#> NO ONE KNOWS WHAT IS COMING OR WHO WILL HARVEST WHAT WE HAVE SOWN OR HOW I'VE BEEN DUMBING AND DULLING IN THE SERVICE OF THE HEART ALONE

[myrmica]

easy by joanna newsom kind of a vitalazam song but i might just be saying that because of the madness. ever heard goose eggs? that one isn't really so minecraft roleplay relevant but you should listen to it too

[reasonsforhope]

Legit though, we should start turning ecosystem restoration and work to make our world more tolerant to the effects of climate change into annual holidays and festivals

Like how just about every culture used to have festivals to celebrate the beginning of the harvest or its end, or the beginning of planting, or how whole communities used to host barn raisings and quilting bees - everyone coming together at once to turn the work of months or years into the work of a few days

Humble suggestions for festival types:

Goat festival

Besides controlled burns (which you can't do if there's too much dead brush), the fastest, most effective, and most cost-efficient way to clear brush before fire season - esp really heavy dead brush - is to just. Put a bunch of goats on your land for a few days!

Remember that Shark Tank competitor who wanted to start a goat rental company, and everyone was like wtf? There was even a whole John Oliver bit making fun of the idea? Well THAT JUST PROVES THEY'RE FROM NICE WET PLACES, because goat rental companies are totally a thing, and they're great.

So like. Why don't we have a weekend where everyone with goats just takes those goats to the nearest land that needs a ton of clearing? Public officials could put up maps of where on public lands grazing is needed, and where it definitely shouldn't happen. Farmers and people/groups with a lot of acres that need clearing can post Goat Requests.

Little kids can make goat-themed crafts and give the goats lots of pets or treats at the end of the day for doing such a good job. Volunteers can help wrangle things so goats don't get where they're not supposed to (and everyone fences off land nowadays anyway, mostly). And the goats, of course, would be in fucking banquet paradise.

Planting Festival and Harvest Festival

Why mess with success??? Bring these back where they've disappeared!!! Time to swarm the community gardens and help everyone near you with a farm make sure that all of their seeds are sown and none of the food goes to waste in the fields, decaying and unpicked.

And then set up distribution parts of the festival so all the extra food gets where it needs to be! Boxes of free lemons in front of your house because you have 80 goddamned lemons are great, but you know what else would be great? An organized effort to take that shit to food pantries (which SUPER rarely get fresh produce, because they can't hold anything perishable for long at all) and community/farmer's markets

Rain Capture Festival

The "water year" - how we track annual rainfall and precipitation - is offset from the regular calendar year because, like, that's just when water cycles through the ecosystems (e.g. meltwater). At least in the US, the water year is October 1st through September 30th of the next year, because October 1st is around when all the snowmelt from last year is gone, and a new cycle is starting as rain begins to fall again in earnest.

So why don't we all have a big barn raising equivalent every September to build rain capture infrastructure?

Team up with some neighbors to turn one of those little grass strips on the sidewalk into a rain-garden with fall-planting plants. Go down to your local church and help them install some gutters and rain barrels. Help deculvert rivers so they run through the dirt again, and make sure all the storm drains in your neighborhood are nice and clear.

Even better, all of this - ESPECIALLY the rain gardens - will also help a ton with flood control!

I'm so serious about how cool this could be, yall.

And people who can't or don't want to do physical stuff for any of these festivals could volunteer to watch children or cook food for the festival or whatever else might need to be done!

Parties afterward to celebrate all the good work done! Community building and direct local improvements to help protect ourselves from climate change!

The possibilities are literally endless, so not to sound like an influencer or some shit, but please DO comment or reply or put it in the notes if you have thoughts, esp on other things we could hold festivals like this for.

Canning festivals. "Dig your elderly neighbors out of the snow" festivals. Endangered species nesting count festival. Plant fruit trees on public land and parks festival. All of the things that I don't know anywhere near enough to think of. Especially in more niche or extreme ecosystems, there are so many possibilities that could do a lot of good

[jointhepartypod]

Welcome to the World of Verda Stello! 🌱 🏴☠️

Campaign 3 of Join the Party is set in the world of Verda Stello, the great green ringed world. This fantastical land is filled with approximately human-sized plant and bug people (give or take some 2 foot tall fruits and giant vines) called the Greenfolk. The main source of life for Verda Stello is the Cascade, a massive waterfall that pours over the whole inner ring of the world.

Over time, the Cascade dried up, leaving all the Greenfolk scrambling for water. But the waterfall revealed the entire center of Verda Stello was a great salt sea, dotted with countless unknown islands, and a prophecy about an Infinite Lake that can save the world and a Salmon that grants your deepest desire.

This kicked off the Tide, a pirate era that has raged for 50 years. People are still searching for the lake and the salmon, and the Tide shows no sign of stopping now.

Find out more about Verda Stello and Campaign 3 here!

The Hothouse

Country’s Motto: Why Suffer When We Can Strive

Known for their ingenuity and extensive construction, the Hothouse is the technological hub of Verda Stello. Hothousers believe that finding the best way to do something is its own greatest reward (except for letting everyone know that you did it with a plaque or statue or signature). You might recognize Hothouse architecture with the incorporations of big windows or a solarium, amplifying the sun to do extra work for you. The ruler of the Hothouse is The Builder, someone who is recognized as the best and the smartest through a series of public and brutal competitions of mind and might.

The official Hothouse Flag was designed by the first Builder, Appleton the Original. The triangle represents the hothouse, as you might have guessed, but the doubled triangle is a symbol of so many values that Hothousers hold dear.  Appleton was known for his patience and care when erecting and planning the major monuments of the Hothouse capital, so scholars and politicians say the doubled triangle meant, “measure twice, cut once.” But it can be interpreted as broadly as “quality over quantity” or “do it right the first time,” as double-paneling the triangle is stronger than many triangles in a line. What is most intriguing is the intersection of the symbolic hothouse and the sun itself, putting them in concert, or at least as two parts of the whole. The construct is not subservient to the sun. In fact, they are relatively the same, as a sibling or partner encouraging the other to be better than they could have been alone.

Open Fields

Country’s Motto: Reap What Is Sown

The people of Open Fields feel the deep connection between themselves and the ground, giving themselves strong perseverance and belief. This allows them to stare at the strangeness of existence in the face, such as how they can harvest produce and greens for sustenance even if it looks exactly like them. Open Field families show this devotion by naming themselves after virtues (in a Puritan sort of way) and both fervently praying and farming.

