!catholics !christians happy Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

First Reading

As the visions during the night continued, I saw

one like a Son of man coming,

    on the clouds of heaven;

when he reached the Ancient One

    and was presented before him,

the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;

    all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

    that shall not be taken away,

    his kingship shall not be destroyed.

-Daniel 7:13-14

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Responsorial Psalm

R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

The LORD is king, in splendor robed;

robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.

R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

And he has made the world firm,

not to be moved.

Your throne stands firm from of old;

from everlasting you are, O LORD.

R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;

holiness befits your house,

O LORD, for length of days.

R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

-Psalms 93:1, 1-2, 5

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Second Reading

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness,

the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,

who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,

to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,

and every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him.

All the peoples of the earth will lament him.

Yes. Amen.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, " says the Lord God,

"the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty."

Revelations 1:5-8

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

-Mark 11:9, 10

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gospel

Pilate said to Jesus,

"Are you the King of the Jews?"

Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own

or have others told you about me?"

Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?

Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.

What have you done?"

Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.

If my kingdom did belong to this world,

my attendants would be fighting

to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.

But as it is, my kingdom is not here."

So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"

Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.

For this I was born and for this I came into the world,

to testify to the truth.

Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

-John 18:33b-37

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1 week until Advent! Random thought, why is Saint Mark the Evangelist depicted as a winged lion? Maybe he really was a winged lion? That would explain why the Gospel took off, if a winged lion told me to read his book I would.

I'll open with my first impressions having given it a reading with my morning tea: It's great! This is by far the most doctrinally clear, Biblically and Traditionally grounded encyclical out of the Pope Francis episcopacy. Not coincidentally, it sticks within a defined theological scope rather than attempting to address hot button social issues (though honestly I wish American Catholics were more keen to submit and obey rather than openly resist). My favorite section is 86-89:

86. Many Jansenists found this difficult to comprehend, for they looked askance on all that was human, affective and corporeal, and so viewed this devotion as distancing us from pure worship of the Most High God. Pius XII described as "false mysticism"[79] the elitist attitude of those groups that saw God as so sublime, separate and distant that they regarded affective expressions of popular piety as dangerous and in need of ecclesiastical oversight.

87. It could be argued that today, in place of Jansenism, we find ourselves before a powerful wave of secularization that seeks to build a world free of God. In our societies, we are also seeing a proliferation of varied forms of religiosity that have nothing to do with a personal relationship with the God of love, but are new manifestations of a disembodied spirituality. I must warn that within the Church too, a baneful Jansenist dualism has re-emerged in new forms. This has gained renewed strength in recent decades, but it is a recrudescence of that Gnosticism which proved so great a spiritual threat in the early centuries of Christianity because it refused to acknowledge the reality of "the salvation of the flesh". For this reason, I turn my gaze to the heart of Christ and I invite all of us to renew our devotion to it. I hope this will also appeal to today's sensitivities and thus help us to confront the dualisms, old and new, to which this devotion offers an effective response.

88. I would add that the heart of Christ also frees us from another kind of dualism found in communities and pastors excessively caught up in external activities, structural reforms that have little to do with the Gospel, obsessive reorganization plans, worldly projects, secular ways of thinking and mandatory programmes. The result is often a Christianity stripped of the tender consolations of faith, the joy of serving others, the fervour of personal commitment to mission, the beauty of knowing Christ and the profound gratitude born of the friendship he offers and the ultimate meaning he gives to our lives. This too is the expression of an illusory and disembodied otherworldliness.

89. Once we succumb to these attitudes, so widespread in our day, we tend to lose all desire to be cured of them. This leads me to propose to the whole Church renewed reflection on the love of Christ represented in his Sacred Heart. For there we find the whole Gospel, a synthesis of the truths of our faith, all that we adore and seek in faith, all that responds to our deepest needs.

For our ESL Catholics like @szrotmistrz you can scroll up and find the translation in your local language, including Portuguese, Polish, Spanish etc. Please join me in reading this. For the less interested here is the Vatican News summary.

