#DEFORMED CONSCIENCE band

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

ONE OF THE MOST STACKED BILLS YOU'VE EVER SEEN -- D-BEAT/ CRUST/ ANARCHO/ GRIND/ POWERVIOLENCE.

PIC INFO: Mega spotlight on a show/gig flyer I've never seen before until now, of the now legendary HELLKRUSHER/ D.I.R.T./ FINAL.WARNING joint U.S. tour, no less, with supporting acts TOXIC NARCOTIC, DEFORMED CONSCIENCE, DROPDEAD, & AUGUST SPIES, performing live at the Middle East club, Cambridge, MA, on Sunday, February 27, 1994.

Sources: www.picuki.com/media/3425294310847678526.

[mystacoceti]

This unwillingness to resolve the conflict in keeping with his democratic ideals has compelled the white American, figuratively, to force the Negro down into the deeper level of his consciousness, into the inner world, where reason and madness mingle with hope and memory and endlessly give birth to nightmare and to dream; down into the province of the psychiatrist and the artist, from whence spring the lunatic’s fancy and the work of art. It is a dangerous region even for the artist, and his tragedy lies in the fact that in order to tap the fluid fire of inspiration, he must perpetually descend and re-encounter not only the ghosts of his former selves, but all of the unconquered anguish of his living.

Obviously this position need not be absolutely disadvantageous for the Negro. It might, in a different culture, be highly strategic, enlisting in his cause the freedom-creating powers of art. For imprisoned in the deepest drives in human society, it is practically impossible for the white American to think of sex, of economics, his children or womenfolk, or of sweeping socio-political changes, without summoning into consciousness fear-flecked images of black men. Indeed, it seems that the Negro has become identified with those unpleasant aspects of conscience and consciousness which it is part of the American’s character to avoid. Thus when the literary artist attempts to tap the charged springs issuing from his inner world, up float his misshapen and bloated images of the Negro, like the fetid bodies of the drowned, and he turns away, discarding an ambiguous substance which the artists of other cultures would confront boldly and humanize into the stuff of a tragic art. It is as though we were to discard the beneficial properties of the x-ray simply because when used without the protection of a leaden screen they might burn us or produce sterility.

Indeed, the racial situation has exerted an influence upon the writer similar to that of an x-ray concealed in a radio. Moving about, perhaps ignoring, perhaps enjoying Jack-Rochester or a hot jazz band, he is unaware of his exposure to a force that shrivels his vital sperm. Not that it has rendered him completely sterile, but that it has caused him to produce deformed progeny: literary offspring without hearts, without brains, viscera or vision, and some even without genitalia.

Thus it has not been its failure to depict racial matters that has determined the quality of American writing, but that the writer has formed the habit of living and thinking in a culture that is opposed to the deep thought and feeling necessary to profound art; hence its avoidance of emotion, its fear of ideas, its obsession with mere physical violence and pain, its overemphasis of understatement, its precise and complex verbal constructions for converting goatsong into carefully modulated squeaks.

from "Beating That Boy", Ralph Ellison

[pamphletstoinspire]

Maundy Thursday - April 1, 2021

Today is Maundy Thursday

This day, Maundy Thursday (also “Holy Thursday” or “Shire Thursday”1) commemorates Christ’s Last Supper and the initiation of the Eucharist. Its name of “Maundy” comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning “command.” This stems from Christ’s words in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give unto you.” It is the first of the three days known as the “Triduum,” and after the Vigil tonight, and until the Vigil of Easter, a more profoundly somber attitude prevails (most especially during the hours between Noon and 3:00 PM on Good Friday). Raucous amusements should be set aside…

Feast of Holy Thursday

by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1876

The Church observes the fast of Lent with the intention of preparing her children, in as perfect a manner as possible, for the glorious Easter-tide, that they may arise from a sinful, tepid, and imperfect state to a pure, holy, and even saintly life–a life most precious in the sight of the Lord. It is, therefore, the earnest wish of this most tender mother, that each of her children be penetrated with the greatest horror of sin, and, that every Christian, as he arises from the death of sin, shall also make fast the sepulcher of tepidity in which his soul has been for years, perhaps, buried. To this wish, and to the manner in which its realization can be accomplished, I will direct the attention of all whom I address during these three days of grace, asking them to consider with me the lives of three persons of whom Holy Scripture makes special mention in the history of the passion.

The first of the three is Judas, as he sat with the Lord at the Last Supper. Let us follow him until we behold him commit the dreadful crime which sealed his eternal ruin.

That the infinite merits of Christ may be effectually bestowed upon us, the first and most essential condition is, that we renounce sin entirely and forever, and thus, with hearts perfectly cleansed from the dust thereof, render ourselves worthy of the Table of the Lord, and thus, at this holy Easter-time, receive His precious Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. A glance at Judas, the traitorous Apostle, will promote this condition of heart.

He is a mirror in which we may behold sin in all its depravity; in which every sinner, especially if he be a member of our Holy Church, may see reflected his own image, disfigured and distorted by the malignity of the crimes he has committed. This will be made clear to you today,–the day, upon which, in ages long gone by, our loving Saviour bequeathed to us His sacred Body and Blood.

O Mary, refuge of sinners, obtain for us a perfect knowledge of our sins and the grace of true repentance, that we may make a sincere confession of all our offenses against the law of God! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, for the greater honor and glory of God!

Several circumstances conspired to render the sin of Judas so enormous, the first one of which was his exalted position. He had been selected from among the millions of men who had lived up to that period on earth, and who would live until the end of time, to be constantly in the society of Jesus. Oh, what an honor! In proportion to it, therefore, his fall was immeasurably great.

Another serious aggravation of his crime was his abuse of the graces bestowed upon him to fit him for his vocation as one of the twelve Apostles,–one of the favored few who, for three years and a half, enjoyed the privilege of walking with the Saviour of mankind. He had, therefore, before him the most perfect example of virtue; he heard all His admirable discourses; witnessed His many miracles; beheld even the body of Lazarus, already touched with the blight of decay, arise at the word of the Lord, and yet all this was without effect! Oh, what emptiness of heart! what an abuse of grace! For his sin there was no excuse!

The next aggravating circumstance was the terrible indifference of Judas. Christ, in order to watch over and rescue the soul of this ungrateful sinner, endeavored to win his love and awaken his interest by selecting him from the twelve Apostles as the one to whom He entrusted the care of His own temporal affairs and those of the other Apostles. As a mark of confidence, He gave into his charge the alms they received to procure the necessities of life. This gave him occasion to speak often with the Blessed Virgin Mary, who followed Jesus, with other holy women, to minister to the wants of the little band. And yet Judas remained cold and indifferent to all these proofs of the searching love of Christ for him. Unhappy wretch!

Thirdly, the sin of Judas was enormously aggravated by his astonishing obduracy. Even, though already guilty of the basest treason, he dared to place himself, with the rest of the Apostles, at the table of the Lord– the Last Supper! There Christ, elevating His voice, pronounced those awful words: “One of you is about to betray Me!” Awe-stricken, the disciples asked, in trembling tones: “Is it I, Lord?” Judas remained obdurate. And again the Son of God broke the deep silence, saying: “The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of Him: but woe to that man by whom He shall be betrayed; it were better for him if he had not been born.” Terrible sentence! Mighty enough to move the mountains to their very foundations, and to penetrate to the inmost recesses of the ocean caves! And still that obdurate heart remained untouched; nay, he even dared to ask: “Is it I?” Then the divine eyes of the dear Saviour rested with loving pity upon him, as He replied: “Thou hast said it!” Obdurate still, his heart closed to the softening influence of grace; he received the Body and Blood of Christ unworthily; and thus, for the first time, was the sacrilege of an unworthy communion committed, and in that moment Satan took possession of his heart!

Fourthly, the crime of Judas was enormously aggravated by the incredible baseness of the treason. To betray his Lord and Master–his Saviour, who had given him such testimonials of His love–for thirty pieces of silver, the price demanded for slaughtering a head of cattle!–Can more unprecedented baseness be imagined? The enemies of Christ would gladly have paid him ten, fifty, a hundred times more for his most abominable treason had he but asked it. And with what bold assurance did he perpetrate the crime! He kissed the Saviour–the token of friendship to become the signal of treason! What greater hypocrisy can be imagined!

The last and most terrible characteristic of the crime of Judas was that hardness of heart which, culminating in despair, condemned him on the very day of redemption, when Christ gave Himself a willing sacrifice to die that he and all sinners might enter eternal life. This miserable being, unable to bear the weight of his crime, perished by his own vile hand! Oh, horrible sin! Oh, incomprehensible atrocity! Yes, well might Christ declare that it were better for that man had he never been born.

O sinner, you who, while listening to my voice, endure the gnawings of that worm which never dies– the reproaches of a guilty conscience–do you not shudder at the picture of that monster who, chosen of Christ to be one of His dearest friends, betrayed his Lord, and then put an end to his own wretched life? He longed to escape from the night of despair which darkened his wretched life; but the refuge he found was the deepest, blackest pit in the abyss of hell! Oh, that the tree upon which the despairing suicide ended his days, and the halter which deprived him of his life, were here before you, that you might witness the agony and pain of the faithless Apostle who betrayed the innocent Jesus! What a mirror of sin in all its blackest deformity! What a hideous reflection is therein presented! Sinner, do you not recognize it as your own? Do you not find it a perfect representation of your iniquitous soul? And O! may the grace of God so touch your hearts tonight that you repent, and tears entirely blot out that hideous image!