Unfortunately, there is no definitive account of how the Open Fields’ flag came to be. Many leaders have invoked various legends and parables, usually involving a poor potato farmer, resistance of temptation, and then divine inspiration. One version of the story says the pattern appeared in a bowl of mashed potatoes, when the butter and the mash was swirled together in the bowl. Another version supposes the farmer tried to harvest one of his crop but could not, and only through the collective strength of the entire farmer’s family and friends did they put the largest tuber ever recorded, with the design outlined in the eyes of the potato. The only record of the creation and adoption of the current design comes from the journal of a monk known as Saying-Thank-You-Meaningfully-For-an-Unexpected-Gift-No-Matter-What-It-Is. It seems that Saying’s closest friend at the monastery made woodcuts as a hobby, and created the sun-on-top, shovel-on-bottom image. That night, Saying wrote in their journal, “Saw an interesting image today. Must be the divine.” The colors–especially the deep red, unique in the flags of Verda Stello–and how it became the symbol of the entire country, remains unknown.

Kingdom of the Crags

Country’s Motto: We Cover All

The Crags is the most Game of Thrones out of all of the countries. They find strength in dealing with adversity and sacrificing comfort for something greater. They explore their land, find the great thing that it does, and work with it (whether obsidian from lava or a fruit that gives you the strength of 10 in a mountain or a glowing mushroom in a crevasse). Over time, many families have formed into houses and territories, which has then led to a revolving door of kings and queens as the houses vie for power. As the Craggish saying goes, “Everyone has their purpose, and the royals are dying.”

The modern version of the Crags flag (say that five times fast) was established over six hundred years ago, at the signing of the Brevi Pax. Short for “brevi pax pugnantibus,” or “short peace between combatants” in middle Folkish, it was supposed to be a document that finally codified the system of governance in the Crags and illustrated all rights for Craggish citizens regardless of ruler. At the time of its signing, it was just Pax Pugnantibus, but the Brevi was added after Queen Opaline V was slain by her three sisters only ten days after the document was signed.

Although the peace did not remain, the rights of citizens stayed, as well as a specific agreed-upon design for the Craggish flag, The purple emphasizes the strength of the ruling families, while the white V and the black background stands in for the hard landscape where the people make their homes. There’s an interesting optical trick too; the sprout is in the dead center, but the crag makes it seem lower; what appears worse to others is exactly where the Crags knows is best.

Many of the sigils of the houses in the Crags use inversions or additions of this flag to bolster their claims for royal legitimacy, but they do not risk changing too much as would alienate themselves from the existence of the state. They are not above the kingdom and the Rocky Seat, as there would be nothing to rule.

Overstalk

Country’s Motto: Carry Your Roots

The future lives in Overstalk, but it might linger as more of a dream than actually getting it done. Overstalk is the home of the philosophers, a quixotic solarpunkish country. This led to a vibrant merchant culture, so you buy what you need since we’re philosophizing over here. The beating heart of Overstalk is the Stacked City of Skyreach (think the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but a whole city), where radical but sometimes dangerous ideas flourish and fester.

The historians of Overstalk delight in explaining the symbology of their flag to others, as the metaphor of each color and symbol were, if you will pardon the pun, dyed right into it when the Fourth Congress of the Representatives commissioned local textile artist Cablin Pogostemon to create it. On the left side, the yellow represents the warmth and energy of the sun (but modern philosophers would argue that the top band is ascribed to the mercantile success of the region). The cream is the color of a yellowing page of a book, representing study, while the gray is the smoke of incense, representing spiritualism. As the cream and the gray interest each other and the yellow, you cannot forget the mind for the spirit or vice versa, and they are both integral to day-to-day living (or for modern interpretation, business dealings). The right side is the vertical expansion of Overstalk, as high as the stars themselves. 

This is the only flag in Verda Stello to use green, which some suppose signifies Overstalk’s high view of themselves as compared to the other countries.

Maybe Cablin knew this when they designed the flag, as it came with explicit instructions to never be hung up-and-down, with the stars at the top. It is considered a deep political insult to hang the flag in this way… but it has been accidentally turned during some particularly prickly international visits.

[lovelaughsimp]

[God is in every atom, God is in every moment

Even in smile and tears, he exists.

If you'll open your eyes of the mind then you'll be able to get his darshan/ or you'll be able to see him]

And we don't know in which shape you'll find God]

[Destiny never is partial to anyone, it gives you what you have given

You will harvest whatever you have sown, this is the farming of karma.

If all your karmas are good then your ship would never drown

To hold your arm, he would come in disguise]

You never know in which guise God will become yours

[Kindness/ goodness never goes to waste

God keeps the record of everything

The person who has given flowers to others, their own hands becomes fragrant.]

[Listen to the dried tress very carefully,

God takes test of his most beloved devotees]

Because he wants to know whether your faith is gold or just water of gold.]

[ The one who bloomed the flowers on every branch,

[Trust on that gardener.

If you have rocks in your destiny then

Even those rocks would start blooming ]

We don't know in which guise we would find God]

[theprayerfulword]

July 10

Isaiah 43:1 Now says the Lord,… Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.

Mark 10:49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; He is calling you.”

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.

James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Psalm 42:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.

May you be faithful in the work God assigns you, as you actively participate in the ministry of the Lord. 1 Chronicles 9

May you value the diversity of ministry among the Body of Christ, encouraging and strengthening the hands and hearts of each who minister in the Lord's sanctuary, by day and by night. 1 Chronicles 9

May you wait upon the Lord, seeking His will and obeying His guidance, that you may be delivered from unbelief, impatience, and despair, obtaining a kingdom that cannot be moved. 1 Chronicles 10

May you be faithful to the Lord and keep His Word, rejecting guidance from any but those who treasure His presence and walk in His ways, meditating on His truth. 1 Chronicles 10

Feed My lambs, My child. Let My little ones, My young ones, My weak ones, draw sustenance from you even as you draw strength from Me. I have blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies, My precious one, and you have want of nothing dear to life. My Spirit makes My Word life to your heart, filling you with rich wisdom and treasured understanding beyond measure. Your cup is running over with abundance beyond your need. The Father has given Me a Name above every name and seated Me at His right hand because I was faithful in sharing with those He gave Me, holding nothing back that they needed; with the measure I meted out the Father measured back to Me, and even more. This was done so that you may have an example to follow. Pay attention to how you hear what the Spirit has to say. If you listen and heed what you hear, sharing and not hoarding, you will gain more understanding. If you do not give that which I have already given you to those I bring to you, even what you have will be taken away. I distribute My gifts as I will, irrevocably, but My anointing is poured out fresh each day, and My leading and direction is moment by moment. To have My Spirit lift and leave because of selfishness, pride, or fear, is to be without power or direction, of all people most miserable. I consider those who consider Me, My loving one. As you look after My little children, I look after you. As you water the seeds of My Word that are sown, I will make a watered garden of your soul–flourishing, flowering, fragrant, fruitful. As you draw the water from your well, there will always be a fresh supply even in the driest season or the deepest drought when others only bring up mud in their bucket. Do not try to meet the needs of others from yourself, My enthusiastic one. Wait in My presence, for that is where you receive not only My supply but also My directions. Seek My face, hear My voice, know My heart. You will see the one I am drawing today, and My Spirit will guide you to the field that is ripe. Much harm is done when an eager harvester starts cutting in a field where the grain is still green. Wait on My direction, serving Me in praise and worship. Go forth when I direct you and speak what I have given you, feeding My lambs, encouraging My people, strengthening feeble hands, healing afflicted bodies, binding up broken hearts. Preach the acceptable year, and the soon coming, of the Lord.

