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croskeys · 4 months ago

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John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you.

We recently celebrated the Kirkin' of the Tartans here at Eastminster, a nod to our Reformed Protestant faith that prospered under our Scottish forebears and was brought to North American shores by many who immigrated over. Also on that Sunday, many churches celebrated Reformation Sunday, marking the occasion in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenburg. With these events aligning, a Presbyterian pastor colleague of mine posted a cartoon on social media, which I found amusing given the cups of coffee that fuel my Sunday mornings.

Coffee began to arrive in Europe around 1515, but it likely didn't reach Germany until the late 1600s, meaning that Luther probably never tried it while developing his theses. However, the arrival of coffee helped foster the concept of the coffeehouse, which spread across Europe and became renowned in cities like Vienna. These coffeehouses provided venues for discussing news, politics, philosophy, and religion. In a roundabout way, we might indeed thank coffee for inspiring new ways of thinking about church and theology.

All that said in good humor, we remember the words of Jesus in the gospel of John, chapter 14, verses 26, "But the Advocate, (or Helper or Comforter) the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you." So, we know that it's The Holy Spirit, in coming to disciples on Pentecost, that has guided, helped, comforted, and powered Christians throughout the centuries. That includes Martin Luther. That includes Christians today. In Luther's thoughts and trials...in the Creeds and Confessions...to the work of the Kingdom that we participate in to this day, God the Holy Spirit is at work and through It, we have far more energy for the good work of Christ than anything in this world can give us, including a cup of strong Starbucks.

Anecdotally, according to William Ukers in All About Coffee, when Pope Clement VIII first sipped a cup a joe to see if it was evil or not he declared "Why, this Satan’s drink is so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it. We shall fool Satan by baptizing it, and making it a truly Christian beverage." While this supposed quote is truly inspiring to me as I have my coffee making the rounds on a Sunday morning at Eastminster, let's all remember at the end of the day that we ultimately point to the Holy Spirit's power and inspiration in all that we do.

Prayer: God, we celebrate Your Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Comforter, and we give thanks for Your guidance, wisdom, and strength that comes to us through It. You have been with us through the ages, empowering the faithful, inspiring prophets, and comforting those in need. We feel Your presence among us, leading us in truth and helping us to understand the depth of Your Love. Amen

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foggynightdonut · 1 year ago

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The Quran mentions "qalb" 132 times and its root meaning suggests that the heart is always in a state of motion and transformation.

The heart is also a medium for God's revelations to human beings, and is associated with virtues such as knowledge, faith, purity, piety, love, and repentance. Without purification, however, the heart can become plagued with negative attributes such as sickness, sinfulness, evil, and hate.

In the Quran

The Quran frequently employs the term "qalb" (heart), which appears 132 times, and at times substitutes it with similar terms. The word's root meaning denotes concepts of change, transformation, and fluctuation, implying that the heart is constantly in motion and may undergo reversal or alteration. The Quran uses the term "heart" in various ways that highlight its central role in human existence. These diverse uses of the word imply that its original meaning - involving ideas of turning, changing, and overturning - remains relevant, as the heart is regarded as the source of good and evil, right and wrong. The Quran teaches that both believers and non-believers possess hearts.

In general, the Quran portrays the heart "as the locus of that which makes a human being human, the center of the human personality". This importance of the heart is due to the profound relationship between humans and God, with the heart being the point of convergence where they can meet God. This interaction is multi-dimensional, encompassing both cognitive and moral dimensions.

God pays special attention to the heart, as it is viewed as the true center of a person. Quranic verses highlight that God is more concerned with the motives of one's heart than their actions. While mistakes can be forgiven, the intentions of the heart are critical. For example, in 33:5 the Quran states: "There is no fault in you if you make mistakes, but only in what your hearts premeditate". In 2:225, it says: "God will not take you to task for a slip in your oaths; but He will take you to task for what your hearts have earned; and God is Forgiving, Clement" (cf. 2:118, 8:70).

According to the Quran, the heart serves as a medium for God's revelations to human beings. Prophets receive revelations in their hearts, and it is also a place for vision, understanding, and remembrance.

The heart plays a crucial role in fostering faith and directing guidance towards the right path. However, it can also serve as a breeding ground for doubt, denial, unbelief, and misguidance, which Satan may try to instill.

The heart is associated with virtues such as purity, piety, love, and repentance, but these virtues are not inherent and must be placed by God.

Without God's purification, the heart can become plagued with negative attributes such as sickness, sinfulness, evil, and hate.

The heart is meant to be open and receptive to the divine guidance, light, and love. However, the hearts of those who do wrong can become hard and harsh. The Quran teaches that God has sent down a beautiful scripture, and those who fear Him tremble when they read it, causing their skin and hearts to soften. However, if the heart is not receptive, it can become hard like stone, or even harder, as the hearts of some have become.

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aliceward · 2 years ago

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Dream about Candle Flame

What is the Biblical Meaning of Dreaming of Candles?

If there is a candle in your dream, it suggests that you simply are on the correct path to grasp what steps you need to attain enlightenment. You have lit up the candle, which indicates taking responsibility for seeking spiritual knowledge. All it requires now could be an action or initiative forward. If pursuing spirituality through religion, talk along with your spiritual leader or guru about ways to move closer to finding that divine light within (enlightenment).

Dream about Candle Flame

If you dream of a cake with unlit candles on it, your subconscious tells you that something important has been missing from your life. It suggests that while things seem bleak now, they’ll restore eventually, so don’t surrender hope! You’re also afraid that it might be too late to make up for the loss that has occurred in life, but there is no need to worry - the journey won’t have an on-the-spot reward at the top of it all. However, if everything else is okay and feels good, then perhaps what was lost will return in time.

If instead one or more lit candles appear on a cake in dreams shared by many folks worldwide and across cultures alike, it might mean something else altogether.

If the candle in your dream is already lit after you saw it, it is not such a positive sign. It could mean that although these challenges are difficult to beat on their own, you rely too heavily on spiritual guidance or outside influence to go through them. Work towards independence so that if things do ever get tough again, you will be able to trust yourself and keep going with no help from others.

In dreams, seeing candles shining brightly represents hope. A dream where many candles are present foreshadows special ceremonies or happy events to return soon in your life! This symbol is indicative of the darkness inside you which will be overcome with time and help from others.

According to the book on dreams by Stephanie Clement, “However, to dream of candles burned down signifies the passing of our time. Our dreams are attempting to inform us we only have a brief amount of time here on earth, that is to say, things aren’t going to last forever — light has an expiration date. This can be because it is consistent with Freud and Jung’s ideas about this topic: “the candles in dreams represent an acknowledgment of our limited time here on Earth.” Furthermore, the flame on top of a candle is an appreciation for what was learned from either personal experience or lessons taught throughout life by events.

The candle in your dream can symbolize many things. As an example, the candle signifies wisdom and heat that you simply will find through spiritual growth. It also represents enlightenment and non-secular ceremonies where people show their faith in God by lighting candles during events like weddings or funerals.

Hidden meaning

The most obvious meaning associated with candles represents spiritual guidance and enlightenment. They’re commonly employed in religious ceremonies, which is why they’re symbolic of prayer from the depth of the heart - a genuine prayer.

In a dream, candles tell you that you just are seeking more spiritual guidance and enlightenment. In the past, people have used candles to guide themselves through dark spaces physically - in dreams; they are doing this by representing your life path and difficulties that you encounter daily. If there’s a candle in your dream, it means what quantity and quality of guidance or religious enlightenment are needed and available for yourself in that time segment of waking life.

Your dreams are stuffed with meaning and it’s up to you to work out what they mean. Your dream might be attempting to speak about your spiritual life, so study where you were within the dream for a clue on what this might be trying to inform you. If the place was beautiful or luscious, then perhaps there’s more beauty than is needed in your waking world for you to be able to aim for spiritual pursuits and fulfill them. If, in your dream, you are led through a crowd towards some unknown goal, then maybe something else awaits ahead!

Meaning of blowing candles in a dream

Have you ever had a dream of blowing out candles and wondered what it means? My research has shown that your deep wish for something will come true if you have the necessary faith after having had such a dream. On our birthdays, we make wishes when we blow the candles on birthday cakes. Therefore, these forms of plans don’t necessarily mean one is being negative to the slightest degree. Still, they also may indicate excessive worry about an outcome that probably won’t happen in time because peace will be available at every time with ease. So don’t fill your life with the anxiety of whether or not your wish will be fulfilled.

If the candles were blown out by some other person, it implies that they’ll attempt to influence your decisions and force you to act against your power. You can not allow this individual’s manipulations to change the equations between you and what’s best for yourself.

Dream about Yellow Candles

Dreaming of yellow candles is symbolic. It can represent many things. You may be attempting to find your fortune, personal power, or enlightenment, and therefore the yellow candle shows that this dream means you may find what you’re looking for. The yellow candle also represents tranquillity and harmony in your life because there has been plenty of activity within these areas recently, which makes them feel calm rather than chaotic like before after they were searching to achieve all their missing pieces back together again after falling apart with everything else around them!

Dream about White Candle

The white candles in your dreams indicate that you simply are on the proper path as you always have been. You’ll come to understand that sometimes it isn’t about where we find ourselves but rather what meaning our life experiences give us along the way. The good news is that I feel this dream indicates spiritual growth for you - white stands for balance, peace, and tranquility after all! It also represents inner healing moreover as protection from negativity, among other things.

Dream about Black Candle

In a dream, the black candle can have an unexpectedly positive meaning. It’s going to symbolize binding negative energies and destroying feelings of depression or illness.

Dream about Candle Wax

Dreaming of candle wax that drips in our dreams symbolizes that a problem or separation is coming soon. This can also signify family strife, loss, and a demanding situation to come. Candle wax dripping indicates strong relationships, mutual understanding with your loved ones will be working out well for you at this time despite these troubles ahead!

Dream about watching a Candle Drip

According to old dream lore, there is a tricky situation in your life, and things may not improve quickly. But everything will change for the better within days. Perhaps you’ll find yourself facing circumstances that are similar to what you need right now? Also, dripping wax from a candle means your hidden passionate emotions might be bubbling up from your subconscious mind soon!

You can’t permanently hide who you really are or how much something affects someone else because it’s said that “the truth shall set them free!”

