Divine Mercy Novena Day Six and a Favorite Gospel

Posted: April 3, 2024 by datechguy in catholic, catholic devotions
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It’s been a rough Lent and Easter Season for me but I can take solace in one of my favorite Gospel’s today:

That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”

They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his Body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.”
And he said to them,

“Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together the Eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Luke 24 13-35

I figure if these two disciples who knew him personally had to be spoon fed my own weaknesses aren’t going to finish me off.

Anyways here is day 6

Today bring to Me THE MEEK AND HUMBLE SOULS AND THE SOULS OF LITTLE CHILDREN, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. Only the humble soul is capable of receiving My grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.

Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, “Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart.” Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father’s favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

At the conclusion of the prayers pray the chaplet. Instructions are here.

The site for the National Shrine of Divine Mercy is here.

I’ll take “Things That Actually Don’t Phase me” for $2000 Alex

Posted: April 2, 2024 by datechguy in culture, News/opinion
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The good folks at Libs of TicTok note an interesting double standard when it comes to “hate”.

Now given that I’m a very Catholic guy, who reads scripture regularly (a minimum of 21 chapters and seven Psalms a week) you might think this would bother me.

But other than the double standard, which at worst annoys and which I’ll note, it doesn’t really bother me. Let’s list the reasons why it doesn’t bother me in order of unimportance:

  1. I don’t know if they’re actual Catholic Bibles
  2. None of this does anything to my faith or anyone else’s
  3. As long as the person is alive it’s their soul to play with and or throw away
  4. You never know what God has in store for such a guy, If there was such a thing as the Bible on the day Saul left for Damascus he might have cheered burning them too.
  5. Such an act self identifies someone that I need to pray for thus generating needed prayer
  6. If those bibles belonged to the person who burned them it’s none of my business unless I lived in the town and was delayed by a fire illegally set at an intersection

In a republic reason one is the key one. I don’t believe in hate crimes. If a person chooses to hate their neighbor that’s on them people have the right to their own opinions even nasty ones. As long as those actions don’t harm anyone and involve their own property it’s not my business. In fact if they had not left this in the middle of an intersection blocking it I don’t think it would be newsworthy at all.

Now if they sheriff decides to cite this guy for blocking an intersection and reckless endangerment (fire at a public intersection) I’m all for it but those are the crimes involved period.

If some guy wants to buy bibles and burn them, it’s on them. Now if someone decides to try to take one of MY bibles or someone else’s Bible, Catholic or no, and destroys it, THEN we have a problem that needs to be acted on. That’s theft and vandalism.

But I’m not going to be provoked by idiots being idiots who are only harming themselves to anything other than prayer.

That’s how Christianity works.

Divine Mercy Novena Day Five and an Ed Piskor Thought

Posted: April 2, 2024 by datechguy in catholic, catholic devotions, culture
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The fifth day of the Divine Mercy Novena

Today bring to Me THE SOULS OF THOSE WHO HAVE SEPARATED THEMSELVES FROM MY CHURCH,* and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church, My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion.

Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son’s Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.

At the conclusion of the prayers pray the chaplet. Instructions are here.

The site for the National Shrine of Divine Mercy is here.

And I’ll close with a special message to those who ganged up to cancel comic artist Ed Piskor and helped drive him to suicide yesterday. If any of you a feeling a tad guilty over it, such as perhaps the good folks commenting at the Beat who seemingly had no issue with readers piling on until the man killed himself and suddenly comments on the article were closed.

If you’re looking for relief for this guilt now is the perfect time to take the hand of Mercy that Christ Offers and the confession and absolution offered this Sunday. It’s too late for Ed but not too late for you.

I didn’t know Ed or his work or even if he was a nice guy or even a good guy or not but this type of thing is poison to the culture and the soul.

Pennsylvania voting: A bumpy ride ahead

Posted: April 2, 2024 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

In Pennsylvania, a pivotal state in the 2024 campaign, it appears that the Democrats, who control much of the state government voting apparatus, realize that mail-in ballots played a significant role in Biden’s election as president.

Over the past two weeks, my wife and I have received six application forms to file for absentee ballots.

Moreover, the slick presentation allows us to file a once-for-a-lifetime guarantee of mail-in ballots for each election.

It is unclear how the local and state officials verify the requests for mail-in ballots, which were once known as “absentee” ballots for use when an individual would not be at his or her home address on Election Day.

But other problems loom as November nears.

Pennsylvania has experienced a significant decline in the number of experienced election directors, increasing the risk of errors that could cause voters difficulties, disenfranchise their votes, and ignite disputes over results.

In total, 58 officials who served during the November 2019 election have left. Compared with experience levels during the 2019 election, the state has lost a combined 293 years of experience among the top county election officials as of this publishing date, according to a Votebeat and Spotlight PA analysis of county data. The state has 21% fewer years of experience than it did for the November 2019 election.

Recent ballot printing and administration errors in Greene and Luzerne Counties, among others, show that having less-experienced county administrators can result in more problems occurring in an election. Last year, one of Greene County’s errors was an incorrect instruction telling voters to choose up to three candidates in a commissioner race that allowed only two selections.

If a voter had followed the instructions, the ballot would not have been counted. 

“I think the loss of experienced election directors at the county level is one of the biggest dangers we face,” Secretary of State Al Schmidt said recently. “That turnover creates an environment where it’s more likely for mistakes to be made.”

After the 2022 elections, a flurry of precinct-level recount petitions prevented Pennsylvania from certifying its election results until Dec. 22 — weeks later than usual.

This year presents an even more challenging scenario: a new federal law requires states to certify their slate of presidential electoral votes by Dec. 11, about five weeks after Election Day.

Forrest Lehman, the election director for Lycoming County in north central Pennsylvania, said he had hoped the legislature would shore up vulnerabilities in the post-election process in response to Congress passing the Electoral Count Reform Act, though that now seems unlikely.

“We need to look at what needs to be clarified, maybe what parts need to be hardened a little bit so that someone can’t take advantage of them,” he said. “The recount petitions are one example, but also [there’s] the potential for a repeat of what we saw previously, where a county simply refused to certify its results, and they had to be taken to court.”

Lehman referred to a dispute between the Pennsylvania Department of State and several counties after the spring primaries in 2022. Berks, Fayette, and Lancaster Counties refused to include mail ballots without handwritten dates. 

The department sued the counties and eventually obtained a court order compelling them to include the votes. However, the process took over two months.

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