#Thresh Daniels

[chaoticgoblinwife]

Enobaria

Trigger warning: talk of tr*fficking, r*pe, forced medical procedures

I keep seeing the theory/opinion recently "what if Enobaria got her teeth filed in order to avoid being tr*fficked by Snow???" and like i get where people are coming from, but no. Katniss states in the plain ass text, "She became so famous for this act that, after she was a victor, she had her teeth cosmetically altered so each one ends in a sharp point like a fang and is inlaid with gold. She has no shortage of admirers in the Capitol. " (p. 224-225 Catching Fire)

Guys. Katniss says it. Before she knows it or realizes the implications. ENOBARIA'S TEETH WEREN'T FILED TO MAKE HER LESS APPEALING TO THE CAPITOL, IT WAS TO MAKE HER MORE APPEALING. SO SHE CAN BE TR*FFICKED. Enobaria most likely was tr*ffIcked by Snow, with the explicit appeal being that she was "brutal and animalistic". I feel like a lot of you gloss over that this is a minor body modification compared to literally just the Capitol citizens, and in their eyes was something to the affect Daniel Radcliffe deciding he wanted to be known as "the Harry Potter Guy" and wore glasses for that.

And I know part of this narrative comes from people wanting to believe that others defied the Capitol before Katniss or that she wasn't the only victor to do so, but you don't have to ignore one of the only pieces we get about a character to get it- its literally everywhere in the series. Haymitch, Johanna, Finnick, Lyme, Seeder all do so. Haymitch, who wins his games by making a mockery of the gamemakers' arena, using it as a weapon. Johanna, who loses everyone she loves, refusing to be tr*fficked, Finnick, who brings back his competitor IN THE ARENA. Lyme, who is from a career district and most likely won as a career tribute- literally the Capitol's attack dogs, being at the forefront and one of the leaders of the rebellion. Seeder, who has never met Katniss but hugs her close to whisper that Rue and Thresh's families are alive, standing with them and the other victors, holding hands to tell the Capitol "We are here, together. We are people. We see what you're doing to us." These victors all do something to make the statement you want so desperately for Enobaria to make.

Enobaria's story is about a young woman who is praised, held up, and told that the worst moment of her life is the only moment that defines her as a person. It's a story of manipulation from authority figures and a life of living in something you want so desperately to forget, but you can still taste his blood even when you just brushed your teeth and everyone is telling you that they've never seen that in the games before, and it was brilliant and then you're sitting in a hospital with your stylist beside you, next you see your face again and you know you'll never move past it, and then President Snow is throwing you a ball for your Victory Tour and your escort introduces you to a 'very generous sponsor from your games who wanted to meet you' and "what you thought that would put me off? No the whole reason I picked you is because you're such a fiesty one." You wake up the next day knowing why you'll never get to forget. The Capitol citizens, it seems, revel in the desperation of those from the districts.

Like yeah, Enobaria is most definitely a tragic character like most of the other victors, but her story would run a lot more parallels to Finnick's than Johanna's.

[deviousdevilx]

Kinda an alt take of what if Daniel had managed to get inside the limo before Mike drives off and doesn't leave him behind.

Daniel is fully panicking, no way in Hell this was happening but no matter what he said, any attempt of convincing the others that their plan to assault Terry Silver in his own home was fucking insane continued to fall on deaf ears.

He resorted to pleading but when that too failed, Daniel tried to call Amanda. Maybe she and Carmen would talk reason into them but when Johnny realized what Daniel was trying to do, he snatched the phone from Daniel.

"Johnny what the hell!?" Daniel snapped, reaching over to take back his phone.

"Leave the ladies out of this Daniel, we're finishing this tonight."

Daniel groaned, sat back, feeling utterly defeated. He was outnumbered and overpowered at this point. Maybe he could get Terry not to...not to what? Have them arrested? Beaten up? He knew no matter what that Terry would not react kindly to them showing up at this door, late at night, drunk and wanting to fight.

His house was gated, maybe once they drive up, Mike will realize how insane their shitty plan was and will finally see reason and turn around.

If only.

Mike drove through the gates. Daniel clutched his head. Keep calm, keep calm, you can defuse this Daniel, stop this from getting more out of control. But could he?

Suddenly Johnny and Chozen were out the doors, Daniel's heart which already was beating fast, almost leapt out of his chest. FUCK!

Almost paralyzed, Daniel was stuck to the seat unable to move. This really was happening! Maybe it was the booze in his system, a combination of nerves but Daniel really wanted to throw up right now. Instead he managed to get up and out of the limo

On unsteady legs he made his way around the limo and towards the front doors, which were already open. They had went inside.

It wasn't too late, they could back down, leave...if Terry let them. Daniel had to convince Terry to let them leave, as long as the guys didn't already start throwing punches.

As Daniel walked through the thresh hold of the entrance, he heard Mike's angry words, then what sounded like a scuffle.

Oh shit!

Turning the corner, Daniel saw Johnny and Chozen standing in front of a seated Terry, and Kim Da-Eun, and behind them were several of Terry's Cobra Kai sensei's. What kind of nightmare did Daniel stumble into? It felt unreal, surreal.

"Uh oh fellas, I don't think this is gonna turn out the way you thought it would."

Terry spoke so calmly, as his men advanced on Johnny and Chozen. Nobody had noticed Daniel yet. He managed to look over and see an unconscious Mike on the floor.

Realizing he had mere seconds to act, Daniel moved in between the Cobra Kai sensei's and his friends.

"Terry!" His voice held a slight tremble.

His sudden unexpected appearance got Terry to shoot up from his chair.

"Daniel, I wasn't expecting you to join your idiotic friends here."

"Yeah well neither did I, and I know this looks bad but we can walk away from this right now--"

Terry laughs, it's cold, it's hard, just like the look he is giving Daniel at this moment.

"Oh Danny boy," Terry admonished in that same condescending manner he loved to speak to Daniel with, "we're way past speaking, your three friends broke into my home, threatened me, and you think you can just walk in and expect everything to what? Just stop?"

"I know...I know it's just they're drunk, we're all are, this was a huge mistake, I'll make it right, I'll pay for the gate, and whatever else they damaged, we can stop this from escalating any further, please?"