The text concludes with a prayer, and I ask all !Catholics and !prayerwarriors to join me:

"I ask our Lord Jesus Christ to grant that His Sacred Heart may continue to pour forth the streams of living water that can heal the hurt we have caused, strengthen our ability to love and serve others, and inspire us to journey together towards a just, solidary and fraternal world. Until that day when we will rejoice in celebrating together the banquet of the heavenly kingdom in the presence of the risen Lord, who harmonizes all our differences in the light that radiates perpetually from his open heart. May he be blessed forever" (220).

@JoyceScaryOates @Paragon @carpathianHORRORist you neighbors can't escape me by being outside the ping group. Please read this.

Since it's Black Friday, we should recognize some black Catholics that are on the way to sainthood.

Also, I saw sneedman post of black queens and I remember this article.

also the pope has strong opinions on aliens

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/05/pope-francis-says-he-would-definitely-baptize-aliens-if-they-wanted-it/362106/

https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/vatican-scientist-says-belief-in-god-and-aliens-is-ok-idUSL1463646/

If a fricking literal whore of babylon was fricking pregnant with the fricking antichrist, would you be okay with aborting it, b-word?

I know there is a lot of bad stories but here is a nice one talking the faith in India

At least 12,000 people gathered in the western state of Goa, India, on Thursday for the opening of a decennial exposition of the saint's partially incorrupt remains.

The celebration takes place amid growing violence toward Indian Christians, which has "skyrocketed" according to a 2024 report by U.S. Christian leaders who urged the U.S. State Department to add India to the watchlist for religious freedom violations.

!catholics !christians happy 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

First Reading

In those days, I Daniel,

heard this word of the Lord:

"At that time there shall arise

Michael, the great prince,

guardian of your people;

it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress

since nations began until that time.

At that time your people shall escape,

everyone who is found written in the book.

"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;

some shall live forever,

others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.

"But the wise shall shine brightly

like the splendor of the firmament,

and those who lead the many to justice

shall be like the stars forever."

-Daniel 12:1-3

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Responsorial Psalm

R. (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord!

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,

you it is who hold fast my lot.

I set the LORD ever before me;

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,

my body, too, abides in confidence;

because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,

nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

-Psalms 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Second Reading

Brothers and sisters:

Every priest stands daily at his ministry,

offering frequently those same sacrifices

that can never take away sins.

But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,

and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;

now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.

For by one offering

he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.

Where there is forgiveness of these,

there is no longer offering for sin.

-Hebrews 10:11-14, 18

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Be vigilant at all times

and pray that you have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

-Luke 21:36

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:

"In those days after that tribulation

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from the sky,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds'

with great power and glory,

and then he will send out the angels

and gather his elect from the four winds,

from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree.

When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,

you know that summer is near.

In the same way, when you see these things happening,

know that he is near, at the gates.

Amen, I say to you,

this generation will not pass away

until all these things have taken place.

Heaven and earth will pass away,

but my words will not pass away.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows,

neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

-Mark 13:24-32

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

!catholics !christians happy 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

First Reading

In those days, Elijah the prophet went to Zarephath.

As he arrived at the entrance of the city,

a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,

"Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink."

She left to get it, and he called out after her,

"Please bring along a bit of bread."

She answered, "As the LORD, your God, lives,

I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar

and a little oil in my jug.

Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,

to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;

when we have eaten it, we shall die."

Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid.

Go and do as you propose.

But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.

Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.

For the LORD, the God of Israel, says,

'The jar of flour shall not go empty,

nor the jug of oil run dry,

until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"

She left and did as Elijah had said.

She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well;

the jar of flour did not go empty,

nor the jug of oil run dry,

as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.

-1 Kings 17:10:-16

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Responsorial Psalm

R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

The LORD keeps faith forever,

secures justice for the oppressed,

gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets captives free.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

The LORD gives sight to the blind.

The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;

the LORD loves the just.

The LORD protects strangers.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

The fatherless and the widow he sustains,

but the way of the wicked he thwarts.

The LORD shall reign forever;

your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

R. Alleluia.

-Psalms 146:7, 8-9, 9-10

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Second Reading

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,

a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,

that he might now appear before God on our behalf.

Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,

as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary

with blood that is not his own;

if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly

from the foundation of the world.

But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages

to take away sin by his sacrifice.

Just as it is appointed that human beings die once,

and after this the judgment, so also Christ,

offered once to take away the sins of many,

will appear a second time, not to take away sin

but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

-Hebrews 9:24-28

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

-Matthew 5:3

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gospel

In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds,

"Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes

and accept greetings in the marketplaces,

seats of honor in synagogues,

and places of honor at banquets.

They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext

recite lengthy prayers.

They will receive a very severe condemnation."

He sat down opposite the treasury

and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.

Many rich people put in large sums.

A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.

Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,

"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more

than all the other contributors to the treasury.

For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,

but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,

her whole livelihood."

-Mark 12:38-44

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

The widow in the Old Testament, after the events of the passage, has her son die, who is brought back to life when Elijah prays for him. We never learn what becomes of the widow in the Gospel today, but for her to be an example for even the Apostles, surely her ultimate reward in Heaven is great. The message today is to trust in God. God created the whole universe; to feed you is trivial. The homily at my church today was by our deacon, who is currently a seminarian, and he talked about how from at least his time in undergrad he felt some degree of calling to the priesthood, but didn't answer it until later in life because he feared it would be a worse life for him than the lay life. But when he ultimately placed his trust in God and became a seminarian, he became happier than he ever was as a layperson. God's call is not always easy to answer, but doing so will always be the best for you.

Hahaha, I'm so cooked. Trads and boomers are always yammering about how if you want a wife who isn't a hussy you need to go to church. I don't have the right to speak to a woman right now,being unemployed,but last Sunday I noticed a girl my age(20s or 30s) in church sitting 1 row in front of me. Yesterday I see her again sitting more towards the front only one of the choir(praise team) guys is sitting right beside her. Welp, they're married or going steady. People talking about find someone don't know how grim this is. I can count the people at this church-my childhood one-under 40 on 1 hand. You could tell me the average age was 58 and it wouldn't surprise me.Me and my mom also went to a different church a few weeks ago,and they were even worse if possible, 20-25 people total and there were maybe 3 people under 40. The Church is becoming geriatric. Is there any hope at all besides looking for girls wearing a crucifix in dating profiles and hoping they aren't wasting your time such that if you get them on a date you find out they've had 20+ sexual partners?

I'm a NDC or NDP(non demnominational Prostestant), and have been one my whole life. I think this hole is for Catholics,but I don't see one for protestants but honestly you guys seem more active even if this was originally for Catholics, I'm sure you won't mind other Christians posting here hopefully. Are things better demographics wise in your Catholic church?

!chuds !nooticers !thotpatrol !christians

!catholics !christians happy 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

First Reading

Moses spoke to the people, saying:

"Fear the LORD, your God,

and keep, throughout the days of your lives,

all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you,

and thus have long life.

Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them,

that you may grow and prosper the more,

in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers,

to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!

Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,

with all your heart,

and with all your soul,

and with all your strength.

Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today."

-Deuteronomy 6:2-6

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Responsorial Psalm

R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.

I love you, O LORD, my strength,

O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.

R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

My God, my rock of refuge,

my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!

Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,

and I am safe from my enemies.

R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

The LORD lives! And blessed be my rock!

Extolled be God my savior.

You who gave great victories to your king

and showed kindness to your anointed.

R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

-Psalms 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Second Reading

Brothers and sisters:

The levitical priests were many

because they were prevented by death from remaining in office,

but Jesus, because he remains forever,

has a priesthood that does not pass away.

Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him,

since he lives forever to make intercession for them.

It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:

holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners,

higher than the heavens.

He has no need, as did the high priests,

to offer sacrifice day after day,

first for his own sins and then for those of the people;

he did that once for all when he offered himself.

For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests,

but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law,

appoints a son,

who has been made perfect forever.

-Hebrews 7:23-28

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord;

and my father will love him and we will come to him.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

-John 14:23

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gospel

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,

"Which is the first of all the commandments?"

Jesus replied, "The first is this:

Hear, O Israel!

The Lord our God is Lord alone!

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul,

with all your mind,

and with all your strength.

