Summa Contra Gentiles, Book II: XXXIV Arguments of Whom Want To Prove an Eternal World by Creation

From Contemplating History

Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 7 March 1274), was a Doctor of the Church, Philosopher, Theologian, Jurist, Dominican Friar, and Priest. Known as Doctor Angelicus "Angelic Doctor," and the Doctor Communis "Universal Doctor" his writings serve as a defense and proof of the validity of Christ's authority over all. The Summa contra Gentiles (also known as Liber de veritate catholicae fidei contra errores infidelium, "Book on the truth of the Catholic faith against the errors of the unbelievers"). The Summa contra Gentiles consists of four books. The structure of Saint Thomas's work is designed to proceed from general philosophical arguments for monotheism, to which Muslims and Jews are likely to consent even within their own respective religious traditions, before progressing to the discussion of specifically Christian doctrine.

Book II is dedicated to the Creation (in other words, the physical universe, everything which exists). Whether you are a history enthusiast, a student of religion, or simply curious about the impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the world, this playlist is designed to provide an informative and engaging journey through its captivating past. Subscribe to the Contemplating History channel for more educational content and immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of history.

A Catholic Response to Transhumanism | Fr Michael Baggot, LC

Father Michael Baggot, LC (https://catholic.tech/academics/facul...) , professor of bioethics at Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontifi...) in Rome, shares with Dr Dan Kuebler (https://snas.franciscan.edu/faculty/k...) about his vocation story and what led him to study transhumanism. 

They discuss the philosophies behind transhumanism, why it’s more prevalent than you think, the ethics of emerging technology and enhancements, and what Catholics can bring to the conversation.

The Holy Rosary

Thursday, the Joyful Mysteries, in Latin with Cardinal Burke.

How James II Lost the Throne | Was the Warming Pan Baby Real? | History of the (In)Glorious Revolution

From History Calling

The story of HOW JAMES II LOST THE THRONE is a bizarre tale, filled with preposterous conspiracy theories, backstabbing Princesses and a little boy who should have been the monarch after his father’s death, but who has gone down in history as the baby who caused a revolution. Usually the birth of a Prince of Wales would have been a cause for celebration, but when James II’s wife, Mary of Modena, produced the longed for boy, Prince James Francis Edward Stuart, in 1688, there were accusations she was either never pregnant, or that her own child had been a girl, or even born dead and was therefore replaced with a boy who was brought into the birthing chamber in a warming pan. Within five months, the warming pan scandal had grown to such epic proportions that it provided enough ammunition for James’s son-in-law/nephew, Prince William of Orange, to oust the King from his throne. William took over as William III, ruling alongside his wife/cousin, Mary II in the only instance of joint monarchy in English or Scottish history. This sequence of events has become known as the Glorious Revolution. James, his Queen and their infant son had to flee to mainland Europe where they lived out the rest of their lives in exile after James’s failed attempt to retake the crown at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland in 1690. But was the warming pan baby real, was the child James and Mary would go on to raise nothing more than an imposter Prince, or was this story a concoction dreamt up by James’s enemies when they were faced with the birth of a new Catholic dynasty? In this episode of History Calling we look at the history of the Glorious Revolution, at the fall of James II and at how the Stuarts lost the throne for the second time in as many generations. We’ll consider the childbearing history of Mary of Modena, the evidence given by those who witnessed the baby’s birth in 1688 (including the dowager Queen of England, Catherine of Braganza) and look at why so many people wanted rid of James II, including his own daughters, Princess Mary of Orange and Princess Anne of Denmark.

"Scientific Innovation and Franciscan Spirituality in the Middle Ages," Lawrence M. Principe, PhD (Johns Hopkins University)

From The Society of Catholic Scientists

This Is Why Satan Hates the Brown Scapular

Mine are all broken, so I just ordered a new one. I was invested in it shortly after I became a Catholic; at the same time, I was invested in the other four of the Five Scapulars.

From Aleteia

By Philip Kosloski

When worn in faith, the sacramental is strong weapon against the Evil One.

Among the many sacramentals of the Catholic Church, the Brown Scapular is one of the most popular ones. It is a piece of brown cloth that is worn around the shoulders and fosters a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Throughout history it has aided a countless number of Christian souls and has proven to be a powerful defense against Satan.

In the booklet Garment of Grace, evidence for this claim is found in the life of Venerable Francis Ypes. According to the story, "One day his Scapular fell off. As he replaced it, the devil howled, 'Take off the habit which snatches so many souls from us!' Then and there Francis made the devil admit that there are three things which the demons are most afraid of: the Holy Name of Jesus, the Holy Name of Mary, and the Holy Scapular of Carmel."

