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“But the worshippers and admirers of these gods delight in imitating their scandalous iniquities, and are nowise concerned that the republic be less depraved and licentious. Only let it remain undefeated, they say, only let it flourish and abound in resources; let it be glorious by its victories, or still better, secure in peace; and what matters it to us? This is our concern, that every man be able to increase his wealth so as to supply his daily prodigalities, and so that the powerful may subject the weak for their own purposes. Let the poor court the rich for a living, and that under their protection they may enjoy a sluggish tranquillity; and let the rich abuse the poor as their dependants, to minister to their pride. Let the people applaud not those who protect their interests, but those who provide them with pleasure. Let no severe duty be commanded, no impurity forbidden. Let kings estimate their prosperity, not by the righteousness, but by the servility of their subjects. Let the provinces stand loyal to the kings, not as moral guides, but as lords of their possessions and purveyors of their pleasures; not with a hearty reverence, but a crooked and servile fear. Let the laws take cognizance rather of the injury done to another man's property, than of that done to one's own person. If a man be a nuisance to his neighbor, or injure his property, family, or person, let him be actionable; but in his own affairs let everyone with impunity do what he will in company with his own family, and with those who willingly join him. Let there be a plentiful supply of public prostitutes for every one who wishes to use them, but specially for those who are too poor to keep one for their private use. Let there be erected houses of the largest and most ornate description: in these let there be provided the most sumptuous banquets, where every one who pleases may, by day or night, play, drink, vomit, dissipate. Let there be everywhere heard the rustling of dancers, the loud, immodest laughter of the theatre; let a succession of the most cruel and the most voluptuous pleasures maintain a perpetual excitement. If such happiness is distasteful to any, let him be branded as a public enemy; and if any attempt to modify or put an end to it let him be silenced, banished, put an end to. Let these be reckoned the true gods, who procure for the people this condition of things, and preserve it when once possessed.”

- Saint Augustine, City of God (Book II, Chapter XX)

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nefertiti: who does she belong to?

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Aurora & Milky Way

matalalta

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LORD’S DAY ✝️

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LORD’S DAY ✝️

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Some of my favorite iconography of Christ our Bridegroom, the Mother of God, the angels and the saints on Earth and in Heaven ✝️

Today is All Saints’ Day and we should pause to commemorate our countless brothers and sisters in Christ who through their faith glorified him and did his will on earth, as well as the many martyrs throughout history who made the ultimate sacrifice to God in defense of the Kingdom.

All of them are living stones built into our spiritual house with Christ as our cornerstone - their lives consisting of self-sacrifice and much virtue, their days spent furthering his Kingdom on Earth. We stand now on the contribution of all those before us, and we should look back in reverence and gratitude, and recenter ourselves and emulate these saints triumphant in their dedication to union with Christ and surrender to his will.

The great saints and martyrs were just like us though, more disciplined and strong in character and made stronger by his grace through trials but totally fallen and dead in their sin apart from God. No different to us. We can absolutely live lives like theirs through willful deference and sanctification by the Holy Spirit. How are we proclaiming him hrough our actions? How are we glorifying the one who called us out of darkness and into light? We must ask ourselves what spiritual sacrifice looks like in our lives, and pray for an increase in faith and perseverance.

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Allhallowtide is nigh!

The Hallowtide season is a Christian solemnity beginning on Halloween. This fixed triduum (or three-day season) is celebrated late in the liturgical year and encompasses multiple holidays:

All Hallow's Eve (as well as Reformation Day for us Protestants) on October 31st

All Saints' Day (or Allhallows) on November 1st

All Souls' Day on November 2nd

Frequently included is the modern International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, which, as it is observed the first Sunday in November, often coincides with Allhallowtide. Mass prayer and fasting for our brethren worldwide, consequential activism and almsgiving to trustworthy charities facilitating aid or protection for the persecuted body of Christ are encouraged.

Why are these holidays observed?

Reformation Day commemorates the rescue of the Gospel from the hands of satan. We celebrate the lives of the brave reformers of the Christian faith - from King Josiah who repented upon his servants' rediscovery of the Holy Scriptures and cleansed the corrupted church of it's false worship restoring it to it's former purity - to the Proto-Protestant forerunners (Peter Waldo, William of Ockham, John Wycliffe, Jan Hus) - to the heroes of the Reformation itself, Martin Luther as our brave and bellicose torchbearer in pure doctrine, and all of those who played their role - the clergyman and theologians, the signers of the Augsburg Confession, the writers and signers of our creeds, the Christian kings and princes who took up arms to defend the Lutheran cause, the blessed martyrs, the great artists, the great inventors, the zealous laymen, the soldiers and the workers and all who were willing to dedicate their lives to the cause and sacrifice everything for victory. Thanks be to God.

All Hallow's Eve (Halloween) is a holiday focused on the remembrance of death - a day for observing our various customary cultural festivities, but more importantly for contemplating our own mortality and the necessity of repentance. Halloween begins this three-day holiday season focused on remembrance of the dead as well as celebration of the living faithful.

All Saints' Day celebrates the Church as the Body and the Bride of Christ. We celebrate all Christian saints, whether known or unknown, dead or alive - all who have been justified by Christ, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, crucified with him and bear the fruits of true belief. We remember all those who have glorified - or continue to glorify - our Lord with their lives. We remember the sacrifices of these saints and meditate upon where we personally are at in our marathon, and how we have been spending our earthly lives as the Church militant - we living believers, who in this life are still fighting under the banner of Christ against the enemy, the world and the flesh.

All Souls' Day is when the faithful departed specifically are commemorated. We acknowledge the Church triumphant - all who have fallen asleep in the true faith. We thank God for creating us, for loving us, and for being the fountain of all life and life itself. We as Christians again meditate upon the curse of death, thank God for the gift of life both temporal and eternal, and look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

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My reading style is concurrent - I shift between multiple (usually 3-5) books at once depending on what I'm most interested in at that moment and have found this method a lot more productive than forcing myself to plow through one book at a time. I find that I retain the information better as well as this allows me to engage with a particular book when I am most interested in doing so while making sure that I am always still reading (or listening to) something.

CURRENT READING (OCT 2024)

Ezekiel, revisiting Isaiah

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Sexual Morality in a Christless World by Matthew Rueger

Sexual Personae by Camille Paglia

Capital by Karl Marx

The Kojiki

DEVOTIONALS

Proverbs

Reading the Psalms with Luther

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

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I’m gonna start posting my reading lists just for fun

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LORD’S DAY ✝️