Tag Archives: faith

by | July 29, 2025 · 5:20 am

Bits & Bytes

DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Please grant us the graces we need to trust that You always answer our prayers in the best way possible. It’s easy for us to rejoice when You say yes right away; we need Your help to rejoice when Your answer is not yet or not ever. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

BIBLE STUDY: This passage is offensive to modern ears. CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lWgOTPLdoOo to hear a preacher resolve the issue, by explaining its historical context.

BORDER: On June 26, 2025, the House voted 246 to 160 to pass a measure to mandate the deportation of undocumented immigrants convicted of or admitting to drunk driving and to prohibit their reentry into the United States. Only 37 Democrats voted yes; the 160 who voted no said the measure lacked evidence linking immigration status to drunk driving and did not address broader immigration issues. The bill still requires Senate approval and President Trump’s signature to become law.

S&G: An mtf trannie who slathered himself with estrogen cream may have seriously harmed his toddler daughter by having daily, skin-to-skin contact with her. When he realized she was entering puberty … at age THREE … he switched to an estrogen patch. Nobody knows what long-term damage the kid may have suffered, because her daddy thinks he is her mommy.

TRUMP: On July 26, 2025, President Trump posted the following to Truth Social – “I’m looking at the large amount of money owed by the Democrats, after the Presidential Election, and the fact that they admit to paying, probably illegally, Eleven Million Dollars to singer Beyoncé for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!), Three Million Dollars for “expenses,” to Oprah, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars to very low rated TV “anchor,” Al Sharpton (a total lightweight!), and others to be named for doing, absolutely NOTHING! These ridiculous fees were incorrectly stated in the books and records. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO. Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them. All hell would break out! Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

GRAMMY NOTES: Our theory is that the pyramid is actually a 3D shape, like a three legged stool. One leg is the husband, one is the wife, and the third is the marriage. The needs and wants of each must be kept in balance with God sitting on the stool. Most of the time, my Dearest and I have been able to concede or compromise, but on a few occasions, we just couldn’t. For these times, we chose a neutral third party we trusted to hear our two sides and cast a vote on behalf of the marriage. We agreed ahead of time to graciously accept the outcome. It saved us a world of trouble. Our 46th anniversary is in less than 3 months.

SHORTS:

CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ioebpSReFM0 for a giggle.

CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DRyez-rldVc for more giggles.

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by | June 12, 2025 · 9:54 am

Bits & Bytes

DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, You didn’t need to come to us at all, but You chose to out of Your great love to not only come to us, but to do it through the best of us. In Jesus’ Name, we thank You. Amen.

CATHOLIC: [10:09] – Pope Leo has asked us to pray more often in Latin, a language that is basic to our Catholic heritage.

DOMESTIC TERRORISM: “We’ll burn it all down.” [5:19] – When people tell you who they are, believe them.

FLORIDA: “If you’re driving on one of those streets and a mob comes and surrounds your vehicle and threatens you, you have a right to flee for your safety. And so if you drive off and you hit one of these people, that’s their fault for impinging on you. You don’t have to sit there and just be a sitting duck and let the mob grab you out of your car and drag you through the streets. You have a right to defend yourself in Florida.” ~Gov. DeSantis

GENESIUS TIMES: LOS ANGELES—In a dazzling display of logic-defying activism, anti-ICE protesters turned the streets of Los Angeles into a blazing paradox yesterday, firebombing the very country they’re desperate to call home—apparently to avoid the heartbreak of returning to the homelands they adore. Armed with Molotov cocktails and a questionable grasp of strategy, the demonstrators torched government buildings while chanting, “Don’t deport us back to paradise!”

NEW JERSEY: [2:00] – A federal grand jury has indicted Rep. LaMonica McIver on 3 counts for forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers at a Newark, NJ, ICE facility.

SUMMER OF LOVE 2.0: Add Phoenix and Denver to that list. Andy Ngo says, “The Party for Socialism and Liberation, a communist group that the recent DC Jewish museum gunman suspect belonged to, has organized a direct action against the U.S. government. They’re demanding the end of immigration enforcement.” There are many clips of violence in the various cities at the Not the Bee link below.

TEXAS: [2:09] – Operation Soteria Shield, a month-long, multi-agency effort targeting online sexual exploitation or minors, rescued 109 children and arrested 244 offenders.

