#i also had Thoughts on the witness looking for those values in their disciples but those thoughts are gone now

[walkdeadoralive]

God's Corporation

It was a little over a year ago and about the same time being a new believer in Christ, I had an issue with a woman who came to my property. I was having a garage sale and she was the only one that showed. Mowing the lawn I could see her driving towards me, not on the clear dirt driveway, but on my grass. Now I live in the country here in Vermont, but I have driveways and enjoy keeping the land free of cars driving all over it. I said the sale was at my garage and she could follow the driveway not on the grass and I would meet her there. She obnoxiously drove to my side on the grass and said she would follow me there…driving on the grass. So, at that point I failed as a believer. A simple test to remain slow to anger, be humble, watch my words; I told her to get off the property. Ooops. Of course, she thought I was jealous of her Mercedes and stated so as she drove on my grass and off the property.

I was so mad at myself. It did not need to escalate to that point and it was an opportunity to be the newer version of me. To cool down I went for a walk with the dogs. So, bringing the matter to God, after apologizing of course, we discussed it further. Do you know what He did? He walked me down memory lane of all the jobs I have had in my lifetime and businesses I have run or owned. I was an office manager for a State Farm agent in Malibu after being a top retail store manager. Sold sod for a while, at home mom for a while, partnered a restaurant, and now own a business here in Vermont. You do not need my resume but pointing out I have always been in sales and service to the public. Then He reminded me how I was always such an amazing person with customers…even the ones that complained; much of the time. I always tried to cater to make people happy and if they were dissatisfied how could I resolve the situation. The point He was making is that I should be thinking of God’s people as His customers. He is the corporation; I am in His sales department.

Lightbulb moment for me. This also, He pointed out, would bring clarity to witnessing for Him. I always worried because I am new to the Bible let alone have not memorized scripture much at all. But He reminded me I have always chose to work for or be in business for a product I believed in; otherwise you can’t talk about it with confidence. Blew me away with how accurate He was. The fact that I am a very extraverted person and happy around others; a social being.

Why do I bring this up you ask? Well I was looking back over the past 2 years and thinking I have been somewhat stagnant; reading my journal I can see I have not. Much growth and understanding has happened; many changes in my life and those I have prayed for. I have started my website for God, always trying to improve and add to it, as well as the social media platforms I most recently started. I have had no transportation for about 6 weeks so I have not been anywhere to see anyone. When I was working I didn’t get home until late so again, I wasn’t anywhere with other people to witness to. So, this has made me feel productive for God and His will and overcome such an obstacle.

Now back to God and His Corporation. It was interesting how it all broke down. We have God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as the chief officers. Then we have the churches where you can find the product; the storefront. Then the individual sales people, or disciples, spreading the word, or the product value. All running at a zero-cost margin. I loved it! It broke it down for me and my part. I could work myself up to a storefront or be satisfied with just my sales level position. The product, Jesus’ love, and salvation; it was a no brainer! The fact that it is free seals the deal.

Now I am sure there will be some people to comment negatively, how God is not a sales pitch and I am going to hell, etc. But sorry folks, break it down and it is, and He had the conversation with me not you.

Let us break it down further. A corporation has a president, treasurer, and a secretary. Similar to The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. What is the definition of a salesperson? “A person whose job is to sell a product or service in a given territory, in a store, or by telephone, or on line.”

What is the product? Again, Jesus’ grace and mercy. He paid the fees for all of us and therefore redeemed us. Now all we have to do is accept it, for free.

What would be the mission statement? I am thinking it is a very long one but the Bible! “A mission statement is a concise explanation of the organization’s reason for existence. It describes the organization’s purpose and its overall intention. The mission statement supports the vision and serves to communicate purpose and direction to employees, customers, vendors, and other stakeholders.”

As any corporation looks to continually expand and grow, so does our King, Lord, and Savior. The company pitch? Why not Jesus. In a world of continuous turmoil why not accept His peace knowing He is in control. Who wouldn’t want to live for eternity in a glorified, immortal, incorruptible body? Why wouldn’t anyone not want to feel secure in all situations because they have the Creator in their wheel house? If He is for you who can be against you? Who could not want to be on the team that smacked down death? He sacrificed Himself to give us eternal life with Him; that is true love. He keeps all His promises, never lies, paid our debt, forgives and gives, and a great listener. He is selective who He chooses (it is not always who you think it is), He cares about quality not quantity. He is all about relationship. Key ingredient to the Corporation or Kingdom if you will; relationship.

In a nutshell all you must do is believe that Jesus is your Lord and Savior. That He died on the cross and was resurrected. That He paid your debt of sin and you are now washed clean by His blood. Zero cost. In addition, to continuously try to grow and mature as a believer, and share His word via word of mouth; or like me, I started my website, www.walkingdeadoralive.com , do what works for you.  I cannot see myself in a store front; pastoring a church. But look, we have stores online now so who knows what God has in store for me.

As for the complaint department, hahaha, I accept any inquiries you might have. People constantly say how could there be a God if He allows all these horrible tragedies? Or if there is a God why does He allow all the tragedies. Very good questions. Jesus invites us to keep on asking, seeking and knocking. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

What do I mean by my complaint department? Ask questions of me if you want. Visit my website to review information and let me know your thoughts. Visit information in the Bible; just research, listen, and look. Remember in the mall of religion even not choosing is still a choice. My point is, you cannot just make a sweeping statement God allows tragedies or there cannot be a God with all the horror we see or experience. You have to research and listen to the why’s and what it all means and the whole enchilada so to speak. You cannot just take a sneak peak and think you understand. So, drop a note in the Suggestion Box, please be polite, and start a dialogue. But start, because we never know when our last breath will be and you do not want to miss this “sale”!

[spartanlocke]

Thinking about how the “Line between light and dark” isn’t just about Light and Darkness itself but also about your choices and what you do to achieve them....

I’ve mentioned this before but in a way, the YW was closer to the Darkness cutting a bloody swath through the Tangled Shore to get to Uldren than they were using Stasis to protect humanity and the Eliksni from Eramis. 

The line between justice and vengeance is also thin in the sense that Uldren needed to be punished, but executing him while he was broken and helpless wasn’t the way to do it. That wasn’t justice, it was vengeance. (I’m still of the opinion that Uldren was under Riven’s influence and needed help, but that’s an old discourse I’d rather not revive.)

Similarly, selfish sacrifice and selfless sacrifice also stand with this line. We see Clovis, Mara, and Savathun desperately fighting for salvation. But unlike Guardians who have spent centuries willingly throwing away their lives to save others, these three have become so dependent on the belief of “the greater good” that they’ve killed millions of innocents to achieve it. Clovis with the Exo program, Mara with the Theodicy War and the Battle of Saturn, and Savathun with...the past several billion years. 

They all fight for genuine causes, but because they’re willing to sacrifice any innocent life they feel needed, they cross the line into Darkness and adopt the Winnower’s creed: existence at any cost. (Mara seems to be slowly coming to that realization, and Savathun...well, we still don’t know her motives.)

By contrast we see Crow ready to accept death to bring justice to an innocent life he took, while Zavala was willing to risk truce with the Cabal to protect one of his own, and Saladin stopping both of them to offer himself up as a sacrifice. Saint and Shaxx train Guardians to become stronger against our enemies, Ikora and her Hidden seek out knowledge to prepare ourselves and Hunters do what Hunters do. All of them dedicate themselves to serving their home. They don’t fight for the uncertain promise that history will absolve their actions, but to protect the present, a gentle kingdom ringed in spears, and they will happily sacrifice themselves to preserve even a single life inside it.

Devotion inspires bravery, bravery inspires sacrifice, sacrifice leads to death. The Winnower and Gardener both value this, but the way they value it is where the line begins. Sacrificing yourself for others and sacrificing others for existence. The line between Light and Dark.

[numbaoneflaya]

You can count on me to pull up with a thousand of questions sbdhdh. A3, A22, C5, D3, F3 for Jilly ; A18, A23, B9, C1, H2 for Nirn ; A5,B9, C8, D1, I5, for Thurwen ; A9, A13, C1, E8, and G6 for Valkya? 😏

A3, A22, C5, D3, F3 for Jilly ;

A3.Do they have any emotional or psychological conditions? Are they aware of it? Do they try to treat it?

Shawty got that stockholm syndrome in a way. She is…. Sometimes aware of it, though she wouldn't call it that any more. Maybe at first in the basement she was more aware, but now that she can come and go she thinks its a thing of the past. tries not to dwell on it. Kind of in a “well its literally not that bad its kind of fun its kind of romantic were just quirky <3” way, will get mad if someone insists she has stockholm or that the relationship is fucked. Will get enraged and upset on Vincent's behalf, probably cry and yell at you.

A22. Is your OC intended to be found generally attractive? Unattractive? Average? Is there a reason why?

I intended her to be fairly average, maybe kind of cute. It's generally the way she dresses/acts in public that draws attention, not her looks. I tend to make most of my ocs on the average scale besides a select few.

C5. Do your OC’s morals and rules of common decency go out the window when it comes to those they don’t like, or when it’s inconvenient? Aka, are their morals situational?

Good question…. Jillys morals are pretty simple- always be kind and nice, murder and hurting other people is bad, and you shouldnt lie. She sticks to those pretty strictly herself despite the situations she gets put in, often to her own detriment. But she doesn't always put a stop to those behaviors from the people she surrounds herself with, so she's sort of accomplice to bad acts of violence just by not snitching. So somewhat situational? She tries not to think about it.

D3. How comfortable are they with the idea of death?

Not comfortable! She hadn't seen a lot of it before her early twenties and was always sort of sheltered. dead fish are flushed down the toilet bcs they go to the ocean to live again, right? Thought cows and such all died of old age peacefully before they were made into burgers until she was like… twelve. 💀Won't kill mice and other critters despite her prey drive bcs she would feel too bad. And this is just for animal death, she's much more uncomfortable with human death. Also a thing she tries to ignore.

F3. Could they ever live in a “tiny home”?

God no. She hates small spaces unless she's hiding in them and tiny homes have no room for all the shit she stashes! No room for zoomies, or climbing on the furniture, or wrestling around on the floor. It would be filled with junk within a week.

A18, A23, B9, C1, H2 for Nirn ;

A18. Do they get jealous easily? Do they feel bad if they do?

He's never had much to be jealous of, as he's never really been over involved in romantic relationships. They were usually mutually beneficial and somewhat clinical in nature. Hes also pretty sure of himself and his value as an asset and lover. If he finds someone who peaks his interest and they become an item though, he might get jealous if he catches them flirting with other people. Hell be peeved at first but know flirtation in business has its value, so to make himself feel better might flirt with someone else while they are nearby. Make a game of it, see who wins.

A23. Does your OC place much importance on their appearance? Do they feel confident in it?

Appearances are crucial to him and spends a lot of time and money making sure he looks his best. He needs to appear above the rabble and impenetrable, dressing well and having immaculate posture and an air of both grace and otherworldliness.

B9. What kind of humor does your OC like the most? Slapstick, ironic, funny sounds, scare pranks, xD sO rAnDoM…

Definitely not one to find fart jokes funny. Very rarely laughs genuinely or full heartedly, he keeps all his expressions of emotion close to his chest. Sharp sardonic wit is appealing to him in the right circumstances, even a jab directed at himself can make him chuckle if it's well formed enough. Irony almost always gets him, even if its dark irony or gallows humor. Bit of a hard nut to crack. Would laugh enough that hed have to cover his mouth with his hand if he were to see Felix fall face first into mud, though. More often than not you can tell he finds something amusing by a gleam in his eyes and a slight squint.

C1. Does your OC have a moral code? If not, how do they base their actions? If so, where does it come from, and how seriously do they take it?

Well he used to have a real moral code :/. Now I mean…. The ends justify the means. By any means necessary. He considers his family's needs first, then the good of the world, then any individual in the world. Has ordered executions of entire families, had babies stolen and sent away, sent armies to certain death knowing full well they would all die, commanded individuals be tortured for information, sacrificed many in what he considers to be a game of chess where he is the player and others are the pawns. He finds senseless violence and savagery to be unforgivable, but if violence has a sense and purpose to employ it, then he will do so.

H2. Is your OC a thoughtful partner, in whatever aspect of that you want to cover?

Nirn tends to be a very thoughtful and attentive person in general, just for the wrong reasons lmaoooo. But with a lover? He's going to be utilizing that to show them how much he cares and using his powers for good. Mention you like a certain fabric while shopping one time and then complain your favorite tunic has a wine stain in it several months later, he's going to be taking your measurements for a new one in your preferred material without a moment's notice. Very keen on picking up moods, expressions and tone. Also has a very good memory. He doesn't really think about it but gifts are how he shows his love. Also a great attentive listener.

A5,B9, C8, D1, I5, for Thurwen ;

A5. Are they good at handling change in their life?

I would say so, yeah. Shes been used to things constantly changing since she was little and has had little to no control on outside influences. Shes also not one to over think about the past and lament, shes more of a one foot in front of the other, the only time is the present kind of gal. Of course large changes like becoming a warden were a bit more severe, but shes mostly able to think in the present as long as she has immediate problems to deal with.

B9.What kind of humor does your OC like the most? Slapstick, ironic, funny sounds, scare pranks, xD sO rAnDoM…

Slapstick is always gonna make her laugh as long as nobody gets seriously hurt, even if its her own ass tripping into a tree. Not a fan of scare pranks, 0/10 recommend trying to scare Thurwen. You will end up with a broken nose at best and an angry elf. Likes puns, but she's the one to groan at them and try and hide the grin spreading across her face. Gallows humor but only if its her in the gallows, otherwise doesn't find it funny at all. If a little kid calls someone a fartcicle she will be tears in the eyes giggling, which is hard when your warden commander and everyone looks toward you to be serious and mature gyshsdhdfsghsd.

C8. Is your OC more practical or ideal morally? I.e., do they hold people to high expectations of behavior even if it’s not realistic for the situation, or do they have a more realistic approach and adapt their morality to be more practical?

She definitely holds herself to moral ideals and is very hard on herself, but has realistic moral expectations for others. She can understand self serving and people only wanting to survive and she will only give people a little bit of shit for it, no one's perfect. But then she expects herself to be perfect and berates herself constantly for not living up to the hero of ferelden warden commander ideals.

D1. How religious is your OC? What do they practice, if anything? If they don’t associate with any religion, what do they think of religion in general?

Atheist ever since her mom died when she was a kid, but now Shes in a weird mixed state ever since the urn of sacred ashes where shes like. fuck the maker, but Andraste is cool I guess. So respects/believes in the power of Andraste while thinking the maker is a piece of shit and the chantry sucks ass. Even she doesnt know what she really believes, but she did see the ghosts of Andrastes disciples and Shartan, used her ashes as healing salve, killed an old god, etc. So shes been in a weird place recently, crisis of faith/non faith pretty continual.

I5. Are they a good cook?

I mean…. She can cook basics. Shes been feeding herself and the alienage kids since she was old enough to walk so she knows how to get protein and make things edible. Does it taste good? Probably not. She didnt see her first spice till she was 17 years old, but she can skin a rabbit in seven seconds.

LA9, A13, C1, E8, and G6 for Valkya? 😏

A9. Does your OC make a lot of excuses? For themselves? Others?

She tries to excuse bad behavior of herself or others a lot, yeah fgdgdsfhdhs. Mostly she doesnt have to make excuses for herself because she can wholeheartedly be like “yeah i fucked up but whatever im sexy and large and awesome and everyone loves me 🙄whatever baby” and when other people fuck up shes pretty sympathetic even though they are not as large nor as sexy. Shes very used to forgiving and excusing herself its totally alien to her when she really fucks up and is suddenly like wait… valkya…. Did bad?? What is this feeling. Shame?? Guilt?? IMPOSSIBLE.