When you are in a storm with others, may you encourage them by the expression of your faith and the demonstration of your trust in God's promises. Acts 27

May you cheerfully rest in faith on the promises of God, letting your hope in the Lord serve as an anchor in the storm, reassured in the confidence of a clean conscience before Him and knowing that no circumstances can prevent the work from being completed which God has called you to do. Acts 27

May you trust God to order the events as you remain faithful in the duty you are given, that the joy of the Lord will work life and peace in the greatest distresses and dangers. Acts 27

May you show forth the praises of your God and King, proclaiming the majesty of His name in all the earth, and His glory above the heavens, for the Lord has ordained strength and built a fortress against the avenger and enemy of His will. Psalm 8

May you be blessed with the knowledge of your spiritual poverty, helplessness and inadequacy, for your need of God's mercy and compassion will keep you safe from the harsh arrogance of those who feel they are self-sufficient. Proverbs 18:23

[sicarian-writes-stuff]

Title: A Legacy's Harvest

The mountain king had once filled the valley below with a river of blood. He ruled with an iron fist and an crimson blade. But overtime he grew sick of the killing. So he withdrew from the valley and labored in the mountains, carving out a home.

The valley flourished without his predations, but ever feared his presence. They did not know why he withdrew, so feared he labored on an even crueler feat to inflict upon the valley.

So under his far watching eyes, they labored in secret to bring about his ruin. He was strange and cunning, strong and bold. A straight forward ploy would be met with violence and might rekindle his wrath.

Eventually a daughter was born, one so fair and beautiful her parents wept with joy. They raised her well for her task, training her in the ways of killing and charming. She grew into a fearsome creature with the face of an angel.

When she came of age, they sent her into the mountains. She carried a basket of gifts. Upon finding his home, she knocked upon the door and when greeted, offered him the gift. "The valley has flourished, and we offer tribute to our ruler, distant though you have been."

He accepted the gift and offered her rest by his fire, for the mountain air was chill to the skin. She rested and they spoke about little things. They mattered little to her, but to him the stories were precious. She soon left, making her way home.

Soon she returned, with another basket. She found the king waiting for her, a hot drink and a chair by the fire. Again she rested and spoke of the valley. He drank it all in. Their ritual soon developed. She would come and talk, he would sit and listen.

Till a day came, where she walked with a more graceful purpose. When he offered her a chair by the fire, she instead came forward and embraced him. Whispered in her ear how she had fallen in love with him. He merely held her, and listened to her words. He knew the knife she carried was poised behind his back. He knew this day would come. But the warmth of being held was a treasure, for he knew he did not deserve it.

When she left that day, she returned with a full basket. Returning to the valley, she showed her prize to the elder. A bloody head wrapped in cloth. The elder was delighted, and ordered the head mounted on the village wall.

The assassin refused the command. She embraced the elder and whispered in her ear "The king is dead, I carry his heir. Long live the queen" and plunged her blade into the elder's back. Her parent's were horrified. How could their sweet little daughter do such a thing?

The daughter turned and said to the gathered village "is this not what you raised me for? You filled my childhood with lessons of charm mixed with lessons of violence? Who am I but what you made me? You told me the stories of how our mad king scourged the valley and the fields ran with blood. Well I have tasted blood and it is a sweet fruit. You have sown your field, and now I shall reap it!"

The harvest was swift. They had trained her well. When she had finished reaping her bloody harvest, she returned to the mountains.

She returned to the king's home, and embraced him again. He wept for the valley, and he wept for his own weakness, unable to stop this mad woman from taking up his legacy. And he cried because the hole in his heart had been filled by the love of someone who truly loved him for the monster he was.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

27th January >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Friday, Third Week in Ordinary Time

  or

Saint Angela Merici, Virgin.

Friday, Third Week in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading Hebrews 10:32-39 We are the sort who keep faithful.

Remember all the sufferings that you had to meet after you received the light, in earlier days; sometimes by being yourselves publicly exposed to insults and violence, and sometimes as associates of others who were treated in the same way. For you not only shared in the sufferings of those who were in prison, but you happily accepted being stripped of your belongings, knowing that you owned something that was better and lasting. Be as confident now, then, since the reward is so great. You will need endurance to do God’s will and gain what he has promised.

Only a little while now, a very little while, and the one that is coming will have come; he will not delay. The righteous man will live by faith, but if he draws back, my soul will take no pleasure in him.

You and I are not the sort of people who draw back, and are lost by it; we are the sort who keep faithful until our souls are saved.

The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 36(37):3-6,23-24,39-40

R/ The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

If you trust in the Lord and do good, then you will live in the land and be secure. If you find your delight in the Lord, he will grant your heart’s desire.

R/ The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Commit your life to the Lord, trust in him and he will act, so that your justice breaks forth like the light, your cause like the noon-day sun.

R/ The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

The Lord guides the steps of a man and makes safe the path of one he loves. Though he stumble he shall never fall for the Lord holds him by the hand.

R/ The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord, their stronghold in time of distress. The Lord helps them and delivers them and saves them: for their refuge is in him.

R/ The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation Psalm 118:27

Alleluia, alleluia! Make me grasp the way of your precepts, and I will muse on your wonders. Alleluia!

Or: Matthew 11:25

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children. Alleluia!

Gospel Mark 4:26-34 The kingdom of God is a mustard seed growing into the biggest shrub of all.

Jesus said to the crowds: ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.’ He also said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.’ Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

-----------------------------------

Saint Angela Merici, Virgin   

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(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 1 Peter 4:7-11 Each of you has received a special grace.

Everything will soon come to an end, so, to pray better, keep a calm and sober mind. Above all, never let your love for each other grow insincere, since love covers over many a sin. Welcome each other into your houses without grumbling. Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others. If you are a speaker, speak in words which seem to come from God; if you are a helper, help as though every action was done at God’s orders; so that in everything God may receive the glory, through Jesus Christ, since to him alone belong all glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 148:1-2,11-14

R/ Young men and women, praise the name of the Lord.. or R/ Alleluia!

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host.

R/ Young men and women, praise the name of the Lord.. or R/ Alleluia!

All earth’s kings and peoples, earth’s princes and rulers, young men and maidens, old men together with children.

R/ Young men and women, praise the name of the Lord.. or R/ Alleluia!

Let them praise the name of the Lord for he alone is exalted. The splendour of his name reaches beyond heaven and earth.

