#seeing him was a spiritual experience fr | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

diorsbrando · 2 years

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YOUR PRESENCE IS A GIFT. ( b.k )

pairing ! ━━ husband!byakuya kuchiki x captain!fem!reader

cw ! ━━ minors do not interact. reader is black and thick coded but you don’t have to imagine it that way. reader is also the new captain of the 3rd division of the gotei 13. just pure intimacy and fluff. undertones of nsfw. mentions of nudity. suggestive/explicit scenarios like bathing together. teasing if you squint . passionate kisses. hints of domesticity bc they’re married. sickeningly sweet fr i love it. byakuya is sarcastic. he’s also soft n caring and very much in love under that stern façade <3 husband material fr .

word count ! ━━ 3.8k

notes ! ━━ back again letting my bleach brain rot take over :) this was another random thing i decided to write about but don’t worry, i have more ideas for him and so many more from bleach and other fandoms :) i just had to get this out of my system . also, i come back to this edit of him a lot heheh. REBLOGS ARE HEAVILY APPRECIATED!

edit as of 9/26 ━━ turned this into a self-indulgent fic as a gift to myself bc why not :)) i think i got carried away near the end. byakusosa is one of my selfships LOL happy birthday to me <3

byakuya kuchiki is the captain of the sixth division of the 13 Court Guard squads, as well as the 28th head of the Kuchiki Clan, an influential and noble family. he was aloof, stern in his beliefs and values— about himself and others. he often came off as indifferent and borderline arrogant. his skills as a shinigami were not anything to be taken lightly or to be trifled with for his spiritual pressure was intense. his combat experience and strategic compentency, including his shikai and bankai made him very strong— and intimidating.

and then there was you. you had been appointed captain of the 3rd division not that long ago, but still a while after ichimaru’s betrayal, making you the third woman who currently held a captain’s position within the Gotei 13. truthfully, you didn’t really like leadership positions, especially ones as prestigious and impressive as this. in truth, you’d much rather be led. the drastic change in environment from a lower district in rukongai to lavish and spacious captain’s quarters and becoming a high ranking shinigami still felt strange, despite all the time that has passed. even a lieutenant, third, fourth or fifth seat position would have been more appealing to you than a full-fledged captain. but unfortunately, your strengths were recognized, you were vouched for, and not one for confrontation.

the two of you couldn’t be any more different.

you were always the introverted type. having anxiety around other powerful people ( despite having tremendous power of your own ) , being easily intimidated, and not great at speaking publicly. leading a squad was a task in itself and at times, you shamefully wished that izuru could handle everything for you. but that was just wishful thinking and unfair to your subordinates.

even being a captain yourself, it wasn’t a frequent occurrence to cross paths with another captain. it was an even rarer sight to cross paths with the captain of squad six. captain kuchiki was seldom seen out and about around the seiretei— unless it was for a captains meeting, training or leading his squad when there was a force threatening the soul society or dealing with manners that were thrust upon his shoulders as the head of a great noble clan. he never had the time, or frankly the regard, to mingle or lounge about with other captains or their lieutenants.

he was a very busy man. but, apparently not so busy to spare you a glance at every opportunity he got, or to greet you whenever you did see him.

he wasn’t too busy to stand and willingly converse in idle small talk with you, despite him having “better things to do than just stand around”.

he wasn’t all that busy to spare himself a little break from his paperwork and drop by your squad’s barracks within the seiretei. he’d flash-step into your office, effectively startling you and causing you drop the paintbrush and parchment in your hand, both of them rolling off your desk and onto the floor.

your other hand was clutched to your chest, in a feeble attempt to stop your racing heart. “shit—captain kuchiki! you startled me.”

standing up from your chair to retrieve your materials, you didn’t miss his subtle eye roll. “i offer my humblest apologies for disturbing you.” sarcasm dripped from his smooth, monotone voice; it became his favorite way of speaking when addressing you. when you looked back up at him, you saw that his face remained stern and expressionless, but there was a ghost of a grin wanting to tug at his lips.

he followed you on your way back to your desk. you could feel his unwavering stare burn a hole in the back of your head and suddenly your captain’s robes felt sweltering.

you cleared your throat awkwardly as you got yourself situated back in your chair, his strong, intimidating figure looming over you. “what can i do for you, captain kuchiki?” there was a certain emphasis you inadvertently placed on the word captain, that made the raven-haired man’s eyebrow twitch.

“i thought i told you, when we’re alone, you may call me byakuya… my love.”

byakuya kuchiki was capable of being rather tactical in his flattery, knowing exactly what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. he didn’t bother trying to hold back the small smirk the moment he noticed you shifting in your seat. he found you even more adorable when you were flustered and physically unable to handle any affection he threw at you— especially when it came unprompted like just a moment ago.

“i-i’m just …. trying to remain professional. you are aware we aren’t at home you know.”

he hummed in reply before placing a medium sized object on your desk. he leaned closer to your ear and purposefully lowered his voice as he spoke, “the servants prepared a special meal today, but it seems you’ve neglected to take it with you.” his countenance never wavered still, but there was an undertone in his voice that suggested something else. something that made your stomach churn and butterflies erupt from their dormant cocoons.

you stared at the bento box blankly, trying to think of how to respond. another one of captain kuchiki’s skills included causing the words in your throat and within the walls of your mind to wither away and die. byakuya secretly reveled in the way you visibly shuddered when he further closed the distance, letting his soft lips brush against your cheek. it was having a greater effect on you because he was usually never this….coquettish outside of kuchiki manor. or even the master bedroom the two of you shared.

“so, you... came all the way here to bring it to me? byak— captain kuchiki, this is v...very unlike you.” you corrected yourself as you gripped the writing utensil in your grasp tighter. a gentle, baritone chuckle erupted from his throat, vibrating the very skin cells on your epidermis. it was a uncommon sound, and your ears—as well as your warm cunt— cherished every moment of it.

“is that a problem? i didn’t realize there would be such issues when i’m just trying to take care of my wife and making sure she’s…well fed.” the words ‘my wife’ sounded so good coming from his mouth, even several years after you’ve tied the knot. like the sweetest honey and vanilla dripping from a mouth-watering pastry, the endearing but inherently possessive nature of those two words lit your stomach aflame.

with an unexpected but delicate dip of his right hand onto your lower back, his pillowy mouth finally came together and laid the most tender kiss upon your cheek. byakuya made sure to let his lips linger a little in order to allow the tip of his tongue to fleetingly glide against your skin. his teasing, half-smile threatened to grow wider when his sharp gaze drank in the sight of your back slightly arching in his touch, and the sound of the tiniest whimper you just weren’t able to contain.

normally, it was you who had the greater affinity for byakuya’s affection during nearly all hours of the day, but this was certainly different— a good different, obviously. you couldn’t help but wonder if something happened that was impactful enough prompt him to do something as risky (or more like risqué) as this; you were well aware that he frowned upon any kind of public display of affection outside of the manor, and you made a note to quell your urges to get too close to him—at least until you got home. you strove to portray yourself solely as a colleague to the dark-haired man while fulfilling your duties as part of the gotei 13.

byakuya kuchiki, as a captain and the head of an influential noble family was unapproachable, almost seeming unreachable when he displayed his bouts of power and prominence. however, byakuya as a husband was someone completely different. you wouldn’t believe the brooding shinigami who rarely smiled and took his job entirely too seriously, was also the same man so desperate for your presence that he would leisurely come visit you, in the middle of the day while on duty.

and he was careful as well; the moment he sensed even the slightest modicum of someone else’s spiritual pressure, he’d reinstate the appropriate distance between the two of you, much to your protest when you nearly whined out his name. the urgent slam of the door to your office cut off your words.

your lieutenant izuru made a sudden appearance in the room, effectively startling you for the second time today. “captain, forgive my sudden intrusion but your—” the blonde’s nervous, lidded eyes then flickered over to the captain of the 6th division, who just stood silently a few feet away from your desk. his head was slightly lowered, and his muscled arms crossed over his chest.

“c-captain kuchiki! your being here is certainly an... unexpected surprise. to what do i owe the pleasure of you coming to visit squad three’s barracks?” izuru was as respectful as ever as his kneeling position shifted a little to show his respect to another superior officer.