Many of you have, perhaps, heard an anecdote connected with a celebrated painting of the “Last Supper.” One who had been a dear friend of the painter happened to offend him so deeply that the painter, in order to make him feel his wrath, in depicting the traitor Judas upon the canvass, gave to him the face of the friend whom he had loved so well. When the king, who had ordered the picture and was well aware of the recent enmity, first saw and examined it, he smiled, and, turning toward the knight, said: “Excellent, my lord; you are drawn to the very life!”–Yes, sinner, look at the picture of Judas; you, too, are drawn to the very life!

What increased the malignity of the sin of this traitorous Apostle was the sublimity of his election. Sinner, Christ has also chosen you from among the multitude of nations who have lived and are living still in the darkness of infidelity and heresy! You are a Catholic! Glorious dignity to which you have been elevated through the infinite mercy of God; and yet, through your own choice, by the commission of mortal sin, you became a child of Satan. Oh, what a deep and damning fall!

What also aggravated the guilt of Judas was his wanton abuse of the graces granted him by the Saviour, that he might live and die as became a worthy Apostle of the Lord. What a multitude of graces, O sinner, has not God bestowed upon you through your call to the true Church? With what frequent instructions and encouragement have you been favored! how many confessions and holy communions have been vouchsafed to you! how many holy masses have you heard! and yet these graces have yielded no fruit! Oh, fatal instability of the human heart!

The treachery of Judas was aggravated by the manner in which he abused the grace of God. Imitate him not; but pause before it is too late! Judas was coldly indifferent to that love which impelled the Son of God to go in search of him, that He might win a return of love. Sinner, you know how mercifully Divine Providence has followed you! how lovingly the Saviour has gone in quest of you! Take courage from the very fact of your having come hither tonight. It is an effect of the endearing love of the Good Shepherd, who longs to bring you once more to the protecting shelter of His fold. Oh, hide no longer; but meet that loving Guardian, and let Him guide you home.

What rendered the sin of Judas so terrible in its enormity was his shocking obduracy of heart. You, also, are guilty in this regard; for, although you have received all the graces with which he was favored, you have also been endowed with many which were never bestowed on him. Judge, therefore, whether his obduracy was greater than yours.

Furthermore, Judas never had an opportunity of approaching the Sacrament of Penance. You enjoy that privilege; yet, perhaps, for years you have looked upon it with cold indifference, if not contempt. It may be that you have allowed years to pass without making a confession; or that, when you have attempted to blot out the sins of your life, you have but added to the long list of your crimes the damning guilt of sacrilege. And why, O sinner, is this? Because your heart refuses to give up its darling passions, and you continue to commit the same offenses as of yore. Judas did not, of himself, petition for the Holy Communion; while you have presumed to challenge the priest to open the tabernacle and place the Sacred Host upon your guilty tongue, that you may drag the Body of our Lord into the mire of your heart. When the agony of despair drove Judas to hang himself, he knew not of the prayer that went up that day from the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the cross: “Father, forgive!” Neither had he the example of the millions who, for nineteen centuries, have been guilty of grievous sin, yet repented and found grace, as you have ever before your eyes, O faithless child of the Church!

Judas betrayed his Lord but once, and upon that very day the grace of God forsook him and he perished miserably, while for you Christ has waited for years; and oh, for His dear sake–for the love of Him who, for three and thirty years, suffered cold and hunger, contempt and derision, and, at last, a painful death on the cross–let Him not wait in vain!

The crime of Judas was increased by the unprecedented baseness of his selling his Divine Master for thirty pieces of silver; but is there not some sinner in this very Church whose darling passion is impurity? who would betray his Saviour for the gratification of the most shameful desires? Is there no drunkard listening to my words who, to gratify his depraved and vicious appetite for drink, would give, if not his own existence, why, then, the lives of his wife and little children? Yes, I say the lives of those whom he is bound to love and cherish, for he is slowly murdering them by his neglect! You, then, O drunkard, betray your Master for a price even more base than thirty pieces of silver! Yes, sinners, by your crimes–be they what they may–you have all betrayed Him over and over again for the basest considerations!

Judas betrayed the Son of man with a kiss–the token of friendship and love; and the faithless Catholic would fain pretend to be a friend–an adorer of Christ–while he crucifies Him by his interior life.

Judas yielded to despair and hanged himself; but, for the love of God and His blessed mother, I beseech you, poor sinners, let the resemblance between you and the wretched suicide stop before you yield to the temptation of despair! He forgot Mary! Had he hastened to her, and implored her to intercede with Jesus for him, she would, doubtless, have done so, and Judas would have been saved. Do not imitate him in this forgetfulness of Mary. Fly to her; throw yourselves at the feet of the Mother of Mercy and refuge of sinners. Judas did not hear the words of Christ upon the cross: ” Woman, behold thy Son; thy Child.” You, beloved Christians, who have yielded to the tempter’s voice, may listen to them in spirit and in faith.

O Mary, Mother of Mercy, grant to my fervent prayer a gracious answer, and obtain tonight for every Christian present here, who, listening to the tempter, has betrayed thy Son, the grace of sincere conversion, that in these days of grace he may be reconciled to God, and no longer be deaf to the voice of grace. Pray for him, O dearest Mother, that, when appalled at the weight of his sins, the demon of despair draws nigh, he may remember the dreadful fate of Judas, and fly for refuge to thy maternal love–the surest haven for all repentant souls. Amen!

“Now, there was leaning on Jesus’s bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.”–John xiii, 23.

We all know the four divisions of the day–midnight, day-break, noon, and eventide; and each of them is marked by a special divine fact which speaks in the most emphatic manner to the heart. At midnight Christ entered the world; He was born in a poor stable at Bethlehem; and in the birth of this little Infant we behold the coming of Him Who was the Expected and Desired of nations. At midday was raised aloft the cross by which He redeemed the world. At earliest dawn the Saviour, bursting the trammels of the grave, arose to life once more, and gave to the world a splendid proof of His divine power. But there remains an eventide, glorified indeed through the divine love of the Saviour, which led Him thereon to leave us the most precious, the most sweet, the most consolatory legacy that a God could bestow. It is the evening of Holy Thursday, when the Sacrifice of the New Law was instituted to bless the children of men.

Where is the Christian who can speak or even think of this evening without the most holy sentiments of love arising in his heart as the scene of the Holy Paschal Table, round which Jesus and His disciples were seated, rises up before his spiritual view? What mighty love was that which impelled the Son of God to institute this Most Holy Sacrament, that He might remain with us even to the consummation of the world! What a pledge of this faithful love! And, of all the Apostles, none more fully realized this than St. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved; and who, on that evening, enjoyed the privilege and happiness of being nearest the Lord at the Last Supper, and of leaning his head on the bosom of Jesus. In the whole course of his life St. John never forgot that evening. He styles himself the disciple whom Jesus loved, and to whom this great grace was granted; but gives us to understand that we also are permitted to participate therein in its plenitude, for he says expressly: “Those whom Jesus loved, He has loved until the end of time.”

Yes, we may all, through the grace of Holy Communion, not only rest on the bosom of our Lord, but receive Him into our hearts. That we may do so with the purity of soul and fervor of love which distinguished the communion of the beloved disciple, let us glance at him as he sat at the Paschal Table on this happy eve. O Mary, obtain for us some portion of that ardent love which inflamed the heart of the beloved disciple toward thy divine Son! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, for the greater honor and glory of God!

To receive the Blessed Eucharist in as perfect a manner as St. John, depends, first, upon the preparation we make to approach the Table of the Lord; and, secondly, on the manner in which we make use of His presence in our hearts, rendering to Him our gratitude after the example of St. John.

But, alas! with too many Christians, the first requisite is wanting. Even in the time of St. Paul, as the Epistle for today asserts, many of the faithful did not make due preparation, so that there were frequently communions which, if not unworthy, yielded but little spiritual fruit. St. Paul writes: “Therefore many among us sleep, because they do not judge themselves, before they approach the Table of the Lord, whether they are worthy to receive His Body and Blood; “from which we are to understand that, even if they were not in a state of sin, the coldness of their hearts, and the little degree of fervor they evinced, prevented them from deriving the benefits and graces which were poured forth upon St. John after his fervent reception of the Body and Blood of Christ. I said: “Even if they were not in a state of sin;” but, of course, if the sin were mortal, such a communion would not only be ineffectual, but a fearful sacrilege.

That our reception of the Holy Communion, therefore, may be indeed like that of the beloved disciple, it suffices not that we are free from the guilt of mortal sin; but we must leave nothing undone to cleanse our souls from the dust of venial sins and deliberate imperfections.