R/ Young men and women, praise the name of the Lord.. or R/ Alleluia!

He exalts the strength of his people. He is the praise of all his saints, of the sons of Israel, of the people to whom he comes close.

R/ Young men and women, praise the name of the Lord.. or R/ Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation Matthew 11:25

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children. Alleluia!

Gospel Luke 10:1-9 Your peace will rest on that man.

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.”’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[kingsbride-moved]

"Have One On Me" and the Loves of Theseus

Theseus & Ariadne | Easy

No-one knows what is coming, or who will harvest what we have sown, or how I've been dulling, and dumbing, in the service of the heart alone...

"Easy" is about the narrator trying her hardest to love a man who will not bear his heart to her. She is desperate to be able to love him fully, but she cannot when he refuses vulnerability.

For Theseus and Ariadne, Theseus was much more open with her before he entered the labyrinth to battle the Minotaur. The two of them had quickly became friends, bonding over how they felt alienated from the world. She was willing to betray her father for him, by showing him a map of the nautilus shell shape of the labyrinth, and giving him a thread so he may find his way back.

After he came out of that battle, he was changed.

She wanted him to talk about what had occured, and why he suddenly become so distant, but he couldn't bring himself to open up to her. Having her with him soon began to scare him for reasons he did not know... he left her slumbering upon Naxos, alongside the sword of his father, the weapon he'd used to slay the bull with.

( To a lesser extent I associate Good Intentions Paving Company with them too)

Theseus & Hippolyta | Have One On Me

Helpless as a child, when you held me in your arms, and I knew that no other could ever love me as you loved. Love me as you loved. But help me! I'm leaving!

"Have One On Me" is loosely based on the life of Lola Montez, a "Spanish dancer" who the mistress of a king. The song itself deals with themes of alcoholism, and a need to be loved regardless of how unhealthy the relationship may be.

Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, was Theseus' first wife. They met while Theseus was joining his cousin Heracles on a journey in Anatolia (modern day Turkey). Hippolyta and Theseus had a lot in common! But... This is not necessarily a good thing!

Theseus was new to being king, and while he'd already done some great things, it didn't stop him for sometimes longing for the freedom of his youth. Hippolyta was much the same, and the two had a tendency to enable one another. They would shirk their duties to go off sailing, or hunting in the Athenian outskirts. They even both joined during the hunt of the Calydonian boar, though... during this hunt, Hippolyta was badly injured. This is what made Theseus realize they need to slow down, but despite it all Hippolyta did not want to. This created a rift in their relationship, and eventually Hippolyta and their young child.

Theseus & Phaedra | Go Long

Who made you this way? Who made you this way? Who is going to bear your beautiful children? Do you think you can just stop, when you're ready for a change? Who will take care of you when you're old and dying?

"Go Long" is a play on the myth of Bluebeard, a man who, in legend, took a new young wife, but warned her not to look into a certain room he kept locked away. The girl did look, and within it discovered the bodies of Bluebeard's previous wives. Her curiosity leads to her death as well.

Phaedra and Theseus have a complicated past. Phaedra is the older sister of Ariadne, who spent most of her life up until that point having to be a mother to her younger siblings, especially after Pasiphae was traumatized as badly as she was.

Phaedra grew up jealous of Ariadne, who saw the world thru rose tinted glasses and believed in love and heroism. Ariadne was more "beautiful" than Phaedra, too. And her beauty and naivety led to her having her heart broken, at least until Dionysus himself decided to love Ariadne, and her bitterness grew.

Phaedra and Theseus' marriage was arranged by her older brother, Deucalion. They did not love one another, not truly, but they learned to tolerate one another. They eventually had sons of their own, as well. Phaedra was content to simply continue in her loveless but content marriage... but Theseus had another son. Hippolytus had grown up into a brave and intelligent young man, who forsake romance in order to honor Artemis. He and Phaedra never got along, he rejected had as a stepmother and wanted nothing to do with her. His lack of respect infuriated Phaedra, and it eventually culminated in a huge fight between the two of them. This fight later led to Hippolyta's death, as well as Phaedra's own... and Theseus never again remarried in his mortal life.

[wolint]

SEASONS OF THE WORD!

SEASONS OF THE WORD

Proverbs 18:21

Seasons come and go, but God’s word remains firm and sure forever, according to Isaiah 40:8. What season are you in now? Do you even recognize the season you are in?

Do you know that the only weapon applicable to every season is the word of God? Deuteronomy 30:14 says the word of God is in our mouths and hearts, in our minds, which means we’ve got to use our mouths and words wisely to change our seasons if we don’t like them.

The spoken word cannot be recalled, so be sure of your confessions and declarations before you utter them. Be sure you’re speaking the right and wise word over your life, your family, loved ones, and finances. Value your words because God values them and waits expectantly to hear your faith-filled words, as seen in Isaiah 55:11.

Life is forever changing, and since 2020, there has been a drastic and monumental change in how we remember many things. What big change will you remember? Things we were so used to are gone forever; systems and ideas we trusted are irrevocably damaged. This is saying that whatever is not standing and founded on the word of God is subject to change, while the word of God lasts forever, as stated in Matthew 24:35.

The world is slowly dying, governments are being toppled, man is killing man, and the enemy seems to be on a rampage to take as many lives as he can in every way. Yet, we have the word of life in us. We must use the word of God to counter every death sentence the enemy dishes out; the season of the word is more for now and always than for later. John 6:63 says the word is a spirit which cannot die, so too are your words; they cannot die until they reach their full maturity, potential, and possibilities.

Every word you speak gives life to something. Your words give birth to life or death, so make sure you are speaking life to give life to the right things. The Lord has already sent His word to you; catch it, hold onto it, and use it to affect your season, according to Psalm 147:15.

Use your words, prophesy God’s word, send your words as armies and messengers, and watch them move swiftly to accomplish God’s mandate over your season. Be the wise who speaks thoughtfully because you know words have consequences.

The season of words must start with daily positive affirmations based on God’s word. Speak life over your day, your family, and your work. For example, declare, “I am blessed and highly favoured” or “God’s plans for me are good. And be mindful of your speech: Be conscious of the words you use throughout the day. Avoid negative or harmful language. Instead, choose words that build up and encourage others.

Seasons come according to the seeds that have been sown. If you are not speaking, it means you are not sowing seeds that will later be harvested.

Let the word of God become the conviction that you confess until you see the manifestation of the word.

According to Job 23:12, the commandment of God’s lips, His written word, must proceed from our mouths. We must esteem the words of His mouth—we must learn to store the word of God in our hearts, as Psalm 119:11 says, and must treat God’s word as more valuable than any precious treasure.

You have the responsibility to use your words to block and counter every wrong word the enemy throws at you. He wants to mess you up with wrong and negative reports. Give your words life and wings; let every day be the season of the word.

