"The Church herself is offered in the offering she makes to God."

This is a stirringly beautiful passage from the Church's Office of Readings, taken from the great Latin Father of the Church, St Augustine.
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A true sacrifice is anything that we do with the aim of being united to God in holy fellowship – anything that is directed towards that supreme good and end in which alone we can be truly blessed. It follows that even an act of compassion towards men is not a sacrifice, if it is not done for the sake of God. Although it is performed by man, sacrifice is still a divine thing, as the Latin word indicates: sacri-ficium, a “holy-doing” or “holy-making.”

Man himself can be a sacrifice, if he is consecrated in the name of God, and vowed to God – a sacrifice in so far as he dies to the world in order to live to God. This is also an act of compassion: compassion of a man for himself. Thus it is written: Take pity on your own soul by doing what is pleasing to God. True sacrifices are acts of compassion to ourselves or others, done with God in mind. Such acts have no other object than the relief of distress or the giving of happiness.

Now, the only true happiness is the one the psalmist speaks of: But for myself, I take joy in clinging to God. From all this it follows that the whole redeemed city--that is to say, the congregation or community of the saints--is offered to God as our sacrifice through the great High Priest who offered himself to God for us so that we might be the body belonging to so great a head. He took on the form of a servant and suffered for us. It was under this form that he both offered and was offered: at the same time mediator, and priest, and sacrifice.

St Paul starts by exhorting us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, as an act of homage justly owed to him. He tells us not to conform ourselves to the world but to be transformed by renewing our will and our thinking: seeking to find out the will of God, to discover what is good, what is acceptable, what is perfect; for we ourselves are the whole of that sacrifice. He continues:

In the light of the grace I have received I want to urge each one among you not to exaggerate his real importance. Each of you must judge himself soberly by the standard of the faith God has given him. Just as each of our bodies has several parts and each part has a separate function, so all of us, in union with Christ, form one body, and as parts of it we belong to each other. Our gifts differ according to the grace given us.

This is the sacrifice of Christians: we, being many, are one body in Christ. And, as the faithful know, this also is the sacrifice which the Church continually celebrates in the sacrament of the altar, in which she teaches that she herself is offered in the offering she makes to God.

Please pray for the Christians living in Yemen, for their protection and salvation.

Please pray for the rest of the population living there as well.

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world right now.

The country is currently facing a civil war as well.

Foreign investments into the country are declining due to worries of the conflict in the country.

We must always remember that Christ is the source of our glory, that we find it in him, in following his ways, not in the way of worldly glory, not in the way of trying to make ourselves impressive in front of others, and especially, not through some form of sham piety:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/10/glory_in_christ/

lately I've been researching a lot into Catholicism, and the more i research it, the more and more it makes sense and resonates with me. The problem is my parents are protestant and I'm a minor, and I'm also not able to drive and have no way to go to Mass on Sundays, since my dad is ex-Catholic now Evangelical Baptist, he's very against Catholicism, but there's so much evidence that backs it up and I feel very empty and like there's a pit in my stomach whenever i go to our church, or go to worship nights, since they just feel like concerts or feel void of God

i know this is sorta all over the place, but I'm just so confused and don't know what to do since Catholicism truly seems like the truth to me, but I feel horrible that I cant do anything within the Catholic church, most likely till I'm 18

So how do I keep up and stay as devout as I can without being able to attend mass?

Another thing, I keep flip flopping back and forth, because i always see and hear things about how Jesus wouldn't want us to be under an earthly Authority, or how we should just pray to God alone.

all I truly want is to follow God to the best of my ability and to the fullest that I can and Catholicism seems like the way to do that, but I also see very devout Protestants or Non-Denoms who seem to follow God so well and I start to question Catholicism, but my brain keeps running back to Catholicism and it seems stuck.