Dream about melting wax Candle

According to old dream lore, the dreamer will receive money, if he has dreamt of a melting wax candle. This is because melted wax predicts success in financial markets and risky ventures (Old Dream Lore). However, it also warns that there may be losses ahead, so you should avoid these activities if possible (Melted Wax Warns of Losses). It can suggest that you find roads in life to take; perhaps this means a job or someone offering something beneficial for your situation? Generally, seeing wax dreams implies: your character is too soft and can easily succumb to extraneous influence - often about loved ones who are constantly given way to what others think, say, and feel rather than what their mind, body, and intuition guide them to do.

Dream about Lighting a Candle

In dream lore, a lighted candle in your dreams is thought to signify the coming of a deep and reliable relationship. It can be a strong friendship or marriage. Dreaming about lighting more than one candle foretells fulfillment of cherished desire. To an unmarried girl, such a dream forecasts conjugal happiness down the road for her! In old dream books, colors were connected to different interpretations:

yellow - you will be deceived;

white - robust health for the next couple of months;

red - secret passion;

blue - inner harmony;

black - is a heavy focus in life.

Interpretation of Dream takes into account what happened with wax:

buy - avoid confusion in business;

sell - loss or losses;

sculpt figurines - will suffer from gossip;

rub them with something - life changes for the better;

crumple your hands with wax on them - your spouse will be complaisant;

to melt - there is a severe illness;

to wash it off one’s hair - a lot of hard work ahead, but your efforts will be appreciated;

from the mouth, you blow out a candle - you will analyze your feelings and relationships with others.

Dream about an Ulit Candle

In your dream, an unlit candle signifies that you’re lost in life. You think you don’t deserve to be happy, but the truth is everyone deserves happiness! It’s okay if things didn’t go as planned in the past because it doesn’t mean they won’t become perfect at all in the future. Overall, this dream shows there’s also an opportunity waiting ahead of us, which we should act on with no hesitation whatsoever! Have a second chance and light up this candle for guidance through meditation, so everything will work out perfectly fine.

Dream about Candle Flame

In the Dream, a candle flame is one of many symbols that can indicate your search for the truth about yourself. This might be shocking to you because it has been some time since this happened in real life. You may also feel like things have changed or started anew, which only means something unique lies ahead! Maybe now’s the perfect opportunity to look within and gain insight on who you are beyond what others perceive: someone special with potential and unique abilities.

Dream about a Room of Candles

According to old dream lore, seeing a room full of candles is associated with protection from evil spirits. It also means that someone special will protect you in real life as well! If single, maybe this is where the one person who’s been on your mind all along has finally appeared! As it may seem romantic and celebratory, your dreams are hinting at the presence of pure love around you or you being near to it right now.

Dream about One Candle

If in your dream, there is only one candle then it represents the enduring hope and strength that you have inside of you. It’s something we all possess but often forget to acknowledge in our daily lives. You’re not a quitter – if anything, this means finding joy even during hard times instead of wallowing in self-pity and negativity!

Dream about Two Candles

Did you dream about two candles last night? If so, it could mean that there are some secrets you’re hiding from yourself. You might be avoiding admitting something to yourself or someone else. The two torched candles also represent your determination and desire for success - you surely have the potential for it, but low self-confidence sometimes keeps you back. Trust in your intuition more! According to dream lore, “The world can be yours” if this secret isn’t holding you back any longer!

Dream about Three Candles

When you see three candles in your dream, it means that everything will go well for you. There are positive things to come, and there’s no need to worry about anything anymore because success is on the way! Three represents growth, so this could mean an increase of wealth or even a new project at work if seeing yourself working with a lot of money counts as growing up financially. To be seen by others burning intensely indicates their belief in “divine protection.” This can be interpreted as people believing more than ever before they’re not crazy when trying something brand-new like starting an art studio or writing books instead of sticking only with what pays off right away like a job that requires working long hours only because it pays but doesn’t fulfil the yearning for the soul’s growth.

Spiritual meaning

Dreams of candles can be highly symbolic spiritually also. To dream about a candle means to contemplate secrets, prosperity, and calmness through beautiful memories and hope. The romantic side of your personality is also illuminated by the light that dreams provide you with - are you an eternal optimist? Candles in churches symbolize finding one’s path towards the realization of your hopes! To be a habit creature means having the motivation and dedication needed to achieve goals in life. Still, it also makes you less likely to experience the happiness or excitement of exploring the new. For this type of person - a creature of habit - to feel happy and excited, they must become creatures more inclined toward adventure instead.

In your candle dream, you may have:

Encountered a candle.

Made a candle.

Lit a candle.

Blown out a candle or candles.

Seen candles on a cake.

Used a candle to light something else.

Used a candle for something other than its purpose.

Used a candle to guide you through the dark.

Used a candle to drive you somewhere even though it was light out.

Seen a woman in a white saree holding a lit candle as in the song “Noorie.”

Positive changes are afoot if

The candle was handed to you, and it gave off a gentle light that lit the entire room. You could see what had been hidden in the darkness just before, but now there is no darkness left anywhere. The path ahead of you became clear as day because this unique candle led all other lights away from your way until only one source remained for both sight and warmth near or far. However, instead of leading through familiar paths like home or school where people would be expecting you at different times throughout the year - you felt favoured by these moments. The candle guided you right through unknown territory: dark areas with uncertain footing over unseen terrain where every step required more courage. An endeavour that required more strength than you could imagine while breathing mindfully along the course that you walked.

This dream is associated with the following scenarios in your life:

Spiritual guidance and enlightenment. Love life and overcoming relationship difficulties. Career development and life goals.

Feelings that you may have encountered while having a dream with a candle in it:

Love.

Acceptance.

Guidance.

Fear.

Discovery.

Adventure.

Hardship.

Strife.

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cruger2984 · 2 years ago

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THE DESCRIPTION OF OUR LADY OF LIGHT Feast Day: December 1 (primary) Thursday after Pentecost

She is the light that shines through the darkness.

In the historic town of Cainta, Rizal, there is this Marian shrine where pilgrims from all over the country flock to venerate this unique Marian image in the country - the miraculous of the image of Nuestra Señora de la Lumen (Our Lady of Light). This image of Our Lady was one of a kind venerated image in the country for this image was painted by a renowned National Artist, Fernando Amorsolo, and it is considered his only masterpiece that is venerated and miraculous by the people of Cainta.

The image of Our Lady of Light of Cainta was based on the original image venerated in Palermo, Sicily and Guanajuato, Mexico. The image was that of a canvas painting where the Virgin was depicted holding her Son Jesus. The Virgin is preventing a soul from the flaming mouth of Satan while an angel was holding a basketful of hearts and offering it to the Child Jesus while the Child Jesus accepts these offerings of flaming hearts, the hearts of the faithful. Two cherubs hover above the Virgin and they are about to crown the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This depiction was based on an apparition of a pious woman in Palermo, Sicily in 1722 and upon the advice of Fr. Giovanni Genovesi, a Jesuit priest, the original painting was commissioned based on the woman's vision for the purpose of his missionary work in the Island.

The devotion to Nuestra Señora de la Lumen originated in the island of Sicily, South of Italy sometime in 1722 when a pious woman, with a good reputation of holiness and piety, was reported to receive visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary and reported these visions to Rev. Fr. Giovanni Antonio Genovesi, a Jesuit priest. Fr. Genovesi at that time, wanted an image of the Virgin that would help him in his mission in Sicily. When the pious lady relayed these to Fr. Genovesi, he requested the lady to ask the Blessed Mother for her guidance in this pious desire of having a beautiful image of her. The Virgin granted this request when she appeared once again to the lady on November 21, 1722. The Virgin also requested that she wanted to be known as 'Madre Santissima del Lume (Mother of Light)'.

Despite the hardships that the lady and Fr. Genovesi to complete the painting of the Virgin, the painting was complete in. It is also interesting to note that while the painter is painting the image, the Blessed Virgin was present at the painter's studio, however, only the pious woman can only see her, yet the Blessed Mother and the visionary guided the painter on completing the image and the result was a beautiful image of Our Lady of Light, it was very beautiful that it is said that the painter could not replicate this heavenly masterpiece.

The image accompanied Fr. Genovesi during his missionary work until his death. Each time the people of a certain place would know that he and the picture were coming, they would wholeheartedly prepare their chapel or church, and the altar on which the holy picture was always met by many people holding flowers or lighted candles. The original image was unfortunately destroyed in 1943 when the Church in Casa Profesa was bombed. The image of the Confraternity was Canonically Crowned in the Cathedral of Palermo in 1986.

Through the help of the Jesuit Missionaries, the devotion to Our Lady of Light spread throughout Europe and Latin America. A confraternity, called Confraternita Della Madonna del Lume al Noviziato, was founded to further propagate the devotion that was formed in 1736 and Pope Clement XXII authorized the veneration of the Blessed Virgin under this title. The devotion became very popular in Italy with numerous copies of the image that can be found in that country and venerated by the faithful through the centuries.

The devotion later reached Mexico and Latin America through the efforts of the Jesuit order. The devotion in Mexico began in 1732 when Rev. Fr. Giuseppe Maria Genovese, believed to be a relative of Fr. Giovanni Antonio Genovesi, began to preach the Gospel in the Spanish colony while propagating the devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of Light. He later established shrines dedicated to the Virgin of Light which became pilgrimage sites over the years. A faithful copy of the image was enshrined by Fr. Genovese at the Church in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, and became the center of devotion in Mexico and this image was canonically crowned in 1902.

The popularity of the Virgin of Light was so widespread that the other religious orders, like the Franciscans, also began to promote the devotion in Mexico and later carried it over to the Philippines, most specifically in Joroan. While the devotion becomes more popular, controversy arises when some members of the clergy questioned the depiction of the Virgen de la Lumen, most specifically when the Virgin pulled a soul from the mouth of the devil, which they believed that it contradicts the teaching that Christ is our only Savior. For some time, the devotion was halted and its effects were felt when later images of the Virgin is depicted without the mouth of the beast, the Angel with a basket of hearts and the soul and was later replaced with a scepter and a rosary in place of the soul. The dispute ended in 1771 when a Franciscan friar points out that the Virgin was actually helping the soul from falling away to the fires of hell and the devotion resumed with much enthusiasm.

The devotion of Nuestra Señora de la Lumen arrived in the Philippines in two ways, first through the Jesuits in Cainta, Rizal in 1727 and in Loon, Bohol in 1754 under the title Nuestra Senora de la Luz and second through the Franciscan Friars in Albay under a different title, Nuestra Señora de Salvacion in 1776.

The Jesuit missionaries arrived in Cainta in 1591 and introduced the devotion to Nuestra Senora de la Lumen in 1727, a few years after the beginning of the devotion in Sicily through the efforts of Rev. Fr. Bartolommeo Cavanti, SJ who came from Ferrara, Italy by which the devotion became widespread in Italy at that time.

