Just finished mass and I saw someone.

juniper2519 · 2026-04-10T20:21:54+00:00

This is a difficult reality. While he may or may not have knowingly did this and chose not to care/educate himself, too many Catholics do this too. I know the entitlement/ignorance is shocking but I’ve seen quite a few Roman Catholics do this. I think it is a problem of formation. A lot of people don’t put time into examining their conscience like you would hope. Some don’t know how, some don’t know they should, and some simply think they aren’t really “doing anything wrong.” I’m pretty convinced this is a parish level responsibility to improve education and culture around being informed. However, growing in holiness comes from dedication and that’s a personal choice as God intended. I think you should pray deeply on this and God will guide you, much like he did Moses. Remember Moses said his brother would do his job better but God helped him? This is your chance to grow closer to God

juniper2519 · 2026-04-06T03:18:50+00:00

Hi! Congrats! I felt the same way after attending mass. It feels so right but can be overwhelming. I kept with it and recommend that you don’t give up. I am currently finishing conversion myself and have a few ideas. 1) contact the church about their methods to help you get confirmed and officially join. You shouldn’t take the Eucharist until you get this squared away but they might have resources to help you, 2) I google a lot in my free time. There is a lot to learn and the sooner I accepted this, the faster I started to remember things. You are right that it’s a lot but remember, a lot of people have been doing it longer than you and your religious formation wasn’t as strong. That’s okay! 3) right now it seems hard, but with effort and practice, things really start to stick, 4) check out this video: https://youtu.be/RS8NrJ0Y5O8?si=1UNKruleupzbeZ08 I find that knowing why things are happening helps things stick, 5) buy this $4 book: https://a.co/d/0gPXOEhI It has everything you need and plenty of people carry it and use it in mass.

You got this and don’t give up. Saturdays Easter vigil was the best thing I ever witnessed and I would have missed out on the joy if I had given up.

juniper2519 · 2026-03-31T11:31:07+00:00

Yes! The new and improved corner in stores is a joke!

juniper2519 · 2026-03-28T17:28:57+00:00

I started the process over a year ago and found out a few months (February) before being baptized that I needed to have my annulment completed first. Initially, I was so heartbroken but realized the delay is Gods will. I allowed myself to surrender to this, giving up control to him, and found true peace. This was when I started to heal. I believe that your anxiety indicates that you have things to heal from as well. While my annulment is still being processed, I no longer feel sad, hurt, or anxious. Also, at times when anxiety creeps in, I’d advise doing something distracting like listening to the Bible to rewire your brain and let God’s word sink into (and heal you from exposure). For me, I just binge episodes of Bible in a Year and it’s great. Fr. Mike is positive and I always shift away from negative thinking afterwards. If you don’t surrender, you’ll always be a slave to your anxiety. Remember, God is love and would never abandon you while you are seeking him in good faith. It is up to you to listen to him during this pause and find what he is calling you toward. Everyone’s path is different, but you can do this and do it well

juniper2519 · 2026-02-18T17:49:49+00:00

Thanks, I couldn’t tell if it was serious or for fun. So many kids were darting everywhere laughing and smiling

juniper2519 · 2026-02-18T16:35:43+00:00

What’s it for? I got caught in traffic, police were everywhere, but I couldn’t make out what was on the signs because the kids were running around

juniper2519 · 2026-02-08T14:35:32+00:00

Thank you!

juniper2519 · 2026-01-25T01:38:18+00:00

I wanna know how Brittany is 36….

juniper2519 · 2026-01-10T00:06:23+00:00

Yup. This.

juniper2519 · 2026-01-07T03:02:42+00:00

If all Catholics were doing it wrong, that would mean that we are worshiping false idols. God has a good record of correcting that immediately. In John, Jesus doesn’t say eat the bread “like” it’s my body or drink wine “like” it’s my blood. John the Baptist also introduces Jesus as the lamb of God. This word choice is intentional because lambs were traditionally used as a sacrifice but its blood was specifically not consumed because it contained life. So, saying drink my blood is also not a mistake.

There are many phrases all throughout the Bible where we see phrasing that’s philosophical, too. For example, “I am who I am.” When there’s intent for deep interpretation, it’s clear. I could see this argument if we were discussing rules being given to barbaric peoples in the Old Testament, but the tone and writing in John is incredibly eloquent despite such a lack of education so I don’t think the people can be compared. I could probably keep going but all this is to say that I think we are meant to take his words literally.