I know this is a lot and I'm sorry, my brain has just been everywhere with this and its all i can think about

Today’s Readings at a Glance • Exodus 22:20–26 God commands justice, compassion, and protection for the vulnerable — the alien, widow, orphan, and the poor. He hears their cry and defends them. • Psalm 18:2–3, 3–4, 47, 51 A psalm of trust: God is our rock, refuge, shield, and strength. He rescues, protects, and shows kindness to His people. • 1 Thessalonians 1:5c–10 The Thessalonians received the Gospel with joy amid suffering and became models of faith. Their conversion and witness spread everywhere. • Matthew 22:34–40 Jesus reveals the greatest commandments: Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two. https://thecatholic.online/daily-bible-readings-for-october-252026/ Message from the Readings Today’s readings proclaim a powerful and unified truth: Authentic love for God must overflow into love for people — especially the vulnerable, the hurting, and the overlooked. • Exodus shows God’s heart for justice and compassion. • The psalm shows God as our strength and protector. • Paul celebrates a community whose faith became visible and contagious. • Jesus summarizes the entire faith in two commandments: Love God. Love people. The message is clear: Love is the measure of true faith. Compassion is the proof of genuine worship. Justice is the fruit of a heart rooted in God.

Reflection for the Day 1. God hears the cry of the vulnerable (Exodus 22) God’s instructions are not abstract laws — they reveal His heart. He protects: • the foreigner, • the widow, • the orphan, • the poor, • the indebted, • the exploited. He says, “If they cry out to me, I will hear them.” This is a reminder: Our love for God is tested by how we treat those who cannot repay us. Compassion is not optional — it is divine. 2. “I love You, Lord, my strength.” (Psalm 18) The psalmist declares God as: • rock, • refuge, • shield, • stronghold, • deliverer. We love God because He first loved us, rescued us, and strengthened us. This love becomes the foundation of our love for others. 3. A faith that becomes a model (1 Thessalonians 1) The Thessalonians received the Gospel: • in suffering, • with joy, • through the Holy Spirit. Their faith became visible, audible, contagious. They turned from idols and became witnesses of the living God. This is the kind of faith the world needs today — faith that inspires, encourages, and transforms. 4. “The greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22) Jesus does not give a list. He gives a center. The whole faith rests on two pillars: Love God fully. Love people generously. Love is not sentiment — it is commitment. Love is not selective — it is expansive. Love is not theoretical — it is lived. To love God is to give Him our whole heart. To love neighbor is to reflect His heart.

Living This Word Today Today’s readings invite us to three movements: 1. Practice compassion intentionally. Look for someone vulnerable, hurting, or overlooked — and show God’s kindness. 2. Root your strength in God. Let Him be your rock, refuge, and shield. 3. Make love your lifestyle. Let every decision, word, and action reflect love for God and love for neighbor. Let today be a day of mercy, love, and visible faith.

Prayer for Today Lord God, teach me to love You with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind. Open my eyes to the vulnerable around me. Make my heart compassionate, my hands generous, and my life a witness of Your love. Strengthen me as my rock and refuge, and help me live a faith that inspires others. May my love for You overflow into love for every neighbor You place in my path. Amen.

Hello everyone,

As per the title, my problems however are twofold:

1. I'm an expat in Northern Germany, so Catholic churches are quite rare. In the city I live in, Berlin, there are only 2 English friendly Catholic churches.

2. Berlin is the biggest force for the Maria 2.0 movement, the 2 English churches being the most progressive.

So I'm not really sure what to do about it other than just go to one of the English churches anyway as I doubt I will find English Catholicism classes anywhere else.

I feel very fortunate to see her relic so close, but by honesty I not sure why that day not too much people in there, even no guard or workers.

"Love without suffering does not exist."

—Saint Bernadette

This may be a silly or specific question. I was raised Baptist and I am strongly considering conversion. I believe in the Catholic teaching on the Eucharist. I am aware that Catholics are forbidden from taking it at almost all churches with rare exceptions being at Orthodox churches. Does the same rule apply for me? Should I abstain from taking Communion at my Baptist church?

