#christ driving the merchants from the temple

[mineirando]

"Christ Driving The Merchants From The Temple" (1650), by Jacob Jordaens.

[spesalvi]

Yes You are Your Brother's Keeper

Here's the thing, neutrality in social issues that matter in Christianity actually are almost always non negotiables and these are things that span back to the beginning of the Faith and really into the Old Testament.

For example, idolatry is actually condemned in Genesis with Abraham, whose father was a maker of idols who then rejects all of those false Gods for the one true God by making him an indissoluble covenant and the father of God's very own people. Later on we see this codified with Moses as he both receives the Ten Commandments but also drives the false idols away. We see then in the New Testament where Christ cleanses the Temple of the idols with money collectors and merchants who pollute it. Then, we see it throughout the rest of Salvation History both in a very literal sense with martyrs who refused to give offerings to the various pagan gods but also those who called for societal and economic reform in order for people's hearts to be better conformed to the Kingdom of God. At the same time, we also see a condemnation of witchcraft as well which is a form of idolatry by putting created things above God who is the end all be all of creation.

You also see this in the case of abortion and that you cannot really sit on the sidelines and giving tacit support to what is murder. We are called to preach the Gospel of Life at all times, we do not simply put it aside because it is inconvenient or somehow extraneous. In fact, we are exhorted from very beginning with The Fall as Adam and Eve blame each other for sinning but we see it with Cain murdering Abel but then also all of the Judges who were raised up to free the Israelites from their oppressors but then the Prophets who mainly called the rulers of Israel to repentance, carried on by John the Baptist preaching the Kingdom of God is at hand suffering at the hands of Herod in the end by witnessing to the Faith. In the Apostolic we know via the Didache that it explicitly condemns the abortion "you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is begotten." and it wasn't a thing in Christian society up until the 16th/17th century but not really endorsed in a strong sense til the 20th by some fairly flimsy moral arguments.

A Christian society values every single person in it, not just those who have certain qualities or fulfill certain requirements. The belief is that we were all created out of nothing ex nihlo and put on this earth for something well, spectacular in the end that no one else can achieve.

And if by chance you stumble on this post and you're pro choice and a Christian, I implore you to really pray over the passages of both Jeremiah 1:5 and Matthew 18:6.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Tuesday, December 12, 2023

november 29_december 12

According to archives St. Saturninus was, one of the most illustrious martyrs France has given to the Church. We possess only his Acts, which are very old, since they were utilized by St. Gregory of Tours. He was the first bishop of Toulouse, where he arrived during the consulate of Decius and Gratus (250). Whether there were already Christians in the town or his preaching made numerous conversions, he soon had a little church. To reach it he had to pass before the capitol where there was a temple, and according to the Acts, the pagan priests ascribed to his frequent passings the silence of their oracles. One day they seized him and on his unshakeable refusal to sacrifice to the idols they condemned him be tied by the feet to a bull which dragged him about the town until the rope broke. Two Christian women piously gathered up the remains and buried them in a deep ditch, that they might not be profaned by the pagans. His successors, Sts. Hilary and Exuperius, gave him more honourable burial. A church was erected where the bull stopped. It still exists, and is called the church of the Taur (the bull). The body of the saint was transferred at an early date and is still preserved in the Church of St. Sernin (or Saturninus), one of the most ancient and beautiful of Southern France. His feast was entered on the Hieronymian Martyrology for 29 November; his cult spread abroad. The account of his Acts was embellished with several details, and legends linked his name with the beginning of the churches of Eauze, Auch, Pamplona, and Amiens, but these are without historic foundations.

MARTYR PHILOUMENUS OF ANCYRA (274)

The Holy Martyr Philoumenus suffered for Christ in the year 274, during the persecution against Christians by the emperor Aurelian (270-275). Saint Philoumenus was a bread merchant in Ancyra. Envious persons reported to the governor Felix that Philoumenus was a Christian, and so he came before a judge.

Saint Philoumenus did not renounce Christ. For this they hammered nails into his hands, feet and head, and they forced him to walk. The holy martyr bravely endured the torments and he died from loss of blood, giving up his soul to God.

2 TIMOTHY 3:16-4:4

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

LUKE 19:45-48

45 Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, 46 saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " 47 And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, 48 and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him

[the1975attheirverybest]

God is a woman with badly dyed hair and no wrinkles because she refuses to smile, standing there with a check list like

"Hmmm so it says here you were a good friend, worked with charities nd volunteered, saved a life, created world peace.....but it does also say here you took my name on vain once? That'll be an eternity of damnation."

God in the way it is taught is a narcissist and that's because God as a concept man can understand is just another man. Its so weird to see how a concept like religion which is rooted in human community kindness and curiosity and the need to answers to the questions about the universe has been turned into some mess of power hungry cis men (let's be real here. Its mostly men) grabbing for control. The old principles of religion have been twisted into something vile and that no figure would appreciate.

One thing I always remind Christians of when they try to claim one true church, or that one religious way is better. Is this. Christ founded no church. Jesus stormed temples and flipped merchants tables, jesus chased away those praying on the vulnerable and asked for no payment in return to salvation regardless of those to recive him. Christ would detest the religious hegemony in any church because is not what the religion is. The best practice of Christianity is to love the world and yourself, the people in the world and others different from you. To be curious and to be kind. And to keep the fuck out of others business.

(I don't belive in god I can't. I don't have that privilege and I envy it with every fiber of my being, to be able to find such great comfort in something I cannot. But my personal lack of faith will never dictate the way I interact with anyone else. Regardless of the harm the Catholic Church caused me. But I do believe in humanity. In its curiosity and its kindness and the power that comes from that. And like Gods we create, music art, literature. And I think that's worth celebrating regardless of faith, there is power in that.)

Oh, 100% people get mad at me when I say that Jesus was a socialist LMAOOO. Or, or….even worse MIDDLE EASTERN!!! *GASP* the horror. Not to mention thr pacifism lol.

It does drive me nuts that religious people will condemn others when it’s THEM who don’t adhere to the basic tenants of religion. To be loving towards your neighbor, to help the needy, to stand up for someone who isn’t able to stand up for themselves. Like teach kids to recognize that different doesn’t mean “bad” or “evil” and if someone’s being hurt you should step in and help them. If you see something wrong happening, stop it. If someone needs something you’re able to offer, go offer it. NOT HORROR STORIES ABOUT HELL!

I think it’s Jim Jarmusch always says that he found god in literature not in a church. And that 100% a thing and one of your functions of art. It’s no wonder that extremism includes book banning and shit….oh man. Must be a boring impoverished life these people live.

