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johnnypapa · Friday at 6:22 AM

Pope Benedict and Saint James the Greater - Catholic Insight

BENEDICT XVI GENERAL AUDIENCE Wednesday, 21 June 2006 James, the Greater Dear Brothers and Sisters, We are continuing the series of portraits of the Apostles chosen directly by Jesus during his earthly life. We have spoken of St Peter and of his brother, Andrew. Today we meet the figure of...

catholicinsight.com

johnnypapa · Friday at 6:19 AM

The Bible is a living book whose power extends beyond reading, and its enfleshment extends beyond the page into the life of Christ’s Body, the Church.

The Bible: The Singularly Great Book

www.catholicworldreport.com

Dave Watchman · Friday at 5:59 AM

Jipsah said:
Of course there's [planty of time! We're all gonna live forever if our Lord doesn't return. Nemmind car wrecks and cancer, heart attacks and aneurisms, pneumonia and diabetes, Alzheimers, C-Dif, falls down stairs, physical trauma of myriad sorts, as infinitum. And you're really worried about being ready when out Lord returns? How about being ready to die tomorrow! Let's face it, if the Lord is gonna return in September, it ain't gonna mean jack if you get hit by a bus in July,

It's interesting you mention September. Some are saying Jesus could have been hinting that "no man can know the day or the hour" had to do with the Feast of Trumpets. Where two witnesses had to see the first sliver of the new moon. This year it's on 9/23.

Jipsah said:
If you live to see it. If not, you'd better have been ready before then, hadn't you?. At 72 years old with chronic heart failure, The Tribulation is the least of my worries. I wanna be one of those who rise first when He returns.

It would be fun if you could be here to see it. It probably doesn't matter because we who are here alive, still will not precede those who have fallen asleep. Hulk Hogan can still beat me in the rush to meet Jesus in the air.

Hulk looked pretty good in his last interview. It looked like they caught him at a gas station in the spring of 2025. He was promoting his new beer venture. He looked fine. He didn't have any earlobe crease, (Frank's sign). They said he went in for a neck surgery and was never able to speak again. After complications, they snuck his hospital bed back home.

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Jipsah said:
Yeah, let's just ignore what our Lord said. Good plan, that.

Like Julie said up there, Jesus also said that when we see these things begin to take place know that He is near, even right at the door.

So if we can't KNOW the day or the hour, we can know that He is near, even right at the door. Like He's not walking down the road at the edge of town anymore. He's all the way past your street, turning up the driveway, and He's standing on the porch. He's right at the door. This is not talking about "if He knocks, will you let Him in. The context is of the second coming. That's not like years away anymore, when He's right at the door.. No time to start a company, no time to read a book.

If Hulk Hogan could have known that Jesus' second coming was close, or right at the door, this year, or even September, would it be a good idea to be going out just a handful of months before promoting a new beer startup?

Like right now, I myself wouldn't want to hop on a plane to France for the purpose of taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower.

johnnypapa · Friday at 5:49 AM

I've read on twitter that Laura Horn's surgery was successful with an anticipated one year recovery. Keep praying for a good recovery and that her speech and thinking haven’t been affected.

rocknanchor · Friday at 5:36 AM

enoob57 said:
My main question is: If Jesus warned us about signs and wonders being performed by devils and demons why are we not listening to that?

enoob57 said:
I do find it telling that you did not answer the question I put forth

Really? Then in your desperation to defend the cessationist's position, you are not retaining what you read.

rocknanchor said:
I, Agree with all of Jesus warnings, including His warnings through the Apostles.

It is the Spirit who teaches the way of soundness when ALL HIS WARNINGS are brought to the table. The reason I asked if those two instances are among those that lead to demonic activity (which you did not answer), is to see if you are trying to promote soundness, or refusal.

enoob57 said:
Be careful when you read something not to read into it.

I have no reason to believe that any of us in this discussion are novices in the word. Problems occur after some error of bias occurs and we accept a condition (cessation) which is why you could not bring yourself to answer my question of your treatment of (Mk 16:17) and (Gal 3:5). You wish there was an instance in the epistles that says after their passing all signs and wonders will cease, but there isn't. There is only one thing the Apostle said would cease and that is un-interruption of soundness (Acts 20:29).

enoob57 said:
What I wrote was start to finish a complete thought I had concerning all this.