A13. Does your OC have any phobias? If so, where did they come from?

She hates those giant bugs in morrowind and valenwood a whole fucking lot but I wouldnt exactly place it as a phobia. Those huge mosquitoes and haorvers got no respect but she really hates the morrowind bugs ever since they knocked her over and jumped her while she was pants down peeing drunk as hell in the sand :/ never forgave. Never forgot.

C1. Does your OC have a moral code? If not, how do they base their actions? If so, where does it come from, and how seriously do they take it?

She was raised in a healthy household that tought the basics, prety much “harming others needlessly, stealing, torture, rape, dessecrating the dead, being selfish and not doing right by others, etc etc all basic bad things” are her morals. Her morality is basically treat others how you want to be treated. And if they treat you badly, then have fun beating the shit out of them to show everyone else not to fuck with you. Its a pretty nordic morality in that way. Her morality is also since she was ‘blessed’ with being so large and strong, that she has to also look out for the little guy who cant protect themselves. So If someone treats them how valkya wouldn't want to be treated, then beat the shit out of the person harming them to show them the little guys got backup. Her parents raised her to be a hero and thats p much how she sees herself, which has its benefits and its fuckin problems.

E8. What’s one of your OC’s biggest regrets?

Fucking up Dem and Dariens relationship for sure dude :/ valkya always gonna be sulking over that one. She doesnt regret becoming a vestige, even though it would have made her so much happier not to be because it ended up saving so many people and the world. She regrets not spending more time with Naryu, regrets always having other life saving business she had to run off to, regrets not cherishing the time they had together. Regrets not telling Lyris how she feels, either. Regrets not being able to save as many people as she should have, regrets she wasnt stronger in coldharbor and didnt break out herself. But she tries not to think about it <3

G6. Do they have any favorite childhood memories?

When she was seven she once spent two months training to hold her breath underwater, because her cousin always held it longer and won the gold bet. She trained for hours almost drowning in the river until she could comfortably hold it for up to three minutes. During the next holiday when they all got together again the competitions were on and they both went under- her cousin won, holding their breath for four more minutes before they decided to come up. This was the first lesson she learned that shocked her world view- you always need to know your opponents capabilities. (after she lost 26 gold in the bets, her mother later had to inform her that her cousin was an argonian.)

[yue-muffin]

The muffin watches Love and Redemption (insert preemptive crying here)

Aright, I finally FINALLY finished live blogging this episode. @mejomonster my thoughts are aplenty! I actually wrote way too much! 

Edit: I’m an idiot, I forgot to mention a prediction/observation.

Episode 1:

The CGI is actually very nice in this drama, I’m pleased. I will definitely watch dramas with cringe-worthy CGI, but it’s always nice when they manage to integrate it with the actors and set pieces well, which is even harder to accomplish in Xianxia.

Wait, what did the god of war do to deserve the reincarnation out of the heavenly realm punishment? Didn’t she defeat the Asura/Mosha guy? Was it because she used his weapon or something? And in the first place, why does that half of the Mosha guy’s soul qualify as a celestial that can be reborn? I suppose everyone is subject to reincarnation, but this batch is explicitly for those who have committed crimes in the heavens and wasn’t he on the demon/asura side? Or…maybe he was a celestial who betrayed them? Who knows, I’m just wildly speculating…

The scene definitely suggests there is a lot the narration is not telling us about how these two ended up being reincarnated - yet.

If she lacks the six senses, then why can she see and hear just fine? She apparently can’t feel pain, which would count for the deficiency of touch. Hm.

Xuanji, I relate to just wanting to go back to sleep and not deal with visitors so much lol.

HA, that little look of alarm one of the shixiongs (Liuzi?) has on his face when Linglong tries to convince Xuanji it’ll be fun because they get to check out the handsome guys. So is Linglong supposed to be her twin since they’re both 16 years old?

The dragon wolf thing moves a little funny, but at least it doesn’t look glaringly out of place and the camera doesn’t focus on it for too long, as is typical of CGI monsters. Kudos to them!

Cheng Yi is low-key really good looking in action scenes, just putting that out there. I didn’t think I would adjust to him in period clothing and long hair so quickly, since it usually takes me a while to make the switch (after seeing him in The Lost Tomb 2), but nope! He looks really good!

Ah, so this is the ruthless sect. I love how their first rule, which is literally more important than anything else they may value or encourage in their members, is to not show their entire face when outside the sect…also, what’s the point in hiding only half your face?? Sifeng’s mask only covers one eye, his forehead, and cheek on one side…at least have it cover the entire upper or lower half like everyone else in the sect (I know it’s so we can actually see the actor’s face and not supposed to make sense in-universe)?? I actually do like how they designed it though, it’s far less clunky than the full-face masks we saw in the opening sequence, probably due to the curves.

Sect leader…Sifeng is 16, he IS little pfft. Even adjusting for the times, he is a BABY haha. As I grow older, I realize more and more how young a lot of protags in fantasy stories really are. Also, sect leader is a drama queen, like he’s just lounging on his chair with this dramatic laid-back pose, takes a deep breath, and turns his chin up. So extra.

Aw, yes, I want to see more of Cheng Yi’s easy smiles. He’s so serious in TLT2, except when the warmth seeps into this expression when he’s smiling fondly at Wu Xie…

These devil/asura people have a weird bowing pose. I can’t help but think their hands make them look like…eagle claws or something lol.

Ah, a classic ‘I forgot my invitation’ situation. Well, Xuanji doesn’t have to feel too bad, apparently none of the other Shaoyang disciples know how to fly on a sword either lol. Her sister was tied down by that spell, but could none of the others have attempted to chase after the jerk who grabbed her? (Side note: I really love the color of his sect’s outfits.)

:3 I like Xuanji’s expressions, they’re just cute? So cute. Like her little huff when she’s defending her big sister from the jerkass. Also, I love characters who are like little kittens who puff up and try to protect their friends/family even though the one they’re trying to protect is probably more capable than them.

Jerkass really does take it too far when he just DROPS HER FROM THE SKY. Like, I can accept if youthful teasing goes a little far in that he snatched her and took her for a joy ride, but when it’s apparently that she really can’t summon a sword, it’s 100% not okay to just drop her and laugh it off. If Sifeng didn’t catch her, she could’ve died, and how exactly do you plan on explaining THAT to her father, huh Mr. Jerkass? He had like a dozen witnesses too.

Well, what can you expect from a guy who forgot to bring his invitation and literally was too arrogant and entitled to wait for his teacher to come out and let them in. :p Not the smartest cookie, is he. Even if you got in trouble for forgetting your invitation, you’d get in x10 more trouble for murdering a girl. Good thing she has plot armor and Sifeng was conveniently in the right spot to catch her lol.

Small note, he left her on his sword and she fell off after a bit - so…how exactly is HE flying? Can people fly without the help of their sword? Is he able to make more than one?

Lol Xuanji tugs at him like she does to her sister, it’s cute. But he’s so PANIC every time she touches him haha poor guy. He’s so awkward…why is it so endearing…

It took me a second to realize that he stutters, also that he has a voice actor this time! Idk why, Cheng Yi has a good voice. It would’ve fit this role just fine, unless there were parts they were concerned he couldn’t do. They did a good job matching the VA to his lip movements though, it’s really hard to tell it’s not his voice. It’s been a while since I heard Cheng Yi on video, but listening and comparing, now I can tell that it’s not his in this drama. Anyways, this might be my only complaint lol. Both he and his VA do a good job conveying the stuttering though!

Cheng Yi, you’re playing another character who’s good at disappearing in the blink of an eye lol…

Aah, so normally her sister’s personality type is the annoying sort, which is why she works well as a supporting character. I love how she turns her brattiness up to eleven in order to help Xuanji get out of a scolding by their father. I just really love how these two are so supportive and defensive of each other.

Edit: Alright, but Xuanji did you really just raise a flag for yourself so early in the show. ‘I think tears are the most precious things’. I WILL EAT MY HAT IF THIS DOES NOT BECOME RELEVANT LATER.

And instead of holding onto Sifeng’s name tag for like 50 episodes, she remembers she has it and goes to give it back + some birthday snacks because it’s his birthday too! GAH Xuanji is too cute.

I love how the guy who answered the door just his back only to turn around and smoothly give an explanation for his friend’s disfluency lol (so it’s a language thing!). AND THEN HE GOES ‘carry on!’ AND TURNS AROUND AGAIN. Idk why I find this funny but.

? Why all that effort for dew from a peach blossom tree. Is this one a special peach blossom tree. Why is he making tea with it. OH OK it’s good for cultivation.

He’s so vicious ha, he’s clearly perplexed by her - I mean, he’s the top disciple in his sect, so likely he doesn’t get how she can live so carefree and not have any desire to cultivate or anything. It’s perplexing and kind of total opposite to his worldview, so he reacts harshly.

Ah, I really like Cheng Yi’s acting! He goes from flat/indifferent face to reacting angrily to her picking the snake up, then a subtle worry as his eyes drop down from her to the snake.

I don’t know why I like this snake scene but I dooo. xD Also, it’s interesting how she doesn’t feel any strong emotions (she’s actually rather intensely curious tho!), while he puts on a mask literally/figuratively to seem like he doesn’t and yet gets worked up quite easily.

I’m glad she stops imitating him when he tells her to and is explicitly angry/upset, I get enough of people being assholes and making fun of others for things they can’t help like their speech impairments or mannerisms, it’s just kind of a personal thing that irks me.

AW HE’S SO PROTECTIVE OF HIS LITTLE SNAKE.

Why is it always the peach tree forests?? They’re always weird places that trap people. I can think of two other dramas where this happens haha. I know peaches do have significant symbolism in Chinese culture, so maybe that explains it.

Lol he still flips out a bit when she gets close. Poor girl, getting dropped from the air AGAIN.

Ah, this is the lake! Where they sealed part of that Mosha guy’s soul! This can’t be good.

Aw, look at his face, he’s genuinely worried for his little snake. CHENG YI YOUR RANGE OF EMOTIONS. GAH. 

I CAN’T OPEN IT. Oh wait.

WHY DID YOU GO IIIIN YOU JUST SAID YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING AND HE TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT, YOU LITTLE IDIOT. If he’s Little Stutterer, you can be Little Idiot, ok.

Here’s an idea, she finds the snake, you fight the dragon, and then all three of you get out of there.

OH the mask comes off!! Ok, but you have seen like most of his face already…Hahaha the look on his face ‘wait…why do I feel a hand why is she touching me there…OH NO’

Ah, a nice detail I didn’t think they’d think to add in: his stuttering got way worse without the mask on, since he was so upset/shaken.

?? What just happened with her blood lol.

Final Thoughts:

An interesting start, with nice character dynamics revealed and a dangerous situation to move the plot right along. I have been informed the drama really differentiates itself from the typical setup that has been supplied thus far, and I’m excited to see it unfold.

For now, I have a tiiiiny crush on Cheng Yi and I’m interested in where they take Xuanji’s character. Also, what disasters will result from their little excursion into the super lake where a demon lord thing was sort of sealed away a long time ago...

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

16th August >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections /Homilies on Matthew 15:21-28 for The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A: ‘Woman, you have great faith’.

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Matthew 15:21-28

The Canaanite woman debates with Jesus and saves her daughter

Jesus left Gennesaret and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Then out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, ‘Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.’ But he answered her not a word. And his disciples went and pleaded with him. ‘Give her what she wants,’ they said ‘because she is shouting after us.’ He said in reply, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.’ But the woman had come up and was kneeling at his feet. ‘Lord,’ she said ‘help me.’ He replied, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’ She retorted, ‘Ah yes, sir; but even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.’ And from that moment her daughter was well again.

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 15:21–28

O woman, great is your faith!

At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. Jesus’ disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

Reflections (5)

(i) Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The issue of racial inequality was very much to the fore in the weeks after George Floyd was killed by a policeman in Minneapolis. Those weeks have forced us all to look at our own attitudes to people of different races. Certain forms of racism were such a normal part of everyday life in the past that for those of us of a certain generation it was often difficult not to be infected by it. We may not think of ourselves as racist in any way, but we can discover to our horror that perhaps there is some underlying racist prejudice buried deep within us that only comes out very rarely, but when it does shocks us to the core.

The issue of race and of how one race views another has been around since the dawn of humanity. There is even a trace of it there in today’s gospel reading. The woman who approaches Jesus is described as a Canaanite. ‘Canaan’ was the name for the territory that became the land of Israel, and the Canaanites were the people who were dispossessed when the people of Israel captured the land of Canaan, having left Egypt and after spending forty years in the wilderness. The Canaanites were the traditional enemies of Israel. The people of Israel continued to view them with great hostility in the time of Jesus. They thought of them as an inferior race. When Jesus is in the region of Tyre and Sidon in the south of modern day Lebanon, he is approached by a Canaanite woman. The attitude of Jesus towards her is very untypical of his attitude to those in need throughout the gospels. His first reaction to her urgent plea on behalf of her sick child is one of silence. ‘He answered her not a word’. Many of us may have felt that when we came before the Lord in our need, on our own behalf or on behalf of a loved one, we were met with silence. It was as if our urgent prayer disappeared into thin air. At such times, we can easily get discouraged and give up praying. Yet, this Canaanite woman was not going to be put off by silence. Having shouted at him from a distance, she now come right up to him and kneeling at his feet says, ‘Lord, help me’. It was her seriously ill daughter that needed help, but such was the identification of this desperate mother with her sick daughter that she prayed, ‘help me’. It is a wonderful portrayal of a mother’s fighting love for her child. When Jesus does finally speak directly to her, what he says does not sound very promising, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house dogs’. It is a little one line parable, but it is fairly clear that the children are the ‘lost sheep of the house of Israel’ and the house dogs are the likes of this Canaanite woman and other pagans. Jesus seems to be articulating the fairly standard prejudice of his people towards Canaanites. Identifying a people with an animal has been a fairly standard form of racist abuse in the course of history.

We might be tempted to ask, ‘What is Jesus at?’ The woman’s retort to Jesus shows both ingenuity and wit. Both of them would have been well aware that children often eat untidily and the pet dogs in a home gobble up what the children let fall. She is saying to Jesus that house dogs like herself can benefit here and now from God’s favour to Israel revealed through Jesus. With her retort, the racial boundary between herself and Jesus completely collapses. He pays her a compliment that is unique in the gospels, ‘you have great faith’. This woman is the only person in the gospels whom Jesus addresses as having great faith. This gospel incident foreshadows the breaking down of racial barriers that will characterize the early church. Within the early church, there was no distinction between Jew, Samaritan or pagan of whatever nationality. As Saint Paul would say in his letter to the Galatians, ‘There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus’. Indeed, in today’s second reading, Paul says that just as Jews have received God’s mercy, the pagans are now receiving God’s mercy, because God desires ‘to show mercy to all humankind’.

That is the message of all three readings this Sunday. The embrace of God is not a closed circle. All have the mercy of God available to them. In the words of today’s first reading, God’s house is to be a ‘house of prayer for all the peoples’. A lot of meetings take place in circles now. Circles have a value; they are egalitarian in shape. Yet, circles can easily become closed and difficult to penetrate. God’s embrace is not that kind of a circle; it is an ever expanding circle that seeks to draw in all sorts of people. The calling of the gospel is to keep widening our circle until it becomes as wide as God’s circle, so that we cease to recognize those different from us as alien, but as a brother and sister in Christ, a brother and sister in humanity.

And/Or

(ii) Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 We tend to admire people who ‘stick to their guns’, who have a conviction about something and hold to it, even when put under strong pressure to do otherwise. We need strong convictions, based on good values, on the values of the gospel, but we also need to be flexible enough to allow our convictions to be shaped in new and better ways.

