#The very first of its vessels. The first apostle. And she came to her son bleeding out upon the altar and she saved him.

[cryptidcalling]

Frothing at the mouth thinking about Cosmo Backstory that ISNT CANON but OUGH it's giving me feelings and I WANT!! I WANT IT CANON!!! It won't be canon because I am not the DM and I do not control the canon but OHHH OH I WANT IT

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Thu., Sept.24, 2020

Commemorated on September 11_”Old” Julian Calendar

The Monks Sergei and German of Valaamo ( 1329)

     The Monks Sergei and German of Valaamo settled on the island of Valaamo in 1329. The brethren gathered by them shone forth the light of Orthodoxy in this frontier land. The Karelian people began to regard Christianity with renewed suspicion, with its authority in the XIII Century being undermined by the Swedes, who sought to spread Catholicism by means of the sword. The Monks Sergei and German died in about the year 1353. A second commemoration of them is on June 28

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

The Nun Theodora of Alexandria

     The Nun Theodora of Alexandria and her husband lived in Alexandria. Love and harmony ruled in their family, and this was hateful to the enemy of salvation. Goaded on by the devil, a certain rich man was captivated by the youthful beauty of Theodora and began with all his abilities to lead her into adultery, but for a long time he was unsuccessful. Then he bribed a woman of loose morals, who led the unassuming Theodora astray by saying, that a sin committed in the night God would not account to guilt. Theodora betrayed her husband, but soon came to her senses and realising the seriousness of her downfall, she became furious with herself, incessantly slapping herself on the face and tearing at her hair. Her conscience gave her no peace, and Theodora set out to a reknown hegumeness and told her about her transgression. The hegumeness, beholding the repentance of the young woman, roused in her the faith in Divine forgiveness and reminded her of the Gospel passage about the sinful woman, who with her tears washed the feet of Christ and received from Him forgiveness of her sins. In hope on the mercy of God, Theodora said: "I do believe my God and from hence shall not commit suchlike sin, and I wilt strive to expiate my deed". At that moment Saint Theodora resolved to go off to a monastery, so as to purify herself by deed and by prayer. In secret she left her home, and having attired herself in men's garb, she set off to a men's monastery, since she feared that her husband would manage to find her in a women's monastery. The hegumen of the monastery would not even give blessing to allow her into the courtyard, in testing the resolve of the new-comer. The Nun Theodora spent the night at the gates. In the morning, having fallen down at the knees of the hegumen, she said her name was Theodore from Alexandria and entreated him to let her remain at the monastery for repentance and monastic deeds. Seeing the sincere intent of the new-comer, the hegumen consented.      Even the experienced monks were amazed at the all-night prayers on bended-knee, the humility, the endurance and self-denial of Theodora. The saint asceticised at the monastery for eight years. Her body, once defiled by adultery, became a visible vessel of the grace of God and a receptacle of the Holy Spirit. One time the saint was sent to Alexandria for the buying of bread. Having given blessing for the journey, the hegumen indicated that in case of a stopover along the way, to stay over at the Enata monastery along the way. At the guest-house of the Enata monastery was then staying the daughter of its hegumen, who had come to visit with her father. Allured by the comeliness of the young monk, she tried to seduce the Monk Theodore into the sin of fornication, not knowing that before her was a woman. Being refused, she committed sin with another guest and became pregnant. Meanwhile the saint having bought the bread returned to the home monastery.      After a certain while the father of the shameless girl, realising that a transgression had occurred, began to question his daughter as to who it was that had seduced her. The girl indicated that it was the Monk Theodore. The father at once reported it to the head of the monastery at which Saint Theodora asceticised. The hegumen summoned the saint and told about the accusation. The saint firmly replied: "As God is my witness, I did not do this", and the hegumen, knowing the purity and holiness of life of Theodore, did not believe the accusation. When the girl gave birth, the Enata monks brought the infant to the monastery wherein lived the ascetic, and began to reproach its monks for an unchaste life. But this time even the hegumen believed the slanderous accusation and became angry at the innocent Theodore. They entrusted the infant into the care of the saint and dishonourably threw her out of the monastery. The saint humbly submitted to this new trial, seeing in it the expiation of her former sin. She settled with the child not far from the monastery in an hut. Shepherds out of pity gave her milk for the infant, and the saint herself ate only wild vegetables. Over the course of seven years, bearing her misfortune, the holy ascetic spent in banishment. Finally, at the request of the monks, the hegumen allowed her to return to the monastery together with the child, and in seclusion she spent two years instructing the child. The hegumen of the monastery received a revelation from God that the sin of the Monk Theodore was forgiven. The grace of God dwelt upon the Monk Theodore, and soon all the monks began to witness to the signs, worked through the prayers of the saint. One time in this locale during a time of drought all the water-wells dried up. The hegumen said to the brethren, that only Theodore would be able to reverse the misfortune. Having summoned the saint, the hegumen bid her to bring forth water, and the water in the well afterwards did not dry up. The humble Theodore said, that the miracle was worked through the prayer and faith of the hegumen.      Before her death, the Nun Theodora secluded herself in her cell with the child and in last-wishes bid him to love God, and she asked the compliance of the hegumen and the brethren, to preserve tranquility, to be meek and without malice, to shun obscenity and silliness, to love non-covetousness, and to keep in mind their community life. After this, standing at prayer, for a final time she asked of the Lord forgiveness of her sins. The child also prayed together with her. Soon the words of prayer gave way to death on the lips of the ascetic, and she peacefully expired to an higher world (+ c. 474-491).      The Lord revealed to the hegumen the spiritual accomplishment of the saint and about her concealed secret. The hegumen, in order to remove any disrepute from the deceased, – in the presence of the hegumen and brethren of the Enata monastery, told about his vision and for proof uncovered the bosom of the saint. The Enata hegumen and brethren shrank back in terror at their great transgression, and having fallen down at the body of the saint, with tears they asked forgiveness of the Nun Theodora. News about the Nun Theodora reached her former husband. He took monastic tonsure at this selfsame monastery where his wife had been. And the child, raised by the nun, likewise followed in the footsteps of his foster-mother. Afterwards he became hegumen of this very monastery.      [Trans. Note: One might find highly implausible a beardless monk dwelling in a monastery for so long a period of time unquestioned. But perhaps eunuch-castrates were still common at this time, and as such losing also the capacity to grow beards. The matter of cross-dressing in men's monastic attire is a literary gendre occuring also in the lives of other women saints, usually only for the purposes of concealment and for but a short time. But as the "Redaction" account introducing the Russian original of our text indicates, the Saint-Lives reflect a broad spectrum of historical sources compiled with differing intended purposes, often other than the "modern" penchant for strict recording of historical facts. Which is to say, the account may have been embellished to in entertaining edify both the common man and woman, as well as the sophisticated. Certainly many a Saint-Vita contains an account of a virtually unhurtable and well-nigh unkillable martyr, – so that one is left to wonder that the persecution of Christians by the pagans of old, who in the torturing sometimes themselves dropped down dead, – should have taken so very long, to end. But beneathe any of these embellishments is an actual historical person, who witnessed to Christ our Lord. And to write the miraculous off as mere fable, – is foolish. The spiritual task herein is one of discernment between embellishment and fact.

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

Ephesians 1:1-9 

1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.

Mark 7:24-30 

24From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.25 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.27 But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."28 And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs." 29 Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." 30 And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

[crystalelemental]

Character Analysis - Micaiah

Apparently, even in 2019, I’m still never going to escape the whole “Micaiah is such a Mary Sue argument.”  Foolish to think that would completely die off ever, I suppose.  I’ve never really agreed with it, personally.  I think Micaiah’s great.  In fact, she’s my favorite character in Fire Emblem.  This is in part to express why I like Micaiah, and also a desperate attempt to showcase that no, all the unique benefits she has in the story do not inherently make her a poorly written “Mary Sue” character.  Will I succeed?  Probably not!  But I want to write a thing emphasizing the positives of my favorite, so that’s what I’m doing.

Micaiah as a character

Let’s talk about what Micaiah is like first, because I like Micaiah and am attempting to sell you on her character.  Prior to the events of this game, she basically kept to herself.  Sothe was about the only person she interacted with at all.  As a Branded - someone with a mix of beorc and laguz blood - she’s an outcast in both societies, and keeps to herself all her life.  It isn’t until after Daein’s loss in the Mad King’s War that she starts to interact.  Despite her desire to be left alone, she witnesses how the communities within Daein banded together after the loss to help rebuild.  These people she’s been distrustful of are working together and building each other up in times of difficulty.  She comes to appreciate that aspect of the people of the kingdom, and so begins to use her abilities to benefit them.  With Begnion’s occupation, she builds the Dawn Brigade as a resistance force, and applies her future sight and healing abilities to kepe them ahead of their enemies.

This brings us to point 1 about Micaiah: she’s driven by personal attachments, and her thinking extends well beyond her own desires.  Left to her own devices, Micaiah wants nothing more than to live quietly.  But she’s come to love the people of Daein, and resolves to work in their favor, even if it means she has to take the spotlight to do it.  She becomes something of a local celebrity, something she never wanted, because she felt that there was something only she could do, and it absolutely needed doing.

But, this isn’t her favorite thing to do, and when word gets out that Ashnard had a son, and a true inheritor to the throne, Micaiah is all too willing to pass off leadership.  Almost without hesitation, she’s willing to accept Pelleas as a good leader and the one they should follow, even in spite of Sothe’s very reasonable apprehension.  Pelleas presents as kind and forthright, and so Micaiah believes he is someone worth following, even when all evidence points to the contrary.

Which is point 2 for Micaiah: she’s pretty naive.  She’s led her life completely separated from society, and kinda functions like someone who’s smart, but has no discernment ability at all.  Pelleas acts nice so he is nice, and nice people should be in charge.  Pelleas later says we have to fight the Laguz Alliance and help Begnion, and Micaiah, despite hating the idea of fighting a pointless war, believes unquestioningly that Pelleas must have a good reason.  She is someone who is swayed heavily by the good in others, and even when that good is misguided or not what’s primarily in play, she’s willing to believe in it, much to her own detriment.

Specifically, this all comes back to bite her pretty much immediately.  Pelleas is crowned the next king, and almost immediately signs off all sovereignty to Begnion with the blood contract.  Dude is very clearly a putz that was put in charge as a puppet, so they could be more easily controlled after believing they won something.  Sothe sees right past this, but Micaiah doesn’t.  She’s too wrapped up in the idea that Pelleas is a good person, and that he wouldn’t let bad things happen, but it doesn’t exactly occur to her that his good intentions may not be what’s guiding the course of events.

Which leads to their involvement in the war and point 3 for Micaiah: she is ruthless.  When given the choice between protecting her country by fighting an unjust war, or letting her people suffer for the right cause, she chooses her people and is willing to get her hands dirty.  Really dirty.  She initiates a sneak attack as the laguz cross the river in retreat.  She’s willing to use boulders to crush enemies at the bottom of a ravine, and is even willing to use oil and fire to commit a massacre to gain the advantage.  When it comes to furthering her own cause, Micaiah goes harder than any lord, up untli Edelgard arrives, and even then I’d argue they’re pretty even in their extremes.

