godshousecat

[godshousecat]

catholic queer people i hope you know that you deserve to both be happy and free and not constantly weighed down with guilt and self hatred AND practice your religion. i know the internet loves to use "catholic" as a negative but just because toxic theology is normalized does not mean it's your only option. your happiness should not come at the cost of your spiritual fulfillment and vice versa.

& there ARE progressive catholic groups! there's one relatively nearby in my state that has female priests and is actively queer affirming. there are catholics who are pushing for change of all kinds. there have always been people doing catholicism "wrong" and still feeling connected to God and Jesus and communion and everything that makes catholicism feel like a spiritual home for you. you can be the model for a healthier queer spirituality that you deserved! i believe in you!

[godshousecat]

[godshousecat]

you are the lamb in Christ’s loving embrace and there’s nothing you can do about it.

[godshousecat]

i cannot imagine how deeply stressful and miserable one must be to truly believe their loving God will punish them for all eternity-- longer than a human mind could even begin to grasp!-- because they didn't live their 73.5 years alive meeting each of His expectations and repenting perfectly when they fell short. Words cannot define or describe how small a human life is compared to eternity. you really, truly think God will decide your eternal fate on that miniscule number of years, and nothing else? That you die and immediately *poof* God has made His decision? Do you realize cruel, how unjust, how petty you make God sound? that isn't mercy, or love, and frankly it's a cosmic joke to call it either of those.

[godshousecat]

God save Palestine and the Palestinian people. God save Iran and the Iranian people. God save all colonized peoples. Saint Michael please defend them from the snares of the American Government.

[godshousecat]

When I say "king behavior" I usually mean something Jesus would do

[godshousecat]

A miracle of forgiveness

A certain woman had been hiding her grave sin as she was too ashamed to confess it. Tearfully, she prayed before the icon of the Mother of God pleading with Her for protection. Finally, she died without confessing her sin. While they were serving a funeral at church, she rose from the dead in front of all her family and kin, and said, "Great is your power, O lady immaculate!" Then she called a priest and confessed the sin she had been hiding in her lifetime. Then she said to all the mourners:

"I died, a wretched woman, without confessing my sin. But every day I prayed in deep contrition to the Mother of God that I be spared from the punishment. When my hapless soul separated from my body, the evil spirits rebuked me for my secret sin and considered me their prey. But the Queen of Angels came and dispersed the spirits of evil with Her light. She said to them, "The Lord did not give you power over this soul." Then she brought me before God and asked Him to have mercy on me. And the Lord said: "Let this soul reunite with her body and properly confess her sin."

Every day, she repented and prayed in tears to the Mother of God, and the Lord had mercy on her. Have you been doing the same? I am afraid not. But have no despair; repent and confess without delay; open up to your spiritual father, ask him for his prayers and do what he instructs you to do.

Archimandrite Macarius (Sushkin)

[godshousecat]

honestly I think we should use ‘craft’ and ‘practice’ more to describe a relationship with God. as a Christian whose faith is a mishmash of different denominations’ doctrine and beliefs and cultural ideas, the idea of my faith being a ‘craft’, something I’ve constructed and built and put together with my own two hands like a holy arts-and-crafts project that I continue to build upon is deeply relatable, and the thought of my faith being something I actively practice, actively create and alter and use in my day to day life, is really beautiful.

anyways, what I’m getting at is my Christianity is my craft and my faith is my practice. Something built and practiced outside of a cathedral wall. Something beautiful

[godshousecat]

Protestants who don’t like saints because we ‘worship’ them fail to understand the nature of this relationship. It can be difficult to explain but the simplest summation I can describe is this:

[godshousecat]

Protecting immigrants is our Christian duty. "Remember the stranger, for you were once strangers in a strange land," is the single most common verse in Scripture, and in terms of verses dedicated to the topic, comes second only to caring for the poor.

[godshousecat]

"Spiritual but not religious," is the neoliberalization of church.

Individualistic, store-bought, with no responsibility to the community or culture from which practices are stolen. Pick and choose the things you like without struggling through the pain that leads to enlightenment.

Critiques of religion are real and valid. That doesn't mean you escape them by appropriating rites from someone else without the realization that all human culture is born from messy humans.

[godshousecat]

Just had a rather dumb realization. If Saints can pray FOR us to God from Heaven, they can also pray WITH us (I know it's kind of dumb but hear me out). It's been weeks since I've last prayed a full rosary from start to finish, until a few minutes ago. Before starting the mysteries I asked Saint Teresa to pray with me and and to offer up the rosary we were about to pray for my vocation and all my intentions. This is the first rosary in a while that I haven't fallen asleep halfway through and I was actually able to meditate on the mysteries. I truly felt accompanied by St Teresa, I felt like she was my older sister and she wouldn't stop praying with me. I still have a long way to go to learn how to pray better, but it's something I guess

[godshousecat]

I remember hearing conservative Protestants call Pope Francis "the false prophet" and I was like, yeah, sure, the Vicar of Christ, the successor of St. Peter, who believes in human rights, but go off to cry into your King James Bible, I guess.

[godshousecat]

"It's hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty, toss out someone who is in need of my help... If I say I am Christian, but do these things, I'm a hypocrite." - Pope Francis

At a time when many so-called Christians seem very keen to marginalize, alienate, and divide, may his passing give them pause to reflect on their own day-to-day application of their faith.

[godshousecat]

[godshousecat]

Sometimes God’s answers to little prayers astound me the most. When I pray little prayers, for things that are pretty insignificant- not even pleas to God, just little requests, “God, I’d love it if…”- and He answers, it just kind of amazes me.

He cares? He cares about this? He’s so generous as to see even the little desires of my heart and answer them?

Jesus says that God “knows how to give good gifts to his children”, and I’d venture to say that he LOVES to. Even just in little things. He really is that caring and generous and attentive.

[godshousecat]

A Before-Bed Rosary Inspired by Episcopal Compline

I love Episcopal compline. I find it incredibly meaningful to pray before bed, especially in a group, and it brings me such comfort and joy. Recently, I found a version that is used on Episcopal prayer beads, and decided I wanted to alter it to fit the rosary. I've been trying to pray it nightly for Lent, and I swear I can feel God tuck me in when I do!

The Crucifix:

Make the sign of the cross and pray a "Glory Be", followed by this introductory prayer: Guide us in waking, O Lord, and guard us while sleeping. The Lord almighty grant us a quiet and perfect end.

The Beads Leading to the Medal:

On the next bead, pray the 'Our Father', followed by this prayer, once on each of the 'Hail Mary' Beads: "May God’s love surround us as we sleep and dream." After that, on the 'Glory Be' bead, finish with: "O God, make speed to save us. O Lord, make haste to help us."

The Decades:

Each decade goes as follows: The 'Our Father' is replaced with: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Loving God, I remember a time today when I could not seem to find you. Loving God, I remember a time today where you were very findable." and then finishes with an: "Our Father..." The 10 small 'Hail Mary' beads are replaced with: "Keep me as the apple of your eye,; hide me under the shadow of your wings." And finish on the 'Glory Be' bead with: "O God, make speed to save us. O Lord, make haste to help us."

The Closing:

On the final closing medal, we pray: "Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Lord, you now have set your servant free to go in peace as you have promised. For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, whom you have prepared for all the world to see: A Light to enlighten the nations, and the glory of your people Israel. Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace"

Amen!