 It seems from today’s gospel reading from Matthew that one of Jesus’ convictions was that God had sent him to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He solemnly announces to the pagan woman, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’. Jesus understood that only later, after his death and resurrection, would there be a mission to the pagans. What we find happening in today’s gospel reading is that Jesus allows this important conviction of his to be reshaped by the persistent pleading of a pagan woman on behalf of her sick child. Jesus met her initial plea with silence; he met her second plea with a comment that can seem a bit shocking to us, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs’. The ‘children’ were the people of Israel; the ‘house-dogs’ was a standard term that Jews used with reference to the pagans. The woman was not deterred either by Jesus’ silence or by his comment. With a mixture of perseverance, humility and humour, she expressed a willingness to eat the crumbs that fell from the children’s table, as the house dogs often do. Jesus recognized her ‘great faith’ and ministered to her and her daughter there and then. Here was a woman who succeeded in reshaping Jesus’ strongly held conviction. The gospel reading suggests that Jesus recognized that the Spirit of God was speaking to him through this woman’s passionate love for her daughter and her equally passionate faith in God’s presence in Jesus. Here was a woman who, from a Jewish point of view, was a complete outsider. Yet, she became, in a sense, Jesus’ teacher, and Jesus allowed himself to be taught by her.

 The gospel reading suggests to us that, like Jesus, we too need to be open to the Spirit speaking to us through those we meet on our life’s journey. In our conversations with people, we can discover that some of our deeply held convictions are being unexpectedly challenged. We can find ourselves questioning what we had been very sure about. It can happen that such questioning can bring on something of a crisis for us. We might even find ourselves wondering if our faith is growing weaker. It may be, however, that God is simply purifying our faith, as it were. God may be showing us that some of the convictions of our faith are too small, that there is more to God’s purpose for our world and for our lives than we had realized. Jesus’ convictions were reshaped by someone who was very much an outsider, a woman in a man’s world, a pagan in a Jewish world. In a similar way today, God can speak to us in unconventional ways. Those from whom we think we have the least to learn can often have the most to teach us. A pagan woman’s passionate concern for her ailing daughter showed Jesus that the gospel ministry to the pagans could not wait until after his death and resurrection. The passionate commitment to the healing of others that is often to be found among those who do not see themselves as part of the church can sometimes reveal for us the deepest meaning of the gospel. We pray today for the openness to recognize and respond to the movement of the Spirit, wherever it is to be found.

And/Or

(iii) Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 We tend to admire people who ‘stick to their guns’, who have a conviction about something and hold to it, even when put under strong pressure to do otherwise. We have less sympathy with those who change their views to suit the situation, who express one view to one person and a very different view to another person. We rightly feel that such people are not to be trusted or relied upon.

 Yet, from another perspective, ‘sticking to our guns’ is not always the best course of action. We need strong convictions, based on good values, on the values of the gospel, but we also need to be flexible enough to allow our convictions to be shaped in new and better ways. Sometimes we discover, in dialogue with others, that there are dimensions to some issue that had not occurred to us; sometimes our experience of life teaches us that the issue is more complex than our conviction initially allowed for. We need a certain flexibility around our convictions. As people of faith, we need to be open to the possibility that the Lord has something more to teach us, that our strongly held views may not always fully correspond to the Lord’s view of things.

 It seems from today’s gospel reading from Matthew that one of Jesus’ convictions was that God had sent him, initially at least, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He solemnly announces to the pagan woman, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’. A little earlier in Matthew’s gospel, when Jesus was sending out the twelve apostles on mission, he said to them: ‘Go nowhere among the pagans, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’. Jesus understood that the initial focus of his mission and that of his disciples was to be the renewal of the people of Israel, his own compatriots; only later, after his death and resurrection, would there be a mission to the pagans. What we find happening in today’s gospel reading is that Jesus allows this important conviction of his to be reshaped by the persistent pleading of a pagan woman on behalf of her sick child. The woman needed to be very persistent, because Jesus was not at all inclined to move beyond the circle of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Jesus met her initial plea with silence; he met her second plea with a comment that can seem a bit shocking to us, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs’. The ‘children’ were the people of Israel; the ‘house-dogs’ was a standard term that Jews used with reference to the pagans. The woman was not deterred either by Jesus’ silence or by his comment. With a mixture of perseverance, humility and humour, she expressed a willingness to eat the crumbs that fell from the children’s table, as the house dogs often do. Jesus recognized what he called her ‘great faith’ and ministered to her and her daughter there and then.

 You might remember in last Sunday’s gospel that Jesus referred to Peter, the rock on which the church was built, as a person of little faith; this Sunday we hear Jesus addressing a pagan woman as a person of great faith. Here was a woman who succeeded in reshaping Jesus’ strongly held conviction. The gospel reading suggests that Jesus recognized that the Spirit of God was speaking to him through this woman’s passionate love for her daughter and her equally passionate faith in God’s presence in Jesus. Here was a woman who, from a Jewish point of view, was a complete outsider. Yet, she became, in a sense, Jesus’ teacher, and Jesus allowed himself to be taught by her.

 The gospel reading suggests to us that, like Jesus, we too need to be open to the Spirit speaking to us, teaching us, through those we meet on our life’s journey. In our conversations with people, we can discover that some of our deeply held convictions are being unexpectedly challenged. Unlike Jesus, we may not have the freedom to respond to this challenge there and then. However, when we walk away from the conversation and begin to think about it, we can find ourselves questioning what we had been very sure about. It can happen that such questioning can bring on something of a crisis for us. We might even find ourselves wondering if our faith is growing weaker. We may find ourselves asking, ‘Am I loosing my faith?’ It may be, however, that God is simply purifying our faith, as it were. God may be trying to open us up to a new horizon that we had not thought even to have existed. God may be showing us that some of the convictions of our faith are too small, that there is more to God’s purpose for our world and for our lives than we had realized.

 Jesus’ convictions were reshaped by someone who was very much an outsider, a woman in a man’s world, a pagan in a Jewish world. In a similar way today, God can speak to us in unconventional ways. Those from whom we think we have the least to learn can often have the most to teach us. A pagan woman’s passionate concern for her ailing daughter showed Jesus that the gospel ministry to the pagans could not wait until after his death and resurrection. The passionate commitment to the healing of others that is often to be found among those who do not see themselves as part of the church can sometimes reveal for us the deepest meaning of the gospel. We pray today for the openness to recognize and respond to the movement of the Spirit, wherever it is to be found.

And/Or

(iv) Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 We know from our own experience that people can surprise us. We expect them to behave in a certain way and then, to our amazement, they behave in ways that far exceed our expectations. Our initial expectations may have been based on what we had heard about them or how we might have experienced them in the past. When we are pleasantly surprised by others, we need the humility to revise our original assessment.

 In today’s gospel reading, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon, a predominantly pagan area. We are not told why he went there, but it does not appear that he travelled there to preach the gospel. In Matthew’s gospel, from which today’s reading is taken, it is only after he rose from the dead that Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the gospel to the pagans. When he withdrew to this pagan region, he was perhaps looking for some peace and quiet, where he and his disciples would not be disturbed. He may not have been expecting to be approached by anyone from the pagan population. However, his expectations were shattered. A pagan woman approached him and asked him to take pity on her by healing her disturbed daughter. It is striking how strongly this woman identifies with her troubled daughter. She asks Jesus to take pity on her, even though her request concerns her daughter. Such strong identification will not come as a surprise to any parent here this morning. That kind of identification is not something you find only in families, as is evident from the strong identification between many of our parishioners and our guests from Kenya this morning.

 After the woman’s initial request, there follows one of the strangest exchanges between Jesus and another person that is to be found in any of the gospels. Jesus initially ignores her by remaining silent; he then lets it be know that his mission, at least for the moment, is only to the people of Israel; he then restates that position in what seems to us a rather insulting way by declaring that he is here to feed the children, the children of Israel, not the housedogs, the pagans. Surely that kind of response would have been enough to stop anyone in their tracks, but not this woman. As a housedog, she declared herself happy with whatever scraps might fall from the children’s table. Finally, Jesus caves in and declares to her, ‘Woman, you have great faith’, and grants her request. The sense we get from this story is that Jesus was taken aback by this woman’s exceptional faith. The expectations he had going into this pagan area were shattered. Here was a woman who had such trust in Jesus and in his healing power that she simply would not take ‘no’ for an answer. Jesus must have left that region with a different view of pagans to the view that he had before he entered it. The woman, in a way, turned out to be Jesus’ teacher. He learned a lesson from her – don’t underestimate the housedogs! She might have made him think again about the timing of the mission to the pagans. Perhaps, after all, they couldn’t be expected to wait any longer before they heard the gospel and experienced its life-giving power. Jesus learned something from this woman. God, in a sense, was speaking to his Son in and through her.

 If Jesus’ meeting with this woman taught him something, the evangelist’s account of that meeting has something to teach all of us. God can speak to all of us in surprising ways. There was a very popular book by a well-know Jesuit writer some years ago entitle, ‘Surprised by God’. The gospel reading today encourages us to let ourselves be surprised by God from time to time. Like Jesus, we can sometimes find ourselves going to a place where we don’t expect much to happen or, maybe, meeting up with people from whom we don’t expect to learn much. Having gone to this place, having met these people, we discover that, in fact, we learn something very important. I think we often learn the really important lessons of life when we are not trying to learn anything. The really significant human encounters in our lives, the ones that have most to teach us, are often not the ones we have planned or organized or arranged for ourselves, but the ones that just happen without our having done anything to make them happen. We can receive as much from the unexpected interruptions as from what we have carefully arranged. God can touch our lives in places we would not normally associate with God, and at times when God might be the furthest thing from our minds.

 Jesus initially tried to keep the Canaanite woman at a distance; yet, he allowed her to break down his resistances. The gospel reading suggests that the people we are tempted to keep at a distance from us may be the very people who have most to teach us, the very ones who are most likely to reveal God to us. It invites us to ask ourselves, ‘When God comes to us through unexpected people, when God comes in strange guises, are we as open as Jesus was to having our own resistances broken down?’ The story we have just heard challenges us to leave ourselves open to being surprised by God.

And/Or

(v) Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 We have all become very aware of the terrible persecution of Christians in Northern Iraq at the hands of the militant Islamic group, ISIS. The city of Mosul in Northern Iraq has had a Christian presence for almost two thousand years. They still pray in Aramaic, the language of Jesus. In recent weeks the last Christian left Mosul. Mosul is part of the province of Nineveh which is being subjected to a massive religious ‘cleansing’ campaign to rid the region of those who do not share the belief of the new occupiers. As we know all too well this cleansing effects other religious minorities, such as Yazidis. Muslims in Iraq who are appalled at what is happening to the Christian community there have taken a stand against this brutal treatment and some have paid for it with their lives. A professor of law at Mosul university was killed by militants for speaking up against what is being done to Christians. Several sectors of Iraqi society have taken up the phrase, ‘I am Iraqi, I am Christian’, in support of Christian communities under persecution.  Pope Francis has called the Syriac Patriarch by phone several times to express his solidarity with Iraqi Christians and to reassure the Patriarch that he is following the news out of Iraq with concern.  

 The primary symbol of the Christian faith is the crucifix, a reminder to us that Jesus died a victim of violence. Although violent towards no one, he was violently put to death by a coalition of religious and political authorities. The most significant person in early Christianity after Jesus was Paul. Although a violent man in his early life, after his meeting with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus he, like Jesus, was violent towards no one but, rather, was violently treated by many and was eventually beheaded in Rome. Both Paul and Jesus were able to recognize the good in those who were different from them and even in those who were most hostile to them. Paul’s most violent opponents were the people of his own race, especially those zealous for the Jewish Law, among whom he was once counted. Yet, in this morning’s second reading, he expresses his conviction that those who are most opposed to him and to the gospel of God’s Son will one day come to experience God’s mercy. ‘God has imprisoned all people in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind’. We have here a very generous  vision of God’s merciful love, which is a long way from the ideology of ISIS but very much reflected in those Iraqis who have taken up the slogan, ‘I am Iraqi, I am Christian’.

 Paul’s generous vision of God finds full expression in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus, like Paul, was a Jew. He had a strong sense that his mission was to be initially to his own people. He wanted to renew Israel and a renewed Israel would bring the gospel to the pagan world. It was only after the resurrection that Jesus launched the mission of the gospel to the pagan world as well as the Jewish world, ‘Go make disciples of all nations’.. In this morning’s gospel, however, Jesus is approached by a pagan woman. She is described by Matthew as a Canaanite woman, ‘Canaanite’ being a term traditionally used in the Bible for the enemies of Israel. Her need is great; her daughter is seriously ill. Yet, Jesus seems very reluctant to respond to her desperate plea. He tells her that his mission is to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In a mini parable, he tells her that the food intended for the children (the children of Israel) cannot be given to the house dogs (the pagans), or the children will go hungry. With great humility and humour, the woman expresses her prayer afresh in the language of Jesus’ parable, ‘even house dogs can eat scraps that fall from their master’s table’. In other words, the children and the dogs can feed together. Jesus immediately recognizes her great faith and responds to her request. In a sense, Jesus is helped by this woman to see her not as ‘other’ but as one of his own, a member of God’s people. Jesus encountered faith from an unexpected quarter and it changed him. His eventual response to her reveals that the embrace of God is not a closed circle. It is always expanding outwards.

 The worst forms of religious fanaticism always draw narrow circles, with no tolerance for anything beyond that circle. This was not the way of Jesus or the way of Paul. It is not the way of the gospel. Something of that expansive spirit of the gospel was very well expressed by a young Muslim man in Baghdad who uploaded onto his facebook page a photo of himself wearing a crucifix and a note in which he said that he had spent many lovely moments with his Christian friends and had learned to love them as a brother and sister and friend. ‘Today’, he said, ‘we are all Christians, even myself’.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

>>Faking a marriage before God?<< - Not “Just a lesson from the Courtroom” but an answer from the life experience of a Christian minister

“Stühle” by Hans

Consolation and Hope for the hurting hearts. Everything under the line.

         As I have taken up to comment on several things concerning OL in the past under the title “Just some lessons from the courtroom”, I have decided to comment on a post I read around the “happenings” and rumors of the last weekend - this time from the viewpoint of my other profession.

         As many of my followers know, I worked for several decades at one of the biggest district courts of my country (mainly as a Senior Administrator for International Legal Assistance in Criminal Law). But I am also an ordained minister and certified counselor of the Christian faith for (this year exactly) 30 years. And since 1991 I always worked both jobs - one as my 7 am to 3:30 pm job, the other one in the evenings and on weekends. 

         In the said post, a person asked:

         “But would they really fake a marriage before God?”*

         The moment I read the said question, I could feel the horror behind it. I sensed sorrow and hurt.

         Before I comment on that question, let me explain the following: When I came to the OL fandom on Tumblr, I was surprised by a large number of people who  - after I got to know them -  revealed themselves as people of deep faith and spirituality to me. I met people from all religious backgrounds, different denominations, etc. And let me make this very clear:          I respect all of you, every single one. Even if we don’t share the same convictions, the same kind of faith. I respect you all - and I also respect every person who calls himself/herself an atheist. Because faith, in my conviction, is a very personal decision and only a personal decision. Having said that, I like to comment on the last weekend and the said question. For an introvert like me, it is not an easy thing to post such personal things here. Please don’t think I want to preach at you. All I want is to give you the consolation that was given to me:

1. A hard truth

         First I have to state a very hard truth. 30 years of ministry have taught me, that everything holy to God and men, can and will be faked. Let me give you some examples:

I saw a man faking the Christian confession and baptism - before God! - because he wanted to marry a lady of deep faith.

I saw a man faking the Christian walk of faith, showing a very pious lifestyle - before God! and the whole parish - while he was beating his wife at home regularly.**

I saw several men and women faking a marriage before God, speaking their vows but never taking them seriously.

