Brian Murphy

“Then Jesus said to them: my time is not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you: but ME it hateth, because I give testimony of it, that the works thereof are evil.” John 7:1-13

CHURCH FATHER: THE CHURCH SHINES MORE BRIGHTLY THANKS TO PERSECUTIONS OF HERETICS AND PAGANS Amazing words from St. John Chrysostom. “However, even though the devil contrived so many designs, not only did he not shake the Church, but he caused it to shine even more brightly. For, when the Church was not troubled, it did not teach everyone in the same way that it now instructs the whole world—to be steadfast, to practice self-restraint, to endure trials, to display patient endurance, to despise the things of this world, to regard riches as nothing, to laugh at honor, to show contempt for death, to despise life, to disregard homeland, relatives, friends, kinsfolk, to prepare oneself for all sorts of persecution, to leap onto swords, to consider all the magnificent things of this life—I mean, honor, glory, power, and luxury—to be more insignificant than spring flowers. And these things are being taught not only by one man or by two or three, but by the whole people, and not only by words, but by deeds through which they suffer, through which they are victorious, through which they prevail over those who plot against them, through which—firmer than adamant and stronger than rock—they bear up against all things, without calling forth arms, without stirring up war, without launching arrows or darts. Rather, each one is surrounded by a wall of patient endurance, diligence, gentleness, and courage, and by undergoing evils, greatly puts to shame the evildoers.” St. John Chrysostom, On the Providence of God (Ch. 23)

@FrDaveNix @pontificatormax Fascinating! We are so weak.

St. James the Lesser's life-story is below as found in the ancient Roman Breviary today. (As you read it, notice how white-washed are modernist hagiographies from scary ascetical feats.) "James, surnamed the Just, the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, was a Nazarite from the womb. During his whole life he never drank wine or strong drink, never ate meat, never shaved, and never took a bath. He was the only man who was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies. His raiment was always linen. So continually did he kneel in prayer, that the skin of his knees became horny, like a camel’s knees. After Christ was ascended, the Apostles made James Bishop of Jerusalem and even the Prince of the Apostles gave special intelligence to him after that he was delivered from prison by an angel. When in the Council of Jerusalem certain questions were mooted touching the law and circumcision, James, following the opinion of Peter, addressed a discourse to the brethren, wherein he proved the call of the Gentiles, and commanded letters to be sent to such brethren as were absent, that they might take heed not to lay upon the Gentiles the yoke of the Law of Moses. It is of him that the Apostle Paul saith, writing to the Galatians: “Other of the Apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.” So great was James’ holiness of life that men strove one with another to touch the hem of his garment. When he was ninety-six years old, and had most holily governed the Church of Jerusalem for thirty years, ever most constantly preaching Christ the Son of God, he laid down his life for the faith. He was first stoned, and afterward taken up on to a pinnacle of the Temple and cast down from thence. His legs were broken by the fall, and he was well-nigh dead, but he lifted up his hands towards heaven, and prayed to God for the salvation of his murderers, saying: “Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” As he said this, one that stood by smote him grievously upon the head with a fuller’s club, and he resigned his spirit to God. He testified in the seventh year of Nero, and was buried hard by the Temple, in the place where he had fallen. He wrote one of the Seven Epistles which are called Catholic."

@FatherChrisVor1 South Park creators, former Mormons, did a mild critique of the LDS. They skipped the more nutty beliefs, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. reddit.com/r/videos/comme…

A Mormon posted something lighthearted: “Do Mormons get their own planet?” and answered, “Nah, it’s way cooler than that,” with an image of a god and a goddess. It sounds playful, but it opens the door to what Mormonism actually teaches about God and about us. In Christianity, God is eternal, uncreated, and alone in His divinity. “Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me…” (Isaiah 43:10). We do not become God. We are creatures, redeemed and brought near, but never transformed into gods. Mormonism tells a very different story. In the later teachings of Joseph Smith, especially reflected in the King Follett discourse, God Himself is understood to have once been as we are, and to have progressed to godhood. From that flows the idea that men and women may also become gods. Not symbolically. Literally. This is where the “own planet” language comes from. It is a simplification, but the core idea is real. In Mormon teaching, a man and his wife, or more accurately, his wives, sealed in the temple, may be exalted. The temple is essential. Without those rites and sealings, this path does not exist. Through exaltation, they may go on to become gods, bringing forth spirit children and participating in creation itself. That image of one god and one goddess is misleading. Mormon theology has long included the idea of plural marriage as an eternal principle, even if not practiced openly on earth today. The vision is not simply a couple, but a god with his goddess wives, continuing a cycle that began with their own heavenly father. Where did this come from? It does not come from the Scriptures as Christians have received them. It emerges in the 19th century, in the developing theology of Joseph Smith, shaped by speculation, reinterpretation, and new claims of revelation. It bears far more resemblance to the cycles of gods and goddesses found in ancient mythologies than to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Christianity is clear. “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me…” (Isaiah 45:5). And again, “God is not a man…” (Numbers 23:19). The gap between Creator and creature is not something we cross by progression. So no, this is not just a quirky belief about planets. It is a fundamentally different vision of reality. And it must be said plainly: this is not the faith once delivered to the saints. It replaces the one true God with a chain of gods, and it offers not salvation, but self-exaltation. We do not mock. But we do speak clearly.

