I haven't read Story of a Soul but I have heard a lot about St. Therese. She's a popular saint :grin: I also like St. Teresa of the Andes and I think she was a Carmelite as well. So sad that a lot of these women died so young though.

I know! At the same time it's inspiring because it shows that you don't have to be elderly and white-haired to be a great saint :lol:. Some of the youngest saints I know of are St. Maria Goretti (d. age 12) and St. Dominic Savio (d. age 12/13).
 
I know! At the same time it's inspiring because it shows that you don't have to be elderly and white-haired to be a great saint :lol:. Some of the youngest saints I know of are St. Maria Goretti (d. age 12) and St. Dominic Savio (d. age 12/13).

Reading Story of a Soul now. It was FREE on Kindle.
 
The Catholic Answer

below is a blog post that I found interesting. It deals with the question of capitalism vs. socialism and which is better to support. The answer? Neither!

Believe it or not, there is actually a "Catholic answer," a third way-- Distributism


Read more below:




As a Catholic, should I be Capitalist or Socialist?

Again, how about neither. The irony about both systems is that they are really two different manifestations of the same problem. That problem is ownership of property. You see, under the Capitalist system, the majority of productive property ownership ultimately ends up in the hands of a few corporate bureaucrats. Under Socialism, the majority of productive property ownership ultimately ends up in the hands of a few government bureaucrats.

Neither system is just, and both systems concentrate productive property into the hands of just a few people.


The only real difference between the two systems is which people end up with the property. Shall they be corporate bureaucrats (capitalism)? Or shall they be government bureaucrats (socialism)? The Catholic Church teaches that the only real solution to man's economic problems is the complete opposite of both systems.

This is manifested in the widespread natural distribution of productive property to as many people as possible. By "property" one does not always mean land, though land is certainly included in that. By "property" one can also mean shares in a business, stocks, cooperative ownership, and other things of productive value.

This type of widespread distribution of property is called Distributism. You see, property is power, and ownership of property gives one the necessary power to take control of one's own destiny.

This is the beginning of economic social justice. It is only upon this foundation that we can begin to build the other elements of economic social justice according to Catholic teaching. So when it comes time to vote, we should vote for those politicians that promote small business over large business and government programs.

The ideal politician, from the Distributist mindset, would be one who promotes helping small businesses by eliminating unnecessary government regulations and simultaneously preventing large business from engaging in practices of monopoly and unfair competition.

Politicians should advocate strict enforcement of antitrust laws at both the federal and state level, as well as strict zoning laws for business size at the local level. Politicians should also support a living wage, private cooperative ownership of large industry, and perhaps creating arbitration courts for labor and business that exist outside the political realm.

Likewise, politicians should support the elimination of labor unions and replace them with the creation of guilds for various skilled workers of various types of industry. However, they should mandate that such guilds have spiritual direction of some kind (chaplains) for moral purposes, and that they work for the common good of both employees and employers, seeing as the two are dependent upon each other. Again, non-political courts of arbitration would do much to expedite this process, and politicians should support that...

As a Catholic, should I support big government?

No, big government runs against the Catholic social teaching of subsidiarity, and subsidiarity is the "hinge" upon which all of Catholic social justice turns. Catholic social doctrine supports decentralization (or downsizing) of big government bureaucracies.

The principle of subsidiarity teaches that it is immoral for higher government to do the functions that can be easily carried out by lower government, the family or the individual.


Subsidiarity also teaches that higher government should always function in a subsidiary role to lower government. Therefore, Catholics should support politicians who advocate "downsizing" or decentralizing big government in Washington DC, giving some of that power back to the states, families and individuals.

So when a politician starts talking about his latest government "program" to solve all your woes, ask yourself if this is going to increase or decrease the size of government. If the answer is "increase" the size of government, than the Catholic thing to do would be to vote against that politician and his big government program. In the Catholic economy of politics, power should go directly to the people, as much as reasonably possible, while higher forms of government perform ONLY those functions the people, and lower forms of government, cannot perform on their own.
 
The Catholic Answer

below is a blog post that I found interesting. It deals with the question of capitalism vs. socialism and which is better to support. The answer? Neither!

Believe it or not, there is actually a "Catholic answer," a third way-- Distributism


Read more below:


As a Catholic, should I be Capitalist or Socialist?