And these are just major points for her character.  On smaller notes, she’s incredibly sassy (”Father of Sothe’s children” indeed), selfless (constantly doing things for her people even when she wants to be left alone), empathetic (understands Pelleas’ plight even when everyone else has given up on the doofus), and strong-willed.

All of this creates, what I feel, is a very unique and compelling lord character.  She’s someone who, like most lords, wants to do what’s right, and is driven primarily by that sense of protecting others.  But at the same time, it’s mixed with qualities and circumstances that push her to her limits, and give us a main character who, functionally, is distinct from nearly every other lord in the series.

Micaiah’s Abilities Let’s face it, Micaiah got a lot of unique abilities.  However, I don’t think Micaiah’s powers inherently make her poorly written or a “Mary Sue” at all.  Yes, a lot of these on their own are pretty “child of destiny” heavy, but that’s...kinda how the series is?  All the time?  Fire Emblem loves that shit.  So what is it about her that gets her this label while others don’t?  First, let’s talk her abilities and gifts. Within Radiant Dawn, Micaiah gets:

The ability to see the future.  It’s a bit more short-term, but shows up a lot, especially in Part 1.

Secret inheritance as the true apostle, and all the abilities that come with, including:

Hearing the voice of the goddess

Knowing the Galdr of Release that can free the dark god within the medallion

Later, after the revival of the goddesses, she becomes the direct vessel for Yune, the goddess of chaos.

Potent healing abilities, allowing her to heal any injury no matter how life threatening, at a personal, physical cost.

As a spread, it’s pretty extensive for one character, which is probably a main reason she gets this label.  But on a point by point basis, it’s not like any of these abilities are unique.

Future Sight happens for several characters, not all of them even being main lords.  Julia performs such a divination, and Sophia is apparently just as capable, as was Archsage Athos.  Future Sight is absolutely a thing in the series, and tends to be associated with magical characters with an edge of mystery to them.  Which is what Micaiah is.  We’re meant to have no idea what her deal is, and having these kinds of abilities is meant to raise the question of what exactly she is.  I think this one gets more shit because it’s considered a form of plot armor, especially in Part 1.  But as I’ll get to later, its applications later in the game are far more compelling, and the reliance on it in part 1 sets up the later conflicts really well.

Abilities such as the galdr and the direct link with the goddess are part and parcel to being the inheritor of the apostle’s line.  Which is really just an offshoot of the whole “Child of destiny” thing that most lords get.  Alm gets it, Seliph gets it, it’s a pretty common trope.  Its application to Micaiah is nothing new, but it is used in a unique and interesting way, which I’ll get to later.  I’d also argue that none of the apostle abilities do much of anything aside from set up the mystery surrounding her history, and the reveal that she is the apostle.  The galdr is important, sure, but hearing the voice of the goddess is pretty useless.  They’re just quirks of her class.

As for the healing abilities...okay, yeah, that’s purely hers.  It’s just a unique quirk of Micaiah.  Arguably, this is no different from any other “only this person can wield the sacred blade,” which...I don’t think I need to explain how often that happens in the series.  We’d be here all day.  Suffice to say, it’s literally all the time, and even within the same game, Ike gets that treatment with Ragnell.

Basically, nothing Micaiah has in her toolkit is unique in the series.  She gets a particularly high amount of unique abilities and effects, but that alone does not a case against her make.  Largely because of how they’re utilized.

Application of her talents Talents on their own are a big deal, but their application can make all the difference.  For instance, if seeing the future was always in play and always solved every problem, that’s boring.  But having a character who can see the future, but having something complicate things, either a demonstration that the future isn’t set in stone or some other outcome to throw them off their game, can make such a character compelling.  Application is key, and I think the application of Micaiah’s abilities makes all the difference.

Her healing ability similarly plays very little role.  It exists initially to set up her gameplay mechanic with the Sacrifice command, but otherwise that’s it. That’s all it does.  It’s really little more than a story setup to the gameplay mechanic.  There’s really nothing else to say here.

Her secretly being the apostle has a lot more story impact.  When you get down to it, Micaiah has the right to lead Begnion after the war.  She hears the voice of the goddess, is the missing eldest child of the previous apostle, can sing the galdr of release, has all of these talents that were meant for the empress to display.  It’s so obvious, Sanaki offers her the job outright.  Micaiah refuses.  Again, Micaiah is not someone who lives for fame and leadership.  She took up arms for Daein, solely because she came to love the people.  She rose up because she had to, not because she wanted to.  Which I think makes her very unique among lords.

Plenty of lords are given their rise to prominence out of necessity as well, typically through a foreign invasion.  That’s not uncommon.  What is uncommon is that, for most lords, they’re all in with this role.  They take to leadership and rise up willingly.  Micaiah...never wanted that, and at every opportunity, is presented with something she could have but doesn’t want in the slightest.  Sometimes, this comes back to bite her, like with Pelleas.  She’s someone who is given that call of destiny, that sense of “This is absolutely what you’re supposed to do,” and goes “absolutely not.”  I love that.  Like, imagine if Alm had decided to return to Ram village after beating Duma after all.  Imagine if Seliph had decided to let Julia inherit the throne instead, and just fucked off back to Isaach, or Roy refusing to lead the Lycian League and leaving it to Lilina.  That’s what Micaiah does.  She has all these makings of being destined for greatness and prominence and her only thought is “Fuck that.”  She does wind up leading Daein, but I’d argue that’s more in line with her character.  She leads out of obligation and compassion for those she cares directly about, and Daein is the home she’s attached to.  More than anywhere else, this is where she was the most of human kindness, and has strengthened her bonds.  They need a leader, and despite not wanting to lead, she’ll accept that mantle.  But the idea of accepting the higher calling of assuming leadership of Begnion is not anywhere near her interests, and so she rejects destiny’s call.  Which, I think, is really interesting.

Then there’s the future sight.  Micaiah’s ability to see the future could be considered the worst offender.  It comes into play a lot in Part 1, and it seems like that’s what’s carrying Micaiah.  Soren even echoes the player’s thoughts, commenting that he thinks her abilities are a fabrication and that she’s not nearly as talented as others believe.  But in Part 3, the chaos of war is engulfing the continent, and suddenly her future sight turns off.  She states outright she can’t see the future anymore, and has no sense for what’s to come.  She had one serious advantage in Part 1, and now it’s gone.  She’s on her own, and facing a stronger threat than before, as a throw-away piece under Begnion’s control, fighting for a cause she doesn’t believe in.  She should be completely outclassed here.

But she’s not.  When push comes to shove, Micaiah’s willing to use every dirty trick in the book to gain any possible advantage, and she plays her cards well.  Her opening strike is when their guard is down during a retreat.  Her next fight is guarding a small pass along the water.  Her major fights the player controls involve her taking very sensible positions over her opponents; at the top of the cliffside, and defending a heavily-guarded fortress.  Despite weaker numbers, weaker morale, and honestly weaker fighters overall, Micaiah pulls out everything she can to pull of what resistance she can.  She winds up losing most battles, and continuously gets pushed back because of how severely out-gunned they are, but the fight she puts up is impressive.  Her future vision, I feel like, helps set the stage for this.  It presents itself initially as the main thing protecting her; it’s the reason she wins.  But then, she’s able to prove that even without it, she’s capable of figuring out her way through these battles.  And keep in mind, in this battle of strategy and wits, her opponent is Soren.  She’s keeping up with that guy.  That’s no small feat.  Micaiah’s clever in her own right, able to turn clear losses into...well, less clear losses, with surprising reliability.  The removal of her primary tool should set players to believe this will be a curbstomp, and instead it’s when Micaiah gets to shine in ways that extend beyond just her natural talents.

Her talents are many, but their applications are stellar, and the course of events for her make sense.  She’s never treated as if she’s untouchable or always in the right, or even immune to consequences of dumb decisions, like handing leadership to Pelleas.  When the rug’s pulled out from under her and she’s faced with being trapped in a losing situation, we get to see a character who’s willing to make harsh decisions and respond in ways that most lords wouldn’t.  She’s a great demonstration of a well-meaning character who’s placed in the wrong, and until Edelgard, was frankly one of a kind for a lord.

Conclusions Micaiah’s fantastic.  I don’t really have anything else to say on the point, she’s just great.  Everything about her character is simultaneously familiar and distinct, offering a lot of traits and qualities similar to most lords in the series, but presented with circumstances that paint her as far more complex than just the desire to do good and the capacity to carry through.  She’s someone who has to push through awful circumstances and make the best choices she can, and is someone who puts the higher needs of her people and her desires above what may be the “moral” choice.

I can only hope that, if you’ve read this far, it comes with a greater appreciation for Micaiah as a character.  I honestly think she’s one of the most compelling protagonists the series has.

[fluffmugger]

introspectivenavelgazer replied to your post: introspectivenavelgazer replied to...  CYBORGS? WHAT? I AM SO CONFUSED. aconiteherbalist replied to your post: introspectivenavelgazer replied to... Yes? Explain? Please?

OK. This is gonna be full of massive fucking spoilers, ‘cos I’m gonna lay it all out rather than feed it to you piecemeal as the show did with the slow unfurling. also people are probably gonna yell at me on this and that.  

IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS LIGHT

ok, you probably noticed this show is huge on stealing from religious mythology. Chiefly abrahamic.

So: Progenitor species ( Yeah you could call them aliens, or celestial beings, it’s really down to whether or not you want to be religious or scientific or both, because the show allows for both and lets be honest the progenitor species fulfill all requirements for god.) sends out “seeds” to various planets.

One of these, called in the series Adam landed on Earth. Adam is known as the Seed of Life.    The seed of life creates god-like creatures, these were known as the Angels. 

However, later on (the First Impact) another seed hit earth.   This was the Seed of Knowledge and is known in the series as Lilith, which would create a species that in’t god like, but instead is co-operative and uses technology. This is the creation of the human species

 Two seeds aren’t supposed to hit the same planet because the combination of the two would result in god like powers on the same level as the progenitor species - this is what they called “forbidden knowledge”.  So Adam went dormant and the angels left Earth. 

Just to dogleg here - the seeds came via “moons” (FUCKING TRANSPORT MODULES) with a “lance of longinus” as their control system.  Adam came on the “white moon” and Lilith came on the "Black Moon" and lost her “spear” (control system). Since Adam’s spear (control system) was still active, it picked up Lilith’s arrival and shut down due to safety protocols to prevent a merging.  The “dead Sea Scrolls”  are actually a user manual, but seeing as we’re also talking about a species with PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER they're also prophetic and shit as perceived by piddly human brains. 

So humans ended up evolving and breeding and covering the planet and so you have our reality.  La di frickin’ da.