[dfroza]

“The true temple was His body.”

And the Spirit is [here, & now] on earth building (preparing) A pure Church Body and Bride of the Lord Yeshua our Messiah (Jesus the Christ)

some have fallen “asleep” in death but there is coming (A secret elopement) for those alive who will be changed in a moment (being clothed with immortality) to meet the Lord in the air (alongside those who previously died in the True faith)

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 2nd chapter of the book of John:

Three days later, they all went to celebrate a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was invited together with Him and His disciples. While they were celebrating, the wine ran out; and Jesus’ mother hurried over to her son.

Mary: The host stands on the brink of embarrassment; there are many guests, and there is no more wine.

Jesus: Dear woman, is it our problem they miscalculated when buying wine and inviting guests? My time has not arrived.

But she turned to the servants.

Mary: Do whatever my son tells you.

In that area were six massive stone water pots that could each hold 20 to 30 gallons. They were typically used for Jewish purification rites. Jesus’ instructions were clear:

Jesus: Fill each water pot with water until it’s ready to spill over the top; then fill a cup, and deliver it to the headwaiter.

They did exactly as they were instructed. After tasting the water that had become wine, the headwaiter couldn’t figure out where such wine came from (even though the servants knew), and he called over the bridegroom in amazement.

Headwaiter: This wine is delectable. Why would you save the most exquisite fruit of the vine? A host would generally serve the good wine first and, when his inebriated guests don’t notice or care, he would serve the inferior wine. You have held back the best for last.

Jesus performed this miracle, the first of His signs, in Cana of Galilee. They did not know how this happened; but when the disciples and the servants witnessed this miracle, their faith blossomed.

Jesus then gathered His clan—His family members and disciples—for a journey to Capernaum where they lingered several days. The time was near to celebrate the Passover, the festival commemorating when God rescued His children from slavery in Egypt, so Jesus went to Jerusalem for the celebration. Upon arriving, He entered the temple to worship. But the porches and colonnades were filled with merchants selling sacrificial animals (such as doves, oxen, and sheep) and exchanging money. Jesus fashioned a whip of cords and used it with skill driving out animals; He scattered the money and overturned the tables, emptying profiteers from the house of God. There were dove merchants still standing around, and Jesus reprimanded them.

Jesus: What are you still doing here? Get all your stuff, and haul it out of here! Stop making My Father’s house a place for your own profit!

The disciples were astounded, but they remembered that the Hebrew Scriptures said, “Jealous devotion for God’s house consumes me.” Some of the Jews cried out to Him in unison.

Jews: Who gave You the right to shut us down? If it is God, then show us a sign.

Jesus: You want a sign? Here it is. Destroy this temple, and I will rebuild it in 3 days.

Jews: Three days? This temple took more than 46 years to complete. You think You can replicate that feat in 3 days?

The true temple was His body. His disciples remembered this bold prediction after He was resurrected. Because of this knowledge, their faith in the Hebrew Scriptures and in Jesus’ teachings grew.

During the Passover feast in Jerusalem, the crowds were watching Jesus closely; and many began to believe in Him because of the signs He was doing. But Jesus saw through to the heart of humankind, and He chose not to give them what they requested. He didn’t need anyone to prove to Him the character of humanity. He knew what man was made of.

The Book of John, Chapter 2 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

With a wedding as the setting of Jesus’ first sign, John shows how Jesus’ ministry isn’t limited to just “spiritual” things, but is His blessing for all of life.

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 4th chapter of the book of Isaiah:

On that day, seven women will beg the same man:

Women: Please, take away our shame. We will support ourselves—eat our own bread, make our own clothes—just let us be called by your name.

Then, oh then, a tiny shoot cultivated and nurtured by the Eternal will emerge new and green, promising beauty and glory. Everything that comes from the earth will offer itself, lovely and magnificent, to those who escaped Israel’s demise. Those who survived in precious Zion, all who remain in that special city, Jerusalem, will be called holy. They are destined to be alive, these remaining few, in Jerusalem. Then the Lord will wash away the filth that clung to the daughters of Zion and clean up the blood that stained Jerusalem’s streets with a spirit of justice and the breath of fire. And the Eternal will create wonders over the whole of Mount Zion and those who gather there—cloud and smoke to dim the day, bright shining fire to light the night, all billowing over Zion’s glory like a satin canopy. And it will be a resting place, protected from the heat of the day, a place of shelter and retreat amid storms and rain.

The Book (Scroll) of Isaiah, Chapter 4 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for friday, june 30 of 2023 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about hearing and doing:

The commandments of God are usually divided between the rational laws (i.e., mishpatim) and the divine decrees (i.e., chukkim), though this distinction is somewhat artificial, since all of the commandments of Torah (and that includes the Torah of the New Covenant) are grounded in the mystery of God’s will, which is to say that we are to obey them simply because they derive from the Divine Authority itself...

When the people gathered before Moses to receive the covenant at Mount Sinai, they said: “All the LORD has spoken we will do and we will hear” (na’aseh ve’nishmah: נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע). Note the order: first comes faith in God expressed in the decision to act (na’aseh), and then comes understanding (ve’nishmah). As Yeshua said, “If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will understand” (John 7:17). The heart of faith is willing to do what God asks before hearing (or understanding) what is required. Many people operate the other way round, sitting in judgment of God’s word, demanding to understand why they should obey.

You cannot understand apart from faith, however, and that is categorically true of all forms of knowledge, which is usually defined as “justified true belief.” We are to be “doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves” (James 1:22). The Greek verb used in this verse is emphatic: “Be doers!” (γίνεσθε) means “be born!” “Come alive!” “Do, live, and exist before God!” This is a call to creative action, to newness of life...

The Scriptures state that "if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like" (James 1:23-24). If we just hear the truth but do not act upon it, we are comically likened to someone who looks his face over in a mirror but then promptly forgets what he looks like after he steps away... Likewise those who only hear the word but do not “bring it to life” in their deeds forget who they are and why they were created (Eph. 2:10; Titus 2:14; Col. 1:10). When we look into the mirror of truth we see our need for teshuvah and turn to God for the healing miracle he provides (Heb. 4:12).

It’s not about doing but being, though being is revealed in doing... If your actions do not align with your values, then back up and recover who you really are in Messiah, understand what your new nature truly is. That is what it means to “take up the yoke” of Messiah, for his yoke is easy (kal) and burden is light, and the task is to repeatedly practice allowing Him to carry your pain, shame, and sin far, far away from your heart.