“it is nothing for you to be concerned about, lieutenant. i was just about to take my leave.” he responded in his signature, stone-cold voice. before leaving, he nodded his head in your direction as a farewell. maybe it was the incomparable speed of his movements, or the way his figure blurred as he used the flash step to make an exit, but you could have sworn, you saw a small simper on his lips.

damn him, you cursed him in the back of your mind.

damn him, as you continued to reminisce on his little visit for the rest of the day. your skin still remembered the featherlike touch of his slender fingers, the ghostly trail of his lips and very presence imprinted on your mind, causing your subordinates to give you worried glances when you made a certain expression; they even asked you if you were in pain. was it that bad?

damn that byakuya, as he stood roughly across from you during a scheduled captain’s meeting. you could hardly focus on whatever head captain yamamoto was saying about finances, when all you could do was discreetly stare at the clan head passively listen to what was being discussed. you felt yourself grow increasingly frustrated at him for not paying you even the slightest bit of attention— not even a glance. but your feelings were misplaced and irrational. your own words from earlier rung out in your mind’s ear: “you are aware we aren’t at home, right?”

when the day finally came to a close, and all the captains were formally off-duty, you hardly even got out a ‘have a good evening!’ to the rest of your squad before taking your leave, leaping from roof to roof, in an effort to reach kuchiki manor quicker.

upon your arrival, some guards were already standing at the main, grand entrance to the estate, and welcomed you back with a rigid bow and a uniform greeting. “welcome back and good evening, lady kuchiki!”

replying to them with a nod of the head and an absent-minded hum, you didn’t hesitate to inquire on your husband’s whereabouts. “has byakuya returned yet?”

one of the guards spoke up as they returned to their upright posture. “yes, the master returned a little while ago. he should be in the bath by now, considering the time.”

with an affirmative nod of your head, you maneuvered your way throughout the expansive property until you reached the designated part of the mansion where the bathing rooms were. a servant was already present preparing the soap and shampoo that they would be using today.

there sat your lover, already bare in the tub that was designated as his. his hair was tied up in a messy updo style (a scarce sight for anyone unless it was in the bath), and his strong, muscled back facing you. after all this time, seeing him so...exposed will always awaken the butterflies in your stomach and the heat in your core. he wasn’t even looking at you, or saying anything, but byakuya was still able to make you so nervous you. he was effortlessly handsome, and had an imprint on your body and soul that would last for an eternity.

without turning around, byakuya noticed your unique but familiar spiritual pressure and greeted you in a deep, velvety voice. you swear you could pounce on him right then and there.

“welcome back, my love.” he slightly shifted his head to the side as he addressed you, the small, cheeky grin he’d been wanting to sport all day truly glimmering within the walls of his own home, and in the presence of his lovely wife.

that’s when you noticed that only one tub was ready and filled with warm water, and that was the one that byakuya was currently lounging in. the temperature of your face rose exponentially when you realized what it meant; you could practically see the smug undertones of his expression.

then, your skin was overcome with a sudden sensation, causing your figure to shudder with poorly concealed delight. you had been wanting to get close to him in a more intimate setting all day; you’ve been dying to touch him, to hold him, to kiss him, and it must have been obvious because one of the servants that were preparing the soap and petals— wait, petals? how come? — cleared their throat with a silent question, asking for permission to disrobe you for the bath.

eagerly obliging, you let them take off your captain’s jacket and shinigami robes before departing to fold them neatly in your bedroom, leaving you in nothing but panties crafted from the finest linen (byakuya spared no expense when it came to you) that was now becoming drenched in your arousal.

slipping the piece of fabric off and letting them fall to your ankles, with the help of byakuya’s outstretched hands, you let him guide you into the spacious tub, and sink slowly into the lukewarm, slightly translucent water. pink petals from one of the many cherry blossom trees on the estate’s expansive property waded around your body.

you were slightly confused on what the special occasion was, since the two of you didn’t normally bathe in together in the same tub, but you definitely weren’t complaining. the soft, content hum that escaped your lips was music to your husband’s ears. byakuya let the hand that was encasing yours drop to your back, gently tracing the indented line of your spine with his lithe fingers, while the other strong arm pulled you directly onto his lap; you both let out a quiet hiss when your extremities made contact with one another. his quickly hardening cock was now sitting directly under your wet folds.

“byakuya...” you keened, gliding your soapy hands up his lean, muscular chest until they circled around his neck. you shifted closer to him on his lap, causing his muscles to tense and his hips to twitch in an upwards motion, but he kept his composure, as always. “what’s all this for?”

the ebony haired man stared at you incredulously for a few moments before shaking his head. you would have thought he was annoyed with you if it weren’t for the endearing smile on his lips or his rough palms that were now affectionately resting on your waist and right cheek.

“are you so busy and scatterbrained that you’ve neglected your own birthday?” his voice was soft, so soft and tender, you weren’t sure if you’ve ever heard his voice get so delicate before.

your eyes widened in epiphany at the realization. today was your birthday, you’d been so busy with papers, and the new recruits, all these meetings—you had hardly left your office. byakuya bringing your lunch to you this afternoon made even more sense now. you were surprised that you’d even forgotten about it, because for the last few weeks, you’ve been excitedly chattering about it in his ear, not-so-subtly dropping hints as to what you wanted as a gift, having a good feeling that he’d get them for you, despite looking as if he didn’t care enough to listen. but when the day finally arrived, it had just…. came and went.

a low, hearty chuckle graced your ears as byakuya placed a soft peck on your nose. he was thoroughly amused at the look of confusion on your face. “silly woman…it’s as if your senses have escaped you the moment you awakened and are just now returning to you.”

you could hardly let out a giggle before byakuya— quite impatiently, as a matter of fact— closed the gap between both of your mouths and let your lips mold together, your bodies converging as one under the dim lanterns in the washroom. the kiss was slow, but the slow kinds of kisses were your favorite; it allowed you to really taste him, to get lost in his touch and his almost inaudible groans—it allowed you to drown in him.

the emotion that byakuya poured into your being through a mere but passionate gesture was almost too much. your senses were clouded with his scent and his presence, it was enough to make you weep as you tried to reciprocate at least a fraction of your own love in return.

it wasn’t obvious, but his sheer adoration, devotion and loyalty to you far outweighed yours.

he was first to break the kiss, regrettably so, for his lips that were coated with your saliva still brushed against yours. “happy birthday...my beautiful sakura flower.”

your already glassy eyes widened a fraction of an inch at the unique name, never hearing him say that to you before. your chest sparkled and crackled with a tingly feeling you couldn’t quite discern. your mind’s ear hyper-focused on the one meager phrase, so much so that didn’t feel the tears freely rolling down your face until byakuya used the pad of his thumb to softly wipe them away. why were you even crying? you weren’t sure, but all you knew was that your heart was soaring.

“hmm, not only are you hopelessly distracted, but it seems you are a bit of a crybaby too. annoyingly sensitive.” byakuya’s countenance was completely serious as he teased you with a fondness in his tone that only you knew. it was one that elicited a soft chuckle from your throat as you nuzzled into the open space on his neck, mumbling a barely audible shut up as you adjusted your weight.

the clan head underneath you let his head loll back a little as he let out a soft groan. “we should go back to the room now, where we may continue your birthday.... celebration in peace.”

when you didn’t stir at his suggestion, your husband put his lips directly on the cartilage of your ear, his breath tickling your ear canal and causing you to shiver in his firm grasp. “my love,” he coaxed you in a deeper, sultrier voice. there was a dominant edge in his tone, effectively pulling your attention back to him and made your empty cunt clench around nothing, “all the gifts you’ve been hinting at are there waiting for you. and, i have one last, personal present to give you...”

as an emphasis on the word ‘personal’, byakuya let his hands move downwards to hold your voluptuous ass, and experimentally rolled his hips against your dripping core, giving you both the amazing gift of friction that your bodies had been craving. before you could even stop it, a whimper-like moan bubbled up from your lungs, your need for him skyrocketing at an alarming rate.

he blessed you with another lazy, roll of his hips, his cock brushing against your folds and dragging against your clit, this time with a reassuring squeeze on the globes of your ass. “you do want it, don’t you?”

“y-yes....” you replied breathlessly. “want it...so bad. need you ‘kuya.” he let out a self-satisfied hum before scooping you up from under your thighs and standing up from the tub. you let out a yelp at the sudden cold air engulfing your body, stray petals sticking to both of your wet skin.

locking his slim waist in between your thighs, you felt yourself swooning at just how strong the captain of the 6th division actually was. stepping out of the tub, he made haste to your shared master bedroom with you in his arms, not caring that much if one of the servants saw you; he knew they wouldn’t dare speak a word anyway, unless they wanted to lose their jobs.

your husband also made haste to attack your neck in an unrelenting flurry of kisses the closer he got to your room. “tell me, darling, what is it you need? or rather who is it you need?” he murmured against your neck, each kiss growing more fervent than the last, causing you to whine at the feeling of his tongue gliding across your skin after each kiss. “hmm? use your words and let me hear you.” he demanded softly, expertly and swiftly opening the door enough to slip inside and closed it behind him.

