#Spirit and Sacrament

[coffeeman777]

"The normal condition of the Christian life, as the apostle Peter explains, is one of inexpressible and glorious joy, in spite of the fact that we are also grieved by many kinds of trials. We do not ignore the realities of sadness and suffering, but we stubbornly proclaim that they do not have the last word; the kingdom is here, Good Friday ushers in Easter Sunday, and death is swallowed up by life. This, from the resurrection onward, has given Christians a paradoxical way of responding to the brokenness of the world. So Paul and Silas spend a night in the stocks, in an age when that meant muscular agony rather than damp sponges, and hymns reverberate through the cells until an earthquake destroys the prison. Eighteen centuries later, in the same spirit, African slaves stand enchained in cotton fields and sugar plantations, singing the songs of Zion until deliverance comes. Christianity stares death in the face and sings anyway. We are, in Paul’s terms, sorrowful yet always rejoicing."

-- Andrew Wilson, "Spirit and Sacrament"

[chlorophyllium]

So its been almost a week since I asked one of my coworkers (almost 70) if he's ever seen Goncharov when we were talking about movies I've never seen. I even gave him a sticky note with the movie title, director, year of release, and the starring actors before I went home.

I asked him today if he's seen it yet and answers "No but I was looking at the note you gave me and it sounds familiar so I might have and not remember since I've seen so many movies. It has all these big names and sounds good!

See I even put your note right here on my folder to remind me when I got some free time!"

He sounded so excited to watch it, I don't know how to tell him.

[myremnantarmy]

"𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘔𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥. 𝘐 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵."

[apenitentialprayer]

You wish to serve God and lead a good life, but you picture to yourself an imaginary standard of goodness, you confuse your ideas on many points, and then you become miserable […] Remember the devil is opposed to frequent Confession and Communion. The Spirit of God draws the soul to the sacraments, when there is a serious effort to avoid mortal sin and a serious effort to please God by leading a good life.

Fr. George Porter, S.J., future Archbishop of Bombay, in a letter dated July 30th, 1882.

[foreverpraying]

Source of picture: https://lauramakabresku.tumblr.com

"Patience, prayer and silence – these are what give strength to the soul." St. Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament

[artblueminecraftorchid]

Miracles Unbound

Acrylic on canvas

[tobacconist]

id never heard that some protestants do not consider marriage to be a sacrament, but reading into it, it actually makes a lot of sense

[themonsterp]

For this reason, the world came to be in the way it is: that the one who is born of the spirit will be born of the spirit, and the one who is born of the flesh will be born of the flesh.— From The Gospel of Philip

[augsburgphoenix]

New episode! Spirit of Christ 3-- Sculptor Spirit ://open.spotify.com/show/2DywsiKu0hPgaxCrV6EUgb

[eli-kittim]

Is Rebirth Based on the Sacraments or Experience?

Eli Kittim

The Pope recently made a shocking statement that it is dangerous to seek a personal relationship with Christ outside the Church. His statement implies that there is no salvation outside the Church. Yet, neither Jesus nor any of the evangelists ever said that “everyone who believes in the church of Christ will be saved” (Mark 16:16). Nor did Jesus ever say that one must be born-again into the church. The apostle Paul never said “if anyone does not belong to the church, he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9). Rather, he said we are born-again only in Christ (Romans 5:12-21). The Bible is very clear that we are saved through a born-again experience of Jesus Christ (John 3:3-5; Acts 2:1-4). Philippians 2:12 says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” while Ephesians 4:22-24 teaches us to put on a new identity in order to renew the spirit of our minds . Romans 8:9 reminds us that unless the Holy Spirit has radically transformed us, and indwelt us, we do not belong to Christ. This is why 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that those who are born-again in Christ are a new creation. Their personality has changed. Their mind has changed. That’s why, in the Bible, those who are radically transformed receive new names (e.g. Abram/Abraham, Jacob/Israel, Saul/Paul, and so on). Unfortunately, nothing else can purify our carnal nature and make us vessels of holiness.

Many people are deceived into thinking that they are saved by their own personal acts of the mind or the will, that is, either by believing in Christ, or by making a public profession of faith, by praying the sinner's prayer, through rites, sacraments, dietary laws, through works of the law, or through an intellectual assent to the truths of Christianity. But all these behaviors, works, and food-rituals are not capable of radically transforming a sinner into a saint because they do not really purify our carnal nature, nor do they fill us with the Holy Spirit. Only an existential rebirth in Christ can do this. This is because a person is still carnal and his sinful nature continues to dominate his mind even after partaking of the sacraments or performing works of the law. Only a radical transformation of the mind can change all this.

So my question is this: how do we reconcile Jesus' command for us to be born of the Holy Spirit with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox teaching of salvation through the sacraments?