The plea almost makes Daniel wince. But what else can he do?

Terry's hard cold look shifts into something more predatory the moment Daniel mentions they're drunk. Ignoring Daniel, Terry nods to his Cobra Kai men, giving them the go-a head to attack.

"Leave that one for me gentlemen," Terry says, gesturing towards Daniel, grinning maliciously, "he's mine."

Daniel immediately goes into a defensive position but is stunned when Terry doesn't attack. Instead his attention is briefly taken away when a tablet on the table goes off, beeping. Kim De-Eun picks up, snarling, "It's Nichols, she's broken into the office and she's not alone!"

Terry orders her to take care of it, and that he will join her once he's taken of care of everything here.

Daniel takes this opportunity to try to talk reason into the taller man.

"Terry please this doesn't have to--"

"Are you afraid Daniel? That'll I'll beat you again just like last time, leaving you breathless, on your back, in so so much pain? Hmm I had really hoped you learned your lesson that night but I guess you need another one huh? You were usually such a faster learner, but you are also so stubborn."

Daniel flickers a glance over towards his friends as they fight against the Cobra Kai's before fulling giving Terry his attention.

"Come, let's take out fight somewhere more intimate, you deserve my undivided attention," Terry gestures for Daniel to follow him.

He practically purrs the words, low, seductive, menacing. Daniel doesn't want to be alone with Terry. Never again but he follows Terry as the man walks away.

Daniel never had the chance to see inside Terry's home, but the room, in any other circumstance would have interested Daniel. The wall of art, katanas, and samurai suits made for an impressive collection.

"A drink? Or did you have your fill already?"

Terry is pouring himself a glass of whiskey. Either he is toying with Daniel, or knows Daniel isn't much of a threat.

Okay, Daniel can work with this.

"Please call off your men Terry. I'm sorry, I'll do whatever I need too to fix this."

Terry flashed him his signature predatory grin. Daniel felt himself get very weak kneed.

"Anything?" Terry chuckles, "Well let's have a watch first, see how your boys versus mine are doing?"

Terry grabs a remote and turns on a television screen on the wall. Of course Terry has cameras everywhere in his own home.

Daniel turns to look at the screen. He sees Chozen and Johnny fighting against six Cobra Kai sensei's. The odds are not in their favor. Plus they were so inebriated. It was obvious, their moves were sloppy, delayed, slowed. While they were currently holding their own, it was only a matter of time before they both succumbed to their enemies.

Johnny takes a hard hit to his face, causing him to drop to his knees, but he managed to recover and keep fighting.

Daniel bites his lower lips, hands clenched, and is tempted to run out and join his friends. However, he knew Terry wouldn't allow that.

Distracted by the television screen, and watching his friends falter in their fights, he didn't sense Terry approach him from behind.

A large hand clasps his shoulder, Daniel startles, but remains still as Terry leans down, "Here's my proposition Daniel," his grip on Daniel's shoulder tightens.

Eyes glued to the screen, unable, or unwilling to look over at the man looming behind him, Daniel watches Chozen kicked to his knees, Johnny is on the ground, struggling but failing to get up...they were losing, and the Cobra Kai sensei's were not backing down, continuing to assault his friends.

"You want this all to stop, all you have to do is put on my Cobra Kai gi," another large hand snakes around Daniel's hip, settling on his waist, Daniel feels Terry's fingers stroking his hip through his clothes, "I'll let Johnny and Chozen keep Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang, they can compete at the Sekai Taikai, if they behave themselves and we have no more nonsense like tonight."

"I...can't just--" Daniel's mind is spinning, he doesn't understand why Terry wants him to join Cobra Kai.

"Shh, Daniel yes you can. I made a mistake all those years ago, choosing Kreese over you. I won't make that same mistake again. You should have been mine Danny boy, and if you want this to end, your friends to walk away alive, and mostly unharmed, then you will do everything I tell you to."

The hand on his shoulder and hip are removed, Terry walks away. Daniel after a few moments, collecting his sanity, turns to see Terry pulling out a Cobra Kai gi he had stashed nearby.

"I had this made specially for you Danny boy, I was almost convinced I'd never see you wear it. Actually I was certain I never would but here we are."

He hands the gi over to Daniel, "Put it on now. It appears your students led by one of mine who went astray is currently attacking my dojo. We're going to put an end to that, together. And show everyone you're mine."

You're mine.

Daniel doesn't believe what he's hearing, but oh God if Sam and Anthony were put into harms way. He couldn't allow it.

He slowly nods, unable to form words at the moment.

Terry didn't like that.

"It's yes sir remember?"

"....yes sir." Daniel replies softly.

"Good Danny boy. Now let's finally put an end to this rivalry once and for all"

[pynkhues]

To your beacon in the gloom. Interview with the Vampire. Lestat x Louis. NC-17. 13k words.

A year after Louis and Lestat reunite, they're still figuring it out. Daniel calls it out, Louis tries to move them forwards, and maybe they just fuck instead.

-

If Louis were to muse on it, which he does, despite himself, often, he’d say there was something carnal to the act of it. Something to harvesting your life, reaping your memories, threshing those moments of significance, of truth, of honesty from the thick crop of day-to-day mundanity, to pass on to a man who intends to make something of it. Off it. To take these things that have spent more than a lifetime growing in the fecund soil of you to cut, to cook, to plate up and serve for a ravenous public to devour.

Fruitage, preparation, consumption where Louis found himself both deft handed with Daniel, and deftly handled by him, a part of the art for once, instead of the purveyor of it, something neither Armand nor even Lestat had been able to give him. The businessman in him shed for the first time in what felt a millennia to leave only the man – brother, father, lover, vampire, and for a short while, simply human.

Which is all to say he perhaps should’ve expected it – Daniel’s newly assumed authority on the subject of his life. The space those two weeks in Dubai, those 15 sessions of remembrance and revelation created between the two (three? Four?) of them. An intimacy Louis finds to be both shallowly presumed and deeply, startlingly real.

“No,” Louis replies as the question Daniel has just floated into his head cuts across the music playing in the other room, closing the book in his lap. “There’s nothing left to bury but the memories of her, and I ain’t interested in doing that.”

