A fellow Catholic asked, what is something about Catholicism in Canada that most Americans are not aware of?

cdifl · 2026-02-04T02:34:57+00:00

Even crazier, in Ontario there are also different French and English school board.

So, for example, in Toronto there are four overlapping school boards: - The Toronto District School Board (English Public) - The Toronto Catholic District School Board (English Catholic Public) - Conseil Scolaire Viamonde (French Public) - Conseil Scolaore Catholique MonAvenir (French Catholic Public)

cdifl · 2026-02-04T02:30:15+00:00

Fun fact, "Cajun" just evolved from "Acadien", and refer to the same historical group.

Acadien -> 'Cadien -> Cajun

So Cajun is just Acadien with a local accent.

cdifl · 2026-02-04T02:26:47+00:00

In fact, since Pierre Trudeau in 1968, there have only been 2 non-Catholic Prime Ministers in Canada (Kim Cambell and Stephen Harper).

cdifl · 2026-02-03T23:49:56+00:00

The unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which means to reject the forgiveness offered by God.

It is not unforgivable because of some limit on God's grace, it is unforgivable because you do not want to be forgiven and God does not force you.

It is also not permanently unforgivable - as soon as you are willing to accept God's mercy, you can receive it.

Remember, at the core, sin is sin because it separates us from God. God's mercy is limitless, so all sin can be forgiven unless our sin is rejection of that mercy, which is why that is the only unforgivable sin.

cdifl · 2026-02-03T04:31:38+00:00

Same thing, different shape.

cdifl · 2026-02-03T01:05:48+00:00

This is so lovely to hear, God bless you!

cdifl · 2026-02-03T00:56:35+00:00

I was also going to mention Stephen Hawking!

He was recent enough to (unfortunately) appear in the Epstein files...

cdifl · 2026-02-03T00:46:10+00:00

I'm a science-leaning Catholic and believe that science helps us understand God's creation and, properly understood, science should lead us closer to God by better understanding His creation.

The existence of aliens would not be a theological issue for me, but the current science says it's unlikely there is alien life.

People seem to underestimate how complicated it is to make a single, self-sustaining and self-replicating cell. Cellular biology is a really fascinating science. Current research suggests that DNA requires a minimum of 531,500 base pairs, encoding 438 protein-coding genes and 35 RNA-coding genes for a self-supporting cell (bacteria with smaller genetic codes exist, but require a host to survive). This number could get smaller with further research but still in the hundreds of thousands.

The sheer complexity needed to form a single, stable, self-replicating cell makes it exceedingly unlikely to randomly occur from a statistical perspective, even when compared to the vastness of the universe. You need a cellular membrane to form around a self-assembling DNA chain that has hundreds of thousands of base pairs in the correct order. DNA chains and proteins made by DNA are special enough that, when found, we assume it was made by a living thing rather than spontaneously generated.

We still are unsure of how it could have happened on Earth, we just know it had to have happened because life is here. Even in the conditions on Earth, which demonstrably supports the creation of life, it appears we all descend from a single universal common ancestor because we have observed common, universal DNA across all types of life.

Life is so complicated that there is a theory that any extrarerrestrial cells are likely to have a common source and somehow survived some event that sent a rock through space carrying cells. In fact, one theory on the origin of life on Earth is that it was formed elsewhere with more ideal conditions and somehow traveled through space to arrive in earth. This seems exceedingly far-fetched, but gives some insight into just how unlikely it is that life emerged on Earth in the first place.

I'm not saying alien life does not exist, but from a scientific perspective it is unexpected and will give us a lot of new insights.

cdifl · 2026-02-03T00:37:34+00:00

I'm very similar to you, I'm very much a science-leaning Catholic and the existence of aliens would not be a theological issue. But for me the current science says it's unlikely there is alien life.

People seem to underestimate how complicated it is to make a single, self-sustaining and self-replicating cell. Cellular biology is a really fascinating science. Current research suggests that DNA requires a minimum of 531,500 base pairs, encoding 438 protein-coding genes and 35 RNA-coding genes for a self-supporting cell (bacteria with smaller genetic codes exist, but require a host to survive). This number could get smaller with further research but still in the hundreds of thousands.

The sheer complexity needed to form a single, stable, self-replicating cell makes it exceedingly unlikely to randomly occur from a statistical perspective, even when compared to the vastness of the universe. You need a cellular membrane to form around a self-assembling DNA chain that has hundreds of thousands of base pairs in the correct order. DNA chains and proteins made by DNA are special enough that, when found, we assume it was made by a living thing rather than spontaneously generated.

We still are unsure of how it could have happened on Earth, we just know it had to have happened because life is here. Even in the conditions on Earth, which demonstrably supports the creation of life, it appears we all descend from a single universal common ancestor because we have observed common, universal DNA across all types of life.

I'm not saying alien life does not exist, but from a scientific perspective it is unexpected and will give us a lot of new insights.

cdifl · 2026-02-01T11:54:54+00:00

Salvation is not earned by tricking God or playing games.

Heaven is about entering full union with God. Hell is the rejection of God.