PRAYER:

Father, thank you for your word. Help me to recognize and acknowledge the seasons when they come, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT’L PRAYER MIN.

[stardust-in-my-mind-blog]

TAROT of the Day - August 12 - THREE OF CUPS

On this card are three beautiful women dancing together in a circle, raising high three golden cups with strong and graceful energy. Toasting each other, toasting their successes, celebrating in bounty. They act not in frivolousness, but seriously, knowing the weight and importance of what they have done to bring them to this Celebration. Around them on the ground are the symbols of Abundance - fruits and harvest vegetables, bunches of grapes.

Threes are about power, and this card speaks of the Power of Friendship, the power of what we can do and accomplish together with others, or what we can accomplish when supported by others. The Power of Joy, and sharing it. The Power of Friend-Love.

This card says you have been blessed with loving friends who support you and truly care about you and your life. You need to celebrate what is really important to you. You have reaped the Harvest of Love and Friendship, as those are also the seeds you have sown. This card is a Sacred Celebration of Friendship. If you are a woman, it is a celebration of Sisterhood in particular: the women who support and love you, come to your aid, drink and share food with you, laugh with you, cry with you. Enjoy yourselves together!

Express your gratitude to those friends who support you and are THERE for you! This is one of the Great Blessings in life. All accomplishments are made less of a struggle with the support of those who love you. Let those whom you love know that you love them!

In the end, the Bond of Friendship is one of the most significant Blessings of our lives.

(c) Diane Horton

[riverdamien]

A Disruptive Shrub

"A Disruptive Shrub!"

Mark 4:26-34 NRSVue

26He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground 27and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28The earth produces of itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle because the harvest has come.”

30He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it; 34he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

-------------------------------------------- Much of life's biggest lessons and learning come with patience. Faith, too, grows in the ebbs and flows of the lives of each of us. God is not impatient with our growth. God is the one who creates us from nothing and creates us each day of our lives. God grows love in us so that our love can shelter and comfort many others. Each of us are mustard seeds!

As I pass men, women, children, and teens lying on the street at night, see them around a fire in Golden Gate Park, literally begging for food, using drugs, dirty, and beaten; I open my door, go into a warm room, photos of my life, good food to eat and nice clothes to wear. I can take a shower twice a day, and have great health insurance just a call or page away,  I feel sad and guilty. I feel guilty that I do not dare to live on the street and give everything away!

In the San Francisco Chronicle, there was a photo of Mayor Dianne Feinstein in 1986 moving a homeless encampment out of an area and getting all of them hotel rooms. She thought the problem was solved, today we have twice as many in the City with no housing.

The government fails time and time again because it fails to look at each person as an individual. It only cares about getting the "problem" out of the way.

We are called to be the "mustard" seed of compassion and care, we must see each person as our brother and sister.

We must be disruptic and move out of the status quo.!

And so after thirty years, my prayer is in my failures, and in my joys I have helped the mustard seed grow, and success can only be measured in our dedication to our path, and I have tried, I have tried so hard, and fallen many times but I have tried with all of heart!

My prayer is that I have helped plant the mustard seed in others. I close with a prayer, written by Hassidim, a father of the desert honoring Mary Magdalene:

"On my bed at night I sought him.

Whom my heart loves--

I sought him but I did not find him.

I will arise and go about the city; in the

streets and crossings I will seek

Him whom my heart loves.

I sought him but I did not find Him

Oh, that you were my brother, nursed at my

mother's breasts!

If I met you out of doors I would kiss you

and none would taunt me.

I would lead you, bring you in

to the home of my mother. . .

Rejoice with me who love the Lord, for

I sought Him and He appeared to me. And while I was weeping at the tomb I saw my Lord, Alleluia."

"Lord, our world is blighted by the destructive seeds of greed and oppression. But deep down there are also small seeds of justice, peace, and reconciliation. May I help them to grow?-(Unknown,"). Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God!

--------------------------------

"You can measure your worth by your dedication to your path, not by your successes or failures."

Elizabeth Gilbert

____________________________________________________________________________________________

"For LGBTQ+ young people, having an affirming community makes all the difference. Your participation and fundraising efforts help The Trevor Project continue to provide free, secure 24/7 suicide prevention and crisis services. This effort will also support Trevor’s ongoing public education, advocacy, and research initiatives, all in hopes of building a world where LGBTQ+ young people are safe and free to be themselves.

I am sacrificing a meal a day to donate! Join Me!

This is separate from your donation to Temenos, if you would like to pledge toward my $200.00 goal please do so, I have collected $100.00 so far! I am at 30 miles so far!

============================

Dr. River Damien Sims, sfw, D.Min., D.S.T.

Post Office Box 642656

San Francisco, CA 94164

www.temenos.org

paypal.com

415-305-2124Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counseling Certificate

Certificate in Spiritual Direction

Certificate In Religious Trauma

(30th Anniversary Celebration!)

October 5, 2024

5:00 p.m.

Victor's Pizza

(Where Bought Youth First Pizza!

[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Sun June 16th, 2024 ... Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Reading 1

----------

Ez 17:22-24

Thus says the Lord GOD:

I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar,

from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot,

and plant it on a high and lofty mountain;

on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it.

It shall put forth branches and bear fruit,

and become a majestic cedar.

Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it,

every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.

And all the trees of the field shall know

that I, the LORD,

bring low the high tree,

lift high the lowly tree,

wither up the green tree,

and make the withered tree bloom.

As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.

Responsorial Psalm

----------------

Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16

R. (cf. 2a) Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,

to sing praise to your name, Most High,

To proclaim your kindness at dawn

and your faithfulness throughout the night.

R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

The just one shall flourish like the palm tree,

like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.

They that are planted in the house of the LORD

shall flourish in the courts of our God.

R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

They shall bear fruit even in old age;

vigorous and sturdy shall they be,

Declaring how just is the LORD,

my rock, in whom there is no wrong.

R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

Reading 2

----------

2 Cor 5:6-10

Brothers and sisters:

We are always courageous,

although we know that while we are at home in the body

we are away from the Lord,

for we walk by faith, not by sight.

Yet we are courageous,

and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.

Therefore, we aspire to please him,

whether we are at home or away.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,

so that each may receive recompense,

according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.

Alleluia

------------

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower.

All who come to him will live forever.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

--------

Mk 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:

“This is how it is with the kingdom of God;

it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land

and would sleep and rise night and day

and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,

he knows not how.

Of its own accord the land yields fruit,

first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,

for the harvest has come.”

He said,

“To what shall we compare the kingdom of God,

or what parable can we use for it?

It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.

But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants

and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”

With many such parables

he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.

Without parables he did not speak to them,

but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

One way to read the Gospels and the parables is to read the passage and then ask, “So what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to act?” And that’s a perfectly valid way of reading Scripture, it’s one of the several ways to read Scripture. But it’s not the only way. And while you can do that with most every passage you read in the Gospels, it’s not always what Jesus is doing. (I know, shocking, Jesus isn’t just telling us what we should do all the time. Jesus did a lot of teaching, but not everything he taught was a moral lesson.) And surprise, surprise—this passage today is not Jesus teaching us a lesson on morals.

