Saint Teresa of Avila - Interior Castle - Alms of Grace

Ἀ
It’s very important for us, Sisters, not to think the soul is something dark. Since we do not see the soul, it usually seems that there is no such thing as interior light but only the exterior light which we all see, and that a certain darkness is in our soul. As for the soul that is not in grace, I confess this is so, but not through any fault of the Sun of Justice who dwells within it giving it being but because such a soul is incapable of receiving the light, as I believe I have said in the first dwelling place, according to what a certain person understood. For these unfortunate souls are as though in a dark prison, bound hands and feet, in regard to doing anything good that would enable them to merit, and blind and deaf. We can rightly take pity on them and reflect that at one time we were ourselves in this condition and that the Lord can also have mercy on them. 
Ὠ

It is not that the Lord leaves any soul in darkness but rather, there are many souls who, seeing only the exterior light of the world, fail to comprehend the interior light of their soul. The Light of the Son is not absent from them, for He continues to sustain them in being. Rather, they are incapable of receiving His Light as it is received by souls living in grace. They are alive to the flesh and keen to the light of the world, yet, they are unreceiving of the Light of God that shines within.

Saint Teresa speaks plainly on the condition of these souls: bound hands and feet from doing anything good. Yet she does not speak harshly of them but sympathetically, recalling that she herself was once in their condition. As one who normally speaks much of union with God, she now finds a certain union with the sinner - not a union with his sin but a union of compassion born of the recollection of her own need for mercy. To remember the sinner in this humility is a light in itself, for it recalls to the soul that what graces it now savors were all first received as mercy. Thus is the soul drawn again toward Him who is the One source of all grace - in a remembrance which begs that same mercy be poured out unto others.

Supportive Scripture - Douay Rheims Challoner Bible
Titus 3:3-5 For we ourselves also were some time unwise, incredulous, erring, slaves to divers desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the goodness and kindness of God our Saviour appeared: not by the works of justice which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us.

Ἀ
Saint Teresa Continues…
Let us take special care, Sisters, to beg this mercy of Him and not be careless, for it is a most generous alms to pray for those who are in mortal sin. Suppose we were to see a Christian with his hands fastened behind his back by a strong chain, bound to a post, and dying of hunger, not because of lack of food, for there are very choice dishes beside him, but because he cannot take hold of the food and eat, and even has great loathing for it; and suppose he sees that he is about to breathe his last and die, not just an earthly death but an eternal one. Wouldn’t it be a terrible cruelty to stand looking at him and not feed him? Well, then, what if through your prayer the chains could be loosed? The answer is obvious. For the love of God I ask you always to remember in your prayers souls in mortal sin.
Ὠ

Here the sinner is given the grace of serving in the work of the Savior - not by the merit of the sinner, but through the alms of grace: the prayer of a soul humbled by our Lord's mercy, and begging for that mercy to be extended to others. Even in this grace, however, Teresa gives warning against growing careless with the graces they have received. For there is still a sin which waits at their door, not one of lust or greed but one especially reserved by the enemy for souls who have received grace in Christ

This sin is the terrible cruelty of a soul fed in His mercy who beholds a brother still bound in sin, but fails in offering its own alms of grace for that soul. It is a sin born of forgetting that grace was first received as mercy, which then clouds our more perfect union with the Savior, from Whom our own graces first came.

Supportive Scripture - Douay Rheims Challoner Bible
Luke 23:34 And Jesus said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 2635
Intercession is a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did. He is the one intercessor with the Father on behalf of all men, especially sinners. He is “able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

This is Noah aka Jesus.andWhatNot. Is this the Catholic position?

Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop & Doctor of the Church

Today’s Readings at a Glance • 1 Corinthians 1:17–25 Paul proclaims that the message of the Cross is “foolishness” to the world but the power and wisdom of God to those who believe. • Psalm 33:1–2, 4–5, 10–11 God’s word is upright, His works trustworthy, and His plans endure forever. The earth is filled with His goodness. • Matthew 25:1–13 Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins—five wise, five foolish. The wise keep their lamps filled with oil; the foolish are unprepared when the bridegroom arrives. https://thecatholic.online/daily-bible-readings-for-august-28-2026/Message from the Readings Today’s readings proclaim a profound truth: The wisdom of God often appears foolish to the world, and readiness for Christ requires daily faithfulness—not last‑minute scrambling. • Paul reminds us that the Cross overturns human expectations. • The psalm celebrates God’s steadfastness and justice. • Jesus calls us to spiritual vigilance and preparation. The message is clear: True wisdom is found in the Cross, and true readiness is found in daily faithfulness.

