{"id":5588,"date":"2020-11-13T00:00:23","date_gmt":"2020-11-13T05:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicbard\/?p=5588"},"modified":"2022-11-30T01:05:48","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T06:05:48","slug":"a-non-political-post-about-encouraging-positive-catholics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicbard\/2020\/11\/a-non-political-post-about-encouraging-positive-catholics\/","title":{"rendered":"A Non-Political Post about Encouraging Positive Catholics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Friday<\/p>\n

This post may not be successful as it is being posted on Friday the 13th.\u00a0 But of course it is countered by the holiness of the feast day of the first the first U.S. citizen to be canonized as a Saint. Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. The Italian American Mother Teresa.<\/p>\n

\"Francesca<\/p>\n

I had been thinking over the past week that I had spent all my creative energy and I didn\u2019t have any more juice left to squeeze out of my brain. My blog posts would come to an end because I was blocked by my ADHD, blank indecisive mind and addiction to just browsing Facebook and looking up the latest gossip and and making sure I had the correct thoughts on the election, Pope Francis\u2019s latest controversial statements and the latest dumb thing such and such a Catholic said about this and that. Seriously can you believe he\/she said that? When God was handing out brains they thought He said trains, and so it they left the station.<\/p>\n

\"David<\/p>\n

My brain had burnt out and I was left to just sit and watch Schitt\u2019s Creek<\/strong> with my wife.\u00a0 But then I was asked to make a non-political post by fellow Patheos writer William Hemsworth.<\/p>\n

So I decided to make a post highlighting some positive, creative, fun, stellar, holy and mostly non-controversial Catholics whose material and posts are mostly uplifting and encouraging. I\u2019ve mentioned some of these folks before in my other blog posts, but I\u2019m doing it again just because. Check them all out for Catholic encouragement.<\/p>\n

But before we begin I want to make one political point.\u00a0 Here is the real winner of the 2020 election.<\/p>\n

\"Kanye<\/p>\n

Also I just found out that my daughter delivered a healthy baby girl. 19 inches 7 pounds. I believe the name is Aurora Clare.<\/p>\n

William Hemsworth<\/strong><\/span> blogs over at Patheos Catholic The Pursuit of Holiness<\/a><\/strong> <\/span>blog.\u00a0 His mission in writing is to evangelize with the positive reinforcement of Jesus and his overwhelming love for his church and humanity. There is no\u00a0 time while pursuing holiness to focus in and concentrate on the faults and foibles of other Catholics. You can always expect a good word about God and others from Mr. Hemsworth.<\/p>\n

Allow me to ask you question. What consumes your time in your daily life? There are many answers to this question, but lets apply it to our bodies being temples of the Holy Spirit. You may eat right and workout, but what else are you consuming? As we go through today lets examine our lives.\u00a0 Is there something that you do on a regular basis that defames the temple?\u00a0 We can work on it and rely on the grace of Christ to get better.\u00a0 Don\u2019t give up and don\u2019t give in.
\nWilliam Hemsworth<\/strong>, Temple Of The Holy Spirit<\/a> (NOVEMBER 9, 2020) The Pursuit of Holiness @ Patheos Catholic<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

A Meme William sent out.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew Vincent Chicoine<\/strong> <\/span>blogs in may different places.\u00a0Voyage Comics, Epic Pew, Catholic Exchange are his regular websites. In\u00a0the past he wrote for Catholic Stand, Catholic Insight, and did book reviews for Homiletic and Pastoral Review.
\nAnd he has also written for\u00a0 AllPro Dad.\u00a0 When I see a post from him on Facebook I know I\u2019ll get encouragement or a laugh or some spiritual insight into something. He is another Catholic who thrives on positivity, orthodox teaching and charity in his writing.<\/p>\n

He says things like this\u2026<\/p>\n

Tired of the animosity occurring on social media? Focus on the one thing you can be in control\u2014you\u2019re reply when people attack you. Fight back with kindness. Satan can\u2019t survive in an environment of kindness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

and this\u2026<\/p>\n

Saint Teresa of Avila is a Doctor of the Church for a reason. Her spiritual acumen is second to none.
\nNaming my youngest child after her (Avila) has proven a decision guided by the Holy Spirit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

and writes cool stuff like this\u2026<\/p>\n

Despite our various experiences we all undergo pain (and taxes and death). Suffering unites humans. Saint Gemma Galgani wrote, \u201cIf you really want to love Jesus, first learn to suffer, because suffering teaches you to love.\u201d Such a powerful statement! Unless you suffer you won\u2019t be able to comprehend this truth. It appears as a mystery.<\/p>\n

As the \u201cworld\u2019s greatest detective\u2019\u201d(sorry Sherlock!) Batman learned suffering teaches you about people. Never take a life. His refusal to kill is reflected in his weaponry choice (grappling gun, batarangs, and swords as opposed to firearms). But the Dark Knight also seeks to understand his villains\u2019 point of view.
\n-Matt Chicoine<\/strong>, Batman and how suffering can transform you into a saint<\/a>\u00a0Voyage Comics<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

William and Matthew are\u00a0 two of the most positive Catholics I see on Facebook.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t talk about positivity and civility and not mention..\u00a0<\/a>Jimmy Akin.<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Jimmy can whip anybody\u2019s insignificant puny brian with his huge timelord\u2019s size database of facts and knowledge. But like Superman, he has the power but doesn\u2019t use it to squash puny mortals. When he could pour out the hurt on insignificant philosophies and ideas he actually treats the opposition with respect and dignity. This makes him all the more interesting\u00a0 as a person.\u00a0 He was gracious enough to give a exclusive interview to the Catholic Bard about his stellar and fascinating podcast \u2018Jimmy Akin\u2019s Mysterious World<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact the latest episode of Mysterious World premiering today on Friday the 13th is about the 1973 Pascagoula UFO abduction story of Calvin Parker and Charles Hicksonis. It is podcast episode # 127<\/a> and this article is post #127. Coincidence? If you want interesting insights into the wonders of life with a catholic spiritual overview, look no further then Jimmy Akin.<\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019ve been watching the British detective show Endeavour (prequel to Inspector Morse), which is set in the 1960s, and I\u2019ve noticed two things: (1) The police officers walk into dangerous environments UNARMED all the time\u2013without blinking. (2) The police officers\u2013and everybody else\u2013drink alcohol A LOT, even during the work day. Can\u2019t help wondering if these two things are related somehow.- Jimmy Akin<\/strong> on Facebook<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can also hear him on Catholic Answers Live..<\/a>..<\/p>\n

\u00a0Fr. Matthew P. Schneider LC<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is an example of priestly holiness, gentleness and common sense. Fr. Matthew also happens to be autistic which brings a unique worldview to his role as a Catholic priest.\u00a0 He blogs his inspirational writing\u00a0 over at Patheos Catholic Through Catholic Lenses<\/a>. He sounds like the priest I would want to hear my confession.<\/p>\n

When someone in confession says they don\u2019t know what to do, I say something along the lines of, \u201cYou say, \u2018Father, forgive me for it has been 120 years since my last confession & since then, I\u2019ve killed 75 people.\u2019 Or maybe something a little less than that.\u201d
\nI like this as:
\n1. It shows the basic structure of a confession.
\n2. It helps people realize God can forgive everything (& their sins aren\u2019t the end of the world).
\n3. Such comical exaggeration of an average confession breaks the ice when such people are usually nervous.
\nI mention this today, as recently I\u2019ve found out that two people were really helped by this when coming back to confession & nervous. I figured others might be helped by this.- Fr. Matthew P. Schneider LC<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n