The original image that was brought by the Jesuits was first enshrined in one of the side altars of the Parish until its transfer to the main altar in 1853. Unfortunately, the original image was destroyed during the Philippine Revolution in 1899, nevertheless, there were two existing copies of the original image that was venerated in the meantime, an illustrated estampa that was printed in 1801 which was usually given to families who give donations to Our Lady and some of the copies exists to some residences in Cainta. Another copy of the image was a charcoal painting by Mariano Javier of Cainta which was done in 1857 with some similarities with the Verdadero Retrato estampa and at present, it is kept by the heirs of the late Mrs. Flora Javier Buenviaje.

The present image of Nuestra Senora de la Lumen was commissioned in 1950 by Fr. Joseph Flameygh, CICM, then parish priest of Cainta, to National Artist Fernando Amorsolo based on a prayer card that it is believed to have come from Guanajauto, Mexico. The image was painted in a very unique way for the faces of the Virgin, the Child, the Angels, and the soul to have Filipino features. The image was initially enshrined in a semi-concrete provisional chapel then later to her permanent altar in the reconstructed church of Cainta in 1968. The image later undergo an 'artistic conservation' in 2007 and was later enthroned to her renovated altar that same year.

The devotion to the Virgin of Light became very popular in Cainta that as the devotion was so widespread, she became the Secondary Patroness of Cainta, with St. Andrew as its Titular Patron. Years later, with the publication of the first Tagalog novena to Our Lady of Light in 1884, Our Lady was considered as the Titular Patron of the Parish and the Town of Cainta.

In the line of the 285th anniversary of the arrival of the devotion to Nuestra Señora de la Lumen by the Jesuits, the miraculous image was granted the honor of Episcopal Coronation on November 7, 2012 by Bishop Emeritus Gabriel Reyes, DD and the Coronation rites were performed on December 1, 2012, the Feast of Our Lady of Light of Cainta. Five years later, the Congregation of the Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments granted the Pontifical Coronation of the image on December 6, 2017, and the Coronation rites were performed on December 1, 2018. The coronation rites coincided with the declaration of the parish as a Diocesan Shrine.

The devotion to Nuestra Señora de la Lumen of Cainta was engrained in the popular consciousness of the people of Cainta, Rizal for centuries due to the many miracles that she wrought for the town. The feast of Nuestra Señora de la Lumen of Cainta was celebrated on December 1, a day after the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, the second patron of Cainta, since 1853. The Virgin also celebrates her Secondary Feast which is celebrated every Thursday after Pentecost Sunday. The devotees of Nuestra Señora de la Lumen also observe the Seven Saturday (Siete Sabados) novena preceding her feast day in December. She is well known as the patroness of reconciliation and those seeking conversion.

The devotion to Nuestra Señora de la Lumen is one of the most popular and unique devotions to Our Lady in the Philippines for through her image, she communicated to us that she is there, helping us along the way, to lead us to her Son, the Savior of Mankind and Light of the World.

#random stuff #catholic #our lady of light #nuestra señora de la luz #nuestra señora de lumen #madre santissima del lume

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satingrove · 5 years ago

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petrichor {padawan!obi-wan kenobi x reader}

summary: obi-wan navigates his strong feelings for a girl with the help of his master, leaving to seek her in the night.

warnings: none! please note that female pronouns and descriptions are used in this fic.

wc: 1.372k

Concentration. It was a fickle thing for Obi-Wan as his Master urged him to concentrate, his mind flickering through images of a girl and fighting dreadfully hard to keep them to himself. His mouth opened a crack as he remembered the way her lips seemed to drip honey in her words, and the way she walked the earth with intangible elegance. Her grace consumed him as he sat before his Master, Qui-Gon, who watched his Padawan with abnormal patience.

“You think of her, don’t you?”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes abashedly, their bright blue colour looking downcast, worse for wear. He did not want to answer. He knew it was not considered right, yet was entirely incapable of keeping her shut out. Keeping her far away, where she might have lived in a field of the most beautiful flowers, or a palace fit for her looks of royalty.

“I do, Master. I am very sorry.” Obi-Wan’s voice came soft and shy, that boyish grin threatening to shine through. Qui-Gon was not surprised, for even though his Padawan was masterful at hiding, the pink that dusted his cheeks and the enchanted glint in his eyes could not conceal the truth.

“You will not apologize to me,” Qui-Gon began sympathetically, “pour your thoughts to me instead.” He was earnest, no hint of sneaky judgment, nor flash of a simper.

Where to begin? Obi-Wan pondered with deliberation, brows furrowing delicately. He slipped into hot and scorching water when his brain decided to think of her, utterly inappropriately; what her skin might feel like under his anxious touch, how her voice would sound had it been poisoned with rapture by the sinful acts of his own self.

His heart was sinking through his torso, pleading with himself to just stop and remember it was not merely infatuation, but an innocent, all-encompassing love in which he hoped to kiss her sweetly in the mornings and softly in the night.

“I see her, Master, and she is heavenly. She has a power to make me feel things, things I have never experienced. But she never leaves...” His tone teetered on the dreamy side, earning a knowing chuckle from Qui-Gon.

“They are natural feelings indeed, my young Padawan, but you cannot let them overtake you.” His words ended gravely, eyeing his apprentice with a certain severity that was reserved for important moments.

Obi-Wan knew of the Jedi Code, and what a wretched thing it was to him. To be deprived of a sweet creature such as her?

“What shall I do?” Obi-Wan questioned his Master, aching for his guidance and hoping it would include a sliver of his beloved in it.

“Search your feelings, young one.” Qui-Gon obliged him, feeling pride tickle his shoulders as he watched his Padawan at work.

Feelings, what extravagant feelings they were. Obi-Wan’s heart took a tender form, picturing his dearest. She was good-natured, a clement soul with a proclivity to be forbearing. He was bewitched, enthralled, deliciously in love.

The very idea of her could turn Obi-Wan into a well-respected poet, an architect of words of which he could never run out. They could run smoothly, flow freely, even burst from his lips and they would sound just as ethereal as she.

Obi-Wan stared, a vacant stare, unreadable to the Master before him. There was an early end to their meeting full of Obi-Wan’s fanciful thoughts. Qui-Gon dismissed his learner with words of trust and faith in him.

Upon the same day, as the sun set in its orange-to-purple glory, Obi-Wan walked briskly with a buzzing mind. His feet carried him gaily across stones where the grass poked through the gaps with weeds he considered not be weeds, but dainty flowers.

He inhaled, catching the fresh air in his lungs, then sighed weakly. It began to sprinkle lightly, clouds obscuring the burning stars of the night, tiny droplets soothing the heat of Obi-Wan’s skin. He stood in it, serenity fulfilling him, the rain not soaking him but leaving freckles of water on his robes. It was weightless.

His feet had led him to her door that held quaint and homely quarters behind it, almost too welcoming for his own good. Obi-Wan bounced on the balls of his sore feet, grinning his devastatingly handsome grin when she opened the door with excitement to match his own.

How good it was to see her, breathe her in, to be loving her even without her knowing. Her beaming smile could have broken his heart in its simple beauty, but all she seemed capable of doing was mending every hole that had been left in it.

“I hope I’m not a bother,” Obi-Wan said sheepishly, positively rupturing inside when her fingers found his braid and tugged on it gently.

“Not at all,” She spoke candidly, turning on her heels. “You’ll find I’m always prepared for your company, just in case.”

Obi-Wan was touched and melting quickly, consistently on the brink of spilling too many feelings at once. She reminded him of what he thought home would feel like, had he been able to remember it.

She led him to sit down in a snug spot, humming a tune he didn’t know, but he didn’t care for what it was; it was beguiling. He watched her move about, tidying things she didn’t have to tidy, only because he was visiting.

Obi-Wan sat politely, admiring all there was to see, but nothing more than her. He had denied her offer for something to eat. They chattered comfortably, sharing little pieces of their lives to one another, the pieces that fit between the last time they met not so long ago. Obi-Wan studied her words carefully along with her face, blooming with eloquent poise.

“I’m very glad to see you.” She admitted. Obi-Wan felt her honeyed tone within him, dripping over his senses with its golden colour. He thought he could taste it.

He gazed at her in that lovesick way of his that left her breathless as she inched closer, daring to place a hand on his thigh. His senses went on raging, but quietly, enjoyably at that. It felt firm in her palm, tensing intermittently.

Despite Qui-Gon’s serious warnings, Obi-Wan’s feelings had overtaken him, leading a fantasy to flash before his eyes, where she was writhing, delighted from underneath him.

Obi-Wan blinked, knowing in that moment, his true desire was to kiss her with all his ardent affection; to let her know he loved her. His hand drifted to hers, encompassing it with all the caution he could muster and squeezed it.

“I’m very glad to see you, too.” He whispered.

The dusting of rain on Obi-Wan’s clothing had long since dried by the warmth of his body, rendering his scent fresh and lively like the petrichor rising from the earth outside. Their breath fanned across each other’s faces, looking fair and shining in the aureate light. A line of tension was tightening, waiting to be cut, or rather, lacerated.

“I don’t believe we’ve... ever been so close.” She remarked, weakening under his spell.

“Then you must know how greatly I enjoy it.” His eyes were set ablaze. Their lips could nearly brush, ready to paint an extravagant picture of pent up emotions set free. A painting full of lush and colourful detail that would be revered by anyone fortunate enough to see it.

His lips covered hers gingerly yet firmly, full of passion yet wholly innocent. It was as he had dreamt; cathartic and feeling so full of her that his soul could feel the very essence of their lips connected, pulled together by shared love. They melded together in clear perfection, silently, basking in it.

Obi-Wan’s thumb ran itself over her hand, back and forth to the rhythm of a ticking clock as their kiss had lasted for countless seconds. Seconds that were unquantifiable. He knew that he was undeniably hers, whether together or apart, tallying the days until he would see her again.

They released with a shared gasp, tenderhearted and young and so beautiful as one. Foreheads touched, their eyelashes swept across each other’s, feathery and guiltless. She wrapped his braid around her finger, further sealing the name that was written all over his heart.

#obi wan kenobi x reader #padawan obi x reader #padawan obi wan #obi wan x reader #obi wan kenobi #obi wan imagine #ewan mcgregor #star wars #star wars imagine

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mattchase82 · 4 years ago

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Bible: The Sole Rule of Faith? by John Vennari

The Protestant believes himself to be on solid ground, because he says he believes and accepts the Bible and only the Bible, as the sole rule of Faith.

