#god bless june for sending this to me

[flyingrainbowcorn]

THIS WAS MADE FOR ME

I can't believe Cornstarion is my first post on here...

[miharuhebinata]

hey yall i know it's been a while but i just thought i'd update you that my stranger things obsession is back 💀

[sunshine-theseus]

Apple and Chocolate Muffins | Katie McCabe x Reader

Words: 1.9k Summary: owning a café apparently brings you the girl of your dreams Warnings: fluff

Having your own little book café on a corner of a small street in St Albans, London, brings you things you’d never expect.

I’d first bought the place from an older lady, Ms Nelson, who sold antiques. She’d decided she wanted to spend whatever time she had left travelling. She tried to simply give it to me, but I couldn’t accept and ended up paying her half of what was listed.

She likes to send me post cards whenever she’s about to leave a place. I put the most recent on display on the counter and the rest go in an antique memento box she gifted me before she left.

Ms Nelson also introduced me to my best friend Juniper, one of her old workers who helps run the place now.

“3 years here and you still refuse to tell me what your special recipe is. Whyyy?” Juniper’s favourite item, was my special apple and chocolate muffins. It was an item I refused to take off no matter how many times we changed the menu.

“They wouldn’t be a secret then would they June?”

“But I’m your best friend. And I need these in my life daily.”

“I literally make an extra 3, every night, just for you.”

The ringing of the bell on the door stops her from retaliating, and I approach the counter while June finally makes an order for Mr Byrne, one of our regulars.

“Welcome to the Inkwell Café! What can I get you?” I look at the customer, but my breath gets caught in my throat.

It’s like the Gods just sent down and angel to derail my day. Her eyes were a greyish blue and her skin was sun kissed, freckles scattering her cheeks. And her arms… well fuck me.

“Hello?” I hadn’t even realised I’d stopped paying attention until she waves a hand in front of my face.

“S- sorry could you repeat that?” I let out a nervous chuckle, but she just smiles a magnificent smile.

She starts listing off an order and I momentarily get caught off by her Irish accent, but I manage to take down the 3 different drinks. I’m about to tell her the total when she stops me again.

“Oh! And can I get one of those apple and chocolate muffins? Jonas is going to kill me, but I hear they’re worth it.” I give her a confused look.

“My friend Steph, she comes here once a month as a treat and raves about it at training.” Training?

“Oh! Well, here’s an extra one for her! For free of course. What’s the name for the order?”

“Katie”

“It will be ready soon.” I flash a smile before going to make the coffees.

June comes out of nowhere.

“Why is Katie fucking McCabe in here?” she whispers into my ear.

“Who?”

“Katie McCabe. One of the best Arsenal players ever? Captain for the Republic of Ireland Women’s National Football team? How do you not know her? I talk about Arsenal all the time. They literally train right down the road.” I stare blankly back at her.

“How did she even find us? You don’t casually find this café on your way to work.”

“She said her friend Steph comes here, told her about it.”

“Steph Cately!? I’ve never seen Steph Cately walk through those doors.”

“…Who? And you do tend to not pay attention.” Juniper just groans and I finish making the coffees.

“Katie!” as I give her the drinks, her hand brushes against my own. Tingles run up my arm, but I bid her adieu with a small smile and wave.

~~~~~

Katie begins coming in every Tuesday and Friday, and we slowly get to know each other while Juniper freaks out in the corner. Or sometimes Katie liked to just sit and read in a corner for whatever time she had before she left for training. Either way it was nice.

She loved telling me about her younger sister Lauryn who was on her way to joining Katie on their senior national team, and her crazy encounters on the pitch during games. I tell her about how and why I decided to open a book café and retell the stories Ms Nelson sends me. I also desperately try to repress all my feelings for the Irish angel that blessed my shop every week.

I also find out who Steph is. A very nice Australian woman, who does in fact come in once a month for the Apple and Chocolate muffin. I get to know her a bit too, but she usually grabs her muffin and something for her fiancée and leaves.

The first time Katie misses a Tuesday is 4 months after her first visit. I’m disappointed but don’t think much of it until she doesn’t show up on Friday, or either day the week following. That’s when I decide to visit their training ground, obviously dragging June along to do any talking, to see if I can figure out what happened.

I don’t think about how weird it is until Juniper pulls me out of the car in front of their training centre at 9am on Friday after hurriedly closing the café. And a promise for a free coffee to everyone we had to kick out.

“June this was stupid, this is something you do, not me. Why didn’t you talk me out of it.”

“I’m about to meet the whole Arsenal team just because your huge crush failed to come for her regular coffee a few times.”

“But like it is weird she just stopped coming so abruptly, right? Like we were getting along.”

“I mean sure, but you didn’t freak out like this when Mickie stopped coming. And it took us another six months to find out she’d moved to fucking Glasgow.”

“We should leave shouldn’t we.”

I turn around to head back to the car right as we’re about to enter the reception but come face to face with a slightly shorter brunette. One I’ve seen the face of in some recent team photo Katie had shown me, but was otherwise completely unfamiliar.

“Are you trying to get in? The door can be a little tricky sometimes.” How many Australians did they have here?

“Oh no-“

“Yes! We’re friends of Katie; Y/n and Juniper, and we haven’t seen her in a few weeks. We were hoping to catch her.”

“Oh! I think she’s shown us a picture of you actually! She talks about you both quite a bit. I’m Kyra by the way.”

“I know.”

“Nice to meet you.” I talk over Juniper and hold out a hand for Kyra to shake.

“Well, I’m not quite sure why she hasn’t come to see you, but I can bring you back to the locker room, you’ll just need to fill some forms out probably.” She’s already leading us to the front desk before I can deny her offer.

 Not 5 minutes later Kyra is happily dragging us to the locker room, and I can see Juniper skipping next to me, clearly excited.

“Dude you’ve gotta calm down.” I whisper to her.

“More like you need to stop being so uptight. Kyra Cooney-Cross is literally leading us to the whole Arsenal women’s team.”

“McCaaaabe! Someone’s here to see yoouuu.” Kyra calls out as soon as she opens the door.

“It’s not my bloody mum again is it? I swear she decides to come surprise me far too often.”

I peak out from behind Kyra and give a small wave.

“Hiii” I say meekly as Juniper jumps into talking to her favourite players.

“What are you doing here?” Katie gives me a quick hug.

“Well, you kinda stopped showing up and I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

“Oh, y- yeah. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. I just, I started getting feelings for you and freaked out and thought that cutting you off would help.”

“Y- you like me?”

“Yeah. Like a lot. I obviously totally understand you don’t like me back.” She lets out a sigh and looks at her boots.

“Shh shoosh shut up.” I place my fingers under her chin and tilt her head up.

It was hard to escape the doom of falling in love with Katie McCabe. Her eyes were the perfect shade of blue, her lips the softest of pinks, her freckles like the stars. She had the kindest of hearts and the most beautiful laugh. A creation made by Aphrodite herself.

“I really like you too.” And her lips are softer than you could imagine as she presses her’s hard against my own.

We’re broken apart by an array of whistles and shouts from Juniper and Katie’s teammates and I hide my flushed face in her neck.

“I can’t believe we finally get to meet the girl Katie hasn’t shut up about for like 4 months.” Alessia Russo, one player I am familiar with, comments from across the room.

“You talk about me?” I poke her in the side.

“Y/n you can’t talk you literally don’t shut up about Katie. ‘Oh my god she’s sooo funny and pretty.’”

“Bro what the fuck? That was a secret you were meant to take to your grave.” Juniper simply shrugs.

“As much as I want to stay and tease you about how much you talk about me, and kiss you, we do unfortunately have training.” Katie pouts as she hugs me.

“Oh! Before I forget. I brought you an apple and chocolate muffin.” I pull the baked good from my bag and hand it to her.

“Fuuuck yees! You are literally the best person ever. I need to know your recipe so bad.”

“Mmmm maybe I could teach you how to make them. Tonight, at the café?”

“I’VE BEEN ASKING FOR THAT RECIPE FOR 3 FUCKING YEARS AND YOU’RE GOING TO JUST HAND IT OVER TO HER?” Juniper’s outburst makes the room erupt in giggles.

“How about for your birthday?” She nods solemnly and begins to say goodbye to the other girls as they begin to head out to the pitch for training.

I turn back to Katie.

“I’ll see you tonight…” She leans up and kisses me one more time.

“Girlfriend.” She leaves before I can reply, and I’m left to giggle as Juniper drives us back to the café, to reluctantly reopen for the rest of the day.

~~~~~

The clock shows 6:13 and I begin to think Katie flaked, but right as I’m packing up the ingredients, the bell rings and in rushes a flushed, panting, Katie McCabe.

“I’m so… sorry! Caitlin could only… drop me… a few blocks away… so I had to… run.” She pants out.

“It’s ok.” I peck her on the cheek and take her coat, then offer her some water which she sculls down.

