chevyontheriver said:

Well, wonderful for you. I do.

No. There would be no need for Paul to exhort us to live a continual life in the Spirit if we never got out of lockstep.

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I didn't say we never go out of lockstep. I said the Spirit never fails to show us how to walk. There's a big difference.

chevyontheriver said:

Most of us have gaps. Good on you that you never do.

Some people do have moments of temptation. Some even fall to them. And have to repent and try again. Not all of us are sinless.

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None of us are sinless. But with every temptation God provides a way escape (1 Cor 10:13). That means every time we give in to temptation it is because we choose not to go the way God showed us to escape. This also shows that there are no gaps in His leadership, only gaps in our following His lead.

My Diocese of residence, the Diocese of Charleston, is a booming diocese from the Low Country where I live, which is the coastal southern part of South Carolina, to the midlands and upstate.


Of particular note is the metro area of Greenville, South Carolina, at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is about 100 miles from Augusta, Georgia where I grew up and where I visited as a young child.

The Catholic Church in the Greenville Metro area is booming and it is a Post-Vatican II Church with the Modern Mass celebrated as Vatican II intended, not some liberal/progressive hodgepodge of neo-Arianism mishmash, kitschy and banal hymns from the 70’s and 80’s folk era.

The National Catholic Register has a great article about the Catholic Church in Greenville, which you can read HERE. Of particular note is what is happening at Greenville’s downtown Catholic Church since the early 2000’s, St. Mary Church.

The video below is their Solemn Sung Mass for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe from this past Sunday.

It is the Modern Mass at its best:

1. Please note the Entrance Procession with the proper chant flowing directly into a marvelous metrical hymn embellished by the great choir. But note, too, how the laity are singing both the Proper Chant and then the metrical hymn!

2. Please note how crisp the Introductory Rite is, with no stupid bantering by the celebrant prior to introducing the Penitential Act. The Kyrie chanted in Greek and the Gloria in Latin, with the Collect in English. There is a great mix of Latin and vernacular in this Mass.

3. Please note the excellent lector wearing Sunday Best for a layman!

4. The Credo is spoken which seems to be the default in Modern Masses. I don’t see why one sung version of the Credo, in Latin or English can’t be used and memorized by the laity when used weekly!

5. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is Ad Orientem and has been so at this parish since the early 2000’s. Please note the number of altar boys. This parish has provided a considerable number of candidates for the priesthood in the Diocese of Charleston.

6. Please note the Communion Procession. There are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, both male and female and all in appropriate Sunday Best clothing.

Continued below.

JulieB67 said:

This tells me he's treating both the living and the dead the same by preaching the gospel to both. And that the dead live (quick) in the spirit. So if the gospel is being taught to them, they are indeed aware.

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Perfect. It sounds like you believe Christ continues to preach the Gospel in Hades / the spirit prison. It was not a one-time event.

JulieB67 said:

It would seem to be a large number. But that's at the very end of the 1000 years which I do believe in with Christ being at the helm.

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Would you please explain your beliefs regarding the Millennium?

JulieB67 said:

And with Solomon stating that the spirit returns to God. Some believe that means his spirit while others believe it's ours, etc.

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In those verses in Ecclesiastes, I understand the word "ruach" to mean "breath" rather than "spirit."

JulieB67 said:

Being resurrected on the "last day" is one that seemingly would suggest soul sleep.

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The soul may indeed be unconscious, but the important thing is that the personality is conscious in or with the spirit. SDA's believe the personality is unconscious with the soul.

JulieB67 said:

But I just don't believe Christ would use a parable that wasn't at least based in reality. And then I pair that with the Peter verses and that's where I'm still at.

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I agree with you.

BCP1928 said:

They didn't attempt to train any soldiers in what an illegal order is, only that they have a right to refuse it. It was fueled by the real likelyhood that Trump or one of his minions would give an illegal order.

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Your defense of this travesty is weak at best. Our soldiers already know that. These seditious six are trying to sow discord in our military because of hatred for Trump. This is indefensible !