The Kingdom that Jesus is announcing (and this is the point!)—the Kingdom of God is a bit different. It doesn’t arrive how other kingdoms arrive. In fact, to this day, two-thousand years later, this kingdom still seems not to have arrived—but really, it’s hidden in plain sight.

Stop and think: how are new kingdoms established? Violence! The land of Israel was a land of blood and violence, and to this day it still is. Everyone wants that piece of ground. The Philistines, the Assyrians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans—everyone wanted to rule that place! There was constant violence, all in an attempt to establish a kingdom. Think about our little “kingdom” of the United States: how was America established? Revolutionary war. Think about even today: people are trying to establish ideological kingdoms right now, and it often devolves into violent protest. Kingdoms are usually established by violence.

Violence, though, is just one form of power. And power is the key—or rather, how you think power should be exercised, how best to use power is the key. Violence, force, heavy-handedness: these are the easy approaches to using power. But the Kingdom of God that Jesus has come to announce exercises power in a very strange, and a very counterintuitive way.

Jesus has been performing miracles and signs to show the power of this Kingdom to heal and restore. So clearly this Kingdom has power. But this power isn’t going to be used to set up a kingdom in the normal sense of the word.

The people of Israel, when they heard that there was going to be a restoration of the kingdom—just like the prophets had promised, the messianic event where enemies would be overcome and the oppressive kingdoms of the world would be defeated—Israel immediately thought along power in the “normal” way: violence. The Messiah would come with power and defeat the other kingdoms. The Messiah would come with divine judgment and destroy the other kingdoms.

So imagine the surprise when Jesus speaks about the kingdom in this way: “This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land.…the seed would sprout and grow.…of its own accord the land yields fruit.…and when the grain is ripe, he wield the sickle at once, for harvest has come.”

This Kingdom of God that Jesus is announcing isn’t one that happens from the top down. The Kingdom of God is planted, it begins in very small ways, and over time it grows and grows. And it does’t grow because we do things to make it happen, it grows because God is secretly at work, in ways we don’t see or know or comprehend. The Kingdom is a divine work, not a human achievement.

This is the good news. The Lord is at work, the Lord is faithful, the Lord plants and waters and makes it grow. It sounds like a horrible idea (because we’re not in control!) but it’s the plan the Lord has started—and it works.

We are not going to be the one’s to accomplish the work by our own power. Not going to happen. But that’s actually the most comforting thing I’ve heard in a long time. Because that also means that even if the world is falling apart around us, we’re going to be ok. Even if we’re backed against a wall and an army of whatever is bearing down on us, we don’t need to worry. The point is that the Lord is establishing the Kingdom, He Himself is setting up his reign on earth as it is in heaven. And he is doing this in and through his anointed one, his Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Our response is what we call “faith”: trusting in this Jesus, following him and where he leads us. If we listen to the little promptings he gives us, act on the little whispers (as ridiculous as they sound) that is how the Kingdom will break in—and break in powerfully. You don’t have to wield earthly power to make things happen. You just have to have faith that the Lord’s power, the power of the Kingdom of God, is real. And the point? It’s very real.

***

【Build your Faith in Christ Jesus on #dailyscripturereadingsgroup 📚: +256 751 540 524 .. Whatsapp】

[fr-martin-gospel-reflections]

16th June - ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like?’ Reflection on the readings for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mark 4:26-34)

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

We have access to information today that wasn’t so easily available to us in the past. If we want to know more about something, we don’t have to go to the library or purchase a book, we can ‘Google it’, as they say. The internet has given us access to lots of information just by pressing a few keys on our computer or our tablet or our smart phones. Yet, what we know is always far less than what we don’t know. There is so much about our universe that even the greatest scientists are still struggling to understand. We have to be humble about what we know, recognizing that there is so much that is still beyond our grasp.

It is said in the first of Jesus’ two parables in today’s gospel reading that when the farmer sows the seed on the land, the seed sprouts and grows, night and day, while he sleeps and when he is awake, but how this happens he does not know. Having sown the seed, the farmer can only step back and allow the seed to work away invisibly but powerfully beneath the surface of the earth. He can really do nothing at this point except wait patiently for the earth to work on the seed until the crop is ready for harvesting. There is something wonderful happening that is invisible to him and that he has very little knowledge of. Jesus was saying that the kingdom or reign of God is like that. God is often at work in our own personal lives, and in the life of our communities, in ways that we do not fully understand. There is often something hidden and invisible to God’s way of working. God can be working in life-giving ways as we go about our daily lives, while we sleep, while we are awake, in the language of the parable. When it comes to God’s relationship with us and our relationship with God, there is always much more going on than meets the eye. At the beginning of one of his letters, Saint Paul says, ‘I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ’. God began God’s good work in our lives at the moment of our conception and then again at our baptism. God’s good work continues throughout our lives. God is always at work within us and among us helping us to grow as human beings, enabling us to become the fully mature person, the Christ-like person, God desires us to be. There is work for us to do as well, just as the farmer had to sow the seed at the beginning and then bring in the harvest at the end. However, our work consists in allowing God to do God’s work in our lives. We try to create an opening in our lives for God and his Son, our risen Lord, to bring to completion the good work they have begun in and among us. We may not always be aware of God’s good work within us, especially in those times when our failings are very clear to us. Yet, even when we do not see God’s good work within us, it is always ongoing. As Saint Paul reminds us in today’s second reading, when it comes to God, we go by faith and not by sight and, because we go by faith, we are always full of confidence,

The second parable in our gospel reading, the parable of the mustard seed, also has something to say about the ways that God is at work in our lives. The mustard seed was considered to be the smallest seed of all, and, yet, it produces a very vigorous shrub that spreads quickly and provides shelter for birds. There is a striking contrast between the smallness of the mustard seed and the large, vigorous, shrub it produces. Jesus is saying that not only is God always at work in a good way in our lives, but that God can be working powerfully through our smallest gestures of goodness, kindness and love. God can do great things in and through our ordinary, everyday actions that can seem very insignificant to us and to others. If we scatter the mustard seeds of the Lord’s love through our small, daily choices, we are making an opening for God to work creatively through us in ways that will often surprise us. We need to appreciate our own small gestures of loving kindness because through them God will work to bring God’s kingdom to earth. We cannot build the kingdom of God on earth, only God can do that, but God needs us to sow mustard seeds of love and hope so that he can work powerfully through our seemingly small and insignificant actions. On one occasion in the gospels, Jesus highlighted the value of giving a cup of cold water to ‘one of these little ones’. On another occasion he drew his disciples attention to the widow who put two small copper coins into the Temple treasury. God is continuously at work through all those small acts of self-giving service that are plentiful in every parish community and often go unnoticed. Today’s parables encourage us to be hopeful because of all the good work that God is doing within us and among us.