We spend hours baking and messing around. Mostly kissing.

~~~~~

Another 6 months pass before Katie and I decide to move in together in a small apartment down the street from the café.

She now helps me bake my apple and chocolate muffins once a week, insisting she has to always be in a simple cropped singlet after I had made a comment about how good her arms looked when she mixes the batter.

There was something so domestic about baking together that made it hard not to just scream to the world how much I loved the woman. Instead, I stick to wrapping my arms around her waist and whispering it in her ear, periodically kissing her while she cuts the apples or mixes whatever needs mixing.

I can’t wait to tell Ms Nelson her apple and chocolate muffins brought me the most beautiful girl in the world. She and her wife have been begging for a new post card.

[chiscribbs]

Important Announcement:

Hey, guys! I just wanted to let you all know that, due to some exciting life events that are happening, I'm going to be taking a short hiatus from posting.

Starting this Monday (June 24th), this blog is going to be largely inactive - with the possible exception of comments, asks, and queued posts.

This means that any open or continued collaborations - such as the GA: The Contest Chronicles series - will be put temporarily on pause until I'm able to get back to them. Hopefully that won't take too long, but I can't give a specific return date at this moment. I'll post an update when I know for certain.

***If you are currently taking part in a collaborative project with me and don't think you'll be able to continue after the hiatus, that's totally fine - please just send me a DM to let me know and I'll either write a work-around or we can decide on how best to do so together.***

Thanks for your continued patience. I know it's been a long wait - I'm excited to finally have more time to work on responses and other projects once things have settled. God bless ❤

[givemeonereason]

My Blue-Eyed Master Part 2

Part 1

Photo Credit: Here

Rating: Sassy Candy!

A/N: Gojo is such a tease! I can't say I wouldn't mind his flirting.

Thank you for the wait as well. I am trying to space out my pieces because it gives me a chance to cool down before starting again. Creators are all susceptible to the dreaded creator block.

If you're interested in being added to a taglist for this series, please send me an ask or a message and I'll be happy to add you :)

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Days are a blessing when they don’t have nonsense caked into them. 98% of them are no-nonsense and you like it that way.

People come into the cafe, eat and drink, converse with the ladies on staff, and leave.

There haven't been any major incidents in recent months, which puts everyone's mind at ease. It is rare, but people disobey the rules and something will be done about it. Thankfully, the police have never had to get involved. June would most likely have to shut Cafe Sakura down if that would be the case.

But, like most things, it's only a matter of time...

And that thing, is him.

Today was going good. There was a morning rush, and by rush, several tables were being taken by a small group of housewives chatting about their social club and two local college students who used the wifi to send exam papers. They all order drinks and small treats.

It's relaxing when you don't have a stereotypical crowd. The crowd is there for one thing and one thing only, girls.

It's true, that cosplay cafes are made with the fantasies of men in mind, but that doesn't mean that lots of different people don't come in to enjoy what Cafe Sakura has to offer.

Afternoon crowd, that's a different story.

People come in from all walks, and straight out of the woodwork sometimes. Salarymen on their lunch break, dear Ren who has been coming to the cafe for years since she practically raised June while her mother was working, students on their vacations, tourists who are looking for that otaku thrill, and some stragglers who stumbled in without knowing what they would find.

Halfway through your work day, you dropped off a plate of scones and clotted cream at the table you were assigned to. You smiled and gave a small curtsy towards the three gentlemen in business suits before turning away towards the back.

“..Scuse me?” You heard the suave voice before you saw who spoke. “Miss crustacean, I would like to order now.”

You stopped dead in your tracks. And closed your eyes tight.

I swear to the gods above that if it’s who, or better yet what I think it is, I’m quitting tonight.

“Helloooo?” You saw him waving at you to get your attention out of the corner of your eye. You turn towards him, the look in your eye very well would have been a K-O, instant kill, high score.

He threw his hands up in self-defense. “Woaaaaah there missy, what’s got your panties in a bunch?”

Die.

Your eyes relaxed a little but still remained narrowed at the white-haired man when you looked at him. “Who said I was wearing any?” It was deadpan, but took that shit-eating grin off his face.

His eyes went wide for a moment, but he smiled wider than he was before. “Is that an invitation?”

Die.

Keeping eye contact with him. “Sure, an invitation to go to hell.”

He smiled so wide his eyes closed. “As long as you’re there with me.” He opened one eye to make a wink at you.

God, please, if you exist, smite this man down!

“I’m not your waitress today.” You turn with your nose in the air, walking towards the coffee bar to brew a cappuccino.

The pout on his face drew the other girls to his table, rushing to take his order and steal his smiles from him.

You snickered to yourself. A small win for you.

The current standings: Jackass 1 - 1 You.

You kept the smile on your face when you walked up to a nearby table. "Good afternoon Master, what can--"

"Oh please say you'll come!" A young hostess is gawking and squealing loudly at the irritating man.

You shake your head and start over. "Forgive me, Master, Milla is very excited today. What can I get for you?"

You wrote down the small order the younger man asked for. He looked to be in college and it showed in the way he couldn't help but stare Milla's backside as she batted her eyelashes at the white-hair, blue eyes...

"Mister, please come. It's going to be so much fun!" She's gyrating and swaying her hips. "All the girls are going to dress up." She gave him the look, the eyes, and the cleavage money shot. "You'll love what my costume is going to be."

He rested his chin on his hand, elbow propped up on the tabletop. The way he looked at her over his dark sunglasses almost made her melt into the tile floor below her. She giggled. "And what is the costume you're going to wear?"

The college kid at your table spoke up, super intrigued as to what she's going on about. "Yeah, what are you going to wear?" He sounded so desperate, you thought as you set down the fruity mocktail on the table.

Milla turned so that both men could see her, giggling in a very cute way, her face flushed. "It's a secret." A finger pressed against her lips. "So that means you'll have to come find out." She poked her cheek, smiling largely.

The man who you were serving had stars in his eyes the way he stared at her. He pulled his phone out. "Just tell me when!"

She sashayed to the entrance door and grabbed a few flyers. And handed them to the guys, flashing winks at each one of them. "I'm going to be so excited to get to wear my outfit."

You looked at her, she's still so young. She has so much to learn about the ways of men. Not to say that she doesn't know much, but she's way too eager. The men eat that right up though.

You were her age once. Eighteen, almost out of high school. The guys who came to the cafe would request you by name. It was super exhausting to keep up with it every night after school, but it gave you a sense of worth. Being an honor student and working as a hostess at a maid cafe are polar opposites, but the confidence boosts what's best. Most of the time you came off as stuck up, shut out, but at the cafe, you could woo any man's fantasies.

If you truly wanted to gain that type of attention back, all you had to do was crank up the charm and the men would be at your feet. But after working there for several years there really isn't much point in trying too hard. The level of respect you received was good enough, especially from your regulars and new customers alike. You were polite and sweet and that was all you really needed to do.

"What about you Y/N?" Him again.

You turned to him with a sweet smile. If the gods won't strike him with lightning then an uncharacteristic smile from you might work. "What about me, Master?"

His smile was larger than life. He took his glasses off his face, his blue eyes peeking out behind the strands of hair in his face. Milla was blinking in his direction. Her cheeks were red. You knew what she was thinking, he's so hot. But this is just the game you're playing.

"What are you going to be dressed as?" The words practically roll off the tip of his tongue.

You stand at the front of his table and playfully pop your hip, taking your pointer finger and tapping your bottom lip. "Hmmmmm, I don't know. Do you have any suggestions?"

He tilted his chin up exposing his sharp jawline. Milla almost fell over so she turned towards you. "I know, Y/N you should be a kitty-cat. That way you can meow and wiggle your butt at all the cute boys."

Blue eyes, the college kid, and a few other tables are now listening in. "I think all of you ladies dressed up with cat ears would be really hot." A high schooler at a nearby table added.

Kiko, a tall, slender hostess with long red hair walked over to join in the fun. "Maybe we should have a kitty day. What do you think Masters?" She's egging all of them on. She's a star vixen in the cafe. And her sensuality knows no bounds. The entire cafe is practically drooling when they hear her suggestion.

A loud and pronounced, "Yeah!" could be heard from across the room. She swirled around, her hair flowing over her shoulders like a goddess. "I'll make sure to put in a word with the Mistress." She went and grabbed some more of the costume day flyers and handed them out to the other tables. "Make sure you come to see us for this too." She whispered to two middle-aged gentlemen at a table she walked passed, "I'll be wearing a Wonder Woman outfit." The men delicately folded the flyer and tried to find a place to treasure it, one in his wallet, the other shoved in the interior pocket of his jacket.

You laughed to yourself. Sometimes you forget how lively the place can be when your coworkers are stirring all the men up. And you have to admit, it's very fun to play along. Maybe you would actually enjoy costume day. It will probably be packed and who knows what ruckus is going to ensue.

The warmth from your side tore your attention away from the tables that were hooting at Kiko. The voice coming smooth in your ear. "I was thinking maybe mermaid-related since you like seafood so much." You could feel the heat of his breath against your neck. It caught you off guard.

You turned and just barely brushed your nose against his. He was bent at the waist for equal eye level. You blinked a few times getting a clear view of those celestial eyes. The burst of color like a blue void sucking you in. But mostly you notice how gentle his eyes are. You shake your head before you're lost through time and space alike. You take a step back. "I would really like to see how well you wear a shell bra."

Annnnnnd, done.

You scoff. The sugary, sweet tone of your voice back to a sarcastic cadence. "Sure, and I'll make sure to be glistening wet too."

He bent further towards you. His response was too quick with his excitement. "You will?!"

Time to take the lead! Jackass 1 - 2 You.

"Only if you kiss the girl."

He almost fell by how he moved in towards you. You took the opportunity to flick his forehead.

