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Ophiolite · 2025-12-01T06:56:17-0600

RileyG said:
What are your thoughts on the Loch Ness Monster and other topics related to cryptozoology? (Such as champ, yeti/bigfoot etc).

I think it's mostly a hoax, but it's a fun topic for fiction!

What accounts for any report of an observation (of anything)?

Accidental misinterpretation of what is observed
Ill informed misinterpretation of what is observed
Misinterpretation of what is seen governed by personal bias, or outside influence
Hallucination
False memory
Hoax
Lie
Accurate, objective observation

Reports of any curious creature will potentially fall into many, perhaps all, of these categories. However, the demonstable unreliability of eye witness testimony, the extensive "reworking" of our senses before the signals reach the conscious, the limitations of those same senses, the convincing reality of hallucinations, the tendency of the brain to construct false memories and the dishonesty of segements of the population, all make unusual observations highly questionable.

I am not a fan of "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence", but it does carry some weight. And much of the evidence for most sightings are more readily explained by one of the other items in my list, bar the last one.

Take the Loch Ness Monster: build lucrative tourist revenue on the myth and the amateur tourists and professional "searchers for the weird and wonderful" are primed to interpret things in favour of a "real sighting". And yet, despite the many tens of thousands of eyes, and photographs, and films, and sonar scans, and submersible visits, and the like, we arrive with less than a handful of difficult to account for, but far from conclusive, observations. And set that against the calculations that point to insufficient food for a family (it has to be a family) of monsters.

I would not be at all surprised to learn that the Yeti was confirmed as the Himalayan bear. I would be astounded if it turned out to be a cousin primate. I would not be at all surprised if the reports of big cats such as panthers roaming the English countryside turned out to be true. I would be equally unsurprised if they all were explained in something like a recent case: reports of a small lion which turned out to be a very large dog with an unusual hair cut.

As you say, its fun to consider. Just don't take it too seriously until there is good reason to do so.

johnnypapa · 2025-12-01T06:55:47-0600

December 1, 2025 Monday of the First Week of Advent

Our Morning Offering – 1 December – Great Saint Andrew, Friend of Jesus

Our Morning Offering – 1 December – Great Saint Andrew, Friend of Jesus

Our Morning Offering – 1 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of St Andrew, Apostle and Martyr Great Saint Andrew, Frien…

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Morning Offering for December 1, 2025

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One Minute Reflection – 1 December – ”We have found the Messiah”

One Minute Reflection – 1 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of St Andrew, Apostle of Christ – Romans 10: 10-18 – Matt…

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Feria (First Sunday of Advent) propers & commentary (EF)

First Sunday of Advent

Sermons and spiritual reading

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Monday of the First Week of Advent (Gueranger)(EF)

Monday of the First Week of Advent

Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come. From the Prophet Isaias 1:16-18 Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your devices from my eyes: cease to do perversely, Learn to do…

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Monday of the First Week of Advent readings & commentary (OF)

Only Say the Word

December 1, 2025 - Monday of the First Week of Advent - Catholic Daily Reflections from My Catholic Life!

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Monday of the First Week of Advent readings & commentary (OF)
Other Commemorations: St. Charles Eugène de Foucauld, Priest; St. Eligius, Bishop

Monday of the First Week of Advent - December 01, 2025 - Liturgical Calendar

The Roman Martyrology commemorates today the St. Charles Eugène de Foucauld (1858-1916), a French Catholic religious and priest, who lived among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. He was assassinated in 1916 outside the door of the fort he built for the protection of the Tuareg, and is a martyr.

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Daily Gospel

DAILY GOSPEL

ADVENTCAzT 2025 – 02 – Monday 1st Week of Advent

ADVENTCAzT 2025 – 02 – Monday 1st Week of Advent | Fr. Z's Blog

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Saint Eligius or Eloy Bishop of Noyon

Saint Eligius or Eloy, Bishop of Noyon

Lives of the Saints for every day - Saint Eligius or Eloy, Bishop of Noyon

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Edmund Campion’s English Optimism

Edmund Campion’s English Optimism - Catholic Insight

Today, on this first day of December, we call to mind Saint Edmund Campion – see Avellina Ballestri’s fine recounting of his glorious life from the archives - one of the most charming in the pageantry of the English martyrs. His sense of optimism and good cheer, in the face of the most arduous...

