#christian catholic questions

[wolfythewitch]

Hi! I need to do some interviews for my thesis about religious abuse and trauma, so if anyone is interested could you please dm me or reply here :0

[cheerfullycatholic]

The characters in The Phantom of the Opera are Catholic, right? Christine had a mass said for her father and prayed for his soul in Perros, and when trying to get her to marry him, Erik told her she could either have a wedding mass or a requiem mass. I thought I read somewhere that Gaston Leroux was Lutheran but now I can't find where I read that and I can't remember if it was a dream or not. Do Lutherans have masses said for the deceased?

[and-her-saints]

I want to be you holy shit (<- statement that comes from only knowing that a: you’re a lesbian b: a Christian and c: you give off cool vibes)

STOP. thank you. this is very sweet 😭

there are many like me (us?)!!! i have sosososo many queer (+ fellow lesbian) christian friends!!! we are a sizeable and diverse community, believe it or not!!!

(sidenote: there's this one UCLA/Williams Institute study that shows that nearly half of all LGBTQ+ adults in the United States are religious in some way. tbh it's a very interesting report!!! even if i'm not American lol. i recommend!!)

mwah

[momentsbeforemass]

Questions

“You ask too many questions.”

When someone tells us not to question them. When we hear something like that. Alarm bells go off. Or they should.

Because that means your questions are hitting something they don’t want you to know. Something they don’t want to talk about. They’re hiding something from you.

Always ask questions. But make sure that they’re the right kind of questions.

Wait, what?

There are two kinds of questions. Questions that aren’t really questions. And actual questions.

We see this all the time in the Gospels. There are the Pharisees (“the wise and the learned” Jesus calls them in today’s Gospel) who ask Jesus loaded questions. Things like “is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”

They’re not really asking about the morality of paying taxes to a foreign occupier. They’re just trying to set Jesus up. To either lose His support among the Jews. Or to have Rome put a price on His head.

It may have the form of a question, but it’s not really a question. 

For a real question, look to Mary. And her question to the angel who just told her that she would conceive and give birth to the Messiah. She asks, “how will this be, since I am a virgin?”

Mary is saying, “I understand what it takes to get pregnant. I haven’t done that. Explain how this is going to work.”

That is a real question.

The kind of question asked by people who genuinely want to know, who are trying to understand. This is the right kind of question.

It’s the kind of question that children ask. When they’re learning and trying to understand the world and everything in it.

That is the “childlike” that Jesus is referring to in today’s Gospel. Questions like those of a child.

Real questions, asked by people seeking real answers. That is who God will reveal things to.

This is why we should never be afraid of real questions. Whether they are someone else’s questions. Or our own questions.

God isn’t.

Truth be told, those are the questions that God is waiting for.

Today’s Readings

[ahopefulbromantic]

What do you do to celebrate the Feast Day of St Francis?? (i've never celebrated a feast day before)

For me the best way to spend any feast day is to:

Attend the mass! and get excited for the collect prayer and for the colors of the garments

Pray the Liturgy of the Hours, mainly lauds and vespers - they have special hymns and prayers about the saints and other features depending on what type of saint it is (martyr/virgin/scholastic), a hymn to St Francis rocks btw

Read about the saint, pray with them, spend some time with them - if you haven't read Canticle of the Sun yet, I can guarantee you'll love it!

If there is a special tradition or activity associated with the saint, it's awesome to participate in it, especially in a community. So for the feast of St Francis I blessed my animals and gave them their favorite treats ☺️

Have fun and happy feast!

[bugflies00]

hey! i’m doing a little study thing to prove a point (honestly terrified to send this ask, been thinking about it for weeks) and i totally understand if you’re not comfortable enough to answer. i gen get it, there’s no pressure. what are your current views on like, ermmmmm, religion things? specifically chrisitanity? i’m excepting negative and positive answers lol

hi! well i have a pretty neutral view of religion in other people as a whole if that makes sense? like its just their thing and it doesn’t impact my life (obviously apart from when arguing with right wing religious extremists but thats a very specific minor case) like live your life man. i got baptised catholic but my parents never practiced so even though i went to catholic school to a few years its not important to me. sometimes depictions of religion make me a bit uncomfortable so ill block tags etc but its purely a personal thing ^_^

[theoneobserving]

What is your favorite part about being a Catholic?