Correction, complete promotion. Else, if it were soundness you had in mind you would have defended it with a refusal to tamper with the spirit of those two references' possibility to cite and encourage a blasphemous possibility.

enoob57 said:
My main question is: If Jesus warned us about signs and wonders being performed by devils and demons why are we not listening to that?

True Pentecostalism holds well to this warning (Heb 12:2). How does Gal 3:5 operate in a world of ''false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders'', when it so closely resembles the other, these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues? I just told you (Heb 12:2), I just told you only one thing was mentioned to cease for a time, soundness. We always give thanks for everything He has given us to live victoriously yet, with contentment with such things as we have. If you cannot attest in the affirmative to these things, then you are still held atop a pinnacle of promotion of man's longstanding imagination.

David Lamb · Friday at 2:51 AM

thomasw60 said:
Was told and shown a video on some Christian artist had a symbol they wore wasn't biblical either
And my fellow believer friends don't listen to them because of that

Without knowing what the symbol was, I am not sure how you expect us to comment. What was the symbol? Even more important perhaps are the words this artist sings; are they biblical?

Pommer · Friday at 2:09 AM

wing2000 said:
Cocoa prices have more than doubled over the past two years due to poor weather and disease in West Africa, which supplies more than 70% of the world’s cocoa.

It would seem that I spake too soon?

Pommer said:
My plan is to die happy knowing that my generation wasn’t the one that would let the cocoa bean become extinct. I pity those people.

Christsfreeservant · Thursday at 10:55 PM

“I cried with all my heart; answer me, O Lord!

I will observe Your statutes.

I cried to You; save me

And I shall keep Your testimonies.

I rise before dawn and cry for help;

I wait for Your words.

My eyes anticipate the night watches,

That I may meditate on Your word.

Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;

Revive me, O Lord, according to Your ordinances.

Those who follow after wickedness draw near;

They are far from Your law.

You are near, O Lord,

And all Your commandments are truth.

Of old I have known from Your testimonies

That You have founded them forever.” (Psalm 119:145-152 NASB1995)

When we follow the Lord Jesus Christ with our lives, and we obey his commands, in practice, and we follow his guidance and direction, and we go where he sends us, and we speak what he gives us to say, to whom he gives us to say it, we are going to be faced with opposition. And that opposition could be coming from people close to us, from friends, and/or family, and/or from other professing Christians, and/or from pastors of “churches,” and the like. But it hurts the most when it comes from people closest to us.

And now this is not to claim that we are absolutely perfect in every way and that no one should ever accuse us of anything wrong. We should be humble people who admit when we are wrong, who are willing to take correction, and who are willing to make changes in our lives where they are needed and where they are required by God. We should be willing to compromise where it does not require compromising truth and righteousness and the Word of God and his gospel. But all should be done under the direction of our Lord.

And sometimes these persecutions, they pile up, one after another after another. And for some of us, they eventually take their toll on us, and we absolutely do cry with our whole hearts, seeking God for answers and guidance and direction in knowing what to do, and in what to say, and in what to not do, and to not say. For some of us are not “Rocks of Gibraltar,” which symbolize much strength and resilience, but we cry, and we must absolutely trust in the Lord to be our strength, our counsel, and our wisdom.

Have you ever tried running in a race, but when you got near to the end your body was just about ready to collapse, and you didn’t know how you were going to last to the finish line? It’s kind of like that, and kind of like what Paul described, too, or what Job suffered, as well. Sometimes it all just piles up on you at once or else it is just the accumulation of trials and tribulations, over a span of many years, and so sometimes you might wonder how much longer you will last. Then you cry with your whole heart.

One of the things which brings me to tears is how so many people professing faith in Jesus Christ are being deceived by liars and tricksters who know how to charm the people, and who know how to put on a good show, and who are telling people lies. These liars are malicious, morally unclean, fakes, manipulators, egocentric, and unfaithful to those who look to them for truth or for help and guidance. And so many people are following them to their deaths, thinking that they have the hope of eternal life with God.

