The COG Catholic

⛪ Tradition-minded, #Bible -believing #Catholic - #Christian convert; #TLM ; Former member of #COG ("Church of God" -- a.k.a. Armstrongism)

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Last Notes

2026-05-11 02:46:19 UTC

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"You should repent."
What if I don't repent? Will I lose my salvation? 😄
Do I have to repent of thinking repentance is a lifelong necessity?
As a Bible-believing Catholic, I have to say you're butchering those scriptures badly. You're not holding to the Faith once delivered, but to the tradition of Baptist men.
Romans 8 does not say we can't abandon Christ or separate ourselves from him, and Galatians 2 is referencing the works of the Mosaic Law.

2026-05-09 19:57:05 UTC

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My "work" for justification was to repent and be baptized. Do you seriously call that working for (earning) justification?
I call it receiving a gift.

2026-05-09 04:05:33 UTC

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"Rome contradicts the Scriptures at the most important point: the pathway of redemption."
How does the RCC contradict Scripture about the pathway of redemption? What is the one thing most significantly bothersome or contradicting to you?
We believe Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is no other way.

2026-05-08 19:42:35 UTC

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I'll probably do some hot and nasty garden work to earn some sweat on my brow till my eyes sting. Then maybe carry bundles of fallen limbs from the yard to start a bonfire, too.
😄

2026-05-08 19:35:54 UTC

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I also prefer the Month of Mary (May) to Jewish Heritage Month. 😁

2026-05-08 19:31:55 UTC

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Thanks for finding the source document.
But it's still there a little at:
"I further call on all Americans to celebrate their faith and freedom throughout this year, during this month, and especially on Shabbat."
As a Christian, I would especially celebrate it on the Lord's Day. There is no benefit or virtue in looking backward to the Sabbath like this.

2026-05-06 12:31:25 UTC

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Would you be in favor of ditching other medieval terms, like transubstantiation? Consubstantial? Trinity?

2026-05-06 11:34:19 UTC

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I should add, this is very similar to the title Mother of God.
Some people might misunderstand it and think we mean she is the mother of the eternal Trinity. But what we mean is that she is literally the mother of God, in that Jesus is God.
We don't get rid of or hide the title to appease critics.

2026-05-06 11:24:55 UTC

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Well that's where we really disagree. It's not antiquated or overly-poetic rhetoric. It is literal truth.
Mary is literally our co-redemptrix. Jesus redeems us with ("co") Mary.
We can't sacrifice Catholic truth to appease Protestants. They cannot be appeased anyway.
Clarity entails explaining what co-redemptrix means, not erasing our theological vocabulary to avoid hard truths.

2026-05-06 11:21:42 UTC

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If they are not now in communion with Rome, then why is Rome considering disciplinary measures?
They don't go around threatening schismatic groups, because they're already in schism. They don't get feisty at every Orthodox consecration, for example, because the Orthodox reject Rome's authority in *principle* (not just a particular prudential judgment).
The SSPX is working within the Church, as you rightly suggest we should. The SSPX does not claim to have left the Church, and neither do the popes claim the SSPX has left the Church.
There is a huge difference between tension and schism. One has to properly define schism.

2026-05-06 10:22:57 UTC

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The thing is, the SSPX has not split off from the Church. It maintains its loyalty to the Church, her beliefs, and to the pope. That's their whole point. They're afraid that by going along with the latest, novel trends, people will be led away from the Church and the true Faith.
Their concern is founded. We see it happening. No matter how a Vatican official or a pope might undermine Church teaching, we mustn't go along with it, even though many are.
So for example, we can't accept gay ideology or the blessing of homo relationships, or the idea that religions are all basically good and lead to God (and are willed by God), or that the Mass is primarily a sacred meal amongst brethren, or that we must now become a "synodal church," etc.
If we insist on living the Faith of our Fathers, of the Saints, then that's not departing from the Church; it's our duty. Bishops are not middle managers belonging to the pope; each are responsible for handing down the Faith once delivered. Even if an angel were to come down and preach another gospel, the bishops must not swerve from their duty to be faithful.
Obedience is a virtue indeed, but obedience to technicalities in canon law that are not conducive to the salvation of souls is not our duty and is not the intent of the law itself. It's the salvation of souls.
It's a messy situation, but the SSPX is recognized as fully Catholic now (by multiple popes), even though it felt the need to ordain bishops in 1988 due to a crisis in the Church. And if they go through with it in July for the same reasons, it's the same situation.
All they're trying to do is teach and live Catholicism, not Modernism or Catholic Lite, even if Rome currently trends toward those false ideologies.