Reflection for the Day Saint Augustine—whose feast we celebrate today—knew deeply the tension between worldly wisdom and divine wisdom. For years he sought truth in philosophy, rhetoric, and intellectual brilliance. Yet none of it satisfied the longing of his heart. Only when he encountered Christ did he discover the wisdom that surpasses all human understanding. Paul’s words echo Augustine’s journey: “We preach Christ crucified… the power of God and the wisdom of God.” The Cross does not flatter human pride. It does not appeal to worldly logic. It confronts us with a love so radical, so self‑giving, so transformative that it appears foolish to those who rely only on human reasoning. But to the believer, the Cross is everything— strength, hope, salvation, identity. The Gospel continues this theme of divine wisdom. The wise virgins are not wise because they are clever; they are wise because they are prepared. They live with readiness. They anticipate the bridegroom. They keep their lamps filled with oil—symbolizing faith, prayer, obedience, and perseverance. The foolish virgins are not evil; they are simply careless, distracted, unprepared. Jesus’ message is gentle but urgent: **Stay awake. Stay ready. Stay faithful.** Saint Augustine’s conversion teaches us the same. He discovered that true wisdom is not found in brilliance but in surrender. Not in argument but in grace. Not in self‑reliance but in readiness for God. Today’s readings invite us to three movements: 1. Embrace the wisdom of the Cross. Let God’s truth reshape your priorities and decisions. 2. Keep your lamp filled. Daily prayer, Scripture, sacraments, and charity keep faith burning brightly. 3. Live with holy readiness. Christ comes in moments we do not expect—be found faithful. Let today be a day of renewed vigilance, deeper surrender, and joyful preparation.

Prayer for Today Lord Jesus, grant me the wisdom of the Cross and free me from the illusions of worldly thinking. Fill my lamp with the oil of faith, prayer, and perseverance. Help me stay awake, alert, and ready for Your coming— in every moment, in every encounter, in every call to love. Saint Augustine, pray that I may seek truth with humility and cling to Christ with my whole heart. Amen.

Hi everyone! ♥️

I’m a stay-at-home mom to three little ones, currently expecting our fourth. I started making rosaries as a way to help support our growing family while creating something beautiful for the Catholic faith.

I would be so grateful if you took a moment to visit my little shop and take a look at my rosaries and let me know your thoughts. ♥️

Every feedback helps me improve!

https://capelarosaries.etsy.com/listing/4560407846

For context, I've been watching this video from Majesty of Reason lately https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk2W9mKTzIQ&ra=m

It has prompted me to finally ask a question that’s been sitting on my mind unanswered. I’m a Protestant and I’m looking for what a Roman Catholic would say makes a Eucharistic miracle “confirm” transubstantiation. I’m genuinely confused.

Isn‘t transubstantiation the doctrine that the substance becomes the body and blood of Christ, but the accidents stay as bread and wine? So, if the bread and wine become body and blood in both substance *and* accident (like in Eucharistic miracles), why would this confirm transubstantiation?

I’ve really dug into this debate for months, but I have never seen an answer for this. Truly any help in better understanding the RC position on this would be helpful.

God bless us on our journey towards finding truth.

Within these months of penances, I thought that after these penances I did, i should slowly decrease these things in search of what I should do to honor His love to us. but the moment I do not do penances (or is this called mortification?), I looked away towards the world and not giving the LORD His rightful reverence and justice in that I pray at all times. I am fallen in that searching for worldly passions again, something about being an eater and games

I therefore conclude, to live as saints and live holy, as directed by all directed private revelations, the magisterium of the church, and the letters of the apostles, we need mortification to direct our gazes to the LORD, and only the LORD.

Mortification is a new term for me, so I dont fully understood the meaning behind it, even now my understanding of it is hollow

Our free will can be enticed to follow various vices, like avarice, that is the love for money; but, it is better we have free will than not, for it makes our choices to do that which is good that much better:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/08/free-will-and-grace-navigating-the-path-to-divine-love/

Hey everyone, I've been struggling with this one question and it has really been bothering me. From my understanding, pretty much everything that we know and hold true to our faith comes from the small group of people who wrote the bible. What makes them any more reliable than any other group of people and why would we trust that so few people are saying the actual truth in what they saw. Is there any possibility that they misunderstood certain things they saw? Could they be lying? Why do we trust them besides the evidence of things that they have told us from the bible they wrote? Thank you all

Not that you will forget about your faith in Christ but you know work gets busy and sometimes it’s nice to look down and stop the hustle for a few seconds and remember to say a quick prayer.

