Sepha Pagdanganan

29/11/2023

I want to thank all you guys for the prayers!

It’s been a tough couple of weeks, but with the grace of God, I’ve gotten through them. What made this particular break up extremely hard was because my ex was not just someone I had loved romantically, but he was also my best friend. So it was extremely painful to have lost that so suddenly, and in so awful a fashion.

But the thing is, we don’t own people. Sometimes people stay. Sometimes they don’t. But at the end of the day, they were never ours- they are God’s. We own nothing- people and relationships all belong to Our Lord, all for His glory. God lends these people not for us not *purely* for our own sake- because in this sense it’s not love anymore as we are using people for selfish reasons, and love is never selfish- but for us to love. If there is one thing I regret from my relationship with my ex, it’s that I didn’t work hard enough to bring him closer to Christ; I had gotten so complacent that I didn’t pray for his soul as much as I should have. And although it’s entirely over, I continue to pray for his soul daily, because I did love him once, and I think that ought to account for something.

I was listening to Fr Chad Ripperger give a talk about signal graces, and to be honest, this whole experience was a signal grace. When the break up first happened, I’m not going to lie- I was mad at Our Lord. It’s embarrassing to say this, and it really shows how much I still have to grow in my spiritual life. I was mad because I had always wanted to get married, and I was certain my ex was the one, and it seemed like some kind of horrible cosmic joke to put a man into my life who I thought would fulfill my dream of a family, only to show later he wasn’t the man I had thought him to be. Can you believe how evil I was to be mad at so good a God? But Our Lord was so gentle to me, and patient, letting me realize that He allowed all this for the good of my soul. I began to see that I had put the desire for marriage even before my love of Christ. And so I’m working on that right now, working on making God really the center of my life. It’s only when you love Christ entirely that you can truly love others. So when finally the right one comes along, he will not only love me as Christ loves his Church, but I will also love him with a love centered on Christ.

And yes, I know I promised more comics my last post, but the past weeks were really tough on me, tougher than I had anticipated haha but I’m much better now, and this time, I will really come up with a comic this week hahaha

Please continuing praying for me, and God bless!

05/11/2023

Me: How do I become a better Catholic? How do I love Christ more? What should I aim for?
My friend:

27/10/2023

Yesterday, my bf and I broke up. It was out of the blue and shocking and I am devastated because I was sure he was the one St Joseph prepared for me. I am grieving right now, and it hurts so much.

I am glad St Joseph protected me. God brought out good from evil, and thanks to my relationship with him, my faith in God deepened and I can honestly say I became a better person (I was quite a jerk before to be honest, so I'm sorry to everyone I had previously hurt!). So St Joseph had a plan after all. Although wow is this plan NOT what I thought it would be. And while I am optimistic and excited for my future, I did love my ex truly and deeply, and I had given him my whole heart. The more you love, the more vulnerable you are to pain. But I believe when you fall in love, you should give it your all, no reservations, and while there's more risk when you do it this way, there's no point in falling in love otherwise, and I can look back with no regrets as to how I loved. And I know when the time is right, I will fall in love the same way all over again.

But for now, I need space. While my brain knows what happened is for the better, my heart still mourns. Please pray for my healing because I am hurt more than words can ever describe.

On the upside, I'll be making comics again haha

Thanks for sticking with this page despite it's inactivity, I love you guys, you guys rock!

23/07/2023

Forget matching shirts, get matching enrolling forms, scapulars, rosaries, matching patron saints, even join the same third order as your SO

04/06/2023

Protestants don't believe in purgatory because their worship service is their purgatory

14/05/2023

08/05/2023

I have friends, all the saints in heaven are my friends.

EDIT: The joke is that I need to make friends who haven't died yet. Yes, the saints are alive, but like, I can't believe I have to explain this joke lol

02/05/2023

If rappers have bling, I have Catholic medals.

19/04/2023

St Jerome is mood

17/04/2023

I haven't been posting comics online recently because I'd been super busy trying to spread devotion to the Holy Face of Our Lord. It's been really hard. I thought when I started promoting the devotion that I'd have an easy time doing it, but I was soon to find out that just because many Catholics are eager to rant online about infiltration in the Church, the degradation of society, etc, very few are actually willing to do something about it. For the longest time, I struggled getting people interested in the devotion, as this devotion is particularly about our times.