GRAMMY NOTES: Mama Buzz adds a page to her journal every day. I love how she combined fragile things with this verse. Also, Dearest’s procedure went perfectly. His heart rhythm is normal and he’s driving himself home as we speak. ❤ Thank you for your prayers!

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by | April 14, 2025 · 3:20 am

This Holy Week

“This Holy Week, Melania and I join in prayer with Christians celebrating the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ — the living Son of God who conquered death, freed us from sin, and unlocked the gates of Heaven for all of humanity.

“Beginning with Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and culminating in the Paschal Triduum, which begins on Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, followed by Good Friday, and reaching its pinnacle in the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night. This week is a time of reflection for Christians to memorialize Jesus’ crucifixion—and to prepare their hearts, minds, and souls for His miraculous Resurrection from the dead.

“During this sacred week, we acknowledge that the glory of Easter Sunday cannot come without the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross. In His final hours on Earth, Christ willingly endured excruciating pain, torture, and execution on the cross out of a deep and abiding love for all His creation. Through His suffering, we have redemption. Through His death, we are forgiven of our sins. Through His Resurrection, we have hope of eternal life. On Easter morning, the stone is rolled away, the tomb is empty, and light prevails over darkness — signaling that death does not have the final word.

“This Holy Week, my Administration renews its promise to defend the Christian faith in our schools, military, workplaces, hospitals, and halls of government. We will never waver in safeguarding the right to religious liberty, upholding the dignity of life, and protecting God in our public square.

“As we focus on Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, we look to His love, humility, and obedience — even in life’s most difficult and uncertain moments. This week, we pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our beloved Nation. We pray that America will remain a beacon of faith, hope, and freedom for the entire world, and we pray to achieve a future that reflects the truth, beauty, and goodness of Christ’s eternal kingdom in Heaven.”

“May God bless you and your family during this special time of year and may He continue to bless the United States of America.”

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by | January 23, 2025 · 12:01 pm

Bits & Bytes

DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Today we lift up all of those who brave the elements on our behalf. We ask You to bless them and their loved ones abundantly. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

BEAUTIFUL: Bob shared “A Little Bird” by Sean Dietrich with me. It touched my heart and soul.

BORDER: This week, President Trump ordered 1,500 more U.S. troops to the southern border. Meanwhile, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove reminded all department employees that the U.S. Constitution requires state and local actors to comply with federal immigration enforcement.

The law carries a prison term of up to five years for each count of resisting, obstructing, or otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands from the executive branch. Furthermore, federal law bars individuals from bringing illegal immigrants into the United States, or harboring them in the country. These violators can receive up to 20 years in prison and may even face the death penalty if a violation results in the death of any person. (Who let Laken Riley’s killer in?)

Meanwhile, Mexico is building shelters in anticipation of all the illegals Trump is expected to deport.

CALIFIRES: Just as the blazes are coming under control, a new one has broken out about 45 miles northwest of the city of Los Angeles.

CAN YOU READ CURSIVE? The National Archives is looking for “Citizen Archivists” to help reach and transcribe some of the more than 300 million digitized objects in its catalog. Those records range from Revolutionary War pension records to the field notes of Charles Mason of the Mason-Dixon Line to immigration documents from the 1890s to Japanese evacuation records to the 1950 Census. All that is required is to CLICK https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/get-started-transcribing to sign up.

CATHOLIC: A bill proposed by Montana Democrats would jail Catholic priests for upholding the confessional seal, to which they are bound by –

Canon Law 1386 – “A confessor [priest] who directly violates the sacramental seal incurs a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; he who does so only indirectly is to be punished according to the gravity of the offence.”;

Canon Law 983 – “The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore it is absolutely forbidden for a confessor to betray in any way a penitent in words or in any manner and for any reason.” and

Canon Law 984 – “A confessor is prohibited completely from using knowledge acquired from confession to the detriment of the penitent even when any danger of revelation is excluded.”

When questioned about the bill, its chief supporter said she used to be Catholic. Oh. The same is true of any priest who violates the sanctity of the Sacrament of Reconciliation; he would become someone who used to be Catholic.

COVID-19: Rand Paul tweeted, “If there was ever any doubt who bears responsibility for the COVID pandemic, Biden’s pardon of Fauci seals the deal. As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I will not rest until the entire truth of the coverup is exposed. Fauci’s pardon will only serve as an accelerant to pierce the veil of deception.”