I saw a man faking the Christian walk of faith - before God! -, calling himself and his church “the only elect of God” while offending and humiliating foreigners and people of a different faith.

      These are only four of my many personal observations. We could go on and mention all those men (and some women too!) who called themselves “servants of God” while they were sexually abusing innocent children. We could mention the superiors of these people, who tried to hide these criminal acts before state authorities - a behavior that enabled the predators to molest and destroy even more innocent lives. We could mention the leaders of a distinct megachurch who were not willing to open their multi-million-dollar-building to help the victims of a hurricane. We could mention a high-ranking representative of “the only church of God”, flying to India first class for visiting the poor while building himself a villa for 35 million Euros in Germany (paid by the financial support of the common church member). We could mention all of those Christians, who believe they need killing machines (aka automatic weapons) because the Almighty God, they confess their faith in, obviously isn’t mighty enough to save His followers. These (and other people) have no problem to fake sacred things before God because - honestly - they only believe in two idols: themselves and the money they can get.

         All of this contradicts the Christian faith, the gospel, the teaching of Christ. All this is fake before God. All this is shameful and hurting for those, who believe and honestly and humbly walk by their faith. But there is

2. No Need for Despair, but consolation for the hurting heart          We have to face the truth. If we don’t do it and if we shamefully try to hide it, we are in danger of becoming “Fakers of the Faith” ourselves. That is absolutely no alternative! Remember that Christ taught us, that the truth has the power to set us free (John 8:32).          Seeing, experiencing, that people fake all kinds of holy things before God, has hurt and saddened me deeply, but I am not in despair. I didn't lose my faith, no, contrary, my faith in God became even stronger. Why?          The answer lies in the teaching of Christ, especially in the parable, which is called “The Parable of the Tares” (Matthew 13, 24 ff.)          In this prophetic parable, Christ makes it clear to His disciples, that in later times there will be two kinds of people in the realm of faith: Those, who are like genuine wheat and those who are pseudo-wheat. I know, many bible translations use the word “tares” or “weed��. But if you do an in-depth study of the background of this parable, you will find that the difference is not between “wheat” and “weed”/”tares”, but between “wheat” and “pseudo-wheat”. The word, used in the original Greek of the New Testament, is “ζιζάνιον” (zizanion). It is the Greek name for a plant also known under the Latin name “Lolium temulentum”, “poison darnel” in English or “Taummelloch” in German.             This plant looks like true wheat, but it can’t bear the real fruit. It is nothing but a fake! When you eat from this plant, it unfolds a poisonous effect. This can lead to dizziness, blindness and in the worst case even to death. That is exactly the spiritual effect fake-believers can have: their fake-Christianity will confuse you, tries to blind you for the truth and tries to kill your faith.   3. But how should we react to fake-faith and pseudo-believers? 

         From the said parable we learn first and foremost: Never concentrate on fake-faith or pseudo-believers! Concentrate on the truth and on the all-knowing God, who loved us so much that He warned us before it happened. God is not surprised and you shouldn't be either. Therein lies my greatest consolation. The God who knew all of this before (including the last weekend fake) is still able to change everything.         Don’t react with hate, hateful speech or with a judgemental spirit! Be aware, that by giving room to these kinds of feelings, you betray your own values and the truth you stand for. Jesus, knowing that these questions would arise, answered them in the parable:          “So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.“ (Matthew 13, 28 ff.)         It is not mine nor your duty, to judge who is true/honest and who just fake’s it. Neither you nor I know the hearts like God does. Therefore God is the only One who can justly judge everyone and trust me, He will do it. But there are also several things for you and me to do:

Don’t let the pseudo-wheat blind your eyes for the truth or for the power of God. Don’t let all of this discourage you. God in His love warned us before it happened. He is not surprised. He is still the same God, mighty to help. He can’t be shaken and He still owns tomorrow. Nothing is hopeless, nothing is lost until the last day of this dispensation of grace has ended.  

Live the truth humbly, walk in the truth daily.

Care for the fakers. They are in a dangerous place. Why? In 30 years of service, I have witnessed it again and again: Living a lie always leads to more lies and that leads away from true joy, true peace, and true happiness. One lie calls for another lie and in the end, all these lies lead to despair. Therefore, care for the fakers from depths of your heart! These people need you and your prayers! Pray for them and don’t stop doing so. Pray that the truth will reach and fill their heart again. Pray that they don’t miss the mercy and grace of God, that will lead them back not only to the path of righteousness, but to true life, true joy, and true peace.

Take the words of this promise to heart: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.“ (Galatians  6:9)

3. A last word about the last weekend

         I don’t believe, that means I’m not convinced, that a real wedding has taken place last weekend. I will expound the reasons for my conviction in another post. This will take some time. Right now, I am busy because I stepped in for a friend who had to have emergency surgery and is still in rehab. But I will try to post my thoughts on that around Sunday/Monday.           I know this is a long post and I thank everyone who read it. Feel free to comment on this post, tell me what you think, send me your criticism, questions, etc. I might not be able to answer immediately, but I will do so asap. 

As always - from Prussia with much love, DoP Notes:   *  I’m sorry, but because my week was very busy I forgot to reblog or screencap the post. I remember the ask was in a reblog. If anyone of my readers has screen caped it or a link, please let me know. 

** When I got notice of this, I informed the authorities and they put a stop on it. 

[bloodsworn-marshal]

The Investigation

The Seventh Umbral Calamity.

 An eye opener for all. Each nation afflicted by the aftereffects of Bahamut’s brief bout of freedom in some shape or form. The land had been scarred by the dragon’s prison, broken up into shards—countless souls lost in the tragedy that was Carteneau and what little remained of the grounds. Ul’dah arguably suffered the most, as they were both invaded by monsters and imperials alike… as well as rife with riots in its wake. What peace they had was all but lost.

 And yet, the Sultana herself would stay the people’s fears and put a swift end to those riots. With only the help of seven willing, they busied themselves onto the streets and calmed the masses. Ended their turmoil for the time being and brought an end to a bloody night. Thus would they put themselves on the right track for recovery and restoration.

 During the chaos of the Calamity however, a few particular faces put on display their true colors. Such as the High Priest of the Order of Nald’thal and current Master of the Thaumaturgy Guild, Mumuepo. He who cared not for the people of his nation by locking them out of the Ossuary and threatening to bring harm to any who neared.

 Under the Sultana’s command and permission… would Pipin Tarupin carry out an investigation to rid themselves of Mumuepo after seeing as much. And where better to start than by speaking with the other members of the thaumaturgy guild who happened to stand side by side with the Sultana on that day?

“Cocobuki Lolobuki.”

“Vice Marshal. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

 It was at this time that Pipin had called Cocobuki into an office of privacy where they might speak freely. Plenty of space to go around as the troops had yet to return homeward. The two had never exchanged words up to this point beyond working together during the riots, only now getting the opportunity to speak casually.

 “I presume you already have any idea as to why I called you here.” Pipin went on to say, regardless of how obvious the reason. “That I would have your account of High Priest Mumuepo and what you know of him… as well as cooperation, should you be willing.”

 Cocobuki already had a sneaky suspicion for Pipin’s approach of course. But was by all means prepared to lend his assistance. Beneath his bandages, it was difficult to make out what expressions might lie beneath. Though eventually he offered an understanding nod.

 “By all means. You know well my merits and those of my brothers. More than glad are we to further throw our lot by the Sultana’s side… and long have we known that our High Priest is not all that those outside the Ossuary think him to be. His actions during the riots told you as much.”

 “That it did.” Pipin agreed. “And for that, I will go the lengths to find out what exactly he hides behind his shelves that are so precious to his person.”

 Cocobuki was surprisingly very cooperative indeed. For he went about detailing the strange occurrences that not only he and his brothers have witnessed as of late, but also what many other servants of the Ossuary have noted to him. The man had begun to take on some lucrative orders in the guise that it would help fund the order in procurement of much sought after texts. He was spending more time keeping himself locked to his studies, or meeting with influential leaders like the Monetarists in secret. As to the contents of these meetings and just how much the High Priest was pocketing, one could only guess.

 Most importantly… Mumuepo had yet to take notice that he was being investigated for any wrongdoing, so time was of the essence that they took advantage. Having expected someone or another would have approached eventually, Cocobuki had already surmised a little evidence in advance… but could only go so far without official help for further digging around.

 “If we are to find what you seek, it will be in Mumuepo’s private studies.” Cocobuki crossed his arms, lightly tapping his fingers against them. “I will be able to procure a short amount of time for us to investigate, and only that. The High Priest will be called away on the morrow with Prelate Yayake in tow… there in lies our opportunity.”

 “A small window of time.” Pipin mused, nodding along. “I have an idea as to what I’m looking for, but with your person present I will be able to investigate with swift precision.”

 After all… he could only assume a thaumaturge’s study to be swarmed with countless books. And if Cocobuki was there to narrow down the possibilities, then by all means.

 “If either Mumuepo or the Prelate return early, I will have my brothers keeping tabs on their whereabouts. We will know full well in advance when to make our leave.” Cocobuki went on to add. “By then… one hopes you will find what you’re searching for.”

 “I’ll find any and all evidence. That I can promise you.” Pipin assured the other in a determined tone. “Tomorrow then. Call me the moment they take their leave and I will be on my way.”

…

…

…

 Such words were typically easier said than done. But regardless of Cocobuki’s expected call or not, Pipin prepared himself early. Disguising himself in a dark cowl much like any other thaumaturge’s where only the tiniest sliver of his face was easy to see upon close inspection. And beneath his robe was a bag for him to stash whatever he may find.

 The moment the call came, Pipin was swift to move out and make way for the Ossuary. Very quietly entering with a book in hand so as not to draw any eyes as he hurried towards the back area. Occasionally he did catch a cursory glance or two, but most assumed him to be a simple adventurer or another.

 Before long he found Cocobuki, who merely waved him over wordlessly. Pipin joined beside him as the thaumaturge led him down numerous narrow corridors. Many rooms were labeled with terms that had to do with the magics, each filled to the brim with books and tables for study work. The deeper they went in, the more forbidden and locked away the rooms seemed to be.

 Cocobuki came to an abrupt stop eventually before yet another locked door. Silently staring at it for a few seconds before turning to Pipin, pulling his sleeve down to reveal a key in hand… and a smug smile besides.

 “Hopefully I’ll have the pleasure of returning this before any take notice. Only one extra key of this after all resides in Yayake’s desk… which means we must finish before their return.”

Pipin grinned at the other before nodding dully.

“Lets make sure this isn’t all for naught then.”

 Once the two had entered and closed the door behind themselves, they had set to work. Cocobuki’s eyes were immediately on the bookshelves as well as any books on the floor that might catch his attention, on the lookout for loose bits of paper or another. Pipin had gone for the desk where he hoped to find documents or another, sifting through the drawers and the folders already present. Mumuepo was a messy man when it came to his files, but his books however were in the neatest of orders… Those he was currently in the process of reading stacked on top of one another.

 “He certainly does respect his work, I take it.” Pipin noted the books briefly, still in the midst of his search.

 “Aye. If there’s one thing that is true of the High Priest, is that he values knowledge of our magics before anything else. Before any other person or life… his focus has always been on that of the depths of thaumaturgy and black magic.” Cocobuki sighed as he continued. “A highly respectable teacher of the arts and with great wisdom… yet he has dipped too far by other means.”

“I see…”

 As they continued in their long minutes of searching, Pipin eventually came across a suspicious document after much digging. Recent transcriptions and other damning information that could be sourced back to a Monetarist’s hands. The selling of priceless antiques, exchanges of favors, money exchanging hands for other means not related to the guild… he had managed to find it all.

 “This is it.” He called to Cocobuki as he arranged it together in one neat package. His eyes narrowing in on the papers in disgust. “One dared to hope otherwise, but…”

 “It is to be expected.” Cocobuki shrugged, inspecting the papers over Pipin’s shoulder. “Some of us were already catching on. Eventually this was going to happen… luckily sooner than later.”

 “You have no qualms about turning in your master and mentor to the authorities?”

 “None whatsoever. We of the guild are simply devoted to our arts and study. Anything outside of that should not be allowed in these halls. Much less consorting around with those of ill-begotten gains. Or showing preference to the texts over the lives in front of our very eyes…”

 Pipin silently regarded the thaumaturge’s words as he took one last look at the papers. High Priest or not, the brothers had fully obliged in lending a hand to Her Grace in this endeavor. One that so few would take up without the promise of a reward in return. They were simply doing as what their morals dictated. To that end, upstanding citizens doing what they thought needed to be done.

 “Well, I believe we have everything we’ve been looking for.” Pipin hurried to stuff the documents into his hidden bag. “Closer inspection will be needed for further proof of course, but with this I’ll be able to put together a case for Her Grace. Should it be enough, chances are the head priest will need to be replaced.”

 “Which means next in line would be the Prelate… although she is also Mumuepo’s close disciple. Once word comes out, few in the order might be willing to allow her stand in his stead. Leaving little to no choices…”

 Cocobuki spoke those words mostly to himself as he contemplated the repercussions. It wouldn’t be easy, whatever might have to the order. Internal strife over having to lose their high priest, to a scandal of embezzlement no less. Who would next be chosen… indeed it would have to be someone of great standing.

 “After all is said and done, I’ll be certain to make mention of your contributions to Her Grace.” Pipin smiled. “Who knows what may come of it... but I wager you would make a grand guild leader should it come down to it.”

 “Mayhaps.” Cocobuki chuckled. “Not that I’ve sought out to unseat Mumuepo, but I wouldn’t be against taking up the position should it open either.”

 A short pause. Followed by Cocobuki raising a hand to his ear as he received a short link pearl message. Suddenly his expression turned to one of urgency as he gestured towards the door.

 “Cocobani reports that they are on their way back. Let us away before they discover our ploy.”

 Pipin nodded without any further prodding and hurried on after Cocobuki once the place was locked and left as it was… aside from missing a few papers. From there they hurried down the halls and back to the Ossuary’s main entrance. Luckily, the duo had yet to arrive… leaving the vice marshal a moment to steal away before anyone truly took note of his presence.

 Without so much as a farewell, even if he would eventually contact Cocobuki in the later future…

…

…

…

  Thus was the issue decreed shortly afterward that Mumuepo be stripped of all official titles and privileges by the Sultana herself. The evidence of corruption and embezzlement found damning enough for the harsh charge, where none could argue against her words. All thanks to Pipin’s clever investigation… along with a helping hand from the newly instated guild leaders, Cocobuki and four of his brothers taking the stand.

-----------

[[ This drabble ended up pretty long... oops. But! This is hopefully the start of many drabbles, as I further want to expand on Pipin’s relationship with Cocobuki and the thaumaturge guild in general. Please look forward to it~ ]]

[salty-ofthe-earth]

Hi! I’m a life long Lutheran but Catholic-school attending girl, and I’m pretty religious (I’m confirmed and am very trusting in my faith). My New Year’s resolution this year was to pray more, which I’ve been successful in so far, but I was just wondering if you had any tips on how to pray. I also notice that I’m kind of a more casual prayer? Is that a bad thing? ❤️

First off, it’s great that you want to start praying more! Before gettinginto any tips for praying, I just want to give a few definitions of prayer thatare helpful to keep in mind. These definitions from saints are not exhaustiveon what prayer is, but they help to capture the idea behind prayer and show howpeople who lived lives of prayer thought about it.

“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned towardheaven, it is a cry or recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”-St. Therese of Lisieux, quoted in CCC2558

“Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting ofgood things from God.” – St. John Damascene, quoted inCCC 2259

Also, it is not a bad thing to be casual in prayer if by that you mean thatyou talk to God familiarly or that your prayer is often spontaneous rather thanplanned. It is good, however, to have some structure in some of your prayer toboth make sure that you are consistent in it and that you learn how to love Godproperly.

