mttyswhre

[mttyswhre]

"There is a nobility in poverty, that by existing happily and contently in spite of not having material gains, you're proving your spirit something worthy to be praised."

"If I can pour myself in to this thing, if I could write resoundingly somehow and make something great then it would be a salvation somehow. It would make me undirty. I would wake up fixed or at least better and finally- a real person."

"Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and according to New Testament, both Mary and Joseph were Jewish and raised Jesus in a Jewish household. The gospels trace Jesus' lineage and there are very many Jews, the gospels also show us that Jesus is of the house of David. Jesus fulfilled the messianic prophesies that are in the Old Testament and Jesus established a new covenant through his life, death and resurrection, which they see as a continuation and fulfillment of the promises in the Hebrew scriptures. Jesus is ethically Jewish."

"Jesus came to demonstrate God's Love. The God of the bible is perfect in his attributes since God's justice is perfect, all sin must be punished, if God let some sin slide he would not be perfect in his justice. Though, God's love is also perfect, he is vastly more loving than we are, so much so that he is willing to take the punishment that we deserve upon himself. God loves sinners so much that the second person of the trinity entered in to creation as Jesus of Nazareth in order to pay the price for our sins. Christ died for the ungodly, very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person some people may dare to die. God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners he died for us. As the most famous verse of any book in the history of the world, John 3:16 put it: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believed shall not perish but have eternal life." David Wood

"Stop your ears, therefore, when any one speaks to you at variance with Jesus Christ, who was descended from David, and was also of Mary; who was truly born, and ate and drank. He was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate; He was truly crucified, and [truly] died, in the sight of beings in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. He was also truly raised from the dead, His Father quickening Him, even as after the same manner His Father will so raise up us who believe in Him by Christ Jesus, apart from him, we have no true life." - St Ignatius, Trillian Letter

"Why do you think God would be a man from Nazareth? Some random Jewish man? Because God picked Israel to be a separate nation, to be the light and the difference in the world, and Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of Israel to usher them in and give them the completion of their covenant, they failed on reaching their end so he ended the covenant with them and brought in the new covenant with the world." -Jon Steel

"Catholics were the first Christians. Catholic means universal, the faith is made for everyone, across all cultures and nations. In the gospel, Jesus did not come for just one group, he came for everyone. Catholics do not worship Mary, Catholics only worship God. Catholics hold Mary in a high place of respect and venerate her. Imagine Jesus asking someone what they think of his mom and the person says, "well I definitely don't have a high level of respect for her'... it won't go well. We respect and love Mary because Jesus loved and respected Mary first. Mary is the mother of God. We do Pray to Mary, but a prayer is simply a request, you can ask anyone to pray for you and it's called intercession, we are asking them to talk to God for us." - Fr David Michael Moses

"The scientific method was developed by Catholic priests, the man who first proposed the big bang theory was a priest, the Vatican's academy of sciences includes Nobel prize winners and top researchers. Science and God are not opposed or enemies. Like a thumb and index finger, having to use them both to grasp things. God created the universe and Catholics are not scared to study it and come to a better understanding of it." - Fr David Michael Moses

"I don't simply believe in God, I believe in God as revealed in Jesus Christ which brings us to a completely different level of understanding, when I look around the world and the universe I know there is a creator. I believe there is a God who has revealed himself to me in terms I can understand, in terms of a person like myself in some sense, that I am not simply searching for this mysterious God. I think logically think that one's reasons for God often come after one's experience of God." - Scientist

"You must endure suffering, here is how, remember that it is to be expected, remember it when it's happening, not right now. Look to the examples of the Saints and be inspired. Look to their example and learn the most about the Saints who suffered. Look at how much those saints suffered and went through, if they could stand firm and get through suffering, so can I. Learn about the martyrs and men and women who went through incredible suffering and gave their lives to the faith. It should inspire you to be like them. Make these men and women your heroes. Make your heroes those who suffered well. Suffering well will make you an inspiration to others. Suffering well means you are faithful in the midst of it, even when you encounter that division, your love of God does not fall apart, it only grows. To suffer well means you can take those sufferings and offer that as a sacrifice up to the Lord. Offer that pain up to him, your pain is very real." - Keith Nester

"Each hour of Saint Lidwina's pain, each hour of immobility was offered to God for the conversion of sinners, the souls in purgatory and those who had no one to pray for them. Her room became her sanctuary and and her bed an altar, her wounds offerings, her life became vast in it's spiritual reach. Saint Lidwina would have visions from angels in between her moments of agony, she saw her guardian angel through the realms of purgatory, old time dead souls that have been long forgotten, but those souls recognized her and thanked her for her prayers. From that moment on she made it a point to never miss her prayers. In another flash she saw heaven, light brighter than light, and she saw that each soul had a place carved out for them shaped by the love they had shared on earth."

