Sed Contra: A Podcast of Catholic Theology

Beatitude of God

Nov 6, 2024

Fr. Sebastian Walshe, a Norbertine Canon and philosophy teacher, joins the discussion on the Beatitude of God. He dives into profound insights about God's happiness, contrasting it with human joy and the philosophical teachings of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas. The conversation explores the communal nature of divine joy within the Trinity, the relationship between divine beatitude and creation, and the quest for true happiness in understanding God. Listeners are encouraged to find solace in divine happiness amidst challenges, nurturing a deeper spiritual connection.

45:29

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Episode guests

Fr. Sebastian Walshe

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

God's happiness is defined as an eternal perfection that serves as the foundational principle of creation, revealing the interconnection of all beings to the divine.

The distinction between happiness and joy highlights that true happiness is a deeper fulfillment residing in intellectual contemplation of God, unlike transient sensory experiences associated with joy.

Deep dives

Understanding Happiness and Joy

Happiness is defined as the greatest good for rational beings, primarily found in the perfect operation of the intellect focused on the best object, which is God. This contrasts with joy, often confused with happiness in everyday language, as joy pertains to feelings and emotions tied to sensory experiences. For example, joy can be felt when seeing a friend, which involves both intellectual and emotional components. However, happiness, in a stricter sense, represents a deeper fulfillment of one's entire nature, unlike the transient pleasures associated with sensory joy.

Intro

2min

Understanding God's Beatitude

26min

The Profound Nature of Divine Procession and Understanding

3min

The Communal Happiness of God

9min

Theological Insights on Happiness and its Object

2min

Finding Consolation in Divine Happiness

3min

In this Sed Contra podcast episode, the discussion centers on the Beatitude of God. The episode is hosted by Pater Edmund Waldstein, O.Cist., who is a monk of the Cistercian Abbey of Stift Heiligenkreuz in Austria and an ordinary member of the Sacra Doctrina Project, with fellow ordinary SDP member Urban Hannon who is a seminarian of the FSSP and a doctoral student at the University of Fribourg, and special guest Fr. Sebastian Walshe, O.Praem., is a Norbertine Canon of the Abbey of St. Michaelin the Diocese of Orange, California. For those interested, Fr. Sebastian has published an academic article that focuses on the beatitude of God. See Walshe, Sebastian. "Beata Trinitas: The Beatitude of God as Prelude to the Trinitarian Processions." The Thomist: A Speculative Quarterly Review 76, no. 2 (2012): 189-209. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/tho.2012.0024.

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