St. Teresa in Ecstasy by Bernini

I watched the podcasts Fr. Chad Ripperger and Fr. Dan Reehil were on and both of them double and triple down that you shouldn’t celebrate Halloween because it’s the devils holiday.

After watching those I learned from one of those “Everything is Catholic” videos, and they said we get it from All Hallows Eve the day before All Saints Day.

So my big question is doesn’t it seem like these exorcists are misinforming the viewership of the Catholic Church’s stock in the holiday it’s self by claiming that it’s the devils holiday?

Furthermore, don’t you think God knows the difference between you worshipping the devil vs dressing my two kids up as Spider-Man and the Hulk to make memories and enjoy our time together while they have fun?

Let nothing disturb you,

Let nothing frighten you,

All things are passing away:

God never changes.

Patience obtains all things.

Whoever has God lacks nothing;

God alone suffices.

Amid the worries and uncertainties of life, these words of Saint Teresa remind us that everything in this world is passing, but God remains. May we learn to trust more in His providence and find in Him the peace that the things of this world cannot give us.

Saint Teresa of Ávila, pray for us!

Long story short, husband and I married through Catholic Church in 2019. We strayed from our religion and have not attended mass regularly. We have a 6 year old daughter (who we have taught prayers too, sign of the cross, bible stories, etc.) and has gone to church before but not regularly. We have been through some rough moments in our marriage and we both realized we are lacking structured faith in our home. We decided together that we needed to invite God back into our lives especially with our daughter & one on the way. Well we never baptized my daughter, and now she is turning 6 next week and I’m so embarrassed. I am embarrassed and ashamed that my baby was never baptized because of her parents indecisiveness and irresponsibility. I want to baptize her but I’m afraid of being shamed and judged at her baptism when she is the oldest one there among babies :(

Hi. I just wanted to come on here and share my story about how Saint charbel healed my father I’m so happy and just want to share. A couple months ago we found out that my father had had a neck cancer and unfortunately it’s spread very quickly and it was much more aggressive than the doctors had thought it was originally. We found out a couple weeks later that he now had stage four lung cancer, and our doctor advised us to start preparing for my father’s death telling us that hopefully they could preserve his life for a couple more years. We were writing wills, crying, thinking of where to bury my father. It was an extremely difficult time and I turned to Saint Chapelle and prayed is novena and fasted at his honor. Towards the end of my fast, I was praying using an app and I had opened my app and on there it said a random quote of the day and that day when I happed to open the app it said RUTH 3:11
"And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask."
I immediately started, crying, praying to God and hoping it was a sign that it would be in his will to heal my father since the next day we were supposed to be getting confirmation, whether or not my father’s cancer had spread to his lungs . In the moment I had believed that God was telling me that the doctors would be wrong like I was hoping for, however when the news came back, it wasn’t what I hoped, for. They had confirmed that the cancer had spread to his lungs and that it was bad. I kept on praying and I kept on believing even though it was hard and at times I doubted my faith. However, as of today, my dad is 100% cancer free. The spots in his lungs I’ve been replaced with a gray fog in the scans. I kept on believing and in the lords will he did what the doctor said was almost impossible. Even the doctor was so surprised by this news it is truly been such a blessing. I wanted to share my story in case anyone needed to hear it.

I love and hate myself. I’m 18 and a freshmen in college and I have an amazing family and great friends. However I hate how ugly I am. Everywhere I go on campus I feel like the ugliest person around and when I think i see somebody who’s I think is uglier I use that too boost myself and that makes me feel bad because I don’t want to judge. Sometimes my friends or people with us will say something about my looks to boost themselves up and it just fucks me up. Im passing all my classes but my self esteem and self worth is just so low. I hate pictures of myself because of how bad I look my favorite ones are where I don’t look like myself. It doesn’t help I look young for my age either. I’m w5’9 which isn’t bad and I’m in good shape I would say I go the gym 3-5x a week. I pray and try to go to adoration one or two times a week along with mass. I lost a cousin to suicide so I wouldn’t want to do that because I know what it does to families but id be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it. I’m also living in a state of mortal sin so that doesn’t help either and I can’t confess because I’m only a candidate in the church but I will hopefully be confirmed in march. I want nothing more than to have a wife and kids but I am discerning the priesthood because I don’t think I will ever find a wife and if I do I don’t want my kids to be ugly like me

I'm genuinely curious.

