#A Ordinary 31 Friday

[duranduranofficial]

Prepare yourself for a night like no other 😈

Duran Duran invites you to DANSE MACABRE with them this Halloween at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It will be no ordinary show: a unique production featuring the hits alongside songs from the crypt on October 31st.

In addition to Halloween, Duran Duran has announced addtional showdates in the US.

OCT 21 | Allentown, PA | PPL Arena

OCT 23 | Verona, NY | Turning Stone Resort Casino

OCT 25 | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun

OCT 26 | Atlantic City, NJ | The Borgata

OCT 28 | Baltimore, MD | CFG Bank Arena

OCT 31 | New York, NY | Madison Square Garden

NOV 02 | Manchester, NH | SNHU Arena

Artist VIP Pre Sale goes live on Wednesday, July 10 at 10 am est

Public On Sale goes live on Friday, July 12 at 10 am est 💀💀💀💀

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

THE RESULT OF THE DISNEY SURRENDER

TCinLA

Dec 16, 2024

The thing many people miss in looking at Hitler’s takeover of Germany is how fast it happened. Within 30 days of his acceptance of the Chancellorship on January 31, 1933, the Reichtag had passed the Enabling Act in the aftermath of the Reichstag Fire, which enabled Hitler to rule by decree. Before real resistance could be organized, it had been kneecapped.

Within weeks after that, trade unions and the Christian Democrat, the Socialist and the Communist parties had all been declared illegal. Hitler had wiped out his political opposition by mid April. The first prisoners arrived at Dachau concentration camp the first week of May - they were all political prisoners; any Jew among them was there for politics.

A similar speedy move against political opponents is building within the coming Trump administration.

For years, Trump has brought defamation suits against news organizations who have demonstrated their temerity in accurately reporting his crimes. All have been unsuccessful because the organizations he sued said on being served the papers for the suit, “See you in court.” Trump always dropped the suit when it got to the point he was going to have to sit for a deposition, because every lawyer who represented him knew he couldn’t survive a deposition; on the very few occasions where he did sit for a deposition, he was caught perjuring himself.

Until this past weekend. Until Disney - a company with a market cap of $200 billion - decided that $16 million was “the cost of doing business,” chump change, and settled a suit they had every likelihood of winning, a suit Trump was likely to drop this week after a judge ordered him last Friday to sit for a deposition no later than this coming Friday.

Disney isn’t in the news business. They own ABC and a few other “news” organizations, but those entities are not major revenue centers. Disney is in the business of running parks like Disney World and Disneyland, and they are not interested in being targeted again as they were by Governor DeSantis in Florida.

So they settled. As Josh Marshall put it today, the $16 million was their initiation fee for joining TrumpWorld.

Several legal commentators have recently written about the possibility that Disney settled because they were worried that if they did win with the New York Times v Sullivan defense - which they almost certainly would have - that Trump would appeal his loss to the Supreme Court, where two of “his” six judges have already expressed a willingness to return to Times v Sullivan with a view to overturning it and getting rid of the “actual malice” rule regarding public persons suing for defamation.

A return to “ordinary” defamation, where all a litigant needs to establish is that the defamatory statement made is false, with no reference to “actual malice,” would mean that news organizations would pull back from aggressive investigations of individuals like Trump. We would experience a sharp drop in press freedom to publish.

However, Disney’s surrender also creates a precedent that leaves an opening for politically-motivated defamation suits. The result of this is also that news organizations will be reluctant to aggressively pursue a story, since their corporate owners who are not in the news business and do not care about freedom of the press, may not choose to support the news organization they own in such a fight.

In other words, heads Trump wins and tails Trump wins.

The Disney surrender is almost as good as the Supreme Court overturning Times v Sullivan in intimidating news organizations.

Saturday night, Steve Bannon spoke at the Gala put on by the New York City Young Republicans. The Guardian reported what he said:

“We want retribution and we’re going to get retribution. You have to. It’s not personal, it’s not personal. They need to learn what populist, nationalist power is on the receiving end.

“I need investigations, trials and then incarceration. And I’m just talking about the media. Should the media be included in the vast criminal conspiracy against President Trump? Should Andrew Weissmann on MSNBC, and Rachel Maddow, and all of them?

“We want all your emails, all your text messages, everything you did. You colluded in a conspiracy with Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi, Lisa Monaco and Jack Smith.”

Rachel Maddow may be “The $100 million woman” of progressive media, but she and others not as well-situated as she is have to wonder if their corporate overlords will defend them against spurious conspiracy charges, as news organizations would have in the days before the billionaires’ takeover of mainstream media. In Maddow’s case, would whatever is left of MSNBC - after the company was put in Brian Roberts’ “SpinCo” and separated from Comcast-Universal - have the resources to be able to do so? Would the Intergalactic Widgetmaker that purchases the “SpinCo” be willing to invest their resources in her defense? Would ABC risk having Trump’s FCC commissioners pull its broadcast license for defending Jake Tapper?

And after they’re finished ripping apart the major media, what happens to Meidas Network?

I am not advocating surrender. It will take awhile for them to work their way down to That’s Another Fine Mess, and in the meantime their corruption and incompetence in all else they try to do will be working against them. We of the new “alternative media” will likely survive by being the small mammals who stay out of the meadow where the big dinosaurs stomp.

I am pointing out that despite their corruption and incompetence, their inabilities to work and play well with others that will tie them in knots of their own making, there is a lot of chaos MAGA can create while they ultimately tear themselves apart.

And that chaos will only be strengthened by the willingness of billionaires like Bezos and Zuckerberg - who have bigger fish to fry than defending the free flow of information, and for whom a million dollar initiation fee to pay off Trump is couch change - and the corporations like Disney - to bend their knee to Trump the dictator. Their examples will encourage others to take the road of least resistance.

Trump has told us he intends to be a “dictator on day one.” He’s preparing to do exactly that right out in front of us, and the news media isn’t too likely to pay even as much attention as they have so far to what’s going to come.

[TCinLA]

[sofiaflorina2021]

My First Time Visiting an Eastern Orthodox Church

St. Michael's Church, one of the 10 parishes of the Indonesian Orthodox Church (Gereja Ortodoks Indonesia, GOI), a church of Eastern Orthodox Church in Indonesia. This church is located in Taas Sub-district, Tikala District, Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. This church is quite remote actually.

This church building as you can see from these photos is temporary and later a permanent church will be built at this location according to the church caretaker with whom I had the chance to talk. He lives near this church. I will visit this church again later.

I don't know the number of members of the Indonesian Orthodox Church in this province, North Sulawesi, let alone in this parish. There are probably a few hundred followers, I don't know.

For your information GOI is not an autocephalous church, nor is it an autonomous church within the Eastern Orthodox Church denomination. This church is just an ordinary diocese or bishopric of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece.

This church itself is also not in full communion with the other Eastern Orthodox churches, let alone the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. This is because its parent church is part of what is called the Old Calendarists, a traditionalist group that rejects the use of the revised Julian calendar and still uses the (old) Julian calendar.

It's actually quite disheartening for the ecumenism or the Christian unity, at least within the Eastern Orthodox Church if I may say but even so I like the fact that this church exists around me. I hope the fanatic protestants Christians in my area will not persecute the Orthodox communities like this one.

Taken on Friday, 31 January, 2025 at 15:29 to 15:37 with Samsung Galaxy A05s.

[myremnantarmy]

𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥

Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Mk 7:31-37

Jesus left the district of Tyre

and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,

into the district of the Decapolis.

And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment

and begged him to lay his hand on him.

He took him off by himself away from the crowd.

He put his finger into the man's ears

and, spitting, touched his tongue;

then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,

"Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!")

And immediately the man's ears were opened,

his speech impediment was removed,

and he spoke plainly.

He ordered them not to tell anyone.

But the more he ordered them not to,

the more they proclaimed it.

They were exceedingly astonished and they said,

"He has done all things well.

He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

14th February >> Fr. Martin's Reflections/Homilies on Today's Mass Readings for:

The Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius (Luke 10:1-9)

And for

Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time (Mark 7:31-37)

Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius

Gospel (Except GB & USA) 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.”’

Gospel (GB) Luke 10:1-9 ‘Your peace will rest upon him.’