“i..i need you, ‘kuya....you, only you.” you muttered in his ear, earning you another hum of approval. the quiet praise was more than enough to satisfy you.

finally detaching himself from your deep, walnut colored skin, he hovered over your form on the soft bed, your long, braided hair that was tied on top of your head coming undone. seeing you sprawled out beneath him like this, so patient and needy for him and him alone, spurred something primal in his gut. he was beyond grateful that fate had aligned itself in such a way and allowed you to end up here with him, forever his, he forever yours. he didn’t think he’d ever feel like this way again, but of course you were full of surprises; he constantly found new things and reasons to fall in love with you. and on top of it all, it was your special day today. byakuya was overcome with the urge to give, and give, and give until you were so brimming with his love for you, until you couldn’t take it anymore.

he knew he wasn’t the best with words all the time, but he was certain his actions more than compensated for it, in everything he did, especially when it came to loving you. byakuya smiled to himself a little —a grin probably missed by you because it was so inconspicuous—when he pondered on what your reaction would be when you figured out that he took the liberty to clear both of your schedules for tomorrow, so you can spend the whole day in each other’s presence.

it wasn’t even his birthday, but the best gift that captain byakuya kuchiki could ask for, in this life or the next, was staring right back at him with hearts in her pupils.

あ TAGGING ━━ @hellavile @aaphroditeeeee @heartsfrommars @saintblk @h34rt4u @deathskid @sashi-ya @nekoriots @m9rcury @bunnyyamor @yooniluvbot444 @loyenne @satotokii @divilyn @eiflawriting @444yeager @obitohno @monirei @sanjithesimp @rinhoes @garoujo @5ugu …. wanna join my taglist ? click here luv <3

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fatuismooches · 4 months

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SMOOCHESSS WAHHHHHH!!!.·°՞(≧□≦)՞°·.

I am hurt mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. THE POSTLUDE KILLED ME I AM NOT JOKING I CRIED SO MUCH I WANTED TO THROW UP. 😭 WHO HURT YOU SMOOCHES I NEED TO KNOW SO I CAN PUNCH THEM!! Ughhhhhh im reading so much Zandy fluff my poor baby :( what if he was the one pounding on your door before disappearing 😭 AHHHH IM NOT SUPLOSED TO BE THINKING THIS!!! it was so well written from beginning to end im looking forward to the fluffier ending!! :c Zandik and fragile!reader both being together in their final moments 😭 it was so sweet BUT THE ANGST!!! Imagining just the building collapsing above you…knowing Zandik was the one to see the rubble inevitably fall as he looked up at you while you looked down on him 😭 AHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I love Zandik and fragile!reader so much :(((( I need them to be happy in every universe 😭

I love you so much smooches I hope you’ve been taking care of yourself and I’m so proud of you for doing so well on your finals!! I ended up passing all of mine which I was so happy about honestly! mwa mwa I give you loads of smooches and kissies n cuddles. It’s so cold!! :c wanna cuddle up next to you like two kittens cuddling next to eachother hehe >.<

-from your dear boo boo bear 🎐 anon! ౨ৎ

🎐 ANON MY LOVE!!! *wipes your tears away gently* YOU DON'T NEED TO PUNCH ANYONE DON'T WORRY!! 😭 (maybe me instead, since i made you cry 😭) I REALLY DIDN'T MEAN FOR YOU TO CRY THAT MUCH IM SO SO SORRY. I HOPE YOU'RE FEELING BETTER NOW (AND THAT THE SEQUEL MADE YOU FEEL BETTER ❤️❤️🥺)

About the segment at your door, I specifically didn't name who it was because i wanted to leave it up to the reader's imagination, also for you to imagine your favorite segment :3 And yes if it was Zandy... well, he would try his best to get to your door, try his best to see his favorite person in his last moments, feel how it feels like to be love and cherished one last time before he disappears... but he was too late... *runs away*

NOOOO DOTTORE LOOKING AT YOU SMILING WHILE THE RUBBLE IS MERE SECONDS AWAY FROM FALLING... He's sorry he couldn't save you. But in your last moments, he can still see how beautiful you are despite it all... he's truly thankful he met you, and was able to experience a sense of "normalcy" and what "love" means while you were around.

BTW THIS IS US 🎐 ANON!! US FR!! I love you too and i'm so proud of you as well for passing your finals too!! I hope you take care of yourself and relax lots after all that hard work!

#smooches talks #🎐 anon #LOVES LOVES LOVES U 🎐 ANON!! SMOOCH!!#also completely unrelated but im KICKING myself for not using the word rubble. i was scratching my brain for the word to refer to broken-#stones and buildings or whatever and literally used “architecture” WHY DID I FORGET ABT RUBBLE

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gvftea · 4 months

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I’m in my late 30’s and seeing the post about Hannah and Graham, the thing that struck me most was their age gap. Yes, I know some people will say that it’s only eight years, but she was only 22 and he was 30. Even with Hannah being mature for her age there is a big gap in life experience between early 20s and early 30s. I find it hard to imagine that there wasn’t a power imbalance in the relationship that benefited him. Y’all know that if Sam was dating a 32-year-old people would be losing their minds. And it could be argued that Sam is years ahead of 24 in terms of maturity. He’s been traveling since he was a teenager, taken initiative to grow and evolve as a musician and taken on a lot of responsibilities within the band. He’s had adult responsibilities placed on his shoulders (they all have), including, among many other things, being responsible for the livelihoods of the people who work for them. He’s a homeowner, financially secure, and seems to really have his shit together mentally and spiritually. Even so I suspect the default response to him dating someone that much older would be that he was being manipulated in some way. Aside from anyone’s feelings about Hannah if I saw a 22-year-old in a relationship with that age gap, I would be concerned for her. And to be clear, I’m not saying that she was preyed upon or that it was a bad relationship. It just seems to me that she is now in a relationship with a more equal power balance.

Be so fr. What are you trying to say? That he manipulated her? Groomed her? Held the power in the relationship? Girl, they were both grown fucking adults. 8 years is a normal age gap. She was a big girl making her own money, and at some point HE worked for HER. If anyone held power in that relationship it would’ve been her. Please stop infantilizing grown women just to fit your narrative of them being delicate and innocent angels. She cheated on him, engaged or not. Ruined two relationships. Both her AND Sam are homewreckers, neither is innocent in this situation. And now her relationship is more equal in power balance wise? How? Sam is a homeowner, not Hannah. I don’t know her financials, but I’d figure that Sam is more stable than she is. He produced a song of hers. She is literally only as well known as she is now BECAUSE of Sam, showing off their relationship and replaying, blocking, or bitching about every mention to him online. I guarantee that if she kept quiet about their relationship and didn’t post about him 24/7, there would be no “strawberry princess group” or whatever. By your standards, Sam has the power in the relationship, not Hannah. It’s not split equally

#greta van fleet #gvf #josh gvf #sam gvf #jake gvf #josh kiszka #danny wagner #danny gvf #jake kiszka #sam kiskza

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seikatsu-ga-tsuzuku · 4 months

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Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

This is gonna be very hard to decide but I'll try my best. Gonna stick this under a Read More 'cause this shit boutta be long as hell:

1) Neku Sakuraba from The World Ends With You

He's the main character of the story that changed my life. He was very relatable to me at the time I first consumed TWEWY over a decade ago, and even now I still have a lot in common with him. Neku is very important to me because taught me a lot and impacted me in a way that I feel like I'd be a completely different person had I never encountered TWEWY during those formative years.

2) Kakashi Hatake from Naruto

I don't have some profound reason for Kakashi like I did Neku. But I think he was the very first character I ever became obsessed with or cared about deeper than just liking them because I liked the media they were in. And realistically, what's not to like about him.

(From here onward the accuracy of the list may dwindle because of the sheer amount of media I've consumed. I'll probably forget someone or important or simply be unable to decide, so take who I choose with a pinch of salt, especially in order. I have many faves and I am only certain about Neku and Kakashi's places on this list).

3) Sophie Hatter from Howl's Moving Castle

Because HMC is my favorite Ghibli movie I may be biased, but I always looked up to Sophie due to her strength and capacity to love free of judgments and despite any ugliness, inside or out. She's pretty, kind, brave, and tough, all the things I wanted to grow up to be as a kid when I first saw HMC.

4) Shizuku from Whisper of the Heart

Shizuku is one of my favorites for a more specific and personal reason; because we're both writers. I see in her a lot of myself when I was younger and even now. Having the desire to write something you can be proud of and satisfied with, to the point of being hard on yourself and emotional when you fall short of your own expectations. She's a complicated ball of emotions, but she's got tenacity and a love for whimsy that she puts into her writing. I just find her relatable and lovable.