[mttyswhre]

Thoughts on Peter the Pope

"At the height of Roman power, about 60, there came a middle aged man to the Great City named Simon son of John, a fisherman from Galilee. A nothing place. Though, Simon came as a friend of Jesus from Nazareth; who he learned from, spoke with, and got a nickname from: Rock. Simon Peter comes to Rome about 60 AD with an unbelievable message: That Jesus, the man put to death, had been raised from the dead by God. Now Jesus is the true king of the world and needs to be recognized as the king. Simon came to Rome with this message.

The Romans found this message so disturbing that about 64 AD they took Simon Peter and transported him up to a circus, outside the main city, where one of the things they did was execute criminals for people's entertainment. Peter the apostle was crucified there, tradition says upside down, and some say this is credible due to the harsh detail of that being remembered. Peter died there and was dragged out of the circus to a small cemetery on Vatican hill where he was buried. A random fisherman from nowhere is crucified and killed by the power of Rome. Anyone at the time seeing this would think he's just another poor sap who was taken down by the Roman empire. "And, of course, the Roman empire will last forever- unlike whatever this guy is talking about."

The question is obviously: Where is the Roman Empire? It's gone. It's nowhere. Where is the successor of Nero? There is none- it doesn't exist. What is left of their monuments? Ruins, a wreck. Where is the empire of Simon son of John? Everywhere. All over the world. Everywhere you look, all over the world, signs of the empire proclaimed by Peter the apostle. Where is Peter's successor? You can see him on the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica today, the basilica built over the spot where they buried Peter in 64 AD. The pope today is named Pope Leo XIV, the 266th successor of Peter in an unbroken line." - Bishop Barr0n

If Jesus was taking his kingdom seriously it's apparent he would need someone to help control things once Jesus was no longer living amongst us on earth. Peter is a vicar of Christ, but the word vicar means representative- we are all supposed to be representatives of Christ at some level. The pope is infallible in only certain and rare situations, we do not idolize the pope.

When Jesus asks his Apostles who he is they mostly just say some names and ideas. It's only Peter who says You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus made him the rock after Peter said this and Jesus said he would give Peter the keys to his kingdom and not even the gates of hell will prevail against it. The Roman empire is gone. The church still stands today with over a billion members.

Saint Peter's Basilica is the world's most beautiful grave marker in history on the solid rock foundation of Peter's faith.

The name Peter wasn't a name until Jesus took the word Rock and made it a name. Jesus took his disciples to caesarea philippi and showed them the huge rock there with churches built in to the side of it, using the scene as an example. Jesus told Peter, like the church built on the rock behind me, Peter on this Rock, you, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Only God can change someone's name and when he does, he changes their identity and their role. In this moment Simon Peter becomes unique and set apart from the other apostles. Then Jesus tells Peter he will give him the keys of the kingdom of Heaven and what you open no shall shut and what you shut no one shall open. What you bound here on earth will be bound in Heaven and what's loosed on earth is loosed in Heaven. Jesus is referencing Isiah 22.

Right after Jesus gives them the Eucharist for the first time and tells them he will be betrayed they break out in an argument about who is the greatest among them. Once this disagreement breaks out among the disciples Jesus takes this opportunity to remind them about servant leadership. The leader should be the servant. Jesus says, “It is you who have stood by me in my trials and I have conferred a kingdom on you as my Father has conferred a kingdom upon me. That you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and you will sit on the throne, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Jesus makes it clear that he is establishing a kingdom and they will sit on the thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. After Jesus says this he turns to Peter and he says, “Behold, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat but I have prayed for you (singular) Peter, that your own faith may not fail and once you turn back, you may strengthen your brothers. 

Jesus just told the disciples they have authority in his kingdom. These are the first apostles, the first bishops. Jesus admits Satan will sift them and that Jesus prayed for Peter in particular that after denying Jesus, Peter will return to him so he may strengthen his brothers. Peter is to be the servant of his brothers. The pope is the servant of the servants of God. Jesus knows Peter is broken and wounded and weak and he has a job to do. Once Peter weakens and fails he will come back and help strengthen his brethren. 

This is a great gift God has given us, the Holy Father, the gift of having a Pope. Isaiah 22 says, that sure peg fixed in a solid place- the pope. Staying close to him will keep us close to the church. The church is not optional. Jesus Christ is God coming to take command in his Holy Roman Catholic Church." - FR Mike Schmitz

Matthew 16:18–19 “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Luke 22:31–32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

[mttyswhre]

Jellyous

I don't wanna do anything na ya update tu ka ta mommy kungan kungan emoji check pa sah! Bowm sah tali DM Kuta no ya jom hawk to your messagey. What's up on Sunday? dakam ha tashi si kunga na flavor. goo sungan na ya pinkuma na lever Mahsang ha sang say jelly shower Ana say mucha sookie chaa

[mttyswhre]

Institute of Carmelite Studies

Getting interrupted during prayer is okay. When you are thinking 'I should be praying' what you really should be thinking is 'I should be loving'.. and love expresses itself in prayer and in moments of showing patience.

