Catholic Word of the Day: SUPREME EVIL. 05-01-09

CatholicReference.net ^ | 05-01-09 | Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary

[Salvation]

Featured Term (selected at random):

SUPREME EVIL

Whatever is regarded as the greatest loss or deprivation. Different philosophies conceive it in different ways, depending on what they consider the supreme good. In any religion or system of thought, the supreme evil is taken to mean the loss of the supreme good. In Christianity the supreme objective evil is grave sin; the supreme subjective evil is hell, or the eternal loss of the vision [of] God.

All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

[Salvation]

Evil vs. Good

[Salvation]

Sorry I forgot about posting this morning.

[Salvation]

 

Catholic Word of the Day – not linked – but you can do a search to find them.

La Salette	Liturgy	Andacollo
Kings, Book of	Physiologus	Old Catholics
Baltimore Catechism	Armagh, Book of	Nature
Eulogia	Orders, Sacrament of	Missionary
Dominus Vocbiscum	Ichthus-Fish	Abbacy of St.Jerome
Invalid	Doctrinal Demythology	Metaphysics
Ecclesia Docens	Apostolic Signatura	Octaves
Religion as feeling	Temperament	Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Congregation for Catholic Education	Sponsor	Mystery Play
Paschal Candle	Imitation of Christ	Voluntarism
Matter, Sacramental	Notion	Chancel
Gabbatha	Gregorian Masses	Ordo
Resolution of Amendment	Supreme Evil

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[Mad Dawg]

Even before we get to the Gospel, we must clarify that "Supreme" does not apply to "evil" the way it does to "Good". As Lewis would say, Satan is the opposite not of God but of Michael. Whatever sort of "being" or "existing" one would attribute to God cannot be attributed to evil, because evil is all about non-being and privation of good.

What's good about the post is that it says that well. The Supreme Evil is not a thing in itself (Or, as we say in German, the ding-a-ling an sich, it is the loss of the Supreme Good.