Last Sunday was our first official meeting of the Holy Face. As I made the announcement that the meeting would begin, it seemed like only my family would come, and I saw my family with only two other non-family members. It was better than nothing, and I was happy that at least we could start. As we started praying the rosary, more and more people joined us. My heart was filled with so much joy. I did not expect this amount of people, and this is why I know I had nothing to do with this, this was ENTIRELY God's work. Something drew them in, and it wasn't me, because I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to get people in.

After the meeting, a woman who had joined talked to me. She introduced herself and told me that she was devoted to the Holy Face, and that she prayed the Golden Arrow prayer every morning. "Every Catholic must do these prayers!" she said. She told me she had been praying to Our Lord, because she knew the prayers had to be done publicly, but she had no idea how to do it publicly. "This was an answer to my prayers" she told me. I told her it's been a bit of a struggle, and she told me that's how I know I'm doing the right thing.

I want to thank Hermandad de la Sagrada Eucaristía for being so supportive towards me and allowing me to spread this devotion after the Latin masses (check out their page if you are in The Philippines! They are amazing!). Thank you so much, I could not have had the meeting without your support! I want to thank everyone who came to the meeting. Thank you so much! I hope to one day not only establish the first League of St Martin chapter in our inang bayan (motherland, for the foreigners following me) but a Confraternity of the Holy Face associated with the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face in Tours

God bless you all,I should have a comic out by this week, and I should go back to my regular schedule in posting. Thank you for your patience and for continuing to follow my page despite my er, irregular posting. And please include not only me in your prayers, but that this devotion may spread. If you are interested in knowing more about the devotion and would like to spread it, we have prepared a pamphlet. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uIlsVwXGYAH_klhNjVQKahjQQq1SlmLs/view?usp=sharing You can download it as a pdf and then print as booklet and spread, if you wish to spread the devotion as well. Feel free to message me if you have anything more to ask about this devotion!

Sit nomen Domini benedictum!

20/03/2023

HAPPY SOLEMNITY TO MY PATRON SAINT, SAINT JOSEPH!!!

So while doing the Seven Sundays devotion to papa Jose, I made some origami lilies. For each Sunday that I did the devotion, I would stick one lily on the stem (you can't see all the lillies since some of them are at the back haha)

12/03/2023

My boyfriend one time had a long day at work, and he vid called me, tired. As soon as he saw me, his eyes lit up and he gazed at me. But I was worried for him as I knew he needed rest. I told him he should just rest; my darling had such a stressful day. He replied that yes, his day was stressful, but he was just happy to see my face. And the thing is, I feel the same way about him. I have a picture of him in my room that I can look at, and when I think of him, I think of his face, because to me, I love everything about his face, and would not change a thing about it. There is just something so powerful about the face. When we see the faces of the people we love, there is a human connection to it; it brings comfort and joy.

I guess this is one of the many reasons I am so devoted to the Holy Face, particularly to the Holy Face in the Veil of Veronica. The psalmist cries out "My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek." In the Old Testament, the Israelites longed to see the face of Our Lord, but it was not yet time. But God, in His infinite wisdom and perfect timing, revealed His face to us in the person of Jesus Christ, two millennia ago. And in our present day, Our Lord gives us a glimpse of his face, imprinted in the relic of the veil. There's something so profoundly human in this little gesture that I can never really get over just how much Our Lord loves us. The face means something to us humans; there is something sacred about it.

And if the mere picture of the face of my darling boyfriend brings me so much happiness, what more the picture of the face of Our Lord, who I love above all things? And if just a mere picture is to bring much joy, what more in eternity, when we see Our Lord face to face? "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face" And the picture that Our Lord leaves us of himself is the picture which shows how great His love for us, for in the veil do we see how He suffered and sacrificed for us- for love is not a feeling, it is a sacrifice. To contemplate His face in this way is to contemplate what it means to love, and to contemplate that ours is a God that loves us so dearly that He became one with us, sharing in our humanity, being both true God and true man, that we may now gaze upon His face.

There is actually so much to say about this, that I can't just condense this to one facebook post. There are many reasons to get into this devotion, and I would encourage every practicing Catholic to get this devotion.

11/03/2023

I'll have a comic up tomorrow, but can I just say that Germans have two moods. It's either, "Johann get me das pretzel" or "feeling cute today, gonna schism from the pope or something, idk uwu"

06/03/2023

Guys this is a joke, pls no one get offended, I love you all

05/03/2023

I'll have a comic up tomorrow, but in the meantime, here is a meme I made

01/03/2023

March is the Month of St Joseph, who is also my patron saint!

