the phorum...

[BarbTherese]

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

I agree with what some others posted, when i get overzealous on phatmass and make a phool of myself and not saying that is what you have done but obviously you think you have, i do what other posters have suggested and back off for a few days and have done so for months at a time when i have gotten way over zealous and unbridled my passion and let loose the goose and hung myself on a noose, and of course bridling our passion is a virtue and releasing it in small doses is advisable. Which still i have yet to fully understand how to do as such on phatmass, no one really talks to me in real life on matters of faith so i kind of let it all go here at once in a mcflurry of color without any real examination, which to my detriment whether i'm right or wrong can make me look like a proud squarking parrot, or an untrained puppy perhaps barking at absolutely anything, though overtime i am receiving some training here. lol. Or perhaps that is what phatmass is, a beautiful aviary with song birds singing away without to much concern about whose song is the sweetest, aviaries get real loud sometimes,

Oh also by the way MLF many saints where famed for many years to be lacking in the virtue of prudence, we are hungry to serve, sometimes starving, bridling our passion may be the last and hardest virtue to learn perhaps.

But thanks for stating your worry about your behavior, whether you have done wrong or not i forgive you anyway.

Saying to much can indeed be a bad thing but on the other side so can be saying to little, i hope overtime you find that sweet balance between the both as i hope for myself expectantly also with grace and time. Careful not to retreat so much to become isolated and easy prey for the enemy, we love you MLF, your our sister in Christ. And great humilty for saying sorry for possible offence. 

Edited August 4, 2015 by Tab'le De'Bah-Rye

[beatitude]

To add to what others have said, it's important to remember that it is OK not to know everything and it's OK to be mistaken about things. We're never going to find a perfect answer to every question that troubles us in this life, and part of holiness is learning to accept that in this world "we see in part and know in part", as St Paul tells us in the Bible. We're not cramming for a test where we have to score 100%. God is not waiting up there with a multiple-choice exam paper ("Makeup: wrong or right? Tattoos: good or bad?") that we have to pass before we can draw near. MLF, sometimes I get the impression that you would like a fixed yes-no answer for every little thing in life, but our faith can't provide us with that. I don't think it's worth getting trapped in these worries. Just try to love God in the way you feel called, and believe the best of others - believe that they are doing the same, even if their life doesn't reflect yours.

Edited August 4, 2015 by beatitude

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

yeah being the best you can be in faith, hope and love to the best of your knowledge and understanding as to what is truth. And we are all at different levels, and MLF i really respect all your posts, everyone's posts. I particularly love your ability to stick to your guns MLF without getting angry, we express ourselves in words and emotions can be felt in everything we type and angry you are not, timid perhaps you are but definitely lovingly kind.  

[Lilllabettt]

I see what you mean about sounding condescending... I'm sorry about that. I'll try not to do that. Sometimes I think "if this is the truth, maybe if we ask Jesus He will show. And if not He would show otherwise".

 

 

Sometimes people pray and they feel led to a different decision than yours.

Sometimes Saint's private revelation contradicts each other, even if its approved.

That's because God stoops to use a human language to speak to a creature. There are no words we can understand that are capable of encapsulating  and communicating the whole of Truth, not even the words in the Bible.

God has to use baby talk with us. Thus, some things will be lost, some things will not be completely understood.

Do you blame a baby for not understanding when you speak? No ... You try to get your point across the best you can, but if Baby doesn't understand they are not to blame.

God does not blame us when we do our best to figure out what He wants and we come to the wrong conclusion. Anything we need to know for sure for salvation is given to us by the Magisterium. That's the Baby who understands God's grown-up language best. 

All this other stuff we have to figure out on our own, and God does not get upset at us as we practice trying to understand him. As a good Father he knows that's how we learn.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Lilllabettt

[Ash Wednesday]

I think that attitude is very unfortunate.  I've been posting on PhatMass and visiting since year one.   Lots of people have come and gone.   Just because you've been there and have done that does not mean some one else shouldn't or can't experience it for the first time.  

