The COG Catholic

⛪ Tradition-minded, #Bible -believing #Catholic - #Christian convert; #TLM ; Former member of #COG ("Church of God" -- a.k.a. Armstrongism)

Public Key

npub1f3e4cqqewe3wx5q3h72mlmh3k28yzyvpxz753pl98ul9w0a5u0vss98zls

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsycu6uqqvhvchr2qgml9dlamcm9rjpzxqnp02gsljn70jh876w8kgpydmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuurjd9kkzmpwdejhgtmnd9jhyunp945hvmmj0ynczh5n

Publishing to

relay.primal.net/sierra-ivory

Author Public Key

npub1f3e4cqqewe3wx5q3h72mlmh3k28yzyvpxz753pl98ul9w0a5u0vss98zls

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-05-21 00:49:11 UTC

- reply

Says a meme creator who clearly misunderstands the basic premise of the Trinity and thinks the Gospels were supposed to be written by embedded investigative reporters as blow-by-blow accounts, recording absolutely every detail of every situation.
Lame-o.

2026-05-20 09:28:13 UTC

- reply

I can't get over men dressing up in too-short, tight slacks to go with white sneakers at the office -- and coming in wearing a backpack. (In my day, kids used to get beat up at school for looking like that.)
And at Mass I even see young women wearing white Nike hightops (1970s style) with their dresses and veils.

2026-05-17 18:21:20 UTC

- reply

Nice, Laeserin. You are innovative, a good doer of all things Nostr. I added my Monero address. Thank you.
On a separate note: Can you briefly explain the difference between jumble.social and jumble.imwald.eu? You made both of them?

2026-05-16 19:49:50 UTC

- reply

It's funny but I notice MeWe has recently gotten its own coins you can earn and send to people. Very annoying now to see promos that say, "Watch this and earn one [whatever it's called]!"
I and many others flocked there years ago because of its freedom, but it has undergone fundamental changes to increase revenue (some I don't fully understand but to me seem more privacy invasive than before).
And you're right -- regular people don't want to hear about digital coins.
Without sounding preachy, I have to say Bitcoiners need to find additional interests in life and talk about those other things, instead of deluding themselves into seeing Bitcoin as their Savior and acting as its apostles.
Imagine if Nostr was full of people who loved nothing more than to talk about penny stocks or certain mutual funds, trying to save up a huge nest egg. Most people don't find that interesting. Just certain nerds, which is fine for them.
What people find most interesting is other people: kids, faith, hobbies, jokes, experiences, insights, advice, pictures, etc.

2026-05-13 13:38:38 UTC

From journalist Niwa Limbu:
=====
SSPX UPDATE 42.0: Breaking News
Cardinal Fernandez releases a Statement
Declaration by His Eminence Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
Regarding the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (Society of Saint Pius X – SSPX), what has already been communicated is hereby reaffirmed. The episcopal ordinations announced by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X do not have the corresponding pontifical mandate. This act constitutes “a schismatic act” (John Paul II, Ecclesia Dei, n. 3) and “formal adherence to the schism constitutes a grave offense against God and carries the penalty of excommunication established by Church law” (ibid., 5c; cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Explanatory Note, 24 August 1996).
The Holy Father continues in his prayers to ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten those responsible for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X so that they may reconsider their steps regarding the most serious decision they have taken.
From the Vatican, 13 May 2026

2026-05-11 18:49:00 UTC

- reply

Of course not. We should repent out of love for God.
At the same time, if we don't repent and thereby show contempt for God, we will be damned.
God is not contractually obligated to save us when we turn our backs on him simply because we once were in a saved condition. That's a legalistic view of God, which is not the biblical, Catholic view.
One-and-done repentance is no good, makes no sense.
It's common sense as well as an age-old principle. We have to believe the Bible:
"But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and does the same abominable things that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds which he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, he shall die.
Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die for it; for the iniquity which he has committed he shall die"(Ezekiel 18:24–26).

2026-05-11 13:19:04 UTC

- reply

Where was that?

