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'Obscure though faith be, it is the infallible guide of holy love. Oh, what delight my heart experiences in this certainty!'

St. Paul of the Cross

'Let each one ask of God grace for love of Jesus, notwithstanding that thou beest a sinner.'

St. Bernardine of Siena

Hilsindis devoted long hours to prayer, meditation, and studying the Scriptures.

Our Lady appeared in Guadalupe in December 1531, with apparitions to Saint Juan Diego occurring on the 9th, 10th, and 12th.

Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette Soubirous 18 times in Lourdes, France, starting on February 11, 1858, and ending on July 16, 1858

Our Lady first appeared in Fátima, Portugal, on May 13, 1917, to three shepherd children: Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto. These apparitions continued once a month on the 13th day until October 1917

One common denemenator is all the persons to whom Our LAdy appeared was on the low class social scale.
*Juan Diego was a servant
*Bernadette Soubirous family was so poor that had to live in a old jail
*Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto. were shepherds...

Yet such was their faith  despite their low social status they were chosen to be witness


While the Vatican has affirmed the spiritual fruits of Medjugorje, including conversions and renewed faith, and has allowed pilgrimages, it has not declared the alleged apparitions to be supernatural. The messages are largely consistent with Catholic doctrine and other Marian apparitions, but certain specific messages raise questions or appear misleading.
Consistency with other Marian apparitions
The core themes of the Medjugorje messages are consistent with the themes of other Marian apparitions, particularly Fatima.
Call to peace: Our Lady of Medjugorje reportedly introduced herself as the "Queen of Peace," a title that aligns with Marian apparitions that have brought messages of peace. The call for peace and reconciliation, both with God and among people, is a prominent theme.
Conversion and repentance: Like other apparitions, the Medjugorje messages emphasize the need for conversion, prayer, and penance to turn away from sin.
Prayer and fasting: Messages from Medjugorje emphasize the importance of prayer, including the Rosary, and fasting on bread and water. These practices are common to Christian tradition and are often highlighted in Marian apparitions.
Sacramental life: The messages encourage a return to the sacraments, especially monthly confession and the Eucharist.
The Church's current position
In May 2019, Pope Francis authorized official pilgrimages to Medjugorje, and in September 2024, the Holy See issued a nihil obstat for the devotion.
The Vatican has not confirmed the supernatural nature of the apparitions.
The nihil obstat allows for public acts of devotion, authorizing the faithful to receive positive encouragement for their Christian life through the spiritual proposal of Medjugorje.
The DDF advises pilgrims to focus on their encounter with Mary as the "Queen of Peace" rather than meeting with the alleged visionaries.
New messages and previously unpublished past messages require the approval of the apostolic visitor before publication.

[issouri's strict abortion ban.]

Pro Life actions as of 22 October 2025
South Carolina
On October 1, 2025, the South Carolina Senate Medical Affairs Committee held a hearing on S.323, also known as the "Unborn Child Protection Act".
The proposed bill would prohibit all abortions except in cases where it is necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman. It explicitly removes exceptions for rape, incest, and fatal fetal anomalies.
The hearing drew large crowds of both supporters and protesters to the statehouse.
Wisconsin
On October 21, 2025, a Republican-authored bill was introduced in the Wisconsin legislature to change the legal definition of abortion.
The bill aims to exclude life-saving medical procedures for ectopic and other non-viable pregnancies from the state's abortion ban. It also redefines "unborn child" to begin at fertilization, rather than conception.
Missouri 
Missouri's strict abortion ban, which functions as a near-total ban, first went into effect on June 24, 2022, following the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. This triggered a state law that prohibits all abortions except to save the life of the pregnant person. Although the ban is currently being challenged in court due to a 2024 constitutional amendment, it remains the de facto law, with limited restrictions like physician-only care and in-person visits still in effect.
An appeals court affirmed a decision on October 20, 2025, that blocked the enforcement of several abortion restrictions in Missouri.
The ruling stems from a 2024 voter-approved constitutional amendment that established a right to reproductive freedom in the state. The amendment has triggered a series of legal challenges   :'(against Missouri's strict abortion ban.  
Status of federal legislation
Federal bills relating to abortion, such as the "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act" and the "Life at Conception Act," were introduced earlier in 2025 and remained pending in Congress as of October.
There were also no federal laws passed to restrict medication abortion, though some Republican senators reportedly requested the FDA suspend approval of new generic versions of mifepristone.
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'Once humility is acquired, charity will come to life - a burning flame devouring the corruption of vice and filling the heart so full that there is no place for vanity.'

St. Vincent Ferrer

'There is a story to this effect in the "Lives of the Fathers" about a farmer whose crops were more plentiful than those of his neighbors. On being asked how this happened with such unvarying regularity, he said he was not surprised because he always had the kind of weather he wanted. He was asked to explain. He said: "It is so because I want whatever kind of weather God wants, and because I do, he gives me the harvests I want." If souls resigned to God's will are humiliated, says Salvian, they want to be humiliated; if they are poor, they want to be poor; in short, whatever happens is acceptable to them, hence they are truly at peace in this life. In cold and heat, in rain and wind, the soul united to God says: "I want it to be warm, to be cold, windy, to rain, because God wills it."

This is the beautiful freedom of the sons of God, and it is worth vastly more than all the rank and distinction of blood and birth, more than all the kingdoms in the world. This is the abiding peace which, in the experience of the saints, "surpasseth all understanding." It surpasses all pleasures rising from gratification of the senses, from social gatherings, banquets and other worldly amusements; vain and deceiving as they are, they captivate the senses for the time being, but bring no lasting contentment; rather they afflict man in the depth of his soul where alone true peace can reside.'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

Can you believe 318 guests were looking at this forum a minute ago?  Could that be a first?

First mentioned plant in Bible is tree of life, Gen 2-9.

In the Bible what is the first plant mentioned?