The second is this:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no other commandment greater than these."

The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.

You are right in saying,

'He is One and there is no other than he.'

And 'to love him with all your heart,

with all your understanding,

with all your strength,

and to love your neighbor as yourself'

is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,

he said to him,

"You are not far from the kingdom of God."

And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

-Mark 12:28b-34

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The homily at my church today was by one of the deacons and he talked about how fear gets in the way of faith. When you fear something, you give it power over you, and when you act in fear, you act on behalf of what you fear. Christians should have no Earthly fears because we have fear of the Lord. Fear of the Lord is not the fear of losing something we have of earthly things, but rather a recognition of the infinite power of God. It is awe and respect, surrendering yourself to God.

In order to get into heaven you have to "repent" and "accept Jesus as your lord and savior" and since a 4 hour baby isn't old enough to do any of that, doesn't that mean the baby goes to heck?

!catholics !christians Happy All Saints' Day! @Szrotmistrz you said this holiday doesn't seem to be very happy but I strongly disagree, it's a celebration of the reality and attainability of Heaven.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

First Reading

I, John, saw another angel come up from the East,

holding the seal of the living God.

He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels

who were given power to damage the land and the sea,

"Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees

until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."

I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,

one hundred and forty-four thousand marked

from every tribe of the children of Israel.

After this I had a vision of a great multitude,

which no one could count,

from every nation, race, people, and tongue.

They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,

wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

They cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,

and from the Lamb."

All the angels stood around the throne

and around the elders and the four living creatures.

They prostrated themselves before the throne,

worshiped God, and exclaimed:

"Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,

honor, power, and might

be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,

"Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"

I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows."

He said to me,

"These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;

they have washed their robes

and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."

-Revelations 7:2-4, 9-14

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Responsorial Psalm

R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;

the world and those who dwell in it.

For he founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the rivers.

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?

or who may stand in his holy place?

One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,

who desires not what is vain.

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,

a reward from God his savior.

Such is the race that seeks him,

that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

-Psalms 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Second Reading

Beloved:

See what love the Father has bestowed on us

that we may be called the children of God.

Yet so we are.

The reason the world does not know us

is that it did not know him.

Beloved, we are God's children now;

what we shall be has not yet been revealed.

We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,

for we shall see him as he is.

Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,

as he is pure.

-1 John 3:1-3

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

And I will give you rest, says the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

-Matthew 11:28

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gospel

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,

and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

He began to teach them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you

and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.

Rejoice and be glad,

for your reward will be great in heaven."

-Matthew 5:1-12a

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

"One hundred and forty-four thousand marked from the 12 tribes of Israel ... a great multitude no one could count." There are tens of thousands of canonized saints, yet unimaginably more who haven't been officially recognized by the Vatican. This day, All Saints' Day, is a celebration and feast day particularly of those saints who don't have a named feast day of their own. The everyday people who live like Christ did. It makes me wonder, how many of my dead relatives and friends who I pray for are already in Heaven? I hope all of them are.

!catholics

Revelation 7:2-4

Revelation 7: 9-14

wtf how could he do this to us

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Two days after opening the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica to inaugurate the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis will travel to a Rome prison to open a Holy Door as a "tangible sign of the message of hope" for people in prisons around the world, the Vatican announced.

The pope will go Dec. 26 to Rebibbia prison on the outskirts of Rome, "a symbol of all the prisons dispersed throughout the world," to deliver a message of hope to prisoners, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization's section for new evangelization and the chief organizer of the Holy Year 2025, announced at a news conference Oct. 28.

Pope Francis will open the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica Dec. 24. He will then open the Holy Doors at the major basilicas of St. John Lateran Dec. 29, St. Mary Major Jan. 1 and St. Paul Outside the Walls Jan. 5.

In his "bull of indiction," the document formally proclaiming the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis wrote that during the Holy Year he will have close to his heart "prisoners who, deprived of their freedom, feel daily the harshness of detention and its restrictions, lack of affection and, in more than a few cases, lack of respect for their persons."

