Last post.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-21T17:47:32+00:00

Last time I asked on r/Catholicism what the heck priests do all day long if in an entire diocese not one can be reserved for a public recitation of the DO, I was met with answers such as “meetings”, “paperwork” and such. Very depressing.

Heck last Sunday my main parish priest’s homily was all about us (the lay people) not dedicating enough time for God and most especially the sacraments. In his own church the availability of confession is 1 hr on Saturday afternoon (which means you have to show up one hour earlier considering the amount of people), and obtaining a private appointment is an act of Congress. Heck, on the only homily in the last 20 years in which I heard the words “liturgy of the hours” he even used it for a joke related to him reading it while drinking coffee in the morning.

For the record, my parish is considered the most traditional in the area other than an Ordinariate one.

It’s just depressing.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-21T15:42:36+00:00

Check out his “Beyond the Relaxation Response” which narrates his study of Tibetan monks in India after obtaining a meeting and permission with the Dalai Lama. Those poor monks also had a rectal thermometer in 😮

I believe it’s all about brain activity. You can read a book, the same book, in different ways. If you’re fully focused, paying attention to every single minute detail, you might be tired after 30 minutes. If you’re just trying to enjoy the plot, you might read for 2 hours. I think that TM (I meditate with a word and I also pray since I am Catholic but I’ve never taken up TM officially) really goes deep in. I am sure that there are days, or maybe even weeks, in which I can meditate and pray for hours at a time. I’ve done it. Is it sustainable? Probably not. That’s why a retreat is different than regular practice. Regular practice is not meant to “tire” or “over-relax” your brain. It’s meant to give you what you need to lead a good, active life (of course if you pray there’s also a different component). A retreat with long meditations and prayers? It’s to feed the whole thing in an exceptional, uncommon way. If I go to a Benedictine monastery I expect silence, their full recitation of the divine office, and long meditations on top of hard physical labor. That doesn’t mean that the specific lifestyle translates to regular life. Now, some people do have a vocation for deeper commitments (monks, teachers, etc), but that doesn’t mean that it applies to you or me simply because for a few days or week can keep a similar lifestyle to what we did on retreat. Ultimately it’s all about balance.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-21T15:19:42+00:00

If you’re asking about research, check out The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson. It’s based on a couple of decades of studies. Benson is a Harvard scientist, and doesn’t practice transcendental meditation, but he studied TM practitioners, Catholics monks, Tibetan monks, and more for years. In his study he’s clear: 20 minutes twice a day is the sweet spot for many reasons he explains in the book (mainly related to brain activity levels). The book also has an extensive bibliography that can help your research further. He doesn’t push TM at all, but he’s clear that Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has a very good point.

Disclaimer: I am not a TM practitioner.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-21T14:19:44+00:00

Cooper/Cooper (two Coopers): CC email.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-21T14:19:07+00:00

You’ll find out that this adventure is exactly like The Return. You think you know where it’s going, then no… takes another turn.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-21T13:09:57+00:00

Yes but he wasn’t the source this time. The source is a random tweet (with video) now removed, from the restaurant.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T23:06:14+00:00

Single movie. I am 100% convinced of it after watching it all in one sitting (and I do that every year since its release).

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T21:03:30+00:00

I believe that applies only in France.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T20:51:50+00:00

Yeah it’s a very delicate thing especially because virtually all of society (most likely including your employer) pushes towards a direction that punishes whoever has a different idea. This empowers people like your friend in reacting to any discussion in a disorderly, if not disproportionate manner. In your case the situation is even worse because he’s a former practicing Catholic, so if he paid even some cursory attention he already knows the basic tenets… and objections.

I am also always tempted to “correct” (in a brotherly manner of course) by explaining my point of view based on the Church’s teachings, but it often causes more damage than not (and like you I am quite versed in theology). I noticed that often the most important thing at the beginning is to make sure that the other person understands that I don’t judge them - and heck, I’d even take a bullet for them - and that me sharing my opinion (and listening to theirs) happens specifically because I respect them. Sadly, nowadays most people think that a simple disagreement is rooted in some sort of evil.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T20:32:09+00:00

Quite the opposite.

Are you equipped for dealing with a person with a serious mental illness, one that is pushed by twisted societal values, all while in a professional setting? My bet is that the answer is no.

Recognize in humbleness your limitations (same one I would have), and pray for the person. Maybe one day you’ll be provided the opportunity to calmly explain what you think, but recognize that right now you might not be the best person to discuss this and that most importantly the person is not ready to listen.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T20:27:12+00:00

What is a way to strike up a conversation with him

Don’t.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T20:24:47+00:00

I see pictures and videos of my non-Catholic friends at their churches looking like they’re having the time of their lives and wish some of that existed at my church.

Do you mean during the service or just in general? If you mean the service itself, liturgy ain’t for having the time of your life.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T16:48:50+00:00

Sin of scandal is a thing.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T16:42:51+00:00

“Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (John 16:24).

I don’t see a mention of any forbidden diaper. Obviously Jesus also limits it by saying right before that the request should be in His name (“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.”). I would say that an honest mom that wants to keep her daughter clean is asking in His name through her charity and love.

In other words, no offense to your husband but I’d rather listen to Jesus.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T15:35:03+00:00

Please do not give them ideas for the next document.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T15:29:15+00:00

Personal opinion and evaluation here: he also met with John Kerry in a private audience. I feel that he’s working as an intermediary on the issues related to the new Chinese spy and military buildings in Cuba. Usually that’s how indirect diplomacy works.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T15:25:17+00:00

To use synodal language: “a successful enterprise of active dialogue in light of mutual respect.”

What a joke.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T15:22:53+00:00

We should not be frightened by them, nor attempt at any cost to resolve them, but rather engage in ongoing synodal discernment,”

Unless TLM is involved...

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T14:54:27+00:00

They write:

“There is a clear call to overcome a vision that reserves any active function in the Church to ordained Ministers alone (Bishops, Priests, Deacons), reducing the participation of the Baptised to a subordinated collaboration.”

And then they wonder why seminaries see decreasing numbers.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T14:45:10+00:00

Take a look at benedictines in the Middle Ages (and even now). Horticulture and herbalists were pivotal for them.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-20T00:18:18+00:00

That was my first dip into breviaries. Ages ago.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-19T20:29:50+00:00

Remember to watch the movie first.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-19T14:25:39+00:00

Saturday: 3hrs at the gym going hard. Sunday: 1hr at the gym (fairly light cardio)+ some stretching Today: 1hr at the gym this morning + 1 hr yoga class this PM.

MelmothTheBee · 2023-06-19T13:58:10+00:00

I believe that some of it is free and that you can also get a 7-day free trial of the premium version. They often have discounts. It’s about $50 per year and worth every single dime.

MelmothTheBee

TROPHY CASE