And that absolutely breaks my heart! I literally weep over the deceived, over those who have been promised salvation from sin and eternal life with God based on a lie which tells them that nothing is required of them other than a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. But Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught that faith in Jesus Christ must result in us dying to sin and obeying our Lord, in practice, by the grace of God, in the power of God. For if we walk in sin, and not in obedience to God, we do not have life in Christ.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; 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 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

For Our Nation

Professionally recorded in Nashville, TN
Via Gerry Peters, music producer and arranger
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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I Cried with All My Heart
An Original Work / July 24, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

ViaCrucis · Thursday at 10:01 PM

I don't think there's a one size fits all theory to explain "deconversion".

I also think that perhaps, as Christians, we might do a better service if we actually listen to our non-believing friends and neighbors when they tell us their stories, especially their stories of why they left the faith. Shoveling everyone into a hole and saying, "They were never real believers anyway" is a proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand. There may be valid lessons to be learned as we take our neighbors seriously--especially when they share their real hurt, their real confusion, and are being genuinely vulnerable. If we truly want to take Jesus seriously, that means we are obligated to take our neighbors seriously--even when what they say may not be pleasant. There's no use in clutching pearls when our goal is to be Gospel people.

-CryptoLutheran

fide · Thursday at 9:10 PM

Michie said:
Today is July 20, the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her” (Lk 10:41-42).
For many of us, these words feel challenging. Like Martha, we often carry concerns and responsibilities that weigh on our hearts. When Jesus speaks of Mary choosing the better part, it may sound as though he is dismissing Martha’s efforts. But that is not what is happening. Jesus is gently reminding us that only one thing matters in the end: the love we give and receive in him.

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati lived this balance between Martha and Mary. His life was a steady rhythm of prayer and action. He never neglected daily Mass or time spent with the Lord, yet he also threw himself into service. He called this his “Apostolate of Charity.”

‘Based on charity’

Continued below.

The most perfect love

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati’s devoted prayer and service reveal Jesus’ invitation to choose love over anxiety.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

I am truly sorry to respond to this post with a fundamental negative conclusion, but this error is so common in Catholic homilies, that to pass it by without comment would be to add to the error in understanding, and allow it further spread. The error is most clearly revealed in this : "Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati lived this balance between Martha and Mary."

I sincerely hope that he did not live "a balance between Martha and Mary"! We are not entrusted with the highest of the virtues, to "balance it" with something else. Charity ought never, ever be set aside in order to do anything. Charity must be lived always.
"Charity is the form of all the virtues." (CCC 2346).
"Charity is the soul of the holiness to which all are called: it 'governs, shapes, and perfects all the means of sanctification.'” (CCC 826)
"Even though incorporated into the Church, one who does not however persevere in charity is not saved. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but ‘in body’ not ‘in heart.’“ (CCC 837)
"Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God." (CCC 1822)
"Charity is superior to all the virtues. It is the first of the theological virtues: “So faith, hope, charity abide, these three. But the greatest of these is charity.” [1 Cor 13:13] (CCC 1826)
Finally, beware of doing a "good work" in order to gain goods for ourselves (the praise of men, a reward from God, something to advance my ambition,....) we in such a case would be a mere "hired man", a mercenary working for pay. No, "If we turn away from evil out of fear of punishment, we are in the position of slaves. If we pursue the enticement of wages, . . . we resemble mercenaries. Finally if we obey for the sake of the good itself and out of love for him who commands . . . we are in the position of children." [St. Basil] (CCC 1828)

We see the problem again here: "He never neglected daily Mass or time spent with the Lord, yet he also threw himself into service." May we never "throw ourselves into service" or works of any kind, again! We are too much, still, in our [old] selves and not in the new man or woman transformed in Christ! We must seek and long to die to ourselves in fact and Truth not just sacramentally and symbolically in Baptism. We must seek and long to live - to LIVE - in Christ, we in Him and He in us, in all that we are and do. Jesus calls us:

Abide [Remain, Dwell] in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide [remain, dwell] in Me. [Jn 15:4]

May we never again leave prayer, to work. May we always remain in prayer, in our works! May we never again leave Christ and become of the world, in order to "do" works acceptable and pleasing to the world. That is the most "unbalanced" and contradictory of moves. Martha was fallen and of the world when she ordered Jesus to "tell her sister to help" her. She had judged and misjudged Jesus, accusing Him: "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?" Martha's "good" works had brought her no peace - He told her ""Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things..."