So you have SEELE who have been poking at this manual and realising what's happened and going HEY LETS BECOME GODS.  They already have Lilith - that big marshmallow fucker that's nailed the cross, it's basically a big Meaningful Imagery of a species progenitor kept in check, what's leaking out of her is Primordial Ooze - but they need the other Seed.    They fund an expedition (lead by Misato's father), who then goes poking around and finds Adam, its Spear of Longinus, and the White Moon in Antarctica. (The progenitor program, control system and space ship). They decide to poke it with a stick, and fuse some human (lilith-created) DNA with him, which created the Fifth Child / Angel (Kowaru).  This triggers a safeguard and causes the Second Impact because, you know, THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO MERGE.   (They also use the lance to reduce Adam to an "embryonic" state to try and stop the angels from reactivating and returning. )

 The "official" UN story is that the second  impact was a meteor strike.  Two billion people in the southern hemisphere were killed by tsunamis caused by the explosion, with more worldwide drowning in coast floods.  In the chaos that ensued wars broke out due to the destabilisation of many nation states, food supplies were fucked, it was catastrophic. Civil wars broke out everywhere, refugee crises, ethnic tensions, the whole shebang. India and Pakistan went full trump and nuked the shit out of each other, and finally 2 days after the disaster another nuke was detonated in "Old Tokyo" killing two million people. (and leaving that bloody huge hole)   Worldwide war broke out for a year.  Basically all the shit we're looking at in a worse case scenario with climate catastrophe happened.  Half of the human race and thousands of plant and animal species were wiped out entirely.

 And so we have the world of Eva, the result of the Second Impact.  Pretty standard "mankind meddling with things he was not meant to know and now we're all fucked" trope.

 Misato was at ground zero, but her father managed to place her in a protective capsule, so she survived, but the injuries left that massive scar on her chest, and massive psychological scars which is why she's a raging drunk.

 AAAAANYWAY  Seele aren't done with the befucking however, because as we all know humans are garbage and groups of men in darkened rooms sitting around a table even more so.  So they keep right on fucking.

  Seele embark on the "Human Instrumentality Project", which is to use a controlled third impact to force the evolution of humanity to the same level as the original progenitor species - a fusion of Knowledge and of Life seeds.  This would also result in the erasure of individuality, with all human souls fusing into a single "being" for want of a better word, the physical forms goopifying and creating a sea of primordial soup, known as LCL. I don't know if you've ever watch DS9, but the Great Link of the Founders (Odo's species) is a pretty close parallel.

 Problem is, the Angels are awake.

 The Angels are attempting to return to Earth, to basically initiate their own second impact, except in this case it would involve re-activating Adam which would erase all humans.  This would be done by an "AT field" clash  - basically AT fields are what binds a life form together - not just the physical form, but psychological, so essentially an unmaking that would revert all non-angel life to primordial goop. An Adam-generated "Angel" life form template would goop a Lilith-based "human" template.  (for the majority of the series, Lilith  is actually misidentified as Adam if that helps. If anything helps. It's a h o t mess).  Particularly where Evas utilise their AT fields, think of it as an EM field + extras.

 And so  you have Adam's "Children" (Known as angels,  but also referred to as apostles) start hitting earth one after the other, and this is where you get the Evas pulled into production and the Big Robot Battles

 NOW TO THE EVAS

  Unit 01 (Shinji's) was actually generated using genetic material from Lilith itself. It's also known as a clone.  As  a result it tends to go batshit fucking insane ("Beserk") on occasion. It's a living being in an armoured suit with a lot of intertwined mechanics - the Evas are in fact, cyborgs.    There are indications that Eva was an attempt to create a controllable Lilith - Lilith (progenitor program that created humanity) having lost her "spear of longinous" (Control module) is essentially unusable.    Shinji's mother and Gendo's wife Yui initiated a contact with this eva unit pre-series, but in fact merged with the eva - her body goopified, but her soul remains inside the unit. This is why Unit 01 runs so well with Shinji (her son) as pilot, and goes beserk in battle situations where he is threatened.

 Unit 02 has a similar deal, except it went wrong. Only part of Asuka's mother's soul was absorbed, the resulting schism driving what was left of her insane ,and she commits suicide.  The part of her that still resides in Eva-02 is what makes Asuka her pilot, but without the same level of integration and control that Yui has in 01, having fully melded.  Asuka, honey, I know you're pissed that Shinji is a better pilot than you, THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT.

 Evas are cyborgs with merged human souls.  Once they worked out it made the fuckers work, they really went to fucking town on it, so every Eva is a human soul, preferably one who was the mother of the pilot if they can get her (weaponising maternal instincts yooooo)

 Go, take a break, take a walk, try and digest it for a bit.

So to give us the cliff notes at this point:  Eva is about a battle between two species over who gets to become god, with humans using genetically engineered monsters that have absorbed human souls.

 Now to REI what the fuck is up with Rei

 Rei is a clone.  She was an attempt to retrieve Yui from Eva 01 using what they could scrape up of her DNA, but Yui basically told them to go fuck themselves she wasn't coming out.  So Rei is used as a vessel for Lilith's "soul" - she's basically an attempt to first rescue Yui, then later an attempt to create a control system for Lilith.  This is why she can pilot 01 so readily, and why she's so disconnected from reality.  There are at least three Rei's in the series:

 REI I:

The first attempt, the little girl in the red dress who got strangled by Akagi. Seen in flashbacks she was very different from the others, and seemed to have more of a personality. To this end there are theories that her soul was used for EVA00, which would explain why it seems to hate her, and hate all of NERV because she's fucking well aware of what the cunts did to her, and being part Lilith has the full capability to express this.

 REI II:

This is the one we see throughout the series as a teenaged girl, who is killed when she self-destructs her Eva unit to kill Armisael.

  REI III:

Fresh clone right out of the vat and seemingly more involved and aware. She rejects Gendo's attempt to control her, giving the complete control of the third impact to Shinji instead (SHINJI TAAAAAAKE THE WHEEEL) 

RIGHT, NOW TO SKIP FORWARD A BUNCH TO THE THIRD IMPACT

The idea behind it:

Seele wanted to initiate Third Impact to bring about Instrumentality. They would use an Anti A.T. Field to neutralize the A.T. Fields that separate human beings from each other, causing all of humanity to revert into a giant ocean of LCL, freeing their souls. All the souls of Earth would then be collected inside the Adam/Lilith hybrid being.  Basically we goop, then Great Link as mentioned above.

Gendo doesn't really give a shit about humanity, he just wants his wife back.  He approaches Rei III (the most lilith-like and most human of Rei clones) with the Adam embryo, and she rejects him, takes the embryo, then returns to Lilith to fuse with her.   After assimilating Lilith, the inchoate form begins to merge with Evas and with all of humanity, causing everyone to go sploosh as they approach "the divine", seeing their loved ones and going all religious ecstasy.

Thing is, at the end of the day, Lilith and Adam, as advanced as they are, are created functions.  They have control software and with the introduction of Rei, Shinji becomes the pilot.

And shinji is realllllllly fucked up, hence that whole wtf ep where it's basically the destruction of his ego, the exposure of his self loathing, jacking off over Asuka, trying to choke her, facing all the fucked up parts of himself then learning that everyone else is as fucked up as he is and no dude, NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THE FUCK THEY'RE DOING.  It kinda derails for a lot of people at this point as it's a confusing montage of imagery, but basically that's a big ol' trip through a teenage boy's psyche, and reflective of the mental issues Anno himself had at the time. 

 But it ends in a breakthrough.

SERIOUSLY WATCH “THE END OF EVANGELION” ITS BASICALLY THE SERIES END REWRITTEN AND SANER AND OH MY GOD 

 And so Shinji rejects instrumentality.  The process is left in a state where everyone has the option to *choose* - to remain linked in the singular being, or be individual, which in and of itself isn't really a failure as the ability to control your own physical forms was part of Adam's lifeform archetype.    Hence the sea of LCL, with dotted humans.  Shinji and later Asuka return to human form, but the fate of everyone else is left open.

 OK I'm gonna take a break for a bit here because holy shit this is tolstoy here and I’m actually at work, so please PM me with further questions and I shall do up further posts, but this should be enough to get you going.  No one gets Eva on the first watch, it's a fucking glorious mess and even after years of watching you're gonna pick up some new shit.

[frederickwiddowson]

Paul’s Letter to the Romans 1:1-7 comments: Paul’s introduction

Traditionally this is called The Epistle (defined as a letter in 2Corinthians 7:8) of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans. The postscript in the King James Bible says that Paul wrote it from Corinth and it was sent to the Romans by way of Phebe the servant (deaconess) of the church of Cenchrea, something we will discuss when we get to that part where she is mentioned.

Romans, chapter 1

Romans 1:1 ¶  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2  (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4  And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5  By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: 6  Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: 7  To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 An apostle, from verse 1, is separated for the gospel of God. He is a preacher and a teacher;

 1Timothy 2:7  Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

 2Timothy 1:11  Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

 The apostles were chosen by Jesus Himself;

 Luke 6:13  And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; 14  Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 15  Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, 16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

 Acts 9:10 ¶  And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11  And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12  And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13  Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14  And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that

call on thy name. 15  But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16  For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

 They were sent out for the purpose of spreading the gospel;

 Matthew 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

 In verse 3 is a phrase that has caused many Christian groups to insist that God and Christ are two distinct persons with individual wills, one being subordinate to the other. It has also led Mohammed of Islam to call Christians idolaters, worshipping multiple gods. Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord does not mean that God had a son in the way that it means we might have a son.

 Luke 1:35  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,  and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

 Gabriel, the angel in this passage, announces to Mary what she is going to be a part of. This will be the basis of the phrase only begotten Son of God in John. Even though Alexander the Great had himself declared the son of god or the gods and Roman Emperor Augustus even signed his decrees ‘deus fide’ or son of god, God only came to live on earth as a man one time, in the form of Jesus of Nazareth, not a king appointed by man or an emperor by virtue of his military conquests, but a poor Jewish carpenter’s son from a backwater of the Roman Empire who was the Son of God at the same time in that He was God in human flesh.

 It is important to understand the meaning of sonship in the ancient world. The Jews understood that for Jesus to be declared the Son of God meant He was equal with God, invested with God’s authority.

 John 5:18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

 Philippians 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

 We believe and have faith that Jesus Christ was God walking in human flesh.

 John 1:1 ¶  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  The same was in the beginning with God. 3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

 God is composed of three parts, as man and woman are; a body, a soul, and a spirit.

1Thessalonians 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has a soul, the seat of self-identity and will.

Psalm 11:5  The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

This is God the Father, sometimes referred to just as God in the New Testament. He is invisible to us. As John says in John 1:18 and in 1John 4:12 no one has seen God, presumably God the Father, at any time. Every act of God’s will originates with Him.

God has a Spirit, how He moves throughout creation and acts on it and in it.

Genesis 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Romans 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.

This Spirit is called the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.

1Corinthians 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

John 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you…26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

The Holy Spirit in its function, the Holy Ghost in His identity, is the mind of God and also God.