@FrDaveNix 👆🏻That last paragraph was a direct quote from Wolfgang Smith

What might hide behind this sense of loss is the realization that happy sentiments aren’t salvation. That sneaky modernist idea vital immanence shattered by the results of objective doctrine: souls in hell. But Hope exists in the objective fact of His resurrection. As F.X. Durwell writes, “Since Easter, human time has been advancing towards an event of the past, the Resurrection of Christ, and it will only reach it at the end of history. Our Lord has passed out of time and become its Center because He is its fullness, its Master because He is its End." Salvation hinges upon a certain "indwelling" of the Risen Lord "who has passed out of our time and become its center." The authentic Christian lives a double life: here in the temporal sphere, and also an ontological participation in the resurrection.

I got an interesting email today from someone who just started reading the saints on the amount of people in heaven and hell. She insisted that if more are lost than saved, "then I can no longer trust in God’s plan and I’m lost." I understand her shock of going from modernist writings to traditional writings (as she had just done) so I'm not mad at her question. But I sent her this quote from CS Lewis, because his answer is brilliant: "What some people say on earth is that the final loss of one soul gives the lie to all the joy of those who are saved. But see what lurks behind [that]... The demand of the loveless and the self-imprisoned that they should be allowed to blackmail the universe: that till they consent to be happy (on their own terms) no one else shall taste joy: that theirs should be the final power; that Hell should be able to veto Heaven... Either the day must come when joy prevails and all the makers of misery are no longer able to infect it; or else for ever and ever the makers of misery can destroy in others the happiness they reject for themselves."—The Great Divorce p 118.

@deanorogers2 @VividProwess It was special, indeed, and permanent. Which is why they appointed successors through the laying on of hands, and they received the Great Commission from Our Lord.

@MoxyMurphy @VividProwess Matthew Henry states the Apostles and "...and the first preachers of the gospel..." were a "special commission". Interpretation is the divide.

The Bible is clear: those who bless Israel will be blessed.

@pontificatormax Newsmax’s “Vatican sources” is a link to a Times of Israel opinion piece from May 13, 2025, right after the Pope was elected. It’s a conservative political opinion article trying to paint Leo as an ally of Israel. This is what’s called narrative shaping.

This will complicate the narrative of those self described "noticers" who say its wrong to resist the pope even when he's wrong. "With Pope Leo, It's Morning Again in All of Christendom" newsmax.com/michaeldorstew…

@JoshuaTCharles Another way to describe it is pre- and post-resurrection.

@MoxyMurphy I know many didn’t make that argument. But I definitely know some did, because I heard it fairly frequently.

Once I understood that justification is the way God makes our souls Temples of the Holy Trinity, the tensions between Christ and St. Paul that I struggled with for so many years as a protestant vanished. Thank you Catholic Church!

“Participation” in this context is undefined. Must I look at the priest, and he at me, and hold hands, sing Glory to God to the tune of “My Little Pony,” and do Orans posture? Is that participation? It seems clear to me that the Mass of Paul VI is the Mass of vital immanence: designed to stir up sentiments, which attendees will are to interpret as faith and revelation… while the young men head for door.

@MoxyMurphy @FrDaveNix @pontificatormax 2008 Roman Missal, GIRM 303: “In already existing churches, however, when the old altar is so positioned that it makes the people’s participation difficult ...".

Here's Fr. James Martin SJ offering "Mass ad orientem" at a traditional chapel in St. Mary Major in Rome. Do you see why I keep saying we need to get the faith down before the liturgy?

@BishopJaxi This same contradiction is explicit in sola fide: “I claim Christ’s righteousness for myself.”

“Anyone who claims to be Christ’s voice on earth isn’t a Christian.” Christ: “The one who hears you hears me.” Luke 10:16 So according to the gospel of Chad, the Apostles weren’t Christians. Peak Protestantism.

@OwenGregorian The euthanize mentality is manifests itself also in those who turn a blind eye to genocide. It’s the same shoulder shrug.

