JerseyMama

Conservative Mom in a blue state. Interested in politics, food & faith. ✝️ 💍🇺🇸 🇮🇹 🇨🇴 🤘🏼🤌🏼

[Uche is a girl 🇻🇦 @UcheMaryOkoli]

I'm not about to leave the Catholic Church where true reverence is shown to Christ over a circus.

I just can't.

[Waken Minds 𓂀 @wakenminds]

This was built during what they told you were the dark ages.

[JerseyMama @lor_scar]

@ClintFiore The water in europe isnt "dead" so a little goes a long way.

[Hughes de Payens 🇻🇦✝️📿 @hdpayens]

In 96 AD, the Apostle John was still alive.

Yet when a crisis erupted in Corinth, the church that wrote to fix it was in Rome.

That detail should stop every Protestant cold.

A thread.

[JerseyMama @lor_scar]

@SenWarren How about you find a way to increase the value of money so a one income household can easily thrive ...

Then families dont need child care. We get our village back.

[Uche is a girl 🇻🇦 @UcheMaryOkoli]

You Cannot Have a Relationship With Jesus While Ignoring His Sacraments

One of the most common things I hear today is:
"I love Jesus, but I don't need Confession."
"I have a personal relationship with God."
"I talk directly to Jesus." And that's beautiful.

Every Catholic should have a personal relationship with Jesus. But here is the question:
If you truly love Jesus, why ignore the very gifts He left for you? Because the Sacraments are not inventions of the Church. They are gifts of Christ.
Christ gave us Baptism.
Christ gave us the Eucharist.
Christ gave us Confession.
Christ gave us the Church.

Yet many Catholics say they want Jesus while rejecting what Jesus established. Imagine a man saying: "I love my wife, but I refuse to listen to her." Would that make sense?
Then how can we say: "I love Jesus, but I refuse the Sacraments He gave me"?

Many Catholics want a Jesus of their own design. A Jesus who comforts but never corrects. A Jesus who forgives but never asks for repentance. A Jesus who blesses but never commands. But the real Jesus does not separate Himself from His Church and His Sacraments. The same Christ who died on Calvary is the Christ who instituted Confession. The same Christ who rose from the dead is the Christ who entrusted the forgiveness of sins to the Apostles. The same Christ who loves you is the Christ who wants to heal you through the means He established.

And perhaps that is why so many Catholics struggle spiritually. They want the fruits of the Sacraments without participating fully in them. They want peace without repentance.
Healing without confession.
Communion without preparation.
Grace without surrender.

But Christianity has never worked that way. Jesus does not merely ask us to believe in Him. He asks us to follow Him. And following Him means embracing the whole faith, not just the parts that are comfortable. Because a Catholic who loves Jesus should also love the gifts Jesus left behind.
And among those gifts is a confessional that is often empty while Christ continues to wait there.

- Fr. Chisom

[JerseyMama @lor_scar]

@financedystop Honestly tho it would be great if you could rent one at drop off and leave at the gate. Sometimes you travel with elderly who maybe cant make that long walk quickly enough but you dont want this service either ...

[JerseyMama @lor_scar]

Yes, please.

[RosarySon @SkyVirginSon]

IF JESUS CHRIST ESTABLISHED IT, WHY DO SO MANY CHRISTIANS REJECT IT?

This is not a question about sincerity.

Many Protestants genuinely love Jesus Christ, read the Holy Scriptures, and sincerely desire to follow Him.

The question is this:

If Jesus Himself established something, who has the authority to reject it?

Jesus founded one Church, not thousands of denominations (Matthew 16:18).

Jesus entrusted His Apostles with authority to teach in His name. “He who hears you hears Me” (Luke 10:16).

Jesus gave them the authority to forgive sins in His name (John 20:21–23).

Jesus declared over the Eucharist, “This is My Body… This is My Blood” (Matthew 26:26–28). He did not say, “This merely symbolizes My Body.”

When many of His disciples refused to accept His teaching about eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood, Jesus did not soften His words or call them back. Instead, He allowed them to walk away (John 6:53–69).

Jesus commanded the Apostles to baptize all nations (Matthew 28:19) and taught that we must be born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5).

Jesus entrusted Peter with the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and commanded him to strengthen his brethren (Matthew 16:18–19; Luke 22:31–32).