This is the central Protestant tenet of Sola Scriptura — the Bible alone is the sole rule of Faith. It is the Bible and only the Bible that is the pillar and mainstay of truth.

So the first question we have to ask is: how tenable is this Protestant tenet in the first place? Is the Protestant really on solid ground when he says that the Bible alone is the sole rule of Faith?

There is a well-known convert to Catholicism in the United States named Scott Hahn — a Protestant minister who became Catholic. Part of his conversion story gives helpful answers to this question (I personally wish Dr. Hahn would have become more traditional after his conversion, but that does not diminish the strength of the story).

Dr. Hahn had been a Presbyterian minister who, in his seminary days, was vehemently anti-Catholic. Subsequently, as a minister, he did a tremendous amount of Scripture study, because he wanted his sermons to be permeated in Scripture.

But the more he studied Scripture, the more he came to see that the truths that the Catholic believes, particularly manifested in the teachings of the early Church Fathers — Saint Jerome, Saint Basil, Saint Augustine — are firmly rooted in Sacred Scripture. These Church Fathers were Catholics. Every one of them was celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!

I’m not going to go through his whole story, but I want to spotlight a crucial event that clinched his conversion. It was something that took place while he was teaching class.

There he was, a Presbyterian Minister — a Presbyterian Professor — teaching young adults.

And one of the brighter students in the class asked him, “Dr. Hahn, you know the way we Protestants believe that the Bible alone is the sole rule of Christian faith, and we follow the Bible and only the Bible — not the Bible and Tradition?”

Hahn said "yes".

The student said, “Well, where in the Bible does it say that?”

Hahn responded, “What a stupid question!”

As soon as Han said that , he said to himself, “You have never said that to a student before. You have never answered a student by insulting him.”

But the reason Hahn responded the way he did was because he knew he really didn’t have an answer.

Hahn said, “Well, there’s II Timothy, 3:16.”

But the student retorted, “No! II Timothy 3:16 says ‘All Scripture, inspired by God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, instruct in justice.’ It says Scripture is profitable! It doesn’t say we must believe in the Bible alone?”

So Hahn then said, “Well, look at what Our Lord says about Tradition in Matthew 15.”

Again, the student responded, “Well, no! Our Lord was not condemning all Tradition, but He was condemning the corrupt tradition of the Pharisees.”

So after a few more failed attempts at Scripture citations, Hahn announced that the class was out of time and they can pick up on this next week.

Now, Dr. Dr. Hahn knew that he had not answered the student’s question. And the student knew that he had not had his question answered.

So Hahn drove home that night in a cold sweat thinking, “What is the answer to that question?”

When he got home, he telephoned whom he said to be the top Protestant Scripture scholars in the United States. And he asked them, “Maybe I slept through this part of my seminary training, but you know the way we Protestants believe in the Bible alone and only the Bible, and not in Scripture and Tradition — where in the Bible does it say that?”

And to a man, each one of these Protestant scholars said, “What a stupid question!”

Then each of these professors invoked the same verse that Hahn had invoked: “Well, there’s II Timothy 3:16.” And Hahn responded as the student did, “No, this verse only says that Scripture is profitable, not that it must be the sole rule of Faith.”

Each of the professors also said, “Well, there’s Our Lord’s words in Matthew 15.”

And Hahn retorted, “No, Our Lord was not condemning all Tradition, but only the corrupt tradition of the Pharisees.” And further, Hahn said, Saint Paul instructs us in II Thessalonians 2:14 to stand fast and “hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle.”

And these tip-top scholars, these most eminent of Protestant theologians, had no answer.

It was then that Scott Hahn came to realize that the central, foundational principle of Protestantism — the Bible alone and only the Bible — is not Biblical!

This is a tremendous contradiction, it’s one of the reasons why I could never be a Protestant. Protestantism claims to base its entire belief system in the Bible alone, but the principle of “The Bible alone” is a non-Biblical principle; it is a principle that is nowhere found in the Bible.

No Basis in History

Secondly, the principle of “the Bible alone as the sole rule of Faith”, cannot be a true principle of Christianity because it has no basis in the history of Christianity.

How did the early Christians learn their Faith?

How was the Faith communicated to them?

How did Our Lord tell the Apostles to communicate the Faith, the truths which must be believed for salvation?

He commanded them, “go forth and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost”. He said to Peter, “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church” (Matt. 16:18). And Saint Paul taught clearly that it is the Church that is the pillar and mainstay of truth (I Tim. 3:16).

Our Lord gave to Peter authority, and He commissioned the Apostles to preach in His name. “As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).

Our Lord wrote no books. Nor did He say to His Apostles: “Sit down and write Bibles and scatter them over the earth, and let every man read his Bible and judge for himself”, which is the essence of Protestantism — each individual reads the Bible and decides for himself what are the truths of Christianity. No! As I said, Our Lord established a Church to teach in His Name: “He that heareth you heareth Me, he that despiseth you, despiseth Me” (Luke 10:16). “And if he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and the publican” (Matt. 18:17).

The Church and the Faith existed before the New Testament. Only five out of the twelve Apostles wrote anything down at all! The Church was teaching and administering the Sacraments, the Apostles were forgiving sins, the Church was making martyrs for seven to ten years before one jot of the New Testament was set down on parchment.

The Church was spread throughout the entire Roman Empire before a single word of the New Testament was written. We had Catholic saints and martyrs before we had Gospels and Epistles.

The first Gospel was written by Saint Matthew, about 7 years after Our Lord left the earth. The next was the Gospel of Mark, written 10 years after Christ ascended into Heaven. The Gospel of Saint Luke was written 25 years after Our Lord’s Ascension, and the Gospel of John was written 63 years after Our Lord left the earth. The Apocalypse was written a good 65 years after the Ascension of Our Lord. And all of this was written, as Pope Leo XIII reiterates, under Divine inspiration.

So then, how did the early Christians become Christians and save their souls? By reading the Bible? No, because there was no New Testament.

We saw that the New Testament was not even completed until 65 years after Our Lord ascended into Heaven.

But this is not all.

For over three hundred years, the Church did not have all the books of the Bible compiled into one book.

And this brings us right to the question of Authority.

Because if you give me a book — call it The Bible — and you tell me that everything in that book is the infallible Word of God, the first thing I’m going to ask is, “Who says?”

Books don’t write themselves. Books by multiple authors don’t just compile themselves into one big book, and then proclaim itself to be the written Word of God.

No! Someone, or some social unit, which God Himself gave the authority to teach: to teach in His Name, to teach infallibly, must tell me this. Only an authority like that can tell me that this book is the written, infallible Word of God.

And it was the Catholic Church, at the Council of Carthage in 397 A.D., through the guidance of the Holy Ghost, that settled once and for all what was the Canon of the New Testament; that decided which books were divinely inspired and which were not.

You remember there were a number of other “Gospels” and “Epistles” circulating; some written by good and holy men but were not the inspired word of God (for example, the Epistles of St. Clement). Others were just plain fabrications, such as the so-called Gospel of Pilate or the Gospel of Nicodemus.

And it was the Catholic Church that decided which books were divinely inspired and which were not. It was the Catholic Church that put the New Testament together, joined it to the Old Testament, and gave the Bible to the world. It was the Catholic Church that produced the Bible, it was not the Bible that produced the Church.

Thus, as I said, the Protestant principle of the “Bible Alone” has no basis in history. The Catholic religion is the only religion that can answer the question: “Who Says?” — that is, “who says the Bible is the written word of God?”

Let there be Gutenberg!

But the problems don’t stop there. Because if it is necessary to read the Bible for me to be saved, if faith cometh only by reading the Bible, then faith cometh only by the invention of the printing press, which was not invented until the middle of the 15th Century by Johannes Gutenberg.

Before that, all books were hand-copied. It was a laborious, time-consuming and expensive venture. It was not possible to get a copy of the Bible into the hands of every Catholic, or even one to every Catholic family.

We’ve only had Bibles widely distributed for a little more than 400 years. So what about the millions of Christians who lived before that, who would go through their entire lives and never even see a Bible or a printed text of the New Testament?

Now, the theory of “The Bible Alone” — that is, following the Bible alone as the path to salvation — presupposes that the Bible should have been available to all men from the foundation of Christianity. Well, we already saw that this is not the case. We saw that the books of the New Testament were not written until 65 years after Our Lord left the earth. And we saw that the Christian World did not even have a complete, compiled Bible until the year 397 A.D.; and were not even available for mass distribution until the middle of the 15th Century. So the principle of the “Bible Alone” has no basis in history.

Conflicts with Reason

Finally, the principle of the “Bible Alone” is contrary to reason. Because if you give me a book, and you tell me that everything in that book is the written Word of God, and that I have to read it and believe the Bible Alone for salvation, then the first thing I say to you is, “Fine, then you leave me alone. You just give me that Bible, and I’ll decide what is the true meaning of Scriptures.”

This essentially is the Protestant system. If you go to a Lutheran congregation, you are only buying into Martin Luther’s private interpretation of the Bible.

And if you go to a Methodist congregation, you are only subscribing to another man’s private interpretation of the Bible — a character named John Wesley.

And if you go to a Presbyterian congregation, you’ve only bought into the private interpretation of John Knox, the founder of that group.

And if you are a member of a Protestant denomination, there is no reason why you could not stand up and say to the preacher: “Brother, I believeth you walketh not in truth. Your interpretation is wrong! I have found the correct meaning.”

And if you are zealous enough, and eloquent enough, and determined enough, you could start to preach, and you could start your own Protestant congregation — because that is how they all started.

And we see that this is the consequence of private interpretation of the Bible. Because, according to the Protestant system — every man reading the Bible and coming to his own interpretation — the logical conclusion of this is that there could be as many Protestant religions as there are individuals. There is no church for them established by Christ to teach in His name! There is no authority established by God to tell me that I might have made a mistake!

So this is one of the many reasons I could never be a Protestant. We see that the “Bible Alone” principle is contrary to Scripture, the “Bible Alone” principle is not supported by history, and the “Bible Alone” principle is contrary to reason; for it ends up in thousands of conflicting interpretations of Scripture, and is contrary to what Our Lord established His Church to be.