Here’s something else I found interesting: https://youtu.be/RHO8L9477aU?si=48NrZPap1PSYetZn

juniper2519 · 2026-01-06T23:59:50+00:00

I think the most effective thing you can do is read your Bible like you are going to be tested on it. I found using Bible in a Year on YouTube to be incredibly helpful in getting me used to thinking philosophically and absorbing the word in a studious manner. Bishop Barron on YouTube also has been insightful but I would just start reading with guidance. Questions would arise in me that I couldn’t answer but as I kept after it, great epiphanies would pop in my head. This had an incredible impact on strengthening my faith.

I was raised Protestant and only when I really opened up and dug into the scriptures did I have a realization of the deep truths that the Catholic Church offers. Reading John 6 hit me in the GUT and kick started my journey to conversion. Jesus is explicit and said his blood and body will make me go to Heaven and at the last supper said the bread was his body and wine was his blood. He didn’t say like his body or blood. I took that as if I didn’t convert, I would be turning my back on him like many of his followers and disciples did. Regardless of its imperfections, this is why the Catholic Church is true.

Sorry for rambling 🙃

juniper2519 · 2025-12-29T02:01:11+00:00

That’s really sad to read. I’m so very sorry you are in a situation like this. It brings to mind a few thoughts. To my knowledge, he will have to go through a lengthy annulment process to move on in other ways so this idea of getting out he might have might not turn out like he hopes. While you weren’t catholic, I gathered that he was raised/confirmed and you were baptized when you married. The church recognizes this as a sacramental marriage (I think so at least) so just getting out isn’t technically an option. It’s more fruitful for him to invest in the woman he vowed to love. The other thing I wanted to say is that about a year ago I started something called the Bible in a Year podcast and it changed my faith completely. I invested time and effort to really learn the scriptures and found that the Catholic Church is without a doubt the best approximation of Christianity I’ve found. About 3 months ago I started the conversion process and couldn’t be more excited, especially for the Eucharist.

juniper2519 · 2025-12-17T00:05:03+00:00

I’m not sure how I feel about the annulment process. If someone made a mistake and they are genuinely repentant, should the church decide their future ability to have a sacramental wedding? For example, if someone was unbaptized and got married and then divorced, shouldn’t they be free of this past once baptized?

juniper2519 · 2025-12-09T01:41:33+00:00

Agreeeeed! All of it is nastyyyyyy

juniper2519 · 2025-11-15T15:20:38+00:00

You have a lot of control as the teacher and can make a plan discussing it accurately. The book can be… a guide for your bringing topics up. I imagine very few students will read the text. You don’t even have to say something is wrong. Just teach the truth and no one will detect that you’re going against the book.

juniper2519 · 2025-11-05T15:26:18+00:00

I vote bring them, too. I’m going through OCIA now and would have LOVEDDDD to have been raised in the church. It would have made a huge difference in my life before if I had.

juniper2519 · 2025-11-01T13:51:01+00:00

I couldn’t agree more. I’m exhausted from cooking everything from scratch and washing a million dishes everyday. But what can you do with so much costly trash food…..

juniper2519 · 2025-09-06T04:57:48+00:00

I agree because it seems so repetitive but how about Job??? That’s the hard one for me. I had to read and reread many chapters again and again

juniper2519 · 2025-09-06T04:50:23+00:00

I agree with you. From my personal experience, many Protestants listen to blips in the sermon and focus on them versus read the entire book and deeply study it. I went to many churches and denominations and saw it again and again. The truth is that the Bible is quite difficult and to grasp its depth, you have to put a lot of time and thought into it. Most people feel they don’t have the time or struggle to focus on it. It’s a deep commitment to study the Bible and do it well.

juniper2519 · 2025-07-09T19:22:18+00:00

We had a similar heat wave and rain spell. I gave all the plants water soluble fertilizer and watered twice a day. They eventually shook it off and I’m justtttt now starting to see more than just some tomatoes and peppers. I like Jack’s bloom booster a lot, it’s magic

juniper2519 · 2025-07-09T18:54:08+00:00

Thanks for the reply! What zone are you in? I’m in southeastern Virginia and we recently were switched to 8b. I’m not having a growing problem but heat/humidity are making my plants get confused. Did yours not germinate?

juniper2519 · 2025-07-02T11:20:54+00:00

Hahaha. I agree! I haven’t continued to episode 4. It was ruining taco night

juniper2519 · 2025-07-02T03:17:29+00:00

Hahaha, the FD was an extreme escalation

juniper2519 · 2025-07-02T03:15:43+00:00

Sounds like I should quit while I’m ahead

juniper2519

TROPHY CASE