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Saint Edmund Campion

Saint Edmund Campion - Catholic Exchange

St. Edmund Campion, born in 1540 in London, England, was a brilliant scholar and a man of deep faith. He rose to prominence as a student at Oxford University,

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Saints of the Day

CatholicSaints.Info » Blog Archive » 1 December

Sermons for Everyday Living - St Edmund Campion 12/1/25

Sermons For Everyday Living: St Edmund Campion - 12/1/25

December 1st, 2025: St Edmund Campion & The Unity of the Church; Waves Coming for the Barque of Peter; St Edmund Campion, Blessed Charles Foucauld, Prophet Nahum, & St Simon Cyrenian

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Audio version of Gueranger
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Maria Billingsley · 2025-12-01T06:38:36-0600

Dan1988 said:
There are many opposing interpretations of the Biblical doctrine of hell. Most Christian denominations, interpret "eternal torment in hell" as "Annihilationism". They teach that Gods Word cannot be taken literally and hell is not eternal, they teach that it's an instantaneous burning up and the person's body, sloe and spirt cease to exist.

This view is a direct contradiction to what Gods Word reveals.

Hell is a place of eternal punishment for the unrepentant, characterized by both separation from God's favour and the presence of his wrath. It is not a place of rehabilitation, but a permanent state of suffering for the wicked, who will experience "weeping and gnashing of teeth" and a fire that is not quenched.

God is present in hell not with kindness, mercy, and grace, but with his "wrathful presence" and just punishment.
Hell is a final, permanent state of punishment. The wicked are not annihilated, nor is there a second chance for salvation after death.

Punishment includes positive pains of body and soul, anguish, and despair, described through biblical metaphors like fire and gnashing of teeth.
The wicked are raised from the dead to be judged and then experience the "second death," which is an unending punishment.

The biblical doctrine of eternal torment in hell, which is understood as everlasting, conscious punishment for the unrighteous.
This view, often termed "Eternal Conscious Torment" is supported by scriptural passages like the parables of Jesus that use imagery of "unquenchable fire" and "undying worms," and phrases like "everlasting punishment". To sin against an eternal God warrants a severe and everlasting penalty.

The punishment for sin is considered unending, a concept supported by passages such as Matthew 25:46, which parallels "everlasting life" with "everlasting punishment".

Hell is a place of conscious torment, not annihilation. The wicked will remain conscious and aware of their suffering for eternity.
Hell is a place of final separation from God's presence and grace, it's not an absence of God. Instead, it is experiencing God's wrathful presence.
The torment is a manifestation of God's wrath, which is a just and righteous response to sin against His holy nature.

Some scriptural examples, are found in

Matthew 25:41, 46 Jesus speaks of sending the cursed "into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" and says these will go away "into everlasting punishment".

Mark 9:43, 48 Jesus uses the imagery of a "fire that never shall be quenched" and "where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched" to describe the place of judgment.

Revelation 14:11 The text says, "the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night".

Hebrews 12:29 God is described as a "consuming fire" in reference to his wrath.

Do we take His parable of Lazarus and the rich man literal or symbolic? Parables are stories designed to conceal and reveal the truths of the Kingdom of God, making the hearer work to extract the spiritual meaning, they rely on symbolism. However, in some cases, like the good Samaritan and Lazarus and the rich man, there is nothing to extract and contemplate, the spiritual meaning is provided in the text. Afterall, we take the word " paradise " literal as a glimpse of the afterlife for those who are in Him. So what of those who are not?

Thanks for sharing!
Be blessed.

Luke 16:19-31
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
“Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
“Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

pastorwaris · 2025-12-01T06:20:24-0600

yourwayisbetter said:
Amen. Heavenly Father, please reach out to those families that are lost and in need. May no one miss the blessing and the gift You have to offer to everyone in the world.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." ~John 3:16

Thank you, Father. You are doing the work and advancing the kingdom to all generations.

Let us come together in one accord and worship and praise Your name.

Thank you, Jesus, for the gift.

Amen Amen , More Blessings

stevevw · 2025-12-01T06:18:50-0600

sjastro said:
August Kekule had a dream like experience of a snake biting its tail which led to the correct idea of the benzene molecule having a ring structure instead of the accepted idea at the time all molecules formed straight lines.

Maybe this is how the ancients came to understand deeper realities of nature. Their consciousness took them into realms that the material mind through intellect could not.