[almaqead]

"The Water Boy." From Surah 12, Yusuf.

Joseph's dream of Seven Deadly Cows is coming to pass.

In the Bible, Pharaoh tells Joseph a dream about seven healthy cows followed by seven thin, sick-looking cows in Genesis 41:17-41. The thin cows eat the healthy cows, but look the same afterwards. Joseph interprets the dream to mean that seven years of good harvests will be followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh recognizes that God's spirit is with Joseph and makes him second in command over Egypt, tasking him with preparing for the famine. 

Over and over Allah has been telling us to prepare for disease, excessive heat, war, and to do away with the corrupition that is causing them. Now is the time to for all believers to act , to unify their voices and manpower before first world powers become too overwhelmed to help the rest.

The UK and USA must come to terms with the filth they have sown in their governments so all the nations in the world can be as instruments of each other. This will not happen so long as there is any difference of opinion about the needs of the climate, the wanderers, the homeless, the sick, and the oppressed.

Surah Yusuf tells the story of a planet that is in the same position as ours- struggling to realize its dreams while corrupt and wayward men work to stifle them. Even though we waited too long to keep everyone we now miss with us, God has heard our cries for freedom and peace, of this there is no doubt, and here is His response:

12: 16-22:

"Then they returned to their father in the evening, weeping.

They cried, “Our father! We went racing and left Joseph with our belongings, and a wolf devoured him! But you will not believe us, no matter how truthful we are.”

And they brought his shirt, stained with false blood.1 He responded, “No! Your souls must have tempted you to do something ˹evil˺. So ˹I can only endure with˺ beautiful patience!2 It is Allah’s help that I seek to bear your claims.”

And there came some travellers, and they sent their water-boy who let down his bucket into the well. He cried out, “Oh, what a great find! Here is a boy!” And they took him secretly ˹to be sold˺ as merchandise, but Allah is All-Knowing of what they did.

They ˹later˺ sold him for a cheap price, just a few silver coins—only wanting to get rid of him.1 

The man from Egypt1 who bought him said to his wife, “Take good care of him, perhaps he may be useful to us or we may adopt him as a son.” This is how We established Joseph in the land, so that We might teach him the interpretation of dreams. Allah’s Will always prevails, but most people do not know.

And when he reached maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge. This is how We reward the good-doers."

Commentary:

While it is incredulous to think God would put a boy in a well or put Muhammad in a cave and tell them both to endure until they were escorted to refuge, this is how it always works. The verses above are septolet, consistent with how the Torah braids together various other verses with the Seven Days.

Whenever there is a tall tale such as the one above, one has to use Gematria in this manner. Gematria can also be used when Allah pontificates and becomes tedious, but when that happens I tie His Thoughts back to the Banner and to the Pillars of Islam and bucket them within a vertical train of thought vs. performing a more estortic analysis. Since this story was first told in the Torah, however, it is important to look for opportunities to use Gematria.

v. 16: They returned to him. The Return to the Father is discussed extensively in the Quran. All begins with God all returns to Him. The conditions of the return depend on how one spent one's time on earth. Everyone on earth [except the wicked] is praying to God for a way out of World War III with the earth intact. This should not take us any time at all to do. Like Joseph's brothers we know we have shit canned the planet and are now having to go back to Israel for forgiveness and advice.

The Number is 6158, ו‎אהח‎‎, "and ahhh" "in the hutch."

A hutch is a box or cage, typically with a wire mesh front, for keeping rabbits, ferrets, or other small domesticated animals. Mankind is not acting civilized and he knows it. God is telling us we need to go back into our cages and stay there until we learn how to act when we are let out.

v. 17: We went racing off and left. The only direction this works is in the name of freedom from oppression. No one runs into slavery, no one is supposed to abandon someone else who is enslaved. This is our most important aspect of our value system.

The Number is 14153, ידא‎‎הג‎, yeda hag, "Holiday Knowledge."= the Passover. Everyone knows why Moses went to Sinai and what he did when he came back. So why are so many people being abandoned to their fates by persons perfectly capable of lending them a hand?

v. 18: Your souls must have tempted you do to do something evil. The Number is 11260, יא‎בו‎אֶפֶס, the object of desire, the wish will be zero [יעבו אפס,].

v. 19: And there came travellers. They sent their water boy. Travelers are "on the march" meaning they are free persons. The water boy, 1538, "watches out", like Moses to see if the people need Godly assistance.

The Number is 12251, יב‎בהא‎‎, bahau, "our emptiness and confusion, our void must be looked at."

There is no limit to the evil we can do in this life if we do not try to find the way out of the well. The water boy who lowers the bucket down to the trapped prince is God Himself trying to give us the chance to do the opposite- test the limits of the beauty and prosperity we can create.

In other words, we cannot allow the Mormons, the filth to trap us when we really do have due process available to us and can stop them from destroying the Holy Land without much ado.

v. 20: They ˹later˺ sold him for a cheap price, just a few silver coins—only wanting to get rid of him.1 

Silver is common decency. Just a little can change the world. All the really worthwhile dreams for the future are like silver, they are cheap. The Number is 6364, וג‎‎וד, "go with God and do good, etc."

The time is right, there is so much going wrong, and the smallest changes, just a few new world leaders who have relationships with the Most High will be able to make them happen:

v. 21a: The man from Egypt who bought him said to his wife, “Take good care of him, perhaps he may be useful to us or we may adopt him as a son.” The Number is 7710, זזאאֶפֶס, Zazaapes, "shocked."

One might be shocked at the revelations one receives, but one does not stop. To adopt a son is to adopt a huge lifestyle change, and provided it is a turn to the Right, towards the Light then one commits no matter how shocking the news might be.

The man from Egypt that adopted the Water Boy is surely God's decree for Muslims to adopt Jews and for Jews to adopt Muslims in order to protect the human race from itself.

v. 21b: This is how We established Joseph in the land, so that We might teach him the interpretation of dreams. Allah’s Will always prevails, but most people do not know. The Number is 11655, יאוהה, yamaha, "the Lake."

There is only one way to overcome the Shock and that is to see oneself in the Lake, the Mediterranean Sea. "To immediately see nothing but God's greatness."

Med=immediately

Iterr=rest in the remainder of the abundance and surplus

Anean=nothing else matters

v. 22: And when he reached maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge. This is how We reward the good-doers."

The Number is 9663, ט‎ווג‎ ‎tawag, "and enjoy."

Now we know Muhammad was a Jew. Before Islam there were Jews and Christians, one very much outnumbered the others. God must have been worried Judaism was not going to survive unless He taught the Verses to a new Prophet and He chose Muhammad the Quraysh.