St. Paul calls the Church “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

Nowhere does the New Testament teach that Christ intended His followers to separate from the Church He founded or to establish new and competing churches. Instead, the Apostles continually call Christians to preserve the unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:3–5).

This is why Catholics remain Catholic.

Not because Catholics are better than anyone else.

Not because every Catholic lives a holy life.

But because we believe Jesus meant what He said, established what He established, and entrusted His Church with faithfully preserving His Gospel until the end of the age.

To follow Jesus is not only to admire His teachings.

It is to receive everything He gave us: His Church, His Sacraments, His priesthood, His Eucharist, and the apostolic faith handed down through every generation.

The question is not simply, “Do I love Jesus?”

The deeper question is, “Am I willing to accept everything Jesus established, even when it challenges my own traditions or preferences?”

May the Holy Spirit lead every Christian into the fullness of Christ’s truth, deepen our love for His Church, and unite us in the faith He entrusted to the Apostles.

Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and make us one, just as You prayed that we may all be one. Amen. 🙏

[RosarySon @SkyVirginSon]

WEDNESDAY ROSARY REFLECTIONS

THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES

I don’t think most people realize this when they pick up the Rosary.

You are not just remembering events.

You are stepping into realities that are still alive right now.

Not stories from the past.

But things that are still working on your life, even if you do not notice it yet.

So pray slowly.

Not perfectly.

Just honestly.

THE FIRST GLORIOUS MYSTERY

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

They thought it was over.

Even the disciples.

Even the ones who loved Him most.

They went back to hiding, confusion, silence.

And then the tomb was empty.

Not because something was stolen.

But because death itself could not hold Him.

What strikes me most is not just that Jesus rose.

It is that He went looking for people after He rose.

Not crowds first.

People.

Mary Magdalene crying.

Peter who failed Him.

The ones who were scattered and ashamed.

He did not rise and immediately prove a point.

He rose and restored broken people.

Sometimes I forget that.

I think God only deals with strong faith.

But the Resurrection begins with weakness being met by Him.

Reflection

Where in my life have I already decided, “this cannot be fixed”?

That place is not closed to God.

That is exactly where He goes first.

Prayer

Jesus, I believe You are alive. But help what I believe reach what I actually live. Go into the places I have given up on. I do not always know how to hope again. Teach me.

THE SECOND GLORIOUS MYSTERY

THE ASCENSION

The Ascension always feels a bit strange to me.

They are looking up.

And He is gone.

But He is not gone like absence.

It is more like… He is no longer limited in the way they were used to.

Still, I think the disciples must have felt it.

That moment when the visible presence of Jesus is no longer there.

I know that feeling too.

When prayer feels quiet.

When you do not feel anything.

When God does not respond in the way you expect.

But the Ascension is not abandonment.

It is learning a different kind of closeness.

Not sight.

Trust.

Reflection

Maybe I keep waiting to “feel” God when He is asking me to trust Him without feelings.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I do not always understand Your silence. But I do not want to walk away just because I do not see You clearly. Stay with me in a way that keeps me faithful even when I do not feel much.

THE THIRD GLORIOUS MYSTERY

PENTECOST

The Apostles before Pentecost are hard to imagine sometimes.

Same people.

But locked doors.

Fear.

Confusion.

They knew everything Jesus said.

But they could not live it yet.

Then the Holy Spirit comes.

And something inside them changes that they could not change themselves.

Not just courage.

Direction.

Clarity.

Like they finally understood what they were meant to do.

I think I underestimate how much I need that too.

Because I often already know what is right.

I just do not always have the strength to do it.

Reflection

Maybe my biggest problem is not ignorance.

Maybe it is hesitation.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, I need You more than I admit. Not just to inspire me, but to move me when I am stuck in fear. Do what I cannot do in myself.

THE FOURTH GLORIOUS MYSTERY

THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY

Mary’s life is quiet.

That is what stands out to me.

No chasing attention.

No need to prove anything.

Just a long steady yes to God.

And then at the end, she is taken into Heaven.

Body and soul.

It feels simple when you read it, but it is not simple at all.

It is like God saying that nothing faithful is ever forgotten.

Even the hidden life.

Even the unnoticed life.

Even the life that the world does not record.

Reflection

I think I often measure life by visibility.

