A Treasure To Be Shared

"The College of Cardinals has requested that all Catholics pray for them, so that they may listen the Holy Spirit as they discern whom to choose as the next Pope." https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-04/cardinals-general-congregation-request-prayers-conclave.html 1. Collect (For the Election of the Pope) from  Divine Worship: the Missal , p. 1005. We humbly beseech thee, O Lord: that of thy unbounded mercy thou wouldest grant unto the holy Roman Church a Pontiff, who by his tender care towards us may ever find favour in thy sight, and, studying to preserve thy people in safety, may ever be honoured by us to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. 2. Adapted from  The Roman Missa l. O God, eternal Shepherd, who dost govern Thy flock with unfailing solicitude, grant in Thy boundless paternal love a pastor for Thy Church, one who shall ...

? doubter, agnostic ! zealot If the '?', then seek the grace to overcome doubts. Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! Mark 9:24 Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt. Saint John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua If the '!', then seek the grace of humility to serve God at all times for the salvation of souls. The zealot loves Tradition, but if does not possess love, he is but a noisy gong (1 Corinthians 13:1). The zealot is always " prepared to make a defense to any one who calls (him) to account for the hope that is in (him), yet does it with gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:15). If zealots are prone to any kind of excess, zealots can be prone to a form of toxic enthusiasm. That is, they might make a defense of something by denigrating the opposition. It may be true that the opposition falls short on a particular issue, but rarely do people win others to a cause by promoting themselves at the expense of another's reputation. To make a proper defen...

CARDINAL AI a.k.a. Mr. Roboto I'm not a robot without emotions, I'm not what you see I've come to help you with your problems so we can be free I'm not a hero, I'm not the saviour, forget what you know I'm just a man whose circumstances went beyond his control Beyond my control, we all need control I need control, we all need control I am thee modern man (secret, secret, I've got a secret) Who hides behind a mask (secret, secret, I've got a secret) So no one else can see (secret, secret, I've got a secret) My true identity Mr. Roboto by Styx (1983) N.B. This blogger acknowledges there is no sure way to predict the outcome of a papal conclave. This post is intended for entertainment purposes only. The text provided has been copied from the sources without edits. In time, we'll see whether or not technology hit or missed the mark. What do you get when you ask four AI assistants for input on the matter of leading contenders (for the papacy) or papab...

Darren G. Davis / STORM Comics/ Bluewater O God, Who by Thine unspeakable providence was pleased to number Thy servant, Francis, among the Sovereign Pontiffs, grant, we beseech Thee, that he who reigned as the vicar of Thy Son on earth, may be joined in the fellowship with Thy holy Pontiffs forevermore; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. [ 7 minute read ] As popes go, Pope Francis' was not as bad as some imagine... or was he? Yes, his comments and actions, while perhaps well intentioned, could be puzzling. His soundbites could be frustrating for their lack of precision. Pope Francis was born just ahead of an era characterized by global war and totalitarianism. By the time Jorge Bergoglio reached his late twenties, the character of that era had metastasized into a rabid disdain for authority and become a generation known for its skepticism, licentiousness, and reactionary behaviour that has spawned devastating contemporary identity crises. The world had entered into a prolonged...

Pope Francis 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025 Rest in peace; rise in glory. Regrets, I've had a few But then again, too few to mention I did what I had to do And saw it through without exemption I planned each charted course Each careful step along the byway And more, much more than this I did it my way Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew When I bit off more than I could chew But through it all, when there was doubt I ate it up and spit it out I faced it all, and I stood tall And did it my way My Way English-language version by Paul Anka of Comme d'habitude by Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibaut, and Claude François. Here's to hoping that readers will appreciate the preceding excerpt as intended, a little light-hearted commentary in the midst of such a large event as the death of a pope. Say what?! There are professional writers who are weighing in, some with the acid of contempt, some with the syrup of niceness, and some with honest and balanced reflections. Death tend...

Asperges : nothing to do with asparagus. Asperges refers to the rite of sprinkling the congregation and/or objects with holy water. The name comes from the first word of Psalm 51 in Latin (Asperges me) that is sung during the traditional form of the rite. Aspergillum : not to be confused with Aspirin, a painkiller. An aspergillum is an implement for sprinkling holy water. Curia : nothing to do with relief from disease. An an assembly, council, or court of church officials responsible for governance. Hypostatic : nothing to do with an electric charge built up when a priest walks across carpeting in the sanctuary. The Hypostatic Union refers to the union of the human and divine natures in Jesus Christ. Mantilla (man- tee -yuh): not for men, i.e., not a man -tilla. A traditional female liturgical lace or silk veil or shawl worn over the head and shoulders, often over a high hair ornament called a peineta. Nun . Not to be confused with 'none', i.e., someone who is religiously unaf...

