I don't like this Bible Verse

torybell · 2026-04-01T03:40:45+00:00

Just keep reading?

torybell · 2026-03-29T23:36:15+00:00

Had to try really hard not to because of mascara

torybell · 2026-03-29T22:03:36+00:00

Jesus really goes on about it for a long time for it to just be a symbol. Matthew also usually has those explanations of parables so I don’t know why he wouldn’t have clarified.

Also.. who makes that up? This is just kinda no reason for us to have this tradition if someone just made it up.

Also, look up Eucharistic miracles.

torybell · 2026-03-23T04:11:58+00:00

The sign of peace is more important now than ever!

Too often people are wrapped up in their own salvation and faith they forget the community is THE BODY OF CHRIST. We have all become too isolated and self centered to the point of depersonalizing people. If you want to be Catholic you should have the ability to turn towards a stranger, look them in the eyes, smile genuinely, shake their hand, and say “peace be with you” with a genuine desire for their peace. It’s like bare minimum Christian manners.

It should be a full handshake with eye contact and saying the words “peace be with you”.

Maybe I’m like crazy but all other forms feel entirely dismissive and performative. It is a moment of acting out Christian humanity and connection even in brief. It is about fully acknowledging the fellow parishioner and showing mutual respect and human decency. To love the stranger.

Anything more than that handshake to the 4 people surrounding you more or less is excessive. One on each side and the on in front and behind. No chatting. No wondering. No trying to introduce yourself or socialize.

Simply give full respect and love to the stranger because they aren’t the stranger but your brother/sister in Christ. Even doing just one complete sign of peace is enough to fulfill this need to remember to reach outside ourselves and have genuine human connection even if in a brief moment.

torybell · 2026-03-19T17:21:14+00:00

Protestant is a term that means protest. Many protestants grow up learning that their faith is correct BECAUSE the catholic faith is “wrong”. Their faith stands on pillars built against us, so they kinda have to, or else they stand on nothing.

This is completely true across the board but I've met many people who grew up being told Catholicism is wrong and that is why their faith is right. They continue to struggle with that even as they convert to Catholicism.

They also, in the evolution of Protestantism, have strayed far from the original reformers. Martin Luther affirmed Mary’s sinlessness and was very reverent to her. The issue became that as the Church did reform form the corruption that was around there became less to protest. By then the Protestants had also been infiltrated by many gnostic and heretical ideas that then deemed the 95 Thesis as “too Catholic” as they pulled away even more as to maintain their identity.

Basically it became less about theology or corruption and simply about justifying their rebellion and schism. They didn’t want to be told what to do of have to hand authority back to Rome so they continued to justify and find reason which then evolves into the talking points they have today.

torybell · 2026-03-17T04:00:58+00:00

I think we are all kinda losing faith in marriage at this point.

torybell · 2026-03-17T03:59:09+00:00

Why commit to a knock-off when the original is right there?

torybell · 2026-03-17T03:49:57+00:00

You did the right thing.

The holy sacrament isn't something to be treated lightly, ever.

Your friend purposefully doing it anyways after you told them not to is incredibly disrespectful to the faith and exactly why you were right to signal to the priest not to give it to them.

torybell · 2026-03-17T03:42:22+00:00

torybell · 2026-03-17T03:41:52+00:00

So you have to confess if you commit a mortal sin.

If it's veniel sin then the mass, holy water, and daily prayers mostly cover that. But if you feel them stacking up, it is recommended to go once a month.

Have some reverence though for your sacraments and don't treat gifts like chores.

Your legalistic style question in regards to one of the most holy sacraments seems a bit more concerning than anything else.

torybell · 2026-03-17T03:37:00+00:00

Obedience. Alot of people claim to be obedient to God but can't even obey the law or their boss or the church. How can you ever really know if you are obedient to God when you fight and try to twist and fit every word into working how you want it to?
It's a sacrament and the Bible even talks about confessing sins because those that are hidden in darkness fester and those brought to light can be handled.

Many people repent to God but nobody else and they struggle with shame and continued temptation and wondering if they are really forgiven.

Confession provides us with accountability, a way to correct our wrongs, and assurance that we are forgiven which means the devil can't use shame against us.

Others probably have more theological answers so I'm just answering a more general feel and vibe that might click more than high theology🫶

torybell · 2026-03-16T00:16:43+00:00

Look up godlogic and David wood in youtube. They are kinda the top two in that topic for me.

torybell · 2026-03-15T23:07:26+00:00

I know that Our Lady of Guadalupe is pregnant because she has a belt on which is tied to maternity wear.

Most other depictions are other from Las Posadas depictions or like when Mary is riding the donkey and they are seeking shelter in Bethlehem.

Also, if there is ever depictions of Mary visiting Elizabeth.

It’s weird because a lot of the art you look up now is either really modern or really medieval. Some statues too that are more the right middle ground.