2026-05-06 01:44:36 UTC

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I'm no canon lawyer, but as I understand it, within the law there is a stipulation that there is no excommunication when the bishop does so sincerely believing there is a state of emergency.
This is the same situation we had back in 1988 - same controversy, same reasons. Except now SSPX leaders say the emergency is even greater. (The "last straw" was when the Vatican's doctrinal guy discouraged the use of the title "Co-Redemptrix" and "Mediatrix of all Graces.")
I'm not comfortable with the whole situation. I'm not "comfortable" with what SSPX is doing in July (though I don't oppose it), but neither am I happy with what has led up to it and how Rome is reacting to the whole thing.
At the end of my daily rosaries, I ask St. Pius X and Sts. Peter & Paul to pray for us (the Church). The whole Church is struggling, going through its own passion.
But we can rest assured things will work out. We as individuals just have to be faithful to the full deposit of the Faith and keep the salvation of souls as our first priority.

2026-05-05 20:05:01 UTC

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I'm not trying to be contentious -- just thinking.
The SSPX is not in schism right now according to B16, Francis, and Leo/Fernandez. But they've had their "own [Catholic] bishops" since 1988.
How would July 2026 be any different?
They are only trying to preserve Catholic Tradition, not overthrow it.
I am not SSPX, but I'm sympathetic.

2026-05-05 17:20:36 UTC

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One might argue that the inventors and hardcore proponents of the New Mass are basically Protestant.
Years back I was disturbed when an ex-Catholic Lutheran convert I worked with told me their worship services are pretty much the same as at the Catholic Church. She equated the two.
I tried to explain the huge theological differences, including the Real Presence, behind the outward appearances of similarity.
But as a common layperson, her beliefs were formed by the liturgy. Since her former New Mass liturgy resembled Protestant liturgies, she developed Protestant beliefs as well.
She was harmed by the Novus Ordo over the span of years, mostly her youth.

2026-05-05 12:12:35 UTC

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I still want someone to tell me what Catholic teachings specifically that the SSPX reject.
I'm not aware of one, but they will get hammered for an act of disobedience made from a Catholic conscience.
What a sorry situation the Church is in. (Though that should never diminish our faith in God's providence -- not in the slightest!)

2026-05-02 15:31:57 UTC

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You have put a lot of thought into this and bolstered your position with hard facts.
But I do get up around 4 or 5 in the morning for rosary and a workout, or to write. I need time to do these things before heading in for my sedentary day job.
My "best" time is probably 8 to 11 a.m.

2026-04-30 10:38:17 UTC

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I will consider it further.
I would think if it's posted in an adoration chapel where people go there for no reason other than to pray, then they are probably the most trustworthy group one could find.
But it only takes one butthole to mess things up.
Thanks for the warning. And thanks for your creative work.

2026-04-30 02:11:46 UTC

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I think hostednowhere is great. Thanks!
My idea for it is to create a local anonymous prayer request forum.
People can make prayer requests / share answered prayers anonymously. And they don't have to understand Nostr to use it.
I can print QRcode and post in our local prayer chapel. 📿👍

2026-04-29 15:33:02 UTC

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"Reading the paper".... What's that?! 😄

2026-04-27 11:18:34 UTC

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I grew up on Jack Chick Tracts.
Good job, Grok.

2026-04-24 02:13:25 UTC

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Thank you, Father. Good words.

2026-04-23 19:26:41 UTC

Sometimes when I think of my former sins, I think, "Oh, aaargh, yuck -- what a goober! Evil b@st@rd!"
But then I remind myself of God's great and tender mercy. His love is great to save a dork-and-a-half like me.
We should focus on God's immense love without entirely forgetting where we came from -- and where we are even now, realistically, on our spiritual path.
That's what humility is: keeping it real.

