1/21 🧵
On this day—August 4th, 1944—the Secret Annex was raided. Anne Frank and seven others were arrested by the Gestapo. Their two years in hiding ended with the heavy sound of boots on the stairs. It was the beginning of the end. 2/21
They had hidden for 25 months. Otto and Edith Frank, their daughters Margot and Anne. Hermann, Auguste, and Peter van Pels. And Fritz Pfeffer. All betrayed. All taken. The annex was silent once more.

1/26 🧵
I don’t know who this is for.
Maybe just one person.
But I’ve been praying, and I feel this thread is for someone who’s carrying sadness—quietly, deeply, and alone.

Please read slowly. This is a message of hope.
You are not alone. 2/26
I’m speaking especially to young adults:
High schoolers. College students. Those in trades or the military. Or figuring life out in other ways.

But this thread is for everyone.

Because sadness doesn’t ask your age. It just arrives.

1/18 🧵
A Protestant woman recently wrote: “Mary is not the Queen of Heaven or the greatest of all creation… even Jesus said John the Baptist was the greatest to be born of a woman.”

Let’s take that seriously—and walk through it as the historic Church has done for 2,000 years.

https://twitter.com/farmingandjesus/status/1951702255759200468

2/18
First, we don’t call Mary “Queen of Heaven” to elevate her above Christ. We call her queen because He is King.

In the ancient Davidic kingdom, the queen wasn’t the king’s wife—it was his mother. (1 Kings 2:19)

So it is in the Kingdom of God.

1/15 🧵
Someone recently said:
“No one who objectively reads the Bible becomes Roman Catholic.”
Let’s pause here. Not to dunk on them. Not to argue. But to walk through what this reveals about how many people misunderstand Christianity itself.

https://twitter.com/truth_matters20/status/1950279989263552987

2/15
The Church doesn’t begin with a book.
The Church begins with a Person.
A Person who walked, and healed, and taught, and died, and rose again.
The New Testament was not placed in the Apostles’ hands—it was written down by them and those they taught.

1/14 🧵
Today, we walk with Saint Ignatius of Loyola—a man whose life began in the world’s glory, but ended in God’s. His journey takes us from castles and cannon fire to hospitals and holy poverty. Come with me. Let’s meet the soldier who became a saint. 2/14
Ignatius was born in 1491 in the Basque region of Spain, into nobility. He was the youngest of thirteen. His early life was marked by pride, ambition, and a hunger for war and romance. His heroes were knights—not saints.

1/12 🧵
Tonight’s first reading is from Exodus 34:29–35.
We meet Moses coming down from Mount Sinai… and something has changed. His face is radiant. He doesn’t even know it. But those who see him know. And they’re afraid. Let’s walk through this moment together, slowly, and ask what it means for us. 2/12
This is the second time Moses comes down the mountain. The first time, he found Israel in sin—with the golden calf. The covenant was shattered. But now he returns with new tablets, restored by mercy. And this time, something of God’s glory has remained with him.

1/14 🧵
Today I want to answer a question that comes up often: If God is not gendered, why do we call God “he”? And how does the Incarnation of Jesus Christ—a male human being—fit into that? Let’s walk through this slowly and carefully, together.

https://twitter.com/thevikingdood/status/1949649102603427883

2/14
The historic Christian faith—East and West—teaches that God is pure spirit (John 4:24). God is not gendered. The divine essence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is one: eternal, invisible, unchangeable. Gender is a creaturely reality.

1/16 🧵
A Roman Catholic woman shared a beautiful photo of what is likely an Eastern Catholic church and simply said: “I’m home.”

A Protestant man replied: “In the land of Pagan Idolatry.”

Let’s talk about icons, and why the historic Church honors them.

https://twitter.com/breesolstad/status/1950365378166624593

2/16
First: what you’re seeing in the image are icons—sacred images used for prayer and worship, especially in the Eastern churches.

They are not idols. And calling them “pagan” betrays a deep misunderstanding of Christian history, Scripture, and theology.

1/14 🧵
You’ve probably heard it. A deacon, priest, or pastor says: “Someday, the line ‘lead us not into temptation’ will be changed—it’s a bad translation.” And for many people, that line does sound confusing. Why would God ever lead us into temptation?

Let’s talk about it.

https://twitter.com/veiledinprayer/status/1949852148721758263

2/14
First, the line in question comes from the Our Father—the prayer Jesus taught us.
In Greek, the original is:
καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν
Which translates directly as:
“And lead us not into temptation.”
So the English is accurate.

1/12 🧵
Something deeply troubling is happening in some Catholic and Orthodox spaces online. A way of talking about women and girls is spreading—cold, dismissive, and spiritual poison. They’re called “e-girls.” And the men who support them are called “simps.” It’s not benign. 2/12
These words aren’t just insults. They’re categories. A way of labeling women as suspect, dangerous, manipulative, and less. And it spreads fast—because it sounds clever, edgy, and holy all at once. But it’s not. It’s not clever. It’s not holy. It’s not of God.

1/19 🧵
A Mormon woman just said aloud what LDS doctrine has taught for over a century:
Mormons believe in a goddess.