No, it is not a good thing thing to seek a "balance" between Mary, a woman here at peace in the Holy Truth of Jesus, and Martha, then a woman deep in the troubles of the world. There is no righteous balance to be found here. Martha became a saint! But her sister was way ahead of her in this scene.

rjs330 · Thursday at 8:33 PM

Yeshua HaDerekh said:
LOL u do know that Jews were called Palestinians before the Arabs co-opted it. Truth is not propaganda...

Arabs living in what Jews call the Land of Israel, including Judea and Samaria, call themselves “Palestinians” after “Palestine,” the non-Jewish term for the region. Arabs did not do so until quite recently, but nonetheless, many Arabs in the region and their sympathizers have co-opted the words “Palestine” and “Palestinian” to give their national movement a sense of longevity, credibility and ownership. The word “Palestine” is not Arab or Middle Eastern in origin. It dates back over1,900 years and is derived from a people who were not native to the region: The Philistines, a people from the Aegean Sea who were closely related to the ancient Greeks. They lived on the coast of what is now the Gaza Strip and Israel, but had disappeared by the 6th century. The name associated with them, however, did not die out. The Romans, in a fit of spite, reapplied the term “Palestine” to the Land of Israel centuries later, after they defeated a Judean uprising in 135 AD. In effect, the Romans sought to erase the association between the Land of Israel and the Jewish people. Many Arabs in British Mandatory Palestine considered themselves part of Greater Syria rather than “Palestinians.” In 1937, a local Arab leader told the Palestine Royal Commission, “There is no such country as Palestine. Palestine is a term the Zionists invented! Our country for centuries was part of Syria.” Arab historian Philip Hitti echoed this sentiment shortly before Israel declared independence, saying, “There is no such thing as Palestine in history, absolutely not.” The watershed moment for the “Palestinian” national movement came after the 1967 Six-Day War, when Israel won control of Judea and Samaria from Jordan. The words of author Walid Shoebat of Bethlehem sum up the profound shift in local Arabs’ identity: “On June 4, 1967, I was a Jordanian, and overnight I became a Palestinian.” Palestinians trace their origins to prominent tribes in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Egypt. Yasser Arafat was born in Egypt. Even the Kanaan family in Nablus (Shechem) traces its ancestry to Syria. While the Arabs of the region are free to call themselves whatever they want, they are not free to hijack the 3,000-year history of the Holy Land for themselves. In the end, the name “Palestine” represents the Jews’ original dispossession of their homeland 1,900 years ago...

Its nice to hear others who know the truths and facts surrounding the region.

JSRG · Thursday at 8:32 PM

essentialsaltes said:
Appeals Court rules against Trump admin's birthright citizenship EO
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, upheld a lower court ruling that President Donald Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship is very likely unconstitutional on its face and that a nationwide injunction precluding enforcement is the only way to provide complete relief to the state plaintiffs, pending litigation.

A federal judge in a separate case [above, I assume] has already enjoined nationwide enforcement of the order against a certified class of individuals affected by the presidential action -- all newborns in the U.S. to noncitizens.

Yet another article about a decision... that doesn't bother to link to the decision, or even give the name of the case.

It's very frustrating so many articles do this. Why is this so hard? The good news is, these ones did:

Ninth Circuit Upholds Nationwide Injunction in State Suit Against Birthright Citizenship Order

A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has affirmed a district court's nationwide injunction…

reason.com

9th Circuit rules Trump’s birthright citizenship order unconstitutional

A federal appeals court on Wednesday agreed with a Seattle judge’s decision to universally block President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship. The appeals judges ruled 2-1 that Trump’s order, issued on Inauguration Day, violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S...

www.yahoo.com

It's Washington v. Trump and the decision can be seen at https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2025/07/23/25-807.pdf or https://storage.courtlistener.com/r...b7bc70c-6fcb-460e-9232-c6bc8ad16303.163.1.pdf.

I was curious about what the dissent was about, and looking into it, it looks like it was just a disagreement on the issue of standing; it indeed concludes with "Because we don’t have jurisdiction to review State Plaintiffs’ claims at this time, I do not address their merits or the scope of the district court’s injunction." Glancing over it, its argument on standing seems plausible, but at any rate the dissent was on procedural grounds that, while relevant to this case if the dissent is correct, wouldn't settle all of the other cases on this subject.

