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hazelfoureyes · 4 months ago

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A Doe in Fall (Part 9)

⟢HumanAlastor x FemaleBurlesquerReader - A Doe in Fall

A burlesquer with a penchant for conning men, you find your latest game interrupted when your next mark saves you from an aggressive fan— by killing him. The chance encounter left you curious, still half convinced you could complete your normal chase. Unbeknownst to you, you were the one being tracked.

Part 1 - Pretty in Red smut💦 Part 2 - Liar smut💦 Part 3 - A Tragedy smut💦 Part 4 - Enough Part 5 - Too Much Part 6 - Learning smut💦 Part 7 - Recognition smut💦 Part 8 - Trust sexual 🥵 Part 9 - Shiny Things 📍 Part 10 - Good Deeds Part 11 - Caught Part 12 - Eddie Part 13 - The Release Part 14 - Someone like her smutty💦

Part 9 - Shiny Things

Ephi moves in, and Ruth reads you like an open book.

��Warnings/Promises: HumanAlastor x Fem! BurlesqueReader, Reference to domestic abuse of non-reader character, fucks, crows, swans, emotions be emotioning, so many birds, I don’t think reader is Aromantic I think she’s just stubborn, Cliff diving is just a joke do not follow people off cliffs, everyone is kicking reader’s ass in some way, my apologies to parts of Texas but not Texas as a whole」

Long time no see ! My head wasn’t in the right space for this story, and my head was also literally not doing well. But! Reading glasses helped since I’m writing on my phone like 7 inches from my face. the goal is Wednesday updates~ there’s about four parts already written so we’ve got a month of runway 👌🏼 Wednesday mornings are ‘God, That’s Good’ by @macabr3-barbi3 and nights are ADIF!

🎶 last time on A Doe In Fall 🎶 : you came home from your first week staying officially at Alastor’s to find your estranged sister waiting on your stoop.

this isn’t sexy but just like minors come on, MDNI? This blog is a sex shop

It’s not that you hated your sister, it’s that you resented her. You could love someone and not like them an ounce… but unfortunately when she left so did your familial love. Which meant all that held you together now was distrust and an obligation to a dead woman.

“So things didn’t pan out up north?” You waved her into your apartment, agitation apparent in even the gesture of your arm.

“It’s peachy! Just need to lay low a bit.” She said it with a chipper voice while looking around your apartment like she paid for it. “Wow you weren’t lying about the no money, huh? Talk about a shoebox.”

Charming.

“Well, Ephi, you’re welcome to leave.” While you didn’t understand the name it wasn’t your business to question what someone asked to be called. Especially considering your own dual identity. You may have disliked the woman but human decency still hung to the bones of the relationship you called your sisterhood.

An obnoxious chuckle, “Nah it’ll do! Just the one single bed?”

“Why would I have more than one bed?”

A deep sigh from her, “Still last to be picked by the fellas, sis?” Her hand passed over your dresses hanging in the open closet, “The ugly duckling was always your favorite story.”

The fine hairs rose on the back of your neck, a cat’s hackles moving as the anger bristled through your body. You opened your mouth to shout all the ways you were not the ugly one in the room, hand already in the air to direct her attention to the dried, hanging flowers covering the far wall. How many people threw flowers at her feet? How many proposals were shouted to her? Wedding rings slipped off fingers and into pockets for her?

The air in your lungs went flat as a small fire of embarrassment rose in your gut.

How could she so quickly reduce you to a little girl again? Taking the bait for a fight you couldn’t win, because she wasn’t listening to anything but her own voice. Biting the inside of your cheek, your hand fell back to your side.

“You can take it. I’ll just be by for clothes now and then. Been staying with a friend closer to work.” Flipping through your mind you tried to catalog your valuables. What did you absolutely need to not turn up missing?

Ephi sat on the bed and crossed her legs in her best imitation of a lady. “Staying with Mister Fancy Pants?” A smile that reminded you of your childhood. A smile that said, “I won’t tell mom!” Right before turning and running to your mother’s ear.

“No.”

A giggle two octaves above her usual tone, “Sure, okay! No skin off my back.”

You took your time to gather the items you had forgotten first, then the items you didn’t want her to have. Unsure how exactly to tell Alastor why a week into sharing his home officially you were already redecorating, you left that for your future self to figure out. The first item was obvious.

An angel statue your mother kept on her nightstand. You wrapped it in some newspaper, trying not to look in her direction.

Your sister chased dick like most people chased liberty. Something she shared with your mother. Which was her right, but it rubbed you the wrong way how she would always forget everyone else in her life when she had a man to call her own. A fair weather friend, at that.

“How’s Howard?” The dick that took her away so many years ago.

She abandoned the lady act and rummaged through your cabinets, “Who’s that?”

Right.

A gold coin on a necklace. You slipped it inside a sock.

“So, then, who is the man of the hour?”

Ephi began opening the dresser drawers, poking here and there. “Whaddya mean! I am an independent woman.”

You weren’t sure that had ever been true. While your mother had drilled it into your skull to never place yourself in the need of a man, she always seemed to throw her heart (and house keys and purse strings…) at the feet of any man willing to love her.

“Love” her.

There was no love in any of that. A common problem of confusing love with any and all intense emotions affected your mother and many others.

Slashed furniture is not adoration. Breaking windows is not a love language. Bruises are not affection.

Your hands ran down the bag’s shapeless sides. Without thinking, you smiled. Adoration. Love languages. Affection. You had them and the knowledge of their secrets all to yourself.

Secrets you didn’t need slipping out. Secrets your sister couldn’t hold to save her life, or yours for that matter. You hurried around the room grabbing knick-knacks and photos and jewelry. Alastor would be at work soon, you wondered if you should call to warn him. This time not about a hot headed flatfoot but a nosey sibling.

You’d tell him later. No reason to talk to Brenda again. Quickly your leather bag got full and heavy. What was supposed to be a casual foray into sharing a home already turning into a full on move.

Everything you needed and a few things no one ever would, because damn would Ephi pawn them the very second she needed something, were safely zipped away. Any plans to relax at home before work were abandoned and you just marched to the door.

A random memory flashed behind your eyes, washing Alastor’s hair in the tub until the water ran clear. Why now? The only memory shared in your apartment. And it was an awful one. But, it had Alastor. That gave it value.

“Hey, if any men come by looking for me you just don’t answer, okay?” You forced your face to relax, to show the sincerity you worked so hard to keep to yourself, “Please, Ephi.”

Her smile widened past unnaturally white teeth, no money for a room but clearly cash for peroxide tooth gel, “Ooh, why? Little sister make some enemies?”

Why couldn’t she just fucking agree?

