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Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
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CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
Divine Providence - According to Co-Pilot
- By 67_Reasons
- Requests for Christian Advice
- 0 Replies
@Harley. @Questioning Brother
I was asking Google about how God uses "chance" and "opportunity" and was told to look this word up for the answer to both and thought it coincided about both of your concerns on both threads and thought it would be useful here...
I hope this answers both of your questions about God's presence and sovereignty...
Even though God may be "omnipresent"; he can, will, and usually does signify his presence if you be patient and ask for it.
And about divine providence, it can not be very farther enough in distance to the statement above. Just ask and let God make a way when there may be no way. Trust me, I've seen this before and it will happen again, and again.
Matt 7:7 Ask Him and you will receive...
I was asking Google about how God uses "chance" and "opportunity" and was told to look this word up for the answer to both and thought it coincided about both of your concerns on both threads and thought it would be useful here...
I hope this answers both of your questions about God's presence and sovereignty...
Even though God may be "omnipresent"; he can, will, and usually does signify his presence if you be patient and ask for it.
And about divine providence, it can not be very farther enough in distance to the statement above. Just ask and let God make a way when there may be no way. Trust me, I've seen this before and it will happen again, and again.
Matt 7:7 Ask Him and you will receive...
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Hiring slows in December to end the weakest year of job growth since the pandemic
- American Politics
- 13 Replies
NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers unexpectedly paused their spending in December from November, closing out the holiday shopping season and the year on a lackluster tone.
The report, issued by the Commerce Department on Tuesday, surprised economists who were looking for growth despite mounting concerns about slowing job growth, uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s tariffs and other economic headwinds. And it raised questions about shoppers’ ability to spend after they have remained resilient for months despite souring consumer confidence, economists said.
Retail sales were flat in December from November, when business was up 0.6%, according to the Commerce Department. Economists were expecting a 0.4% increase for December.
The report was delayed because of the 43-day government shutdown.
apnews.com
But Trump has a solution. He wants to nationalize voting in blue states before midterm elections.
The report, issued by the Commerce Department on Tuesday, surprised economists who were looking for growth despite mounting concerns about slowing job growth, uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s tariffs and other economic headwinds. And it raised questions about shoppers’ ability to spend after they have remained resilient for months despite souring consumer confidence, economists said.
Retail sales were flat in December from November, when business was up 0.6%, according to the Commerce Department. Economists were expecting a 0.4% increase for December.
The report was delayed because of the 43-day government shutdown.
Retail sales unchanged in December from November, closing out year on a lackluster tone
Shoppers unexpectedly paused their spending in December from November, closing out the holiday shopping season and the year on a lackluster tone.
apnews.com
But Trump has a solution. He wants to nationalize voting in blue states before midterm elections.
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HOW TO PROGRESS FROM DEBATE TO DIALOGUE USING THE SOCRATIC METHOD
- By Larniavc
- The Kitchen Sink
- 5 Replies
I love the Socratic method. I just ask people ‘what are your thoughts on x’, sit back and listen sagaciously.
How to Progress From Debate to Dialogue Using the Socratic Method
The Socratic method? What on earth is that and why should I care? Great questions. I have been professionally taught (as a bomb disposal officer) and teatherightquestions.co
Formulating good questions is not always easy. And if the other person is not rational, there is no point. But then we are wasting our time anyway. But I think it good practice to listen and ask.
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International fine art competition opens door to Christians
- By Michie
Submissions are now being accepted for a new international fine art competition called Art Ascend that offers artists, including Christians, the opportunity to gain publicity for their work and compete for a pool of prizes totaling $10,000.
The competition, launched by Christian master portrait artist Zimou Tan, began accepting entries on Jan. 1 and will close on March 31.
Artists can submit their work in 10 categories, including still life, portrait, narrative, and sacred realism, which is described as “the pursuit of the spiritual and infinite on a tangible canvas through the exploration of sacred themes, spiritual connection with nature, and mankind’s connection with the divine.”
Continued below.
www.christianpost.com
The competition, launched by Christian master portrait artist Zimou Tan, began accepting entries on Jan. 1 and will close on March 31.
Artists can submit their work in 10 categories, including still life, portrait, narrative, and sacred realism, which is described as “the pursuit of the spiritual and infinite on a tangible canvas through the exploration of sacred themes, spiritual connection with nature, and mankind’s connection with the divine.”
Continued below.