I've read and learned from Catholics and non-Catholics (when I was Catholic too!).   The nice thing about the internet is you get to converse with people you may not ever talk to in analog life.  From Tab, Dairy, and Budge, to Cam, Fr Greg, and Bro Adam.   

Sometimes it is upsetting when people don't hear what you think you're saying or say what you think shouldn't be heard.  Breaks are nice, we're all free to come and go. It has to be pretty egregious for anyone to be asked to go or asked to shut up.  

I never said people can't still have those debates, quite frankly people really shouldn't be fussed about what I think. It was mostly just an attempt at humor given how much drama we are prone to around here, in hopes that people wouldn't sweat debates too much -- of course there's a little honesty in there, but apparently it's poor form for me to speak my mind. So on that note I think it's time for me to take a break of my own. Y'all will manage.

[AccountDeleted]

I never said people can't still have those debates, quite frankly people really shouldn't be fussed about what I think. It was mostly just an attempt at humor given how much drama we are prone to around here -- of course there's a little honesty in there, but apparently it's poor form for me to speak my mind. So on that note I think it's time for me to take a break of my own. Y'all will manage.

I propped your post, but not because I want you to take a break - I don't! I want you to stay and help us deal with all the drama and chaos!  

[Ash Wednesday]

I won't be that long, I just have no fuse lately and need time off in the cooler (not just this place) but you can PM me if things get really bad.

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

I won't be that long, I just have no fuse lately and need time off in the cooler (not just this place) but you can PM me if things get really bad.

Hang in there, Ash. I'll pray for you. Lately there have been so many judgemental posts that I've had to carefully pick and choose what to read. Bluntly, many posts have been a very poor witness for the Roman Catholic Church and I have to keep reminding myself that individual opinions, often by very young people, do not always represent the Church very well, and I shouldn't base my opinions about the Church from those posts. But, it's tough, since for me, Phatmass is virtually all the contact I have with the Catholic Church.  

[MarysLittleFlower]

 

Sometimes people pray and they feel led to a different decision than yours.

Sometimes Saint's private revelation contradicts each other, even if its approved.

That's because God stoops to use a human language to speak to a creature. There are no words we can understand that are capable of encapsulating  and communicating the whole of Truth, not even the words in the Bible.

God has to use baby talk with us. Thus, some things will be lost, some things will not be completely understood.

Do you blame a baby for not understanding when you speak? No ... You try to get your point across the best you can, but if Baby doesn't understand they are not to blame.

God does not blame us when we do our best to figure out what He wants and we come to the wrong conclusion. Anything we need to know for sure for salvation is given to us by the Magisterium. That's the Baby who understands God's grown-up language best. 

All this other stuff we have to figure out on our own, and God does not get upset at us as we practice trying to understand him. As a good Father he knows that's how we learn.

Sure  

Hang in there, Ash. I'll pray for you. Lately there have been so many judgemental posts that I've had to carefully pick and choose what to read. Bluntly, many posts have been a very poor witness for the Roman Catholic Church and I have to keep reminding myself that individual opinions, often by very young people, do not always represent the Church very well, and I shouldn't base my opinions about the Church from those posts. But, it's tough, since for me, Phatmass is virtually all the contact I have with the Catholic Church.  

im sorry if mine have sounded judgemental... Sometimes I don't express my beliefs properly. I'm not a great witness to the faith actually and its best if people don't pay much attention to me I can think of some here who are great examples and are also orthodox and charitable together  

[AccountDeleted]

Hang in there, Ash. I'll pray for you. Lately there have been so many judgemental posts that I've had to carefully pick and choose what to read. Bluntly, many posts have been a very poor witness for the Roman Catholic Church and I have to keep reminding myself that individual opinions, often by very young people, do not always represent the Church very well, and I shouldn't base my opinions about the Church from those posts. But, it's tough, since for me, Phatmass is virtually all the contact I have with the Catholic Church.  

Ah but Iggy, you and I have been around so long that we know a break is sometimes the only way to deal with it when things around here get a bit crazy. But we always come back, don't we??  

