Blessed Christmastide, and To Be Continued...

Just to let you all know: I haven't forgotten you! (I'm at my mother-in-law's house, visiting for a few days, with erratic internet access.) I'll try to throw a few more mediocre musings into the arena, ASAP...

God bless your Christmastide, and your New Year!

Definitions of Terms

(For those of you who might be wondering: "What the [insert colorful metaphor here] is this all about?", this is the easiest way I could find to include a sidebar perma-link to some of the details, FAQ's, etc., that will eventually be explored. As I get a bit better with this HTML stuff, I might find a less "clunky" way to do it!)

"Paladin" = "virtuous warrior" (originally a reference to the 12 noble peers of the court of Charlemagne, but generalized to refer to any warrior dedicated to the heroic ideals of Christian virtue)

The three powers, or "faculties" of the rational soul:

• "Intellect" = the power of the soul by which we apprehend truth; the faculty by which we "know" things
• "Will" = the radically free power of the soul by which we embrace one option over another; the faculty by which we "choose" things
• "Memory" = the power of the soul by which we retain experiences of the past; the pfaculty by which we "remember" things

The Three Theological Virtues:

• "Faith" = the act of the will by which we believe all that has been revealed by God, Who can neither deceive nor be deceived
• "Hope" = the act of the will by which we believe that God's promises will be fulfilled, and that He is in control
• "Love" = the act of the will by which we freely choose the best good for another person, regardless of the cost to us

(Note: none of these are "passions" or "emotions"--despite the propaganda of the modern culture!)