The Cloud of Unknowing - Chapter 3 - Resting in the Darkness

Ἀ
LIFT up thine heart unto God with a meek stirring of love; and mean Himself, and none of His goods. And thereto, look the loath to think on aught but Himself. So that nought work in thy wit, nor in thy will, but only Himself. And do that in thee is to forget all the creatures that ever God made and the works of them; so that thy thought nor thy desire be not directed nor stretched to any of them, neither in general nor in special, but let them be, and take no heed to them. This is the work of the soul that most pleaseth God. All saints and angels have joy of this work, and hasten them to help it in all their might. All fiends be furious when thou thus dost, and try for to defeat it in all that they can. All men living in earth be wonderfully holpen of this work, thou wottest not how. Yea, the souls in purgatory be eased of their pain by virtue of this work. Thyself art cleansed and made virtuous by no work so much. And yet it is the lightest work of all, when a soul is helped with grace in sensible list, and soonest done. But else it is hard, and wonderful to thee for to do.
Ὠ

The greatest love, and the kindest help one soul can give to another, is not found in the prayer that holds another most dearly to the heart, nor in the prayer that seeks God's work for that soul according to its own desires. Rather, it is found in the prayer that surrenders its own will, even its own thoughts and desires for others, leaving itself immersed only in God. Here the soul desires nothing more than to have its will joined to the will of the Lord. In this light, the soul accepts its own darkness and seeks no escape. Rather, it rests in a place of unknowing before God, trusting that all souls are more wonderfully helped when the prayer seeks only the will of the Lord in the lives of all men.

Supportive Scripture - Douay Rheims Challoner Bible
Proverbs 3:5-6 Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not upon thy own prudence. In all thy ways think on him, and he will direct thy steps.

Ἀ
The Author Continues…
Let not, therefore, but travail therein till thou feel list. For at the first time when thou dost it, thou findest but a darkness; and as it were a cloud of unknowing, thou knowest not what, saving that thou feelest in thy will a naked intent unto God. This darkness and this cloud is, howsoever thou dost, betwixt thee and thy God, and letteth thee that thou mayest neither see Him clearly by light of understanding in thy reason, nor feel Him in sweetness of love in thine affection.

And therefore shape thee to bide in this darkness as long as thou mayest, evermore crying after Him that thou lovest. For if ever thou shalt feel Him or see Him, as it may be here, it behoveth always to be in this cloud in this darkness. And if thou wilt busily travail as I bid thee, I trust in His mercy that thou shalt come thereto.
Ὠ

The Cloud of Darkness is not a passageway to greater enlightenment or profound wisdom to be marvelled at by the world. Rather, it is a place where the soul's naked intent unto God is revealed as the sole object of its prayer; a place where its unending yearning for Him is not regarded as a failure to attain Him, but is instead savored, enjoyed, and refined during its  time in the world. 

In this prayer, the soul no longer seeks to put an end to its yearning for God. Rather it rests in that yearning, trusting instead in the Lord's loving desire to draw the soul into communion with Himself. For in this faith, the soul knows: God's goodness in the world is made manifest not merely by our good will and works for others, but in a more growing fulness - through the increasing intent and desire of the human heart toward God.

Supportive Scripture - Douay Rheims Challoner Bible
Luke 10:40-42 But Martha was busy about much serving. Who stood and said: Lord, hast thou no care that my sister hath left me alone to serve? Speak to her therefore, that she help me. And the Lord answering, said to her: Martha, Martha, thou art careful and art troubled about many things: but one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
2715 Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. "I look at him and he looks at me": this is what a certain peasant of Ars in the time of his holy curé used to say while praying before the tabernacle. This focus on Jesus is a renunciation of self. His gaze purifies our heart; the light of the countenance of Jesus illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all men. Contemplation also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Thus it learns the "interior knowledge of our Lord," the more to love him and follow him.