For contexts where the Spirit of God or the spirit of man can be synonymous with mind please see the following;

 Romans 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

 1Corinthians 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

 Ephesians 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

 Philippians 1:27  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

 2Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 God not only has a soul and a mind but has a body, His person, whom man can see, and has even touched, as God in the flesh, called the Son of God.

Hebrews 1:1 ¶  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Colossians 1: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:15  Who is the image of the invisible God…

Of course, an image is the likeness of someone, what he looks like.

Genesis 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 5:3  And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

Exodus 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

(Refer back to these verses when someone insists that the image of God is man’s ability to discern between good and evil, which is nonsense, as Adam was made in the image of God but did not taste of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil until he fell).

Jesus Christ is also the Word by which all things were created. Read the first 18 verses of the Gospel According to John. God’s mind formed creation and God’s Word spoke it into existence, bringing forth the light, which He is.

Genesis 1:3 ¶  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

One stark difference between man and God is that God’s three parts can act independently of each other and still be one God.

Deuteronomy 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Mark 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

Matthew 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

2Corinthians 13:14  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

1John 5:7  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

Christ is then that bridge between God and man, fully God and fully man, without whom the believer in God would be in the same predicament as other religions where their god is so distant from man that there is no connection, no compassion for man’s suffering, no understanding of the human heart, fears, and affections.

God reveals Himself to special select people under the Law and to all believers under Grace.

Amos 3:7  Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

John 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

(To deny this is to say that the so-called ‘Great Commission’ of the end of Matthew does not apply to every believer but only the Apostles).

The Lord Jesus Christ, while walking in biological flesh on the earth, also had a human spirit, a human will, being fully man and fully God. This spirit also manifested itself to us.

 Luke 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

 There was a great argument in the Roman Empire’s church regarding whether Christ even had two natures. Some focused on His divinity while others His humanity. The issue was somewhat settled at the Council of Chalcedon in 451AD in Bithynia in Asia Minor, in what is the country of Turkey today. It was understood that Christ was one person with two natures, divine and human, God in the flesh. This does not mean that they just figured that out but that they declared the other ideas as incorrect.

 The Son of God is God in the flesh. In eternity;

 1Corinthians 15:27  For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28  And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

 Notice in verse 4, the importance of the resurrection. The resurrection of Christ and the promise of our resurrection and our eternal life is the centerpoint around which Christian faith revolves. Without the resurrection Christianity becomes a mere philosophy of living and Christ only a great teacher or even a madman. The resurrection seals the deal, so to speak. We should celebrate it in our hearts every day not just at Easter. It is how we know Christ was God in the flesh and it is the basis on which the authority of the apostles rests.

 Romans 1:6 includes us down through history as also the called of Jesus Christ including us in the command and authority to fulfill Matthew 28:18-20.

 Saints has special meaning in the Bible and that is not special individuals honored by the Roman Catholic Church and given special mystical powers after their deaths. Saints are sanctified ones, called to be holy, God’s chosen people, either the Gentiles who still worshipped the true God or the Israelites in the Old Testament or the Christian in the New Testament.

 Deuteronomy 33:2  And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. 3  Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.

 Acts 9:13  Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

 And yet, these are all sinners, imperfect, depending completely on God’s goodness, His mercy, and His grace.

 Job 15:15  Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

 Paul wishes for God’s grace, His unmerited favor, to the church at Rome, and peace with God which is one of the main points of the Bible and the reason for God’s sacrifice on the Cross at Calvary. Having peace restored with our Creator after living in a state of rebellion should be our first duty. Here in the next passage quoted, Paul further explains peace with God and the union of Jew and Gentile to form the church.

 Ephesians 2:1 ¶  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

     4 ¶ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

     11 ¶ Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

     14 ¶ For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

[pamphletstoinspire]

THE FIRST BOOK OF MACHABEES. - From The Latin Vulgate Bible

Chapter 15

INTRODUCTION.

These Books are so called, because they contain the history of the people of God under the command of Judas Machabeus and his brethren; and he, as some will have it, was surnamed Machabeus from carrying on his ensigns, or standards, those words of Exodus xv. 11., "Who is like to thee among the strong, O Lord;" in which the initial letters, in the Hebrew, are M. C. B. E. I. It is not known who was the author of these books. But as to their authority, though they are not received by the Jews, saith St. Augustine, (liber[book] xviii., City of God, chap. xxxvi.) they are received by the Church; who, in settling her canon of the Scriptures, chose rather to be directed by the tradition she had received from the apostles of Christ, than by that of the Scribes and Pharisees. And as the Church has declared these two books canonical, even in two general councils, viz., Florence and Trent, there can be no doubt of their authenticity. (Challoner)

Chapter 15

Antiochus, son of Demetrius, honours Simon. The Romans write to divers nations in favour of the Jews. Antiochus quarrels with Simon, and sends troops to annoy him.

1 And *(Year of the World 3864, Year before Christ 140) King Antiochus, the son of Demetrius, sent letters from the isles of the sea to Simon, the priest, and prince of the nation of the Jews, and to all the people:

Notes & Commentary:

Ver. 1. Demetrius. Soter, and brother of Nicator, (Calmet) now a captive. (Worthington) --- When the latter went beyond the Euphrates [River], he wandered for fear of Tryphon, till he found rest at Rhodes, where he heard of his brother's misfortune, and was invited by his wife to marry her. He therefore took the title of king, when he wrote to Simon form the isle of Rhodes. Soon after he landed (Calmet) at Seleucia, and married Cleopatra, who was indignant that her husband had taken to wife the daughter of Mithridates. (Just. xxxvi.) --- Tryphon's adherents flocked to him: exolescente favore recentis imperii. (Trog. xxxix.; Eusebius) --- Demetrius was styled Sidetes, either because he came from Side, in Pamphylia, or because he was fond of "hunting." Yet his medals have, "Euergetes." (Vaillant; Usher, the year [of the world] 3864.) (Calmet) --- Prince. Greek, "Ethnarch." (Haydock) --- Josephus often uses this title for an independent prince, beneath the dignity of a king. (Calmet)

2 And the contents were these: King Antiochus to Simon, the high priest, and to the nation of the Jews, greeting.

Ver. 2. And to. Greek properly adds, "and Ethnarch, and to," &c.

3 Forasmuch as certain pestilent men have usurped the kingdom of our fathers, and my purpose is to challenge the kingdom, and to restore it to its former estate; and I have chosen a great army, and have built ships of war.

Ver. 3. Pestilent; disturbers of the peace, (Haydock) like Alexander, Antiochus, and Tryphon.

4 And I design to go through the country, that I may take revenge of them that have destroyed our country, and that have made many cities desolate in my realm.

Ver. 4. No explanation given.

5 Now, therefore, I confirm unto thee all the oblations which all the kings before me remitted to thee, and what other gifts soever they remitted to thee:

Ver. 5. Oblations, such as were presented to the Lord, or remittances. He is very liberal of what he could not get back.

6 And I give thee leave to coin thy own money in thy country:

Ver. 6. Money. He supposed that Simon would have his own image on it. But we find no human figure on the coins which he sent out during the first four years, but only vessels, trees, inscriptions, &c. Afterwards he seems to had desisted, either (as some suppose) because it was not conformable to the law, or because he found it brought no profit to the state.

7 And let Jerusalem be holy and free, and all the armour that hath been made, and the fortresses which thou hast built, and which thou keepest in thy hands, let them remain to thee.

Ver. 7. No explanation given.

8 And all that is due to the king, and what should be the king's hereafter, from this present and for ever, is forgiven thee.

Ver. 8. No explanation given.

9 And when we shall have recovered our kingdom, we will glorify thee, and thy nation, and the temple, with great glory, so that your glory shall be made manifest in all the earth.

Ver. 9. No explanation given.

10 In the year one hundred and seventy-four, *(Year of the World 3865, Year before Christ 139) Antiochus entered into the land of his fathers, and all the forces assembled to him, so that few were left with Tryphon.

Ver. 10. No explanation given.

11 And king Antiochus pursued after him, and he fled along by the sea coast and came to Dora.

Ver. 11. Dora, to the south of Carmel. Tryphon had first tried the fortune of a battle. (Calmet)

12 For he perceived that evils were gathered together upon him, and his troops had forsaken him.

Ver. 12. No explanation given.

13 And Antiochus camped above Dora with a hundred and twenty thousand men of war, and eight thousand horsemen:

Ver. 13. No explanation given.

14 And he invested the city, and the ships drew near by sea: and they annoyed the city by land, and by sea, and suffered none to come in, or to go out.

Ver. 14. No explanation given.

15 And Numenius, and they that had been with him, came from the city of Rome, having letters written to the kings, and countries, the contents whereof were these:

Ver. 15. Numenius. He had been sent to Rome almost two years before, and now brought letters not only to the Jews, but to various kings and nations in their behalf. (Worthington)

16 Lucius, the consul of the Romans, to king Ptolemee, greeting.

Ver. 16. Lucius, Calvus, or Philus, (Drusius; Grotius) or Piso, (Usher; Sal.[Salien?]; Menochius) whose colleague, Lenas, went against Numantia. (Calmet) --- Ptolemee, surnamed Physcon, brother and successor of Philometor, (Challoner) in Egypt. (Haydock)

17 The ambassadors of the Jews, our friends, came to us, to renew the former friendship and alliance, being sent from Simon, the high priest, and the people of the Jews.

Ver. 17. No explanation given.

18 And they brought also a shield of gold of a thousand pounds.

Ver. 18. No explanation given.

19 It hath seemed good therefore to us, to write to the kings and countries, that they should do them no harm, nor fight against them, their cities, or countries: and that they should give no aid to them that fight against them.

Ver. 19. No explanation given.

20 And it hath seemed good to us to receive the shield of them.

Ver. 20. No explanation given.

21 If, therefore, any pestilent men are fled out of their country to you, deliver them to Simon, the high priest, that he may punish them according to their law.

Ver. 21. No explanation given.

22 These same things were written to king Demetrius, and to Attalus, and to Ariarathes, and to Arsaces,

Ver. 22. Attalus, &c. Attalus was king of Pergamus, Ariarethes was king of Cappadocia, and Arsaces was king of the Parthians. (Challoner) --- Demetrius was prisoner of the latter.

23 And to all the countries: and to Lampsacus, and to the Spartans, and to Delus, and Myndus, and Sicyon, and Caria, and Samus, and Pamphylia, and Lycia, and Alicarnassus, and Cos, and Side, and Aradus, and Rhodes, and Phaselis, and Gortyna, and Gnidus, and Cyprus, and Cyrene.

Ver. 23. Lampsacus, in Mysia, a free city. --- Delus, an island of great trade after the fall of Carthage. --- Myndus, a port in Caria. --- Sicyon, another in Achaia. --- Samus, an independent and powerful island near Asia Minor. --- Pamphylia, in Cilicia, beyond Taurus. --- Lycia had been freed from the Rhodians, by the Romans. --- Alicarnassus, an ancient town of Caria, opposite to the isle of Coo. --- Side, in Pamphylia, ver. 1. Grotius conjectures we should read, "Sidon." --- Aradus, near the coasts of Syria. --- Rhodes, famous for its Colossus. --- Phaselis, a maritime town near Lycia. --- Gortyna, a city of Crete, which was then an independent island. --- Gnidus, an island near Rhodes. --- Cyrene, a province of Egypt. It must then have been partly free, and in alliance with Rome.