Valletta · Thursday at 8:30 PM

Lady Bug said:
Oh I see. Going to Catholic schools doesn't mean you actually are Catholic, even if you're Catholic.

Currently, not counting colleges, non-Catholic attendance at Catholic schools is about 22%. Practicing Catholics, unless there is there is a good reason for exception, go to mass every Sunday.

St_Worm2 · Thursday at 8:14 PM

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Verse 1

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

Verse 2

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Verse 3

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

Verse 4

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Verse 5

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright, shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

BelieveItOarKnot · Thursday at 7:48 PM

keras said:
ONLY for those who accept His Salvation.
It will be Gods disposal unit for those who refuse Him. Revelation 20:15

Everyone who loves knows God and is born of God. 1 John 4:7

Some just have their subjective salvation filter ratcheted up far too tightly, such as shown here:

Matthew 23:13
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

tag

Gene2memE · Thursday at 7:30 PM

Trogdor the Burninator said:
I'm sure American Liberals do. But we're talking about Japan. Where the top selling car for the past 3 years is the 660cc, 3.3m long Honda N-Box.

The idea that the Japanese will start buying US-made SUVs or trucks in any significant volumes is laughable.

Japanese roads are not set-up to handle them. Japanese garages are not large enough to fit them.

Japanese tax laws are also punitive when it comes to larger, heavier and less fuel efficient cars.

There's three different vehicle taxes (annual automotive tax, automobile weight tax and environmental performance tax). Without going into all of the details, something like a full-sized SUV or truck (think Ford F150 or Explorer) is going to attract a tax burden that will be anywhere from 8 to 25 times that of something like a Toyota Yaris or a Kei car. It's going to be 2 to 6 times that of a 'full sized' Japanese car like a Toyota Crown or or Honda Accord.

Congratulations, you played yourselves.

rambot · Thursday at 7:22 PM

It's crazy to me that middle class citizens of Texas will vote foe this guy.

Say what you want but conservative leaders I. The US really seem to be acting like monarchs and seem to have about that level of culpability for their misdeeds.

Life would be easy as a conservative politicians I think.

MehGuy · Thursday at 7:18 PM

Man.. if I was a celebrity I would be so scared right now.

Dorothea · Thursday at 6:04 PM

Light of the East said:
After three wonderful years of being a member of St. Mary's Orthodox, I find that the more I learn about the Orthodox faith and the saints and martyrs of the Church, the less Orthodox I feel. In short, I can't seem to get my life in line with what appears to be a healthy relationship with God through Orthodoxy. This is not new to me, nor is it the fault of Orthodoxy. The problem, as I see and understand it, is my coming from a dysfunctional family and being a dysfunctional person myself as a result. As my former spiritual director once said (he was assigned to another parish quite far away) "Dysfunctionalism is the gift that just keeps on giving."

Here's the question du jour: is it possible that there are people who are just so messed up by life, by people, and by things that have happened to them that they will never get it right in this life?

I ask this because my sense is that I one of those people. I feel am stuck - that I am really going nowhere in my attempts to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the work of theosis in my life. Yes, I am doing the things you might suggest to me: the fasts, regular attendance at Liturgy and the various services of the Church, keeping a prayer rule at home, etc. My priest knows of my struggles and the particular sin(s) that plague me since I make regular use of Confession.

The single biggest problem I have is in sensing a relationship with our Lord. My spiritual director used to remind me that God is not at all like my earthly father - cold, distant, unemotional and unexpressive of love, yet those are the very thoughts under which I labor. When I do something wrong, I find myself waiting to get whacked in some manner. It seems that this dysfunctional manner of relating to God and the world, while having lessened somewhat over the years, is going to be with me until I die. I just can't see to shake it off and enter into a place of fervent love for Christ. This is why I asked the question I asked.

Other than telling me to just keep on plugging away one day at a time, do you have any suggestions or thoughts?