According to the site linked below, “The legal authority for preemptive pardons in the United States is rooted in the Constitution and clarified through key judicial precedents.” Biden’s pardon may keep Fauci out of jail, but it won’t save his reputation.

DEI: President Donald Trump has signed an executive order cutting off federal funding to any learning institution that mandates DEI or that hire contractors that engage in such practices.

He has also signed an executive order suspending all DEI activities immediately. By the close of business yesterday, they must have notified all staff they are on leave, closed every office, taken down any public-facing trace of those offices, withdraw any related guidance or directives they have pending and cancel all DEIA trainings.  

FCC: [20:30] – Sen. Kennedy is always worth listening to. This one is especially important.

LIFE: Insanity suggests a mental illness that makes someone incapable of making moral judgments. This isn’t insane. It’s EVIL.

NATIONAL CATHEDRAL: The “Service of Prayer for the Nation” is held in this Episcopal church. The membership of this denomination now represents a tiny sliver of (mostly old; modal age = 69) Americans. There are actually six times as many Jews in the U.S. than there are Episcopalians. Maybe they should switch the service to the Nation BASILICA, which is Roman Catholic.

SERVICE OF PRAYER FOR THE NATION: The photo shows their faces as the leftist female “bishop” lectured them at a prayer service for “unity.” Afterwards, the new president issued this statement –

“The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater. She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. She failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our country and killed people. Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!”

VPOTUS: CLICK https://www.facebook.com/reel/1321904552323328 to hear Senator J.D. talk about inclusive language. The guy’s answer … “I’d have to give that one some more thought” … is so typical of Woke Lefties. The man had a scheduled appearance before the U.S. Senate. He should have had all his thinking done beforehand. But every time you ask them to justify or even to stand up for their idiotic positions, they dodge and weave. Another common one that Kamala used all the time was, “We need to dialogue about that.”

GRAMMY NOTES: I am doing retroactive prayers today for old hurts caused by rude people. Their nastiness always felt so personal, but none of it was about me.

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by | December 21, 2024 · 9:22 am

Bits & Bytes

DAILY PRAYER: Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

CATHOLIC: In AD 325 Emperor Constantine convened the very first ecumenical council, the Council of Nicaea. More than 300 bishops came from all over the Christian world to debate one of the early church’s most intense theological questions.

Arius of Alexandria had been teaching subordinationism, the idea that Jesus, the Son of God, was not equal to God the Father, but rather had been created by God before He created time.

The bishops at Nicaea declared this to be heresy, that Jesus is consubstantial (of the same substance) with the Father. A later council would declare the Holy Spirit to be consubstantial with the Father and the Son, thus formally defining the orthodox doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

Bishop Nicholas of Myra, whose person became the foundation for Saint Nick/Santa Claus, was at the Council of Nicaea, where he is said to have been a staunch opponent of Arianism. There is an old legend that he felt so strongly about the matter that, during the council’s deliberations, he actually slapped Arius. However, this story is from more than 1,000 years after Nicholas died. It makes for some funny Catholic nerd memes, but I find it difficult to believe it ever happened.

CONGRESS: Trump &c successfully blocked a bloated, 1500-page Continuing Resolution and got it replaced with a more streamlined 116-page bill that was passed in the wee hours of this morning, December 21, 2024.

CLICK https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1869494238016352651 [2:26] to hear Fox News report on how much Elon Musk had to do with killing the pork.

CLICK https://x.com/stillgray/status/1869934898749825281 [1:40] to hear a loony leftie make an impassioned speech about how turrible it was that their porky bill got flushed.

DEM LIE: Dems are furious at the failure of their attempt to fund woke projects and are casting Republicans’ as the bad guys for, get this, refusing to fund cancer research funding for children.

A stand-alone bill called H.R. 3391 – 118th Congress “Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0” was passed on March 5, 2024, by the Republican-controlled House. This bill was received by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions [HELP] on March 8, 2024, where it languished, without action, for nine months. HELP, which is chaired by Bernie Sanders, has 20 other members who are evenly between Democrat and Republican.

Yesterday, this Dem-led, Dem-majority committee finally got their thumbs out to send the bill to fund kids’ cancer research to the Senate, where it passed without amendment by a voice vote on the same day, December 20, 2024 … right after the porky 1500 page CR failed.

Whatcha wanna bet the Dems sat on this bill specifically so they could include it in some porky package like the 1,500-page CR. Then, on the off chance their pork didn’t make it through, they could do what they’re doing, which is whine about how eeeeevil Republicans (wiping tears) don’t care about kids after they’re born!