At that time: The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money bag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace be to this house!” And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the labourer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” ’

Gospel (USA) Luke 10:1-9 The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

Reflections (6)

(i) Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius

Today we celebrate the feast of the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius. They were born in the city of Thessalonica in Northern Greece around 825. In the ninth century they preached the gospel in Moravia, an area that corresponds to the modern day Czech Republic, Slovakia and parts of Hungary. In their efforts to convey the gospel message to this Slavic people, they translated the Scriptures and the liturgical texts into the local Slav language. They understood that only if the texts were in the native language could they communicate to the local people. In the process they invented a new alphabet, from which the present Slav alphabet is derived; it is still called Cyrillic to his day, after Saint Cyril. For that reason they are regarded as the founders of Slavic literature. Because of opposition from Christian missionaries from Germany, who disapproved of their methods of evangelization, they had to leave Moravia and at the invitation of the Pope they travelled to Rome. Pope Adrian, however, gave his seal of approval to their work in Moravia. Cyril died in Rome in 869. He is buried in the Irish Dominican church of San Clemente in Rome, where an ancient fresco depicts his funeral. Methodius returned to Moravia as a bishop where he preached the gospel in spite of great opposition, including opposition from local bishops who continued to object to his use of the vernacular. Worn out by his labourers, he died in 885. Both brothers are venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is only in Luke’s gospel that we hear of Jesus sending out a group of seventy two in pairs, having earlier sent out the twelve disciples. This larger group reminds us that the sharing in Jesus’ mission is not just for a select few. To be a disciple is to be sent out on mission by the Lord. We are all called to be labourers in the Lord’s harvest, in virtue of our baptism. We may not travel far from our native land, like Cyril and Methodius, but we can be the Lord’s missionaries wherever we find ourselves. He sends us out to proclaim by our lives the message given to the seventy two in the gospel reading, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you’. Each of us in our own unique way can be channels of God’s loving presence to others, just as Jesus was.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius

Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius. They were brothers from Macedonia in Greece who in the ninth century preached the gospel in Moravia, the modern day Czech Republic, as well as in modern day Slovakia and Hungary. In their efforts to communicate the gospel they translated the Scriptures and the liturgical texts into the local Slave language. They understood that if they were to communicate with the local people, these important texts would need to be in the vernacular. Because of opposition, they had to leave their mission in the Slavic lands and at the invitation of the Pope they travelled to Rome. There Cyril became a monk and he is buried in the Irish Dominican church of San Clemente, where an ancient fresco depicts his funeral. Methodius returned to Moravia where he continued to preach the gospel in spite of great opposition, including opposition from local bishops who objected to his use of the vernacular. Cyril and Methodius were labourers in the Lord’s harvest. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus sends out 72 such labourers, and he calls on those 72 labourers to ask God to send more labourers to the harvest. Jesus was aware that God needed an abundance of labourers in God’s harvest. God needs each one of us. We are all called to be labourers in the Lord’s harvest in one way or another. We may not be asked to travel far from our homes, like Cyril and Methodius. We can labour for the Lord wherever we find ourselves. The Lord will always provide us with opportunities to make his kingdom values present to others.

And/Or

(iii) Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius

Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius. They were brothers from Macedonia in Greece who in the ninth century preached the gospel in Moravia, modern day Czech Republic, Slovakia and parts of Hungary. In their efforts to do this they translated the Scriptures and the liturgical texts into the local Slav language. They understood that only if the texts were in the vernacular could they communicate to the local people. In the process they invented a new alphabet, from which the present Slav alphabet is derived. For that reason they are regarded as the founders of Slavonic literature. Because of opposition from Christian missionaries from Germany, they had to leave Moravia and at the invitation of the Pope they travelled to Rome. Pope Adrian approved of their work in Moravia and created the two brothers bishops. Cyril died in Rome in 869, and he is buried in the Irish Dominican church of San Clemente, where an ancient fresco depicts his funeral. Methodius returned to Moravia where he preached the gospel in spite of great opposition, including opposition from local bishops who objected to his use of the vernacular. Worn out by his labourers, he died in 665. Cyril and Methodius were both labourers in the Lord’s harvest in the language of today’s gospel reading. We are all called to be labourers in the Lord’s harvest in one way or another. We are all called to proclaim with our lives the message that Jesus gave to We may not be asked to travel far from our homes, like Cyril and Methodius. We can labour on behalf of the Lord where we find ourselves. The Lord will always provide us with opportunities to help to make his kingdom present to others.

And/Or

(iv) Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius

There is an Irish connection to today’s feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius. They were born in Thessalonica in northern Greece in the ninth century. They became noted linguists and scholars and went on to become monks.  In response to a request from the leader of Moravia to the Emperor in Constantinople, Cyril and Methodius were sent to preach the gospel in Moravia, corresponding to modern day Czech Republic, Slovakia and parts of Hungary. In their efforts to do this they translated the Scriptures and the liturgical texts into the local Slav language. They understood that only if the sacred texts were in the vernacular could they communicate to the local people. In the process they invented a new alphabet, from which the present Slav alphabet is derived. Today this alphabet is called Cyrillic and is used for Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Serbian. For that reason they are regarded as the founders of Slavonic literature. Because of opposition to their work, they had to leave Moravia and at the invitation of the Pope they travelled to Rome. Pope Adrian approved of their work in Moravia and created the two brothers bishops. Cyril died in Rome in 869, and he is buried in the Irish Dominican church of San Clemente near to the Coliseum, where an ancient fresco depicts his funeral. Methodius returned to Moravia where he preached the gospel in spite of great opposition, including opposition from local bishops who objected to his use of the vernacular. Worn out by his labourers, he died in 885. Cyril and Methodius were both labourers in the Lord’s harvest, in the language of today’s gospel reading. We can all be labourers in the Lord’s harvest in one way or another. We are all called to proclaim with our lives the message that Jesus gave to the seventy two in that gospel reading, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you’. We may not be asked to travel far from home like Cyril and Methodius, but we can labour on behalf of the Lord wherever we find ourselves. The Lord can use whatever natural gifts we have in the service of his mission to make present the kingdom of God on earth. All he asks for is something of the same responsiveness to his promptings that marked the lives of Cyril and Methodius.

And/Or

(v) Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius

Cyril and Methodius were brothers who were born in Thessalonica in northern Greece in the ninth century, sons of a prominent Christian family. Because many Slavs came to that part of Greece, they became proficient in the Slav language. They became noted linguists and scholars and went on to become monks.  In response to a request from the leader of Moravia to the Emperor in Constantinople, Cyril and Methodius were sent to preach the gospel in Moravia, corresponding to modern day Czech Republic, Slovakia and parts of Hungary. In their efforts to do this they translated the Scriptures and the liturgical texts into the local Slav language. They understood that only if the sacred texts were in the vernacular could they bring the gospel to the local people. In the process of translating they invented a new alphabet, from which the present Slav alphabet is derived. Today this alphabet is called Cyrillic, after Cyril, and is the basis of the Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Serbian alphabet today. For that reason they are regarded as the founders of Slavonic literature. Because of opposition to their work, they had to leave Moravia, and at the invitation of the Pope they travelled to Rome. The Pope approved of their work in Moravia and created the two brothers bishops. Cyril died in Rome in 869, and he is buried in the Irish Dominican church of San Clemente near to the Coliseum, where an ancient fresco depicts his funeral. Methodius returned to Moravia where he preached the gospel in spite of continuing opposition to his mission, including opposition from local bishops who objected to his use of the vernacular. Worn out by his labourers, he died in 885. Pope John Paul II, a Slav Pope, declared them co-patrons of Europe on 31st December 1980. A few years earlier, the Pope had spoken of the brothers as ideal examples of the true missionary spirit, faithful to the tradition which shaped them and yet striving to understand the peoples to whom they were sent. In the language of today’s gospel reading, they were wonderful labourers in the Lord’s harvest. In that reading, as the Lord sends out seventy two labourers, he calls on the seventy two to pray to God, the Lord of the harvest, to send more labourers into the harvest. We are all called, each in our own way, within our own sphere of influence, to be among those labourers the Lord so keenly desires. We all have some gift through which the Lord can work for the coming of his kingdom. If we use our gifts in the service of the Lord, then, he can say through us, in the words of the gospel reading, ‘the kingdom of God is very near to you’.

And/Or

(vi) Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius

Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius. They were brothers from Macedonia in Greece who in the ninth century preached the gospel in Moravia, an area that corresponds to the modern day Czech Republic, Slovakia and parts of Hungary. In their efforts to convey the gospel message to this Slavic people, they translated the Scriptures and the liturgical texts into the local Slav language. They understood that only if the texts were in the vernacular could they communicate to the local people. In the process they invented a new alphabet, from which the present Slav alphabet is derived; it is still called Cyrillic to his day, after Saint Cyril. For that reason they are regarded as the founders of Slavonic literature. Because of opposition from Christian missionaries from Germany, who disapproved of their methods of evangelization, they had to leave Moravia and at the invitation of the Pope they travelled to Rome. Pope Adrian, however, gave his seal of approval to their work in Moravia and created the two brothers bishops. Cyril died in Rome in 869. There is an Irish connection to Cyril; he is buried in the Irish Dominican church of San Clemente, where an ancient fresco depicts his funeral. Methodius returned to Moravia where he preached the gospel in spite of great opposition, including opposition from local bishops who continued to object to his use of the vernacular. Worn out by his labourers, he died in 885. Both brothers were wonderful examples of what today’s gospel reading calls labourers in the Lord’s harvest. Their basic message was the message Jesus asked the seventy two to proclaim in whatever town they entered, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you’. That remains the gospel message for us today. The kingdom of God, God’s loving reign, is very near to us, especially in and through the risen Lord and the Holy Spirit. There is an Irish saying, ‘God’s help is nearer than the door’. Cyril and Methodius travelled far from their hopes to proclaim to the Slav peoples that God was not far from their home but was nearer to them than the door of their home. The Lord is near and he is always inviting us to draw near to him, so that we can draw life and strength from his loving presence to us and within us.

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

Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA) Mark 7:31-37 'He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak'.

Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’

Gospel (USA) Mark 7:31-37 He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.

Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Reflections (9)

(i) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

The gospels often describe people bringing someone to Jesus. In particular, people bring those who cannot make their way to Jesus themselves. We are given a picture of people looking out for each other, especially for those who have some form of impediment or disability. We have a good example of that in today’s gospel reading. People brought to Jesus a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech and they begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man. They lead him to Jesus and then they intercede with Jesus on his behalf because he cannot speak for himself. The people who brought the man to Jesus portray one element of our own baptismal calling. We are all called to bring each other to Jesus, and, like the people in the gospel reading, to intercede for each other with the Lord, to pray for each other, especially for those who, for whatever reason, cannot pray for themselves. The Lord draws us to himself in and through each other. He needs us if he is to do his life-giving work, just as he needed people to bring the deaf man who couldn’t speak to him. Each of us is an important labourer in the Lord’s field. The Lord is dependent on every one of us.

And/Or

(ii) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

At a certain point in his gospel, Mark presents Jesus as ministry to pagans, to those beyond the boundaries of Judaism. This morning’s gospel reading is taken from that section of Mark’s gospel. Jesus is in the Decapolis region, a region mostly populated by non-Jews and, there, he heals a pagan man who is both deaf and also has a speech impediment. At the end of the gospel reading, the people of that region say, ‘He has done all things well; he makes the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak’. Jesus only directly healed the man’s hearing, but once his hearing was healed, he lost his speech impediment. The gospel reading suggests that hearing is more fundamental than speaking. If our hearing is right, our speaking will be right. There is a very real sense in which listening is prior to speaking. We need to listen carefully before we speak. If we fail to listen, the words we speak may not be the right words. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus first listened to the story of the two disciples; only then did he tell a story of his own that shed new light on their story. As in all else, so in this matter of giving priority to listening over speaking, Jesus is our teacher. In the gospel reading people declare of Jesus, ‘he has done all things well’. His doing all things well was rooted in his attentive listening to God and to others, his attentiveness to all of life.

And/Or

(iii) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

We can sometimes take our senses for granted, the fact that we can see, hear, and speak. A friend of mine suddenly lost his sense of hearing some years ago and the impact of that loss on him at the time was enormous. It is only when we lose one of our senses or someone close to us loses one of their senses that we begin to realize how precious those gifts are. Because they are such wonderful gifts we need to keep asking ourselves, ‘How am I using these gifts of hearing, sight, speech?’ In the gospel reading this morning a deaf man is brought to Jesus with an impediment in his speech. There can be a link between the two; the inability to hear can affect how people speak. Jesus first opened the man’s ears, and then he could speak clearly. For us who have the gifts of both hearing and speech, it is nevertheless true to say that the quality of our speaking is in some way related to the quality of our hearing. The better we are at listening, the better we may be at speaking. We need to listen to each other if we are to speak well to each other. More fundamentally, we need to listen to the word of the Lord if we are to speak the word of the Lord. It is only in listening to him that he can speak through us.

And/Or

(iv) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel reading Jesus heals a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech. I am always struck by the fact that his speech impediment was healed after his ears were opened. His hearing returned first and then he could speak. There is a reminder to us there, perhaps, that hearing can be more important than speaking. Good speaking comes from good listening. That is true of our relationship with each other. We need to listen to each other before we know what to say to each other. It is also true of our relationship with the Lord. We need to listen to his word before we can proclaim that word. Attentiveness to the Lord comes before bearing witness to him by what we say and do. In the gospel reading people declare of Jesus, ‘he has done all things well’. His doing all things well was rooted in his attentive listening to God and to others, his attentiveness to all of life. There is a sense in which we are all a little bit like that man in the gospel reading who was brought to Jesus. We all need our ears to be opened that bit more so that we can speak well and, like Jesus, do all things well.

And/Or

(v) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

In the gospel reading, when Jesus was asked by people to heal a deaf man who had a speech impediment, he listened to their request and he responded to it. After Jesus healed the man, he asked those same people not to tell others about what he had done. However, the people who had brought the deaf and dumb man to Jesus did not listen to Jesus’ request. In fact, the more Jesus insisted that they say nothing to anyone about what he did, the more widely they published it. Even though Jesus listened to their request, they did not listen to his request. The man whom the people brought to Jesus did not listen because he could not listen; he was deaf. Yet, we know from our experience of ourselves and of others, that good hearing does not always make for good listening. Our failure to listen can often have an impact on what we say and how we say it. It is striking that when Jesus restored the deaf man’s hearing, he was able to speak clearly for the first time. His hearing and speaking were closely associated. Listening and speaking are also closely associated. The more we truly listen to someone, the more likely it is that the words we speak to them will build them up and bring them life.

And/Or

(vi) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

There is a lovely prayer of blessing over the ears and mouth of the child during the liturgy of baptism. It is prayed shortly after the pouring of water on the child’s head, ‘The Lord made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father’. The Lord did indeed make the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. In today’s gospel reading, he made someone who was both deaf and dumb to hear and to speak. The prayer over the child at baptism reminds us that we all need the Lord’s help to hear and to speak, even if, unlike the man in the gospel reading, we are blessed with the gift of hearing and speech. We need the Lord’s help to truly listen to his word to us, and to courageously proclaim our faith in him. The fact that it was only after Jesus enabled the man to hear that he began to speak clearly suggests that good speaking presupposes good hearing. In many respects, hearing is more important than speaking. As it has been said, perhaps that is why the Lord gave us two ears and one mouth. We need to listen twice as much as we speak. If we listen well we are more likely to speak a word that builds up and enlightens. If we listen well to the Lord’s word to us, we are more likely to speak in the way that the Lord would want us to speak.

And/Or

(vii) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

After Jesus heals the deaf man with an impediment in his speech, he calls on his friends who brought him to tell no one about this work of healing. Of course, the friends of the man couldn’t contain themselves and they published it widely. As a result, people remarked of Jesus, ‘He has done all things well’. Jesus is often portrayed in Mark’s gospel telling people not to broadcast some healing work he had just done. We might wonder why. Surely, God’s good work done through Jesus needs to be publicly proclaimed. Perhaps, Jesus didn’t want people following him for the wrong reasons, thinking that he was a just a miracle worker and always wanting him to do more of the same. There is so much more to Jesus than a miracle worker. When he hung from the cross he seemed anything but a miracle worker. Yet, the love that moved Jesus to respond to the sick and broken with compassion was the same love that led Jesus to the cross. He was crucified because he had come to reveal God’s fatherly and motherly love for all, especially for those whom the religious leaders of the time considered sinners. The Lord’s love did not discriminate. What discriminated was how people responded to his love that knew no boundaries. Some found such a love unsettling. We follow Jesus, our Lord, in response to his love for us. His love will not always work miracles in our lives. Sometimes we will find ourselves on the cross with him. At such times, his love for us isn’t any less, even though we may be tempted to think so. His love is always at work in a life giving way in our lives, until eventually it will bring us to a sharing in God’s life of love in eternity.

And/Or

(viii) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

The story of Jesus healing the deaf and dumb man in today’s gospel reading has made its way into the Rite of Baptism. After the child has been baptized, anointed with the oil of chrism and clothed with the baptismal robe, and after the godfather lights the baptismal candle from the Paschal Candle, the priest says a prayer over the child, ‘The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father’. This prayer gives us a sense of one of the ways that this miracle story has come to be interpreted in the life of the church. Jesus’ opening of the man’s ears suggests our need for the Lord to open our ears more fully to really listen to his word. Of all the many ways to pray, the prayer of listening doesn’t always come easy to us. We have much to say to the Lord, and we can struggle to listen to what the Lord may be trying to say to us through his word. We all need our ears to be opened so that we can hear the Lord’s word more clearly. When Jesus opened the ears of the man in the gospel reading, he began to speak clearly. Good hearing can make for good speaking. That is true in our relationship with each other, and with the Lord. The more we listen to the word of the Lord, the more our speech is likely to reflect the speech of the Lord. In the language of the baptism rite, the more we receive the Lord’s word, the more we will be able to proclaim our faith in him, in all we say. Today’s gospel reading invites us to ask, ‘How well do we listen to the Lord speaking to us through his word, or through others?’ and ‘How well does our speech reflect and express the Lord’s way of speaking?’ We can all adapt the prayer of the Baptismal Liturgy to ourselves, ‘May the Lord touch our ears to receive his word, and our mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father’.

And/Or

(ix) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

It is said in today’s first reading that the man and his wife hid from the Lord among the trees of the garden. Having eaten from the one tree in the garden that God said was out of bounds, they couldn’t face God. They hid from him in fear. In the gospel reading, in contrast, far from hiding from the Lord, the people of the Decapolis sought him out, bringing to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech. The Decapolis was a region that was occupied mostly by pagans rather than Jews. The people recognized that God was working in a healing, life-giving way, through Jesus. There was no reason to hide from such a person. Indeed, Jesus went looking for those who were considered sinners by the religious leaders of the time, sharing table with them. In the setting of a meal, he wanted to convey to them the merciful and unconditional love of God. We need never hide from the Lord in fear, regardless of what we have done or failed to do. His love for us is perfect and complete, and as Saint John says in one of his letters, ‘perfect love drives out fear’. The Lord is always coming towards us to heal us of our brokenness, just as he healed the deaf man with the speech impediment whom the people brought to him. Sometimes we too need the Lord to open our ears so that we listen more attentively to one another, and to the Lord speaking to us through one another and especially through the Scriptures. The better we hear, the more we listen, the more likely we are to speak well, to speak a word that is helpful to others, just as the man spoke plainly after his deafness was healed. When we allow the Lord we open our ears, then we can proclaim the Lord to others by the way we speak. When the risen Lord joined the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, he listened carefully to their story, to what they had to say, before speaking to them, and when he did finally speak to them their hearts began to burn within them. The Lord shows us how good listening can bear fruit in good speaking.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[my-manifesting-journal-online]

Second Week Of January 2025

Monday January 6th

Work (subbed at elementary school in first grade class, easy day)

Daily chores

Yoga

Gua Sha and Jade Roller from Ulta Beauty arrived!