And Ahs, if you are reading this, don't give up completely. I know about moderator of VS who actually quit being a Mediator of Meh because of the hostility. Funny thing to happen in a forum designed to be about religious life!  

And you know, like at Lent, when things sometimes get a bit crazy here, I think there are just seasons when people feel more sensitive or something, and take offence at things that no one really meant as an offence. That's the time for  

[Anomaly]

I never said people can't still have those debates, quite frankly people really shouldn't be fussed about what I think. It was mostly just an attempt at humor given how much drama we are prone to around here, in hopes that people wouldn't sweat debates too much -- of course there's a little honesty in there, but apparently it's poor form for me to speak my mind. So on that note I think it's time for me to take a break of my own. Y'all will manage.

harrumph.   

Apparently its poor form for me to not have a positive comment when interpreting a wordless meme.

 I strongly support people being able voice their opinions on Phatmass. Its pointless to expect people will not get their knickers in a twist when it doesn't seem to go as planned.  This is Phatmass, where the score is not kept and almost anyone is allowed to play  

Apparently, I need to remind myself of the same and grin sheepishly about my initial harrumph.    Srsly, Why so serious?

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

harrumph.   

Apparently its poor form for me to not have a positive comment when interpreting a wordless meme.

 I strongly support people being able voice their opinions on Phatmass. Its pointless to expect people will not get their knickers in a twist when it doesn't seem to go as planned.  This is Phatmass, where the score is not kept and almost anyone is allowed to play  

Apparently, I need to remind myself of the same and grin sheepishly about my initial harrumph.    Srsly, Why so serious?

I understand where Ash is coming from. Sometimes the endless (often pointless) debate on Phatmass gets me down, too. What happened to humility as a virtue? And Ash has it worse, because she has to read the comments that are made privately when people are offended by posts and report them to the Mediators of Meh.

I expect people to "get their knickers in a twist" but it doesn't mean I have to enjoy it. Unlike Ash, I have the luxury of ignoring threads I'm not interested in or that have repeated the same points over and over. If Ash is reading reports people have made on posts they don't like, as a moderator, she has to wade into the mud to see what's going on to see if there is something she needs to do as moderator. I have the luxury of ignoring those threads.

I also have the luxury of taking a "sabbatical" from Phatmass, which I have done several times. As moderator, Ash can't take a total sabbatical unless she resigns as a Mediator of Meh, something that would make me very sad, because I respect how Ash handles difficult situations. Also, in her RL, Ash is dealing with both her own health issues, and raising a family. If Ash can't be on Phatmass constantly, and sometimes needs a "mental break," I, for one, both understand and support her. It's not as if Mediators of Meh are paid for their efforts. Ash needs to do what she has to to fulfill all her obligations, including those to herself.

I wish that some of the stuff that goes down on Phatmass didn't depress me at times, but it does. I agree that it's pointless to expect people not to argue, but I haven't been able to stop wishing that people could be more mature. So, yes, it gets me down sometimes that they can't. When that happens, I have to distance myself emotionally from Phatmass, or at least from certain threads. 

[Ash Wednesday]

Oh dear. I will have to step back in because my post has left some loose ends to tie here. Sorry about this. Let's not sweat the small stuff. Overall I'm fine, don't worry. I'm mostly just in dire need of a vacation (like, a real one where people stop working and stuff.) Iggy and nunsense, your kind words are very much appreciated, bless your hearts. 

Anomaly has a point (though I felt the downvote was a bit harsh in getting the point across) and I didn't want people to feel like they can't talk about tattooed Lifeteen gays dressing modestly in Medjugorje or whatever floats their boat, I was just trying to throw in some wry humor in hopes that people wouldn't worry about debates TOO much -- all I'm saying is that debates come and go, but Phatmass lives on. No drama.

Actually, at the moment I'm a happy bunny because the good Lord felt I needed a smile and my rosaries arrived in the mail early, and I love them. Sometimes it's just the little things........

 

[Credo in Deum]

Tell me when you go on vacation @Ash Wednesday, so then I know when to also go on vacation.