This is an issue of the utmost importance in which people's lives are at stake. This is a very serious matter. We're talking about whether people are saved or not. If people are being misled into thinking that they will go to heaven, when that is not the case, then it is incumbent upon me to warn them. The New Testament does not suggest that the merits of redemption are appropriated directly through the sacraments, since this would constitute a carnal spirituality that is based on external props, which cannot possibly change us from within. The sacraments are an extension of the Jewish Passover and the Jewish dietary laws. Neither can truly change our carnal nature from within. In Matthew 15:11, Jesus explains that the dietary laws do nothing because it is not the foods you eat that cleanse or defile you but rather what comes out of your uncleansed and unregenerate heart that defiles you: “it is not what goes into the mouth that [cleanses or] defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”

According to the apostle Paul, before we are born-again (i.e. renewed in the spirit of the mind) we operate based on the lusts of the flesh (carnal-minded), but after we are born-again we get a new operating system that works through love, not lust (Ephesians 4:22-24)! Thus, partaking of the sacraments does nothing to change or cleanse our carnal nature (or sin-nature). We can conduct psychological experiments to demonstrate that the same carnal mind operates after partaking of the sacraments as before. If a Catholic or Orthodox Christian is honest, they’ll have to admit that the same sinful thoughts, inclinations, and lustful desires are still present after partaking of the sacraments. How then can the Catholic and Orthodox Churches claim that Holy Communion is an "atoning sacrifice" for the faithful and that we are born-again through the sacraments?

Do we really understand what the new birth entails? We need to read Acts 2:1-4, Ephesians 4:22-24, and Philippians 2:12, among other passages, to see how it is accomplished. It comprises a personal and existential experience of God where we surrender our mind and will to him. Read Galatians 2:20, where Paul says: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Do you think that Paul’s crucifixion or death resulted from his participation in the sacraments? Of course not! Paul is referring to the death of the old self, as mentioned in Ephesians 4:22-24. This existential experience is known and written about by Catholic contemplatives, like John of the Cross, but rejected my the Magisterium of the Church, even though John of the Cross is a Doctor of the Catholic Church.

Being grafted into Christ (Rom. 11) means that we become part of the body of Christ. This can only occur when the Spirit recreates us through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, via a new birth, similar to the existential experience that the faithful had (Acts 2:1-4). Jesus said you must be born-again οf the Spirit, not from the earth. He didn’t say you must consume bread and wine or attend church to be born from God.

In conclusion, nothing external can change our carnal nature and fill our hearts with love, or give us the peace that surpasses understanding. This can only occur in a dark night of the soul when our identity is deleted and God himself becomes our new identity or our new self (cf. Galatians 2:20)! Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts to salvation.

For further details, see the following essay:

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

[myremnantarmy]

"𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘔𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵."

[apenitentialprayer]

Pope Francis’s July 2024 Prayer Intention: For The Pastoral Care of the Sick

All-Merciful Father, what a great mystery, the fragility of the body, the sickness that weakens us! How often we want to escape from this pain, because we do not want to suffer or see suffering!

We know that nothing makes sense without You, and that everything can be an occasion of grace, if it is with You. That is why, Lord, in the midst of sickness, we want to be signs of compassion, bringing strength to our brothers and sisters, with the grace of the anointing of the sick.

We ask that Your Holy Spirit renew in Your Church and in our hearts the profound meaning of this sacrament; so that we may accept it as a gift and task in the care of those who are sick, so that they may attain the peace and healing that you grant them. Amen.

[chicoinematt7]

Reflections on the National Eucharistic Congress: Faith, Healing, and Revival

Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Over 50k Catholics were in attendance across the United States. Eucharistic Adoration, daily Mass and a line-up of speakers headed by Fr. Mike Schmitz and Bishop Robert Barron were the highlights (but to be honest the entire week was a highlight). 🙂 The experience was truly transformative,…

[yeyinde]

The 141 finding out you've never had sex.

Just casually drinking, playing cards. A joke causes it to slip out.

body electric: the virgin edition

Gaz, the instigator, mutters something about not having been fucked in ages. this springs up a sudden surge of comradery, because, yeah. neither have they.

Soap's devote Catholicism (i like to imagine) leaves little room for flippant intimacy. he tries to be a good boy. key word, of course, being: tries. but the last serious relationship was years ago. back when he was grunt. he's pent up. abstinence, yeah? he holds it tight in his hand. but the thing about fists is that they're often mistaken for anger. Soap's a realist masquerading as an optimist. he knows whoever falls into his jowls next will be a MacTavish by the time he's through with them. and commitment. well. his comes at a price. a hefty one.

Ghost prefers casual flings where he doesn't have to take any clothes off. unzips his trousers, frees his cock, and then tries to pretend he's a real, flesh and blood, human. to feel something, anything, except a vacuum between hollow bones. but his tastes are peculiar. on the side of unhinged. he hasn't found the perfect body yet satiate himself with.