I had a copper IUD inserted years ago, back when I was an atheist. At the time, I was sexually active outside of marriage and really did not want to get pregnant. Over time, through a series of encounters with Jesus, my heart began to change, and I eventually chose to be baptized earlier this year. I’m incredibly grateful for how far I’ve come in my faith journey, and I’m still learning so much about what it means to live as a Catholic. The last time I had sex was about two years ago.

A few months ago, I visited an OB-GYN intending to have my IUD removed. It had already been in place for several years, and I didn’t want to wait until the full 10 years before removing it, especially since I’m not expecting to be sexually active anytime soon. But my OB-GYN advised me to keep it because it was still properly positioned and would continue to provide protection against pregnancy. I decided to follow her advice and didn’t insist on having it removed.

I understand that through baptism, my past sins were forgiven. However, I only recently learned that the Catholic Church actually teaches against contraception (I thought the Church was only against premarital sex), and now I’m wondering what that means for my situation. I do now want to have children someday, but I’m not ready to become pregnant soon nor do I plan to have sex outside of marriage. So my IUD is just there, and I haven’t made a decision about removing it since my OB-GYN advised me to keep it.

Am I currently sinning by having the IUD in place, even though I’m not sexually active? I plan to talk to a priest later on but I’m still a bit nervous about it because I haven’t had confession yet. I would appreciate your input.

I have been doing some reading online, trying to learn what the Eastern Catholic Church believes about the devil and demonic affliction. I came across some writings by my Archbishop where demonic affliction is more and more shrugged off as mental illness. Clergy and laypersons speak as if it doesn't exist at all. As someone who spent years doing demonic occult practices, including the summoning of demons, to the point it lead to demonic oppression (not possession), this is very concerning to me.

I have very real experiences with demons. They laid dormant when I was non-religious doing the occult stuff, but as soon as I decided to go to church, they immediately reared their ugly heads and tore me to pieces, doing everything they could to stop me. Yes, I've been cleared by the mental health field, and I have the cognitive discernment to know the difference. The idea that my horrifying experience with demons is brushed off as some sort of fairytale or psychosis breaks my heart, and I don't understand how the Church can be so dismissive of a very real spiritual peril.

Souls will be lost if people who are experiencing demonic affliction cannot find help within the Church.

I visited a catholic church that is also sort of a tourist attraction last week and they had some religious objects for sale. Among them there were some beautiful rosaries that I probably just didn't buy because of their price (tourist spot) and a certain sense of pointlessness and cringe of being somebody that does not believe in a god or supernatural beings.

I was raised evangelical baptist (but I am not american, so it wasn't like the westboro baptist church, it was chill) in a historically and culturally catholic country that is becoming increasingly evangelical. I've been an atheist for more than 15 years but I am very interested in religions as a whole and I admire lots of things in different faiths, like catholic aesthetics and intelectual tradition. It is maybe the beauty and ritual of the rosary that compells me to partake in it, even if I don't believe in the "metaphysics" of it. The point is I would probably feel like those pagan larpers that pretend to believe in Odin or Athena to fight against the disenchantment of everyday modern life.

What would be your advice?

I want to start this post off by saying I am incredibly blessed and married to a wonderful woman. We have almost zero married strife and God has blessed us with four incredible kids. several times a week for the purpose of my job I have to interact with a woman who I occasionally have feelings for. I have never acted on it but do feel the attraction some days and while most of the time I go out of my way to talk about my wife and how lucky I am, I find myself drawn to my co-worker. I went to confession last Saturday and my Priest said my situation is similar to King David and that God has blessed me and I completely agree. Does anyone have any advice? I will pray more on this tonight.

Someone told me that the Japanese Shogunate's persecution of Christians was a justified self defence against a foreign cult who was enslaving their people and overthrowing their government. He said modern Japan is a shining beacon of modernity not corrupted by Christianity. What a wild thing to say...