Again, how about neither. ....
* [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
Galadriel,

My first reaction when I read this was « I don't like it ». :blush::ohwell::blush:
[/FONT]



[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]I just read part of the COMPENDIUM OF THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH and I really don't like this. :nono::ohwell::spinning:[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]It looks like the SDC, feels like it but that's not it. :spinning::nono::spinning: It's impossible to truthfully present the catholic POW on social economic justice without using the words "common good".
[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]The RCC answer to man' s economic problems or questions is the Social Doctrine of the Church. The whole thing, not just part of it.
[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]For us catholics, the foundation of economic social justice is not distributism or « the widespread distribution of productive property » but the principle of common good. The RCC is not advocating « the widespread distribution of productive property » but we believe that « Each person must have access to the level of well-being necessary for his full development » (cf universal destination of goods and universal right to use the goods).[/FONT]


I'm still somewhat confused about this. The SDC is not my area of expertise. But I'll agree that the SDC is neither capitalism nor socialism.

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
[/FONT]
 
* [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
@Galadriel,

My first reaction when I read this was « I don't like it ». :blush::ohwell::blush:
[/FONT]



[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]I just read part of the COMPENDIUM OF THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH and I really don't like this. :nono::ohwell::spinning:[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]It looks like the SDC, feels like it but that's not it. :spinning::nono::spinning: It's impossible to truthfully present the catholic POW on social economic justice without using the words "common good".
[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]The RCC answer to man' s economic problems or questions is the Social Doctrine of the Church. The whole thing, not just part of it.
[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]For us catholics, the foundation of economic social justice is not distributism or « the widespread distribution of productive property » but the principle of common good. The RCC is not advocating « the widespread distribution of productive property » but we believe that « Each person must have access to the level of well-being necessary for his full development » (cf universal destination of goods and universal right to use the goods).[/FONT]


I'm still somewhat confused about this. The SDC is not my area of expertise. But I'll agree that the SDC is neither capitalism nor socialism.

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
[/FONT]

Thanks for sharing, ktykaty

I'll pull up the SDC.

Here's the LINK at the Vatican website (too much for one post), but you're right, it is centered on the "common good," and it extends beyond economics, but also knowledge, education, human rights, etc.

I find this very interesting :yep:. I agree with the principle of subsidiarity (a task should be performed by the most immediate person or authority) and distributism (examples: farmer markets, CSA, supporting small business, etc.).
 
I was raised Catholic but now agnostic but I will drop in from time to time also. My parents and sisters still attend church.
 
Liturgy (w/ veneration of the Cross), Good Friday liturgy (does your church do processions?), and we may do evening Mass on Holy Saturday b/c we're going to a relative's house Easter Sunday.

I'm not sure what they do on Good Friday. I know that on Holy Thursday, the Sacrament is taken down to the tabernacle in the crypt to symbolize (IIRC) Jesus in the tomb. There's a procession for that and I plan to be there and stay for a little adoration. :yep:
 
What are everyone's plans for Triduum?

Mass on Holy Thursday. I will also attend the adoration.

Good Friday there is the stations of the cross procession that is usually a major thing at my parish. As in parishoners participating, dressed in old roman costumes and all. It takes 1.5 hrs for the procession. The guy who plays Jesus's part has been growing his beard for the last 1 month.

It's always a somber event that makes it even so real by participating.

If it's ok, I will post a couple of pictures tomorrow for ya'll to see.
 
Liturgy (w/ veneration of the Cross), Good Friday liturgy (does your church do processions?), and we may do evening Mass on Holy Saturday b/c we're going to a relative's house Easter Sunday.

I was always taught that the Easter Virgil Mass was more important than the Easter Mass.

Anyone else?
 
Hope everyone had a blessed Easter. The vigil and service today were an absolute tribute to the triumph and majesty of Christ!
 
[USER=28031]Galadriel[/USER] said:
JeterCrazed it was amazing, just what I needed to get refreshed and refocused. I studied Scripture, prayed, did devotions, and went to Confession.

Wy, oh why did I give up chocolate for Lent???? I can't WAIT until Easter Sunday :lol:.

I did exceptionally well. No clothes, shoes, watches or earrings. Handbags was on a trial bases:look:, but I bought none. Traditional fasting was making me fat :sad: So I went on a diet and lost the fasting weight and a few more lbs. :)

Sent from my Inspire HD using LHCF
 
How was everybody's Lent? :)

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I observed lent this year even though I'm not Catholic and none of the churches I've ever gone to observe it. It was great. I was able to focus more on Jesus. Setting aside more time in bible study, devotions, fasting and prayer. I plan to make fasting a more regular part of my life.

I really enjoyed watching the different Holy week Masses on EWTN. Very beautiful.
 
naturalmermaid said:
I observed lent this year even though I'm not Catholic and none of the churches I've ever gone to observe it. It was great. I was able to focus more on Jesus. Setting aside more time in bible study, devotions, fasting and prayer. I plan to make fasting a more regular part of my life.

I really enjoyed watching the different Holy week Masses on EWTN. Very beautiful.

