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The Liturgist · Wednesday at 7:55 AM

seashale76 said:
It took way too long for the Bulgarian archdiocese to do anything about him.

Actually, I admired the Bulgarian Archdiocese, once they had received detailed and credible information, for immediately deposing him and referring the matter to the Alaska State Police.

It can take a while for enough information to be obtained, and safeguarding can always be improved, but the decisive nature of the actions of the bishops was correct - in retrospect, yes, perhaps they could have acted more quickly, although we also have to consider the small size of the Bulgarian Archdiocese, the fact they have only two bishops, the language barrier, and other factors (by the way, if memory serves, he was under the Bulgarian churches that are not part of the OCA, as opposed to those which are a part of the OCA; this created another complexity insofar as Alaska is predominantly OCA territory and far removed from those parts of the country with substantial ethnic Bulgarian populations.

That being said, yes, in retrospect, action should have been taken more quickly, also in retrospect the man should not have been ordained, but alas, one thing we presently lack in North America that I feel should be implemented is a system of safeguarding that spans multiple jurisdictions (ideally something implemented and coordinated at the level of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America would be ideal, with additional warning systems so that if someone tries to do what the disgraced schismatic hegumen Panteleimon of Holy Transfiguration Monastery did, which was to leave ROCOR and found a schismatic Old Calendarist Jurisdiction when ROCOR began probing the (as it turned out, credible, accusations of sexual misconduct against novice monks that had been made), so that at least Old Calendarists can be warned; whether or not they heed that warning is another issue unfortunately (conversely, we probably could extend our safeguarding system in cooperation with the Oriental Orthodox and Assyrians, since there is some overlap and sometimes people move between these churches and the Eastern Orthodox, and there are of course those people who under the ecumenical agreements between the Antiochian and Syriac Orthodox Church and the Greek and Coptic Orthodox Churches of Alexandria, might be married to someone from the other church, since arrangements were made to facilitate precisely that, and consequently, risks can occur which would impact all groups; additionally, since Eastern Catholics sometimes join us and since deposed EO clergy sometimes become Eastern Catholics, coordination with them would also be desirable.

I don’t see this as an area where cooperation with the non-Orthodox should be avoided, because we want to avoid ordaining people who are a potential threat to our community.

johnnypapa · Wednesday at 7:48 AM

Whenever I ask people about their spiritual and moral lives, I usually get answers like: “I go to Mass sometimes.” “I tell the truth sometimes.” “I am honest sometimes.” “I am chaste sometimes.” “I pray sometimes.” “I forgive sometimes.” Why do we so easily settle for inconstancy in doing the good things?

What is Your Reason for Doing Good? - Catholic Exchange

We fail as witnesses to Christ when our practice of virtue is inconsistent. Don’t settle for doing good “sometimes”—strive for goodness always.

catholicexchange.com

johnnypapa · Wednesday at 7:44 AM

In Scripture, when God’s face—which is representative of His presence, glory, truth, and love—is revealed, it corresponds to life, renewal, and joy. Both the Old and the New Testaments discuss the longing in our hearts to see the face of God. In fact, it is considered the highest of blessings to have “the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you …” (Num. 6:25). Ultimately, we hope to worship God in the heavenly banquet and to see His face (Rev. 22: 3-4).

Seeking the Holy Face During Lent - Catholic Exchange

Sin hides us from God; Lenten practices can uncover us for healing. Fr. Carney’s book guides us to gaze on Christ’s Face and offer loving sacrifice.

catholicexchange.com

johnnypapa · Wednesday at 7:41 AM

Jesus says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” (Matthew 5:17-18)

News Items

Holiness is ordinary fidelity. Grace makes the ordinary heroic.

www.catholicculture.org

The Liturgist · Wednesday at 7:38 AM

thank you all for this edifying thread!

The Liturgist · Wednesday at 6:53 AM

Hope of Those Who Sorrow.

The Liturgist · Wednesday at 6:50 AM

Jan001 said:
Jesus does not transfer his righteousness onto us. When we are baptized as Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:18-20, our sins are washed away, the Holy Spirit of Grace enters our souls, and it is his presence that sanctifies us (makes us righteous).

This is correct.

For those who claim Baptism and the Eucharist are not an essential means of grace, the ordinary means of salvation, they are ignoring Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:10-16, the Book of Acts (particularly regarding the difference between the Baptism of John and Baptism in the name of Christ our True God, which is to say, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost (for if we baptize in the Trinitarian formula prescribed in Matthew we have baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for He is the Son of God and the Son of Man, fully God and fully Man, of one essence with the Father, begotten of the Father before all Ages.