Did my skincare (moisturizer)

Bought ticket for spring cosplay convention

Had salmon burger with thousand island dressing, tomato, and avocado for dinner

Watched the highlights of Passion 2025 (half hour video on YouTube)

Tuesday January 7th

Skincare (Ordinary serum)

Work at elementary school (same class)

Daily chores

Signed up for credit card

Turkey, mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables for dinner

Watched Thomas Sanders (caught up on Sanders Sides)

Wednesday January 8th

Work at elementary school (same class again)

Watched Passion day one session one livestream for first session (2 hours 45 minutes)

Had leftovers for dinner

Skincare (Ordinary serum)

Thursday January 9th

Snow day due to weather so I slept in a little

Workout

Watched Passion day 2 session 2 for 2nd session (1 hour 29 minutes)

Skincare (Jade Roller + Gua Sha)

Daily chores

Watched Passion day 1 session 1 for 2nd session (2 hours 54 mins)

Leftover mashed potatoes and turkey for lunch, Thai takeout for dinner

Watched Thomas Sanders (1 hour 29 minutes)

Friday, January 10th

Work at elementary school (same class as the rest of the week)

Watched Passion Conference session 2 for day 2 of 1st session (1 hour 31 minutes)

Chores

Unfortunately was distracted more by social media brainrot

Saturday January 11th

Watched Passion session 3 of the first session (1 hour 24 minutes)

Chores

Voice called with a cosplay friend

Finished the manwha i started last week

Sunday January 12th

Online church

Skincare (Glow Recipe toner)

Watched Thomas Sanders

Had spicy tuna rice bowl for lunch

Unfortunately was unable to stay off TikTok for long and kept going back

So that was my second week of 2025. The vibes for the week were LGBT (Thomas Sanders videos), Faith (Passion conferences), country (online church because I watched a livestream of a small church in Alabama). I have a feeling this month that I’ll be doing a lot of work on my faith between the Passion Conferences and online church, and unfortunately I seem to be working four days a week now instead of five like I was last year but I can manifest it back in no time.

Goals for January: more skincare (clean girl aesthetic), get closer to God

Things I’ve accomplished in January so far: more cosplaying

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

26th July >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

on

Friday, Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time.

Friday, Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

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

(Readings for the feria (Friday))

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

First Reading Jeremiah 3:14-17 Come back, my disloyal children.

Come back, disloyal children – it is the Lord who speaks – for I alone am your Master. I will take one from a town, two from a clan, and bring you to Zion. I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and these shall feed you on knowledge and discretion. And when you have increased and become many in the land, then – it is the Lord who speaks – no one will ever say again: Where is the ark of the covenant of the Lord? There will be no thought of it, no memory of it, no regret for it, no making of another. When that time comes, Jerusalem shall be called: The Throne of the Lord; all the nations will gather there in the name of the Lord and will no longer follow the dictates of their own stubborn hearts.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Jeremiah 31:10-13

R/ The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

O nations, hear the word of the Lord, proclaim it to the far-off coasts. Say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.’

R/ The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, has saved him from an overpowering hand. They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion, they will stream to the blessings of the Lord.

R/ The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Then the young girls will rejoice and dance, the men, young and old, will be glad. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console them, give gladness for grief.

R/ The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Gospel Acclamation James 1:21

Alleluia, alleluia! Accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. Alleluia!

Or: cf. Luke 8:15

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are those who, with a noble and generous heart, take the word of God to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 13:18-23 The man who hears the word and understands it yields a rich harvest.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are to hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the evil one comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the man who received the seed on the edge of the path. The one who received it on patches of rock is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy. But he has no root in him, he does not last; let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, and he falls away at once. The one who received the seed in thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this world and the lure of riches choke the word and so he produces nothing. And the one who received the seed in rich soil is the man who hears the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

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

(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 Ecclesiasticus 44:1,10-15 Their name lives on for all generations.

Let us praise illustrious men, our ancestors in their successive generations. Here is a list of generous men whose good works have not been forgotten. In their descendants there remains a rich inheritance born of them. Their descendants stand by the covenants and, thanks to them, so do their children’s children. Their offspring will last for ever, their glory will not fade. Their bodies have been buried in peace, and their name lives on for all generations. The peoples will proclaim their wisdom, the assembly will celebrate their praises.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 131(132):11,13-14,17-18

R/ The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

The Lord swore an oath to David; he will not go back on this word: ‘A son, the fruit of your body, will I set upon your throne.’

R/ The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling: ‘This is my resting-place for ever; here have I chosen to live.

R/ The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

‘There David’s stock will flower; I will prepare a lamp for my anointed. I will cover his enemies with shame but on him my crown shall shine.’

R/ The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

Gospel Acclamation cf. Luke 2:25

Alleluia, alleluia! They looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested upon them. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 13:16-17 Prophets and holy men longed to hear what you hear.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[scriveyner]

chase forever down 2/31

chase forever down | 2/31 | bungou stray dogs | 👿🐯 | #smarch 🔞| ~3100 words

It took almost a full week for the bruise to fade on its own, which in normal circumstances would have allowed Atsushi all sorts of time to sort through everything that had happened. Of course, he had to turn up to work on Monday only to find out that Dazai had fucked off to parts unknown again, attempt to track him down, get shot at by a bounty (?) hunter (??) who apparently wanted Atsushi’s pelt (???) for some goddamn unknowable reason; and then Dazai had the straight nerve to show back up to work on Friday all perky like Atsushi hadn’t been put through the wringer this week by him, specifically.

Continue on AO3 or:

“I think, perhaps, it would be best if you laid low for a few days, Atsushi,” Kunikida said as he stood by his desk, glancing over Atsushi’s report. His other hand currently had all his weight on it, pinning Dazai’s head to the desk. “Although the bounty hunter is in custody now, and we’ve cleared everything with the government, these things have a way of escalating out of nowhere.”

“Lay low?” Atsushi repeated, because he never thought he could be considered to have a high profile in the first place, pictures of him in the paper notwithstanding.

“He means don’t tear up the streets causing a scene and fighting anyone in particular,” Dazai sang, face smooshed.

Well, laying low would give him time to do a little research in peace, although as far as he could tell there wasn’t any sort of handbook for the situation he was in. To be fair, he hadn’t checked the library to see if “So Your Mortal Enemy/Occasional Partner is a Secret Vampire” had a waiting list.

Anyway, he was fairly certain that vampires weren’t real in the first place, but that made the fact that Akutagawa-goddamn-Ryuunosuke sucked a hickey into his neck even more bizarre.

Atsushi was tempted to ask Dazai about vampires, but still remembered the absolute roasting he got about Godzilla, and kept his mouth shut.

Hey, he’d been in a giant flying whale and been witness to a member of the Port Mafia clocking an entire ability dragon full-on in the face with a skyscraper; a giant radioactive lizard popping up out of the ocean seemed like a fairly ordinary Thursday.

He’d also jerked off in front of Akutagawa-The-Possible-Vampire, and why the fuck did that just pop into his brain out of nowhere. Atsushi adjusted his courier bag, focused gamely on a cold shower, and started on his way home.

It was brilliantly sunny, the sky that perfect shade of blue with the occasional thin cloud on the horizon. It was the sort of afternoon that chased away all thoughts of despair and darkness, and it lifted his mood immensely. He decided to stop by the local shop and get some fresh vegetables, make a nice big meal, and maybe catch up on some of that sleep he’d been missing after the chaos of the past week. No more thoughts about the weirdness in his life, or the fact that thinking about Akutagawa’s eyes made him hornier than shit.

God dammit, he did it again.

Atsushi sighed, added alone time in the bathroom before Kyouka got home to the mental checklist, and headed to the grocer.

=====

Atsushi was deciding between two packages of meat when he saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye that drew his attention. He glanced over to see a Rashomon head pluck a similar package out of the cooler beside him and withdraw back. Atsushi followed the Rashomon tendril to its origin, staring at Akutagawa dressed in his usual civilian clothes, dark shades and all, as he walked right past Atsushi without acknowledging him once, shopping basket in hand.

His stomach did a little flip and he snarled mentally at certain body parts to fucking behave as he left his basket on the floor and hurried after Akutagawa. “Hey!”

Akutagawa paused and glanced back over his shoulder at Atsushi, eyes shadowed completely by the glasses. “You,” Atsushi jabbed his finger at Akutagawa. “You’re a vampire!”

There was a long, long pause.

Atsushi became increasingly aware that they were in the middle of a crowded supermarket, and other customers were giving them both a significant side-eye as they passed. Akutagawa turned fully around, staring down Atsushi all the while.

“You’re an idiot,” Akutagawa said and turned to leave.