At first I wasn’t sure but as I think about it now, it has to be the love of God. I wanted to say the Eucharist or confession because they’re both incredible sacraments. Confession I love and understand it and I can feel it lift me up. The Eucharist is truly amazing. However, I feel like I can only comprehend so much of it with my very limited intelligence. I know it has an impact on me that I maybe won’t understand or see until the end of time and I’m fine with that because I know God if infinitely smarter than me. It makes me excited for the day when all will be revealed.

My ultimate answer is God’s love though. My favorite thing about being Catholic is God’s love because I know that’s where all these amazing gifts come from and God isn’t waiting for me to fully understand before he gives me these great gifts or loves me. He loved me 2000… okay I started crying a little. Let’s try this again. Jesus loved me 2000 years ago. He knew the awful sins I would commit and that each one was behind every swing of the hammer coming down on the nails being driven through him. He knew this before he ever created me. Yet he created me anyways. He loved me into existence despite it all. That’s why God’s love is my favorite part about being Catholic.

Ps: I’m sorry for making this so crazy long!

[georgia-apples]

Greetings Tumblr,

My name is Georgia Apple, I am 26 years old, and I have created this account with the intent of attempting to encourage myself to continue holding onto hope as it pertains to pursuing mental health management. I contend with several different co-occuring diagnoses and, from time to time, it can feel incredibly disheartening to realize the facts that I will never be considered "neurotypical" and that my conditions are lifelong and will need to be managed for the rest of my life. I am still learning to accept the facts of my reality while also being mindful of the fact that a life with disorders is still a life worth living.

I am certain that I do not know what the "purpose" of my presence in this life is, if there happens to be any designated purpose at all... but what I am certain of is the fact that I am present in this very moment in time. So the question I must ask myself is: What do I wish to do with this life that I am living? What sorts of things am I passionate about? What sorts of connections would I like to create and nurture during this lifetime? While my answers to these questions will likely be flexible as time progresses, I hope that I may find the courage to explore my thoughts within and beyond the confines of this blog and platform. I thank each and every individual who decides to follow me on this journey of self-discovery and self-reflection. God bless you all. ❤️

[tiny-huts]

Really fun how many time Matt tries to do anything with the gods or religion the fandom refuses to engage with the narrative and starts foaming at the mouth in barely concealed unprocessed Christian religious trauma.

[blessedarethequeer]

heart is soft thinking about three years ago today when I joined the Zoom for my weekly spiritual direction and my spiritual director, a Jesuit I'd only met with a few times at that point, greeted me with the sweetest "Joyous National Coming Out Day, Zoe!" and a big smile :')

[brainbubblegum]

HEY YOU!!!! 🫵

Are you a Christian?✝️

Is your faith wavering, but you’re still latched onto your beliefs because if you don’t, you worry about the possibility of going to 🔥HELL🔥????

Do you worry obsessively about the end times and the pain dynamics of burning in a lake of fire for all eternity and how that would all work out, like if your soul would get used to it or if the fire would find a way to hurt more over time, like what is eternal torture even??? 🔥🐥🔥🍗🔥🪨🔥

Do you worry about questioning your faith for even a second, because you’re certain that the moment you did, the antichrist would reveal himself and everyone but you would be raptured????? 🙂😈

Do I have the book for you:

[the-polite-lurker]

Pinned Post!

Edit: Now I’m 18! :)

Meet the Person I Guess. Also yes I’m actually 17, the 18 in my Bio is a typo and my dumb butt still hasn’t fixed it. I’m 18 on November 1st. I’m not trying to lie to anyone but sorry that I deceived you with my own idiocy. :’) Brain fog sucks. (Edit: I finally figured out how to fix it! Sorry again)

[momentsbeforemass]

The wrong question

“Why?”

It’s a permanent question when you’re three.

Even though being around a “why machine” can get overwhelming for others, it’s a real question when you’re trying to figure out the world for the first time.

Later in life, our “why” questions get less obvious. And sometimes, less honest.