I hope these tips help! (Click the “Keep reading” button for a more in-depth explanation of each point.)

Remember that prayer is a dialogue.

Make time for prayer.

Talk to God like a child, because He is your Father.

Talk to God like He is God.

Don’t neglect the Our Father.

Don’t be afraid to change things up in prayer!

Finally, don’t get discouraged!

Remember that prayer is a dialogue.

So, this is something that is said a lot but is not often explained.Essentially what this means is that in prayer you should remember both to talkto God and to let Him talk to you. I think you talking to God is obvious, butwhat does it mean to let God talk to you? Well, it mostly means that you haveto listen. And in order to listen for God’s voice, you first have to be docileto His promptings. Like the prophet Samuel, you have to say “Speak, Lord, forthy servant hears,” (1Samuel3:9) and then be quiet, both exteriorly and interiorly. Try to eliminateexternal noise and quiet your mind, fixing your attention on God. If you havetrouble concentrating, it can be helpful to mentally imagine some moment fromOur Lord’s life, look upon a cross or crucifix, and slowly and quietly repeatsome short phrase or word such as “Jesus” or “Speak, Lord, your servant islistening.” It is important to be quiet and attentive because although Godsometimes speaks loudly, such as when he answered Moses in thunder on Mt. Sinai(Exodus19:19), more often He speaks to us quietly, like when Elijah heard Him in“a still small voice,” (1Kings 19:12). When you do hear God, it most likely will not be in the formof actual spoken words, but in the form of subtle mental promptings andthoughts. You also listen to God when you read Scripture. The Bible is theliving word of God which He uses to speak to us in our hearts. This often takesthe form of specific passages suddenly sticking out to you or taking on a newmeaning to you as you read them again. As St. Ambrose said, “we speak to him[God] when we pray; we listen to him when we read the divine oracles[Scripture],” (quoted inCCC 2653).

Make time for prayer.

It is good to pray to God spontaneously throughout the day, and evenimportant to do so, since we are told to “pray constantly” by St. Paul (1Thessalonians 5:17). It is also important to plan out and make time in ourday for prayer. When you have a relationship with another person, whether it beplatonic or romantic, if you don’t make time for him and only talk to him whenit is convenient for you to do so or when you feel like it, he will recognizequickly that he isn’t a priority to you; he may even begin to suspect that yousimply care about the pleasures and benefits you get from knowing him. The samegoes for your relationship with God. Setting aside time every day in ourschedules shows that God really is a priority in our lives and helps us to makeHim a priority if He isn’t already. We can show God that He is, and learn tomake Him, the center of our lives by scheduling our day around the time we setaside specifically for being with Him. I recommend setting aside at least halfan hour every day for prayer and only prayer. And don’t miss it. Don’t have anydistractions around: no phone, no music, no TV, no computer (if you use yourphone to access Scripture, that is ok, but make sure you turn off notificationsand don’t use it for anything that is not prayer related). Just you and God,and don’t miss it for the world. It’s ok to move it around in your schedule ifyou need to, but try to make sure that no matter what you make that timeavailable for prayer only.

Talk to God like a child, because He is your Father.

This is close to the cliché of “Talk to God like a friend,” but I would beremiss if I did not say that you should not be afraid of speaking familiarlywith God. Talk to Him about your day, how you are feeling, problems that arestressing you out, things that you enjoyed and made you happy. He wants to hearthis stuff in the same way that loving parents want to hear about their child’sday at school. The kid may do the same stuff everyday but the parents don’t gettired of asking “What did you do today in school?” Furthermore, be bold in yourprayer, knowing that you are a child of God and He will hear you (Mt.7:7-12). Your intimacy with God should make you bold in what you ask ofHim, like Abraham was bold in pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis18:22:33) and Christ was bold in what He asked of the Father (John17).

Talk to God like He is God.

Even though you should feel comfortable talking to God familiarly, like achild to a parent, you should also remember to praise, adore, and worship Himas God. Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God Himself prayed both with afilial boldness and familiarity, and addressed the Father in His greatness asthe God and Creator of the universe (see Mt.11:25-26, Lk10:21). We also see that the constant prayer of the angels and saints inheaven is one of constant adoration and praise of God (see Revelation4).

Don’t neglect the Our Father.

While I’m at it, don’t neglect formulaic prayer in general. When Jesustaught his disciples how to pray, He did not tell them to simply use whateverwords feel right; He told them “Pray like this: Our Father who art in heaven,hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is inheaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as weforgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, butdeliver us from evil,” (Mt6:9-13; Lk11:1-4). If Jesus gave us these words to pray with, then it is importantthat we pray them. Part of the purpose of formulaic and liturgical prayer is toform us in how to love God properly.

True prayer begins with the humble acknowledgement that “we do not know howto pray as we ought,” (Romans8:26) and the acceptance of God’s grace and aid in the form of His Spirit,who dwells within us and “helps us in our weakness,” (Romans 8:26). St. Paul tellsus that “[w]hen we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is the Spirit himself bearingwitness with our spirit that we are children of God,” (Romans6:15-16). When we say the Our Father prayerfully, making the words that wesay promptings for the thoughts, sentiments, and actions of the heart and will,then it is the Holy Spirit who prays within us, drawing us closer to God andteaching us to love Him as He wants to be loved. Because of this, it is alsohelpful for us to meditate on the words and ideas contained in the Our Father.If you would like an explanation of the various parts of the Our Father or ameditation on prayer using the Lord’s prayer as a model, I highly recommend thelast section of the Catechismof the Catholic Church on prayer, and St. Cyprian of Carthage’streatise on the Our Father.

What I just said about the Our Father is also true for many liturgical andformulaic prayers, such as the VeniCreator Spiritus, or an Act ofContrition. This is especially true, however, for three kinds of formulaicprayers: the Our Father, the Mass, and the Psalms and canticles in Scripture.We have already discussed the Our Father, and I will not write at length about thevalue of the Mass as prayer because it would take far too long to go into. Iwill say, however, that although you are Lutheran, and not Catholic, I stillrecommend that you pay attention to the Catholic Mass and the way that theprayer is structured as well as the contents of the prayers. Much of it comesfrom Scripture and is informed by the ancient tradition of the Church. You canfind the order of the current ordinary form mass hereand the extraordinary form here.

The Psalms and canticles in Scripture also hold an important place in thelife of prayer, because, like the Our Father, they are inspired prayers whichGod has given to us. St. Paul even recommends the use of praying with psalms (Colossians3:16). The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that “[t]he Psalteris the book in which The Word of God becomes man’s prayer,” (CCC 2587). The manydifferent kinds of prayer contained within the Psalms makes the Psalter one ofthe greatest aids in prayer. By praying the Psalms we direct our hearts to beconformed to the Word of God in a more personal way. When we pray with thePsalms often, we even begin to express ourselves using their language andexpressions, that is, the language and expressions of prayer that God has givenus. St. Paul even recommend to the Ephesians that they “[address] one anotherin psalms,” (Ephesians5:19).

When I first began to start praying more, a number of years ago, I read abook, or article or something, that said something like “You shouldn’t praywith formulaic prayers in your personal prayer because God wants your words,not someone else’s.” I thought this made sense at the time, but as I began topray more, I realized that formulaic prayer helped me to better express myselfto God and it helped teach me how to pray. The author of that article, however,did have a point in one way. When praying with formulaic prayers, it is essentialto make the words of the prayer truly our own, lest they become empty words (Matthew6:7).

This was a long section, but I hope you get the idea: Pray the Our Fatherand the Psalms!

Don’t be afraid to change things up in prayer!

I was recently reminded of this tip by one of Fulton Sheen’s talks(if you haven’t listened to anything by Ven. Sheen, the former Archbishop ofNew York, who won an Emmy, I highly recommend you do). What I mean by this isbe willing to change the way you pray when what you have been doing just isn’tworking for you. Maybe Ignatian contemplation, where you picture yourself in ascene from Scripture, has worked really well for you in the past, but as youcontinue doing it, it doesn’t seem to aid you in prayer. In that case, it mightbe time to try a different method of prayer and see if that helps. Rememberthat various methods of prayer are simply aids in facilitating prayer. Theheart of prayer is your intimate communion with God, so if something isn’thelping facilitate that, you don’t need to hold on to it. Sometimes holdingonto a specific method of prayer when it just isn’t helping us really pray canbe an obstacle in the spiritual life. That being said, if some method ishelpful, then feel free to stick to it as long as it is! Don’t feel obligatedto try a bunch of different methods of prayer just because they are out there.There are plenty of resources out there for ways of praying and you can findsome here:

Ignatian meditation and contemplation

The 10 mediations from St. Francis de Sales’s Introduction to the Devout Life

The rosary

Meditations on the stations of the cross

Lectio Divina (a way of meditating on Scripture)

NB: It is good to keep one or two devotions that you always stick to,even if doing them gets really dry and it doesn’t feel like it is working. Thiscan be something like praying the rosary every day or praying the DivineMercy Chaplet. Keeping something like this helps keep some structure toyour prayer life and makes sure that you have something you are doing that says“God, I am going to do this thing out of love for You every day, regardless ofwhether I feel like it or not.”

Finally, don’t get discouraged!

It is essential in your prayer life that you not get discouraged. The devilwants nothing more than to keep you from prayer, so it will get hard. You willbe tempted to stop praying regularly. You will get distracted and go throughperiods when you feel nothing in prayer. You may even have times when prayingis the last thing you want to do, but, in reality, it is the most importantthing to do. If you mess up and sin, don’t be afraid of turning back to God; Hestill loves you and wants to talk to you. If you fall away for a while and stoppraying, don’t be afraid to start again; God still loves you and wants to talkto you. If you have been praying and praying, but feel like God had abandonedyou, don’t stop praying; God still loves you and wants to talk to you. OftenGod allows us to undergo trials and dryness (having no good feelings) in prayerto purify our love for Him. He draws away consolations and good feelings inprayer so that we learn to pray out of love for Him and not love for the goodfeelings we get when we pray. In fact, extended periods of dry prayer areessential to growing close to God according to many of the spiritual masters ofthe Church (St. John of the Cross, TheDark Night of the Soul, 1.VIII.3). Often dry prayer is the mostfruitful, drawing us even closer to God through the purification of our lovefor Him.

Certainly, this is not everything to say about prayer and there is alwaysmore to learn about growing in intimacy with God, but I hope that these tipsare a helpful start! (Also, the admins are sorry it has taken us to long toanswer this question.)

[eternal-echoes]

It’s pretty absurd to have a pagan occultist who took LSD having shape your worldview. 

Even if one or two points he said is compatible with Christianity, you really shouldn’t take spiritual guidance from Evola since he’s pagan, which is what his writings are ordered towards. Idolatry weighs more than any other sin. 

Anyways, even not considering his paganism and drug use, some of his writings are irreconcilable with Christianity

“The Americans' 'open-mindedness', which is sometimes cited in their favor, is the other side of their interior formlessness. The same goes for their 'individualism'. Individualism and personality are not the same: the one belongs to the formless world of quantity, the other to the world of quality and hierarchy. The Americans are the living refutation of the Cartesian axiom, "I think, therefore I am": Americans do not think, yet they are. The American 'mind', puerile and primitive, lacks characteristic form and is therefore open to every kind of standardization.” - Julius Evola

Criticize American culture all you want, but this is not the way to do it. Descartes’ axiom “I think, therefore I am” is not a cultural or political statement. This is the statement about the mind-body problem, and here Descartes is talking about dualism, that the mind and body are separate. This is against Catholic Church’s teachings because we believe that in hylomorphic doctrine, that the soul and the body together forms one substance, rather than being separate entities. Besides, if you’re going to claim to be anti-modernity and anti-enlightenment, you really shouldn’t quote someone who is literally called the Father of Modern Philosophy. Frankly, I think this is why Evola isn’t read in the universities; not because he’s anti-communist or that he supports an authoritarian style of government, it’s because he quotes famous philosophers out of context. 

Here’s a Bible verse that contradicts that: 

“Thus the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, you shall warn them for me. If I say to the wicked man, You shall surely die; and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his wicked conduct so that he may live: that wicked man shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, on the other hand, you have warned the wicked man, yet he has not turned away from his evil nor from his wicked conduct, then he shall die for his sin, but you shall save your life. If a virtuous man turns away from virtue and does wrong when I place a stumbling block before him, he shall die. He shall die for his sin, and his virtuous deeds shall not be remembered; but I will hold you responsible for his death if you did not warn him. When, on the other hand, you have warned a virtuous man not to sin, and he has in fact not sinned, he shall surely live because of the warning, and you shall save your own life.” - Ezekiel 3: 17-21

This is called the sin of omission. If you don’t warn your brother that his sins will lead him to Hell, God will hold you accountable for that. This stems from the teaching that we are all parts of the mystical Body of Christ so we should look out for each other. 

The striking difference between Christianity and Alt-Right/nationalism is how they view hierarchy. Namely, that at the core of Christianity is humility. 

“Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, 

Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God 

something to be grasped. 

Rather, he emptied himself, 

taking the form of a slave, 

coming in human likeness; 

and found human in appearance, 

he humbled himself, 

becoming obedient to death, 

even death on a cross. 

Because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name 

that is above every name, 

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend, 

of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 

and every tongue confess that 

Jesus Christ is Lord, 

to the glory of God the Father.” 

-Philippians 2: 6 - 11

For Christians, one’s position in hierarchy is never meant to be a source of pride. This came from God, so we should act in humility accordingly. Echoing Jesus’ words, “The greatest among you must be your servant,” we have to use our skills and talents in service of others. 

“Traditionalism is the most revolutionary ideology of our time.” - Julius Evola 

There was an instant in the Bible who criticized the Pharisees for putting too much importance on tradition: 

“Then the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.” He said to them in reply, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is dedicated to God,” need not honor his father,’ You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition. Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts’ “He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand. It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.” Then his disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He said in reply, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.” Then Peter said to him in reply, “Explain this parable to us.” He said to them, “Are even you still without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that enters the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled into the latrine? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness, blasphemy. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.” - Matthew 15: 1 - 20

Cultural traditional customs are not means for your salvation. Ultimately, what comes your heart, (i.e. your free-will), the virtuous acts that you do, are what will determine that will save your soul. Even traditions are subject to be judge by the standard of objective morality, which is the divine law of God. They are not ends in themselves.

“The Hindus and Far Easterners do not have the notion of ‘sin’ in the Semitic sense; they distinguish actions not according to their intrinsic value but according to their opportuneness in view of cosmic or spiritual reactions, and also of social utility they do not distinguish between ‘moral’ and ‘immoral,’ but between advantageous and harmful, pleasant and unpleasant, normal and abnormal, to the point of sacrificing the former - but apart from any ethical classification - to spiritual interests. They may push renunciation, abnegation, and mortification to the limits of what is humanly possible, but without being ‘moralists’ for all that.” - Julius Evola, Ride the Tiger

This is the most problematic quote I found from him. Because this is essentially about the sense of morality that Evola has, and following objective morality is our means to salvation. What he is saying here is that he believes what is good is determined by the outcome that the action will bring about, not if there is an intrinsic evil nature in the action regardless of the benefits. This is eerily similar to another Enlightenment thinker Jeremy Bentham: 

“It is the greatest good to the greatest number of people which is the measure of right and wrong.”

Also of John Stuart Mill:

“The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest-Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure, and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of pleasure.”

Evola may have different opinions on what it is that is good for people than Bentham and Mill and utilitarians insist that you cannot be impartial to any person or group of people when applying morality while that isn’t the case with Evola but nevertheless Christianity isn’t pragmatic or consequentialist; there are intrinsically evil things you can do no matter the net benefit it will bring about.  The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war quicker is not a legitimate reason because it killed thousand civilians in the process. The end do not justify the means. The results of your actions are irrelevant because violating the principles of God stains your soul. Our will have to correspond with the moral law, which is in the mind of God.

