AfterMass

Purgatory gets treated two ways: either as an overcomplicated invention or as something Scripture never actually supports. Both are wrong. Drawing on a video Fr. Mike Schmitz made years ago on Ascension Presents, I break down what purgatory actually is: three simple claims, real scriptural backing (1 Corinthians 3, 2 Maccabees 12) and why it's less about punishment and more about mercy finishing what it started. If you've ever wondered what happens to someone you love after they die.. or wondered what to actually do about it.. this one's for you.

🔗 Fr. Mike Schmitz's original video: https://youtu.be/GnwDDsN6ZfM?si=-219ylpnNcGfekFk

#Purgatory #CatholicFaith #FrMikeSchmitz

What if the inconveniences, exhaustion, and suffering you experience every day could actually become prayer?

I first heard this practice from Catholic author and speaker Megan Hjelmstad at the Defending the Faith Conference at Franciscan University. Megan is the author of Offer It Up: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Redemptive Suffering, and her approach completely changed the way I think about the ordinary hard moments of my week.

In this video, I’m sharing the simple weekly practice I’ve started using to intentionally offer those moments for the people in my life.

Learn more about Megan and her work:
https://meganhjelmstad.com/

#Catholic #RedemptiveSuffering #CatholicPrayer #CatholicFaith

St. Francis fasted 40 days every year and it left wounds that never healed. Padre Pio kept the same devotion for the same reason.

It's called St. Michael's Lent. It starts this Saturday, August 15th and almost no Catholic outside Franciscan circles has heard of it.

In this episode I cover the apparitions at Monte Gargano that started it all. The pope who added a prayer to every Mass after a vision that shook him. And why both saints saw St. Michael as a direct ally in spiritual battle.

What you'll learn:

The real story behind St. Francis's stigmata

Why Padre Pio kept the same devotion to St. Michael

The origin of the St. Michael Prayer

How to observe St. Michael's Lent starting August 15th

#CatholicTikTok #SaintMichael #StFrancis #PadrePio #CatholicFaith #SpiritualWarfare #AfterMass

Saint Ignatius of Loyola once considered walking off a cliff because he couldn't stop confessing sins he wasn't even sure he'd committed. That's scrupulosity and it's more common than most Catholics realize.In this video: what scrupulosity actually is, how it's different from a normal working conscience, where religious OCD fits into the picture, what saints like Ignatius and Alphonsus Liguori actually did about it, and what real, practical help looks like.. spiritually and clinically.If any part of this sounds like your own experience, please don't sit with it alone. Talk to a confessor who understands scrupulosity specifically, and consider talking to a therapist too. Getting help isn sometimes the most direct way back to get back to your spiritual.#Catholic #Scrupulosity #ReligiousOCD #CatholicGuilt #Confession #CatholicMentalHealth

Can your guardian angel read your mind? See your dreams? Know your future? Can you name your guardian angel, and what happens to your angel when you die?

Catholic teaching on guardian angels is a lot more specific than most people realize. In this video, we're going through 13 questions about guardian angels, from what St. Thomas Aquinas taught about their knowledge and abilities to what Scripture and Catholic tradition tell us about their role in our lives.

We’ll also talk about whether animals have guardian angels, whether twins share one, whether your angel can physically protect you, what St. Gemma Galgani and Padre Pio said about their guardian angels, and why the Church discourages Catholics from naming them.

Guardian angels aren't just a nice Catholic idea. Their entire mission is ordered toward helping us get to heaven, and understanding what they actually can and can't do makes that reality even more fascinating.

Are you sanguine, choleric, melancholic, or phlegmatic?The four temperaments have been used by Catholic spiritual writers for centuries as a way of understanding our natural strengths, weaknesses, and patterns in the spiritual life.

In this episode, we break down all four temperaments, where the framework came from and what each one can reveal about the particular virtues and vices you may need to pay attention to.We’ll cover the sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic temperaments, including their strengths, common spiritual struggles, dominant vices, corresponding virtues and how your temperament can affect prayer, relationships, discipline, leadership and your examination of conscience.

The four temperaments are not Catholic doctrine and they don't determine who you are or how holy you can become. Think of them as a tool for understanding the raw material you're working with and where your particular spiritual battles may be.

Which temperament do you think you are?

#Catholic #Catholicism #FourTemperaments #CatholicFaith #SpiritualLife #Sanguine #Choleric #Melancholic #Phlegmatic

Fr. Chad Ripperger recently sat down with Shawn Ryan and shared some fascinating Catholic theology about what awaits us after death. Will we interact with relatives who have died? Will we really see our entire family lineage? Did Jesus have a guardian angel? And what does God’s mercy actually look like from the perspective of eternity?In this video, I’m breaking down some of the most interesting parts of their conversation, including what Fr. Ripperger says about our ancestors, the intercession of those who have gone before us, St. Thomas Aquinas on guardian angels, and St. Augustine on why God’s mercy endures forever.

Why did Jesus reveal His glory on Mount Tabor just days before His crucifixion? The Transfiguration wasn't a random miracle. It prepared the apostles for the Cross, fulfilled the Old Testament and reveals what God ultimately desires for each of us. Today we're looking at what really happened on the mountain and why it still matters for your life today.

Have you ever wondered how your guardian angel communicates with you? In this video, we break down Fr. Chad Ripperger's explanation of how guardian angels interact with us, how to speak to your guardian angel, and how to recognize the difference between angelic promptings and spiritual deception. This may completely change the way you pray.

Most Catholics fast twice a year and wonder why the same sin is still sitting there untouched. Fasting isn't a diet or a once-a-year obligation, it's a weapon most of us have never picked up. In this video: the actual mechanics of why fasting works, how to start (even if you've never fasted before), and why Christ paired it with prayer for a reason.

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