lord, make me soft. let my heart not be hardenedā let it be pierced with compassion as your own sacred heart is, let it burn with love as yours so does. let me love. let me love and love and love. let my soul be slow to anger and quick to forgive. make me soft, heavenly father. oh god, please make me soft
People often say that they don't feel the presence of God, that they feel disconnected from Him.
But God is in the way you share your food with your hungry sibling, the bread you bake for your neighbor. God is when you sigh and cover your tired coworker's shift so they can have the day off. God is there when your friends come over and wipe your tears while you grieve. God is the outcast that you welcome to your table.
God exists in every sacrifice you make out of love for your neighbor. God is the mourning, the sickly, the poor. Every act you make out of love, God is right in that moment.
Young Christian girls, remember that the Proverbs 31 woman is a business owner. She makes and sells clothes. She bought a farm with her own money. She's intelligent enough to do her business WELL. The average working mother is much closer to the Proverbs 31 woman than these wealthy trad wife influencers.
Biblical womanhood is not about being docile or worshipping men. It's not about this creepy obsession with submission. It's about being intelligent, doing whatever needs to be done for yourself and your family. Following God's will. Deborah led an army. Judith murdered a King to save her people. Esther is the one who must intervene to save her people.
And to see Catholic women parroting this bullshit? When even our own Saints weren't these cutesy little trad life girls. God told St. Hidegard Von Bingin to preach. Imagine if St. Joan of Arc responded to God's call with "Bu-But I'm just a cute coqeutte girl š". St. Teresa of Avila reformed and created the Discalced Carmelites. Even St. Maria Goretti, a child, fought to the death to protect her dignity and autonomy. It was women who spread the word of Jesus, who spread the word of His resurrection.
Jesus was born of a woman, Mary and God. No human male was involved in His birth. Never forget the importance of that. Christ protected women who committed mortal sins. He told men to gauge out their eyes if they can't respect a woman's dignity. He showed himself to a woman first. The late Pope Francis himself called St. Mary Magdelene the Apostle to the Apostles.
Never allow anyone to weaponize your faith against you. God does not view you as a helpmate. God has nothing but respect and reverence for women's power. Never ever ever let someone tell you that biblical womanhood is about being weak and dependent or being the most "pure" or the most feminine. Biblical womanhood is about strength, nobility, and love for God at the core of every action.
On Christianity, Sexuality, and the Ethics of Care
Iāve been thinking a lot lately about how Christianity approaches sexuality ā and how I, as someone trying to live in alignment with the love-centered teachings of Christ, fit into that narrative. Iāve been taught within Christian circles, both implicitly and explicitly, that sexual feelings must be restrained or hidden, that expressing them is shameful or sinful, and that any deviation from a strict framework of marriage-centered purity is a failure of faith. But as I continue to study scripture, ask questions, and live in community with others, Iām starting to question whether those ideas are truly what Christ calls us to uphold ā or if theyāre more about human control and fear than divine wisdom.
Let me be clear: I donāt hate the idea of sexual ethics. I donāt think we should approach intimacy without care, reflection, or responsibility. In fact, thatās why I do believe in boundaries ā like the idea that bringing children into the world should be done with stability, intention, and mutual commitment. But that belief for me more comes less from religion and more from a sense of justice. From a desire to protect the vulnerable, to support healthy growth, and to make sure that no one is left behind due to decisions made without full understanding. Itās less about sin, more about stewardship.
What I do reject, however, is the shame that surrounds so many conversations about sex and desire within Christian spaces. Purity culture doesnāt just ask people to wait; it asks them to fear themselves. It teaches that your body, your urges, your identity ā even your thoughts ā can make you dirty. That feeling attraction or wanting connection is somehow a threat to your spiritual integrity. Thatās not love. Thatās not Christ.
In the gospels, Jesus doesnāt condemn people for their desires. He calls out exploitation. He calls out harm. He defends the dignity of people who have been publicly shamed. He sees the whole person ā not just what theyāve done, or what society says theyāve done wrong. Jesus teaches responsibility, not repression. Integrity, not purity.
So where does that leave me? I donāt believe that being intimate with someone you care for is inherently sinful. I believe that hurting others, using them, violating their consent, or disregarding their emotional well-being ā thatās where harm enters in. Thatās what weāre called to avoid. I believe that sexuality, like any form of human expression, can be sacred when itās grounded in love, respect, and mutual care. And I believe that shame only distances us from God ā not because God is ashamed of us, but because shame makes it harder for us to be honest, present, and whole.