#catholicism #traditional catholic #catholic #christianity #heaven #love #jesus christ #its the truth #catholic saints #catholic faith #protestant #Protestantism #seek the truth #truth

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orthodoxydaily · 4 years ago

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Icon, Saints&Reading: Sat, Jan. 2, 2021

FOREFEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST_ OLD CALENDAR

Commemorated on December 20_by the new calendar

The Priest Martyr Ignatiuss the God-Bearer (107)

The PriestMartyr Ignatios the God-Bearer, a native of Syria, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (Comm. 23 February). Saint Ignatios was the second bishop of Antioch, and successor to Bishop Evodus, Disciple from amongst the Seventy. Tradition suggests, that when Saint Ignatios was a little boy, the Saviour hugged him and said: "If ye wilt not turn and be as little children, ye shalt not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven" (Mt. 18: 3). The saint was termed "God-Bearer" since he had the Name of the Saviour in his heart and prayed unceasingly to Him. Saint Ignatios was zealous and spared no efforts for toiling in the fields of Christ. To him is attributed the establishing within church services of antiphonal singing (for two parts or choirs). During time of persecution he was a source of strength to the souls of his flock, and was himself ardent in the wish to suffer for Christ. In the year 106 the emperor Trajan (98-117), on the occasion of a victory over the Skyths, gave orders to everywhere offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, and put to death any Christians refusing to worship idols. And in the year 107, during the time of a campaign against the Armenians and Parthians, the emperor Trajan happened to pass through Antioch. Here they made denunciation to him that Bishop Ignatios openly confessed Christ, and with this taught to contemn riches, to lead a virtuous life and preserve virginity. At this moment Saint Ignatios himself came voluntarily before the emperor, so as to avert persecution against the Christians in Antioch. The persistent requests of the emperor Trajan were resolutely rejected by Saint Ignatios. The emperor then decided to have him taken away for devouring by wild beasts at Rome. Saint Ignatios joyfully accepted the sentence imposed upon him. His readiness for the deed of martyrdom was attested to by eye-witnesses, accompanying Saint Ignatios from Antioch to Rome.

On the way to Rome, the ship having set out from Seleucia stopped over at Smyrna, where Saint Ignatios met with his friend the Smyrna Bishop Polycarp. Clergy and believers from other cities and towns thronged to Saint Ignatios. Saint Ignatios exhorted everyone not to fear death and not grieve over him. In his Epistle of 24 August 107 to the Roman Christians, he asked them to assist him with their prayers, so as to beseech God to strengthen him in his impending act of martyrdom for Christ: "I seek Him Who hath died for us, I desire Him Who hath risen for us... My love wast crucified, and within me is no fire loving material things, but rather the living water that speaketh within me, from within calling unto me: 'I go unto the Father'". From Smyrna Saint Ignatios went to the Troiad. Here he met with the happy news about the cessation of persecution against Christians in Antioch. From the Troiad Saint Ignatios sailed to Neapolis (in Macedonia) and then to Philippi. Along the way to Rome Saint Ignatios visited churches, and gave discourses of teaching and guidance. He also then wrote six epistles: to the Ephesians, to the Magnezians, to the Trallians, to the Philadelphians, and to the Smyrna Bishop Polycarp. All these epistulary letters were preserved and have survived to our present day. The Roman Christians met Saint Ignatios with great joy and profound sorrow. Certain of them had hopes to persuade the people to give up on making it a bloody spectacle, but Saint Ignatios implored them not to do this. Bending down upon his knees, he prayed together with all the believers for the Church, for love between the brethren and for an end to the persecution against Christians. On the day of a pagan feast, 20 December, they led Saint Ignatios into the circus arena, and he turned to the people: "Men of Rome, ye do know, that I am sentenced to death not because of any wrong-doing, but in love of my One God, by love for Whom I am embraced and unto Whom I do aspire. I am His wheat and by the teeth of wild beasts I shall be grinded, so as for Him to be a pure bread". Right after this the lions were released. Tradition relates that in going to execution, Saint Ignatios unceasingly repeated the Name of Jesus Christ. When they asked him why he was doing this, Saint Ignatios answered, that he carried this Name in his heart, "He that is imprinted in mine heart, is He Whom I confess with my lips". When the saint was torn to pieces, it turned out that his heart was not touched. Having cut open the heart, the pagans beheld within it in gold lettering : "Jesus Christ". On the night after his execution Saint Ignatios appeared to many of the faithful in their sleep to comfort them, and certain of them saw him at prayer. Hearing about the great courage of the saint, Trajan thought well of him and stopped the persecution against the Christians. The relics of Saint Ignatios were transferred to Antioch (the account about this is located under 29 January), and again at a later time on 1 February were returned with glory and put in the church named for the PriestMartyr Clement, Pope of Rome (91-100).

Repose of Righteous John of Kronstadt (1908)

Commemorated on December 20 and June 1_by the new calendar

"Saint John of Kronstadt was a married priest, who lived with his wife in virginity. Through his untiring labours in his priestly duties and love for the poor and sinners, he was granted by our Lord great gifts of clairvoyance and miracle-working, to such a degree that in the last years of his life miracles of healings — both of body and of soul — were performed countless times each day through his prayers, often for people who had only written to him asking his help. During his lifetime he was known throughout Russia, as well as in the Western world. He has left us his diary My Life in Christ as a spiritual treasure for Christians of every age; simple in language, it expounds the deepest mysteries of our Faith with that wisdom which is given only to a heart purified by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Foreseeing as a true prophet the Revolution of 1917, he unsparingly rebuked the growing apostasy among the people; he foretold that the very name of Russia would be changed. As the darkness of unbelief grew thicker, he shone forth as a beacon of unquenchable piety, comforting the faithful through the many miracles that he worked and the fatherly love and simplicity with which he received all. Saint John reposed in peace in 1908." (Great Horologion)

ICON: "Novodvorskaya" named "Rescuer of the Drowning" Icons of the Mother of God

In the village of Lenkov on the bank of the Desno River near Novgorod, Russia, there was a dangerous whirlpool, which made the river difficult to cross. Often, the powerful swirling waters would cause the demise of ships and their passengers. It was at that dangerous site that an Icon of the Mother of God was discovered, resting on the riverbank. In time, a church dedicated to the Mother of God was erected on the site, and the Icon of the Mother of God, the "Rescuer of the Drowning," was enshrined therein. Those who journeyed along the Desno River customarily stopped at Lenkov to offer prayers in the icon's presence, imploring the Mother of God to grant them a safe journey despite the dangerous whirlpool. It had been said that after the icon had been discovered, mishaps to sailors were rare, and later completely ceased.

Lenkov and its church were destroyed during an invasion by the Poles in the 17th century. A new church dedicated to the Archangel Michael soon rose on the site of the former Church of the Mother of God, and the icon was enshrined therein. Many miracles were ascribed to the Mother of God, and the icon came to be revered not only in area of Lenkov, but far beyond, especially in Russia's larger port cities.

In the 18th century, the Icon was transferred to the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Novgorod, where it remained until the Russian Revolution in 1917. History does not record what happened to the miraculous icon during Soviet times. However, in 2003, a pious man named Sergei Babushkin gave to the Church an identical antique copy of the long-lost original "Rescuer of the Drowning" Icon, which was subsequently enshrined in the Transfiguration Monastery, thus marking the beginning of its revival.

The icon is remarkably similar to the much older Korsun Icon of the Mother of God, which was said to have been a copy of an icon by Saint Luke the Evangelist that had been kept in Ephesus until it was brought to Kyiv in 988 AD. Source OCA_ Orthodox church of America

Luke 13:18-29 (Saturday Before the Nativity of Christ))

18 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches. 20 And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened. 22And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them,24 Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' 26 then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'27 But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.

Galatians 3:8-12 (Saturday Before)

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."9So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."12 Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."

#orthodoxy #orthodox christianity #ancientfaith #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #gospel #wisdom #sacredtexts #icon #sacredart

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revelation19 · 5 years ago

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How come that you still believe in the heresies of calvinism? It goes against everything the early church taught, it has no connection to the historical church and has been rehashing old heresies ad infinitum. I have myself been a calvinist until I bothered reading all the church fathers. Nothing even remotely like it has ever been taught by the early church. To be deep in history truly means to cease to be a protestant.

The very fact that your page is full of those reformed clowns is proof enough that you know nothing about the early church apart from the brain washing you might have undergone in the seminary. you quote John Calvin instead of people like Clement of Rome, St. Athanasius etc Your theology is a joke at best, and damnable heresy at worst. You dont believe ANYTHING the early church believed. That level of ignorance is mind blowing.

They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again. Those, therefore, who speak against this gift of God, incur death in the midst of their disputes. But it were better for them to treat it with respect, that they also might rise again. - sounds an awful a lot like your heretical group.

Notice how you didn’t mention anything about how Calvinism goes against Scripture? Strange huh?

I’ll start off by simply quoting Calvin’s own response to this claim.

“They [Catholics, i.e. you] unjustly set the ancient father against us (I mean the ancient writers of a better age of the Church) as if in them they had supporters of their own impiety. If the contest were to be determined by patristic authority, the tide of victory--to put it very modestly--would turn to our side. Now, these fathers have written many wise and excellent things. Still, what commonly happens to men has befallen them too, in some instances. For these so-called pious children of theirs, with all their sharpness of wit and judgment and spirit, worship only the faults and errors of the fathers. The good things that these fathers have written they either do not notice, or misrepresent or pervert. You might say that their only care is to gather dung amid gold. Then, with a frightful to-do, they overwhelm us as despisers and adversaries of the fathers! But we do not despise them; in fact, if it were to our present purpose, I could with no trouble at all prove that the greater part of what we are saying today meets their approval...

He who does not observe this distinction will have nothing certain in religion, inasmuch as these holy men were ignorant of many things, often disagreed among themselves, and sometimes even contradicted themselves. It is not without cause, they say that Solomon bids us not to transgress the limits set by our fathers (Prov. 22:28). But the same rule does not apply to boundaries of fields, and to obedience of faith, which must be so disposed that “it forgets its people and its father’s house” (Ps. 45:10). But if they love to allegorize so much, why do they not accept the apostles (rather than anyone else) as the “fathers” who have set the landmarks that it is unlawful to remove (Prov. 22:28)? Thus has Jerome interpreted this verse, and they have written his words in to their canons. But if our opponents want to preserve the limits set by the fathers according to their understanding of them, why do they themselves transgress them so willfully as often as it suits them?” -John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion

He goes on to list several occasions where the fathers explicitly disagree with official Catholic Dogma.

I’ll list some of those quotations from the fathers here and elaborate on how they contradict the Roman Catholic Church.

