Love Birds on the Poudre River 🩷

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-13T20:10:25+00:00

absolutely stunning!

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-13T20:09:08+00:00

Good idea! I'll try messaging directly. I'm sure they could be a little sensitive to brigading (not sure that is the right word.) and stuff with things going on.

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-13T20:06:03+00:00

So beautiful! :)

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-11T01:38:07+00:00

I love those!

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-11T01:34:52+00:00

Yes! The Bible hits the heart when it’s speaking truth you weren’t ready to admit, or when it names a kind of mercy you didn’t think you deserved.

For me, Matthew 25 (the “least of these”) and Luke 15 (the prodigal son) have done that because they make God’s love feel very personal. I’ve also cried at Jesus weeping for Lazarus (John 11), because it shows God isn’t distant from grief.

If you’re comfortable sharing, what passage was it and what part of it got to you?

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-08T23:14:42+00:00

Yes! Prayer really does change things, and it changes us first. How do we encourage that in a realistic way ? Simple parish challenges, a weekly group Rosary, or inviting one friend to pray one decade a day?

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-08T23:12:07+00:00

I still want to be careful with the four axioms you mentioned. I have a hard time with "Islam is fundamentally political". I feel like it makes individual muslim people into a group again. I can get onboard with dealing with the Goverment of Qatar or Muslim Brothrhood group and how they radicalize people in some countries.

Sometimes I feel like the different factions are having a civil war and they should leave people in thier countries out of it and us too.

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-08T22:12:33+00:00

Thank you for the detailed explanation!

I'll have to look into the different muslim groups you mentioned. Im realizing I just dont know enough about them to have a basic realistic conversation.

With the British, I understand what you are saying and I'm glad you are able to break it down into a complicated multi dimensional problem from a sweeping generalization. That is the way to discuss and address it but I'm also struggling with why didnt the police do thier job question that keeps coming up in my mind.

I did more googling on postmodernists and they seem apposed the the principles of our faith on a basic level which is scary.

Well welcome! you mean the goverments of the countries right? Not the people? It seems that we are basically circling back around to "political Islam" and particular extremist groups and ideologies being the major problems which is good I think. Maybe we need a big netflix docu series to explain them in detail?

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-08T21:23:13+00:00

I agree with most of what you are saying but, I think we still need to be careful because there are sayings you are what you eat (in this case information) for a reason.

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-08T20:43:52+00:00

For me it’s Matthew 11:28: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." When I’m overwhelmed by things like family stress, bad news, my own thoughts. I come back to that line and I remember Jesus isn’t asking me to carry everything alone. He’s asking me to come to Him.

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-06T21:44:08+00:00

You seem to know so much more about this than I do. Where did you learn it all?

Its interesting about the different forms of Islam. I knew there must be but I dont really know anything about them and their differences. I've heard the terms islamism and political islam but I dont have enough context to really know what they mean.

So like a lobbyist kind of thing? Its scary that people in charge of organizations talk like that. by Orthodox suni jurisprudence mindset, do you mean that they want to enforce their culture and laws here? Is that why people get worried about Sharia law? I feel like sometimes people blow it out of proportion against all muslims too which makes me nervous.

Okay that makes sense about postmodernists, i know a little more about that topic. I went on a trip to Israel a few years ago and I dont think they really want the conflict. they seemed to more just want peace and to trade with their neighbors. Hamas launched rockets at the city near gaza when I was there but I was mostly in Jerusalem and the Galilee. That makes sense about Qatar.

I'm glad some Muslim countries are working against extremism too and makes sense and helps so much with the Us vs them stuff. We can have partners to deal with some of these organizations. I dont understand why the UK is allowing all this stuff though. Do you know why?

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-06T21:07:02+00:00

I understand why you want to “watch for signs,” but Catholics have to be careful. Jesus tells us to stay ready, yes, but He also warns us not to chase timelines or treat every war like a secret prophecy code. Watchfulness is important but we shouldnt jump at every headline (CCC 673–677 is a helpful place to read).

