If for some reason, as a Protestant, you object to praying the #Rosary, what is your alternative? Do you spend 15-20 minutes a day meditating on scenes from the Gospels? How many times each week do you prayerfully remember Jesus carrying his cross, helped by Simon of Cyrene? How often each week do you intentionally imagine the agony Jesus suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane -- and pray about it? Depending on how you count it, there are 15 or 20 such important moments from the Gospels we pray over in the Rosary. This kind of regular recitation is not a "vain repetition," but a sweet and holy immersion using our words, our body, our imagination, our soul. Before I became Catholic, most often my prayers were merely "Lord, help me..." or "Lord, bless so-and-so" or "Heavenly Father, we just ask...." (They were certainly not without repetition.) The Rosary, if prayed well, will kick your prayer level up many, many precious notches. And that's the kind of practice you want to repeat, to make habitual. Give it a try. 🙏 📿

These recent murders remind us that (1) hell is not empty and there are plenty more vacant spots to be filled, and (2) our time here is short; it can end at any moment, and we must be ready always -- every day -- to meet our Maker and Judge.

A diet of good books make a person mentally healthy and strong.

This weekend has been a working weekend. But last weekend was a kayaking weekend with my wife. Perfect weather for a rosary on the lake.

Wow. Nice. Are you the photographer? Where(ish)?

With regard to sex, it's been rightly said that our problem is not that we think about it too much, but that we think about it too little. If we take time to think clearly and honestly about it, we can better understand what is right and wrong, moral and immoral. Living in accord with the origin, design, and purpose of sex makes our lives (married or single) happier and more prosperous. We do not thrive when we are selfish addicts -- when we love things and use people. Rather, we thrive when we are generous and properly ordered -- when we use things and love people.

A Christian in the state of grace does not need to be terrified at the idea of death. In the moment, he can be assured of salvation. But even a Christian will tremble as his personal judgment draws near, because he will be forced to confront his own sins -- the many times he offended God in this life through sin and selfishness, carelessness and laziness, etc., especially after baptism. Sinning against an infinitely loving and holy God is serious stuff. It becomes more serious, not less, after becoming a Christian, when ignorance is not an excuse. God's mercy does not erase his justice. The once-saved-always-saved doctrine -- the idea that Jesus has already forgiven you of every consequence of your *future* sins -- is evil. It leads to the presumption that you're good to go. Rather than believing it's already "mission accomplished," we need to put on the "whole armor of God," because whether we know it or acknowledge it, we are in a spiritual battle for our eternal lives. Arm yourself with the graces God gives us. He knows we need them. He knows of our weak frame. He is compassionate. He's not mad at us; he wants us to fight through our challenges and setbacks. His Spirit will equip us with everything we need. We just need to cooperate with his grace. We need to Just Do It. Don't be distracted. Put your phone down and pray with me. And for me. And for yourself. And for those who don't yet know God. "For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

I don't know what the Bitcoinverse consensus is, but of course contraception is morally wrong, and chemical contraception is physically harmful on top of that. Make them babies! If for serious reasons we must, we can take a breather through agreed abstinence -- and then get back to it! God will bless marriages that are generous toward life.

As Christians, we understand that "Christ died for our sins." But we should also meditate on the fact that he suffered for our sins as well. We should be willing to die for our brother, yes. But that includes suffering for him. Sometimes it feels like it would be easier to take a bullet for your brother than to suffer for him. It may not be "fun," but suffering is good if we join it to the sufferings of Christ.

I prefer learning from other people's mistakes over making them myself, though I make plenty of my own. The most tragic mistake is hardness of heart. That never ends well. Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts. Enkindle in us the fire of your love. === Hebrews 3:14-19: For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

I'm open, thanks!

It's important to remember that the divine Person we know as Jesus did not stop being God so he could become a man instead. What he did was become a man also, so that he is now not only God, but the God-Man. That is to say, as a divine Person, he now has two natures: (1) his divine nature from eternity, and (2) his newly aquired human nature (i.e., body and soul), which he assumed from Mary. He never became God. Nor can he ever cease being God. But he did begin to be man -- just 2000 years ago. And he will henceforth always be a man. #Christmas -- which I'm already looking forward to -- is not a party for us to shout, "Happy birthday, Jesus! 🎂" It's a joyful celebration of this mindboggling mystery of the Incarnation, the central mystery of our Faith.