I have struggled deeply with scrupulosity over the course of my life, desperately afraid that my sin had cut me off from Christ. I often felt (and feel) as though my repentance is insufficient and lacks the contrite spirit that the Lord desires. I often wonder if my confessions are adequate or if I hold back in order to protect my reputation from the shame of being exposed as a sinful man.
Thoughts, like these, can plague the mind, driving a man to his knees in agony. It it in moments like this that we must turn our gaze, always and only, towards Christ Jesus our Lord. We will always be ashamed looking to ourselves. The only confidence we can have before our all knowing God, is by being in his Son, and by looking to him. As we look towards Christ, Christ looks back at us. He claims us, he indwells us, and he conforms us to his image, that we might look EXACTLY like him.
We will always miss this when we look to ourselves. For how can we look at ourselves and at Christ at the same time?
Now of course, examination is important. We are to recognize and confess our sins, being broken and praying for brokenness over them. But we are never to look to ourselves for our source of sufficiency before God. That thinking leads to scrupulosity. Examination’s purpose should always be to expose that which must be healed by our Great Physician, not to see how we measure up before the Lord.
So, brothers and sisters, may we run to the throne of grace with confidence, standing in the likeness of Christ himself, while at the same time always having on our lips “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
This is the first video reflection for the Great Fast.
Welcome to the Mere Catholicity Locals Community! Here, you will find like-minded Christians with a desire to live ecumenically and pursue Christ in all things.
The Mere Catholicity movement runs only through listener support. The work that I (Jonah) do requires time and money. Without the financial support of my Locals community, I would not be able to continue making content. Simple as that. It is only thanks to this group that I can continue providing you with content that (hopefully) both edifies and challenges!
The good news for you is that joining the community itself is completely FREE! Once you sign up, you will be able to see most posts, live streams, and even content posted by other users. However, you will only be able to observe. You will not be able to comment, post, or see any exclusive content. This might be a good way to see if you want to support later down the line. So please join! Even if you cannot afford to give at this time!
Now, for those who do wish to give ...
Friends - as I consider the various platforms that I operate, I find Substack to the most conducive to the model of online ministry that I am aiming for. Though I still plan to post here, as many of you still support me through this platform, Substack is where I will be focusing the majority of my time. If some of you wish to move your subscription from here to Substack, you are welcome to do that. Those who continue to support here, I will continue to post here — mostly the stuff that is behind the paywall on Substack so that you are getting the exclusive content regardless of where you are subscribed.
Hope you all are doing well. Lord bless you.
- Rev. Jonah
I've been gone again for a time preparing for my ordination. I was ordained a Deacon in the Holy Catholic Church on March 8th, 2025.
It was a joy beyond words. I am now back in full swing with ministry, media, and work.
I hope you all have been doing well. More to come soon.
Good morning everyone. I wanted to quickly update you on the Mere Catholicity Podcast. I’ve been posting videos on my channel, but it has been quite sometime since my channel has had a podcast episode release.
With my new job as a classical teacher, scheduling interviews has been a challenge. However, my plan is to use my summer breaks as time to double down on planning and recording new podcasts. The idea will be to record a ton of interviews that will then slowly release throughout the school year, expiring around the time the following summer arrives. This will ultimately result in a consistent once a month interview.
All that to say, the podcast will resume here in May or June of 2025 with some excellent interviews lined up!
Blessings on your Sunday!