Through Baptism we receive the Holy Spirit and are born again, and this does not, contrary to the credobaptist position, require maturity; indeed Acts clearly speaks of entire households being baptized without excluding the infants, as @Ain't Zwinglian and others have ceaselessly pointed out. What is more, the Nicene Creed states that we believe in One Baptism for the remission of sins (which contradicts the idea that Baptism is an optional memorial; those who point to certain special cases like the Good Thief or martyrs ignore the idea that Christ being infinitely merciful will save those intending to be baptized, such as catechumens, and especially those who are baptized for Him in their own blood, which is why we venerate martyrs, both from antiquity and from more recent persecutions, such as the 19 Copts (including one Ghanaian whose prior religious disposition was unknown, but who was probably, statistically likely to have been a Christian from Ghana, for Christians comprise 60-70% of the population, who declared “Their God is my God” courageously and accepted the crown of martyrdom from ISIS in Libya.

The importance of baptism is something that persecuted Christians in the Middle East literally die for.

Christsfreeservant · Wednesday at 6:04 AM

concretecamper · Wednesday at 5:33 AM

I enjoy watching Frank when he defends the existence of God against atheists. But he seems to fumble the 2 points on the canon of Scripture and Trent. Now I am not debating who is right, just that Frank didn't know the Catholic position and misrepresented it.

Is Frank considered a rockstar in nom denominational circles or is he just another Joe?

askesis · Wednesday at 3:59 AM

askesis said:
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Christsfreeservant · Wednesday at 3:41 AM

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NASB1995)

To whom are these words spoken? To those who are in Christ Jesus by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing (see Ephesians 2:8-10). And who are they? They are all who no longer walk (in conduct, in practice) according to (in agreement and in cooperation with) the flesh, but who walk (in practice, in lifestyle) according to (in submission, surrender and obedience to) the Spirit of God (See Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8 NASB1995)

“So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:12-14 NASB1995)

So, if we want to claim Romans 8:38-39 as our promise from God, then we must be those whose lives are surrendered to the will of God, who have died to sin, who are still dying to sin daily, and who are walking (in conduct, in practice, yet not necessarily in absolute perfection) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, by the grace of God, in the power of God, and by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ which denies self, dies daily to sin, and obeys our Lord and his commands as a matter of life practice.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

So, please take this to heart. We should not and cannot, in truth, claim the promises of God for his people if we are still living in deliberate and habitual sin against our Lord in willful disobedience to him and to his commands, as a matter of life practice, the dog always returning to his vomit.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Broken Cord

An Original Work / August 29, 2018
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Your bond is broken with your Lord and Savior
And your testimony is separate from Him.
Your words not matching your actions today.
Repent of your sin and bow down and pray.
Live what you testify in truth always.

Purity’s lacking in your life and witness,
For you profess one thing, but other you do.
Not moral, spiritual. Still of the flesh.
Not living in truth to what you confess.
Lying about it puts you in a mess.

Living a lie is your practice, ‘tis true of you.
Masquerade righteousness – none of it true.
Your heart is not given to your Lord God.
Because of how you live, you are a fraud.
Turn from your sin and give your life to God.

Login to view embedded media
God’s Promises Have Conditions
An Original Work / February 18, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Aryeh Jay · Wednesday at 3:40 AM

A2SG said:
So they don't have probable cause, only suspicion. In some circles, they might call that a fishing expedition.

-- A2SG, got 11,780 votes? No, go fish.....

There was nothing suspicious.

A2SG · Wednesday at 1:31 AM

Pommer said:
Home of the Patriots, huh?

Pretty much, yeah. John and Samuel Adams were from here, as were Paul Revere and John Hancock, among others. I wonder how they'd feel about how ICE is representing the government they helped create.

Pommer said:
We’ll find out!

Lucky us.

-- A2SG, guess it was just a matter of time, Massachusetts being so close to the border and all.....

Dan Perez · Tuesday at 11:49 PM

oikonomia said:
The teaching of Matt. 25:1-13 shows that some of the virgins miss the celebration of the bridegroom.
They go away to pay the price to gain what they should have had at the time of his coming.
When they return to the celebration the opportunity to join in has passed.

Therefore it is not reliable to assume all who are virgins to the Lord will enjoy the
millennial kingdom. We know that some are saved and receive a reward and some are saved and suffer loss. (1 Cor. 3:14,15)

The wise virgins are saved eternally and receive a reward. (in the millennium)
The foolish virgins are saved eternally yet so as through fire. But they suffer loss. (in the millennium)

Five is the number of responsibility. That five were foolish and five were wise indicates
that the responsibility whether we will be prudent or foolish about the millennial festivaties is on us Christians.

It is not saying half of true believers enjoy the millennium and half do not.
We Christians are as a pure virgin being presented to Christ in Paul's eyes.

