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.

Twitter thread:

Last week, satanists broke into a catholic church in Missouri to steal the Eucharist. Today, the Governer of Kansas allowed them to desecrate the body and blood of Christ in the state Capital building. I will be documenting the Christian response here pic.twitter.com/jdrjghNYbR

— Anchovy Enthusiast (@anchover_) March 28, 2025

Mirror: https://xcancel.com/anchover_/status/1905647271670137298

Catholic counter protestors showed up with crusader flags

Based larpers pic.twitter.com/kePS0sJ7b9

— Anchovy Enthusiast (@anchover_) March 28, 2025

Incredible moment Catholic HERO rescues Eucharist by consuming it immediately after Satanist threw it on ground during Black Mass pic.twitter.com/c92UV0NeNX

— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) March 28, 2025

Jesus' actual teaching, such at taking care of the poor and giving to those in need, etc, tend to align much more closely with the values of secular (atheist) humanists.

These values are diametrically opposed to people who call themselves Christian Nationalist who are basically using religion as a cover for being racist and hateful toward the poor. Recently, they've started claiming that empathy is a sin (somehow). This is very closely aligned with capitalistic selfishness that prizes money over everything else.

The problem is, for many people, Jesus is their mascot, not their coach.

The joke is Christian nationalist ignore jesuses teaching and capitalism is the worst thing since capitalism

But there's a few dissenters in their midst...

Many ledditors have no idea what is in the Bible and think Jesus was basically a generic "whoa man smoke pot and chill and be nice man" kind of person. They also think they are this so obviously they want to self compare lol

Please imagine BWC posted his collection of smug atheist soyjaks.

The joke is that the left can't meme.

A lot of Atheists like to pretend they know more about Jesus' teachings than they actually do because they like acting morally superior.

Bro I literally went to Catholic schools lol, we got taught the teachings.

I'm atheist because I don't believe in a god, not because I want to feel superior to people for holding beliefs.

I follow Jesus' teachings because they're darn good.

They said the Catholic school line!

!catholics !christians

First Reading

Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18

The Lord God took Abram outside and said,

"Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.

Just so," he added, "shall your descendants be."

Abram put his faith in the LORD,

who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

He then said to him,

"I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans

to give you this land as a possession."

"O Lord GOD," he asked,

"how am I to know that I shall possess it?"

He answered him,

"Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,

a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."

Abram brought him all these, split them in two,

and placed each half opposite the other;

but the birds he did not cut up.

Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,

but Abram stayed with them.

As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,

and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.

When the sun had set and it was dark,

there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,

which passed between those pieces.

It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,

saying: "To your descendants I give this land,

from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates."

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14.

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

whom should I fear?

The LORD is my life's refuge;

of whom should I be afraid?

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;

have pity on me, and answer me.

Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Your presence, O LORD, I seek.

Hide not your face from me;

do not in anger repel your servant.

You are my helper: cast me not off.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD with courage;

be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Second Reading

Philippians 3:17—4:1

Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,

and observe those who thus conduct themselves

according to the model you have in us.

For many, as I have often told you

and now tell you even in tears,

conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Their end is destruction.

Their God is their stomach;

their glory is in their "shame."

Their minds are occupied with earthly things.

But our citizenship is in heaven,

and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

He will change our lowly body

to conform with his glorified body

by the power that enables him also

to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,

whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,

in this way stand firm in the Lord.

Verse Before the Gospel

Matthew 17:5

From the shining cloud the Father's voice is heard:

This is my beloved Son, hear him.

Gospel

Luke 9:28b-36

Jesus took Peter, John, and James

and went up the mountain to pray.

While he was praying his face changed in appearance

and his clothing became dazzling white.

And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,

who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus

that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.

Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,

but becoming fully awake,

they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,

"Master, it is good that we are here;

let us make three tents,

one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

But he did not know what he was saying.

While he was still speaking,

a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,

and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.

Then from the cloud came a voice that said,

"This is my chosen Son; listen to him."

After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.

They fell silent and did not at that time

tell anyone what they had seen.

!catholics !christians

The gospel is the transfiguration of Christ, where the Jesus shows his divine body. But also like the Psalm mentioned that he is our light and our salvation, know he is the Christ can help us get out of the darkness of sin which we sometimes we place ourselves in.

is doing better as well

Prottie '''''''''church''''''''' organizing a ''prottie rave''

!macacos !christians !catholics

You see a guy get wiped out on the street in front of you, and At first you didnt think they even clipped him but then he falls over and you hear this sickening noise, and You know exactly what it is because its like literally every time you snapped the shell of a flea on your dogs back, and No big deal

Except this time it was an actual human being, and You like just heard his skull crack but its whatever

my heart is telling me Whatever Redactor, and Go back to watching TV, and Forget what you like just saw and heard

I can never go back

(King James Version)

13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,

14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:

15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:

16 And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;

17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.