So sorry you're going through this, but I somewhat understand from my own past with a controlling family member and an emotion, psychological, and spiritually abusive ex-husband (23 yrs with him). It's tough. I always have to monitor myself from not falling into despair, which is a sin in itself. I've gotten much better since being divorced and away from him (sons are healing day by day as well). What I try to remember and focus on is God just looks for our efforts. That is the most important thing to me. That I'm at least making an effort in my Orthodox Christian life. God knows your struggles and hardships better than anyone else. His mercy is immense. God bless.

Dorothea · Thursday at 5:51 PM

E.C. said:
St Olga of Kwethluk was just glorified the other day and I had some thoughts on how timely it is. Initially I was posting this as part of a reply in the Orthobro thread, but felt it best here.

We are living in some odd times. No, not in the "end of ze world" sense of it; we've been living in the End Times since Pentecost and Christ Himself said that, "Only the Father knows the hour" so frankly I think any further discussion on that is pointless. The obsession over trying to figure out when the world ends and obsessing over Revelation and over what holy people have said about it, I think, have become idols and distractions from our spiritual walk with Christ. The Protestant obsession over it is a huge part of why I never looked towards that tradition with any serious consideration prior to becoming Orthodox.

No, instead we are living in some oddly super politically charged times and not just with world events, but within our own parish communities. We have our own share of community issues related to things like the balance of preserving a culture vs evangelism to the broader society, New vs Old Calendars, American culture war issues within the Church, etc etc etc. A lot of this seemed to exist just below the surface of life until the Pandemic and the ecclesiastical problems in Ukraine that predated Russia's 2022 invasion.

We Orthodox in North America are functioning with an deficit of basic Christian love and compassion. Somewhere in the very old introduction sticky is my conversion story into Orthodoxy and what I'll point out is this: it wasn't the theology that attracted me. I grew up Roman Catholic so I had no need to find a Church that practiced Communion and believed in the Real Presence. I already had bishops, priests, and deacons. I already had a large respect for the Virgin Mary. And, I already had a strong sense of identity as an American Catholic in a sort of Diet Irish flavor. I was already part of a larger, greater organization that stretched beyond the four walls of the building I worshiped in on Sundays. And it was quite ethnically diverse with Americans, Black Catholics, Filipinos, Vietnamese, Hispanics, and, Native Americans.
See, growing up Catholic in a rural part of the Pacific Northwest made me a particular target in high school being attacked by militant atheists/secularists who had an ax to grind about the Catholic Church's sex scandals. It made me a target to every flavor of Evangelical and Reformed Protestantism who blame the Catholic Church for every evil that has happened in the world since Pentecost. It made me a target to the 20% Mormon population of my high school because I didn't flaunt my faith like they did. These attacks and insults, well, actually strengthened my faith and in some ways made me a far more devout Catholic. Eventually I took a critical view of Church History and came to the conclusion that today's Roman Catholic Church is not the same as the 1st Century Christian Church founded on Pentecost.

So then what could possibly lead to my departure from Rome at the age of sixteen to the greener pastures of the Eastern Orthodox Church? The family influence of my Orthodox stepmom and later Orthodox dad played a part, but no, family unity was not it especially with my atheist brother. It was not some desire to be part of a conservative redoubt to the ongoing culture war which was starting to heat up when the notion of legalizing so-called "gay marriage" became a thing. It was not even the changless-ness of the Orthodox Divine Liturgy as the Catholic Church in America continued its un-ending quest of needless liturgical reform in the name of Vatican II. Ultimately, it was the love of people and hospitality of the non-Orthodox which the Orthodox, especially the babushki, have for everyone.

And so here we are today with a weird subset of hatred and malice within American Orthodoxy that doesn't appear to be addressed. We have COVID converts who became Orthodox as part of the Fr Peter Heers cult believing that COVID was concoccted to attack the Orthodox Church and that receiving any COVID vaccine means compromising one's salvation because they think that it is the mark of the beast. We have the anti-abortion zealots who believe that Russia is an Orthodox Utopia, Putin is a living saint, and that all Orthodox should abandon their homelands because of America's abotion laws (ironically ignoring the fact that Russia has consistently had higher abortion numbers than the USA for decades). We have these misguided, hateful people who think that any marginal show of basic compassion is indicative of a larger plot to turn the Orthodox Church into a watered down version of herself similar to the Anglican Communion. And, lastly, we have people who believe that just because Pascha 2025 was one of those years when the two Easters are on the same day, and that Pope Francis toyed with the idea of aligning the Catholic calculation of Easter to the Orthodox calculation, that it can only mean that the Ecumenical Patriarch is going to reunite the entire Eastern Orthodox Church into an Eastern Catholic Church subservient to the Pope in Rome.