Canadian Doctors Try to Railroad Catholic Priest into 'Assisted Suicide' Over Broken Hip | Frank Bergman, Slay News A Canadian Catholic priest is sounding the alarm after doctors tried to pressure him into “assisted suicide” twice while recovering from a broken hip in a hospital, despite him telling them that euthanasia goes against his beliefs. Father Larry Holland, a 79-year-old priest from the Archdiocese of Vancouver, was horrified that Canadian government-sanctioned doctors attempted to railroad him into being euthanized, despite not being terminally ill. The priest’s alarming story underscores growing concerns that Canada’s state-sanctioned assisted suicide program is spiraling far beyond its original limits. Holland said he was “very shocked” after medical pushed so-called “Medical Assistance in Dying” (MAiD) as an “option” during his recovery from a hip fracture. Priest Offered Death While Recovering, Not Dying Holland broke his hip after falling on Christmas Day. He is currently recovering at Vancouver General Hospital. Holland emphasized that he was not dying at the time and had not been given a terminal diagnosis. “There are some things you just don’t talk about to some people,” Holland said. “I think I was very shocked.” According to Holland, a doctor first introduced assisted suicide as an option if his recovery were to decline. Even after he made clear his moral opposition, the topic was pushed again weeks later, even though he was recovering. This time, a nurse described it as an act of “compassion,” despite the fact that Holland was perfectly healthy. Holland rejected that characterization outright, calling euthanasia “a false compassion, really.” He also noted the disturbing reality that staff were fully aware he was a Catholic priest when the option was raised. “Temptation” and the Reality of Pressure Holland acknowledged that even being offered euthanasia can create a moment of internal struggle. “I could feel the temptation,” he said. He called the feeling a “human reaction” since “We always look for the easy way out.” But he warned that resisting such pressure ultimately strengthens individuals, adding that suffering can lead to growth and deeper purpose. “It can motivate you, it can open up new worlds, new vistas, new opportunities,” he said. Nevertheless, it’s easy to see how more vulnerable people could be pressured into ending their lives with a state-backed lethal injection. Canada’s Expanding Euthanasia System Under Fire The incident comes as Canada’s euthanasia program has rapidly expanded under the Liberal government, first introduced under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Now under Prime Minister Mark Carney, the program is rapidly sliding down the slippery slope. Since legalization in 2016, assisted suicide has grown dramatically, with Canada now having one of the fastest-expanding euthanasia systems in the world. The program is set to expand even further in 2027 under Bill C-7, allowing euthanasia for individuals suffering solely from mental illness. Critics warn the system has already gone too far, with reports emerging of patients being offered assisted suicide in cases that appear to violate existing safeguards. Church Leaders Sound Alarm on “Coercive” System Father Larry Lynn, the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s pro-life chaplain, described Holland’s experience as deeply disturbing. “This must surely be among the most appalling examples of Canada’s coercive and insensitive euthanasia regime,” Lynn said. He warned that offering assisted suicide—especially to vulnerable patients—crosses a moral line. “It places the medical practitioner into the role of the devil, tempting a vulnerable person into mortal sin,” he said. Lynn also raised concerns about pro-euthanasia organizations attempting to normalize the practice even among religious communities, calling such efforts “diabolical.” Faith-Based Healthcare Under Threat The issue is now spilling into the courts, particularly in British Columbia, where Catholic healthcare providers are fighting to avoid being forced to offer euthanasia services. The outcome of that legal battle could determine whether faith-based institutions are compelled to participate in assisted suicide against their beliefs. Meanwhile, euthanasia has become one of the leading causes of death in Canada, ranking sixth overall, highlighting just how deeply embedded the practice has become. For critics, Holland’s experience is not an isolated incident, but a warning sign of a system that is increasingly prioritizing death over care. slaynews.com/canadian-docto…

@alphafox No doubt technology has a detrimental effect on social interaction, but looking for a spouse in a night club just compounds the problem.

Man perfectly explains the reason for the worlds declining birth rate: 💯

@ShaykhSulaiman I think he meant “Americans.”

RANDY FINE ON DAN BILZERIAN: “We don't want Armenians to be able to serve in Congress.”

@FiatLuxGenesis @pontificatormax Spot on assessment. It’s a running contradiction: nothing has changed, yet everything has changed.

The Vatican never intended to take the SSPX seriously if their requests to meet directly with the Pope were denied and instead they were given only the opportunity to speak to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith headed by a Cardinal who wrote pornographic books. What does the DDF mean when it states that it wants adherence to Vatican II when it was explicitly stated by previous Popes that it was pastoral in nature and defined no new doctrines? Clearly this is an admission that, in fact, it did create a new doctrine, one at odds with the pre-Vatican II faith.

Bu oyundan siz nasıl bir ders çıkarırdınız?

@virtualhistoria @Camila_Rocha Teaching children doctrine. Reminding men of their doctrinal duties

@MoxyMurphy @Camila_Rocha Teaching children =/= arguing doctrine.

Nor is birth control.

@virtualhistoria @Camila_Rocha Not arguing - repeating. Citing. Sourcing. Showing. Birth control is forbidden to Christians.

@virtualhistoria @Camila_Rocha Uh oh. These ladies better stop teaching according to Steve: instagram.com/reel/DUWdlFikT…

@Camila_Rocha Nor is a woman teaching Camila. Shhh.