“My job sometimes attracts crazies. I don’t tell them where I live but occasionally they figure it out. They’ve gotten violent before so…just don’t answer the buzzer. They’ll say they’re damn near anyone to get you to let them up.” You stopped the nervous twisting of your bag’s handle, “Boyfriend, boss, detective. They've tried it all.”

“Aww, sis. Look at you.” She leaned her full figure against the open door frame, arm raised up like a pin up. Ephi was always effortlessly enchanting when her mouth was closed. “Stalkers? Mama would be so proud. Finally learning how to catch a man’s attention.”

The tears that stung your eyes were inspired partly by anger and partly by pain. They came so suddenly you could only laugh in response.

“Lovely to see your new name hasn’t changed you, Ephi. I’ll be back occasionally. Don’t steal anything, no strangers over. Spare key is in the bowl by the door.”

“Oh hey!”

You turned back.

“I do need some cash. Until I find work.”

The numbness blanketed you with a chill.

“I’ve got like, three bucks. Is that fine?”

Why did you ask that? You knew she could very well say it wasn’t fine and you’d be obligated to offer to get more. Atleast, that’s what you’d have done when you were younger. How easily you both slipped into old roles. Or perhaps she never grew out of hers.

She mulled it over, “Yeah that’ll be fine.” Her hand came out and waited for the bills.

An open palm waiting for your money.

You pulled the folded bills from your wallet and set them in her hand without touching her skin.

“Thanks sis!” She turned and closed the door before you could reply.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

The other dancers shot you a look when your bag jingled and clanked as it hit the floor, you wincing as you remembered the ceramic figurine.

“You…. going somewhere, hun? The detective got you on something?”

A quick shake of your head. You hadn’t considered the optics. Luckily it was early enough the room wasn’t very busy. A few select missing women would have pried for more information. Your hands fidgeted, unsure what to do. On the way in you saw some newer talent getting their feet on stage, maybe watch them? Too early for make up.

A loving voice from Ruth, always a savior, “Cigarette?”

You melted at the offer. Alastor wasn’t a fan of the smell so you were slyly cutting back.

She popped a sun bleached folding chair open and set it in between you both as a footrest. So many broken and ruined chairs littered the sides of the dingy roof, you were shocked she found a good one on her first try.

“Alright, tell me what happened with that detective. Do I need to go rough up a city employee?” Ruth leaned back and settled into her chair with a creak and a whine of the wood.

You needed a second, eyes flitting around as she handed her cigarette for you to take a drag. What could you say? What did she already know? You’d not spoken about it since she helped shoo him away but the appearance of half your belongings haphazardly stuffed into a bag clearly had her alarms going off.

“So remember the guy who came by for me? Tall handsome one.”

She nodded enthusiastically, “Yes! Of course. Don’t forget a name like his. Or face.” She whistled like a crude man trying to get a woman’s attention in the most annoying way.

“The detective thinks he did something to Tommy. That he was jealous. Which is ridiculous-,” you felt a nervous energy slip down your arms.

An abrupt laugh, “That string bean couldn’t open a heavy window. He didn’t do shit to Tommy. What a stupid thing to say.”

Did she notice how much you’d been holding your breath? A deep sigh as you let it go. “Exactly! He doesn’t even know about what happened that night with that guy and Tommy’s arrangement; it’s too mortifying. Anyway, the detective has been hounding me about it. I don’t wanna cause trouble.” You ashed the cigarette and held it out for her, “Stuff is still new with him and me, so I didn’t tell the detective his details or work anything. Why would I? So he can harass him too?” The words all tumbled out so quickly. A faucet turned too far to the left.

“Fair.” A few passes back and forth in what you hoped was a comfortable silence and not an indication she was piecing together things you needed to remain unlinked. Finally, “Didn’t realize you two were still seeing each other. Longest one you’ve kept for awhile now.”

Looking up, you marveled at the view of the open sky. Not a cloud in sight. A smile crept across your face, the heat of the sun warming you from the inside out. The slightest chill to the air warning you of Fall. “Yeah.”

She asked what made him so special and you didn’t know where to start. “The obvious,” you began. “He’s so-,”

“Clever.” “Handsome.”

You’d spoken at the same time, her attempt at soothsaying failing miserably.

“Clever, Ruth. He’s very clever. Handsome men are a dime a dozen. But he’s sharp as a tack.” She rolled her eyes and waved her hand around for you to go on. You let your mind toss out the shiniest examples. “He’s so skilled. He knows how to hunt and take apart animals. He can fish. Cooks like a dream. He knows how to clean clothes well and how to use a washing board.”

“Useful.” She mused. That isn’t what you meant. You weren’t trying to list off his features like a new appliance. It was just— impressive. He was well rounded.

“And he’s terribly kind. He’s always,” how to say it delicately, “going out of his way to help others solve their problems.” That seemed accurate and vague enough. You chuckled to yourself, remembering him at the kitchen table, “His face lights up so bright when he’s talking about his hobbies. Like, I can see his soul glittering behind his eyes and suddenly I’m just as interested in whatever he’s talking about as he is.” You let your eyes close around the mental image of his surprised face every time you complimented him. But they shot open when she began giggling, “What?”

“You’re in looooove,” her foot kicked yours, “I know that look. Head over heels already. Talking about him like he made the fucking stars.”

Wide eyed and stunned, was it written on your face so plainly? “Oh don’t say that. It makes me so uncomfortable. We’re just enjoying each other's company.” When she moved to give you the cigarette again you didn’t take it. “All I was saying was—,” fuck, what were you saying? That he was special? “He’s a very nice person to spend my limited time with. It’s a finite resource and all.”

With a shrug she took another puff, “What’s to be uncomfortable about? Falling in love is a wonderful thing, hun.”

Was it? Honestly, had she ever considered how much damage came with loving someone? It was putting your heart outside your body. Letting someone else carry it around and just praying they didn’t hurt you, or get hurt, or go off and die and take your heart with them. Why would anyone willingly do such a silly thing?

“Cheesy. And kind of creepy. Falling? How do I get back up if things go south?”

You’d successfully avoided emotional attachment to nearly every lover you’d taken. The way women seemed to get struck down dumb by any old John or Jane just wasn’t appealing. Love was for fools. The weak. The dependent.

Or, so you had whispered to yourself as you pretended to not be home when suitors came knocking, as you avoided ringing phones, as you apologized and slid out of restaurant seats after awkward dinners.

“If you fall hard enough, you don’t get back up.” She said it like it was a good thing. “You’ll love them forever, even if you hate em.”

That was the problem, too. How could she not hear that as she said it? All loss of control of your own heart and emotions was simply bad. People do irrational things for love.

You shivered, “That sounds absolutely horrid, Ruth.”

“Aah,” she dismissed you with a raspberry blown between her lips, “For the right man, you’ll find yourself enjoying the trip down!”

“Nah, I’m not fan of heights. No dick is worth that.”