24 And they wrote a copy thereof to Simon, the high priest, and to the people of the Jews.

Ver. 24. Simon, that he might know what they had done for him, and to whom he might apply for aid.

25 But king Antiochus moved his camp to Dora the second time, assaulting it continually, and making engines: and shut up Tryphon, that he could not go out.

Ver. 25. Second. He had interrupted the siege, or made a fresh wall or attack.

26 And Simon sent to him two thousand chosen men to aid him, silver also, and gold, and abundance of furniture.

Ver. 26. No explanation given.

27 And he would not receive them, but broke all the covenant that he had made with him before, and alienated himself from him.

Ver. 27. Not. Josephus seems to assert the contrary; observing that the king applied for aid, which was readily granted. Yet he soon forgot the favour, and sent Cendebeus against the Jews. He passes over the embassy of Athenobius, ver. 28.

28 And he sent to him Athenobius, one of his friends, to treat with him, saying: You hold Joppe, and Gazara, and the castle that is in Jerusalem, which are cities of my kingdom:

Ver. 28. Gazara. The edition of Basle properly read, "Gadara."

29 Their borders you have wasted, and you have made great havock in the land, and have got the dominion of many places in my kingdom.

Ver. 29. No explanation given.

30 Now, therefore, deliver up the cities that you have taken, and the tributes of the places whereof you have gotten the dominion without the borders of Judea.

Ver. 30. Taken, such as Joppe, the three governments, &c. (Calmet)

31 But if not, give me for them five hundred talents of silver, and for the havoc that you have made, and the tributes of the cities, other five hundred talents: or else we will come and fight against you.

Ver. 31. No explanation given.

32 So Athenobius, the king's friend, came to Jerusalem, and saw the glory of Simon and his magnificence in gold, and silver, and his great equipage, and he was astonished, and told him the king's words.

Ver. 32. No explanation given.

33 And Simon answered him, and said to him: We have neither taken other men's land, neither do we hold that which is other men's: but the inheritance of our fathers, which was for some time unjustly possessed by our enemies.

Ver. 33. No explanation given.

34 But we having opportunity, claim the inheritance of our fathers.

Ver. 34. No explanation given.

35 And as to thy complaints concerning Joppe and Gazara, they did great harm to the people, and to our country: yet for these we will give a hundred talents. And Athenobius answered him not a word.

Ver. 35. Talents. Simon subdued these two towns, because they attacked his country; but as they did not otherwise belong to him, he paid (Worthington) or offered to pay something for them. (Haydock) --- Those of Joppe drowned two hundred Jews, 2 Machabees xii. What Gazara had done we know not. (Worthington)

36 But returning in a rage to the king, made report to him of these words, and of the glory of Simon, and of all that he had seen, and the king was exceeding angry.

Ver. 36. No explanation given.

37 And Tryphon fled away by ship to Orthosias.

Ver. 37. Orthosias, in Phœnicia, opposite to Aradus. Hence he fled to Apamea, (Calmet) strewing silver in the way to stop his pursuers. (Front. ii. 13.) --- The city was however besieged, and he slew himself, (Strabo xiv.) or was slain after a reign of five years. (Josephus) (Vaillant)

38 And the king appointed Cendebeus captain of the sea coast, and gave him an army of footmen and horsemen.

Ver. 38. Coast. This government was granted to Simon by young Antiochus, chap. xi. 59.

39 And he commanded him to march with his army towards Judea: and he commanded him to build up Gedor, and to fortify the gates of the city, and to war against the people. But the king himself pursued after Tryphon.

Ver. 39. Gedor, near Jamnia. Greek, "Cedron," (Calmet) as also [in] ver. 40., formerly (Haydock) in the Vulgate. A city was here repaired on the river Cedron. (Worthington) --- Syriac, "Hebron." --- Fortify. Literally, "to block up." (Haydock) --- But this is the import of the Greek. (Calmet) --- Alexandrian manuscript, "to fortify cities." (Haydock) --- Gates, or defiles. (Grotius)

40 And Cendebeus came to Jamnia, and began to provoke the people, and to ravage Judea, and to take the people prisoners, and to kill, and to build Gedor.

Ver. 40. No explanation given.

41 And he placed there horsemen, and an army: that they might issue forth, and make incursions upon the ways of Judea, as the king had commanded him.

Ver. 41. No explanation given.

[thestreamofconsciousness777]

After YOU have suffered a little while, the God of all undeserved kindness, who called YOU to his everlasting glory in union with Christ, will himself finish YOUR training, he will make YOU firm, he will make YOU strong...

“A revelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave him, to show his slaves the things that must shortly take place. And he sent forth his angel and presented [it] in signs through him to his slave John, who bore witness to the word God gave and to the witness Jesus Christ gave, even to all the things he saw. Happy is he who reads aloud and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and who observe the things written in it; for the appointed time is near.

John to the seven congregations that are in the [district of] Asia:

May YOU have undeserved kindness and peace from “The One who is and who was and who is coming,” and from the seven spirits that are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, “the Faithful Witness,” “The firstborn from the dead,” and “The Ruler of the kings of the earth.” To him that loves us and that loosed us from our sins by means of his own blood — and he made us to be a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—yes, to him be the glory and the might forever.  Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in grief because of him. Yes, Amen.

“I am the Al’pha and the O·me’ga,” says Jehovah God, “the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty.”

I John, YOUR brother and a sharer with YOU in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in company with Jesus, came to be in the isle that is called Pat’mos for speaking about God and bearing witness to Jesus. By inspiration I came to be in the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a strong voice like that of a trumpet, saying: “What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven congregations, in Eph’e·sus and in Smyr’na and in Per’ga·mum and in Thy·a·ti’ra and in Sar’dis and in Philadelphia and in La·o·di·ce’a.”

And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me, and, having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands someone like a son of man, clothed with a garment that reached down to the feet, and girded at the breasts with a golden girdle. Moreover, his head and his hair were white as white wool, as snow, and his eyes as a fiery flame;and his feet were like fine copper when glowing in a furnace; and his voice was as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth a sharp, long two-edged sword was protruding, and his countenance was as the sun when it shines in its power. And when I saw him, I fell as dead at his feet.

And he laid his right hand upon me and said: “Do not be fearful. I am the First and the Last, and the living one; and I became dead, but, look! I am living forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Ha’des. Therefore write down the things you saw, and the things that are and the things that will take place after these. As for the sacred secret of the seven stars that you saw upon my right hand, and [of] the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars mean [the] angels of the seven congregations, and the seven lampstands mean seven congregations.

“To the angel of the congregation in Eph’e·sus write: These are the things that he says who holds the seven stars in his right hand, he who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, ‘I know your deeds, and your labor and endurance, and that you cannot bear bad men, and that you put those to the test who say they are apostles, but they are not, and you found them liars. You are also showing endurance, and you have borne up for my name’s sake and have not grown weary. Nevertheless, I hold [this] against you, that you have left the love you had at first.

“‘Therefore remember from what you have fallen, and repent and do the former deeds. If you do not, I am coming to you, and I will remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Still, you do have this, that you hate the deeds of the sect of Nic·o·la’us, which I also hate. Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations: To him that conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

“And to the angel of the congregation in Smyr’na write: These are the things that he says, ‘the First and the Last,’ who became dead and came to life [again], ‘I know your tribulation and poverty—but you are rich—and the blasphemy by those who say they themselves are Jews, and yet they are not but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. Look! The Devil will keep on throwing some of YOU into prison that YOU may be fully put to the test, and that YOU may have tribulation ten days. Prove yourself faithful even to death, and I will give you the crown of life. Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations: He that conquers will by no means be harmed by the second death.’

“And to the angel of the congregation in Per’ga·mum write: These are the things that he says who has the sharp, long two-edged sword, ‘I know where you are dwelling, that is, where the throne of Satan is; and yet you keep on holding fast my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of An’ti·pas, my witness, the faithful one, who was killed by YOUR side, where Satan is dwelling.

“’Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, that you have there those holding fast the teaching of Ba’laam, who went teaching Ba’lak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. So you, also, have those holding fast the teaching of the sect of Nic·o·la’us likewise. Therefore repent. If you do not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will war with them with the long sword of my mouth.

“’Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations: To him that conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white pebble, and upon the pebble a new name written which no one knows except the one receiving it.’

“And to the angel of the congregation in Thy·a·ti’ra write: These are the things that the Son of God says, he who has his eyes like a fiery flame, and his feet are like fine copper, ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and ministry and endurance, and that your deeds of late are more than those formerly.

“‘Nevertheless, I do hold [this] against you, that you tolerate that woman Jez’e·bel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and misleads my slaves to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her fornication. Look! I am about to throw her into a sickbed, and those committing adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And her children I will kill with deadly plague, so that all the congregations will know that I am he who searches the kidneys and hearts, and I will give to YOU individually according to YOUR deeds.

“‘However, I say to the rest of YOU who are in Thy·a·ti’ra, all those who do not have this teaching, the very ones who did not get to know the “deep things of Satan,” as they say: I am not putting upon YOU any other burden. Just the same, hold fast what YOU have until I come. And to him that conquers and observes my deeds down to the end I will give authority over the nations, and he shall shepherd the people with an iron rod so that they will be broken to pieces like clay vessels, the same as I have received from my Father, and I will give him the morning star. Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations.’

“And to the angel of the congregation in Sar’dis write: These are the things that he says who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, ‘I know your deeds, that you have the name that you are alive, but you are dead. Become watchful, and strengthen the things remaining that were ready to die, for I have not found your deeds fully performed before my God. Therefore, continue mindful of how you have received and how you heard, and go on keeping [it], and repent. Certainly unless you wake up, I shall come as a thief, and you will not know at all at what hour I shall come upon you.

“’Nevertheless, you do have a few names in Sar’dis that did not defile their outer garments, and they shall walk with me in white ones, because they are worthy. He that conquers will thus be arrayed in white outer garments; and I will by no means blot out his name from the book of life, but I will make acknowledgment of his name before my Father and before his angels. Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations.’

“And to the angel of the congregation in Philadelphia write: These are the things he says who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens so that no one will shut, and shuts so that no one opens, ‘I know your deeds—look! I have set before you an opened door, which no one can shut—that you have a little power, and you kept my word and did not prove false to my name. Look! I will give those from the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews, and yet they are not but are lying—look! I will make them come and do obeisance before your feet and make them know I have loved you. Because you kept the word about my endurance, I will also keep you from the hour of test, which is to come upon the whole inhabited earth, to put a test upon those dwelling on the earth. I am coming quickly. Keep on holding fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

“’The one that conquers—I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will by no means go out [from it] anymore, and I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which descends out of heaven from my God, and that new name of mine. Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations.’