There is a deeper law, however, a “mirror” that reveals something beyond our passing image. When we look intently into the “perfect law of liberty” (תּוֹרַת הַחֵרוּת וּמַחֲזִיק) - the law of faith, hope, and love for our Savior - we find blessing in our deeds (James 1:25). Note that the verb translated “look into” the law of liberty is the same used when John stooped down to “look inside” the empty tomb of Yeshua (John 20:5). The deeper law reveals the resurrection power of God’s invincible love. The Torah of the New Covenant also has many mitzvot, though these are based on the love God gives to us in Yeshua: “This is my Torah: that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34).

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

========

Exodus 24:7 Hebrew reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/exod24-7b-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page pdf:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/exod24-7b-lesson.pdf

Related Podcast:

https://hebrew4christians.com/training/choosing-to-believe-podcast/

H4C page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Parashah/Summaries/Chukat/Believe_to_Understand/believe_to_understand.html

6.29.23 • Facebook

from yesterday’s email by Israel 365:

Shofar is grammatically related to the Hebrew word shipur, meaning “improvement,” for the sound of the shofar can awaken people and inspire them to improve their ways and realign their lives with the word of God.

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

June 30, 2023

Working Out Our Salvation

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)

We are not told here to work for our salvation, but to work it out—that is, to demonstrate its reality in our daily lives. Our salvation must be received entirely by grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9), or else it is not true salvation. Works can no more keep our salvation than they can earn it for us in the first place. It is not faith plus works, but grace through faith.

Nevertheless, a Christian believer, if his salvation has been real, can testify that “I will show thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Good works—consisting of a righteous and gracious lifestyle, considerate of others and obedient to Christ’s commands—are the visible evidences of salvation. We have been “created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

The context of our text, in fact, assures us, on the basis of Christ’s sacrificial death, glorious resurrection, and exaltation (Philippians 2:8-11), that “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (v. 13). God is thereby enabling us to “work out” our salvation in visible practice, through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God.

Thus, it is beautifully appropriate that the life of a genuinely born-again Christian, possessing true salvation, should be “blameless and harmless, the sons of God,...as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life” (vv. 15-16). We do need to “examine [ourselves], whether [we] be in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5), and we are admonished that “we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2:3). HMM

[searching-for-arcadia]

Taming of the Four Tempers, Severance | Alma Arise, Walter Rane | Temptation of Saint Anthony, Jacopo Tintoretto | Taming of the Four Tempers, Severance | War in Heaven, Peter Paul Rubens | The Fall of the Rebel Angels, Luca Giordano | St. Michael Expelling Lucifer and the Rebellious Angels, Peter Paul Rubens | Taming of the Four Tempers, Severance | Driving of the Merchants from the Temple, Ippolito Scarsella (Scarsellino) | Christ Driving the Merchants from the Temple, Valentin de Boulogne

[jacob-jordaens]

Christ Driving the Merchants from the Temple, 1650, Jacob Jordaens

Medium: oil,canvas

[tabernacleheart]

Imagine it’s the day after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He had briefly visited the temple the day before and then spent the night in a neighboring town, and now He’s walking back into the city. But on His way, something peculiar happens: He discovers a fig tree with leaves on it. If you lived in first-century Jerusalem, you would know that leaves wouldn’t be on this tree unless it had fruit. But this tree is fruitless! So Jesus immediately curses it. Then, He enters the Jerusalem temple and angrily drives out the merchants and money-exchangers. God intended for the temple to be a place where anyone could come and draw near to Him. But [those who worshipped greed] turned His house into a marketplace that took advantage of [those in need of what they were stewards of]. This wasn’t just a temple problem— it was a reflection of the spiritual state of the Jewish people [at the time]. Like the fig tree, they looked like they were flourishing, [following all the rules and regulations,] but their actions weren’t producing fruit that aligned with God’s heart. This angered Jesus because God was the One who established Israel. God was the One Who called them by name, blessed them, and promised them a Savior. And now, their Savior had arrived—and they didn’t even recognize Him. They had walked so far away from God, that they couldn’t see Him standing in their midst. Their spiritual state grieved Jesus because He knew how much God loved them. It was God’s love for them— and for us— that was leading Jesus to the cross.

Even though we have all turned away from God, He placed our wrongdoing on Jesus and made a way for anyone to come and worship Him, [free of charge, free of obligation]. Jesus gave up everything to show us how deeply God cares. But in response, He wants us to abide in Him. Not because we 'have to'— but because [we want to, out of love for Him Who loves us so much.] When we are deeply rooted in His love, we reflect His love to others, and by reflecting His love, we prove to the world that we are alive in Christ-- [no longer barren branches, but bounteous with the fruit of His Life-giving Presence in us]. So right now, ask Jesus to uproot anything in your life that might be causing you to drift away from Him. Then, seek His forgiveness, and ask Him to realign your heart with His, [so you may bear good fruit, and help bring His Life to all people].

YouVersion

[si-cooper-hewitt-design-museum]

Christ Driving the Merchants (or Money Changers) from the Temple, from The Little Passion Series, ca. 1509–1511, Smithsonian: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Size: 14 × 10.7 cm (5 1/2 × 4 3/16 in.) Medium: Woodcut on paper

https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/view/objects/asitem/id/104057

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

22nd November >> Mass Readings (USA)

Saint Cecilia, Virgin, Martyr 

on Friday, Thirty Three Week in Ordinary Time.

Friday, Thirty Three Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Red)

(Readings for the feria (Friday))

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Friday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59

They celebrated the dedication of the altar and joyfully offered burnt offerings.

Judas and his brothers said, “Now that our enemies have been crushed, let us go up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it.” So the whole army assembled, and went up to Mount Zion.

Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, that is, the month of Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight, they arose and offered sacrifice according to the law on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had made. On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled it, on that very day it was reconsecrated with songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals. All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven, who had given them success.

For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of deliverance and praise. They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields; they repaired the gates and the priests’ chambers and furnished them with doors. There was great joy among the people now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed. Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness on the anniversary every year for eight days, from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 1 Chronicles 29:10bcd, 11abc, 11d-12a, 12bcd

R/ We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.

“Blessed may you be, O Lord,

God of Israel our father,

from eternity to eternity.”

R/ We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.

“Yours, O Lord, are grandeur and power,

majesty, splendor, and glory.

For all in heaven and on earth is yours.”

R/ We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.

“Yours, O Lord, is the sovereignty;

you are exalted as head over all.

Riches and honor are from you.”

R/ We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.

“You have dominion over all,

In your hand are power and might;

it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all.”

R/ We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.

Gospel Acclamation

John 10:27

Alleluia, alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;

I know them, and they follow me.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 19:45-48

You have made it a den of thieves.

