Catholic Pebble

ATTENTION: shameless post Those of you who know me, Pebble, know very well that subtlety is not amongst my many wonderful traits (and apparently, neither is humility). But I do tend to be somewhat honest at least. Jokes aside, I could once again use the help of my followers and friends. I'm trying to help my new boss and friend get her business account noticed by the algorithm here on X but the algorithm says no because the account is new. So I'm going to war with the algorithm and I could use a few crusaders. You don't need a horse or a sword (although that would be cool. It's certainly optional). You just need to follow @SVSDesignco. The more followers we have, the more we are liked by the algorithm and the more people notice us. That's basically it. If you could follow our account, you'll get to see some useful and interesting posts and help your fellow Catholics beat the algorithm beast. If, on the other hand, you are looking for the actual Crusades, you may wish to respectfully contact the pope. Thank you in advance. I very much appreciate all your help and God bless you all. P.s. If you do have horses and swords, I'd like to see some photos!

Memories haunt me, of a father most loving and a little girl most mischievous; how dare youth just up and leave? I received my Sacraments as my father sweated in a suit and tie, still with a smile on his face. Some days the sun shines so bright that you just forget the rain even exists. Where are those days stored and when can they be revisited? To think of the past brings deep sadness; to think of the future deep anxiety. But to remain in this day the Lord gifted me brings peace. I must wave my memories au revoir, at least for a while, so that I can pray now. I must surrender the future I do not even own. This moment is mine right now, with its joys and crosses, its blessings and suffering. His grace is enough, He says; who am I to argue otherwise? If I don’t sanctify today, the beauty of yesterday will have been in vain. The happy father and the mischievous child gain nothing if they don’t gain heaven. How good You are, my Lord, even when nothing else is good. Because heaven is forever and You will it for us. The good days are not behind us; the good days lie ahead, stretching into eternity, if only we work with Your graces.

My father's cancer has metastasized to his bones now. We have just received the latest CT scan results and it's bad. Reading the test results made me blurt out to my father that he really needs confession and the Eucharist now. I just asked Our Lady of Good Council to give me words. He is scared. And he seems a bit angry with God. But he reacted with silence after hearing my words and he seems to have taken them seriously. I have repeated the same thing a few times. I'll let him sit on it all then offer to take him to church one day this week. Or I'll talk to our priest first and see what he says. My father is still mobile so I think actually physically going to church might do him a lot of good spiritually. I now walk with my feet each treading its own separate paths. On the one hand, I am aware my father will most likely die soon. With one foot, I tread the path of doing my best to prepare him for death (as much as I can humanly do and of course, with a lot of help from God's grace). On the other hand, I'm also taking the path of continuing to pray for a miraculous healing. I stare at that photo of a lady with cancer being blessed by St. Charbel and then being healed. I do know, however, that the eternal destiny of my dad's soul is what matters most here. I must, at the same time, accept death but I also wish to attempt to reach that pinnacle of faith that is so rare but that could move mountains. Still, all of this requires being and remaining in the state of grace so confession is hopefully where we are now headed to. And after that, wherever God in His love decides to lead us. It might be a miracle of healing or a miracle of a holy death. God's will be done, however much I may prefer my own will.

It's hard to make a brilliant post that is short and concise but Branko just did it. *Insert mic drop meme (whether AI generated or not).

Here is one of the replies I received when I asked for prayers for my dad. This is why good intentions can be so dangerous. This person is claiming that as long as my father "believes" in Jesus, he will go to heaven. The false hope provided here can literally cost some people their souls. Of course, this flawed theology views "faith" and "belief" as a mere intellectual exercise (if not emotional). It does not take into account both the intellect and free will with which the true faith is to be exercised through decisions and actions as a proper response to God's grace. If faith alone sufficed, faith as in believing that Jesus is God, Satan would have gotten to heaven a long time ago. And what is "faith" anyway? People with the same theology as shown in this screenshot cannot tell you that exactly, without appealing to some vague, subjective experience. Want to know what faith is? The Catholic Church has the concrete, robust and, above all, truthful teaching that gives the correct answer to this question. I do not wish to shame this particular person which is why their name doesn't matter. It is the dangerous venom in their words which they falsely believe to be a healing balm that is my focus here. No one gets to heaven if they die in the state of mortal sin. It is possible to refuse God's gift of salvation while still believing that Jesus is Our Lord and Our Saviour. Many sadly do. And the false Protestant theology accompanies them there.