“Is that all men are to you? Sex?” She guffawed, taken aback by your comment. Which was odd, given it was Ruth.

But, Yes.

Well. No . But — he wasn't a man. He was something different. The exception to the rule. Alastor was different.

Or, fine.

Yes, he was a man.

No, you didn’t see them as just sex. It was easier to say people were just pleasure and not stop to think about life any other way. Things got complicated when you added another person. Life became sloppy and uncontainable. If you stopped and considered the lives behind the people you used to lead on and let go before things got too difficult, you’d just wound yourself. It was easier to stop at sex.

When you could. Which you could, before. When sex was a token you traded back and forth with someone. But Alastor didn’t accept that currency. You couldn’t hand him your body and get brief but lovely companionship back. Your value had to lie elsewhere, the things you set before him and the wonders he had to offer were much richer in their worth than what you’d ever had before.

Sometimes it felt like you slid him a penny and he handed you a quarter. You found yourself scrounging up the petty coins of your worth and trying to save them up for him. Practicing your makeup, learning how he liked his coffee, remembering all of the things he said he hated and loved. Attempting to stop smoking. Every act was another shiny offering for him.

A crow scrounging the park grounds for glittering trash. Not very swan-like, you thought.

“You really don’t think you’re falling for him?” Ruth put out the cigarette in the coffee can beside her. As you turned to argue with her you saw her face full of amusement and incredulousness. It was rhetorical.

The argument withered and you could only pout, everyone that day seeming to catch your tongue, “I don’t wanna think about it. I’ll get scared and run away. He’ll figure out how little I have to give eventually. If anything more is gonna happen, it’ll happen. I’ll just… let it. Why ruin it with… saying childish things.”

“You’re naive but that’s okay. Enjoy the honeymoon stage while you can.”

Your eyes rolled, “What if he doesn’t feel the same? Why embarrass myself.” When you sighed the weight of just how heavy and true that sentiment was resonated in your stomach. Telling him you were falling in love? Alastor was a killer. His passion was singular. What good was a dame to him? No, worse than worthless. A liability. A witness. A weak point in the walls he so carefully crafted. If he knew you were in love with him he’d just end things sooner than they would have naturally.

“Dontcha wanna know if he’s a waste of that precious time, then?”

You cackled, choking on your spit. Alastor? He was the most worthwhile thing you’d ever encountered. Time with him suddenly had …. Value. That fucking word again. But time with him, it was slow enough to be deep and rich, but so fleeting you already felt a mourning mood for how much closer you were to the end.

You could only shake your head, “Wait, Ruth, didn’t you get divorced?”

“Shhh that doesn’t count!” She rose and stretched her long arms up to the sun and then out to the horizon, “Plus that’s how I know what I’m talking about! After the honeymoon phase? You’ll be arguing about laundry and wishing you were strangers again. Fighting about children and lawncare.”

As your finger nervously came to your mouth, teeth cutting into the nail, you considered how if Alastor complained about laundry and you could argue back with the comfort of knowing neither would simply leave, that’d be….nice. The safety of being honest without the fear of the other person giving up on you. Was that love?

And did that matter at all?

You’d thought earlier you knew the answers but now, when someone else said it, you got scared of those words.

Ruth must have put a spell on you. As you and a bevy of others danced in line on stage, arms over shoulders and legs kicking high enough to show cheek and jiggle the soft skin of your thighs and stomach, you felt butterflies in your gut. Alastor would be picking you up in a matter of hours.

A few men sent you drinks, which you repaid with a wink and a kiss blown across the bar before downing the liquor. It was the usual routine. You hadn’t felt nerves to see Alastor quite like that since sheepishly picking out “comfortable” shoes.

Alastor’s eyes widened when he took the bag from you, not noticing your attempts to avoid making eye contact. He let out a chuckle, his best attempt at stifling the joking question, “Already moving in?”

He realized quickly enough that wasn’t a good joke. Not when he finally looked up and saw your stare was distant.

“Everything okay, dear?” He walked to open your door for you, and you nodded a thank you and an affirmative.

Should you rip off the band aid? Should you just say it and see what happens?

When you turned to look at him and blurt out a confession, you were stopped by the profile of his face. What a gentle face. A lovely jaw. Even his bones were better than other people’s. What were you doing in this man’s car? What little pieces of glittering trash were you about to toss at him on a random Friday night?

No, in the books you read, confessions were always grande affairs. Fireworks and dinner parties and passionate kisses in rain storms.

You’d have to put a little effort into this. His brows rose as he clocked your staring. Eyes on the road, smirk pulled to the right, his hand came to rest on your thigh.

He deserved something much better than whatever you had to offer. Something unlike yourself entirely.

The drive home, and yes you let yourself linger on the word instead of shoo it away, you watched a deer jump across the dirt road just past the bridge.

“The bucks chase the does. It’s part of their mating ritual. I guess it’s not unlike the ‘playing hard to get’ some women like. The longer the chase, the prouder the buck to snag his prize.”

You laughed, “Women don’t like it, I don’t think. Well, some do I am sure but… If we don’t do that then people think we’re easy. We need plausible deniability. If people learn we put out we can claim we didn’t really want to and save some face.”

Alastor grimaced, “Gross.”

Unseen, you nodded and turned to watch the buck leap after its doe.

“Kind of funny, you chased me down, didn’t you?” Alastor’s comment pulled you back to him.

“Oh yes. That makes you my doe.” Your arm came to rest against the car door, the trees slowly rolling by in the darkness. “Reminds me of the small freckles across your shoulders.”

“My mighty buck!” He fawned, in jest, pretending to collapse into your lap. You shoved him back up and behind the wheel proper. “Well given the chance, I’d chase you for miles.” His hand flexed on your leg.

“To Texas?” You asked. Your usual end point.

“Further.”

“How far?”

“There is no limit. I’d … run right off a cliff, head first, if you were waiting at the bottom.” He took his hand back, needing both to hold the wheel. What he said hit him harder than he had intended. Was it too much? A tad too dramatic? A nervous clearing of his throat, followed by an awkward laugh to put more space between him and the confession.

The idea of you making Alastor chase you was ridiculous. You enjoyed the games you played with others, but you were never meant to be caught. If you wanted that, you’d just…give yourself. As you had done with him. Only him. The first and last person you ever wanted to give yourself over to in any sense. “And if I just… lied down and let you catch me? Would that make me a poorly earned prize?”

“Nope! That’d make me a lucky duck. And make you quite smart, if I do say so myself.” A wink. “Why run from such a catch like me?”

You landed a smack on his arm, light and playful.

A truly comfortable silence settled in, just the sound of the car trembling over the rough road. The newest model Ford was still as loud as the last, but luckily you were far from others.

The words had lingered like smoke, and you felt the need to address them.

“Don’t actually do that though. If I run off a cliff or something stupid, don’t you dare follow me.”