Archbishop Rino Fisichella speaks at a news conference.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization's section for new evangelization and the chief organizer of the Holy Year 2025, speaks during a news conference at the Vatican Oct. 28, 2024. (CNS photo/Justin McLellan)

In the document, the pope also called on governments to "undertake initiatives aimed at restoring hope" for incarcerated persons during the Holy Year, such as expanding forms of amnesty and social reintegration programs.

Archbishop Fisichella announced that the Vatican had signed an agreement with Italy's minister of justice and the government commissioner for Rome to implement reintegration programs for incarcerated individuals by involving their participation in activities during the Jubilee Year.

The archbishop also outlined the schedule of cultural offerings leading up to the Jubilee Year, during which the city of Rome estimates that 30 million people will visit the Italian capital.

The Vatican will organize a concert of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, to be performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in Rome Nov. 3; three art exhibitions in November and December, including a display of rare Christian icons from the collection of the Vatican Museums; and a concert from the Sistine Chapel Choir two days before the opening of the Holy Door.

Archbishop Fisichella also unveiled the official mascot of the Holy Year 2025: "Luce" (Italian for light), a cartoon pilgrim dressed in a yellow raincoat, mud-stained boots, wearing a missionary cross and holding a pilgrim's staff. Luce's glowing eyes feature the shape of scallop shells, a traditional symbol of pilgrimage and hope.

The mascot, he said, was inspired by the church's desire "to live even within the pop culture so beloved by our youth."

"Luce" will also serve as the mascot of the Holy See's pavilion at Expo 2025, which will take place in Osaka, Japan, from April to October 2025. The Holy See pavilion -- which will be hosted inside of Italy's national pavilion -- will have the theme "Beauty brings hope," and display the 17th-century painting "The Entombment of Christ" by Caravaggio -- the only one of his works housed in the Vatican Museums.

!Catholics blame @Strachmistrz and all the other weebs for this. I can't defend this one.

!catholics !christians happy 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time!

__________________________________________________________________________________________

First Reading

    Thus says the LORD:

Shout with joy for Jacob,

    exult at the head of the nations;

    proclaim your praise and say:

The LORD has delivered his people,

    the remnant of Israel.

Behold, I will bring them back

    from the land of the north;

I will gather them from the ends of the world,

    with the blind and the lame in their midst,

the mothers and those with child;

    they shall return as an immense throng.

They departed in tears,

    but I will console them and guide them;

I will lead them to brooks of water,

    on a level road, so that none shall stumble.

For I am a father to Israel,

    Ephraim is my first-born.

-Jeremiah 31:7-9

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Responsorial Psalm

R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,

we were like men dreaming.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

and our tongue with rejoicing.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Then they said among the nations,

"The LORD has done great things for them."

The LORD has done great things for us;

we are glad indeed.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,

like the torrents in the southern desert.

Those that sow in tears

shall reap rejoicing.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Although they go forth weeping,

carrying the seed to be sown,

They shall come back rejoicing,

carrying their sheaves.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

-Psalms 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Second Reading

Brothers and sisters:

Every high priest is taken from among men

and made their representative before God,

to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,

for he himself is beset by weakness

and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself

as well as for the people.

No one takes this honor upon himself

but only when called by God,

just as Aaron was.

In the same way,

it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,

but rather the one who said to him:

You are my son:

    this day I have begotten you;

just as he says in another place:

You are a priest forever

    according to the order of Melchizedek.

-Hebrews 5:1-6

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death

and brought life to light through the Gospel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

-2 Timothy 1:10

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Gospel

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,

Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,

sat by the roadside begging.

On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,

he began to cry out and say,

"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."

And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.

But he kept calling out all the more,

"Son of David, have pity on me."

Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."

So they called the blind man, saying to him,

"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."

He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.

Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?"

The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."

Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you."

Immediately he received his sight

and followed him on the way.

-Mark 10:46-52

__________________________________________________________________________________________

The second reading here makes me think of the process of discernment. I would imagine that it's the holiest men who come to the priesthood, yet even the holiest men are still sinners. It also makes me think of the Protestant Reformation, as I think this passage undermines the core ideas of Martin Luther, that sinful priests take away the legitimacy of Catholicism.

