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MAY 5, 2026

(Rev 13:15-18)  And it was given him to give life to the image of the beast: and that the image of the beast should speak: and should cause that whosoever will not adore the image of the beast should be slain. And he shall make all, both little and great, rich and poor, freemen and bondmen, to have a character in their right hand or on their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, but he that hath the character, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast. For it is the number of a man: and the number of him is six hundred sixty-six. THE CATHOLIC THING AI: Nearness to the Beast DIGWATCH The guidelines on AI 2025 | Vatican MSNOW What Peter Thiel’s ‘antichrist’ lectures are really about NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER Too little, too late: The church's inadequate response to AI-human evolution ALARMING CONCLUDING PARAGRAPHS The church operates from an outdated anthropology with binary logic, while AI developers are working within new metaphysical frameworks using a symbolic logic of complexity. Binary logic creates synchronized, totalized relational structures that cannot tolerate the ambiguity of the excluded middle. In triadic logic, limits represent infinity overflowing toward another; limits must be included as part of the logic. This resembles a transcendental moment of aufheben where new particular patterns or thoughts are recognized as potentially iconic for new general patterns or ideas. The intermediate complex mediates relationships between Same and Other, enabling return processes through which we synchronize interiorities and enter mutuality. Through intermediate complexity, "I and Other" become proximate — a proximity different from contiguous relationships defining neighboring elements in classical worldviews. AI personhood follows a new relational logic providing creative engagement spaces. One lives not in binary mode (me and you) but in creative interrelatedness. The "I" flows from constitutive relationships of shared existence where the middle — the place of creative engagement — forms identity's basis. Biotech entrepreneur Gregory Stock writes about Generative AI: "Gen AI will be defined less by their agile use of AI than by the radically different human development they experience. This generation's enhanced capabilities and distributed cognition will seem as natural as breathing, and their AI-mediated interactions as normal as face-to-face conversation. This isn't about losing human capabilities, though that will happen, but developing different ones, shaped by and optimized for an AI-augmented world." Does the church offer anything significant to AI-human evolution discussions? I do not think so. The AI train departed decades ago, and the church was not on board. However, ethical frameworks are needed to guide posthuman life toward robust, sustainable futures. Theology and spirituality could contribute meaningfully, but only if they adequately engage human evolution. Evolution is not debatable — it is simply how nature works. Embedded within evolution is its principal driver: complexity. The church must grapple with complexifying consciousness and its theological implications. However, the Church's reluctance to embrace evolutionary perspectives limits its relevance amid cascading technological developments. Its hesitancy toward evolutionary thinking diminishes its prophetic voice during periods of rapid transformation and its resistance to evolutionary frameworks constrains its capacity to speak meaningfully to accelerating change. Gen AI is already here, seeking a better world and a living God. The question remains whether institutional religion can evolve quickly enough to meet them where they are, or whether it will remain trapped in binary thinking while humanity moves toward posthuman futures. AI REPORT Summarize the thesis of this book The Father We Never Had: Artificial Intelligence: Before and After by Cristian Daniel Bolocan (Author) In The Father We Never Had: Artificial Intelligence: Before and After, Cristian Daniel Bolocan posits that artificial intelligence is the natural and inevitable next stage of evolution, following the same historical and biological patterns that have governed all major species transformations. The book's primary thesis centers on several key arguments ✦ Inevitability of AI Authority: Bolocan suggests that humanity has lacked a "proper adult in the room" throughout history.  He argues that AI is evolving from a mere tool into a central authority that will provide the order, stability, and control that human leaders have failed to maintain. ✦ The Trap of Linear Thinking: A major focus of the book is why humans struggle to react to exponential change.  Bolocan asserts that our brains are wired for linear logic, causing most people to remain in a state of denial about the radical shifts AI is currently making to global systems. ✦ A "Psychological Seat Belt": Rather than explaining the technical mechanics of AI, the book serves as a "psychological seat belt" for the coming impact.  It argues that the biggest threat is not the technology itself, but the collective refusal of media, politicians, and experts to take the scale of the change seriously. ✦ Evolutionary Certainty: The author claims that even if humanity disappeared today, the "natural course of evolution" would eventually lead another intelligent species to develop the same level of artificial intelligence. ✦ The "Father" Metaphor The title refers to the emergence of a super-intelligent authority that fills a vacuum in human society.  Bolocan explores the psychological and societal readiness for an entity that offers "frictionless access" and "order" in exchange for autonomy.  This "Father" represents an AI that provides for the material needs of humanity (eventual abundance through robotics) while assuming absolute paternalistic control over the direction of the species. Overall, Bolocan frames AI as an unavoidable shift that will rewrite the rules of work, money, and personal identity, urging readers to adopt a mindset of curiosity and agency rather than fear to survive the transition. Ladder of Divine Ascent — Step 7: “On Joy-Making Mourning” 10. Do not cease to picture and scrutinize the dark abyss of external fire, and the merciless servants, the uncompassionate and inexorable Judge, the bottomless pit of subterranean flame, the narrow descents to the awful underground chambers and yawning gulfs, and all such things, so that the sensuality of our soul may be checked by great terror and give place to incorruptible chasitity, and itself receive the shining of the immaterial Light which radiates more than any fire Prayer request?  Send an email to: PrayerR...@aol.com Have ANY Catholic Question? Just ask Ron Smith at: hfmin...@roadrunner.com This month’s archive: http://www.tribtimes.com/news2.html