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

————————-

Saint Cecilia, Virgin, Martyr 

(Liturgical Colour: Red)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Friday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

Hosea 2:16bc, 17cd, 21-22

I will espouse you to me forever.

Thus says the Lord:

I will lead her into the desert

and speak to her heart.

She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,

when she came up from the land of Egypt.

I will espouse you to me forever:

I will espouse you in right and in justice,

in love and in mercy;

I will espouse you in fidelity,

and you shall know the Lord.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17

R/ Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.

or

R/ The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.

Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,

forget your people and your father’s house.

So shall the king desire your beauty;

for he is your lord, and you must worship him.

R/ Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.

or

R/ The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.

All glorious is the king’s daughter as she enters;

her raiment is threaded with spun gold.

In embroidered apparel she is borne in to the king;

behind her the virgins of her train are brought to you.

R/ Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.

or

R/ The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.

They are borne in with gladness and joy;

they enter the palace of the king.

The place of your fathers your sons shall have;

you shall make them princes through all the land.

R/ Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.

or

R/ The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia.

This is the wise bridesmaid, whom the Lord found waiting;

at his coming, she went in with him to the wedding feast.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 25:1-13

Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[theblackshit]

We continue to believe that photographic images make it possible for us to grasp the world. Neither the „incantation“ of the end of photography, triggered by the digitization of the 1990s nor the posting, liking and sharing on the Internet have been able to change anything about this. Photographic practices and behavior determine our individual and collective life through their representative and communicative function. Photography undoubtedly belongs to a powerful part of our everyday routine, to which we, therefore, attribute an exceptional value. Already the decision what we photograph (or don’t photograph) and for what purpose leads us to think about valuation criteria beyond our Instagram-Posts. What has value to be represented? Which form of representation is valuable? Ultimately, our criteria point to current societal needs and perceptions.

The question of the value of photography in an economically oriented society is at the center of Laura Schawelka’s expansive installation in her exhibition TENDER, which includes photography, video, and sculpture. The exhibition title TENDER allows several meanings in its German translation. As an adjective, tender means soft or gentle; as a verb, it is translated as care. The noun tender, on the other hand, is a technical term of the financial world that stands for offer or means of payment. The ambiguity of the term precisely encompasses the layers of meaning of Schawelka’s works. She regards the medium of photography as an ideological and material exchange of our consumer society, which tends to trigger our emotions. She focuses her attention in particular to fashion and advertising photography, which seduces with elaborate aesthetic strategies to generate desire. Among the networks of Schawelka’s photography, the mechanisms of power of bartering are gently obscured, while often in the foreground only the net (of photography) itself remains visible.

Silver pearls, made of ephemeral sugar, are tempting, so is an ivory hand, a softly draped fabric, and pastel hues. The luxury perfume of the brand BVLGARI, presented weightlessly on a plastic hand but supposed to be worn invisibly on your skin, costs 300 euros. In a delicate advertising aesthetic, Schawelka captures a shop window scene at the luxury department store Fondaco de Tedeschi in Venice. A thread that fastens the flacon to the hand, in Schawelka’s large aluminum-framed photograph, is a quickly striking rupture in the illusion. In another photograph, she just as seductively presents the head side of a two-euro coin by putting it on the pink lips of a Vogue photograph. It shows a hand-throwing a ballot into an urn and thus performs an image within an image. The Maltese two-euro coin, like all others, is worth two euros – but because of its limited run, collectors pay significantly more for the commemorative coin.

Under the black net fabric of a fashion shirt, hands from sections of historical paintings or even a historical artefact can be seen in other works in the show. The focus lies on the net fabric and thus coquettishly distracts from the action of the underlying motifs. Money is clearly reduced in the cut-outs to a symbol of exchange, the change of values. The original painting of one of the sections is by Cecco del Caravaggio (Francesco Boneri 1610 – 1615) „Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple.“ It tells the story of how Jesus expelled unscrupulous merchants who enriched themselves with the faith of pilgrims by selling them materials for offerings when they arrived at the temple. The one receiving or protecting the currency holds power physically in his hand, but there are also symbolic and ideational values. Another picture shows the „Main de Justice,“ a scepter made of precious materials carried by French kings since the 13th century as a sign of jurisdiction at their coronation. Napoleon had it replicated for his coronation after the original got lost in the French Revolution. Signs are often more powerful than money, and people tend to believe them with pleasure. In advertising, the hand is, therefore, a powerful tool.

The cropping of a context and the blur are essential and typical photographic means with which Schawelka also addresses the value of photography in everyday use. Often blurred, out of focus pictures that have no purpose and seemingly do not serve any information are thrown away or deleted. Schawelka pays special attention to these pictures in her exhibition. For example, a blurred image of an escalator is printed on a large advertising banner, giving it an extensive presence. Accordingly, the chrome-plated grids, as recurring elements of her installation, also undergo a revaluation. They are removed from their function as product displays and stand here as steel indications of their origin. A game of value reversal and value creation can be found in all of Laura Schawelka’s works. Photography is an accomplice in the processes of value attribution, beyond that it generates value for itself.

Olga Holzschuh (translation: Luisa Schlotterbeck)

[fa-nfiction]

Thunder #36

Everything inside of me told me to call my friends. To ask them what I should do. But that meant that I had to tell them everything that had happened. The way that I’d used Michael because I just couldn’t leave him alone. The way that I’d begun drinking and partying to forget all the things that I’d done. They already knew that I’d been pregnant, of course, and they had probably thought that the loss was because of the wild life I’d been living. They didn’t judge me, or at least, way less than I did myself.

But the thought of Caitlin rolling her eyes uninhibitedly at me, or Megan shaking her head at me, while I was wondering whether or not to help out my estranged ex, was simply too much. They both seemed so settled now. Caitlin was talking about babies and trying to convince Chris that they would have plenty of room for one in their apartment. Megan was sending Snapchats every now and then, depicting dinner arrangements or cups with tea in front of the T.V., never showing her mysterious boyfriend but always showing how happy she was. Neither of them needed me, it seemed. I was just the single mom who became addicted to everything too fast and who would once in a while park my child at their apartments, leaving the responsibility to someone else than myself. If anything, they would tell me that I should just go and see him. That I should make friends with him. That it would help in the future, that I always had someone who could take care of my boy. But I didn’t need their advice. I wanted someone to come and tell me: Stay at home. You got this. You can be a perfect parent all by yourself. No matter how much you miss him. Don’t go to him.

My own inner voice didn’t supply the reason I needed and before I knew it, I stood outside of his door.

( ... )

“Cas! Christ. Come in, how long have you stood there?” He ushered me inside of his apartment, and I entered in a flurry of winter clothes and snowflakes. 