5) Haruki Nakayama from Given

I just feel a spiritual connection to Haruki. We're kindred spirits, in the way we act, think, view ourselves. How we experience love and the relationship we have to our craft. He really is just like me fr.

6) The Chocobros from FFXV

Nooow I know this is cheating by including all of them, pero like... Do not separate! No but realistically, I can't choose one of them over the other because I love them all for different reasons, but I'd also be remiss to not add any of them to this list. They all had such an impact on my life, brought me joy during a particularly dark time, and their friendship and bond is something I envy and seek to have for myself someday.

7) Kotetsu T. Kaburagi from Tiger & Bunny

Would y'all crucify me if I said he's my favorite superhero across all media? I mean it honestly. Kotetsu is the embodiment of what a hero should be, his attitude, morals, and passion for helping others. He's like the perfect protag to me. He gets bonus points for being a goofy dorky single dad who's tryng his best, and is also hot.

8) Shigeo Kageyama from Mob Psycho 100

Do I even need to explain this one. Mob taught me so much about being kind and forgiving to not only others but yourself. Not many pieces of media have touched me in a way that MP100 has, and Mob fits into a lot of my favorite protag tropes. He's just a simple, sweet darling boy and he's so cherished and important to me.

9) Yona from Akatsuki no Yona

One of the female protagonists of all time. I love her for many of the same reasons I love Sophie, but she's just 10x more cool. As Spike Spiegel once said, I love a woman who can kick my ass.

10) My OC Seth Manolis

Now I realize this may be cheating but I couldn't decide on the last character, and I'd argue he technically counts according to your criteria, because he's the protag of two novels I wrote myself. I created Seth when I was 14, writing little "journal entries" about his life on Deviantart back in the day to cope with me starting high school, but over the years his story has evolved into something serious and now I'm writing a whole trilogy about him (on the third book now). He's very important to me because writing his story has got me through a lot in my life, and I put so many pieces of myself into him, although not exactly a self-insert. I can go on all day about Seth, but just know he's my special little blorbo who I don't know what I would've done without. (Art is commissioned from @/bumblevip on IG.)

#personal #top 10 list #phew this was a lot to type and think about #ask

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cruger2984 · 2 months

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THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT MARIE-EUGÉNIE DE JÉSUS The Foundress of the Religious of the Assumption Feast Day: March 10

Anne Eugenie Milleret, later to become Sr. Marie-Eugénie de Jésus, foundress of the Religious of the Assumption, was born in Metz, Moselle, Kingdom of France on August 25, 1817.

Her family was privileged, wealthy, politically involved, and irreligious. She was baptised, however, and her first communion at the age of twelve was an extraordinary spiritual experience.

As she returned from the altar rails, worried that she would not find her mother in the crowd, she heard a voice within her saying: "You will lose your mother, but I shall be for you more than a mother. A day will come when you will leave everything you love in order to glorify me and serve this Church that you do not know."

And that was how it was. When she was thirteen a reversal in family fortunes saw her father's bankruptcy, the separation of her parents and the departure of Anne Eugénie to Paris with her mother. Two years later, her mother died of cholera after only a few hours of illness and at the age of fifteen Anne Eugénie was alone. She was boarded out with different families and although outwardly she was happy enough, inwardly she was miserable.

"Each one of us has a mission on earth."

Then God intervened. It was the custom to attend special sermons during Lent and she chose to go to the cathedral of Notre Dame, where the young and already famous Lacordaire was preaching. He spoke to her heart. She realised that she must give her life to God. As she said later: "My vocation dates from Notre Dame."

What was she to do?

She wrote to Lacordaire: "Each one of us has a mission on earth."

But what was hers? He advised patience, reading and prayer. It was only the next year that chance – or the hand of God – brought her into contact with Fr. Combalot. And the rest, as they say, is history.

She was helped by two great friendships. The first was with one of the very first sisters, Kate O'Neill, who as Sr. Therese Emmanuel, co-foundress of the Congregation, was her constant help and support.

The second was a priest, Emmanuel d'Alzon, just a few years older than her. Marie Eugénie had been introduced to him by Combalot before the Congregation started. So when the relationship with Combalot became very difficult, she was able to turn to him for help. To the extent of the possible – he lived 500 miles away – he agreed to help and support her and thus began a friendship and partnership that was to last until his death nearly 40 years later.

In the beginning it was he who supported her, but as time went on she would be just as likely to be giving him advice. She encouraged him to found a Congregation of men: the Augustinians of the Assumption. But above all they helped each other to become holy.

As he said of her: "If I have given anything, I have also received a great deal."

And when he died in 1880, she wrote to her sisters: "What I shall see eternally in Father d'Alzon is his love for Jesus Christ, his devotion to the Church, his zeal for souls."

"I am looking at my Lord. It is in looking at Him that we learn how to love."

Marie Eugénie led the Assumption for fifty-five years. Her life was full.

Her first priority was for her sisters: their happiness, their formation, their work.

She was concerned for their health – more than two hundred sisters were to die before she did, often young and of tuberculosis.

She was constantly travelling from community to community, encouraging, consoling and challenging. As the Congregation became known, she was invited to start more and more communities. She saw her work as being always in and for the Church, and her loyalty to it was absolute.

The last few years of her life were spent in increasing retirement. Gradually her health failed. Her legs refused to carry her and her speech also slowed, so that at the end she could only occasionally say a few words. Those around her were struck by her gentleness and patience.

One day she managed to say: "I am looking at my Lord. It is in looking at Him that we learn how to love."

She died, surrounded by her sisters, on March 10, 1898.

St. Marie Eugénie was beatified on February 9, 1975 by Pope Paul VI, and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on June 3, 2007.

#random stuff #catholic #catholic saints #anne-eugénie milleret de brou #marie-eugénie de jésus #maría eugenia de jesús #religious of the assumption

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 10 months

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6th July >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 9:1-8 for Thursday, Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time: ‘Your sins are forgiven’.

Thursday, Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA) Matthew 9:1-8 'Your sins are forgiven; get up and walk'.

Jesus got in the boat, crossed the water and came to his own town. Then some people appeared, bringing him a paralytic stretched out on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven.’ And at this some scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ Knowing what was in their minds Jesus said, ‘Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts? Now, which of these is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he said to the paralytic – ‘get up, and pick up your bed and go off home.’ And the man got up and went home. A feeling of awe came over the crowd when they saw this, and they praised God for giving such power to men.

Gospel (USA) Matthew 9:1-8 They glorified God who had given such authority to men.

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”– he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

Reflections (6)

(i) Thursday, Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

When people bring a paralytic on a stretcher to Jesus, what they are hoping for is that Jesus would heal the man’s paralysis. However, Jesus immediately goes to a deeper issue, assuring the paralytic that his sins are forgiven. There is no suggestion in the text that his physical paralysis was the consequence of some sin in his life. He is no greater a sinner than anyone else. All need assurance that God’s forgiveness is abundantly available through Jesus, whose very name, according to Matthew, means ‘he will save his people from their sins’ (Mt 1:21) and who, at the Last Supper, declares that ‘this (cup of wine) is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’ (Mt 26:28). In the gospel reading, some scribes declare Jesus to be blaspheming for making a declaration that only God can make, ‘Your sins are forgiven’. However, Matthew has already referred to Jesus as Emmanuel, ‘God is with us’ (Mt 1:23). God’s power of forgiveness is present on earth through Jesus. Jesus then heals the man of his paralysis to demonstrate this deeper truth. We may not all be physically paralyzed but we are all equally in need of God’s forgiveness because we all suffer from some form of spiritual paralysis. The gospel reading assures us that God’s forgiveness is personally present to each one of us in a very completer way through Jesus, now risen Lord. Elsewhere in Matthew’s gospel we hear Jesus declare that this free gift of God’s abundant mercy requires us to forgive others as we have been forgiven (Mt 18:21-35).

And/Or

(ii) Thursday, Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

When we experience our weakness in one form or another, we often look to others to help carry us. That is one of the reasons why we ask people to pray for us when we are ill and why people ask us to pray for them. We look to the faith of others to help carry us. In the gospel reading this morning, a paralysed man is carried to Jesus by the faith of his friends. The gospel reading says that when Jesus saw their faith – the faith of those who carried the paralytic – he said to the paralytic, ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven’, and then went on to heal him of his paralysis. It was the faith of his friends that opened the paralytic up to the healing presence of Jesus. We have all known a time in our own lives when we were carried to the Lord by the faith of others. It was the faith of our parents that carried us to the church for baptism. We begin our lives as Christians carried by the faith of others. In the course of our lives, we find ourselves still needing the faith of others to keep our own relationship with the Lord alive. We are always very interdependent when it comes to our relationship with the Lord. As I grow in faith towards the Lord, I help others to do so as well. If I grow away from the Lord, I make it more difficult for others to grow towards him. In a very profound sense, we depend on each other’s faith on the pilgrimage of life that we share. In that sense our own relationship with the Lord, or lack of it, while very personal is never purely private; it always impacts on others in some way or other.