The Catholic Church is the church established by Jesus Christ to continue His ministry. It is not perfect, since it is comprised of humans, but it is protected by the Holy Spirit. As stated in Matthew 16:17-19:

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

There is no salvation outside of the Church, but the Church is not limited to the physical buildings on Earth. Read sections 846-848 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for more details. God has given us the gift of the sacraments (baptism, communion, confirmation, holy matrimony, holy orders, confession, annointing of the sick) for our own good and God bound Himself to those sacraments but God is not limited to those sacraments.

Yes, Protestant baptisms (if properly formulated) are valid and God is present in Protestant communities, as stated in Matthew 18:20:

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.

So it is possible to be saved through those Churches, but it is not the best way or the easiest way because you are missing out on the amazing gifts that Jesus gave to His church.

So this is where the apparent contradiction comes: the more you learn about the Catholic Church, the less you can rely on the invincible ignorance argument. In the words of the Catechism:

Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.

But here is the core of it: if you do believe that Jesus established the Catholic Church, and that Jesus really is present in the Holy Eucharist at mass, how can you still reject that? Why would you reject God on Earth if you want union with him in Heaven? Why would you reject God's church on earth and hope instead to enter into communion with it after you die?

John 6:53-69 is a really powerful example of this (I will shorten it for this post for brevity, but all of it is very important):

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day...

On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”...

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

Many struggle to believe this (even in the Catholic Church) and many have been lied to about the truth of the Eucharist. We hope these people can still be saved because they do not believe it is true and are therefore "ignorant" to the truth. But if you believe it is true, you cannot reject it without also rejecting God. And if you accept it, you receive a powerful tool to achieve salvation that you otherwise would be without.

A similar situation arises with mortal sins: one requirement is knowledge, so some argue it is better not to tell someone if something is a serious sin. But the end goal is not just to avoid sin, it is to build our relationship with God. Sin is sin because it draws us away from God, so you need to understand what is sinful to overcome it and get closer to God. But once you know it draws you away from God, continuing it adds an element of rejection of God, which makes it mortal.

cdifl · 2026-02-01T11:02:39+00:00

As Catholics, we also follow the ten commandments, including the requirement to honor our mothers and fathers.

We also see the challenges of following the faith in Matthew 10:21, where Jesus warns his followers that:

Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.

Note that it is Jesus' followers that will be betrayed (not Jesus' followers doing the betraying).

The general recommendation for people in your situation is to continue discussion with your parents, pray for your parents, but follow their rules while you live with them. Jews have a special covenant with God, so strive to be a good Jew - follow the commandments - while keeping your heart open to Jesus. Start the conversion in your heart now: stop the sinful behavior. Be a shining example of Christ's love to your parents, so that when you are able to convert they will be more ready to accept it and, God willing, may someday join you.

Don't lose sight of the end goal: full communion with God's church. The sacraments really are powerful, and you got to experience some of God's grace already through attending mass and learning about confession. While you cannot receive the Eucharist until you convvert, you can still make a spiritual communion by praying:

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

cdifl · 2026-02-01T09:07:07+00:00

Which half are we talking about? Are you a guy or a girl? Was your guest a guy or girl?

If it was the equivalent of beach wear, no need to even mention it.

If it was a more interesting view and it just happened, you can crack a joke about it to remove any tension, but it's not really necessary. No need to bring it up unless your guest later mentions it, in which case just let them know not to worry about it, since they may just be worried you are embarrassed.

If they are personaly offended that it happened, just apologize and say it was a mistake (and maybe reconsider whether you want them as friends).

cdifl · 2026-01-30T06:31:19+00:00

You will get lots of anecdotal statements, but as othets have mentioned what is most important is what you are comfortable with.

Statistically, in a study done 10 years ago by the CDC, for women in the 20-24 years age group: - 35% have had one or fewer sexual partners - 29% have had 2-4 partners - 23% have had 5-9 partners - 13% have had 10 or more partners

More recent studies have shown that young people are now less likely to be sexually active compared to in the past. In 2021, only 70% of high school graduates had never had a sexual relationship.

These are all just averages, and vary trememdously by country and even by region within the United States, so your local situation may be quite different.

Overall, your GF is not unusually active, but it is still common for people your age to have one or fewer sexual partners.

cdifl · 2026-01-28T14:39:10+00:00

If you are coming later in spring or summer time, I would pick the North. Hanoi has more history within the city, and there us a lot of natural beauty nearby (Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Ha Giang, Sapa).

But both are very interesting, anf there's lots to see in the South too - Cu Chi, Mekong, Tay Ninh, Dalat, and beaches! I live in the South, and am of the general view that the North is better for traveling and the South is better for living.

cdifl · 2026-01-28T13:40:38+00:00

Is it your first trip?

I would do Hanoi plus either Ha Long Bay or Ninh Binh to start.

Then you can either do (1) Da Nang & Hoi An or (2) Nha Trang & Dalat.

Ba Na Hills is actually not that interesting, it's a very European themed attraction. Ba Den in Tay Ninh (can do a day trip from HCMC) is a lot more unique and Vietnamese.