Thank you so much to Vacare Deo (I can't tag you for some reason) for this beautiful St Joseph medal that I wear everyday

21/02/2023

IT'S SHROVE TUESDAY, THE FEAST OF THE HOLY FACE!

I was super stoked and excited to distribute medals and Holy Face booklets to others.

21/02/2023

"Individual Germans are great, the problem is when you get a bunch of them together, then they form Germany"

-my bf Nicholas Kromann, 2023

20/02/2023

wow i do much suffering yes
----

In all seriousness, Lent is near! Time for repentance, and to strengthen ourselves spiritually through fasting and penance

16/02/2023

When I told my British friend that I'll take back all the jokes I made about the French since they were so nice to me and sent me this package, and his only reply was "I abstain" HAHAH
----
THE HOLY FACE DEVOTION
Okay, I don't know if some of you guys know this, but I am devoted to the Holy Face, and have enrolled in the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face! It was established by one of my favorite Popes, Pope Leo XIII, and it's members include St Therese of Lisieux, also known as St Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face! I will make more videos regarding this in the future (as well as about other devotions if you are interested) but I will really encourage you to get a devotion to the Holy Face!

To enroll, simply download the form from here (https://hisholyface.com/archconfraternity-of-the-holy.../) and send it to [email protected] and Tours will send you the manual, prayer book, scapular, and cross all for free! (also feel free to send in a donation, but it isn't required, they'll mail you the stuff even if you don't pay anything, I didn't pay anything and they mailed me stuff)

I can attest to how beautiful this devotion is, and how it honestly brings me closer to Christ. Contemplating his passion and his love for us through his face has truly deepened my spiritual life, and I cry out, "Domine, ostende Faciem tuam, et salvi erimu!" Lord, show us thy face and we shall be saved!

After you get enrolled you may want to start your own prayer group devoted to the Holy Face in real life! You may also want to contact the League of St Martin https://www.martinians.org/ If you are in The Philippines, message me through this page, maybe you can join my group irl when we do our prayers

If you are still iffy about it, feel free to message me through this page, I have a prayer discord of over 100 members internationally that pray different devotions (the rosary, St Michael devotional group, St Joseph devotions, etc), and the Holy Face devotion is one of them, and we will be glad to have you join us!

Sit Nomen Domini benediclum!

14/02/2023

Back in 2015, I wrote a note and placed it under my statue of St Joseph, asking him to intercede for me so that I may find a good Catholic husband.

Little did I know a few months after I'd written the aforementioned plea, a continent away, a young Lutheran would be wide awake at the dead of night, questions and doubts running through his head regarding his protestant faith. Such doubts would lead him on to intensive research and study, scrutinizing everything from proofs to the existence of God, and to examine different faiths, till he came to the conclusion that there was one true faith; the Catholic faith.

Then,in 2020, I met the former Lutheran, who was by that time a Catholic. We became friends, and then fell in love.

St Joseph answered my prayers. It took five years, because first, the love of my life wasn't Catholic yet, and second, I also wasnt ready. In those five years, I underwent heartbreaks that made me realize I needed God and I became stronger in my faith.

So by the time we finally met, we were both ready. I thank St Joseph so much, because I like to think he played a part in gently nudging Nick to convert. I mean, the coincedence that on the same year I'd written the note he began to have a nagging feeling within that he should start examining the faith he was brought up in!

God is so good! St Joseph and Mama Mary are both so good, they prayed for us and interceded for us. I wish I had trusted them more, because there was a time I felt like I needed to settle because I could never find a good Catholic man, but I realise now that God truly answers prayers, that Our Lady and St Joseph truly intercede for us.

Everything in God's perfect time.

Don't forget to pray to St Joseph

11/02/2023

HAPPY FEAST DAY TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES! I love her so much, she is so good to me! She is so gorgeous and kind, I love our dear mother so much, she listens to me and takes me under her protective mantle ❤️ I owe her so much! I can't even describe how much I love Our Lady, and yet I know I have to even love her more. And I don't fear loving her, because I can never love her as much as Our Lord!

I prayed a novena to her recently, before her feast, and I was astounded at how she listened to my prayers and interceded for me, and how she protected me and the people I love. She loves ALL of us so much! And even if I am an awful person, she still showers me with her care and affection. Please don't forget to pray to her, and as today, February 11 (I need to put the date because I am aware that my Western followers are on the wrong side of the pond lol jk haha) is her feast day, do try to go to mass or offer a short prayer to her! Whatever you are going through, she is there for you, and she takes Jesus with her, as she is the Ark of the New Covenant!

