Human life is both a gift, filled with love and beauty, but also with suffering and difficult rites of passage. Most of these experiences are bittersweet, while others are very painful and challenging. I don’t know anyone who does not have them. Sometimes we may not recognize them as rites of passage, but they are, because how we react to them can lead to greater freedom or deeper slavery to our fears.

About a month before graduation from high school, I was trying to get to sleep, but that night my hidden anxiety about graduation came to full consciousness. For me, it was life-shaking because I had never really paid attention to it. I was both happy and deeply terrified about my unknown future because, at that time, in 1967, you either went to college. or you were drafted. Well, I certainly was not college material, and since I believed I had a monastic vocation, I just needed to grow up a bit, so the Navy was what I picked. For me, it was a good choice. I guess I was forced to choose, and I am glad for that. Looking back, it was not that big of a deal, but at the time, it was. It was also a rite of passage for my parents, who had their own way of dealing with another son going off into the world.

This inner split was important, painful, but also exciting. In my monastic life, these so-called rites of passage continue. Some seemed small but were important; others seemed large, but they were a tempest in a teapot. Yet each had to be dealt with. I still have many to go through, even if I only recognize them in hindsight. These events highlight the importance of choice and not just being pulled by rapids without thought.

In seeking to live out a prayer life, I find that it is not as easy as many think. Like any other worthwhile endeavor, there will be many hurdles to overcome. So yes, suffering is involved and cannot be escaped.

Prayer draws us deeper in, and what the Lord brings to our minds and hearts can be heartbreaking but must be faced. There is forgiveness that can be given, but the pain of the wounds remains, as well as the dark thoughts that accompany it. So, prayer allows us to stand back and observe in the Lord’s presence. If not, we can drown in the inner whirlwind that our inner wounds can cause, leading to forms of self-medication that are harmful to both body and soul.

The hardest rite of passage for many is to learn to love ourselves, which is why the Lord commands us to do so. Also, understanding that we have many hidden character flaws, but in prayer, we get a small glimpse of them. Until the time comes when we can face them with the Lord and work through them. This takes time for us to learn and allows us to grow in compassion for others. Lord, protect us from perfect people!

Prayer for a Christian is not a luxury but a necessity, for without it we are adrift. So, pray at all times of life, especially when we enter a painful rite of passage. The Lord walks with us, feels what we feel, but He can seem cruel at times. We are being pruned and must learn patient endurance. I still have a way to go with that. The Lord will never let go of us; it is we who ‘freely’ let go of Him. Trust is a choice, no matter how dark it is to trust. It is not based on emotion but a deep faith that is tested and grows in strength by each rite of passage.

There is always hope, always a path to be chosen, and as we mature and our faith deepens, these choices can be more difficult. Our choices lead to either healing or deeper enslavement to our past and the ways we self-medicate.MD

Essayli said Caravello was charged with “a violation of 18 USC 111,” for allegedly “assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees,” according to federal law. The US attorney also denied claims that the educator was “kidnapped” by federal agents.

Again I urge leaders on the left to tone down the rhetoric and protest peacefully. The government had a valid warrant, file a lawsuit if you think they did something wrong but please don't interfere and put people's lives in danger.

Yesterday at Mass my priest added a 15-year-old altar server named Sean to our prayers, apparently he was in a bad ATV accident and had to be taken a Level I trauma care center. I don't know the details of his injuries, but father said at Mass it didn't look like he was going to make it. I've been trying to get an update to find out whether he's still with us or not.

Either way, I ask you guys to pray for Sean. If he's passed please pray for the repose of his soul and for peace to be upon his family; if he's still with us we pray for a miraculous recovery.

Thanks everyone.

Pray for those who are tattered and torn,
And for those who are sad and forlorn,
Those who need some encouragement strong,
For the many who are being wronged.

Many facing trials, no escape,
Many persecuted on this date,
Many hurting, though it not relents,
Trusting in The Savior God did send.

Many targeted, in Christ believe,
Died to sin, His pardon did receive,
Following Jesus, Savior, in His ways,
Do the will of Father day by day.

Satan, enemy, he wants them gone,
In his harem they do not belong,
Serve the Lord and Savior with their lives,
And on God the Father they rely.

Speaking truth of gospel, not lies tell,
Many not believe, end up in hell,
Satan, liar, though, convinces them,
They not have to die with Christ to sin.

Speaking lies, he promises God’s grace,
So from hell they surely can escape,
Death to sin, though, they do not require,
For the truth of Gospel they retire.

Satan does not like when truth be told
By those servants of the Lord who’re bold,
So he plots his evil plans to kill
Those who share the gospel, truth fulfill.

Pray for all who follow Jesus Christ,
That on Jesus, Savior, they rely,
Not give in to fear of what men say,
Follow where God leads throughout each day.