2026-04-23 16:15:03 UTC

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I would respond by saying that just because people have worshiped a false queen of heaven, it does not follow that there isn't a true Queen of Heaven.
There are also false gods, false lords, false apostles, false religions, angels appearing as ministers of light, etc. They are all cheap knock-offs of the real thing.
As for the other things (e.g., co-redemptrix, Marian doctrines), it is all a bit much to cover in a Nostr comment, but "yes" to the last two questions.
And remember that the "co" in co-redemptix in Latin simply means "with."
Think of it kindalike when a preacher goes on an evangelization tour and saves a hundred souls for Christ. Obviously we know that only Christ does the true saving, but the preacher, as an ambassador of Christ and one who cooperates in His mission, saves a person WITH and in Christ.
It's the same as the fact that only God can create; there is only one "Father" -- in heaven. Yet he shares his fatherhood WITH men. We can pro-create children. But not in a way that usurps God's role as Creator and Father.

2026-04-23 11:33:49 UTC

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Jesus will indeed be fine, except the statue is a visual representation of him. Imagine someone taking a beautiful picture you own of your mom, and ripping it to shreds with the intent of showing you both contempt and disrespect. Your mom would not sustain bodily injury, but it's the intent that's bad.
The solider smashing the statue seems to have had that intent, which is bad for his own soul. And it therefore does not please the One whom the statue represented.

2026-04-23 11:22:19 UTC

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I wondered what you meant by hearing Mary called the Holy Spirit. What you probably heard was that she is the "spouse of the Holy Spirit." That's just a description of her submission to the Spirit, in tune with the Spirit, cooperation with the Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit that conceived Jesus in her womb. (I promise the title does not imply anything weird or freaky or kinky!) But Mary herself is never called the Holy Spirit.
The other titles you mention are beautiful titles that signify her connection to Jesus and her role as the Queen Mother (if he is our King, then she is our "Queen Mother," a title found numerous times in the OT).
Lastly, when the exuberant woman shouted, "Blessed is the womb that bore you," notice Jesus did not contradict her. He actually described the qualities Mary had; she heard the word of God and kept it (unlike Eve who listened to the bad angel, Mary heard and said "yes" to the good angel).
Further, when Mary visited Elizabeth, she said under inspiration, "For behold, from now on all generations will call me *blessed*; for he who is mighty has done great things for me...."
Hence, we call her the "Blessed Virgin Mary."

2026-04-23 11:07:32 UTC

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Yes, the understanding that we, too, are her children is profound and exciting.
John is the "beloved disciple" (so are we). He stood at the foot of the Cross (so should we) alongside Mary. Jesus' "Behold your mother" was not a last-minute living arrangement, but a profound gift to his followers. We are John. John took her to his home and honored her as his mother, and she acted as a "mother" to him.
The same writer (John) identified the "Woman" -- the mother of the man child (Jesus) -- as having other offspring. He described them as "those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 12:17).
That's us. What a beautiful gift from our Lord.

2026-04-21 17:24:05 UTC

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I'm Catholic. We believe we should honor our father and mother -- that is, to honor them in a special way, more than others.
But Mary is the mother of Jesus, and by extension she is our mother, too. ("Behold, your mother," said Jesus on the Cross.)
So we honor her in a much greater way then our uterine mother. But this kind of reverence is by no means the worship that is due to God alone.

2026-04-20 09:40:28 UTC

The song "Mary Did You Know?" does have some theological problems. Yet there is something good about it.
This may not be well understood by certain Protestants, but it is a great example of mental prayer.
"Mental prayer" is engaging the gospel story with our imagination. It includes seeing Mary and Jesus and others in our mind's eye, and interacting with them, asking them questions, reflecting on our own walk with Jesus and/or our Blessed Mother Mary, seeking their help or intercession.
The heart that sings "Mary Did You Know?" or even Mercy Me's "I Can Only Imagine," is the heart that can pray the Rosary well, because the Rosary, too, is a combination of vocal and mental prayers.
Whether Protestant or Catholic or Orthodox, take up the Rosary to encounter our Lord in your heart. 📿

2026-04-15 19:56:32 UTC

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I hope one is made for Android. Right now I use it on mobile web.

2026-04-15 19:53:47 UTC

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Having the same problem here. 😪

2026-04-15 13:57:00 UTC

During Mass, priests have practically always joined the laity in facing our Eucharistic Lord in prayer throughout the Liturgy.
It's crazy how many now flip that on its side by describing it as "turning their backs to the people."
Is the Mass Christ-centered or people-centered? The answer to that question reveals who we're actually turning our backs to.
Bishops need to reconsider their novel diocesan bans against saying Masses ad orientum.
https://blossom.primal.net/613ff7ac5d78bfb79e6c832c5ec1b6897b9710fa21027cb286f136b91a3ea7f1.jpg

2026-04-15 01:54:10 UTC

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Nice.
I have several, but pictured is my EDC.
Thinking I should keep a Rugged Rosary in the car, though, because of its durability -- to keep in a glove box in case I need it.
But I think if you get caught praying it in the car, you could get charged with a DWI (driving while indoctrinated).