The ceremonies attendant upon the institution of the Most Holy Sacrament, as described by St. John, are a proof of this. Jesus washes the feet of all His disciples; and our Lord’s answer to St. Peter shows that this act is emblematic of the removal of every defect and imperfection from the soul. Therefore, did St. Peter exclaim: “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” But even yet this is not the perfect preparation for Holy Communion. St. John was next to Jesus. This illustrates the ardor and fidelity with which he followed the Lord from the very moment he was called by Him. He was one of those three highly-favored Apostles who were permitted to be in the closest proximity to Jesus, and who enjoyed the privilege of beholding Jesus in His transfiguration on Mt. Tabor; and, even among those three, he was the only one who followed Him to Calvary, and beheld Him on the cross.

This feature in the life of St. John–“the disciple whom Jesus loved”–should awaken in us the desire and resolution to make the most earnest efforts to please God, and so become more and more like that Divine Model, and, like St. John, to be faithful unto death.

But the generality of Christians care not to follow the admonition of Christ: “Be ye perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect;” and here we can find the cause of so many tepid and fruitless communions. Should any one ask why we feel so little fear of venial sins and trifling imperfections, I would say: As the fervent love of St. John is wanting, so also are the hunger and thirst of his heart after sanctity, lacking in the hearts of many who go forward to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Whosoever loveth truly, my dear brethren, avoids everything, great or little, that might grieve or offend the beloved object; and the more ardent the love, the more earnest the effort to please. St. Paul tells us, in the most explicit manner, that there is no communication between light and darkness, between Christ and Satan, between heaven and hell.

The very ceremonies made use of in the administration of Holy Communion show how essential to its worthy reception is a repentant heart; for the Church has prescribed that the “Confiteor” be recited aloud, so that every communicant may make another act of sorrow for the most venial imperfection which rests upon his soul before he opens his lips to welcome the Lord of heaven and earth into his heart. But what urges us on and strengthens us to emulate the saints in their zealous imitation of Jesus is love. “The love, of Christ urges us,” cries out the Apostle.

But many Christians are wanting in this divine virtue; and thus it became necessary to proclaim that precept, the very existence of which should be considered a reproach by the lukewarm children of the Church: “Thou shalt receive the Blessed Eucharist at least once a year.” O dearest Christians! the soul of a St. John, burning with ardent love for God, required no such command. He hungered and thirsted after that divine food as the heart panteth after the fountains of water. St. Catherine of Sienna, frequently said to her confessor: “Father, I am hungry.”

When this love consumes our hearts, the second condition necessary to receive all those graces and blessings, conferred by a worthy reception of Holy Communion, will not be wanting–thanksgiving. But if it be a sad truth that many approach the Table of the Lord without due preparation, it is equally to be lamented that a still greater number receive the Body of Christ and turn away without a word.

This was not the case with St. John. Judas received Holy Communion, and his soul was instantly enshrouded in the deepest gloom of a night wherein there glimmered not the faintest ray of hope; and, after having received it from the hands of the Lord Himself, he arose, and rested not until the purchase-money, for which he had betrayed the loving Redeemer, was clutched fast in his avaricious hand! What a contrast! St. John, absorbed in love and joy, can find no words to express his gratitude.

Yes, Judas is also a type of those who receive Holy Communion without a sigh of thanksgiving. With the cold hand of despair clutching his treacherous heart, he leaves the abode of love and peace, and rushes away to satisfy his greed for gold! Behold these models of a worthy and an unworthy communion, and consider well which one shall be your choice!

Yet Judas is not to serve merely as a warning to the unworthy communicant; but also to those who, after receiving, plunge directly into the stir of worldly affairs and schemes to increase their wealth. Alas, that temporal interests should so soon draw them away from Jesus! We may well be astonished, and exclaim, with St. John Chrysostom: “How can it be possible that Christ becomes so soon indifferent to you, that you can devote but a few brief moments to render to Him acts of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving for a grace so infinitely great, for a happiness so exquisite as to render man an object of envy even to the angels, and for which a lifetime of thanksgiving would not be sufficient!”

And if, my brethren, you again ask whence arises this neglect, I would again reply: From a want of that love which burned in the heart of St. John. Those who love, long to be with the object of their love. When blessed Armella, whose dearest joy it was to spend hours and hours before the Blessed Sacrament, even when she had not the happiness of receiving Holy Communion, was asked why she did so, replied: “Because I love.” And, beloved in Christ Jesus, by frequently visiting Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament we will grow ever in the love and knowledge of Him.

St. John knew and loved Him in a greater degree than the other Apostles, because he was always nearest Him; and, at the Last Supper, his resting-place was the Sacred Heart.

Obtain for us, therefore, we beseech thee, St. John, some faint reflection of the ardent fire of thy love, that we may, by lives modeled upon thy own, show our gratitude and love to God; and, when we approach the Table of the Lord, may we taste the happiness which filled thy heart when thou didst receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Then will we, while still on earth, already taste the bliss of heaven, to which celestial joy the Church refers when she prays: “Lord, grant that we may forever rejoice in the delight of Thy Divine Majesty, which a worthy reception of Thy Body and Blood will afford us even here below.”–Amen!

by Dom Prosper Gueranger 1870

The Church intends, on this day, to renew in a most solemn manner the mystery of the Last Supper: for Our Lord Himself, on this occasion of the institution of the Blessed Sacrament, said to His Apostles, “Do this for a commemoration of Me” (Luke 22:19).

Jesus is in the supper chamber, where the Paschal lamb is to be eaten. All the Apostles are with Him; Judas is there also, but his crime is not known to the rest. His disciples stand around Him. The ceremonies prescribed by God to Moses are religiously observed. At the beginning of the repast, Jesus speaks these words to His Apostles: “With desire have I desired to eat this Pasch with you, before I suffer” (Luke 22:15).

During the repast, Jesus, who reads the hearts of all men, utters these words, which cause great consternation among the disciples: “Amen I say to you that one of you is about to betray Me – he that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, he shall betray Me” (Matt. 26: 21, 23). The sadness with which He speaks is enough to soften any heart; and Judas, who knows his Master’s goodness, feels that they imply a merciful pardon, if he will but ask it. But no: the passion of avarice has enslaved his soul, and he, like the rest of the Apostles, says to Jesus: “Is it I, Rabbi?” Jesus answers him in a whisper, in order not to compromise him before his brethren: “Thou hast said it!” But Judas yields not.

The legal repast is over. It is followed by a feast, which again brings the disciples around their divine Master. It was the custom in the east, that guests should recline two by two on couches round the table: these have been provided by the disciple who has placed his house at Jesus’ service. John is on the same couch as Jesus, so that it is easy for him to lean his head on his Master’s breast. Peter is on the next couch, on the other side of Jesus, who is thus between the two disciples whom He had sent, in the morning, to prepare the Pasch, and who represent Faith and Charity. The second repast is a sorrowful one, in consequence of Jesus having told the guests that one of them is a traitor. The innocent and affectionate John is overwhelmed with grief, and seeks consolation in the Heart of his dear Lord.

But the Apostles little expect a third supper; Jesus has not told them of His intention; but He had made a promise, and He would fulfill it before His Passion. Speaking, one day, to the people, He had said: “I am the living bread that has come down from Heaven; if anyone eat of this bread, he shall live forever, and the bread that I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world… He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him.” (John 6: 51 et seq.) As it was both His Flesh and His Blood that He promised us, He waited till the time of His sacrifice. His Passion has begun; He is sold to His enemies; His life is already in their hands. He may at once, therefore, offer Himself in sacrifice, and give to His disciples the very Flesh and Blood of the Victim.

As soon as the second repast is over, Jesus suddenly rises, and, to the astonishment of His Apostles, takes off His upper garment, girds Himself as a servant with a towel, pours water into a basin, and prepares to wash the feet of the guests. It was the custom, in the east, to wash one’s feet before taking part in a feast; it was considered as the very extreme of hospitality, when the master of the house himself did this service to his guest. Jesus is about to regale His Apostles with a divine banquet; He wishes to treat them with every possible mark of welcome and attention. But in this, as in every other action of His, there is a wealth of instruction: He would teach us, by what He is now doing, how great is the purity wherewith we should approach the holy Table. “He that is washed,” says He, “needeth not but to wash his feet” (John 13:10); as though He would say: “The holiness of this Table is such, that those who come to it should not only be free from grievous sins, but they should, moreover, strive to cleanse their souls from those lesser faults, which come from contact with the world, and are like the dust that covers the feet of one that walks on a dusty road.” Having finished washing the feet of the twelve, Jesus resumes His place, side by side with John.

Then taking a piece of the unleavened bread that remained from the feast, He raises His eyes to Heaven, blesses the bread, breaks it, and distributes it to His disciples saying: “Take ye, and eat; this is My Body” (Matt. 26: 26). Then the Apostles take the bread, which is now changed into the Body of their Divine Master; they eat: and Jesus is now not only with them, but in them. But, as this sacred mystery is not only the most Holy of the Sacraments, but moreover a true Sacrifice; and as a Sacrifice requires the shedding of blood; our Jesus takes the chalice, and changing the wine into His own Blood, He gives It to His disciples, saying: “Drink ye all, of this; for this is My Blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many, unto the remission of sins” (Matt. 26: 27-8).

