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116. Fate

1. Fate in the sense of a rigid controlling powerover human actions, with its focus or seat in the stars, is notonly nonexistent, but impossible.

2. But sometimes the word fate is used for divineprovidence.

3. Fate as divine providence is a changeless rule, butthis does not mean fixity and mechanical necessity of events. As wehave noted elsewhere, providence does not interfere with free willitself, nor does it render meaningless the notion of contingenthappenings.

4. Fate as providence has reference to creatures andcreatural effects; it has no reference to the divine operations inthemselves.

"It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come."
Thomas á Kempis

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"If, devout soul, it is your will to please God and live a life of serenity in this world, unite yourself always and in all things to the divine will. Reflect that all the sins of your past wicked life happened because you wandered from the path of God's will. For the future, embrace God's good pleasure and say to him in every happening: "Yea, Father, for so it hath seemed good in thy sight." "
St Alphonsus de Liguori

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"Try to turn your heart from the love of things visible and bring yourself to things invisible. For they who follow their own evil passions stain their consciences and lose the grace of God. "
Thomas á Kempis

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