An interesting image and accompanying text making rounds of the internet thanks to Fr. R. Vierling, D.Min, M.A., M.Div. The Clock of the Passion, or the Affectionate Reflections on the Sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ, by St. Alphonsus Marie de Liguori. HOLY THURSDAY Hour 1 - 6:00 p.m. Jesus says good-bye to His Mother before the Supper. Hour 2 - 7:00 p.m. Jesus washes the feet of His Disciples, and institutes the Most Holy Sacrament. Hour 3 - 8:00 p.m. Jesus gives the Sermon of the Supper, and goes to the Garden of Olives. Hour 4 - 9:00 p.m. Jesus prays at the Garden. Hour 5 - 10:00 p.m. Jesus enters into His agony. Hour 6 - 11:00 p.m. Jesus sweats blood in His agony. Hour 7 - MIDNIGHT. Jesus is handed over by Judas, and bound. GOOD FRIDAY Hour 8 - 1:00 a.m. Jesus is led to the house of Annas. Hour 9 - 2:00 a.m. Jesus is taken to the house of Caiphas, and slapped. Hour 10 - 3:00 a.m. Jesus is blindfolded, mistreated and mocked. Hour 11 - 4:00 a.m. Jesus is dragged before the Gr...

A prayer before a crucifix. Lord Jesus, thou didst hang upon the cross and died for our sins, unto thee I do  X  crucify these unwanted thoughts  [ name the thoughts that are plaguing you ] . My Lord, I do humbly implore Thee, receive all temptations unto sin, that I may dwell in the liberty which Thou hast secured for us by Thy sacred passion and glorious resurrection. Amen. X With your thumb, trace a cross upon your forehead.

Palm Sunday | Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. People placed palm branches on the path before the Lord Jesus. Palm branches symbolize victory, triumph, and praise. And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If any one says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of an ass.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the ass and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them ...

Please note: excerpts rarely do justice to the intelligent exchanges of partners in discussions. Take the time to review the essays. - - - How to Reason Prudentially about Immigration: A Reply to Feser Dr. Therese Cory https://philosophy.nd.edu/people/faculty/therese-cory/ Source:  https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2025/04/97623/ Although Feser is right to emphasize the need for prudence, he relies on an essentially relativistic notion of prudence—one in which objective moral principles only get us so far, and the rest of the work is done by prudential judgment in a personal realm of mere “difference of opinion,” shielded from objective moral scrutiny. Feser’s Relativistic Portrayal of Prudence There is a puzzling disconnect between the beginning and end of Feser’s essay. Titled “A Catholic Defense of Enforcing Immigration Laws,” it opens by taking the position that “the administration’s restrictive immigration policy” is “on much stronger ground” vis-à-vis Catholic social teachin...

The Penitential Rite In Divine Worship, the Penitential Rite is prayed approximately in the middle of the Solemn (Sung) Mass. Most Latin Rite Catholics are used to the Penitential Rite occurring near the beginning of the Mass, prior to the Liturgy of the Word (Mass of the Catechumens). In the Ordinariate Form of the Mass, after the Creed and the Prayers of the People , we pause to acknowledge our dependence on God and to rededicate our lives to Him. The priest calls us to the truth, to verify the content of our hearts. The priest could say to us, "You have lied to yourself and God by sinning; do not lie now. God awaits you, His beloved child, and calls you to abandon your faults and return home, to draw closer to Him and be welcomed once again into His loving embrace. Speak truthfully, therefore, about what you have done. God sees all. But how will you change unless you admit to that lingering effect on you, the drag of concupiscence, and expose your need for God's grace to...

Detail | Last Judgement | Sistine Chapel The Church is long into a night, a night of apostasy among many of her children. Many are consorting with demons. They: disfigure the Sacred Liturgy. attack innocence. traffic in deceit. foment rebellion. embrace worldly agendas. shun the call to holiness. attempt to empty the Lord's Gospel of meaning. pay lip service to the Gospel. reject the commands of the Lord Jesus. Rather than calling sinners to salvation in Jesus, they reject virtue and encourage vice. Impostors! Much guilt lies at the feet of priests whose abominable assaults against children is the filth warned about by the Holy Father Benedict XVI. How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those... in the priesthood. Depravity! Sin and indifference infect and fill the naves of parish churches that have opened their doors to the world of sin. With the exception of attendees of tradition-minded parishes, Catholic couples practice artificial contraception at a rate equal t...

... you do not dress and behave like you are a character in a fantasy movie or a TV show. ... your hair isn't blue or green or pink or half-blue-and-half-pink, i.e., your hair is its natural color and the only message you're sending is that you have more important things on your mind than wasting time and effort by drawing attention to yourself and attempting to make a political and/or social statement by dying your hair some ridiculous shade of 'look at me... I'm an activist and I demand that you accept every behavior no matter how destructive and debilitating said behavior is.' ... you don't have a septum nose piercing that makes you look like a human bovine. ... you don't do toxic empathy. ... you don't bully (gaslight) others by weaponizing a sense of self righteousness to enforce an imagined moral superiority. ... you show respect for others by treating them as you wish to be treated... even when they behave like juvenile delinquents. ... you can la...