“And to the angel of the congregation in La·o·di·ce’a write: These are the things that the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God, ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or else hot. So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say: “I am rich and have acquired riches and do not need anything at all,” but you do not know you are miserable and pitiable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire that you may become rich, and white outer garments that you may become dressed and that the shame of your nakedness may not become manifested, and eyesalve to rub in your eyes that you may see.

“‘All those for whom I have affection I reprove and discipline. Therefore be zealous and repent. Look! I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his [house] and take the evening meal with him and he with me. To the one that conquers I will grant to sit down with me on my throne, even as I conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations.’”

-Revelation 1-3, NWT

More Stupid Sigils: The Cult of Jezebel

[thewahookid]

The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary conclude with two events, the Assumption of Mary into heaven, and her Coronation as Queen of all Creation (meaning everything in the universe). The Church recently celebrated the Assumption on August 15 and her Coronation follows next week, on August 22. The imagery used in the Catechism to document these two events is beautiful:

“Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.” (CCC, 974)

Aside from partaking in the prayer and beauty of these mysteries, what can we learn, practically speaking, about our own faith by studying them? Why has the Church placed so much emphasis on Mary’s Assumption and Coronation?

Mary is Assumed into Heaven

First, one must understand what it means to be “assumed into heaven.” This dogma teaches that, upon death, Mary was taken body and soul into heaven (most of us just get to keep our souls, not both, until the Final Judgment). It reminds me a little of Enoch of the Old Testament who “walked with God” and then was “taken away” (Genesis 5:24). It is neither resurrection nor ascension, as her Son Jesus experienced. The Assumption became an official part of Catholic teaching relatively recently, in 1950.

We know Mary to be the greatest of God’s mortal creatures, and the special case of her Assumption is one more layer of proof that this is the case. When pondering this mystery, start there: God set her aside for an extraordinary purpose.

What can really bring a new sense of love to one delving into Marian devotion is how our relationship, as her children, was changed by the event of the Assumption. First, Jesus gave Mary to His disciples – and by extension, all of us – as He died on the cross (“’Woman, behold your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother.’” John 19:25-27). The relationship, however, did not stop there, with her earthly life.

By being so present to us in heaven, she is that much more powerfully our mother and intercessor. Her life did not end, and her soul did not fade away (or transition to more simple sainthood). The bodily assumption preserves the very character of who she was, the god-bearer (“Theotokos”). From heaven, she is our ally and advocate. No wonder she has appeared so many times in apparitions to her children on earth (as one of my friends says, like a true female, never in the same outfit). With the act of the Assumption, the special grace she holds carries over from the mortal to the eternal world, and it is through her that we receive grace.

Mary, Queen of Heaven

Mary has many royal titles: Queen of Angels, Queen of Apostles, Queen of Peace, and so on. When we refer to her as Queen of Heaven, we acknowledge that Mary, in dependence on her Son, holds queenship over all of God’s creation in the universe. To put it in perspective: your mother is queen of the universe, and she loves you, wants what is best for you, and is listening. How’s that to boost your prayer life?

Understanding Mary’s role not just in the earthly drama of the Incarnation but also in its continuance in heaven is key to a deeper spiritual life. I overheard the same friend compare the Christian faiths that do not love the Blessed Mother, to going to a buffet and just getting pretzels. The glory of Mary’s queenship exists because of her relationship with her Son: she was the perfect vessel for God to descend to our world, and her queenship, after her earthly life, acknowledges that. To remove her from the story of Jesus’s life is to tell His story incompletely.

St. Louis Marie de Montfort, author of the Secret of the Rosary and a major proponent of Marian love and spirituality, put it best: “For God, having given her power over his only-begotten and natural Son, also gave her power over his adopted children – not only in what concerns their body – which would be of little account – but also in what concerns their soul.” He continues: “For God has made her queen of heaven and earth, leader of his armies, keeper of his treasure, dispenser of his graces, mediatrix on behalf of men, destroyer of his enemies, and faithful associate in his great works and triumphs.” By her Assumption we see her importance as God’s most perfect human creation, and in her queenship we see her authority not just as a mother for her earthly children, but on all matters within God’s kingdom.

Your Mother, Your Queen

The overall significance in reflecting on these mysteries is to ponder the even deeper mystery of how God came to earth through Mary. If we can provide proper love and reverence for this mystery, we better understand the mystery of Jesus’s Incarnation as a whole.

God chose a humble young woman to fulfill His plan of redemption, and this is significant. For us, we can model Mary’s piety, humility, and love here on earth. Additionally, she was elevated by God to the status of a queen. Loving her as our queen in heaven, we can turn to her for guidance and intercession. Jesus has given us the love and protection of His own mother; with her, our faith is whole.

[d-dumais-blog]

Religious Symbolism in Kemono Friends

DISCLAIMER

I’m going to be discussing Kemono Friends and its comparisons to Christianity as I see them.  I feel it’s only fair to provide a short disclaimer here at the top.  For starters I mean no disrespect to those of faith.  I realize that I’m comparing your lord and savior to a cute anime girl named bag chan, but I hope you’ll understand and appreciate these comparisons all the same. Second, I do not think this show is in anyway trying to convert children, or anyone for that matter, to any religion.  I think that religion is used here as a guiding story structure.  The writers of the show simply pulled from the best selling story of all time, the bible.  Third, I’ll provide my personal context here at the top so you do not feel as a reader at any point that I’ve mislead you.  I’ll be writing using the capitalized letters for God and Father and the like because it helps delineate that I am specifically referring to the proper noun name used in Christian stories and not referring to any other gods in other faiths.  I am currently non religious and uncertain of my faith.  I have however previously spent years working for the church in various capacities, and I spent time studying theology both in early schooling and into my college courses.  I don’t write this article to try and change your mind about anything, or even to change how you think of this series.  I simply thought my perspective and insight was interesting so I wanted to share it with you all.  Lastly I’ll add that this was originally written at the end of March, but has been edited and posted here now since it never saw the light of day previously.  With all that out of the way let’s fall down this rabbit hole together.  

Kemono Friends is an exceptionally well developed children’s show that succeeds in creating an intelligently designed world where the story unfolds.   I don’t simply use the term intelligent design without reverence and understanding of its meaning in a broader context. Intelligent design is a term used by Christianity in describing God’s creations and plan, and I believe at its core Kemono Friends draws heavily from Christianity in developing its themes and characters.  At first glance when comparing the two my mind goes to the Old Testament stories of the Garden of Eden, where humans and animals cohabitate and communicate peacefully together.  There’s even an Apple representing knowledge in the Library, but the apple has already been eaten and the ceruleans represent a clear and present danger that suggests the story must take place later on.  I instead assert that the story of Kemono Friends is the story of the Gospels, the story of Jesus Christ himself, with Kaban acting as the savior or Messiah figure.  Furthermore I believe the entirety of the Holy Trinity is present in the show: Kaban as the Son, Lucky Beast as the Holy Ghost, and Mirai as the Father.   These connections vary in strength for these three, with Kaban’s comparisons to Jesus being the strongest and the focus of this blog post.  

We’ll begin with our protagonist, Kaban and her similarities to Jesus.  Kaban travels from area to area solving problems for the many Friends she encounters through her journey.  Others describe her journey as heroic; they say she stops wars and builds bridges, and a certain amount of mythos begins to form around her.  Though she is similar to the Friends, she knows that she is somehow different and ultimately her goal is to discover who she is, where she came from, and where she belongs.   While these are all clearly analogous to the story of Christ, right down to performing “miracles” in the eyes of the Friends she encounters, they are also the traits and story of most great heroes. The writers behind Kemono Friends knew for Kban to be a true Christ like figure the similarities needed to go further, and further down the rabbit hole we shall go.  Kaban is born from nothing and quite literally has an immaculate conception.  It’s not until the final episodes that we finally see how Kaban entered this world. She’s a spherical ball of light that forms into a person as the safari hat falls on to it.  There are no parents, hell there aren’t even any other humans near her when she bursts into existence.  Her birth isn’t the result of science, of some experiment taking place on the island.  Her birth into the world is a miracle.  An unlikely savior is impossibly born into the world to travel across it helping those she passes, teaching where she can, and at the end, through self sacrifice saving them from the evil that is threatening their peaceful lives on the island. Her death and revival are also miraculous.  

If Sin is the evil that Jesus died to save his followers from, then clearly the ceruleans represent that sin and evil.  The ceruleans look to consume and destroy the light and the life of the world they inhabit.  They eat Friends and return them to their “original” forms; in the series we are led to believe the Friends turn back into normal animals before the sandstar turned them into Friends, though this is never shown.  Think about that for a second though, ceruleans, or in this context sin,  comes and washes away the blessings given to the Friends that allow them to live and communicate effectively, reverting them back to more primal and basic animals without reason and understanding.  In Kaban’s attempt to rid the world of this evil, she is forced to sacrifice herself in order to save Serval from the beast.  She is swallowed up into the darkness where she remains for far longer than anyone.  While inside the monstrous cerulean her body returns to a spherical ball of light, just as she was at her immaculate birth.  When she is finally pulled from the darkness she transforms back into the girl all the Friends know and love.  The giant cerulean is defeated and light begins to shine on the island once more. All the Friends assume that because her original form is human and she was never transformed into anything, being eaten by the cerulean didn’t affect her and that all humans must turn back into humans after being eaten.  This assumption made by the Friends is of course false.  Only the Messiah could be reborn after being eaten by darkness, and we know this because all other humans fled the park in fear of the ceruleans. If the ceruleans truly posed no danger to the humans there would be no purpose in evacuating, and more knowing figures, like Lucky Beast, would not have been frightened for Kaban. There are even contextual clues of a battle foguth between the humans and ceruleans in the form of abandoned weaponry and empty bomb shells.  I think it’s fair to make the assumption these were used by humans against ceruleans because the show never introduces another threat, and it’s clear that the friends don’t know anything about these weapons cause they are never mentioned.    In the final moments of the show Kaban leaves to go where she believes and hopes she belongs, off into the unknown across the ocean to a new island.  If the first island represents our earth, covered in sin, then the new place she heads that is free from such hardship must be Heaven, and like Christ guiding his apostles, Kaban ventures forth with Serval and Friends close behind.  