And/Or

(iii) Thursday, Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

There are times in life when we need the faith of others to carry us because our own faith is weak or even non-existent. This is how most of us began our Christian lives. It was the faith of our parents that carried us to the baptismal font. We had no faith of our own. The faith of others carried us to the Lord. We find something similar happening in today’s gospel reading. A paralyzed man is carried to Jesus by the faith of others. The gospel reading says that when the people brought the paralytic to Jesus, he saw their faith. There is no reference to the faith of the paralytic. It was the faith of those who carried the paralytic that Jesus responded to. The opening words of Jesus to the paralytic suggest that, far from being full of faith, he was in need of God’s forgiveness, ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven’. Having been carried by the faith of others at the beginning of our Christian lives, there will come a time when we will be called upon to carry others by our faith. We were initially brought to the Lord by the faith others. As we grow older, the Lord will often call us to bring others to the Lord by our faith. Faith sends out its own waves that touches the lives of others. Rather, the Lord works through our faith to bring others to him. Our faith is never without an impact for good on others. As we grow in our faith, we expand the opening for the Lord to bring others to him through us.

And/Or

(iv) Thursday, Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

I have often been struck by the image in today’s gospel reading of people carrying a paralyzed man to Jesus on a stretcher. He couldn’t make his own way to Jesus in search of healing, so they carried him. It was an act of love, of care and compassion. There are times in all our lives when, like the paralytic, we need to be carried by others, even if not physically carried. There comes a time in our lives when we need the support of others to take us places we cannot reach ourselves. There are other times when we might find ourselves in the role of the people who carried the paralytic. We find ourselves in a position of being able to support someone who needs our support at that time. We help carry them until they can find their own feet. This is the human story at its best. It is also, of course, the Christian story. It is said in today’s gospel reading that when people brought the paralytic to Jesus, he saw their faith, ‘seeing their faith’. Underpinning this act of love was a deep faith. Saint Paul in one of his letters speaks about faith working through love, or faith expressing itself in love. Genuine faith will always find expression in acts of loving service. Nothing is said of the faith of the paralytic. Seeing the faith of the people who carried the paralytic, Jesus then addresses himself to the man himself. It was the faith of others that brought this man to Jesus. There is an image here of the church. As people of faith, we are called to bring each other to the Lord. When our own faith is weak, we need the faith of others to bring us to the Lord, to open us up to the Lord’s presence.

And/Or

(v) Thursday, Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

People who have lost bodily powers that we can so easily take for granted depend on others to do things for them that they cannot do for themselves. We often associate such a level of dependency with advanced years. Yet, people can become dependent on others at a much earlier stage in life. We are not told the age of the paralytic in today’s gospel reading, but he was likely a relatively young man by today’s standards. He was completely dependent on others to bring him where he wanted to go. When it was heard that Jesus had arrived in the town, he must have expressed some desire to be brought to Jesus. Clearly this man was not alone in his paralysis because people quickly gathered around him to carry him to Jesus. There is a striking image here of who we are all called to be as church. In various ways we are to bring each other to the Lord. We never make our way to the Lord on our own. The journey to the Lord is always a shared journey. We need other people of faith around us, if not physically, then spiritually. When the paralytic reached Jesus, the gospel reading says that Jesus saw ‘their faith’, not just the faith of the paralytic but the faith of those who carried him. We have much to receive from other believers on this journey, as well as much to give. Today’s gospel reading invites us to give thanks to God for all those who have brought us to the Lord in some way, perhaps teachers, priests, religious sisters or brothers, friends and, for most of us, parents who were the first to bring us to the Lord when presenting us for baptism.

And/Or

(vi) Thursday, Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

It can seem strange to us that the first words Jesus speaks when the paralytic is brought to him are, ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven’. We would have expected Jesus to heal him immediately of his physical paralysis. This he went on to do, but Jesus first addresses himself to the man’s need for spiritual healing. Jesus recognized that this was as great a need for the man as his need for physical healing. Many of us need some form of physical healing, especially as we get on in years. Yet, we all need spiritual healing at every stage of our life’s journey. Jesus is the great mediator of God’s forgiveness to us. He speaks of himself in the gospel reading as the Son of Man who has authority on earth to forgive sins. The title ‘Son of Man’ is one that Jesus often uses with reference to himself, It is a title that is only found on the lips of Jesus; no one ever uses it of him. It can mean, ‘Son of Humanity’ and, therefore, highlight that Jesus is human in every respect, like us in all things but sin. The title can also have a more glorious sense. In the Book of Daniel, the Son of Man is a glorious figure to whom God gave an everlasting kingdom. In the time of Jesus, many Jews looked forward to the coming of this glorious, heavenly, Son of Man. The title ‘Son of Man’ can relate to Jesus in his humanity and in his glorious state. The risen, glorious, Lord continues to have authority on earth to forgive sins today. He will always respond to our need for spiritual healing, if we approach him recognizing our need for this form of healing. He continues to say to us today what he said to the paralytic, ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven’. We all need to hear such words on a regular basis in the course of our lives.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

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d4rkpluto · 2 years

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okay i have a few paranormal/spiritual experiences to say, first hand and not, so bare with me please😭

my brother is young, and used to hide outside my room to try and scare me. i heard his footsteps running outside my room and his little giggle. i was standing right next to my door, ready to be jumpscared, so i knew it was coming exactly from there, the exact sound levels or whatever for him to be there. i got a weird gut feeling and genuinely started feeling scared so i said "i know you're there" and i heard his footsteps running to another room, so a few mins later i went to find him and question him and turns out he had been downstairs reading to my parents the whole time. like he was so bored he didnt even laugh once and that was his EXACT laugh.

i also once lucid dreamed (this was a while ago so i dont have the best memory of it) but i was in class in my dream and i realised i was dreaming and i said that to the girl next to me and she fr came out of character and was super chill about it but told me not to tell anyone i knew or they'll be in trouble or something along the lines of that

this is less deep but i was once in a graveyard alone and i literally heard a stereotypical witches cackle from a gravestone below me. that shit scared me so much like it sounds so movie-ish but that was my first paranormal experience so i pretty much shat myself

and this was my friend, but shes quite a spiritual person and she believed she summoned her grandma into her room, who she'd talk to every night and then one night on her story she said she was 'mistaken' and it wasn't her grandma, and that she is 'blocking out' a voice throughout school, and was describing it as like a demon

ty if you managed to read through all this ik its a lot😩

the first paragraph, hell nah, it's either your brother wants to trick you or there was literally a trickster spirit mimicking your brother. perchance that spirit was attached to your brother thus learning how to copy your brother's behaviour.

i want to understand why we shouldnt be aware that we're dreaming, or telling other people in the dream that we're dreaming. i would like to speak to a spirit to get an answer, perhaps it is because we become more aware and begin to see things we're not supposed to see? the human mind, we're curious and it is okay for us to learn, but we have limits. that's why there are such things like crazy scientists because they try and prove or learn things we're not supposed to know, thus the delirium due to the fact that it is too much for our brain to handle.

babe, what were you doing in a graveyard alone? perchance it was a spirit trying to taunt you.

even though your spiritual friend summoned her grandmother, or was trying to summon her grandmother. it doesnt matter how nice the person was in their physical life, if you're attempting to summon them, do a protection spell or protection prayer, because there are some bored nasty spirits that'll like to prey on the vulnerable.

#spooky talk with pluto

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signum-crucis · 2 years

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Sleep tends to be the common experience of letting one’s self go, as is the case with all moments of rest (good or bad). Anthropologically (philosophically) speaking, man was made to rest. In this sense, we might say that letting one’s self go is a necessary dimension of being human. But to qualify this act: we are letting ourselves go into what is ultimately good. (Rest in God)

In this way, excessive control of one’s self is actually a type of vice. Metaphorically it would be like the soul imitating a body always tense, always utilising one’s muscles as though to become rigid, and inflexible.

I think this is the point of virtue -- that our left hand doesn’t know what our right hand is doing. When we do the good for good reason, habitually it becomes second nature to us. In some cases, to have these virtues is to somewhat not even realise that we have them. They simply flow out of our daily attitudes and acts naturally.

