Pink candle edition !catholics !christians

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First Reading

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me;

he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,

to heal the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives

and release to the prisoners,

to announce a year of favor from the LORD

and a day of vindication by our God.

I rejoice heartily in the LORD,

in my God is the joy of my soul;

for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation

and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,

like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,

like a bride bedecked with her jewels.

As the earth brings forth its plants,

and a garden makes its growth spring up,

so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise

spring up before all the nations.

-Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11

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Responsorial Psalm

R. (Is 61:10b) My soul rejoices in my God.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked upon his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

R. My soul rejoices in my God.

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

R. My soul rejoices in my God.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

R. My soul rejoices in my God.

-Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54

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Second Reading

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.

In all circumstances give thanks,

for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not quench the Spirit.

Do not despise prophetic utterances.

Test everything; retain what is good.

Refrain from every kind of evil.

May the God of peace make you perfectly holy

and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,

be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The one who calls you is faithful,

and he will also accomplish it.

-1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

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Gospel

A man named John was sent from God.

He came for testimony, to testify to the light,

so that all might believe through him.

He was not the light,

but came to testify to the light.

And this is the testimony of John.

When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests

and Levites to him

to ask him, “Who are you?”

He admitted and did not deny it,

but admitted, “I am not the Christ.”

So they asked him,

“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”

And he said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

So they said to him,

“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?

What do you have to say for yourself?”

He said:

“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,

‘make straight the way of the Lord,'”

as Isaiah the prophet said.”

Some Pharisees were also sent.

They asked him,

“Why then do you baptize

if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”

John answered them,

“I baptize with water;

but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,

the one who is coming after me,

whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”

This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,

where John was baptizing.

-John 1:6-8, 19-28

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John the Baptist is so keyed, he was this crazy prophet who lived out in the desert and ate locusts and people recognized how holy he was and he said "I'm nothing compared to who is coming next."

Rolls into Gaza

Falls for a hooker

Keeps giving her false info on his weakness

She keeps trying to kill him

Eventually tells her the truth

Kills everyone and himself

All for some diseased 1st century gash

Israeli lives matter especially in gaza

A flyer, that was handed out, attempted to clarify that the goal of the club is not to convert kids to any religion or into worshiping Satan but rather to offer activities that ‘emphasize a scientific, rationalistic, non-superstitious worldview'.

Definitely nothing demonic going on here, Satanists insist.

Parents have continued to condemn the move and argued that if God isn't allowed in schools, this club shouldn't be either.

This is about heckin science, Christofascists. When we tell your kids what to believe it's good, when you do it that's .

How did we let this happen to our school system? My parents had prayer and Catholic/Baptist Student Unions every day of the week. !Catholics

My Lord Jesus Christ, Blessed Virgin Mary, Joseph, watch over us and aid us to shepherd future generations in the love and protection of God.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, patron of the American schools, please help grant us answer in our prayers for the conversion of those in charge of the USA public school systems. Amen.

!catholics !christians let's rock.

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First Reading

Comfort, give comfort to my people,

says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her

that her service is at an end,

her guilt is expiated;

indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD

double for all her sins.

A voice cries out:

In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!

Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!

Every valley shall be filled in,

every mountain and hill shall be made low;

the rugged land shall be made a plain,

the rough country, a broad valley.

Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

and all people shall see it together;

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Go up on to a high mountain,

Zion, herald of glad tidings;

cry out at the top of your voice,

Jerusalem, herald of good news!

Fear not to cry out

and say to the cities of Judah:

Here is your God!

Here comes with power

the Lord GOD,

who rules by his strong arm;

here is his reward with him,

his recompense before him.

Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;

in his arms he gathers the lambs,

carrying them in his bosom,

and leading the ewes with care.

-Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11

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Responsorial Psalm

R. (8) Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

I will hear what God proclaims;

the LORD—for he proclaims peace to his people.

Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,

glory dwelling in our land.

R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

Kindness and truth shall meet;

justice and peace shall kiss.

Truth shall spring out of the earth,

and justice shall look down from heaven.

R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

The LORD himself will give his benefits;

our land shall yield its increase.

Justice shall walk before him,

and prepare the way of his steps.

R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

-Psalms 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14

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Second Reading

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved,

that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years

and a thousand years like one day.

The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,”

but he is patient with you,

not wishing that any should perish

but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,

and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar

and the elements will be dissolved by fire,

and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.

Since everything is to be dissolved in this way,

what sort of persons ought you to be,

conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion,

waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God,

because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames

and the elements melted by fire.

But according to his promise

we await new heavens and a new earth

in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you await these things,

be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.

-2 Peter 3:8-14

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Gospel

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;

he will prepare your way.

A voice of one crying out in the desert:

“Prepare the way of the Lord,

make straight his paths.”

John the Baptist appeared in the desert

proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

People of the whole Judean countryside

and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem

were going out to him

and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River

as they acknowledged their sins.

John was clothed in camel's hair,

with a leather belt around his waist.

He fed on locusts and wild honey.

And this is what he proclaimed:

“One mightier than I is coming after me.

I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.

I have baptized you with water;

he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

-Mark 1:1-8

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I love the energy of these readings, John the Baptist being this grizzled desert-dweller who warns the Israelites that someone truly great is coming is awesome. While Peter is writing of the Second Coming, the awe of the impending Lord is still there.

Took the last picture just for you, @Redactor0. This is a middling/low popularity vacation spot but as you can see there's a mix of the local vernacular and English. !Catholics belated happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception and may all your families have blessed and happy Advent seasons. I pray God keeps you all in good health and surrounded with love.

We'll be flying to America for Christmas because I've been away from my parents all year so unfortunately Simbang Gabi Mass posting might have to wait for 2024?