POLLINATOR NEWS: [1:57] – Five years ago, the northern giant hornet was first spotted in Washington state near the Canadian border. This invasive breed is known for its ability to slaughter a honey bee hive in a matter of hours. These vicious bugs have 6mm long stingers and can spit venom. (Brr.) GOOD NEWS!! On Wednesday, we learned they have been eradicated in the U.S.

“I’ve gotta tell you, as an entomologist — I’ve been doing this for over 25 years now, and it is a rare day when the humans actually get to win one against the insects,” Sven Spichiger, pest program manager of the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

SHORTS:

CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ug8xrWv5dEQ for another R*CKST*R.

CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DM12uxSc924 for a fabulous Ariel.

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by | December 18, 2024 · 9:55 am

Bits & Bytes

DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Cleanse me from the sin of envy and forgive me for failing to celebrate the successes and blessings of others. Transform my mind and heart that I may rejoice in the achievements of my peers and find joy in my own unique path. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

BORDER: Remember when Dems screamed that we couldn’t afford to spend $5 billion to build a wall on the southern border?

CAROL OF THE BELLS: Wow! This kid is 14. [2:56]

CHRISTIAN HISTORY: The silver scroll in the photo above was found in 2018 in the grave of a man who died between 230 and 270 AD. It was positioned under the man’s chin and experts think he once wore it on a cord around his neck. Because the wafer-thin silver foil is too brittle to unroll, researchers used computer tomography to see what was inscribed on it. The results surprised historians, who were unaware that Christianity had spread so far north at such an early date. Although amulets like this were usually written in Greek or Hebrew, this one was in Latin.

It says: “(In the name?) of Saint Titus. Holy, holy, holy! In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of God! The Lord of the world resists with [strengths?] all attacks(?)/setbacks(?). The God(?) grants entry to well-being. May this means of salvation(?) protect the man who surrenders himself to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, since before Jesus Christ every knee bows: those in heaven, those on earth and those under the earth, and every tongue confesses (Jesus Christ).”

DOGE: The Department of Education spent over $1 billion promoting DEI in America’s schools – $489,883,797 for race-based hiring, $343,337,286 for DEI programming, and $169,301,221 for DEI mental health initiatives.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a $850,000 federal grant to “Centerstone’s LGBTQI+ Family Support Program” to provide training for military families to “affirm the gender identity” of their children.

The Federal government spends 80% of its annual $100 billion IT budget on maintaining outdated systems. Not only are older systems more expensive to maintain, but they are also more vulnerable to hackers.

MADISON: In the wake of yet another school shooting, FAUXTUS tweeted a call for more gun control. Comments on his tweet included –

  1. “It is against the law to bring a gun into a school, it’s against the law for a teenager to have a gun and it’s against the law to shoot/kill people. So what magic law would make the difference that all the other laws didn’t?”
  2. “Man who accidentally left 300,000 guns for Taliban gives lecture on gun control”
  3. “Congress should defund Zelensky and fund armed school security.” REPLY: “An armed guard could be assigned to every public school in the USA in exchange for the 85,000 armed IRS agents Biden hired.”
  4. “Gun grabbers were silent after rich kid murdered healthcare CEO.”
  5. “I refuse to enter into a conversation about gun control with people who believe men can give birth.”

If you’re interested in the Madison shooting, CLICK https://notthebee.com/article/heres-all-we-know-about-the-madison-christian-school-shooter. I decided my soul can’t deal with any more after I read a little about her messed up parents and this bit of her manifesto: “Every single male must be wiped out, from babies to the elderly. Only then can women be free to create a new world. ill be a pioneer, ill be the first to take the first step. i dont care if theyr fathers, brothers, husbands, sons, teachers, police, and especially n*ggers or politicians. ive been craving to kill them all. This is my mission. only when their parasitic sludge has been expunged from this earth is when Then the world will be clean and women can start over. It’s the only way. in aproximately 10 mintue si should be dead, its strange but it feels good.”

TRANS: CLICK https://www.facebook.com/reel/1730435947499567 to hear Chloe Cole liken so-called “gender affirmation health care” to pushing anorexic teens to get liposuction.

SHORTS:

CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pIRXMhHoYQU for a new R*CKST*R.

CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Bpy16GjIV7g for another from Ariel Fitz.

