#A Ordinary 17 Tuesday

[myremnantarmy]

𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥

Tuesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Lk 7:11-17

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,

and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.

As he drew near to the gate of the city,

a man who had died was being carried out,

the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.

A large crowd from the city was with her.

When the Lord saw her,

he was moved with pity for her and said to her,

"Do not weep."

He stepped forward and touched the coffin;

at this the bearers halted,

and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!"

The dead man sat up and began to speak,

and Jesus gave him to his mother.

Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,

"A great prophet has arisen in our midst,"

and "God has visited his people."

This report about him spread through the whole of Judea

and in all the surrounding region.

[spicywhenspeaking]

a quick unedited something for @madomens on this bright and sunny Tuesday morning !

Based on her Hired To Kill Ruffilo Moodboard here

Case log: day 3, 07:00

Subject is still asleep. Didn’t get home until late last night. While in pursuit last night he stopped for an ice cream….idiot….

Case log: day 5, 10:34

Subject has left his home. Stopped for coffee and went to a cat cafe. Why am I killing this guy? He seems harmless. Reaching out to contractors today to increase payment…innocents cost extra.

Case log: day 6, 17:46

Subject is the most accident prone person I’ve ever seen. Almost got hit by a bus…twice. I’ve found out the identities of my contractors. Rival band to my target. I’m conflicted, since listening to more of my target’s band I’m unsure if I want to end his career so soon. Continuing in pursuit for now.

Case log: day 8, 09:68

I have killed over 200 targets. I shouldn’t be so hesitant. Kill and take the checks that’s my job. Why is it so hard to kill this guy? Is it his soulful eyes, the kindness in his smile? The way the sunlight shines against his hair….get it together. You are an assassin. It’s what you were made to be…..but could I ever be more. With him?

Case log: day 13, 23:07

The target is gone. I cannot find him anywhere. It’s like he vanished. I can’t see any movement in the home but his car is still parked in front

*tap* *tap* The window of my stealth bus is lightly tapped on. It has decals to make it look like an ordinary plumbing van. I stop moving and try to be as still as possible so the person knocking just goes away and thinks the car is empty.

“I know you’re in there” my eyes bulge when I hear the voice that says it. It’s him. Nicholas Ruffilo, the man you’ve been hired to kill but haven’t yet. You’ve been putting it off, everyday thinking the next will be the one.

“My friend said he noticed I was being followed. That’s you right?” He asks and I’m for the first time in years frozen and unsure what to do next. Should have known that fucker Noah would have said something. I ran into him one time, I was distracted. Stupid Nicholas and his stupid beautiful face. I reach for my gun, the silencer is already attached. All I have to do is open the door and take the shot and the money is mine. It’s that simple.

“Who are you?” He asks again.

“I have to do something first” I yell through the closed doors and jump into the driver's seat. Throwing the car into drive and taking off. “Wait! I just want to talk!” He yells after the car, but I’m gone. I have to do something before I can talk to him. You either finish the mission or change the mission. You never fail.

Case log: day 15 03:07

Targets deceased. Staged as a murder, suicide. Ah, people just crave success and it just drives them crazy….so it seems. How nice of them to have left me the payment before their grizzly end.

*knock* knock* my fist raps against his large oak door. It opens slightly and he has a look of surprise and fear when he sees me. “You’re here to kill me. Aren’t you?” He asks and I chuckle lightly. “Is that how you always answer your door when a woman shows up at your house?” I ask.

“Well, when it's the woman who was hired to kill me I do.”

Nodding my head I’m inclined to agree with his actions, “that’s fair. I was hired to kill you, but, I changed my mind.” His eyes widen in surprise , “what? Why?” He stammers. “You’re allowed to just change your mine?”

I laugh again, “I’m allowed to do whatever I want. I killed the guys that wanted you dead instead, got the money anyway, figured the least I could do is take you out? Maybe for dinner? Tonight?” I ask and his eyes widen again, I didn’t think someone could look so surprised and so cute at the same time.

“You’re asking me out? On a date?” The shock in his voice is evident. “Why?” He asks.

“I think you’re cute, and you seem like a nice guy. What do you say?”

Case log: day 1461 19:16

Subjects are driving me crazy. They’ve finally gone to bed and I can shut my eyes until I take over watch again at day break. This last week has been exhausting, I’m on location in the tropics and these subjects are running me ragged, trying to keep up with them is not easy work.

“Are you writing in your log book about the kids like they’re targets you’re after? Again?” Nicholas asks from behind me. “Nooooooo” my lying has gotten worse with age and since giving up my old gig I haven’t needed it as much.

Rereading I did notice some weird POV stuff but I am TIRED and didn’t have the energy to fix it 😅

Anywhooooo love youuuu

Divider from here!

[deepdowninmybones]

It's Tuesday!!! And a new chapter is online!

ENJOY!!!

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

1st October >> Mass Readings (USA)

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin, Doctor 

on

Tuesday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time.

Tuesday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

(Readings for the feria (Tuesday))

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

First Reading Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23 Why is light given to the toilers?

Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. Job spoke out and said:

Perish the day on which I was born, the night when they said, “The child is a boy!”

Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire? Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth, like babes that have never seen the light? Wherefore did the knees receive me? or why did I suck at the breasts?

For then I should have lain down and been tranquil; had I slept, I should then have been at rest With kings and counselors of the earth who built where now there are ruins Or with princes who had gold and filled their houses with silver.

There the wicked cease from troubling, there the weary are at rest.

Why is light given to the toilers, and life to the bitter in spirit? They wait for death and it comes not; they search for it rather than for hidden treasures, Rejoice in it exultingly, and are glad when they reach the grave: Those whose path is hidden from them, and whom God has hemmed in!

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 88:2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8

R/ Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

O LORD, my God, by day I cry out; at night I clamor in your presence. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my call for help.

R/ Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

For my soul is surfeited with troubles and my life draws near to the nether world. I am numbered with those who go down into the pit; I am a man without strength.

R/ Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

My couch is among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, Whom you remember no longer and who are cut off from your care.

R/ Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit, into the dark abyss. Upon me your wrath lies heavy, and with all your billows you overwhelm me.

R/ Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

Gospel Acclamation Mark 10:45

Alleluia, alleluia. The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 9:51-56 He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.

When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin, Doctor 

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

(Readings for the memorial)

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

First Reading Isaiah 66:10-14c I will spread prosperity over her like a river.

Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her, all you who love her; Exult, exult with her, all you who were mourning over her! Oh, that you may suck fully of the milk of her comfort, That you may nurse with delight at her abundant breasts! For thus says the LORD: Lo, I will spread prosperity over her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent. As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; As a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.

When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bodies flourish like the grass; The LORD’s power shall be known to his servants.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 131:1bcde, 2, 3

R/ In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor are my eyes haughty; I busy not myself with great things, nor with things too sublime for me.

R/ In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted my soul like a weaned child. Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap, so is my soul within me.

R/ In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

O Israel, hope in the LORD, both now and forever.