The next figure in the Kemono Friends Holy Trinity is Lucky Beast acting as the Holy Spirit. Beforew e get too deep I’ll admit these connections are far weaker than those of Kaban and Jesus, but this is fun so follow along and be willing to perform some mental gymnastics along the way please.   In scriptures, the Holy Ghost is the omnipresent part of God that acts as the guide. Lucky Beast is very clearly the guide in this series, doing everything from driving the bus to explaining attractions and directions.  Lucky Beast is also omnipresent because there are a countless number of Lucky Beasts spread across the various areas of the park that can all at once act together to accomplish a singular goal as shown by Lucky Beast gathering all of the Friends across the many areas in the final episode.  Lucky Beast’s white colors are also reminiscent of the white dove the Holy Spirit embodies in scripture, though I admit this would be more evident if its shape was that of a dove, though perhaps that would be too on the nose. Similar to the Holy Ghost in the Bible, communication with Lucky Beast is facilitated through Kaban.  Lucky Beast only ever communicates directly with Friends upon Kaban’s initial passing.  The Holy Ghost is also seen in scriptures as the communicative vessel for the Father which in this series would be Mirai.  Mirai speaks through and is eventually seen through the eyes of Lucky Beast, and it is through this connection we find out what little we do know about the only older figure in the entire series.  

Mirai is the Father in the Trinity that is Kemono Friends. The connections here become even scarcer, which makes perfect sense.  If Kemono Friends is the story of the Gospels, then it makes sense that the Father is rarely shown, because that is similar to the gospels in the Bible.  The story of the father is written primarily in the Old Testament, and we’d need to see the prequel to Kemono Friends (oh please please please yes) if we’d like the full story on Mirai.  Here I’ll try and break down what we do know.  Mirai was part of the park staff, meaning she was part of the ruling body of the park in charge of attractions and Friends alike. To be more specific, she is the only known staff member of the park until Kaban assumes the responsibility in the final episodes of the show in order to overcome the ceruleans.  We know that she was doing research on the sandstars and was responsible for the discovery, if not creation, of the Friends. She lived among the Friends until the ceruleans began consuming the island, just as the Father lived among humans in the Garden of Eden until sin took root.  We also know that her hat is worn by kaban for the entirety of the show, and is the initial catalyst for kaban turning from a ball of light into the savior the world so desperately needs.  She is more knowledgeable than any other character in the series and thus appears omniscient.  She also embodies and represents the place Kaban feels she belongs, just as the Son must sit at the side of the Father, Kaban must go to be with Mirai.  Mrai’s character helps embody both what is good about the show and faith.  Her character isn’t fully understood, and the viewer is left thirsting for more knowledge. Just as Christians are taught that they do not understand God, they should want with all they have to be close to Him and to know Him better.  

To recap, Kban is born from nothing and resembles the only known authority figure in the world.  She sacrifices herself to protect her friends, comes back to life shortly there after, then ultimately succeeds in protecting her friends from harm.  Lucky Beast is a guiding figure that only communicates through Kaban unless otherwise ordered by Kaban, and has information on Mirai.  Mirai is the only known authority figure who is shown to be at least partially responsible for the creation of Friends, and is a ruling party over the park.  I’m willing to put on my tin foil hat for this one! Hope you’ve been following along at home if not I’ve got a very easy to follow wall of notes that will help this all make sense.  

Kemono Friends isn’t a show with a dark twist; it’s not a deconstruction of any existing genre.  Kemono Friends is a kids’ show that tells the same story countless parents and preachers across the world have been telling children for centuries, the story of a savior that came to travel the world, a savior that made many friends, the story of a savior who loves her friends so dearly she will give herself to protect them from evil.  Kemono Friends succeeds where other shows fall short because it is both extremely deep in its symbolism and themes, while remaining approachable and friendly towards children.  It’s incredible that such a great show was born from such a troubled past.  The series is based on a failed license.  The phone game it draws inspiration from was shut down a month before the show began airing.  The studio, Yaoyorozu, has yet to achieve critical or commercial success prior to this series.  The entire staff is rather unknown, and they should be celebrated and heralded as the most unlikely of success stories.  It seems unlikely that we’ll ever get to see the prequel Old Testament story of the park before ceruleans, and that might be sad, but ultimately it’s okay because the story told here is so complete and well done.  I tip my hat to you Yaoyorozu, you’ve made a fan out of me.  

PPPS. PPP is awesome just a pppublic service announcement 

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

25th November >> Mass Readings (USA)

  for

Saturday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

  or 

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin, Martyr 

 or 

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Saturday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading

1 Maccabees 6:1-13

On account of the evils I did in Jerusalem, I am dying in bitter grief.

As King Antiochus was traversing the inland provinces, he heard that in Persia there was a city called Elymais, famous for its wealth in silver and gold, and that its temple was very rich, containing gold helmets, breastplates, and weapons left there by Alexander, son of Philip, king of Macedon, the first king of the Greeks. He went therefore and tried to capture and pillage the city. But he could not do so, because his plan became known to the people of the city who rose up in battle against him. So he retreated and in great dismay withdrew from there to return to Babylon.

   While he was in Persia, a messenger brought him news that the armies sent into the land of Judah had been put to flight; that Lysias had gone at first with a strong army and been driven back by the children of Israel; that they had grown strong by reason of the arms, men, and abundant possessions taken from the armies they had destroyed; that they had pulled down the Abomination which he had built upon the altar in Jerusalem; and that they had surrounded with high walls both the sanctuary, as it had been before, and his city of Beth-zur.

   When the king heard this news, he was struck with fear and very much shaken. Sick with grief because his designs had failed, he took to his bed. There he remained many days, overwhelmed with sorrow, for he knew he was going to die.

   So he called in all his Friends and said to them: “Sleep has departed from my eyes, for my heart is sinking with anxiety. I said to myself: ‘Into what tribulation have I come, and in what floods of sorrow am I now! Yet I was kindly and beloved in my rule.’ But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem, when I carried away all the vessels of gold and silver that were in it, and for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed. I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me; and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 9:2-3, 4 and 6, 16 and 19

R/ I will rejoice in your salvation, O Lord.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous deeds.I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, Most High.

R/ I will rejoice in your salvation, O Lord.

Because my enemies are turned back, overthrown and destroyed before you.You rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; their name you blotted out forever and ever.

R/ I will rejoice in your salvation, O Lord.

The nations are sunk in the pit they have made; in the snare they set, their foot is caught.For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor shall the hope of the afflicted forever perish.

R/ I will rejoice in your salvation, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

cf. 2 Timothy 1:10

Alleluia, alleluia.

Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 20:27-40

He is not God of the dead, but of the living.

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.” Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called  ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Some of the scribes said in reply, “Teacher, you have answered well.” And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

——————————

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin, Martyr

(Liturgical Colour: Red)

First Reading

Revelation 21:5-7

The victor will inherit these gifts.

The One who was seated on the throne said: “Behold, I make all things new.” Then he said, “Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true.” He said to me, “They are accomplished. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he will be my son.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 124:2-3, 4-5, 7-8

R/ Our soul has escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Had not the LORD been with us– when men rose up against us, Then would they have swallowed us alive, when their fury was inflamed against us.

R/ Our soul has escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Then would the waters have overwhelmed us; The torrent would have swept over us; over us then would have swept the raging waters.

R/ Our soul has escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Broken was the snare, and we were freed.Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

R/ Our soul has escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Gospel Acclamation

Matthew 5:10

Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 10:28-33

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body.

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

————————————

Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Liturgical Colour: White)

First Reading

Genesis 3:9-15, 20

I will put enmity between your offspring and the offspring of the woman.

After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the LORD God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!” The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me– she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.” The LORD God then asked the woman, “Why did you do such a thing?” The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”    Then the LORD God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; On your belly shall you crawl,    and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life.I will put enmity between you and the woman,    and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.”

The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.

The Word of the Lord.

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“My heart exults in the LORD, my horn is exalted in my God.I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in my victory.”

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“The bows of the mighty are broken, while the tottering gird on strength.The well-fed hire themselves out for bread, while the hungry batten on spoil.The barren wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes.”

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“The LORD puts to death and gives life; he casts down to the nether world;    he raises up again.The LORD makes poor and makes rich, he humbles, he also exalts.”

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

“He raises the needy from the dust; from the dung heap he lifts up the poor, To seat them with nobles and make a glorious throne their heritage.”

R/ My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

Gospel Acclamation

cf. Luke 1:28

Alleluia, alleluia.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;

blessed are you among women.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

[fevie168]

Saturday (January 7):  “Jesus manifested his glory at Cana”

Scripture: John 2:1-12

1 On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. 3 When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 4 And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6 Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast." So they took it. 9 When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him. 12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples; and there they stayed for a few days.

Meditation: John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, tells us that Jesus did many signs in the presence of his disciples. John recorded seven of these signs to strengthen our belief that 'Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name' (John 20:30-31). Jesus' first sign took place at a wedding reception in the town of Cana, which was very close to Nazareth in Galilee where Jesus grew up. What does this sign tell us about about Jesus? And what is its significance for us?  

From skepticism to belief

John locates his account of Jesus' first sign by telling us that it occurred on the third day (John 2:1-2). What is the significance of the third day? This is three days after skeptical Nathaniel’s first encounter with Jesus. Philip had encouraged Nathaniel to “come and see” for himself who this Jesus was. When Nathaniel met Jesus, Jesus did something out of the ordinary. He revealed something personal about Nathaniel that only Nathaniel would have known. And then Jesus made a claim: 'You shall see greater things than these.' And he said to Nathaniel, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man"  (John 1:50-51). Jesus in so many words told Nathaniel, '“You don't just have to believe my words, what I am saying here. I am going to perform signs that will back up the truth of what I’m saying and prove that I am who I claim to be.' If someone makes that kind of claim to you, you are going to closely watch whatever he does to see if he can make good on the claim. You want to find out if he is genuine or just an imposter or maybe deluded and crazy.

Turning failure into blessing

Three days later Jesus takes his disciples to a wedding reception and there he does something quite out of the ordinary, right in the middle of the celebration - and during a very embarrassing moment for the bride and groom. When Jesus' mother presses Jesus to do something about the situation, Jesus seems to put her off. But she knows her son very well and understands that Jesus will handle the situation that way he thinks best.

Why did the wedding party run out of wine in the middle of the feast? Perhaps Jesus contributed to this embarrassing failure by bringing a group of his disciples to the feast at the last minute. But Jesus had a purpose in turning a wedding feast fiasco into a blessing beyond reckoning. He wanted to bless a newly-wed couple and all those at the wedding banquet as well. Everyone received in abundance the best of wine. John describes Jesus' first public miracle as a sign. It is more than simply a demonstration of his power to change nature. It is a sign of what he has come to do - to transform the lives of all who will believe in him.

Bridegroom of the new Israel

Why did Jesus pick an ordinary wedding feast in a little out-of-the-way town to perform his first sign and to launch his public ministry? A wedding feast in nearly every culture is a very big event, often the biggest celebration that people experience, because it brings families, neighbors, and sometimes the whole town together. For many people it is the happiest and most memorable occasion in their life.

,

For the people of Israel, the wedding feast had a special spiritual significance as well. It came to symbolize God’s special relationship and covenant with the people of Israel. The Old Testament describes God as the Bridegroom of Israel and presents his covenant relationship with the people of God as a spiritual marriage (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:14; Hosea 2:16, 19-20). One of the most powerful images of heaven is the wedding banquet (Revelations 19:7-9). The Bible ends with the invitation to this marriage feast. "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come'" (Revelations 21:17).