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by | December 6, 2024 · 9:15 am

Bits & Bytes

DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Bless us today with all the graces we need to make room for you in our busy holiday plans. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

ART THERAPY: Four randomized, controlled studies have shown that drawing, including coloring in a coloring book, lowers heart rate and decreases anxiety, making it an active form of meditation. One of my art teachers recommends the following to enhance the effect:

  1. Set the Stage: Create a relaxing environment by listening to music you love, lighting a candle, and keeping your favorite beverage close by. Take a moment to notice the sounds, tastes, smells, and physical sensations you experience as you settle in.
  2. Practice Deep Breathing: Before you begin, take 3-5 deep breaths to center yourself. This simple practice can help clear your mind and prepare you for focused creativity.
  3. Minimize Distractions: Silence your phone, close the door, turn off the TV, and let your family or coworkers know you’ll be unavailable for the next 15 minutes. This dedicated time for mindful art will allow you to fully engage in the creative process and also to give you a reset before you move on to the next part of your day. 

COMMUNITY: CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OOI5Ymx3TiE to see a really special person go above and beyond. We are blessed to have someone like this is our area as well. The night before last, I heard a dog barking and squealing behind our house. There’s nothing but a field, trees, a steep downgrade into a swamp behind our house and it was cold. I got really concerned that someone’s dog had run off and gotten trapped or tangled in the dense brush, so I called the SPCA animal welfare officer. He said nobody had reported a missing dog and explained that the noises I described are typical for coyotes. We have coyotes in our area? Yup. I did not know this! Good thing we never let our little 10 pound Daisey out on her own! Anyway, despite the fact that he was about 99% sure it was not a dog, this fine man came out anyway, spent a good bit of time tramping around in the back with a flash light, whistling and calling, before phoning me back and telling me he was confident there was no dog freezing to death. I thanked him profusely for his kindness and commitment to his job and he just said, “Hey, better safe than sorry.”

DEBUNKING: [6:30] – This is the best compilation of “Trump is not a racist” I’ve ever seen.

LIFE: One day, while Dr. Catherine Wheeler was performing an abortion, she says, “God stopped me in the middle of the abortion. At the time, I didn’t understand it. I started the abortion and almost immediately felt this complete presence of evil. It was a darkness—physically dark to me and evil dark. I realized nobody else was aware. I remember sitting there thinking, ‘This has to do with the abortion.’ suddenly had the complete awareness of what I had blocked off—this was a baby. I was about to kill a human being.”

Despite this profound realization, Dr. Wheeler had to finish the procedure to protect the woman’s health. But in her heart, she made a vow. “I didn’t tell anybody about it. I thought, ‘Nobody is going to understand this, but I know it’s evil, and I won’t do it again.’”

This moment became a turning point in Dr. Wheeler’s life and career, marking the start of her journey away from abortion to becoming a mouthpiece for the sanctity of life.

NOTRE DAME: ::sigh:: We have lots of modern churches. Why couldn’t they HONOR the historical reality of this magnificent building by recreating period vestments and furnishings?!

GRAMMY NOTES: Our church participates in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program. Dearest picks the kids and I do the shopping. It was so fun this year to pick out pink and purple sneakers and art supplies for two little girls. The tag shopping always brings back good memories of the Christmas after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. At the time, Dearest was a young architect who had recently started his own practice. Within two weeks of the invasion, the bottom fell out of the building industry as investors canceled projects, including the one that would have fed and clothed us for at least six months.

We have never forgotten the joy of the Angel tree gifts and food baskets. One of the ladies from our church stood near Santa and wrote down what our 3 elementary aged girls asked for, then bought those things for them! The Kitchen Cupboard helped fill out the food stamps and WIC freebies, plus I could get free bread at the Salvation Army once a week when the delivery guy would drop off all the past date breads he picked up at the grocery stores. I still get weepy thinking about all the blessings we experienced that year. I also learned that food stamps won’t pay for TP, laundry detergent, or feminine hygiene protection. I have made a point of donating that stuff to the Kitchen Cupboard ever since.

SHORTS:

CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8EK7l3pkIYs to see another traffic court heart warmer.

CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OcBeYWXwG-8 to see a brief interview with Judge Caprio.

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by | November 25, 2024 · 2:18 pm

The Vatican’s Anime Mascot

The pope has approved this anime-style mascot for the 2025 Year of Jubilee, hoping it will appeal to young people. The official word is that she is a little pilgrim named Luce. Pronounced loo chay, it means light in Italian and light from the east in Latin.

