Threads

RileyG · Jul 11, 2025

Self-explanatory

Looking for new and exciting ways to pray!

Your comments are all welcome!

God bless you all abundantly!

RileyG · Jul 11, 2025

O gracious and holy God,
Give us wisdom to know you, Intelligence to understand you, Diligence to seek you,
Patience to wait for you,
Eyes to behold you,
A heart to meditate upon you,
A life to proclaim you.
To the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Amen.

https://www.goodsamaritanlife.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Prayer-of-St-Benedict.pdf

RileyG · Jul 11, 2025

“O glorious St. Benedict, sublime model of all virtues, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me, humbly kneeling at thy feet. I implore thy loving heart to pray for me before the throne of God. To thee I have recourse in all the dangers which daily surround me. Shield me against my enemies, inspire me to imitate thee in all things. May thy blessing be with me always, so that I may shun whatever God forbids and avoid the occasions of sin.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces of which I stand so much in need, in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life. Thy heart was always so full of love, compassion, and mercy towards those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. Thou didst never dismiss without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to thee. I therefore invoke thy powerful intercession, in the confident hope that thou wilt hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I so earnestly implore (mention it), if it be for the greater glory of God and the welfare of my soul.

Help me, O great St. Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to be ever submissive to His holy will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.

Amen.”

St. Benedict Prayer for Protection

Learn a few short and powerful prayers to ask St. Benedict for protection against evil. She is the founder of the Benedictines, and the author of the “Rule”.

hozana.org

Michie · Jul 11, 2025

N.B.: the term "Christian" in this story actually means "Catholic,"--whether Roman or an Orthodox sister-church. That translation applies to almost all news reports from the Middle East.

Priests of the churches in Tabyeh, the last fully Christian town left in the West Bank, have implored help from “international actors” amid a destructive siege by Israeli settlers.
“Israeli settlers are torching holy sites, destroying farmland, and terrorizing families. The priests of Taybeh are crying out for help. The world must hear them — and act,” human rights activist Jason Jones urged on Tuesday....

Netanyahu's war on Catholics is not a new thing for Israel; it is merely a continuation of a decades-old policy whereby long-settled Catholic communities are systematically eradicated by Jewish "settlers" who lay claim to land--and then find ways to 'remove' the original inhabitants. (Yes, it is a replication of the wars on Indians in the USA.)

Continued below.

Netanyahu's War on Catholics

dad29.blogspot.com

Michie · Jul 11, 2025

Pope Leo XIV has erected a new Catholic diocese in Kenya and appointed its first bishop.

The Holy See Press Office announced July 10 that the Diocese of Kapsabet will be the 28th Episcopal See in Kenya, carved out from the country’s Eldoret diocese, and Bishop John Kiplimo Leleiwill be its first bishop.

Lelei has been serving as an auxiliary bishop of Eldoret, the diocese in which he was born.

The newly established diocese becomes the eighth suffragan diocese of the Kisumu archdiocese, alongside Bungoma, Eldoret, Homa Bay, Kakamega, Kisii, Kitale, and Lodwar.

Continued below.

New diocese erected in Kenya, pope appoints its first bishop

Pope Leo XIV has erected a new Catholic diocese in Kenya — the Diocese of Kapsabet — and appointed Bishop John Kiplimo Lelei to be its first bishop.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

Michie · Jul 11, 2025

A Catholic flight attendant who says United Airlines fired him after he endorsed Catholic teachings on marriage and gender identity while talking with a co-worker can proceed with his lawsuit against his union for not standing up for him, a federal judge has ruled.

The flight attendant, Ruben Sanchez, of Anchorage, Alaska, claims the airline investigated his extensive social media posts only after receiving what he describes as “baseless accusations” arising from a red-eye flight conversation in May of 2023 — and that when the company came up with nothing that violated its social media policy, it terminated him anyway.

Sanchez filed the lawsuit in January of 2025 against United Airlines and the union he belonged to while working for the airline, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

In court papers, he claims the airline violated his right to express his religious beliefs and discriminated against him because of his age, which was 52 at the time of the firing two years ago. He said had served as “a loyal United flight attendant” for almost 28 years.

Continued below.

Flight attendant fired over expressing Catholic beliefs can proceed with lawsuit

Ruben Sanchez filed the lawsuit in January of 2025 against United Airlines and the union he belonged to while working for the airline, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

essentialsaltes · Jul 11, 2025

I guess this is an admission he was born on Krypton and is not a natural born American. Too late to do anything now.

