Philippine parish suspends Masses after tabernacle robbery, Eucharistic desecration.

The Sta. Teresa del Niño Jesus Parish in M’lang, Cotabato, has suspended Masses and sacramental celebrations inside its main church following a break-in in which the tabernacle was robbed and the Blessed Sacrament desecrated.

.The Catholic Church teaches with absolute certainty that at the moment of consecration, the bread and wine become truly, really, and substantially the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ (cf. CCC 1374).

This is not symbol. This is not metaphor. This is the living God.

To desecrate the consecrated Host is therefore not an act against a religious object. It is a direct act of violence and contempt against the Person of Jesus Christ Himself.

Whatever the human psychology, the theological reality is stark. St. Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 11:27–29:
"Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord... For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself."

If receiving unworthily already carries such gravity, the act of deliberate desecration is among the gravest offenses a human being can commit. Canon Law (Can. 1367) reserves the penalty of excommunication latae sententiae automatic excommunication for anyone who desecrates the Eucharist.

I recently saw a post that stated “The one thing I’m most afraid of is losing God‘s favor.” and then I started thinking is that’s what’s happening to me? I used to succeed in everything I did and lived a happy life. Now nothing is working out and I’ve been in drought and depressed for years now. Have I lost God’s favor? Will it ever return? Is that even a thing?

I feel like such a total failure. I can’t do anything right. I’m not succeeding in anything I do, while everyone around me is just receiving great things and doing great things while I’m just here. I’m not sure why I’m not getting to experience good things at all. Right now I feel like I will never get to become my dream job. For instance I studied like hell for this particular subject took the exam and got a grade 2( which is like a B in Western terms) while everyone else got a 1( an A), because of this I’ll never be able to achieve my dream job. Idk why he’s making me like this. I’m just failing at everything I do. Idk what to do anymore. I feel like I will never succeed at anything.

I've always had a strong spiritual connection with God. I've been promted my whole life, and normally am able to recognize the lords hand and voice in my life easily.

But I've run into a sticking point, and it involves free will.

I felt guided, prompted and confirmed. That myself and another person were going to work together and create something beautiful and important together. For 2 months we did. It was turning out amazing, better then I could have ever dreamed. Then suddenly, out of the blue, the person backed out. Ghosted me, and left me in a bit of a lurch.

I have asked God for the last 2+ months since they left what I should do. If I should find a different person, or wait. I keep feeling like the person that left was the only person I'm meant to do this with. And I feel like God keeps tell me "just a little longer" every time I almost give up on them.

God allows us free will. Yet I felt and still feel like this person was the person I needed and need. How do I trust that the feelings I'm getting are God, if he doesn't influence free will? How can I be assured that they will come back if it's up to free choice? Yet I feel so strongly in my gut God's telling me that it's this person.

painted by Chinese Christian artist, Luke Chen (Chen Yuandu)

The first case of rebellion was of the angel of light.

It all started when he realized his Majesty, then he forgot the source and began to quantify what he deserves due to his beauty thinking he is self-sufficient and should be worshipped for it.

Rebellion is choosing your will over God's will and creating your plan abandoning his own or opposite his plan.

Rebellion is such that it feels right because we are satisfied and it is something that we are getting use to in this time.

Believing we have all we need by simply making use of it we can survive so we don't need God but that is not true.

Anything outside of God is vain even if the whole world is used to it.

For everything God gives He uses and the end is certain "an expected end" but for the ones but all He does not give and we get we never actually tell the end of it.

God makes his plan based on the end but we makes our plans based on the present therefore we are limited it is only good to follow the unlimited

For his children the end is unto eternal life not unto satisfactory vanity.

So if you are used to rebelling God is reaching out to you to turn back to him and learn to follow in love.

I consider myself christian, but I’m starting to think I maybe shouldn’t.

I believe in God. I believe in Jesus Christ and His teachings. I have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. But I have become disillusioned with the Bible and organized religion as a whole.

Every-time I read the bible, the less I see it as Gods word and the more I see it as a random mans word. It doesn’t help that these books are incredibly old and have been heavily translated (sometimes mistranslated). I’m able to use historical thinking, to understand contextual reasons on why certain things were written. But what I can’t get behind is why so many churches and denominations don’t? They take so much of the bibles word as literal. If I go against what these churches are saying, am I even still a Christian?