Honestly, Atsushi had expected this reveal to be a little more melodramatic than it was. It was the middle of the day, they were now outside the supermarket that was several blocks away from his place of work, and he had been the exact opposite of geared up for this confrontation.

He’d been buying dinner, for god’s sake.

Akutagawa stood in the shadow of the building, leaned back against the alley wall and arms folded as he watched Atsushi pace in front of him. He’d been remarkably accommodating in allowing Atsushi to drag him out of the building, he’d fully expected a fight, but Akutagawa simply loudly expressed his opinion of Atsushi’s mental prowess to anyone in shouting distance.

So, Akutagawa in daylight. This was already a point against the Vampire Theory, as it was still broad fucking daylight—lurking in the shadows of the building notwithstanding, as Akutagawa was a lurker by nature—and he had yet to even sizzle, never mind burst into flames.

Atsushi rubbed the spot on his neck where the mostly faded bruise still sat. “You’re a vampire,” he reiterated, with less dramatic flair, and once again Akutagawa made a noise of derision, staring at Atsushi over the rims of the dark, not-quite-sunglasses he usually wore in a small attempt to mask his identity.

A point for the “Definitely a Vampire” column, those mysterious dark glasses. He only wore them during the day, too, that Atsushi had seen…protection against the sunlight? But he was out in the sun. And he’d seen Akutagawa in daylight many, many times, all without the benefit of the dark glasses. Well. Point still sitting in the Vampire column, pending approval.

“Idiot,” Akutagawa sniffed. “Remind me why I’m entertaining your nonsense again today?”

“You are a vampire,” Atsushi insisted again, stopping in his tracks, arms folded. “You attacked me out of the blue! Don’t laugh. And you bit me.”

“Do you actually believe vampires are real, weretiger? You pulled me from my errands to make me listen to you ramble like a madman about fiction.”

“I’m not rambling!”

Akutagawa arched a brow, and Atsushi turned on his heel to pace again. “You bit me and sucked my blood!”

“Are you certain you didn’t just hit your head?”

“I have a bruise!”

Akutagawa appeared unimpressed, as Atsushi turned and yanked his collar down, displaying the now-faded, yellowish splotch on his neck. “I have no interest in your sexual conquests as such, weretiger. Are we through?”

“No, we are not through. Explain to me why your eyes turned red, and why you bit me, if you’re not a vampire.”

Akutagawa tilted his head. Looking over his glasses at Atsushi, Atsushi could see his eyes glimmering slightly in the shadows, that same reddish hue. Then Akutagawa said in that same tone that had haunted his dreams for the past week, “we are through here.”

Atsushi stared at him in response, and Akutagawa pushed his glasses back up his nose, straightening as if preparing to leave. “And where do you think you’re going?” Atsushi asked, angrily, and Akutagawa paused, a clear look of confusion crossing his features. “Did you not hear me? We aren’t done.”

The weird, vocal modulation in Akutagawa’s voice sent a frisson of electricity down Atsushi’s spine, pulling something tight in his gut again, but he suppressed the shiver. Akutagawa stared at him strangely, and said, “we’re done.”

“And that,” Atsushi waved his hand at Akutagawa. “That weird voice thing. That’s a vampire thing too, isn’t it? Some kind of,” he wobbled his hand slightly, “Jedi mind trick type thing? I can tell what you’re doing now, so it doesn’t work. And you are,” holy shit, Akutagawa really was, he wasn’t making this up in his head, “a vampire!”

Akutagawa was flat-out staring at him now, like he was a puzzle that Akutagawa couldn’t solve. “Why doesn’t it work on you?”

Atsushi took two large steps back, suddenly struck by the fact that Akutagawa was a goddamn real vampire and he didn’t know what he was supposed to do now, because they were out in daylight and vampires were supposed to catch on fire.

Well, at least this meant he didn’t have to worry about pulling his punches going forward.

Akutagawa seemed to realize what his reaction meant all at once. “I am not—” he began, a snarl in his voice, but Atsushi’s voice overrode his.

“I can’t believe you’re a goddamn shit-sucking vampire.” He’d made it to the other wall of the alley, his back flush to the brick, and was eying his exit route. “How long has this been going on? Does anyone else know? Have you killed anyone? Okay, that was a stupid question, but have you killed anyone as a vampire—?”

“SHUT UP,” Akutagawa roared, his voice crackling with energy.

Atsushi winced at the volume but was otherwise undeterred. “I will not—!”

Well, he still moved faster than Rashomon.

Atsushi bounced off the side of the building, kicking the Rashomon tendril away. Akutagawa seemed to move faster than his own ability again, catching Atsushi by the shoulder in mid-air and turning him, landing on top of him hard enough that the concrete beneath them cracked. Atsushi hurled him off, twisting, and Rashomon caught up, wrapping around his leg before he could properly defend and then they were both airborne, Atsushi winged around like a fish on a line and was unable to gain any real purchase.

He dangled by his ankle, five stories up, while Akutagawa stood crouched on the concrete lip that ringed the building just below the roof. “If I were a vampire, idiot weretiger, do you really think I would be wandering around in broad daylight?”

Oh, he better not be able to read minds, too. Atsushi bent double, trying to get at the single tendril of Rashomon around his ankle with his claws. “Maybe if you didn’t try to mess with my mind!”

The tendril shook him violently enough that he lost progress and hung for a second, head spinning. “You keep coming to the most ridiculous conclusions.”

“I wouldn’t have to come to ridiculous conclusions if you didn’t fucking lie to me!”

Akutagawa hauled him up enough so that they were eye to eye, although Atsushi was well out of swiping range for the moment. “When have I lied to you?”

Atsushi stared at him, then pointed with one tiger claw. “You. Are. A. VAMPIRE.”

He doubled up and got both his hands around the Rashomon tendril, shredding the ability in his claws. Before Atsushi could even begin to consider how he was going to handle the five-story drop, several more Rashomon tendrils shot out at him and Atsushi swung around, caught on a broad one with the pad of his foot, and used it to launch himself at Akutagawa.

Akutagawa stood up to face him, eyes a brilliant, glowing red behind his glasses. “STOP,” he roared, and Atsushi felt the word vibrate in his muscles and bone but didn’t even hesitate, spring-boarding off a Rashomon tendril and catching Akutagawa by the front of his dark coat, flipping them both up over and onto the roof properly.

Akutagawa landed on his feed, sliding on the rough pitch, and Atsushi landed in a crouch with bared teeth. “I’m going to bite you, see how much you like it!”

They stared at each other, chests heaving in near unison, the unearthly red glow finally starting to fade from Akutagawa’s eyes. “No, really, why the fuck doesn’t that work on you, anymore?”

“Your weird voice thing?” Atsushi swiped the back of his hand over his cheek, smearing the blood from where Rashomon just nicked him coming up over the edge of the roof. Akutagawa’s expression froze, eyes locked on Atsushi’s face, and Atsushi pointed at him, victorious. “Ha! Vampire!”

Akutagawa tilted his head back and stared at the sky for a second, while dragging his hand down his face, and then he finally gave up. “Fine,” he said, sounding thoroughly harassed.

Atsushi rose from his crouch, giving Akutagawa a wary look. “Fine?”

“You win, weretiger. I am a vampire. Are you happy?”

Atsushi blinked at him, not expecting capitulation in any form. “Uh.”

“No one was meant to know. Especially not you.” Akutagawa stalked forward, eyes glimmering like they were going to change colors but stayed that nebulous shade of gray. Atsushi took a step back and realized suddenly he had nowhere else to go when the back of his leg hit the edge of the roof and he stopped dead, eyes wide.

“What’s the matter?” Akutagawa asked, stopping just in front of him. “Now you’re scared of me?”

“I’m not scared of you,” Atsushi said because he wasn’t, but his body seemed to think otherwise. Akutagawa’s hand darted out, catching his chin, and turned Atsushi’s head.

“Since you’re in the know, now,” he breathed and licked the blood from Atsushi’s cheek.

Atsushi froze in place. Akutagawa’s tongue felt like lightning, warm and sharp, and he gulped air, limbs trembling. Just like that, he was hard. No, no no no no no, he thought desperately, as Akutagawa swiped his thumb over the area of the cut, but by now the flesh had already sealed over the wound.

“I hate how fucking good you taste,” Akutagawa rumbled, face still too close. “It’s not normal.”

There was something about his voice now that was resonating to Atsushi’s core. It didn’t sound any different than normal, and it certainly wasn’t that weird tone he had been trying on him earlier, but Atsushi’s breath went short and his head went fuzzy.

The corner of Akutagawa’s mouth turned up into a smirk. “Ah. There it is.”

Atsushi swallowed hard and shook his head free of Akutagawa’s hand, and Akutagawa drew back. He pushed the palm of his hand over his cheek but it came away dry, and he looked back at Akutagawa, who was now, once again, at a safe distance. “Is that it?”

The question seemed to perplex Akutagawa. “What?”

“So, you’re a vampire and you’re going to, what, lick my cheek? What the fuck did you do to me?” Atsushi shifted his stance angrily, resisting the urge to shove his hands down his pants this time. “Don’t start what you can’t fucking finish.” He tilted his jaw back and bared his throat challengingly, and Akutagawa’s eyes glimmered again.

“You don’t know what you’re offering,” he said, softly, and Atsushi spread his hands.