In the Interior Castle, Teresa of Avila talks about worms that can eat away at the Ivy of our lives like low self esteem, judgment in small things, not loving people as ourselves. Poor attitudes in our life can mitigate against a life of prayer. A life of prayer is seeing someone in need and giving them something, if you must give up your only dinner then do it. Be glad for someone being praised and not jealous. Authentic prayer is practicing these things in every moment of your life. How are our relationships to one another? Are we willing to die to ourselves to give ourselves away in charity to another person by generosity, our patience, our understanding.

Jesus crucified stands for compassionate, self giving love, being spiritual means being branded by the cross, being a slave of everyone like He was. The fruit of prayer is service and love, giving ourselves away in whatever circumstance we're living. The fruit of prayer is using our gifts to help one another. You must start small, with the people you live with, with your kindness, self giving love, humility, charity. Don't just jump to huge goals, help those right around you.

It may be easy to be patient and charitable with strangers, the real challenge may be acting patient with those closest to you right at home. Staring in those small moments with the people in your circle is the best way to get the ball rolling. You must begin now if you want to ever live a holy, Christian life. Do not build castles in the air, start with where the people you live with and love them, and that will have an energy and ripple effect to change the world.

Prayer is for the transformation of the world, our daily lives are always within God, we must try and be aware of His love in our life and try to share it with others and that will have a prayerful effect on the world. Think of the affect you could have on others if you are as prayerful as can be and as loving as can be.

It's easy to think that if you feel far from God and you punish yourself you may feel closer to him but that is not a good way to do it. You will feel anxiety no matter what you do, good or bad, so if you really believe in merciful love, just deliver that anxiety up to God as a pleasing sacrifice. Take that very thing that you feel separates you from God and offer it up to Him. If you can feel content with all you feel discontented with in yourself, you will be a shelter for Jesus so- can you bear the redemptive suffering of bearing that anxiety for the Love of God? Notes from: ICS Publications videos "Prayer as transformation of Life"

Why is prayer and faith important for all of us? Saint Terese and other Carmelite Saints teach us that prayer is missionary, it reaches out to the whole world, beyond any walls, borders, countries- you can reach anyone. Jesus tells us to pray continuously so being called to be a Carmelite nun and pray all day is a gift to the church. Prayer is friendship with God, it is sharing everything with God, entrust your whole day to the Holy Spirit. Prayer is not just for the Religious or Priests, a life of prayer is for everyone, God wants to be your friend, he created you to be united with Him.

Work and prayer don't have to be separate. It's like a diamond that catches sunlight in so many different ways. Whether you're praying in private, working in the office, private prayer, helping a friend. Whenever you serve others, you can feel closer to God in prayer. When serving, even being called to do the dishes, that can be a quiet way to be with Jesus. Like one diamond that catches light in many ways. Work is an important grounding influence.

Even Saints struggled to be happy, patient and control their temper. That gives glory to God when they go through those trials to do better. Nothing good living in us helps us do these things, God only can help us.

[mttyswhre]

I have been doing my novena and have not missed a day since I started it on August six, it's been about 20 days. Lately I have been praying a lot and it's been good, I haven't missed church since the beginning of the year but I did miss Mary's Assumption Feast Day which I will go to confession for.

I feel as though I am slowly but surely starting to understand the usefulness of suffering, but I am not there yet. I want to offer up my suffering to God and in so doing I want to offer up every moment of my life to God.

I want him to know me and not turn me away when I get to heaven and he acts like he doesn't know me. I can't ask stupid, I can't act dumb. I need to keep my head on tight and not lose sight of the vision.

I think for me I really need to, like, be patient with people. When Lisa is slow and being slow next to me I need to just accept it. When my neighbors do things that I do not like, I need to just accept it. Maybe I can even try to accept it without needing to justify it one day- maybe one day I will be able to just accept things. Like radical acceptance but with a religious edge to it.

[mttyswhre]

I started the novena today! wish me luuuck

my intention is to be able to get up in the morning and go to work without debilitating anxiety.

[mttyswhre]

I was thinking a lot about these two customers at work who I used to really dislike and now they're two of the customers I enjoy the most. Eileen used to be a pain in my ass and Joe used to annoy me but now I've spoken to them more and have gotten to know them.

Just taking the time to talk to them and get to know them helped me find things to talk about with them. Joe told me about his time in the service and how it took him months to get back to normal once he came home. Eileen talks to me about religion because she's Catholic and she's been on many pilgrimages. It's amazing how you just need to take the time to endure someone before you learn to enjoy them.

I was thinking about Joe specifically and I was wondering if maybe he was sick and if he needed some prayers or maybe he even passed. So I took a moment and said an Our Father and a Hail Mary for him... he was my first customer the next morning at work. Joe was the first customer I helped the next day at work.

Prayers work, they do something. That was no coincidence. Prayers make movement in the spiritual world and that was my message so I knew.

I want to intercede for more people.

[mttyswhre]

If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him.

How do I live in trust of God?

Saying “Jesus, I trust in You” when you’re unsure.

Bringing your anxiety to prayer instead of solving everything yourself.