Another "shoot ourselves in the foot" move by this administration. Imagine if you were to visit Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. "You're not Canadian, that will be an additional $100 to enter the park."

The National Park Service said Tuesday it is going to start charging the millions of international tourists who visit U.S. parks each year an extra $100 to enter some of the most popular sites, while leaving them out of fee-free days that will be reserved for American residents.

The fee change will impact 11 national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

As part of the changes, which are set to take effect Jan. 1, foreign tourists will also see their annual parks pass price jump to $250, while U.S. residents will continue to be charged $80, according to the department's statement.

https://www.npr.org/2025/11/26/g-s1-99442/national-parks-fees-international-tourists

In 1842, when Fr. Edward Sorin stepped onto the cold Indiana prairie, he set out to build a Catholic university that would shape saints, sharpen minds, and send out citizens anchored in faith. The place was small, the winters brutal, and the resources thin. But Sorin insisted that Notre Dame would shine as a “powerful means for good,” a clear expression of Catholic identity in a country that often misunderstood the Church.

For generations, that promise held. Parents sent their children there expecting more than lectures and degrees. They expected a formation, a moral compass, and an encounter with something higher than ambition.

Walk the campus today and that founding spirit feels more like a memory guarded by the Golden Dome than a mission alive in the classrooms. Notre Dame still looks Catholic. The crosses shine and the basilica stands tall. Meanwhile, “Touchdown Jesus” surveys the stadium with a look that, after recent events, seems less triumphant than quietly exasperated.

Continued below.

Just another article furthering the belief that Christianity should be involved in politics. The law has nothing to do with the gospel, well at least the gospel that gives people God's free gift of Eternal Life.

But i guess it is part of a worked based political gospel, one in which how to receive God's gift of Eternal Life is not found.

Paulwat said:

Love to get reassurance like this about the fact hell isn't real, but heaven is.

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Well, if your bible can't inform you to the topic because you don't like what it says, and you can't seem to ask GOD about it and wait for HIS answer, I think you should just wait this out until you die and see what happens. I think you will definitely get your answer that way.

Laters.

A fire that destroyed a historic Anglican church in Canada in the early hours before Sunday worship last year is now being investigated as arson. This comes as the nation grapples with a rise in church arson attacks.

St. Anne’s Church of Toronto, a congregation of the Anglican Church of Canada, was destroyed by a fire that completely engulfed the structure on June 9, 2024.

The Toronto Police Service announced Monday that authorities were now investigating the fire as a “suspected arson.”

In response to the news, the Anglican Diocese of Toronto and St. Anne’s released a joint statement expressing sadness while also thanking authorities for their work.

Bishop Kevin Robertson, a suffragan bishop of the Toronto diocese, was quoted in the statement saying that he was “devastated to hear that the fire that destroyed the congregation of St. Anne’s building on Gladstone may have been deliberately set.”

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rocknanchor said:

Has this fruit 'remained'? Others I have visited to that extent, the report does not fare that well. But if yes to yours, glory to God!

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The corporate operation of the gifts in the assembly is dependent upon holiness. It is The Holy Spirit operating the gift at that moment, so if people are not prayed up and close to GOD, it will taper off till nothing.

In answer to your question, no. It lasted for quite some time, like a season, but unless people really have the time and dedication with GOD, it can't last.

Aldebaran said:

Probably more likely that Kelly and the others made their statement in preparation for what they think is coming, which is future military operations--perhaps in Venezuela. Those Democrats made their statement about not having to follow "illegal orders". Then what do you think these same Democrats would once military operations got started? They'd be standing on the House and Senate floors crowing about how Trump is conducting an "illegal operation" using the military. They would keep saying things like that to go along with their previous assertion about how military members don't have obey illegal orders, thus encouraging mutiny within our own military. I don't doubt this is exactly what they want. It's not like they haven't stooped to such low levels before.

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Disobeying illegal orders is mutiny?

Apple Sky said:

Tesla was right but Tesla was eventually undone by what he called “ignorant, unimaginative people, consumed by self-interest”— powerful men that sought to protect the immensely profitable, low-tech industries they had spent a lifetime building.