With all this, I have to ask: where are people getting these crazy ideas, and why aren't our bishops and priests saying anything about any of it? We need our Church leadership to address these problems and quit burying their heads in the sand and ignoring them because they will not simply go away and disappear. They will persist.

I also have to ask what the Black Eyed Peas asked in 2003, "Where is the Love?" Are we not teaching it anymore? Did the Assembly of Bishops put out a communique saying not to teach that as Christians we are to love one another? The generation of babushki who survived Communist persecution, the ones who by their love brought me and others into the Faith, are dying out; why are we dishonoring their memory by acting the opposite of how they did?

I can't speak for how the Orthodox Church operates in the Old World because I have never been there and have never been a part of it. My ancestors have been in North America since the 1680s, so whatever connections I have on the other side of the Atlantic are flimsy at best. But, I do worry about the state of Orthodoxy in America. I worry that as we fail to teach and live the Gospel, that we will become just another hate-filled, politically-driven non-profit organization just like the Religious Right of Jimmy Swaggert, Jerry Fallwell, and so many other charlatians and hypocrites.

So, what does all this have to do with St Olga of Kwethluk? When we look at her earthly life in comparison with some of our other saints, it really isn't all that remarkable or noteworthy. She did not convert an entire nation of people like St Patrick for the Irish or St Nina for the Georgians. She did not defend the faith against heresy in well-articulated writings like St Athanasius against the Arians or St John of Damascus against the Iconoclasts. She was not a martyr like 40 Martyrs of Sebaste, St Peter the Aleut, or St John Kochurov, or any of the other countless martyrs from Communist persecution in the last century or Islamic persecution in the last 1400 years. She was simply a mother, a grandmother, a godmother, a midwife, and, the wife of a priest in a backwater village accessible almost exclusively by river boat where just over 700 people live.
Instead, she simply lived in her village and loved everyone. Christ said that there are two great Commandments: to love the Lord Your God with all your heart, strength, soul, etc; and, to love your neighbor as yourself. St Olga followed these two Commandments and that is why hundreds of people traveled to a poor Yupik village in western Alaska on the banks of the Kuskokwim River. There were eight bishops present and sadly only one was non-OCA from ROCOR. Which means that there was zero episcopal representation from the Antiochians, Greeks, Carpatho-Russians, Bulgarians, Georgians, Macedonians, or, Serbs. No wonder we laity remain divided in our jurisdictions when even our hierarchs can not be bothered to show for the glorification of someone native to the American lands who is not part of some diaspora group. Someone who's family has likely been cradle Orthodox since St Jacob Netsvetov, a priest of mixed Russian-Aleut heritage, introduced the people of the Kuskokwim River to Christ almost two centuries ago. An Orthodox generation ago, this glorification would have no doubt have had at least Metropolitan Philip of the Antiochians, Metropolitan Nicholas of the Carpatho-Russians, and even at least one of the Greek bishops in attendance. Instead our bishops no longer care about pan-Orthodoxy and even actively fight against it; especially the Greeks and ROCOR. I am, to put it bluntly, disappointed in each and every one of our hierarchs, especially my own, for failing to keep the spirit of Pan-Orthodoxy alive.

We need St Olga of Kwethluk. We need this simple, humble, example of Christian love and compassion. Nineteen years ago when I was chrismated Orthodox (something that people today consider heretical because of Fr Peter Heers' misguided views on the sacraments) there was someone who was like St Olga in every Orthodox parish. She was usually an old grandmotherly lady who survived WWII as a child and later survived Communism in the Warsaw Pact nations, survived the Greek Military Junta, or survived the various wars and civil wars in the Middle East. Now there are fewer of them as that generation dies off. What will we have left when they're gone? What are we doing to be that person for somebody else or are we the reason somebody never comes to Church and hates Christ? Perhaps if we had more people like St Olga of Kwethluk we would have fewer Jay Dyer and the Orthobros.

As former poster OrthodoxyUSA used to end his posts: Forgive me.