“It began to snow a lot. I- I wasn’t out there for long.” I lied, and we both knew it. I had been standing out there for the better part of 15 minutes before I mustered the strength to knock on his door. Two cigarette buds were out there as a silent proof of it, but they were rapidly becoming covered by the snow. He cocked an eyebrow but said nothing, and I was thankful that he at least had that courtesy. He looked tired, I thought. The small lines around his eyes had grown deeper since I last saw him. It felt like decades ago that he smiled and laughed with me, and that added to the awkwardness of me being here. I cleared my throat of something that wasn’t there and looked around to avoid looking more at him.

“Holy sh … shit. You’ve … redecorated?” The empty walls and the even emptier hall helped me through the strange silence.

This looked like nothing I remembered, and it was simply too empty and too unfamiliar not to address.

“Uh … you could say that.”

“Where are the posters and stuff? The dresser?”

“Already moved it.” His reply was short and dry, as if I knew exactly what he was talking about.

“Moved … it?”

“Yup. Going to drive again tomorrow.”

“I’m a bit lost here. Driving where?”

“Storage room. I’m moving.” He used the same dry tone again. “I figured Yasmin would’ve told you.”

“Um … no. When?”

“I’ll be loading the truck for the last time tomorrow. That’s why you’re here.”

I felt like a giant question mark.

“You wanted my help to … move?”

He chuckled with a strange lifeless voice. “No. It’s a cupboard I need help with. I could saw it to pieces or smash it with a hammer, but I figured, maybe I could keep it and sell it to someone. But then I need help to take it down.”

“Wauw. Michael the merchant.” I teased to try and wrap my head around the fact.

“Yeah. London life is expensive. But I guess you know that already.”

“Hold up. London??”

“Yeah.” He simply shrugged and walked down the hallway. No explanation, nothing, only this weirdly cold behavior and me who was left in a state of shock. It wasn’t until a moment later when I heard him calling my name, that I managed to snap out of it for a moment.

“It’s in here, Cas. Coming?”

( ... ) 

After a bit of instruction, I found myself, trying to keep most of the cupboard from collapsing while Michael screwed out one of the sides. Much to my surprise, it was not an easy task, and I understood why he needed the help.

“It’s … fucking gigantic, this thing. Where the hell did you get a cupboard like this?”

He was crouched down on the other side of the cupboard, and I could just see him from my strained position. He was holding a couple of screws between his lips, and he removed them before replying.

“It was my dad’s. He died.”

“My condolences. I’m sorry -” I wanted to show empathy by saying his name. I found that I couldn’t, and my sentence became strangely amputated.

“It’s alright. He was an arse. Everyone’s happier without him.”

I didn’t know how to respond. I knew the backstory, of course, but this was neither the time nor the place to try to be a therapist. I didn’t feel like it, either. My mind was swarmed with the fact that Michael was moving - to London - and I’d likely never see him again.

“Um. How … Why …” My sentence was cut short by him, unfastening one side of the cupboard and putting it aside while I was struggling to stabilize the rest of the thing. As the side was effectively off, he procured some rope and strips and went to my side of the piece to connect the remaining three sides. The question I was trying to ask died on my tongue and began to hurt inside of me.

“Hold.” He reached for the top of the closet and tried to secure it with the rope.

“I am holding it.” I huffed, while the whole piece of furniture wobbled dangerously.

“Here … and … there.” He fastened the rope some more, and the cupboard stood more still than before.

“What about … “

“What about what, Cas?” He secured some strips and I let go of the furniture. I felt the blood running back into my arms.

“Teddy. What about Teddy? When are you going to see him?”

He furrowed his brows and clenched his jaw. I could see the question was causing him pain, and I felt a strange joy from it.

“Go and have a break. I’ll fetch some drinks and tell you about it.”

I hesitated. I didn’t want to know what his plans were. I didn’t want any of this to happen. Instead of telling him that, I just nodded and went to sit in his living room.

( … )

The room was bared, except for moving boxes and a few items here and there. I didn’t know where to sit or what to do, so I just stood, waiting for him to bring us some sodas.

“Here.” He entered the room and handed me a glass of sparkling coke. I took it but couldn’t drink it. The shock that had started as soon as I heard the news had multiplied several times. The feeling that I couldn’t talk properly to him was making it even worse.

He sat down against the wall and took a large sip from his glass. His seeming obliviousness finally made the tipping point.

“It.s … it’s … three-hundred pounds, Michael. Three hundred pounds for the cheapest flight to London. How did you think this was a good idea? I don’t have that kind of money.” I almost snarled at him from my standing position. He looked up at me, his tired expression more present than ever

“I’ll pay for it all, Cas. Flight, food, everything.”

“Oh, great. So I’ll just put an infant on board of the flight, or? Tell the stewardesses how to feed him during the trip?”

“You’ll go with him. At least until he’s older. I’ll pay for the both of you.”

“Oh, so I’ll just stop everything that I’m doing and go to an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT COUNTRY so that you can see your boy? Why do you think I’d accept that?”

“Or I’ll come to you.” He rubbed his temples with the lower parts of his hands, as if trying to procure a solution to make me less mad. “Can you hear me out?”

“I really don’t want to, Michael. What were you thinking? And what about … the pub, and … Yasmin? James?”

“Yasmin’s the boss of the pub now. James will come and visit once in a while, and so will she.”

“Wait … what? That pub is … was … your dream. When did this happen?” I was dumbfounded. This night held so many surprises that it made my head spin, and my anger had been replaced with confusion.

“It’s a long and dull story, Cas. Things happened and …”

“Things … happened?”

“Yeah.”

What?

“I’m at a loss for words here. But … your … family? Your friends?” Teddy. And me.

“They’re all supporting me.”

“But why didn’t you tell me? Shouldn’t I have a say in this?” “I don’t need your permission to go, Cas.” His eyes looked tired. I clenched my teeth and tried to conceal the anger and sadness that was suddenly overwhelming me. I felt tears trying to escape my eyes and I turned away.

“Did you need help with the rest of the cupboard?”

He hesitated before replying. “Sure. Let’s get it down.” 

( … )

We worked in silence. It seemed like thousands of question were occupying my mind, but they never had the courage to let themselves be asked. Like that, I stayed silent. It was only if he gave me a command or instruction, that I briefly nodded in return. The cupboard was coming apart slowly, and the shelves in it were being taken down one by one. In the very back of one of the top ones, I suddenly found something that I hadn’t expected in a million years.

“There’s … something here. A … teddy bear of some kind?”

“Oh. That’s where it was.” He simply took it out of my hands and put it on the floor, a slight smile on his face. “I was afraid he had gone missing.”

