Excerpt from my autobiography

One of the memories that has stayed with me is visiting my Aunt Virginia’s house with my mother. At the foot of the stairs, there was a large image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

As a child, that image made me feel uneasy—not because it was scary, but because of the deep sadness in Jesus’ eyes. I could almost feel His sorrow, and it affected me more than I could explain. I’ve always been sensitive to the emotions of others, and even in a picture, I didn’t like seeing anyone sad—not even Him. The feeling was so strong that I couldn’t go up the stairs alone.

Looking back now, I believe that may have been the moment God first planted a seed in my heart. I didn’t understand it then, but today I see it as the beginning of my calling.

The words of Jeremiah 1:5 have become deeply personal to me:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”

When I was young, I wanted to avoid the sadness I saw in Christ’s eyes. I never imagined that, as I got older, I would want to join Him—in His self-offering for the good of His people and for His glory.

Happened on a Sunday, where Christians and Muslims stop fasting together. Why not, but inside a church ?

https://x.com/RafaelSereti/status/1904225972687094000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1904225972687094000%7Ctwgr%5E7b095c6202548e78c5b0ef5c9a75573a9656e621%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffr.le360.ma%2Flifestyle%2Fa-bruxelles-un-ftour-multiconfessionnel-organise-dans-une-eglise-catholique_Z2LQ2AALDVFQNI5JOSR2EIHAFE%2F

We're blessed to have a 24-hour adoration chapel in my town and this morning after Mass I dropped in for some prayer time. I do music ministry and today was a bit chaotic, and the extra quiet time with the Lord was needed. It's always a gift to be in His presence!

Hope you all have a place to pray and be still with Jesus when life feels a little messy.

Have a blessed Sunday, everyone!

Please tell me if I'm being dramatic or this is not an appropriate post.

I was changing into my pajamas today and my crucifix flew off my neck and put a dent into my tv stand, breaking in the process. I'm being confirmed this Easter vigil and I don't know if this is satan trying to scare me.

I’ll be lighting a candle to St Jude all week and seeking his intercession. 

If you are in need of St. Jude’s intercession, and would like me to pray for you, let me know. Please know that if I don’t respond, I have still seen your comment and prayed for you.

Is there anything wrong with SpongeBob?. Because my parents allowed me to watch any Nickelodeon or Disney Jr show even SpongeBob . Not all some just wondering

I was working hard at lent. My prayer life had improved with Daily Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet and Angelus. I’d been to confession each week of lent. Then something terrible happened. I was involved in an accident riding my motorbike on Friday. I went over the handle bars and had a high impact incident with my head and the tarmac. I was taken to hospital given a CTscan and released after observations about 9 hours later. All clear. Just bruisings. As I lay on the trolley in the hospital. I realised how isolated I am from my family. A family rift that’s gone on too long. In a moment of utter weakness I contacted my ex wife who kindly scooped me up and drove me home. But in the midst of her consolations and kindness we spent the night together. Now am so distraught I’ve let myself down. Let my weakness compromise my closeness to Christ and my love for Our Holy Mother. I can’t face going to mass today. I can’t take communion having committed a sin and now I feel as bad as I did immediately after the accident. My weakness made me betray myself and I feel I’ve let Christ and my faith down. Such a terrible place to be in. I feel so far from faith.

This was in the mid 90s, and I didn't drink or do drugs, never have. When the local bishop placed oil on my forehead when I bowed my head, I felt something I could only describe as a electrical shock or brain zap. What was it? Anyone else ever felt something similar?

I walked 13 miles today from Alahambra to Our Lady Cathedral in Los Angeles!! It was such a beautiful experience to walk in community singing and in prayer. Three people fell I'll and I pray they are okay.

I am proud to be catholic and living my faith proudly!

I’m (31m) returning to faith and want to follow Church teaching by abstaining until a sacramental marriage. But my wife (32, civil marriage) isn’t ready yet. She was raised Catholic, but she's not religious. She's open to getting married, baptizing our infant son and exploring her faith, but she needs more time.

Last night we had a difficult conversation about it and my wife helped me realize how self centered I was:

I was fine with having sex until I became ready to abstain (4-5 months of hesitating). But now I'm not giving that option to my wife, I'm deciding for her. I know God's will is to not have sex outside of marriage, but I'm shocked how self absorbed I am about it.

Any thoughts about it? Just to be clear, I don't want permission to keep sinning, just some words of wisdom and encouragement.

hello, im 13 and want to get back into Catholicism. i havent been to church since i was about 8, and i just got a new bible and i already have Rosary beads. i started in the new testament because that is where my family and friends told me to start, other than that, i have no idea what to do. please help me out! thanks!