"Owwww." He placed a palm across his forehead. "That hurt." His nose was scrunched up, his lips pouting.

"Don't be a big baby."

He rubbed the spot marred against his skin with red. "Oh! Let me kiss it," Milla went towards him, but you stopped her. "No, let him suffer."

He narrowed his eyes at you. "Curses!" He balled his hand into a fist. "I will get you if it's the last thing I do."

"Okay, when you get back from the 1950's murder-mystery, give me a call." You laugh and walk away.

"Don't worry Master, she can be a big meanie sometimes." She took his arm and helped him back down in his seat. "You never know, maybe she's mean to you because she really likes you."

Milla and the man both heard the echoing burst of your laughter.

"I promise, she's really great." Milla sounded hopeful, her face showing worry. "I don't know what it is with you. I haven't ever seen her act like this before."

He thought for a moment. "Milla, my sweet, could you do me a favor?"

She smiled at his enderment. "Of course, Master."

If only she could have recognized the wickedness in his intention.

╘══════════════════════╛

© 2024 givemeonereason

Don’t steal other people’s works! Respect creators!

Reblogs, comments, and likes are appreciated :)

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Taglist:

[edwardslovelyelizabeth]

Did Elizabeth Woodwell leave anything for her children when she died?

Hi! Yes, fortunately we do have Elizabeth's will in full preserved so we can talk about it. Elizabeth retired from court life around 1487 (she did occasionally appeared at court, most notable she was present when her daughter Elizabeth of York was giving birth to her granddaughter Margaret in 1489) and lived the rest of her life in Bermondsey Abbey. The cause of Elizabeth's death is unknown, she made her will in on the 10th of April 1492 and died on the 8th of June 1492 which can be indicative of the fact that her health was declining for some time. The current abbot, John de Marlow, who had officiated as a Deacon at the funeral of Edward IV witnessed Elizabeth’s will. The will is very simple but in my opinion very touching.

The will begins, ‘I Elsabeth by the grace of god Quene of England late wif to the most victoriouse prince of blessed memorie Edward the fourth’. It shows that Elizabeth still very much considered herself a queen, and wife to the most victorious prince ""the blessed memory" Edward IV - seems that she still had deep feelings for her late husband (Edward was dead for 9 years by then).

Elizabeth requested that she was to be buried alongside Edward at the chapel in Windsor Castle "according to the will of my saide Lorde and myne". She specified that she did not want the funeral performed with any pomp or under any great expense. As she had no worldly goods to bequeath to any of her remaining children ("I have no wordely goodes to do the Quene’s Grace, my derest doughter, a pleaser with, nether to reward any of my children, according to my hart and mynde"), she asked God to bless them, and with ‘as good hart and mynde as is to me posible’, she gave her children her own blessing. She then asked that ‘such smale stufe and goodes that I have’ be given away as seen fit, giving preference to any of her blood who wished to have them. I find it exceptionally touching that she send her blessing specifically to Elizabeth of York with all her children definitely knowing Elizabeth of York was excepting at the moment and was in confinement when her mother died so couldn't attend her funeral ("I besech Almyghty Gode to blisse here Grace, with all her noble issue").

Here is the will in full:

“ IN Dei nomine, Amen. The xth daie of Aprill, the yere of our Lord Gode Mcccclxxxxii. I Elisabeth by the grace of God Quene of England, late wif to the most victoroiuse Prince of blessed memorie Edward the Fourth, being of hole mynde, seying the worlde so traunsitorie, and no creature certayne whanne they shall departe frome hence, havyng Almyghty Gode fressh in mynde, in whome is all mercy and grace, bequeath my sowle into his handes, beseechyng him, of the same mercy, to accept it graciously, and oure blessed Lady Quene of comforte, and all the holy company of hevyn, to be good meanes for me. It’m, I bequeith my body to be buried with the bodie of my Lord at Windessore, according to the will of my saide Lorde and myne, without pompes entreing or costlie expensis donne thereabought. It’m, where I have no wordely goodes to do the Quene’s Grace, my derest doughter, a pleaser with, nether to reward any of my children, according to my hart and mynde, I besech Almyghty Gode to blisse here Grace, with all her noble issue, and with as good hart and mynde as is to me possible, I geve her Grace my blessing, and all the forsaide my children. It’m, I will that suche smale stufe and goodes that I have be disposed truly in the contentac’on of my dettes and for the helth of my sowle, as farre as they will extende. It’m, yf any of my bloode wille any of my saide stufe or goodes to me perteyning, I will that they have the prefermente before any other. And of this my present testament I make and ordeyne myne Executores, that is to sey, John Ingilby, Priour of the Chartour-house of Shene, William Sutton and Thomas Brente, Doctors. And I besech my said derest doughter, the Queue’s grace, and my sone Thomas, Marques Dorsett, to putte there good willes and help for the performans of this my testamente. In witnesse wherof, to this my present testament I have sett my seale, these witnesses, John Abbot of the monastry of Sainte Saviour of Bermondefley, and Benedictus Cun, Doctor of Fyfyk. Yeven the day and yere above said.”

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

THE MERRY THIEVES & CO 🏳‍🌈🏴‍☠️🚩

Written as a gift for @emmalovesfitzloved.

CHAT TRANSCRIPT between wilde-wanderer, eldricheternalflames, thomas-the-tree, kit-li-the-science-guy, kickitwithcordy, grumpycatcarstairs, sciencebitchgrace, annaisgay, and sugared-tea-sweetheart. 23 June, 2023. GROUP CREATED by wilde-wanderer GROUP: THE MERRY THIEVES & CO 🏳‍🌈🏴‍☠️🚩

wilde-wanderer: FRIENDS, ROMANS, COUNTRYMEN. LEND ME YOUR EARS, FOR I COME INTO OUR HALLOWED CHAT BEARING NEWS™ OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE.

grumpycatcarstairs: Jesus, Fairchild. There's no need for you to send messages in all caps. Don't you know that it sends Thomas into a needless tizzy whenever you do that?

thomas-the-tree: Why do you always assume that my alarmed expressions are Matthew's fault? I just got a 100 day Duolingo streak, and this apparently gets me some 3 days of free Super Duolingo (?) Though I don't know what that means.

grumpycatcarstairs: Maybe I know. You could have looked up to ask me. I am literally three (3) feet away from you right now.

thomas-the-tree: Do you know, joon?

grumpycatcarstairs: No.

kickitwithcordy: Oh, stop flirting, dadash. Now, Matthew, what was it you wanted to tell us?

annaisgay: If that's flirting, he's awful at it. #sorrynotsorry, @/grumpycatcarstairs.

grumpycatcarstairs: Lol shut up.

thomas-the-tree: He's making this face. 😒😒😒

wilde-wanderer: I give 0 fucks about Alastair's facial expressions, lol. Do you want to hear my news or not?

eldricheternalflames: Why don't you just tell us, Math?

wilde-wanderer: I got the lead in The Importance of Being Earnest! I am so excited. You all know how much I love that play!

kickitwithcordy: OMG Matthew, that's so so amazing! Come to dinner at Curzon Street tomorrow so that we can celebrate? James will buy us a Charlotte Russe cake. I know it's your fave 😋

wilde-wanderer: Can't say no to that. Though I'll also expect @/kit-li-the-science-guy to bring some lemon tarts.

kickitwithcordy: Was my offering not enough!? 😢

sugared-tea-sweetheart: Once can never have too much sugar.

wilde-wanderer: THANK YOU ARI! You are a blessing on this earth.

annaisgay: You are. And you're right, darling, you need to consume as much sugar as you can, so you can be sweet when I kiss you.

grumpycatcarstairs: God, I'm going to puke.

thomas-the-tree: You're stuffing your face with tahdig right now, don't lie to the class.

grumpycatcarstairs: And YOU'RE playing that awful Flappy Bird knockoff game instead of crushing it in Duolingo.

wilde-wanderer: VALID. Flappy Bird was the best thing ever. Fuckin hate that it got deleted like what in the name of Oscar Wilde was that

kit-li-the-science-guy: sry fam, just got the notification. grace and i were trying to see whether or not goblin blood served as a good retardant for flames that had a small spark of heavenly fire in them, but unfortunately. there were complications

sciencebitchgrade: basically he started a minor fire in our parlor. it happens.

wilde-wanderer: OMG YOU BLEW SHIT UP WITHOUT ME? My heart is breaking within my tender bosom. You do know how I so love to see the fruits of your labors.

thomas-the-tree: That's what she said! That's what she said!

grumpycatcarstairs: That's incorrect, but I support you anyway.

eldricheternalflames: I support you, too.

kickitwithcordy: Me three!

kit-li-the-science-guy: anyway lol

kit-li-the-science-guy: you want grace and i to make u lemon tarts

kit-li-the-science-guy: ???

wilde-wanderer: More you than Grace, really.

sciencebitchgrace: why would i ever want to be left out of the baking

kit-li-the-science-guy: why would i ever leave her out of the baking

eldricheternalflames: It's frightening how well-suited you are.

kit-li-the-science-guy: thank u :-)

kickitwithcordy: Anyway!!! To catch Kit and Grace up, we're having a massive blowout at my (and James's) flat tomorrow. There will be a Charlotte Russe cake, maybe some games

kit-li-the-science-guy: games? can we play bomberman? also yea grace and i will come w tarts

wilde-wanderer: I second Bomberman. Also Super Smash Bros. Please. And Pin the Junk on the Hunk

grumpycatcarstairs: No. Am I the only one here with sense? Well, me and Grace.

sciencebitchgrace: the answer to your question is a resounding yes.

sugared-tea-sweetheart: I'm also sensible.

annaisgay: Sure you are, dearest. That's why I caught you singing to Percival earlier.

wilde-wanderer: OH ANNA CAN YOU BRING PERCY TO THE PARTY

annaisgay: Transporting him to Marylebone from Percy Street (or to Curzon Street) would be nigh on impossible, so I'll say no. I'm willing to do a lot for you, Math, but not dragging a massive snake through the streets of London.

wilde-wanderer: Ugh, FINE. Waste my youth.

sugared-tea-sweetie: I'll work on her, don't you worry.

kickitwithcordy: What if I don't want a stuffed snake in my entryway?

eldricheternalflames: OUR entryway. And you really don't want to show Percy off as yours? Just for one night!?

kickitwithcordy: Every guest at the party is in the group chat. Besides, I suppose, Oscar, assuming that you're bringing him? 🐶🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

thomas-the-tree: Wow, Alastair is right. You do use a lot of emojis.

thomas-the-tree: Not that that's a bad thing! It's a good thing. You're emotional. Emoji-tional. I really like that about you. But also I just want to say that Alastair is correct and no one can really contradict him in the future.

wilde-wanderer: Is Alastair making you say that?

grumpycatcarstairs: I don't make him do anything. He supports me because he loves me

eldricheternalflames: That's true. Remember when we all hated Alastair? Thomas always stood up for him.

thomas-the-tree: stopstopstop

grumpycatcarstairs: You had a crush on me LOL so embarrassing

eldricheternalflames: It was, dude. He was SO sappy

wilde-wanderer: Oh aLaStAiR wItH yOuR bEaUtIfUL HaiR hOw i CaNnOt hELp bUt sTaRe ----

grumpycatcarstairs: Update: He's blushing

kickitwithcordy: 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

eldricheternalflames: I love you SO much, Daisy. Snarky but sweet. Thank you for being just as you are. 😘

grumpycatcarstairs: Sappy meter: 10

kickitwithcordy: I love when you use emojis in solidarity with me.

