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I still can't break my drug habit and have fallen into something close to despair as a result. I think I'll go to Confession on Saturday.

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“We become real priests when we empty ourselves and no longer seek our own identity, and where we are lifted up to the cross, not going ‘down to people.’ Too many of us today feel we have to be loved ... thinking the young will not love us unless we talk like them, eat like them, drink like them, clothe ourselves like them. No! They will not love us simply because we go down; they will love us when we lift them up. Else, the world will drag them down.” - Archbishop Fulton Sheen, “The Meaning of Being a Priest”

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"The Church and Satan agreed together in this, that Son and Mother went together; and the experience of three centuries has confirmed their testimony; for Catholics who have honored the Mother still worship the Son, while Protestants, who now have ceased to confess the Son, began then by scoffing at the Mother." - St John Henry Newman, Discourses to Mixed Congregations

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I don't want to engage in controversy.

All I want to say is that Mary is the Ark of the New Convenant.

A simple logical proof: Jesus is God, Mary is the mother of Jesus, Mary is the Mother of God.

God did not tolerate disrespect of the Ark, which was only a portable shrine. Do you think He will tolerate disrespect of His own Mother?

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God the Holy Spirit, being barren in God -that is to say, not producing another Divine Person- is become fruitful by Mary, whom He has espoused. It was with her, in her, and of her that He produced His Masterpiece, which is God made Man, and that He goes on producing daily, to  the end of the world, the predestinate and the members of the Body of that adorable Head. This is the reason why He, the Holy Spirit,  the more He finds Mary, His dear and inseparable Spouse, in any soul, the more active and mighty He becomes in producing Jesus Christ in that soul, and that soul in Jesus Christ. It is not to say that our Blessed Lady gives the Holy Spirit His fruitfulness, as if He had it not Himself. For inasmuch as He is God, He has the same fruitfulness or capacity of producing as the Father and the Son; only He does not bring it into action, as He does not produce another Divine Person. But what we mean is that the Holy Spirit chose to make use of our Blessed Lady, though He had no absolute need of her, to bring His fruitfulness into action, by producing in her and by her Jesus Christ and His members - a mystery of grace unknown to even the wisest and most spiritual among Christians. - St. Louis Marie de Montfort (True Devotion to Mary, 1.1.1.20-21). Emphasis mine.

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Holy Mary, Mother of God

Queen of all virgins

Be my mother and my queen.

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People have asked me since my conversion, "Isn't it embarrassing to confess your sins to a priest?" Well, somewhat. But in the same way that you aren't ashamed to take your clothes off in front of a doctor, you shouldn't be ashamed to confess to a priest. The priest is the middleman. Our Lord told the Apostles, "Whoever hears you hears Me." So I'm not confessing to the priest, who on pain of excommunication and severe penance in a monastery could never reveal my sins, but to God.

The priest is himself a sinner, but God is amazing and uses sinners to forgive sins.

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I used to wonder how Mary could cry after seeing Jesus die when she presumably had perfect faith in God and therefore knew he would rise from the dead.

But it's no mystery. We who believe in the Resurrection still cry when a loved one dies.

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I'm tormented with thoughts that I don't really love God and He doesn't love me because I've been unable to overcome my drug addiction

I know those thoughts are inspired by Satan.

St Joseph, terror of demons, pray for me. St Augustine, pray for me. St Mark Ji Tianxiang, pray for me.

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I'm looking for answers. Please approach what I discuss below with an open mind.

I had a nice conversation with an elderly woman at work today. A fellow Catholic. I told her I hadn't been to church for some time, because I always work on Saturday, and our parish only offers confession for 45 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. This lady said she hadn't been to confession in year and confesses her sins straight to God.

I'm not doubting her sincerity. I'm sure God hears her prayers. But what is the point of having an ordained priesthood? I want to go to confession soon. I crave absolution.

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If you think the Infant of Prague is a different devotion, try to pray and meditate on the idea that Jesus Christ, the eternal Logos, became a zygote and a fetus.

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What a blessing! I just received communion today!

We become the Holy Tabernacle when we receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist in our body.

We become priests when we receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist in our body.

We become the Blessed Mother Mary for a moment when we receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist in our body.

We connect for a moment with all the saints in heaven when we receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist in our body.

Amen, amen, amen.

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"The Church and Satan agreed together in this, that Son and Mother went together; and the experience of three centuries has confirmed their testimony; for Catholics who have honored the Mother still worship the Son, while Protestants, who now have ceased to confess the Son, began then by scoffing at the Mother." - St John Henry Newman, Discourses to Mixed Congregations

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We are not alone. We live in an a world surrounded by an invisible army on either side. On one side, saints and angels. And on the other, demons. We know who's going to win.

St Michael, defend us in battle

St Joseph, terror of demons, pray for us.

Ave Maria....

Listening to an interview with exorcist Fr. Carlos Martins and he says he always asks demons for what purpose they were created

Some answers:

to protect virgins' chastity

to help men step into their identity

to guard trees

to protect from fire

But he said the most common answer is that they were created to be part of the crowd of angels singing "Glory to God in the highest" to the shepherds when Jesus was born

woah.

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"And I said: Woe is me, because I have held my peace; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people that hath unclean lips, and I have seen with my eyes the King the Lord of hosts. And one of the seraphims flew to me, and in his hand was a live coal, which he had taken with the tongs off the altar. And he touched my mouth, and said: Behold this hath touched thy lips, and thy iniquities shall be taken away, and thy sin shall be cleansed." - Isaiah 6:5-7

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would a beheaded saint wear their halo like this

or like this