Letting go of self-condemnation and accepting grace.

Believing God is still working even when you feel nothing.

What does it mean to have faith in Jesus?

Believe who He is- God.

Trusting what He did- His life, death, and resurrection are enough to save you.

Receive Him personally- not just as an idea, but as your Lord and Savior.

Respond with Love and Obedience.

What kind of faith justifies us?

Humble- admitting our sin and need for grace.

Personal- trusting Jesus for your salvation

Relational- loving and honoring Him as Lord

Transformative- not perfect obedience but true faith produces change over time.

You may love in ways others don’t see:

Not lashing out when you’re frustrated.

Taking care of someone even when you're drained.

Praying silently for others.

Keeping yourself from gossip.

Feeling conviction and choosing to grow.

[mttyswhre]

novena!!

https://pastebin.com/pFiGNzyN

https://www.truefaith.tv/undoerofknots

[mttyswhre]

I made a little prayer book that reminds how and what to pray for when I pray- it even has the rosary mysteries listed for me and a few things underneath to remind me what to pray for. It also has some scripture quotes so I can call upon the word of God in my prayers. I also have an old small trampoline I am going to use a prayer kneeler. I hope this brings my prayer life to another level. I will be praying for peace of mind to just get through the day without dreading every little thing, I really just need peace of mind and will to live, I also will pray to feel closer to the Holy Mary and pray for graces from her.

[mttyswhre]

Hail, Holy Queen

Hail, Holy Queen by Sct Hhn

Chapter One

Mary is constantly pointing our attention away from her and towards her Son, without fail she lets us know that any and all graces she has are from God. Mary is the mother of God, she was chosen and made pure to give birth to the Word made flesh. During the nine months of pregnancy mother and babies bodies are made for one another; they share the same food, blood and oxygen. Newborns recognize the high pitched female tone of their mother's voice and their eyes, in the beginning, are only developed enough to make eye contact with their mother. After Jesus was born he would have spent a very long time deeply connected with his mother, drinking from her breast and being kept warm and clean by her. Not only did God develop in her womb, but He started off His earthly life in her blessed arms. Joseph and Mary would have taught God how to care for His earthly body, how to talk and walk and how to pray and be a Jew. The Creator of all things allowed Himself to be nurtured by His own creatures.

All of history was the world's preparation for the moment when the Word was made flesh, when God became a human child in the womb of a young virgin from Nazareth. The very start of our salvation begins with her being used as a Jesus' very first tool. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh and Vatican II tells us that both Christ and Scripture are given to us for our salvation. Scripture is the inspired word of God and when we read it we need to be aware of two things: the literal sense of the stories and the spiritual sense of what the words mean. You must try and reach out and listen to what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you through these words. We do this in imitation of Jesus because this is the way He read scriptures. Jesus was aware of the old covenants through his study of scripture and he was aware that he was to be the new and eternal covenant.

God first made covenants with just a few men, slowly adding people in to his circle: first a couple, then a family, then a nation, and eventually the world. Thanks to man's unfaithfulness and sin, all of these covenants failed, only God Himself is able to remain faithful to his covenantal promises. For the new and everlasting, upholding and faithful covenant, God became man in Jesus Christ by which we become part of His family: the family of God. God shares everything with us: his father, his mother, his home, his siblings. We are part of God's family with the Father and the Son and the love they share- the Holy Spirit. Without Mary's role in this covenant it inevitably ends up feeling like a bachelor's apartment: masculine to a fault, orderly but not homey, functional but lacking poetry. To make this family whole we need Mary's touch of beauty and motherly love to bring us full circle and complete God's family. Mary is our Mother, too.

Chapter two

Mary's role plays a deep part in our salvation history and her role is not incidental to God's plan. God chose to make His redemptive act inconceivable without her. Mary was His plan from the very beginning, chosen and foretold from the moment God created man and woman. Both John's Gospel and Genesis start with the words, 'in the beginning...' both of these echo a fresh new start to creation. So much of what John writes in his book mirror what is told in Genesis, which is when the very first covenant took place and is a vital narrative. When John tells the first few stories of his book you can count up to the first seven days when the wedding happened due to the way he numbered his days in the writing. The wedding feast happens on the seventh day which would (in religion) become known as the Sabbath, the day of rest and the sign of the completion of the covenant.

On the seventh day of John's story the wedding feast at Cana takes place. During this feast they ran out of wine way too early, at which point Jesus' mother points out the obvious: "They have no wine." When she says this to him Jesus' response may sound like a rebuke, "O woman, what have you to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." but this is no rebuke to his mother but an expression of deference and respect. It's as if to say, 'what does this have to do with us' and he goes on to point out that this miracle will lead to the road of something much greater. Jesus defers to His mother, though she never commands Him. She, in turn, merely tells the servants, "Do whatever He tells you."

When Jesus honors Mary's request for more wine out of love (not obligation) it shows that He values her intercession profoundly and takes heart to her motherly concern. This reveals how closely Jesus listens to His mother, how fully she trusts in His divine will, and how powerfully their relationship reflects the harmony in God’s timing and human faith.