Such is the history of the Last Supper, of which we celebrate the anniversary on this day. But there is one circumstance of the deepest interest to us, to which we have, so far, made only an indirect allusion. The institution of the Holy Eucharist, both as a Sacrament and a Sacrifice, is followed by another: the institution of a new Priesthood. How could Our Savior have said: “Except you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His Blood, you shall not have life in you” (John 6: 54), unless He had resolved to establish a ministry upon earth, whereby He would renew, even to the end of time, the great mystery He thus commands us to receive?

To offer the faithful an outward expression of the greatness and the unity of this Supper, which Our Savior gave to His disciples, and, through them, to us, the Church forbids her priests to offer private Masses on this day, except in cases of necessity. She would have but one Sacrifice to be offered in each church, at which the other priests are to assist, and receive Holy Communion from the hands of the celebrant.

The Mass of Holy Thursday is one of the most solemn of the year; and although the feast of Corpus Christi is the day for solemnly honoring the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, still the Church would have the anniversary of the Last Supper to be celebrated with all possible splendor. The color of the vestments is white, as it is for Christmas and Easter; the decorations of the altar and sanctuary all bespeak joy, and yet, there are several ceremonies during this Mass which show that the holy Bride of Christ has not forgotten the Passion of Her Jesus, and that this joy is transient. The celebrant intones the angelic hymn, Gloria in excelsis Deo! and the bells ring forth a joyous peal, which continues during the whole of the heavenly canticle; but from that moment they remain silent, and their long silence produces, in every heart, a sentiment of holy mournfulness. This is to show us that this world lost all its melody and joy when its Savior suffered and was crucified. Moreover, the Church would hereby remind us how the Apostles (who were heralds of Christ, and are figured by the bells, whose ringing summons the faithful to the house of God), fled from their divine Master and left Him a prey to His enemies.

The holy Sacrifice continues as usual; but at the solemn moment of the elevation the bell remains silent. When the time of Holy Communion is near, the celebrant does not give the Kiss of Peace. Our thoughts turn to the traitor Judas, who on this very day profaned the sign of friendship by making it an instrument of death. It is out of detestation for this crime, that the Church omits today the sign of fraternal charity: it would too painfully remind us of the sacrilegious hypocrisy. Another rite peculiar to this Mass is the consecration of the Hosts needed for the Mass of the Presanctified on Good Friday. The reason is that tomorrow the Church suspends the daily Sacrifice. Such is the impression produced by the anniversary of Our Savior’s death, that the Church dares not to renew upon her altars the immolation which was then offered on Calvary; or rather, her memorial of it will be by fixing all her thoughts on the terrible scene of that Friday noon. The Hosts are reserved from today’s Mass because tomorrow the celebrant does not consecrate, but only receives and distributes the reserved Hosts.

But although the Church suspends, for a short time, the oblation of the perpetual Sacrifice, She does not wish that Her Divine Spouse should lose any of the homage that is due to Him in the Sacrament of His love. Catholic piety has found a means of changing these trying hours into a tribute of devotion to the Holy Eucharist. In the church there is prepared a richly ornamented Altar of Repose where, after today’s Mass, the Church places the Body of Her Divine Lord. Though veiled from their view, the faithful will visit Him in this His holy resting-place, pay Him their most humble adorations, and present Him their most fervent supplications. Thus a concert of prayer, more loving and earnest than at any other period of the year, will be offered to our Jesus, in reparation for the outrages He underwent, during those very hours, from the Jews.

As soon as the Mass is over, a procession is formed to the Altar of Repose. The celebrant carries It beneath a canopy, as on the feast of Corpus Christi; It is not however exposed, as on that day of Its triumph, but concealed under a veil. Let us adore this divine Sun of Justice, whose rising at Bethlehem brought gladness to our hearts: He is now setting; soon His light will be eclipsed. Our earth will then be buried in gloom, until on the third day, He will rise again with renewed splendor.

After the procession, the celebrant returns to the sanctuary. He goes to the altar, and takes off the cloths and ornaments. This ceremony signifies the suspension of the Holy Sacrifice. The altar shall be left in this denuded state, until the daily offering can be again presented to the Divine Majesty; that is, when the Spouse of Holy Church shall arise from the grave, the Conqueror of death. He is now in the hands of His enemies, who are about to strip Him of His garments, just as we strip the altar. He is to be exposed to the insults of the rabble; for this reason, the Psalm selected to be recited during this mournful ceremony is the 21st, wherein the Messias speaks of the Roman soldiers dividing His garments among them: They divided My garments among them, and upon My vesture they cast lots.

Customs

As to customs, many families have a practice of visiting the tabernacles of three or seven nearby churches after the Mass on this day as a sort of “mini-pilgrimage” (any nearby Catholic churches will do). Some families visit the churches directly after the evening Mass; others go home and wake up in the middle of the night to make the visits (though since churches are rarely open all night these days, this would be hard to do). The spirit of the visits to the churches is keeping vigil in the Garden of Gethsemani while Jesus prayed before His arrest. Matthew 26:36 “Then Jesus came with them into a country place which is called Gethsemani; and he said to his disciples: Sit you here, till I go yonder and pray.”

In Germany, Maundy Thursday is known as “Green Thursday” (Grundonnerstag), and the traditional foods are green vegetables and green salad, especially a spinach salad. In Latin countries, Jordan almonds (“confetti”) are eaten today and also throughout Eastertide.

Back when Kings and Queens of England were Catholic, they, too, would wash the feet of 12 subjects, seeing the footwashing rite also as an example of service and humility. They would also give money to the poor on this day, a practice is said to have begun with St. Augustine of Canterbury in A.D. 597, and performed by Kings since Edward II. Now the footwashing isn’t done (it was given up in the 18th c.), but a special coin called “Maundy Money” is minted and given to the selected elderly of a representative town.

On this day, one may gain a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, by reciting the Tantum Ergo (Down in Adoration Falling).

[mxliv-oftheendless]

Ruining KISStory: The False King of Persia, Pt. 2

And we’re back! Enjoy Part 2! We pick up right where we left off in Part 1, so enjooooy!

Tag list: @cosmicrealmofkissteria @ashestoashesvvi @kategwidt @retronova

PAUL [voiceover]: Leaping into action, Cambyses hastily mounted his horse to return to Persia and… accidentally stabbed himself in the thigh with his sword. And then he died. But before doing so, he instructed his noblemen to return home and retake the throne from fake-Smerdis, by whatever means necessary.

[cuts to Ace silently laughing, his hand smacking the table]

PAUL: [amused] You’re just having the time of your life over there, aren’t you?

ACE: [laughing] This fuckin’ story, man… I love it.

BRUCE: So he was preparing for maybe a weeks-long journey home—

PAUL: Yeah.

BRUCE: —and was so excited to get on his horse [laughing] that he stabbed himself?

PAUL: [laughing] Yeah.

VINNIE: It doesn’t seem like it’s that hard to seize this throne.

GENE: This is some Game of Thrones stuff going on.

PAUL: Unfortunately, there’s no Tyrion Lannister in this story. And no Olenna Tyrell.

VINNIE: [visibly disappointed] Aww… 

PAUL [voiceover; animations show cheering crowds while the silhouette of the false Smerdis sits on a throne above them]: The problem faced by the band of noblemen is that most of the Persian population believed that the man on the throne was in fact the son of Cyrus. And with Cambyses now dead and the real Smerdis secretly murdered, they also believed fake-Smerdis was the rightful king. Prexaspes probably could’ve cleared all this up, but he was keeping his mouth shut. Because in case you didn’t realize, secretly killing a prince ain’t really something you talk openly about.

ACE: So there’s only one person who knows that this isn’t the real Smerdis…

BRUCE: Prexaspes…

ACE: And he’s gonna get in trouble if he says so.

PAUL: Yeah, because then they’d be like, “Well, how do you know that?” And he’d have to say it’s because he murdered the real one.

GENE: So are these two just doing a bit the whole time? [points to the Magian] Because this guy knows he’s not the real Smerdis, so there’s gotta be some tension going on there, right?

PAUL: [smiles mysteriously] Maybe… you’ll have to wait and find out.

VINNIE: Ooooh…

PAUL: Probably there won’t.

BRUCE: Just gonna stab himself in the leg and die, probably. {Ace laughs]

GENE: He’s gonna kill himself pouring a glass of wine, the way this shit’s going.

PAUL [voiceover]: Fake-Smerdis further protected his identity by remaining in seclusion whenever possible, and surrounding himself with those who had never met the real Smerdis.

GENE: Now that just sounds exhausting, trying to discern which person’s never met the real Smerdis and which person has.

BRUCE: Nah, man, you just go on Facebook and see how many mutual friends you’ve got. [Ace laughs]

GENE: But just imagine carrying the baggage of any interaction you go into, thinking, “Oh, this person may have known the real Smerdis, and now I’m gonna get murdered.”

ACE: That’s how I feel every day. “You don’t belong on this history panel. Get outta here.”

PAUL: [grinning] I’ve been meaning to talk to you, Ace.

VINNIE: [miming] Pulls out a bow and arrow from underneath the table. [panel laughs]

PAUL: [waving his hand] Bring out Ace’s son! [panel laughs]

ACE: [laughing] Oh shit!

