Yes, hmm.. It ties in well with the impression I have gotten from Catholic prophecy.. First the gentiles embrace Christianity.. then over time, they will fall away from it.. This is the sign of the very end.. and of course, at last there's all the climactic apostasy, restoration, apostasy, and Antichrist.

Shin, just out of curiosity, does prophecy suggest any kind of restoration coming in the next 50 years? 

I would think that we are yet to see the conversion of Russia, but our Holy Mother didn't give us a timeline for when this would happen, just that it would occur at some point.

It definitely seems that affluence and love of God are mutually exclusive things.  As our society's ability to care for the temporal lives of people improves, it's ability to foster spiritual wellbeing heads in the opposite direction.

I am still spending too much time on line & not enough in prayer.  My goal for May is to say the Rosary daily.  Did OK for 3 days last week, terrible this week.  Went to confession today & Father told me to resolve to NEVER for the rest of my life, go to bed without praying one decade of the Rosary.  When I have 1 decade down pat, add another.

JoyfulMother, I struggle with idleness and I find that when it comes time to pray the rosary my tendency to procrastinate gets so much harder to overcome.  It must be because the devil knows how powerful the rosary is and wants desperately to keep us from praying even 1 decade!

I find it helps to do a short prayer for motivation when struggling with the desire to put off praying the rosary.  Maybe this can help you as well! 

Well, I was thinking about this issue just the other day.

Some church related topics came up and I was discussing it with a close relative of mine, and as I was speaking I was rather disassociated from myself in horror at how I couldn't keep the slightly irritated tone out of my voice when I was talking about it. I was definitely not speaking about it in the tone I wanted to speak about it, but I couldn't stop the irritation, and I felt to myself, the devils are at work they're keeping me stirred up about it due to bad habit, I can't emotionally respond properly to this person, my irritation is going to get in the way of my words.

Thank you for this advice, Shin.  While the devil traps some of us with cowardice and a lack of moral courage to spread the faith, he also has traps ready for those on the other extreme who speak hastily and without holiness or focus on helping souls get to heaven.  I find this vice to be a particular struggle on places like CAF where members a protected by the veil of anonymity.

There's certainly a great need to have temperance and to be holy in all areas of our life, so that we can best be ready to help share our faith with those around us.

So I do fraternal correction, but the only exception is at work, where everyone is so anti-Christian (even the ones who call themselves Catholic) that I could get fired if someone knew about my faith. Some would say that I should risk losing my job, but I have full responsibility of taking care of my mother, and I live in an anti-Christian area and cannot afford to move. My priest said no one has to know I'm Catholic as long as I don't tell them I'm not Catholic, and that this question was first brought up when the early Christians were persecuted.

Paul, I think it may be best to try to not entertain too many thoughts about the consequences of evangelizing.  I mean, I just think about the apostles when Peter kicked in the door and started preaching the Word.  Worldly wisdom would have concluded that the apostles would have all been violently killed for spreading Christianity in such a dangerous city, but in reality nothing bad actually happened to the apostles on that day.  In fact, what did happen was that 3,000 people were converted!  

I think some things just need to be left up to God and we can take great comfort in the fact that He will never give us more then we can handle when we are doing His will!

My prayers are with you here.  I also struggle tremendously with having the moral courage to spread the faith in places like the workplace, so please pray for me as well!

What we have in America is called 'political correctness' and what it teaches us is that those that use different language than is permitted are 'hateful' people who are 'extremists' and rightly to be condemned and removed from the table of support and discussion. In other words, it is politically correct to 'hate' the 'haters', but the word 'hate' is not used for those who support this policy though they reject and condemn, and claim to reject and condemn all condemnation..

I find that a very effective tool that the media (aka satan's puppet) uses is the blurring of the lines between the sin and the sinner.  We seem to live in a society now where it is now assumed that hating the sin is the equivalent of hating the sinner.  Hate speech has now turned into "hurt speech".

I don't let people think I approve of what they are doing passively.. I just let the issue be unresolved for a time, however uncomfortable that is for me.. and I often wonder if I shouldn't be more straightforwards and let the chips fall where they may. I feel a saint would overcome the matters more swiftly and immediately..

Shin, this is an issue that I definitely struggle with, as well.

I have watched many of Michael Voris' talks and he is a big fan of letting the chips fall as they may and emphasizing that our society is way too concerned about how people feel.  Intuitively, I absolutely agree with him, that helping a soul get to heaven is much more important then staying on good terms with a friend, keeping the peace, or even keeping our jobs.  Putting this into practice, however, is very difficult for me and I often find myself paralyzed with fear and missing opportunities.

When I think about the authority that men like St. Leonard of Port Maurice spoke with, it definitely seems clear to me that when we are preaching the Truth, our concern for "hurt feelings" is generally an obstacle to virtue that needs to be overcome.  Overcoming that obstacle, though, is definitely a hurdle and I am curious if you (or anybody else here) have made any progress in that regard.  

Boy oh boy, the path to holiness sure is a thorny one!