International fine art competition opens door to Christians
Submissions are now being accepted for a new international fine-art competition called Art Ascend that offers artists including Christians a chance to gain publicity for their work and compete for a
www.christianpost.com
The Fire That is Love
- By Mark Dohle
- The Chapel - Catholic
- 0 Replies
The Fire That Is Love
I have always been interested in Purgatory. Ii makes complete sense to me, and I believe it is a place of healing, joy, as well as pain, because healing seems to involve pain of some sort. When I pray for the world, I often think of Catherine’s fire. I think of the places in my own heart that still resist God, and how gently He continues to burn away what does not belong to Him. And I think of the countless souls — living and dead — who are being drawn, slowly and steadily, into that same healing flame.
Her teaching gives me hope. It tells me that God’s mercy is not limited by our weakness. It tells me that purification is not something to fear, but something to welcome. And it tells me that the love we offer in prayer becomes part of God’s work of making all things new.
Below is something on this subject from the internet. BrMD
The Fire That Is Love: A Reflection on Catherine of Genoa’s Teaching on Purgatory
There are saints who teach with words, and saints who teach with their lives. Catherine of Genoa does both. When she speaks about purgatory, she is not describing a place on a map of the afterlife. She is describing what happened inside her own soul when God’s love seized her so completely that everything in her that was not love began to burn away.
Her teaching is startling in its simplicity: purgatory is not God’s punishment — it is God’s mercy. It is the soul finally letting itself be loved all the way through.
1. The Soul’s Joy in Being Purified
Catherine insists that the souls in purgatory are filled with joy, not fear. They suffer, yes — but it is the suffering of healing, not the suffering of despair. She uses the image of a person who has been wounded and is finally receiving the painful treatment that will make them whole. The soul sees God with perfect clarity, and in that light it sees its own remaining shadows. And instead of shrinking back, it runs toward the fire that will make it capable of love.
There is no resentment in purgatory. No bargaining. No “Why is this happening to me?”
Only a soul saying, “At last, I am becoming who I was made to be.”
2. The Fire Is God Himself
Catherine is bold: the fire of purgatory is the same fire as heaven — the fire of God’s love. The difference is not in God, but in us.
When a soul is still carrying the residue of selfishness, fear, or sin, that same love which will one day be bliss is experienced as purification. The soul is not being punished for sin; it is being healed from sin. God is not the jailer. God is the physician.
This is why Catherine can say that the souls in purgatory would not shorten their purification even if they could. They want the fire, because they want God.
3. Purgatory Begins on Earth
Catherine’s own life is the key to her teaching. She experienced a sudden, overwhelming conversion in which God’s love pierced her so deeply that she saw her whole life in a new light. From that moment on, she lived in a kind of interior purgatory — a joyful burning that purified her desires, her attachments, her pride, her self-will.
For her, purgatory was not a distant doctrine. It was the daily work of surrender.
And this is where her teaching becomes personal for us. Every time we let God’s love touch a place in us that resists Him — a wound, a habit, a fear — we are already entering the purifying fire. Every act of humility, every moment of forgiveness, every surrender of control is a small purgatory, a small dying into love.
4. A Mercy for the World
Catherine’s vision makes purgatory not a threat but a promise. It means that God never gives up on us. It means that even after death, His mercy continues its work. It means that love has the last word.
And for those of us who pray for the world — for the wounded, the lost, the hardened, the despairing — her teaching is a consolation. Our prayers join God’s own desire to purify and heal every soul. Nothing is wasted. No heart is beyond reach. The fire of divine love is patient, relentless, and tender.
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Why the SSPX Bishop Decision Matters Far Beyond Church Politics
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
Selective enforcement and uneven tolerance are shaping perceptions far beyond traditionalist circles.
On February 2, Father Davide Pagliarani, Superior of the Society of Saint Pius X, announced that he had instructed the two remaining bishops among those consecrated by Marcel Lefebvre in 1988 to proceed with new episcopal ordinations on July 1.
This news may appear—especially to those unfamiliar with Vatican affairs—to be a minor ecclesiastical matter. In reality, however, the consequences could be enormously significant for the rest of the Church. But let us proceed in order.
In 1962, Pope John XXIII solemnly opened the Second Vatican Council. The original intent was presented as pastoral rather than doctrinal: the Church needed to “update” the way it preached the Gospel to the modern world. This “updating” implied a reconfiguration of authority in a less juridical and more pastoral direction. “The Bride of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than take up the arms of severity,” John XXIII said in the opening address, “she thinks that present needs should be met by explaining more clearly the value of her teaching rather than by condemning. Not because false doctrines are lacking, but because they are all so clearly opposed to the right principles of honesty and have produced such deadly fruits that today men seem to be beginning spontaneously to reprove them.”