Here are some of the things I DON’T believe, that churches see as true:

1. Satan
   He’s never mentioned in the Old Testament and then randomly appears is in the New Testament.

2. The Garden of Eden
   I see this, and majority of Genesis, as an analogy rather than something literal. I cannot deny evolution.

3. Noah’s Ark
   I mean guys, come on.

4. Insanely long live-spans
   They defy biological limits. I think it’s likely writers confused a single person with a lineage of similarly named descendants.

I would just like advice on how to approach religion right now. Should I still consider myself a Christian? Should I talk to a scholar?

(I don’t know if this is against community rules, so I may delete this if I realize that it is.)

With high regard to these two passages, here's my question.

A person is hungry: God has made something to satisfy it, Food.

A person is tired: God has designed sleep.

A person desires community: We have the Body of Christ, fellow believers and partakers in the promise.

A person desires health: God had made it, so we can keep healthy, exercise and keep fit.

So with these examples, here is my true question.

A person desires marriage: But there is an issue.

A person may desire sex, a person may desire marriage and intimacy, and God has created marriage to satisfy this in a holy way, with the ultimate fulfillment, with marriage being a simple shadow of what is to come: The joy of uniting with God at the marriage supper of the Lamb...

But strangely, I desire something more.

Not to simply be married, not to simply make romantic love to my future wife. But the desire to be a physical part of my wife.

Look at conjoined twins, they are sharing one flesh.

Why isn't it possible for that to occur with a husband and wife?

God says “and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

So if God is able to turn stones into people, surely he can make it so that the dna of a man and woman fuse together right?

If not, why do I have this desire to be conjoined with my future wife?

Could it be a distortion that has blurred my perception of unity and intimacy in marriage?

It's possible.

But if this is the case, then why hasn't God removed this desire? If it doesn't please him?

So I say "I'm special, and God will answer this prayer."

Yet we all live in fallen vessels and I may be misinterpreting those verses.

Yet, Science confirms the two becoming one flesh, in Microchimerism.

The Bible even confirms it

And the two shall become one flesh.

So please, I'd love feedback from my concern: For I have been wrestling with this for 24 years.

Thank you.

During the Medieval Era much like today, many paintings of Christ were get made. Me personally, I'm more into those renaissance paintings of Christ like The Last Supper from Da Vinci but I don't really hear a lot of people talk about Medieval artworks so I made this post to give some attention to those medieval works depicting the Savior, the King, and the Judge, Christ the one and only messiah.

Looking for opinions, criticisms, and thoughts on this framework regarding sexuality and sexual immorality.

——

Marriage is sexual wisdom established to foster a supportive family unit and good sexual health.

Sexuality will either not exist or it will be perfect in the new life, no one can know it.

Anyone who is at peace with their sexuality, God has surely blessed you with His gift. 

Its safer to not engage in sexual activity at all than to be burdened with the conviction of sexual immorality. 

Prioritize your relationship with God, Sex can wait. 

There’s nothing you can do that's unforgivably detestable. Salvation is only ever one step away.

Sexual Immorality is real, keep the Holy Spirit close and be convicted. 

Extinguish with haste any form of pride regarding your sexuality in your heart. Instead be grateful and keep intimate things intimate. 

Love your neighbor by being sensitive to their beliefs, neither provoke nor shame. Again, keep the Holy Spirit close and be convicted. Afterall, shall not the judge of all the earth do right?

In Matthew 20, the all-day workers agreed to a denarius and got a denarius. Nothing was taken from them. They only got angry when they learned what someone else received.

The landowner’s reply stings: “Is your eye envious because I am generous?” (Matt 20:15)

How often is our sense of “unfairness” really just envy in disguise?

“The last shall be first, and the first last.” Reading it alongside Matt 20:27–28 (“whoever desires to be first among you shall be your slave”), I’ve started to read “first” and “last” as selfish and selfless, not early and late.

Is this parable mainly about grace, about envy, or are they inseparable? And does reading “first/last” this way flatten its eschatological meaning?