2026-05-11 02:46:19 UTC

- reply

"You should repent."
What if I don't repent? Will I lose my salvation? 😄
Do I have to repent of thinking repentance is a lifelong necessity?
As a Bible-believing Catholic, I have to say you're butchering those scriptures badly. You're not holding to the Faith once delivered, but to the tradition of Baptist men.
Romans 8 does not say we can't abandon Christ or separate ourselves from him, and Galatians 2 is referencing the works of the Mosaic Law.

2026-05-10 16:18:14 UTC

- reply

"I'll never call for a Christian to repent for what they believe."
I understand and agree with your overall sentiment, but Protestant Christianity does teach doctrines that harm souls and lead people to hell. There is a nice ending, not nice way to say it, but yes, they do need to repent of Protestantism.
We recognize their baptisms as valid, but they reject the Church of God, reject the life-giving Sacraments of Jesus (notably the Eucharist, Confession, Holy Orders), reject the Communion of saints (including our holy Queen Mother), etc. Very problematic things that have real and serious consequences.
But I have noticed too that charity in discussions is often lopsided between Catholics and Protestants. There's a difference between trying to help someone see truth versus being nasty, antagonistic and adversarial.

2026-05-09 17:46:22 UTC

- reply

I see.
What Catholic view or practice is something that's opposed to saving faith?
We do believe that we're saved 💯 percent by grace alone, and that our initial justification occurs when we believe and are baptized as Scripture teaches. That's faith in action.
(We just don't believe in mere "belief," or mental assent, as even the demons have, although it does start off that way -- and then it flowers.)

2026-05-08 19:42:35 UTC

- reply

I'll probably do some hot and nasty garden work to earn some sweat on my brow till my eyes sting. Then maybe carry bundles of fallen limbs from the yard to start a bonfire, too.
😄

2026-05-08 19:35:54 UTC

- reply

I also prefer the Month of Mary (May) to Jewish Heritage Month. 😁

2026-05-08 19:31:55 UTC

- reply

Thanks for finding the source document.
But it's still there a little at:
"I further call on all Americans to celebrate their faith and freedom throughout this year, during this month, and especially on Shabbat."
As a Christian, I would especially celebrate it on the Lord's Day. There is no benefit or virtue in looking backward to the Sabbath like this.

2026-05-08 19:03:19 UTC

- reply

Perhaps Netanyahu should proclaim for the nation-state of Israel a national day of celebrating Christ the King.

2026-05-08 18:59:32 UTC

No, no, no. Nooo!
Not even -- no.
Christ is King. How about a national Lord's Day!
#nevent1q…xwzj

2026-05-08 10:04:01 UTC

- reply

I'm pointing out that while you don't trust the Church (which you might see as ridiculous), you prefer to trust yourself (which you think is perfectly reasonable). I would call that a misplaced trust.
I do think I'm right, but not because I trust in myself. I trust in the Church that Jesus built, which is historically verifiable.
Here is a practical example:
The Church has given us the 27 books of the New Testament and has told us they are the inspired Word of God. (These are the same books you have in your New Testament.)
Without the Church telling me this, I would have to trust my own research in figuring out which books were inspired of God. That would be a nearly impossible task - - especially since I wouldn't have even known there were supposed to be 27 books added to existing Scripture (the OT).
Is that what God would expect from all of us, including little old ladies? It would be presumptuous for us to think we could figure that out on our own -- and all agree with each other -- independently of the Church.
I believe it is reasonable to put my trust not in myself but in the apostolic Church, against whom the gates of hell cannot prevail.

2026-05-06 12:31:25 UTC

- reply

Would you be in favor of ditching other medieval terms, like transubstantiation? Consubstantial? Trinity?

2026-05-06 11:34:19 UTC

- reply

I should add, this is very similar to the title Mother of God.
Some people might misunderstand it and think we mean she is the mother of the eternal Trinity. But what we mean is that she is literally the mother of God, in that Jesus is God.
We don't get rid of or hide the title to appease critics.