Always in His Presence · Jul 11, 2025

Democrats clash with ICE over characterization of marijuana farm raid

Immigration and Customs Enforcement faced off with dozens of protesters at a marijuana farm in California‘s Ventura County while conducting a raid that allegedly found illegal immigrant children being put to work against the law.

“How many MS-13 gang members are waking up at 3 a.m. to pick strawberries? O’yeah, zero! Trump said he’d go after ‘bad hombres,’ but he’s targeting the immigrant farm workers who feed America. Either he lied — or he can’t tell the difference,” Gomez posted on X.

Gomez saw considerable heat from high-profile Republicans for his post.

Vice President JD Vance posted on X, “Democrats are having a fit because we’re enforcing our laws against people working at a weed farm.”

Trump administration spokesperson Steven Cheung added, “Jimmy Gomez must be getting high off that Strawberry Kush because this is a weed farm found to have exploited juveniles here illegally.”

Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kiersten Pels told the Washington Examiner that Gomez “brazenly invented a story that the illegal migrants were simply picking ‘strawberries.'”

“Why are he and his Democrat colleagues willing to go to such lengths to defend illegal child labor in California?” she added.

Jane Chai · Jul 11, 2025

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I would like to humbly ask for your prayers regarding a long-standing and painful situation I’m facing at work. For the past five years, I have been dealing with a colleague who consistently bullies me, pushes responsibilities onto me, and creates a very difficult working environment.

This colleague often acts kind and helpful when our bosses are around, but behaves very differently when they are not. I've observed her being rude to customers, including once shouting at an elderly man who didn’t understand her instructions. When I try to engage kindly with customers, she shuts me down or finds ways to blame me for minor things. As a result, I end up doing the majority of the work while she remains free from accountability.

I’ve brought this up to my supervisors, but unfortunately, they seem to trust her more and see her as incapable of such behavior. I fear that my attempts to speak up have caused them to misunderstand me as someone stirring trouble, which is deeply hurtful because I truly just want a healthy, respectful, and fair working environment.

I’m tired, emotionally worn out, and feel invisible. Please pray that:

God would bring justice and truth to light in this situation.

My bosses’ eyes and hearts would be opened to see what is really going on.

I would not grow bitter or vengeful, but remain faithful, kind, and strong.

God would give me peace and strength as I continue working in this environment.

If it is His will, that He would either change the situation—or lead me to a healthier workplace where I am valued and treated with fairness.

Thank you for reading this and for standing with me in prayer. I know that God sees what people may not, and that He is the God who defends the oppressed. Please keep me in your prayers.

In Christ,
Jane Chai

rockytopva · Jul 11, 2025

Photo says it all!

timewerx · Jul 11, 2025

I also wonder what these meant in my dreams. Surprisingly accurate rendition of Sora of my dreams.

assets%2Ftask_01jzx7gma5enwv0pxb542vcgjt%2F1752253953_img_0.webp

Goonie · Jul 11, 2025

White House Photoshops Trump Onto ‘Superman’ Poster, Touts the ‘American Way’ Amid MAGA Outrage Over James Gunn’s ‘Immigrant’ Comment

The White House released a photoshopped "Superman" poster in which Donald Trump is the Man of Steel as MAGA revolts against James Gunn's movie.

variety.com

Deport Him!! Came to earth and the USA illegally, blatant criminal!!

Say it aint so · Jul 11, 2025

Why Kerr County balked on a new flood warning system

Kerr County did not opt for (American Rescue Plan Act) ARPA to fund flood warning systems despite commissioners discussing such projects nearly two dozen times since 2016. In fact, a survey sent to residents about ARPA spending showed that 42% of the 180 responses wanted to reject the $10 million bonus altogether, largely on political grounds.

“I’m here to ask this court today to send this money back to the Biden administration, which I consider to be the most criminal treasonous communist government ever to hold the White House,” one resident told commissioners in April 2022, fearing strings were attached to the money.

“We don't want to be bought by the federal government, thank you very much,” another resident told commissioners. “We'd like the federal government to stay out of Kerr County and their money.”

Even Kelly, the Kerr County judge remarked that this “old law partner” – U.S. Sen. John Cornyn – had told him that if the county did not spend the money it would go back to blue states.

The hatred for anything brought to you by Dems is intolerable, and well, what's that quote from Forrest Gump's Mom?

LoricaLady · Jul 11, 2025

Jul. 10, 2025 | Iraq
Christian Family Flees Threats
[53] prayers in [11] nations have been posted for Qasim and Zaynab.