Alastor just laughed, wasn’t that what you were doing for him already? Diving into hell for some inexplicable reason after Alastor. He wasn’t expressing some lack of self preservation, he was merely letting you know he’d reciprocate the fall. You hadn’t made him run after you, but instead seemed to just….rest your neck between his canines. And trust.

If you were to go to heaven, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. It was too late to redeem his soul now. How far was heaven from hell, anyways? If the devil survived the plummet perhaps he could scale the walls of his enclosure and breach the gates.

Though, as he thought about the idea of heaven, he considered how happy his mother would be to meet you. To take you from her would be as cruel as heaven taking you from him.

Maybe he could make a plea. To just be able to see you from below.

But if the knowledge you were happy and safe was all he had, he’d be a richer man in hell than he’d ever been on earth. It’d be enough.

He’d just need to broadcast his radio waves a little further for your listening pleasure.

⋅˚₊‧ ଳ⋆Masterlist.ೃ࿔*:･

˖ ݁𖥔.Summoning the Horny Little Deer Cult.𖥔 ݁ ˖

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kingdomreigns · 5 months ago

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A believer's identity “in Christ” means we are:

1. Saved

Rescued from sin’s penalty (Eph 2:8-9)

2. Sealed

Marked by the Spirit (Eph 1:13-14)

3. Secure

Eternally safe in God (Rom 8:38-39)

4. Sanctified

Set apart for God (1 Cor 6:11)

5. Sent

Christ’s ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20)

—Dustin Benge

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walkswithmyfather · 2 years ago

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WHO YOU SAY I AM!

I am chosen - 1 Thess 1:4

I am called of God - 2 Tim 1:9

I am being changed into His image - 2 Cor 3:18

I am a new creation - 2 Cor 5:17

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit - 1 Cor 6:19

I am forgiven of all my sins - Eph 1:7

I am redeemed from the curse of the law - Gal 3:14

I am blessed - Gal 3:9

I am the head and not the tail - Deut 28:13

I am above and not beneath - Deut 28:13

I am victorious - Rev 12:11

I am set free - John 8:32

I am strong in the Lord - Eph 6:10

I am healed by His wounds - 1 Peter 2:24

I am free from condemnation - Rom 8:1

I am reconciled to God - 2 Cor 5:18

I am joint heirs with Christ - Rom 8:17

I am more than a conqueror - Rom 8:37

I am accepted in Him - Eph 1:6

I am complete in Him - Col 2:10

Friend, this is who God says you are. This is who you are in Christ. Amen! 🙌

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mybeautifulchristianjourney · 5 months ago

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A Believer's Identity “in Christ” Means We Are:

Saved Rescued from sin’s penalty (Eph 2:8-9)

Sealed Marked by the Spirit (Eph 1:13-14)

Secure Eternally safe in God (Rom 8:38-39)

Sanctified Set apart for God (1 Cor 6:11)

Sent Christ’s ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20)

Dustin Benge

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banana-with-a-bow-tie · 5 months ago

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What do you think about postmillennials claiming that "dispy defeatism" is the reason sin still exists in the world?

I think that is drifting pretty closely into prosperity theology territory, which there is often a lot of overlap between postmillennial and prosperity teachers.

Postmillennialism teaches that life on earth is going to get better and better as Christians continually exert their influence over everything and completely establish God's kingdom on earth which will then allow Jesus to return. This view defies the promises and narrative of Scripture (not to mention common sense) and presents a rather low view of God's sovereign rule.

It's a very "your best life now" approach. God wants you to have all the blessings of heaven right now, so if you are experiencing suffering or sin, it's all your fault for not having enough faith. Scripture never promises us that. We are promised hardship and opposition and terrible times (2 Tim 3:1-7; 1 Pet 4:12).

Far from being a defeatist view, this puts our ultimate hope in Christ's victory and not our own strength. We live in an already, not yet state. We are more than conquerors in Christ (Rom 8:37), but we will not be totally like Him until we see Him face to face (1 John 3:2). This is a comfort to us because we know that if we are faithless, God remains faithful (2 Tim 2:13).

The corruption we see in the world is not evidence that God's plan is being thwarted. He still reigns regardless of how the winds of power and culture shift (Prov 21:1). When the promises of Scripture are fulfilled, it will be entirely by God's power. We contribute nothing, same as always, so that God receives all the glory (Eph 2:9). Because we know God wins in the end, it gives us courage to remain faithful and trust that whatever we go through is part of His plan, working all things good and bad together to make us more like Christ (Rom 8:28-29).

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inkedwingss · 3 months ago

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poiema (ποίημα)

OK, but did you know the Greek word for workmanship is poiema (ποίημα)? It describes God's creative activity. It's the word from which poem and poetry are derived. In Eph 2.10:

"... for of Him we are workmanship [poeima], created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God did before prepare, that in them we may walk."

That is why C.S. Lewis wrote, in "The Problem of Pain":

Do you know what it means that you are God’s workmanship? What is art? Art is beautiful, art is valuable, and art is an expression of the inner being of the maker, of the artist. Imagine what that means. You’re beautiful … you’re valuable … and you’re an expression of the very inner being of the Artist, the divine Artist, God Himself.

Which makes me think of Rm 1.20:

"For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and all the things that make him God [his divine nature] – have been clearly seen [perceived], understood through what God has made (poiema)."

So we can't say "always the poet, never the poem", after all.

The reason we can be poets it's because we have been created at the image of the Greatest Poet. He wrote you. He knows all your lines, your rhymes, your broken verses...

And He knows how amazing the end of the poem is. He is still writing. You are living art. Your eyes. Your heart. Your soul. You're unique—everyone is unique! Doesn't that make you feel humble?

You're special, and so is everyone else. It's not a competition to see who is better: we are all loved, because God is infinite, so he can love you infinitely, without dividing himself— without dividing his attention, his power, his presence.

He can be everything to everyone at the same time. He is the bread that never ends, forever multiplied.

He is the Eternal Artist and we stand in awe.

(As the eternal choir sings...)

Jesus is the Son, the visible revelation of an invisible God, and as disciples, we are called to be like him. To be a work of art—not just in appearance, but from the heart, from the motifs themselves. For beauty and truth can't be distinguished. They walk as one.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (YLT98)

[1] Also you — being dead in the trespasses and the sins, [2] in which once ye did walk according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, [3] among whom also we all did walk once in the desires of our flesh, doing the wishes of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath — as also the others, [4] and God, being rich in kindness, because of His great love with which He loved us, [5] even being dead in the trespasses, did make us to live together with the Christ, (by grace ye are having been saved,) [6] and did raise [us] up together, and did seat [us] together in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus, [7] that He might show, in the ages that are coming, the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, [8] for by grace ye are having been saved, through faith, and this not of you — of God the gift, [9] not of works, that no one may boast; [10] for of Him we are workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God did before prepare, that in them we may walk."