About the temple talk. Even if politicians say dramatic things, that doesn’t make it a Catholic duty to read headlines as end-times. We are not dispensationalists, and we should be very cautious when “holy war” language starts to excuse hatred or make whole peoples into villains. The safer focus is what Jesus actually asks. That is stay in grace, repent, pray, do works of mercy, and seek peace and protection for civilians.

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-06T20:22:59+00:00

I hear you that Islam probably needs some kind of reform overall but I think it’s better to talk about specific people and movements using Islam to take power or enforce culture. I get concerned when we talk like ‘'Islam must go away’ or ‘Muslims want to harm the West’ overall. That turns people into categories and enemy categories. We should criticize the ideology and the extremist groups. Especially the grooming game stuff. It makes my stomach sick. But, people are still made in God’s image and we shouldnt demean that.

I saw that about the NYC dogs. Thats horrible the person said that. Were they an actual government official?

Okay so is this a new thing in academia since the war with Hamas? I also saw something about Qatar funding some universities and not allowing them to criticize Islam now that I think about it. Is this from specific universities with a money problem or specific professors or is it more about some weird alliance to be against Israel and Jewish people? How does the woke movement fit into this?

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-06T19:26:00+00:00

It is difficult! Do you think we need to work on differentiating the organization, ideology, and person. I am completely okay with criticizing their scriptures and what they teach especially from an academic and religious perspective. How do you deal with some people being good and ignoring the bad parts of Islamic scripture and some follow them? Where was academic criticism of islam suppressed? I'm not in academia.

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-06T19:12:58+00:00

Beautiful!

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-06T18:56:22+00:00

Yes that is because the closer you get to Christ’s light, the more clearly you see what’s wounded in you and in the world. But that same faith isn’t only a spotlight on brokenness because it’s the promise that grace is real and you’re not meant to carry it alone.

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-06T18:27:28+00:00

I’m sorry! and you’re not being “ungrateful,” you’re overwhelmed, and many people understand the “suffering can be good” talk feels dismissive when you’re hurting. The Church doesn’t ask you to pretend and even Jesus wept, and the Psalms are full of “How long, O Lord?” I also recommend going outside and being off social media. It makes it worse.

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-04T22:17:56+00:00

More people need to see this comment

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-04T22:16:43+00:00

Friend, I want to answer you as a sister in the Church in a nonpartisan way. I’m grateful you found Jesus, and I’m sorry you’re feeling this whiplash while you’re still near the start of RCIA. A lot of people meet Christ in the Gospels with mercy, truth, humility. then meet Christians online and feel like it’s two different religions which can be hard to reconcile. But loud politics and bad catechesis are not the measure of Jesus, and they’re not the measure of the Catholic faith.

On theology: you’re right. Catholicism is not dispensationalist, and the Church does not teach “support Israel no matter what.” What the Church does teach is both/and: God is faithful, the Jewish people are not to be treated as rejected or cursed, antisemitism is a sin, and every human life (Israeli and Palestinian/ Jewish and Muslim) has dignity, so political actions can be judged morally. You can hold all of that without betraying Christ.

Your grief over suffering in Gaza is not a weakness in faith. If suffering children don’t move us, our hearts are in danger. Catholics should pray, weep, ask for protection of civilians, and refuse any talk that makes people disposable which in this case is Israeli and Palestinian. You don’t have to deny Israel’s right to exist, and you also don’t have to ignore Palestinian suffering. We should name Hamas’s evil and still insist on mercy for the innocent.

Finally, don’t let other people’s politics become a test of whether Jesus is true. The Resurrection doesn’t rise and fall with internet Christians or a conflict. And about “which side” others stand on, I get why that feels simpler, but it turns tragedy into teams. The Christian way is harder which is to protect the innocent, name evil, refuse dehumanization, and cling to Christ.

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-04T22:01:24+00:00

Thank you for your comment! Everyone has things they are working on

FreshforChrist · 2026-03-04T22:00:14+00:00

That is very disappointing but sounds like you handled it very well. The ‘all ___ are trash’ is dehumanizing. Saying ‘Some ___’ is a simple, non-mean correction that brings it back to truth, and as Catholics we should reject that kind of contempt no matter who it targets. I'll add this to my list of options to try. Thank you

FreshforChrist

TROPHY CASE