This is not hearsay or anti-Mormonism. It’s their theology.
And if you care about truth, you need to hear the rest.

https://twitter.com/jasminrappleye/status/1949453467346727064

2/19
In her words:

“One of the most exciting… things about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints… is their belief in a mother goddess.”

This is not fringe. This is mainstream. It is called Heavenly Mother, and it’s official LDS doctrine.

1/11 🧵
After my recent thread on a dropped Eucharist, many people offered perspectives—some theological, some practical, some deeply felt. Let’s walk through this carefully and pastorally, because these moments are real, and they deserve clarity, not chaos. 2/11
There are different norms across jurisdictions—Roman Catholic, Byzantine, Orthodox, and even among traditionalist groups. But one thing must always be true: when something unexpected happens during Mass, we must remain calm.

1/15 🧵
Today we remember one of the sons of thunder.
A fisherman.
A hothead.
A disciple.
And the first apostle to give his life for Christ.

Let’s walk with Saint James, the son of Zebedee—beloved friend of Jesus, and witness to glory. 2/15
He was working the nets with his brother John when Christ walked by.
He didn’t debate. He didn’t stall.
He left the boat.
And just like that, James began the journey that would take him to the Mount of Transfiguration—and eventually, to a martyr’s death.

1/24 🧵
The doctrine of the “Great Apostasy” is essential to Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other Restorationist movements. Without it, there’s no reason for those churches to exist. But where did this idea come from—and does it hold up to the witness of history and Scripture? 2/24
Restorationism claims that after the apostles died, the true Church fell into corruption, error, or extinction. All authority vanished. The faith was lost. Only centuries later—through Joseph Smith, Charles Taze Russell, or others—did God “restore” it again.

1/15 🧵
A Protestant woman posted this:
“All the verses that say Mary as Queen of Heaven?”
She showed an open Bible—blank pages.

I’d like to respond with care. Not to argue, but to invite us to see something deeper. Something the historic Church has always known.

https://twitter.com/farmingandjesus/status/1948085210345820492

2/15
When the Church calls Mary the Queen of Heaven, we don’t start by looking at her.
We start by looking at her Son.
Because Jesus is not a king in the abstract.
He is a king in a line of kings.
A real kingdom.
A real throne.
A real inheritance.

1/16 🧵
She stood at the tomb while others fled.
She stayed near Jesus when others denied Him.
And when He rose from the dead, He chose her—not Peter, not John, not His own mother—to be the first to witness and proclaim the Resurrection.

Today is the Feast of St Mary Magdalene. 2/16
The Scriptures tell us she was healed by Jesus—“from whom seven demons had gone out” (Luke 8:2).
Whether those were demons of the soul, of trauma, or both, the Church has never forgotten: she was once bound—and Jesus set her free.

That’s where her story begins.

1/14 🧵
Tonight’s first reading takes us deep into the desert—into one of the holiest moments in salvation history. A bush burns. A shepherd stands barefoot. And the living God speaks.
This is the story of Moses at the burning bush. (Exodus 3:13–20) 2/14
We’ve already seen Moses encounter the fire that does not consume. We’ve heard God call his name. But now Moses asks what many of us have asked:
“Who are You, Lord?”
“What name shall I give them?” (Ex 3:13)

1/14 🧵
Are Mormons Christians?

It’s a fair question. They speak of Jesus. They read a book called the “Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” They even call their church “The Church of Jesus Christ.”

But we have to be honest. The answer is no.

https://twitter.com/longhornjoker/status/1945659521457684713

2/14
This is not about being unkind. It’s about clarity.

Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) uses many Christian words—but with completely different meanings. Words like “God,” “Jesus,” and even “baptism” don’t mean what they mean in historic Christianity.

1/20 🧵
A Protestant said to me: “Purgatory doesn’t exist. Hebrews 9:27 says we die once, then comes judgment.” Maybe you’ve heard that too. So tonight, let’s walk slowly through this. Not to argue—but to understand what the Church has always meant by purgatory.

https://twitter.com/truth_matters20/status/1944119646938181892

2/20
Let’s start with this: the word “purgatory” bothers a lot of people. Maybe you’re one of them. It sounds like something invented—like a loophole, or a medieval threat. But purgatory is not a second chance. It’s not a place of torment. And it’s not against the Bible.

1/16 🧵
There’s been a lot of talk lately about Christians and tattoos. Some quote Scripture. Some cite exorcists. Some just give opinions. But what does the historic Christian Church actually teach? Let’s walk through this calmly, together. 2/16
First: there is no canon law or universal Catholic teaching that absolutely forbids tattoos.
The Catechism says nothing about them.
Eastern and Western tradition both have varied opinions—but nothing definitive, nothing doctrinal.

1/15 🧵
AI is not evil. I’m not here to start a panic. But as a priest—concerned for souls—I want to say something very plainly: we are entering dangerous territory with how AI is being used in spiritual and theological conversations. 2/15
I’m not talking about factory automation or self-driving cars. I’m talking about Christians—especially on this platform—turning to AI to resolve theological debates, generate spiritual content, and even correct each other’s beliefs.