For I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; for I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. (2 Cor. 11:2)

And BULLINGER wrote a book on NUMBERS. ONE TOO 666 and he said that the number 2o meant A COMPLETE WAIOTING PERIOD

AND THAT NUMBER TEN meant PERFECTION !!

dan p

Hans Blaster · Tuesday at 11:11 PM

Sunday's Episode 42 eruption lasted for about 10 hours and erupted 11.4 M cubic meters of lava covering about half of the crater floor. Fountains reached up to 300 m high.

Photo & Video Chronology — February 16, 2026 — Kīlauea episode 42 fountains and fallout

Episode 42 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea lasted for just under 10 hours on February 15, 2026. Both the north and south vents erupted, with peak lava fountain heights at the south vent reaching about 400 m (1300 ft). A volume of 15 million cubic yards (11.4 million...

www.usgs.gov

Images and a time-lapse movie. About 2-3 weeks to episode 43.

bbbbbbb · Tuesday at 11:05 PM

lot more genuine Christians.

Without Christians . . .

Michie · Tuesday at 11:04 PM

JacquelineDeane55 said:
I don't think I can "fix" him, I just want to show him Jesus' love so he can begin to heal. I think that love is a balm that heals a hurting heart.

This is the problem with some of you. Instead of being compassionate and loving towards hurting people, you say things like this. I don't get it. I thought we were all Christians here. I thought we were all about love. We're supposed to rise above the hatred and misunderstandings that the world gives to people. We're supposed to be better than this.

Yeah. I’m not compassionate.

Thats what people like you say. See how that works?

truthuprootsevil · Tuesday at 10:36 PM

BobRyan said:
Heads up for readers of this thread: in a world that has Satan as its god ("the god of this world" according to Paul in 2 Cor 4:4), with the sinful nature at war with God's Law according to Rom 8:6-8, you may expect to see "obedience to God's Word" called "legalism", and God's commandments diminished, downsized, deleted.
===========================

Ex 20:
8 “Remember THE Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed THE Sabbath day and made it holy. (Sanctified it)

Gen 2:2-3
2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

God's Law, God's Commandments
1. First and foremost refers to the TEN COMMANDMENTS Deut 4:12-13
2. A spoke the Ten "And added no more' Deut 5:22. (only the TEN inside the Ark)

So then: The moral law first and foremost includes the TEN, (whatever else it would include)

1 Cor 6 Paul condemns breaking the TEN
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

where the first commandment with a promise is "honor your father and mother" Eph 6:1-2

Bible-aware Mankind Chooses one of the following as response:
1. Accept God's commandments, affirm and obey (see Rom 8:4-9)
2. Edit God's Commandments via tradition Mark 7:7-13
3. Downsize God's Commandments and ignore James 2
4. Declare God's commandments to be deleted/ended, fully ignoring James 2:4-13 regarding God's Royal LAW

The Bible says:
Gen 2:1-3 the Sabbath made holy, set apart for holy use, dedicated to God
Ex 20:11 the Sabbath began in Eden, when God sanctified it and made it holy, points to Gen 2.
Mark 2:27 the Sabbath made for mankind, not mankind made for the Sabbath
speaks to the making of both, Gen 1-2

7 days of creation week where the only thing made on the 7th day is the Ex 20:11 Sabbath

The majority of Christianity admits to this Bible truth

Baptist Confession of faith section 19 the TEN start in Eden (not a downsized nine)

D.L. Moody sermon on the TEN -- the Sabbath begins in Eden

Westminster confession of faith section 19 all TEN begin in Eden

C.H. Spurgeon all TEN from Eden

R.C. Sproul Sabbath commandment still valid (though speculated to have been edited in the NT without saying it)

Catholic Catechism Sabbath still valid (even those who speculate that it was edited to point to Sunday after the cross)

Gentiles specifically singled out for Sabbath blessing Is 56:27
Acts 13 gentiles in synagogue on Sabbath, wait for Jews to leave after hearing the gospel, then ask Paul to schedule more Gospel preaching the "Next Sabbath"
(instead of "tomorrow)

Sabbath kept by all mankind for all eternity after the cross in the New Earth Isaiah 66:23

Jesus condemns editing/downsizing even one of them via man-made tradition Mark 7:7-13
James says to break one , is to break them all James 2;0-13

AMEN

The Liturgist · Tuesday at 10:28 PM

JacquelineDeane55 said:
Lol, you said "vainglorious."

Forgive me, I’m not sure I get what amuses you? Did some public figure recently use that word in a manner that was unintentionally ironic? I feel like there’s a joke in there, a very funny one, which I am not picking up because, admittedly, I am an erudite, a scholar, more than a little bit out of touch… But I am conservative.

GodAndChocolateVanilla · Tuesday at 10:05 PM

I have a small poem!!

God is Good.

He is Kind.

He is Great.

All The Time!!!!

He is Righteous.

He is Pure.

Have never seen One like Him before!!!!

JacquelineDeane55 · Tuesday at 9:58 PM

Yeah. =(

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