So when Jesus chooses a wedding feast for his first sign, he is giving us a hint about something that will become more explicit when John the Baptist describes Jesus as the betrothed bridegroom of his people (John 3:29). In the other Gospels Jesus also alludes to his role as the bridegroom of the new people of Israel (see Mark 2:18-20; Matthew 9:14-15; Matthew 22:1-14; Matthew 25:6) when he invites both Jews and Gentiles to share in his heavenly banquet at the end of the age (Luke 13:29).

Changing water into wine

What is so special about Jesus changing water into wine? Any good winemaker knows how to take a watery substance such as grape juice and turn it into wine. First you wait for the grapes to grow and mature. Then you pick the choicest grapes for the best wine you want to make. You crush the grapes into a mush. Then you add some water, yeast, and sugar. You allow this mixture to ferment over a period of several weeks. During that time you skim off the solid material until you are left with pure liquid - wine. Wine must be slightly aged to be drinkable - white wine must sit for half a year, and red wine for a full year. Some of the most famous wines are aged for many years.

Jesus didn't turn the water into a fruity grape juice, or into ordinary table wine. He instantly produced the finest and most expensive of wines - a fine vintage wine that would normally take years to age. He didn’t produce just enough wine to satisfy the embarrassed bride and groom and guests. He produced 120 gallons! Abundance indeed. The instantaneous turning of water into wine shows Jesus' supernatural power to transform natural things - what is physical and material - into something of a higher order. He has the same power which God possesses - to create, transform, and change creation itself.

The gift of abundant life

If Jesus can change water into wine for an embarrassed wedding couple, how much more can he change us through the transforming power of his Holy Spirit. John tells us that 'all who received him [Jesus], who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God' (John 1:12,13). Jesus gives us abundant life. This sign at Cana points to his power not simply to improve the quality of our lives but to change and transform us to be like him - people of joy, peace, and love who do not fear death, but who know and experience even now the taste of eternal life - the life of God’s kingdom. He gives us everything we need to live as his disciples - as sons and daughters of God.Jesus blessed a nameless couple in Cana, not only with his presence, but with his power. He will bless us as well, not only with his presence, but with his healing love and life-changing power.

Let go of pride and fear

What might hold us back from allowing Jesus to change and transform us? Perhaps you feel that your faith is weak, or that you are unworthy to receive God's favor and gifts. Perhaps you struggle with anxiety or despair because your life feels hopelessly out of control. Jesus knows our struggles and weaknesses better than we do. And that doesn't stop him from offering us freedom and transformation through the gift and working of his Holy Spirit.

Paul the Apostle reminds us that God chooses to work in and through fragile and cracked vessels, such as us, to reveal the power of his glory and love. 'We have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us' (2 Corinthians 4:7).

If there is anything holding you back from trusting in Jesus, let it go - give it to Jesus. Let go of fear - fear of losing your life. Let go of pride - wanting to always be in control and get things to go your way. And let go of unbelief - the stubborn refusal to accept Jesus on his own terms and to deny that he has the words of eternal life. Be like Nathaniel and choose to follow the master - to the wedding banquet and beyond, to even greater things.

"Heavenly Father, you have revealed your glory in our Lord Jesus Christ. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may bring you glory in all that I do and say.”

Psalm 96:1-3,7-10

1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!

2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!

7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!

8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!

9 Worship the LORD in holy array; tremble before him, all the earth!

10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established, it shall never be moved;  he will judge the peoples with equity."

Daily Quote from the early church fathers

:

Jesus' first miracle manifests the King of Glory

, by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.

"'By this sign he made manifest that he was the King of glory (Psalm 24:10), and so the church's bridegroom. He came to the marriage as a common human being, but as Lord of heaven and earth he could convert the elements as he wished. How beautifully appropriate it is that when he began the signs that he would show to mortals while he was still mortal he turned water into wine. [But] when he had become immortal through his resurrection, he began the signs that he would show only to those who were pursuing the goal of immortal life... Therefore, let us love with our whole mind, dearly beloved, the marriage of Christ and the church, which was prefigured then in one city and is now celebrated over the whole earth." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.14)

[tpanan]

My Saturday Daily Blessings

January 7, 2017

Be still quiet your heart and mind, the LORD is here, loving you talking to you...........

Christmas Weekday (Roman Rite Calendar)

First Reading: 1 John 5:14-21

Beloved: We have this confidence in God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours.  If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray.  All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly. We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the Evil One cannot touch him. We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the Evil One. We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true.  And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ.  He is the true God and eternal life.  Children, be on your guard against idols.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 149:1-2, 3-4, 5, 6a and 9b

"The LORD takes delight on His people."

Verse before the Gospel: Luke 7:16

Alleluia, Alleluia

"A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people."

Alleluia, Alleluia,

Gospel: John 2:1-11

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it.  And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.

**Meditation:

John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, tells us that Jesus did many signs in the presence of his disciples. John recorded seven of these signs to strengthen our belief that 'Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name' (John 20:30-31). Jesus' first sign took place at a wedding reception in the town of Cana, which was very close to Nazareth in Galilee where Jesus grew up. What does this sign tell us about about Jesus? And what is its significance for us?  

From skepticism to belief John locates his account of Jesus' first sign by telling us that it occurred on the third day (John 2:1-2). What is the significance of the third day? This is three days after skeptical Nathaniel’s first encounter with Jesus. Philip had encouraged Nathaniel to “come and see” for himself who this Jesus was. When Nathaniel met Jesus, Jesus did something out of the ordinary. He revealed something personal about Nathaniel that only Nathaniel would have known. And then Jesus made a claim: 'You shall see greater things than these.' And he said to Nathaniel, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man"  (John 1:50-51). Jesus in so many words told Nathaniel, '“You don't just have to believe my words, what I am saying here. I am going to perform signs that will back up the truth of what I’m saying and prove that I am who I claim to be.' If someone makes that kind of claim to you, you are going to closely watch whatever he does to see if he can make good on the claim. You want to find out if he is genuine or just an imposter or maybe deluded and crazy.

Turning failure into blessing Three days later Jesus takes his disciples to a wedding reception and there he does something quite out of the ordinary, right in the middle of the celebration - and during a very embarrassing moment for the bride and groom. When Jesus' mother presses Jesus to do something about the situation, Jesus seems to put her off. But she knows her son very well and understands that Jesus will handle the situation that way he thinks best.

Why did the wedding party run out of wine in the middle of the feast? Perhaps Jesus contributed to this embarrassing failure by bringing a group of his disciples to the feast at the last minute. But Jesus had a purpose in turning a wedding feast fiasco into a blessing beyond reckoning. He wanted to bless a newly-wed couple and all those at the wedding banquet as well. Everyone received in abundance the best of wine. John describes Jesus' first public miracle as a sign. It is more than simply a demonstration of his power to change nature. It is a sign of what he has come to do - to transform the lives of all who will believe in him.

Bridegroom of the new Israel Why did Jesus pick an ordinary wedding feast in a little out-of-the-way town to perform his first sign and to launch his public ministry? A wedding feast in nearly every culture is a very big event, often the biggest celebration that people experience, because it brings families, neighbors, and sometimes the whole town together. For many people it is the happiest and most memorable occasion in their life.

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For the people of Israel, the wedding feast had a special spiritual significance as well. It came to symbolize God’s special relationship and covenant with the people of Israel. The Old Testament describes God as the Bridegroom of Israel and presents his covenant relationship with the people of God as a spiritual marriage (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:14; Hosea 2:16, 19-20). One of the most powerful images of heaven is the wedding banquet (Revelations 19:7-9). The Bible ends with the invitation to this marriage feast. "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come'" (Revelations 21:17).

So when Jesus chooses a wedding feast for his first sign, he is giving us a hint about something that will become more explicit when John the Baptist describes Jesus as the betrothed bridegroom of his people (John 3:29). In the other Gospels Jesus also alludes to his role as the bridegroom of the new people of Israel (see Mark 2:18-20; Matthew 9:14-15; Matthew 22:1-14; Matthew 25:6) when he invites both Jews and Gentiles to share in his heavenly banquet at the end of the age (Luke 13:29).

Changing water into wine What is so special about Jesus changing water into wine? Any good winemaker knows how to take a watery substance such as grape juice and turn it into wine. First you wait for the grapes to grow and mature. Then you pick the choicest grapes for the best wine you want to make. You crush the grapes into a mush. Then you add some water, yeast, and sugar. You allow this mixture to ferment over a period of several weeks. During that time you skim off the solid material until you are left with pure liquid - wine. Wine must be slightly aged to be drinkable - white wine must sit for half a year, and red wine for a full year. Some of the most famous wines are aged for many years.

Jesus didn't turn the water into a fruity grape juice, or into ordinary table wine. He instantly produced the finest and most expensive of wines - a fine vintage wine that would normally take years to age. He didn’t produce just enough wine to satisfy the embarrassed bride and groom and guests. He produced 120 gallons! Abundance indeed. The instantaneous turning of water into wine shows Jesus' supernatural power to transform natural things - what is physical and material - into something of a higher order. He has the same power which God possesses - to create, transform, and change creation itself.

The gift of abundant life If Jesus can change water into wine for an embarrassed wedding couple, how much more can he change us through the transforming power of his Holy Spirit. John tells us that 'all who received him [Jesus], who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God' (John 1:12,13). Jesus gives us abundant life. This sign at Cana points to his power not simply to improve the quality of our lives but to change and transform us to be like him - people of joy, peace, and love who do not fear death, but who know and experience even now the taste of eternal life - the life of God’s kingdom. He gives us everything we need to live as his disciples - as sons and daughters of God.Jesus blessed a nameless couple in Cana, not only with his presence, but with his power. He will bless us as well, not only with his presence, but with his healing love and life-changing power.

Let go of pride and fear What might hold us back from allowing Jesus to change and transform us? Perhaps you feel that your faith is weak, or that you are unworthy to receive God's favor and gifts. Perhaps you struggle with anxiety or despair because your life feels hopelessly out of control. Jesus knows our struggles and weaknesses better than we do. And that doesn't stop him from offering us freedom and transformation through the gift and working of his Holy Spirit.

Paul the Apostle reminds us that God chooses to work in and through fragile and cracked vessels, such as us, to reveal the power of his glory and love. 'We have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us' (2 Corinthians 4:7). If there is anything holding you back from trusting in Jesus, let it go - give it to Jesus. Let go of fear - fear of losing your life. Let go of pride - wanting to always be in control and get things to go your way. And let go of unbelief - the stubborn refusal to accept Jesus on his own terms and to deny that he has the words of eternal life. Be like Nathaniel and choose to follow the master - to the wedding banquet and beyond, to even greater things.

**Prayer:

"Heavenly Father, you have revealed your glory in our Lord Jesus Christ. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may bring you glory in all that I do and say.” AMEN.

Sources:

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

**Meditations may be freely reprinted for non-commercial use. Cite copyright & source: www.dailyscripture.net author Don Schwager © 2015 Servants of the Word