Does your posting on this website reflect the glory and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ?

!catholics !christians Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

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First Reading

After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree,

the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"

He answered, "I heard you in the garden;

but I was afraid, because I was naked,

so I hid myself."

Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?

You have eaten, then,

from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"

The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me--

she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it."

The LORD God then asked the woman,

"Why did you do such a thing?"

The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."

Then the LORD God said to the serpent:

"Because you have done this, you shall be banned

from all the animals

and from all the wild creatures;

on your belly shall you crawl,

and dirt shall you eat

all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will strike at your head,

while you strike at his heel."

The man called his wife Eve,

because she became the mother of all the living.

-Genesis 3:9-15, 20

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Responsorial Psalm

R. (1) Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

Sing to the LORD a new song,

for he has done wondrous deeds;

His right hand has won victory for him,

his holy arm.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

The LORD has made his salvation known:

in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.

He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness

toward the house of Israel.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation by our God.

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;

break into song; sing praise.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

-Psalms 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

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Second Reading

Brothers and sisters:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us in Christ

with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,

as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,

to be holy and without blemish before him.

In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,

in accord with the favor of his will,

for the praise of the glory of his grace

that he granted us in the beloved.

In him we were also chosen,

destined in accord with the purpose of the One

who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,

so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,

we who first hoped in Christ.

-Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

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Gospel

The angel Gabriel was sent from God

to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,

of the house of David,

and the virgin's name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said,

"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."

But she was greatly troubled at what was said

and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her,

"Do not be afraid, Mary,

for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

and you shall name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,

and of his Kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel,

"How can this be,

since I have no relations with a man?"

And the angel said to her in reply,

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore the child to be born

will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,

has also conceived a son in her old age,

and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word."

Then the angel departed from her.

-Luke 1:26-38

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A common misconception is that the Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of Jesus. It does not, it refers to Mary being conceived without sin.

I like the contrast between Eve in the Old Testament and Mary in the New, where Eve, the mother of all the living, commits the Original Sin, while Mary, the mother of Jesus, is without sin.

Someone ping schizos I left the groups giving me bad vibes. We gotta let them know, though. and and Mulder will protect you all! !schizos

Trump gets asked another question about his christian faith:

Q - “How do you do this? Where do you draw your strength from? We’re talking about Faith …

Trump - “I have the highest poll numbers people have ever seen.” pic.twitter.com/hTU9bWAp68

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) December 2, 2023

Also this meme:

According to a new report from the Union of Orthodox Journ*lists, during his trip to Mt. Athos the previous month, Pat. Bartholomew attempted to convince several Athonite abbots and monks that there are no dogmatic differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, and that reunion with the Catholic church is inevitable.

Pat. Bartholomew expressed his personal convictions during a private talk at Pantocrator Monastery with the brethren and guests of the monastery, including other Athonite abbots. Eyewitnesses report that Pat. Bartholomew's security did not allow anyone to record the conversation.

In his opinion, the division that now exists between Orthodoxy and Catholicism is merely a matter of historical events, not dogmatic differences.

Catholics “are just as Christian as we are,” Pat. Bartholomew emphasized.

!Catholics

Today is the first day of Advent! I think activating the Fistmas theme should've waited until today, at least. !catholics !christians let's rock.

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First Reading

You, LORD, are our father,

our redeemer you are named forever.

Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways,

and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?

Return for the sake of your servants,

the tribes of your heritage.

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,

with the mountains quaking before you,

while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for,

such as they had not heard of from of old.

No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you

doing such deeds for those who wait for him.

Would that you might meet us doing right,

that we were mindful of you in our ways!

Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful;

all of us have become like unclean people,

all our good deeds are like polluted rags;

we have all withered like leaves,

and our guilt carries us away like the wind.

There is none who calls upon your name,

who rouses himself to cling to you;

for you have hidden your face from us

and have delivered us up to our guilt.

Yet, O LORD, you are our father;

we are the clay and you the potter:

we are all the work of your hands.

-Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7

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Responsorial Psalm

R. (4) Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

O shepherd of Israel, hearken,

from your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.

Rouse your power,

and come to save us.

R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

Once again, O LORD of hosts,

look down from heaven, and see;

take care of this vine,

and protect what your right hand has planted

the son of man whom you yourself made strong.

R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

May your help be with the man of your right hand,

with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.

Then we will no more withdraw from you;

give us new life, and we will call upon your name.

R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

-Psalms 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19

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Second Reading

Brothers and sisters:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always on your account

for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,

that in him you were enriched in every way,

with all discourse and all knowledge,

as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,

so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift

as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He will keep you firm to the end,

irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is faithful,

and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

-1 Corinthians 1:3-9

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Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Be watchful! Be alert!

You do not know when the time will come.

It is like a man traveling abroad.

He leaves home and places his servants in charge,

each with his own work,

and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.

Watch, therefore;

you do not know when the lord of the house is coming,

whether in the evening, or at midnight,

or at cockcrow, or in the morning.

May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.

What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!'”

-Mark 13:33-37

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It's Advent, how much more do I need to say? Jesus is coming, and we should all be vigilant. Isaiah is praying for the redemption of the Jews, which is something the Messiah will bring. The Psalm specifically says that the Messiah is who will redeem the Jews, "let us see your face and we shall be saved." The Gospel here reminds us that while we are awaiting our celebration of Jesus' first coming, we should remain aware and vigilant for the second coming, which could be at any time.

I took my own advice and touched grass, this is the national art museum here all decked out for Christmas. Praise be! Our government might be corrupt but they're certified !christmaschads

Even the woke anticolonial anthropology museum before our Lord.