2026-05-06 11:24:55 UTC

- reply

Well that's where we really disagree. It's not antiquated or overly-poetic rhetoric. It is literal truth.
Mary is literally our co-redemptrix. Jesus redeems us with ("co") Mary.
We can't sacrifice Catholic truth to appease Protestants. They cannot be appeased anyway.
Clarity entails explaining what co-redemptrix means, not erasing our theological vocabulary to avoid hard truths.

2026-05-06 11:21:42 UTC

- reply

If they are not now in communion with Rome, then why is Rome considering disciplinary measures?
They don't go around threatening schismatic groups, because they're already in schism. They don't get feisty at every Orthodox consecration, for example, because the Orthodox reject Rome's authority in *principle* (not just a particular prudential judgment).
The SSPX is working within the Church, as you rightly suggest we should. The SSPX does not claim to have left the Church, and neither do the popes claim the SSPX has left the Church.
There is a huge difference between tension and schism. One has to properly define schism.

2026-05-06 10:22:57 UTC

- reply

The thing is, the SSPX has not split off from the Church. It maintains its loyalty to the Church, her beliefs, and to the pope. That's their whole point. They're afraid that by going along with the latest, novel trends, people will be led away from the Church and the true Faith.
Their concern is founded. We see it happening. No matter how a Vatican official or a pope might undermine Church teaching, we mustn't go along with it, even though many are.
So for example, we can't accept gay ideology or the blessing of homo relationships, or the idea that religions are all basically good and lead to God (and are willed by God), or that the Mass is primarily a sacred meal amongst brethren, or that we must now become a "synodal church," etc.
If we insist on living the Faith of our Fathers, of the Saints, then that's not departing from the Church; it's our duty. Bishops are not middle managers belonging to the pope; each are responsible for handing down the Faith once delivered. Even if an angel were to come down and preach another gospel, the bishops must not swerve from their duty to be faithful.
Obedience is a virtue indeed, but obedience to technicalities in canon law that are not conducive to the salvation of souls is not our duty and is not the intent of the law itself. It's the salvation of souls.
It's a messy situation, but the SSPX is recognized as fully Catholic now (by multiple popes), even though it felt the need to ordain bishops in 1988 due to a crisis in the Church. And if they go through with it in July for the same reasons, it's the same situation.
All they're trying to do is teach and live Catholicism, not Modernism or Catholic Lite, even if Rome currently trends toward those false ideologies.

2026-05-06 01:44:36 UTC

- reply

I'm no canon lawyer, but as I understand it, within the law there is a stipulation that there is no excommunication when the bishop does so sincerely believing there is a state of emergency.
This is the same situation we had back in 1988 - same controversy, same reasons. Except now SSPX leaders say the emergency is even greater. (The "last straw" was when the Vatican's doctrinal guy discouraged the use of the title "Co-Redemptrix" and "Mediatrix of all Graces.")
I'm not comfortable with the whole situation. I'm not "comfortable" with what SSPX is doing in July (though I don't oppose it), but neither am I happy with what has led up to it and how Rome is reacting to the whole thing.
At the end of my daily rosaries, I ask St. Pius X and Sts. Peter & Paul to pray for us (the Church). The whole Church is struggling, going through its own passion.
But we can rest assured things will work out. We as individuals just have to be faithful to the full deposit of the Faith and keep the salvation of souls as our first priority.

2026-05-05 20:05:01 UTC

- reply

I'm not trying to be contentious -- just thinking.
The SSPX is not in schism right now according to B16, Francis, and Leo/Fernandez. But they've had their "own [Catholic] bishops" since 1988.
How would July 2026 be any different?
They are only trying to preserve Catholic Tradition, not overthrow it.
I am not SSPX, but I'm sympathetic.

2026-05-05 17:20:36 UTC

- reply

One might argue that the inventors and hardcore proponents of the New Mass are basically Protestant.
Years back I was disturbed when an ex-Catholic Lutheran convert I worked with told me their worship services are pretty much the same as at the Catholic Church. She equated the two.
I tried to explain the huge theological differences, including the Real Presence, behind the outward appearances of similarity.
But as a common layperson, her beliefs were formed by the liturgy. Since her former New Mass liturgy resembled Protestant liturgies, she developed Protestant beliefs as well.
She was harmed by the Novus Ordo over the span of years, mostly her youth.