I'm not a big fan of Fr. Peter Heers, but your quote here: "...to attack the Orthodox Church and that receiving any COVID vaccine means compromising one's salvation because they think that it is the mark of the beast." - I'm not sure is accurate or true. From what the Elders said in 2020/2021, none of them said that the vaccine was the mark of the beast. Rather, they were concerned over the authoritarian acts of countries' leaders, including ours, taking away people's right to be present in the church for services and making them stay holed up in their houses, which does nothing for one's health. Should've been outside in the sunshine and fresh air, getting vitamin D, and also taking the vitamin in supplmental forms as well, etc. Multiple spoons suggested by Archbishop El at that time was/is blasphemous. In any case, the holy elders were concerned about some of the gestapo tactics at that time, which was basically globally happening then. They considered this form of control and mandating the vaccine as a "dry run" to the mark. Not the actual mark.

Thankfully, I don't care to know anymore than what's necessary about the antichrist. I tend to stay away from that as I'm hoping I'm dead and buried by that time. Some Protestants think they'll be whisked away in the clouds - the dangers of false doctrines. I'm only concerned about the signs of the times in our time, which Metropolitan Neophytos has said twice in two different years that what's coming - natural disasters, etc. and WWIII (which we're already in) is in our generation. Our time, not our grandkids' era, so it's good to be vigilant, prepared, and moving closer to God during these difficult times ahead. This awareness has taken away my struggle with getting to church and feeling like I'm distant from God and my life as an Orthodox Christian. I'm reading more spiritual books and the Scriptures, trying to be at church more, and now going to Vespers more than I ever have in more than a decade. So for me, it's helpful.

It was great news when St. Olga was canonized a Saint. First Orthodox woman saint in America. Glory to God and His Saints!

Bradskii · Thursday at 5:47 PM

Landon Caeli said:
In case you didn’t know, our pets rely on us for their every need. How incredibly unkind it is to ridicule someone for caring for their pets in a proper manner.

How is it possible to misconstrue such as simple point as was being made? Really, how did you manage to do that?

Landon Caeli said:
...In the meantime, we have grown adults around the world who lack the capacity to produce a fruitful culture/ society.

You tell me who's in the wrong.

You are. Without any doubt whatsoever.

ArmyMatt · Thursday at 5:45 PM

as a priest I can vouch that the Eucharist is completely consumed.

the gents are correct.

Dorothea · Thursday at 5:28 PM

Nick1000 said:
It is somewhat easier to refer to prophesies, Persians, Israel etc and point to brewing conditions that could lead to WW111 than it is to look at scenarios which are more explosive but- uncomfortably for some- inconveniently involve alliances between the orthodox church and the aggressor.

In reality, there is an elevated risk of a third world war right in our face now and for the last three years. And that is as a direct result of Russia's aggressive, expansionist invasion of Ukraine and slaughter of citizens and military there who are defense of their homeland and their families.

The risk is growing. Worry about that.

It doesn't seem you know the Orthodox prophecies. Russia will be used by God as the enemy of the antichrist (the spirit of him) by destroying Europe and the US who worship Satan. At least 4 holy elders say this, including saints.

Richard T · Thursday at 5:27 PM

Valletta said:
The problem is not the Trump administration "leading" people or "pushing buttons." Although outspent by Kamala by a margin of 2 to 1, and with the majority of the media spinning a negative view of Trump on immigration and woke discriminatory policies, the American people voted in Trump because of his stated policies. The Democrats had lied to the American people, claiming the border was safe, secure, and closed, while in reality people were entering out country at record rates and human trafficking rose to a level not seen here since the Civil War. No Christian should have supported this.

In general I agree with all of your message. I certainly did not support Harris. Stated policy and actual policy outcomes I think differ almost always, even with immigration. Trump never talked about deporting so many green card holders, or those on student visas. He over-emphasized the number of illegals he would be sending back, I think those deportations will come up short but yes he is trying. It is just hoped that ICE will show some restraint in their treatment of illegals and allow the beefs with the judicial branch to play out in the Supreme Court as needed.
My message though that some MAGA supporters have gotten too prejudicial is still likely though I doubt that occurs with you or many in CF. Trump himself seems very divisive but most pretty much knew that already. Anyway, MAGA supporters have much to cheer about, I just am more cautious.

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