I honestly worry about some Christians who read Evola’s works. They seem to overestimate their own understanding of Christian theology to discern accurately what is and what is not reconcilable to Christianity in his works. Even for the few points he said that are harmless, Christians reading him are not getting the fullness of Christianity, just the diluted version of it. 

[araitsume]

The Desire of Ages, pp. 132-143: Chapter (14) “We Have Found the Messias”

This chapter is based on John 1:19-51.

John the Baptist was now preaching and baptizing at Bethabara, beyond Jordan. It was not far from this spot that God had stayed the river in its flow until Israel had passed over. A little distance from here the stronghold of Jericho had been overthrown by the armies of heaven. The memory of these events was at this time revived, and gave a thrilling interest to the Baptist's message. Would not He who had wrought so wonderfully in ages past again manifest His power for Israel's deliverance? Such was the thought stirring the hearts of the people who daily thronged the banks of the Jordan.

The preaching of John had taken so deep a hold on the nation as to demand the attention of the religious authorities. The danger of insurrection caused every popular gathering to be looked upon with suspicion by the Romans, and whatever pointed toward an uprising of the people excited the fears of the Jewish rulers. John had not recognized the authority of the Sanhedrin by seeking their sanction for his work; and he had reproved rulers and people, Pharisees and Sadducees alike. Yet the people followed him eagerly. The interest in his work seemed to be continually increasing. Though he had not deferred to them, the Sanhedrin accounted that, as a public teacher, he was under their jurisdiction.

This body was made up of members chosen from the priesthood, and from the chief rulers and teachers of the nation. The high priest was usually the president. All its members were to be men advanced in years, though not aged; men of learning, not only versed in Jewish religion and history, but in general knowledge. They were to be without physical blemish, and must be married men, and fathers, as being more likely than others to be humane and considerate. Their place of meeting was an apartment connected with the temple at Jerusalem. In the days of Jewish independence the Sanhedrin was the supreme court of the nation, possessing secular as well as ecclesiastical authority. Though now subordinated by the Roman governors, it still exercised a strong influence in civil as well as religious matters.

The Sanhedrin could not well defer an investigation of John's work. There were some who recalled the revelation made to Zacharias in the temple, and the father's prophecy, that had pointed to his child as the Messiah's herald. In the tumults and changes of thirty years, these things had in a great measure been lost sight of. They were now called to mind by the excitement concerning the ministry of John.

It was long since Israel had had a prophet, long since such a reformation as was now in progress had been witnessed. The demand for confession of sin seemed new and startling. Many among the leaders would not go to hear John's appeals and denunciations, lest they should be led to disclose the secrets of their own lives. Yet his preaching was a direct announcement of the Messiah. It was well known that the seventy weeks of Daniel's prophecy, covering the Messiah's advent, were nearly ended; and all were eager to share in that era of national glory which was then expected. Such was the popular enthusiasm that the Sanhedrin would soon be forced either to sanction or to reject John's work. Already their power over the people was waning. It was becoming a serious question how to maintain their position. In the hope of arriving at some conclusion, they dispatched to the Jordan a deputation of priests and Levites to confer with the new teacher.

A multitude were gathered, listening to his words, when the delegates approached. With an air of authority designed to impress the people and to command the deference of the prophet the haughty rabbis came. With a movement of respect, almost of fear, the crowd opened to let them pass. The great men, in their rich robes, in the pride of rank and power, stood before the prophet of the wilderness.

“Who art thou?” they demanded.

Knowing what was in their thoughts, John answered, “I am not the Christ.”

“What then? Art thou Elias?”

“I am not.”

“Art thou that prophet?”

“No.”

“Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?”

“I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.”

The scripture to which John referred is that beautiful prophecy of Isaiah: “Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her appointed time is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.... The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” Isaiah 40:1-5, margin.

Anciently, when a king journeyed through the less frequented parts of his dominion, a company of men was sent ahead of the royal chariot to level the steep places and to fill up the hollows, that the king might travel in safety and without hindrance. This custom is employed by the prophet to illustrate the work of the gospel. “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low.” When the Spirit of God, with its marvelous awakening power, touches the soul, it abases human pride. Worldly pleasure and position and power are seen to be worthless. “Imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God” are cast down; every thought is brought into captivity “to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5. Then humility and self-sacrificing love, so little valued among men, are exalted as alone of worth. This is the work of the gospel, of which John's message was a part.

The rabbis continued their questioning: “Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?” The words “that prophet” had reference to Moses. The Jews had been inclined to the belief that Moses would be raised from the dead, and taken to heaven. They did not know that he had already been raised. When the Baptist began his ministry, many thought that he might be the prophet Moses risen from the dead, for he seemed to have a thorough knowledge of the prophecies and of the history of Israel.

It was believed also that before the Messiah's advent, Elijah would personally appear. This expectation John met in his denial; but his words had a deeper meaning. Jesus afterward said, referring to John, “If ye are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, which is to come.” Matthew 11:14, R. V. John came in the spirit and power of Elijah, to do such a work as Elijah did. If the Jews had received him, it would have been accomplished for them. But they did not receive his message. To them he was not Elijah. He could not fulfill for them the mission he came to accomplish.

Many of those gathered at the Jordan had been present at the baptism of Jesus; but the sign then given had been manifest to but few among them. During the preceding months of the Baptist's ministry, many had refused to heed the call to repentance. Thus they had hardened their hearts and darkened their understanding. When Heaven bore testimony to Jesus at His baptism, they perceived it not. Eyes that had never been turned in faith to Him that is invisible beheld not the revelation of the glory of God; ears that had never listened to His voice heard not the words of witness. So it is now. Often the presence of Christ and the ministering angels is manifest in the assemblies of the people, and yet there are many who know it not. They discern nothing unusual. But to some the Saviour's presence is revealed. Peace and joy animate their hearts. They are comforted, encouraged, and blessed.

The deputies from Jerusalem had demanded of John, “Why baptizest thou?” and they were awaiting his answer. Suddenly, as his glance swept over the throng, his eye kindled, his face was lighted up, his whole being was stirred with deep emotion. With outstretched hands he cried, “I baptize in water: in the midst of you standeth One whom ye know not, even He that cometh after me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose.” John 1:26, 27, R. V., margin.

The message was distinct and unequivocal, to be carried back to the Sanhedrin. The words of John could apply to no other than the long-promised One. The Messiah was among them! In amazement priests and rulers gazed about them, hoping to discover Him of whom John had spoken. But He was not distinguishable among the throng.

When at the baptism of Jesus, John pointed to Him as the Lamb of God, a new light was shed upon the Messiah's work. The prophet's mind was directed to the words of Isaiah, “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.” Isaiah 53:7. During the weeks that followed, John with new interest studied the prophecies and the teaching of the sacrificial service. He did not distinguish clearly the two phases of Christ's work,—as a suffering sacrifice and a conquering king,—but he saw that His coming had a deeper significance than priests or people had discerned. When he beheld Jesus among the throng on His return from the desert, he confidently looked for Him to give the people some sign of His true character. Almost impatiently he waited to hear the Saviour declare His mission; but no word was spoken, no sign given. Jesus did not respond to the Baptist's announcement of Him, but mingled with the disciples of John, giving no outward evidence of His special work, and taking no measures to bring Himself to notice.

The next day John sees Jesus coming. With the light of the glory of God resting upon him, the prophet stretches out his hands, declaring, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is become before me.... And I knew Him not; but that He should be made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing in water.... I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize in water, He said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon Him, the same is He that baptizeth with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” John 1:29-34, R. V., margin.

Was this the Christ? With awe and wonder the people looked upon the One just declared to be the Son of God. They had been deeply moved by the words of John. He had spoken to them in the name of God. They had listened to him day after day as he reproved their sins, and daily the conviction that he was sent of Heaven had strengthened. But who was this One greater than John the Baptist? In His dress and bearing there was nothing that betokened rank. He was apparently a simple personage, clad like themselves in the humble garments of the poor.

There were in the throng some who at Christ's baptism had beheld the divine glory, and had heard the voice of God. But since that time the Saviour's appearance had greatly changed. At His baptism they had seen His countenance transfigured in the light of heaven; now, pale, worn, and emaciated, He had been recognized only by the prophet John.

But as the people looked upon Him, they saw a face where divine compassion was blended with conscious power. Every glance of the eye, every feature of the countenance, was marked with humility, and expressive of unutterable love. He seemed to be surrounded by an atmosphere of spiritual influence. While His manners were gentle and unassuming, He impressed men with a sense of power that was hidden, yet could not be wholly concealed. Was this the One for whom Israel had so long waited?

Jesus came in poverty and humiliation, that He might be our example as well as our Redeemer. If He had appeared with kingly pomp, how could He have taught humility? how could He have presented such cutting truths as in the Sermon on the Mount? Where would have been the hope of the lowly in life had Jesus come to dwell as a king among men?

To the multitude, however, it seemed impossible that the One designated by John should be associated with their lofty anticipations. Thus many were disappointed, and greatly perplexed.

The words which the priests and rabbis so much desired to hear, that Jesus would now restore the kingdom to Israel, had not been spoken. For such a king they had been waiting and watching; such a king they were ready to receive. But one who sought to establish in their hearts a kingdom of righteousness and peace, they would not accept.

On the following day, while two disciples were standing near, John again saw Jesus among the people. Again the face of the prophet was lighted up with glory from the Unseen, as he cried, “Behold the Lamb of God!” The words thrilled the hearts of the disciples. They did not fully understand them. What meant the name that John had given Him,—“the Lamb of God”? John himself had not explained it.

Leaving John, they went to seek Jesus. One of the two was Andrew, the brother of Simon; the other was John the evangelist. These were Christ's first disciples. Moved by an irresistible impulse, they followed Jesus,—anxious to speak with Him, yet awed and silent, lost in the overwhelming significance of the thought, “Is this the Messiah?”

Jesus knew that the disciples were following Him. They were the first fruits of His ministry, and there was joy in the heart of the divine Teacher as these souls responded to His grace. Yet turning, He asked only, “What seek ye?” He would leave them free to turn back or to speak of their desire.

Of one purpose only were they conscious. One presence filled their thought. They exclaimed, “Rabbi, ... where dwellest Thou?” In a brief interview by the wayside they could not receive that for which they longed. They desired to be alone with Jesus, to sit at His feet, and hear His words.

“He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day.”

If John and Andrew had possessed the unbelieving spirit of the priests and rulers, they would not have been found as learners at the feet of Jesus. They would have come to Him as critics, to judge His words. Many thus close the door to the most precious opportunities. But not so did these first disciples. They had responded to the Holy Spirit's call in the preaching of John the Baptist. Now they recognized the voice of the heavenly Teacher. To them the words of Jesus were full of freshness and truth and beauty. A divine illumination was shed upon the teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures. The many-sided themes of truth stood out in new light.

It is contrition and faith and love that enable the soul to receive wisdom from heaven. Faith working by love is the key of knowledge, and everyone that loveth “knoweth God.” 1 John 4:7.

The disciple John was a man of earnest and deep affection, ardent, yet contemplative. He had begun to discern the glory of Christ,—not the worldly pomp and power for which he had been taught to hope, but “the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. He was absorbed in contemplation of the wondrous theme.

Andrew sought to impart the joy that filled his heart. Going in search of his brother Simon, he cried, “We have found the Messias.” Simon waited for no second bidding. He also had heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and he hastened to the Saviour. The eye of Christ rested upon him, reading his character and his life history. His impulsive nature, his loving, sympathetic heart, his ambition and self-confidence, the history of his fall, his repentance, his labors, and his martyr death,—the Saviour read it all, and He said, “Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”

“The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow Me.” Philip obeyed the command, and straightway he also became a worker for Christ.

Philip called Nathanael. The latter had been among the throng when the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God. As Nathanael looked upon Jesus, he was disappointed. Could this man, who bore the marks of toil and poverty, be the Messiah? Yet Nathanael could not decide to reject Jesus, for the message of John had brought conviction to his heart.

At the time when Philip called him, Nathanael had withdrawn to a quiet grove to meditate upon the announcement of John and the prophecies concerning the Messiah. He prayed that if the one announced by John was the deliverer, it might be made known to him, and the Holy Spirit rested upon him with assurance that God had visited His people and raised up a horn of salvation for them. Philip knew that his friend was searching the prophecies, and while Nathanael was praying under a fig tree, Philip discovered his retreat. They had often prayed together in this secluded spot hidden by the foliage.

The message, “We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write,” seemed to Nathanael a direct answer to his prayer. But Philip had yet a trembling faith. He added doubtfully, “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Again prejudice arose in Nathanael's heart. He exclaimed, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

Philip entered into no controversy. He said, “Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” In surprise Nathanael exclaimed, “Whence knowest Thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.”

It was enough. The divine Spirit that had borne witness to Nathanael in his solitary prayer under the fig tree now spoke to him in the words of Jesus. Though in doubt, and yielding somewhat to prejudice, Nathanael had come to Christ with an honest desire for truth, and now his desire was met. His faith went beyond that of the one who had brought him to Jesus. He answered and said, “Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel.”

If Nathanael had trusted to the rabbis for guidance, he would never have found Jesus. It was by seeing and judging for himself that he became a disciple. So in the case of many today whom prejudice withholds from good. How different would be the result if they would “come and see”!

While they trust to the guidance of human authority, none will come to a saving knowledge of the truth. Like Nathanael, we need to study God's word for ourselves, and pray for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. He who saw Nathanael under the fig tree will see us in the secret place of prayer. Angels from the world of light are near to those who in humility seek for divine guidance.

With the calling of John and Andrew and Simon, of Philip and Nathanael, began the foundation of the Christian church. John directed two of his disciples to Christ. Then one of these, Andrew, found his brother, and called him to the Saviour. Philip was then called, and he went in search of Nathanael. These examples should teach us the importance of personal effort, of making direct appeals to our kindred, friends, and neighbors. There are those who for a lifetime have professed to be acquainted with Christ, yet who have never made a personal effort to bring even one soul to the Saviour. They leave all the work for the minister. He may be well qualified for his calling, but he cannot do that which God has left for the members of the church.

There are many who need the ministration of loving Christian hearts. Many have gone down to ruin who might have been saved if their neighbors, common men and women, had put forth personal effort for them. Many are waiting to be personally addressed. In the very family, the neighborhood, the town, where we live, there is work for us to do as missionaries for Christ. If we are Christians, this work will be our delight. No sooner is one converted than there is born within him a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus. The saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart.

All who are consecrated to God will be channels of light. God makes them His agents to communicate to others the riches of His grace. His promise is, “I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.” Ezekiel 34:26.

Philip said to Nathanael, “Come and see.” He did not ask him to accept another's testimony, but to behold Christ for himself. Now that Jesus has ascended to heaven, His disciples are His representatives among men, and one of the most effective ways of winning souls to Him is in exemplifying His character in our daily life. Our influence upon others depends not so much upon what we say as upon what we are. Men may combat and defy our logic, they may resist our appeals; but a life of disinterested love is an argument they cannot gainsay. A consistent life, characterized by the meekness of Christ, is a power in the world.

The teaching of Christ was the expression of an inwrought conviction and experience, and those who learn of Him become teachers after the divine order. The word of God, spoken by one who is himself sanctified through it, has a life-giving power that makes it attractive to the hearers, and convicts them that it is a living reality. When one has received the truth in the love of it, he will make this manifest in the persuasion of his manner and the tones of his voice. He makes known that which he himself has heard, seen, and handled of the word of life, that others may have fellowship with him through the knowledge of Christ. His testimony, from lips touched with a live coal from off the altar, is truth to the receptive heart, and works sanctification upon the character.