R/ In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

Gospel Acclamation cf. Matthew 11:25

Alleluia, alleluia. Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Matthew 18:1-4 Unless you become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[thethreebroomsticksficfest]

🌈 Pride Fest 2023 Masterpost:

Hey there! Welcome to the very first Pride Fest, hosted by The Three Broomsticks server! We've got a ton of incredible submissions that we can't wait to share with all of you. Be sure to keep checking back every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday for amazing new fics from now until July 7th ❤️

The full list of fics will be updated here as they’re posted:

Fic 1: Breathe the Air of Elsewhere Places by @ashesandhackles

Fic 2: extraordinary life (of an ordinary girl) by @diana-bookfairchild

Fic 3: make time slower by @xslytherclawx-writes

Fic 4: Knotweed by @turanga4

Fic 5: the signs by @xslytherclawx-writes

Fic 6: The Last First Kiss by @celestemagnoliathewriter

Fic 7: Night Flight by @pocket-lilacs

Fic 8: it's too late for me by @xslytherclawx-writes

Fic 9: fought against the demons by @diana-bookfairchild

Fic 10: You Could Have Mine by @hinnyfied

Fic 11: Dragons and Sphynxes by @xslytherclawx-writes

Fic 12: Your Dad's Place by @abihastastybeans

Fic 13: Lemon Drizzle by @ala-baguette

Fic 14: (you're) the hardest part of being alone by @xslytherclawx-writes

Fic 15: a romantic vacation by @lanaturnergetup

Fic 16: Purple Haze by @ashesandhackles

Fic 17: Stolen Kisses and Cigarettes by @xslytherclawx-writes

Fic 18: Two Scoops by @hinnyfied

Fic 19: but all I'm seeing is you by @xslytherclawx-writes

Fic 20: The Noble and Most Ancient House of Bisexuals by @celestemagnoliathewriter

Fic 21: thin lines by @diana-bookfairchild

Fic 22: The Rougarou by @evesaintyves

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

12th November >> Fr. Martin's Reflections/Homilies on Today's Mass Readings for Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time (Inc. Luke 17:7-10): ‘We are merely servants’.

Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA) Luke 17:7-10 You are merely servants.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”’

Gospel (USA) Luke 17:7-10 We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.

Jesus said to the Apostles: “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

Reflections (12)

(i) Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

The short parable Jesus speaks in today’s gospel reading reminds us that we never have a claim on God. After we have done all that God asks of us, we cannot then say to God, ‘I am due some recompense for all that I have done’. That would be usual in the world of human affairs. People expect to be recompensed in proportion to the work they have done. However, that is not how we are to relate to God. God is never in debt to us no matter how generous we have been towards God. This is because our good work on God’s behalf is itself due to God’s good working within us. All the good we do is of God. Without God’s loving initiative towards us, we could do nothing that is pleasing to God. Saint Paul speaks in today’s first reading of how God’s grace was revealed towards us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We have been greatly graced by God and all that is good in our lives is the fruit of that gracious initiative of God towards us. In faithfully serving God we are giving back to God what God has already given to us. Yet, elsewhere, the gospel makes clear that our efforts to serve the Lord well will always be met by further loving initiatives of the Lord towards us. The Lord’s love for us is a given; it doesn’t have to be earned. Our lives of loving service in response to the Lord’s love for us opens us up more fully to the Lord’s love for us. As Jesus says elsewhere, if we give to God, it will be given to us by God; a full measure, running over will be poured into our lap.

And/Or

(ii) Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

Giving with a view to getting was very much part of the culture of Jesus. Those who were in a position to give expected some kind of return. The patron who gave material assistance to his client expected that the client would give him in return some recognition and loyalty. Jesus formed around himself a community which was counter cultural in many ways. He did not want the prevailing ways of the culture to characterize this new kind of community, what came to be called the church. As a result, in Luke’s gospel Jesus says to his disciples, ‘if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much again’. In this morning’s gospel reading from Luke, Jesus speaks a parable that reflects the practice of slavery in his time. His disciples are called to be servants. Having served they are not to expect a reward for their service. They are not to look for some expression of gratitude. They are to give without looking for a return, because if they expect a return they are likely to stop serving when the return is not forthcoming. This was not the way of Jesus. His service, his giving, was at its most generous at the very moment when he was being shown the least possible appreciation, as he hung from the cross. He gave even when nothing was forthcoming except hostility. God ultimately responded to his generous self-giving, raising him from the dead. Jesus calls on us to follow his path of faithful service, trusting that in the end we too will receive far more from God than we have given.

And/Or

(iii) Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

In the culture of Jesus’ time servants who did their duty did not expect to be thanked for doing what was expected of them. Their faithfulness to their task did not put their master under any obligation to them. Jesus seems to be saying that something similar can be said about our relationship with God. We are called to serve God by our lives. We serve God by our worship, our efforts to walk in the way of his Son, to love one another as Jesus has loved us. We try to be faithful to this calling as best we can, day in and day out. Our efforts to be faithful do not place God under any obligation to us. At the end of the day, we have no claim on God, even after we have done all God asks of us. In a sense, we always come before God with empty hands, in our poverty. No matter how well we have served God, we are always beggars in God’s presence. Yet, it is that awareness of our own emptiness and poverty that opens us up to receive from God’s fullness. It is in becoming like little children that we enter the kingdom of God. In the words of Mary’s great prayer, the Magnificat, God fells the hungry with good things, whereas the rich he sends empty away.

And/Or

(iv) Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus often used the image of the servant drawn from the social world of his time to highlight the nature of his own ministry. In Luke’s gospel in the context of the last supper Jesus says, ‘Who is greater, the one who is at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves?’ Jesus identified more with the servant at the table than with those who were being served at table. In this morning’s gospel reading Jesus uses the same image with reference to his disciples. They are to think of themselves as servants rather than as people at table. Like servants, they must not look for or expect gratitude for the service that they render. Jesus seems to be saying that those who walk in his way serve others as he did, not for what is given in return but simply because it is the right thing to do. Service, in that sense, is its own reward. Jesus’ service of others was not dependant on how others related to him. He gave of himself regardless of how well or otherwise that was received. This was his way and it is also to be the way of his followers. We serve and leave the rest to God.

And/Or

(v) Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

Pride is something we probably all struggle with. The more good we appear to be doing, the more we can be tempted to pride. The parable in this morning’s gospel reading warns against that tendency to pride on the part of those who do their duty and, indeed, do it well. In the gospel reading, Jesus declares, ‘When you have done all you have been told to do, say, “we are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty”’. In another parable Jesus spoke, the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, the Pharisee displayed of the dutiful person; he boasted of the good life that he lived, and seemed to be of the view that his virtue gave him a claim on God. However, no matter how well we live, no matter how much we do what God asks of us, we never have a claim on God. The good news is that we don’t need a claim on God; we don’t need to score points to be sure of God’s favour. God has favoured us and keeps favouring us by giving us his Son. In response to that gift, we try to serve God faithfully, by doing his will, in so far as we can discern it. Our faithful service of the Lord will always be only a pale reflection of the Lord’s faithful service of us.