“Don’t think of it as a funeral then, think of it as a memorial, hell, a vigil - - these things are ceremonial, they’re symbolic, and most importantly, they’re for the living.”

“I have my time with her,” Louis says, rising to slip the book – Robert Stalnaker’s seminal Mere Possibilities: Metaphysical Foundations of Modal Semantics – back to its place on the shelf in his newly renovated reading room, his interest already having waned.

Instead, he briefly wonders where Daniel is – still on tour for the book, that much he knows, a string of literary festivals across the South Pacific. He vaguely recalls mentions of Ubud and Auckland – but that thought passes too. Distance seems fleeting when they can close it now so simply after Armand’s petulant punishment.

“You know that. You’ve seen the room I’ve made for her and Paul here.”

“The difference, Louis, is a service is a place to share grief, not internalize it, and if you and Lestat are living together again - - ”

“We’re not,” Louis says quickly, too quickly, maybe, because Daniel somehow manages to scoff through the mind connection.

“You know I can hear both of your thoughts, right?”

Louis rolls his eyes, running a taloned finger along the spines that populate his bookshelf. No more philosophy tonight, he thinks. It’s trying his patience. 

“So he comes over sometimes,” he says, plucking out a copy of Paul Beatty’s The Sellout, and turning it over to read the blurb.

“He’s playing a piano at your penthouse right now, and correct me if I’m wrong, Louis, but you never had the musical acumen, which means not only is he playing it, but one of you moved an 800 pound upright past a swarm of pissed off vampires, building security, and up 83 floors to put it there.”

Read it on ao3 here.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 ¶ In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea

2 and saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, who said, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.

4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and all the region round about Jordan went out to him

6 and were baptized of him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 ¶ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who taught you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance

9 and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father, for I say unto you that God is able to raise up children unto Abraham of these stones.

10 And now the axe is also laid unto the root of the trees; therefore, every tree which does not bring forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.

11 I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance, but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire,

12 whose fan is in his hand; and he will thoroughly purge his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the storehouse, but he will burn up the chaff with fire that shall never be quenched.

13 ¶ Then Jesus came from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him.

14 But John resisted him much, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now, for thus it is expedient for us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

16 And Jesus, after he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and, behold, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him;

17 and, behold, a voice from the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. — Matthew 3 | Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) Jubilee Bible 2000 Copyright © 2013, 2020 by Ransom Press International. Cross References: Leviticus 11:22; Joshua 15:61; Judges 1:16; 1 Samuel 14:26; 2 Samuel 23:7; Ezra 10:1; Psalm 1:4; Psalm 2:7; Psalm 40:7-8; Psalm 92:12; Proverbs 28:4; Isaiah 1:31; Isaiah 4:4; Isaiah 11:2; Isaiah 40:3; Isaiah 42:1; Daniel 2:44; Matthew 2:1; Matthew 2:22; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 12:18; Matthew 12:34; Mark 1:3,4 and5; Mark 1:9; Luke 1:16; Luke 3:8; Luke 16:24; John 4:34; John 8:33; Acts 26:20; Romans 1:13; Hebrews 7:23

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand”

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

28th November >> Mass Readings (USA)

Tuesday, Thirty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Colour: Green: A (1))

First Reading Daniel 2:31-45 The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed and shall put an end to all these kingdoms.

Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar: “In your vision, O king, you saw a statue, very large and exceedingly bright, terrifying in appearance as it stood before you. The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs bronze, the legs iron, its feet partly iron and partly tile. While you looked at the statue, a stone which was hewn from a mountain without a hand being put to it, struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces. The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once, fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer, and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

“This was the dream; the interpretation we shall also give in the king’s presence. You, O king, are the king of kings; to you the God of heaven has given dominion and strength, power and glory; men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell, he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them all; you are the head of gold. Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours, then a third kingdom, of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth. There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; it shall break in pieces and subdue all these others, just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else. The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter’s tile and partly of iron, mean that it shall be a divided kingdom, but yet have some of the hardness of iron. As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile, and the toes partly iron and partly tile, the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. The iron mixed with clay tile means that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage, but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay. In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever. That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain without a hand being put to it, which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future; this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61

R/ Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.”

R/ Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.”

R/ Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“You heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.”

R/ Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.”

R/ Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.”

R/ Give glory and eternal praise to him.

Gospel Acclamation Revelation 2:10c

Alleluia, alleluia. Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 21:5-11 There will not be left a stone upon another stone.

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here– the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[jdgo51]

SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

Courage and Strength

Daniel Samuel Christian (Gujarat,

India)

"'I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.” - Isaiah 41:13 (NRSVUE)

"When I was 70 years old, my doctor told me that I had a hernia and would have to undergo an operation. Prior to that I had not experienced any health issues. When I was told that I would need an operation, I was very frightened. But my doctor told me there was no alternative.

On the day of the operation, my fear caused my blood pressure to increase. They could not operate until my blood pressure came down, so another patient was taken in for surgery before me. My family members waited and prayed for me. I prayed as well.

Soon I experienced God’s presence and felt that God was reminding me that because Jesus suffered and died, he understood my fear. At that time my fear vanished, and when they checked my blood pressure, it was back to normal. My operation was successful. Praise be to God.

When we face difficult situations, we can remember that our great God is always with us and will provide us with courage and support. Praying to our living God, we find new hope and strength." In times of uncertainty or stress , just turn to the Lord. Things will always brighten ip.

TODAY'S PRAYER

"Dear God, thank you for giving us courage during difficult situations. Please provide courage to all those in need. In Jesus’ name we pray." Amen.

Isaiah 41:8-16

"'8 But you, Israel my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, offspring of Abraham, whom I love, 9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant; I chose you and didn’t reject you”: 10 Don’t fear, because I am with you; don’t be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will surely help you; I will hold you with my righteous strong hand. 11 All who rage against you will be shamed and disgraced. Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish. 12 You will look for your opponents, and won’t find them. Those who fight you will be of no account and will die. 13 I am the LORD your God, who grasps your strong hand, who says to you, Don’t fear; I will help you. 14 Don’t fear, worm of Jacob, people of Israel! I will help you, says the LORD. The holy one of Israel is your redeemer. 15 Look, I’ve made you into a new threshing tool with sharp teeth. You will thresh mountains and pulverize them; you will reduce hills to straw. 16 When you winnow them, the wind will carry them off; the tempest will scatter them. You will rejoice in the LORD and take pride in the holy one of Israel."' God is forever there, wherever you find yourself to be. Trust Him to make it right. Bless you all! Joe

[bond-servant-of-christ-jesus]

GET READY REPENT! ONLY CHRIST JESUS SAVES.