PAUL [voiceover]: Enter: Otanes, a nobleman with the sneaking suspicion that he knew the true identity of fake-Smerdis. He remembered a man who, many years earlier, had his ears cut off by the late king Cyrus. Otanes believed this man was the imposter on the throne, and he could prove it if he could just get a look at the man’s ears. Problem: fake-Smerdis was never seen without a turban on his head. So it was impossible to see his ears, or lack thereof.

ACE: That’s amazing, that there was such a physical deformity on this person.

VINNIE: What if he’s just totally confused as to where he is? [laughs] Because he can’t hear, so maybe he’s just like “Oh, this is my home!”

ACE: [laughs] “You’re not the king!” “What?”

VINNIE: “What????”

GENE: Wait a second, did the other Smerdis wear a turban at all times as well? No one questioned that all of a sudden he’s wearing a turban at all times?

PAUL: No, but like, no one’s gonna point at him and be like, “You’re wearing a turban, you’re an imposter.”

VINNIE: Yeah, I don’t think anyone’s going to notice a little thing like that, Gene.

ACE: It is a pretty bold statement to be like, “You’re wearing a turban! You don’t have any ears!” [panel laughs] “You’re an impostah! Smerdis is not here!”

PAUL [voiceover]: Otanes quickly devised a plan. His daughter, you see, was a member of Smerdis’s harem. He asked her to wait until the king fell asleep, then check for ears under his turban. So she did…. no ears!

VINNIE: [gasps dramatically]

BRUCE: [snickering] Would’ve been funny if she checked and there actually were ears, and Otanes was like, “Ah, fuck.”

VINNIE: Can you imagine just being like, “No, Dad, I’m not gonna do this for you.”

PAUL: Like, you think it’s a bunch of bullshit because your insane dad is like, “I think your husband doesn’t have ears!”

VINNIE: On a side note, it’s kind of odd that she’s the daughter of a nobleman and yet part of a harem. I’d hate to be part of a harem. [points at the camera] Make note of that, fanfic writers.

BRUCE: Also, he still wears his turban while he’s naked… [laughs] He’s committing to it, I like that.

PAUL [voiceover; dramatic music plays]: Otanes had confirmed the identity of the false king. As he suspected, it was not Smerdis, brother of Cambyses. It was in fact a man actually named…

… SMERDIS!

ACE: [bursts into loud cackles as the rest of the panel bursts out laughing] What?!

VINNIE: You’re making this up!

PAUL: I am not making this up!

GENE: What are the fucking odds?

ACE: How’d this happen, Paulie? Tell us!

PAUL: [snorts] You’re so invested, I love it.

ACE: Tell us!

PAUL: Okay!

PAUL [voiceover]: It turns out, when Cambyses and Smerdis left for Egypt, the Magian they had employed to keep an eye on their palace happened to have a brother, also named Smerdis, and was the man whose ears had been cut off by Cyrus, AND who also bore a striking resemblance to the prince. So while Cambyses was off fucking shit up abroad, the Magian installed his brother Smerdis on the throne as an imposter, seemingly at the ideal time, since the real Smerdis had just been secretly murdered. Upon piecing the plot together, Otanes assembled a group of noblemen to overthrow the false king. One of these noblemen happened to be…

[panel gasps in anticipation as Paul reaches under the table]

BRUCE: Is it our guy?

PAUL: [takes out a figurine and displays the label: DARIUS] It’s our guy!

PANEL: Yay!

PAUL [voiceover]: Darius! Our guy! Who had arrived after piecing together the plot himself.

ACE: Wait, Darius figured all this out from abroad?

PAUL: According to the story, Darius, on his own, just put this all together and was like, “I gotta get over there quick.”

ACE: The rate information spread back then was like, super fuckin’ slow…

PAUL: Yeah. I don’t have a timeline for this. I assume it takes place over a period of over forty years. [panel laughs]

PAUL [voiceover]: While the noblemen talked about the best approach, Smerdis and his brother began to get nervous that rumors of their scheme were beginning to spread. According to Abbott, quote, “They conceived the plan of inducing Prexaspes to declare in a more public and formal manner… that Smerdis had not been killed.” So while the noblemen readied themselves to storm the palace, Prexaspes climbed atop a tower and began to address the citizens, ready to assure them that fake-Smerdis was the rightful king. But the weight of his lies had finally become to great to bear.

[dramatic yet inspiring music begins to play] Abbott states, quote, “He decided, desperately… that he would go on in his course of falsehood, remorse, and wretchedness no longer… Instead of denying that he had murdered Smerdis, he fully confessed to the astonished audience that he had really committed that crime; he openly denounced the reigning Smerdis as an imposter, and called upon all who heard him to rise at once, destroy the treacherous usurper, and vindicate the rights of the true Persian line.”

VINNIE: Damn… that sounds so inspiring…

PAUL: It does, that’s why I decided to quote it.

VINNIE: Definitely better than anything you would’ve written. [Ace and Bruce laugh. Paul looks mock-affronted at Vinnie and throws the Cambyses figurine at him; Vinnie laughs and dodges]

GENE: He was about to pull a move of major obstruction of justice. And then he had a change of heart, you say? His change of heart here doesn’t really strike me as a moment of conscience. It seems more just like self-preservation, get on the winning side… that’s kinda what it seems like to me.

PAUL: Well, we’ll see about that.

PAUL [voiceover]: With his burden finally lifted, Prexaspes must have known his fate was sealed. But, quote, “before the officers of the king’s household had time even to consider what to do,” Prexaspes, coming abruptly to the conclusion of his harangue, threw himself headlong from the parapet of the tower and came down among them, lifeless and mangled on the pavement below!

PAUL: So, as to the question of self-preservation, Gene… [looks at Gene pointedly as he throws the Prexaspes figurine face down on the table]

ACE: Oof, shut down, Simmons.

BRUCE: Get rekt, Gene.

GENE: Shut up.

[screen cuts away to a title card:

CHAPTER III:

THE GANG KILLS ALL THE MAGIANS

screen cuts to old video-game-style animations as Paul narrates dramatically; old video game boss music play]

PAUL [voiceover]: While chaos erupted in the courtyard below, Darius, Otanes, and the other noblemen walked right into the palace, ready to carry out their assassination. Initially, guards just let them in without question—they were noblemen, after all. They eventually made it to Smerdis’s room, where he was waiting with his brother, the Magian. The usurpers tried to run for it, but were quickly caught! Darius made a slash at Smerdis; quote, “the magian fell upon the floor, and there, stabbed again through the heart by Darius’s sword, almost immediately ceased to breathe.” Nearby, the Magian’s head was also cut off. The imposter and his brother had been slain.

[cuts to a closeup of the figurines; Paul is removing the heads off the Magian and the Smerdis(?) figurines]

PAUL: So I’ll remove their heads now.

ACE: Can I have one?

PAUL: Yeah, sure. [Ace snatches the head of Smerdis(?) and gazes down at it] Dude, why are you smiling at it?

VINNIE: You’re looking so lovingly at it.

ACE: It’s just really well-done. It’s great.

PAUL: Oh, thank you.

PAUL [voiceover]: Propping the usurpers’ heads on spikes, the noblemen went back on the streets and explained the plot to the people of Persia. And just to be safe, they encouraged everyone to kill other Magi, if at all possible. Quote, “Before night, vast numbers of them were slain.” Doesn’t seem like the smartest decision, but hey.

The seven noblemen, victorious in slaying the imposter king, now had to figure out what they were going to do moving forward. After some debate, it was determined that they would proceed with a monarchy, obviously. But the method they landed on to choose which of the seven noblemen would take the throne was… certainly something.

PAUL: Any guesses to how they decided who would take the throne?

BRUCE: Rock Paper Scissors.

ACE: Thumb war!

GENE: One of those jellybeans in a jar contests?

VINNIE: Who has the best ass.

PAUL: [laughs] Who would judge that?

VINNIE: [smirking] Me. [panel laughs]

PAUL: Well, here’s what they did.

[screen cuts away to a title card:

CHAPTER IV:

ONE LAST THING

screen cuts to animations as Paul narrates; traditional Middle Eastern music plays in the background]

PAUL [voiceover]: It was decided that all seven men would mount their horses and sit on the outskirts of the city. Whoever’s horse was the first to neigh at sunrise would be king.

VINNIE: The hell?

ACE: So it’s got nothin’ to do with the person, or skills.

PAUL: They’re just sorta rolling the dice here.

GENE: If you smack a horse, won’t it neigh? So at sunrise, I’d just be spanking my horse.

PAUL: That [laughs; Ace, Bruce, and Vinnie laugh as well] that sounds like a euphemism for something else.

GENE: [laughs] I’m spanking my horse at sunrise, as I always do. [panel laughs]

PAUL [voiceover]: According to one version of the story, Darius turned to his groom, Obares, for help with the competition. His groom assured him, [adopts a shady-sounding voice] “Master, if this is to determine whether you become king or not, be confident for this reason and have an easy mind, for no one else shall be king before you, such are the tricks I have.” I don’t know if he actually sounded like a Muppet.

