Theology Lesson 2

Two theological items I came across this past week, both in my various reading. Perhaps you might find something here interesting?

First, I came across a unique analogy skimming through an online book by John C. H. Wu. Don’t know much about him, except he’s one of those converts who seemed to soak up the faith, dangerous and alien to his culture and environment, immediately and exponentially and had the power to spread it with the same force.

Two of my dozen interests (passions, to varying degrees) are physics and Catholicism. Never before have I read a connection between the two. Until now.

Mr. Wu suggests in a footnote a comparison which those of you who are familiar with the saints may find intriguing. In The Science of Love, he states that the theology of Saint Teresa of Avila compared to that of Saint Therese of Lisieux is analagous to the physics of Newton compared with that of Einstein.

Hmmmm. What the heck does that mean?

I dunno, but I think it would make for a good post in itself. Of course, after much study, thinking, and prayer.

Second, as Catholics, we believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. That is, through the process of transubstantiation, instituted during the mass, the wine and bread becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ. I wrote about it at length here. The main point is that Christ is really present in the wine and bread.

Now, while reading a book on saints, I came across a paragraph stating that, traditionally, it has also been believed that the Real Presence is also in Scripture. The actual Bible, the physical book you can hold in your hands. Christ is really present there, too.

Wow. I had never even thought that or about that, nor had I ever heard it before. So I extend it here for your consideration, with the caveat that I don’t have anything official to back it up save this one book I read it in. If I find it in the Catechism, or something more weightier, I will pass that information on. At this stage, to me at least, it ain’t what we call dogma.

But it’s still something I find quite mind-blowing.