An Original Work / July 14, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Hi all,

I had so called “friends” from college. I thought they were some of my closest friends. One completely abandoned me and the other didn’t invite me to his wedding, even after many particular conversations regarding that topic.

I blocked most people from my hometown and from college.

I spend a majority of my time alone, and outside of work, I don’t talk to anyone outside my immediate family.

How do I move on?

Peace

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8

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Summer is a time of rest and fun, and, with it, our Jubilee Year pilgrimage reaches its halfway mark. Midsummer Eve, the midway point of an historically longer summer season and also of the entire year, has been traditionally observed with bonfires (literally bone-fires) on June 23, the eve of the Nativity of John the Baptist. According to ancient reckoning, it was the time of the summer solstice, when the sun was at its full strength. From this point, the days become shorter, a natural sign that Christians linked to the symbolism of John the Baptist’s prophecy that he must decrease as the Messiah increases, whose birth was marked at the winter solstice.

I recently made a visit with my seminarians to the Benedictine Abbey of Clear Creek in the Ozark foothills of eastern Oklahoma (clearcreekmonks.org). It happened to be during the Rogation Days of spring where the monks processed with the villagers through the fields and forests. The monks were chanting the major and minor litanies, interceding for God’s blessings on the land, crops, livestock and all of creation, sprinkling great quantities of holy water and swinging thuribles of incense, along the procession route, seeking the protection of God from all calamities.
Shafts of sunlight shot through the trees as the sweet smell of incense rose to the heavens along with the melodic tones of Gregorian chant. It was something like perfection.

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Fr. Martin’s true objective is the normalization of homosexual acts via indoctrination into the rainbow mythology of God-willed sexual fluidity. So why are so many Church leaders silent?

A screenshot of Fr. James Martin, S.J., giving a March 2018 a presentation titled "Spiritual Insights for LGBT Catholics". (YouTube)

I am not a “traditionalist”. At least not in the sense that the term has come to mean these days in common ecclesial parlance. I have sharp theological disagreements with the theological tendencies among some traditionalists on a range of issues. Nevertheless, they are a part of the Church, and their concerns should not be trivialized as unimportant or summarily dismissed via the pathway of lazy and breezy caricatures of them as just a gaggle of “anti-Vatican II” malcontents.

However, there are some, especially among the strongest apologists for the Francis papacy, who accuse traditionalists of interjecting a “toxic” divisiveness that undermines Church unity and jeopardizes ecclesial peace. This fact, they say, justifies the draconian restrictions introduced by Pope Francis, in Traditionis Custodes, on the traditional Latin Mass (TLM).

I am not here to re-litigate that debate or to argue that there are not indeed such toxic elements within the traditionalist movement. Instead, I want to call into question the response of the Church to the alleged toxicity of the movement—a reputation that I think is exaggerated—by engaging in the much-maligned practice of “whataboutism”. This practice can, on occasion, be a deflection from examining one’s flaws and should usually be avoided. Nevertheless, it can also be used legitimately to point out double standards, especially when ecclesial authorities are quick to discipline the failures of some while ignoring equally problematic failures in others. And this becomes acutely important when it appears that those authorities have their thumb on the scales of pastoral justice based upon unarticulated theological commitments.

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Never mind I'm not sure my thread was appropriate.

Magnolia Network’s new series prompts criticism from leaders and commentators who say the couple has abandoned Christian values.

Reality TV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have made headlines this week after a new television production from their network showcased a same-sex couple and their children.

Produced by the Magnolia Network, the series, entitled Back to the Frontier, made its debut on HBO Max on July 10. The show follows three couples tending to life as 19th-century homesteaders, with no internet or television. The couples include two men, Jason and Joe Hanna-Riggs, a same-sex couple raising two boys.

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Can you please pray for my friend Connie who is very ill? Thank you

God bless

I’m a bit of a luddite when it comes to technology. My husband and I didn’t have home internet for the first five years of marriage, I ditched my smartphonealmost two years ago, and I’ve convinced my oldest child that his Kindle paperwhite is a legitimate tablet. I don’t want to pretend that I don’t use technology, but I’m often skeptical that new technology will actually make my life better.

I like the approach of the Amish: They don’t inherently dislike innovation, but they are critical about new technology, especially if it has the possibility to replace meaningful community (i.e. cars, phones, etc.). They observe the rest of us “English” people, and, if a new tool somehow makes our lives better, they incorporate it into their lifestyle. (For instance, some Amish use telephones, but they don’t keep them in private homes.) Essentially, they dissect the tool and then use it for its specific intention, all the while giving themselves plenty of boundaries so they don’t become a slave to the tool. They embody the mantra “love people, use things.”