And/Or

(vi) Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

The parable that Jesus speaks in today’s gospel reading suggests that what really matters in our relationship with God is that we be faithful to what the Lord asks of us. The setting of the story is drawn from the culture in which Jesus lived. The servant in the story did what was asked of him; he dutifully kept to his routine day after day. He embodies faithfulness and reliability. In our relationship with God, we are called to be faithful, to stay the course. At times we may feel that God is very distant from us. We may consider that our religious practice has become something of a routine with little excitement; we may wonder if we are just going through the motions, with nothing much underpinning what we do. We may even suspect that we are losing faith. The parable assures us that God sees our faithfulness, even when we might doubt it, and that God values our faithful service, even when we are tempted to make light of it. Even though we may doubt our ability to stay the course, God will keep us faithful, if we ask him to do so. In that sense, faith, faithfulness, is more God’s doing than ours. Faith is always God’s gift to us, and it is given to all who desire it, no matter how small that desire may appear to us.

And/Or

(vii) Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

It was Mother Theresa who said that the Lord does not call us to be successful but to be faithful. The image that Jesus puts before us in today’s gospel reading is that of the faithful servant. The servant’s primary concern is to do his duty, to be faithful to his task. He is not concerned with being thanked for what he does; indeed, he doesn’t expect to be thanked or to be rewarded. Jesus appears to be saying that in our relationship with God, our primary concern should be with serving God faithfully rather than with what God might give us by way of gratitude or reward. We are to do the right thing, the good thing, what God wants, because it is the good thing to do and not because of the reward or acknowledgement we might get for doing it. We all value being appreciated; we like what we do to be acknowledged in some way. Yet, this morning’s gospel reading suggests that our service of the Lord and of each other is not to be become dependent on such acknowledgement. The prayer of Saint Ignatius comes to mind, ‘Lord, help me to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost… to labour and to ask for no reward’.

And/Or

(viii) Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

The gospels suggest that Jesus was very observant of life as it was lived in his time. He observed what was happening and he was able to see how it could speak to us of our relationship with God. Slavery was part of the fabric of life in the time and culture of Jesus. People with a good supply of this world’s resources tended to have servants or slaves. There was an obvious inequality in that relationship; the servant was there to serve the master and not the other way around. The master would not normally express gratitude for the servant’s service, because such service was what was only to be expected. The master does not owe the servant gratitude; he is not in debt to the servant because the servant does what is expected of him. In the gospel reading Jesus seems to be saying that there is a certain parallel here to our relationship with God. God is never in debt to us; God does not owe us anything. Rather, we owe God our service. Jesus would stress that it is a service of love, in response to God’s love of us. Yet, this service does not entitle us to anything from God. Even after a long life of serving God, we have no claim on God. We always stand before God as beggars. This does not cause us any anxiety because we know from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus that the God before whom we stand in our poverty is infinitely generous.

And/Or

(ix) Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus draws on an experience of life that would have been current in his time, although somewhat alien to our time, and that is the scenario of a master of the household with servants. When the servant has done what is expected of him, the master is not in debt to him. He doesn’t owe his servant anything, not even gratitude. Jesus is simply drawing attention to a certain reality of his time, without necessarily approving of it. It is a parable and like all the parables its meaning is not immediately obvious. Parables have a way of teasing us into thinking for ourselves. Jesus may be suggesting that even after we have done what God asks of us, God is not in our debt in any way. God never owes us anything. We don’t serve God to put God under some kind of obligation to us. Rather we serve God because it is the right thing to do. We serve God out of love and gratitude for all God has done and is doing for us. After we have done what God asks of us we simply entrust ourselves to his generous love, knowing that God will bless us in ways that will far surpass anything we may have done for God.

And/Or

(x) Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

In the gospel reading Jesus draws on an aspect of human interaction that we are not as familiar with today, at least in this part of the world, the master-slave relationship. Jesus recognized all of human life as having the potential to speak to us about our relationship with God. When a slave had done all that was expected of him, he would not expect thanks from his master, because he was only doing his duty. People were thanked for acting over and beyond what was expected of them. Jesus does not explicitly draw out a lesson from this little image or parable. We have to reflect on the image ourselves and listen to what it might be saying to us about our relationship with God. Jesus seems to be saying that when we live the life that he calls us to live, and empowers us to live through his Spirit, we should not expect God to thank us for it as if we were doing God a favour. To serve others in response to the call of Jesus is a privilege. It requires no further reward. Our service of others is a response to the more wonderful service that God has given to us through his Son. At the end of the day, it is we who need to thank God and not God who needs to thank us.

And/Or

(xi) Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s first reading, Saint Paul makes a distinction between worldly ambitions and the ambition to do good. Paul equates ‘worldly ambitions’ with ‘everything that does not lead to God’, which we are to give up. It can be good to ask ourselves the question, ‘Where is this leading me?’ ‘Is it leading me to God?’ We try to discern as we go through life what is leading me to God and what is leading me away from God, what is damaging my relationship with God and what is deepening my relationship with God. In the gospel reading, Jesus identifies one attitude which can be damaging to our relationship with God. It is the attitude of entitlement before God. It is the attitude which says to God, ‘I have served you well. I have lived a good life. Now it is your turn to serve me. You need to show your gratitude to me’. In contrast to such an attitude, Jesus puts before us the attitude of those who, after they have done all that God asks, simply say to God, ‘I am merely your servant; I have done no more than my duty’. In other words, ‘You owe me nothing’. Our ambition to do good, our good life, our service of the Lord, does not entitle us to anything from God. Before we did anything, God has already been generous with us. As Paul says at the beginning of the first reading, ‘God’s grace has been revealed’ in the life, death and resurrection of God’s Son. We have all been greatly graced by God, through Jesus. All the good we do, our service of God, is no more than our grateful response to God’s prior generous love towards us.

And/Or

(xii) Tuesday, Thirty Second Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus’ images and parables are always drawn from his own time, place and culture. In Jesus’ day, very wealthy people had many servants, and even reasonably well-off people had at least one servant. Jesus’ little parable simply reflects the reality that when such a servant had done his duty, he has no claim on his master’s gratitude and his master in under no obligation to thank him. Jesus seems to be suggesting that even after we have lived in the way God calls us to live, that in itself does not give us any claim on God. No matter how well we live, God is never in our debt. However, elsewhere Jesus makes clear that God does not relate to us as a master to his servants. God is more like the father in the parable of the prodigal son who lavishes his love on his undeserving son. That son certainly had no claim on his father, but he didn’t need to have any claim on him. His father gave to his son out of the enormous generosity of his love. Similarly, although we never have a claim on God, we don’t need to have such a claim. God will always be more generous towards us than we are towards God. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom declares that, in eternity, ‘grace and mercy await’ those who have been faithful to God. Jesus has shown us that God’s grace and mercy awaits us in this life too, indeed, every day of our lives. We may always be ‘unworthy servants’, in the language of the gospel reading, even after we have lived well, but God does not ask us to be worthy before showering his grace and mercy upon us.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[workersolidarity]

🇬🇧🇺🇸 🚨

ADVOCATES FOR JULIAN ASSANGE CALL ON BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO END EXTRADITION TO US

Advocates for Press Freedoms issued a warnings Tuesday in a last ditch effort to call on the Biden administration to drop all charges against Australian journalist and publisher Julian Assange as he faces his last hearings in the High Court of the United Kingdom to appeal the decision to extradite him to the United States to stand trial on espionage charges.

Julian Assange (52) faces hearings Tuesday and Wednesday determining whether the journalist, who's health is rapidly deteriorating, can appeal a previous decision approving his extradition to the United States where he faces 175 years in an American penitentiary for his role in releasing classified information detailing criminality by the intelligence agencies and militaries of the United States and allied Western powers.