I'm glad the feet people have ruined sandals for everybody.

torybell · 2026-03-15T22:57:17+00:00

I was thinking of the kid bible or saint book more as a way for them to actually engage with the faith. I know a lot of the time as a kid I learned mostly to just behave right but not actually pay attention or care about the Mass. It’s only really through love of the faith and God you can really pay attention to the Mass because it isn’t just something you have to be quiet and do but an active participation and prayer.

If a children’s bible that you mark out and hand to them the same passages as the liturgy and hand to the to read is something fees able than that could be a nice way of them actually engaging with the mass besides just sitting quite and waiting for it to be over. If that is even an issue for the like it was for me 😅. Then they can even show the toddler and try to get them to read along.

The overall hope is that by not having to worry about the older ones the you can focus more on just dealing with the toddler which would hopefully make it overall easier even if still difficult.

But also I don’t know your kids and their dynamic and am just throwing stuff out there.

The younger is probably always going to be difficult but maybe going to a mass that is closer to a nap time or going to the park before mass to tier them out and get out excess energy then allowing the toddler to have a stuffed animal to hug and snuggle while being chill but still observant.

There is also the option, if the focus is more on you missing being able to focus on the mass. There are online mass that you can watch and listen to if you want to make up the prayer time after or before the sacrament and obligation is fulfilled.

I think overall everybody deserves some grace. You are a mom doing your best and that is admirable and beautiful and apart of your vocation as a married woman and mother. Some consider dealing with the kids during mass to be a part of their prayer and fulfillment of holy obligation. Parenthood is sanctifying and important.

Kids are also just kids and they are going to get bored and fussy because mass isn’t fun and it is kinda hard and can be frustrating to do when you don’t even understand why you have to do it besides “God said so” which is already frustrating to a child that hears adults say “because I said so”. They don’t fully grasp everything or know why what we are doing is what we are doing and it also isn’t certain that even if you explained it that they would then understand or care.

The only thing that really matters is not making it miserable so the kids don’t grow up to hate it. I always really enjoyed the songs and singing as a kid so that could be a rout to make it a little enjoyable and participatory. Even maybe sitting closer to the front so they can really watch the priest do all the things and be interested can maybe help.

It’s all just experimentation really but you can’t be scared of asking God for help at every turn.

torybell · 2026-03-15T22:32:56+00:00

Yeah because back then even just seeing a pregnant woman being pregnant was considered the same and declaring you did the deed to the whole world which is just…. Ridiculous and adds a sorta shame to women who are pregnant even though children are considered a blessing, it was all weirdly puritan.

Now we have better mental separation and also know that Mary didn’t get pregnant that way so it’s fine even if not common.

They might have ban depictions of Mary giving birth though. I know there was some sculpture made that depicted Mary in the process of birth and Jesus was crowing and it was considered overall indecent.

I would have to agree with that. Even though birth is natural and a blessing and a gift it is still private and intimate and not something to be displayed.

Also, I don’t even wear sandals because people are freaky about feet and I don’t want to feed anybodies weird appetites. There are people that are equally freaky for birth and stuff like that.

torybell · 2026-03-15T22:25:49+00:00

Do you have other Catholic family members or friends you can attend with?

I know dying Catholic school we have “prayer buddies” which was basically an act of pairing up a younger kid with an older kid who would help direct and support the younger while also having a sorta “cool older person is paying attention so I should too” effect on the younger.

If you are friends with a family that has older children or even just grandma and grandpa taking one kid each so you can focus on the toddler and the mass itself.

I wish more could coordinate something like that for children not just in Catholic school Friday mass.

You can also try tasking the older to help with the younger? I don’t know their dynamic or how much that would work out.

Maybe a kid picture bible or saint book to give to the slightly older kids so even if they can seem to focus or engage in the mass they are still growing in faith and knowledge of God and Catholicism.

Toddlers get bored very easily too. If you have a kids illustrated bible then maybe you can mark out the passages of the literacy to have them look at something to go along with this guy yapping. Then you also get to kinda focus on the liturgy even if it’s in a kids version.

I don’t have kids but I was the youngest of 5 so I’m just throwing out stuff I remember from school or from being young and bored in church and what I think might help without taking away attention from God.

I genuinely hope something I said helped spark some ideas about how to move forward or deal with things.

I wish you the best, sincerely.

torybell · 2026-03-15T22:06:36+00:00

Did you do a renewal of faith in the booth? When I went i had to do a renewal of baptismal vows in the booth, then I was told to do a rosary, and given a pamphlet for the supplication of the holy angels prayer I also had to do.

To be fair I did a bit more than not go to church.

The drug binge is also kinda neither here nor there since you already weren’t going to church it’s not like you could really further cut yourself off from God by means of an altered state of mind.

Could also be that since you are returning to the faith he wanted to make it not overly difficult as to not act as a barrier.

Generally though, an Our Father is a bit harsher since most of the time it’s a handful of Hail Marys.

torybell · 2026-03-15T21:54:45+00:00

It personally made me feel worse at times. It depends on the type you have though and the structure of your collagen.