Here is a little statue I have of her, given to me by my grandma, along with some soil from Lourdes and Fatima, and a rose petal blessed by the Holy Family (ngl, I'm not sure where we got that, I found a stack of these in our house with a note that they'd been blessed by them, but it's still so lovely to have)

Sorry for rant, I just really can't express how much I love her!

09/02/2023

*Catholic store exists*
Me: ALRIGHT ALRIGHT TAKE MY MONEY

04/02/2023

It's Septuagesima Sunday, start of the Septuagesima season, so time to start thinking about what I'm gonna sacrifice for Lent 😭
New comic coming up later!

02/02/2023

HAPPY CANDLEMAS!

I am a bit embarrassed to admit this, but since I've always been super open with you guys to a fault,this is the first time I've actually celebrated Candlemas. *cue judgemental stares from everyone* Since becoming more serious about my faith, I started researching all the different feast days and events, and it kind of shocked me that I hadn't actually been celebrating this, seeing it's significance.

Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Purification of Our Lady, marks the end of the Christmas season. And because I get excited over little things, since it's the end of the Christmas season, the prayers in my Little Office are now 'from Candlemas to Advent', instead of 'from Christmas to Candlemas'. I love reciting the Little Office and I love the changes in the cycles, and if you can get a copy of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it's so lovely! Especially if you are devoted to the brown scapular!)

I got my beeswax candles blessed today, and joined the rather short procession, as we carried lit candles to our seats in the mass while praying. It's such a lovely tradition! Remembering how Our Lady, despite being pure and having no need of purification, submitted herself to the law due to her humility, and how the prophet Simeon rejoiced at seeing the promised Messiah, and how his words pierced Our Lady's heart, becoming the first of her Seven Sorrows, and how my patron saint, St Joseph, must have grieved not only to see the wife he loved so dearly in such a state, but at the thought of what was to come to his beloved Jesus.... there are so many things to ponder and reflect upon today. Even the significance of the candles, and the beeswax- everything we do in our tradition has meaning, to remind us turn our gaze and hearts towards heaven.

February is going to be exciting! The month is dedicated to the Holy Family, and there are so many exiting things to look forward to- for tomorrow, the blessing of the throat, then the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Feast of the Holy Face of Our Lord, Seven Sundays devotion to St Joseph (it's a personal devotion I do since I'm devoted to St Joseph, and I will talk about it more in detail in another post!), Ash Wednesday, fasting... okay, maybe not the fasting part lol. But you get the point.

Today is also the Feast of Our Lady of Good Success. I've been doing a novena to Our Lady of Good Success. Her statue is so beautiful! (To know more about this, check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDBYpnTP4dA )

Anyway, this post is already too long, and it's more of me gushing than anything really coherent. I can't wait not only to post more comics, but to share more stuff with you guys so we can grow together in faith

28/01/2023

Just because your concept of worship is a glorified Bible study and pop music with Jesus' name mentioned every now and then doesn't mean that's what worship is 🙃

I love Mama Mary so much, she has done nothing but bring me closer to Our Lord. But like, do certain people not know the sheer amount of devotions Catholics have towards Jesus? Like, I don't want to hear anyone ever say that we love Mama Mary too much, no one can love her as much as Jesus did, and Catholics are super obsessed with everything about Jesus. I couldn't even include all the devotions alone we have for Our Lord because they couldn't fit in this comic

21/01/2023

what even is sleep hahahaha

09/01/2023

Are you even Filipino if you don't have an army of statues just staring at you from all corners of the house?

02/01/2023

HAPPY NEW YEAR guys! (well belated) haha This year also marks the 150th birthday anniversary of St Therese of the Child Jesus and Holy Face!

31/12/2022

Online Catholic groups are amazing, and let's be real, for most of us traditional Catholics who are surrounded by liberal friends in real life, it's probably the only chance we get to be around people who share the same values as us. As much as I love my liberal friends, I do feel a bit like I don't quite belong, and going online has helped me feel like I'm not the only weirdo.

But here's the thing. Sometimes, the thrill of this new community can blind people to the entire point of a Catholic community in the first place, which is to uplift one another to become closer to Christ. And what I've noticed is that instead of actually helping each other spiritually, it differs only from secular groups in that the phrase "Deus Vault" gets thrown around, and that uncharitable left wingers are simply replaced by uncharitable right wingers. So this 2022, I've been doing some reflecting on the kind of Catholic I want to be.