But one who exerts strenuous effort to do some externally good act reveals to others perhaps a fault. Perhaps the good habit isn’t there. Perhaps the externally good action isn’t done for the right reason. It’s like that fakery of a smile plastered on a person’s face that communicates something empty. It’s that cleaning of the outside of a cup, but not the inside.

If doing what is good is latently resented by the amount of energy and difficulties required -- it seems empty. I think that’s why sometimes we see people leave the priesthood or seminary or married life or whatever, and end up entering into all sorts of absurd and contrary actions to their vocation. The virtue -- the internalisation of chastity or charity, never happened -- just the external acts, perhaps white-knuckled.

Sometimes Christ has been described in the spiritual sense to be at rest on the cross. Can we relate? Today if a man on the street spat on your face, would you be more concerned for him? Would it be easy to see him as a brother and not worry about our own ego? This virtue requires no control of impulses, or bridling anger. It’s just the fruit of knowing the poor, and serving them in charity.

To circle back to the original point -- we were made for rest. If doing the good is constantly difficult, we might want to ask why. What is preventing the good from becoming second nature to us? Have we perhaps ascribed more meaning to hard work and busyness than we ought to? Are we only doing externally good acts without an interiorly good spirit? Are our good deeds mere external acts, like whitewashed tombs?

Don’t burn out -- instead build virtue. Virtue is only understood properly when married to the interior life. Let your whole self go into what is truly good, and there will be less fragility at the sight of a cross. In fact, we may find rest in it.

~ Fr Christopher Pietraszko

#Catholic #Christianity #Christian #Catholicism #faith #virtue #religion #cross #sleep #rest #control #goodness #interior life

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riverdamien · 8 days

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Religous Trauma: Two Sides of a Coin

"Slouching Towards Galilee!"

Two Signs of the Same Coin:

Healthy Religious Exerperience

Religious Trauma

"The Greatest Commandment: "You shall love the Lord Your God with all of your soul, mind, and strength and Love your neighbor as yourself, there is no greater commandment than this!"

================================

In the past month or so there have been three young men, one who is 17, and the other two 20 and 21, who are homeless, and they each love sitting down with me and talking about their religious experience in and out on the streets, and the pain and what I see as "religious trauma."

Presently I am taking a 60-unit CEU course entitled "Religious Trauma", and the course and these guys have brought much up within me, in which I am looking at the trauma I suffered and sometimes suffer in religion. I have found no therapists that understand religious trauma, for the most part, many are far away from religious experience.

And so I begin this by looking back through my life, to its very beginning, and within the context, I see both the very negative and the most life-giving experiences I have had. My faith now is very decentralized, and it has given a lot of power to my ministry. I see everyone as a child of God, without judgment and this comes from the experience of my relationship with Christ. There are two sides of the coin.

I have spent most of my life living under shame, a shame instilled in me since I was very young in the Church.

The Church taught me shame over my sexuality from masturbation to being queer; shame over depression; shame over questioning my theology; and the list continues. The Church is excellent at teaching us about our sins but ignoring the cultural and social sins of our day. The Church often gives little grace!

I know of a church trying to work with homeless people who had "nice" clothing for them to change into, and a section of pews to sit in--similar to the slaves of the past. None go there.

Some organizations require people to hear preaching before they can eat a meal.

Flipping the coin over I find my coming in touch with the spirituality of a loving caring God, a God who called me to ministry and sustained me through the hell I went through in my early years. Through my experiences in the past and now I have learned to have compassion for myself. And from that learning greater, much greater compassion to others.

I always approach people now more compassionately, giving them compassion and entering into their suffering with them.

I have been known to be mad as hell at people who throw out the "gospel" to others; I remember when Zac died, at the funeral a group of Christians shook my hand, and said, "Too bad

he was not saved," that was painful; the same group sometime later was counseling a young man on how being gay was a sin, and this young guy sliced his testicles, when I took him to the hospital, they smiled and said, "We are praying for his salvation."

Jesus cared only for love and this is the Jesus I serve, love without judgment but compassion and grace:

"The Greatest Commandment: "You shall love the Lord Your God with all of your soul, mind, and strength and Love your neighbor as yourself, there is no greater commandment than this!"

-----------------------------------------

==================

Fr. River Damien Sims, sfw, D.Min., D.S.T.

Post Office Box 642656

San Francisco, CA 94164

www.temenos.org

paypal.com

415-305-2124

Fr. River Sims, D.Min., D.S.T.

Director

Prayer of St. Brendan!

"Help me to journey beyond the familiar

and into the unknown.

Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You. Christ of the mysteries I trust in You to be stronger than each storm within me.

I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in Your hands.

Tune my spirit to the music of heaven,

and somehow, make my obedience count for You"

------------------------------------------------

(Temenos and Fr. River seek to remain accessible to everyone. We do not endorse particular causes, political parties, or candidates, or take part in public controversies, whether religious, political or social--Our pastoral ministry is to everyone!

================================

Tomorrow is Earth Day--Have thoughts of what you can do to help preserve Earth;

Three things I do is I am a vegetarian, use cloth bags for groceries and drive as little as possible, and use public transportation.

We only have to do something small and that one or two things added to everyone saves the world.

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piouscatholic · 25 days

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(X)

Fr. David Abernethy

@philokalia_min

The first thing that Jesus ever says to those who would follow him is “What do you seek?"

In this initial encounter, Jesus speaks of no theological teaching, no spiritual doctrine; he demands no particular moral or ethical practice, but asks perhaps the fundamental question of life: "What are you looking for?"

He begins by inviting these men to search their hearts and discover the deepest longing therein.

This was a particularly relevant question in Palestine in those days.

Were they legalists, looking only for subtle and recondite conversations about the little details of the Law, like the scribes and Pharisees?

Were they ambitious time-servers and duplicitous kiss-ups looking for position and power like the Sadducees?

Were they nationalists looking for a political demagogue and a military commander who would smash the occupying power of Rome like the Zealots?

Were they humble men of prayer looking for God and for his will?

Or were they simply puzzled, bewildered, sinful men looking for light on the road of life and forgiveness from God?

The relevancy of this question, as I'm sure you can see, is enduring -just as easily put to all who follow Jesus today.

Why are you here in this church?

What is it that you are looking for?

Are you the intellectually curious - seeking satisfying and convincing explanations to life's questions and quandaries.

Are you looking for some sort of security in your life, would you like be in a position in life that is safe - - having all the bases covered so that you don't have to worry about the future.

Are you seeking one who will support all your plans; set himself behind your goals?

Are you looking for someone or something to get you out from underneath all that which is holding you down, oppressing you and controlling your life?

Or are you simply confused, not sure at all what you are looking for - - struggling with a life that lacks meaning, purpose and direction?

As surprising as it might seem, the answer of John's disciples shows what they wanted.

They asked, "Where are you staying?"

It was not mere curiosity which made them ask such a question.

They did not wish to speak to Jesus only on the road, in the passing, as chance acquaintances might stop and exchange a few words.

They wished, rather, to linger long with him and "abide" with him.

In other words, they knew what their hearts desired - - not a new teaching or a new political leader, but Jesus himself.

Hearing this he tells them, "Come and See."

Jesus invites them not only to come and talk with him, but to discover and experience the fullness of life, love and truth that he is.

Many in our day complain that they don't like coming to Liturgy because they don't get anything out of it.

Maybe we're just seeking the wrong thing.

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pogirosary · 3 months

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THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FAMILY ROSARY

This article is taken from the booklet “Our Glorious Faith and How To Lose It” written by Fr. Hugh Thwaites, S.J. It contains different stories of how we can lose our faith but this paper will deal only with the Holy Rosary. Fr. Thwaites’ words on this subject are as follows:

Without delay now, I want to talk about my theme. It seems to me that a principal cause of the loss of faith is the dropping off in the practice of the family rosary.

In Austria, after World War II, there was a complete collapse of vocations. One year, apparently, no one at all entered the seminaries. So the bishops held a synod, to find out how it could be that this had happened. The conclusion they reached was that the war had so disrupted family life that the centuries-old practice of the rosary in the home had stopped, and had just not started up again. This is my experience, too; when the rosary goes, the faith soon collapses.

I remember someone telling me of a friend of his, a great Catholic, the pillar of the parish, whose children had all lapsed, one after the other. They had all fallen away from the sacraments and from attending Mass. So I said to him, “I wouldn’t mind betting that your friend had been brought up to recite the family rosary when he was a boy, and that his children haven’t.” The next time I saw him, he said that this was indeed true. His friend had recited the family rosary at home when he was a boy, and when he had got married and started his own family they ll said the rosary. But then, one evening when they were about to start the rosary, one of the children switched on the television, and that was that. The custom of the family rosary was dropped, and in due course, they gave up the practice of the faith.