2026-04-14 21:55:20 UTC

Drop a pic of your daily or regular prayin" #rosary in the comments.
Here's mine.
https://blossom.primal.net/794b4a0bf0d415778a89ee932c2710d7a55d2cb7bc6b50493876611df3a24906.jpg

2026-04-04 22:29:27 UTC

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Just now finished praying my rosary. Soon we'll be headed out to Easter Vigal Mass!

2026-04-01 18:51:36 UTC

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Father, I saw your blog posts on your home page. I will be subscribing to the RSS feed. I liked the one about homilies.
Could you also cross-post to Nostr? (Via clients such as habla.news or Primal "articles"?)

2026-03-28 01:14:33 UTC

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Elaborate, please?

2026-03-25 00:18:38 UTC

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I've grown in my appreciation of him a lot over the last year. Still only halfway through his Confessions. Still reading it. So good.

2026-03-24 14:45:21 UTC

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I met R. W. Schambach several years before he died. My employer at the time in East TX sold their property to Schambach who bought it to be his new world headquarters.
I could be wrong but I don't think his ministry still owns it.

2026-03-24 14:34:04 UTC

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... said none of the apostles.

2026-03-20 22:29:27 UTC

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🙏🙏

2026-03-20 18:06:23 UTC

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True, true.
And many Protestants who display manger scenes during Christmastime understand this concept at least for a season, annually. But how soon they forget.

2026-03-20 18:01:57 UTC

It's many times easier to believe one can randomly guess the seed phrase of Satoshi Nakamoto's Bitcoin address in one try than to believe the physical cosmos came into existence from non-existence -- without an Uncaused Cause, an Uncreated Creator, outside of the cosmos.

2026-03-20 17:19:19 UTC

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I certainly do!

2026-03-20 16:30:17 UTC

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I guess I'm asking the purpose or meaning of those temporal things you just mentioned. All those things will soon (enough) come to an end. Will those things have served a purpose once they're all gone?
People don't go to hell for being good.
But neither is denying or rejecting one's Creator good. In fact it's horrifically ungrateful and pretentious (objectively speaking).
If spitting in the face of a stranger is bad, and spitting in the face of your mom or dad is much worse (it is), then doing so to the one who loved your very soul into existence warrants eternal consequences.
Hell, with its eternal hopelessness and despair, is for those who reject God, refuse to seek him, or in any other way definitively choose to be separated from him.
In the end, he grants what we ourselves choose, because love is not compulsory.

2026-03-20 16:06:47 UTC

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When all is said and done, when you and your wife and kids and friends are dead -- what will it all have meant? What do you see as life's meaning and purpose?

2026-03-20 15:31:37 UTC

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*If it's true that there is NOT a...

2026-03-20 14:54:49 UTC

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One hundred percent.

2026-03-20 14:53:32 UTC

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Yes, with their contradictory views, at most there can be only one true religion.
I'm sure most believe their own religion is true. But that doesn't mean one religion cannot be true.
Many but not all religious people are irrational actors. We also know many non-religious people are irrational.
The fact that some religious people are irrational does not preclude the existence of rational religious people.
If it's true that there is a "man in the sky" (a crudely inaccurate description of God), then the world is a horrific place with no meaning, which invites ever greater evils.
That world would not be a better place.

2026-03-20 14:03:21 UTC

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I did my best to keep it simple for anyone who thinks all religion is stupid.

2026-03-20 14:02:05 UTC

Singing songs of praise in a "worship service" is not the highest form of worship. It's not even necessarily worship in all cases.
Many contemporary love songs are at the same level of "praise," but do not constitute worship.
What is real worship? Sacrifice.
Hence, in continuity with ancient Israel's religion, we have the Holy *Sacrifice* of the Mass (a.k.a. "Divine Liturgy" in the East) -- forbidden to be offered to anyone other than God himself.
It's not a re-sacrificing of Christ, but an unbloody, sacramental re-presentation of his once-for-all sacrifice -- making it present to us and applying its effects.
(* Drums and guitars not required.)