God does not.

Prayer

Mary, teach me how to stay faithful when no one sees. I do not want a loud life. I want a faithful one. Help me learn that.

[Relevant Radio @relevantradio]

The crowd at the foot of the cross wanted proof. Come down, they said, and we'll believe. Give us a religion without a cross — the nice painted thing, just don't make anyone hang on it.

But Christ didn't come down. To come down would have been human. To stay was divine. He remained until our sin was atoned for and healed.

There's a comfort we look for in faith, and then there's the love that refuses to leave us in our suffering. Sheen draws out the difference.

Watch the full episode this Friday on Relevant Radio+.

#FultonSheen #Catholic #Crucifixion #CatholicFaith #LifeIsWorthLiving

[RosarySon @SkyVirginSon]

THE APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION

WHY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS THE FULFILLMENT OF CHRIST'S PROMISE

Anyone searching honestly for the Church founded by Jesus Christ must look beyond personal preferences, modern opinions, and changing interpretations of Scripture. The question is not, “Which church do I like the most?” The real question is, “Which Church did Jesus Christ establish?”

The answer is found in history, Sacred Scripture, and the continuous witness of Christianity from the first century until today.

The Catholic Church alone possesses Apostolic Succession, the unbroken transmission of authority from the Apostles to the bishops of the present day. This is not merely an ancient tradition. It is the visible fulfillment of Christ's promise that His Church would endure until the end of the age.

CHRIST ESTABLISHED A VISIBLE CHURCH

In Matthew 16:18 and 19, Jesus said to Simon,

“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.”

These were not empty words or poetic symbolism.

Jesus did not establish hundreds or thousands of independent churches, each teaching different doctrines. He founded one visible Church and entrusted its care to the Apostles, with Peter receiving a unique pastoral office symbolized by the keys of the Kingdom.

This authority was never meant to end with the death of the Apostles. Just as the mission of preaching the Gospel would continue, so would the authority entrusted by Christ.

From the first century onward, the Apostles ordained bishops through the laying on of hands so that the Church would remain faithful to Christ's teaching for every generation.

This is Apostolic Succession.

AN UNBROKEN LINE FROM ST PETER TO TODAY

The Catholic Church is the only Church that can trace the succession of every Pope back to Saint Peter himself.

This succession is not a legend created centuries later. It is recorded by the earliest Christian writers.

Around AD 180, Saint Irenaeus of Lyons listed the succession of the Bishops of Rome beginning with Peter and explained that every Church should remain in communion with the Church of Rome because of its preeminent authority.

Long before the New Testament was officially canonized, Christians already recognized the authority of bishops who had received their office from the Apostles.

The Catholic Church has preserved that succession for nearly two thousand years without interruption.

THE APOSTLES PASSED ON MORE THAN TEACHING

The Apostles did not simply leave behind written documents.

They passed on authority.

Saint Paul instructed Timothy,

“What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

Notice the pattern.

Christ taught the Apostles.

The Apostles taught their successors.

Those successors taught others.

This is how the Church has preserved the same faith throughout history.

Christianity was never intended to rely on private interpretation alone. It was meant to be safeguarded by living shepherds appointed by Christ.

THE SACRAMENTS REQUIRE A VALID PRIESTHOOD

Apostolic Succession is not merely about historical continuity.

It is about sacramental reality.

Jesus entrusted sacred authority to His Apostles.

He gave them the power to forgive sins.

“Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.” (John 20:23)

He commanded them to celebrate the Eucharist.

“Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

Through the laying on of hands, this priestly authority has been faithfully handed down from generation to generation.

Because of this, the Catholic Church continues to celebrate the same Sacraments instituted by Christ.

[RosarySon @SkyVirginSon]

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY: WHY SHE MATTERS MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE

I have come to understand that you cannot fully know Jesus Christ without also encountering His Mother.

Not because Mary replaces Christ, but because Christ Himself chose to enter the world through her. And that choice is not accidental. It reveals something about how God works in history, in grace, and in salvation.

MARY IN SCRIPTURE IS NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT

When the Gospel begins the story of Christ’s coming, Mary is not introduced as a background figure. She is directly addressed by an angel of God.

“Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28)

This is not ordinary language. It is a divine encounter that reveals her unique role in salvation history.