They became part of the equation in their consiousness which brought that deeper knowledge. THeir consciousness was beyond the restrictions of the material and this gave them the knowledge. As though they could say it came from somewhere I can explain and the knowledge was beyond what they could have come to through empiricle sciences of the physical senses.

It actually makes sense. We see these symbolic symbols like snakes and creatures the ancients say are related to the spirit world. So maybe these are the outward expression of that inner realm of consciousness.

Its just now it will happen less often or will be fobbed off as imagination. The more the material worldview thinking took over it blocked out this channel of knowledge. It was rationalised away as unreal because it was not objective or fitted a material paradigm.

You may be on to something here.

sjastro said:
Einstein read a news story of a worker falling off a roof and came to the profound realization a person in free fall does not feel their own weight.
This experience of sensation led to the formulation of the equivalence principle and eventually General Relativity.

But what is the cirect test to confirm this. What tests will tell Einstein that this is an objective fact that he can show others. What if its the experience of music. What test will show that experience.

sjastro said:
Evariste Galois had an intense personal experience where on the last night of his life he wrote a long letter laying down the foundations of Group Theory which revolutionized mathematics and later physics (quantum mechanics). The next day he was killed by a provocateur in a duel possibly on orders by the French government.

Yes like Edison says that the idea for his inventions came to him from what seemed nowhere. Like the universe just gifted him the knowledge. There was no explanation for why and it certainly was not a rational step by step process he could lay out as a fact.

Are you seriously trying to explain subjective experience as a objective fact that we can see and measure in the world independent of the subject.

sjastro said:
Science and mathematics can be initiated by personal experiences but as the examples show lead to tangible outcomes.

Thats only supporting the idea that consciousness can give deeper knowledge that the material science methods cannot give us. Thus supporting the claim that the ancients being more conscious of nature and reality became more knowledgable.

They were able to tap into this non material aspect of consciousness and gain deeper knowledge. So image an almost uninhibited connection to this realm that seems to bring knowledge out of nowhere.

sjastro said:
What are outcomes if the the ancients relied on transcendental ideas or experiences?
The answer is zero because you cannot tell us what advanced technologies they used as there is no evidence of their existence.

You just told us.

Tom D · 2025-12-01T06:18:43-0600

The central theological statement of Our Lady at La Salette directly contradicts Father Gronchi’s 2025 assertion. Mary told the children:

Come near, my children, be not afraid; I am here to tell you great news. If my people will not submit, I shall be forced to let fall the arm of my Son. It is so strong, so heavy, that I can no longer withhold it. For how long a time do I suffer for you! If I would not have my Son abandon you, I am compelled to pray to him without ceasing. (Apparition of Our Lady at La Salette, 1846, as cited in Corteville & Revet, 1921, p. 45)

Source: Our Lady's Words: Insights On Co-Redemptrix Debate

CoreyD · 2025-12-01T06:16:22-0600

Isn't making a game that glorifies violence and sexual immorality a gross sin against the Lord?
The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence. Psalm 11:5

The Bible does not glorify violence.
Rather, these accounts are there that we can learn from them how God feels about them, and the consequences.
In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal fire. Jude 1:7

If God did not recount these things for his people, they would not have clear examples that would help them avoid falling into the same conduct.
Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 1 Corinthians 10:6

I have in mind making a game based on the Bible, but it will be playable by all - adults and children, and both entertaining and educational.
I will certainly not be glorifying what God hates.

Maria Billingsley · 2025-12-01T06:10:22-0600

parafjala said:
I have been trying to approach christianity and lately orthodoxy after many readings and meditating on spiritual matters.

I was raised in italy within the catholic church and thats where as a child i felt and learned about Christ. I never got baptised though as my family decided to go back from where we migrated initially.

Keeping it short during my life (now approaching my 40s) i had my moments of ups and downs (spiritually) but i was always interested in religion in general. I like to read theology too which i enjoyed even during faith crisis and thats connected to my love of philosophy.

Now to the main point. After the pandemic hit i got more and more interested in orthodoxy due to a series of events and 2 theologians i discovered, namely Sergius Bulgakov and Vladimir Lossky (the former through David Bentley Hart and the latter through Rowan Williams).

When i was a child i used to open the new testament and put the finger randomly somewhere through the text and read from it. I did it 2 years ago and stumbled upon John 5 (the story which Jesus heals the invalid which was sick for 38 years). I dropped the book. I was 38. I still think of this..