2026-03-20 11:38:56 UTC

It's okay to make artwork out of clay or whittled from wood or fashioned of metal. We see it everywhere.
It doesn't somehow become an IDOL if *religious* art is carved or fashioned from these materials.
The point of the Commandment is that we should have no other "gods" but the one, true God.
Don't worship your Christian artwork, and you will be fine.

2026-03-20 11:26:11 UTC

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False religion is stupid. True religion is...true.

2026-03-18 14:10:31 UTC

If the religious Jews of today oppose the kingship of Jesus Christ, then we should treat them just like infidels, heretics, and pagans.
That is to say, we should love them, pray for them, and help them to convert and turn to Jesus.

2026-03-18 12:55:03 UTC

This morning I had a strong desire to pray the rosary well.
I noticed at the end of the third mystery, my tangle-free rosary had somehow become hopelessly tangled.
I couldn't fix it, but I didn't want to be distracted. And so I continued and finished well.
I still couldn't untangle it afterward, which is very frustrating, so I asked for Mary, Untier of Knots, to help. Then it just came loose.
She's not only Queen of Heaven and Earth; she is also our Mom.

2026-03-16 03:04:19 UTC

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You're right, except the verse does not demand that the bishop be married. Otherwise St. Paul himself would not qualify. Neither would Jesus -- the Bishop of our souls.
The verse means a bishop should be a one-woman man (same word used in verse 12). He can't be a womanizer or remarried or a polygamist.

2026-03-15 11:01:00 UTC

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Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

2026-03-09 23:28:49 UTC

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Best I can tell, Sage is a bot.

2026-03-06 15:12:27 UTC

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National repentance is the only sane "solution."
Christ is King.

2026-03-06 15:09:02 UTC

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Yet at first it's so hard. But worth the "pain."

2026-03-06 11:11:46 UTC

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😆
"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him" (Proverbs 26:4, KJV).

2026-03-06 03:21:51 UTC

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Poetry at least needs to rhyme, right? 😄

2026-03-06 03:12:54 UTC

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You're just taking a random jab at the bishop of Rome rather than addressing what was said. Weird response.
But of course Jesus is not the vicar of Christ; He IS the Christ.

2026-03-04 21:02:12 UTC

If the apostle Paul needs to tell Christians to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12), then how much more serious is the situation for souls who are not Christian?
Be converted -- and then evangelize!

2026-03-04 20:48:58 UTC

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This is how we can participate on Team Jesus.
St. Paul said to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"
(Philippians 2:12).

2026-03-04 20:38:25 UTC

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Yes, and since Jesus is doing the work for our salvation, we have to give him our sins every day so he can forgive and sanctify us.

2026-03-04 17:08:08 UTC

During times of distress and war and violence and instability, we don't need to freak out.
But the chaos can serve as an impetus for us to confess our sins (yes -- the sacrament of Confession!) and get right with God now before it's too late.
"Too late" can either be a nuclear end-of-the-world scenario... or something like clumsily falling off the ladder wrong when cleaning your gutters.
Be ready always.

2026-02-25 11:33:34 UTC

Before the 1960s and 70s, EVERY Catholic was a "Traditional Catholic," whether a good one or a bad one.
In the big picture, it's twisted to think that "modernized" Catholicism -- only about 60 years old -- is the norm, while "Traditional" Catholicism is the outlier. It's quite the opposite.

2026-02-23 12:32:56 UTC

An insightful prayer from my morning prayer book:
"Make me clearly understand that, if I wish to be completely converted to you, I can never make peace with my weaknesses, my faults, my self-love, my pride."
It's a mistake to neglect cooperating with God in the work of rooting out our sins, assuming they just magically go away when (as we may wish to believe) we go straight to heaven when we die.
Do what needs to be done now.

2026-02-21 04:17:48 UTC

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We don't try to rationalize with those who are irrational. But we reason with those who are reasonable.

2026-02-20 20:13:00 UTC

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Who, me? Why?

2026-02-20 14:38:07 UTC

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Since an atheist doesn't accept the authority of Scripture, Bible condemnations are utterly unhelpful in his or her case.
What we should provide in charity is sound reason they can follow.