Among classified information published by WikiLeaks, which was founded by Julian Assange in 2006, were criminality by US intelligence agencies and war crimes committed by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Assange himself was unable to attend the first day of hearings due to his failing health. The journalist has been held in Belmarsh Prison in the UK for over 5 years after the Ecuadorian embassy, where he had been holed up since 2012, revoked his amnesty in 2019, after which he was arrested and imprisoned without bail in Belmarsh Prison in the UK.

The United States under the Trump administration charged Assange, who is an Australian citizen, with 17-counts of violating the Espionage Act, a more than 100 year-old draconian law used by US authorities to counter leaks of military operations and classified information. However, Assange's case represents the first time the Espionage Act is being used against a publisher rather than the leaker of classified information.

Advocates say this represents a clear and present danger to press freedoms and accuse US authorities of suppressing freedom of speech and association.

Speaking at a rally during the hearing, Reporters Without Borders Director of Campaigns, Rebecca Vincent is quoted as saying "we're not letting the U.S. government off the hook today no matter what happens here in London," adding that "the responsibility still lies with the U.S. Department of Justice," said Vincent. "At any point, they could drop the charges, they could close this case, they could let Julian Assange free."

With concerns over Assange's state of health adding to an already contentious hearing, Assange's wife Stella Assange attended the rally which was held outside the courthouse in London, telling the crowds that "We don't know what to expect, but you're here because the world is watching. They just cannot get away with this. Julian needs his freedom and we all need the truth."

In a later speech at the rally, Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation emphasized that "as Assange inches closer to extradition, the danger to press freedom grows."

"An Espionage Act trial and conviction of Assange in an American court would be a disaster for journalists and for journalism," said Stern. "If the Biden administration cares as much about press freedom as it claims, it wouldn't wait for the U.K. to send this dangerous case to American courts. The Department of Justice should drop the Assange case now."

Also speaking after Assange's hearing, his attorney, Edward Fitzgerald is quoted as saying that Assange was being "prosecuted for engaging in ordinary journalistic practice of obtaining and publishing classified information, information that is both true and of obvious and important public interest."

Fitzgerald further argued Tuesday that Julian Assange's extradition to the United States would be direct violation of the US-UK Extradition Treaty, which states that a person cannot be extradited on "political charges," which Assange's lawyer says is directly applicable to Julian's case.

Assange's attorneys are expected to appeal his case to the European Court of Human Rights should the judge in this week's hearing rule against the publisher, arguing that Assange's life is in danger should he be extradited to the United States.

Advocacy groups say they are deeply alarmed by the case against Julian Assange. Speaking to their concerns, Stella Assange said at Tuesday's rally that this "is the case that has been brought against Julian."

"Journalism has been re-classed as espionage. An unprecedented prosecution has been taken against a publisher for the very first time in the more than 100-year history of this Act and it is going to set a precedent. It already is setting a precedent that can then be used against the rest of the press anywhere in the world."

#source

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[fr-martin-gospel-reflections]

17th September - ‘God has visited his people’, Reflection on the readings for Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Luke 7:11-17)

Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

When the people of Nain saw the extraordinary life-giving work that Jesus performed, they were filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘God has visited his people’. We too are drawn to Jesus because we recognise that in and through him God is visiting his people, all of humanity. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus was a visitation from God. The unknown and invisible God is made visible and knowable in the person of Jesus. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus reveals God to be one who brings new life out of death and who restores the loving relationship that has been broken by death. Jesus brought the deceased son of a widow back to life and then immediately gave him back to his mother. There is an image here of how God, through Jesus, continues to work in our lives. God is always at work bringing new life out of our various experiences of death, whether it is the physical death of our loved ones, our own personal death or all those anticipations of death that we experience in the course of our lives. The gospel reading suggests that God’s work of bringing new life out of death involves bringing together again loved ones who have become separated from each other. We can be confident that in bringing us to new life beyond this earthly life, the Lord will restore us to our loved ones, as he restored the young man to his mother. Jesus reveals God to be a God of life and love, who works to bring new life out of death and to restore and enhance all our loving relationships.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Monday, May 20 & Tuesday, May 21

FAITH: Yeah, you're not the one and only chosen anymore. Just gotta live like a person. How's that feel? DAWN: Yeah, Buffy. What are we gonna do now? As the others chatter around her, Buffy just stares straight ahead at the hole formerly known as Sunnydale. As she contemplates what's next, she smiles.

~~Chosen~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Stranger in her body (Spike/Buffy, E) by desicat

MedWhump May 2024 Day 20: Surgery Recovery (Spike/Riley, T) by MadeInGold

MedWhump May 2024 Day 19: Blood Loss (Buffy/Riley, T) by MadeInGold

Your Punishment sets me on Fire (Buffy/Faith, M) by CelestialStorm

Before and After (Buffy/Faith, T) by Shisumo

Life, Sometimes (Buffy/Spike, Not rated) by Priceless

[Chaptered Fiction]

Deliverance From Destiny Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Ragini

Forgiveness Doesn't Come Easy Chapter 31 (Buffy/Spike, R) by slaymesoftly

Stay(s) Chapter 31 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by ClowniestLivEver

A Ripple In Time Chapter 35 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by CheekyKitten

Love Lives Here Chapter 65 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

What Love Looks Like Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, R) by DeamonQueen

The Neighbor's Point of View Chapter 106 (Buffy/Spike, PG) by the_big_bad

Bathroom wall Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, PG) by hulettwyo

Ties to the World Chapter 34 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by The Danish Bird

Au-delà de l'objectif de la caméra Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Miss Kitty

The Kitten That Killed Slayers Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by desicat

Title For Sale Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by desicat

A Business Arrangement Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by desicat

Early One Morning Chapter 45 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by all choseny

Lie to me Chapter 28 (Buffy/Spike, adult only) by In Mortal

Bruises Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, adult only) by hulettwyo

Secret Obsession Chapter 26 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden

Anything But Ordinary Chapter 10 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Harlow Turner

[Images, Audio & Video]

Podcast:BTVS 516 - The Body by anotherbuffypodcast

Podcast:Episode 28 - Noisy Husbands and a Box of Pirate Manacles (Phases) by thesunnydalediaries

Video:Charles Gunn - The loss and recuperation of the self by HoneycuttArt

Podcast:Episode 57: The Harsh Light of Day (w/ Chelsea Jensen) by gymcancelledpod

[Fandom Discussions]

Top five btvs headcannons? by coraniaid

Buffy and Faith’s Christmas gifts in Amends!!! by thechosenthree

We were robbed of that Fuffy date by fictiongods

Dead Things - Welcome to the Hellmouth parallel by breezybeej

Buffy in a mental hospital continued by multiple posters

Why isn't Rack the line that Willow can't cross? continued by multiple posters

Dawn in All the Way continued by multiple posters

What is your favourite fandom to cross with the Buffyverse? continued by multiple posters