#poiema #poema #poetry #poets #poets corner #poetry community #christian #christian poem #christian writers #christian poetry #christianity #jesus #god #god is good #grace #theology

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psalmonesermons · 7 months ago

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Why be born again Part 3

The dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus continues: John 3:5-17

John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

v5 This is not about baptism. The Greek word for both spirit and wind is the same word (pneuma). As a Pharisee, Nicodemus’ mind would begin to turn towards Exodus 14:21 (the Exodus) when the strong wind dried up the red sea and made a path to allow the children of Israel to walk into the promised land. God had to do a miracle with the wind and the water.

Israel in a sense, was reborn at this moment. Nicodemus was beginning to understand the direction of Jesus as he spoke about the wind and the water.

Born of water and the spirit.

Water has 3 main pictures in the bible:

1.the Gospel-see Isaiah 55

2. Word of God Eph 5:26

3. Holy Spirit John 7:37-39

In v5 its meaning is the water as the word of God.

v6 Our bodies are not suitable for heaven- we will receive a spiritual (resurrection) body in heaven. Theology is flesh, Truth is spirit.

v.7-8 Nicodemus is shocked! Jesus uses the illustration of the wind. No person knows where it begins or ends but we can clearly see and/or hear its effects, but we know it is real.

The new birth is as real as the wind! The effects are felt internally.

9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

v9 Nicodemus is shocked and cannot grasp what Jesus is telling him.

v10 Jesus suggests to Nicodemus that as the top religious person in Israel he ought to have deduced these things from the scripture.

v11 When Jesus says ‘we’ here he means himself and the Holy Spirit are witnessing to Nicodemus, but he still does not get it.

v12 Jesus says that if Nicodemus cannot receive earthly truth in his soul, then how much less can he receive heavenly truth in his spirit.

v13 Jesus prophesies that he will shortly ascend to heaven after his resurrection.

Jesus now continues talking to Nicodemus right though v14-21.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

v14-17 Jesus now preaches his wonderful Gospel message. Although most Christians know the verse John 3:16, few realise it was part of Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus.

In Part 4 we will discuss whether or not Nicodemus became a believer in Jesus Christ and also learn how we can bring the message of the new birth to the unbelievers we meet in life.

#christianity #bible study #bibletruth #blog post #blessings #psalmonesermons #faith #victory #devotional #nicodemus #born again

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thetwilightroadtonightfall · 1 year ago

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I reread my own fic A Light That Never Goes Out last night and remembered that I actually have notes for it so here y’all go, I’m dumping them here! 🌈

Ch 1

okay so here we go, here’s me explaining the candle thing again

To the newer folks who might not know, when you meet Ephemera in khx (browser chi), he asks you to get a candle from the Moogle because the Moogle wouldn’t let him get one. You’re more successful than he is, and throughout the quests where you’re traveling in the sewers with him, you go ahead and clear out the Heartless while he holds the candle so the flame doesn’t go out. The sewers visibly look darker too, until you both reach the end

You can watch it here

Ch 2

It always bugged me that the union leaders never got to fully grieve Ava or any of the other foretellers on screen. As far as they know, they perished in the war, they’re gone. So I wanted to let Ephemera have a moment to miss her, as one of her friends and someone who liked being around her

I also think that out of anything that happened during the war, it would’ve been really poignant if Player remembered their interaction with Ava. Of course, that’s part of their pain that was meant to be erased via union cross, but I imply that in this fic, Ephemera has gradually been helping them sift through the memories rather than completely suppressing them. Slowly re-exposing them to the memories so they don’t have a total breakdown.

As someone very close to Ephemera, it just feels more right and fair to him that Player gets these important memories back. It’s his sign of trust

Ch 3

It’s the shortest chapter, but still one I really like

It’s important to me that you know just how smitten Ephemera is with Player, and also how great of a friend Skuld is

She plays a wingman role in this fic, basically the one who encourages these two oblivious pining dorks to get together and helps when they need a third opinion

Ch 4

As I said in the notes, this is an expanded/updated version of an ask prompt which you can read here

The most important change to me was Ephemera asking to kiss them first rather than going in all gung ho. It feels more in character for him. Plus we love consent in this household!

Ch 5

I miss khux’s avatar boards…but not buying them!! 😜

The black and white tuxedo Player tries on was foreshadowing for Ephemera struggling to choose between a black and white tuxedo in ch 9

I also just really love Ephemera in red boots. It’s like…a Thing for me now. This will not be the last you hear of it

Now’s a good spot to mention that Ephemera’s absolutely relentless when it comes to being flirty. Not in the “whoa he‘s got rizz” way, but more in the “wow this guy’s a massive cheese ball” way. He’s been like this in my head since 2016 (I blame Kam. Love you Kam!!)

Ch 6

This was written with the intent of Player being somewhere on the ace/aro spectrum (one of the meanings for the chapter being called Purple is a reference to the colour purple on the ace flag). I didn’t really elaborate on it or even mention it because honestly, I’m not aspec and I wasn’t sure if I was portraying it accurately enough for it to be a prominent point

What I wanted the focus to be on was simply that Ephemera would love them, no matter what they feel or don’t feel. This applies to chapter 10 too, where he’s very understanding of whatever their opinion on having kids is

Ch 7

The jokes about the barter system is actually from a bunch of skulmerayer mini prompts I tried to write but ultimately couldn’t figure out or even fit in anywhere else

Eph and Player should’ve been able to hang out in Candy Kingdom together like they did in Cy-Bug Sector…..I stand by this

They both have a severe case of the sillies, amplified when they’re around each other

Ch 8

I think Ephemera gets bad dreams too, especially after the war. He often dreams about how hurt Player got, or worse, not being able to save them at all. And now he has bad dreams of the canon universe, where he lost everything, including Player

But this is a different timeline, where the two of them, and Skuld, were all able to escape the data world and meet up with the other leaders again to plan their next move in a new world

Ch 9

In this alternate timeline, all the union leaders continue their work together in Scala ad Caelum at the main tower. Honestly, I didn’t really think of how this would happen, but just imagine some kind of override where they’re able to create a new world at the expense of losing Daybreak Town forever. That part sadly stays the same

Skuld tells Ephemera, “You’ll be alright on your own.” It’s a callback to what he told her before leaving her party.

I like listening to Chikai (orchestra), starting it right before Ephemera pulls out the wayfinder :)

LISTEN I just think gifting a wayfinder can also be a romantic gesture. The sokai fans get this. It can be a big romantic gesture in place of giving someone a ring. It’s cute and made by your partner’s own hands, doesn’t get in the way of gripping a keyblade properly, and always lets you find each other again no matter where your travels take you across the worlds. Its pretty! It’s unique! It’s cute!!!

