Mary Byrne

Trying to be a disciple

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

Firmly rooted in the Word of Jesus, reading the Gospel every day, never stop dreaming of a land where there is peace and fraternity, nor stop looking at the world with wonder, nor stop facing the future with the light of hope. Do not let anything or anyone steal your hope.

[Sr. Miriam James @onegroovynun]

Do not let hope die!
We are not the sum of
our weaknesses and failures;
we are the sum of
the Father's love for us
and our real capacity
to become the image
of his Son.
-St. John Paul II

[Bishop Robert Barron @BishopBarron]

I’ve just finished reading Gad Saad’s book Suicidal Empathy.

It ranks, along with Chris Rufo’s America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything and Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay’s Cynical Theories, as the best take-down of the lunacy at the heart of the wokeist philosophy.

For Saad, empathy—in itself a perfectly decent trait—has become so grossly exaggerated that it threatens truth, reality, and justice.

Cases in point abound: so they won’t feel bad about themselves, we’ll allow biological men to compete in women’s sports and crush the dreams of thousands of young women; so as not to undermine the self-esteem of minorities, we will permit unqualified candidates to have positions in universities and the corporate world; so that everyone might feel included, we will characterize the meritocracy as “white privilege,” etc.

As I was making my way through Saad’s book, I kept remarking the sharp distinction between empathy and love.

To empathize is to enter profoundly into the experience of another and to endeavor not to hurt that person’s feelings. But to love is, as Thomas Aquinas taught, “to will the good of the other.”

As I said, in itself and all things being equal, empathy is a good thing. But it is not the same as love, which, depending on circumstances, can very much involve hurting someone’s feelings.

When a professor gives a student a “C” as an honest reflection of his work, he might well be insulting him, but he’s also telling him the truth and perhaps even urging him to try harder.

When, in the Confessional, a priest tells a murderer to turn himself in to the police, he’s undoubtedly making that person’s life more uncomfortable, but he’s also willing the man’s good.

Any decent parent knows that showing real love for her children means engendering all kinds of bad feelings in them.

In light of this distinction, we can understand why Jesus didn’t say, “have empathy for one another,” but rather “love one another.” And why St. John the Evangelist didn’t say, “God is empathy,” but rather “God is love.”

It occurred to me as I was reading Saad’s book that one reason Wokeism has seized the consciousness of so many in the West is that Christianity has faded as a cultural force and Christians themselves have forgotten what stands at the heart of their faith.

[Pope Respecter @poperespecter1]

Not a single Christian in the bible owned a bible.

[Courtney Mares @catholicourtney]

The opening procession for Pope Leo XIV’s Mass in Lampedusa on the Fourth of July

“I have not come to give speeches, but to celebrate the Eucharist, the supreme sign of Christ's presence among us,” Pope Leo said ahead of the Mass.

“This is why we have gathered here: to draw from Christ the love that only He can give us, so that the world of today and tomorrow may be more human, for everyone.”

[Mary Byrne @GoingOnMission]

This is a crisis of authority which as the pope reiterated is a tear of the seamless garment to the unity of the church. 🙁

[Daniel Ang @DanielAngRC]

@RorateCaeli It's all rhetoric. Had decades to pursue reconciliation, negotiate a regular canonical status, be integrated into life of the Church. Instead, they've repeatedly chosen confrontation, displayed obstinacy and self-importance. It’s this that prolonged their exile, now expulsion.

[Catholic Sat @CatholicSat]

Thunderstorms in Écône right now. An act of Almighty God

[Kale Zelden @kalezelden]

King Charles said what?

[Archbishop Sheen @FultonSheen]

"The very fact that the Catholic Church is hated by the world is proof that it is not of the world." Archbishop Fulton Sheen

[Dai Le MP @dai_le]

The PM told me to take it outside the House. So here I am: were the safeguards around market sensitive Budget info in place, so no one in government could act on it for private gain? A government with nothing to hide can answer that in one sentence. Instead, he belittled councils

[John Anderson AC @JohnAndersonAC]

Why Modern Education Is Producing Activists, Not Thinkers | Professor Simon Haines & Dr Fiona Mueller

Episode out now.