The Council, however, rapidly expanded beyond the limited scope originally envisaged by John XXIII and was soon considering topics such as the liturgy, the nature and structure of the Church and of the episcopate, ecumenism, and religious freedom. The “pastoral” dimension remained, but it was translated into doctrinally weighty documents whose scope and authority approached that of Apostolic Constitutions, that is, documents of the highest magisterial level.
Continued below.
europeanconservative.com
On February 2, Father Davide Pagliarani, Superior of the Society of Saint Pius X, announced that he had instructed the two remaining bishops among those consecrated by Marcel Lefebvre in 1988 to proceed with new episcopal ordinations on July 1.
This news may appear—especially to those unfamiliar with Vatican affairs—to be a minor ecclesiastical matter. In reality, however, the consequences could be enormously significant for the rest of the Church. But let us proceed in order.
In 1962, Pope John XXIII solemnly opened the Second Vatican Council. The original intent was presented as pastoral rather than doctrinal: the Church needed to “update” the way it preached the Gospel to the modern world. This “updating” implied a reconfiguration of authority in a less juridical and more pastoral direction. “The Bride of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than take up the arms of severity,” John XXIII said in the opening address, “she thinks that present needs should be met by explaining more clearly the value of her teaching rather than by condemning. Not because false doctrines are lacking, but because they are all so clearly opposed to the right principles of honesty and have produced such deadly fruits that today men seem to be beginning spontaneously to reprove them.”
The Council, however, rapidly expanded beyond the limited scope originally envisaged by John XXIII and was soon considering topics such as the liturgy, the nature and structure of the Church and of the episcopate, ecumenism, and religious freedom. The “pastoral” dimension remained, but it was translated into doctrinally weighty documents whose scope and authority approached that of Apostolic Constitutions, that is, documents of the highest magisterial level.
Continued below.
Why the SSPX Bishop Decision Matters Far Beyond Church Politics
Selective enforcement and uneven tolerance are shaping perceptions far beyond traditionalist circles.
europeanconservative.com
A question I’ve been reflecting on about church buildings
- By com7fy8
- Christian Philosophy & Ethics
- 20 Replies
Jesus did ***give*** "some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers" (in Ephesians 4:11). But then was when no one was a mature saint with decades of maturing and experience. And so . . . possibly . . . this is why our Apostle Paul does not list any "gift" as a qualification to be a "bishop" >
1 Timothy 3:1-10.
This includes the person being "the husband of one wife" > ***a family man*** > "who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)".
How he takes care of his own children can show how he would take care of God's children . . . in our Father's family caring and sharing way.
***So . . . leading is not only hierarchical or "particular", but p~e~r~s~o~n~a~l.***
"nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:3)
An example needs to be someone you know personally, so you can feed on that person's example . . . of how the person really is and how the person relates.
We see how Paul and Silvanus and Timothy were personal examples to the Thessalonians >
"we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children" > in 1 Thessalonians 2:7 >
"we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children" > in 1 Thessalonians 2:11.
And this comes with first trusting in Jesus so we are trusting Him by submitting to Him in us. Jesus is the Lord of all; and we most benefit from how Jesus is ruling, by obeying how in us He rules us with His very own peace > we are commanded to obey how God rules us in His own peace > "in one body" > every one of us >
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
So, in God's one church God Himself is personally ruling every one of us in His own peace. This is personal of God, Himself . . . in our "hearts" > very personal, indeed.
And because this peace is God's own peace, this peace has God's own almighty power which makes Him Himself immune to howsoever evil would affect and control and hurt Him > this peace, also, "will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus", our Apostle Paul guarantees . . . while we pray the way God's word says to pray >
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;" (Philippians 4:6).
Therefore, while we obey God in His peace, we share with Him in His own immunity almighty . . . as our Apostle Peter also says >
"And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" (1 Peter 3:13)
And in this peace, which is of God's ***all-loving*** love in us > we also share with our Creator in His creativity for how to love any person, and how to relate with one another who are submissive to God in His peace >
"submitting to one another in the fear of God." (Ephesians 5:21)
So, in ruling by example, there is this mutually submissive relating, included . . . "and personal".
And our Apostle Paul wrote >
"For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you." (1 Corinthians 11:19)
What I get from this is that Paul knew there would be wrong influencers. But he also knew how Jesus' sheep can hear His voice . . . so we can tell the difference between the fakers and the ones who are "approved". Sheep also have the sense of smell, so that, no matter how cleverly someone can talk, we can *s-m-e-l-l* the difference > with maturity we have "senses exercised to discern both good and evil", we have in Hebrews 5:14.
So, this is basic, included in what we need to trust God for, in prayer requests
for all which is possible with God.
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