“How many people have you killed like this?”

The question seemed to amuse him. Rashomon rippled across his shoulders, a faint red glimmer in the sunlight, and Akutagawa tilted his head, looking at Atsushi again through his dark shades. “Fear not, weretiger. I have kept true to our accords. Yours is the only blood I intend to spill…if I feel often enough, I never have to take a life.”

Akutagawa on him, teeth bared under the moonlight flitted through Atsushi’s mind unbidden. “And what happens if you don’t feed often enough?”

The look on Akutagawa’s face told him enough, and he jerked his chin again. “Fine. Don’t feed on anyone else. Don’t harm anyone else. You have me, you want to spill my blood? You can have it.”

Akutagawa looked away, hand clenched over his mouth and breathing hard. “What’s the matter?” Atsushi challenged. “I thought you said my blood tasted good—?”

He wasn’t fast enough to see Akutagawa move, but there was suddenly a hand on his shoulder and the other on his face, tilting his head away as Akutagawa’s fangs sank into his neck, atop the previous, yellowed bruise. Atsushi gasped and staggered, but Akutagawa caught him as he collapsed, lowering him far gentler, sitting him back against the concrete lip that bordered the edge of the roof.

Akutagawa’s mouth was still on his skin, and he shifted, knee pressed between Atsushi’s spread legs. There was no way he couldn’t feel how hard Atsushi was, or the wet spot that was beginning to appear on the front of his pants and Atsushi panted, everything gone in a haze of pleasure. He was so warm, and light-headed, and when Akutagawa finally, finally lifted his mouth his breath felt like fire on Atsushi’s skin.

“You’ll be mine,” he breathed, tongue brushing over the torn flesh, Atsushi’s skin knitting whole, “and only mine?”

“Oh, fuck,” Atsushi whimpered, so hard he could think of nothing but touch. Akutagawa rumbled and pressed his knee into Atsushi’s crotch, watching him choke. Then he seemed to take pity on him, shifting enough that he was kneeling between Atsushi’s spread legs, fingers pulling at the waist of his trousers. Atsushi gazed at him blearily, and Akutagawa slipped his hand down the front of Atsushi’s pants.

Oh. Oh, Akutagawa’s hand was on his cock right now.

Atsushi’s head went back, eyes unfocused as Akutagawa palmed his trapped erection, fingers curling around his girth. He rubbed his thumb over its leaking head but made no effort to free him from his pants to bother with stroking him properly. “Just a little taste,” he murmured. “Don’t want to reward you too handsomely for being a stubborn little shit, weretiger.”

Panting aloud, Atsushi clung to his coat, held tilted back, and came anyway.

Akutagawa yanked his hand out of Atsushi’s messed pants and stared at him as Atsushi slumped back against the concrete, breathing hard. He ended up wiping his hand clean on Atsushi’s untucked shirt, and then plucked Atsushi’s phone out of his pocket while Atsushi lay, blissed out, in place.

“If I text you,” Akutagawa said, typing something into Atsushi’s phone, “you will show up.”

He was doing the weird voice thing again, it sank into Atsushi’s bones and simmered there. Atsushi moaned, and Akutagawa dropped his phone in his lap. Then he stood, dusted off his knees, and inclined his head in a small bow. “Thank you for the meal.”

That said, Akutagawa stepped up over the lip of the roof, next to Atsushi’s head, and vanished over the side. Atsushi exhaled a small laugh, pushed his hand back through his hair, and looked down at his mess, all over his clothing.

Fuck, what had he just gotten himself into?

<< Chapter 1 || Chapter 3 >>

[sunuism]

Cigarettes, a poem

Today I bought a pack of cigarettes for the first time With a shaking voice, I asked for a packet of Marlboro Red I know nothing about cigarettes so I had to google the name I went into the kiosk and bought a bottle of water, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter I sat behind the common building of the dormitory, hidden away from passing eyes And then I tried to light one.

I couldn't get the lighter to work There was also wind so the flame kept going out My thumbs were sore when I finally saw smoke at the end of the cigarette I sucked in the smoke And I coughed and coughed I know the smell of cigarettes well The suffocating, bitter smell of burning tobacco I sucked it into my lungs, desperate to feel something I took a puff, coughed, took a sip of water, took another puff But it didn't get better

When I was in secondary school I went for a walk with my friend She had gotten her hands on what she claimed was a joint She lit it, and smoked a little She asked if I wanted to try and I said yes But nothing happened. It was probably just an ordinary cigarette, but at that time I didn't cough. "You have to suck the smoke all the way into your lungs, and then breathe out." I did as instructed and didn't cough.

On such a March afternoon, I was sitting there My nose ran together with my eyes. The smoke was so disgusting But I was determined to get used to it I gradually became more and more dizzy It felt a bit like being drunk and not having control over my body After a few more puffs I was close to falling over The smoke rose into the air and mingled with the gray clouds in the sky I leaned back until I was lying down The whole world spun before my eyes

When I was in high school, I always saw my classmates smoking in the school yard You weren't allowed to, but everyone did it anyway Smoking was a status symbol that said "I am part of the class." No one ever offered me cigarettes I didn't care at the time, there were more important things in life, I was convinced During recess, I sat in the corner of the classroom and read a book

I coughed a little again I was nauseous I sat up again The cigarette long gone, only half burnt down I pulled a tissue out of my tote bag and blew my nose For a while I sat there and stared ahead and thught about how people can stand it Lump in the throat, stomach rumbling, head spinning I picked up my phone, which had been by my side the whole time 18:03 Friday March 31, no new notifications

A year ago I started a new education I watched as they all went out and smoked during the break If only I smoked, then I had an excuse to talk to them "Do you want to go out for a smoke?" "No thank you." They don't all smoke, but those who don't join for fun I can't bring myself to ask if I can join

The taste of smoke stuck in my throat as I trudged slowly, swaying towards my building When I got back up to my room I tried to throw up Even though my stomach was empty I laid down on the bathroom floor, lay there and gasped for air again And wondered how others do this With shaking hands I grabbed my phone that was in front of me 18:36, no new notifications And I stifled a scream

[gwendolynlerman]

Deutschribing Germany

Public holidays

Public holidays can be set by the federal government or the Länder. Only the Day of German Unity is set by federal law; the rest of them, even those celebrated all over Germany, are made holidays by state legislation. As a result, there are between ten and thirteen (in Bavaria), depending on the state. Most states have either ten or eleven public holidays.

The nine holidays observed nationwide are the following: 

January 1 - Neujahrstag (New Year’s Day)

Karfreitag (Good Friday)

Ostermontag (Easter Monday)

May 1 - Tag der Arbeit (Labor Day)

Christi Himmelfahrt (Ascension Day): it commemorates the ascension of Jesus into Heaven and takes place 39 days after Easter Sunday.

Pfingstmontag (Whit Monday): it celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit and marks the resumption of ordinary time. It takes place fifty days after Easter.

October 3 - Tag der Deutschen Einheit (German Unity Day): this holiday commemorates German reunification in 1990.

December 25 - Weihnachtstag (Christmas Day)

December 26 - Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag (Boxing Day)

Public holidays observed in only some states include:

January 6 - Heilige Drei Könige (Epiphany) - Baden-Württemberg (BW), Bavaria (BY), and Saxony-Anhalt (ST): it celebrates the visit of the Three Wise Men after the birth of Christ. Groups of children dressed as the Three Wise Men known as Sternsinger (star singers) go from door to door to sing, ask for donations for worthy causes, and perform the traditional house blessing by marking the year over the door with chalk.

The numbers indicate the year, while the letters mean either the names of the Three Wise Men (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar) or the Latin phrase Christus mansionem benedicat (May Christ bless this house).

March 8 - Frauentag (Women’s Day) - Berlin (BE) and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV)

Fronleichnam (Corpus Christi) - BW, BY, Hesse (HE), North Rhine-Westphalia (NW), Rhineland-Palatinate (RP), and Saarland (SL): it celebrates the Eucharist, that is, the body and blood of Christ embodied in sacramental bread and wine. It takes place sixty days after Easter Sunday.

August 15 - Mariä Himmelfahrt (Assumption of Mary) - BY and SL: this holiday celebrates Virgin’s Mary ascension into Heaven after her death.

September 20 - Weltkindertag (World Children’s Day) - Thuringia (TH)

October 31 - Reformationstag (Reformation Day) - Brandenburg (BB), Bremen (HB), Hamburg (HH), MV, Lower Saxony (NI), Saxony (SN), ST, Schleswig-Holstein (SH), and TH: it celebrates the onset of the reformation, as Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses on this day.

November 1 - Allerheiligen (All Saints’ Day) - BW, BY, NW, RP, and SL: this holiday commemorates all Christian saints.

Buß- und Bettag (Repentance and Prayer Day) - SN: it falls on the second Wednesday before the First Sunday in Advent.

While Father’s Day has a fixed date (Ascension Day), Mother’s Day takes place on the second Sunday of May. Furthermore, there is another unofficial holiday, Rosenmontag (“rose Monday”), which takes place on the Monday before Ash Wednesday. It is a de facto holiday in Catholic western and southern Germany, and especially celebrated in Carnival strongholds such as Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Mainz.