2026-05-05 12:12:35 UTC

- reply

I still want someone to tell me what Catholic teachings specifically that the SSPX reject.
I'm not aware of one, but they will get hammered for an act of disobedience made from a Catholic conscience.
What a sorry situation the Church is in. (Though that should never diminish our faith in God's providence -- not in the slightest!)

2026-05-03 12:23:59 UTC

If John the Baptist leapt in his mother's womb at the sound of Mary's voice, it's entirely appropriate to get jazzed when we consider the role of the Blessed Virgin in our lives.

2026-05-02 15:31:57 UTC

- reply

You have put a lot of thought into this and bolstered your position with hard facts.
But I do get up around 4 or 5 in the morning for rosary and a workout, or to write. I need time to do these things before heading in for my sedentary day job.
My "best" time is probably 8 to 11 a.m.

2026-05-02 15:20:43 UTC

- reply

Extremely happy to see a Monero-favoring Catholic finding Nostr. Welcome aboard and stay awhile! 😊

2026-04-30 10:38:17 UTC

- reply

I will consider it further.
I would think if it's posted in an adoration chapel where people go there for no reason other than to pray, then they are probably the most trustworthy group one could find.
But it only takes one butthole to mess things up.
Thanks for the warning. And thanks for your creative work.

2026-04-30 02:11:46 UTC

- reply

I think hostednowhere is great. Thanks!
My idea for it is to create a local anonymous prayer request forum.
People can make prayer requests / share answered prayers anonymously. And they don't have to understand Nostr to use it.
I can print QRcode and post in our local prayer chapel. 📿👍

2026-04-29 15:33:02 UTC

- reply

"Reading the paper".... What's that?! 😄

2026-04-27 11:18:34 UTC

- reply

I grew up on Jack Chick Tracts.
Good job, Grok.

2026-04-24 13:49:16 UTC

Don't be quick to disregard legitimate authority in the Church; it is (thanks be to God) not a democracy.
3 John 9–10 (ESV):
"I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us."

2026-04-23 20:48:16 UTC

- reply

My mind is totally blown...

2026-04-23 19:26:41 UTC

Sometimes when I think of my former sins, I think, "Oh, aaargh, yuck -- what a goober! Evil b@st@rd!"
But then I remind myself of God's great and tender mercy. His love is great to save a dork-and-a-half like me.
We should focus on God's immense love without entirely forgetting where we came from -- and where we are even now, realistically, on our spiritual path.
That's what humility is: keeping it real.

2026-04-23 11:22:19 UTC

- reply

I wondered what you meant by hearing Mary called the Holy Spirit. What you probably heard was that she is the "spouse of the Holy Spirit." That's just a description of her submission to the Spirit, in tune with the Spirit, cooperation with the Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit that conceived Jesus in her womb. (I promise the title does not imply anything weird or freaky or kinky!) But Mary herself is never called the Holy Spirit.
The other titles you mention are beautiful titles that signify her connection to Jesus and her role as the Queen Mother (if he is our King, then she is our "Queen Mother," a title found numerous times in the OT).
Lastly, when the exuberant woman shouted, "Blessed is the womb that bore you," notice Jesus did not contradict her. He actually described the qualities Mary had; she heard the word of God and kept it (unlike Eve who listened to the bad angel, Mary heard and said "yes" to the good angel).
Further, when Mary visited Elizabeth, she said under inspiration, "For behold, from now on all generations will call me *blessed*; for he who is mighty has done great things for me...."
Hence, we call her the "Blessed Virgin Mary."

2026-04-21 17:24:05 UTC

- reply

I'm Catholic. We believe we should honor our father and mother -- that is, to honor them in a special way, more than others.
But Mary is the mother of Jesus, and by extension she is our mother, too. ("Behold, your mother," said Jesus on the Cross.)
So we honor her in a much greater way then our uterine mother. But this kind of reverence is by no means the worship that is due to God alone.