Ch 10

This is a 10 year timeskip, they’re all in their mid to late 20s now

Ephemera and Player have settled down in Destiny Islands, but take trips to stay in Scala for a few months at a time to relieve the others of their leader duties (and later to teach at the academy). So essentially they live both in Scala’s tower, and in their own home on the islands throughout the year

I feel like in this universe, Blaine would settle down first. Him having a kid on the way ended up giving Ephemera a bit of baby fever, which can often be what happens amongst friends and family around the same age

I have a headcanon ingrained in my head that Eph was raised by two moms who owned a library, so he’s always been surrounded by books growing up

I intentionally kept it vague whether or not he and Player would conceive or adopt children mainly because of Player’s ambiguity and also cause I could easily see them doing a mix of both

(I also headcanon the two of them being a t4t couple so there’s a lot of ways the having kids conversation can be interpreted anyway :D)

but basically, they both end up being parents in canon, so why not make them be parents together? 😊

In conclusion: I love them your honor. Thank you for reading!!!

#altngo #my fics #ephelayer #khux #my posts

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angeltreasure · 1 year ago

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Where can we find the angelic choirs in the Bible?

“St. Thomas Aquinas gave us the following hierarchical list of the nine angelic choirs and using the traditional names from the Hebrew and Greek through the Latin Vulgate of St. Jerome)��:

Seraphim (Is. 6:2, 6, seraphin)

Cherubim (Gen. 3:24, Heb. 9:5, cherubin)

Thrones (Col. 1:16, throni)

Dominions (Col. 1:16, Eph. 1:21, dominationem)

Virtues (Eph. 1:21, virtutem)

Powers (Rom. 8:38, Eph. 1:21, potestatem)

Principalities (Col. 1:16, Eph. 1:21, principatum)

Archangels (Rev. 12:7, Jude 9, archangelus)

Angels (over 300 references, angelus)

#angels #Catholic #Catholicism #Bible study

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lennart11412 · 2 months ago

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2. Standards of Truth:

Philosophy has continuously tried to find tests for truth, and so has wrought out theories of knowledge--epistemologies, Not to go back into the Greek philosophy, we have in modern times such theories as (1) the Kantian, (2) the scholastic, (3) the Hegelian, (4) the pragmatic, (5) that of the "new realism"; and these include only such as may be defined with some clearness, for the tendencies of current thought have been toward confusion concerning all standards of truth and reality, and so toward widespread agnosticism and skepticism. This temper has, naturally, reacted on thinking in practical ethics and upon the sanctions of religion. There is thus in religion and morals a tendency to obscure the distinction between what is and what ought to be.

See AUTHORITY; ETHICS; PHILOSOPHY; RIGHT; SIN.

In the Bible, the known will of God is final for man as a standard of truth, not as arbitrary, but as expressive of God's nature. God's nature is all-comprehensive of fact and goodness, and so is, all and in all, the source, support and objective of all concrete being. The will of God thus reveals, persuades to and achieves the ideals and ends of complete existence. The term "truth" is sometimes, therefore, nearly equivalent to the revealed will of God.

3. Special Features in Biblical Writings:

(1) The Old Testament uses the term "truth" primarily of God and applies the principle to man. The practical objective is ever prominent.

(2) The Synoptic Gospels and Acts use the term chiefly in popular idiomatic phrases "of a truth," "in truth," "surely" (compare Lk 22:59; Acts 4:27). In Mt 22:16 there is a more serious and comprehensive application, but it is in the flattering words of Pharisaic hypocrisy (compare Mk 12:14; Lk 20:21). To be sure, we are to understand that even in the phrases of common speech Jesus employed the term in all seriousness (Lk 4:25; 9:27).

(3) In Paul the sense of divine faithfulness, as in the Old Testament, is occasionally met (Rom 3:3,7; 15:8). Again the term emphasizes sincerity (1 Cor 5:8; 2 Cor 7:14). Generally it has direct or clearly implied reference to God's revelation in Jesus Christ with a view to redeeming men. In a general way the term is thus equivalent to the gospel, but there is never identification of the two terms (see Rom 2:8; Eph 1:13; 1 Tim 3:15). In Gal 2:5; 5:7, "the truth of the gospel" is its content in the purpose of God, in contrast with misconceptions of it: the true gospel as against false representations of the gospel.

(4) In the Johannine writings we find occasionally the emphatic phrase of genuineness (1 Jn 3:18; 2 Jn 1:1; 3 Jn 1:1) and emphatic reality (Jn 8:46; 16:7). In Revelation we have "true" in the sense of trustworthy, because ultimately real or in accord with ultimate reality (3:7,14; 6:10; 15:3; 19:9,11, etc.). Generally, as in the Gospel, we approach more nearly than elsewhere in Scripture a metaphysical use, yet always with the practical religious end dominant. Truth is reality in relation to the vital interests of the soul. It is primarily something to be realized and done, rather than something to be learned or known. In the largest aspect it is God's nature finding expression in His creation, in revelation, in Jesus Christ in whom "grace and truth came" (Jn 1:17), and finally in man apprehending, accepting and practically realizing the essential values of life, which are the will of God (Jn 1:14; 8:32; 17:19; 18:37 f; 1 Jn 2:21; 3:19). Truth is personalized in Jesus Christ. He truly expresses God, presents the true ideal of man, in Himself summarizes the harmony of existence and becomes the agent for unifying the disordered world. Hence, He is the Truth (Jn 14:6), the true expression (Logos, Jn 1:1) of God. See the same idea without the terminology in Paul (Col 1:14 ff; 2:9). Similarly, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth because His function is to guide into all truth (Jn 16:13; 1 Jn 2:27; 5:7).

(5) It is understood by many that in James, Peter, Hebrews, and possibly the Pastoral Epistles, the term connotes "the body of Christian teaching" (compare Jas 1:18; 3:14; 1 Pet 1:22; 2 Pet 2:2; Heb 10:26; 1 Tim 3:15). The use of the article here cannot be conclusive, and instead of "the body of Christian teaching," it seems more correct to understand the reality of life values as represented in the gospel plan of salvation and of living. In a general way this would include "the body of Christian teaching," but the reference would be less concrete. James is too early a writing to employ the term in this so specific a sense.