Daniel 2:27-45

[27]Daniel answered before the king and said, "As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king.

[28]However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed.

[29]As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts turned to what would take place in the future; and He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will take place.

[30]But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me for any wisdom residing in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind. The King\'s Dream

[31]"You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome.

[32]The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze,

[33]its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.

[34]You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them.

[35]Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. The Interpretation-Babylon the First Kingdom

[36]"This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king.

[37]You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;

[38]and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold. Medo-Persia and Greece

[39]After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth. Rome

[40]Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.

[41]In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay.

[42]As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.

[43]And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery. The Divine Kingdom

[44]In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

[45]Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy."

[notmuchtoconceal]

Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors, and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

Daniel 2:31-35

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remanent of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 12:13

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

Daniel 7:7-8

[quantumcartography]

Since I feel so absolutely normal about this, I was thinking about all the other parallels of The Unwanted Guest and the Book of Daniel. See, one of the things that happens in several chapters of of Daniel is the king of Babylon being disrespectful or mean and then God doing something that shows Daniel and his friends are the chosen people. Like Daniel gets thrown into a den of lions and the lions don't eat him or Daniel's friends get thrown into a fire and emerge unscathed. But I think the best parallel is Daniel 2.

In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream and goes to consult his court attendants and prophets as to what it means. But he refuses to tell his court magicians what his dream actually is (either because he forgot or he's testing them.) So no one can do it but then Daniel, who was a guest of the court at the time, gets a vision of the dream through God. He then goes to Nebuchadnezzar and explains that he had dreamed of a statue made of all these different materials before being crushed by a stone that grew into a mountain covering the Earth. He explains that the statue is his and various other kingdoms of the world that will all eventually fall but the stone is the Kingdom of Israel who will rule forever as per God's decree.

Now, generally I feel like it's a given to say you shouldn't go into the court of a king who just kidnapped your people from their homes and who had just threatened to execute his court magicians and tell him that his dream was telling him that his kingdom is going to be "broken in pieces and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors ... so that not a trace of [it] could be found." (Daniel 2:35) But, because this is God's book, Nebuchadnezzar instead prostrates himself before Daniel and gives him many gifts and praises his God and then promotes him to the seat of Chief Prefect of all wise men consultants to the king.

But this equation of impossible task from a ruler + threat of death + divine intervention + a prophet being ruthless in the face of the cruel ruler = the prophet winning is pretty much an exact mirror of The Unwanted Guest.

I dunno, that is a small thing but I'm obsessed with it

Daniel and The Uninvited Guest

PALAMEDES     (As if reciting) “And her body was like the chrysolite, and her face as the appearance of lightning, and her eyes as a burning lamp: and her arms, and all downward even to the feet, like in appearance to glittering brass.”

I was writing about something else entirely when I dug into the context of this quote and it rocked my whole socks. Context for those who don’t remember it: in this scene, the Voice that Palamedes has been talking to finally reveals herself as Dulcinea. After admitting his love for her and promising to find her on the shores of the River, he asks to see her “for the first time and the last.” He then has a light shone on him and he recites this quote from Daniel 10:6. After that, she asks if she was cute and Pal responds “You’re perfect.”

I am, needless to say, obsessed with this scene.

Now, the book of Daniel is one of apocalyptic prophecy (apocalypse here meaning a truth being revealed to a person by way of a divine source.) At this point in the Bible, the Jews have been captured from Israel by the Babylonians and have been displaced into Babylonian territory. The book recounts the visions of prophet Daniel that allude to the eventual restoration of the Jewish people to their homelands under the reign of Cyrus the Great. In Daniel 10 specifically, Daniel is mourning for Israel by fasting for three weeks when he is visited by an angel who tells him that he is fighting to return him and his people to their homeland. Daniel 10:6 is a description of this angel, who in the passage isn’t called an angel but vaguely referred to as a “certain man.” Only Daniel can see this certain man but all the men around him are gripped by fear and run away and even Daniel was terrified throwing himself face down and trembling at the sight of this certain man.

As a quick aside, I learned something from the magnificent Dan McClellan, a biblical scholar who is very active on TikTok and YouTube, about angels in the Old Testament. He recently posted a video discussing this in detail but I will try and do it justice. The theory among biblical scholars is that many instances where angels are present in the Old Testament were originally instances of God themself appearing before a person. That’s why these excerpts have people seemingly talking directly to God and why these angels inspire such fear because it’s assumed the only time a person would see God is when they die.

So this quote in this context, is when Palamedes is stuck inside the body of Naberius Tern and fighting against Ianthe’s soul for control. The reason why he’s doing this is to hopefully find a safe place for the Sixth House after spending months being held by Blood of Eden as political captives. While in this fight with Ianthe, he’s helped and supported by the soul of Dulcinea who he describes looking like an angel. Not an angel in terms of beauty or grace, but as unassailably powerful, perfect and righteous as dawn's first light, a face made of precious gems that cannot be cut and a body made of brass like the finest armor. This is a form untouchable by flaw or fault.

The two narratives have clear parallels. They are stories about a people's restoration and salvation. And since this takes place in the middle of Nona the Ninth, the connotation is clear that he will live to see his people saved and returned home. And he does, he becomes Paul and they guide their people back to the Dominicus system. But this also underscores just how much he loves her. He loves Dulcinea like an angel. He loves her like a homecoming. He loves her like a vision of rapture in the wasted desert of his enemy. He loves her like the promised end of death itself. He loves her like the indelible weight that love brings on one's soul.