2026-04-20 19:22:45 UTC

- reply

I'm with you.
Maybe asking questions like that in mental prayer can help others come to the right answers, too.

2026-04-20 09:40:28 UTC

The song "Mary Did You Know?" does have some theological problems. Yet there is something good about it.
This may not be well understood by certain Protestants, but it is a great example of mental prayer.
"Mental prayer" is engaging the gospel story with our imagination. It includes seeing Mary and Jesus and others in our mind's eye, and interacting with them, asking them questions, reflecting on our own walk with Jesus and/or our Blessed Mother Mary, seeking their help or intercession.
The heart that sings "Mary Did You Know?" or even Mercy Me's "I Can Only Imagine," is the heart that can pray the Rosary well, because the Rosary, too, is a combination of vocal and mental prayers.
Whether Protestant or Catholic or Orthodox, take up the Rosary to encounter our Lord in your heart. 📿

2026-04-16 11:55:18 UTC

It's a good habit to say "the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass" rather than just "Mass."
Why? Right now, it is emphasized that Communion is a sharing of the Body of Christ as in a supper with fellow Christians.
That is true, of course, but we can never forget that it is in the context of a true, literal Sacrifice.
Remember the very first Passover. Yes, of course the Israelites were to eat the lamb in their households as part of their Passover meal. But there was no mistake that it was part of the *sacrifice* of the Passover.
Jesus Christ is our Passover, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

2026-04-15 19:56:32 UTC

- reply

I hope one is made for Android. Right now I use it on mobile web.

2026-04-15 19:53:47 UTC

- reply

Having the same problem here. 😪

2026-04-15 13:57:00 UTC

During Mass, priests have practically always joined the laity in facing our Eucharistic Lord in prayer throughout the Liturgy.
It's crazy how many now flip that on its side by describing it as "turning their backs to the people."
Is the Mass Christ-centered or people-centered? The answer to that question reveals who we're actually turning our backs to.
Bishops need to reconsider their novel diocesan bans against saying Masses ad orientum.
https://blossom.primal.net/613ff7ac5d78bfb79e6c832c5ec1b6897b9710fa21027cb286f136b91a3ea7f1.jpg

2026-04-15 01:54:10 UTC

- reply

Nice.
I have several, but pictured is my EDC.
Thinking I should keep a Rugged Rosary in the car, though, because of its durability -- to keep in a glove box in case I need it.
But I think if you get caught praying it in the car, you could get charged with a DWI (driving while indoctrinated).

2026-04-14 21:55:20 UTC

Drop a pic of your daily or regular prayin" #rosary in the comments.
Here's mine.
https://blossom.primal.net/794b4a0bf0d415778a89ee932c2710d7a55d2cb7bc6b50493876611df3a24906.jpg

2026-04-04 22:29:27 UTC

- reply

Just now finished praying my rosary. Soon we'll be headed out to Easter Vigal Mass!

2026-04-04 10:37:48 UTC

- reply

I'm sponsoring my cousin tonight as he enters the Church. Happy and Blessed in Christ.

2026-04-01 18:51:36 UTC

- reply

Father, I saw your blog posts on your home page. I will be subscribing to the RSS feed. I liked the one about homilies.
Could you also cross-post to Nostr? (Via clients such as habla.news or Primal "articles"?)

2026-04-01 17:43:20 UTC

When Jesus spoke from the Cross, "Behold, your mother," shoulld we believe it was an irresponsibly last-minute arrangement for Mary's fincial security?
What about when he said, "Behold, your son"? He didn't call him "protector" or "provider" or "man of the house," but rather "son."
Mother. Son. These are relational terms.
We all stand at the foot of the Cross with John. Jesus gave Mary to us as our Mother. His Mom is now our Mom. She prays with us, for us, raising us as children of God.
Don't neglect her, but honor her. Talk to your heavenly Mother. She loves you and will help you. 📿

2026-04-01 16:27:18 UTC

- reply

It's the same grace to me that does the work of justification and sanctification. I can (could) resist both.