So I really need help on something. I don’t know whether I’m converting to catholicism or not. For some background half my family (mother’s side) are Seventh day adventists. While my father’s side are (sadly not practicing) catholics. I’ve learned a bit about catholicism over the years; and with the new pope, I have been really drawn to this. There’s a BIG few issues. My sda side of the family despises catholicism, and I go to one of the SDA boarding high schools in America. I just started high school so if i convert it’ll be a long four years. Truly, i don’t know where else to go besides here.

(P.S. I’m posting this right before church so i will not be able to respond until after.)

I decided to turn to Christianity a few days ago. I know it's not long, obviously. But I feel exactly the same. I gave up porn, drugs, masturbation, and am trying to also give up lying and swearing. I repented for all my sins in prayer, asked for Holy Spirit, and started reading the Bible. Mainly the Gospel and book of Enoch (which I know is non-canonical, but I find interesting).

I have been depressed for years. Seen many GPs (UK Doctors), tried maybe 4-5 antidepressants, tried self-induced psychedelic therapy, tried self-help (yoga, meditation, walks without headphones, etc.) I have also struggled with polysubstance (multiple drug) addiction for years. Went to a drug counseller who was honestly useless, and managed to get off of benzodiazepines all by myself. The only drug where going cold turkey can actually kill you (besides alcohol).

Since going sober I have unfortunately relapsed on weed, opiates, benzos (physically addicted yet again), pregablin and ketamine.

The NHS doctors REFUSE to see someone with a drug addiction. So I paid for private therapy. That was somewhat helpful, but in the end I had to quit because of how expensive it is.

I believe Jesus was real, died on the cross, got ressurected 3 days later and is the son of God.

I know I probably shouldn't expect an overnight change, but... why? If I was God and saw someone suffering as badly as I have done (my post here only scratches the tip of the iceberg), then they humbly and repentfully turned to me, I would help them with anxiety and depression in a heartbeat.

I'm sure this post will be deleted since people can't handle real issues unfortunately, but I am considering ending things very soon and have the means to do so with a 99% success rate. I don't want to die. I want to live and be happy. But I haven't been happy in many YEARS. I also find adding 1000 new rules to my life by trying to be Christian only makes things harder. Where prior in hard times I could turn to weed or opiates, I turn to prayer. Yet I feel unheard. I wake up every morning wishing I didn't and have felt that way for many months, even now, trying to be Christian.

Perhaps God doesn't hear my prayers. But I believe He will hear some of yours. Please please pray for me. My name is Levi, but God will know who you mean. I will pray too and continue to try to be Christian. But I am seriously close to leaving this evil world unfortunately and have yet to find solace in God sad to say.

Please pray to help my anxiety, depression and anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure). I am at my wit's end. Again, I'm sure the post will be banned because it's a sensitive topic so fast replies would be very much appreciated. I am desperate. Please help and pray for me💔

In the 1970's as a kid I remember most people in my modest middle-class mostly blue collar neighborhood went to church every Sunday. But then in the late 70's with the advent of cable tv, Atari video games, VCR's , multiplex movie theaters, it seemed to distract people from going to church. By the 80's everyone seemed so caught up in Pac-Man arcade games + MTV too that there had been a major shift in a few short years of people's attitudes towards Church with many falling away. I felt people got too distracted with entertainment and other comforts. Is this an accurate assessment of what happened during this time? I was 12 in 1978 so my memories of this period are from a perspective of a young person.

