Choose a topic from Part 2B:
1. The prophetic vision which gives the prophet hisknowledge is not the vision of God in heaven. If a prophet were tosee God in the beatific vision, he would be instantly glorified andconfirmed in grace, and this is impossible to man while he is awayfarer, that is, is living this earthly life.
2. The revelation made to a prophet by divine power issometimes an infusing of new ideas; sometimes, a new arrangement ofideas the prophet already possesses; and sometimes, a light thatshows hitherto unseen implications in old ideas in their oldarrangement.
4. It is possible that the prophet himself should not understandwhat the Holy Ghost means by the prophetic utterance. Davidunderstood that he had prophesied when he said (II Kings 23:2):"The spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me." But Caiphasdid not understand when he prophesied (John 11:51): "And thishe spoke, not ofhimself, but being the high-priest of thatyear, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation."
7. Man forms ideas in the natural way byabstraction which draws intelligible species(that is, understandable essences) from the findings of senserepresented in imagination-images or phantasms. This process is notalways followed in the conveying of prophetic knowledge. Divinelyimparted knowledge is sometimes directly impressed without theservice of senses or phantasms. And sometimes it is an infusedlight which makes manifest what was not known in the naturalprocess of human knowing.
"As the flesh is nourished by food, so is man supported by prayers"
St Augustine
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"Men should often renew their good resolutions, and not lose heart because they are tempted against them."
St Philip Neri
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"The supreme perfection of man in this life is to be so united to God that all his soul with all its faculties and powers are so gathered into the Lord God that he becomes one spirit with him, and remembers nothing except God, is aware of and recognises nothing but God, but with all his desires unified by the joy of love, he rests contentedly in the enjoyment of his Maker alone."
St Albert the Great
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