Iām still unpacking the messages that told me my desires make me less holy. But I know this much: I do not believe in a God who shames us for being human. I believe in a God who meets us in our full humanity, and walks with us as we figure it out.
REBLOG THIS IF YOU ARE AN LGBTQIA+ AFFIRMING CHRISTIAN!! šā
and i DON'T mean in a "love the sinner not the sin" way or in a "side b" way. ā
i mean if you believe that LGBTQIA+ folks are just the way God made them and that they are loved by God unconditionally and don't need to change or hide who they are to receive God's grace šā
šQUEERPHOBES / FUNDIES / TERFS / MAGA DNI! /SRSš
People who read the Song of Songs and strip away all of the sexuality and pretend it's all intellectual and allegorical are so BORING. Look me in the eye and tell me there isn't something holy about two people desiring each other and finding a bodily union there in. Try to tell me that's not god-ordained come ON
Sex is holy. And that's not a "keep sex between two married heterosexuals." The Song of Songs declares loudly that big, over-the-top, horny-on-main, unconventional desire to rip each other's clothes off is a valid and beautiful expression of Love, the ultimate reality of the universe. The Bible *also* has an author who expresses a pretty asexual perspective. The Bible includes both not because one is wrong and one is right, and not even because moderation is the right way in between the two, but because BOTH horny sex and asexual love are valid expressions of our faith.
Good Friday for me is a day of mixed feelings.
It is a day of mourning. Jesus has died. He has been betrayed. He has been cruelly crucified.
But it is also a day of joy for me. Because Jesus dying, giving his life, is an act of unconditional and magnificent love. He has died. For me. For you. For all of us.
Good Friday makes me mourn and makes me feel loved.
I've been thinking lately about Jesus being both fully God AND fully man.
It is difficult (at least on this side of eternity) to have a grasp of understanding for the depths of the nature of divinity.
However...
What we do know, is what it is like to be human.
The feeling of air entering our lungs, so we may breathe. The feeling of our heart, beating in rhythm, to keep blood circulating throughout our bodies. The feeling of refreshment, in drinking water, eating food, and waking from slumber.
He smelled flowers, enjoyed tasty food, completed chores for Mary, helped Joseph build things out of wood, took time out of His day to study, discussed the scriptures with elders in the temple, spent time with friends and family, helped those in need, loved God, and loved His neighbors.
Jesus has flesh, blood, bones, a nervous system, a face, hair, teeth, hands, feet, a beating heart, a smile, a frown, tears, thoughts, a voice, mannerisms, etc...
Could you imagine meeting Jesus, and being able to spend time with Him? Witnessing not only Jesus' awesome divinity, but also His good humanity... Sitting down to chat with Him, face to face. Going for a walk with Him. Embracing Him in a loving hug.
These beautiful experiences of humanity, we share with Jesus. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
tumblr is not social media. idk how to explain but its so calm here. like this is the field and the valleys. over there is the town and people. but here we are little sheep in our pastures eating our grass and laying in the sun <3
Catholicism is just: believing everyone is worth saving, prayer beads and candles, seeing God in nature, seeing God in yourself, in others, in bread and wine, the sea and the stars are a reflection of our mother, there is divinity in the disgusting, God is not some abstract idea, he is real and touches you physically, he crawls inside you and you are made holy, the dead are your family, you have never felt more loved by God, you have never felt more hated by something else you canāt place, what even is catholic guilt, if this is guilt Iām feeling I never want to be absolved, I need to be forgiven and I already am, the world tells me I donāt need Him, but Iām sick to my bones with the ache of it.
This spiritual life to which we are called is a deep and sincere expression of the true Self. It is not the repetition of formulas and pious phrases; it is the heart transformed by the Creator of this Self, seeking to soar toward God Himself. Paraphrasing the moment of receiving the ashes: "From God we came, and to God we shall return." And we have only one human heart to offer in this relationship. Hence, the importance of relationships with others as well. However, we lose our way when God Himself is not at the center. It is possible to be occupied with many things about Godāto participate in rituals, read, and speak about Him. But life with God Himself goes beyond that, for God is not a concept but a life.
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