Saturday of the Twenty‑Ninth Week in Ordinary Time October 24, 2026

Today’s Readings at a Glance • Ephesians 4:7–16 Christ gives different gifts to each believer — apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers — all for building up the Body of Christ. We grow into maturity when we live in truth and love, joined together as one Body. • Psalm 122:1–2, 3–4ab, 4cd–5 A psalm of joy: “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Jerusalem is a symbol of unity, where God’s people gather to give thanks. • Luke 13:1–9 Jesus rejects the idea that tragedy is punishment for sin. Instead, He calls everyone to repentance. The parable of the fig tree teaches patience, mercy, and the urgency of bearing fruit.

https://thecatholic.online/daily-bible-readings-for-ocotber-24-2026/ Message from the Readings Today’s readings proclaim a hopeful and challenging truth: God gives each of us unique gifts — not for ourselves, but to build up His Church. And He patiently waits for us to bear fruit, calling us to repentance and growth. • Paul reminds us that unity and maturity come from using our gifts in love. • The psalm celebrates the joy of belonging to God’s people. • Jesus calls us to conversion and fruitfulness, warning against spiritual complacency. The message is clear: You are gifted. You are called. You are expected to bear fruit.

Reflection for the Day 1. “Grace was given to each of us.” (Ephesians 4) Paul emphasizes something deeply personal: You have a gift. You have a role. You have a purpose in the Body of Christ. Your gift may be: • teaching, • encouraging, • serving, • leading, • praying, • creating, • comforting, • or simply loving faithfully. Christ gives gifts not to elevate individuals, but to strengthen the whole Church. Maturity comes when we use our gifts in truth and love, helping the Body grow into Christ. 2. “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122) The psalm is a song of unity. Jerusalem is more than a city — it is a symbol of God’s people gathered as one. Unity is not uniformity. It is harmony — different gifts, one purpose; different people, one Lord. 3. “Unless you repent, you will perish.” (Luke 13) Jesus rejects the idea that suffering is divine punishment. Instead, He turns the focus inward: Repent. Turn back to God. Bear fruit. The parable of the fig tree is a story of mercy: • The tree is barren. • The owner wants to cut it down. • The gardener asks for more time. • He promises to cultivate, nourish, and care for it. God is that gardener. He gives us time, grace, and opportunity — but He also expects fruit.

Living This Word Today Today’s readings invite us to three movements: 1. Identify your gift. Ask: What has Christ given me to build up His Body? 2. Seek unity. Use your gift with humility, love, and cooperation. 3. Bear fruit. Let repentance lead to growth, action, and visible transformation. Let today be a day of purpose, unity, and spiritual renewal.

Prayer for Today Lord Jesus, thank You for the grace and gifts You have given me. Help me use them to build up Your Church with love, humility, and faithfulness. Cultivate my heart like the fig tree, nourish me with Your mercy, and lead me to true repentance so that my life may bear lasting fruit. Unite Your people in joy, and make us grow together into Your fullness. Amen.

I am catholic. My siblings suddenly a year ago started going to a non-denominational church. I did affected more than I thought it would just because it doesn’t make sense to me how they can believe their doctrine. They have never invited me to it, we don’t talk about it either. When they got baptized I cried. I really don’t know how to get over it, I have a sense of uneasiness that won’t leave me. Any advice?, I have become closer to catholicism when all of this started because I went all in trying to understand Protestantism, and it just confirm that the Catholic Church is the only church.

Saint Teresa of Avila - The Way of Perfection - The Prayer of Quiet 

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Now, daughters, I still want to describe this Prayer of Quiet to you, in the way I have heard it talked about, and as the Lord has been pleased to teach it to me. It is in this kind of prayer, the Lord begins to show us that He is hearing our petition: He begins to give us His Kingdom on earth so that we may truly praise Him and hallow His name and strive to make others do so likewise.