(Longer reflection here if anyone’s interested: https://sandrocava.substack.com/p/the-vineyard-workers?r=1mrj31)

"To the extent that a husband fulfills the will of God, a wife fulfills the will of her husband. And how can a wife submit to her husband if the husband does not obey God?"

How do you see the balance between faith, responsibility, and respect in a marriage? Curious to hear your thoughts.

If there was to be a invasion on a Christian country by another religion and war broke out would Christians be able to arm themselves and kill if they had too i find myself confused on this as it says this in the bible " The one with a purse should take it, and likewise a bag; and the one without a sword should sell his cloak and buy one."

But then gets contradicted so would it be permissible to arm yourself and kill if needed or would a you have to be complete a pacifist

My boyfriend and I love each other deeply. we are both under 23 years old. We were close friends for nearly two years before we officially started dating in February 2026. In the beginning, we established clear boundaries that were fully respected. Over time, however, we began crossing those lines. While we have not had sex, we constantly find ourselves pushing the physical boundaries we set.

Initially, the fear of falling into sexual sin led us to consider marrying early. By the grace of God, our mentality around marriage has completely shifted. We now realize marriage should not be an escape hatch to avoid falling, but a mature readiness to form a holy covenant. Since then, we have made incredible progress: we have tackled difficult conversations, broken bad spending habits, and successfully overcome a shared addiction to pornography.

Despite this growth, physical self-control remains our biggest hurdle. While we are completely fine in public, we struggle deeply to keep our hands off each other during private dates at home (even with family in the house) and during late-night phone calls. We love each other and desperately want to break this cycle without causing mutual hurt, aiming for a wedding in 2027.

Outside of my relationship, I am facing a parallel struggle with self-control and motivation. I am deeply involved and highly successful in leading church activities and communicating with others, but I am completely frozen when it comes to my education. I cannot bring myself to go to class or study for school, and I feel completely lost in this cycle.

Edited the post because I realized the first one was all over the place.

Even something with an analogy for Christ/Bible stories would be fine like chronicles of narnia

Does the atonement of Christ still cover their sins?
Can they still go to heaven?
Does Christianity allow harming or killing them?

I am looking for answers based directly on the Bible, or Church teachings. I appreciate your own perspective, but I need what I had mentioned.

So I have this elderly woman in a walker who lives in my building. I grew up with my great grandma so I have an extremely soft side with the elderly especially when I feel like they are alone/no family around them.
Anyways I’ve talked to her once, had a friendly encounter months ago and today I saw her again. She and I and another older lady was waiting for the elevator, she saw I was holding a pop socket grip I bought from Best Buy she asked me what it was, I explained to her it was for a phone for safety, showed her how it worked, etc. She then grabbed my phone to check it out (not really shocked with this type of behavior I find it very common for elderly people to just cross boundaries like that lol) anyways, seeing she was curious I just let her. Then she asked me some questions about where I bought it, if it’s good for her phone, etc. The elevator came down, the other lady opened the door (she looked irritated cause we or the lady in the walker took so long to go in and I don’t blame this other lady lol) anyways I was the last one to press my floor (15) and the walker lady said “oh you’re 15? You remember me when I come to you?” She sounded joyful and I think she meant she remembered me living in the 15th (top most floor). She has broken English she was clearly not American, which is the country we’re in.
I just kept my friendly interaction, smiled and nodded and then she said “come here” and went in for a hug… and ME, being a person who has a hard time saying no and also needs to work on my boundaries and just has a soft spot for elderly folks, felt bad and went for the quick hug and broke away immediately. (I didnt even think about what I might get from that hug like the flu/etc.)
Anyways, while she hugged me she proceeded to say some words, not in English, they sounded more Russian or Slavic and she immediately said “I said ‘it’s good’” though I don’t know if her English translation was actually correct.
Her floor came and she went out first and as she was doing so she kept talking to me and the other lady saying things like “good day “ “smile more” etc. (sounded good things but who knows?)
The other lady just kept nodding, she was clearly annoyed and in a rush…and that’s when I started murmuring to myself “I rebuke all of that in the name of Jesus if it’s bad for me, but if it’s good for me, I claim it in Jesus name.”
Then when I was the last one on the elevator, I said those same words louder this time.
I’m probably just being paranoid lol.
I have been warned by friends and family that I am too friendly and get taken advantage of at times but I just really do have a sensitive heart for a lot of things and probably a people pleaser due to my having a hard time saying no (working on that part).
But I also tend to overthink and now I think if she didn’t bless me then she probably cursed me but I truly hope she didn’t and I believe and have faith that Jesus protects me from any curse and evil that comes my way, imperfect and sinful as I am.
I’m also paranoid of any disease I could get but I hope nothing bad comes my way.
Anyways, I am here because I am indeed being paranoid about this and I guess I just want to hear your thoughts?
Though please be kind and PRAYERS APPRECIATED 😅🙏🏼
God bless.