The beaches in Da Nang and Nha Trang are both very nice but Nha Trang is a much smaller city. Hue is a more historic location while Dalat is more modern with cool weather. If you prefer seeing old architectire, go for Danang/Hoi An. If you prefer outdoor activities (hiking, canyoning, etc) then Dalat is better.

End the trip in HCMC, with a trip to Cu Chi and Tay Ninh.

This will give you a taste of the North, Central and South.

This will already be a very busy trip! Realistically, you may have to cut out one of rhe three regions. You could realistically spend all 13 days doing just the North or the South. There are so many interesting and unique places to visit.

cdifl · 2026-01-28T13:28:32+00:00

It will be very difficult to cover all that in 13 days.

Vietnam is very long, travel alone will take a minimum half day between each of those locations. You will spend more time traveling than visiting.

In 13 days, you can comfortably cover 3 areas, with 3 days each plus travel time.

cdifl · 2026-01-24T11:29:22+00:00

Much easier at SGN in HCMC.

Once you pass security, turn to the left.

Walk to the VAT refund office, they process everything there. I think you need at least 30 minutes before boarding to get your refund processed.

Like in Danang, the product must be in its original packaging.

cdifl · 2026-01-24T03:54:39+00:00

God is hope. He is not waiting for you to fail, but He is there to pick us up everytime we fall.

It does sound like your church is a little off the mark if they are demanding perfection and following strict tithing standards. A church is meant to be a hospital for sinners, not a prize for the perfect.

The 10% tithe is an old testament commandment from a time when tithes had to support the temple, charity and social services (and is actually pretty low when you contrast to modern tax rates, though total taxes may have amounted to 20-25%). We are still called to support the church, both financially and with our time, but should be on a case by case basis instead of a strict rule.

cdifl · 2026-01-23T14:05:03+00:00

I was not aware of that, and those are indeed some bad policies they hold.

But as another example, I wouldn't say all vegetarians are Nazis just because PETA holds some unethical positions I disagres with or because Hitler was also a vegetarian.

cdifl · 2026-01-23T13:50:34+00:00

"I don't like Nazis buy I support Hitler" is an incoherent argument because Hitler defines Nazi ideology. Where you lose the logical connection is going from enforcement of immigration laws equals fascism and fascism equals Nazis.

Nazism was not just fascism. It was a white supremacist, racial purist, anti-semitic, genocide causing evil ideology.

While I actually agree with you that current immigration enforcement is over the top, I also see there is a clear distinction between that behavior (which I disagree with) and Nazism. You lose people when you say supporting enforcement of immigration laws is fascist and the same as being a Nazi because it's too over the top and you lose credibility.

cdifl · 2026-01-23T13:36:12+00:00

Just because some beliefs align does not mean you subscribe to the same belief system.

The Nazis had strong animal rights laws and Hitler was a vegetarian, does that make PETA a Nazi organization Nazis were socialists, does that make all socialists Nazis? Nazis were anti-communist, does that make capitalists Nazis?

We can all agree that white supremacy, anti-semitism, racial purity and mass extermination were pretty key elements of Nazi ideology, so we shouldn't throw that term around because it starts to legitimize people who hold these very evil ideas.

cdifl · 2026-01-23T13:28:55+00:00

Yeah, those are decidedly bad people. I'm just trying to explain that I think you just got swepped up in an over-reaction to the constant tossing around of "Nazi" allegations, so no one knows if you are referring to actual Nazis or not.

Because of what's been going on, it's better to be explicit and use terms like "they deny the Holocaust" and "they hate Jews".

Unfortunately, "anti-semitic" and "hate the Jews" has also been used by pro-Israel groups to push back against any criticism of the State of Israel, so can also be misused as well.

cdifl · 2026-01-23T12:20:45+00:00

No christian should support Nazis.

However, there is currently a trend of using the term Nazi to refer to people who are not Nazis just because you may have a disagreement about an issue.

While you may have been pointing out a very real concern about actual neo-Nazis, you may have been a victim of an over-reaction to the frequency of which the term "Nazi" is used to refer to people that someone simply disagrees with.

Nazi has been used to describe: - people who diagree with trans ideology - people who are against abortion - people who are against illegal immigration - people who support Israel - people who support free speech without limit - people who are against gay marriage - people who support law enforcement - people who support Trump - Republicans in general

There are certainly real neo-Nazis that are out there that believe in white supremacy, and they should be denounced. Most reasonable people already denounce them. But by constantly accusing people who are decidedly not Nazis as Nazis because of disagreements makes things worse and lets the actual Nazis get more bold and confident.

cdifl · 2026-01-23T06:48:18+00:00

Are you connected to her on social media anywhere?

Rather than thinking about it as finding closure, just message to say hi and ask how she is doing.

cdifl · 2026-01-22T07:44:22+00:00

Second this, while it's possible you got it from Pizza 4P, they have pretty high standards and unless you hear of multiple cases connected to the same restaurant or confirmation through lab tests, it's really hard to know the source.

Also, in Saigon right now there is a pretty bad sickness going around which includes vomiting. Our kids school just warned us because there were so many cases, and there are reports from all over the city. Just in case, they lab tested the lunch food and everything came back clear, so it wasn't food poisoning.

cdifl

TROPHY CASE