I am bringing questions from DMs with @Nightcrawler to public posts so that others can benefit and to fund his gambling habit

Corinthian pointed me to this bishop and his perspective on hell. This includes an FAQ in which the bishop is asked

BEN SHAPIRO: I promised awkward questions, and so there shall be. So let's start with the most awkward of the awkward questions. I don't really care about this question particularly much, but I get this question a lot: As a Jew, how does it feel that there are other religions that don't think you're getting into heaven? So let me ask you: What's the Catholic view on who gets into heaven and who doesn't? I feel like I lead a pretty good life, a very religiously based life, in which I try to keep not just the Ten Commandments but a solid 603 other commandments as well, and I spend an awful lot of my time promulgating what I would consider to be Judeo-Christian virtues, particularly in Western societies. So, what's the Catholic view of me? Am I basically screwed here?

BISHOP BARRON: No [i.e., Ben is not "basically screwed"]. The Catholic view, go back to the Second Vatican Council, says it very clearly. Christ is the privileged route to salvation: "For God so loved the world he gave His only Son that we might find eternal life." So, that's the privileged route.

However, Vatican II clearly teaches that someone outside the explicit Christian faith can be saved [cf. Lumen Gentium 16]. Now, they're saved through the grace of Christ, indirectly received. So the grace is coming from Christ. But it might be received according to your conscience. So, if you're following your conscience sincerely, or in your case, you're following the commandments of the Law sincerely, yeah, you can be saved.

Now, that doesn't conduce to a complete relativism. I mean we [Catholics] still would say the privileged route and the route that God has offered to humanity is the route of his Son. But you [a non-Christian] can be saved. Even Vatican II says an atheist of good will can be saved in following his conscience.

John Henry Newman said the conscience is the "aboriginal vicar of Christ in the soul." It's a very interesting characterization, that [the conscience] is in fact the voice of Christ. If he's the logos made flesh, if he's the divine mind or reason made flesh, then when I follow my conscience, I'm following him whether I know it explicitly or not. So, even the atheist, Vatican II teaches, of good will, can be saved.

Can Ben Shapiro be saved by sacrificing goats? There are lots of instances of animal sacrifice in the Bible, with the purpose apparently to purify oneself. I'm fairly sure Christians would say that doesn't work, but if it doesn't, then what was the point of sacrificing all those goats?

!catholics !christians happy 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time!

__________________________________________________________________________________

First Reading

The LORD was pleased

to crush him in infirmity.

If he gives his life as an offering for sin,

he shall see his descendants in a long life,

and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his affliction

he shall see the light in fullness

    of days;

through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,

and their guilt he shall bear.

-Isaiah53:10-11

__________________________________________________________________________________

Responsorial Psalm

R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Upright is the word of the LORD,

and all his works are trustworthy.

He loves justice and right;

of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,

upon those who hope for his kindness,

To deliver them from death

and preserve them in spite of famine.

R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Our soul waits for the LORD,

who is our help and our shield.

May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us

who have put our hope in you.

R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

-Psalms 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22

__________________________________________________________________________________

Second Reading

Brothers and sisters:

Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,

Jesus, the Son of God,

let us hold fast to our confession.

For we do not have a high priest

who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,

but one who has similarly been tested in every way,

yet without sin.

So let us confidently approach the throne of grace

to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

-Hebrews 4:14-16

__________________________________________________________________________________

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Son of Man came to serve

and to give his life as a ransom for many.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

-Mark 10:45

__________________________________________________________________________________

Gospel

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him,

"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."

He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?"

They answered him, "Grant that in your glory

we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."

Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking.

Can you drink the cup that I drink

or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"

They said to him, "We can."

Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink, you will drink,

and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;

but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give

but is for those for whom it has been prepared."

When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.

Jesus summoned them and said to them,

"You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles

lord it over them,

and their great ones make their authority over them felt.

But it shall not be so among you.

Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;

whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.

For the Son of Man did not come to be served

but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

-Mark 10:35-45

__________________________________________________________________________________

My priest gave a homily about how we're all called to greatness and it was pretty cool.

Lol at Kamala doing a recorded video

!trump2024