18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him;

19 And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.

20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:

21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.

22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

what happened to stoning ppl anyways?

I'll probably keep it short idk why, I went to a church close to me, its a nice small one in my village part of the city, to make a long story short instantly I was led out, I didn't wanna be a peepee about it so I just followed the pastor out. I wouldn't say that's a literal destroy, but at that point I was already holding back tears. I just wanted to pray n that lol. I'm not the type of trans gal who can just speak up, I have autism so if I made a comment and the pastor did to, I wouldn't be able to think of anything to say to him 🤣 so all I said was 'if it makes you all more comfortable I don't mind coming with no makeup and you can use my birthname. The pastor read a verse. I couldn't remember it so I asked chatgpt, but it reads:

"The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall the man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God."

Literally my most feared verse. I felt like passing out so I just walked away and clung for dear life to a lamppost. Probably looked like a crackhead but I've always dispised that bible verse. Idk why I'm even typing this, I just wanted to go to church probably 😕

(src)

!nonchuds !lgbt !cuteandinvalid Chuddy Catholics in shambles HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!

GM

!catholics !christians Happy (somber?) Ash Wednesday!

__________________________________________________________________________________________

First Reading

Even now, says the LORD,

return to me with your whole heart,

with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;

Rend your hearts, not your garments,

and return to the LORD, your God.

For gracious and merciful is he,

slow to anger, rich in kindness,

and relenting in punishment.

Perhaps he will again relent

and leave behind him a blessing,

Offerings and libations

for the LORD, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion!

proclaim a fast,

call an assembly;

Gather the people,

notify the congregation;

Assemble the elders,

gather the children

and the infants at the breast;

Let the bridegroom quit his room

and the bride her chamber.

Between the porch and the altar

let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,

And say, "Spare, O LORD, your people,

and make not your heritage a reproach,

with the nations ruling over them!

Why should they say among the peoples,

'Where is their God?'"

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land

and took pity on his people.

-Joel 2:12-18

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Responsorial Psalm

R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;

in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.

Thoroughly wash me from my guilt

and of my sin cleanse me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

For I acknowledge my offense,

and my sin is before me always:

"Against you only have I sinned,

and done what is evil in your sight."

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Cast me not out from your presence,

and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,

and a willing spirit sustain in me.

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

-Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14, and 17

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Second Reading

Brothers and sisters:

We are ambassadors for Christ,

as if God were appealing through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ,

be reconciled to God.

For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,

so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Working together, then,

we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

For he says:

In an acceptable time I heard you,

and on the day of salvation I helped you.

Behold, now is a very acceptable time;

behold, now is the day of salvation.

-2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Verse Before the Gospel

If today you hear his voice,

harden not your hearts.

-Psalm 95:8

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Take care not to perform righteous deeds

in order that people may see them;

otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.

When you give alms,

do not blow a trumpet before you,

as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets

to win the praise of others.

Amen, I say to you,

they have received their reward.

But when you give alms,

do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,

so that your almsgiving may be secret.

And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

"When you pray,

do not be like the hypocrites,

who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners

so that others may see them.

Amen, I say to you,

they have received their reward.

But when you pray, go to your inner room,

close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.

And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

"When you fast,

do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.

They neglect their appearance,

so that they may appear to others to be fasting.

Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.

But when you fast,

anoint your head and wash your face,

so that you may not appear to be fasting,

except to your Father who is hidden.

And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."

-Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you guys know that in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, they have 180 mandatory fasting days for the laity, and 252 for the clergy? At that point I think it must get a little hard to not look gloomy .

The older I get the more I appreciate the seasons of Advent and especially Lent. The disruption it provides to my normal routine is good for getting me to look at my life from a bird's-eye view. What have I done in the past year? How have I improved or worsened in my spiritual life?

The reading from Joel provides good context for fasting. I had been previously aware of its use as a personal devotion and exercise in temperance, but I hadn't thought of the significance of the whole Church fasting together. It's a collective statement of faith and thanksgiving, that by God's grace so many of us can afford to go hungry temporarily, but also of penance, that we as a collective have sinned gravely and are asking for God's forgiveness.

In observance I will be consuming nothing but White Monster for the next forty days except Sundays obv

Post lenten recipes below and don't forget that capybara counts as a fish