At the Annunciation, Mary does something that changes human history: she freely says yes to God. And in that yes, Christ enters the world.

THE FIRST DISCIPLE WHO LIVED WHAT SHE BELIEVED

One thing I keep reflecting on is this: Mary did not only hear the word of God. She received it, believed it, and lived it completely.

She is the first person in Scripture who responds to Christ with total surrender even before seeing the Cross, before understanding everything that would happen.

“Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38)

This is not passive acceptance. It is active faith under uncertainty.

MARY AND THE CROSS: FAITH THAT DID NOT BREAK

When many had fled, Mary remained.

At Calvary, she stands near the Cross (John 19:25). Not as a spectator, but as a mother united to the suffering of her Son.

This moment reveals something deeply theological: Mary is not removed from Christ’s suffering, she is present in it.

This is why the Church calls her Mother of the Church. Because she is present at both the beginning of Christ’s mission and at its fulfillment on the Cross.

WHY CATHOLICS HONOR HER

Catholic teaching about Mary is not about worship. Worship belongs to God alone.

But honor is different.

We honor Mary because God Himself honored her first by choosing her to carry His Son.

And this is where many misunderstand Catholic devotion: it is not replacing Christ. It is recognizing what God has already done in her.

THE SAINTS AND MARY’S PLACE IN THEIR LIFE

If you read the lives of the saints, one pattern appears again and again: deep devotion to Mary leads them closer to Christ.

From St. Louis de Montfort to St. Maximilian Kolbe, Marian devotion was not emotional excess. It was spiritual formation.

They did not see Mary as a distraction from Christ, but as a guide toward Him.

WHAT MARY TEACHES US TODAY

Mary is not only a figure of history. She is a model of what the Christian life looks like when it is fully surrendered.

She teaches:
Faith before understanding
Obedience before clarity
Trust in suffering
Silence in God’s presence
Perseverance at the Cross

These are not abstract virtues. They are lived responses to God.

THE FINAL POINT THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING

At the center of Marian devotion is one truth: God chose her.

Not because she was powerful, but because she was open.

And that means something for all of us.

Holiness is not about status. It is about availability to God.

CLOSING REFLECTION

If I want to understand Christ more deeply, I cannot ignore the woman He gave to the world.

And if I want to grow in faith, I have to learn what it means to say yes like she did completely, without conditions, even when the full picture is not yet clear.

Mary is not the end of the journey.

She is the beginning of surrender that leads to Christ.

[Uche is a girl 🇻🇦 @UcheMaryOkoli]

😨 TERRIFYING REAL CATHOLIC EXORCISM CASES THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD ✝️🔥

For centuries, the Catholic Church has carefully investigated cases where people claimed to suffer from demonic oppression or possession.

The Church teaches:
⚠️ Most cases are NOT possession.
⚠️ Medical and psychological causes must always be examined first.
⚠️ Official exorcisms are rare and strictly controlled.

Yet some documented cases became deeply mysterious… 👁️

📜 One of the most famous involved a young German woman named:
😨

During the 1970s, she reportedly experienced:
⚠️ violent reactions to sacred objects
⚠️ disturbing voices
⚠️ terrifying behavior
⚠️ extreme suffering

Multiple exorcism sessions were performed.

Her tragic death later caused worldwide controversy and debates about mental illness, spiritual warfare, and the dangers of improper care.

Another chilling case inspired the famous horror story:
📖 The Exorcist

It was connected to an anonymous American boy often called:
“Roland Doe.” 👁️

According to reports:
🕯️ furniture moved
🕯️ strange sounds occurred
🕯️ scratches reportedly appeared on his body

Catholic priests performed exorcism prayers over many weeks.

One of the most well-known Catholic exorcists was:
✝️

He claimed to have performed thousands of exorcisms in Rome.

He warned that evil often enters through:
⚠️ occult practices
⚠️ hatred
⚠️ deep despair
⚠️ obsession with darkness

But he repeatedly said:
🔥 “Prayer is stronger than the devil.”

The Catholic Church teaches that the true center of spiritual warfare is not fear…
but faith in Jesus Christ. ❤️

The saints taught that darkness fears:
📿 the Rosary
📖 Scripture
✝️ the Cross
🙏 Confession
🕊️ the Eucharist

And above all:

🔥 THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS.