[catolinewsdailyreadings]

Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Readings of Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Reading 1

DN 2:31-45

Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar: “In your vision, O king, you saw a statue, very large and exceedingly bright, terrifying in appearance as it stood before you. The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs bronze, the legs iron, its feet partly iron and partly tile. While you looked at the statue, a stone which was hewn from a mountain without a hand being put to it, struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces. The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once, fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer, and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

"This was the dream; the interpretation we shall also give in the king’s presence. You, O king, are the king of kings; to you the God of heaven has given dominion and strength, power and glory; men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell, he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them all; you are the head of gold. Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours, then a third kingdom, of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth. There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; it shall break in pieces and subdue all these others, just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else. The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter’s tile and partly of iron, mean that it shall be a divided kingdom, but yet have some of the hardness of iron. As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile, and the toes partly iron and partly tile, the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. The iron mixed with clay tile means that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage, but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay. In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever. That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain without a hand being put to it, which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future; this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure.”

Responsorial Psalm

DANIEL 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61

R./ Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” R./ Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” R./ Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“You heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” R./ Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.” R./ Give glory and eternal praise to him.

“All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.” R./ Give glory and eternal praise to him.

Gospel

LK 21:5-11

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here– the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and 'The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

[timdcook4]

“You, O king, were looking, and behold, there was a single great image; that image, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was rising up in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. The head of that image was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. “This was the dream; now we will say its interpretation before the king. You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory; and wherever the sons of men inhabit, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has made you rule with power over them all. You are the head of gold. But after you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule with power over all the earth. Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. Now in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron; it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay; they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not cling to one another, even as iron does not combine with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will cause a kingdom to rise up which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will happen in the future; so the dream is certain, and its interpretation is trustworthy.” Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel and said for them to present to him an offering and fragrant incense. The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries since you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him rule with power over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel sought of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s court.

Daniel 2:31‭-‬49 LSB

[deafeningdreamlandpersona]

MESSAGE TO THE LAODICEA CHURCH

((7))((, Zechariah 11:15–17 And the Lord said to me: Take again the tools of a FOOLISH SHEPHERD. 16 For behold, I am going to raise up in the land a shepherd who will not He will not care for the perishing, nor will he search for the stray, nor will he heal the wounded, nor will he sustain the strong, BUT HE WILL EAT THE MEAT OF THE BARLEY AND PULL OFF THEIR HOOVES.17 Woe to the useless shepherd who abandons the flock! Let him fall. the sword on his arm and on his right eye!His arm will completely dry up, and his right eye will completely darken,)) ((THIS PASTORS TEACH ECUMENISM AND APOSTASY, THEY HAVE JEZEBEL (shepherdesses: pastor's wife) TEACHING, THEY FOLLOW THE DOCTRINE OF BALAAM, THEY LOVE MONEY, THEY ARE NICOLAITES: THEY LIKE TO BE CALLED PASTOR-A, ELDER-FATHER-THEOLOGISTS, RABBI, TEACHERS… ))((THE BIBLE INTERPRETS ITSELF; A BEAST: Daniel 7:23 He said like this : THE FOURTH BEAST WILL BE A FOURTH KINGDOM ON EARTH (ROMAN EMPIRE [313]-KATOLIC-6-7-1809), which will be different (RELIGIOUS, JUDICIAL, MILITARY AND CIVIL POWER: PAPAL BULLS) from all the other kingdoms, and he will devour, thresh, and tear the whole earth.))((2nd BEAST:kingdom;KAZARIA: Revelation 13:11-15 Then I saw another beast(KINGDOM) coming out of the earth. He had two horns (USA AND CHINA) like a lamb (they say they are Jews), but he spoke like a dragon (TALMUD). This beast (kingdom) received authorization to exercise the power of the first (ROME) and used it to make all the people worship the first beast (ROME) who had healed the mortal wound (7-6-1929) (kabbalah) . This second beast performed great miracles; He even made fire come down from heaven to the earth (MAHUI) in front of many people.)) ((FOR THIS CHURCH THEY ARE CONSPIRACY THEORIES, FAKE NEWS, THE LATEST REVELATIONS, ¨THEY ARE ALL THE CONVENTIONS-COMMUNIONS-ASSEMBLES-HOUSES-UNIONS -MASSES-NETWORKS-CELLS-REVIVALS-CONGREGATIONS-CULTS-DENOMINATIONS-PRESBYTERIANS-METHODISTS-ANABAPTISTS-HUTTERITES-LUTERANS-BAPTISTS-MENONITES-AMISH-QUAKERS-PENTECOSTALS-PROTESTANTS-G12- THERE IS SO MUCH VARIETY…¨))

REVELATION 3-14 And write to the angel of the church in Laodicea (Lukewarm): This says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation: 15 I know your works (JUDAIZING LAWS-SABBATH-TITHES-OFFERINGS -MASSES-ALMS), that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot! 16 Thus, because you are lukewarm (HOSEA 4:6 MY PEOPLE PERISH FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE; AND AS YOU REJECTED KNOWLEDGE, I WILL REJECT YOU FROM MY PRIESTHOOD); because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget of your children.(WORKS), and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. 17 Because you say: I am rich(WORKS-TITHES-OFFERINGS-ALMS-COLLECTS-CONCERTS-REVIVALS), and I have become rich, ((Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 NOT BY WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE GLORIFIES.)) and I have need of nothing ; and you do not know that you are a wretched, miserable, poor (NO KNOWLEDGE), blind and naked. 18 I advise you to buy refined gold from me (KNOWLEDGE: ENOCH: the supposed aliens are demons - THE NEPHILIM GIANTS - 2nd book EZRA - ARSARETH (amaruka)-YASER-THE 5 LAWS (not theories) OF BIOLOGY-OPPT-ASKHENAZIS (zionism)-KAZARIA-JESUITS (hypocrite-mercenary)-VATIKA (divination and witchcraft)-MASONRY (masons of Roman Catholicism; 33rd degree Masons: Washington-Stalin-Churchill-Charles Russel-Elena White-Miller-Joseph Smith… REVELATION…etc) by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may cover yourself, and the shame of your nakedness (IGNORANCE-LACK OF KNOWLEDGE); and anoint your eyes with eye salve (KNOWLEDGE)((EPHESIANS 5:14 For this reason he says: AWAKE, YOU WHO SLEEP, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light,)) so that you may see. 19 I REPRIVE AND CORRECT ALL THOSE I LOVE; BE, THEREFORE, JEALOUS, AND REPENT. (OF YOUR IGNORANCE AND UNBELIEF) 20 Behold, I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOW; If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 To him who conquers, I will give him to sit with me on my throne, just as I have conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ​

[irishgop]

Daniel 2:21-36; 44-45

"..there before you stood a large statue--an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head was made of pure gold, chest & arms of silver, belly & thighs of bronze,

legs of iron, feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.