To clarify, I am a practicing Catholic not a gnostic, atheist, agnostic like that.

The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” -Matthew 26:24

This verse is confusing for me. Because why would God created a man that He Himself said its better for Judas to not be born. It makes me question more about Judas. Because does he have free will? Or is he just created to betray Jesus and go to hell?

I have had 3 miscarriages and one living child. We recently found out we are having another baby. Our first ultrasound showed all normal features and heartbeat but a small CRL. Baby is measuring 6 days too early. I know when conception occurred, my dates aren't wrong. We are so so scared to have another loss. The OB made us feel like we're destined for miscarriage. We desperately need prayers for our sweet baby. Our son turns 2 next week and cannot imagine our miracle baby's birthday being ruined by horrible news. I know God can do anything. I just hope He wants to. We've had so many losses. We're desperate. Please pray. Also, we're praying novenas to the Sacred Heart and St. Jude. Who else can we ask for intercession? I would be eternally grateful for all the prayers.

We got married last year. The first months were really fantastic, even though we were forced by my parents to cohabitate and you know that it can generate friction, but we were extremely happy.

We have or at least I still have all these plans to move away from this shitplace we live in (shit city, small flat), have children, and spend the rest of our lives together.

Last month my boss told me I can't move to another city and my wife told me that she needed to leave because she was getting depressed in this place, only wanted to sleep, won't have kids in this shitplace, and then comes the next part:

The day of our marriage, the priest forced us to confess, because he said otherwise he will not do the mass. He took her and cajoled her into confession in a room and gave her absolution before she even had a chance to finish confessing the sins, only so he could give us communion.

Now she thinks that the marriage has been cursed because she communed before saying her sins properly and therefore she communed in sin. Now our marriage is doomed from the start and can't be saved. She's also been saying she doesn't understand "why we follow a 2000 year old book that is not aligned with modern age", all the priests are bastards, the commandments are stupid...

She has a maladaptive tendency to blame everyone but herself. She told me she needed time to be alone, I gave it to her. Some weeks later, she tells me she wants to end the marriage because what kind of a shit husband does not take care of his wife (I have nothing but doting on her, I have constantly put her needs above me, given her love, hugs, kisses, I have put her above family and friends every time, taken care of her when she was ill)

I'm not the most organized guy, and that's my fault and I'm changing for her. I'm a forgetful guy sometimes, but I'm changing as well. I can postpone things I don't like to do and I'm trying to change.

But it's never enough, which is aggravated by the fact that she will do exactly the things she complains I do. She's always been loving to me except when she starts blaming and can't stand to be told what she does wrong.

She has a history of screwing up and I clean after her, which she takes for granted. I have never ever told her off on this because I believe as a husband I should lay down my life for my wife without complaints and without comments. Maybe I'm stupid and I should have, who knows.

Lately she just wants to get separated, but is not willing to do any paperwork or actually leave our house, which leaves me the slightest sliver of hope. Or maybe that's because her relationship with her parents is shit and she wouldn't go back to them. She's also a stay at home wife, I provide for us both, which is what she wanted.

She categorically opposes going to confession again because the priests are evil and bastards. She doesn't want to go to counseling, or a shrink. She also has endometriosis, which made it so hard to engage in relations, the marriage is not consummated technically. She refuses to see a gyno.

Hey, I've messed up as well. I'm the worst sinner. I go to confession frequently for the same sins. She's been telling me to load weight of 1 year and I can't do it no matter how hard I try. Doesn't help that she makes dinner for 2, eats 10% of hers, and tells me to eat that or she throws it away. But that's my fault anyway.

I just don't understand, man. She tells me to leave her alone to do what she wants. I leave her. She says I'm a shit husband for leaving her alone. I don't get it. God please help me I don't want our marriage to end, and I suspect it's just another of her shit decisions that will go wrong for her like every other time. But it's us, man. We're made for each other like no one else, and we have a life ahead of us.

Can't believe I'm writing this, I would never. But that's just how bad things are and I hope and pray for a miracle.

Im 14, you probably know from my last post. All i want to say that is thank you for everyone who tryna help me to overcome the fear. Now im feel very good. Thank you God Bless you guys

Does modern iconography exist? My works combine classical motifs with contemporary concepts, offering a fresh perspective on the sacred. If you’re interested, take a look at my page on Etsy.

Someone in a local forum (asking for recommendations for Catholic Churches in the area) reccomended their church saying its "Old Catholic not Roman Catholic".

