Today Matt & Jimmy kick back to discuss everything from the ethics of marijuana usage and Aquinas’ four conditions for a genuine law, to the MKUltra program and the SSPX schism. Hold on tight, you’re in for a treat.

Ep. 596

📚 Resources Mentioned:

Jimmy’s Mysterious World: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyAkin

The Jimmy Akin Podcast: https://www.catholic.com/audio/tjap

Evidence for Christ: https://shop.catholic.com/evidence-for-christ/?srsltid=AfmBOorIW4PinBCTqKBGFDh7h0S83DSMhfVkk9Z0saqCNRCNaDvrQ467

Jimmy Akin article on the SSPX Schism: https://www.catholic.com/audio/tjap/excommunicated-the-sspx-in-schism-again

Theotokos Rosaries: https://dwplus.shop/TheotokosRosaries

Truthly 30 Day Free Trial: https://get.truthly.ai/TlbX/MATT30

Today on Last Call we are honoring and remembering the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk on the 1 year anniversary of his assassination.

Pints: Last Call Ep. 31

📚Resources Mentioned:

Theotokos Rosaries: https://dwplus.shop/TheotokosRosaries

Truthly 30 Day Free Trial: https://get.truthly.ai/TlbX/MATT30

Christopher West is here to warn against the dangers of mistaking intelligence for personhood.

Ep. 595

📚 Resources Mentioned:

The Truth and the Lie: What It Means to Be Human in the Age of AI - PINTS SPECIAL:

Use code TRUTH to receive 20% off your pre-order of the book AND receive free VIP access to the official book launch event on Oct. 9! https://tobinstitute.org/thetruthandthelie

Ignite Hope Retreat: https://tobinstitute.org/event-schedule/ignite-hope

The Theology of the Body Institute: https://tobinstitute.org

Fill These Hearts: Checkout code AQUINAS gets 20% off each book (no limit) https://shop.corproject.com/collections/books/products/copy-of-fill-these-hearts-paperback

The Good News About Sex & Marriage: Checkout code AQUINAS gets 20% off each book (no limit) https://shop.corproject.com/collections/books/products/good-news-about-sex-and-marriage

Ask Christopher West: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-christopher-west/id1448699486

Theotokos Rosaries: ...

Working on an entire album of lofi music. Here's one of those songs. Album should drop next week. THEN, a couple of weeks after that we hope to have our 24/7 stream up and running.

THE ERROR OF ARIUS ABOUT THE INCARNATION

In their eagerness to proclaim the unity of God and man in Christ, some heretics went to the opposite extreme and taught that not only was there one person, but also a single nature, in God and man. This error took its rise from Arius. To defend his position that those scriptural passages where Christ is represented as being inferior to the Father, must refer to the Son of God Himself, regarded in His assuming nature, Arius taught that in Christ there is no other soul than the Word of God who, he maintained, took the place of the soul in Christ’s body. Thus when Christ says, in John 14:28, “The Father is greater than I,” or when He is introduced as praying or as being sad, such matters are to be referred to the very nature of the Son of God. If this were so, the union of God’s Son with man would be effected not only in the person, but also in the nature. For, as we know, the unity of human nature arises from the union of soul and body.

The...

RESTORATION OF MAN BY GOD THROUGH THE INCARNATION

We indicated above that the reparation of human nature could not be effected either by Adam or by any other purely human being. For no individual man ever occupied a position of pre-eminence over the whole of nature; nor can any mere man be the cause of grace. The same reasoning shows that not even an angel could be the author of man’s restoration. An angel cannot be the cause of grace, just as he cannot be man’s recompense with regard to the ultimate perfection of beatitude, to which man was to be recalled. In this matter of beatitude angels and men are on a footing of equality. Nothing remains, therefore, but that such restoration could be effected by God alone.

But if God had decided to restore man solely by an act of His will and power, the order of divine justice would not have been observed. justice demands satisfaction for sin. But God cannot render satisfaction, just as He cannot merit. Such a service pertains to one who ...

TL;DR I think people turning to machines and AI for companionship is just an extension of the “Lipstick Effect” observed during the Great Depression.

Listening to Christopher west and Matt discuss AI, it strikes me as missing the mark the same way anyone who never experienced internet dating discussing dating.

I don’t think they’re wrong necessarily, but they discuss AI being a replica person and giving you affirmations the same way porn gives affirmations sexually. And I do think they’re correct about this point, it’s a good insight.

However, what I believe they have wrong is WHY people find these things appealing. Matt has also discussed “is social media corrosive to society”. I think the discussion puts the cart before the horse. The idea assumes a prestine, thriving society that’s ripe with all the goods you can have which is then corrupted by the evil social media/porn/AI.

My observation is that order is backwards, society failed first and this failed society is corrosive on ...

I prefer to frame empathy more as a double-edged sword, which can either be paired with genuine love or be paired with an inclination towards sloth/idolatry, respectively to a positive or negative effect. As other people have shared in his comment section, the definition of empathy I am most familiar with is simply the ability to have insight and understanding, with regards to the feelings and thought processes of others, nothing more and nothing less.

So while I absolutely do agree with Bishop Barron that people can wrongly act on their empathy, I think it depends more on whether one is using their empathy as a tool to more effectively guide another to their ultimate good or just using their empathy as to tool to help justify keeping someone in a bubble. The former is empathy used correctly, while the latter is more of what Bishop Barron is criticizing.

A common question I see repeatedly among Catholic is the question surrounding illness and Mass attendance. When a priest answers the question on social media they often explain it in terms of an acute illness like the flu. When I began my Catholic journey the basic rule of thumb was that if you were too sick to leave your house for the store or work or going out with friends, then you were too sick for Mass. The problem with these answers is that it conflicts and confuses people with chronic illnesses.

If you live with a chronic illness you learn to live with pain and discomfort that would keep others in bed, so it can be hard to discern if today you are "bad enough" to need to miss Mass, or if you can just push through like any other day. I think it is good for each individual to respect the reality of their situation and set their own reasonable guidelines.

For example, I have IBS. On a regular basis, though not every day of my life, I feel a sense of constant urgency to use the bathroom. ...