📖 “In my name they will drive out demons.” — Mark 16:17

The greatest lesson from every exorcism story is not how frightening evil can appear…
but how powerful God’s mercy and protection truly are. ✨✝️

[RosarySon @SkyVirginSon]

IF YOU LOVE JESUS CHRIST BUT IGNORE HIS MOTHER, YOU ARE MISSING SOMETHING

One of the biggest misunderstandings about the Catholic faith is the belief that loving the Blessed Virgin Mary somehow takes away from Jesus Christ.

The opposite is true.

Every authentic devotion to Mary leads directly to her Son.

At the Wedding at Cana, her final recorded words in Sacred Scripture were:

“Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:5)

She never asked people to follow her instead of Christ. She always pointed them to Him.

The Angel Gabriel honored her.

Saint Elizabeth called her “the Mother of my Lord.”

Jesus Himself honored her as His Mother and perfectly fulfilled the commandment to honor one's father and mother.

If the Son of God honored Mary, why should Christians be ashamed to honor her?

Catholics do not worship Mary. Worship belongs to God alone.

We love her because Jesus loves her.

We honor her because God honored her.

We ask for her prayers for the same reason we ask fellow Christians to pray for us, except she now stands before the throne of God with all the saints in Heaven.

The Rosary is not a distraction from Jesus Christ.

It is a meditation on His life, His Passion, His Death, and His glorious Resurrection through the eyes of the one who knew Him most intimately.

The devil has never feared people who merely talk about Jesus.

He fears people who truly follow Jesus.

And one of the surest paths to following Christ faithfully is listening to the woman who said:

“Do whatever He tells you.”

If you truly love Jesus Christ, do not be afraid to love the Mother He gave to the world.

Hail Mary, full of grace, pray for us that we may always remain faithful to your Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen. 🙏

[♱Faith guard⚔️🛡 @Defensofidei]

A Concise History of the Catholic Church

✝️ 33 AD – The Beginning
Jesus Christ founded the Church, appointing the Apostle Saint Peter as its visible leader (Matthew 16:18–19). After Christ’s Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Church began its public mission.

🏛️ 1st–3rd Centuries
The Church spread throughout the Roman Empire despite severe persecutions. The Apostles and early martyrs laid the foundations of Christian doctrine and worship.

👑 313 AD – Legalization
Emperor Constantine the Great legalized Christianity through the Edict of Milan, ending major persecutions.

📜 325–787 AD – Ecumenical Councils
The Church held major councils, beginning with the First Council of Nicaea, to define and defend Christian doctrines against heresies.

⛪ 1054 AD – The Great Schism
A division occurred between the Western Church (Catholic) and the Eastern Churches (Orthodox), largely over issues of authority and theology.

⚔️ 1517 AD – The Protestant Reformation
Martin Luther challenged Church teachings and practices, leading to the rise of Protestantism and the fragmentation of Western Christianity.

🛡️ 1545–1563 AD – Counter-Reformation
The Church responded through the Council of Trent, clarifying doctrine, reforming abuses, and revitalizing Catholic life.

🌍 19th–20th Centuries
Catholic missionaries spread the faith worldwide. The Church addressed modern challenges through teachings on social justice, faith, and reason.

🤝 1962–1965 AD – Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council renewed the Church’s engagement with the modern world while preserving its core doctrines.

🌎 Today
With over 1.3 billion members worldwide, the Catholic Church remains the largest Christian body, led by the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. It continues its mission of preaching the Gospel, administering the sacraments, and serving humanity.

The Catholic Church traces its origin directly to Jesus Christ and the Apostles, has endured persecution, schism, and reform for nearly 2,000 years, and remains the world’s largest Christian communion.

Share so that others can see it.

[Beauty of the Catholic Faith @advoluntas]

♰ Pray the Holy Rosary Everyday ♰

“From the moment of her fiat Mary began to carry all of us in her womb.”
- Saint Anselm of Canterbury

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Our Lady of the Annunciation pray for us 🙏

🎥 The Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary. Two years of work shown in just a few minutes. Illumination in the pure Gothic style of the 14th and 15th centuries. It was created on goatskin parchment using authentic or historically accurate pigments and genuine gold leaf.
Video F. Enluninure

[JerseyMama @lor_scar]

@Kittenwaffin How does this loan exist?