And he who seeks to give light to others will himself be blessed. “There shall be showers of blessing.” “He that watereth shall be watered also himself.” Proverbs 11:25. God could have reached His object in saving sinners without our aid; but in order for us to develop a character like Christ's, we must share in His work. In order to enter into His joy,—the joy of seeing souls redeemed by His sacrifice,—we must participate in His labors for their redemption.

Nathanael's first expression of his faith, so full and earnest and sincere, fell like music on the ears of Jesus. And He “answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.” The Saviour looked forward with joy to His work in preaching good tidings to the meek, binding up the brokenhearted, and proclaiming liberty to the captives of Satan. At thought of the precious blessings He had brought to men, Jesus added, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

Here Christ virtually says, On the bank of the Jordan the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended like a dove upon Me. That scene was but a token that I am the Son of God. If you believe on Me as such, your faith shall be quickened. You shall see that the heavens are opened, and are never to be closed. I have opened them to you. The angels of God are ascending, bearing the prayers of the needy and distressed to the Father above, and descending, bringing blessing and hope, courage, help, and life, to the children of men.

The angels of God are ever passing from earth to heaven, and from heaven to earth. The miracles of Christ for the afflicted and suffering were wrought by the power of God through the ministration of the angels. And it is through Christ, by the ministration of His heavenly messengers, that every blessing comes from God to us. In taking upon Himself humanity, our Saviour unites His interests with those of the fallen sons and daughters of Adam, while through His divinity He grasps the throne of God. And thus Christ is the medium of communication of men with God, and of God with men.

[hanieldeguzman]

4 Things That Ministry Taught Me To Be Of Great Value

“It’s not about you.” It’s the one tag line that summarizes myself being a part of a music ministry. Entering in this ministry, I’ve had plans that I think would be beneficial for the church - musically and technically. But as time passes by, the music ministry would play a huge part of how I would deal with certain situations that my perspective of what’s important will be shifted to something greater. The Apostle Paul speaks about Christ’s humility in Philippians 2:1-16 and as I stay in the ministry, I never thought that I would be the one who will be taught by God and be changed and that the ministry played a big part in how my perspective would change in terms of giving myself for others and for God. Nevertheless, these learnings aren’t just applicable to worship teams but to all who serve the Lord everywhere from the ushers down the hall who give a warm smile, to the simplest of those who arrange the chairs every week.

I realized that a lot of things should be considered in serving the people of God and His church. Four are some of what I’ve learned:

1. Submitting is necessary (Hebrews 13:17; Ephesians 5:21)

Have you ever had feelings of resentment and disappointment with your ministry leaders because of some things that didn’t happen or still aren’t happening because of their decision making? I know that struggle. In a weekend where I would get to serve, suggestions in my mind would come on how to make things better as soon as we receive the song list. But then, these things would change because some things are needed to be done. Even as Sunday itself comes, these arrangements would have to be removed or changed as ordered by our ministry leaders. When such interventions happen, pressure shows up on me because I have this thinking that “I prepared for it” or that “They are making things worse”. But now, peace of mind comes as I submit instead of choosing to dwell on negative feelings. Now, the most practical thing for me to do is to suggest ideas wherein if our leaders approve of it or not, I will submit and I will still be faithful because our leaders’ decisions come from God. I have to trust Him and my leaders with it.

We can say that God is our reason why we do the things we wanted to do for the church. But if we dig deeper, we may be just using Him to feed our ego. I struggle with submission because I really wanted to make things my way and also make myself be known for the ministry’s accomplishments. It’s only by grace that I am able to always know my thoughts and heart of wrong motives. To examine myself of who I really am as a servant.

Learning to be thankful when such instructions come, our humility and character is being molded by God because in submission He reveals our heart’s estate.

2. Throwing perfection away (Philippians 2:3-4; Epheshians 4:29)

I love putting my heart into the work that’s in front of me, regardless if it’s a big or small task. But with that being said, I was unaware that I struggled with perfectionism. There came one time that it’s because of my micromanagement and perfectionism that I didn’t know that I have hurt other volunteers because of how I am so attentive to meddling with their work. I became tactless with my words and became so controlling with my actions that it resulted to volunteers being shy of unleashing their own creativity, their potential and wit. By God’s grace and through the love of others, I began to learn that excellence does not necessarily mean perfection.

Excellence is needed but if there is a sort of standard you are trying to achieve where people can stumble, it can lead to ministries working for a production rather than responding to the work of Jesus’ by leading others to Him. It’s actually okay for people to mess up. I was so stressed of people making mistakes but as I learned about the grace of God more by seeing myself as a sinner, instead of showing an iron fist I’m compelled to encourage people more which led them doing better the next time. By others’ help, I’ve learned to let go of my perfectionism and micromanagement. There’s nothing wrong with striving to be excellent for the Lord because He deserves it. If people commit mistakes with skill, you should display the love and the humility of Christ and it will work out well along the way.

3. Dying from “the leadership” thought of entitlement (Philippians 2:14-16; Colossians 3:22-24)

I thought that being a leader means you are “front and center” because you play a vital role in the ministry. You are the one people look up to with the delegating of tasks, you set what needs to be done. That is true. But these built in me false expectations that people must treat me with honor and respect. As you meet people along the way, these expectations can be false. I’ve had a great rebuking in this aspect because the focus is again being on me, not God. In the ministry, I’ve learned that it is a privilege to be entrusted with a team and so people should be mentored as I am being mentored and that to disciple is to be of greater worth and that to build trust in leadership is to display being vulnerable first.

Think of yourself in an area where there is no stage or altar, and no congregation to lead and to speak with. The Apostle Paul in a majority of his letters encouraged people to do all things in the best we could be as it is God that we serve. Therefore, our leadership should be carved in the simplest of things because God places responsibilities for us to be good stewards.

For example, If I am a leader, then it should display with me being a good and loving son or brother to my family by being honest and available. If I am a leader, then I should as well be as faithful when I’m asked to clean my room or wash the dishes, or do well in school or work.

This world tells us that leadership should have many followers, to speak rhetorically, to look in a certain way, or to be in a notable position. Christianity says otherwise because we learn what it means to be a leader by being faithful with what is just closest to us or what surrounds us.

4. Using food to know your ministry

Being in a ministry,  I’ve also learned to display the love of Jesus by crafting intentionality to those around me. I was usually labeled as shy and awkward. Yet, the root cause of it is me not wanting to associate with other people. It is by grace that I have gotten rid of that attitude and that now I initiate conversations over backstage meals that would then eventually get people into heartfelt talks, an encouragement, or an opportunity to receive and offer prayers. As time is my love language, I became intentional with spending time with my team or friends from the ministry outside church. I now treat and see my friends in the church as brothers and sisters and we now carry each other’s burdens. That bond begins because we ate outside or just went for coffee, visit one person’s house together or just do fun things. Jesus used meal times to show His glory and for people to know Him in a special way like how sharing over the table is represented in Jewish culture as sharing life and openness with one another. We should all do the same as well.

These are only some of the things I can share as I am also still learning. You will learn to lead people to worship, be excellent, and love people through ministry by putting the humility of Christ in you by submitting to one another, by empowering people, mentoring, and by building up one another.

Soli Deo Gloria.

[anastpaul]

Saint of the Day – 21 September – The Feast of St Matthew – Apostle and Evangelist

One day, while seated at his table of books and money, Jesus looked at Matthew and said two words:   “Follow me.”   This was all that was needed to make Matthew rise, leaving his pieces of silver to follow Christ.   His original name, “Levi,” in Hebrew signifies “Adhesion” while his new name in Christ, Matthew, means “Gift of God.”   The only other outstanding mention of Matthew in the Gospels is the dinner party for Christ and His companions to which he invited his fellow tax-collectors.   The Jews were surprised to see Jesus with a publican but Jesus explained that he had come “not to call the just but sinners.”

Although relatively little is known about the life of St Matthew, the account he wrote of Christ’s ministry – traditionally considered to be the first of the four Gospels – is of inestimable value to the Church, particularly in its verification of Jesus as the Messiah.

The Gospel accounts of Mark and Luke, like Matthew’s own, describe the encounter between Jesus and Matthew under the surprising circumstances of Matthew’s tax-collecting duties.   Jewish publicans, who collected taxes on behalf of the Roman rulers of first-century Judea, were objects of scorn and even hatred among their own communities, since they worked on behalf of the occupying power and often earned their living by collecting more than the state’s due.

Jesus most likely first encountered Matthew near the house of Peter, in Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee.   The meeting of the two was dramatic, as Matthew’s third-person account in his Gospel captured:  “As Jesus passed on,” the ninth chapter recounts, “he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.   He said to him, ‘Follow me’.   And he got up and followed him.

Matthew’s calling into Jesus’ inner circle was a dramatic gesture of the Messiah’s universal message and mission, causing some religious authorities of the Jewish community to wonder:  “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”Jesus’ significant response indicated a central purpose of his ministry:   “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

A witness to Christ’s resurrection after death, as well as his ascension into heaven and the events of Pentecost, Matthew also recorded Jesus’ instruction for the apostles to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Like 11 of the 12 apostles, St Matthew is traditionally thought to have died as a martyr while preaching the Gospel.   The Roman Martyrology describes his death as occurring in a territory near present-day Egypt.

A witness to Christ’s resurrection after death, as well as his ascension into heaven and the events of Pentecost, Matthew also recorded Jesus’ instruction for the apostles to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Like 11 of the 12 apostles, St Matthew is traditionally thought to have died as a martyr while preaching the Gospel.   The Roman Martyrology describes his death as occurring in a territory near present-day Egypt.

Reflecting on St Matthew’s calling, from the pursuit of dishonest financial gain to the heights of holiness and divine inspiration, Pope Benedict said in 2006 that “in the figure of Matthew, the Gospels present to us a true and proper paradox:  those who seem to be the farthest from holiness can even become a model of the acceptance of God’s mercy and offer a glimpse of its marvellous effects in their own lives.”

[dfroza]

“Listen now, to the voice of the Holy Spirit through what the psalmist wrote:”

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 3rd chapter of the book of Hebrews:

So all of you who are holy partners in a heavenly calling, let’s turn our attention to Jesus, the Emissary of God and High Priest, who brought us the faith we profess; and compare Him to Moses, who also brought words from God. Both of them were faithful to their missions, to the One who called them. But we value Jesus more than Moses, in the same way that we value a builder more than the house he builds. Every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Moses brought healing and redemption to his people as a faithful servant in God’s house, and he was a witness to the things that would be spoken later. But Jesus the Anointed was faithful as a Son of that house. (We become that house, if we’re able to hold on to the confident hope we have in God until the end.)

Listen now, to the voice of the Holy Spirit through what the psalmist wrote:

Today, if you listen to His voice,

Don’t harden your hearts the way they did

in the bitter uprising at Meribah

Where your ancestors tested Me

though they had seen My marvelous power.

For the 40 years they traveled on

to the land that I had promised them,

That generation broke My heart.

Grieving and angry, I said, “Their hearts are unfaithful;

they don’t know what I want from them.”

That is why I swore in anger

they would never enter salvation’s rest.

Brothers and sisters, pay close attention so you won’t develop an evil and unbelieving heart that causes you to abandon the living God. Encourage each other every day—for as long as we can still say “today”—so none of you let the deceitfulness of sin harden your hearts. For we have become partners with the Anointed One—if we can just hold on to our confidence until the end.

Look at the lines from the psalm again:

Today, if you listen to His voice,

Don’t harden your hearts the way they did

in the bitter uprising at Meribah.

Now who, exactly, was God talking to then? Who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it all of those whom Moses led out of Egypt? And who made God angry for an entire generation? Wasn’t it those who sinned against Him, those whose bodies are still buried in the wilderness, the site of that uprising? It was those disobedient ones who God swore would never enter into salvation’s rest. And we can see that they couldn’t enter because they did not believe.

The Book of Hebrews, Chapter 3 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 43rd chapter of the book of Jeremiah where Jeremiah was falsely accused of lying:

When Jeremiah finished giving the people this answer from the Eternal their God—and he did tell them everything that is recorded here, just as he promised— Azariah (son of Hoshaiah) and Johanan (son of Kareah) and all the other overconfident men in that group spoke.

Leaders (to Jeremiah): These words are lies! The Eternal our God didn’t tell you to say, “Do not go to Egypt and settle there.” These are not His words at all. They are the words of Baruch (son of Neriah), your secretary. He is trying to turn you against us so we will be handed over to the Chaldeans, when they come back. If we listen to his counsel, we will be killed or taken into exile in Babylon.

So Johanan (son of Kareah), all the other army leaders, and all the people refused to obey the Eternal’s command to remain in Judah. So Johanan (son of Kareah) and the other army officers gathered up all the Judeans who had survived and returned to Judah from the countries they fled to. This vast company of refugees included the men, women, children, and daughters of the royal family and everyone else who Nebuzaradan, captain of the imperial guard, had left in the care of Gedaliah (son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan). Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch (son of Neriah) were also forced to join the company leaving Judah for Egypt. And so it was that this vast company of Judeans entered the land of Egypt in disobedience to the voice of the Eternal. They traveled as far as the northern city of Tahpanhes.

While they were in Tahpanhes, the message of the Eternal came to Jeremiah.

Eternal One: While everyone from Judah is watching, pick up some large rocks and then bury them in the clay of the brick pavement at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes. Once you’ve done this, give the people this message from the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies and God of Israel: “I am sending My servant Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to Egypt. I will set his throne over the exact spot where I’ve hidden these stones, and he will spread his royal canopy over this exact spot. He is coming to attack Egypt, and he will bring death to those destined to die, captivity to those destined to be captive, and war to those destined to die in battle. I will start a fire, and then he will burn the temples of Egypt’s so-called gods. He will take these idols back to Babylon. He will pick through the land of Egypt as easily as a shepherd picks clean his robe. And once he’s finished, he will return home unharmed. He will tear down the obelisks of Egypt in the temple of the sun. Yes, he will burn down the temples of Egypt’s gods.

The Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 43 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Saturday, September 25 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons that looks to the “end”:

Shalom friends. Our Lord foretold that in the "end of days" there would be perilous times -- moral, political, ethnic, and spiritual chaos throughout the world, "as it was in the days of Noah." Of Noah's generation the Torah says: "The LORD saw that the wickedness of humanity was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, so that it grieved the LORD to his heart" (Gen. 6:5-6). Indeed, Paul's description of the character of people before the time of the end is chillingly accurate of our present generation (see 2 Tim. 3:1-7).

With the increasing rise of anarchy and lawlessness throughout the nations, the Scriptures further foretell the rise of a governmental system that would oppress and subjugate the entire world, using surveillance systems and devices to control every aspect of life, so that no one would be able to buy or sell without being tagged as an compliant member of the system. Once a global (cashless) currency system has been established, the prophesied "man of sin" would then arise to embody the presence of Satan on the earth, in mimicry of the advent of the true Messiah.

At first this "man of sin" (איש החטא) will seem to be a man of peace but after his reign is secured, he will reveal his malice by persecuting those who still believe in the one true God, causing great tribulation, especially for the Jewish people. The rise of this "Messiah of Evil" or the "anti-Christ" will be in accordance with the great vision of the prophet Daniel, wherein the final "week" of "seventy weeks of years" is fulfilled...