The church's website lists multiple quotes from the Vatican that seem to legitimize them, but they dont seem to be submissive to the Pope?

On their website, I didn't find them listing themselves as a specific rite of Catholicism.. just saying "Old Catholic"

Are these valid masses according to the traditional Catholic Church (that's submissive to Rome)?

https://saintmatthias.net/are-we-really-catholic/

Hello to all, I just wanted to share the good news that after being away from the church for some while, I have regained my faith. I am what you all would call a "cradle catholic", and for many years after my confirmation I had strayed from Jesus Christ. It was my relentless studying of history, and truth, as well as the never ending call of God that brought me back. I just want to share this message to anyone that is like me, and is nervous, to just do it please Jesus glory is so much better than I can describe it to be. Christ truly is king!!!!!!!

Obviously Tolkien and Lewis are real and deserve all the credit they get but do you have another “favorite” Catholic fiction writer?

For me it’s Gene Wolfe who wrote the Solar cycle.

I notice some people choose not to or can’t. Whatever. Consider at least sitting a little forward if you can so that the person behind you who is able and willing to kneel can kneel properly.

A priest I’ve spoken to is being really insistent about baptizing my child as soon as possible. I asked why, and he just says it’s important but won’t give a clear reason. I’m open to the idea but confused about the urgency and secrecy. Has anyone else had a similar experience? I’m trying to understand if this is just tradition or if there’s something more behind it.

In one of the May teachings given to Christian mothers in Nancy, a French city, a monk urged listeners to decorate Mary's altars with flowers. At the end of the teaching, he said:

- Do not despair of the salvation of your souls! This is a small, seemingly trivial, and in the eyes of the world considered worthless act, but it has great power and strength - because it is able to bring many graces of God in the last moments of earthly wandering.

After the teaching, the preacher is approached by a noble lady in mourning robes and says:

“Reverend Father! The truth that has just been spoken from the pulpit, I state with my own experience. I had a husband. He was a noble and honest man, both in private and public life; however, he completely failed to fulfill his duties to God. Neither fervent prayers sent to the Creator nor gentle warnings helped.

In the month of May, I arranged a small altar for the Mother of Mercy in my own room - as in previous years, decorating it from time to time with fresh flowers. Almost every Sunday it was my husband's habit to take walks to nearby villages. He always brought back a beautiful bouquet of flowers, which I placed in front of the image of the Blessed Mother each time. Did my husband notice this? And, did he bring me flowers only for my pleasure, or to honor the Blessed Mother? This I do not know. Every Sunday, however, he returned home with flowers picked by his own hands.

In the first days of June, as a result of a heart attack, he moved to eternity unprovided with the Holy Sacraments. The constant concern for the salvation of his soul, with each passing day, undermined my health to the point that the doctors advised me to travel to the south.

While in Lyon, I decided to visit Fr. Vianney [yes THIS Vianney], the parish priest in Ars, famous throughout France for his saintly life. I first informed him by letter of my intention, at the same time asking him to pray for my husband, who had left this world without receiving the Holy Sacraments - and that was the only words my letter ended with.

After a few days, I arrive in Ars. At the first immediate meeting, the mentioned priest asks me: “Why are you sad? Have you forgotten the flowers, placed every Sunday of the month of May in front of the image of the Mother of Mercy?”

The words of the saintly priest, surprised me immensely. How could he find out about them. After all, I did not confide in anyone, I did not tell anyone about the flowers...

At the end of our conversation he said: “God deals graciously with those that are devoted to His Mother and forgives them much. For in the face of death, the Creator has granted your husband the grace of most perfect contrition and true repentance. His soul is in purgatory. Merciful deeds and prayers can free him from the torments of purgatory and bring him to the Eternal Father.“

At the end of the talk about this miraculous event, the lady asked the monk to spread it everywhere, with the aim of encouraging the faithful to have greater reverence for the Queen of Heaven and to evoke greater trust in her power and intercession, in even the most hardened sinners."

The story was taken from the once-published monthly magazine “Mystical Rose,” which contained real-life stories describing the help Our Lady gave to Her children.

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Read best book explaining Mariology: "Glories of Mary" by St. Alphonsus, Doctor of the Church: https://www.saintsbooks.net/books/St.%20Alphonsus%20Maria%20de%20Ligouri%20-%20The%20Glories%20of%20Mary.pdf

And also, if you want to enroll in the most spiritually enriched community in the Church, richly blessed with indulgences—the Confraternity of the Rosary—read this post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Catholicism/comments/1heqjp2/join_the_confraternity_of_the_most_holy_rosary/