...a rock cut out, but not by human hands, struck the statue on its feet...Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver & gold broke in pieces at the same time & became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace.

This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.

God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands.

[lesfeldickbiblestudy]

  Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 2 * PART 2 * BOOK 78 PART 1 of the MESSIANIC PROHECIES – Part 2 Psalms 2, 8, and 16 Okay, we’re going to pick right up where we left off at the end of the last program, and that was in Psalms chapter 2. We’re looking at the Messianic Psalms.  There are sixteen of them that deal particularly with the coming of a promised King and Messiah.  They are so plainly put, that there’s just no room for argument that these prophets were speaking of that.  Which now, of course, we understand is just right out in front of us as the world events are taking place. So, we’re going to come back to Psalms chapter 2. We have just covered in our last half hour the fact that Jesus Christ was the Only Begotten Son of God by virtue of His resurrection. That alone sets Him apart from everything else.  Now we’re going into the next aspect of the Psalms, where God says in verse 8: Psalms 2:8 “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen (or the non-Jewish world) for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.”  Now that doesn’t just mean the little Nation of Israel; that means the whole planet is going to come under the rulership of this Kingdom.  But before that can happen, He has to defeat His enemies. We see that in verse 9. Psalms 2:9 “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”  Now let’s jump up to some of the other prophets and see how they picture that.  We’re going to look at Daniel first, because Daniel is the very benchmark of most end-time prophecy. And you remember that Daniel was in captivity in Babylon at the time of Nebuchadnezzar. The king had had a dream, and he couldn’t remember what it was.  You remember that Daniel was brought up from wherever he was, and he not only rehearsed the dream, but interpreted it.  It was a prophetic thing.  It was a prophecy concerning the coming Gentile Empires beginning with Babylon and going all the way up to the Roman—which, of course, took us up to the time of Christ. All right, I just want you to see a little bit of this to show that before the King and the Kingdom can become a reality, He would have to destroy all the empires that were still on the scene at the time of His coming—which, of course, would be the four major empires that Daniel 4 told about in the first place. All right, now you want to remember that he saw a vision of a human being – humongous in size – frightening in its appearance. It had a head of gold, a chest of silver, belly and thighs of brass, the two legs of iron, and the feet and toes were iron mixed with clay. These were indicative of the Babylonians, the Medes and Persians, the Greek, the Romans, and then the one that we now see as coming up, a Revived Roman Empire. But the place I want to take you to here in Daniel chapter 2 is verse 35.  There is no indication here of a two thousand-year interval.  There is no indication that these empires are now in possession of nuclear weapons and modern warfare and so forth. Yet we have to realize, that it is all part of the reality of it now.  But when the Tribulation will have run its course, the end result will be—verse 35 of Daniel 2. Daniel 2:35a “Then was the iron, the clay,…” We’re starting from the feet, remember, because that’s where the steamroller is going to hit it first.  It’s in the form of a stone cut out without hands in the symbolism.  But in the reality, it’s the Second Coming of Christ. Daniel 2:35a “Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, (See what the Psalmist said?  They would be smashed.  All right, all these symbolic pieces of the kingdoms were smashed together.) and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them:…”  All right, now get the picture? What is being driven into nothingness?  All the Gentile Empires.  Now just look at the world today.  Everything is global.

  You all realize that.  All the banking systems are global.  Manufacturing is global.  Communications is global.  Everything is coming into a global connection.  All right, now when Christ comes, He won’t just destroy one segment of it in the Middle East. It will be a global destruction from pole to pole and from east to west. It will totally be swept away, so that no sign of any of these pagan, ungodly, satanic empires will be left.  And then finish the verse. Daniel 2:35b “…and the stone that smote the image (That’s Jesus the Christ.) became a great mountain, (Or kingdom, and what does that Kingdom fill?) and filled the whole earth.”  It’s going to be a complete earthly kingdom involving every nation and tribe and tongue. All right, I’d like to have you look at one more that we’ve used quite often over the years because of the simplicity of it.  Let's go up to Zechariah—the next to the last book in your Old Testament—and jump up to chapter 14.  And like I said, it’s the simplicity of this verse, and that’s why I use it. Zechariah 14:9 “And the LORD (Now that word capitalized in the Old Testament is Jehovah.  It’s God the Son as we understand Him in the New Testament.) shall be king over all the earth: (Every square mile is going to be under His power and under His jurisdiction.) in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.” He is going to be absolute.  He will not have a bunch of subservients laboring under Him—except, of course, the Twelve are going to rule the Twelve Tribes of Israel.  But He is going to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  One LORD and his name shall be called one.  And, of course, we can pick that up in Revelation. You know the verse as well as I do, so we’ll just spare the time to look it up—His name shall be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now let’s go back to Psalms chapter 2 and finish the chapter, so we can go on into the next one.  Verse 10, and now the prophet writes: Psalms 2:10-11 “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings; (not just Israel’s, not just the Gentiles, but all of them) be instructed, ye judges (or rulers) of the earth. 11. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”  But will they do it?  No way.  There’s no fear of God in their eyes.  They have no recognition that He is Sovereign above them all.  But nevertheless, the instruction is here.  Now look at verse 12. Psalm 2:12 “Kiss the Son, (In other words, a sign of endearment, recognize who He is.) lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath (Now you’ve got to remember that we’ve been living 2,000 years under the Grace of God.  His wrath hasn’t been exposed one iota.  But, oh, when it will be, it’s going to be beyond human comprehension.  And so the warning is again--) when His wrath is kindled but a little. (But for the believers, whether it be Jew or Gentile, they are--) Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.”   Because He alone is the Savior of the world! Now let’s jump forward to chapter 8, which is the second in our series of Psalms that are Messianic in character.  Psalms chapter 8 and we’ll start at verse 1. Psalms 8:1a “O LORD our Lord,…”  Now what do you see there?  Well, you see two forms of Lord.  Do you realize that?  One is all capitalized, and the other one is just capital L small o-r-d. Now, just to show you that that’s not a quirk of Scripture, jump ahead to Psalms 110 verse 1. We see the same thing.  It’s almost a phenomenon. It is just one of the few times in Scripture that we have this, and I have to explain it.  Psalms 110 verse 1. We may be looking at it later on this afternoon. Psalms 110:1 “The LORD (all capitalized) said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”   I have to explain this, because I just got through telling you that the capitalized LORD is Jehovah.  It’s God the Son.  It’s Jesus Christ. But in these two instances that cannot be the case, because it isn’t God the Son speaking to God the Son.  It’s whom or who is speaking to the Son?  Well, God the Father.