“Sozomen tells a remarkable story of Spyridion, bishop of Trimythus, in Cyprus, ‘That a stranger once happening to call upon him, in his travels in Lent, he having nothing in his house but a piece of pork, ordered that to be dressed and set before him: but the stranger refusing to eat flesh, saying, ‘He was a Christian,’ Spyridion replied, ‘For that very reason thou oughtest not to refuse it; for the word of God has pronounced all things clean to them that are clean.’” -Origines Ecclesiasticæ: Or, The Antiquities of the Christian Church

Here Spyridion says that it is unchristian to mandate fasting from meat during Lent as Christ has made all foods clean.

“For our Lord Jesus Christ, dwelling in your inner part, and inspiring into you a solicitude of fatherly and brotherly charity, whether our sons and brothers the monks, who neglect to obey blessed Paul the Apostle, when he says, “If any will not work, neither let him eat,” are to have that license permitted unto them; He, assuming unto His work your will and tongue, has commanded me out of you, that I should hereof write somewhat unto you. May He therefore Himself be present with me also, that I may obey in such sort that from His gift, in the very usefulness of fruitful labor, I may understand that I am indeed obeying Him.” -Augustine, On the Work of Monks

Here Augustine calls into question the entire monastic system and shows that it is contrary to Scripture.

“When I accompanied you to the holy place called Bethel, there to join you in celebrating the Collect, after the use of the Church, I came to a villa called Anablatha and, as I was passing, saw a lamp burning there. Asking what place it was, and learning it to be a church, I went in to pray, and found there a curtain hanging on the doors of the said church, dyed and embroidered. It bore an image either of Christ or of one of the saints; I do not rightly remember whose the image was. Seeing this, and being loth that an image of a man should be hung up in Christ's church contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures, I tore it asunder and advised the custodians of the place to use it as a winding sheet for some poor person.” -Epistle of Epiphanius to John of Jerusalem

Here Epiphanius shows that the use of images in Worship is not to be permitted. This position was reinforced by the 36th canon of the Council of Elvira which said “That there ought not to be images in a church, that what is worshipped and adored should not be depicted on the walls.”

"The sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, which we receive, is a divine thing, because by it we are made partakers of the divine-nature. Yet the substance or nature of the bread and wine does not cease. And assuredly the image and the similitude of the body and blood of Christ are celebrated in the performance of the mysteries.” - Galasius I, On the Dual Natures of Christ.

In this quote Galatius I rejects transubstantiation and points out that the elements represent a similitude of the body and blood. This is not to be confused with Zwinglian memorialism nor Lutheran Consubstantiation.

“In obscure matters where the Scriptures do not give guidance, rash judgment is to be avoided.” -Augustine, The Guilt and Remission of Sin; and Infant Baptism.

Augustine says that Scripture is to be the norming norm for all knowledge and that anywhere the Scriptures are silent we are to proceed with caution.

“Zealous of reforming the life of those who were engaged about the churches, the Synod enacted laws which were called canons. While they were deliberating about this, some thought that a law ought to be passed enacting that bishops and presbyters, deacons and subdeacons, should hold no intercourse with the wife they had espoused before they entered the priesthood; but Paphnutius, the confessor, stood up and testified against this proposition; he said that marriage was honorable and chaste, and that cohabitation with their own wives was chastity, and advised the Synod not to frame such a law, for it would be difficult to bear.” -Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History.

Here is a passage which describes Paphnutius arguing against celibacy of the pastorate at the council of Nicea. Paphnutius won and pastoral celibacy was not included in the Canons of the Council of Nicea.

Some of these are a bit dated and obscure, so I’ll include a couple quotes from people that you mentioned...

“And we, too, being called by His will to Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” -Clement of Rome, The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

Clement of Rome is affirming the justification by faith in no uncertain terms here.

“The Holy and inspired Scriptures are sufficient of themselves for the preaching of the Truth.” - Athanasius, Contra Gentiles

Athanasius is saying that the Scriptures alone are sufficient, that there is no need to appeal to the Fathers or councils or popes or anything else... just the Word of God.

Now, you quote Cardinal Newman to say to be deep in Church history is to cease to be protestant... but I’m not even going to get into the history of Roman Catholic Church because this post is already way too long... and that would make it probably 3 times longer. I’ll just bring up this one anecdote from 1378 in which there were 3 popes simultaneously and they had to call a council to resolve the issue, forever dissolving any appeal to papal succession/authority.

#Anonymous

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bylagunabay · 5 years ago

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In Praise of MARY

MARY, KEEPER OF THE GATE (1/2) The Eastern Orthodox painting of the icon Panagia Portaitissa is an artist’s rendition of the actual face of our Blessed Mother as painted by the Apostle and Evangelist Saint Luke.

THE ICON

The icon Panagia Portaitissa ("She who resides by the door" or "Keeper of the gate") also known the Iveron Mother of God, is a wonder-working icon of the Theotokos highly venerated by our Eastern Orthodox brethren.

This icon is considered to be the most famous and most revered miraculous icon of the Theotokos on the Holy Mountain of Mount Athos. The most unique characteristic of the image is what appears to be a scar on the chin of the Virgin.

MIRACLES OF THE ICON

During the 9th century, this icon was the personal property of a devout widow from Nicea. in Asia Minor, who kept it and honored it in her private chapel.It was during the reign of the iconoclast Byzantine emperor Theophilus that soldiers came to the house of the widow. One of the soldiers struck the Icon with his sword, and immediately blood began to flow from the gashed cheek of the Virgin. Shaken by this miracle, the soldier instantly repented, renounced the iconoclast heresy, and entered a monastery. On his advice, the widow concealed the Icon in order to avert its further desecration.

After praying for guidance before the Icon, the widow put the Holy Image into the sea. The icon did not sink and stood upright on the water and began to drift towards the west, while the widow's son, following her advice, also fled towards the west to escape persecution. Later he became a monk and died on the north-east coast of Mount Athos near or in the Monastery of Clement (now Iveron Monastery). There he recounted the story of how his mother had set the Holy Icon upon the waves, and this story hes been handed down from one generation of monks to another.

Many years later, the Icon made its appearance on the Holy Mountain. According to Athonite tradition, an amazing phenomenon puzzled all the monks of the Iveron area: a column of fire stood upright on the sea and reached to the heavens. At that time the holy monk Gabriel was one of the brotherhood in this monastery. The Mother of God appeared to him in a vision and directed him to convey to the abbot and brothers of the monastery that She wished them to have Her Icon as their help and salvation. She told Gabriel to approach the Icon on the waters without fear and take it with his hands. Obedient to the words of the Mother of God, says Athonite tradition, Gabriel "walked upon the waters as though upon dry land," took up the Icon and brought it back to the shore. The icon was then brought into the monastery and placed in the altar.

Nevertheless, after its reception and installation in the church, the icon repeatedly disappeared and was found above the gate of the monastery on the inside. In a dream, the Blessed Virgin told St. Gabriel that this was the place which she herself had chosen, so that she could protect the monks and not be protected by them. Thus the icon has taken the name of "Portaitissa" and to this day its presence in the monastery and on the Holy Mountain is regarded as a guarantee of the protection of Athonite monasticism by the Theotokos. Later, a chapel was built near the wall of the monastery in which the icon was placed, while the old entrance was closed and a grander one was built.The miracles performed by the Portaitissa are so numerous to be unnumbered, and are celebrated especially on August 15.

PRAYER TO THE ICON

O most holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord, the Highest; thou who art the Protectress and Defense of all that have recourse unto thee!

Look down from thy holy height upon us sinners, who fall down before thy holy and miraculous image; hearken unto our fervent prayer, and bring it before Jesus Christ the beloved; entreat Him, that our darkened souls be enlightened by thy Son our Lord, with the light of His Divine Grace; that we be delivered from every need, sorrow and malady; that a quiet and peaceful life and well-being of soul and body be sent down upon us from on high; that peace may come to our suffering hearts and and healing to their wounds; that we may be directed unto good works, our minds cleansed of vain thoughts, and we be taught to fulfill His commandments; and that He deliver us from eternal torment and not deprive us of His Heavenly Kingdom.

O Most Holy Theotokos! Hearken thou, the Joy of All That Sorrow, unto us who grieve; Soothe thou, who art called the Consolation of Mourners, our sadness as well; Thou who art the Burning Bush, preserve the world and all of us from the flaming arrows of the enemy; Thou, the Seeker of the Lost, allow not that we perish in the abyss of our sins, for we place all our hope and expectation on thee, in God.

Be thou unto us a Protectress in this temporal life, and an Intercessor unto life eternal before thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Teach us to serve Him with faith and love, and to honour thee, Most Holy Mother of God, with devotion unto the end of our days. Amen.

#catholic #orthodox #mary #virgin mary #theotokos #mother of god #panagia #st. luke #miracles #icon #blessed mother

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basicsofislam · 5 years ago

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BASICS OF ISLAM: SUPPLICATION(DUA): PART 13

The Messenger of Allah(pbuh) always prayed to God before any action. When we look through the books of Tradition (Hadith), we find no case in which he did not pray. As mentioned earlier, prayer is a mystery of servanthood to God, and the Messenger is the foremost in servanthood. This is made clear with every repetition of the declaration of faith: “I bear witness there is no god but God; I also bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.” Note that he is called servant before Messenger. Whatever he intended to do, he referred it to God through prayer.

God is the Creator of us and whatever we do. Although we should take necessary precautions and follow precedents to accomplish things in this material world, where cause and effect has a special place, we should never forget that everything ultimately depends on God for its existence. Therefore, we must combine action and prayer. This is also required by our belief in God’s Unity.

The Messenger’s knowledge of God can never be equaled. As a result, he was the foremost in love of, and paradoxically, in fear of Him. He was perfectly conscious that everything depends on God for its existence and subsistence. Whatever God wills, happens: When He wills a thing, His command is to say to it “Be,” and it is (36:82). Things exist and the universe operates according to the laws established by God and the fulfilment of prerequisites. Fully aware of this, the Messenger did what he had to and then, combining action with prayer, left the result to God with absolute confidence.

His supplications have been transmitted to us. When we read them, we see that they have deep meaning and accord exactly with the surrounding circumstances. They reflect profound belief, deep sincerity, absolute submission and complete confidence. Some examples are given below:

• When you go to bed, perform wuduu’ as you do before daily prayers and pray: “O God, hoping for (Your Mercy) and fearing (Your wrath), I submit myself to You, refer my affairs to You, and take refuge in You. There is no refuge or source of safety from Your wrath except You. I believe in the Book You sent down, and the Prophet you raised.”