After this life, that one unrebuked action will be seen to have affected the eternity of many people. God sent His Mother to Fatima to tell us that we had to say the rosary every day. There were no other prayers She asked us to say. Accordingly, we should do what She asked.

A layman I met once who did not say his rosary told me that he read the breviary every day. That is fine. It is what priests have to do. It is the prayer of the Church. So in a way it is better than the rosary. But it is not what Our Lady asked for. She asked for the rosary. If a mother sends her child to the shop for a bottle of milk, and he comes back instead with ice cream, is she pleased? In a way, ice cream is better than milk, but it is not what she asked for.

In that most holy home at Nazareth, do you think that Our Lady had to ask for anything twice? If we want in any way to be like Jesus, we must do what His Mother asks. If we do not, can we expect things to go right? We cannot with impunity disobey the Mother of God. She knows better than we the dangers of this spiritual warfare. She sees more clearly than we do the dangers that beset us. She warns us: You must say your rosary every day.

If the garage mechanic warns you that your car needs repairing or else it will break down, surely you would heed that warning. If the gas gauge warns you that you need more gas, do you do nothing about it? And if Our Lady comes to Fatima and tells us, not just once but six times, that we must say the rosary every day, do we disregard that warning? If we do, we have only ourselves to blame when we find that our children have lapsed from the faith.

I know that Fatima is only a private revelation, but nevertheless the Church has endorsed it, and that makes it rash for us to disregard it. If the Church informs us that Our Lady really did come to Fatima and tell us these things, then we must harken to her words. It really seems to me that those Catholics who do not take Fatima seriously and say the rosary every day in their homes are very akin to the Jews who laughed at Jeremiah. If God sends us His prophets and we do not take them seriously – well, we have the whole of the Old Testament to tell us what happens as a result. But at Fatima, God sent us, not His prophets, but His Immaculate Mother. So I think that the abandonment of the family rosary is a main reason why so many Catholics have lost the faith. It seems to me that the Church of the future is going to consist solely of those families who have been faithful to the rosary. But there will be vast numbers of people whose families used to be Catholic.

In my work of going round visiting homes, I have seen this conclusion borne out time and again. Homes can be transformed by starting the recitation of the daily rosary. I remember a woman telling me that she could not thank me enough for having nagged her into starting it; it had united her family as never before. And I remember another home where I called. There was a strange tension there: the children were silent and the wife seemed withdrawn, but the husband was willing to start the family rosary. When I called back again a couple of months later, the atmosphere was quite different. The children were chatty and the wife was friendly, and the husband walked down the road with me afterwards and said how amazing it was that the home was so much happier.

One reason, I think, why the daily rosary makes for a happy home, is this. From what some possessed people have said, and from what some of the saints have said, it seems certain that demons fear the rosary. It makes their hair stand on end, so to speak. Holy water certainly drives them out, but they come back again. The daily rosary drives them out and keeps them out. It is rather like living in an old house where there are mice everywhere. The only way to get rid of them is to bring cats. If you get a couple of cats, after a week or two there simply will not be any more mice. Mice fear the very smell of cats. And in a home where the rosary is said every day, after a time the demons realize they are impotent in front of Our Lady, and go elsewhere.

This must be one reason why, as they say, “the family that prays together stays together.” In that home, utterly free of evil spirits, there is an atmosphere one does not find outside. In a demon-infested city like London, where I live, such a home is an oasis of God’s grace, and people find a comfort and peace there which they enjoy greatly. We human beings are not meant to live in the company of demons, but with God and with the angels and saints in heaven.

So, as I see it, in this effort we are making to keep the faith and pass it on, the practice of the rosary is absolutely indispensable. Whatever else a person may do, even though they go to Mass every day, they still need to say the rosary in their home. It is the medicine our Mother has told us to take, to keep our faith strong and healthy.

From: https://www.pamphletstoinspire.com/

Sound Cloud

https://soundcloud.com/pamphlets-to-inspire/joyful-mysteries-of-the-rosaries-with-meditations-by-st-padre-pio

Prayer to Saint Joseph for the Month of October

https://twishort.com/D1Bnc

Blog Post - October 6th

https://www.pamphletstoinspire.com/blog-page #OctoberthemonthdedicatedtothemostHolyRosary

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leonbloder · 8 months

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The Wisdom Pattern

No spiritual thinker, writer, or theologian has influenced me more in the past fifteen years than Fr. Richard Rohr.

I had the opportunity to meet him in person some years ago, and when he signed my copy of his book The Universal Christ, he chuckled to see how many Post-It notes were sticking out from its pages.

"Well, I'm glad you read it thoroughly," he told me.

Fr. Richard has written and spoken a great deal on the idea of an eternal rhythm within the Universe---something he calls the Wisdom Pattern.

The pattern goes like this: Order > Disorder > Re-order.

This is the pattern of all of Creation, us included. As we journey through life, we experience almost everything within this pattern.

We begin with something orderly that makes sense to us, and then disorder inevitably arrives due to circumstances, trauma, new revelations, or dramatic change. If we are patient and determined, we will find re-order on the other side of the disorder.

However, after disorder, our worldview, ideas, beliefs, and understanding may completely differ from what we held when we experienced orderliness. We might not even be the same.

Nevertheless, experiencing disorder is extremely disorienting. When everything gets turned upside down, your world falls apart, or your belief systems collapse, it can send you spinning in unhealthy directions.

Also, disorder is why people numb themselves, stay where they are, and don't move.

But, as I said a moment ago, if we are patient and determined, we will find re-order on the other side of the disorder we experience.

I say patient because the urge to give up or run off in the wrong direction is powerful when we are disoriented.

I also say determined because it takes determination to move beyond the disorienting effects of disorder, to keep going until the new thing on the other side is revealed.

And the new thing could look like peace on the other side of anxiety and worry, hope on the other side of heartache, joy on the other side of sorrow and loss. It looks like faith on the other side of despair. Life on the other side of death.

This is an eternal rhythm of dying and rising, which we dance to with all of Creation.

Knowing this, truly knowing it, is perhaps one of life's great accomplishments because with that knowledge comes the kind of peace that can't be mustered up on our own. It's the peace that the Scripture says "passes understanding."

When we find this peace, when it comes to us like a song that hums around us with reverence and awe, we no longer fear whatever disorder might come---even if it brings death to our doorstep.

We don't fear it because we know there is something more on the other side of it, and if we are patient and determined, we will experience the re-ordering of our mind, spirit, lives, and world as we know it.

May you live abundantly and full of joy in this knowledge. And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.

#presbymusings #dailydevotion #leonbloder #dailydevo #dailydevotional #christian living #leon bloder #faith #spiritualgrowth #spirituality

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locustheologicus · 10 months

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Heretics and Mendicants: Embracing the Diversities of Christian Spirituality While Struggling with our own Errors.

One of my favorite historical periods has been the 13th century. There were many developments and achievements that happened around medieval Europe that would impact our own society and define much of what we know today. One of the developments during that period was the diversity of thought and spirituality that emerged with various religious movements. Eventually history would define these as heresies or acceptable religious movements but, as Fr. Casey tells us in his video above, these concepts never go away. While history does end up judging the movements one way or another, in the moment, they intermingled and helped developed Christian spirituality in a way that responds to the social context of the time. Heresies carries with it a negative connotation but it means diverse teaching that is not completely orthodox.

In 2002 one of my favorite movies of St. Francis of Assisi came out titled Francesco. This movie is in Italian but I consider it one of the most accurate movies that portrays the life and time of this great Saint. In an early part of this movie you see that Francis is in jail after a failed attempt to fight a crusade. He encounters a “heretic” who introduces him to sacred scripture, a privelege that many did not have access to. Although we do not know for sure if this encounter took place, the implication is that Francis may have encountered a Waldensian, a religious movement that embraced the evangelical counsel of poverty and promoted the knowledge of sacred scripture. What we do know is that Francis will eventually develop a movement that truly embraces the poverty of Christ through the mendicant order that bears his name. The Waldensians will eventually fall out of favor with the Church for its radical departure from Church structure while the Franciscans will maintain its similar spirituality while respecting the role and structure of the Church. This is an excellent movie and I certainly recommend it.