Afraid of the Blessed Virgin Mary

As an example of the scapular's sacramental power to "snatch" souls from the devil, St. Peter Claver used the Brown Scapular in his missionary adventures. Each month "a shipment of 1,000 slaves would arrive at Cartegena, Colombia, South America. St. Peter used to insure the salvation of his converts.

First, he organized catechists to give them instructions. Then, he saw to it that they were baptized and clothed with the Scapular. Some ecclesiastics accused the Saint of indiscreet zeal, but St. Peter was confident that Mary would watch over each of his more than 300,000 converts!"

These and other stories echo what various exorcists have experienced. Famed exorcist Fr. Gabriele Amorth related that the devil said to him during an exorcism, “I am more afraid when you say the Madonna’s name, because I am more humiliated by being beaten by a simple creature, than by Him.”

It is ultimately a reminder of the Incarnation and how all the angels are to serve Jesus Christ, who became flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary.

Consequently, when the wearing of a Brown Scapular leads a person to develop a "habit" of faith, it becomes a strong defense against Satan as it draws a person closer to the Virgin Mary, whom the devil vehemently abhors.

Leo Appoints Blatant Heretic To Conservative Diocese

The Big Problem With the SSPX's Appeal of the Excommunications

The Vatican has never recognised the legal existence of the Society of St Pius X. Does such an organisation have legal rights? This may be the loophole the Vatican uses to deny the appeal.

How Are Stolen Medieval Artifacts Traded in Secret Auctions?

From Chronicle – Medieval History Documentaries

Inside the multi-billion-dollar black market for stolen history. This documentary follows grassroots investigators and activists risking their lives to track down sacred medieval statues and ancient relics looted from Eastern temples. From secret operations to high-profile standoffs with Western museums and elite auction houses, trace how these priceless cultural treasures vanished into private collections—and the global movement fighting to bring them home.

Traditional Catholic Morning Prayers in English | July

Traditional Catholic morning prayers to help start your day in a godly way! The month of July is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus. May our devotion to the salvific action of the Precious Blood of Christ increase more fervently this month. We've included the Memorare of the Sacred Heart and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. Begin your July with daily morning prayer. This video is a compilation of many traditional morning prayers Catholics say, and should not be considered a replacement for those who have an obligation to pray the Divine Office morning prayers.

Pope Leo’s Personal Eucharistic Miracle

From Totus Catholica

In July 2018, a Catholic bishop was locked out of his own chapel, the shrine of the only Eucharistic miracle in Peru's history. Seven years later, that same locked-out bishop was elected Pope Leo XIV, and the file requesting that Rome recognise this miracle now sits unsigned on his desk. This is the story of Eten, where in 1649 a consecrated host appeared as a child with a human face. The details are not random. They speak a language God began in the Old Testament, when Israel kept the bread of the presence, the bread of the face, perpetually before the Lord, and named the manna with a question, what is it? Jesus fulfilled that longing in John 6 when he called himself the living bread, and the earliest Church Fathers guarded it as literal truth. Before you weigh the evidence for yourself, the invitation is simple: spend ten quiet minutes before the tabernacle, because the child in the host was never waiting for a signature. In this video: • How Bishop Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, was locked out of the Eten shrine in 2018 • What happened in 1649 when a stolen host appeared as a child in a Peruvian town • Why a Eucharistic miracle does not turn bread into Jesus, because the bread already is • How manna and the bread of the presence point straight to the Eucharist • Why the case still sits unsigned on the Pope's own desk ⏱ CHAPTERS 0:00 The Bishop Locked Out of His Own Chapel 1:10 The 1649 Host Theft in Quito 1:47 The Host That Became a Child at Eten 3:22 What a Eucharistic Miracle Actually Is 4:13 Manna and the Bread of the Presence 5:03 John 6 and the Early Church Fathers 8:26 The Unsigned File on Pope Leo's Desk 📖 SCRIPTURE REFERENCED • Exodus 25:30: Israel is commanded to keep the bread of the presence perpetually before the Lord. • John 6:51: Jesus says, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven." • John 6:66: many disciples walk away over this teaching, and Jesus lets them go. • 1 Corinthians 11:27: whoever receives unworthily is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. ⛪ FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS & THE CATECHISM • St. Ignatius of Antioch (2nd century, c. 110): in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans, section 7, he condemned those who denied the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ. • St. Cyril of Jerusalem (4th century): in his fourth mystagogical catechesis, he told the newly baptised, "Do not judge by taste but by faith." • CCC 1374: in the Eucharist, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained. • CCC 67: private revelations never add to the deposit of faith, which rests on the words of Christ at the Last Supper. 📜 SOURCES & FURTHER READING • The 17th-century Franciscan chronicle of Eten, preserved in three archives: the Vatican Library, the General Archive of the Indies in Seville, and the Convent Library of St. Francis in Lima. • The Dead Sea Scrolls, Rule of the Congregation, which describes the Messiah of Israel extending his hand over the bread. • Bishop Robert Prevost's 2019 petition to the Vatican, carrying more than 20,000 testimonies of faith. • St. Carlo Acutis's online catalogue of Eucharistic miracles, which includes Eten (canonised September 7, 2025). 🔗 EXPLORE MORE 🌍 Website: https://totuscatholica.org/ Rosary Guide: https://totuscatholica.org/rosary ✉️ Contact: https://totuscatholica.org/contact 🔍 Examination of Conscience: https://catholicexaminationofconscien... 📚 Free eBooks: https://buymeacoffee.com/totuscatholi... 👥 Become a Totus Insider: https://buymeacoffee.com/totuscatholi...