When Qasim and his wife, Zaynab, became followers of Christ in 2016, their Shiite Muslim family immediately rejected them and threatened their lives. Zaynab's brother beat her and told her to leave her "infidel" husband. Eventually, the couple and their young children fled Iraq, but Zaynab's brother continues to harass them over the phone, saying he will kill them if he finds them. Islamists seeking their location attacked Qasim's father and one of his younger brothers, sending him to a hospital with broken legs and in a life-threatening coma. Read More.
Jul. 10, 2025 | Ethiopia
Rejected Convert Receives His Own Bible
[36] prayers in [5] nations have been posted for Muse.

A Christian convert from Islam rejected by his family was encouraged by receiving a copy of God's Word. Muse was raised in a Muslim fundamentalist religious family and came to faith in Christ through the testimony of a missionary working in his region of Ethiopia. Muse's eldest brother was a respected Islamic scholar, and when he learned that Muse had converted to Christianity, he threatened him to renounce his new faith. When Muse would not, he was evicted from the family home and forced to drop out of school, moving to a nearby town where he took on daily labor to support himself. Read More.
Jul. 10, 2025 | Sierra Leone
Occultists Pressure Pastors and Churches
[37] prayers in [8] nations have been posted for Sierra Leone Christians.

Secret occult societies in Sierra Leone regularly threaten pastors and churches. "We came for fellowship, and we were attacked right at the church," said Pastor Joshua Ramine. The societies are groups that practice occult rituals, including bodily mutilation and allegedly even the ritualistic killing of humans to appease spirits. The groups have been known to surround churches with hundreds of people to harass and intimidate Christians and stop their worship services. "They shouted while we were singing," Joshua said. "But I said, ‘No, let's continue singing.' Read More.

rockytopva · Jul 11, 2025

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Akita Suggagaki · Jul 11, 2025

"We are living in a time when false mysticism is a much greater danger than rationalism.
It has now become much easier to play on men’s emotions with a political terminology that sounds religious than with one that sounds scientific.
This is all the more true in an age in which the religious instincts of millions of men have never received their proper fulfillment.
A nation that is starved with the need to worship something will turn to the first false god that is presented to it."

"False mysticism is often viciously anti-intellectual. It promises man a fierce joy in the immolation of his intelligence.
It calls him to throw his spirit into the hands of some blind life-force, considered sometimes as beyond man, sometimes as within himself.
Sometimes this mysticism is political, sometimes religious. It almost always exalts emotion above thought, and its reply to intellectual argument is sometimes a program of systematic violence— the suppression of schools, the destruction of books, and the imprisonment of learned men. Why all this? Because the intelligence itself is regarded with suspicion." p 59-60

https://stmaryscathedral.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/11288825.pdf

This resonated with me in different ways. On has to do with the literal biblical innerrentist who sometime snot only believe in 6 day creation a few thousand years ago but also flat Earth. regardless of what seem more rational, regardless of what our intelligence might indicate, they cling to a personal mysticism that rejects science. Perhaps we all do it to some degree.. believing that our personal insight is special and true no matter what.

Then again there is the political manifestation. We are seeing higher education undermined and science thrown into doubt if it does not support a larger agenda.

Merton wort this in 1951, not long after WWII. Unfortunately I think it is more relevant today than ever with the rise of interest in Christian Nationalism.

"When the truth is not what we want it to be, we twist its image out of shape in our own mind to fit the pattern of our desires. In so doing, we do not hurt the truth itself: we ruin our own spirit." p 56

Michie · Jul 11, 2025

Two sisters who attended St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas were among the victims of the Texas Hill Country flash floods that have devastated parts of the state, the school confirmed in a statement on Saturday.

Blair Harber, 13, and Brooke Harber, 11, were vacationing with their parents and grandparents on the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas. The flash flood raised the river more than 22 feet in half an hour in the early morning hours of July 4, dislodging and carrying away their cabin, in which they were staying with their grandparents.

They were discovered in Kerrville, 15 miles from their cabin community, with their hands clasped together, according to reports.

Their grandparents, Charlene and Mike Harber, have yet to be found.

Continued below.

2 sisters, Catholic school students, lost in Texas flood remembered for faith

Two sisters who attended St. Rita Catholic School in Dallas were among the victims of the Texas Hill Country flash floods that have devastated parts of the state.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

Michie · Jul 11, 2025

*You are in the Catholic forum*

If we believe we have to ‘honor the Sabbath day,’ why aren’t Catholics obliged to attend Mass on Saturday instead of Sunday?