annaisgay: I'd give them a 9. Remember when they went to prom back in high school?

wilde-wanderer: They went into an empty classroom and fucking WALTZED. Who the fuck does that? Romantics, that's who. James will go down in history as a Wife Guy when he and Cordelia finally tie the knot, and I'm the best man, and I toast him as a Wife Guy.

eldricheternalflames: You'll go down in history as the weird dude who gives bad toasts.

eldricheternalflames: 🤡😇😳😲😜

wilde-wanderer: No, I'll go down for being the World's Greatest Actor. Fam I'm ERNEST. I'm in an OSCAR WILDE PLAY. I am living the dream, communing with my idol, nurturing the hyperfixation!!!

wilde-wanderer: Speaking of my party, what time?

kit-li-the-science guy: were we talking about the party?

sciencebitchgrace: kinda

annaisgay: Yes

kickitwithcordy: He just said 7 PM. Since I'm extorting James into going to King's and purchasing the cake, I feel that going with his schedule would be a good sport.

thomas-the-tree: We'll see you there!

grumpycatcarstairs: We'll see you there.

thomas-the-tree: Jinx you owe me a kiss

wilde-wanderer: Sappy meter: 10/10. 🖕

CHAT TRANSCRIPT between kickitwithcordy and eldricheternalflames

kickitwithcordy: Sorry I'm texting from the bathroom. Doing my hair and other ladylike things. When are we going to tell them?

eldricheternalflames: That we tied the knot? I'm sure that they'll notice the ring. Unless you want to take it off for the night? I'd totally understand

kickitwithcordy: Never.

[theprayerfulword]

June 2

Psalm 25:7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness' sake, O Lord.

Isaiah 49:6 The Lord says, “I will give you as a light to the nations, that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

1 Thessalonians 5:14 …encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Zechariah 4:10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin,

Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Zechariah 4:6 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.

May you come to the Lord in desperate humility, but not reluctantly, eagerly pushing forward to be in the forefront of all, confessing your unworthiness of, and acknowledging your dependence on, His grace, repenting of your shortcomings and asking forgiveness of your failures, admitting your guilt but relying on His acceptance even as you petition for His forgetfulness, seeking life even though deserving of death, for the King is known to be merciful. 2 Samuel 19

May grace and forgiveness be more important to you, as it was to David, than retribution and revenge, as it was with the sons of Zeruiah, for meekness, strength in control, is the nature of Christ, but demonstration of power to make examples is the nature of the flesh. 2 Samuel 19

May the presence of the Lord be of more value to you than possessions, as the favor and company of David was to Mephibosheth. 2 Samuel 19

May you not compare your service with the service of others, as Judah and the tribes of Israel when bringing David back, but freely offer service to the Lord, as Barzillai did to David. 2 Samuel 19

May you be certain that when you are most at a loss of what to do, and understand that you have no ways or answers for where to go next, that in the time of your own personal weakness and fruitlessness, you will then be best prepared to see the truth of the Lord and hear His Words of life, receiving blessing, strength, and comfort from His presence and acceptance as you obey His directions and follow His leading. John 21

May you rejoice in the unity of God's Spirit that exists in the diversity of Christ's Body, for just as John first recognized Jesus on the shore, and Peter first reached Him from the boat, the others maintained the labor and brought the net's catch in with the vessels, each, in their difference of gifts and expressions, honoring Him Who created, shaped, and begifted them. John 21

May you follow the Lord in what He has for you without concern or thought for how He directs others. John 21

Remain ready, My child, and stay alert as you go out, even though you do not yet know where you are heading. Know, however, that you have not yet reached the city you are heading for, the place I have prepared for you. Rest easy in My promises, My faithful one, but keep your sword at hand and your cloak about you. Travel the way I lead you with confidence, but do not look for a place to put down roots, for there is not now any place without the uncleanness that brings painful destruction. Learn of Me in My Word, and hear of Me by My Spirit, not for the purpose of telling others what to do, but to walk out My truth and to experience My wisdom in your own life. As you make Me your Source, your Lord, your All, you will be instructing others by example, whom I have placed you in sight of, on the reality and practical expression of My grace, compassion, power, and mercy, which is available to them, as well. Since you are still in the process of laying hold of My prize, My calling, My purpose for your life, let go of all which lies behind, and keep stretching forward to reach that which I have shown you is waiting ahead. Make the preparation that My Spirit leads you to make, so that you may respond with alacrity and alertness when I send you forth, and give you assignments. Know, My willing one, that the old nature will always be present to battle against your willingness to follow My Spirit, and stay alert, prepared, forewarned, for in My Name, according to My Word, through the power of My Blood, as you yield to My Spirit, you will come off more than a conqueror.

May you call on the Lord in your distress, for He will answer you and save you from liars and deceitful people. Psalm 120

May you keep yourself from lies and deceit, for the Lord will suddenly punish those who continually love and constantly exercise a lying tongue with the piercingly-sharp arrows of heaven's judgment and the long-burning coals of God's anger. Psalm 120

May you find more value in wisdom than gold, and direct your efforts to gaining insight instead of silver. Proverbs 16:16

May you choose the path which upright and decent people follow, for it avoids and circumvents evil, and those who travel it safeguard their lives. Proverbs 16:17

[breadboylovin]

28 :3

28: A description of the person I dislike the most

omg this question is JUICY. strap in yall im telling you guys the tale of the insane girl i liked in freshman year of high school whose antics landed me in therapy for like the past 4 years

under the cut cus idk how long this will get. also this is from this ask meme

okay so we met online thru the bts fandom. she lived 2 hours away from me and we had a 2 year age difference (i was 15 she was 17)

the first ?!!?!? thing about her was that she was writing like INSANE bts porn fanfic (and i mean insane like. everything she published had at least one ao3 content warning on it) despite being underage. i learned about this in like april 2018 but i was too head over heels for her to care. in june 2018 we finally met irl and went to a science museum and she told me about some of the insane shit she was writing IN THE FOOD COURT while i was trying to eat a shitty subway sandwich. like wow

anyway summer passes and we have a bunch of relationship drama. im not getting into it too much (ive talked enough about it in therapy LOL) but we didnt date, it was an unrequited love thing where she kinda just exploited me for validation cus she was super depressed. anyway at some point we start talking less but she sends me her tumblr discourse blog. and then in september 2018 i found out she blocked me from it so i checked why and SHE HAD TURNED INTO A FULL-ON TERF while pretending she was still cool with our basically all-trans friend group. so naturally i show everyone else and we kick her out of all our gcs. at some point after that she also detransitions (she was a trans guy before which was why i liked her. cus im gay)

so i dont talk to her at all after that because why would i. technically i sent her an apology for something that id fucked up on but that wasnt like... a normal friend conversation yknow. and i assumed that she had figured out that she fucked my whole shit up and i wanted nothing to do with her. but APPARENTLY NOT because in august 2019 i woke up one day with several messages from her on twitter where she was like "omg this new hurricane made me think of you (we both live in florida and this was when hurricane dorian hit us) ^___^ how have you been?? im doing so good im in [MY SISTER'S COLLEGE] for biology and having a great time"

needless to say i was flabbergasted. im pretty sure i had literally woken up from a nightmare ABOUT HER that day and now i had to deal with shaking with anxiety so bad that i could barely talk to my mom over breakfast. i initially tried to be nice and be like "haha wow i havent heard from you in a long time... ummmm if you see me on your campus while im visiting my sister please dont talk to me". but then i went to therapy that night and left mad as hell so the next day i told her off and was basically like "i want nothing to do with you and if you talk to me again ill throw rocks at you". and that was the last time i talked to her

last i heard about her online she had been run off of insane bts porn twitter for being a terf. then she started writing insane porn about figure skaters and got run off of THAT twitter circle too. i hope she never knows peace again god bless

[toastling]

I just love disability pay.

For those who don't know, I recently underwent surgery, and have been out of work since January in the lead-up to said surgery dealing with multiple infections and abscesses and healing in preparation. When I got put on temporary disability, I was told I'm good through June 31st and can call if I ever needed an extension. But on Friday near the end of the business, day I get an e-mail saying actually I'm only good until the 16th, and also, if I need an extension, I have until the 11th to call them and let them know to get the paperwork e-mailed. I figure "Okay, that's fine, they've been operational 7 days a week for any questions or corrections these last 6 months", except, for extensions specifically, they only operate on week days. Now mind you they only told me any of this in a single e-mail at the last possible second at the end of a Friday, so, there was no chance I could call them and get the paperwork sent over to have my doctor fill out over the weekend. The 11th is Tuesday. Since they won't handle this particular thing on weekends, I have Monday and Monday alone to call up, get the paperwork, send that paperwork to my doctor, and then send it back to them for approval. There is almost No chance that the last two steps are going to be completed in the span of Monday alone, especially since the surgeon in charge of my case is only in the office near me on Tuesdays, and only before noon, which means I'm going to have to try and get said paperwork to him to be filled out on a day he isn't even in town and insist it's rushed as fast as possible or I'll miss the deadline I didn't know I had until yesterday. It's like, incredibly obvious it's set up this way intentionally because America really doesn't want you to stay alive if you're disabled, even only temporarily, but Jesus Christ dude.

What's more, I've been making an entire third less what I should have been this entire 6 month period, forced to get by on $100 a week, because the way they calculate disability in my state is based on my prior 4 weeks of work before going on medical leave.

But as it happens, since I was chronically ill and was getting sicker than ever more often than before, I'd just missed an entire month of work just before the infection and abscess that took me out pre-surgery these past 6 months.