I tried to get closer to my local church (there is no need to name which one) i also emailed the main Orthodox church in the city I'm moving to in January, but I have not yet received a response. Everytime i tried to express an idea or "something more" i get this feeling of a system to hermetic or closed to new people outside to what is expected.

I just wanted to put this up here since i may be wrong in feeling this (or maybe not) and would like to know and hear your experience.

Love you all!

Welcome to CF!

parafjala · 2025-12-01T06:04:57-0600

Reluctant Theologian said:
Welcome, how is Christianity (the active type, not the cultural/formal type) doing in Albania? Old friends are moving there soon. Have you read all of the TNK/Old Testament and New Testament? Going through that one can develop a good understanding of who God is, what He did in the past, who Jesus/Yeshua is .. and what God's desire for us if. Who is Jesus/Yehua for you and your family?

If there is smth im proud of is indeed being an avid reader. I have obviously read the Bible, even comparing it to various translations many times through the years. I have read also other main religious texts as i always was/am interested in comparative religion.

Not easy to answer in plain words what Jesus is to/for me though as i try not to be influenced by cultural attachments but merely see it as a mistical experience.

To answer your first question, Albanians have a very complex relationship with interfaith dialogue, so much so that I would go as far as to call it unique. I often point to the story of the Orthodox Church of 'Shën e Premte' near my town. Initially a pagan temple, it was destroyed by the Romans and rebuilt as a Catholic church (it still retains the original architecture). It was later converted to an Orthodox church during the Slavic invasions, and was eventually saved from destruction by a local Muslim community during Hoxha's regime.

Lately though i notice a spiritual decline in general - but than i notice this everywhere to be honest..

Postvieww · 2025-12-01T05:57:17-0600

Hans Blaster said:
Everyone knows that Joe Biden was president from 2016 until 3 months before the present date and that will always be so.

It appears from the auto pen disaster and his obvious mental state he was not really president very much at all . His staff ran most of the show and a show it was.

Postvieww · 2025-12-01T05:53:04-0600

NxNW said:
She was leading the crowd which was, according to audio, intent upon assassination.

Can you provide the audio of the murdered woman threatening to murder anyone? If not I stand by my statement. You do realize there were planted agitators in that crowd! Jan 6 was not what we were told by the liberal media or the sham Jan 6 committee.

stevevw · 2025-12-01T05:51:28-0600

BCP1928 said:
Cast aside? What hogwash. Experiences are observations. How would a physicist study the spectra of light without an experience of color?

So how do they measure the experience of color. How does the scientist measure the experience of color in someone else. Remembering that science is a independent measure apart from the experiences and feelings of people.

How does a scientist measure the experinece of color for all humans as a science. As a phenomena. Like we can measure say blood pressure. How can we measure the experience of colors. What is it we can find and see it like say blood pressure without having to ask the person themselves.

The person may say they feel faint or stressed due to high blood pressure. But this will beas different as the many different experiences as there are people. So what observation is there for experiences of color. Where in the brain can we find the color of red or a golden sunset so we can see their experience and measure it.

BCP1928 said:
Sure. So what?

You just said this was hogwash. Now your saying so what.

BCP1928 said:
Sure. So what?

You just said this was hogwash. Now your saying so what.

You said experiences are observations. Show me how you can observe that experience and measure it in another. How do we see the experience of awe of a golden sunset under the microscope.

BelieveItOarKnot · 2025-12-01T05:44:26-0600

keras said:
My point in this thread, is that the sun; our life giver, is also the means whereby our modern civilization will be destroyed.
God Promised He would never again use water to reset mans ungodly inclinations, but many Prophesies clearly state the Lord will use fire next time. From the sun. Isaiah 30:26a
A huge Coronal Mass Ejection is the only thing which can literally fulfil all the descriptions about that terrible Day.

I seldom agree with your sights keras but have been exposed to electric universe theory and it has merit.

As to your doom and gloom conclusions however such claims remain derailed by your own citings:

Isaiah 26:
Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun,
And the light of the sun will be sevenfold,
As the light of seven days,

In the day that the Lord binds up the bruise of His people
And heals the stroke of their wound.

The term AS moves such scriptural statements OFF literal understanding and INTO spiritual insights

Normandt · 2025-12-01T05:37:40-0600

Homily Tuesday, December 2 2025

Isaiah 11:1-10

“The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord.”

The Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, rests on Jesus. Wisdom and understanding, counsel and strength (Love, joy), knowledge (Understanding of God). Here, fear is trust in God. Either we trust or we do not trust in God.

Luke 10:21-24

“Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit.”

The reality of the Holy Spirit is joy, peace, and life.

Biblical texts: NAB-RE

Normand Thomas.

Bob8102 · 2025-12-01T05:09:55-0600

BTW - since I wrote the above, I did some searching and have come to the place where I believe I have been sealed by the HS. Thank you Jesus! PTL! I would write more right here, but this webpage is acting funny. I will pray as I promised.

johnnypapa · 2025-12-01T05:08:12-0600

12/01/25 DAY 3

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Reluctant Theologian · 2025-12-01T04:58:23-0600

Welcome, how is Christianity (the active type, not the cultural/formal type) doing in Albania? Old friends are moving there soon. Have you read all of the TNK/Old Testament and New Testament? Going through that one can develop a good understanding of who God is, what He did in the past, who Jesus/Yeshua is .. and what God's desire for us if. Who is Jesus/Yehua for you and your family?

A2SG · 2025-12-01T04:57:40-0600

Valletta said:
The Biden Autopen Presidency: Decline, Delusion, and Deception in the White House - United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

oversight.house.gov

Go through the recorded statements of the Biden people and get back to us.

Okay, there's a lot there, and I've only barely begun to explore it all, but I do thank you for providing it. However, the evidence doesn't strike me as strong enough to hold up in court, so I doubt a successful prosecution of any individual is going to be coming from this evidence any time soon. Certainly, none has been started yet, so far as I know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see on that.

But, let me be clear on one point: if there is sufficient evidence to warrant prosecution, I have no problem with the DOJ going forward with it. However, given the current DOJ's track record on prosecutions lately, I wouldn't hold out much hope.

But, I will agree that in the latter days of President Biden's term, he did show some signs of age and slowing down. Was that sufficient to make him unfit for office? Apparently, the Vice President and a majority of the principle officers of the executive departments didn't think so. At least, they did not transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate or the Speaker of the House any such written declaration. Whether or not they should have is, of course, speculation and nothing more. Neither you nor I know what they knew, or the full measure of President Biden's mental state.

So this doesn't seem to be the massive bombshell Comey seems to think it is. But I'm sure MAGA and the Pro-Trump conservosphere will be having fun throwing various conspiracy theories around their various echo chambers.

-- A2SG, and isn't that what this is all about anyway?

Christsfreeservant · 2025-12-01T04:55:44-0600

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:1-5 NASB1995)

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, “He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.”’ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:14-17 NASB1995)

Supporting Scriptures: [John 1:1-36; John 8:24,58; John 10:30-33; John 20:28-29; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8-9; 1 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Peter 1:1]

Jesus Christ always existed with God and he always was/is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But he wasn’t always the man Jesus who was fully God and fully man when he lived on the earth. But one day, over 2000 years ago, he left his throne in heaven, and he came to earth, and he was born as a human baby to a virgin mother, but he was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and not of man. So he was not born with a sin nature as we are, and he never once sinned his whole time on the earth.

And Jesus Christ is our creator God. All things came into being through him. And he is the one who formed us in the wombs of our mothers. And in his book were written all the days that were ordained for us, when as yet there was not one of them (see Psalm 139:13-16). And he was the spiritual rock from whom the Israelites drank when they were in the wilderness for 40 years (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-4). He was not with them in body, but he was with them in Spirit. For Jesus Christ always existed with God, and he is God.

And Jesus Christ is the Light which shines in the darkness. And the Light is truth, righteousness, holiness, and godliness. The Light is all that is pure, upright, godly, and moral. And the Light is opposed to the darkness, for the darkness is all that is evil, immoral, wicked, sinful, and of the devil. But the Light shines in the darkness to expose all that is evil, and to show the truth in contrast to what is evil, and in contrast to Satan’s lies. So the Light is also the gospel of our salvation which puts sin to death so we can live for Christ.

Jesus Christ lived on the earth about 33 years. And while he was on the earth, particularly in his last 3 years, he healed the sick and afflicted, raised the dead, delivered people from demons, fed the hungry, and he performed many miracles. He also spread the message of the gospel of our salvation. For he taught that we must deny self, die to sin daily, and follow him in obedience to his commands if we want to have eternal life in him and have salvation from our sins. For giving him lip service only will save no one.