The whole point of this chapter is to expand on the concept of Mary being the new Eve. Mary, in full, is God's mother, spouse, and daughter. How can this be so? Isiah 62:4-5 tells us "For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you." My delight is in her... the Father's obedient daughter. Your land shall be married... Mary is the spouse of the Holy spirit. And of course she is Jesus' mother. This layered relationship reflects the Trinity itself- Mary, in her singular role, is intimately united to each Divine Person. The mystery of the divine maternity runs deep, because the mystery of the Trinity runs still deeper.

Mary is this woman of all women. Jesus calls her woman first at the wedding in Cana and then for the last time when he gives her to John The Beloved as his mother. This is significant imagery, Eve is the mother of all living and Mary is the mother to all who have new life in baptism. At Cana, then, the New Eve radically reverses the fatal decision of the first Eve. It was woman who led the old Adam to his first evil act in the garden. It was woman who led the New Adam to His first glorious work. The knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. The knot which the virgin Eve tied by her unbelief, the Virgin Mary opened by her belief.

There is a clear and discerned message of the New Eve: Obey God, Who is her Son, her Spouse, her Father. "Do whatever He tells you."

Chapter Three

In the days of ancient Israel the ark of the Covenant was the most important possession they had. It was holy and an effective weapon for it represented the protection and power of the almighty God. Within Solomon's temple, the ark had occupied the holy of holies and it is what made the chamber holy itself. In around 580AD prophet Jeremiah concealed the ark in a secret place to keep it safe from Babylonian invaders and it has not been found since.

When John wrote the book of Revelation, he was claiming to have seen the ark itself, the glory of God. The Greek word for revelation that John uses is the word apokalypsis which is more appropriately translated to unveiling and used by Greek-speaking Jews to describe the moment when the bride was unveiled before her husband, just before the couple consummated their marriage. So, once again, as at Cana, we find ourselves with John at a wedding feast. John writes in Revelation 19:9, "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb".

In the times of old, believing Jews would have been raised to hope and pray for the restoration of the ark in the temple. They would have read John's book of Revelation and when they got to chapter 11 (chapters were not in the original manuscripts) they would have been reading and preparing for John to reveal the ark of the covenant to them. The reader is prepared to see the ark as the way John has claimed to see it.

The story builds up so miraculously, "There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, a heavy hail. And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." First we see a bride that appeared as a city and now we see an ark appearing as a woman. Who is this woman that is also an ark? Although it may seem to some that this woman symbolizes the Church, the comparison appears to fall short. Multiple personifications of actual persons in history are able to be surmised from the details given forth in John's writings. There are specific examples of a male child and beasts in the word that call forth specific parallels to baby Jesus, king Herod, Satan himself and others.

There is a great display of the relation of the Herods, the Caesars and Satan in God's plan and yet the centerpiece of Revelation 12 is the woman who is the ark of the covenant. Tradition tells us that the same person whom Jesus calls woman in John's gospel, is the reprise of the person Adam calls woman in Genesis. John, in Revelation, only refers to her as 'woman' which is the name Adam gave to Eve in the garden. Like Eve, who was the mother of all living, the New Eve is the mother of all those who keep the commandments of God as stated in Revelation.

Some object the woman in Revelation is Mary because she has labor pains and since Mary didn't sin she would not be subject to the painful birth sin of Eve. Yet the anguish of the woman in Revelation does not necessarily stand for physical labor pains. In the bible Saint Paul refers to spiritual suffering as child birth and labor pains. The anguish the woman is suffering may be her desire to bring forth Christ to the world for our salvation.

Whatever made the first ark holy made Mary even holier. If the first ark contained the Word of God in stone, Mary's body contained the Word of God enfleshed. If the first ark contained miraculous bread from heaven, Mary's body held the Bread of Life that conquers death forever. If the first arc contained the rod of the ancestral priest, Mary's body contained the divine person of the eternal priest, Jesus.

This is the mystery John draws us into. The ark was never lost it was fulfilled. It was not hidden away in the earth but revealed in the woman clothed with the sun. What the Jewish people longed to see again has been seen in glory not as a box of gold but as a living person. Mary is the true ark of the covenant the vessel that carried God's presence into the world. Through her the promises of the old were not abandoned but completed. And through her we are brought to the wedding feast where heaven and earth are joined forever.

Chapter Four

The Queen Mother is a unique role that may be unfamiliar to most. This chapter does a wonderful job at explaining the context of this special role and how it was shown through biblical history and especially in the Davidic Kingdom. Throughout the old testament we see promises from God Himself that someone from David’s bloodline would rule all nations and reign forever. (2 Sam 7:12-14), (Ps 132:11-13), (Jer 33:17). “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots” (Is 11:1) this is a sign of renewed hope from David’s line. Not long after, God gave another promise in Isaiah, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Is 7:14), pointing to the miraculous birth of the future King. 