Ditto. I'm not Catholic, either :)

Sent from my Inspire HD using LHCF
 
I observed lent this year even though I'm not Catholic and none of the churches I've ever gone to observe it. It was great. I was able to focus more on Jesus. Setting aside more time in bible study, devotions, fasting and prayer. I plan to make fasting a more regular part of my life.

I really enjoyed watching the different Holy week Masses on EWTN. Very beautiful.

Ditto. I'm not Catholic, either :)

@naturalmermaid and @JeterCrazed I think its a good thing that you got to experience the Lenten Season. I have a couple of non Catholic friends who belong to a Baptist Church that encouraged its members to observe Lent. Some members agreed to do so and some adamantly resisted. (My friends observed it by praying and fasting. I went with them for the Stations of the Cross on 2 fridays).

This had me researching on this new trend where non apostolic churches are slowly adapting to practicing Lent.

Below is from some church's website taking about Lent.

http://www.walkingtogetherministrie...8/Should-Baptist-Christians-Observe-Lent.aspx

"Last Sunday I mentioned to Central Baptist Church that this Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, marked the beginning of Lent. I mentioned that we Baptists have traditionally observed portions of the Christian calendar while ignoring or rejecting other portions, but that there may be good reasons to observe some portions we have traditionally neglected.


Over the last couple of days, I've received comments ranging from appreciation, to curiosity, to questioning of Lent and my mentioning it from the pulpit. So I thought I might just share a few thoughts on the question of whether or not Baptists should observe Lent. In no particular order:
  • The short answer: "Yes" if you find it helpful. "No" if you don't.
  • It is true that we do not find the observance of Lent in the New Testament, but neither do we find the observance of Christmas or one special annual day for Easter (every Sunday was an observance of Easter for the early believers!).
  • Concern is occasionally raised because Lent seems to be a Catholic observance. Sure enough, Catholics observe Lent, but so do and so have many Protestants, albeit moreso in the Magesterial Protestant tradition. (Catholics also, by the way, observe Easter and Christmas, days I'd like to keep around!)
  • It is curious to me that Baptist Christians have more interest in the secular and political calendar than in the historic Christian calendar. For instance, where in the New Testament do we see the early church observing something like Mother's Day, Father's Day, Veteran's Day?
  • Sure, the liturgical calendar presents us with very interesting symbols that we do not see specifically in the Bible. Tomorrow many Christians will be marked on the forehead with ashes for Ash Wednesday. But why, praytell, does this raise eyebrows (when, at least, it has some biblical founding - ashes as a sign of humility and repentance) when our wholesale embrace of clearly non-biblical (not un-biblical, just non-biblical) symbols does not? I speak, for instance, of the following symbols we embrace: the American flag, the Christian flag, the iconic symbol of the cross, the symbol of the fish. Moreso, we embrace culturally-defined symbols all the time: wedding bands, sports symbols, the favorite chants, cheers, dances, motions of our favorite teams, etc.
  • View Lent as a running start to jump into Easter, if that helps.
  • The greatest irony in all of this is the current fad of observing "40 Days of _____" (fill-in-the-blank: Purpose, Prayer, Stewardship, etc.) in Baptist churches. I mean, if we can observe 40 Days of Purpose for Rick Warren why can't we observe the season of Lent, which has a grander historical pedigree, is, I dare say, even more biblically robust (NO knock on Rick Warren intended!), and has been a useful tool for Christians all over the world through the ages? I'll wager my left leg that if LifeWay took Lent, renamed it, put in a package, called it "40 Days of Repentance and Reflection", and created a Leader's Guide and student workbook, Baptists would gobble it up in droves, wear the pre-printed t-shirts, armbands, headbands, etc. Meaning, if we can observe 40 days of kitsch, we can certainly observe 40 days of Lent.
  • NONE of this is to say you should or must observe Lent or you're wrong if you don't. Again, if you find it helpful, do so. If you don't, don't. But it's something to consider.
  • Just thinking aloud..."
*****TAKE SOME TIME TO READ THE COMMENTS.,,they are interesting******



I :lol: at the bolded because it is soo true!
 
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The only thing I don't do is Ash my forehead. Jesus said that we don't need everybody to know we're fasting and look "dismal like the pagans," so I omit that ritual.

But why, Rsgal, do your friends adamantly resist? I don't understand.

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The only thing I don't do is Ash my forehead. Jesus said that we don't need everybody to know we're fasting and look "dismal like the pagans," so I omit that ritual.

But why, Rsgal, do your friends adamantly resist? I don't understand.

Sent from my Inspire HD using LHCF

JeterCrazed, I wrote that some members of my friends church refused to participate in the observance. From what they told me, I gathered its because like many, they think that is this Catholic thing, yet the Episcopals, Methodists, Presbyterians and Lutherans among others observe it too.
 