  So we just have to kind of ride with that without trying to get real nitpicky in both these cases – because especially Psalms 110 makes it so obvious.  Just look at it, where the “LORD (God the Father) said unto my Lord (God the Son), sit thou at my right hand,…”  Isn’t that exactly what happened?  God the Father didn’t sit at the Son’s right hand.  So we just have to take all these things into consideration. Now the same way back here with Psalms chapter 8, come back with me again.  Here we have those same two spellings of Lord, and it’s for the same reason. Psalms 8:1 “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.”  Well, now we’re dealing with both personalities of the Godhead, with God the Father certainly putting God the Son in that place of glory and authority above all the heavens.   All right now drop into verse 2. Psalms 8:2 “Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings (or nursers) hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still (or defeat) the enemy and the avenger.”   All right, let’s jump all the way up to Matthew 21 for a minute and see how the Lord Jesus Himself puts His stamp of approval on that very verse.  Matthew 21 verse 16, and remember now, this is during the Lord’s earthly ministry.  So a good portion of this is in red, if you have a red-letter edition.  And here we have in verse 16 where Jesus said: Matthew 21:16b “…Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?”  What’s He quoting?  The Psalms that we just read.  Word for word.  See how it all ties together.  And that puts the stamp of approval on the Psalms as the Word of God, because Jesus Himself used it as such.  All right, back to Psalms chapter 8 and verse 2, repeating it. Psalms 8:2 “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. 3. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou has ordained;” Now, I’ve got to stop again.   Let’s jump all the way up to Colossians chapter 1.  These are verses that we’ve used over and over again to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt.  Who was the Creator of the Universe and everything in it?  Well, it’s God the Son, Jesus of Nazareth.  Oh, people don’t like to think of the earthly Jesus as the Creator of Genesis 1.  But, beloved, He was!  And here we have it in Colossians chapter 1.  I usually like to drop down to verse 13, so that we identify who this Creator is. Colossians 1:13 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:” Now verse 15. Colossians 1:15 “Who (the Son up in verse 13) is the image (or that visible likeness) of the invisible God, the firstborn (He is ahead of everything else that was ever created.  He was--) the firstborn of every creature:” Now here it comes. Colossians 1:16-17 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things (Everything!) were created by him, and for him: 17. And he is before all things,   (He came out of eternity past; and, consequently, there was nothing created before God Himself was there? And so was God the Son.) and by him all things (are held together) consist.” And then I’ve got to go on to verse 18.  Because here’s His role, so far as you and I are concerned.  Not only is He the Creator of us and everything around us, but: Colossians 1:18a “And He is the head of the body,…” Of which we are a part.  And that’s how we are intricately connected with this Creator, God the Son.  And we’re going to be in His presence for all eternity!  My, we can’t wait for the time when we’ll be able to look into His eyes!  And we’re going to see Him as He is, the Scripture says. All right, now back to the Psalms again. How all this becomes a living reality, and how this Book is so miraculous.

  All right, back to Psalms chapter 8 and verse 4, after considering the heavens, space—oh, my goodness.  You know, I think we’re all hearing it from every direction—the magnitude of space.  How it’s beyond human comprehension. My, I was just reading an article again last night that our scientists have picked up light beams from sixteen billion light-years away!  Now see, that’s beyond human comprehension.  A light-year is the distance that light can travel at the rate of a hundred and eighty-six thousand miles per second for three hundred sixty-five days. You see, we can’t comprehend what one light-year is.  And now they’re talking about billions of them?!  That’s our God.  He’s the Creator of it all.   Now, in light of that, I like verse 4. Psalms 8:4a “What is man, (The simple manifestation of the dust of the earth that we are.) that thou (O God—I  could put in there.) that thou (God) art mindful of him?...”  Then in the other half of the thought—the Son of Man, whom God brought into a particular relationship with you and I.  This is all beyond our comprehension. I think I’ve got a verse in Hebrews I wanted to look at—Hebrews 2:6-8.  Let’s look at that a minute; where, again, the writer makes it better and plainer than I could ever hope to do it. Hebrews 2:6 “But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?”  In other words, why did God have enough concern for mankind to do the work of redemption—which required God the Son to take on human flesh and co-habit planet earth with man in order to become the sacrifice for all concerned.  All right, so this is the question.  Why? Hebrews 2:6b-7a “…What is man, that thou are mindful of him? or the son of man, (a reference to the Christ) that thou visitest him. 7. Thou madest him (Now, I’m sure we’re speaking of the Christ here, God the Son.) a little lower than the angels;…” That’s hard to comprehend, isn’t it?  But He was, because He became humanity. He took on human flesh; and as such, He took Himself below the realm of the angelic hosts.  All right, it doesn’t stop there, even though He was a little lower than the angels. Hebrews 2:7b-9a “…thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.  For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him.  But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9. But we see Jesus,…” Now, do you get the connection?  Here is little insignificant man on insignificant planet Earth in view of the whole of creation.  Absolutely nothing compared to creation and yet what did God see?  He saw the value of the human race.  That’s why He created it.  I think I’ve explained it from the time I first started teaching Genesis years and years ago.  Why did He create the human race?  He had the eons of angels.  Why the human race when it became such a failure? Well, you see, the angelic host did not have that wherewithal to return His love.  Now, again, we can’t understand that.  But they couldn’t.  But He created man with the ability within us to return the love of Deity.  Animals can’t do that.  So we alone, in all of God’s creation, can be an object of His extended love that would respond. And He put the same thing into the marriage relationship.  I always like to put the two together.  What did God put within the female makeup?  That ability to respond to the love of the husband.  It’s something that’s beyond human understanding.  When a husband and wife relationship is working as it should be, it’s beyond understanding.  This is what we have to do to put all the things together. God had such a love for this insignificant creature that He made from the dust of the earth, that He was willing to actually leave the glories of Heaven, walk the dusty paths of the land of Israel, and go to that Roman cross, and—as Philippians puts it so beautifully—“even the death of the cross.

