#mary as mother of the church

[seekingtheosis]

Mother Mary in the Oriental Orthodox Tradition: Her Spiritual Motherhood and Intercession

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus All of us have been observing the 15-day Lent in commemoration of the Dormition (Assumption) of Mother Mary and we have now come almost to an end to the Lent, and we are all preparing to celebrate the Feast. During these days, we have been contemplating on the various titles that have been used to describe Mother Mary in our liturgical hymns and…

[spectre777]

[rottendust]

[banishedchildofeve]

Piotr Stachiewicz - “Regina Caeli”

[helloparkerrose]

[idylls-of-the-divine-romance]

Okay the Catholics get a win for this one. Because on this episode of "Am I going to convert to Catholicism" I actually prayed to a saint for the first time.

I was kind of going through it (kind of relapsed into my katabasis arc ig) and my relationship with God was struggling because of it. I was mad. Like really mad, because I felt abandoned by him. And so I couldn't pray. I didn't want to hear from them. Because why the heck would you leave me to begin with??? There was all this pent up negative feelings I had towards them and I didn't feel like I could go directly to God.

But, @patron-saint-of-lesbeans recomended reaching out to Mary and asking for intercession on my behalf.

Now, I'm not some radical protestant or anything, and i was completely okay with people praying to the saints, but for me personally I didn't think it was something i'd ever do.

But I did.

And now I think I get it.

Sometimes I can't approach the Throne of Grace because the throne doesn't feel particularly gracious. Sometimes I can't approach Mercy because they don't feel particularly merciful. Sometimes I can't approach God because God doesn't feel particularly loving.

But I can approach Mary, who is full of Grace, who is the Mother of Mercy, the Mother of God, and she can help lead me to the Prince of Peace.

So just... thank you. Thank you Rj, thank you Mary, and thank you God.

[thegirlintheblackdress]

The Lady of the Sun, by Albrecht Dürer, 1498

[fictionadventurer]

Slumber party question! What's your earliest memory of encountering beauty? The first thing you can recall where you looked at something and were struck by how beautiful it was?

[littleflowerfaith]

Immaculate Heart of Mary pray for us

Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on us

[s0fter-sin]

(cw non-sexual kink, cis male tiddy sucking)

nikolai takes one look at ghost - at the stiffness he holds himself with, arms held rigidly at his sides as he glares ahead, each breath carefully measured to make himself unnoticed - and knows it’s been too long since he’s checked on his boy

all it takes is a single look, catching his bruised and tired eyes, and ghost all but slumps. nikolai turns, heading towards the 141’s private rec room and he doesn’t need to hear the near-silent footsteps to know ghost’s following. he pulls him down onto the couch, bringing him into the circle of his arms even as he weakly tries to pull away

“don’t need it, nik; don’t have time…” ghost argues but it’s hollow at best

“hush, sweet one,” he soothes his halfhearted protests and thumbs his mask up above his lips. “always so nervous; so lost...”

he tugs his shirt up, showing off his belly and the heavy swell of his hairy pecs; nipples already pebbled. he cups the back of ghost’s head, his thumb brushing over his exposed jaw and ghost is helpless to follow as he gently leads him to latch onto his breast

“i have you,” he promises

no matter how big he is, in presence or in stature, nikolai is bigger; encompassing his whole body in warmth and safety, the familiar scent of cologne and motor oil filling his senses just as the heat of his tit fills his mouth

ghost’s eyes roll back and he nuzzles deeper into his chest, sinking into him and lets his mind empty as he suckles

-

soap didn’t mean to. he didn’t mean to walk in on something not meant for his eyes. he just wanted to check on ghost; he’s been so distant lately, different from his usual bad days and he doesn’t know how to help him but that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to try

but he didn’t mean for this; for guilt and a heated, confused want to chase through him as he enters the rec room and realises nikolai got to ghost first

realises they’re not just necking on the couch; that ghost’s lips are pressed tight to nikolai’s furred breast and not moving away, a gentle hollow thinning his exposed cheeks as he sucks, his throat softly bobbing as he swallows

nikolai’s cupping the back of his head, fingers drifting through the blonde hair at the nape of his neck and he looks so fond; like there’s nowhere he’d rather be than on their broken in couch with ghost curled around his body, sucking what must be a deep ache into his tit.

then nikolai looks up at him, frozen in the doorway and soap-

soap runs

-

nikolai gives soap a few days before he tries to talk about it; gives him a chance to come to terms with what he's seen. it's almost adorable; how deep soap’s flush grows when he sees him, how he stumbles over his words and can’t quite make eye contact

but it also tugs at him that he feels the need to shrink, to brace himself from whatever punishment he thinks is headed his way; shoulders hunching in, arms wrapped almost defensively around his body before finding whatever excuse he can to run from him

run from himself

he wishes he could wait for soap to come to him but he knows lost boys and their fear of coming in from the cold

nikolai keeps himself gentle as he uses his bulk to corner soap; stopping him from running but also using it to show how easily he could hide in him if he just let himself give in. if he let him take care of him the same way he takes care of ghost

"but... but it's wrong," soap whispers, fingers tangling with a gold cross at the hollow of his throat (a cross so similar to one he’d melted down all those years ago), but he speaks with such clear longing; eyes wide where he stares up at him, all but begging to be told otherwise and it almost breaks nikolai's heart

"no, lovely boy," he denies softly and soap shudders as he cups his face and backs him up against the corner; hugged by both walls and nikolai himself. "there is nothing more natural."

he caresses soap's cheek. he feels him shake under his touch, his eyes already growing dewy, and chances drifting his fingers over his bottom lip. soap's breath hitches and he looks up at him with so much fear - so much trust - and hesitantly opens his mouth to let them sink inside

nikolai doesn't press them too deep, doesn't threaten his throat, but they are thick and wide; filling his mouth and comfortably weighing down his tongue

with a small, involuntary moan, soap closes his lips around his fingers and nikolai catches him with his body as he goes limp. he coos as he starts sucking; wrapping his other arm around his head and brings him into his body, hidden and safe and small

"my good, lovely boy," he whispers and soap lets out a cracked whimper. "you are not wrong."

he isn't ready yet, much the same way ghost wasn't ready at first. but feeling soap tremble and suckle at his fingers, nikolai knows he'll soon have another boy tucked safe to his breast

[austerity-audacity-asceticism]

I am completely and utterly convinced that nothing that St. Paul has ever said goes harder than “For it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

[psalmlover]

praying for a blessed new year <3

[spectre777]

[rottendust]

Norwegian churches are so pretty

[lanadelreyvisualaesthetics]

[bylagunabay]

In Praise of MARY