Luce is a pilgrim. From her muddy boots to her walking staff to her raincoat, she is dressed for life’s journey to Christ. The raincoat is yellow, the color of the Vatican’s flag.

Luce’s hair and eyes are blue, the color traditionally assigned to hope and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The gleam shining in her eyes is in the shape of the scallop shell, a symbol that has long been associated with Catholic pilgrimage, in particular the famous Camino Way in Spain.

Luce wears a World Mission rosary, which was created by Fulton Sheen. Wearing a rosary as a necklace is common in some places and frowned on in others, but it seems to be a practical choice for a pilgrim on the road.

The Jubilee 2025 logo is embroidered on the raincoat’s front in green, the liturgical color for the Ordinary seasons of the year, the time when we focus on growing in Christ. The Jubilee 2025 site says of the logo, “The anchor is well known as a symbol of hope. In maritime jargon the ‘anchor of hope’ refers to the reserve anchor used by vessels involved in emergency manoeuvres to stabilise the ship during storms. It is worth noting that the image illustrates the pilgrim’s journey not as an individual undertaking, but rather as something communal, marked by an increasing dynamism leading one ever closer to the cross. The cross in the logo is by no means static, but it is also dynamic. It bends down towards humanity, not leaving human beings alone, but stretching out to them to offer the certainty of its presence and the security of hope. At the bottom of the logo is the motto of the 2025 Jubilee Year.“

N.b., The colors on the official logo are not a nod to the “pride” flag, but rather denote the regions of the world as used on the World Mission rosary.

Aleteia reports, “Within days of her reveal, Luce became a prime source of inspiration for Catholic and anime artists alike, who created many beautiful tributes to Luce on art sites and social media.”

Personally, I like this variation better than the official one. Until I did the research for this article, I did not know about the pilgrim’s scallop shell, so found the shape of the sparkle in the official version’s eyes off putting. This one has Bethlehem stars!

The other reason I haven’t warmed up to the official Luce is that her forked “pilgrim staff” is much more commonly known as a stang, a forked staff used in various forms of occult rituals as a tool of power and respect. Various sites say it represents the World Tree, connecting the heavens and the earth and standing tall as a reminder of the witch’s place between worlds. It may be placed in the center of an altar or carried as a symbol of authority. It may be used to call on deities during rituals. One witch said she uses it to ground herself when she travels the celestial planes.

However, I did find one article that delved into a different source for the forked staff. It was published in 2018 after Pope Francis carried a stang staff with a nail through the forked branches. An article at Patheos says, “It was a gift to Pope Francis by a group of young people, who asked him to use it during the synod.”

Catholic bishops and popes each have a special staff known as a crosier, or shepherd’s crook. They carry during rituals to symbolize their roles as shepherds of God’s flock. Bishops’ crosiers can vary tremendously, but they generally have a crook at the top.

By contrast, the papal staff (known as a ferula, which is Latin for rod) has cross or crucifix on top. There is no set standard; the photo shows Pope Francis with two different ones.

I wasn’t the only one bothered by the pope’s synodal ferula’s resemblance to a witch‘s stang. However, a deacon did some research and found that, though rare, there are examples of forked crosses in our church’s history. The author says, “The three arms of the cross are meant to remind us of the Holy Trinity and the attributes of God: omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence.”

Another author writes, “This cross also resembles the Greek letter Upsilon which capitalized looks just like the English letter ‘Y’. The Greek Upsilon is often called Pythagoras’ letter as it is said he used it as a symbol to demonstrate human life where the two horns of the letter represent the two paths of vice and virtue. We all travel down a road in life, but it is not always the easy road and we come to a split into the road where we must choose where we will take our life. Will it be down the road of virtue or the one to ruin?” This explanation goes a long way toward making me more comfortable with Luce’s staff.

Some critics have also objected to the name Luce, suggesting it is short for Lucifer. Like luce, the Italian word for light, Lucifer, the name of the first and greatest angel God created, comes from the Latin for light. But Jesus called Himself “the light of the world.” Lucifer’s light only exists to the extent that God created it; plus, he only uses it for himself. Jesus’ light is not only self-existent, but also used to guide pilgrim’s to God. I guess I can get on board the Luce lovers’ pilgrim trail.

Sources:

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