Keep a clear eye toward life's end. Do not forget your purpose and destiny as God's creature. What you are in his sight is what you are and nothing more. Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take nothing you have received....but only what you have given; a full heart enriched by honest service,love, sacrifice, and courage.
St. Francis of Assisi

This reminds me a great deal of what our new Holy Father has just said in a recent homily:

"Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money that you can’t take with you and have to leave. When we were small, our grandmother used to say: a [burial] shroud has no pocket."

These are powerful words that I definitely need to meditate on.

["Riches are not forbidden, but the pride of them is"]

"Riches are not forbidden, but the pride of them is"
Saint John Chrysostom

Just thought I would add another quote on the topic:

"So let no man destroy wealth, rather than the passions of the soul, which are incompatible with the better use of wealth. So that, becoming virtuous and good, he may be able to make a good use of these riches. The renunciation, then, and selling of all possessions, is to be understood as spoken of the passions of the soul. "
St. Clement of Alexandria

As a recent convert (Easter 2012!) I've found the sections of this site devoted to modesty to be indespensible. I've always been somewhat "modest" in the way I dress myself, so that wasn't a huge change, but the parts stressing how to carry yourself as a Christian - how to avoid immodest speech, to become mild-mannered, and strive always for sanctity, were real eye-openers. I come from a pretty crass family and social circle, so it's been a challenge to start rooting out these flaws in my character. These pages have been an immense help, and with the inspiration of the saints and God's Grace I'm sure I'll get there eventually.

Welcome aboard, Boredom! 

I am also a convert from Easter 2012.  There's a great amount of holiness to be found here and this site is a great antidote to the secularism that abounds in our world.

Same with me!  Some of them are abusive. I remember a homeless man in my home town in Lira, Uganda, whom women dreaded meeting along the way because he would follow anyone he zeroed in on, especially if it was a woman; He would then stick like a leech, making fun and drawing the attention of passers by. He was often  abusive also.

I didn't think of that.    I guess the types of homeless people that a man in Canada encounters are very different then the types that a lady in Uganda will encounter...

["Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness. Reflect that with a little soap I can easily clean my bed covers, but even with a torrent of tears I would never wash from my soul the stain that my harshness toward the unfortunate would create."]

"Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness.
 Reflect that with a little soap I can easily clean my bed covers,
 but even with a torrent of tears I would never wash from my soul the stain that my harshness toward the unfortunate would create."

St. Martin de Porres, Religious;

Great quote!

Really says something to those of us (myself included   ) who have crossed to the other side of the street to avoid a rough-looking homeless person.

"It is related of St. Arsenius, that a noble lady went to visit him in the desert, to beg of him to recommend her to God. When the saint perceived that his visitor was a woman, he turned away from her, she then said to him: 'Arsenius, since you will neither see or hear me, at least remember me in your prayers.' 'No,' replied the saint, 'but I will beg of God to make me forget you, and never more to think of you.'"

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori


I think many in today's society would misinterpret St. Arsenius' words to his visitor.  I honestly believe that these are actually words of great love and respect for this lady.  For if St. Arsenius had fallen into sin because of her presence, she would have shared in the responsibility.

I honestly don't believe there is anything impolite about looking away while speaking to somebody of the opposite sex who isn't your spouse.  I don't think that, as Catholics, we should ever feel ashamed about protecting our purity.

Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mold them accordingly.
St. Ignatius Loyola

This reminds me of Peter sinking after he steped out of the boat... if only we could let go of our doubt completely, imagine what miraculous things God could work through us!

["Saint Francis de Sales sets us a very good example of faith in this respect: once when he was quite exhausted from the visits of the day and remembered, towards midnight, that he had left a few decades of his Rosary unsaid, he would not go to bed until he had finished them on his knees, not-withstanding all the efforts of his secretary who saw he was tired and begged him to let the rest of his prayers go until the next day."]

"Saint Francis de Sales sets us a very good example of faith in this respect: once when he was quite exhausted from the visits of the day and remembered, towards midnight, that he had left a few decades of his Rosary unsaid, he would not go to bed until he had finished them on his knees, not-withstanding all the efforts of his secretary who saw he was tired and begged him to let the rest of his prayers go until the next day."
-St. Louis Marie de Montfort

["Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death."]

The manner of using the Scapular was indicated by the Blessed Virgin .Since it is not the badge of a confraternity but simply a double imageattached to a single piece of cloth and suspended from a cord, investiture is not required. It suffices that it be blessed by a priest and worn by the one for whom it is intended. It may be placed in the clothing, on the bed, or simply in the room.

The only prayer is the inscription surrounding the heart on the reverse of the Scapular:

"Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death."

In large part because of this thread, I had three green scapulars blessed this past week and have now given one to my grandmother, one to my mother, and one to my father to keep in their bedrooms or on their person.  I plan to pray this simple prayer three times a day: once for each of their intentions.

Both my mom and dad are long fallen away Catholics so I pray that our Holy Mother's intercession will be successful and God can work the same miracle in their lives that he had done for my resurgence to the faith.

Thank you for posting this, guys.  May God bless you and keep you!

[do not]

Please everybody have a beautiful and holy Christmas.

May we all recollect the holy poverty of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in the stable a little over 2000 years ago today and remember that in spite of the gifts that we may have recieved today, our true richness lies in the worldliness that we do not have.