Why didn’t Riley work as Buffy’s boyfriend? continued by multiple posters

Why did Giles not stay? continued by multiple posters

The Lollipop and the Lolita moment continued by multiple posters

That Strange Line From Some Assembly Required continued by multiple posters

Unpopular Opinions continued by multiple posters

Favourite minor Buffy characters continued by multiple posters

Angelus showing humanity? continued by multiple posters

BtVS - Your least common favourite episodes continued by multiple posters

Happy Anniversary to Chosen! by American Aurora

Buffy’s morals by Joan the Vampire Slayer

20 Years: Not Fade Away by hoponlilmama

Minor character Review: Dav from The Freshman (S4E1) by Heart_Throb_

Revisited Buffy for the first time in 20 years by iamwounded69

Buffy’s sexy dance with Xander in “When She Was Bad” by Sweet-Siren

How much of the show are there no in-universe witnesses to? by Tuxedo_Mark

Was Billy right, are all men misogynists? by BigDongForever

The Body (5x16) still hits hard by yesiamoaffy

For a fling, Batsu/Saffy wasn't all bad. What do you guys think? by zarif_chow

Relationships in Buffy by sophie_4187

What’s some arcs/stories that you feel fans lack media literacy about? by Jellybean199201

What is the most powerful creature that can manifest in the Buffyverse? by LeoDave86

Which character punches the most above their weight by jonaskoelker

Looking for a spike monolugue from the books/comics by ActiveBaseball

Which character do you hate out of proportion with how evil their actions are? by jonaskoelker

Buffy ended 21 years ago by OptionNo1672

What is the most useless demon ability you can think of? by AndrewHeard

Your favorite story line for Buffy's character in season five? by jdpm1991

Anya wasn't all that great to Xander, either by jogaforacont

Which cheesy or goofy line in BTVS, do you enjoy listening to over and over again? by george123890yang

Do you think it's harder to grow up like Gunn or Faith? by Other_Thing_2551

Anyone ever play the games? by CosmicTornadoes

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Tue June 04th, 2024 ... Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

Reading 1

_____________

2 Pt 3:12-15a, 17-18

Beloved:

Wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God,

because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames

and the elements melted by fire.

But according to his promise

we await new heavens and a new earth

in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you await these things,

be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.

And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation.

Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned,

be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled

and to fall from your own stability.

But grow in grace

and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

To him be glory now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Responsorial

______________

90:2, 3-4, 10, 14 and 16

R.    (1)  In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Before the mountains were begotten

and the earth and the world were brought forth,

from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

R.    In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

You turn man back to dust,

saying, “Return, O children of men.”

For a thousand years in your sight

are as yesterday, now that it is past,

or as a watch of the night.

R.    In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Seventy is the sum of our years,

or eighty, if we are strong,

And most of them are fruitless toil,

for they pass quickly and we drift away.

R.    In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,

that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.

Let your work be seen by your servants

and your glory by their children.

R.    In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.

Alleluia

____________

Ephesians 1:17-18

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

enlighten the eyes of our hearts,

that we may know what is the hope

that belongs to his call.

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

________

Mk 12:13-17

Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent

to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech.

They came and said to him,

“Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man

and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion.

You do not regard a person’s status

but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.

Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?

Should we pay or should we not pay?”

Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them,

“Why are you testing me?

Bring me a denarius to look at.”

They brought one to him and he said to them,

“Whose image and inscription is this?”

They replied to him, “Caesar’s.”

So Jesus said to them,

“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar

and to God what belongs to God.”

They were utterly amazed at him.

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

We await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells ….”

Today’s first reading from St. Peter exhorts us to prepare ourselves for the coming day of God.  Much about our world reminds us that the kingdom of God is present here, but it is also still coming.  Injustice occurs with regularity.  The saints remind us that some matters must be left for the final reckoning.  If right and just behavior immediately produced good outcomes for the actor (and the converse for wrong and unjust behavior), life would devolve into something mechanical instead of a relationship with God rooted in faith and trust.  Struggles in this life of faith work out some good that might not otherwise occur in us.

Psalm 90 shows us how to take the long view when approaching life with God.  His faithful protection can be seen throughout the ages, although sometimes the hand of Providence is not so easily apprehended in the moment.  Our lives often seem like vapor, passing away quickly and leaving little that lasts.  At the funeral of a relative last week, remembrances offered by his friends showed that love, generosity, kindness, mercy, and laughter remain despite the reality of leaving behind all the things we made or accumulated.  (And yes, I mean to include laughter. It is a sign of humility about our creaturely status in which absurd moments call to mind the wonder of God’s love for creatures like us.)

Finally, today’s gospel seems to complement Peter’s message to “be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability.”  We are told that the Pharisees and the Herodians, whose natural antipathy toward one another seemed to dissolve for the moment, approached our Lord together “to ensnare him in his speech.”  Each sought to rely on a principle of his own to catch our Lord in a dilemma.  But Jesus did not get caught.  He elevated their attention to a higher principle, resolving the conflict and putting their minds toward considering the reality of the kingdom of God in its “not yet” form.

We are often tempted to compromise that higher principle of living as citizens of God’s kingdom for the sake of our own preferences.  As St. Peter teaches, this undermines our stability.  The rock of our faith is solid.  Those who stand on that rock sometimes are rocked about, and indeed we see it happening around us as those who stand for truth are often ridiculed and condemned.  But the “not yet” will become fully evident in due time.  Their faithful witness will shine like the sun.

We are allowed to see glimpses of this in our own lives, when the hand of God leads us and protects us during times of testing and trouble, rescuing us from others and even more so from our own sins and errors.  His gentle hand is unmistakable when we pause to see the bigger picture.  Let us grow in faith and in holiness, responding in love to the miraculous and unmistakable gifts of God

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Blessed Angeline of Marsciano

(1377 – July 14, 1435)

Blessed Angeline of Marsciano’s Story

Blessed Angeline founded the first community of Franciscan women other than Poor Clares to receive papal approval.

Angeline was born to the Duke of Marsciano near Orvieto. She was 12 when her mother died. Three years later, the young woman made a vow of perpetual chastity. That same year, however, she yielded to her father’s decision that she marry the Duke of Civitella. Her husband agreed to respect her previous vow.

When he died two years later, Angeline joined the Secular Franciscans and with several other women dedicated herself to caring for the sick, the poor, widows and orphans. When many other young women were attracted to Angeline’s community, some people accused her of condemning the married vocation. Legend has it that when she came before the King of Naples to answer these charges, she had burning coals hidden in the folds of her cloak. When she proclaimed her innocence and showed the king that these coals had not harmed her, he dropped the case.

Angeline and her companions later went to Foligno, where her community of Third Order sisters received papal approval in 1397. She soon established 15 similar communities of women in other Italian cities.

Angeline died on July 14, 1435, and was beatified in 1825. Her liturgical feast is celebrated on July 13.

Reflection

_________

Priests, sisters and brothers cannot be signs of God’s love for the human family if they belittle the vocation of marriage. Angeline respected marriage, but felt called to another way of living out the gospel. Her choice was life-giving in its own way.

***

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

[myremnantarmy]

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥

Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Mk 12:13-17

Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent

to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech.

They came and said to him,

“Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man

and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion.

You do not regard a person’s status

but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.

Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?

Should we pay or should we not pay?”

Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them,

“Why are you testing me?

Bring me a denarius to look at.”

They brought one to him and he said to them,

“Whose image and inscription is this?”

They replied to him, “Caesar’s.”