• Without sins, a soul is like a polished mirror or a white piece of cloth. Sins dirty the soul, and can be expunged only by repentance and asking His forgiveness. The Prophet used to pray the following, even though he was sinless: “O God, put between me and errors a distance as great as that which you have put between East and West. O God, cleanse me of my errors as a white garment is cleansed of dirt.” The words used and the comparisons made in this prayer are so meaningful that their explanation could fill a whole volume.

In addition to these supplications for specific cases, the Prophet also left behind comprehensive supplications of various lengths. We present some of them here:

• God, I ask You for all good, including what is at hand and what is deferred, what I already know and what I don’t know. I take refuge in You from every evil, including what is at hand and what is deferred, what I already know and what I don’t know.

•God, nothing hinders what You grant, nor is anything granted that You hinder. No wealthy one can do us good, as wealth belongs to You.

• God, I have not told anything, taken an oath, made a vow, or done anything that You did not previously will. Whatever You willed is, and whatever You didn’t will is not. There is no strength or power save with You, and You are indeed All-Powerful over everything.

• God, whatever prayer I have said, let it be for whomever You have mercy, and whatever curse I have called down, let it be for whomever You have cursed. Surely You are my Guardian in this world and the Hereafter. Make me die as a Muslim, and include me among the righteous.

• God, I ask You for contentment after misfortune, a peaceful life after death, the pleasure of observing Your Face, and a desire to meet You. I take refuge in You from wronging others and from being wronged, from showing animosity and being subject to animosity, and from erring or committing unforgivable sins. If You leave me to myself, you leave me in weakness, need, sinfulness and error. I depend only on Your Mercy, so forgive all my sins, for only You can do so. Accept my repentance, for You are the Oft-Relenting, All-Compassionate.

• God, You deserve most to be mentioned, and none but You deserve to be worshipped. You are more helpful than anyone whose help may be sought, more affectionate than every ruler, more generous than anyone who may be asked for something, and more generous than anyone who gives. You are the Monarch without partners, and the Unique One without like. Everything is perishable except You. You are never obeyed but by Your permission, and never disobeyed but within Your knowledge. When somebody obeys You, You reward them; when someone disobeys You, You forgive them. You witness everything, being nearer to it than any other witness; and protect everything, being nearer to it than any other protector. You ordained the acts of all people and determined their time of death. You know what is in every mind, and all secrets are manifest to You. The lawful is what You have made lawful; the forbidden is what You have forbidden. Religion is what You have laid down; the commandment is what You have decreed. The creation is Your creation, and the servants are Your servants. You are God, the All-Clement, All-Compassionate. I ask You, for the sake of the light of Your Face, by which the Heavens and Earth were illuminated, for the sake of every right belonging to You, and for the sake of those who ask of You, to forgive me just in this morning and just in this evening, and to protect me, by Your Power, from Hellfire.

• God, I seek refuge in You from all knowledge that gives no benefit, from a heart that does not fear You, from an unsatisfied soul, and from prayer that cannot be answered.

• God, I ask You for steadfastness in my affairs, resolution in guidance, gratitude for Your bounties and acceptable service to You, and a truthful tongue and a sound heart. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what You know. I ask You for the good of what You know, and Your forgiveness for what You already know. Surely You are the Knower of the Unseen.

• God, I ask You to enable me to do good, to refrain from vice, to love the poor, and to forgive me and have mercy on me. When You will people’s deviation and dissension and disorder in public life, make me die before taking part in that disorder. I ask You for Your love and for the love of whom You love, and the love of the acts that will make me nearer to Your love.

• God, I ask You for the good in the beginning and in the end, in its most comprehensive form with its beginning and result, its manifest and secret kinds, and for the highest rank in Paradise.

�� God, help me remember and mention You, thank You, and worship You most properly.

• God, I ask You for guidance, fear of You, chastity, and independence of others.

• God, bring all of our affairs to a good conclusion, protect us from disgrace and ignominy in the world, and from being tormented in the Hereafter.

• God, we ask You for all of the good for which Your Prophet Muhammad asked You, and seek refuge in You from every evil from which Your Prophet Muhammad sought refuge in You.

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yhwhrulz · 5 months ago

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Today's Daily Encounter Tuesday, October 1, 2024

I Am a Friend of God

"I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."1

Sam was a great bird dog. If he pointed to a clump of bushes, there surely was a bird in there. He was much more than just a bird dog. Often, we'd share together lazy lunches in an abandoned apple orchard, and the snooze that followed.

Late one afternoon, Sam and I became separated. Neither of us was familiar with the area. I called and whistled. No sign of Sam. I had to get back to town for an important appointment. But how could I leave Sam? If he finally came back and I wasn't there, would I lose him for good?

Then I remembered a trick an old dog trainer had passed on. I unbuttoned my jacket and laid it on the ground under the branches of a small bush. I worried all night. But when I returned the next morning there was Sam curled up with his nose under the sleeve of my jacket. He looked up and wagged his tail. His eyes seemed to say, "Where've you been friend? I've been waiting for you all night. But I knew you'd come back."2

This story made me wonder. When I get lost, do I have the trust to look for God in a part of His Word and curl up in it? To wait patiently, knowing that my Friend will find me if I just have faith in him? God loves us and cares deeply about our friendship with Him. He is the only Friend who will meet us exactly where we are, with no judgement or criticism, but instead will accept us with arms open wide. Whenever you get lost, remember that God has left pieces of Himself for you to find refuge in.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank you for being such a great friend to me. Even when I am undeserving of your love and forgiveness, you long to have a close relationship with me. Thank you that whenever I lose my way in life, I can find comfort and guidance in your Word and Holy Spirit which you have left as gifts for me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.1. John 15:15 (NIV). 2. From a sermon by Stephen Sheane, Faith Training, 9/21/2011.

Today's Encounter was written by: Crystal B.

NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.

Daily Encounter is published at no charge by ACTS International, a non-profit organization, and made possible through the donations of interested friends. Donations can be sent at: http://www.actscom.com

ACTS International P.O. Box 73545 San Clemente, California 92673-0119 U.S.A.

Phone: 949-940-9050 http://www.actsweb.org

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pamphletstoinspire · 5 years ago

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Padre Pio Prayer Groups and Spiritual Children - September Meetings

If you are interested in becoming a spiritual child of Saint Padre Pio and would like to join a Padre Pio Prayer Group - either in a spiritual manner or in person - we have initiated this page wherein you can choose either to pray along with us as a spiritual member of one of our six prayers groups or join us in person at one of the meeting sites. You can choose which group best suits your particular situation. Once you have decided to join a group - and if you are unable to attend the meetings - please send us your contact information using the contact form at the bottom of the home page in order for us to register you as a member of that prayer group and also as a spiritual child of Padre Pio. If you live in the Boston area and would like to attend our Prayer Group meetings below are the times and places when the meetings are held.

NOTE: WHEN PRAYING WITH A PARTICULAR GROUP - PLEASE ADJUST FOR YOUR TIME ZONE SO THAT WE CAN PRAY IN UNISON

We are official Padre Pio Prayer Groups under the auspices and guidance of the Archdiocese of Boston - Cardinal Sean O'Malley

The dates and times that the prayer groups meet are as follows - All are Eastern Standard Time

1. First Tuesday of The Month from 7 - 9 PM EST

ST. MONICA PARISH

212 LAWRENCE ST.

METHUEN, MA 01844

Questions please call the parish 978-683-1193.

2. First Wednesday of The Month from 7 - 9 PM EST

ST. MARY OF THE ANNUNCIATION PARISH 8 MYRTLE ST. MELROSE, MA 02176

Questions please call the parish 781-665-0152

3. First Saturday of The Month from 12:30 - 2 PM EST

The Carmelite Chapel in the Northshore Mall

210 ANDOVER ST.,

PEABODY, MA 01960

Questions please call the Gift Shop 978-531-8340

4. Third Saturday of The Month from 12:30 - 2 PM EST

THE CHAPEL OF OUR SAVIOR

475 WESTGATE DRIVE

BROCKTON, MA 02301

Questions please call Brother Thomas at the Chapel Gift Shop: 508-583-8357 ext 4.

5. Fourth Sunday of The Month from 1 - 3 PM EST

MARY IMMACULATE OF LOURDES PARISH

270 ELLIOT ST.

NEWTON, MA 02464

Questions please call the parish 617-244-0558

6. Fourth Thursday of The Month from 7 - 9 PM EST (Except in November and December when we meet on the third Thursday of the Month because of Thanksgiving and Christmas)

St. Anthony of Padua Parish (Chapel) 250 Revere St Revere, MA 02151

Questions please call the parish 781-289-1234

The following prayers are recited at Every Meeting:

1. The Rosary based on the Meditations of Padre Pio:

Click here for meditations

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/a84285_db77f305ce814584b901b1e8430dbbf1.pdf

The Five Joyful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Mondays, Saturdays, and, during the season of Advent, on Sundays:

1. The Annunciation 2. The Visitation 3. The Nativity 4. The Presentation in the Temple 5. The Finding in the Temple

The Five Sorrowful Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Tuesdays, Fridays, and, during the season of Lent, on Sundays:

1. The Agony in the Garden 2. The Scourging at the Pillar 3. The Crowning with Thorns 4. The Carrying of the Cross 5. The Crucifixion and Death

The Five Glorious Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Wednesdays and, outside the seasons of Advent and Lent, on Sundays:

1. The Resurrection 2. The Ascension 3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit 4. The Assumption 5. The Coronation of Mary

The Five Luminous Mysteries are traditionally prayed on Thursdays:

1. The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan 2. The Wedding Feast at Cana 3. Jesus' Proclamation of the Coming of the Kingdom of God 4. The Transfiguration 5. The Institution of the Eucharist

YouTube - Glorious Mysteries

https://youtu.be/8mSeisxwkmU

YouTube - Joyful Mysteries

https://youtu.be/wtyWoskCAzY

YouTube - Sorrowful Mysteries

https://youtu.be/RJL2N7r2S4I

YouTube - Luminous Mysteries

https://youtu.be/AYhye5VLxZ8

Praying the Rosary - Familiarize yourself and/or your group with the prayers of the rosary.

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

The Our Father

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen

The Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Glory Be (The Doxology)

Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Hail Holy Queen (The Salve Regina)

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to you we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Reciting The Rosary - You May Also Follow With YouTube Presentation Above:

Make the Sign of the Cross.

Holding the Crucifix, say the Apostles' Creed.

On the first bead, say an Our Father.

Say one Hail Mary on each of the next three beads.