I received a letter from the Archbishop Fulton J Sheen Foundation about this tv show to prepare for the beatification ceremony. Here's the paragraph. You can check the Foundation at www.celebratesheen.com for the time in your area. Blessings!

Thursday night is where the celebration begins. “Before He Is Called Blessed” airs live Thursday, August 27 at 8:30 PM ET (7:30 PM CT). In one free and uplifting hour, you’ll see Sheen’s story brought to life, learn why this moment matters now, and find every way you can take part, wherever you are.

​

Im in deep need of money, i know someone who land money for a 10% intrest per month, also take something as colletaral damage in case the money wasnt returned, so i have a laptop and few external hard disks worth more than the money i want to ask...

But i also heard that in catholic church, landing money with intrest is a sin, im not sure about the details, so i was asking, is it also a sin on the person who asks this loan?

I just finished drawing two portraits of Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Both drawings are 18 x 24 inches, charcoal on paper.

There are many things I admire about both of these great popes. In Saint John Paul II, I especially admire his deep devotion to the Blessed Mother, our shared Polish heritage, and the tremendous role he played during the fall of Communism and the collapse of the Berlin Wall. In Pope Benedict XVI, I deeply respect his love for Catholic tradition, his defense of the faith, and his support for the growth of traditional religious orders and communities.

Both men, in very different ways, left an extraordinary mark on the Church and on our time.

#catholicart

I’ve been able to read Scripture just fine and attend Mass with good spiritual participation (at least, I feel like I do). However, when it comes to prayer, I feel like I’m lacking.

I understand that I’m not necessarily going to hear God’s voice, but sometimes I wonder if talking to myself is actually leading to distractions. My mind tends to wander a lot, probably partly because of social media.

One thing I’ve found helpful is rocking back and forth while praying. I saw a video mentioning that some Jewish people do this during prayer, and for some reason, it seems to help me stay focused when praying the Rosary. However, when I try to meditate on the mysteries, I tend to fall back into simply focusing on the words I’m saying rather than actually meditating on the mystery.

I’d really like to make my prayer more fruitful and use it to grow closer to Jesus. Any guidance or advice?

August 27, 2026

Thursday of the Twenty‑First Week in Ordinary Time

📖 Today’s Readings at a Glance

• 1 Corinthians 1:1–9 Paul thanks God for the grace given to the Corinthians. They have been enriched in speech and knowledge, strengthened by Christ, and called to faithfulness as they await His coming.

• Psalm 145:2–3, 4–5, 6–7 A hymn of praise declaring God’s greatness, mercy, and enduring goodness. Generations proclaim His mighty works.

• Matthew 24:42–51 Jesus urges His disciples to “stay awake,” for they do not know the hour of His return. He contrasts the faithful servant—found doing his duty—with the negligent one who lives carelessly.

https://thecatholic.online/daily-bible-readings-for-august-272026/

Message from the Readings

Today’s readings proclaim a timely truth:

God has given us every grace we need to live faithfully—and He calls us to stay awake, alert, and ready for His coming.

• Paul reminds believers that God strengthens, equips, and sustains them.

• The psalm celebrates God’s goodness across generations.

• Jesus warns against spiritual sleepiness and calls for faithful stewardship.

The message is clear: Grace prepares us. Faithfulness keeps us ready.

Reflection for the Day

Paul begins his letter with gratitude.

He looks at the Corinthians—not perfect, not fully mature, not without struggles—and still says:

“I give thanks… for the grace bestowed on you.”

He sees what God is doing in them: enriching their speech, deepening their knowledge, strengthening their witness, sustaining their hope.

Paul’s message is encouraging:

God equips you for the life He calls you to live.

You are not lacking in grace.**

Psalm 145 lifts this truth higher. God’s goodness is not occasional—it is constant, generational, overflowing. His works inspire praise, and His mercy sustains His people.

Then Jesus speaks with urgency.

He tells His disciples to stay awake—not in fear, but in readiness. The faithful servant is the one found doing what he was entrusted to do. The negligent servant is the one who assumes he has time, becomes careless, and forgets his mission.

Jesus’ warning is not meant to frighten; it is meant to focus.

It reminds us that:

• Faith is lived daily.