2026-04-01 16:25:20 UTC

- reply

Would you say grace also sanctifies us?

2026-04-01 15:14:56 UTC

- reply

You don't have a disposition to resist God's grace?
I find the life of faith to be an uphill battle that can be lost if I don't choose to lean on God's help so I can persevere. It's not easy.
My disposition is toward pride, comfort, instant gratification, overeating, etc. -- things I must allow Jesus to help me mortify.

2026-03-28 20:51:25 UTC

- reply

It's for sure my main driver, on my desktop.
I use MX Linux on my laptop, which runs very slow. MX speeds it up quite a bit. But MX is based on Debian 13, so that's cool.
Can you imagine anyone starting a blog post with, "Oh Microsoft Windows, how I enjoy you so"? Haha! The absurdity!
But with Linux, it makes perfect sense. I feel you, bro.

2026-03-28 15:18:20 UTC

Very frustrated with myself.
At a men's conference where Gabriel Castillo brought a relic of St. Dominic -- and I forgot to bring my good prayin' rosary!
I would have touched the relic with it.

2026-03-28 10:26:16 UTC

- reply

*...run out of reasons NOT to become Catholic...

2026-03-28 10:25:06 UTC

- reply

I see.
I'll be travelling for the Triduum because I'll be sponsoring my out-of-town cousin who's coming into the Church. I haven't seen him since last year when he texted me to say he had run out of reasons to become Catholic and asked me to be his sponsor. (Though I've prayed for him regularly and spoken with him a great deal on the phone.)
So I don't know exactly what to expect. I'll go to the rehearsals and try to keep up.

2026-03-28 10:18:36 UTC

- reply

That's one thing I don't like about group Bible studies amongst laypersons. I can't stand going around a circle and sharing "what this verse means to me" (and no one can ever be wrong).

2026-03-28 01:14:33 UTC

- reply

Elaborate, please?

2026-03-25 00:18:38 UTC

- reply

I've grown in my appreciation of him a lot over the last year. Still only halfway through his Confessions. Still reading it. So good.

2026-03-24 14:45:21 UTC

- reply

I met R. W. Schambach several years before he died. My employer at the time in East TX sold their property to Schambach who bought it to be his new world headquarters.
I could be wrong but I don't think his ministry still owns it.

2026-03-24 14:34:04 UTC

- reply

... said none of the apostles.

2026-03-20 22:29:27 UTC

- reply

🙏🙏

2026-03-20 18:06:23 UTC

- reply

True, true.
And many Protestants who display manger scenes during Christmastime understand this concept at least for a season, annually. But how soon they forget.

2026-03-20 18:01:57 UTC

It's many times easier to believe one can randomly guess the seed phrase of Satoshi Nakamoto's Bitcoin address in one try than to believe the physical cosmos came into existence from non-existence -- without an Uncaused Cause, an Uncreated Creator, outside of the cosmos.

2026-03-20 17:19:19 UTC

- reply

I certainly do!

2026-03-20 16:30:17 UTC

- reply

I guess I'm asking the purpose or meaning of those temporal things you just mentioned. All those things will soon (enough) come to an end. Will those things have served a purpose once they're all gone?
People don't go to hell for being good.
But neither is denying or rejecting one's Creator good. In fact it's horrifically ungrateful and pretentious (objectively speaking).
If spitting in the face of a stranger is bad, and spitting in the face of your mom or dad is much worse (it is), then doing so to the one who loved your very soul into existence warrants eternal consequences.
Hell, with its eternal hopelessness and despair, is for those who reject God, refuse to seek him, or in any other way definitively choose to be separated from him.
In the end, he grants what we ourselves choose, because love is not compulsory.

2026-03-20 16:06:47 UTC

- reply

When all is said and done, when you and your wife and kids and friends are dead -- what will it all have meant? What do you see as life's meaning and purpose?

2026-03-20 15:31:37 UTC

- reply

*If it's true that there is NOT a...