[cuts to Gene, who looks comically surprised]

GENE: He’s gonna spank his horse, and that is a euphemism, oh shit! He’s gonna jerk off the horse at sunrise!

PAUL: He’s not gonna jerk off the horse at sunrise—

GENE: Oh man!

PAUL [voiceover]: Before the competition, Obares sought out one of Darius’s horse’s favorite mares. And then he proceeded to… rub… his… hand… on the horse’s… vulva. He then kept his hand [laughs slightly] hidden in his clothing until he stood alongside Darius’s horse at sunrise. At that point, he raised his disgusting hand towards the horse’s nostrils, which caused the horse to immediately snort and whinny.

And that is how Darius the Great became Emperor of Persia.

[cuts back to panel; Ace is cackling loudly]

BRUCE: [laughing] Did that seriously happen?

PAUL: [also laughing] That seriously happened.

GENE: This is the least-earned title I’ve ever seen in my life.

VINNIE: This is hilarious…

GENE: It is a testament to honestly, though, I guess. Most people nowadays would lie about how they got a black eye, much less how their friend diddled a horse.

BRUCE: It does also say something about the time period though, because they thought that was cool.

PAUL: Yeah, he didn’t even lie about it.

VINNIE: I’m sensing a pattern with these stories: the horses are always getting screwed in some way. They gotta fight in wars they’ve got nothing to do with; they’re getting diddled when they don’t want to…

ACE: It’s weird that that part wasn’t in Cyrus’s dream. [panel laughs]

GENE: But if you did dream frequently about a horse getting diddled, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t talk about that, right? [text boxes appear around Gene:

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, GENE?

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE?]

GENE: I’m not gonna go about spreading that around that I dream about that.

ACE: Yeah, it’s just like, “What’d you dream about?” “Uh… nothin’. Just Darius havin’ wings and stuff.”

BRUCE: “Any other details?”

ACE: “Ya sure? Ya sure that’s all it was?”

VINNIE: He’s constantly Googling what it means.

BRUCE: He’s constantly consulting Magi, and he’s just like, “Okay, I need you to be very discreet about this.”

PAUL: [laughing] They’re like “Ugh, what the hell?”

ACE: And he’s just like, “Fetch my bow and arrow.” [panel laughs]

PAUL [voiceover]: And there you go! For the record, Darius would go on to, y’know, unite Persia, do some good things… probably some bad things. I just thought this was a fun story. A lot of murder, a lot of funny characters, [laughs] a lot of horse vulvas. Well, one horse vulva, but, you know. That’s been Ruining History, thanks for learning with us!

[hak-7]

THE METAPHYSICAL MEANING OF EVE

From Wonderland To The Promise Land

The Bible says that the first mother was made from the rib of our first father, that G-d had made our first father complete. Then He forgot that the man had a lonely nature. Then G-d said: "Oh, I've got to make him a mate." Now, I'm not laughing at the Bible, I don't laugh at it. To tell you the truth, I respect it. But I'm giving it to you in this language so you can see the kind of childish ideas that we grown-ups have been holding on to. It says, He took a rib one rib from the man, and filled up the hole no ... it gives you the impression that it was just gouged out He's not even a good surgeon. He put the flesh that was taken out, back in its place just a patch-up job, a butcher's job—and then made the woman with this rib. What does that make the woman? It makes her a different creation from the man.

How can the Bible say, "Flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone?" How can she be flesh of his flesh, bone of his bone and she was just made from the bone? Just one bone. In the forming of human life in the womb of the mother, bones don't come first, flesh comes first. So if this woman is made from one bone she doesn't have the full value, the full human worth of the man. Right from the beginning the woman is put in an inferior image. If you don't believe that this is the trend; keep reading about the woman as her story is told from Genesis to Revelation. She becomes more and more ugly, inferior and wicked. I'll just name a few of the stars for you in the Bible: Eve, Jezebel, Delilah, Salome. We can look right into the language of the present environment and see that these evils, these destructive concepts in human ideas or in human minds are still hurting human development. They're still being preached and they're still hurting our human development. G-d gives us the most beautiful concept of the man that He creates. The man that He creates is a mind, a human mind—a rational and compassionate human mind; and from that mind is born, not a woman, but society. And the rib of the man simply tells us, in symbolism, that society was made from the man that G-d inspired called Adam in the Bible and that society had a law, a principle. Not many, but one.

The Bible says G-d made the woman from a rib of the man. Not from all of them, but from only one. This is symbolism, telling us that this generation or this genesis of the man that the Bible is telling us about is the story of the church. You may ask how can that be the story of the church when the Genesis was revealed and written long before Christ Jesus? But it was interpolated, interpretated, and changed, and reformed long after it was revealed. They formed it to speak the church doctrine, and the church doctrine says that Jesus gave only one commandment—that you should love ye one another.The scripture gives us the proper concept of man, that man should not be seen in the individual, the male or the female, or any single individual, but in the creation of society. Man should mean humanity and humanity includes both male and female; he or she is a part of a unit. The male has to mate with a female to reproduce his physical self. And the female has to mate with a male to reproduce her physical self. How can we see society as male and as female separated one from the other? And how can we think that the whole society was generated from one man called Adam? How can any sensible, intelligent people think that G-d made a man and then reached into his body and deformed that man after forming him rightly, and made a female of his rib? That looks like guesswork to me.

What do they call the tornadoes and the hurricanes—these terrible violent forces that make human beings fear for their very lives, that take away their houses and their cattle, destroy the hard earnings they have worked so hard for and built up in homes and businesses? These strong violent forces are called by the names of women. Isn't that proof that the same mentality exists. The mentality of the writer of the Bible is still existing. "Will you attack the writers of the Bible?"You don't want to see the contradiction. You don't want to see the ugliness in the Bible, so you suppress it. You push it out of your mind. But remember, every time you push something out of your mind, you're only pushing it out of your conscious mind. It goes into your subconscious and causes mental problems if the environment doesn't do something to bring about the kind of healthy change needed for you.We've been saying that G-d made man in his own image and likeness when we should have been saying that God intended humanity society to be in His image and likeness, character-wise or morally speaking. The scripture has meaning. The scripture can attract the rational mind, the logical thinker; the scripture can attract the shipbuilder, the banker, the chemist; it can attract all men if it's taken back to its original purity: if we just take off the false dress of poetry, mythology, symbolism and allegories that take us into wonderland instead of the promised land.

Community life must exist by both our excellent human form and by material development. At the base of our community problems are the religious formed habits of seeing life and the world through mythological eyes. When I say that I'm going to cross over Jordan one day, this clearly is not a religious expression. This is an expression colored or designed by the language of mythology. When I say that I'm going to a Kingdom in the skies, that's mythology; that's not pure religion. When I say that God is a Man of War, that's the language of mythology and not pure religion.When I say that G-d created man from the dust of the earth, formed him as a person, and created a mate for him with a rib taken from his body, that's the language of mythology and not pure religion. We have been given more mythology than we have been given religion, in terms of the language that we use. How can people clearly understand what religion is all about if they are using a language that is foreign to the purity of religion? They have to have a language that is consistent, that speaks clearly the word of truth that G-d revealed to His prophets.

The symbolic concepts that we have been given of first man, of first woman, of the creation, of the origin of the races, all of this is so heavily covered under mythological concepts, the beautiful symbolism of the poets, that we can't see the reality that should be influencing our lives. We don't get the beautiful language under the surface. We get socially destructive language. When you read the Bible, you read it literally, but the hints revealing the evil of the Bible are also given in it.The Bible says that a certain religious man took another man who is called Son of Man on a tour of the city to show him the extent that evil had grown in the society. He took him to the gate of the city and he told him. "Son of Man, look at the evil that these people are practicing inside the gates of this city." He took him to the courtyard of the Temple, "Look at the evil that these people are practicing right around the Temple." He said, "Come Son of Man, let me take you into the Temple." He took him into the sanctuary where there were the holiest of the holy, and there he found the abomination of abominations.

This is in the Bible, I didn't dream this up. The Bible states it, and it's not given as something that was presently existing. It's given in the Bible as a prophesy revealing what will come. And the Bible tells us of the last day; it says that the greatest evil will be in the Holy Sea. I'm not referring to the Catholic Church. It so happens that their sea is called Holy. I'm talking about the lake that God intended to be for religious life and religious development.

The Bible says that in the end that lake would be ruled by a beast. And G-d would destroy the beast in the lake by turning it into a lake of fire. Haven't our church lives been turned into a lake of fire? Wasn't it once a cool water for us to bathe in, and now it has become a lake of fire burning the conscience of the great number of Christians who are looking for high sensation, and yet calling themselves church goers? Our conscience has almost been buried six feet and left without any sign of life in it. But there is still enough light in most of the American Christian lives to feel guilt occasionally.