Today’s fossil-fuel industry, a legacy of that past, has fought just as hard in recent decades to protect the same interests — Luddites and laggards afraid of losing their companies to the wind and the sun.

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Those are definitely not your own words.

Guojing said:

Explain how I insert my interpretation when I stated

1. Jews who believed Christ as their Messiah continue to circumcise their kids and be zealous for the Law. (Acts 21:20)
2. Gentiles who believed are exempted. (Acts 21:25)

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As I stated on my post, in the context of just Acts 21 I agree with you. However, the context of Acts 21 refers to a historical point in time. The Cultural Jew in Jerusalem would remain committed to what they had done for centuries even among the ones that recognized Jesus as the Messiah. You can see, though, as the Christian teachings in the churches outside of Jerusalem continue to emphasize faith over the law. In fact that is what got Paul in trouble in Jerusalem. Remember that the temple was in Jerusalem. The end came a few years later when the temple was destroyed and the Jews and Christians continued to diverge even more.

Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen

Tom D said:

The Armless Pianist
This story happened 28 years ago.

It was a warm afternoon in the city of Ch'eng-tu, the weather was pleasant. For children, it was a good day for outdoor games.

Ten-year-old Liu Wei darted through the narrow alleyways in a game of hide-and-seek with his friends. Laughter echoed off the walls, feet pounded over the pavement, and Liu, often the daring one, spotted what seemed like the perfect hiding place—a tucked-away metal shed behind a construction site. In his eagerness, he clambered atop it, not knowing that just above ran high-voltage power lines humming with lethal energy.


He reached up, maybe to steady himself or just to peek over the edge, and in that instant—a sudden crackle, a blinding arc of electricity. The world stopped. Silence, followed by screams. The current surged through him with devastating force.

He was sent to a hospital. Wang Hsiang-ying, Liu Wei's mother, said "I found the world had collapsed. What could I do?"

It would take doctors three months of delicate care and Liu’s own unbreakable will to survive, but when he finally opened his eyes after 45 days in critical condition, he was without his arms.


In the hospital, he met an armless painter, which inspired him to learn to use his feet to write, brush his teeth and eat. Liu Wei stayed in rehabilitation centre for 2 years, and witnessed many deaths. When he got out, he was grateful to be alive. Liu Wei said "I wanted to move on with my life, and if I could, that would be a success for me."

Two years after the accident, he was introduced to the capital’s paralyzed swimming team. Despite being a double-amputee, he managed to take two golds in the National Paralyzed Swimming Championship at 14.

But two missing arms weren’t the last of his physical ailments. Soon after his gold medals he was diagnosed with allergic purpura which forbade him from intensive exercise.

Liu's mother said "The moment I found out, I shouted to the sky: What have I done wrong to deserve this?" Liu Wei said "My body bleeds, and my kidney is dysfunctional."

When Liu Wei's health forced him to abandon sports, he turned to music as a new form of expression—one that demanded incredible dexterity and devotion. Playing the piano with his feet was more than unconventional—it was nearly unimaginable. Most believed it couldn’t be done. Music producer Chung Sheng even confessed he had tried it himself and found it impossible. But Liu, undeterred, saw a flicker of hope. “If I didn’t try,” he said, “I’d have no chance at all.”

Without a mentor or guide, Liu forged his own path. He spent hours stretching and training his toes, working to separate and control them like fingers. Practice became his lifeline—seven hours a day, every day. Slowly, progress came, fueling his determination. Within a year, he was performing live, capturing audiences with both his music and his spirit. His 2011 debut at Vienna’s Goldener Saal marked a turning point—not only for his career, but as a symbol of what resilience can achieve. (Finito)

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Hello. I remember watching a documentary where he said his world was "sunshine, air, piano" (a self without God). But I don't think he needs to prove his existence with his exceptional performance in swimming and piano. He may not enjoy swimming and playing the piano, he just hoped to be valuable in the eyes of others. If God only arranges people to be ordinary people who can enjoy an ordinary life, then pursuing others' appreciation through efforts beyond ordinary people is a painful illusion.