The strangeness of the situation prompted me to ask.

“Is it yours?” It didn’t look like an old, worn out toy from his childhood, it seemed too … new. It was a regular brown teddy bear, with long legs and an embroidered text on the back - “My teddy”.

“No.” He paused and looked at the bear as if deep in thought. “I bought it for him. For Teddy.”

Another pause. “I just never got around to giving it to him.”

“When did you buy it?” Something about Michael’s face made it feel like I already knew the answer. Even more so when he looked at me, his eyes looking like he had lived for a thousand years and had now grown weary.

“The night you were admitted. Got it at the gift shop.” He said, quietly, as the wall between us finally began to crumble. My hands had covered my mouth with the surprise that somehow wasn’t a surprise at all.

“You came?”

“I did.” Memories of the night my boy was born were flying through my brain. The pain. The uncertainty. The anxiety. Richard. Michael. And finally, the joy -

“You came, and bought a teddy bear, and left again?”

“That … he came too. Richard. He saw me, and I figured I would only be a disruption.”

My head was swimming with thoughts.

“But … why didn’t he tell me? Why didn’t he say that you were there?”

Michael chuckled, the thought of his old rival that had now long left the premises, now merely an amusement to him.

“Why would he? He had won.”

The strange wording made me think about Richard and the deception he had put me through. A well-known anger was bubbling underneath it all, and I suppressed it.

“Why didn’t you text me back? Call me?”

He shrugged in an effort to push the memories away.

“I figured you had texted the wrong guy.”

I couldn’t reply. Of course I hadn’t texted the wrong guy. I never wanted Richard to be there, but the pain became too much to handle on my own. Somehow, back then, I knew deep down that Teddy wasn’t his. I knew that the birth of him would be the end of us. Of course, I couldn’t tell Michael this. I just sat down on the floor and wondered how one person could single handedly fuck up her life as much as I’d done. I felt like I had become three decades older in the blink of an eye.

( … )

“You need this.” He held a Guinness in his outstretched arm and one in the other. I took it as he sat down in front of me, his back against the frame of the bed

“I’ve quit drinking, Michael.”

“Yeah. Same here.” He said and took a sip of the cold bottle. The taste made him do a strange grimace. After a moment where we did nothing but take sips of our beers, he decided to break the silence that had once again enveloped us.

“Is he at Liz’ place?”

“Yeah.” I looked at him and felt that the beer had already begun to work as intended. I procured a cigarette from the crumbled package in my jeans pocket, and he pushed over an old cup to use as tray. “I’ll never get used to the fact that you’re just calling her Liz.”

“Elizabeth seems a bit too formal for her. She’s more of a Liz.”

“I meant that I won’t get used to the fact that you two know each other.” I lit up my cigarette.

“Ah.” He nodded. “Ask her about it one day.”

“So, you’re not going to tell me?” He shook his head and took another sip of the beer.

“She’s a friend. Can’t betray her confidence. Can I bum a smoke?”

“Right. And go ahead.” I drank some more too, and the taste felt like liquid heaven. We sat like that in silence, smoking and drinking our beers until they had emptied and he fetched new ones. Oceans of time and fuck-ups and mistakes had passed between us, but right now we seemed to drift along together.

“London, huh.” I said, and it was more of a statement than it was a question.

“Yup.” His eyes were tired and the darkest blue I had ever seen. Everything in me wanted to yell at him to stay, to not leave us behind like this, but I couldn’t. What I could do and what I decided to do, aided by the beers, was all the more horrifying. Before I could stop it, the old jealousy monster came roaring back. Apparently with a vengeance.

“So aren’t you going to leave some girl broken-hearted?”

He looked at me with the saddest smile on his face, and I could have shot and buried myself right then and there. Why did I say that? Why, oh why, oh fuck-shit-WHY …

He ran his hand through his hair and fired the metaphorical gun.

“There is someone.” He looked down, shying away from me. I felt like I was dying, and yet, my voice stayed unfazed. All is good. All is good here. I feel no pain.

“See? London is a bad idea. And long-distance relationships never work out.” Not that I want it to.

He looked up at me and chuckled in a strained, low manner.

“If you say so, Cas.”

“Cassie.”

“Sorry.”

We sat there, the silence and the pain dividing and uniting us simultaneously, until finally, I got up from the floor.

“I should get going. It’s getting late.”

“Sure.” He got up as well. “Well, shit …” He exclaimed as he looked out the window and my eyes followed his. The heavy snow from earlier had now turned into a full-blown blizzard, and it was nearly impossible to even see the streetlights. The streets were covered in a thick blanket of snow, the wind was throwing large duvets of snow through the air, obscuring the visibility for everyone. The streets were completely and utterly empty.

“Ah, Christ. What …” I sighed with the frustration of having to go home through all of this.

“You’re staying here.” Michael suddenly said, and I turned around to look at him.  “It’s … I don’t want you getting hurt or something like that.”

It felt like I was exasperated down to the smallest bone in my body. I didn’t want to battle my way through tons of snow, this night had been tiring enough in itself. And like that, I agreed with him.

(... )

I don’t know what bothered me the most. If it was the sound of his snoring from the sofa in the living room or if it was the fact that he slept so soundly, so safely, while I was here, in his bed, feeling anything but sleepy. He slept like he didn’t have a care in the world. He was on his way to the future - new job, new country, a whole new life, and I was not a part of it. I was the accessory that came along with the child he would see now and then, whenever it suited him the best. I was stuck in this small town, without a job, without any possibilities, without a partner to share it all with. Just a burden to society. A single mother stuck on welfare. People would look at me in the streets and talk about me behind my back, and I had no one. I shifted from angry to sad to frustrated to angry again, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I decided that enough was enough, and that I had to get up and out and home. My plans of sneaking away in the night and thereby avoiding the dreaded goodbyes were obstructed as I heard the noise from the flushing of the toilet. He had awakened.

 “Cas?” He asked, surprised, as he was caught off-guard while exiting the bathroom. He looked at the winter coat draped over my arm and put two and two together. “Are you leaving?”

I nodded and looked anywhere but at him. The lump in my throat was threatening to expose me.

“Have you slept?”

Again, I nodded. It was a lie.

“I don’t think it’s gotten better. Probably more the opposite.” He gestured towards the street, where the snow was still everywhere.

“I’ll call a cab.” I replied and tried to ignore the way he looked. Pajama pants and nothing more. He reminded me of mornings when he would hold my hair and rub my back while my morning sickness made existing almost unbearable, and the memory made my heart ache.

“A cab?” He chuckled. “They can’t make it through in weather like this.”