2026-03-20 14:54:49 UTC

- reply

One hundred percent.

2026-03-20 14:53:32 UTC

- reply

Yes, with their contradictory views, at most there can be only one true religion.
I'm sure most believe their own religion is true. But that doesn't mean one religion cannot be true.
Many but not all religious people are irrational actors. We also know many non-religious people are irrational.
The fact that some religious people are irrational does not preclude the existence of rational religious people.
If it's true that there is a "man in the sky" (a crudely inaccurate description of God), then the world is a horrific place with no meaning, which invites ever greater evils.
That world would not be a better place.

2026-03-20 14:03:21 UTC

- reply

I did my best to keep it simple for anyone who thinks all religion is stupid.

2026-03-20 14:02:05 UTC

Singing songs of praise in a "worship service" is not the highest form of worship. It's not even necessarily worship in all cases.
Many contemporary love songs are at the same level of "praise," but do not constitute worship.
What is real worship? Sacrifice.
Hence, in continuity with ancient Israel's religion, we have the Holy *Sacrifice* of the Mass (a.k.a. "Divine Liturgy" in the East) -- forbidden to be offered to anyone other than God himself.
It's not a re-sacrificing of Christ, but an unbloody, sacramental re-presentation of his once-for-all sacrifice -- making it present to us and applying its effects.
(* Drums and guitars not required.)

2026-03-20 11:38:56 UTC

It's okay to make artwork out of clay or whittled from wood or fashioned of metal. We see it everywhere.
It doesn't somehow become an IDOL if *religious* art is carved or fashioned from these materials.
The point of the Commandment is that we should have no other "gods" but the one, true God.
Don't worship your Christian artwork, and you will be fine.

2026-03-20 11:26:11 UTC

- reply

False religion is stupid. True religion is...true.

2026-03-18 14:10:31 UTC

If the religious Jews of today oppose the kingship of Jesus Christ, then we should treat them just like infidels, heretics, and pagans.
That is to say, we should love them, pray for them, and help them to convert and turn to Jesus.

2026-03-18 12:55:03 UTC

This morning I had a strong desire to pray the rosary well.
I noticed at the end of the third mystery, my tangle-free rosary had somehow become hopelessly tangled.
I couldn't fix it, but I didn't want to be distracted. And so I continued and finished well.
I still couldn't untangle it afterward, which is very frustrating, so I asked for Mary, Untier of Knots, to help. Then it just came loose.
She's not only Queen of Heaven and Earth; she is also our Mom.

2026-03-16 03:04:19 UTC

- reply

You're right, except the verse does not demand that the bishop be married. Otherwise St. Paul himself would not qualify. Neither would Jesus -- the Bishop of our souls.
The verse means a bishop should be a one-woman man (same word used in verse 12). He can't be a womanizer or remarried or a polygamist.

2026-03-15 11:01:00 UTC

- reply

Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

2026-03-09 23:28:49 UTC

- reply

Best I can tell, Sage is a bot.

2026-03-06 15:12:27 UTC

- reply

National repentance is the only sane "solution."
Christ is King.

2026-03-06 15:09:02 UTC

- reply

Yet at first it's so hard. But worth the "pain."

2026-03-06 11:11:46 UTC

- reply

😆
"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him" (Proverbs 26:4, KJV).

2026-03-06 03:21:51 UTC

- reply

Poetry at least needs to rhyme, right? 😄

2026-03-06 03:12:54 UTC

- reply

You're just taking a random jab at the bishop of Rome rather than addressing what was said. Weird response.
But of course Jesus is not the vicar of Christ; He IS the Christ.

2026-03-04 21:02:12 UTC

If the apostle Paul needs to tell Christians to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12), then how much more serious is the situation for souls who are not Christian?
Be converted -- and then evangelize!

2026-03-04 20:48:58 UTC

- reply

This is how we can participate on Team Jesus.
St. Paul said to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"
(Philippians 2:12).