2026-02-20 14:15:50 UTC

There are problems -- some greater, some smaller -- in fully siding with
* sedevacantism
* the #SSPX
* the modern Roman church of synodalism.
Best thing to do as lay people is to pray for clarity and resolution in the Church, and to live out the Faith of the saints and the perennial teachings of the Church.
📿 Pray the Rosary.
✝️ Read the Saints.
📚 Read the catechisms of Baltimore, Pius X, Trent, etc.
📖 Read the Bible.
🙏🙏🙏 Pray, pray, pray
Avoid the ditches of (1) rejecting the office of the papacy and the authority structure in the Body of Christ, and (2) embracing the spirit of the world, even if particular popes and bishops seems to do so at their own peril, deceiving even the very elect.

2026-02-17 15:38:53 UTC

IS ECUMENISM BAD?
It's good if it involves clarifications to promote understanding -- for example, explaining patiently and carefully to Muslims why our belief in the Trinity does not mean we are polytheists, or assuring Protestants that our veneration of Mary and the saints is fundamentally different than worship that is due to God alone.
Clarifying is always good.
A different kind of so-called "ecumenism" is bad if it involves compromising the integrity of the tenets of our Faith in order to make it compatible with, or blend with, conflicting faiths.
Fake unity serves no good purpose, and is in fact harmful.

2026-02-15 16:10:11 UTC

Jesus did not build his church to become a glorified Book club with live on-stage bands and breakout sessions.

2026-02-15 16:04:28 UTC

Christ is King, and Mary is his Queen Mother.

2026-02-14 23:59:11 UTC

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No! Only Jesus is our intercessor -- we don't need saints in heaven or on earth to pray for us!
Just kidding. I'm sorry. I can get carried away because I was very anti-Catholic, and now I'm very Catholic.
Actually my assigned penance at Confession was to pray for you, because I unnecessarily started a kerfuffle with you. Please do pray for me as well.
Best wishes to you in Christ, brother.

2026-02-14 20:40:17 UTC

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Of course I need the Great Physician. That's why I'm Catholic.
In fact, I'm going to Confession in just an hour or two from now because of Jesus our Healer's words:
*****
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained (John 20:22-23, KJV).
*****
Pray for me.
But I thought we were talking about, and agreeing about, images -- the difference between idols and Christian art.

2026-02-14 05:00:00 UTC

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Excellent! You must be Catholic? 😉

2026-02-13 19:23:51 UTC

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I like George. Always courteous and helpful.

2026-02-13 18:09:20 UTC

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Did you reply to the wrong post? You didn't say anything about my comment.
I assume we agree about images, because earlier you rightly explained that the images of the golden cherubim and the bronze serpent were not to be worshiped.

2026-02-13 12:27:14 UTC

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To summarize, isn't it fair to say that images are not evil in themselves, since God has commanded their use even in religious settings?
The evil is in worshiping them (or anything else). Only the one, true God is to be worshiped.
It would be absurd and superstitious to think that having Christian art -- whether two- or three-dimensional -- is actually idolatrous.

2026-02-13 01:19:34 UTC

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Exodus 25:18-19 (KJV):
And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
*****
Numbers 21:8-9 (KJV):
And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
*****
1 Kings 6:23,28-29 (KJV):
And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree....
And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.
And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
*****
Galatians 3:1 (RSV):
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?

2026-02-12 00:59:20 UTC

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I probably should not have commented. Sorry.
The only reason I asked was that, at first glance, you seemed (I could be mistaken) to be equating any image with the practice of idolatry.
But you might not have meant that. I'm sure you don't believe a picture Bible is sinful because it may include scenes that include depictions of God.
I reacted because I know people who think all images representing God are bad (including in picture Bibles), which doesn't make sense to me if they are okay with images of other people.
So nevermind, I guess. 🙂

2026-02-11 22:57:05 UTC

A coworker said,
"Before my wife and I married, we agreed that if one of us later wanted to be with someone else, we would tell the other rather than cheat behind each other's backs."
Honorable?
Invalid!
A sacramental #marriage has no conditions, has no exception clauses.

2026-02-11 13:53:36 UTC

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Is it wrong to have images of ourselves, family, or loved ones?

