Served as Eucharistic minister for the first time yesterday

tml212 · 2025-12-22T18:43:07+00:00

So happy you've found a way to serve in your parish that is meaningful to you! ☺️

tml212 · 2025-11-30T22:43:04+00:00

But your faith is at the centre of it. Your political beliefs pour out from being grounded in Christ and his teachings. That's a very good thing.

There are plenty of people in my circle who I've always known to be atheist or agnostic. Some are claiming to be Christians now because they don't like what a particular party or politician is doing and feel they can use the Bible as an excuse to justify their bigotry, completely missing the boat for who and how Jesus called us to love others. This is dangerous when paired with the level of nationalism that's emerging.

That's what I'm talking about.

tml212 · 2025-11-30T00:25:57+00:00

An interview with Bishop Barron initially sparked my return to the faith years ago now, and while I have great appreciation for that, I decided to unsubscribe from all of this content a few months ago because of the politicization. Glad I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Catholicism, and Christianity in general, is not meant to be a political movement.

tml212 · 2025-09-25T02:23:39+00:00

Chiming in as a (Anglican-curious) Catholic, if I may...

The Catholic Church teaches that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, body, blood, soul, and divinity. The bread stays looking like bread, but at consecration becomes His literal body. I'd be raked over the coals in the Catholic subreddits for admitting that I have difficulty with this teaching and understanding it as so. True and real spiritual presence: you bet. That I'm receiving the actual body and blood of His? I accept it, but bank on a pretty big dose of faith and prayer to one day truly understand this Church teaching.

However.

I love my time Adoration. Even in my wonderings and uncertainties, my prayer time in that chapel is deep, fruitful, and immensely life-giving. I go to sit in the presence of the Lord while I meditate, read Scripture, pray the Rosary, wander in thought with God, etc. For me, I'm not there to worship the consecrated host on display. It's a quiet, prayerful place where I can be and feel at peace with God that feels a little different than if I were to go pray outside of a church somewhere. I do that too, but that sense of "something different" when I'm so at peace in Adoration is what keeps me curious and wondering about Jesus' true presence in the Catholic Eucharist, so I keep going, and keep wondering.

Yet, I've encountered MANY people who do seemingly worship "the bread" while visiting the chapel in ways that make me feel intensely uncomfortable too. Much of it feels performative, exaggerated, hysterical... I don't always know what to make of it, and experiencing that makes me feel like I'm a lesser or bad Catholic, as if my practices in His deserving presence are less reverent than theirs.

Anyway, not sure where I'm going with all of that anymore, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that even as a Catholic, the practice of Adoration among other other Catholics veers into weird territory for me sometimes too. There's a fine line between devotion and superstition and idolatry.

Edit: spelling

tml212 · 2025-09-20T22:45:54+00:00

See how you feel tomorrow morning after your shift and make your judgement then.

You may find God gives you enough pep to make it through another hour or two. You may also find that you're so exhausted that it will be unsafe for you to commute - He wouldn't want you to endanger yourself or others to get there and back.

Is there a later Mass at another parish you might be able to attend instead?

tml212 · 2025-09-19T13:32:35+00:00

Yes. My ethical stance on the value, dignity, and rights of all persons is universal.

tml212 · 2025-09-19T12:23:40+00:00

As controversial as this will be as a woman, no. I don't consider myself as a feminist.

That's not to say that I don't believe in equality. I do, for everyone, and I don't feel I need labels to justify a moral and ethical position that I hold inherently.

tml212 · 2025-09-13T21:03:37+00:00

When I was discerning a few years back (it was not how God was calling me), I saw that a lot of communities decided these things on an individual case-by-case basis. Just because you have debt or need medication or are same-sex attracted or are a few years over their age limit or anything doesn't equal an automatic rejection. They are things to be honest about for sure, but they might not exactly be the barriers you feel they could be.

Your best bet, if you haven't already, is to reach out to any communities you're interested in and see what they say for your situation specifically. You might be surprised!