Hi, everyone! Are there any Christian redditors who can offer their analysis or two-cents on how Christian churches and denominations view Jesus as the messianic fulfillment of the Old Testament (Torah)? What did the Torah say about the Messiah, and how did Jesus match it?

Jesus was persecuted for blasphemy. One of His blasphemous claims was that He was the Messiah and the Son of God. So, how does His claim as the Messiah fare? I have my Catholic perspective, but how do other denominations (as in, yours') see it? What is the Christian consensus? Thank you!

I’ve been wearing my Brown Scapular and crucifix for a while now, and as a Catholic from Kenya, they’re a constant reminder of my faith and the man I want to be. They remind me to stay close to Christ and trust in Our Lady’s intercession.

I did a lot of shit in My Life That in Not really proud of, wich Even at the time i knew it was wrong. It was some Morning i bearly remember But i was out with a boat on a River when a Strom Hit, it felt Like i was hearing a soft and strange voice Calling me when a lighting bolt knocked over a tree Right next to me and i got scared. I was thinking of some of the worse things i did and i startet begging for second chance of making things Right, then a second lighting bolt Hit the sky and i swear i saw the face of jesus christ in the sky/ in That lighting. I dont know why but the Lord saved me for a for me unknown reason, i dont think i deserved that but hell im still Here. Im Not a Great guy but i do my best to be better then i was and im together with a Girl who really dont deserve,she‘s an Angel and i love her.

Im sorry for my Bad english im still learing becouse its my second Language and i rely on my phones auto correction but i Hope its readable becouse my experiance will help some poor fellas becouse even if its only guy its worth it.

Today, I was reading Acts 10 for my bible study and was firstly trying to figure out if the angel of God was Jesus throughout the chapter but then the last verses really caught me and I decided to break down Peters sermon.

Acts 10:34–43 (LSB)

34–35 And opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most truly comprehend now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the one who fears Him and does righteousness is welcome to Him.

36 As for the word which He sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—

37–38 You yourselves know the thing which happened throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

39–41 And we are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He appear, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and solemnly to bear witness that this is the One who has been designated by God as Judge of the living and the dead.

43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.

Breaking this down:

1. Peter says that we must "fear Him" (referent Jesus) and immediately identifies Jesus as Lord of all. This is something you're commanded to do towards God alone (Isaiah 8:13, Deuteronomy 6:13, Proverbs 9:10).
2. Peter claims Jesus is not only "Lord" but "Lord of ALL". Again, this is a title only God can have, as you cannot be Lord of all without being the highest.
3. Jesus claimed He would raise Himself from the dead (John 2:19–21). Peter claims that God raised Him, thus supporting Jesus = God.
4. Peter claims that Jesus will judge the living and the dead. Again, this is something only God should do, not a mere prophet/man having this kind of responsibility.
5. Forgiveness of sins --> Only God can forgive sins, or else Isaiah 43:25 wouldn't make sense, where God claims He is the one who does this.

Title: Any other Christian guys into the crunchy, back-to-nature lifestyle? 🌲
I’m a 22-year-old LCMS Lutheran guy who’s really into natural living, hiking, camping, homesteading, and appreciating God’s creation.
I’ve noticed there aren’t many spaces specifically for Christian guys with these interests, so I recently started r/CrunchyChristianGuys.
It’s a laid-back community for Christian men interested in the outdoors, simple living, holistic wellness, and building genuine brotherhood.
If that sounds like your kind of thing, feel free to check it out!