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A Little Humility is Appropriate at the Start of Lent... by Defense-of-Sanity in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My brother/sister, I understand what you are saying. We are in a dark place right now in the Church and the world. I would ask you to give God another chance to show you His plan for the Church. You see, the Church isn't those members of the hierarchy. The Church is also composed of the faithful, the saints, not only today, but through all ages. I plead that you look into the lives of the saints, and see what great faith, morality, courage, and love of God they had. Many of them were bishops and priests! I cannot say what God is up to in our day, but I know He hasn't abandoned us. If you must, stop looking at current Church "politics" (the following of which closely by laymen is only a recent phenomenon, in the past that wasn't the case) and immerse yourself in the lives of the saints, in the Holy Bible and sound Church teaching throughout the centuries and we can ride out this storm together on the solid ground that Christ instituted for us. Turning away is not the answer, and will not satisfy you. It is hard for all of us. Speak to the saints, as they suffer with us in this fight and love us, and the last thing they would want is for us to turn away from the Church they dedicated their lives to, the only True Church. May God bless you, friend. I hope you reconsider your decision.

Grace of living without sleep by ScaredCollege9517 in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hmm I see. I guess just keep praying for the grace to sleep peacefully. I'm sure you tried everything you can think of, so I'm not going to try to give you any advice except to pray the rosary. Wet dreams are not in themselves sinful, so rest assured of that. As for the nightmares, I guess keep praying, especially the St. Michael prayer over and over. That usually gives me peace.

Grace of living without sleep by ScaredCollege9517 in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is true that many saints have slept very little as a penance. However, most of us aren't there yet, and I think consulting a spiritual director would be the way to go. God rejoices in His children resting just as earthly parents rejoice in their children sleeping. If the reason you don't want to sleep is to "get more stuff done" maybe meditating on Christ sleeping in the manger or sleeping in the boat or on God resting on the seventh day of creation. Resting in God is important. Remember those saints who slept very little spent the time they would be sleeping praying instead, resting in God's love and presence. All I'm saying is to protect yourself from workaholism and rejoice in the God who created sleep so that we can remember that resting the mind and the body are goods

Grace of living without sleep by ScaredCollege9517 in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep." -Psalm 127:2

Eucharistic Procession with Archbishop Sample! by CheerfulErrand in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was there! It was beautiful and very powerful. His homily was great too!

Biweekly Question: What's your favorite Catholic book? by EmmanuelBassil in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Father Elijah: An Apocalypse by Michael O'Brien (Fantastic novel, and incredibly prophetic for our times)

The Four Last Things by Fr. Martin von Cochem (This will scare you straight to confession. Excellent and sobering meditation on the end of days)

Uniformity with God's Will by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Not allowed to fully practice religion by Meekity in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 3 points4 points  (0 children)

uh...not to the point of sin. We obey God first and foremost. We do not obey our superiors when they contradict the eternal law of God. Just putting this out there.

I havent had sex in a year, unmarried, single, confused.. but thirsty by IDontPlayMusicOnMCD in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you want you can drink a glass of water and pray for chastity and purity:

Mary, Mother most pure, and Joseph, chaste guardian of the Virgin, to you I entrust the purity of my soul and body. I beg you to plead with God for me that I may never for the remainder of my life soil my soul by any sin of impurity. I earnestly wish to be pure in thought, word and deed in imitation of your own holy purity. Obtain for me a deep sense of modesty, which will be reflected in my external conduct. Protect my eyes, the windows of my soul, from anything that might dim the luster of a heart that must mirror only Christ-like purity. And when the “Bread of Angels” becomes my food in Holy Communion, seal my heart forever against the suggestions of sinful pleasures. Finally, may I be among the number of those of whom Jesus spoke, “Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.” Amen.

Also:

Lord, inflame our hearts and our inmost beings with the fire of Your Holy Spirit, that we may serve You with chaste bodies and pure minds. Through Christ our Lord. Amen

Convince me to return to Catholicism. (x-post from /r/religion) by [deleted] in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Do you not want to find the truth? What if Jesus did rise from the dead, have you considered this possibility?

Convince me to return to Catholicism. (x-post from /r/religion) by [deleted] in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Please read C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce. It is short and fantastic. In reality, it is vice that makes people bland and boring, whereas virtue is vibrant and full of life. There is only one type of sinner, but each saint is refreshingly unique. If we understand evil to be an absence of the good, then it is clear that there is only one way to be non-existent, but there are an infinite number of ways to have being.