I'd only been back to work for 3 weeks by the time I was forced to go on leave again, and because I'd been out for so long before that and my schedule is created 3 weeks in advance, my manager had to finagle things a lot to squeeze me onto the schedule at all for those 3 weeks, so I was working WAY fewer hours than I normally did, meaning I was making less money than I normally would. And because I didn't reach that 4 week benchmark, that is what my disability pay was calculated off of, not what I actually, normally make in a week.

I've kind of just Let That Go this entire time because I live with my family still, so thankfully I've been able to get by on 100 a week by focusing solely on the most essential stuff, namely my personal groceries, and my family has been carrying me with any other expenses along the way, including medical ones (my surgery and bowel infections have been covered by my insurance 100%, but my dental emergencies which have also been going on continuously since January have not), but man, the combination of all this is just. Incredibly frustrating.

It should not be this difficult to have surgery and not, under ordinary circumstances, end up on the street during recovery because I can't work for X amount of months, but, you know, greatest country on Earth and all that. God bless the American healthcare and social safety net systems.

As an aside though, for anybody with more experience being on temporary disability pay than me - do you think it would be possible for me to appeal and get the money I *should* have been making this entire time this late into my claim? Because with the dental bills in particular, it would be nice if I could get the last 24 weeks of that missing third of my rightful pay to get back in the black with my dentist.

I was told it's NY state regulations, the whole prior 4 weeks of work calculation thing, but I do have extenuating circumstances there that impacted my paycheck. But like, would that even matter to these people?

[lettersfromeve]

06.11.24 :)

hey b,

I wanted to ask you how have you been? Because today is June 11 and I couldn’t stop thinking about you. It’s my confession day! Today marks the 5th anniversary of my confession to you. It’s been half a decade, b! Can’t believe it’s been that long!

How come I still think of you? Why do I still wonder where you are? Why am I still hoping for you to send me a message when that clearly won’t happen anymore. Who am I ba for you to message me first? Ayaw mo naman sa akin. You never showed me that you like me. You’re just being kind to me because that’s who you are. You are a kind person. And I wanna tell you that I appreciate you being kind to me. Thank you, b.

Thank you for being so gentle with my feelings. Thank you for replying and not replying to me anymore. It’s set me free from you. Thank you. I still care about you but I am certain that I don’t wanna have a future with you anymore. I’m grateful for the connection that we had. I’m grateful for all the kilig moments I had with you. Those are my favorites. Thank you, b.

I’m so grateful for you. Even if we don’t talk anymore, I’m still rooting for you. I hope you get to be where you want to be. I hope the Lord keeps you safe always. I hope He blesses you and your dreams. I hope He gives you the desires of your heart.

I really hope you succeed in life, b. I hope you get to marry the love of your life who loves you as much as you love her. I hope the Lord blesses you with children because I remember you told me that you wanted to be a father. I hope your kids have your wit. I hope they have your cheeks because you have the cutest cheeks! It would be so cool if they get it from you. :)

I’m running out of words to say. I guess there’s nothing much left to say but I want to say I will always be grateful for the way you handled my feelings. Thank you for your kind words. Thank you so much!

I guess this is everything I wanted to say. I love you, b. This is my goodbye to you. Take care and keep safe. God bless you!

Until our paths cross again,

Eve :)

[adrianna07blog]

Read❗👀 Then decide what to do…

John Lennon (singer):

A few years ago, during an interview with an American magazine, he said: “Christianity will end, it will disappear. I shouldn't argue, I'm sure. God was all right, but his lessons were too easy! And today we are better known than he is" (1966).

Lennon, saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot to death. Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil): During the presidential campaign, he said that if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God could remove him from the presidency.

Sure, he got the votes, but he got sick the day before he became president and died.

Delo (composer, singer and Brazilian bisexual poet): During a program in Canechio (Rio de Janeiro), he smoked a cigarette, and, releasing the smoke into the air, he said: "God, this is for you."

He died at the age of 32 from lung cancer in terrible agony.

Producer TITANIC. After the Titanic was built, a reporter asked him, "How sure are you that the Titanic will float?"

In an ironic tone, he replied: "Even God can't sink it!" The result, I think you know. Everyone knows what happened to the Titanic.

Marilyn Monroe (actress) Billy Graham visited the actress during one of her shows. The man of God told her that the Spirit of God had sent him to preach his word. When she heard what the preacher was about to say, she said, "I don't need your Jesus."

A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.

Bon Scott (singer) Former AC/DC singer. In one of his songs from 1979 he sang: "Don't stop, I'll go to the end of the freeway to hell."

On February 19, 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, choking on his own vomit.

Campinas (in 2005). In Campinas (Brazil), a group of drunken young men stopped by for another girl…

The girl's mother, walking her to the car, was so worried about the drunkenness of young people that she said to her daughter, holding her hand: "My daughter, go with God and protect yourself." The girl replied: “Only if God is in the trunk, because there is no room in the car! It's already full…

A few hours later, news came that they had been involved in a fatal accident. Everyone was dead! The car was not identified, but, surprisingly, the trunk was intact.

The police say that the trunk could not remain in such a state! And yet, to their surprise, there was a box of eggs in the luggage compartment, and not a single egg was broken!

Christine Hewitt (Jamaican journalist and artist) said that the Bible (God's Word) is the worst book ever written.

In June 2006, she was found burned to death in her car.

Many people have forgotten that there is no other name that has been given as much authority as the name of God.

Many have died and are dying, but only God died and rose again, and he is still alive.

PS: If this was a joke, you would send it to everyone. Do you have the courage to send it?

I did my thing because Jesus said "If you were ashamed of me, I would be ashamed of you in front of my father." Share this message, don't break the chain, because God has already blessed you.

Is God a priority in your life?

If so, please send this message to as many people as possible.

If you like the devil, close this text!

But, if you love God, share it with your friends. I hope you read this very carefully, because it comes from the heart!

I'll tell you: something very good happened to me.

Today I received a message and when I started sending it I was stunned. Hope it works for you too!

Psalm 100: God saw your struggle. God says the end is near.

God says it will end soon. A blessing comes to you, if you believe in God, send it to at least 20 friends.

If you reject this, remember what GOD said: if you reject me among men, I will reject you before the Father.

This message is a blessing. Share it❗

☝Прочти❗👀 А там решай, что делать…

Джон Леннон (певец):

Несколько лет назад во время интервью американскому журналу он сказал: «Христианство закончится, оно исчезнет.  Я не должен спорить, я уверен.  С Богом всё было в порядке, но его уроки были слишком просты! И сегодня мы более известны, чем он»(1966).

Леннон, сказав, что Битлз более известны, чем Иисус Христос, был застрелен. Танкредо Невес (Президент Бразилии): Во время президентской кампании он сказал, что, если он получит 500 000 голосов от своей партии, даже Бог не сможет отстранить его от президентства.

 Конечно, он получил голоса, но он заболел за день до того, как стал президентом и умер.

 Дело (композитор, певец и бразильский бисексуальный поэт): Во время программы в Канечио (Рио-де-Жанейро), он курил сигарету, и, выпустив дым в воздух, сказал: «Бог, это для тебя».

 Он умер в 32 года от рака лёгких в ужасных мучениях.

Производитель ТИТАНИКА. После того, как Титаник был построен, репортер спросил его: «Насколько ты уверен, что Титаник будет плавать?»

Ироничным тоном он ответил: «Даже Бог не сможет потопить его!» Результат, я думаю, вы знаете. Все знают, что случилось с Титаником.

Мэрилин Монро (актриса). Билли Грэм посетил актрису во время одного из её шоу. Человек Божий сказал ей, что Дух Божий послал его проповедовать своё слово. Когда она услышала, что собирался сказать проповедник, она сказала: «Мне не нужен твой Иисус».

 Через неделю она была найдена мёртвой в своей квартире.

Бон Скотт (певец). Бывший певец AC / DC. В одной из своих песен 1979 года он пел: «Не останавливайся, я пойду до конца по автостраде в ад».

19 февраля 1980 года Бон Скотт был найден мёртвым, задохнувшимся от собственной рвоты.

Кампинас (в 2005 году). В Кампинасе (Бразилия) группа пьяных молодых людей заехала ещё за одной девушкой…

Мать девушки, провожая её до машины, так волновалась из-за пьянства молодых людей, что сказала своей дочери, держа её за руку: «Дочь моя, иди с Богом и защити себя». Девушкаа ответила: «Только, если Бог в багажнике, потому что в автомобиле нет места! Он уже полон»…

Спустя несколько часов пришло известие о том, что они попали в аварию со смертельным исходом. Все были мертвы! Автомобиль не был опознан, но, что удивительно, багажник был цел.

 Полицейские говорят, что в таком состоянии багажник не мог остаться! И ещё, к их удивлению, в багажном отделении лежала коробка с яйцами, и ни одно яйцо не было разбито!

Кристин Хьюитт (ямайская журналистка и художница) сказала, что Библия (Слово Божье) - худшая книга, когда-либо написанная.

 В июне 2006 года она была найдена сгоревшей в своем автомобиле.

Многие люди забыли, что нет другого имени, которому было бы дано столько авторитета, как имени Бога.

Многие умерли и умирают, но только Бог умер и воскрес, и он все еще жив.

PS: Если бы это была шутка, вы бы отправили её всем. Хватит ли у вас смелости отправить это?

Я сделал свое дело, потому что Иисус сказал:  «Если бы тебе было стыдно за меня, мне было бы стыдно за тебя перед моим отцом».  Поделитесь этим посланием, не разрывайте цепь, потому что Бог уже благословил вас.

Является ли Бог приоритетом в вашей жизни?

Если это так, то отправьте это сообщение как можно большему числу людей.

 Если вам нравится дьявол, закройте этот текст!

Но, если вы любите Бога, поделитесь им со своими друзьями. Надеюсь, вы прочитали это очень внимательно, потому что это исходит из сердца!

 Я расскажу тебе: со мной случилось ��то-то очень хорошее.

 Сегодня я получил сообщение, и когда я начал его отправлять, я был ошеломлен. Надеюсь, это работает и для вас!

 Псалом 100: Бог видел твою борьбу. Бог говорит, что близится конец.

Бог говорит, что это скоро кончится. Благословение приходит к вам, если вы верите в Бога, отправьте его как минимум 20 друзьям.

Если вы отвергаете это, помните, что БОГу сказал: если вы откажетесь от меня среди людей, я откажу вам перед Отцом.

Это сообщение является благословением.   Поделитесь им❗

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

29th June >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

(Liturgical Colour: Red: A (1))

First Reading Acts of the Apostles 12:1-11 'Now I know the Lord really did save me from Herod'.