Now we see why. Even in English, the Verses speak to us very clearly as they promise in the Banner. All war and oppression, all tyrants and losers that are misusing the power and abusing the land and the sea must be dealt with and the human race needs to work together to undo all the damage it has done and help the sad, lost, and helpless to heal.

[theprayerfulword]

October 09

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Romans 8:26 The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought.

Deuteronomy 13:4 It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

Isaiah 26:4 KJV Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:

Joel 2:13 And rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.

Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways are pleasing to YHWH, He makes even his enemies live at peace with him.

May you know that the Lord is always righteous and His judgments are forever just, causing the wicked, whose ways prosper, and the faithless, who live at ease, who always have the Lord on their lips but never near their hearts, to be set apart for the day of calamity, for this life is the only reward they have, and they have no hope after death but destruction. Jeremiah 12

May you rejoice that the Lord knows you and tests your thoughts about Him, that you may be led into all truth by His Holy Spirit, finding freedom from oppression, refuge from the devourer, and strength to overcome your own desires, becoming a useful and productive servant about your Master's service, working in humble obedience and resting in intimate relationship with the Father. Jeremiah 12

May you consider how you should behave when confronted by the present opposition and influence of the wicked, for in the times to come, when their power of presence will increase, you will be able to manage as you rely on the wisdom and grace of the Lord now, depending on the authority of His Word and the power of His Spirit as you walk in the truth of His promises. Jeremiah 12

May you see how so many of those who call on the name of the Lord but resist the leading of the Spirit and deny the truth of the Word, turning from the ways of God, are speckled with the pollution of this life, mixing the vanity of the world with the traditions of religion, bringing desolation to the land. Jeremiah 12

May you have the wisdom to see and recognize the confusion that results when the unrepentant seek to escape God's judgment, for shepherds will pasture in vine-yards and thorns will grow where wheat is sown, the pleasant and productive land will become desolate and parched, and the people will bear the shame of an empty harvest, having nothing to show for their labor. Jeremiah 12

May you be willing to open your hands to those who were enemies and teach God's truth with compassion to all who will learn God's ways, for unless they listen, they will be doomed. Jeremiah 12

My child, would you be content to know your spouse only through a dating agency and never speak to one another apart from that time? Do you feel satisfaction would be possible if a third party conveyed each side of your conversation to the other, with no direct contact, eye to eye, hand to hand, heart to heart? How much intimacy would be lost by hearing from an official go-between about how your beloved feels for you? How freely would you be able to pour out your heart into the ears of one who, though caring, diligent, and willing, is not your beloved? My love for you, My precious one, is too personal to be conveyed through an agency or an organization; though you may hear of Me through others, you can only come to know Me through seeking on your own, heart to heart, and allowing My Spirit to open My Word to you. Let relationship bind you to Me, growing with the experiences of each day as you bring them to Me and share your heart, the cares and despairs, the fears and joys, the triumphs and defeats. Let My Word give you wisdom and understanding for what is past that you may be strengthened for what is to come. When you meet another one who also knows Me, you will each recognize the evidence of My presence in the other by the witness of My Spirit inside you. That which you have received of Me will be of comfort and strength to the other as you share with each other of My love and My glory. The vision you have received of Me will be made more complete by what others testify to about Me. There is great benefit to fellowship between members of My Body, but only those who know Me personally, individually, can worship Me collectively. Together, there is strength in the unity that I bring out of diversity, but it is only between those who have submitted to Me individually by turning their hearts in contrition to Mine. To know of someone, even when you study every detail about that one, is not to be known by the person, no matter how much you care. You must go to that one, face to face, and get to know them personally. Do not depend on the experiences of others, My dear one, but know Me for yourself so that you may be known and accepted by Me.

May you allow the Lord to bind you to Himself as His own, for His renown and praise and honor, listening to the word of the Lord and obeying the prompting of the Spirit, lest you be distracted by the pride of your knowledge and “achievements” and led away by your desires and “entitlements,” becoming useless in His work. Jeremiah 13

May you hear and pay attention without arrogance when the Lord speaks, giving glory to your God Who brings the light of your hope lest your feet stumble in the darkening hills, for if you do not listen, your pride will leave you in thick darkness and deep gloom as the flock of the Lord is taken captive. Jeremiah 13

May you rejoice in that, while you are helpless against natural depravity and challenged by strong habits of sin, unable to master your headstrong appetites, the Lord urges you to seek help from Him Who is mighty to save and Who sends His Spirit to create in you a clean heart, for things which are impossible for men are possible with God, Who scatters the unclean like chaff before the desert wind but receives the humbly repentant with grace and compassion. Jeremiah 13

May your desire be to see the name of the Lord glorified rather than your comfort maintained; may you weep for the sins that sorrow the Lord rather than for the judgment that they bring; may you confess in humility the wrong-doing that permeates the society and turns the culture from seeking God's forgiveness in times of distress, making the Hope of Heaven to be like a traveling stranger who stays only a night; may you dread the departure of God's grace more than the loss of your pride. Jeremiah 14

May your work in the service of the Lord be produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1

May you not only speak the words of God with your lips, but also feel the power of the Spirit in your heart as it mortifies the flesh, making the desires of the world grow dim, and lifting your spirit to dwell on heavenly things. 1 Thessalonians 1

May you not try to please men, but God, as you preach the gospel, not using flattery or masking greed, for the Lord tries your heart and will show you if you are seeking praise. 1 Thessalonians 2

May you turn to God in your time of desperate need, that His mercy may come quickly to meet you and God your Savior help you for the glory of His name, delivering you and forgiving your sins for His name's sake, preserving, by the strength of His arm those condemned to die, that you may join with the rest of His people, the sheep of His pasture, and praise Him forever, always recounting His praise. Psalm 79

[catolinewsdailyreadings]

Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Readings of Friday, January 26, 2024

Reading 1

HEB 10:32-39

Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened,  you endured a great contest of suffering. At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction;  at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated. You even joined in the sufferings of those in prison  and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property,  knowing that you had a better and lasting possession. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence;  it will have great recompense. You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.

For, after just a brief moment, he who is to come shall come; he shall not delay. But my just one shall live by faith, and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.

We are not among those who draw back and perish,  but among those who have faith and will possess life.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 37:3-4, 5-6, 23-24, 39-40

R./ The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Trust in the LORD and do good, that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security. Take delight in the LORD, and he will grant you your heart's requests. R./ The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Commit to the LORD your way; trust in him, and he will act. He will make justice dawn for you like the light; bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.  R./ The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

By the LORD are the steps of a man made firm,  and he approves his way. Though he fall, he does not lie prostrate, for the hand of the LORD sustains him. R./ The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

The salvation of the just is from the LORD; he is their refuge in time of distress. And the LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. R./ The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Gospel

MK 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds: "This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come."

He said, "To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade." With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.