I greatly respect their spirit of curiosity, so I took a similar approach a few months ago to explore ChatGPT. As a writer myself, I was intrigued by this new form of AI and its implications for my freelance work. So, I typed in a prompt, a suggested tone and a word count for an article I had already written (but had not yet published). And wouldn’t you know, AI made a shockingly similar article to the one I was about to submit. Obviously, this doesn’t bode well for the future of my work as a freelancer, but it’s incredible to think that a computer program can replicate (in seconds) something that took me weeks of thoughtful prayer to write. I left the experience knowing a little bit more about AI but more or less unperturbed by a future I can’t predict, let alone control. I don’t know exactly what the future of my writing career will look like, but it doesn’t seem like a productive use of my time to worry about something that hasn’t even happened yet.

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Please pray that I don't have that horrible pain. God was so merciful yesterday answering so many prayers. Please ask God for my son to have a happy night, My doctor to be healed and well and for the health of my husband. Please pray I don't have pain if it is God's will. I ask in the name of Jesus. Thank you and God bless you. Carmen

Christian reality TV star Chip Gaines has defended his newest television series, which features a same-sex couple, saying it is consistent with the Christian commandment to "love one another."

"Back to the Frontier," a new series from executive producers Chip and Joanna Gaines, which premiered on Thursday on the couple's Magnolia Network, features a gay couple as one of three couples living as homesteaders did in the 1800s, without access to running water or electricity.

Jason and Joe Hanna-Riggs appeared on the series along with their two children, Realtor.com reports. Chip and Joanna Gaines, best known for hosting the home improvement reality TV show "Fixer Upper," have been outspoken about their Christian faith over the years.

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Who is “the world”? It isn’t just all people who never profess faith in Jesus Christ. It is all people who have not believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, who have not died with Christ to sin, who are not walking in obedience to the Lord and to his commands, and whose lives are not surrendered to God to doing his will, but who are still being led and controlled by the flesh. It is all people whose minds are focused on the world and on living worldly, and not on God and on living to please the Lord Jesus.

And who were Jesus’ greatest opponents and persecutors? They were not the people of the world who did not profess to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but they were those who professed to believe in God, and to follow his commands, and who performed religious ceremonies, and who taught the Scriptures in the temple of God. They were the religious rulers and people of authority and influence within the temple, and in the synagogues, who professed to know and to worship the one true God.

So, if you are following Jesus Christ with your life, with full sincerity and commitment to God and to his service, and so you have died to sin, and thus you are now walking (in conduct) in obedience to the Lord (although not necessarily in absolute perfection), and so you are following God’s leading and direction in your life, don’t be surprised if some of your greatest opposition is within the gatherings of “the church” and in “Christian” organizations, and even coming from some pastors of “churches.”

For we live in a day and age when the message of the Gospel has been so severely diluted by the majority that it is barely recognizable at all as the same gospel as taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles. And, well, that’s because it isn’t the same gospel. For what they promote is a faith in Jesus that requires no death to sin and no walks of obedience to the Lord as required by God as necessary components of faith which saves. For they have altered the truth to be non-offensive to the world and to the ungodly.

If you are teaching the truth of the gospel, as Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught it, then you may find yourself the object of much hate, rejection, false accusations, and personal attacks against your character, just like Jesus experienced. And you may have opponents, as he had, who are “pulling out all the stops” (making every possible effort or using all available resources) to find a way to accuse you and to silence you so that you stop confronting them with the Holy One of Israel (see Isaiah 30:8-11 NIV).

But no matter what opposition we face, or how much we are attacked or rejected because of our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord, we must not give up! We must stay the course and stand on the Word of God, and keep speaking the truth of the gospel to the people for their salvation from sin. We must obey God and his calling upon our lives, out of love for God and for our fellow humans, no matter how we are treated in return. Satan wants to destroy us. But we must not lose faith! We must keep speaking the truth!

[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 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Songs in the Night

An Original Work / December 18, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!

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Keep Speaking The Truth
An Original Work / July 14, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

It is claimed George Whitefield stopped and stayed for several days at the house of a general in Rhode Island- what a blessed stay for the General!

George Whitefield really liked the General and his family and didn't want to tell him that he believed he and his family had a false proffesion.

One night George Whitefield heard the audible voice of the Holy Spirit say to him "O man of God! If these people perish, their blood be on thy head!"

He still didn't have the guts to tell the General and his family so he did the unthinkable and used his diamond ring to scratch "One thing thou lackest" onto the window.

When he was gone the General immediately realised but he had a great respect for Whitefield so rather than get furious, the General and his family actually believed on Christ because of the etching!

'The Christian treasury' apparently in 1860 claimed the granddaughter of the family had it in her possession (New York location) but today in 2025 its whereabouts is unknown. The problem is this source is not digitised and was lost with other 1800s issues. Lost media of it's day.