God has used irregular family situations to work his plans and miracles since the Old Testament. King Solomon, from the OT, was the son of King David and Bathsheba and their relationship began with adultery and murder. There is a callback to this fact in the opening of the New Testament when Matthew lists Bathsheba as the wife of Uriah, a subtle mention to her adultery. Thus, this works as a means to remind readers that Jesus is not to be discredited just because he has no biological father. Matthew’s gospel is written to consistently show how Jesus fulfills ancient scripture and prophecy from the very first words when he writes, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David”. 

The revealing and timing of the Davidic kingdom is no accident, neither was the layout of the garden and Adam and Eve. Like Adam and Eve’s relationship structure being so crucial to our understanding of the new covenant, Jesus being the New Adam and Mary being the New Eve, there is another relationship within an old covenant that we must understand. In the ancient kingdom of the Near East it was common for them to be ruled by a monarch who practiced polygamy and had several wives and many children. This posed problems. First, who would be honored as the queen? Second, whose son should receive the right of succession to the throne? A single custom solved this, the woman ordinarily honored as queen was not the wife of the king, but the mother of the king and there was an element of justice to this since it was often the persuasive power of the mother who got the seat for her son. As wife of the former king and mother to the present king, the queen mother embodied the continuity of dynastic succession. 

There are many queen mothers in the old testament and Bathsheba is one of them. A passage from 1 Kings reads, “So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her, and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne, and had a seat brought for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right.” (1 Kngs 2:19) By this passage alone we are able to see that the position of queen mother is not one of mere title.Solomon is her superior but in both nature and protocol, he remains her son. What stands out in this passage is that Bathsheba is coming to her son on behalf of someone else, someone named Adonijah who had said, “Pray ask King Solomon- he will not refuse you.” By the time of this particular scene, Solomon had a track record for granting his mother’s wishes. This obligation to Bathshebe’s requests was not out of any legally binding obligation on Solomon’s part but because of filial love and an overall respect for her opinions. Solomon relied on his mother to be a chief counselor, who could advise and instruct him in a way, perhaps, that few others could have the courage to do. 

The role of the queen mother went deeper and is shown in different ways in various stories. Her influence was both personal and political, making her one of the most trusted and powerful figures in the royal court. In the epic of Gilgamesh the queen mother in Mesopotamia was considered an intercessor, or advocate, for the people. Chapter 31 of the Book of Proverbs is introduced as “the words of Lemeul, king of Massa, which his mother taught him,” and the chapter goes on to give substantial, practical instruction in governance. As a political adviser, an advocate for the people, and a subject who could be counted on for frankness, the queen mother in any story was unique in her relationship to the king. This custom is vital to understanding Mary’s role: Jesus is the Davidic King, and therefore Mary is the Queen Mother in His kingdom.

This helps us unlock the mysteries of the woman of the book of Revelation. She is crowned with 12 stars representing the 12 tribes of Israel because she will bear the Davidic king. She is threatened by the dragon because the serpent's allies, the house of Herod, would set themselves against the reign of David's house and David's successor. Finally, the Davidic monarchy completes the connection between the original Adam and Eve who failed and the new Adam and new Eve who succeeded and won redemption for the human race. In Genesis, we see that Adam was created first and was given dominion or kingship over the earth. He was never intended to reign by himself. ”The Lord God said it is not good that man should be alone..” (Gen 2:18) So God created Eve, Adam's helpmate and queen. They are to share dominion.

Through the ancient institution of the queen mother in the Davidic kingdom, we come to see Mary not only as the New Eve but also as the true Queen Mother- crowned in heaven, interceding for her children, and completing the story first begun in Genesis. The circle is complete: the woman who bore the Word now reigns beside the King. She is the one who gave birth to the King and now she helps the King rule. 

Chapter Five

Mary, the Mother of God, was and remains a real, living person. She was assumed into heaven full body and soul to be with her Son. If we are to know the brotherhood of Jesus Christ, we must come to know the mother whom we share with Jesus Christ. This woman, this mother, this chosen vessel of God is someone the church chose to carefully preserve certain historical facts about her in the scriptural accounts and in the form of dogmas(interpretations of scripture). The immaculate conception is the doctrine that God preserved Mary free from all stains of original sin. From the first moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, then, she lived in a state of sanctifying grace won for her by the merits of her son Jesus. Thus the angel’s greeting to Mary, “Hail, full of grace,” was uttered years before Jesus won grace for mankind. Yet Mary was, even then, “full of grace.”

Mary was the instrument of God’s dispensation. The Word of God… did not merely pass through her, as He may pass through us in Holy Communion. It was no heavenly body which the Eternal Son assumed… No, He imbibed, He sucked up her blood and her substance into His Divine Person. He became man from her, and received her lineaments and her features as the appearance and character under which He should manifest Himself to the world. 