In 1835, Maria Monk's Awful Disclosures claimed nuns at Montreal's Hôtel-Dieu strangled newborns and threw them into a lime pit in the cellar. It became a transatlantic bestseller, though investigators who visited the convent found nothing matching her account. The essay argues that the 2021 Kamloops Indigenous unmarked graves claims drew on the same old template of murderous priests and nuns, and notes that the 1834 Charlestown convent burning had a modern echo in the 2021 church arsons.

And is it the same for kings queens etc.? And would it be like “Saint senator” or because that’s not a true title just “Saint x”

I think this would solve the liturgy wars. I believe Pope Benedict even said that two forms of one Roman Rite is not a permanent solution.

I personally believe allowing the vernacular was the only thing that needed to be changed in the mass after Vatican II, generally everything else was fine the way it was. As far as I can tell, the problem some people have with the Tridentine Mass is most justly the language, while the problem traditionalists have with the Novus Ordo is everything else.

I think putting the rubrics back to where they were in 1962 (or even pre-1955), with the only change being the vernacular (along with some other small changes that I could elaborate on) would honestly be a happy medium that could liturgically unite the Latin Church. However, I genuinely would like to know how popular/unpopular this take is.

A not-serious question: Do you pronounce rosary:

A) rose-er-y (the S sounds like the S in rose)

B) ro-zhur-y (second syllable sounds kind of like the word “zhuzh,” as in to “zhuzh something up”/improve it)

C) another way

I was just wondering why isn’t John the Baptist as big as he is in the Orthodox Church? He’s considered to be the forerunner and the person who paved the way for Jesus and died as a martyr. He usually is the person on the other side of Jesus, Mary being on the other side.

My boyfriend (21M) and I (19F) have been together for two years. This past year, I’ve started attending the Catholic Church and have finally found my spiritual connection and home within the Church. As a result, I’ve decided to begin the journey of becoming Catholic through OCIA. Today, I met with my priest, and our conversation got me thinking about my partner and where he stands. The main reason was that my priest brought up the question, “Will he become Catholic, or will he be wiling to respect the Catholic values into his life?”

That question really got me thinking. My partner has always told me that he doesn’t align with any religion, and has even told me that me becoming Catholic isn’t necessary and to just go to Mass. But to me, it’s deeper than that. I want to receive my sacraments, I want to be married in the Catholic faith, I want to rise my children in the faith, I want to live a life that aligns with my religious values, as that makes up a huge portion of who I am. After my meeting with my priest, I brought up the conversation with my priest, and he told me that he won’t become Catholic and that he doesn’t need to be Catholic to be with me, etc. In a way, I agree, but then I think about what my priest told me: if I want to truly do this and become closer to God, I have to love Him more than anything, Even if that means leaving my partner because he doesn’t align with the faith. My partner does respect my religion, but he doesn’t seem to understand how deeply this matters to me. I love him and cherish our relationship, and I genuinely see a future where we’re married, but I also want that future to align with my faith. My priest even joked that if he’s not the one, God will show me through his actions and bring me a Catholic man. But I’m truly confused. Has anyone experienced anything similar? I truly want advice. God bless you all!

How non-Catholics overturned what Jesus in Mat. 19:6 and Mark 10:11 said about divorce?

“What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” — Matthew 19:6 (KJV)

“Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.” — Mark 10:11 (KJV)

Any idea how then can still proceed with claiming solo scriptura?

(If someone can recommend any Saint to do a prayer for this situation, I would love it, thx)

Last week, I posted about someone I met online and how unexpectedly beautiful our connection has been.

I genuinely care about him, and one of the things that means the most to me is how much he respects me, my Catholic faith, my values, and the way I choose to live my life. He’s incredibly patient with me, and I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who has made me feel so respected, understood, and appreciated.

And I think it’s okay to cry about that sometimes. Not because something is wrong, but because receiving something so beautiful when you’re not used to it can feel a little overwhelming.
As someone who has never really been in a relationship before, navigating these feelings has been a whole new experience. And even though I’m happy, I sometimes catch myself overthinking everything.
Today was one of those days.

I was overthinking so much that I just felt the need to go outside and walk. I kept telling myself, “I just need to walk.”
And somehow, during that walk, I started praying the Rosary.

Before I even realized it, I had prayed all five mysteries of the day. And I can’t really explain how much peace that brought me. It was like all the thoughts that had been weighing on my heart suddenly became a little lighter.

