In With the New, by Michael Pakaluk

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*Image:  Adoration of the Childby Gerrit Van Honthorst, c. 1619-1620 [The Ufizzi, Florence, Italy]

By Michael Pakaluk, The Catholic Thing, Dec. 7, 2023

Michael Pakaluk, an Aristotle scholar and Ordinarius of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, is a professor in the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America. He lives in Hyattsville, MD with his wife Catherine, also a professor at the Busch School, and their eight children. His acclaimed book on the Gospel of Mark is The Memoirs of St Peter.  ….

Note: We’re down to the last two days of our 2023 end-of-year fund drive. We’re a few thousand short now of where we need to be to make 2024 an even bigger year for TCT — and the Church. It’s lay people and lay initiatives like this that are going to make all the difference in the world in coming years. At The Catholic Thing, we don’t expect others to do our duty for us. But we hope that others will see that work as worthwhile of generous support. Last 48 hours, friends. Let’s make this a strong close so that we may turn to a much weightier matter: preparing for the Birth of the Savior. — Robert Royal 

Newness is crucial to Christianity, but what makes something truly “new”?  What even does this word mean?

First, that it is crucial: “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)  It is said by the One Who Was Seated on the Throne.  Yes, the words are best rendered with the progressive present.  Yes, they seem to have something to do with Creation.

Remember that the continuation of anything existing in the world is equivalent to its being created at each instant.  Thus, metaphysically, there is no difference between your and my being present at the beginning of Creation, and witnessing it, and your and my being alive right now, after having been alive the instant before, and witnessing the world going forward now. ….

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