III. Analytical Summary.

1. Truth in God:

(1) Truth is presented in Scripture as a chief element in the nature of God (Ps 31:5; Isa 65:16). (2) But this quality is never given as an abstract teaching, but only as qualifying God in His relations and activities. So it is a guaranty of constancy (Dt 32:4; Ps 100:5; 146:6; Jas 1:17); especially a ground of confidence in His promises (Ex 34:6; Ps 91:4; 146:6); of right dealing with men without reference to any explicit pledges (Ps 85:11; 89:14); a basis of security in the correctness of His teachings (Neh 9:13; Ps 119:142; Isa 25:1); of assurance within His covenant relations (Ps 89:5; Isa 55:3). (3) God's truth is especially noteworthy as a guaranty of merciful consideration of men. This is an important element in theology of the Old Testament, as it is a point guarded also in the New Testament (Ps 25:10; 31:5; 61:7; 85:10; 98:3; Jn 3:16; Rom 3:23-26). (4) Equally is the truth of God an assurance to men of righteous judgment in condemnation of sin and sinners (1 Sam 15:29; Ps 96:13; Rom 2:2,8). In general the truth of God stands for the consistency of His nature and guarantees His full response in all the relations of a universe of which He is the Maker, Preserver, and End.

2. Truth in Man:

As related to God in origin and obligation, man is bound morally to see and respond to all the demands of his relations to God and to the order in which he lives under God. (1) Truthfulness in speech, and also in the complete response of his nature to the demand upon it, is urged as a quality to be found in man and is commended where found, as its lack is condemned. It is essential to true manhood. Here, as in the case of truth in God, truth is regarded as revealed in social relations and responsibilities. Truth is not merely in utterance, nor is it only response to a specific command or word, but lies in the response of the will and life to the essential obligations of one's being (Ps 15:2; 119:30; Prov 12:19; 23:23; Isa 59:4,14,15; Jer 7:28; 9:3; Hos 4:1; Rom 1:18,25; Eph 4:15; 2 Thess 2:10,12).

(2) Truth in man is in response to truth in God, and is to be acquired on the basis of a gift from God. This gift comes by way of teaching and also by way of the working of the Divine Spirit in the life of man. Highest truth in correspondence to ideal is possible only by the working of "the God of truth" in the spirit of the man. Man's freedom to realize his being is dependent upon his receptive attitude toward the Son of God. Hence salvation in its fullest idea is stated in terms of truth (Jn 11:3 ff; Phil 3:10 ff). See in general, Ps 51:6; Isa 25:1; Jn 3:21; 8:32; 16:13; 17:19; 18:37; Eph 4:21,24; 5:9; Heb 10:26; 1 Jn 2:27.

3. Truth in Religion:

The modern study of religion on an evolutionary hypothesis and the comparative study of religions have contributed to an extensive questioning whether there is any absolute truth in religion, or at least any standards by which truth in religion may be known. Isa 43 and 44 and Paul in Acts 17 and Gal 3 accord with modern findings that there is an element of truth in religions generally, and that God's faithfulness pledges Him to bring the light of fuller truth to all men. This He does through the religion and the testimony of them to whom He has already come with this fuller light. This light is contained in the revealed word of the Old Testament prophets and of the New Testament witnesses to Jesus. In a definite way the Scriptures preserve these standards of religious truth. But always the attitude of the individual, as also of the group, determines the measure of apprehension of the truth and the certainty with which it is held. It is always important to keep in mind that truth in religion is not primarily an intellectualistic affair, to be cognized, but is essentially a voluntaristic experience and a duty to be done for the glory of God in the realization of the complete truth of God. Jesus Christ as the truth of God becomes the standard and test for truth in the religion of men. And this not in any objective and formal way of a series of propositions, to be accepted and contended for, but in the subjective way of experience, in a series of ideals to be realized and propagated. If anyone wishes to do God's will, he shall be able to decide the truth of religious teaching, and the Son who is true will give the freedom of truth (Jn 7:17; 8:32).

William Owen Carver

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albertfinch · 10 months ago

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Power Study a 41 - Notes

Ruling In The Midst Of My Enemies

Christ Identity - Peace Affirmations

God did not give me the spirit of fear but a spirit of power, of love and of self-dicipline. - 2 Timothy 1:7

The Lord rescues me from all evil and takes me safely into His Heavenly Kingdom. - 2 Timothy 4:18

God poured out His Holy Spirit abundantly on me through Jesus Christ my Savior, so that by His grace I might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life I hope for. - Titus 3:6,7

Christ in me is the hope of glory. - Col. 1:27

In Christ Jesus dwells all the fullnesss of the Godhead bodily. Since I am in Christ Jesus that fullness of the Godhead dwells in me. - Col 2:9

I am complete in Christ Jesus who is the head of all principality and power. - Col 2:10

Since I have been raised with Christ, I set my mind on the things above, not the things that are on the earth. - Col. 3:1

My former life is dead and my reborn life today is hid with Christ in God. - Col. 3:3

Since I am a believer, the mighty power of the Holy Spirit is available to me. - Eph 1:19

I am raised up to sit with Christ in heavenly places. - Eph. 2:6

Since I have boldness and confident access in Christ Jesus, I glory in tribulations and not lose heart. - Eph. 3:12,13

Out of His glorious riches He strengthens me with power through His Spirit in my inner man. - Eph. 3:16

Since I am coming to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, I have the richest measure of the Divine presence and am filled and flooded with God Himself. - Eph. 3:19

God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that I ask or think, according to the power that works in me. - Eph. 3:20

Since I am joined to Christ I am one spirit with Him. - 1 Corinthians 6:17

Since I am a child of God I am able to defeat the world. The way I have victory over the world is with my faith. - I John 5:4

God has put His own Holy Spirit into my heart as a proof to me that I am living in Him and He is in me. - 1 John 4:13

I have an anointing from the Holy One. – 1 John 2:20

I am in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep my thoughts and my heart quiet and at rest as I trust in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7

I have been made right in God's sight and at peace with God because of my faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 5:1 In all things I am a conqueror through Him that loves me. - Romans 8:37

I am the temple of the living God. - 2 Corinthians 6:16

#peace #affirmations #Jesus #power #authority #dominion #Holy Spirit

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ongolecharles · 7 months ago

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DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Fri June 07th, 2024 ... Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B/Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Reading 1

____________

Hos 11:1, 3-4, 8c-9

Thus says the LORD:

When Israel was a child I loved him,

out of Egypt I called my son.

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,

who took them in my arms;

I drew them with human cords,

with bands of love;

I fostered them like one

who raises an infant to his cheeks;

Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,

they did not know that I was their healer.

My heart is overwhelmed,

my pity is stirred.

I will not give vent to my blazing anger,

I will not destroy Ephraim again;

For I am God and not a man,

the Holy One present among you;

I will not let the flames consume you.

Responsorial Psalm

______________

Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6.

R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

God indeed is my savior;

I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;

among the nations make known his deeds,

proclaim how exalted is his name.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;

let this be known throughout all the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

for great in your midst

is the Holy One of Israel!

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Reading 2

____________

Eph 3:8-12, 14-19

Brothers and sisters:

To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given,

to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ,

and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery

hidden from ages past in God who created all things,

so that the manifold wisdom of God

might now be made known through the church

to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.