Those Christians who really are sincere and are giving their best to be Christians are in a lake of fire. Their conscience is not only on fire because of the sins that they're doing, but, also because many ministers and priests are just changing the role of the preacher or the priest into a role of an opportunist, preaching money,preaching song and dance. They preach whatever they think will appeal to your need for high sensation. I know there is still the good preacher. But look at him today. Even he has gone back, he has fallen.I saw in one magazine where a Catholic priest was sitting down in a meditation position before the bare-bone skull of some animal it looked like it was a donkey. He was meditating and saying that he didn't see anything wrong with a priest doing that as long as he kept his Catholic religion. How is he going to keep his Catholic religion and give himself to that kind of pagan exercise? The Catholic is supposed to be dignified. Though the atmosphere was ghostly, they've always been dignified. We've seen them bring in the bands, bring in the electronic . . . acid . . rock. Long ago the Christian churches turned themselves into bands.

You go to hear the preacher and you're wondering when he's going to preach. He comes up and says, "Amen." Amen is said when we finish something. He finishes before he starts. And then the choir begins to sing, and he just comes in to build the momentum up again. As soon as he gets the momentum up he says, "Have you got the feeling . . . have you got the feeling?" And somebody says, "Yeah." And the band starts again. I'm talking about the great majority of the churches in America.Where are we going to go if we only crave for sensation and don't want any sense? I thought that the correct definition for the human being is homo sapien thinking individual. I thought that's what separated us from apes and other creatures. If we're not going to think but give ourselves to sensation, to the influences in the air, then where will our lives be that G-d Created? Religion teaches the Christian, Muslim and Jew that God created the human being to be a thinking being.

Let's look at some of the so-called religious concepts. And they are religious concepts, but in the composition that we get them they are more concepts of fiction, fantasy, and mythology than religion. We're told that the world was made out of a void. There was nothing but water, and light rose, out of the water and formed the sun, moon and stars. This is the kind of ideas religious people have been given of the creation of the world.What kind of picture is this giving us of Almighty G-d? It's giving us a kindergarten story of Almighty G-d. Those who view G-d this way see Him with nostrils, and some Bibles show G-d with nostrils and breath coming out of His mouth flowing down to the people. If you ask most Christians how did man get on the earth, "Well, G-d made him." G-d made him from what? "The Bible says, from clay." Notice when they get in trouble it's always the Bible says. . . ." They will start off speaking from themselves, but the more trouble they get into the more they refer you to the Bible.

Imam W.D. Mohammed (raa)k

[larryland]

It’s late July and the theatre scene is hopping! None of our regular Berkshire On Stage critics was able to fit a trip to the Mac-Haydn to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame into their schedule, but luckily Lisa Jarisch, a longtime subscriber to the Mac, agreed to share her impressions of the production. A true theatre lover, Jarisch holds a BA in English from Mount Holyoke College and has experience behind the scenes as a stage manager.

Berkshire on Stage: This is a new musical for the Mac-Haydn, and for the region. In fact, it was only just licensed for production in 2016. Have you ever seen the 1996 Disney animated film or read Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel on which it was based?

Lisa Jarisch: I am totally unfamiliar with the Disney film, and have but a vague recollection of reading the original “back in the day” when classics were a regular part of high school English curriculum. The basic story, however, has somehow worked its way into my English major consciousness…as in the name of Quasimodo always rings a bell. I am also old enough to recall the Charles Laughton film version…which James Benjamin Rodgers obviously channels in Quasimodo’s costume and make-up.

BoS: While it bears the Disney name, this is not a happy fairy tale. Tell us the plot of the show.

Jarisch: “Half-made” and orphaned, Quasimodo (James Benjamin Rodgers) is raised in solitude in the bell tower of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and in servitude to the (im)pious Dom Frollo (Quinto Ott), whose intense hatred for the Gypsies who infest the street of Paris grows stronger during the Feast of Fools, when the city is turned “Topsy Turvy” and passions given free rein. Yearning to experience what he sees “Out There,” Quasimodo gives in to the urgings of the lesser angels…the stone gargoyles who have been his only friends in the tower. The stone saints who also share his world are less successful in their persuasion.

Crowned King of Fools during a wild night of debauchery, Quasimodo is revealed as the hideous, hump-backed and damaged “creature” his uncle has made him believe he is. As he us mocked, ridiculed, and attacked, the gypsy girl Esmeralda (Laura Helm) rises to his defense, offering kindness and a sip of water, earning Quasimodo’s undying, and ultimately unrequited, love.

Dom Frollo’s hatred for the gypsies reaches a crescendo and he orders his Captain of the Guard, Phoebus (Michael Brennan), to hunt down Esmeralda, for whom he is developing a most unholy passion, blaming her and the entire band of gypsies for the corruption of Quasimodo, who is no longer his willing slave. The ensuing pursuit changes everyone’s lives forever.

BoS: These sound like very adult themes, closer to what Victor Hugo wrote than what Disney wrought. What age group would you recommend this show for?

Jarisch: This is NOT the Disney fairy tale version. Unrequited love, ever-increasing lustful passion from a clergyman, deep-seated ethnic prejudice rearing its ugly head, mob-mentality bullying, emotional and sexual awakenings in a man physically, mentally and emotionally repressed his whole life. This is a show not likely to be enjoyed or understood by children under 12.

BoS: What stood out to you about this production? What were the highlights?

Jarisch: This is a glorious highlight of the Mac-Haydn’s 50th season, starting with the stunning vocals from each of the three leads. Ott, as the cruel, misguided, lecherous, and sanctimonious Dom Frollo, brings the house down with every number, none more so than the spine-tingling “Hellfire” at the end of Act I. His deep, rich baritone almost shatters the walls of the cathedral. He is a force to be reckoned with in both character and voice.

Helm brings a hardened yet vulnerable quality to her role as Esmeralda, while James Benjamin Rodgers—a personal favorite since his Jekyll and Hyde at the Mac several years ago—plays Quasimodo with just the right amount of servility, becoming the classic Tragic Hero as he develops self-awareness. His vocals are true and strong and manage to express both his recognition of his own deformity in the eyes of the world, and his frustration with the world that cannot see the man under them, so to speak. His denunciation of the stone saints and sinners who have been his companions, confidants, and conscience since birth in “Made of Stone” is no less a show-stopper than Ott’s “Hellfire.”

Special kudos to Gabe Belyeu—another personal favorite for years—in the role of Colpin, King of the gypsies, who serves as narrator to all the action swirling through Paris. He is at times both bold and brash, while counseling Esmeralda to flee as all is lost, he nonetheless orchestrates the gypsy crew to ever-increasing levels of hostility against the clergy, while taking a stand for the rights of all to exist in community, if not churchly Communion.

Brennan as Phoebus holds his own vocally against the truly Broadway-worthy voices of Ott , Helm, and Rodgers. His Phoebus is a lightly-sketched portrait of an Army officer mired in the throes of self-promotion and service to the church who is ultimately transformed by the strength of love, truth, and justice.

BoS: Were there things that bothered you? What would you have done differently?

Jarisch: I had some issues with the use of the spotlights in Act II. I was distracted from the stage action and the accompanying vocals by poorly focused and off-center lighting.

BoS: In some productions, Quasimodo is portrayed as being deaf and speaks in sign language. Was that the case in this production? If so, how did it work?

Jarisch: Quasimodo is clearly challenged in his communication skills; in this production Rodgers brings a halting, sometimes single-syllabic cadence to his speech. It’s made clear in his second encounter with Esmeralda that he is deaf, and able to read lips. Obviously, his singing is not affected by this impediment—Rodgers’ pure and strong voice is more than equal to the musical numbers set before him.

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BoS: Lyricist Alan Menken and composer Stephen Schwartz felt that having a live choir on stage was integral in achieving the full-bodied sound they had crafted for the film. Did the Mac-Haydn production go that route?

Jarisch: They most certainly did! Choirs of saints and sinners, hooded monks, and gypsy travelers all pay homage to the classical Greek chorus, enhancing the depth of the emotions swirling between the characters and through the plot. At times, the sheer volume of the large ensemble chorus made it difficult to clearly understand the lyrics, but the production was definitely the better for their presence.

BoS: Like many theatrical recreations of animated films, there are certain effects that are difficult, if not impossible to reproduce, even for large theatres. The Mac-Haydn is a small house and shows are performed in the round, meaning that everything is visible to the audience. Did they attempt some of the big effects?

Jarisch: As I have been for years, I continue to be amazed by the ingenuity and creativity shown when the Mac does shows which typically call for elaborate stage effects clearly not possible on a small theatre-in-the-round stage. I am still awe-struck by the technical quality of “Les Miserables” several years ago – the striking of the barricades at the top of Act II was stunning. Here John Saunders again delivers a beautifully directed piece, with choreography by Sebastiani Romagnolo more than up to the task of making gypsies, clergy, hunchbacks, gargoyles, and saints move in unison.

In Hunchback… set and lighting designer Andrew Gmoser succeeds in capturing the essence of the soaring grandeur of Notre Dame Cathedral, the gypsy-filled streets of Paris, and the lonely yet exhilaratingly open bell tower “At the Top of the World” which ultimately provides a sanctuary for the doomed lovers. The stained-glass panels surrounding the stage are stunning; when backlit they truly bring the cathedral alive. A set of large, oversize bells descends upon the stage at the appropriate moments.

Of particular note is the aerial work performed in “Topsy Turvy.” For the second time this season a large hoop descends from the rafters, allowing the performance of lithe, undulating aerial acts which highlight the gypsy world gone berserk on the Feast of Fools. I was impressed when such goings-on graced the stage in Cabaret earlier this season, and I was equally impressed this time.