Some public holidays (Good Friday, All Saints, and Prayer and Repentance Day) are quiet days (stille Tage), which means that public dancing, live music at inns, and noisy activities around the house, such as playing loud music, vacuuming, and construction with electric tools, are prohibited.

Holidays that always fall on Sunday are not determined by law but are quiet days: Volkstrauertag (Memorial Day), which takes place two Sundays before the first day of Advent and commemorates people who died in armed conflicts, both military and civilian, and Totensonntag (Sunday of the Dead), which is the Protestant equivalent of All Souls’ Day that commemorates the faithfully departed and falls on the last Sunday of the liturgical year in the Evangelical Church.

Some days that are not designated as public holidays are quiet days in certain states, such as Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Holy Saturday, All Souls’ Day, and Christmas Eve (beginning in the afternoon).

[rosaliachristian]

Friday, February 14, 2025

Bishop Robert Barron

Cycle C

Ordinary Time

5th wk of Ordinary Time

Daily Reading

First Reading

Genesis 3:1-8

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’”But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die;for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Psalm

Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,     whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,     and in whose spirit there is no deceit. Then I acknowledged my sin to you,     and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”     and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah Therefore let all who are faithful     offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters     shall not reach them. You are a hiding place for me;     you preserve me from trouble;     you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah

Gospel Reading

Mark 7:31-37

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him.He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Reflection

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus heals a deaf man who had a speech impediment.

Mark tells us that he took him “off by himself away from the crowd.” Jesus then “put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (that is, ‘Be opened!’).” Looking up to his Father and inserting his fingers into the man’s ears, Jesus establishes, as it were, an electrical current, literally plugging him into the divine energy, compelling him to hear the Word.

Now for the healing’s spiritual significance. The crowd is a large part of the problem. The raucous voices of so many, the insistent bray of the advertising culture, the confusing Babel of competing spiritualities—all of it makes us deaf to God’s word. And therefore, we have to be moved to a place of silence and communion.

Jesus draws us into his space, the space of the Church. There, away from the crowd, we can immerse ourselves in the rhythm of the liturgy, listen avidly to Scripture, study the theological tradition, watch the moves of holy people, take in the beauty of sacred art and architecture. There we can hear.

[catolinewsdailyreadings]

Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Readings of Friday, February 14, 2025

Reading 1

GN 3:1-8

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 32 (31): 1-2, 5, 6, 7

R./ Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Blessed is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered. Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile.  R./ Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”  and you took away the guilt of my sin.  R./ Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

For this shall every faithful man pray to you  in time of stress. Though deep waters overflow, they shall not reach him.  R./ Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me; with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.  R./ Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Gospel

MK 7:31-37

Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis.  And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd.  He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.  He ordered them not to tell anyone.  But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it.  They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well.  He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Fri Feb 14th, 2025 ... Friday of The The Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C/Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop

Reading 1

----------

Genesis 3:1-8

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals

that the LORD God had made.

The serpent asked the woman,

“Did God really tell you not to eat

from any of the trees in the garden?”

The woman answered the serpent:

“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;

it is only about the fruit of the tree

in the middle of the garden that God said,

‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’”

But the serpent said to the woman:

“You certainly will not die!

No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it

your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods

who know what is good and what is evil.”

The woman saw that the tree was good for food,

pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.

So she took some of its fruit and ate it;

and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,

and he ate it.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened,

and they realized that they were naked;

so they sewed fig leaves together

and made loincloths for themselves.

When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden

at the breezy time of the day,

the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God

among the trees of the garden.

Responsorial Psalm

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

Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R.    (1a) Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,

    whose sin is covered.

Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,

    in whose spirit there is no guile. 

R.    Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,

    my guilt I covered not.

I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”

    and you took away the guilt of my sin. 

R.    Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven. 

For this shall every faithful man pray to you 

    in time of stress.

Though deep waters overflow,

    they shall not reach him. 

R.    Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;

    with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round. 

R.    Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Alleluia

--------

Acts 16:14b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Open our hearts, O Lord,

to listen to the words of your Son.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

---------

Mark 7:31-37

Jesus left the district of Tyre

and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,

into the district of the Decapolis.

And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment

and begged him to lay his hand on him.

He took him off by himself away from the crowd.

He put his finger into the man’s ears

and, spitting, touched his tongue;

then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,

“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)

And immediately the man’s ears were opened,

his speech impediment was removed,

and he spoke plainly.

He ordered them not to tell anyone.

But the more he ordered them not to,

the more they proclaimed it.

They were exceedingly astonished and they said,

“He has done all things well.

He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

In today’s first reading, we hear the story of the serpent and Eve and how she picked the fruit from the one tree they were told to avoid. We all know how that story came out. Eve, with help from the serpent, decided she knew better. She could bend the rules. I’m not blaming Eve. Her reaction is very human and very familiar. I, all too often, am not honest with myself. I think I can get by this one time. I deserve to get what I want. I know what God says, but, really, I think this is a good decision. And, those decisions are not good decisions. I’ve often heard: Let go and let God. But that’s hard sometimes. God asks that we try. St. Ignatius has a prayer that fits this theme. I always find it a hard prayer, hard for me to surrender. It is what we are asked to do.

Suspice (St. Ignatius of Loyola)

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,

My memory, my understanding and my entire will.

All I have and call my own,

You have given to me.

To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace.

That is enough for me.

In the Gospel, Jesus cures the deaf man with the speech impediment and tries to do it in private. He tells people to not tell anyone. Of course, they do. I think Jesus wants the crowd and us to focus on his words, the message. I need to focus on the message. Love your neighbor as yourself. Give me only your love and grace.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saints Cyril and Methodius

(Cyril: c. 827 – February 14, 869 | Methodius: c. 815 – April 6, 884)

Saints Cyril and Methodius’ Stories

Because their father was an officer in a part of Greece inhabited by many Slavs, these two Greek brothers ultimately became missionaries, teachers, and patrons of the Slavic peoples.

After a brilliant course of studies, Cyril (called Constantine until he became a monk shortly before his death) refused the governorship of a district such as his brother had accepted among the Slavic-speaking population. Cyril withdrew to a monastery where his brother Methodius had become a monk after some years in a governmental post.

A decisive change in their lives occurred when the Duke of Moravia asked the Eastern Emperor Michael for political independence from German rule and ecclesiastical autonomy (having their own clergy and liturgy). Cyril and Methodius undertook the missionary task.

Cyril’s first work was to invent an alphabet, still used in some Eastern liturgies. His followers probably formed the Cyrillic alphabet. Together they translated the Gospels, the psalter, Paul’s letters and the liturgical books into Slavonic, and composed a Slavonic liturgy, highly irregular then.

That and their free use of the vernacular in preaching led to opposition from the German clergy. The bishop refused to consecrate Slavic bishops and priests, and Cyril was forced to appeal to Rome. On the visit to Rome, he and Methodius had the joy of seeing their new liturgy approved by Pope Adrian II. Cyril, long an invalid, died in Rome 50 days after taking the monastic habit.

Methodius continued mission work for 16 more years. He was papal legate for all the Slavic peoples, consecrated a bishop and then given an ancient see (now in the Czech Republic). When much of their former territory was removed from their jurisdiction, the Bavarian bishops retaliated with a violent storm of accusation against Methodius. As a result, Emperor Louis the German exiled Methodius for three years. Pope John VIII secured his release.

Because the Frankish clergy, still smarting, continued their accusations, Methodius had to go to Rome to defend himself against charges of heresy and uphold his use of the Slavonic liturgy. He was again vindicated.

Legend has it that in a feverish period of activity, Methodius translated the whole Bible into Slavonic in eight months. He died on Tuesday of Holy Week, surrounded by his disciples, in his cathedral church.

Opposition continued after his death, and the work of the brothers in Moravia was brought to an end and their disciples scattered. But the expulsions had the beneficial effect of spreading the spiritual, liturgical, and cultural work of the brothers to Bulgaria, Bohemia and southern Poland. Patrons of Moravia, and specially venerated by Catholic Czechs, Slovaks, Croatians, Orthodox Serbians and Bulgarians, Cyril and Methodius are eminently fitted to guard the long-desired unity of East and West. In 1980, Pope John Paul II named them additional co-patrons of Europe.

Reflection

----------

Holiness means reacting to human life with God’s love: human life as it is, crisscrossed with the political and the cultural, the beautiful and the ugly, the selfish and the saintly. For Cyril and Methodius much of their daily cross had to do with the language of the liturgy. They are not saints because they got the liturgy into Slavonic, but because they did so with the courage and humility of Christ.

Saints Cyril and Methodius are the Patron Saints of:

Slavic Peoples

Ecumenism

***

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

[darkmaga-returns]

All, please check your sp*m bin for these newsletters. That last edition was relegated to the sp*m folder for iCloud people and others. Thanks!