9Rock9 said:

I am also a recent convert to the ANE view, and an old earth Creationist before that.

I read on Biologos that you actually can think the days of Genesis 1 were actual 24 hours while still affirming the scientific consensus on the age of the Earth and the evolutionary process. This is because the creation account of Genesis 1 is concerned with function creation (assigning roles and purpose to objects) rather than material creation (ex nihilo.)

Thus, while the earth may be billions of years old, and mankind 10,000 years old or whatever, it only took God seven days to prepare his cosmic temple, just like how temple dedications in the Ancient Near East took seven days.

I'm personally undecided about whether the days of Genesis 1 are literal, long periods of time or poetic, but I also don't think it particularly matters.

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Thanks for your reply. I've heard of a similar view myself. From Nothing to Nature by Prof. E.H. Andrews, he suggests something something to that effect in the last chapter of his book. Only, he's not arguing for the sake of the scientific consensus on the evolutionary process. He still didn't agree with theistic evolution. And I think this view is fine to me. It does sound similar to the gap theory but the key difference is that gap theorists say creation week is more of a recreation and for that reason I reject it.

Thank you for sharing this. How meaningful that Corrie ten Boom’s house remains as a museum - a living reminder of her faith and courage. Her testimony is indeed humbling, and I believe you’re right: Yeshua often meets us in humility, using even our past failures to shape us into faithful servants.

....one month after Trump arbitrarily decided to demolish the East Wing of our White House....Trump and his architect are reportedly at odds on what will replace it....

President Donald Trump has argued with the architect he handpicked to design a White House ballroom over the size of the project, reflecting a conflict between architectural norms and Trump’s grandiose aesthetic, according to four people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations.

Trump’s desire to go big with the project has put him at odds with architect James McCrery II, the people said, who has counseled restraint over concerns the planned 90,000-square-foot addition could dwarf the 55,000-square-foot mansion in violation of a general architectural rule: don’t build an addition that overshadows the main building.

....and still no plans:

Plans for the addition as of Tuesday had not been submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission, a 12-member board charged by Congress with overseeing federal construction projects and now led by Trump allies.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/11/26/trump-ballroom-architect-james-mccrery/?utm_campaign=wp_the7&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F45e8f90%2F6926e9716c4bdc62c366cc68%2F59a1492d9bbc0f387992457c%2F26%2F104%2F6926e9716c4bdc62c366cc68

Strong in Him said:

Lots of things are "without biblical support"
Computers, for example; going to hospital for a scan, x ray or an operation under anaesthetic, for example. There is no Biblical support for owning a car, smart watch, tv, hand gun or a thousand other things.
There is "no Biblical support" for them because a) that is not the purpose of the Bible and b) they hadn't been invented.

If you/a loved one had a rare medical condition would you "look to science" - take the medication/raise money for a particular form of treatment/go for regular scans to show if it was getting worse? Or would you say "there is no Biblical support for those things - just do nothing and hope that I/my relative gets better on their own"?

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If you want to, you can look up my past answers to these questions. I have only been asked this 5+ times on this site.

Saint Sylvester propers & commentary (EF)

Wednesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time readings & commentary (OF)

Wednesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time readings & commentary (OF)
Other Commemorations: St. Sylvester, Abbot; St. Leonard of Port Maurice, Priest

Daily Gospel

St. Sylvester Gozzolini

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Homily Thursday, November 27 2025

34th OT



Daniel 6:12-28

"These men stormed in and found Daniel praying and pleading before his God."

... in a time and with a king who forbade prayer.



When we think about it, no one can eliminate the Love of God from all hearts.



Let us rejoice in finding the joy of the child within us. This joy is God.



Luke 21:20-28

Today's text is difficult to read, or even to explain. War is inhuman and contrary to the Love of God. Let us instead focus on this sentence:

"They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory."



Glory is the radiance of God's Love. Love does nothing wrong; Love Loves.



Let us accept being Loved by God, and the world will become much more joyful.



Biblical texts: NAB-RE

Normand Thomas.

They walk right past my dirty paws at that mass!