Mary had her grace from her birth but Jesus still was the one who gave her those graces. Mary is Jesus’ mother, and Jesus is God and God is both our creator and our redeemer. Mary is God’s mother and she was kept pure and without sin and He has fulfilled the commandment to honor His parents. He honored her in a way that is singularly beautiful, nobody else in existence has the same relationship to God as she does. Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, Who was and is a divine person. Though Mary did not originate God, she most certainly bore Him. She ‘mothered’ Him. 

For centuries Christians were okay with calling Mary ‘the mother of God’ until they started to say that they aren’t okay with ‘mother of God' and are only okay with ‘mother of Christ'. This does not work because Jesus and God are the same. Whatever you say about Jesus can be said about God Himself, God is eternal and He also was born in a manger in Bethlehem. 

In 431 A.D. Pope Celestine called the Council of Ephesus where over 200 bishops declared that Mary was indeed the Mother of God. Christians in the city were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the news and once it was read the people rejoiced and carried the bishops through the city in a torch lit procession celebration. The believers of the Blessed Virgin Mary waited outdoors for the bishop's decree and once they heard it they celebrated all through the night- all because this woman had received her due honor. 

It is said by Saint Thomas Aquinas that, “In order that Christ’s body might be shown to be a real body, He was born of a woman. In order that His Godhead might be made clear, He was born of a virgin.” This modifier of the word virgin is essential in Tradition’s understanding of Mary being the New Eve.For the first Christians, to believe in Jesus was to believe in Mary’s virginity. Her identity is incomplete without the word ‘virgin’ for her Virginity is not merely a characteristic of her personality, or a description of her biological state. Virginity is so much a part of her that it has become like a name. Catholics believe in Mary’s Perpetual Virginity throughout her whole life. 

It is believed that Mary had a vow of celibacy from a young age and when she married Joseph he was aware of this vow, for in Luke 1:27-34 she asks how it’s possible for her to be pregnant if she has no husband- but she was married to Joseph at the time. The Dead Sea Scrolls themselves attest that celibacy was a common practice of some Israelite sects so it’s not unthinkable that her implied question is proof of her perpetual virginity. 

Christ honored His mother by preserving her from sin from the first moment of her life. That would be glory enough, but we know that He didn’t stop there. Mary received redemption as a first fruit of Christ’s work, so she also received bodily resurrection and heavenly glory. At the end of her earthly days, Mary was taken up, body and soul, into heaven. Documentary evidence of the assumption stretches back to the fourth century. By the end of the sixth century, the doctrine and the feast day were already universally established in the Church. There is no evidence that the teaching was seriously challenged or disputed during the period of the Fathers; nor did any church or city ever claim to own the relics of the Blessed Virgin. That, in itself, is quite remarkable. In the early Church, cities and churches vied with one another for possession of the bones of the great apostles and martyrs. If Mary’s bones had remained on earth, they would, of course, have been the grand prize. The transfer of them from city to city would have been well attested at the time though history shows us not a hint of Marian reliquary. 

The assumption of Mary into heaven confirms her as the Queen Mother forever and how Jesus Christ reigns with His queen mother at His right hand. She is clean and holy and free from sin and this belief in her holiness is necessary to believe she is the Ark of the Covenant. The old Ark foreshadowed her, but she surpassed it because she bore God Himself. Scripture deliberately makes this connection, and her role as Ark highlights her holiness, dignity, and central place in God’s plan. Though Christians do not worship her, they venerate her and hold her to high honor, while reserving adoration and worship for God alone. Indeed, the early Christians who were most vigorous in their Marian devotion were equally vigorous in denouncing any local remnants of idol worship. 

[mttyswhre]

August 2nd 2025

Been praying like a muh to get close to the Blessed Mother. I reach out to her and I know she reaches back, I want to feel her and let her guide my life and pray and pray and pray for more graces to not sin. I especially do not want to sin against others. I do not want to ever make people feel bad and I want to have thoughts with minimal hate in them. I suffer from first movements, intrusive thoughts and bouts of scrupulosity thanks to my OCD and I need to not waste my energy on worrying about those so I can focus more on actually practicing love for people. Like actually doing little things and thinking little thoughts that show I HAVE LOVE WITHIN ME. And that I LISTEN TO THE PULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

I have already done a pretty good job at changing my thoughts and my ways and right now I am just focused on not being mean and impatient as opposed to making people feel loved. I have had two instances of people telling me "I have a good spirit" and I have had an instance where my mom said "Look at those little roses" to me when I asked St Therese for a rose (she even used the word little) So I see these things and I know The Son and Mary see me. They see me reaching and they meet me where I am.

[mttyswhre]

Story of a Soul Review

[mttyswhre]

Suffering alone makes us like Jesus the Crucified. The true measure of love is to suffer without being consoled.

[mttyswhre]

How do you think she would respond if she could experience the Eucharistic Glory that most Catholics take for granted on Sunday? And not just her, but pick any of the dozens of people throughout the Gospel who approach Jesus humbly seeking His help: How would they respond to the possibility and opportunityof the Eucharist?

Did you notice what I said earlier? Jesus is always healing people. I didn't say Jesus was always healing people because that would have been a half-truth.