2026-02-09 17:28:05 UTC

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Excellent follow-up is straight from Bishop Fellay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yE49EvD9o8

2026-02-09 15:42:48 UTC

An excellent explanation of the current and broader crisis in the Church:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGjKNusEcl8

2026-02-09 12:32:19 UTC

"[T]he love of riches is an insatiable hunger which so tortures the soul by the ardor of desire that it does not find solace even when it obtains what it covets. The acquisition of wealth causes great fatigue; the possession of it brings great fear; its loss occasions great sorrow."
(Ven. Raymond Jourdain)
#BTC #XMR #crypto

2026-02-05 19:24:21 UTC

I think of what it be like for me 50,000 years from now. Even just 50 years from now.
Will I care whether I stacked enough sats, or whether I was able to retire early, or whether I could convince friends to use Nostr and encrypted messengers?
No.
This life -- with all its sufferings and pleasures -- won't even be a drop in the bucket of eternity. Nothing about right now will matter in a million years except for one thing: whether I died in a state of grace with God.
That is the one memory that will either bless me in Heaven or haunt me in Hell.
Forever.

2026-02-03 17:40:27 UTC

A non-denominational preacher, whose biggest disagreement with Catholics centers around our "legalistic" view of #salvation, tells me an interesting view of his own.
He believes a true Christian is able to die in the act of adultery (committed freely, knowingly, and willfully) and still go to heaven -- so long as he has never "renounced Christ" or "lost hope."
Which is more "legalistic" -- his view or the correct understanding of mortal sin?

2026-02-02 19:32:07 UTC

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It's one hour for me to a diocesan TLM, and almost 45 min. to a very small SSPX.
I'm sorry for your situation. Is there one you can take a trip to for big days (e.g., Easter, Christmas, etc.)?
I'll pray for your situation tonight. Don't lose heart.

2026-02-02 11:29:57 UTC

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What I've seen is very much like a Protestant service -- to the eyes.
I try to go to the TLM as much as possible. People call it the "Mass of the ages" for a reason.
Interestingly, when I invited my Protestant cousin to attend a TLM (twice), what he saw led him to join OCIA this year. I will be his sponsor. Praise be to God.

2026-02-01 17:26:15 UTC

It's always weird going to a Novus Ordo Catholic parish (like I did today due to weather) while accustomed to the Traditional Latin Mass:
* Lady starts us off: "Good morning! Welcome to Mass!"
* Girl altar boy wearing bell-bottom jeans and athletic shoes
* All prayers said while facing us
* We jump Communion lines to avoid the unnecessary lady extraordinary minister of Holy Communion
* It's a logistical challenge to return to our original seating where our belongings are
* Plenty of piano recitals during Mass
* Gay-sounding showtunes
* Priest ends with "I'm sorry I don't have any dad jokes for you today to close us out"
* When it's over we file past the priest near the front door who frequently administers high fives instead of handshakes
I should have weathered the longer drive in the snowstorm.

2026-01-26 16:05:17 UTC

Why do some say that when Christians go to heaven, they are no longer concerned about earthly affairs and therefore don't pray for us?
Jesus was a man. He is now at the right hand of the Father in heaven, where he still cares about us and continues to intercede for us.
It's OK -- it's good -- to ask the #saints in heaven to pray for us, with us, in Jesus.
#CommunionOfSaints

2026-01-08 15:05:37 UTC

Through careful theologizing and precise explanations, Catholics and Protestants can find a way to agree that we are "saved by faith alone."
But that doesn't settle the matter. Select theologians agreeing on how it's possible to use the same words does not make the actual disagreement go away in real life.
Similarly, Christians and Muslims can rationalize that both worship the same God, but that doesn't translate into anything meaningful.
Whatever words might make us feel good, it still stands that obedience in the Christian life -- what we do -- is critical; and worshiping Jesus is critical.

2026-01-02 20:54:40 UTC

God is not old. He just always is.

2025-12-23 12:08:36 UTC

"Therefore, you correct little by little those who trespass, and remind and warn them of the things wherein they sin, that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in you, O Lord."
-- Wisdom 12:2

2025-12-23 12:06:52 UTC

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I shared that with a few friends. That's really good. Thanks.

2025-12-19 17:04:08 UTC

I tried to explain Christmas was pagan to my first grade teacher.
I've come a long way.
https://blossom.primal.net/f4606abb609744f38199dff6b7755738f91898bcc890019cf033df7c52d4f058.jpg

2025-12-18 10:12:41 UTC

Baptism does not take the place of grace. It IS grace -- and a channel OF grace.