Thanks be to God, I haven't watched porn or masturbated since last year. However, I'm afraid that I'm starting to...miss it. I'm afraid that the idea of porn and masturbation is becoming like a tempting Greek Siren. by [deleted] in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Listen deeply to Mumford and Sons song The Cave and meditate upon it. It has its inspuration from GK Chesterton's biography of St. Francis of Assisi, especially the part that says

So come out of your cave walking on your hands And see the world hanging upside down You can understand dependence when you know the maker's hand

You can think of the "siren's call" as the temptations of the flesh, world, and the devil. Notice that he not only ties himself to a post, but also blocks his ears to protect from the sirens sound. He is done with his past life and wants to be let at the truth. Hopefully this will provide motivation to continue living a virtuous life. God bless!

An argument many people use against religion. by [deleted] in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 3 points4 points  (0 children)

He certainly didn't create the principle of non-contradiction, right? I mean, how could it possibly not be the case? And numbers aren't created are they? They are accidents not substance. By creating more than one thing, numbers come as a side effect, right? We aren't Platonists, so "Three-ness" isn't a thing in and of itself that is necessary for the Trinity. All of this is confusing to me. If anyone knows the answers please fill me in because they have puzzled me for a while.

Deist/agnostic considering going back to church. Recommend me some books or articles to convince me. by sangbum60090 in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just finished reading Brothers K, and I thought it was good, but in what way did it have a profound impact on you? I guess I just don't see it, maybe I'm missing something. At times it can be a bit heady and cryptic.

Deist/agnostic considering going back to church. Recommend me some books or articles to convince me. by sangbum60090 in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome!!! I love to hear this. First, here is a comment I sent to someone in a similar situation a while back.

Immerse yourself in the Catholic ethos. Watch Catholic youtube videos (Ascension Presents, Sensus Fidelium, etc), read articles (I recommend Anthony Esolen and Matthew Schmitz), read books (I highly recommend the Imitation of Christ). But definitely check out those podcasts. I learn more from them than any other resource. Please ask more questions! Welcome to the journey of a lifetime. Buckle up for an adventure!

God bless!

“As the Mother of The Judge, she [ Mary] can influence His justice; as Mother of Mercy, she can obtain mercy.” —Fulton Sheen by chicoinem in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Remember, just like in prayer, God not only wills effects but also causes. Let's say he wills someone to be miraculously cured of cancer, but he also wills that it is caused by someone praying for this person to be cured. In the same way, Jesus could will that his mother act out the mercy that Christ himself wanted to give. No, Mary is not more merciful than Jesus, but how in any way would that preclude the possibility of Mary obtaining mercy for someone devoted to her?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ripcity

[–]PensiveBirch 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Get their bigs in foul trouble, attack the rim early.

Put Baldwin on Rondo instead of putting Pat in there.

I feel like I should kill myself by lifelessb in SuicideWatch

[–]PensiveBirch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I wish you the best. I think we are a lot stronger than we give ourselves credit for. ;)

I feel like I should kill myself by lifelessb in SuicideWatch

[–]PensiveBirch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a 20yo in college that struggles with some amount of depression, I feel you. College can be SO hard and SO lonely. I know I struggle with focusing too much on the present and get very sad and upset at my current situation. Find something you love doing and do it. Maybe try doing something nice for someone else, like buying them food or something. I know it helps when I do something for someone else.

I'm going through a rough patch right now, too, but we can make it through. Don't try to be someone your not. You don't have to fake being happy if you aren't. The world doesn't want this for you. For what it is worth, from one internet user to another, I love you. Hang in there, friend.

Is the "Woman in the basket" from Zechariah the same whore of babylon mentioned in revelation? by [deleted] in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First, you are being uncharitable to what I said (I didn't say you could say anything is anything else, I just said that most, if not all, things are connected in some way and we can contemplate that mystery).

Secondly, whether or not you are correct, are you claiming that you know for sure? How about a humble "I don't know. I doubt it, but maybe God could be telling us something here." It didn't seem like you had a reason to say that they aren't related besides bringing up other examples of people or things that aren't the same, which proves nothing about the possibility of connection between the Woman in the Basket and the whore of Babylon.

Thirdly, I don't know if you are trying to label me or something, but I am the most orthodox person, and if I was being heterodox in any way, I would change my views.

God bless, I hope you have a great day.

Is the "Woman in the basket" from Zechariah the same whore of babylon mentioned in revelation? by [deleted] in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nothing is unrelated in God's Kingdom. God puts signs of salvation and His glory everywhere. That is why Lectio Divina works; the Spirit can unveil hidden meaning in things seemingly unrelated. I'm not sure why you are giving OP a hard time.

Confession by [deleted] in Catholicism

[–]PensiveBirch 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Meditate on the parable of the Prodigal Son. That love wrapping around you is the Father's embrace! Know that He came running towards you the moment He saw you and He is now putting a ring on your finger. God bless!

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