I don't know what form your need for healing takes, but I do know who can do the healing: Jesus-the carpenter from Naza-reth, the itinerant preacher, the Son of God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the Lamb of God, the new Adam, the Messiah, the Alpha and the Omega, the Chosen One, the Light of the World, the God-Man who wants good things for us more than we want them for ourselves, the healer of our souls.

What would happen if you went to Church next Sunday looking for healing in the same way that this woman sought Jesus out to be healed? What would happen if you brought that broken and difficult part of your life to Jesus in the Eucharist? Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Don't worry about whether He will or not for now. Just focus on believing that He can.

"Jesus has the power not only to heal, but also to forgive sins.

He has come to heal the whole person, soul and body. He is the physician the sick need. His compassion toward all who suffer goes so far that He identifies Himself with them: I was sick and you visited me." (CCC 1503) Jesus is your personal healer.

Before we began day one of this journey, in the introduction, I spoke about a Muslim man I met many years ago. I asked him if he believed he could consume his God under the guise of bread, what would he do to receive that bread. Do you remember what he said to me?" -From a book 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory

[mttyswhre]

July 17th 2025 I got in to a car accident today and my immediate reaction was to question God and everything and think evil things about him. It took some time but within hours I was back to normal in my faith. I was thinking about reading the book of Job or Habakuk and learning from that and trying to re-center myself.

I was watching a video by Sam Shamoun on his reaction to a scandal involving Voiceof Reason... the next video to play was called "The Real Reason why God allowed Job to suffer." I was a bit shocked as this clearly was not coincidental. I had thought about Job but I did not search him or anything yet... It just played on a shuffle. I have no idea how it played, it was just meant to be.

I'm shocked that this video came up on its own. I don't believe that it was a coincidence.

The video talks about...

Satan accuses Job of loving God without a pure heart and that Job only loves God because of all the blessings God has given Job. He does this in an attempt to sow doubt in to the minds of the sons of God and the angels when it comes to God's knowledge and assessment. If God allows Job to be tortured and is wrong about his assessment, the angels will doubt God. And God doubles down and says no, there is nobody else like Job, he truly loves me and he will prevail in his love despite any suffering. God stands up for Job's integrity and faithfulness in front of the Angels in Heaven and satan himself.

Job does not know this is going on. Job has no idea God is trying to vindicate Job and prove his true character and worthiness that God knows is there. This should be a lesson to us, that we do not know the reasons as to why we suffer. In the spirit realm, there is a battle over believers, a battle over our salvation. Job had no idea.

Job thought God hated him and thought this story was because God hated him. Job wonders how God can hate him so much Job isn't angry or anything, he's just heart broken and confused. Job didn't know that God did not turn against him, God was vindicating Job because Satan questioned Job's integrity.

In Job 38-42 God appears to Job and God never defends himself and tells Job why. God never explains why the suffering happened nor that he was fighting for Job's honor.

God says to Job: I will give you these answers when you can answer these questions about creation and the universe.. do not ever question my wisdom, you do not know the reason why I do the things that I do. Do not think or assume the worst of God. Job never gets his answer for his suffering this side of the grave but he's told to just trust God and God's intentions for us.

God says that He is a god of love and he loves us so much that everything He does is for us and we need to trust that, even when we suffer and we want to doubt. Job wonders why God hates him but God loves Job more than Job can imagine, Job doesn't know that Satan accused Job and questioned him on his integrity- but God knows Job and he bore witness to Job's intense faith and used Job's suffering to prove that. He was fighting for Job's honor.

Job is not as wise as God, he can not question God's intentions. We can imagine God saying: Can't you trust me and take me at my word? I know more than you can imagine and I know what's best for you, and I see things behind the scenes that you do not see and whatever happens is for your best, because I am in love with you, and I am here for you, I am not against you.

If only Job knew what God was doing for him, God was vindicating Job before heaven. When Job passed the test and God could say: You see? What a liar and a deceiver and vile satan is, do not ever doubt My assessment and judgment. You see? Job is as I said he is, blameless and faultless.

We can love God more when we get to see God the way he is supposed to be seen, you will find God irresistible in time. How beautiful is God? He thinks you are even more beautiful. He is beyond our understanding and we can understand why he is so in love with us, especially when he does not need us.

Romans 8:28 "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose". This verse assures believers that God works all things, even difficult or painful circumstances, for their ultimate good and in accordance with His plan. It emphasizes God's sovereignty and His love for those who are in relationship with Him.

God works for our good for those who are called according to his purpose.

[mttyswhre]

I need to start learning more about saints and taking them seriously but right now I am focusing most and welcoming the Holy Mother in to my life and my heart and my mind and glorifying her Son with her

(not my image)

I want to learn more about Francis Assisi and of Saint Frances that is from my church name. The brown scapular, the miraculous medal, the imagine of Jesus I trust in you and the lady of Mt Carmel

I think Carmelite nuns are some of the most powerful and spiritual human beings I want to learn more of their practices and maybe even visit a monastery one day.