Say the Glory Be

For each of the five decades, announce the Mystery (perhaps followed by a brief reading from Scripture) then say the Our Father.

While fingering each of the ten beads of the decade, next say ten Hail Mary's while meditating on the Mystery. Then say a Glory Be.

(After finishing each decade, some say the following prayer requested by the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy.)

After saying the five decades, say the Hail, Holy Queen, followed by this dialogue and prayer:

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: O God, whose Only Begotten Son, by his life, Death, and Resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Diagram On How To Recite The Rosary - See Below

2. Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Click here for the Chaplet

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/a84285_8b3e3c2893638e5fd10bd9d166b12ce1.pdf

3. Prayer Before The Crucifix

Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, while before Thy face I humbly kneel and, with burning soul, pray and beseech Thee to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity; true contrition for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment.

While I contemplate, with great love and tender pity, Thy five most precious wounds, pondering over them within me and calling to mind the words which David, Thy prophet, said of Thee, my Jesus: They have pierced My hands and My feet, they have numbered all My bones." Amen.

Then - The following may be recited - (Prayers for the Holy Father) -

Our Father:

Hail Mary:

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory Be to the Father (Doxology)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

First Saturday Prayers: For those who observe the First Saturday of the month in honor of the Blessed Mother - the following prayers may be recited:

1. First Saturday Devotional Prayers

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/a84285_a72293f3a434423e9dc47f1df57ca945.pdf

Monthly Lessons:

Each month we discuss various topics of interest with the members of the prayer groups.

For September - below are the stories selected for the month:

1. Litany of the Exaltation of The Holy Cross

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/a84285_ee4f3c301ee44d0a8d0b1696550866cb.pdf

2. Litany of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/a84285_3e9c1495a90e4279b22d58ca4b685b2a.pdf

3. Devotion to The Holy Cross of Jerusalem

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/a84285_7d00088c836845728e08beef91c3a517.pdf

4. Sermon on The Cross of Jesus Christ Is Precious and Life-Giving

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/a84285_07bbb4aacb6c44dd868c898372a664dc.pdf

5. Story about Padre Pio

https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/a84285_82702dd731c84a65bfb29a3ca10a2fa2.pdf

Link to Prayer Group Page for more details - music - diagram on how to recite the rosary.

https://www.pamphletstoinspire.com/spiritual-children-of-padre-pio-1

From: https://www.pamphletstoinspire.com/

#padre pio prayer group meetings

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prayernights · 6 years ago

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The human being seeks for God his whole life. Everything he is looking for is found with God. If he has God he has everything but if he loses God he lost everything.

He needs compassion

1. Ar-Rahman (الرحمن) The All-Compassionate

He needs mercy

2. Ar-Rahim (الرحيم) The All-Merciful

He wants to be a ruler and needs a ruler

3. Al-Malik (الملك) The Absolute Ruler

He wants to be pure

4. Al-Quddus (القدوس) The Pure One

He needs peace

5. As-Salam (السلام) The Source of Peace

He wants to believe in something

6. Al-Mu'min (المؤمن) The Inspirer of Faith

He needs safety

7. Al-Muhaymin (المهيمن) The Guardian

He wants victory

8. Al-Aziz (العزيز) The Victorious

He needs to be compelled sometimes

9. Al-Jabbar (الجبار) The Compeller

He wants to be greate and seeks the greatest

10. Al-Mutakabbir (المتكبر) The Greatest

He loves to create and seeks his creator

11. Al-Khaliq (الخالق) The Creator

He needs order otherwise he would be lost in chaos

12. Al-Bari' (البارئ) The Maker of Order

He his attracted to beauty

13. Al-Musawwir (المصور) The Shaper of Beauty

He must forgive and be forgiven

14. Al-Ghaffar (الغفار) The Forgiving

He wants to subdue

15. Al-Qahhar (القهار) The Subduer

He wants everything

16. Al-Wahhab (الوهاب) The Giver of All

He wants to be sustained

17. Ar-Razzaq (الرزاق) The Sustainer

He needs a door to be opened

18. Al-Fattah (الفتاح) The Opener

He seeks knowledge

19. Al-`Alim (العليم) The Knower of All

He sometimes needs to narrow

20. Al-Qabid (القابض) The Constrictor

He needs relive

21. Al-Basit (الباسط) The Reliever

He does not want to be humiliated

22. Al-Khafid (الخافض) The Abaser

He wants to be exalted

23. Ar-Rafi (الرافع) The Exalter

He protects his honor

24. Al-Mu'izz (المعز) The Bestower of Honors

He knows that he can be humiliated

25. Al-Mudhill (المذل) The Humiliator

He wants the be heard

26. As-Sami (السميع) The Hearer of All

He wants to be seen

27. Al-Basir (البصير) The Seer of All

He needs a just Judge

28. Al-Hakam (الحكم) The Judge

He wants justice

29. Al-`Adl (العدل) The Just

He wants to be subtle

30. Al-Latif (اللطيف) The Subtle One

He wants the be recognised

31. Al-Khabir (الخبير) The All-Aware

He needs forbearing

32. Al-Halim (الحليم) The Forbearing

He wants to be magnificent

33. Al-Azim (العظيم) The Magnificent

He wants his faults and sins to be hidden

34. Al-Ghafur (الغفور) The Forgiver and Hider of Faults

He thanks and wants reward

35. Ash-Shakur (الشكور) The Rewarder of Thankfulness

He seeks for to highest places

36. Al-Ali (العلى) The Highest

He seeks for the greatest

37. Al-Kabir (الكبير) The Greatest

He preserves and wants to be preserved

38. Al-Hafiz (الحفيظ) The Preserver

He needs to be nourished

39. Al-Muqit (المقيت) The Nourisher

He wants to be accounted

40. Al-Hasib (الحسيب) The Accounter

He wants to be mighty

41. Al-Jalil (الجليل) The Mighty

He needs someone who is generous

42. Al-Karim (الكريم) The Generous

He needs someone who sees him and is aware of him

43. Ar-Raqib (الرقيب) The Watchful One

He needs answers and responses

44. Al-Mujib (المجيب) The Responder to Prayer

He wants to comprehend everything

45. Al-Wasi (الواسع) The All-Comprehending

He wants to be wise and admires to wise one

46. Al-Hakim (الحكيم) The Perfectly Wise

He loves and needs to be loved

47. Al-Wadud (الودود) The Loving One

He wants to be majestic

48. Al-Majid (المجيد) The Majestic One

He can't imagine his own end and wants to be resurrected

49. Al-Ba'ith (الباعث) The Resurrector

He witnesses and wants to be witnessed

50. Ash-Shahid (الشهيد) The Witness

He seeks the truth his whole life

51. Al-Haqq (الحق) The Truth

He needs the best trustee

52. Al-Wakil (الوكيل) The Trustee

He wants strength

53. Al-Qawiyy (القوى) The Possessor of All Strength

He wants force

54. Al-Matin (المتين) The Forceful One

He needs a governor

55. Al-Waliyy (الولى) The Governor

He needs to praise the right one

56. Al-Hamid (الحميد) The Praised One

He wants to be appraised

57. Al-Muhsi (المحصى) The Appraiser

He knows that everything has his origin

57. Al-Mubdi' (المبدئ) The Originator

He restores and wants to be restored

59. Al-Mu'id (المعيد) The Restorer

He wants to live

60. Al-Muhyi (المحيى) The Giver of Life

He knows that he has to die

61. Al-Mumit (المميت) The Taker of Life

He seeks the infinity

62. Al-Hayy (الحي) The Ever Living One

He wants to be independent

63. Al-Qayyum (القيوم) The Self-Existing One

He seeks

64. Al-Wajid (الواجد) The Finder

He wants to be glorious

65. Al-Majid (الماجد) The Glorious

He seeks that one thing which can not be compared

66. Al-Wahid (الواحد) The Unique, The Single

He seeks for the one and only

67. Al-Ahad (الاحد) The One, The Indivisible

He has needs and wants them to be satisfied

68. As-Samad (الصمد) The Satisfier of All Needs

He wants power

69. Al-Qadir (القادر) The All Powerful

He seeks for the source of power

70. Al-Muqtadir (المقتدر) The Creator of All Power

He wants to expedite sometimes

71. Al-Muqaddim (المقدم) The Expediter

He wants to delay sometimes

72. Al-Mu'akhkhir (المؤخر) The Delayer

He knows that he is not the first

73. Al-Awwal (الأول) The First

He knows that he will not last forever

74. Al-Akhir (الأخر) The Last

He wants everything to be manifested

75. Az-Zahir (الظاهر) The Manifest One

He hides and seeks

76. Al-Batin (الباطن) The Hidden One

He needs to be protected

77. Al-Wali (الوالي) The Protecting Friend

He wants to be supreme

78. Al-Muta'ali (المتعالي) The Supreme One

He only wants the good

79. Al-Barr (البر) The Doer of Good

He needs repentance

80. At-Tawwab (التواب) The Guide to Repentance

He wants revenge sometimes

81. Al-Muntaqim (المنتقم) The Avenger

He has to forgive and wants to be forgiven

82. Al-'Afuww (العفو) The Forgiver

He wants someone to be clement

83. Ar-Ra'uf (الرؤوف) The Clement

He wants everything

84. Malik-al-Mulk (مالك الملك) The Owner of All

He wants the highest bounty

85. Dhu-al-Jalal wa-al-Ikram (ذو الجلال و الإكرام) The Lord of Majesty and Bounty

He needs someone who is equitable

86. Al-Muqsit (المقسط) The Equitable One

He gathers

87. Al-Jami' (الجامع) The Gatherer

He wants to be rich

88. Al-Ghani (الغنى) The Rich One

He wants to know how to become rich

89. Al-Mughni (المغنى) The Enricher

He wants to be protected from any harm

90. Al-Mani'(المانع) The Preventer of Harm

He fears the creator of it

91. Ad-Darr (الضار) The Creator of The Harmful

He only wants what is good

92. An-Nafi' (النافع) The Creator of Good

He seeks light

93. An-Nur (النور) The Light

He needs guidance

94. Al-Hadi (الهادي) The Guide

He knows that everything has an origin

95. Al-Badi (البديع) The Originator

He wants to live forever

96. Al-Baqi (الباقي) The Everlasting One

He wants everything

97. Al-Warith (الوارث) The Inheritor of All

He needs a good teacher

98. Ar-Rashid (الرشيد) The Righteous Teacher

He needs patience in this world

99. As-Sabur (الصبور) The Patient One

#writing #me

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