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Michael Blissenbach's avatar

I encourage everyone to pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis and pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the Cardinal Electors to choose a good, just, and holy shepherd to succeed Pope Francis.

Don’t get caught up in the palace intrigue around the upcoming conclave, and focus instead on prayer.

A.M. Hickman's avatar

I will never, ever, ever get tired of living 700 feet from this waterfall.

I think it takes me exactly three minutes to walk here from my front porch. How the hell did I get so lucky?

D.A Sigley's avatar

I along with my wife, and seven others were confirmed into full communion with the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil on Saturday evening. It was a beautiful service full of celebration and joy. We all felt truly loved and welcomed.

It sounds cliche but I really feel like I have come home.

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Brendan Hodge's avatar
The cardinal electors, by the numbers
Chris Ryan's avatar

Substack is in danger of collapsing under its own weight. There are just too many worthy accounts here now to expect readers to cough up $5 for every writer they want to read. There needs to be some kind of subscription/revenue sharing mechanism so subscribers aren’t constantly asked for money for every damned article they’d like to read. Sell tokens. Punchcards. Come on, SS, INNOVATE ALREADY.

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Julie Fratantoni, PhD's avatar

Sneaky things that impact your brain without you realizing it:

  • Your content diet

  • Your 5 closest friends

  • Your environment

I’m a cognitive neuroscientist and I write about ways to keep your brain healthy. If you’re into neuroscience and wellness - let’s be friends!

Simple Man's avatar

“Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.

Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.”

— C.S. Lewis

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Danielle Coon's avatar

New prattling, feat. this guy

On the Importance of Virgins, Pt. 2
Matt Fradd's avatar

I want to share an image with you—an image that I think sheds light on how the pleasures the world offers pale in comparison to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. I was about eighteen, out on the town with friends in Adelaide. We’d spent the whole night partying—too much to drink, too much noise, chasing the kind of thrill we all assumed would make us happy. As dawn approached, we wandered through the quiet streets of the city, still laughing, still buzzing from the night.

That’s when I noticed it. …

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Will Sommer's avatar
MAGA Media Is Torn Over Hegseth’s Screwups 🍿
Ben Baran's avatar

Periodically during the past few months, I’ve been posting something a bit different from my normal topics: A set of 10 reflections on the book The Armed Forces Officer by Richard Swain and Albert Pierce. Part 5 of those 10 is this piece on “Leadership as a Call to Service.”

Leadership as a Call to Service

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Jim Acosta's avatar

I can almost hear the “tick tick tick” at the end of this piece. Dan Rather on what just happened at “60 Minutes.”

Meet the Hero of “60 Minutes”
Lloyd Alter's avatar

I just got back from teaching my class and every word of it this is true, this is no exaggeration. He is writing from an American university but it is exactly the same in Canada.

The average college student today

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Renée Darline Roden's avatar

So honored to be included in this list and to learn that I have influenced another person to defect from *m*z*n

Jennifer Fitz's avatar

A personal prayer request, and then my top three positive moments of Pope Francis’s pontificate, and how they each in their different wayswitnessed to the Gospel.

Three Things I've Loved About Pope Francis

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Adam Klasfeld's avatar
Law students organize to give Trump-caving firms a recruitment problem
Ryan Burge's avatar

Remember a couple months ago when talked about the concept of ordo amoris? He's a convert to the Church.

Are they more active and more conservative than cradle Catholics?

Data says that converts do attend Mass with more regularity than cradles.

You made it, you own it

You always own your intellectual property, mailing list, and subscriber payments. With full editorial control and no gatekeepers, you can do the work you most believe in.

TMH's avatar

Roald Dahl on Writing

Matt Fradd's avatar

C’mon!

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Ben Baran's avatar

It’s been a few years since I wrote this. But recently I’ve come across more than a few folks here on Substack who have lost a child, so I thought I’d put it out there again. I’ve developed many additional thoughts on the topic since writing this, but the ideas in the original post still seem relevant.

I wrote about resilience before my son died. Here’s what I got wrong.
Andrew Sullivan's avatar

The queers’ abolition of homosexuality is not just in public schools, but also, of course, in the woke-captured Wikipedia. The queers always win.

The Quiet Erasure of Same-Sex Attraction

You made it, you own it

You always own your intellectual property, mailing list, and subscriber payments. With full editorial control and no gatekeepers, you can do the work you most believe in.

Matthew Sewell's avatar
[The Popecast] Memories of Pope Francis with @exnunontherun
Carmelite Quotes's avatar

“No whining” is some of the best advice we could ever receive.

‘No whining’ - Papal door sign attracts attention during apartment sealing

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Michael Blissenbach's avatar

Congrats to my dear friend

, whose excellent reflection on Pope Francis for Word on Fire made today’s edition of ’s Starting Seven! 🥳

Starting Seven: April 24, 2025
Renée Darline Roden's avatar

Catholic Workers remember the Pope whose job definitely fell under the works of mercy

Catholic Workers Remember Pope Francis

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Deacon Tom's avatar

It's not a devotion that appeals to me, but the hostility towards it is baffling.

No, the Divine Mercy Devotion Is Not Heretical

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Jon Haidt's avatar
All the Conversations That Kids Are Missing

You made it, you own it

You always own your intellectual property, mailing list, and subscriber payments. With full editorial control and no gatekeepers, you can do the work you most believe in.

Ben Baran's avatar

Since 2013, this is what I think about when I hear “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC. It was a frequent soundtrack while driving through Kabul during my year there advising the Afghan National Police. In addition to seeing these streets in my mind when I hear the song, I can’t help but also see one of our Canadian teammates headbanging along (sorry that’s not in the video; you’ll just have to trust me.)

Wes Kao's avatar
Question behind the question
Josh at Business Leader Daily's avatar

Next level advice! - Always consider the "question behind the question”.

I have found that taking a quick pause before answering gives me a chance to gather my thoughts and decide what approach to take.

Earlier in my career, my instinct was to answer as fast as possible to show I was on top of it. Taking a moment to consider the question behind the question was something I had to learn and practice. Not an easy skill but important to learn.

Great post!

Definitely know that feeling. Early on, you feel urged to answer as soon as possible.

Or worse, think you need to have the answer to each question.

I've slowly shifted towards telling people "I don't know but I can find out" if they ask questions I don't know the answer to.

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Nov 29, 2023
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1:56 PM
Josh at Business Leader Daily's avatar

That's another good one. Much better to come back with the right answer then to put something out there that is incorrect.

Related notes

Adam Grant's avatar

Seeking advice doesn’t reveal incompetence. It reflects respect for another person’s insight.

Soliciting feedback doesn’t signal insecurity. It demonstrates that you care more about your learning than your ego.

Asking for help doesn’t display weakness. It builds strength.

Julie Fratantoni, PhD's avatar

Sneaky things that impact your brain without you realizing it:

  • Your content diet

  • Your 5 closest friends

  • Your environment

I’m a cognitive neuroscientist and I write about ways to keep your brain healthy. If you’re into neuroscience and wellness - let’s be friends!

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Rafa Páez's avatar

The problem with modern work isn’t laziness.

It’s interruption. It's fragmentation.

Endless meetings.

Pings.

Context switches.

Micro-demands on your attention.

Some people aren't underperforming because they don’t care.

They're underperforming because they never get the chance to go deep.