King Herod started persecuting certain members of the Church. He beheaded James the brother of John, and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread, and he put Peter in prison, assigning four squads of four soldiers each to guard him in turns. Herod meant to try Peter in public after the end of Passover week. All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.

On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison. Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said ‘Hurry!’ – and the chains fell from his hands. The angel then said, ‘Put on your belt and sandals.’ After he had done this, the angel next said, ‘Wrap your cloak round you and follow me.’ Peter followed him, but had no idea that what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed through two guard posts one after the other, and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord; they went through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him. It was only then that Peter came to himself. ‘Now I know it is all true’ he said. ‘The Lord really did send his angel and has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen to me.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 33(34):2-9

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free. or R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips; in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. The humble shall hear and be glad.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free. or R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

Glorify the Lord with me. Together let us praise his name. I sought the Lord and he answered me; from all my terrors he set me free.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free. or R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed. This poor man called, the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free. or R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is happy who seeks refuge in him.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free. or R/ The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

Second Reading 2 Timothy 4:6-8,17-18 All there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me.

My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.

The Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation Matthew 16:18

Alleluia, alleluia! You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 16:13-19 You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[uenodivision]

ARB Birthday Special: Aranai Norikoru

~~ June 21st ~~

"I'd rather be hated for who I am than be loved for who I'm not."

Login Lines:

*Sighs* "Okay, last package for the day, thank God. Let's see... this is one's addressed to... me? ...What the hell? Is this someone's idea of a joke or something?"

"...Wait? It says... 'Happy Birthday?' ...Oh crap! Today is my birthday, isn't it?! How the hell could I forget that? Especially since I'm now freakin' 21!"

Voice Lines:

*Sighs* "Sheesh, I'm used to having people know me and cheer for me, but they always tend to go overboard on my birthday. Kind of ironic since I'm more used to being hated and disliked than adored."

"Man, I'm 21 years old. ...I can scarcely believe it. Honestly though, I don't really feel any different than I did back when I was 20 or 19. Only thing that's different now is that I'm legally an adult, which is both good and bad depending on how you look at it. I know the f'ing pigs are happy..."

"My friends and homegirls bought me some sake for my birthday. It's actually a name-brand kind, not like the kind I drink at the bar almost every night. I'm almost tempted not to drink it. ...Psyche! I can't wait to down this baby later on!"

"You know, I did some research on what's so special about the 21st of June. Aside from having the same day of birth as that army guy from fucking Yokohama, the 21st is typically known as 'Summer Solstice'. Apparently, some cultures celebrate it cause it's the beginning of Summer or something like that. I don't really get it, but... well, I guess it's nice to be born on the same day as a season."

"I'm 21 years old. ...Man, no matter how much I say it, it's still hard to believe. I mean, like I said before, nothing really changes now that I'm older. Age, to me, is nothing but a number. You're only as young or old as you feel. ...I wish I could believe that 'cause I'm 21 and still in f'ing high school for crying out loud."

"Shisuta, you don't have to get me anything, really. I'm just glad to know you. ...Yes, it's been a... blessing to know you too. You've treated me better than most people and have always supported me no matter what. I truly am grateful for that, so thanks. Yes, I love you too."

"So... what exactly did you get me? ...Bracelets? And they have...? ...Oh. Wow. They... they look awesome, Shisuta. You got the idea from Sayaka from Saitama? I guess that's why they look familiar. ...You wanna try them on? ...Yes, you make up the other part of my heart. Thank you. Thank you very much... Mom."

"...Okay Boss-Lady, let's see it. ...What, you think I'm not prepared for you to give me a gift that doesn't have some sort of ulterior motive behind it? Well, sorry to say, but I'm ready this time. ...Yeah, yeah. I may be 21, but don't think that changes anything. I'll still create mayhem and mishap just to give you more work!"

"Fine, fine! Let's see it already. ...A... phone mount for my bike? So that I can take and send calls while I'm driving? ...No offense, but aren't you the one who always lectures me about calling and driving when I'm on the road? I mean, I'll still use it, but if I get into an accident cause I'm taking a call, we'll all know who to blame. ...Yeah, I love you too, Auntie."

Shisuta Lines:

"Happy Birthday, Aranai! It's so hard to believe that you're actually 21 years old! It seemed only yesterday that we met each other! Oh, how time flies by! But you're growing into a mature, beautiful, young lady. And I couldn't be any prouder. You know I'm always going to support and love you regardless of who you are. Never forget that, my dear."

"Now then, please accept this gift I bought you! Normally, I don't care for store-bought gifts, but Sayaka-san recommended these since she gave similar bracelets to Kureha-chan for her birthday. I hope you enjoy them. ...Oh, Aranai-chan! Thank you! You make up part of my heart as well! And that will never change, no matter what! I love you very much, my child."

Kisouna Lines:

"Happy birthday, Aranai. ...What? That's all you have to say after I took time to come all this way here to congratulate you on making it to the age of 21, which, by the way, is the legal age at which you can now be tried and prosecuted as an adult? Ugh, of course you'd do something like that, you little miscreant. If that's how you wish to act, then I'll gladly return this gift I purchased for you."

"Hmph, that's better. Here, this didn't come cheap, so you'd best appreciate it. Yes, it's a phone mount for that terror on two wheels you're always driving around on. You mentioned before how you have trouble talking while you're driving, so I thought to give you this. ...You're right, I did say that. But seeing as how you break the law on a daily basis, I figure what's one more law going to hurt? ...Ha, you? Get into an accident? I should be so lucky."

[albertfinch]

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - June 16, 2023

Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." For the "substance"; we must look on Jesus. It is the most blessed object that the eye of the mind can possibly fix upon; of all the objects under heaven Jesus has the pre-eminence in perfection, and he should have the pre-eminence in our meditation. It is He that makes us most happy since we possess Him, and we cannot but be joyful to look upon Him, for the name signifies Savior. "He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25)

MEDITATION: Many believers live with the concept that God will lead them when it's time for them to do something. And so they wait, sometimes for an entire lifetime, without any significant impact on the world around them.

"GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and then TEACH THESE NEW DISCIPLES........."- Matthew 28:19,20

Jesus said to the Father, “As You sent Me, Father, send them!” (John 20:21).  God will empower you, just as He did Jesus, in your Christ calling, to walk out the fullness of your DESTINY, with that same boundless anointing of the Holy Spirit!

Jesus said to Peter -- "Feed My sheep."   You have to be the nourishment for other souls until they learn to feed on God. We owe it to God to bear fruit for His kingdom by equipping His sheep with and understanding of their Christ identity (discipleship).

AFFIRMATIONS:

I arise and shine for my Light has come.

He has raised me up with Jesus and seated me in heavenly places. He has given me His name. His Blood, His Authority. His Power. His Spirit.

I have the power to labor for the spiritual lives of others.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

16th June >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 11:25-30 for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: ‘I am gentle and humble in heart’.

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

   Gospel (Except USA)

Matthew 11:25-30

You have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to little children.

Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

   ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 11:25–30

I am meek and humble of heart.

At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

   “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Reflections (12)

(i) Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The image of the heart has become a symbol of love. When people send messages to one another on Whatsapp or whatever, they often include a heart symbol to express their love. When we speak about the Sacred Heart we are referring to God’s love, present in the person of Jesus. Today’s second reading declares that ‘God is love’ and that ‘God’s love for us was revealed when God sent into the world his only Son so that we could have life through him’. Jesus was the fullest revelation of God possible in a human life, and he revealed God to be love. We sometimes think of love as an emotion, but genuine love always shows itself in action. When we truly love someone we are prepared to give ourselves to them so that they may have a fuller life. We empty ourselves so that others may be filled in some way. This was the kind of love that Jesus showed to be at the heart of God. God gave of himself for us when he sent his only Son into the world; God emptied himself so that we might be filled with God’s life. Jesus showed this self-giving, self-emptying, love throughout his life, giving of himself so that others might life a fuller life. In today’s gospel reading, he calls on those who are burdened to come to him so that he can give them rest, so that he can revive their drooping spirits. He spent his life giving himself in loving service to those who were burdened, so that they could find rest, a greater fullness of life. His greatest act of self-giving, self-emptying, for others was his death on the cross. It was above all through his wounds, his pierced heart, that he revealed the love of God most fully. He give himself in love for us on the cross so that we may have life and have it to the full. Today’s feast is the feast of God’s boundless love revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The call of today’s feast is very clearly expressed in our second reading, ‘Since God has loved us so much, we too should love one another’. Indeed, if we allow God’s love for us to sink deeply into our hearts, we will be empowered to love one another with something of God’s love.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