One of the most appealing teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination is their insistence that Christians must obey the Ten Commandments . . . all ten of them. They rightly expose the errant thinking among many Protestant Christian sects that claims, “We don’t have to keep the Ten Commandments for salvation anymore.”

Of course, Jesus has a reminder for us:

And behold, one came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” And [Jesus] said to him . . . “If you would enter life, keep the commandments” (Matt. 19:16-17).

Given our agreement on this point, the Seventh-day Adventist commonly asks: “If you believe we have to keep the Fourth (our Third) Commandment, why aren’t Catholics obliged to attend Mass on Saturdays instead of Sunday?”

We can draw our first source from the the Catechism, which declares,

Since they express man’s fundamental duties towards God and towards his neighbor, the Ten Commandments reveal, in their primordial content, grave obligations. They are fundamentally immutable, and they oblige always and everywhere. No one can dispense from them. The Ten Commandments are engraved by God in the human heart (2072).

Thus, the Third Commandment is “fundamentally immutable” because it’s one of the Ten Commandments, which Jesus said we must follow to attain everlasting life. However, the Catholic Church teaches the particular day we celebrate in keeping the Third Commandment to be ceremonial, or an accidental component of the law that is changeable. Here’s how the Catechism puts it:

Continued below.

Sunday Is Not the Sabbath

If we believe we have to "honor the Sabbath day," why aren’t Catholics obliged to attend Mass on Saturday instead of Sunday?

www.catholic.com

HAWK2567 · Jul 11, 2025

Canada is my home
And I am proud to live in Canada
I have been living living in Canada
For 45 years
Also I have friends
That are also Canadian
And Canada is a country that is not in war
We have peace keepers
That are fighting over seas
To work towards peace

Michie · Jul 11, 2025

Have you ever actually read the entire terms of use for a new app on your phone? If so, did you understand everything in it? Even if you didn't, you probably still checked that you would “read and agree” to everything in the document. This kind of half-hearted consent is similar to what happens for a lot of Catholics every Sunday. When we get to the creed, many Catholics aren’t really paying attention to what their words mean, but are merely going through the motions. We all know it happens, but the real question is - if we aren’t giving our consent, can we have real conversion?

The answer is no. This is because conversion requires our consent.
Unlike a legal contract, conversion requires more than an outward act.

WHAT IS CONVERSION?
The root of the word “convert” means to “turn around”, “change”, or “transform”. Think of turning from sin, death, evil, and hell to now orient yourself toward God, grace, goodness, virtue, heaven, and everlasting life. It is the transformation of the human heart, by an act of God's grace.

Thus, we sometimes call one who becomes Catholic a “convert” which means they have turned from their previous beliefs and now are Catholic. We all know that many of the most vibrant Catholics have come from other faith traditions or no faith at all, to become Catholics. Why are they so vibrant? It is because they had to consent to becoming Catholics and their consent made all the difference. Consent is found in responding with a “yes” to an invitation by Jesus.

Notice the dynamic of conversion in the Bible:

Continued below.

https://catholicmissionarydisciples.com/news/conversion

Michie · Jul 11, 2025

*You are in the Catholic forum*

Permission to post in full

When Protestants say Peter can't be 'the rock,' they have it exactly backwards

I grew up in the American South, and I was raised in a Protestant family. But when I was six or seven years old, my parents had some kind of disagreement with the elders of our church, and they stopped going. So after that, I was raised nominally Protestant, and we’d go to church only once or twice a year when we visited my grandparents.

When I was a teenager, I was involved in the New Age Movement, but I broke with that when I turned 18.

At age 20, I had a conversion to Christ, and I became a serious Christian—something I’ve been ever since. Following this conversion, I wanted to devote my life to teaching God’s word, and I planned to become a seminary professor and maybe a pastor.

But I still needed to figure out what church I should be part of.

In my hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas, we have dozens of churches—all different kinds. But I realized that what church has services at a time I like is not a good test of whether that church’s doctrine is true. Neither is what church is in convenient driving distance. Or what church has a pastor I like, music I like, or a social group I like. So I shouldn’t let my decision of what church to join be influenced by any of those things, because figuring out what is true is the most important thing.

I thus worshiped in local Protestant churches—since that is how I’d grown up—but I made a point of studying the theology of all the different branches of Christianity.

I studied the different Protestant groups, like Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvinists, Methodists, Baptists, and Pentecostals. But I also studied the theologies of Eastern Orthodox Christians and even Catholics.