But in his great love for us, he willingly gave his life up for us on that cross to put our sins to death with him, and to be raised from the dead by God, so that, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him, which is not of our own doing, we will die to sin and live for God/Christ Jesus in walks of holiness and righteousness, in obedience to our Lord and to his New Covenant commands, empowered by God. For this purpose Jesus came to the earth to save sinners from their slavery to sin so they can serve God with their lives.

[Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 9:23-26; Luke 17:25; John 1:1-36; John 6:35-58; John 8:24,58; John 10:27-33; John 20:28-29; Acts 26:18; Romans 5:8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 1:8-9; Hebrews 2:14-15; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Peter 1:1]

Our Eyes on Jesus

Based off Hebrews 12:2-13
An Original Work / April 23, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.
Our faith starts and grows in Him,
Who for the joy set before Him
Endured all our sin.
Scorning the shame of the cross,
He sat down beside God above.
He was willing to die for us,
To save us, in love.

Think about the opposition
He endured from sinful men,
So when you go through life’s trials,
You stay strong within.
Knowing all He went through for us
Helps us not grow weak of heart;
Not grow weary; don’t give up;
And not from Him depart.

In your struggle against sin’s ways,
Resist not to shed your blood.
Have you forgotten the words
God spoke to us in love?
“My child, don’t ignore it when
The Lord corrects you; do faint not,
Because the Lord disciplines those
That He loves, of God.”

God rebukes us all for our good;
Share with Him in holiness.
It produces a harvest of
God’s own righteousness.
Therefore, strengthen all within you
That is weak and might give way.
Stand firm in the faith God gives you;
Trust Him and obey.

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The Deity of Christ Jesus
An Original Work / December 1, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

parafjala · 2025-12-01T04:36:21-0600

I have been trying to approach christianity and lately orthodoxy after many readings and meditating on spiritual matters.

I was raised in italy within the catholic church and thats where as a child i felt and learned about Christ. I never got baptised though as my family decided to go back from where we migrated initially.

Keeping it short during my life (now approaching my 40s) i had my moments of ups and downs (spiritually) but i was always interested in religion in general. I like to read theology too which i enjoyed even during faith crisis and thats connected to my love of philosophy.

Now to the main point. After the pandemic hit i got more and more interested in orthodoxy due to a series of events and 2 theologians i discovered, namely Sergius Bulgakov and Vladimir Lossky (the former through David Bentley Hart and the latter through Rowan Williams).

When i was a child i used to open the new testament and put the finger randomly somewhere through the text and read from it. I did it 2 years ago and stumbled upon John 5 (the story which Jesus heals the invalid which was sick for 38 years). I dropped the book. I was 38. I still think of this..

I tried to get closer to my local church (there is no need to name which one) i also emailed the main Orthodox church in the city I'm moving to in January, but I have not yet received a response. Everytime i tried to express an idea or "something more" i get this feeling of a system to hermetic or closed to new people outside to what is expected.

I just wanted to put this up here since i may be wrong in feeling this (or maybe not) and would like to know and hear your experience.

Love you all!

SarahsKnight · 2025-12-01T04:34:43-0600

romansroad said:
Thank for your kinds words. I needed them.

You are welcome. All of us as self-proclaimed children of the Lord and believers in Jesus Christ would do a lot better to both give and receive words of kindness and encouragement. I have prayed for you, Romansroad. I have been through the hellish days of suffering from scrupulosity, myself. :angel:

romansroad · 2025-12-01T04:26:10-0600

SarahsKnight said:
Yes, sir. Indeed he did. You may wish to read his book on his experiences with this, called "Grace Abounding".
In any event, there is an entire section at these forums for those struggling with the same basic problem as you are, some of the symptoms you have mentioned being spot on with theirs, especially the one about sudden blasphemous thoughts against God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit coming to mind out of seemingly nowhere when never before in their years of life had it ever occurred before (and of course, the fact that it is naturally a worrisome thought to the sufferer right away, is pretty much the reason why the thought persists in the mind as much as it does afterward).
So know that you do not suffer alone!

And I do not think that the Lord will allow you to, even if you have times of weakness, tired out from such a mentally and emotionally exhausting thing as scrupulosity, where you might feel that you are or want to give up.

Thank for your kinds words. I needed them.

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