Joseph Nolla, SJ

Before you were born, God said to an angel, “You guarded and defended well the honor of Heaven. You proved yourself to be faithful and true. Now I ask you, will you guard and defend this little one of mine?” Then the angel saw you in a vision, loved you, and answered “Yes”.

He said that film was the last nail in the coffin of his Catholic faith. So, I don’t think he would not describe himself as being fervently Catholic at that time. I personally didn’t like the screenplay. Huxley’s The Devils of Loudun is one of my favorite books and was very important for my return to the faith (strangely enough), and I wish it could get a screenplay with more subtle dialogue

Yes, it was condemned by the Vatican at the time, but it's also a masterpiece. Ken Russell was a fervent Catholic convert and visionary filmmaker, and excess and obscenity were simply his means of expression. A visual feast.

@Jolz_Aust @cherilyntx I did in my post

@josephnollasj @cherilyntx I didn’t say omit or ‘edit it out’

Complaint: “Some of the Bible passages are too gruesome or they don’t fit with our modern sensibilities. So we omit them from the lectionary.” Response: “Leave them in.”

I don’t think there is a single homiletics course that doesn’t consider the reality that something uncomfortable might come up. Preachers should prepare themselves for those contingencies. If the readings present a big elephant in the room, then talk about the elephant. If we edit it out, then we are burying our head in the sand.

@josephnollasj @cherilyntx I might be misunderstanding, but that felt a bit dismissive.

@Jolz_Aust @cherilyntx Then that’s when preachers should step up and handle it

@josephnollasj @cherilyntx Don’t you think there’s any room to tweak some of those passages? What if you have more sensitive kids listening.

Feast of St. Joseph the Worker is the best day ever to read St. John Paul II’s Laborem Exercens. This and his Letter to Artists are probably the best writings ever on the theology of human work. vatican.va/content/john-p…

@BrianBy40500941 Well, at least you can hopefully agree about the IVF situation

@josephnollasj The same bishops demanded government mandated universal socialized healthcare and the destruction of private health care options for most people. There is a serious subsidiarity problem in the hierarchy.

Pray for these bishops, and pray that the lawmakers listen to them

@DeekScott @thestinkeye The editing window has long passed. But I decided to delete it rather than generate more confusion or misunderstanding

@josephnollasj @thestinkeye Father, I agree, please forgive me. If you just edit the original post to include what you just said about emphasizing the importance praying for virtue over ease, there might not be any further need to clarify. Peace.

Augustine: Epist., 130, 11: When then we say, “Lead us not into temptation,” what we askis, that we may not, deserted by His aid, either consent through the subtle snares, or yield to the forcible might, or any temptation. Tertullian: ‘To complete the prayer that was so well arranged, Christ added that we should pray not only that our sins be forgiven but also that they be resisted completely: “Lead us not into temptation,” that is, do not allow us to be led by the tempter.’ Theophylact of Ochrid: “For he who has been led into the very depth of temptation is the one who has been swallowed up and defeated by temptation.”

@josephnollasj @RingedEarth Please check your work before continuing…

@DaisyDucksCiggy @thestinkeye Of course not. Why do you have that impression?

@josephnollasj @thestinkeye When the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil, certainly you do not mean to say that Jesus succumbed…

@thestinkeye “Lead us not into temptation” is about succumbing to temptation. “Avoid the near occasion of sin” is precisely the kind of discipline I’m talking about. This post is about emphasizing the importance of praying for virtues over praying for greater ease

@josephnollasj “…and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” “…and avoid the near occasions of sin” I’m gonna stick with those. The superior pilot uses his superior judgement to keep himself out of situations that require the use of his superior skill.

@RingedEarth But if it helps, then replace “instead of” with “in addition to”. I don’t think I’m misinterpreting Jesus, but I don’t want anyone to risk choosing against Jesus

@RingedEarth That line in the Our Father is not about never being tempted, but about not surrendering to temptation.

@azali_bolingo That’s about succumbing into temptation, not about never being tempted

Jesus Christ: “and lead us not into trials” Jesuit Seminarian:”instead of being such a coward, Jesus, why don’t you pray for fortitude and discipline?”

@JoeDamrath That’s really not so much about never being tempted, but about not giving into to temptation. Why we say “no nos dejes caer en tentación”, “do not let us fall into temptation”

@josephnollasj But what about the Lord’s Prayer : “…lead us not into temptation…”?

Mary did no wrong in being so attentive to Jesus. Martha should not have been so worried. But this really is not a post about chores. This is a post about accepting the small sacrifices and opportunities to die to self. This about not holding out for the grandiose, but mortifying oneself in the quotidian things

@josephnollasj Father, Given this, I would be interested to hear your exegesis on the story of Martha and Mary.

Jesus: “Do you love your family?” Everyman: “Yes. I would die for them.” Jesus: “Very dramatic. But I will probably never ask you to do that.” Everyman: “Then I will do anything for them.” Jesus: “Then help clean the kitchen.”

@WolfegangB As I told you, this isn’t a post about chores. I’m afraid that the point may be going over your head

@josephnollasj So because you don’t understand people’s lives you’re lecturing them about chores? You point is bad and that’s okay to admit that.

@WolfegangB Now imagine the merit you would gain if even then you elected to die to self further. And don’t think this principle is limited to men.

@josephnollasj You mean like working long hours that men do all the time?

@TheLord_Saves Thank you for getting what this post is actually about

@josephnollasj This thinking can help you overcome many sins, if you truly believe you would die for Christ, you should also be able to deny yourself for him