So Jesus said to them,

“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar

and to God what belongs to God.”

They were utterly amazed at him.

[flibussteries]

Weird Far West | ch.01 "Encounter" [17/20]

So, yeah, this is what a peaceful ordinary tuesday looks like to Magda. Someone is not enjoying it!

[storyofthenauseouseye]

My Top 10 Favorite Quotes From Sartre's Nausea

Favorite books are something truly remarkable. Just the idea that we can hold something in our hands and flip through the pages of prose and say, "This is me; this is a part of who I am," is so genuinely unique. I don't think many people get to feel that anymore. I remember feeling it in high school. My copy of Perks of Being a Wallflower is well-loved and has been since I cracked it open the first time.

The version of myself that I am today has read a lot since then. I've learned a lot, grown a lot, and seen a lot, and while Perks will always be a very special story to me, the most inluential thing I've read outside of a classroom in my college years has been Jean Paul Sartre's Nausea. Half fictional journal, half philosophical text, Nausea is Sartre's existential masterpiece.

Art is subjective. Instead of listing the 10 greatest quotes from Nausea, I will list my 10 favorite quotes. These are in no specific order.

"Something has happened to me:I can't doubt that anymore. It came as an illness does, not like an ordinary certainty, not like anything obvious. It installed itself cunningly, little by little; I felt a little strange, a little awkward, and that was all. Once it was established, it didn't move anymore, it lay low and I was able to persuade myself that there was nothing wrong with me, that it was a false alarm. And now it has started blossoming" (5).

A terrific opening paragraph to a fantastic book. Here we see the nausea being introduced to us before anything, a meaningful nod to the fact that the book is more about the idea of this nausea than it is about the actual characters.

"Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do. A peculiar moment in the afternoon. Today, it is intolerable" (17).

I've always felt that the hours of two and three in the afternoon were the Novembers of the day, the Thursdays of the clock face.

"My memories are like coins in the devil's purse: when it was opened, nothing was found in it but dead leaves" (39)

This is such a firm quote in the context that the character refers to his inability to remember simple things. He claims it's a part of the nausea, and I've always adored the use of the metaphor.

"I have no need to speak in flowery language. I am writing to understand certain circumstances. I must beware of literature. I must let my pen run on without searching for words" (67)

The writer telling himself to beware of literature is a striking thing to read. There's a great deal here about writing to explain and writing to depict, and after giving it some thought, this is how I feel whenever I write for school or work. Discard the sensitive, stick to the necessary.

"They would like to make us believe that their past isn't wasted, that their memories have been condensed and gently transformed into wisdom. Convenient past! Pocket size past, little gilt-edged book full of fine maxims. 'Believe me, I'm talking from experience, I've learned everything I know from life.' Are we to understand life has undertaken to think for them?" (82)

It is possibly naive of me to think this, but I believe this when I hear old people try to combat me by saying they automatically know better than I do because they're older. If your experiences account for your knowledge, then all you have are memories. You can't graduate school based on your childhood memories, now can you?

"Wednesday: I must not be frightened" (84).

It's such a jarring passage, and it's humorous to me.

"There was nothing in it that wasn't present. The letters which I had just written on it were not dry yet and already they no longer belonged to me" (114).

The existential identity crisis that disguises itself as the nausea is so wonderfully described throughout this book. The realization that nothing you do really belongs to you, and everything you leave behind will be devoured by the rest of the world is a heavy one.

"Tuesday: Nothing. Existed" (123).

It's something I love to say every Tuesday evening. I quote this a lot, it's just so easy to remember and it's such a nice reference.

"It bursts, its little white guts come out of its belly; I have relieved it of its existence. I say dryly to the Autodidact: 'I have done it a favor'" (124).

Quotes like this give me the feeling of nausea that the narrator also feels. This sameness in experience is bleak, but Sartre does a beautiful job of making me feel this hollow illness.

"'I was just thinking,' I tell him, laughing, 'that here we are, all of us, eating and drinking to preserve our precious existence, and that there's nothing, nothing, absolutely no reason for existing'" (134).

This quote singlehandedly sums up the entire meaning of the text. This sarcastic, bitter, and blunt statement exposes us to the true horror that Sartre and his peers felt. Here is Nausea in its most purely concentrated form.

Works Cited

Sartre, Jean-Paul. Nausea (Penguin Modern Classics). Translated by Robert Baldick, Penguin, 2000.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

27th August >> Mass Readings (USA)

Saint Monica 

on

Tuesday, Twenty First Week in Ordinary Time.

Tuesday, Twenty First Week in Ordinary Time.

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

(Readings for the feria (Tuesday))

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

First Reading 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a, 14-17 Hold fast to the traditions that you were taught.

We ask you, brothers and sisters, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a “spirit,” or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand. Let no one deceive you in any way. To this end he has also called you through our Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 96:10, 11-12, 13

R/ The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Say among the nations: The LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity.

R/ The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound; let the plains be joyful and all that is in them! Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.

R/ The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Before the LORD, for he comes; for he comes to rule the earth. He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy.

R/ The Lord comes to judge the earth.

Gospel Acclamation Hebrews 4:12

Alleluia, alleluia. The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Matthew 23:23-26 But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.

Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Saint Monica 

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

(Readings for the memorial)

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

First Reading Sirach 26:1-4, 13-16 Like the sun rising in the Lord’s heavens, the beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her home.

Blessed the husband of a good wife, twice-lengthened are his days; A worthy wife brings joy to her husband, peaceful and full is his life. A good wife is a generous gift bestowed upon him who fears the LORD; Be he rich or poor, his heart is content, and a smile is ever on his face.

A gracious wife delights her husband, her thoughtfulness puts flesh on his bones; A gift from the LORD is her governed speech, and her firm virtue is of surpassing worth. Choicest of blessings is a modest wife, priceless her chaste soul. A holy and decent woman adds grace upon grace; indeed, no price is worthy of her temperate soul. Like the sun rising in the LORD’s heavens, the beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her home.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 131:1bcde, 2, 3

R/ In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor are my eyes haughty; I busy not myself with great things, nor with things too sublime for me.

R/ In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted my soul like a weaned child. Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap, so is my soul within me.

R/ In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

O Israel, hope in the LORD, both now and forever.

R/ In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

Gospel Acclamation John 8:12

Alleluia, alleluia. I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 7:11-17 She bore me in the arms of her prayer, that you might say to the son of the widow: Young man, I say to you, arise (Saint Augustine, Confessions, book 6, no. 2).

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[brexiiton]

Jacob Graham: Left-wing anarchist jailed for 13 years over terror offences after declaring he wanted to kill at least 50 people

The security services uncovered Jacob Graham's activity as part of an investigation into the purchase of chemicals online, it can be disclosed.

By Duncan Gardham, Tuesday 19 March 2024 09:17 UK

A left-wing anarchist has been jailed for 13 years for preparing acts of terrorism by compiling and sharing a bomb-making manual, after declaring he wanted to kill at least 50 people.

Jacob Graham, 20, from Norris Green, Liverpool, dedicated his manual, called the "Freedom Encyclopaedia", to "misfits, social nobodies, anarchists, [and] terrorists past and future, who want to fight for freedom against the government".