I clenched my fists and tried to will the lump of grief inside of me to disappear. It worked for a second, and the anger came back to replace it.

“How can you do it?” I spat out and finally looked at him. “To her?”

“To … who?” He looked perplexed for a second.

“The girl … woman … whoever it is. Don’t you think you should … i don’t know … stop being a jerk to women?” My voice became strangely high-pitched at the end, but I was already so far gone that it didn’t matter. Hey everybody! Jealous Cassie is back …

“A … jerk?” He looked even more perplexed, and I got angrier by the second.

“You know what you did to me.” I hissed at him, my eyes burning with the feelings that had never really gotten out. “Why are you leaving someone else behind again? Why are you doing this again?”

“What the hell are you on about, Cas?” He raised his voice at me. “This is nothing like … us, back then.”

“Oh, but it is. Tired with your old life? Just kick out the girlfriend and move on. New life, new fun, new everything, none of the complications. How can you … how can you do that to her?”

“New fun?” I could see him getting angry, and I felt oddly content about that. “New … fun?”

“Yeah. Just like back then. You were probably swimming in sluts before I even left the pub. Oh, wait. You were. Was she any good?” I had now begun full-on yelling at him, and I felt hot, angry tears leaving my eyes. He stood there in front of me, jaws clenching, unable to stop the attack I’d begun.

“Did you enjoy it? Hmm? And are you gonna enjoy yourself this time too? New pub, new girls, and this time in London where they all look soooo fine -” I mocked him, each word causing him a new blow. He didn’t back down, though. With some kind of fierceness in his eyes, he took a step in front of me and it felt like he was going to push me out of his way. I stood my ground.

“You … know … nothing … about the time I had, Cassie.” He snarled lowly as he had gotten close. “You know nothing. So shut up.”

“Like hell I’m shutting up. I’m not going to stand and watch as you wreck another girl’s life. I just hope you haven’t gotten this one knocked up. Have you?”

The unexpected attack was below any moral standards I had left, and I could see it in the way he backed away.

“I’m not ... “ He hesitated. “I’m not with her like that.”

“Oh, that’s such a surprise, Michael. The no-commitment-guy is not in a relationship? SHOCKING.”

He leaned back against the wall and put his hands against his temples, as if trying to make me disappear like a bad hallucination.

“She doesn’t want me, Cas. Alright?” His eyes were pleading for me to stop now, but I couldn’t. I had found a wounded man and proceeded to kick him in the guts over and over again.

“Have you asked her? Have you asked her about it? I’m thinking you don’t have the ability to form a question like that.” He looked back at me, and something - the need to retaliate perhaps - made the shine in his eyes come back. “Should I, Cas? You think I should? Are you an expert on this, or?”

“Fuck yes, you should! I’m not going to let this happen to someone else ...” What the fuck am I doing.

He went into the living room, back straight and head held high, as he searched the room for his phone.

Now he’s going to call her. Why the fuck did I do this to myself.

“There. There it is. Happy now?” He went back into the hallway where I stood. For some reason, I had to see it through. I had to endure the pain, again.

“Dial her number.”

“Fine.” He snarled and opened the phone. I could see him finding the call option and tried to dream that I was somewhere else in this very moment.

Suddenly, a the muffled noise of a song playing could be heard somewhere. I recognized it immediately. C’mere by Interpol.

“ … It's way too late to be this locked inside ourselves

The trouble is that you're in love with someone else

It should be me. Oh, it should be me …”

My phone was ringing.

[realism-love]

Christ Driving the Merchants from the Temple, 1873, Vasily Surikov

[renaissance-art-blog]

Christ Driving the Merchants from the Temple, 1511, Albrecht Durer

Medium: woodcut

[binchtids]

Mirror Ward Against "Christian" Hypocrisy

Used as a ward to protect me in tandem with my Witch's Clamshell while performing a Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Who Abet Him. The occupant of the White House has plenty of "prayer warriors" defending him from baneful magic, but coming from a Christian background, I know how to tussle with them. Since the Christian god is a jealous one, I decided to work within their system by using Bible verses, specifically ones relevant to their hypocrisy.

You Will Need

A Mirror

Dry Erase Marker

Black Salt

Access to Bible Verses (links to verses included in this post)

Optional: a cross or crucifix, and thread

Cleanse your mirror. I recommend actually cleaning it with glass cleaner and treating it kindly.

Around the circumference of the mirror FACING OUTWARDS TOWARD THE EDGE, write the following verse citations in dry-erase marker:

Matthew 21:12-17

Mark 11:15-19

Luke 19:45-48

John 2:13-16

Matthew 23:27-28

Psalm 52

The first four citations above refer to occasions (likely twice according to Biblical scholars) when Jesus protested against commerce in the temple. He saw predatory merchants making money in a holy place and put an end to it. It's one of the few times we see Jesus angry, and the only time he resorted to violence, fashioning a whip of cords and driving the merchants out. We have citations from each of the 4 Gospels, which I believe to be powerful in this application.

Matt 23:27-28 is a verse where Jesus specifically calls out hypocrites, calling them "white-washed tombs": pretty on the outside, rotten on the inside.

Psalm 52 is from the Old testament of the Bible, meaning it happened before Christ. It is another callout of deceit and evil.

Inside the ring formed by those citations, write excepts from Psalm 7 in a spiral FACING TOWARD THE CENTER. Pick your favorite lines for protection. At the end of that, cite "PSALM 7".

This brings the total number of Bible verses used on the mirror to 7, which is a powerful number in Christian mythos.

Inside of the ring formed by Psalm 7, write your full name. Surround your name with a ring of black salt. If your mirror is mounted vertically, you can use a paste of ash and water, or whatever protective liquid you prefer.

Optional: place a cross or crucifix on top of or beside your name in the center ring.

Charge the mirror with whatever method you prefer (I used storm water).

While leaning over or looking into the mirror so that your face is reflected in the center ring, read Psalm 7 aloud.

If you placed a cross or crucifix with your name, you can keep it as a talisman. Bind the spell to it by threading it onto a string and knotting the string 9 times.

Be sure to clean and thank the mirror afterwards.

[dfroza]

A wedding miracle

when water became wine.

and God authored marriage. it originated in His eternal Heart. just as He formed the human body in His image, separated into male and female and the miracle of becoming “One” body through sex, which is why sex is actually a sacred act. its bond is something that needs to guarded, kept pure.

and even though people and earth were originally made perfect (pure) yet we were made free to choose how to act. to choose to be in God’s Love, or not. and since the rebellion of sin brought a curse to this world, the Lord came to restore it all in His own way, in His own timing.

and repentance on our part is an ongoing treasure throughout the course of life in humility and brokenness, in reverence, and there is even joy contained in this. because of the pure acceptance of Love despite who we truly are.

