#Begrudging

[momentsbeforemass]

What makes a truly great gift?

What makes a truly great gift?

Cost? Sentimental value? One-of-a-kind? They’ll use it every day? There’s always the cliché – “it’s the thought that counts.”

I struggle with what makes a truly great gift. But I do know how to ruin any gift.

Give it begrudgingly. With an attitude of “fine, if I have to.”

That kind of giving will turn the most amazing, unique, thoughtful gift into garbage.

I don’t know about you, but I would rather get nothing, than have something given to me begrudgingly. I’m not alone in that feeling.

If I do get something that was given begrudgingly, unless I can give it to a parish auction, it’s going straight into the trash.

The thing is, a lot of us have that idea about God’s gift of forgiveness.

That God doesn’t really want to forgive us. And if God actually does forgive us, it’s done begrudgingly.

Because we did something super Catholic. Or met some arcane requirement to receive an indulgence. Basically, we backed God into a corner with His own rules. And now He has to forgive us.

If that’s how it works, it’s unhealthy. To say the least. Why would you want anything to do with something that messed up?

Thank God that’s not how it works!

The thing to know about God is that God isn’t waiting for you to do something super Catholic or to meet some arcane requirement, before He forgives you. God’s waiting for half an excuse to forgive you.

Like a being genuinely sorry for about hurting someone. And asking for forgiveness.

A change of heart. That’s all God’s waiting for.

Because God’s approach to forgiveness is kind of the opposite of begrudging. We see it in today’s first reading,

“Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin? Who does not persist in anger but delights in clemency?”

Translation - You want to see God light up with joy? Ask for forgiveness.

Today’s Readings

[howifeltabouthim]

I wish I didn't love her, she wrote one day. You can't unlove someone, I wrote. You can only hate them.

Lisa Taddeo, from Animal

[ryopromoter]

ryo making silly faces on live television part one

[lesamis]

are you a Byron or Wilde apologist?

concerned citizens from 1895 are messaging me

[girlzoot]

As a thirty-year-old adult, sitting in Ummi’s kitchen, listening to her tell me these stories, I still felt like a child. I had lived on my own since I was nineteen, but I spent years feeling intimidated by her and one link away from being close to her. Figuring out the right thing to say that wouldn’t sound disgruntled or begrudging was a challenge, because I was both at the time. —N. Jamiyla Chisholm/The Community: A Memoir

[the-muppet-joker]

I have been bailed out of Real Jail. Whoopsie Doodle on my part! Did not know dueling people in the street with knives was Disorderly Conduct!

[evast]

Back on bg3 again

[blighted-lights]

ravage is #1 personal space stealer and heater, 10/10 would recommend having him as an amica. usually he'd be sleeping curled around soundwave's head but the other cassettes are out harassing starscream on patrol, so soundwave's chest is free real estate

anyways send me asks with ur soundwave and ravage hcs and mayhaps i'll draw them soon

[happyvoltz]

gotta keep her on a leash

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Lap Pillow

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[automatonwithautonomy]

it doesnt matter if theyre in love because they love each other. do you understand. do you get it.

[howifeltabouthim]

This is hard for me to write. These words come hard to me; each one begins as a stone in my mouth.

Siri Hustvedt, from The Blazing World

[flawlessflesh]

more halloween sketches, this time featuring the winged lion

[eonars]

u guys keep being like lmao her name is kayleigh and she's got republican family members as if you all are not also kayleigh with republican family members dkdkcnsoxjrkdnfn

[sciderman]

Deadpool/Wolverine WWIII (2024) #3

[calcified-fluorited]

Hot take, season 2 feels like piltover apologist propaganda

Piltover has been oppressing and exploiting zaun for who know how long, but the timeline where everything is good, all that had to be different was for hextech to not exist

at several points in the story, including Cait's poison gas mission, enforcers go down there to brutalise people in pursuit of jinx, but all of that unnecessary violence is brushed aside because there is a new Big Bad that we all must unite against. How convenient!

the Big Bad (Viktor) was from Zaun, and we need Piltover's police force to save us from this zaunite. Actually, the previous season's big bad was also from the undercity

zaunites come to help the people who treated them like animals their entire lives AND THEY PUT ON THE UNIFORMS OF PEOPLE WHO OPPRESSED THEM? I'M SORRY WHAT

Sevika who conveniently hasn't spoken a line since what, episode 4? her opinion isn't important, just be happy that she's on the council now.

entirety of act 3 actually

the "dirt under your nails" line. ????? Who wrote this? I want to talk.