That was saying something, because the church I had my conversion in was very anti-Catholic, so I heard lots of anti-Catholic preaching and read lots of anti-Catholic material. But I still studied what they had to say—even if it was just so I could talk Catholics out of the Church better.

And then, one day, it happened.
I was reading a Catholic book—specifically, Evangelical Catholics by Deacon Keith Fournier. And it had a long quotation from Matthew 16 in it—you know, the “You are Peter” passage:

Continued below.

Matthew 16 and a Parallel for Peter

Protestants will insist that Peter is a contrast to the ‘rock’ on which Jesus built his church. But the truth is the exact opposite.

www.catholic.com

Michie · Jul 11, 2025

The three priests of Taybeh in the West Bank issued an urgent appeal for justice this week after Israeli settlers reportedly escalated their acts of violence and intimidation against Christians in the region’s only remaining all-Christian town.

“We, the priests of the three churches of Taybeh — the Greek Orthodox Church, the Latin Church, and the Melkite Greek Catholic Church — raise our voices on behalf of the people of our town and our parishioners to strongly condemn the ongoing and grave series of attacks targeting Taybeh,” the three pastors wrote in a letter.

Continued below.

Priests of West Bank’s only remaining all-Christian town issue urgent appeal against Israeli settler violence

ShareThe three priests of Taybeh in the West Bank issued an urgent appeal for justice this week after Israeli settlers reportedly escalated their acts of violence…

catholicvote.org

Michie · Jul 11, 2025

Today is July 11, the Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot.

We read at today’s Mass, “‘Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves'” (Mt 10:16).

That line describes St. Benedict perfectly — a man who founded an entire movement by combining wisdom and humility. But it also brings to mind Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.

Pier Giorgio wasn’t afraid to live his faith boldly. Though gentle in spirit, he stood with clarity and conviction. In today’s world, living that way — meek and courageous — is like being a sheep among wolves. But Pier Giorgio shows us it’s possible. And part of what gave him that strength was the way he encountered God in nature, especially in the mountains.

A sacred space

Continued below.

Encounter God in the heart of creation

The wisdom of St. Benedict and the faith of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati inspire encountering God in the quiet strength of his creation.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

Michie · Jul 11, 2025

Archbishop Enrique Benavent Vidal of Valencia in Spain encouraged the faithful to take advantage of summer vacation to read and delve deeper into the Rule of St. Benedict, as it contains “insights that are useful” for the daily life of all Christians.

In his July 5 weekly letter, the prelate observed that on Friday, July 11, the Catholic Church will celebrate the feast of St. Benedict, the patron saint of Europe who lived between the fifth and sixth centuries.

“The goal that completely guided his life,” Benavent explained, “is reflected in the prologue to the rule he wrote for the monasteries he founded: ‘Who is the man who desires life and wishes to see happy days?’”

St. Benedict “always lived with the desire to achieve an authentic life, ‘true and perpetual life,’ which can only be achieved in the tent of God on his holy mountain. His entire gaze is fixed on this goal. He lives and teaches monks to live this life with their gaze fixed on true life, on God,” he said.

Continued below.

Spanish archbishop encourages Christians to read Rule of St. Benedict

Archbishop Enrique Benavent Vidal of Valencia, Spain, encouraged the faithful to take advantage of summer vacation to delve deeper into the Rule of St. Benedict.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

Christsfreeservant · Jul 11, 2025

Threads

Threads

Why Kerr County balked on a new flood warning system​

​

Jul. 10, 2025 | Iraq​

Christian Family Flees Threats​

Jul. 10, 2025 | Ethiopia​

Rejected Convert Receives His Own Bible​

Jul. 10, 2025 | Sierra Leone​

Occultists Pressure Pastors and Churches​

If we believe we have to ‘honor the Sabbath day,’ why aren’t Catholics obliged to attend Mass on Saturday instead of Sunday?​

When Protestants say Peter can't be 'the rock,' they have it exactly backwards​

A sacred space​

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Why Kerr County balked on a new flood warning system

Jul. 10, 2025 | Iraq

Christian Family Flees Threats

Jul. 10, 2025 | Ethiopia

Rejected Convert Receives His Own Bible

Jul. 10, 2025 | Sierra Leone

Occultists Pressure Pastors and Churches

If we believe we have to ‘honor the Sabbath day,’ why aren’t Catholics obliged to attend Mass on Saturday instead of Sunday?

When Protestants say Peter can't be 'the rock,' they have it exactly backwards

A sacred space