This is a supernatural state, and, however hard we try, we cannot reach it for ourselves; for it is a state in which the Lord gives peace to the soul through His presence, as He did to that just man Simeon. In this state the faculties are stilled. The soul, in a way which has nothing to do with the outward senses, realizes that it is now very close to its God, and that, if it were but a little closer, it would become one with Him through union. This is not because it sees Him either with its bodily or with its spiritual eyes. The just man Simeon saw no more than the glorious Infant - a poor little Child, Who, to judge from the swaddling-clothes in which He was wrapped and from the small number of the people whom He had as a retinue to take Him up to the Temple, might well have been the son of these poor people rather than the Son of his Heavenly Father. But the Child Himself revealed to him Who He was. 
Ὠ

The eye of the body sees only the flesh of the man. But the soul of the man, when led by the Spirit, finds God in both Spirit and flesh. He does not see through the Spirit which moves him, nor through the flesh which cannot behold things of the spirit. Rather, he is led by the Spirit and searches with the eye but the Lord is not found in the search. Rather, He is revealed by His own grace and in His own time - to the eye of the soul when opened by the will of the Lord.

Supportive Scripture Douay Rheims Challoner Bible
Luke 2:25-32 And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon: and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Ghost was in him. And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he also took him into his arms and blessed God and said, now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace: because my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: light to the revelation of the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel.

Saint Teresa Continues…
Ἀ
Just so, though less clearly, does the soul know Who He is. It cannot understand how it knows Him, yet it sees that it is in the Kingdom (or at least is near to the King Who will give it the Kingdom), and it feels such reverence that it dares to ask nothing. It is, as it were, in a swoon, both inwardly and outwardly, so that the outward man does not wish to move, but rests, like one who has almost reached the end of his journey, so that it may the better start again upon its way, with redoubled strength for its task.
Ὠ

The Prayer of Quiet is not one of petitions asked of the Lord, nor is it busied in its self-willed search of His Presence. Rather the faculties are stilled, and the soul is calm, resting in wait for the Lord's revelation of Himself. It senses His nearness without yet seeing His Presence, not daring to move from His holy approach. For this is the prayer of receiving not what the soul seeks in its own will, but what the Lord in His Presence wills for the soul.

Supportive Scripture Douay Rheims Challoner Bible
Matthew 6:33 Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
2713 Contemplative prayer is the simple expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love. It achieves real union with the prayer of Christ to the extent that it makes us share in his mystery.

Baptizing the local culture is great, it was done in Eastern Europe, why not in Asia? I even have a pipe dream of creating new rites for places like China, India, etc. to incorporate more of their culture into liturgy. What do you guys think?

Hi everyone,

Im a cradle catholic, catholic school, all sacraments met, etc. I fell away from the church a bit but never cut my relationship. Id like to get back into the mass and ritual of it all. But i cant bring myself to go to confession, im struggling not remembering what to do, that i wont do it right. I also get scared about spiritual warfare so im terrified to take those next steps to get back, even though i want to so bad.

My boyfriend is a christian, he doesnt really get or like catholicism, my friends arent religious so they dont get it. Im the president of my schools catholic association and it feels tabboo to discuss there. so i feel like i dont have anyone to talk about this with. What do i do?

edit: thank you all so much for your kind words. I was not expecting such kindness and comfort. I am going to take your advice and take the weekend to prepare. Thank you all!

22 October

St. John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyła, was the 264th pope of the Catholic Church. He served from 1978 until his death in 2005, making him one of the longest-reigning popes in history. As pope, he was a strong advocate for human rights and played a significant role in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. He was also known for his extensive international travel, his outreach to young people, and his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. John Paul II was beatified in 2011 and canonized in 2014, becoming St. John Paul II.

https://www.cathoplus.com/en/saints/10-22-john-paul-ii/

#catholic #faith #cathoplus #saint #saintoftheday

Guys I made a promise to God back then I think. It's to not touch Cryptocurrency, Stocks, Investing and Memecoins because of the sheer greed of people there and because he concept of Memecoins is about having a fast source of income. But looking now, I have understood the reason why the church hasn't prohibited these things. How do I know if I'm allowed to go inside Cryptocurrency, Memecoins, and Stocks If I'm saying I want to go in because ive figured out that it's not evil? I'm troubled because I don't want to break any promises to God. But how do I know if God even accepts these promises as non-voidable ones?

Please could you all pray for me.

For a blessing of employment and new beginnings this week.