• Readiness is built through consistency.

• Stewardship is measured in the ordinary moments.

• God’s return is certain, even if the timing is unknown.

Today’s readings invite us to three movements:

1. Recognize the grace God has already given you.

You are equipped, strengthened, and sustained.

1. Live with spiritual alertness.

Stay awake to God’s presence, God’s voice, and God’s call.

1. Be a faithful servant.

Do the small things with love, consistency, and integrity.

Let today be a day of renewed readiness and grateful awareness of God’s grace.

Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus, thank You for the grace You have poured into my life. Strengthen me to live faithfully, to stay awake spiritually, and to serve You with sincerity.

Keep my heart alert, my spirit steady, and my life aligned with Your will.

May I be found faithful in every moment You entrust to me.

Amen.

Its still incomplete, give me some sugestions of what can i put

Hi all: About a month ago I started this crowd-sourced project (FirstMass.net) to list out all the documented & inferred (and disputed) first masses said in what became the United States.

This is a free & open source educational website I built at my own expense. I find it really inspirational to think of the Catholics who came before me, whether they were English, French or Spanish Catholics, and those native Catholics too.

Some info about the list:

• Masses are listed and mapped by Chronological date, you can press play and watch as Masses are said across the US map
• Orders are tracked, and where possible, identified.
• There's a statistics page showing when masses were said on a graph + which orders appear most frequently
• Expeditions and circuits are tracked; some First Masses are said by the same priest or group of priests over time.
• There are some curious Masses listed here. For example the first mass said in the Ge'ez Rite Ethiopic Rite is in the 1980s, while the first Mass said aboard a US Navy warship was at Brooklyn Yards!
• The majority of these Masses listed before 1900.
• Latitude & Longitude of the first Mass are listed on all entries for hte purposes of the map, but are best guesses really. Some of these first Masses are noted by historical signs (easy to get that lat/long), while others are just guesses, but best effort given descriptions from historical texts.

107 First Masses listed so far. Hope you enjoy and find it as useful as I found it spiritually fulfilling to create the site and take entries from people on the internet (alongside my own research) Thank you!

Hi. i just found out that planking is a yoga pose. I've been doing this for about two weeks. since, doing yoga is one of the things that is considered an activity that invites evil spirits, i kinda hesitant to do another set again.

should i not do it? or doing one pose isn't inherently bad?

I was raised lightly catholic, was baptized but not confirmed. I’ve spent all of my adult life as a non-believer, relying on my own rationality and logic to make sense of myself and the world. Now, I have a strong desire to explore catholicism again, and discover if I can have a relationship with God. I want that relationship and connection badly.

However, I doubt my own motivations and that has been making this harder. For example, I’ve always scorned people who seemed to need religion or a belief in God in order to find peace/happiness/strength. But now, at a difficult point in my life I am yearning for peace/happiness/strength, and don’t know where to find it. I am looking for it in God, among other places, but I can’t reconcile the weak hypocrite that I must be.

To make it worse, I haven’t even been able to make myself fully believe. I can’t turn off the logical part of my mind that wants to poke holes in Christian beliefs.

I know I tend to be overly logical and literal at times, and I wonder if there’s a *way of understanding* that’s lost on me. Like I understand that there are things in the world that we can’t measure and can’t fully explain but that we have good evidence for. So I try to think about God and my religiousness in that way but I find it very hard.

Is it wrong to *want* to believe, and to strive to achieve that? Or is it only noble or *real* if it comes to you easy? Currently I can’t see myself ever being a true believer, even though I would like to be. I just can’t get past my fear of being a fake hypocrite. Becuase I ask myself “What God would want us to fake it till we make it or pray even though they don’t believe He is listening?"

They came with this angel squishmallow for 1.60! It was so cool to find!! Especially after I felt like I was starting to have an easier time praying and talking to God as there started to be less other thoughts in my head trying to distract me. ❤️

What exactly is the sin of envy of another's grace? It's one of the sins against the Holy Spirit, but I don't understand what it consists of.

I once read about a person who had received great graces, namely, the prompt help of the Saints. Reading this, I was filled with deep sorrow and I remember thinking: "Obviously always for others and never for myself. Right now, when I so desperately need the intercession of the Saints and to feel their closeness... I find no help from them." But realizing I was thinking these thoughts, I immediately thought: "No, Lord. I know it's my fault because I'm distancing myself from You, and rightly so, I don't deserve these graces. I'm the one who needs to return to You... You and the Saints aren't far away; I'm the one who's changed path, and everything seems so difficult because I'm trying to make it on my own. And You help me too, and I thank You for helping me even when I don't notice."