During the last Eucharistic Congress here in Dublin in 1933, I have been told that one of the banners that could be seen hanging from the flats in Gardiner Street read, ‘God bless the Sacred Heart’. It is a striking indication of the significance of the place of the Sacred Heart in the lives of people at the time, especially in the lives of those who were struggling. Many of us will have grown up with the image of the Sacred Heart in the house. One of the strong memories I have as a child is the picture of the Sacred Heart in the kitchen of my grandmother’s house here in Clontarf, with a little red light in the form of a cross lighting in front of it. It always seemed to be on; it think it was left on permanently even during the night. Again it was another indication of how significant that image of the Sacred Heart was for people. Here was an image of Christ that spoke to people. It is an image that is very much rooted in the gospels. It is only John’s gospel who gives us the scene that we have just heard read in the gospel reading, the piercing of the side of Jesus and the resulting outpouring of blood and water. In John’s gospel, ‘water’ is always a symbol of life. You may remember Jesus’ offer of living water to the Samaritan woman, and his promise to her that whoever drinks the water he gives will never be thirsty again. The water Jesus offers can quench the deepest thirst of the human heart because it is the water of eternal life, the water of God’s life, of God’s love. God’s love is life-giving, as the fourth evangelist declares, ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life’. That life-giving love of God became flesh in Jesus. The water of life that pours from the side of Jesus, from the heart of Jesus, on the cross is the symbol of God’s love present in Jesus, a love which, according to Paul in our second reading, ‘is beyond all knowledge’. The love which pours from Jesus on the cross draws us powerfully to the Lord - as Jesus said earlier in John’s gospel, ‘When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself’. Today’s feast calls on us to allow ourselves to be drawn to the heart of Jesus from which pours God’s life-giving, renewing and healing love.

 And/Or

(iii) Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The image of the Sacred Heart was one of the most popular images of Christ for a certain generation of Catholics. It spoke to them of the love of Christ, a love which showed itself on the cross. The pierced heart of Christ in the image proclaimed that ‘greater love’ Jesus speaks about in the gospel of John. ‘No one can have greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’. People who looked at that image in their homes experienced that love of Christ in a very personal way, just as Paul did when he said, ‘I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me’. This morning’s second reading gives us one of the shortest and, yet, most profound statements about God in all of the Bible, ‘God is love’. It goes on to state that ‘God’s love was revealed when God sent into the world his only Son’. Jesus is the supreme revelation of God who is love. All authentic love is life-giving and that is uniquely true of God who is love and of Jesus the revelation of that love. God sent his Son so that we could have life through him, according to our second reading. In the gospel reading, Jesus uses the image of ‘rest’ to speak of that love. He invites all who are burdened to come to him and to find rest, to find life. Even a slight inkling of the tremendous love of God for us can have a transforming effect on us. In the words of the second reading, it can empower us to love one another as God has loved us.

 And/Or

(iv) Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

We think of Saint Paul as a great missionary, a great teacher, a great letter writer. He was also a man of deep prayer, and his letters give us access to the content of his prayer, the way that he prayed, who he prayed for. Clearly, prayer was at the heart of his life as a missionary, a teacher, a pastor, a letter writer. This morning’s second reading gives us one of the most beautiful of all Paul’s prayers. In that prayer, Paul prays that God would give the power through the Spirit for our hidden self to grow strong. Our hidden self growing strong is equated there with Christ living in our hearts through faith. When Christ lives in our hearts, then our hidden self, our core, grows strong. Today we celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart, the heart of Christ, his hidden self, but that reading from Paul puts the focus on our heart, our hidden self. Paul’s prayer is that Christ would live in our hearts. In a sense Paul seems to think of all of us, all of the baptized, as called to have a sacred heart, a heart in which Christ lives through faith. To speak of the sacred heart of Christ, of Jesus, is to speak of his loving heart. Paul refers in that reading to the love of Christ which is beyond all knowledge. We never fully grasp the extent of Christ’s love in this life. His love was most fully revealed, most accessible to us, on the cross. The blood and water flowing from the side of Christ that the gospel reading refers to suggests the outpouring of his life-giving love, a love stronger than death and sin. This is the love that is beyond all knowledge; it is more than our minds can grasp. All we can do is place ourselves before this love in our poverty, surrender to this love in faith. If we can do that, Christ and his love will begin to live in our hearts through faith, and our hearts will reflect something of his sacred heart. Something of his love will flow from our human hearts to bring life to our world.

 And/Or

(v) Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus                                                                          

We celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart on the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost. My parents’ and grandparents’ generation and the generations before them often had an image of the Sacred Heart in their homes, very often with a little red light burning in front of it. There have been many representations and images of Jesus over the centuries, but here was an image, the image of the Sacred Heart, that spoke powerfully to people. It was an image that somehow brought Jesus close to people. This image with its little red light before it was a powerful reminder to people that the Lord was present to them in a very personal and loving way at the heart of their lives, with its trials and tribulations. We use the image of the heart to express human love; it is a very frequently seen image around Saint Valentine’s Day. The image of Jesus with his pierced heart prominently displayed speaks to us of a divine love, of God’s love revealed in Jesus, especially in his death. The second reading this morning makes the very simple but profound statement, ‘God is Love’ and then declares that God’s love was revealed for us when God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life. That is what we are celebrating today, God’s life-giving love for us revealed in his Son. It was this love that people somehow felt touched by in and through the image of the Sacred Heart. Having been touched by God’s love through the image of the loving heart of Jesus, people felt a desire to respond to that love in some way. That is what Jesus calls for in the gospel reading today when he turns towards the crowd and says to them ‘come to me’. It is the invitation of a love that is greater than any human love, and that promises a gift that is greater than any human gift, the gift of ‘rest for your souls’. Our souls are restless, Saint Augustine said, until they rest in God. Because Jesus is God’s love in human form, he can give rest to our restless souls if we come to him. That is the invitation of today’s feast, ‘come to me’ and it is addressed in particular to ‘all you who labour and are overburdened’.

 And/Or

(vi) Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Some of the features in our church stand out more clearly ever since the church was painted. I think that is especially true of our lovely stained glass windows. The central stained glass window is depicts Jesus revealing his sacred heart to Saint Margaret Mary. In the left panel an angel holds a scroll which reads, ‘Behold this heart’. We also have an altar to the Sacred Heart. We think of the heart as the seat of emotions but in the time of Jesus it was understood as the seat of the will or desire. Of course, love is not primarily a matter of the emotions, but is rather rooted in the will, in our desire. I decide to love someone and very often that will be accompanied by strong emotions but not always. The shepherd in the gospel reading is an image of Jesus. When one of his hundred sheep went missing, he decided to go looking for it because it was his will that the sheep would not be remain lost; he wanted to bring it back into communion with the flock. In celebrating the feast of the Sacred Heart we are celebrating the Lord’s will, his desire to love us. Jesus identifies his will with God’s will and he declares in John’s gospel, ‘the will of him who sent me is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me’. Jesus loves us so much that he will do everything to ensure that we remain in communion with him and with other disciples. That is the message of the parable in today’s gospel reading. The Lord is constantly searching for us, seeking us out, because he wills, he desires, our love. He says to us, in the words on our stained glass window, ‘Behold this heart’. His love, his heart, is a given. We are always before his loving heart. It is then that our will, our desire, comes into play. In that sense we are not like the sheep in the parable, passively waiting to be lifted up and brought home. The Lord waits for us to return his love. We can only do that with the help of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us in our first reading, ‘the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit’. God pours his own love into our hearts so that we can love him back, so that we can desire him as he desires us, will what he wills, live as he wants us to live. Today’s feast reminds us of that fundamental calling.

 And/Or

(vii) Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

The symbol of the heart is one of the most frequently used symbols of love in today’s culture. We only have to think of the many tee-shirts with ‘I love Dublin’ or whatever on them, with the heart standing in for the word ‘love’. Of course, the symbol of the heart comes into its own in the run up to Saint Valentine’s Day which celebrates romantic love. The symbol of the heart has also been a very central symbol within the Christian tradition for generations. We have traditionally spoken of the ‘Sacred Heart’, meaning the heart of Jesus. The Sacred Heart has been understood as a symbol of the powerful love of Jesus, the love of God made visible in Jesus. This love of Jesus’ heart, of God’s heart in Jesus, is what Paul refers to in this morning’s gospel reading as ‘the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge’. For Paul, the breadth and the length, the height and the depth of the Lord’s love cannot be grasped by the human mind. There is always more to this love than we can ever understand. In this morning’s gospel reading, the blood and water flowing from the side of Jesus as he hung from the cross was understood by the fourth evangelist as a symbol of the love of Jesus, the love of God, that flowed from Jesus’ heart as he hung from the cross. As the fourth evangelist expressed it earlier in his gospel, ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only Son’. The traditional symbol of the Sacred Heart is of a heart pierced, a heart that suffered and was broken out of love for us. If Valentine’s day is a celebration of romantic love, today’s feast is a celebration of God’s love revealed in Jesus, especially in his death on the cross. We are prone to letting each other down; we fail in love in various ways. The Lord’s love for us is reliable, unconditional and total. This is what the image of the Sacred Heart proclaims. If we can open our hearts fully to receive this gift of the Lord’s love, then, in the words of Paul in today’s second reading, Christ will live in our hearts through faith, and his love will flow through us to touch the lives of those we meet.