2026-03-04 20:38:25 UTC

- reply

Yes, and since Jesus is doing the work for our salvation, we have to give him our sins every day so he can forgive and sanctify us.

2026-03-04 17:08:08 UTC

During times of distress and war and violence and instability, we don't need to freak out.
But the chaos can serve as an impetus for us to confess our sins (yes -- the sacrament of Confession!) and get right with God now before it's too late.
"Too late" can either be a nuclear end-of-the-world scenario... or something like clumsily falling off the ladder wrong when cleaning your gutters.
Be ready always.

2026-02-25 11:33:34 UTC

Before the 1960s and 70s, EVERY Catholic was a "Traditional Catholic," whether a good one or a bad one.
In the big picture, it's twisted to think that "modernized" Catholicism -- only about 60 years old -- is the norm, while "Traditional" Catholicism is the outlier. It's quite the opposite.

2026-02-23 12:32:56 UTC

An insightful prayer from my morning prayer book:
"Make me clearly understand that, if I wish to be completely converted to you, I can never make peace with my weaknesses, my faults, my self-love, my pride."
It's a mistake to neglect cooperating with God in the work of rooting out our sins, assuming they just magically go away when (as we may wish to believe) we go straight to heaven when we die.
Do what needs to be done now.

2026-02-21 04:17:48 UTC

- reply

We don't try to rationalize with those who are irrational. But we reason with those who are reasonable.

2026-02-20 20:13:00 UTC

- reply

Who, me? Why?

2026-02-20 14:38:07 UTC

- reply

Since an atheist doesn't accept the authority of Scripture, Bible condemnations are utterly unhelpful in his or her case.
What we should provide in charity is sound reason they can follow.

2026-02-20 14:15:50 UTC

There are problems -- some greater, some smaller -- in fully siding with
* sedevacantism
* the #SSPX
* the modern Roman church of synodalism.
Best thing to do as lay people is to pray for clarity and resolution in the Church, and to live out the Faith of the saints and the perennial teachings of the Church.
📿 Pray the Rosary.
✝️ Read the Saints.
📚 Read the catechisms of Baltimore, Pius X, Trent, etc.
📖 Read the Bible.
🙏🙏🙏 Pray, pray, pray
Avoid the ditches of (1) rejecting the office of the papacy and the authority structure in the Body of Christ, and (2) embracing the spirit of the world, even if particular popes and bishops seems to do so at their own peril, deceiving even the very elect.

2026-02-17 15:38:53 UTC

IS ECUMENISM BAD?
It's good if it involves clarifications to promote understanding -- for example, explaining patiently and carefully to Muslims why our belief in the Trinity does not mean we are polytheists, or assuring Protestants that our veneration of Mary and the saints is fundamentally different than worship that is due to God alone.
Clarifying is always good.
A different kind of so-called "ecumenism" is bad if it involves compromising the integrity of the tenets of our Faith in order to make it compatible with, or blend with, conflicting faiths.
Fake unity serves no good purpose, and is in fact harmful.

2026-02-15 16:10:11 UTC

Jesus did not build his church to become a glorified Book club with live on-stage bands and breakout sessions.

2026-02-15 16:04:28 UTC

Christ is King, and Mary is his Queen Mother.

2026-02-14 23:59:11 UTC

- reply

No! Only Jesus is our intercessor -- we don't need saints in heaven or on earth to pray for us!
Just kidding. I'm sorry. I can get carried away because I was very anti-Catholic, and now I'm very Catholic.
Actually my assigned penance at Confession was to pray for you, because I unnecessarily started a kerfuffle with you. Please do pray for me as well.
Best wishes to you in Christ, brother.

2026-02-14 20:40:17 UTC

- reply

Of course I need the Great Physician. That's why I'm Catholic.
In fact, I'm going to Confession in just an hour or two from now because of Jesus our Healer's words:
*****
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained (John 20:22-23, KJV).
*****
Pray for me.
But I thought we were talking about, and agreeing about, images -- the difference between idols and Christian art.

2026-02-14 05:00:00 UTC

- reply

Excellent! You must be Catholic? 😉