That is, we don’t just ask “why” when we’re trying to figure things out.

Sometimes, what we’re really asking is why things aren’t the way we think they should be. Why things don’t neatly fit into the view of the world that we’re comfortable with.

That’s what’s going in today’s Gospel. When the Sadducees rattle off an overly long and overly complicated story to set up a question that has little or nothing to do with actually figuring something out.

A question that has everything to do with something not neatly fit into the view of the world that they’re comfortable with.

It’s an uncomfortable truth. One that Jesus’ response lays bare.

Jesus’ response lets them know – the view of the world that they’re comfortable with may be comfortable – but it’s not grounded in reality.

Jesus’ response lets them know – they’re asking the wrong question.

The point for them, and for us?

Instead of asking why something doesn’t neatly fit within the view of the world that we’re comfortable with.

What we need to be asking is how to understand things from the ultimate reality, from God’s perspective.

Not to get our questions answered.

But to know the One who is the answer.

Today’s Readings

[fandomfuntimem]

Cain and Able

I mentioned in an earlier post that I though Cain in the story of Cain and Able was "on some level, justified" and frankly I misworded it, and my reasoning at the time was wrong.

When I said "Justified" what I really ment was I could see why and how it happened, and that I pittied Cain. I thought Cain didn't intend on killing Able, he threw the rock and Able died. No human had ever died before that point, and they only ever killed livestock, so Cain couldn't have known that would kill Able.

But my mom corrected me by looking it up. In the Catholic version (I am Roman Catholic, so thats unfortunately my only frame of refference.) The devil whispered to Cain and encouraged him to kill Able. Cain and Able fought, and Cain beat Able to death.

But that got me thinking. First of all, I whent to bible school for eight years and not once did they say that happened. Hell not even the church ever said that that was what happened. So, y'know, eather they never cared to say it, or my mom lied (good chance tbh, she doesn't like blasphemy).

Second: THAT ENTIRE SITUATION, WAS GOD'S FAULT! For centuries the church has pushed this idea that God loves all his creations equally, that it pains him to see sinners in hell. But Cain and Able? That was his fault.

Reasoning:

So, the devil pushed Cain to kill. Got in his head, fed on his jealousy, and whispered in his ear. Yeah ok usual bible stuff. The bible also pushes the idea that a strong faith in God is a good way to push the Devil out. Also, jealousy is a natural emotion, but something has to trigger it.

God picked favorites. The great being, that Cain and Able were probably both told is full of love, and wrath, picked favorites. God ignored the amount of effort BOTH brothers put into their offerings. He picked Able over Cain, and Cain was hurt. Cain lost his faith. Because he was told this was a loving and fair being, but this "fair" being picked favorites. He was lied to.

This doubt, and jealousy, was planted by God's blatant favoritism. Allowing the Devil entry into Cain's heart.

Then, when Cain had realised what he had done, God came back questioning where Able was, and Cain lied. What else could he do? This is THE being, the ultimate force of everything, it created his parents, banished them from the garden, and now Cain was facing it down after committing a horrific act. Frankly, Cain was probably pissing himself. God probably already knew what happened. (That, or this story proves God is not omnipotent.) Cain lied, because what else could he do? It was that, or admit to God, and himself, that he killed his brother.

I just feel bad for him. That entire situation wouldn't have happened if God didn't pick favorites. If God stuck to his teachings and loved and cared equally.

I'm not saying Cain was justified, or that he shouldn't have been punished. I'm just saying that its tragic. I gues a large chunk of my reason for feeling bad for Cain is that I kinda get it? Y'know, being raised Catholic and all, but slowly learning that the God you follow isn't the fair and loving being you were told he was. He's just cruel, and so are his people.

Side note: my mom said "well, God just happened to like one offering more than the other," and that statement just urked me. That implies God can decide if he likes one person more than the other, two people on equal ground, similer lives, but one can be far more blessed than the other because God "just happened to like one more than the other." Thats bullshit for the ideas the church preaches.

[corcracrow]

Are you a christian? (you can reply privately if you like, I'm just speculating)

Hi nonnie! Yes, I am a christian. I don’t tend to post much about my faith/life in particular, but when I do it’s generally tagged christianity :)