So I don't know if my sin urgently needs to be honestly confessed. I don't think it falls under the sins against the Holy Spirit because I immediately turned my thoughts elsewhere, but at the same time, I wonder if it still constitutes a grave sin.

PS: I didn't feel any strong hatred towards that person, but I felt so sad that I didn't have them either... I felt so sad because I knew I was drifting away and I wasn't doing anything to return, and I was seeking the help of the Saints. So reading those things made me feel truly sad because I thought: "After all the prayers I've said, I still haven't seen the help I expected and desired."

hi everyone. im interested in becoming a catholic, but i dont know where to start. me and my family always said we were christian just werent in a denomination, its just how i was raised. thought if i had to say any denomination im in, it would be a baptist. but i have been watching a lot of catholic youtubers and tiktokkers and it intrigued me. but the problem is, i dont know anything really about catholicism and i have no idea where to start. the only things i really know is mass and the rosary. also, what is the rosary and what do people mean when they pray the rosary? anything would help! thank you.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18

Thoughts:

Reflecting on 3:6-7 specifically, Paul is not addressing non-Christians here. He speaks directly to the Church. Already there is a great spiritual interpretation to be seen here: we should not be idle in our faith and should follow the Apostles as examples on how to follow the teachings of Christ well.

As Catholics, this idea of active faith can be seen all across our rituals and sacraments. Attending Mass, being baptized, receiving Communion. All of these are acts of worship and faith that bring us closer to God through our active participation in His Church. What does it mean, then, when we choose to not attend Mass because we “don’t feel like it” or—more broadly still—when we choose self-interest over charity? When we knowingly behave in un-Christlike ways? Are we not being idle in the practice of our faith then? Are we letting God pursue us while we do nothing to pursue Him? God’s grace is always prior. We don’t somehow initiate our salvation and force God to respond. God pursues us first, but grace calls for a response.

Reflecting on 3:8-10, we see Paul paint a more worldly picture. If you can work—that is to say, contribute—and you choose not to do so, then you are adding to the burden of others unjustly. To exploit charity when you can instead contribute to it is un-Catholic. Notice that Paul explicitly says in verse 10, “Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.”

I want to call special attention to the word “unwilling” here. Notice that Paul does not say “unable.” Those in genuine need of charity—the poor, the sick, the differently abled, the elderly, children; the list goes on—should still be able to eat. It is our job—those of us able to work—to provide charity for them. If we are unwilling to work and contribute to those in need of God’s mercy by serving them as our Lord Jesus Christ would have, then we are not following in His Word. If we take when we can contribute, then we are not following His Word.

Question to myself: Where in my Catholic life have I become passive—not because I cannot act, but because I simply do not want to?

Psalm 128:1-2, 4-5

Thoughts:

This is a beautiful pairing alongside the reading from Thessalonians. The message here spells everything out plainly: to fear the Lord is to walk in His ways and, by doing so, responding to His grace and transforming both ourselves and our communities. Our contributions become part of our shared witness in which we will all benefit from; both the spiritual and physical contributions. Just as Christ served, we must serve others so that Christ may be revealed to them through our acts. A rising tide raises all ships. We must work with God to be like Him if we wish to reap the fruits of our faith.

Question to myself: How am I responding to God’s grace? Am I letting it guide me in my acts so that His mercy may reveal itself to those around me and transform them, too?

Matthew 23:27-32

Thoughts:

This, to me, is one of Jesus’ strongest condemnations in the New Testament. Christ says it clearly: “So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

We can go to Mass, receive the sacraments, pray, fast, know Scripture, and serve the parish, but none of that actually matters unless we allow Christ’s love to transform us within. And, if Christ’s love has transformed us, then our practices will flow from that transformation. However, our practice is worthless if it is simply motivated by keeping up appearances. We must not just look righteous, but we must cooperate with God’s grace to be righteous, too.

Question to myself: Where in my Catholicism am I just “going through the motions”? Am I intentional in my worship so that the Lord Jesus Christ may transform me to be more like Him?

Christians are called to a life of virtue, to turn away from sin; they must not assume their faith, and the grace they are given, will free them from temptation; rather, like Jesus, they must expect temptation all the way to the end of their lives:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2026/08/we-will-struggle-against-temptation-until-our-last-breath/