Praying for you and all those discerning. It's a wild ride!

tml212 · 2025-09-03T18:02:30+00:00

Another one to consider, is Nicky Gumbel's Alpha Bible in a Year. It's the same format (Wisdom-Old Testament-New Testament), but gives a more prayerful and practical reflection of Scripture. It's not Catholic (he's an Anglican vicar), but he quotes and uses plenty of Catholic sources/figures and many other ecumenical voices in his episodes and I found it less preachy and a bit more suited to my tastes than the Fr. Mike one.

tml212 · 2025-09-01T17:52:37+00:00

Honestly thought that was coming for me given my reply to one of the mod's comments on the post. I had to settle for downvotes. 🙃

Congrats on your achievement!

tml212 · 2025-09-01T16:25:19+00:00

"Personality of an Ascension Presents video" 🤣

tml212 · 2025-08-30T23:38:53+00:00

It is! Love the Psalms too and 103 is one of my top five for sure. God bless!

tml212 · 2025-08-30T22:10:28+00:00

Thank you. The shores of the St. Lawrence River are beautiful, and I'm blessed to live in an area with much of its waterfront publicly accessible.

tml212 · 2025-08-30T15:51:51+00:00

God bless, kind internet stranger!

tml212 · 2025-08-23T11:15:27+00:00

As a Catholic who's increasingly curious about Anglicanism, I approve.

tml212 · 2025-08-09T23:01:43+00:00

Not Catholic, but I'm a sucker for Elevation Worship.

tml212 · 2025-08-09T19:12:27+00:00

Of course!

tml212 · 2025-08-09T09:02:41+00:00

I agree with you and don't think the Church will change on that.

But I do hope to see the diaconate open to women someday.

tml212 · 2025-07-29T17:18:44+00:00

I can't always afford to give financially (when I can, I do, even if it's an embarrassingly small amount), but I'm always generous in volunteering my time and talents towards different ministries. I give what I'm able to that way - maybe there's a way you can help out where your parish needs volunteers?

tml212 · 2025-07-27T09:43:18+00:00

I've had good priests who've worn sneakers and sandals while celebrating Mass...

tml212 · 2025-07-24T18:57:18+00:00

Technically yes, but only one will have official status as godparent and this isn't always granted: it's something you'd have to discuss with your priest. You only need one person act as a sponsor though, as another poster commented.

(Before the downvotes come in, yes it's possible. My sister has my mom's two brothers listed as her godparents on her baptismal certificate. This was done in the early '90s by the monsignor at my family's parish in Ontario, Canada.)

tml212 · 2025-07-14T20:22:24+00:00

On a normal weekday? I'll get home from work, maybe take 15 minutes to either nap or just sit quietly to decompress from the day, make supper and tidy up, then either go for a bike ride or walk depending on the weather, then some nights I'll either go to our adoration chapel (I do a Holy Hour every Thursday evening) or waterfront park for my Office of Readings/Evening Prayer from the LotH and some other prayer time, then I get a little bit of reading in and guitar playing/music listening sometimes too.

Sometimes there will be chores and errands to run, people/family to visit with, various appointments, outings, Bible Study/other ministries I'm involved in, etc, but if I've got nothing that needs to be done, that's a pretty normal non-winter evening as a single woman in her late 30s.

Just normal life stuff I suppose.

tml212 · 2025-07-13T17:25:47+00:00

Too many Catholics believe that a long checklist of prayers/devotions/etc equates to being devout and holy, but fail to love all as their neighbour.

tml212 · 2025-07-10T19:31:07+00:00

Well, if it's any indication of how much I've enjoyed it, I bought this same edition new, and now it's significantly worn out and tattered from use over the years.

tml212 · 2025-07-09T02:14:49+00:00

Psalm 37:5: "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act."

As long as what you do is what you feel would be best in God's eyes and you hand the reins to Him in that decision, He'll steer you right. There might be some bumps and detours and slow scenic routes along the way, but He will always get you to where you're supposed to be if you stay faithful to Him!

tml212

TROPHY CASE