If it exists, that blessed glass panel with the etching could be anywhere- in the flat of a 21st century couple who are clueless about it's origin? In the basement of a house lost with the other discarded objects? We may never know in this life!

This is a highly disputed story, so Christians, let me know your thoughts and if you think it exists!

Oh- and I would not reccomend recreating this etching incident unless you want to lose friends!

They are arresting farm workers, the gardeners, the day laborers, the people who go to their citizenship appointments but just haven't finished that long process, while seeking entrance in elementary schools and little league practices. Which leads to this:

Trump Loves ICE. Its Workforce Has Never Been So Miserable.​

A “mission impossible” deportation campaign has left many employees burned out and morally conflicted.

James 5:11
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Does suffering ever end, like what God brought about for Job, in the land of the living, emotionally as well as in life, or do we just suffer all our lives until we get to heaven? Does anyone have experience?

FIFA President tries to get Trump to leave the stage with him but Trump, after being heavily booed when he entered the stadium, just stays. Eventually the FIFA president gets him behind the players who were the focus of the moment.

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I honestly have no idea how long its been since she's been to the bathroom, but it's been a long time and I know she took laxatives yesterday and nothing happened. We're getting suppositories today, so hopefully that might help, but this is really serious because it has been a long time. Please pray for her to get better and pass this before she ends up in the hospital.

L"My parents prayed the rosary together their whole lives. Every day." - Pope Leo XIV​

How often do you pray the Rosary?

Pope Leo XIV revealed to newlyweds Cole and Anna Stevens that his parents, Louis and Mildred Prevost, prayed the rosary together “their whole lives.” The pope explained this to the couple following their papal marriage blessing on June 11, 2025.

He advised them to pray together and “find the style” that works for them.

“First of all, it’s very important to go slowly and to find the style of prayer that works for you, we’re all different, many spiritualities,” Pope Leo explains in the video. “For myself, especially praying together with someone, from my own parents, praying the rosary together. My parents prayed the rosary together their whole lives. Every day."

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Pope Leo said he believes that his parents’ praying the daily rosary together blessed him.

“I’m sure, because of it, their love for one another, they put their faith in God, and in the intercession through Mary. It’s a wonderful thing.”

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You may know the story, but these lesser-known miracles and mysteries surrounding Our Lady of Guadalupe are sure to renew your wonder.
The original tilma of St. Juan Diego is displayed behind the main altar at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. (photo: Cezary Wojtkowski / Shutterstock)

Most Catholics are well-versed in the details of the Marian apparitions that took place in Europe at Lourdes in 1858 and at Fatima in 1917. While many have knowledge of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the 1500s, there are a number of amazing details related to this event that some may find surprising.

Our Lady made four appearances in 1531 near what is today Mexico City. According to the documented account, the shrine that currently rests on Tepeyac hill was built at the request of Our Lady, at a time when only a few of the local inhabitants had converted to the faith. One of the great miracles that resulted from the apparition was that, within a relatively short period (by 1539), more than 8 million Aztecs became Christians as a result of the Virgin Mary’s appearance.

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Your brain is hardwired to look for threats. That’s great if you’re in a jungle being chased by a bear. Not so great when you’re trying to live in the peace Jesus died to give you. In Week 2 of our Living Peace summer series, I delve into the real reason why so many of us are stuck in fear, outrage, and constant conflict, and how Jesus flips the script in one of His most famous parables: the Good Samaritan...

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24:56

This brought me to tears.

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Young Girl in the Presence of the Eucharist. . . Beautiful

And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. (Douay-Rheims Matthew 25:40)

By now the appalling story of two teenage lads in Mountain View, California, is well known. They were classmates at a local Catholic High School, St Francis, and when younger applied an acne remedy to their faces, causing them to turn black (dark green, really)

Regrettably, and no doubt foolishly, the two boys took selfies of themselves at the time, and eventually those photos got around, causing a furor.

Fox TV

That act resulted in their lives becoming a living hell for several years. Every single leftie in a vast radius, whose mission is to keep a constant vigil on all those whose personal activities are suspect, no matter how innocent, took notice and the screaming fest began. For when a white man is caught in blackface, no exculpatory explanation is sought nor needed, they are guilty, quod erat demonstrandum.

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And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. (Douay-Rheims Matthew 25:40)

By now the appalling story of two teenage lads in Mountain View, California, is well known. They were classmates at a local Catholic High School, St Francis, and when younger applied an acne remedy to their faces, causing them to turn black (dark green, really)

Regrettably, and no doubt foolishly, the two boys took selfies of themselves at the time, and eventually those photos got around, causing a furor.

Continued below.