(absolute grace)

Today’s reading in the Bible is the 2nd chapter of the book of John that documents Hebraic History and the way the Lord came to earth to fulfill the Hebrew Scriptures:

[John 2]

Three days later, they all went to celebrate a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was invited together with Him and His disciples. While they were celebrating, the wine ran out; and Jesus’ mother hurried over to her son.

Mary: The host stands on the brink of embarrassment; there are many guests, and there is no more wine.

Jesus: Dear woman, is it our problem they miscalculated when buying wine and inviting guests? My time has not arrived.

But she turned to the servants.

Mary: Do whatever my son tells you.

In that area were six massive stone water pots that could each hold 20 to 30 gallons. They were typically used for Jewish purification rites. Jesus’ instructions were clear:

Jesus: Fill each water pot with water until it’s ready to spill over the top; then fill a cup, and deliver it to the headwaiter.

They did exactly as they were instructed. After tasting the water that had become wine, the headwaiter couldn’t figure out where such wine came from (even though the servants knew), and he called over the bridegroom in amazement.

Headwaiter: This wine is delectable. Why would you save the most exquisite fruit of the vine? A host would generally serve the good wine first and, when his inebriated guests don’t notice or care, he would serve the inferior wine. You have held back the best for last.

Jesus performed this miracle, the first of His signs, in Cana of Galilee. They did not know how this happened; but when the disciples and the servants witnessed this miracle, their faith blossomed.

Jesus then gathered His clan—His family members and disciples—for a journey to Capernaum where they lingered several days. The time was near to celebrate the Passover, the festival commemorating when God rescued His children from slavery in Egypt, so Jesus went to Jerusalem for the celebration. Upon arriving, He entered the temple to worship. But the porches and colonnades were filled with merchants selling sacrificial animals (such as doves, oxen, and sheep) and exchanging money. Jesus fashioned a whip of cords and used it with skill driving out animals; He scattered the money and overturned the tables, emptying profiteers from the house of God. There were dove merchants still standing around, and Jesus reprimanded them.

Jesus: What are you still doing here? Get all your stuff, and haul it out of here! Stop making My Father’s house a place for your own profit!

The disciples were astounded, but they remembered that the Hebrew Scriptures said, “Jealous devotion for God’s house consumes me.” Some of the Jews cried out to Him in unison.

Jews: Who gave You the right to shut us down? If it is God, then show us a sign.

Jesus: You want a sign? Here it is. Destroy this temple, and I will rebuild it in 3 days.

Jews: Three days? This temple took more than 46 years to complete. You think You can replicate that feat in 3 days?

The true temple was His body. His disciples remembered this bold prediction after He was resurrected. Because of this knowledge, their faith in the Hebrew Scriptures and in Jesus’ teachings grew.

During the Passover feast in Jerusalem, the crowds were watching Jesus closely; and many began to believe in Him because of the signs He was doing. But Jesus saw through to the heart of humankind, and He chose not to give them what they requested. He didn’t need anyone to prove to Him the character of humanity. He knew what man was made of.

The Book of John, Chapter 2 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 23rd chapter of Joshua where Joshua instructed the Israelites to remain faithful to God and not fall away into idolatry by turning to the false gods that the nations around them were worshiping. this world is full of “religious” thought, of different paths, yet the grace of the Son is the True illumination that leads the eternal heart “Home”

[Joshua’s Charge]

A long time later, after God had given Israel rest from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was a venerable old man, Joshua called all Israel together—elders, chiefs, judges, and officers. Then he spoke to them:

“I’m an old man. I’ve lived a long time. You have seen everything that God has done to these nations because of you. He did it because he’s God, your God. He fought for you.

“Stay alert: I have assigned to you by lot these nations that remain as an inheritance to your tribes—these in addition to the nations I have already cut down—from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. God, your God, will drive them out of your path until there’s nothing left of them and you’ll take over their land just as God, your God, promised you.

“Now, stay strong and steady. Obediently do everything written in the Book of The Revelation of Moses—don’t miss a detail. Don’t get mixed up with the nations that are still around. Don’t so much as speak the names of their gods or swear by them. And by all means don’t worship or pray to them. Hold tight to God, your God, just as you’ve done up to now.

“God has driven out superpower nations before you. And up to now, no one has been able to stand up to you. Think of it—one of you, single-handedly, putting a thousand on the run! Because God is God, your God. Because he fights for you, just as he promised you.

“Now, vigilantly guard your souls: Love God, your God. Because if you wander off and start taking up with these remaining nations still among you (intermarry, say, and have other dealings with them), know for certain that God, your God, will not get rid of these nations for you. They’ll be nothing but trouble to you—horsewhips on your backs and sand in your eyes—until you’re the ones who will be driven out of this good land that God, your God, has given you.

“As you can see, I’m about to go the way we all end up going. Know this with all your heart, with everything in you, that not one detail has failed of all the good things God, your God, promised you. It has all happened. Nothing’s left undone—not so much as a word.

“But just as sure as everything good that God, your God, has promised has come true, so also God will bring to pass every bad thing until there’s nothing left of you in this good land that God has given you. If you leave the path of the Covenant of God, your God, that he commanded you, go off and serve and worship other gods, God’s anger will blaze out against you. In no time at all there’ll be nothing left of you, no sign that you’ve ever been in this good land he gave you.”

The Book of Joshua, Chapter 23 (The Message)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for monday, August 24 of 2020 with a paired chapter from each Testament along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

Today’s message by the ICR:

August 24, 2020

The Great Divider

“Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division.” (Luke 12:51)

From the very beginning, God has been a great divider. On the first day of creation, “God divided the light from the darkness”; on the second day, He “divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament” (Genesis 1:4, 7). When God first created humans, they walked together in sweet fellowship, but then sin came in and made a great division between humans and God. Nevertheless, “when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10).

The price has been paid for full reconciliation with our Creator, but “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19), so Christ Himself is now the One who divides. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

Jesus Christ divides all history and all chronology. Things either happened “Before Christ” (BC) or “in the Year of our Lord” (AD). People are either under the Old Covenant or the New Covenant. Most of all, He divides humanity. “There was a division among the people because of him” (John 7:43; see also John 9:16; 10:19). These divisions because of Him can cut very deep. “The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother” (Luke 12:53).

Finally, when He comes to judge all nations, “he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:…And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:32, 46). The division is life or death, light or darkness, heaven or hell, Christ or antichrist—and the choice is ours! HMM