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115. How One Creature Moves Another: Bodies

1. Bodies act upon other bodies. Fire burns wood; foodsupports living substance; a horse pulls a wagon; wind erodes amountain; water moistens earth. Every bodily substance, by itsbeing what it is, by its actuality, has an activity by which itaffects other bodies, and is in potentiality to be affected byother bodies.

2. Living bodies bear the germs or seeds of offspringwhich they tend to move into existence. Nonliving bodies haveaptitude to be moved or affected by other bodies. In a word, allbodies exhibit a basic fitness or aptitude for the movement of bodyby body.

3. The heavenly bodies, and notably the sun, produceeffects in inferior bodies. Each inferior body receives, accordingto its nature, the action of a superior body. The movement ofearthly bodies is referred to movements of the heavenly bodies.

4. The heavenly bodies cannot directly affect the higherpowers ofman, that is, the intellect and the will. They may,however, exercise an indirect influence on the intellective powersthrough the senses of the human body. It is impossible that theheavenly bodies should be the direct cause of human actions.

5. The heavenly bodies can have no effect at all upon thedemons or bad angels; these angels are spirits, and no influence ofextraneous bodies on spirits is possible.

6. Nor is the direct influence of heavenly bodies onmatter always and necessarily effective.

"Spiritual persons ought to be equally ready to experience sweetness and consolation in the things of God, or to suffer and keep their ground in drynesses of spirit and devotion, and for as long as God pleases, without their making any complaint about it."
St Philip Neri

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"God looks neither at long nor beautiful prayers, but at those that come from the heart."
The Cure D'Ars

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"Many words do not satisfy the soul; but a good life eases the mind and a clean conscience inspires great trust in God."
Thomas á Kempis

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