[Mary Byrne @GoingOnMission]

@WomensForumAust @RachaelWongAus @SkyNewsAust When the Act is eventually amended all these execs will have to resign, because I'm guessing they won't be able to redeem themselves from the nonsense they are currently sprouting

[ChurchPOP @Church_POP]

In his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV turned directly to parents, and what he said is something every family needs to hear.

1) Don't Give Your Child a Phone Too Early

“Having a personal mobile device at too early an age and using it without adult supervision can exacerbate young people's vulnerabilities, foster addiction and expose them to isolation, bullying and cyberbullying, as well as to pressures to share intimate images or sensitive information.” (Magnifica Humanitas, 141)

The Pope goes further — naming pornographic content, AI‑manipulated images, fake profiles, and pressure to share intimate images as specific dangers that early, unsupervised device access makes worse.

2) Supervise Actively — and Know You Can't Do It Alone

“It is difficult for parents by themselves to resist the influence of business models that monetize attention and time.” (Magnifica Humanitas, 142)

He is not saying parents are failing. He says they are outgunned — up against engineers, behavioral psychologists, and billions of dollars of addictive design. The encyclical still calls parents to active supervision, not passive permission.

3) Teach Children to Recognize Manipulation — By Name

“It is also necessary to teach children, adolescents and young people how to recognize manipulation, defend their dignity and respect that of others in digital environments.” (Magnifica Humanitas, 142)
A child who understands what an algorithm does, why their feed shows what it shows, and why an AI chatbot's warmth is simulated rather than real is harder to exploit. Naming the mechanism is itself a form of protection.

Pope Leo adds:
“...thus can children and adolescents, who are entrusted to our care, be genuinely protected as a precious treasure.” (Magnifica Humanitas, 142)

In a world where every platform competes for your child's attention, the Pope offers a counter‑vision: your child is not a user. Your child is a treasure.

https://t.co/mt7MrCBzY0

[Mary Byrne @GoingOnMission]

@MGrahMcIntosh Send him an email he needs evidence in his inbox from every woman he has disregarded

[Sall Grover @salltweets]

“In a free society, people can believe whatever they want. If you want to believe men can be women or you’re a man who wants to call himself a woman, that is your business. What you cannot do in a free society is force anyone else to accept it. What is at stake here is the ability to lawfully acknowledge reality.

If you care so much about “trans rights” you can work out a way to get them without destroying the category of women in law, female spaces, sport, services, the entire reality of lesbianism, and punishing citizens for acknowledging reality. The fact that you haven’t even tried makes it appear that destroying the rights of women is the goal.

Any politician who will look an Australian citizen in the eye and tell them that a man can be a woman is admitting that they will lie about anything and everything because the most obvious lie has already been told.

If no one in this room can acknowledge reality and fix an obvious problem you are either malicious or incompetent. The days of dismissing this issue are over. This is not a culture war. It’s reality.”

- my words, read by Alison Penfold MP, in parliament today.

Contact politicians are tell them to BACK THE BILL - “Sex Discrimination Amendment- sex based rights bill 2026”

[EWTN News @EWTNews]

“AI can process information quickly, but it cannot replace human intelligence… AI can never replace the unique gift that you are to the world.”
At NCYC 2025 in Indiana, Pope Leo spoke to a stadium full of Gen Z youth and young adults and reminded them that no algorithm can pray, love, or wonder in their place. As the Church prepares to receive his new encyclical on AI, Magnifica Humanitas, this May 25, we remind the young generation of the Holy Father's words, to use tech in a way that helps you grow in holiness—not in a way that replaces your heart, your creativity, or your friendships.

Remember, no machine can replace the unique, unrepeatable gift that you are.

[Dr Joanna Howe @ProfJoannaHowe]

Every week at least one Australian newborn survives their abortion and is left to die in Australia. Why has @AlboMP failed to address their plight?

[Mary Byrne @GoingOnMission]

@TimjboAU Happier days 😀

[Mary Byrne @GoingOnMission]

Good old days, what a lovely down to earth interview with a couple of Aussie sisters
https://t.co/BErLSu5d1V