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Fr. Casey highlights heretical movements that have a strong influence in our own society. He raises the following: arianism, docetism (gnosticism), monophysitism, pelagianism, and donatism. I have said before that I think it is important to follow the socratic formula, “know thyself and to thyself be true.” This would include owning and embrace diverse ways of thinking and even having recognize that sometimes we have a tendency to follow some ideas that may not be completely orthodox. For those of us who follow a specific creed because we believe in the tradition of that religious belief we may want to struggle with the unorthodox principles that we have. When I say struggle I do not mean that we stop believing in the concepts that we may question but to balance what our God-given conscience tells us about our faith and belief system with the magisterium (teaching authority) that we respect. We may need to suspend aspects of our belief until we can reconcile them (if we can) with how our magisterium teaches this. If we cannot do this then we may have to vote with our feet as it were. I believe that St. Francis teaches us how to strike this balance with the Catholic Church.

Two of these heresies have been also raised by Pope Francis in his exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate. He raises his own concern for contemporary gnosticism and contemporary pelagianism. Our Holy Father offers the following definitions for these two prevelant forms of modern day Christian heresies.

Gnosticism presumes “a purely subjective faith whose only interest is a certain experience or a set of ideas and bits of information which are meant to console and enlighten, but which ultimately keep one imprisoned in his or her own thoughts and feelings”. (GE, #36)

Those who yield to this pelagian or semi-pelagian mindset, even though they speak warmly of God’s grace, “ultimately trust only in their own powers and feel superior to others because they observe certain rules or remain intransigently faithful to a particular Catholic style”. (GE, #49)

To any who follow my blog, you may have recognized that I have a tendency to follow a semi-pelagian spirituality. This post is an example of where I embrace certain teachings of Pelagius, the fourth century monk. I have also raised my own concern for how contemporary gnoticism has threatened religion and politics in America in yet another post. These heresies, along with arianism, have impacted the form of Christianity that we believe in here in the United States. As Fr. Casey points out, the form of arianism that we face is the secular type. Arianism allows us to have a Jesus that is anything less than divine. Many secular Christians seem to prefer having a Jesus that is a teacher, philosopher prophet, or moral examplar. He is up there, but not quite the Son of God. This is a belief system that appeals to secular Christians but not so much the members of the faith community. Those of us who identify as Christians and confess the divinity of Christ teeter between the gnostic/pelagian heresies.

Modern day gnosticism/docetism allows Catholic conservatives to promote a narrow interpretation of the faith that fits a political ideology. It’s a heresy that glorifies the divinity of Christ while denigrating (or gently dismissing) his humanity. A causalty of this is that the material/secular world is condemned as evil or irredeemable. In many ways this ideological control of the faith has resurfaced this heretical form. It has made an historical comback throughout history, during the 13th Century this heresy was identified within the Cathar movement. In today’s era it is surfacing in forms of conservative evangelism intermingled with alt-right indoctrination. It is my opinion that in the American Christian context this is the greatest heresy threatening our own Christian spirituality.

But then you do have people like me, those of us who are neither relativist secularist (arianism) nor conservative ideologues who politicize Christianity into an anti-secular religious doctrine (gnosticism). We are the ones who toy with semi-pelagian ideals and yes, we are capable of jumping into the heretical waters as well. In response to gnostic tendencies those who follow this spirituality articulate a form of lived Chrstianity that can respond to the invitation to follow the imitatio dei from the discipline of our own free will. Fr. Casey and Pope Francis’ reminds us is to never forget the role of God’s grace in our own salvation. In my case, I respond against the passive ideological spirituality that American gnostics have by employing a live faith and pursuing the mission of Christ in promoting social justice through service and advocacy. My error is to assume that I can bring about this vision through my own devices and in my own time, my heretical tendency will lead me to embrace the sin of my own hubris. To combat this error I must acknowledge the need for God’s grace and to accept that this mission is His and not my own. Jesuit spirituality allows me to dabble with this spirituality while being attentive to these heretical tendencies.

Christian spirituality is very diverse and there is nothing wrong with that. The Nicene Creed allows us to have a doctrinal baseline that defines the faith for Christians. Beyond the creed we are allowed to embrace a diverse way of practicing the faith. In a previous post I mentioned my own diverse Catholic spirituality and rituals. The various mendicant and monastic communities demonstrate that distinct ways that religious communities allow Catholics to practice their faith. They all recognize the fundamental evangelical counsels: chastity, poverty, and obedience, but beyond that their spiritual charism are very diverse.

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fr-martin-gospel-reflections · 1 year

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17th March - ‘Let them both grow until the harvest’, Reflection on today’s gospel reading (Mt 13:24-32)

Feast of Saint Patrick

As many of you know, a well associated with Saint Patrick for many centuries is to be found a short distance from the church, just off Mellowes Road. He may well have spent some time in the Finglas area. Saint Patrick doesn’t just belong to the Irish. His two writings that have come down to us can speak to people of any nationality. It is those writings that give us access to the life of Saint Patrick and the kind of person he was.

I was reading a little booklet on St Patrick recently, written by a Jesuit, Fr Edmond Grace. He writes he had been living in New York for almost a year when he stopped one day at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. In it he found a woman in deep prayer, looking up at a statue of Saint Patrick. She was African-American and he wondered why she might be praying to St Patrick. The answer came to him as he stepped outside the Cathedral. She was praying to a man who had been taken by force across the sea and condemned to a life of slavery, just as her ancestors had been taken as slaves in the hold of a ship across the Atlantic. Patrick escaped from slavery, but he returned to live among the people who had enslaved him to preach the gospel to them. He wanted his former captors to know the strength of God’s love for them. Fr Grace came to see that Saint Patrick had a message for this woman, and that Patrick belongs to anyone who wants to love those who have done them wrong.

Patrick wrote his Confession or Testimony towards the end of his life to let people know ‘what kind of man I am’. He tells us that he came from a privileged background. His father was a town counsellor and a deacon of the church, who had a comfortable house with many servants. Patrick says that he was born free, of noble rank. At the age of sixteen, he was taken captive with others and brought to Ireland. He found himself among strangers. Gone were his comfortable home, his loving family, his freedom. He was now a slave, with no rights or protection, without friend or future. It is hard to imagine the impact of such a traumatic experience on one so young. Yet, writing in old age, he recognizes the great gifts that came to him during this painful time of exile. Although his grandfather was a priest, and Patrick had been baptized, he acknowledges that as an adolescent he ‘did not know the true God’. However, in exile, while herding sheep in all kinds of weathers he had a spiritual awakening. He refers to the ‘great benefits and graces the Lord saw fit to confer on me in my captivity’. He says, ‘my faith increased and the spirit was stirred up so that in the course of a single day I could say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night’. In this time of great vulnerability, Patrick came to know the Lord’s great love for him. Sometimes our own valleys of darkness can open us up to a sense of the Lord’s loving presence in our lives. As Mary says in her Magnificat, God ‘raises the lowly’.

Six years into his captivity, Patrick says he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Soon, you will go to your own country’, and then, a short while later, he heard the voice say, ‘Look, your ship is ready’. He knew his time had come to escape. After three days sailing and several weeks travelling through deserted country, he eventually made his way home to his family. Having been profoundly touched by God in the years since he left his family, he was now sensitive to the call of God in his life. Sometime after returning home, he heard the Lord’s call to go back to the land of his former captivity to preach the gospel there. After training for the priesthood, he arrived back in Ireland, this time as a free man. He speaks of himself now as a ‘stranger and exile for the love of God’. He writes of ‘the people to whom the love of God brought me’, and ‘the love of Christ gave me to them to serve them humbly and sincerely for my entire lifetime. His mission in Ireland was fraught with dangers and difficulties of all sorts. Yet, he had a strong sense of the many ways the Lord was working through him. He writes, ‘I am very much in debt to God, who gave me so much grace that through me people should be born again in God and afterwards confirmed’. Through him, he says ‘the gospel was brought to the most remote districts beyond which nobody lives and where nobody had ever come to baptize, to ordain clergy or to confirm the people’.

Patrick’s life teaches us to be attentive to the ways that the Lord may be powerfully at work in our darkest moments. Whereas it is never the Lord’s desire that misfortune should come our way, when it does come our way, he is always there beside us, working to bring some good out of what has befallen us. Patrick also teaches us that the Lord can work powerfully through us in spite of our many failings. Patrick was very aware that, in the image of the gospel reading, he was a mixture of wheat and weeds. He begins his Confession, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner, the least of all the faithful’. Yet, like Pope Francis, he had come to know that he was a loved sinner, loved by God. We are all loved sinners and the Lord wants to work through each of us to bring others into the embrace of his love. We can all make our own Saint Patrick’s prayer in his Confession, ‘I ask God for perseverance, to grant that I remain a faithful witness to him for his own sake, until my passing from this life’.

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