The list on books I need/plan to read is growing exponentially :nono:

I just came across No Price to High: A Pentecostal Preacher Becomes Catholic. Anyone read this one? It's about a black pentecostal pastor who starts researching worship styles and tries to model his service after the way early Christians worshiped. Lo and behold, it looked eerily similar to Catholicism. :grin: So he left his church and took about 50 people in his congregation with him. :yep: Oh, and because he was married, he became a deacon, not a priest.

I also want to read Rome Sweet Home. I also received Life of Christ for Easter. :spinning: So much to read and so little time!
 
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[*]The greatest irony in all of this is the current fad of observing "40 Days of _____" (fill-in-the-blank: Purpose, Prayer, Stewardship, etc.) in Baptist churches. I mean, if we can observe 40 Days of Purpose for Rick Warren why can't we observe the season of Lent, which has a grander historical pedigree, is, I dare say, even more biblically robust (NO knock on Rick Warren intended!), and has been a useful tool for Christians all over the world through the ages? I'll wager my left leg that if LifeWay took Lent, renamed it, put in a package, called it "40 Days of Repentance and Reflection", and created a Leader's Guide and student workbook, Baptists would gobble it up in droves, wear the pre-printed t-shirts, armbands, headbands, etc. Meaning, if we can observe 40 days of kitsch, we can certainly observe 40 days of Lent.

This is SO true! If Joel Osteen said it, people would be all over it lol. So sad people see something associated with Catholicism and automatically shut down. :nono:
 
JeterCrazed said:
Ditto. I'm not Catholic, either :)

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I'm not Catholic but I've always been taught to observe lent. I didn't realize ppl assumed that was something Catholic

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Belle Du Jour said:
This is SO true! If Joel Osteen said it, people would be all over it lol. So sad people see something associated with Catholicism and automatically shut down. :nono:

Is the "Lawd" gif allowed in the Christian forum? :look:

Sent from my Inspire HD using LHCF
 
@naturalmermaid and @JeterCrazed I think its a good thing that you got to experience the Lenten Season. I have a couple of non Catholic friends who belong to a Baptist Church that encouraged its members to observe Lent. Some members agreed to do so and some adamantly resisted. (My friends observed it by praying and fasting. I went with them for the Stations of the Cross on 2 fridays).

This had me researching on this new trend where non apostolic churches are slowly adapting to practicing Lent.

Below is from some church's website taking about Lent.

http://www.walkingtogetherministrie...8/Should-Baptist-Christians-Observe-Lent.aspx




  • Sure, the liturgical calendar presents us with very interesting symbols that we do not see specifically in the Bible. Tomorrow many Christians will be marked on the forehead with ashes for Ash Wednesday. But why, praytell, does this raise eyebrows (when, at least, it has some biblical founding - ashes as a sign of humility and repentance) when our wholesale embrace of clearly non-biblical (not un-biblical, just non-biblical) symbols does not? I speak, for instance, of the following symbols we embrace: the American flag, the Christian flag, the iconic symbol of the cross, the symbol of the fish. Moreso, we embrace culturally-defined symbols all the time: wedding bands, sports symbols, the favorite chants, cheers, dances, motions of our favorite teams, etc.

  • View Lent as a running start to jump into Easter, if that helps.

  • The greatest irony in all of this is the current fad of observing "40 Days of _____" (fill-in-the-blank: Purpose, Prayer, Stewardship, etc.) in Baptist churches. I mean, if we can observe 40 Days of Purpose for Rick Warren why can't we observe the season of Lent, which has a grander historical pedigree, is, I dare say, even more biblically robust (NO knock on Rick Warren intended!), and has been a useful tool for Christians all over the world through the ages? I'll wager my left leg that if LifeWay took Lent, renamed it, put in a package, called it "40 Days of Repentance and Reflection", and created a Leader's Guide and student workbook, Baptists would gobble it up in droves, wear the pre-printed t-shirts, armbands, headbands, etc. Meaning, if we can observe 40 days of kitsch, we can certainly observe 40 days of Lent.

  • NONE of this is to say you should or must observe Lent or you're wrong if you don't. Again, if you find it helpful, do so. If you don't, don't. But it's something to consider.

  • Just thinking aloud..."
*****TAKE SOME TIME TO READ THE COMMENTS.,,they are interesting******



I :lol: at the bolded because it is soo true!

Thank you for this.

I agree with everything the writer wrote. I don't see anything wrong with observing certain times/traditions/holidays as long as I am doing it to honor Christ. I like having special days where we can unite as believers to remember the events in the life and death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Jesus fasted for 40 days. Why can't we if we choose?:yawn:


 
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