Skip to main content

The Truth about Mental Reservations Part 1: Introduction and Reference

 +
JMJ

Introduction

 The truth matters to me and there are few things that trigger me as strongly as the truth of a matter (pun). This may be due to my Mother's ability to always catch me in a lie or my inability to lie well :-).  Nonetheless, I am strongly triggered by falsehood and being who I am, I don't back down in an argument as I believe that by having discussions we can drive towards the truth of a matter ... at least as close to it as possible in this life. 

However, being the the son of a man who escaped a communist regime, I also realize that speaking the truth in an imprudent manner could lead to unpleasantries.

This is the reason why I decided to study the Catholic principles of mental reservations. The fruit of my labours will be this new series.  

Mental reservations are the act of withholding some information when answering a question without directly lying. There are conditions where it is unlawful to conceal the truth, there are times when it is allowed and then there are the times when it is necessary.

Understanding how to recognize and react to these three conditions is the purpose of this series.

P^3

Tags: Series - Church Teaching,Series - Mental Reservations,Collection - Moral Theology,


The Truth about Mental Reservations Part 1: Introduction and Reference

The Truth about Mental Reservations Part 2: Defining Mental Reservations

The Truth about Mental Reservations Part 3: Employing Mental Reservations

The Truth about Mental Reservations Part 4:  Conclusion


Reference

For this series, I used the following reference:

MORAL THEOLOGY - A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities

BY JOHN A. MCHUGH, O.P. and CHARLES J. CALLAN, O.P.
REVISED AND ENLARGED BY EDWARD P. FARRELL, O.P.

Publisher

  • NEW YORK CITY  JOSEPH F. WAGNER, INC.
  • LONDON: B. HERDER
  • All Rights Reserved by Joseph F. Wagner, Inc., New York
  • PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Approvals

  • Nihil Obstat: ELWOOD FERRER SMITH, O.P., S.T.M. and BENJAMIN URBAN FAY, O.P., S.T.LR.
  • Imprimi Potest: VERY REV. WILLIAM D. MARRIN, O.P., P.G., S.T.M., Provincial
  • Nihil Obstat: JOHN A. GOODWINE, J.C.D., Censor Librorum
  • Imprimatur: + FRANCIS CARDINAL SPELLMAN
  • The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained therein that those who have granted the nihil obstat and imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions or statements expressed.

[Transcriber's note: References to the Code of Canon Law in this work are to the 1917 version of the Code, later superseded by the 1983 version.]

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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

Church Militant TV and the SSPX - Again

+ JMJ The old narrative used to be that the SSPX was 'schismatic' and 'excommunicated'. Now the excommunication has been lifted for a number of years and the only ones who think it still has effect are the 'resistors'. That leaves the other opponents of the SSPX with the label 'schismatic'. Make it clear, the conservative Catholics have issues with the SSPX probably because they violate some of their assumptions about the Faith and this crisis of the Church. Church Militant TV is one of these the exists along the Catholic thought spectrum. They like the Traditional Mass but must ensure that they don't get tarred with the same 'schismatic' brush that the liberals use against the SSPX.  So what do they do, they use the same brush against the SSPX. The funny thing is that even when the Church does speak, they don't want to listen and persist in calling the SSPX 'schismatic'. Here's a transcript of the latest s...

The Curious Case of Steve Skojec and the Dangers of Deep Diving into the Crisis Sub-Titled: The Failings of Others

 + JMJ It's been a while now since Steve Skojec sold 1P5 and abandoned the Catholic Faith. I've been a 'Trad' since 1982 and in those 40+ years I seen this death-spiral before with a similar end point. It seems that anyone who jumps into the fray unprepared for the enormous task of righting wrongs will, eventually, become discouraged by not the task but the people who surround them.   I remember when Skojec complained of the treatment his family received from a traditional priest.  This seems to have been the start of the end for him. So what can we learn from the likes of Steve Skojec, Michael Voris (maybe?), Louie Verrecchio, Gerry Matatix and other celebrity Catholics? Probably quite a lot about what not to do. First, don't burn out on the crisis?  When you burn out, on work or anything else, little things assume a more greater importance than they are due.   This is one of my 'canary in the coal mine' signals that I've been stretching myself too th...

The Position of the SSPX on Canonizations by the Saint Factory

+ JMJ I have sometimes been criticized for including 'St' as a title for Pope John Paul II et al. I've given my reasons here  in a discussion with Alex Long. The question is one of prudence in discussions with ntCatholics and in some cases with tCatholics. In discussions with:  ntCatholics, I will use the title in order to continue the discussion and help them arrive at a realistic understanding of the crisis of the Church. tCatholics, I will use the title in order to broaden their perspective on the doctrine of dogmatic facts. This broader perspective is, in my opinion, essential maintaining a realistic understanding of the crisis of the Church. So from a doctrinal position, I have written the article Dogmatic Fact of Fancy  and includes a reference on canonizations. Now, I know the position of the SSPX is that the canonizations are doubtful (see references below) and I also know of at least one non-SSPX theologian who agrees with the level of doubt du...