The judge said the college student was a "dangerous young man", adding that Graham described himself "as the first UK home-grown terrorist".

The security services uncovered Graham's activity as part of an investigation into the purchase of chemicals online, it can be disclosed.

When they raided the home he shared with his mother and sister, they discovered he had filmed bomb-making experiments in his back garden and buried supplies in a secret woodland hide in Formby, Merseyside.

In a document called "My Plan", Graham wrote he wanted to kill at least 50 people by attacking government buildings and politicians' houses.

He also made 138 videos, to be released on the day of an attack, in which he demonstrated explosives and talked about "Judgement Day" and "standing up for working-class people".

On a wall in his bedroom, Graham had printed out a picture of a car bomb exploding with the words: "Make politicians afraid to start their cars again."

'Destro the Destroyer'

Graham, a computer science student, used the name "Destro the Destroyer" and communicated with like-minded extremists using a gaming platform called Discord.

On another platform called Telegram, he exchanged messages with others who shared his hatred of government in groups called Earth Militia, Total Earth Liberation and Neo Luddite Action.

Sentencing him to 13 years in a young offenders institution, with five years on extended licence, the judge, Mr Justice Goose, said those who knew Graham believed he was an "ordinary young man" with an interest in fireworks, the military and outdoor pursuits.

"In reality, however, you are a dangerous young man, you described yourself as the first UK home-grown terrorist," the judge added.

Graham was the administrator for a number of chatrooms on the encrypted Telegram app, including one called Total Earth Liberation Group, with 150 members, into which he shared his bomb-making manual.

Graham told police he was "left-wing" but "more like an anarchist", adding: "I don't like the idea of a central control and I don't really like the monarchy."

His ideal government would be the size of "Merseyside or Liverpool", he said, adding he supported the Green Party and was an "environmentalist" who did not like the way "corporations act and how they damage the Earth".

He was found guilty by a jury on 23 February of one count of the preparation of terrorist acts, four counts of possession of information for terrorist purposes and two of dissemination of a terrorist publication, between May 2022 and May 2023.

Graham was cleared of one count of preparation of terrorist acts, following the five-week trial.

"I think it is fair to say I was quite anti-government," he told his trial.

"I didn't agree with the idea of it - the way certain things were handled, the pandemic, the cost of living. I didn't agree with a group of small people being able to make decisions that affect a mass."

The court heard Graham came to idolise an American terrorist called Theodore Kaczynski - known as the Unabomber - after watching a Netflix series called Manhunt, and pledged to "finish what he started".

From a remote cabin in Montana, Kaczynski carried out a 17-year mail bombing campaign, in which he targeted technology academics at universities, killing three people and injuring 23.

In his document "My Plan", which Graham started in May 2022, he stated that he was planning a bombing campaign that would end in a shooting spree.

Graham's bedroom. Pic: Greater Manchester Police via PA

"I am going to attack government buildings, politicians [sic] houses, mass murder those who think it is ok to hide their wrong doings [sic] behind money and power but you cannot hide from me. I am aiming for at least 50 deceased and more injured. Any more is a blessing," he wrote.

"I have constant anger, I am a ticking timebomb. I am not sorry for nothing."

Graham made video diaries and said in one: "I've got everything I need to start my revolution."

'Most of us can't afford to heat our homes... there needs to be someone to fix this'

In a video on 21 June, Graham took out a machete with a red handle and tapped the blade, saying: "Can't end my life yet, I have so much carnage to commit."

In another video made in his bedroom on 9 August, he said: "If terrorism is standing up for what you think is right, standing up for the working class people of this country, most of us can't afford to heat our homes or afford food, there needs to be someone to fix this problem. It is my responsibility to do this."

He added: "I will be a homegrown terrorist because I was born on British soil. If they want to call me a justice warrior or a hero, call me that. If they want to call me scum, call me that because I won't be here to listen to all of it."

In another video he threatened to attack Hugh Baird College, which he attended, saying: "I'm f****** ready, f****** bring it, I don't care, I'll kill every single last one of them."

Graham had downloaded a compendium of terrorist publications including the Mujahideen Handbook and the White Resistance Manual, which he stored in a folder called "Alexandria" after the fabled ancient library.

He told his trial he felt like a character in a James Bond or Mission Impossible film or The Last Of Us, a post-apocalyptic TV show.

He said he was "doomsday prepping" for "some sort of possible invasion, civil war, martial law, natural disasters, solar flares, floods, things like that."

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

17th September >> Fr. Martin's Reflections/Homilies on Today's Mass Readings for Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Inc. Luke 7:11-17): ‘God has visited his people’.

Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA) Luke 7:11-17 The only son of his mother, and she a widow.

Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people. When he was near the gate of the town it happened that a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of the townspeople were with her. When the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her. ‘Do not cry’ he said. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers stood still, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you to get up.’ And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.’ And this opinion of him spread throughout Judaea and all over the countryside.

Gospel (USA) Luke 7:11-17 Young man, I tell you, arise!

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

Reflections (9)

(i) Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

When the people of Nain saw the extraordinary life-giving work that Jesus performed, they were filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘God has visited his people’. We too are drawn to Jesus because we recognise that in and through him God is visiting his people, all of humanity. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus was a visitation from God. The unknown and invisible God is made visible and knowable in the person of Jesus. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus reveals God to be one who brings new life out of death and who restores the loving relationship that has been broken by death. Jesus brought the deceased son of a widow back to life and then immediately gave him back to his mother. There is an image here of how God, through Jesus, continues to work in our lives. God is always at work bringing new life out of our various experiences of death, whether it is the physical death of our loved ones, our own personal death or all those anticipations of death that we experience in the course of our lives. The gospel reading suggests that God’s work of bringing new life out of death involves bringing together again loved ones who have become separated from each other. We can be confident that in bringing us to new life beyond this earthly life, the Lord will restore us to our loved ones, as he restored the young man to his mother. Jesus reveals God to be a God of life and love, who works to bring new life out of death and to restore and enhance all our loving relationships.

And/Or

(ii) Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

In the time of Jesus, widows were considered very vulnerable; they no longer had their main provider, their husband. Widows often had to depend on their children, particularly their sons, to support them. A widow who lost her only son through death was, therefore, the most vulnerable of all. It is such a widow that Jesus encounters in today’s gospel. The gospel reading tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion by this woman’s plight. That inner movement of compassion resulted in action on his part, as he restores her son to life and gives him back to his mother. The widow did not take any initiative towards Jesus; she did not cry out to him for help. Without waiting to be asked, Jesus simply responded to a situation of human grief and loss. The same risen Lord reaches out to us today in our situations of grief and loss. When we are at our most vulnerable, his compassion is at its strongest. We are not asked to carry our grief and our loss on our own; the Lord carries us with us; he suffers with us. ‘To suffer with’ is the literal meaning of compassion. The Lord also calls on us to be channels of his compassion to each other in our hour of need, to help carry each other’s burdens, as he carries ours.

