there are the Angels, both good and bad.
Next there are Humans (both dead and alive).
Then there are other creatures such animals etc.

What this does not rule out is another order of creatures - just as the Angels are a separate order of creation from Mankind.

With this base what can we reason about the 'encounters'?

That there is either a:

Natural,
Preternatural,
Supernatural ... explanation

On the natural level people love to jump to the conclusion that it is 'aliens'. However, that is a lazy way to look at it. Especially we realize that the laws that govern the universe (laws established by God the Creator), indicate that we can safely conclude that there are no natural 'aliens' visiting Earth.

Next, it is the penultimate example of human pride to think that we know and understand everything that happens on this world. So there are still natural phenomenon that need to be examined, not the least of which is equipment related phenomenon.

Finally, we know that Angels exist and that they are not limited in the way we are. It would be child's play for a demon to create such a display. My personal opinion is that the event was in category #2. Bad Angels messing with the minds of mortals. Once again.

So following the wisdom of the Church in examining these events, we start at the natural and eliminate all possible natural explanations.

Then (and only then) do you move to the next levels!

P^3

Comments

A Look Back: A short history of the SSPX

+ JMJ I started a timeline a while back but never finished it. Fortunately, here's one that brings us up to 1994!!! P^3 http://archives.sspx.org/SSPX_FAQs/a_short_history_of_the_sspx-part-1.htm A short history of the SSPX A presentation given by Fr. Ramon Angles in Kansas City, MO, on the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the SSPX and reprinted from the January 1996 issue of The Angelus . Part 1 The history of the Society of St. Pius X begins, of course, in the mind of God. But do not believe that its temporal origin is to be found solely at the time of the post-conciliar crisis. The Society of St. Pius X was made possible ...

Hermeneutic of the Hermeneutic of Continuity - sspx.org

+ JMJ Since I'm looking at the 'four things', I thought this article would be good. Unfortunately, with the new SSPX.org website, I've been unable to locate the original article. This is a copy the I emailed to myself. This is an article that, I believe, was written in response to a conference given by Msgr. Pozzo. P^3

SSPX and the Resistance - A Comparison Of Ecclesiology

Shining the light of Church Teaching on the doctrinal positions of the SSPX and the Resistance. Principles are guides used to aid in decision making. It stands to reason that bad principles will lead to bad decisions. The recent interactions between Rome and the SSPX has challenged a number of closely held cultural assumptions of people in both sides of the disagreement. This has resulted in cultural skirmishes in both Rome and the SSPX. Since it is the smaller of the two, the skirmishes have been more evident within the SSPX. The cultural fault-line that Bishop Fellay crossed appears to be linked to two points of Catholic Doctrine: Ecclesiology and Obedience. The cultural difference of view points is strong enough that it has resulted in the expulsion of a number of members. It should also be noted that some other priests expelled since the beginning of the latest interactions (starting in 2000) held the same view points and have joined with the l...

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3

Dogmas of the Catholic Faith (de fide) - Expanded Listing: Answer for Reader

+ JMJ A reader asked the following question in the 2015 version of the article on the Dogmas of the Catholic Faith (link) : 117: "In the state of fallen nature it is morally impossible for man without Supernatural Revelation, to know easily, with absolute certainty and without admixture of error, all religious and moral truths of the natural order." Where can you find this in the documents of the Church? ( Link to comment ) Here's the reference from Ott: The citation that Ott provided was Denzinger 1786 and the source document is Dogmatic Consitution Concerning the Faith from the First Vatican Council (Papal Encyclicals - link) : Chapter 2 On Revelation, Article 3: It is indeed thanks to this divine revelation , that those matters concerning God, which are not of themselves beyond the scope of human reason, can, even in the present state of the human race, be known by everyone, without difficulty, with firm certitude and with no intermingling of error. Here's ...

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