This was according to the eternal purpose

that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

in whom we have boldness of speech

and confidence of access through faith in him.

For this reason I kneel before the Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory

to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,

and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

that you, rooted and grounded in love,

may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones

what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,

so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Alleluia

________

Mt 11:29ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord;

and learn from me, for I am meek and gentle of heart.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

_________

1 Jn 4:10b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

God first loved us

and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

________

Jn 19:31-37

Since it was preparation day,

in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,

for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,

the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken

and they be taken down.

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first

and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,

they did not break his legs,

but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,

and immediately blood and water flowed out.

An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;

he knows that he is speaking the truth,

so that you also may come to believe.

For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:

Not a bone of it will be broken.

And again another passage says:

They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

One just has to open a newspaper today or watch the daily news to see a plethora of examples where the world’s darkness reveals that the light of God’s love needs to be shone more brightly. In the spirit that lives within all of us, we too may hold onto a heavy-hearted darkness about ourselves, or places where there may be stumbling blocks to God’s love truly finding a home in our hearts. So, to celebrate a day of unconditional love, a sacred love, flowing forth from the heart of Jesus, is a devotion and a day of solemnity that brings hope to our world and a joy to our hearts.

I would like to reflect a bit on why this solemnity of the Sacred Heart is a dear devotion for me and a devotion to which I owe my vocation to the priesthood recall the genesis of this devotion, and why for us it is a solemn day of celebration and a transforming devotion that will change our hearts and the heart of our world for good, for God.

First, a personal story. When I was a young boy, our home parish, Immaculate Conception in Waukegan, Illinois, had to the left of the Altar, a huge mosaic to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I used to love to sit in front of that piece of art and was mesmerized in the connection between the love that Christ had in his eyes and the love that that exposed heart symbolized.

Second, all celebrations, like this solemnity, have their beginnings. This story, is all about heart, the heart of a nun’s story, the heart of the Jesuit’s story. heart of our story. First, the heart of a nun’s story. The place was the Visitation convent at Paray-le-Monial in France. Between 1673 and 1675, our Lord appeared three times to a contemplative nun, Margaret Mary Alacoque, showed her his heart. In the first appearance, Jesus commissioned her to spread devotion to his sacred heart. In the second, he asked for Holy Communion and a Holy Hour of Reparation.

Third, during the octave of Corpus Christi in 1675, Jesus asked her to see a special feast established in reparation to his heart for the injuries done it. He added: "Go to my servant the Jesuit Father, Claude de La Colombiére and tell him from me to do all in his power to establish this devotion and give this pleasure to my heart." And Claude did "all in his power." The young Jesuit whom Jesus identified to Margaret Mary as "my faithful servant and perfect friend" preached the devotion to the end of his short life. (source: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/the-revelation-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-paral-le-monial-france-13719.

This devotion remains a devotion that is promoted and defended in the Society of Jesus to this day. even though celebrated with remains alive in the Society. In a more recent Jesuit General Congregation (General Congregation 35, 2008) the Jesuits stressed and emphasized promoting Christ’s sacred heart when it proclaims, “Nothing could be more desirable and more urgent today, since the heart of Christ burns with love for this world, with all its troubles, and seeks companions who can serve it with him.”

And finally, Christ’s sacred heart and us. And so, what’s wrong with a little devotion, why has it become an outmoded practice. The word devotion is a word of affection, of love, of knowing that someone is so in love with us they are devoted to us, and in return we, in our love for them, and the things that represent them, like the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are so in love, so devoted to them. So, the heart of Christ, as well as our own hearts, symbolizes something wonderful, something that is about the lifeblood flowing through our veins yes, but also, of what is and should be the heart of our faith, the heart of our very life, and this, this is love divine.

For love has the power to transform our very lives, to transform our world, in radical and wonderful ways, away from our own brokenness and need for healing, and into those places in this world that still live in darkness, oppression, hatred, and injustice, so that these places, these hearts of ours can feel too love’s clear promise of heaven. We recollect this image of Christ’s sacred heart, and see there a love given freely, a love fraught with all meaning, and see Christ’s love encouraging us to be brave, to not be afraid, for it’s only love after all.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Bl. Franz Jagerstatter

(May 20, 1907 – August 9, 1943)

Blessed Franz Jägerstätter’s Story

Called to fight for his country as a Nazi soldier, Franz eventually refused, and this husband and father of three daughters—Rosalie, Marie and Aloisia—was executed because of it.

Born in St. Radegund in Upper Austria, Franz lost his father during World War I and was adopted after Heinrich Jaegerstaetter married Rosalia Huber. As a young man, he loved to ride his motorcycle and was the natural leader of a gang whose members were arrested in 1934 for brawling. For three years he worked in the mines in another city and then returned to St. Radegund, where he became a farmer, married Franziska and lived his faith with quiet but intense conviction.

In 1938, he publicly opposed the German Anschluss–annexation–of Austria. The next year he was drafted into the Austrian army, trained for seven months and then received a deferment. In 1940, Franz was called up again but allowed to return home at the request of the town’s mayor. He was in active service between October 1940 and April 1941, but was again deferred. His pastor, other priests, and the bishop of Linz urged him not to refuse to serve if drafted.

In February 1943, Franz was called up again and reported to army officials in Enns, Austria. When he refused to take the oath of loyalty to Hitler, he was imprisoned in Linz. Later he volunteered to serve in the medical corps but was not assigned there.

During Holy Week Franz wrote to his wife: “Easter is coming and, if it should be God’s will that we can never again in this world celebrate Easter together in our intimate family circle, we can still look ahead in the happy confidence that, when the eternal Easter morning dawns, no one in our family circle shall be missing—so we can then be permitted to rejoice together forever.” He was transferred in May to a prison in Berlin.

Challenged by his attorney that other Catholics were serving in the army, Franz responded, “I can only act on my own conscience. I do not judge anyone. I can only judge myself.” He continued, “I have considered my family. I have prayed and put myself and my family in God’s hands. I know that, if I do what I think God wants me to do, he will take care of my family.”

On August 8, 1943, Franz wrote to Fransizka: “Dear wife and mother, I thank you once more from my heart for everything that you have done for me in my lifetime, for all the sacrifices that you have borne for me. I beg you to forgive me if I have hurt or offended you, just as I have forgiven everything…My heartfelt greetings for my dear children. I will surely beg the dear God, if I am permitted to enter heaven soon, that he will set aside a little place in heaven for all of you.”

Franz was beheaded and cremated the following day. In 1946, his ashes were reburied in St. Radegund near a memorial inscribed with his name and the names of almost 60 village men who died during their military service. He was beatified in Linz on October 26, 2007. His “spiritual testament” is now in Rome’s St. Bartholomew Church as part of a shrine to 20th-century martyrs for their faith. Blessed Franz’s liturgical feast is celebrated on August 9.

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