I’ve always believed in the importance of having the Blessed Virgin Mary in my life, but today I felt especially close to her.

I think that, as someone experiencing these feelings for the first time, having Our Lady accompany me through this process is something incredibly special.
For the first time today, I stopped worrying so much about what might happen and simply felt at peace with what is happening.

I don’t know where this connection will lead, and that’s okay.
But I felt this beautiful reassurance that whatever God allows into my life, He will also give me the grace and strength to navigate it.

And maybe that’s what I needed to remember today. I don’t have to figure everything out right now. I can be happy, I can be a little scared, I can take things slowly, and I can trust God through all of it.
I just wanted to share this little moment because it meant a lot to me. 🤍

I'm in my 20s now, and one of the things I've struggled with most in my faith journey so far is the fact that I have to forgive my parents.

Both of my parents have shown strong narcissistic traits throughout my life, and my childhood was far from what I think a child deserves.

My dad would beat the living crap out of me and insult me on a daily basis. While my mother, on the other hand, was always cold and emotionally distant. I genuinely cannot remember hearing her tell me she loved me. Then, one day, she abandoned me and went on to build a new life with another man. I spent around 10 years without her in my life until she divorced the guy and tried to re-establish a connection with me.

Growing up with these experiences has left me with a lot of anger, resentment, and honestly, hatred toward them. It's difficult to explain what it's like to grow up wanting love and affection from your own parents, only to be hurt by them and feel emotionally unwanted.

As I've gotten older and tried to take my Catholic faith more seriously, I've found myself struggling with the commandment to forgive. I understand that Christ calls us to forgive others, and I know that holding on to hatred isn't good for my soul. I don't want to spend the rest of my life carrying this resentment.

But how am I supposed to forgive people who caused me so much pain, especially when they don't seem to have changed at all? Or what does it look like to forgive someone even? The concept is unknown to me honestly.

My mother was the first to try to reestablish contact a couple of years ago, and I've made an effort to give her another chance. She's the parent I currently have contact with, but it feels like she hasn't changed at all. The same coldness and behaviors are still there, and I find myself wondering why I keep hoping for a relationship that she doesn't seem willing or able to give me.

For those of you who have dealt with abusive parents, narcissistic family members, or similar experiences, how did you approach forgiveness?

Did you eventually forgive them even if they never acknowledged what they did or changed their behavior? How do you distinguish Christian forgiveness from allowing someone to continue hurting you? Is it possible to forgive someone while maintaining distance or even cutting contact if that's what you need for your own well-being?

I'd especially appreciate hearing from fellow Catholics about how you reconciled these experiences with Christ's teachings. Personal experiences would mean a lot to me.

Thank you for reading.

sorry but I’m not Catholic Ive thought about doing it for a long time and just never made the move but I have a lot of respect for the culture. I’m asking my question here because I’ve been struggling with shame. l don’t know what to do I should be more ashamed of myself and my actions than I am. more than anything I feel detached from them and from myself more often. I feel guilty about all sorts of silly things; not giving alms to the poor, holding grudge, gossip, but eh choices I make the ones that hurt the people closest to me I don’t feel guilt over I feel ashamed embarrassed. I’ve been reading my bible and it doesn’t excite me anymore and I struggle with loving my family. I need to make penance for my actions and while I regret them I don’t feel guilty over them. why don’t I feel as bad about hurting the person closest to me but I do for total stranger? please help me repent.

Hello. I am 22 years old and my college buddy passed away today after a long and courageous cancer battle. While I knew he was sick, I have been really bummed out all day and it has affected my mood and I have been physically shaking for the better part of the day. It makes me wonder why God would do such an awful thing like that yet He lets terrorists, rapists, murderers, conmen, and racists live. And why does it seem like those aforementioned categories have people who live so long? I don’t get it. I always knew life sucks, but I never had it more confirmed than today. I also don’t comprehend praying if things are gonna go down regardless of prayers. My cousins are also suffering from an abusive father who’s never there, and I fear they may be killed soon. Maybe it’s me, but all this bad stuff has weakened my faith rather than strengthened it. Does anyone know what’s going on with me? Thank you