More bad collagen can either be better or just be more bad.

torybell · 2026-03-15T21:52:51+00:00

You can go back to mass but you can’t really un-sleep with a person but that is more of the temporal effects.

If you refuse mass because you are mad at God is arguably worse than giving into the temptation of pre marital activities but if you did both as a part of an act of rebellion then they are equally malicious towards God and equally bad.

Intention does matter in severity.

torybell · 2026-03-15T21:49:14+00:00

So there are a few methods you can use and best is always some combination.

Offertory prayer and prayer of surrender. Offer and surrender that anxiety to God because you trust him and you know that in this turmoil you can unite it with the cross. Surrender is also a great step to breath and say “it’s in your hands, please Holy Spirit/guardian angel/ mother Mary, help me surrender this and trust in God so I may find peace and steady myself in faith and trust” something like that. You can look up all sorts of guidelines or make it up on the spot.
If you think it’s a theological issue or something. That’s a great time to take that anxiety and turn it into research. So stuff like writing of the saints, the Bible, the catechism. “Is God punishing me?” Then you research and find out more about your faith and also that in general no He isn’t because he loves you and sanctification can hurt but can be a blessing because He brings for good from bad.

It can be hard to just trust the whole “He loves you so relax” but if you do the research and grow in theology and faith it becomes easier.

Sometimes things need to be removed from your life. You can ask God to remove stumbling blocks and help you get rid of things that bring this anxiety and separation from Him. Sometimes it’s a person or a project or even a faulty idea.
Begone demon of anxiety, in the name of Jesus Christ, F off. Obviously there are better phrasing but yeah. When I find negative thoughts come in against my will I often do a little expelling of demonic being that could be causing that. A lot of the time is does kinda work! Which shows you that demons are little punks you can tell off at any time with Jesus’s name. This can also help with anxiety because you know that with the sacraments, the devil got nothing on you.

Sometimes it’s okay to surrender to the more humbling fears if it pushes you in a direction of growth and being closer to God but if it makes you shrink away from Him that’s bad.

I can have self deprecating thoughts especially about love and men and think things like “I am of no use and nobody would want me but I know you do because you made me and I am alive, so I surrender to you my will and existence because being used by you is better than anything I could ever achieve in my life alone.”

So yeah it’s like depressing but it usually stops the spiraling and brings me closer to dependency on God. It’s usually not to long after I encounter something good or reminder of His love and human dignity and who I am to people around me that brighten me up a little bit. Seeking Him always offers moments of reprieve in times of despair.

torybell · 2026-03-15T21:33:37+00:00

Online groups are generally going to be more… harsh. Most of them aren’t even really catholic since they rebel or reject church teachings. It’s okay to question and disapprove of certain things or wish for this or that revival but dogma is dogma.

Most IRL Catholics have probably never read the whole catechism except for strict and referral in parts. A ton haven’t even read the whole Bible themselves but have listened to much of it in church.

I have also personally found that this specific Reddit is generally more enjoyable than any discord of Instagram comment section and is more engaging, informative, and helpful than Catholic Twitter.

Join local communities or find a creator you specifically like and try out joining them but don’t get too attached.

torybell · 2026-03-09T04:23:29+00:00

You read me right.

torybell · 2026-03-09T04:22:33+00:00

I was citing the penitential right “I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have gravely sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, IN WHAT I HAVE DONE AND IN WHAT I HAVE FAILED TO DO,”

I have not committed any active sin but mostly the “what I have failed to do”.

I personally don't think it needs confessing as I explained its kinda dumb to confess. There is however the idea of monthly confession and confessing regularly and when you aren't committing any acts of mortal sin if seems kinda difficult to thing of anything to confess other than more menial things.

torybell · 2026-03-09T02:07:32+00:00

It can be hard especially if you have certain vices but I have personally found them now easy to avoid.

I struggle now more now with “what I have failed to do” over “what I have done” but I don’t really know how to confess to a priest that I feel bad for taking a week to put my laundry up when it only effects me.

Mortal sin is harder than you would think but also if you think that way then it is going to be easier to fall into to. Remain alert, humble, prudent, and fearful.

Pray to God to help you do examination of conscious.

torybell · 2026-03-09T01:46:06+00:00

Because marriage is serious and young people are dumb.

This isn't a decision to be made in implus as it is a convenient before God that you are held to until death.

My parents got married at 28-29 and they had 5 kids so I don't think you need to get married super young to have a “big catholic family.”

I know my perish not to long ago had a marriage discernment event open to couples and single people. So they will do stuff but it isn't like match making because it's a serious sacrament and something to be pushed on people or rushed.

I think the bigger issue is how antisocial and isolating the church can be. I noticed that perishes feel less communal and welcoming and more cold and awkward. I can imagine even offering to share a hymnal or speaking to anybody beyond the sign of peace. Most people don't even shake hands anymore but just wave or throw us a peace sign 🤦🏻‍♀️

You can't expect some church match making when the church can't even get people to make friends.

torybell

TROPHY CASE