Huge explosion as plane 'with at least two on board' crashes in Philadelphia leaving streets ablaze | 31 Jan 2025 | A small plane crash has left multiple people injured in Philadelphia as shocking footage shows chaotic scenes on the ground where it came down. Footage shared to social media shows the wreckage of the unknown flight near the intersection of Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue around 6pm EST. CBS News is reporting that there was two people aboard the aircraft, citing police sources. It remains unclear at this time where the flight had originated from and what led to the crash. Emergency services are currently on the scene battling the flames from the collision. The aircraft appeared to hit several buildings and cars in the area leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Ukrainian MP calls for Putin's murder at Council of Europe | 31 Jan 2025 | Ukrainian MP [Grade 'A' sociopath] Aleksey Goncharenko has openly called on EU lawmakers to support the idea of assassinating Russian President Vladimir Putin and of promoting it among ordinary people. On Friday, the legislator published a video on Telegram of himself making controversial statements at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). According to Goncharenko, Kiev could ramp up support for its cause in the West amid a continuing conflict with Moscow by appealing to the most basic and easily understandable urges of people. To do this, Ukraine needs to draw a clear parallel between the Russian leader's demise and the benefits each and every EU citizen could get from it, he claimed.

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

9th February >> Fr. Martin's Reflections / Homilies on Today's Mass Readings (Inc. Mark 7:31-37) for Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time: ‘He has done all things well'.

Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA) Mark 7:31-37 'He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak'.

Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’

Gospel (USA) Mark 7:31-37 He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.

Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Reflections (8)

(i) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

The story of Jesus healing the deaf and dumb man in today’s gospel reading has made its way into the Rite of Baptism. After the child has been baptized, anointed with the oil of chrism and clothed with the baptismal robe, and after the godfather lights the baptismal candle from the Paschal Candle, the priest says a prayer over the child, ‘The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father’. This prayer gives us a sense of one of the ways that this miracle story has come to be interpreted in the life of the church. Jesus’ opening of the man’s ears suggests our need for the Lord to open our ears more fully to really listen to his word. Of all the many ways to pray, the prayer of listening doesn’t always come easy to us. We have much to say to the Lord, and we can struggle to listen to what the Lord may be trying to say to us through his word. We all need our ears to be opened so that we can hear the Lord’s word more clearly. When Jesus opened the ears of the man in the gospel reading, he began to speak clearly. Good hearing can make for good speaking. That is true in our relationship with each other, and with the Lord. The more we listen to the word of the Lord, the more our speech is likely to reflect the speech of the Lord. In the language of the baptism rite, the more we receive the Lord’s word, the more we will be able to proclaim our faith in him, in all we say. Today’s gospel reading invites us to ask, ‘How well do we listen to the Lord speaking to us through his word, or through others?’ and ‘How well does our speech reflect and express the Lord’s way of speaking?’ We can all adapt the prayer of the Baptismal Liturgy to ourselves, ‘May the Lord touch our ears to receive his word, and our mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father’.

And/Or

(ii) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

The gospels often describe people bringing someone to Jesus. In particular, people bring those who cannot make their way to Jesus themselves. We are given a picture of people looking out for each other, especially for those who have some form of impediment or disability. We have a good example of that in today’s gospel reading. People brought to Jesus a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech and they begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man. They lead him to Jesus and then they intercede with Jesus on his behalf because he cannot speak for himself. The people who brought the man to Jesus portray one element of our own baptismal calling. We are all called to bring each other to Jesus, and, like the people in the gospel reading, to intercede for each other with the Lord, to pray for each other, especially for those who, for whatever reason, cannot pray for themselves. The Lord draws us to himself in and through each other. He needs us if he is to do his life-giving work, just as he needed people to bring the deaf man who couldn’t speak to him. Each of us is an important labourer in the Lord’s field. The Lord is dependent on every one of us.

And/Or

(iii) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

At a certain point in his gospel, Mark presents Jesus as ministry to pagans, to those beyond the boundaries of Judaism. This morning’s gospel reading is taken from that section of Mark’s gospel. Jesus is in the Decapolis region, a region mostly populated by non-Jews and, there, he heals a pagan man who is both deaf and also has a speech impediment. At the end of the gospel reading, the people of that region say, ‘He has done all things well; he makes the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak’. Jesus only directly healed the man’s hearing, but once his hearing was healed, he lost his speech impediment. The gospel reading suggests that hearing is more fundamental than speaking. If our hearing is right, our speaking will be right. There is a very real sense in which listening is prior to speaking. We need to listen carefully before we speak. If we fail to listen, the words we speak may not be the right words. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus first listened to the story of the two disciples; only then did he tell a story of his own that shed new light on their story. As in all else, so in this matter of giving priority to listening over speaking, Jesus is our teacher. In the gospel reading people declare of Jesus, ‘he has done all things well’. His doing all things well was rooted in his attentive listening to God and to others, his attentiveness to all of life.

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(iv) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

We can sometimes take our senses for granted, the fact that we can see, hear, and speak. A friend of mine suddenly lost his sense of hearing some years ago and the impact of that loss on him at the time was enormous. It is only when we lose one of our senses or someone close to us loses one of their senses that we begin to realize how precious those gifts are. Because they are such wonderful gifts we need to keep asking ourselves, ‘How am I using these gifts of hearing, sight, speech?’ In the gospel reading this morning a deaf man is brought to Jesus with an impediment in his speech. There can be a link between the two; the inability to hear can affect how people speak. Jesus first opened the man’s ears, and then he could speak clearly. For us who have the gifts of both hearing and speech, it is nevertheless true to say that the quality of our speaking is in some way related to the quality of our hearing. The better we are at listening, the better we may be at speaking. We need to listen to each other if we are to speak well to each other. More fundamentally, we need to listen to the word of the Lord if we are to speak the word of the Lord. It is only in listening to him that he can speak through us.

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(v) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel reading Jesus heals a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech. I am always struck by the fact that his speech impediment was healed after his ears were opened. His hearing returned first and then he could speak. There is a reminder to us there, perhaps, that hearing can be more important than speaking. Good speaking comes from good listening. That is true of our relationship with each other. We need to listen to each other before we know what to say to each other. It is also true of our relationship with the Lord. We need to listen to his word before we can proclaim that word. Attentiveness to the Lord comes before bearing witness to him by what we say and do. In the gospel reading people declare of Jesus, ‘he has done all things well’. His doing all things well was rooted in his attentive listening to God and to others, his attentiveness to all of life. There is a sense in which we are all a little bit like that man in the gospel reading who was brought to Jesus. We all need our ears to be opened that bit more so that we can speak well and, like Jesus, do all things well.

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(vi) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

In the gospel reading, when Jesus was asked by people to heal a deaf man who had a speech impediment, he listened to their request and he responded to it. After Jesus healed the man, he asked those same people not to tell others about what he had done. However, the people who had brought the deaf and dumb man to Jesus did not listen to Jesus’ request. In fact, the more Jesus insisted that they say nothing to anyone about what he did, the more widely they published it. Even though Jesus listened to their request, they did not listen to his request. The man whom the people brought to Jesus did not listen because he could not listen; he was deaf. Yet, we know from our experience of ourselves and of others, that good hearing does not always make for good listening. Our failure to listen can often have an impact on what we say and how we say it. It is striking that when Jesus restored the deaf man’s hearing, he was able to speak clearly for the first time. His hearing and speaking were closely associated. Listening and speaking are also closely associated. The more we truly listen to someone, the more likely it is that the words we speak to them will build them up and bring them life.

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(vii) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

There is a lovely prayer of blessing over the ears and mouth of the child during the liturgy of baptism. It is prayed shortly after the pouring of water on the child’s head, ‘The Lord made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father’. The Lord did indeed make the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. In today’s gospel reading, he made someone who was both deaf and dumb to hear and to speak. The prayer over the child at baptism reminds us that we all need the Lord’s help to hear and to speak, even if, unlike the man in the gospel reading, we are blessed with the gift of hearing and speech. We need the Lord’s help to truly listen to his word to us, and to courageously proclaim our faith in him. The fact that it was only after Jesus enabled the man to hear that he began to speak clearly suggests that good speaking presupposes good hearing. In many respects, hearing is more important than speaking. As it has been said, perhaps that is why the Lord gave us two ears and one mouth. We need to listen twice as much as we speak. If we listen well we are more likely to speak a word that builds up and enlightens. If we listen well to the Lord’s word to us, we are more likely to speak in the way that the Lord would want us to speak.

And/Or

(viii) Friday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

After Jesus heals the deaf man with an impediment in his speech, he calls on his friends who brought him to tell no one about this work of healing. Of course, the friends of the man couldn’t contain themselves and they published it widely. As a result, people remarked of Jesus, ‘He has done all things well’. Jesus is often portrayed in Mark’s gospel telling people not to broadcast some healing work he had just done. We might wonder why. Surely, God’s good work done through Jesus needs to be publicly proclaimed. Perhaps, Jesus didn’t want people following him for the wrong reasons, thinking that he was a just a miracle worker and always wanting him to do more of the same. There is so much more to Jesus than a miracle worker. When he hung from the cross he seemed anything but a miracle worker. Yet, the love that moved Jesus to respond to the sick and broken with compassion was the same love that led Jesus to the cross. He was crucified because he had come to reveal God’s fatherly and motherly love for all, especially for those whom the religious leaders of the time considered sinners. The Lord’s love did not discriminate. What discriminated was how people responded to his love that knew no boundaries. Some found such a love unsettling. We follow Jesus, our Lord, in response to his love for us. His love will not always work miracles in our lives. Sometimes we will find ourselves on the cross with him. At such times, his love for us isn’t any less, even though we may be tempted to think so. His love is always at work in a life giving way in our lives, until eventually it will bring us to a sharing in God’s life of love in eternity.

Fr. Martin Hogan.