The Faithful Bard (Max)

Jack of all Trades. Philosophy. Hiking. Camping. Food. Aviation. Penn State. Center-right Catholic revert.♠️🎨🎭

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

Fly with me! (Full Footage)
🎶💃🕺🎶

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

@sadguitarchords Leave a trail of jellybeans so you don't get lost.

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

Pilot Winston says, "Drink your Ovaltine and buy war bonds!"

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

@jeff_of_norwich The grass looks greener on the other side.

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

@Nyct0phil3_x You're very welcome.

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

Knowing your baby’s specific condition helps doctors fine-tune their advice and the care they will provide, increasing the odds that nothing else goes wrong. Getting all of this scheduled in advance is a good thing.

You can also learn about the disability in advance and how to properly care for your child in the absence of medical professionals.

Budget for expenses insurance won't cover in.

Emotional preparation.

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

Timeline cleanse. ❤️‍🔥

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

@sadguitarchords

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

There's no point in playing chess online these days. Cheating is rampant. Chess engines and AI have ruined the game. It's easy to avoid detection if you play the 3rd, 4th, or 5th best moves the engine recommends.

You're better off touching grass and joining a chess club.

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

Pssst. Hey, you. ⬇️

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

He said not to see it if you're squeamish. The problem is that 'squeamish' for most people (I wager) means being sensitive to blood and gore. So although that word can be stretched, he should have also mentioned the sexual/nude content that people are reporting the movie has.

[Bishop Robert Barron @BishopBarron]

The horror film “Obsession” is a surprise hit at the box office this summer. Made for around one million dollars, it has already grossed over a hundred and fifty million. But it's not only a financial success; it's also a spiritually quite interesting film. What drives the plot is a young man's ardent desire to be loved by the woman whom he loves. Seeking a gift for Nikki in an occult store, Bear finds a device that advertises itself as “One Wish Willow.” If you break the stick and make a wish, it will come true. In his desperation, he follows the instructions, and it works like a charm. The previously diffident Nikki becomes totally devoted to the delighted Bear. All his dreams, it seems, have come true. Then things go, shall we say, south. I won't spoil any more of the plot. Suffice it to say that Nikki proceeds to devour the young man and push him toward despair.

Throughout this film, I kept thinking of Oscar Wilde's famous line: “the only thing worse than not getting what you want is getting what you want.” The spiritual issue here is one that the masters have recognized for centuries and one that stands at the very heart of Biblical revelation: if you tie your deepest desire to anything or anyone other than God, you will find, not satisfaction, but destruction. This is the moral teaching behind the great Shema prayer: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is Lord alone.” Jesus reiterates this when he says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your strength.” The psalmist affirms it when he sings, “Only in God will my soul be at rest.”

During the rite of Confirmation, I ask the young people a series of questions, the first of which is “do you renounce Satan and all his works and empty promises?” Up and down the ages, Satan has made the same empty promise: I will give you something less than God and it will make you happy. In point of fact, it will ruin you, and the more you seek to acquire it, the unhappier you will become. What becomes clear in the course of “Obsession” is that the owners of the occult shop where Bear bought the fateful wish-willow are in fact involved with very dark spiritual powers. In my conversations with exorcists, I hear over and over again that those who get ensnared by the devil commence by dabbling in the occult.

“Obsession” is a good horror movie. If you like the genre, and you're not too squeamish, go see it. For it won't just scare you; it will offer some important spiritual truths.

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

I wonder how that would work. If the priest can't see the person confessing, then what use would they be to law enforcement?

Even if the priest reported the crime (God forbid), he'd be useless as a court witness.

A priest isn't taking notes, so things like names and addresses are going to be fleeting.

Priest: "I'd like to report a murder."

Officer: "Ok, did you see the murder happen?"

Priest: "No."

Officer: "Did you find a body?"

Priest: "No".

Officer: "Ok... so someone told you?"

Priest: "Yes"

Officer: "Ok. Who?"

Priest: "The murderer"

Officer: *spits out coffee* "Ok, what did he look like? What's his name? Do you know him?"

Priest: I don't know what he looks like or what his name is, and I don't think I know him. He confessed it through a screen.

Officer: "..."

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

Watch this 5-hour Pints With Aquinas episode at 0.25x speed with no bathroom or snack breaks, and you will unlock the secret ending.

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

If you want a specific example, consider this:

Prot: The Catholic Church is filled with pedophile priests who abuse children.

Catholic: Well, if you look at FBI statistics, priests don’t do these things more than Protestant pastors. Which denomination were you again?

Prot: (not wanting to reveal his denomination so the Catholic can’t pull up specifics) “I’m just a Bible-believing Christian.”

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

Sure. I’ll start with atheists. Christians typically begin with the burden of proof because they’re more likely to evangelize (i.e., initiate the conversation). Whether they begin with Jesus or not, they’re implying that God exists.

However, unlike formal debates, the burden of proof is often dynamic. If it becomes evident that the atheist is rejecting a Christian’s arguments because they’re secretly a metaphysical naturalist (materialist), then they may opt to keep it under wraps. Disclosing it would mean having to shoulder some of the burden by defending their own position.

The natural flow of the conversation was heading one way, but was shut down by the opponent for strategic reasons.

As for Protestants, they may keep their specific denomination a secret for similar reasons. For one, they are no longer bound to a particular confession that a Catholic can use to hold them to. Second, it allows them to appeal to any number of definitions that can help them avoid an argument. Finally, if the conversation goes south and the Protestant uses unflattering history against Catholics, the Catholic will be unable to cite precise examples of evils committed by that specific denomination.

People may not do this for malicious reasons. Some are simply more focused on winning the debate and playing devil’s advocate than on maintaining intellectual honesty.

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

@reginamrc6 @FeatheredNaga Your words aren't very modest.

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

@IdunaSunshine

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

I watched John Wick 4 two nights ago. It was the first movie I’d watched in months. I was going to watch Interstellar for the first time (I know…), but I wanted something easier on my mind at 9 p.m.

So, knowing the John Wick movies require you to turn your brain off, I was actually pleasantly surprised. Now, don’t get me wrong... the scene in the club was almost a clown show. Gunshots and fistfights while people keep dancing? Hollywood has a massive problem depicting crowds properly.

Anyway, aesthetically, the movie was spot on. It reminds me a bit of James Bond without the raunchy sex scenes, The Bourne Identity, and a bit of Japanese slashers. The cool use of rituals and the lore/hierarchy of the High Table is always interesting to unpack.

Also, how fitting that the main battle takes place at the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre.

[The Faithful Bard (Max) @Rogue0572]

@sadguitarchords