 And/Or

(viii) Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is well represented in our parish church, both on one of our side altars, which is dedicated to the Sacred Heart, and in the lovely stained glass window over the altar. Devotion to Jesus under the image of his sacred heart has been very strong in the Irish church. There was a time when it was quite common to see a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with a light before it in people’s homes. I remember very well that image with the light before it in my grandparent’s kitchen here in Clontarf. There was something about that image and the little light which spoke powerfully to people. It somehow conveyed a sense of the Lord’s loving presence at the very heart of their lives. Here was the Lord present in people’s homes, in their kitchens, conveying a sense of his personal love for them, inviting them to trust in his love and his care for them. The image of the Sacred Heart touched people’s own heart. Their experience of the Lord’s loving heart drew from their hearts a loving response. It was a heart to heart relationship with the Lord that sustained people in life, especially in the struggles of life. That remains the essence of today’s feast. It is a feast of love, of the Lord’s love for us and of our love for him in response. Today’s readings remind us that this love of the Lord is especially sensitive to all those in greatest need of this love, what the first reading calls, the lost, the stray, the wounded, the weak, what Saint Paul in the second reading refers to as ‘sinners’ and the gospel reading as the ‘lost’. It is to the Sacred Heart we can turn whenever we find ourselves belonging to any of those categories, and, we belong there all the time in one way or another. Today’s feast reminds us that the Lord’s love for us is unconditional. It is not a response to our goodness; it makes us good. It is not a love that waits for us to seek it out; it is a love that is constantly seeking us out. Today’s feast invites us to keep on trusting in God’s loving initiative towards us through his Son and the Holy Spirit, regardless of where we find ourselves in life. It is a feast that prompts us to cry out with Saint Paul, ‘I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me’.

 And/Or

(ix) Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

One of the shortest and yet most profound statements about God is to be found in today’s second reading, ‘God is love’. Much has been spoken and written about God since that statement was made nearly two thousand years ago. Yet, everything that could be said or written about God only serves to open up the depths of that statement, ‘God is love’. That reading further states that God was revealed as Love by God’s sending of his Son into the world so that we could have life through him, a sharing in God’s own life. It is the sending of God’s Son into the world, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, which reveals God to be Love. In the gospel reading, Jesus declares that no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one know the Father except the Son. It is only Jesus who knows God which is why, as Jesus says in the gospel reading, he can reveal God to those whom he chooses. It is Jesus who reveals God to be Love. The heart of Jesus is the heart of God, which is a heart of love. In celebrating the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are celebrating Jesus as the one who reveals God’s heart, God’s core, to be Love. The invitation that Jesus issues in today’s gospel comes straight from his heart, straight from the loving heart of God, ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest’. It is an invitation that has brought consolation to believers down the centuries. It is God’s loving heart in Jesus calling out to our heart to come. Before Jesus asks us to do anything, he first invites us to come to him. If we respond to his invitation, we will experience what he calls his rest, or his peace, a peace the world cannot give, and we will discover that whatever burdens we carry are not as heavy as they once seemed.

 And/Or

(x) Feast of The Sacred Heart of Jesus

The traditional image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, shows Jesus with a pierced heart. Such an image is influenced by today’s gospel reading, although the reference there is to the piercing of Jesus’ side rather than his heart. It is only in the gospel of John that we find this detail of a Roman soldier piercing the side of Jesus with a lance, resulting in a flow of blood and water. This scene is an echo of an earlier passage in John’s gospel. There, on the last day of the feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, Jesus cries out, ‘Let anyone who is thirty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water”’. The fourth evangelist then comments on this saying of Jesus, ‘Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive’. It is very likely that the fourth evangelist understood the flow of blood and water from the side of Jesus as a symbol of the life-giving Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God’s love. When Jesus was lifted up on the cross, he poured out this Spirit of God’s love on all humanity, and those who look up the crucified Jesus with the eyes of faith receive this gift of God’s love into their lives. The death of Jesus reveals the love of the good shepherd for his own and also the love of God for all humanity. Jesus’ death not only reveals God’s love for the world but makes that love tangible and personal for each one through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into our hearts. Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans expresses this wonderful truth of Jesus’ death very succinctly. He declares that ‘God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us’, and also states, ‘God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us’. Today’s feast is a feast of love. It is the feast of God’s love, revealed in Christ, especially in his death, and given personally to each one of us through the Holy Spirit. This love is a given; it is ours to receive. In the second reading today, Paul calls on us to be planted in this love, and to allow ourselves to be built on this love, a love which, as he says in that reading, is ‘beyond all knowledge’.

 And/Or

(xi) Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The image of God in today’s first reading from the prophet Ezekiel is of a shepherd who cares deeply for his flock. The shepherd says of his flock, ‘I will look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy’. That image of God as a caring shepherd continues into today’s responsorial psalm, one of the most often prayed and sung of all the psalms, ‘The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want’. It was above all this aspect of God that Jesus came to reveal most fully. Jesus was the Shepherd God in human form. Jesus spent his ministry doing what God said he would do in that first reading. He looked for the lost one; he brought back the stray; he bandaged the wounded; he made the weak strong and he also watched over the healthy and well. In the parable that Jesus spoke to the scribes and Pharisees in today’s gospel reading, he was portraying his own ministry. The portrayal of the shepherd in that parable was Jesus’ own self portrait. He was like the shepherd who was prepared to leave the ninety nine in the wilderness and go in search of the one who was lost, and who kept looking for the lost sheep until he found him, and then he lifted the lost upon his shoulders and took him home. This image of Jesus as the shepherd with the lost sheep draped across his shoulders had a great appeal in the early church. The first images of Jesus, which we find on the walls of the catacombs in Rome, depict him in this way. The image of Jesus with the sheep draped across his shoulders was as popular in the early centuries of the church as the image of Jesus displaying his sacred heart became many centuries later. Both images speak to us of the tender love of the Lord for the weak and vulnerable, for the lost and abandoned. In our own moments of weakness and abandonment, we can open our hearts to the love of the good shepherd, the love of the sacred heart. Indeed, in today’s second reading, Saint Paul tells us that God has poured this love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Today is the feast of God’s love for us in our weakness. It is a feast that invites us to open our hearts to this caring love poured out upon us unconditionally. In receiving this love we are, at the same time, empowered to share something of this same love with others.

 And/Or

(xii) Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus  

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus first addresses God in prayer, and then he addresses all who labour and are overburdened. Those were the two fundamental movements in the life of Jesus, towards God in prayer and towards others, especially the burdened, in loving compassion. The heart of Jesus, his sacred heart, was always open to God, and open to others. It was because his heart was so fully open to God that he fully revealed the loving heart of God towards others, especially towards all who were struggling in any way. His prayer to God in today’s gospel reading is a prayer of praise, ‘I bless you, Father’. He praises God out of a recognition of what is happening in his ministry. Yes, many of those who think of themselves as learned and clever are rejecting his message, his invitation, but many others are welcoming his ministry, those considered mere children by the learned and the clever, those who haven’t studied the Jewish Law, who have no impressive credentials to their name, who are not considered honourable or important in the eyes of the world. On one occasion, Jesus said that unless we all become like children we will not enter the kingdom of God. We need to approach the Lord with humility, with a recognition that we need all he has to offer us, and that we have nothing to offer that he needs. This is the attitude of the poor in spirit, to whom the kingdom of God belongs. When we are poor in spirit, humble in heart, then we are more likely to hear and respond to the invitation the Lord offers us in the gospel reading, the invitation to come to him and to find rest for our souls. It is a very personal invitation. Jesus says, ‘Come to me’, not ‘Come to my teaching’. He says, ‘learn from me’, not learn from this law code or that set of teachings. It is a call from the Lord’s heart to our heart. The prayer of Jesus shows that he had a deep communion with God, but Jesus wants us to have a deep communion with himself, and, through him, with God. It is that loving communion with the Lord which is at the heart of our faith. It is only out of the strength, the rest, received from that loving communion with the Lord that we can live in the loving way the Lord calls us to live. The life of faith, which is a life of love, is a joyful response to an experience of the Lord’s love for us. As today’s second reading puts it, ‘Since God has loved us so much, we too should love one another’. The heart of Jesus, the life of Jesus, reveals God to be love. When we look upon Jesus, we cannot but say, ‘God has loved us so much’. Today’s feast of the Sacred Heart invites us to welcome that love like children and to allow it to flow through us to bless and grace others.

Fr. Martin Hogan.