In line with this reflecting, I took a sort of break from social media. Not that I wouldn't go online, but I severely reduced my time online (as, well, you can tell from my comic output this year hahaha). Instead, I spent 2022 improving my prayer life. I still suck at it, but it's a marked improvement. Slowly, I began to understand just how important prayer is. When I was a young lass of just a year ago (lol) I was hot headed and wanted action right away. And yes, we need to act, we are called to act. But without God, our actions are nothing. And so that we are not without God, we need to build a relationship with Him, and we need to pray. Pray, pray, and pray. Honestly, prayer has changed me, and I am changing still.

I also began to streamline the people I spend time with, people who I felt uplifted me. My family has been nothing but supportive in my spiritual journey, and I love them so much for it. My boyfriend also has been nothing but an inspiration to me. I could go on and on about his many virtues that challenge me to better myself, and how his kindness and gentleness towards me show me that Catholic masculinity is not dead, and that there are indeed men who strive to follow St Joseph's example, but this post is a wall of text already. And to every one of my friends-thank you so much.

Just today, as I was rereading St Therese' autobiography (if you haven't read it yet, read it, and if you've read it before, reread it, it's a good reminder of what we should strive to be) I began to realize what I wanted to be as a Catholic- I wanted to be one filled with passion, one consumed by love.

A lot of my outlook has changed, and I've changed so much, and am still changing. I want to thank you all for still sticking with this page despite my inactivity for practically the entire 2022. I really did need the break, and I hope that the person I am now reflects in my newer comics. And while I will not let up on my prayer life and do want to intensify it, I do expect to post more 2023 and keep to a schedule. I hope to create comics that relate to us as traditional Catholics and find mirth and humor in our stay in this valley of tears.

God bless you all, and I look forward to a wonderful 2023 with all of you!

Pax et bonum!

13/11/2022

Me: Oh no, I've lost something, I need help
St Anthony: * giving me that Charlie Puth vibes* I'm only one call away

I love St. Anthony

06/11/2022

I showed u my scapular, pls reply
-----
Are you enrolled in a scapular yet? And if so, what scapular! I'm currently enrolled in the Brown scapular, but own several others

04/10/2022

One of the saddest things about protestantism is that if Martin Luther were alive today, he would be branded as too "Catholic" by most protestants. He could not have ever anticipated what his movement would have done to Christianity. Even if you aren't a Catholic, 3000 plus Christian denominations all claiming to have the correct interpretation of the Bible is not something to be celebrated.

What strengthens me though, is that around the time Martin Luther began spreading his heresies, a Spanish Carmelite priest called St John of the Cross went out and spoke boldly against the abuses of the Church. Like Martin Luther, he wanted reform. Unlike Martin Luther, he did not abandon Christ's Church, the one against whom Jesus proclaimed "the gates of hell will never prevail"

For standing up for Our Faith, St John was imprisoned by his own Catholic order. He was practically starved, fed only three times a week on bread and water, and beaten with whips. He only was able to escape by managing to scale the walls. He was later even stripped off his office and forbidden any kind of activity in the order- all because he decried the abuses happening in the Church.

And yet he remained faithful.

Eventually, the actual reformation of our Church began, brought about by the prayers and faith of saints who were humble and loved God enough that they would never splinter His Church.

Now St John's work, "Noche Obscura del alma" (The Dark Night of The Soul) is beautiful not only in the spiritual sense, but as a literally piece, comparable with the greatest literally authors. If you are not a Catholic, I do advice you to read it even just to appreciate his prose.

St John of the cross is a wonderful reminder to us, as Catholics living in these troubling times to stand up for what is right, and at the same time, to be humble and to trust God, and in His words and to remain firm in faith, even when it seems that there is nothing but darkness.

08/09/2022

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA MARY

03/09/2022

Chad Asian mama

24/08/2022

Will post new comic this weekend.
I was going to post one today, but then the Catholic urge to go buy a statue of Mama Mary to terrify the local protestants was too strong for me to resist.

09/08/2022

Consider this my apology-*ish* for not updating this page in ages 😅. I've just had it soooo hard, it's totally not due to bad time management lol Anyway, thanks for still sticking with me, I'm looking forward to posting more regularly now. New comic up again on Sunday!