BoS: Tell us about the physical production – lights, sound, costumes – did everything work together well?

Jarisch: Alison Zador’s gypsy costumes were perfect – silky, flowing, vibrant representations of their outcast, traveling lifestyle. Quasimodo is virtually the expected stereotype of the title role – hump-backed (I SWEAR his hump moved between Act I and II, but then I realized this was NOT Young Frankenstein!), a dragging limp, and a grotesquely-made up face resembling the gargoyles standing stoic watch in each corner of the bell tower set. The orchestra, under the batons of David Maglione and Jillian Zack,  complemented rather than competed with the vocal performances, an issue I’ve had with some previous productions, where it seemed that the orchestra and singers were engaged in a duel of decibels.

BoS: Any concluding words to help our readers decide if this is a show they want to see?

Jarisch: Even without season tickets, the allure of seeing Ott, Rodgers, Helm, and Belyeu would have had me running for the box office. They, and the ensemble cast, did not disappoint. While the score is certainly not one to remember – I can’t honestly say I left the theatre humming – nor are any of the songs likely to become standards on the karaoke scene – the music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Wicked) captures the essence of the work, from the unrequited love of Quasimodo, to the doomed love of Esmeralda and Phoebus, to the sordid ecclesiastical lusts of Dom Frollo. I am glad the Mac-Haydn has given the region such a fine introduction to this piece.

Admittedly I would listen to Ott and Rodgers sing the Chatham phone book, but this is a show worth the price of admission, and as usual, there is not a bad seat in the round-stage house.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame, book by PeterParnell, music by Stephen Schwartz, lyrics by Alan Menken, directed by John Saunders, musical direction by David Maglione and Jillian Zack, and choreographed by Sebastiani Romagnolo, runs July 26-August 5, 2018, at the Mac-Haydn Theatre, 1924 NY Route 203 in Chatham, NY. Scenic and lighting design by Andrew Gmoser, costume design by Alison Zador. CAST: James benjamin Rodgers as Quasimodo, Quinto Ott as Dom Frollo, Laura Helm as Esmeralda, Gabe Belyeu as Clopin Trouillefou, Michael Brennan as Phoebus de Martin.

For showtimes and more details please visit www.machaydntheatre.org or call the box office at 518-392-9292

REVIEW: The Hunchback of Notre Dame” at the Mac-Haydn Theatre It’s late July and the theatre scene is hopping! None of our regular Berkshire On Stage critics was able to fit a trip to the Mac-Haydn to see…

[theagingboomer]

Many of us baby boomers are fixed in our ways and bah, humbug, we’re entitled to be! But we also like it when some boomers aren’t. So when we saw this piece on the website of our PBS partners NextAvenue.org, we thought, we ought to run with it. It’s author and travel writer Judith Glynn’s frank confession about how a young stranger changed her mind about tattoos.

I was at Newark Airport waiting for my cross-country flight to San Francisco when a young man nearby stretched and swayed his willowy body, arms raised hallelujah-style. A tattoo began at his wrist, encircled his forearm and disappeared into an Army-fatigue jacket scrunched at his elbow.

After staring for a while, I returned to the AARP magazine on my lap. I wondered if his mother disapproved of what he’d done to his body. My four adult children didn’t have any tattoos, thank heavens, I thought.

When I boarded and buckled in, that tattooed arm clicked its owner into the seat beside me. He flipped his long auburn hair, sending the wavy locks cascading down his back. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties.

I was a 65-year-old, conservatively dressed but not dowdy grandmother, still blond with my hairdresser’s help, and a small-business owner in Manhattan, although originally from a parochial New England city. The Longchamp backpack at my feet held overdue reading for the six-hour flight taking me to a writer’s conference.

“Hi,” my seatmate said, as I opened my book. “Where do you think we are now?” he asked, tracing the route in the inflight magazine and leaning on the narrow armrest to look out my window. I mumbled “probably upstate New York” and returned to reading.

Why was he talking to me? We had nothing in common. I wanted solitude.

When the meal cart arrived, he declined. Although I hadn’t ask why, he said it couldn’t compare with the turf-and-surf meal he had with the chairman of a major toy store the night before at Manhattan’s pricey 21 Club.

I then learned that my seat mate was the lead guitarist for the popular Guitar Hero video game that simulates a rock band. Played by kids, their parents, wannabe stars and even celebrities, the set list covers generations of legendary rock and metal guitar artists. As the player’s skill improves, the virtual venues change from basements to stadiums.

The only instrument I played was a plastic ukulele but that was as a kid and only until its strings broke. I certainly had never played Guitar Hero.

“No drug references, violence or vulgar lyrics in your game?” I asked.

“No drugs or bad behavior for me,” he said.

“It’s a pleasure to meet a positive role model. How did you get this far?” I asked.

His passion for the instrument began at 14 after his mother bought him a guitar at a pawnshop. When his friends drove around, drank or did drugs, he practiced. When his parents’ screaming marriage, which ended in a divorce, ripped him apart, he played punk-metal music to drown them out. After 20 years with a guitar, the fingers on his left hand were slightly lengthened. He was astonished by the game’s success that brought travel and fan adulation.

Although he expected to marry his corporate-world girlfriend, he fantasized about The Mile High Club. When an attractive blonde returned to a nearby seat, he asked what I thought of her.

“You’ll need a nighttime flight and an empty back row with blankets to join that club,” I said.

“You seem to know what you’re talking about,” he said and leaned into me. It was then I noticed his blue-green eyes that revealed a wizened soul.

“I fly often, and I’m guessing at the specifics,” I said and giggled.

Somewhere over the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, a painful memory jabbed at my conscience, enough to share it with the young man beside me.

“Your passion for your craft resembles my passion for writing.” I said.

Author Judith Glynn

When I was in my thirties, I was in an unhappy, verbally abusive marriage. Driven to write, I spent lonely nights at my kitchen table, pre-computer days, typing articles I feared would be rejected. When I daringly enrolled in my first writer’s conference in California, my oppressive husband warned our marriage was finished if I attended. On the return flight home I cried about the pending divorce but had no regrets over my exhilarating one-night stand at the event.

“It’s important to face life without a mask rather than pretend conformity,” I told my seatmate. He nodded in agreement.

“It’s also important to touch and to be touched,” I said, adding I was younger and hotter in those days. It struck me I wouldn’t have told my grown children that story.

“You’re still hot,” he said softly.

Despite our budding kinship, I couldn’t get past his outrageous tattoos. I asked why he had done it.

He shot me a get-over-it-lady glance and rubbed the octopus design. Then he lifted his T-shirt to reveal a Celtic vine tat that began at his armpit, swirled down his bony side and disappeared into his jeans. I was horrified.

“Don’t you know when you’re much older those tattoos will turn a putrid blue? Your skin will sag with deformed images?” I scolded.

He lowered his eyes as he absorbed my insult.

“Well,” he said. ”I knew early on I wouldn’t sit in any boardroom. Everyone in my generation with ink will sag, too.”

When he prepared for a nap a bit later, he clamped on earphones, shaded his eyes with wrap-around sunglasses and tossed the jacket over his head. He resembled a captured fugitive, but I was the imprisoned one sitting in plain sight with my prejudice against tattooed people.

During the plane’s descent and with his knee resting against mine, I nudged him awake, regretting our flight was over. Waiting to disembark, he waved at a buddy several rows away who wore a nose ring, spiked hair and an inscribed arm.

“Hey, nice talking to you,” my seat mate said, as he hoisted his luggage from the carousel and waved goodbye.

“The pleasure was mine,” I replied.

A year later, my son met me in his kitchen. A burly, 45-year-old crane operator, he’s a Deadhead and a family man, with a personality that fills a room.

“Hey, Ma,” he said, lifting his shirt as he turned around. “Like it?”

On his back was a perfectly etched portrait of his family. When he moved his shoulder, the trio moved.

And what did I think about a skull and crossbones for his other arm?

As I struggled to respond to this question, I remembered my remarkable seatmate.

I could still picture him leaving the airport terminal, that tattooed arm draped over his friend’s shoulder as they disappeared into the crowd. He had helped me make a much-needed attitude adjustment, something I was especially grateful for in this moment.

“Go for it,” I told my son.

The post The plane ride that changed a boomer’s mind about tattoos appeared first on BoomerCafe.com.

x

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

ON THIS DAY IN THE LONG, DARK HISTORY OF THE EARLY '90s CRUST WAR.

PIC INFO: On this day, a "Hardcore Holocaust!!" -- Spotlight on a gig/show flyer for DISRUPT, DROPDEAD, TASTE OF FEAR, ATROCITY, DEFORMED CONSCIENCE, & CEREBRAL CONTUSION, performing live at Litchfield, Grange, Rhode Island, USA, on December 21, 1991 or '92.

^If this show indeed went down in '92, it had to have been one of the last ever DISRUPT shows as GRIEF had been formed in the ashes of that aforementioned band, and released their debut album "Dismal" in 1993.

Source: https://in.pinterest.com/pin/848365648557654358.