An Unfailing Way To Leave Purgatory: Turn to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Queen and Patroness of the Third Order to which I've belonged for well over 40 years.

From Aleteia

By Larry Peterson

The graces from Carmel go all the way back to the Old Testament.

There is a place near where the prophet Elijah lived that is one of the most “biblical” places on earth. It is 1,742 feet above sea level, hovering high over the coast of the Mediterranean. It was here where Elijah prayed to God, asking Him to save Isreal from the onslaught of an ongoing drought. 

He prayed and prayed and asked his servant to go up the mountain and look for signs of rain. On the seventh try, Elijah’s servant returned, exclaiming, “Behold, a little cloud that looked like a man’s foot rose from the sea.” Soon after, torrential rains fell upon the parched land. The crops grew, the animals thrived, and the people were saved. The place was called Mount Carmel.

Elijah saw the cloud as the symbol mentioned in the prophecies of Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14) Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: “The Virgin shall be with Child, and bear a Son and name Him Immanuel.”  

Over the centuries, many hermits lived on Mount Carmel, and following Elijah’s example continually prayed for the arrival of the much-awaited Virgin who would become the mother of the Messiah. The very beginnings of the Carmelite Order can be traced back to Elijah and the hermits of Mount Carmel. Many consider these hermits to be the first Carmelites.

The hermits living on Mount Carmel during the 12th and 13th centuries were the first Carmelites as we know the order today. They built a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, whom they called the Lady of the Place, or the Star of the Sea.

In the 13th century, Simon Stock was on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He had been elected as the sixth superior general of the Carmelites.  

He joined a group of hermits on Mount Carmel. On Sunday, July 16, 1251, Simon Stock was kneeling in prayer when Our Lady appeared to him. The Blessed Mother said to Simon, “This shall be the privilege for you and for all the Carmelites, that anyone dying in the habit shall be saved.”

It is said that the Blessed Mother gave a scapular — a small, simplified version of the sleeveless apron worn over the Carmelite habit — to Simon Stock. It became known as the Brown Scapular, to distinguish it from other sacramentals promoted by members of religious orders. Six months later, on January 13, 1252, the order received a letter of protection from Pope Innocent IV, defending them from any harassment or denial of this event.

What is known as the Sabbatine Privilege is attached to the wearing of the Brown Scapular. The name Sabbatine Privilege comes from a papal bull issued by Pope John XXII on March 3, 1322. According to the Holy Father, the Blessed Virgin gave him the following message in a vision that was directed to all those who wear the Brown Scapular. “I, the Mother of Grace, shall descend on the Saturday (Sabbath) after their death and whomsoever I shall find in Purgatory, I shall free, so that I may lead them to the holy mountain of life everlasting.”

Based on Church tradition, three conditions must be fulfilled to obtain the benefits of this Privilege and the Scapular: (1) Wear the Brown Scapular; (2) Observe chastity according to one’s state in life; (3) Pray the Rosary.

To receive the spiritual blessings associated with the Scapular, one should be formally enrolled in the Brown Scapular by either a priest or a layperson who has been given the authority to enroll. Once enrolled, no other scapular needs to be blessed before wearing. The blessing and imposition are attached to the enrolled person for life.

The feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is July 16, the same day she appeared to Simon Stock. Interestingly, Simon Stock was never officially canonized, though he has been venerated by the Carmelites since 1564. And with Vatican approval, he has been given the feast day of May 16. He is also called St. Simon Stock and churches and schools have been named after him.

On the 750th anniversary of the bestowal of the Brown Scapular, Pope John Paul II said, “Over time this rich Marian heritage of Carmel has become, through the spread of the Holy Scapular devotion, a treasure for the whole Church.”