”  For what purpose?  To redeem at least enough of mankind that He can extend His love to for all eternity.   Now most of that is beyond our human comprehension.  And that’s why I think the Psalmist puts it this way. Come back with me again, if you will, to Psalms chapter 8.   What is man that God should even be mindful of him.  And who is the Son of man who would go to such lengths to redeem mankind?  Now verse 5, and as we just read in Hebrews, this is where the writer got it. Psalms 8:5-6 “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor.  6. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:”  Now you know, I’m thinking of another individual who was given dominion of everything.  Who was it?  Adam.  Adam was given dominion of everything from one end of the planet to the other.  But Adam dropped the ball.  So the whole 6,000 years of human history, with all of its misery and turmoil and death, is a result of Adam’s failure.  But the Second Adam—as the New Testament calls Jesus Christ—He’s going to make the whole thing right once again.  And He will absolutely have everything under His dominion. Let me take this back to I Corinthians chapter 15.  We’re also going to look at Philippians chapter 2, because I want you to see how all of Scripture is constantly dovetailing.  There isn’t a book on Earth that can even come close. Yet mankind scorns it and ridicules it. I Corinthians 15:27 “For he (There again, I think that’s a reference to God the Father.) hath put all things under his (Christ’s, God the Son) feet.  But when he saith all things are put unto him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.” All right, now flip over to Philippians chapter 2 verse 7. Philippians 2:7-8 “But (speaking of Christ Jesus) made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, (or a bond slave) and was made in the likeness of men: 8.  And being found in fashion as a man,(See that?  His becoming human--) he humbled himself, (from that exalted position in Glory) and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  That’s the one I referred to a moment ago. Philippians 2:9 “Wherefore (Because He was obedient to that horrible crucifixion.) God (the Father) also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:” And then they try to bring Him down to the level of some of the religious gods of this world.  Isn’t it pitiful? Philippians 2:10-11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11.  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Mission of John the Baptist (Isaiah 40:1–5; Mark 1:1–8; Luke 3:1–20; John 1:19–28)

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

4 John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan.

7 But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 I baptize you with waterd for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. 12 His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22; John 1:29–34)

13 At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

15 “Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” — Matthew 3 | Majority Standard Bible (MSB) The Majority Standard Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Leviticus 11:22; Joshua 15:61; Judges 1:16; 1 Samuel 14:26; 2 Samuel 23:7; Ezra 10:1; Psalm 1:4; Psalm 2:7; Psalm 40:7-8; Psalm 92:12; Proverbs 28:4; Isaiah 1:31; Isaiah 4:4; Isaiah 11:2; Isaiah 40:3; Isaiah 42:1; Daniel 2:44; Matthew 2:1; Matthew 2:22; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 12:18; Matthew 12:34; Mark 1:3,4 and5; Mark 1:9; Luke 1:16; Luke 3:8; Luke 16:24; John 4:34; John 8:33; Acts 26:20; Romans 1:13; Hebrews 7:23

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

28th November >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Tuesday, Thirty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Colour: Green: A (1))

First Reading Daniel 2:31-45 Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream.

Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, ‘You have had a vision, O king; this is what you saw: a statue, a great statue of extreme brightness, stood before you, terrible to see. The head of this statue was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet part iron, part earthenware. While you were gazing, a stone broke away, untouched by any hand, and struck the statue, struck its feet of iron and earthenware and shattered them. And then, iron and earthenware, bronze, silver, gold all broke into small pieces as fine as chaff on the threshing-floor in summer. The wind blew them away, leaving not a trace behind. And the stone that had struck the statue grew into a great mountain, filling the whole earth. This was the dream; now we will explain to the king what it means. ‘You, O king, king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength and glory – the sons of men, the beasts of the field, the birds of heaven, wherever they live, he has entrusted to your rule, making you king of them all – you are the golden head. And after you another kingdom will rise, not so great as you, and then a third, of bronze, which will rule the whole world. There will be a fourth kingdom, hard as iron, as iron that shatters and crushes all. Like iron that breaks everything to pieces, it will crush and break all the earlier kingdoms. The feet you saw, part earthenware, part iron, are a kingdom which will be split in two, but which will retain something of the strength of iron, just as you saw the iron and the clay of the earthenware mixed together. The feet were part iron, part earthenware: the kingdom will be partly strong and partly weak. And just as you saw the iron and the clay of the earthenware mixed together, so the two will be mixed together in the seed of man; but they will not hold together any more than iron will blend with earthenware. In the time of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not pass into the hands of another race: it will shatter and absorb all the previous kingdoms, and itself last for ever – just as you saw the stone untouched by hand break from the mountain and shatter iron, bronze, earthenware, silver and gold. The great God has shown the king what is to take place. The dream is true, the interpretation exact.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:57-61

R/ Give glory and eternal praise to him!

All things the Lord has made, bless the Lord.

R/ Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Angels of the Lord! all bless the Lord.

R/ Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Heavens! bless the Lord.

R/ Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Waters above the heavens! bless the Lord.

R/ Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Powers of the Lord! all bless the Lord.

R/ Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Gospel Acclamation Luke 21:28

Alleluia, alleluia! Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand. Alleluia!

Or: Revelation 2:10

Alleluia, alleluia! Even if you have to die, says the Lord, keep faithful, and I will give you the crown of life. Alleluia!

Gospel Luke 21:5-11 The destruction of the Temple foretold.

When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master,’ they said ‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?’

‘Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.