Price. well. with his bloody hands, he thinks he'd rather not dirty the same people he swears to protect. and divorcing at the age of 30 does that to a man, maybe. his role as a captain (an excuse in retrospect) also keeps him from unleashing his wants. the very same ones that are probably best under lock and key, anyway. it's just for the best, really. something he ought to do because the moment he has another chance to sink his teeth into someone's neck, he'll tear them apart. break them into pieces.

despite bringing it up, Gaz knows the real reason he's single is because he's pushy. he wants. so he takes. and then takes some more. more. more. until his gullet is full of the person he's obsessed with. carrying them around in his breast pocket everywhere he goes. the perfect mate. the one he can shower with unfettered affection. a deluge, in all honesty. one with the ideation to drown. biblical floods. trapped beneath him. he likes it more than he should, but. singedom, then, he supposes.

and then you roll the dice. admit, sheepishly, that, technically, you have them all beat. zero is always lesser than five, ten, twenty. but it's this misstep—zero, never—that catches their attention.

suddenly, you're not surrounded by kin but a pack of wolves. all hungry in their own ways, all starving. it just makes sense to quench their hunger with you, doesn't it? friend, ally. pretty little thing. so sweet for them. and perfectly mouldable. putty they shape to their hearts desire. the perfect mate.

Soap grips his rosary. the sign of the cross, heavenly Father and Holy Spirit, digging into his palm like the burn of a baptism. what's devotion if not pain? he cuts himself on the gold. offers blood of the sacrament to whoever might be listening, and leans in, sniffing.

Price's knuckles are white. he leans back, hidden in shadows. all you can see is spark of burning orange from his cigar as he takes mouthful after mouthful of smoke, contemplating. assessing.

"that so?" he doesn't even need to look at his Lieutenant to know that the man has gone still. too bad for you, it's not from shock.

Ghost barely holds himself back. keeps tight in his seat. fists clenching. unclenching. he has a good enough read on the people around him to see the unfiltered desire ripping across their face. scorching. but to bite, with his mouthful of jagged, seraded teeth; ones meant to rip, break, tear, would ruin you. permanently. unequivocally. and—

"wanna give it a go?" all eyes turn to Gaz, electric in his seat. eyes smouldering umbre. "i mean, you trust us the most, don't you?" us. it's stunning, he thinks, the way Gaz can weave tapestry in the air like this with just his words. one tangled like shibari binds. "and we care for you a lot. we'll be gentle. it's up to you, of course, but—"

Soap's bloody hand disappears under the table. you gasp. "yer askin' fer it, ain't ye? beggin' so pretty fer it."

"n-no, i—"

"mind your manners." Price. his voice is chiselled into char, authoritative; low. a lulling command spoken in a breath of smoke. "and don't lie, love. or i'll have to take you over my knee."

the tension is thick. Soap's arm moves, slow. deliberate. Ghost has clench his jaw to avoid bearing his teeth. snarling.

Gaz cuts it with a knife. hews compliance into your skin with a fine needle point. "it's okay. we'll take such good care'a you. make you feel so good."

your submission is a heavy thing. oppressive. the shallow dip of your chin, the blistering heat simmering under your flesh, burning right, is the prettiest fuckin' thing he's ever seen. he does clench his jaw this time. tight, tight. tight

until something pops.

"okay." you yield. head bowed. beautifully submissive.

when he looks around, catches the predatory crackle in the air. his hackles raise. immediate. instinctual. and ah, right.

it's easy to forget he's surrounded by a wild pack of stray dogs. starving ones, too.

[makingqueerhistory]

I’m actually serious about this, if at all possible, right now is a very good time to request queer books from your local library. Whether they get them or not is not in your control, but it is so important to show that there is a desire for queer books. I will also say getting more queer books in libraries and supporting queer authors are pretty fantastic byproducts of any action.

This isn’t something everyone can do, but please do see if you are one of the people who has the privilege to engage in this form of activism, and if you are, leverage that privilege for all you’re worth.

For anyone who can’t think of a queer book to request, here is a little list of some queer books that I think are underrated and might not be in circulation even at larger libraries:

Refusing Compulsory Sexuality: A Black Asexual Lens on Our Sex-Obsessed Culture by Sherronda J. Brown

Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco     

Harvard's Secret Court: The Savage 1920 Purge of Campus Homosexuals by William Wright    

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley   

God Themselves by Jae Nichelle

IRL by Tommy Pico        

The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World's Queer Frontiers by Mark Gevisser

Passing Strange by Ellen Klages             

The New Queer Conscience by Adam Eli

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom          

Queering the Tarot by Cassandra Snow              

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser

Queer Magic: Lgbt+ Spirituality and Culture from Around the World by Tomás Prower            

Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Kit Heyam   

Beyond the Pale by Elana Dykewomon 

Hi Honey, I'm Homo! by Matt Baume      

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

Homie: Poems by Danez Smith

The Secret Life of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw  

The Companion by E.E. Ottoman 

Kapaemahu by Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu

Sacrament of Bodies by Romeo Oriogun     

Witching Moon by Poppy Woods 

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt    

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman    

Disintegrate/Dissociate by Arielle Twist           

Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi             

Peaches and Honey by Imogen Markwell-Tweed      

Nepantla: An Anthology Dedicated to Queer Poets of Color by Christopher Soto