And/Or

(iii) Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

In yesterday’s gospel reading, Jesus comments on the extraordinary faith of the Roman centurion in asking Jesus to heal his servant at a distance. In this morning’s gospel reading, nothing is said about anyone’s faith. Indeed, no request is made of Jesus by anyone. Jesus simply sees a widow walking alongside the body of her only son as he was being carried for burial. When Jesus saw her, he was filled with compassion for her, as was the Samaritan when he saw the broken Jewish traveller and the father who saw his lost son returning home. Without being asked to do anything, without any evidence of faith, Jesus simply acts out of his compassion, raising the young man to life and giving him back to his widowed mother so that she would not be alone in the world. Jesus’ compassion is drawn by nothing else than the afflicted state of this family. It is only after this extraordinary initiative of Jesus that reference is made to any human response to Jesus, ‘everyone was filled with awe and praised God, saying “a great prophet has appeared among us”’. The gospel reminds us that the Lord’s initiative in our regard is not dependant on our having a certain level of faith. He comes towards us as we are, and the greater our need the stronger his coming. The Lord graces us with his presence and his gifts. Having been surprisingly and undeservedly graced by the Lord’s compassionate presence, we cannot but respond to such a grace in the way that the crowd did in today’s gospel reading, praising God for the gift of his Son.

And/Or

(iv) Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

There are many stories in the gospels where people reach out to Jesus in their need and he responds to them. In the story we have just heard from Luke’s gospel, Jesus takes the initiative to reach out to the widow of Nain who had just lost her son, without any request being made of him. Luke tells us that when Jesus saw her, he had compassion for her, and he then acted out of his compassion, restoring her son to her. The same was said of the Samaritan in the parable that Jesus would go on to tell in Luke’s gospel. The Samaritan saw the broken traveller by the roadside, had compassion on him and acted out of his compassion, restoring his dignity to him. Jesus reaches out to all of us in our need, without waiting for us to call on him. He is there before us even before we seek him. He is present to us in his compassion, whether or not we call upon him. Our prayer does not make him present; it is always a response to his presence. He comes towards us and our calling is to receive his coming.

And/Or

(v) Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

It is said of Jesus in today’s gospel reading that when he saw the grieving widow he had compassion for her. In two of the parables that Jesus speaks in Luke’s gospel we find that same description of a compassionate response to someone. The Samaritan had compassion for the broken traveller; the father had compassion for his returned son. In all three cases someone identifies very closely with the sufferings of someone else, whether their emotional suffering as in the case of the widow, or their physical suffering as in the case of the broken traveller, or their physical, emotional and spiritual suffering as in the case of the returning son. In today’s gospel reading and in the two parables Jesus tells the compassion shown is a revelation of God’s compassion. It is not said of the widow in today’s gospel reading that she had faith or that she asked Jesus for anything. Jesus simply reaches out to her in her need. Compassion does not ask questions about a person’s suitability to be served. Jesus, the Samaritan and the father all acted out of compassion without asking questions or making a judgement as to whether the person was deserving of help or not. Jesus is often portrayed as responding to people’s faith, but he is also portrayed as taking the initiative towards people without first looking for faith. It might be reassuring to remember that when our own faith seems weak.

And/Or

(vi) Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus ministers to a grieving widow. He restores her son to life and then he gives the restored young man to his mother. Jesus regularly ministered to those who were broken in body, mind and spirit. In this instance, he is moved with compassion by the broken heart of a grieving widow. Jesus was close to people in their grief. In John’s gospel he stands alongside Mary and Martha whose brother Lazarus had just died and brings life out of their experience of death. We can all find ourselves with an opportunity from time to time of ministering to the bereaved, to those whose heart is broken because they have lost a loved one. We may not be able to do what Jesus did for the widow at Nain, but our compassionate presence to someone grieving can be truly life-giving for them. We may not have much to say to them, but our presence, our desire to be with them in their grief, can itself be a very consoling message. It is striking that no reference is made to the faith of the widow in the gospel, or to the faith of her son. She didn’t approach Jesus trusting in him for help, as so many others did. Jesus simply took an initiative towards her because he was deeply moved by her brokenness of heart and spirit. Our own ministry to the bereaved needs to be just as spontaneous. Without raising any question regarding their faith, we are there with the grieving simply because they need us. Compassion does not ask questions; it is happy to walk alongside those whose brokenness is calling out for companionship.

And/Or

(vii) Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

It has been remarked that at the beginning of this gospel story a parade of life meets with a parade of death. Jesus accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people approach the gate of the town of Nain. Coming in the opposite direction is a dead man being carried out for burial, the only son of his widowed mother, surrounded by a considerable number of the people of Nain. When these two very different processions meet, something extraordinary happens. Without waiting to be asked to do anything, Jesus, filled with compassion for the widowed mother, restores life to the young man and gives him back to his mother. The parade of death becomes a parade of joy with people praising God for visiting his people through the person of Jesus.  The gospel reading reminds us that Jesus has entered our world as a life-giver. In the words of the great prayer of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, Jesus reveals the tender mercy of God by giving light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. The same risen Lord stands among us as light in our darkness and as life in our death. Whenever we find ourselves as part of some parade of death, we can be assured that the Lord of life is drawing near to us, even if he has not been called upon. He comes to bring us life so that we in turn can be life-givers in our world. The Lord who visits us at the head of a parade of life, sends us out as his messengers of life to enhance and protect life in all its forms.

And/Or

(viii) Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

It is said of Jesus in today’s gospel reading that when he saw the widow accompanying the body of her son for burial, he had compassion on her. He saw and had compassion. Jesus once told a parable in which it is said of one of the characters that ‘he saw and had compassion’. It was the Samaritan who saw the broken Jewish person by the roadside and had compassion. The Samaritan in the story behaves in the way that Jesus behaves in real life. In that story, the broken traveller did not make any request of those who were passing by and in today’s gospel reading the widow did not make any request of Jesus. It wasn’t the heartfelt cry of the broken traveller or the widow that made the difference, rather it was the particular way that the Samaritan and Jesus saw those who were in need. The Lord sees us with eyes of compassion. He is aware of our need before we articulate that need in prayer. In other words, he is present to us before we are present to him. The Lord sees us, before we see him with the eyes of faith. The Lord is not watching us in some kind of inquisitorial way; he is seeing us with eyes of compassion. The Lord’s way of seeing us encourages us to come before him in our need. His way of seeing us also calls on us to see others with his compassionate eyes.

And/Or

(ix) Tuesday, Twenty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

When we hear the term ‘visitation’ in the context of the gospels, we probably think of the visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth which is found in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel. There is another, more fundamental, visitation in the gospel of Luke, which is referred to by people in today’s gospel reading. When Jesus restored the only son of a widow to life, everyone who witnessed it praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people’. The most important visitation in Luke’s gospel is God’s visitation of his people through his Son, Jesus. Mary visited Elizabeth to be with her in her need. God visited his people through Jesus to be with them in their need. In the gospel reading, Jesus responds with compassion to the need of a widow whose only son has just died. Without any prompting from anyone, without any plea for help from the widow, Jesus goes over to her and restores to her the son she had lost. God’s compassionate visitation of us through his Son continues in our day. The risen Lord continues to respond to us in our need. Without waiting on us to call out to him, he moves towards us out of compassion for us to heal our brokenness, to bring life out of our various deaths, to restore what we have lost. We are never alone in our times of loss, sadness and death. The Lord is always coming towards us in his compassionate love. Our calling is to recognize his coming and to welcome him.

Fr. Martin Hogan.