Lord, have mercy 🙏

My father's condition is worsening. He is barely eating. He is very very weak. He is now in a lot of pain and discomfort. In your charity, pray for my father's soul. He is poorly catechized and still has lots of misconceptions about Catholicism. I am not sure whether he's in a state of grace. It's been a while since he last had his confession. The pain is making it even harder for him to think straight. I'm not sure how to approach him about going to confession or whether he's even able to do a conscience exam because of the amount of pain and insomnia he's dealing with. My father is sadly a proud man. He has many great characteristics and I love him with all my heart. But he does struggle with pride and I fear his reaction if I urge him to consider confession. I fear it will make him even more bitter (sadly, the physical pain has had a profound effect on his mood), or even make him sin. I don't know. I don't know how to be wise as a serpent yet gentle as a dove when it comes to my dad. I'm slowly facing the truth that he may not have very much time left on this Earth, while at the same time clinging to the idea that St. Charbel can still intercede miraculously for him. I appreciate all of you who have been praying for his healing. But now I really want prayers for his soul and for me to discern how to help my dad get in (or remain in) the state of grace. Of what use would health be to my dad if his soul is in danger? I will fast for this intention tomorrow. If anyone is feeling in the mood, they can fast with me for my dad. I know I ask a lot but that is because I believe, through God's grace, I can get a lot. In your charity, pray for my poor dad. If you can, fast for him. I don't even have to know, God knows and sees everything. But if you want to share it with me, you can. This life is nothing but a preparation for death. At the same time, this life is a gift. I am grateful to God for my dad's life but now I want to help him prepare for death, whether that death decides to come quickly or is miraculously postponed.

What kind of a person reacts to a mass shooting event by taking out their phones and filming? Any of it, the beginning, the middle, the aftermath. Has life become one big algorithm-driven platform where everyone feels invincible hidden behind the screen? And is it precisely this phenomenon of virality for its own sake that breeds such attacks? Left or right seems to matter less than the idea of (social) media-driven notoriety and attention. Attention, such a dangerous drug, so appealing to both those with violent impulses as well as those who have lost all sense of decorum and decency as they wave their devices around, trying to capture carnage, death and whatever they deem might bring them more likes. Ah, and then those of us liking such posts... All under the pretense of sharing information: "Mainstream media is lying to us, so we better shove our phones into the faces of dying heros and villains as their souls leave their bodies to meet their Maker." Yes, yes, we have all gone collectively insane as our viral photos of dead villains create a breeding ground for even more such villains in the future. Lord, make us all understand what it is that we're doing, both offline and online. Have mercy on our flippant scrolling selves.

Some thought this was an abuse situation. It's not and this is not a family member. But it is someone I have to deal with regularly and they are an extremely difficult person. Thank you everyone. I'm not in any danger but they are an occasion of sin for me. So I'm certainly in danger of sinning and that's why I need prayers.

Please pray for someone horrible, someone I absolutely despise. And pray for me because my heart is bitter. I need this person to change and I can't do anything about it. I'm stuck.

The whole Russell Brand saga is revolting. Clearly, Russell is a disturbing pervert, possibly a rapist. Clearly, his female victims were willing to protect their careers at all cost. They were willing to tolerate having him walk around naked, massaging him, going to his room with him; they continued working with the very people that allegedly failed to protect them. They wanted or silently tolerated some of his sexual advances, while allegedly rejecting some other sexual behaviours. When it comes to consent-based morality, the waters are always murky. The waters are also always murky when it comes to celebrity conversions. We see it time and time again; promiscuous men and women suddenly discovering Jesus and still remaining in the spotlight, even monetizing their conversion story. Not only that, they become teachers, theologians, mentors and the faithful fawn over them. Whether or not Russell is technically guilty of the crime of rape is not really the point here. The point is that a man (or a woman) leading a life of utter degeneracy and depravity for decades would, upon true conversion, hang his head in shame, hide somewhere in the desert or monastery, erase their public persona and do some serious penance for all their grave sins. And mind you, these are not merely grave private sins, they are public and scandalous. The penance they require should be all the more severe. Being forgiven is one thing. Penance still remains. When you go to confession and confess a series of venial sins, your penance may be relatively small, but even personal venial sins require penance. I am always extremely wary of public conversions of public celebrity sinners. They should not give their testimony before they've undergone a long and serious penance. I firmly believe they should not remain in the public eye, even if it means going from the status of a celebrity to working in the construction or on a farm to support yourself. Fame was initially their occasion of sin. Replacing it with a different type of fame and turning into some sort of a conservative hero is not a solution. Conversion requires genuinely weeping over one's sins, not merely starting a new podcast.

Thank you all who have prayed. I'm dealing with something that I would rather avoid but God's will be done. Your prayers have brought me so much strength and comfort. I know all manner of things shall be well. May God bless you all and shower you in His graces ❤️🙏

It makes perfect sense that a reductive materialist would view Buddhism as wisdom. The nihilism, the isolation, the desire for a kind of self-annihilation (Nirvana) in order to murder all cravings and thus stop suffering aligns perfectly with a worldview that everything is mere atoms filled with 99% void. In a world of atoms and random chemical processes, emptying oneself of human nature that experiences suffering is probably the only way to stop the pain. Of course, this world in reality is not mere atoms and thus, it is only the true Catholic realism that gives meaning to suffering and the true purpose to human life. The hypocrisy of individual Catholics cannot change that fact, but it certainly offers a great excuse to materialists to keep clinging on to their incoherent worldview.

I really need prayers now.