Presently we are living in the "gap" between the 69th week and the 70th week of years, but we see signs that the gap is now closing, and soon the world will enter into the "tribulation" period... As things get closer to the time of great judgment (יום יהוה), followers of Messiah will be forcefully removed by God's hand (i.e., raptured) either before the tribulation proper begins ("pre-trib"), or perhaps just before the Great Tribulation period ("mid-trib"), the later view being argued because followers of Yeshua will see the advent of the man of sin (2 Thess. 2:3-4). Either way, however, God has not appointed his followers to undergo the unleashing of his wrath upon the world system during the last half of the seventieth week (1 Thess. 5:9), so "post-trib is not a sound eschatological option. The rapture will occur as we are gathered together with the LORD to meet him in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

The 70th week of the vision given to Daniel will begin when the "man of sin" appears to make a "covenant" with the people of the world, though he will later set up an "abomination" and force all world citizens to bow down to its image (perhaps similar to Nebuchadnezzar's insanity to force people to bow down before the golden image of himself; at this time the rapture of followers of Messiah may occur). Like Daniel's three friends who refused to bow down before the image, many will refuse to comply and outright worldwide persecution of the Jewish people will take place. This is called the "time of Jacob's trouble" and the "Great Tribulation." Satan will rule only “until the end that is decreed is poured out on him” and then the great Day of LORD will seal his doom with the second coming of Yeshua (as described in Rev. 19:11-21).

So, in light of this (very brief) sketch of what is coming -- and as the world system becomes more and more tyrannical as it prepares for the arrival of the "messiah of evil" -- how are you walking out your faith? Remember that spiritual warfare is not an option for the life of a follower of Yeshua. How are you keeping free of fear or anger? How are you preparing for the days ahead? Please feel free to leave your comments below. [Hebrew for Christians]

9.22.21 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

September 25, 2021

My Lord and My God

“And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28)

Thomas has been called “doubting Thomas” because of his initial reluctance to believe in the Lord’s resurrection, but neither the Lord nor the other disciples ever viewed him in such a light. His later ministry, as the first missionary/ martyr to India, speaks clearly of his great faith.

It is only in John’s gospel that we have any specific insight into Thomas’ character. When the other disciples sought to dissuade Jesus from returning to Jerusalem, it was Thomas who urged, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16). Thomas understood the dangers awaiting them but was ready to go wherever Jesus desired him to go. In the upper room when Jesus spoke of going away, Thomas, still willing to go with Him anywhere, was the only one to ask, “Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” (John 14:5). Then, just a few hours later, the Lord had been crucified, and soon “the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19) as they hid themselves in the upper room.

But Thomas was not hiding! The Scriptures do not say where he was when Jesus appeared in their midst, but he was not hiding there like the others. He may well have been out working or witnessing, doing whatever he could to follow the Lord, but he (like the others) had failed to understand Jesus’ promise that He would rise again.

When the other disciples reported that they had seen the resurrected Lord, Thomas, realizing the tremendous significance of such a miracle if it were true, insisted he must see the proof firsthand. Then, when he saw the Lord, he showed a higher comprehension of what had taken place than any of the others, as he whispered in awe: “My Lord, and my God!” HMM

[tipsycad147]

MAY FULL FLOWER MOON RITUAL – RECOGNIZING VALUE

The Full Flower Moon get’s it’s name from Native Americans as spring flowers are literally opening everywhere you look.  It is also known as the Corn Planting Moon, Mother’s Moon, and the Milk Moon.

In order to perform this ritual as written, you’ll need the following items:

Quarter Candles (yellow, red, blue, green) Large White Goddess Candle Large Gold or Yellow God Candle Paper and pencil for each participant Fire pit or cauldron suitable for safely burning small objects and paper Altar

This is intended to be performed outdoors, under the light of the full snow moon – dress appropriately and use proper fire safety.

<Anything in the ritual that is contained with <> should be understood as instructional for the ritual leader and should not be spoken aloud>

Ritual Begins

I cast this circle all around, high above and below the ground, a sacred place between time and space, where all are welcome and all are safe!

Calling the Quarters

East

As the spring winds slip ever so gracefully across the land, we turn our eyes to the East and give high praises to the great spirits of Air.  We welcome you to our circle on this night when the moon is full and shining across the world. <light yellow candle>

South

The last of the warming rays of the sun have just dropped beneath the horizon as we turn to the South, where the great Fire spirits make their home.  We give thanks for your attendance in our circle tonight and offer high thanks and praises for the gift of light which you’ve bestowed upon us.  Keep our path illuminated as we move from place to place so that no harm or accident will fall our way. <light red candle>

West

The sound of moving Water conjures up memories of things both beautiful and filled with adventure, as we look to the West, we are filled with a sense of comfort, joy, and protection.  You honor us by joining our circle and offering us the endless gift of cleansing waters, which regenerate both our bodies and our spirit. <light blue candle>

North

Finally all souls turn toward the North, where the great spirits of Earth make their homes.  Those who have traveled through the densest forests and across the highest mountains, still find the time to share their blessings to us mortals.  We give high praise for the many gifts, the teachings, and for attending this circle tonight. <light green candle>

Great Goddess, Great God, we humbly, and with great praises and honor present ourselves as our truest selves.  We are those who work the land, and drive the herds.  We are servants, messengers, disciples, and students.  We are kings and queens and lords of our own domains.  We are individuals, and yes, we are a family.  Together you bring balance to the world and the world smiles upon us.  Thank you for attending this circle on this Full Flower Moon  <light Goddess & God candles>

Musical Interlude

Choosing the right music to complement your full moon ritual is paramount – I’ve been known to pull in all different types of genres, but I don’t think I’ve ever chose a full-on bone jarring heavy metal song…that is until today.  Out song is called Pagan Moon, by Beherit.  It’s dark sounding, but musically tight and you’ll find yourself ‘into it’ pretty quickly.

Opening statement

We gather tonight under this full flower moon, perhaps in smaller groups than last year, but certainly bigger than last month when the great virus was upon the land and we were alone.  Now that the world is starting to once again find itself and people are remembering that terrible things have come, but those terrible things also go, we are coming back to life.  And yet, we do so with so many questions waiting to be answered.  We wonder whether the world will ever go back to the way, “it used to be”.

At this point, none of us know what the future might bring, but we can appreciate what the past is teaching us.  I say teaching, because what we’ll be discussing tonight hasn’t really been solidified as “taught” and still has a chapter or two, to be read.  Each month gives us an opportunity to look outward and learn from the world from a scholarly approach.  If we look closely enough, with a free and open mind, we can see the future…or one possible future.  Use the energy of the Full Flower Moon to supercharge your mind’s eye and let it take a look around.

Recognizing Value

The great virus of 2020 should have opened everyone’s eyes to recognizing value.  I’m not talking about net income, the stock market, or even a purse full of cash.  No, what I’m talking about is human value.  When the virus took hold, some people disappeared, and some people stepped up their game.  Some people were in high demand, while others temporarily faded from our thoughts.  We watched as some people put their lives at risk, countless numbers of times, while others went into hibernation.  Some spoke, some even complained, while others let their actions speak for them.

Our world has just received a wonderful eye-opening and in case you missed it, the full flower moon is a perfect time to get caught up.  Up until now, those who ran big companies were considered valuable, as were celebrities, and professional athletes.  Internet superstars and talking heads had audiences of millions.  We were programmed to consume, collect, and once we’ve had our fun, to dispose of those things and buy the newest one.  We were in fact, being brainwashed into thinking what was wrong, was actually right.

Fast forward to today.  Look at the clerk in your local supermarket, or the first responder who lives in your subdivision.  Look at the guys who pick up your trash and the ladies who are manning the school lunch counters.  Across the land, regular people are doing incredible things.  Your mail is still being delivered, your doctor is still treating patients, and the highways are still filled with trucks moving fresh produce, milk, eggs, and meat from growing areas to your local store.  Field workers are still picking fresh greens and warehouse workers are still packing and shipping everything from canned soup to microwaves.  Despite the possibility of infection, these so-called, entry level or bottom of the ladder workers are punching in every day to keep the world running.

By now you’re probably deep in thought about what I’ve just stated.  You’re probably thinking differently about the people that may have seemed invisible to you just a few short months ago.  You’re starting to see that not only are they valuable, but they are very valuable.  I also bet many of you will leave here and be forever changed.  You’ll not only say hello to the woman stocking the shelves, but you’ll do so with an appreciative smile on your face.  You might even go out of the way to tell a police officer, thanks for being on the job.  You’ll see that value isn’t measured by giving a speech or running for office.  Value is earned.

Clearing and Cleansing on the Full Flower Moon

Each month we examine how our lives have changed, both for the good and for the worse.  We also examine what events, actions, or people contributed to those changes.  And once again we see both the good and the not-so-good.  We see that some things are propelling us forward, while others are holding us back.  This is very important, because if we’re held back for some reason, then we cannot grow.

Negativity and negative people often go hand in hand when it comes to roadblocks.  Anger, impatience, greed, manipulation, jealousy, lust, corruption, and laziness are all products of negativity.  Narcissism, manipulation, control issues and bullying are all tools of negative people.  When we allow those feelings to remain inside us, or those negative people to keep influencing us, we start to forget about the important things in life like love, compassion, helpfulness, and the desire to become something better than we already are.

This full flower moon offers us the opportunity to make a course correction.  Just as Mother Nature presents the earth with a fresh coat of foliage and flowers each season, you can use this ritual to clear out all the weeds and debris and replace them with a beautiful array of fresh colors and renewed feelings.

If you can see negativity in your life, now is the time to banish it, once and for all.   Our ancestors have taught us that all things can be washed away in the cleansing flames.  Together we can witness as the collective baggage of the past is consumed and the smoke travels far away.  By burning the remnants of things useless and without value, we free ourselves to find new and positive things to fill those empty spaces.

<Offer each person paper/pencil to write things down>

Write down the things you wish to rid yourself of, but be realistic.  If you only halfway feel ready about something, then don’t rush it.  Each month offers another chance to cleanse and clear.  When you are ready, approach the fire and burn your list.  As you burn each item, state the following, “I give up freely that which is no longer serving me”

<Once everyone has burned their items, have the group join hands and say the following>

We gather tonight by the light of this Full Flower Moon; we feel the warmth of spring on our faces and know that the heat of summer is soon to be realized.  The light has already returned and we are have shown we are ready to refresh our lives by first ridding our bodies and minds of that which no longer serves us.  We are now cleansed with the great fires of the South carrying the negative energies away. May the next turn of the Wheel bring us love and compassion, abundance and prosperity, fertility and life – As the moon above, so the earth below. So Mote it Be!

Once you’ve chosen to release the negativity, you will be lighter and ready to take on something new and positive.  Fill those spaces you’ve just cleared with something positive and then feed it and you’ll soon feel growth from within; growth that will be beneficial to your everyday life, but also growth that will help build a solid foundation for your future.

Cakes & Ale

Depending on the weather and the make-up of your group, you may choose to have a few libations and food at this time.  Talk, share stories, and get to know your fellow citizens of the earth.

Closing the Full Flower Moon Circle

Earth spirits, we offer our eternal thanks for joining us in our full flower moon circle.  All thoughts are on planting, growing, and spending time with the earth.  Bless us and bless that which we plant in the coming months. We bid you farewell. <extinguish green candle>

Water spirits, thank you for your presence in our circle.  Before you leave, we ask but one simple thing. Grant us ample rain as we nurture the delicate seedlings and herbs, in their infancy.  We bid you farewell. <extinguish blue candle>

Fire spirits, without your presence in our circle, our cleansing ritual would not be possible.  We continue to honor your light, the heat, and the ability to transform our lives.  May we leave here tonight with eyes wide open to the possibilities of great things in our future.  We bid you farewell. <extinguish red candle>

Air spirits, so much gratitude and so many praises for your presence in our circle this night. The light winds on our faces constantly remind us that the most powerful things are often unseen and unpredictable.  Leave us with the understanding that we do not need to know why everything is as it is, we just need to be thankful for it.  We bid you farewell. <extinguish yellow candle>

Great Goddess and Great God, we thank you both for your wisdom and love.  Together you have shown us that all things possess two sides, two energies, and only together can total balance be achieved.  Give us the guidance to look at all things in life with an even approach and open mind. <extinguish Goddess candle>

This circle is now open!

By  Thegypsy

https://www.thegypsythread.org/may-2020-full-flower-moon-ritual-recognizing-value/

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

26th December >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 10:17-22 for the Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr: ‘The Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you’.

Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Matthew 10:17-22

The Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.

‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.’

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 10:17-22

For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”

Reflections (10)

(i) Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr

The Holy Spirit is common to both of today’s readings. In today’s first reading we are told that ‘it was the Spirit that prompted what he (Stephen) said’, and later on in that reading it is said of Stephen that ‘filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God’. At the very moment when some people were doing their worst to Stephen, the Lord was helping him in and through the Holy Spirit. In the gospel reading, Jesus tells his disciples that when people will be doing their worst to them, dragging them before governors and kings, handing them over to persecution, the Spirit of God their Father will be speaking through them. Jesus was very aware that his disciples would need the help of the Holy Spirit if they were to bear witness to him in an often hostile world, and he assures them that he will give them that help. Stephen certainly knew the help of the Holy Spirit when his witness to the Lord left him vulnerable to the deadly hostility of others. The same Holy Spirit is promised to us all who are the Lord’s disciples today. We need the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of our Father, if we are to be the Lord’s faithful witnesses in our world today. In his letter to the Romans, Saint Paul says that the Spirit helps us in our weakness. Yesterday, we celebrate the birth of the child Jesus. That same Jesus, now risen Lord, can only be born in our lives and in our world today in and through the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and she gave birth to Jesus, the same Holy Spirit overshadows us so that we can give birth to Jesus by our lives today. The Advent prayer, ‘Come Lord Jesus’ is one we can pray in every season. The Pentecost pray, ‘Come Holy Spirit’ is also one we need to pray in every season.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr

Yesterday we celebrated the joyful birth of a child; today we celebrate the cruel death of an innocent man. In some ways, the birth of Jesus led to the death of Stephen. Stephen was put to death because of his faith in Jesus, declaring him to be the glorious Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. Luke describes Stephen dying with two prayers on his lips, a prayer of surrender, ‘Lord, Jesus, receive my spirit’, and a prayer of petition for his executioners, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’. Luke had earlier described Jesus as dying with two similar prayers on his lips, a prayer of surrender, ‘Father, into you hands I commend my spirit’ and a prayer of petition for his executioners, ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing’. Whereas Jesus prays to the Father, Stephen prays to the risen Lord. Mary’s child is now risen Lord and can be prayed to as we would pray to God. In the church we often pray to the Father through Jesus, but we are also invited to pray directly to Jesus. Stephen died as Jesus died because, in the words of the reading, he was ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’. We have been given the gift of the same Holy Spirit, and it is the Spirit who empowers us both to live like Jesus and to die like Jesus. On this feast of Saint Stephen, we pray for a fresh outpouring of that Spirit into our lives.

And/Or

(iii)  Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr

Yesterday we celebrated the birth of a child, and not just any child. The son of Mary and Joseph was also the Son of God who was born for all our sakes. It was an occasion of great joy for all the world. The mood of today’s feast seems somewhat different. Instead of the joyful birth of a child, we are celebrating the cruel and unjust death of an adult. Stephen died because of his witness to Mary’s child. Whereas the shepherd looked upon the child Jesus, Stephen, at the time of his stoning, declared that he was looking upon the glorious Son of Man, standing at God’s right hand in heaven. He bore witness to the glorious adult Jesus. We who look upon the child Jesus in the crib at Christmas are also called to witness to the glorious adult Jesus, the risen Lord, before the world. We are sent out from the crib as the Lord’s witnesses, and we are called to be as courageous in our witness as Stephen was. To be faithful to this call we need the help of the Holy Spirit. The first reading says that Stephen was ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’. We pray that on this feast of Stephen, we too would be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that we can witness to Jesus as courageously as Stephen did.

And/Or

(iv)  Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr

Yesterday’s liturgy of Christmas Day was centred on the joyful birth of a very special child, Immanuel, God-with-us. Today’s liturgy plunges us into a very different world. The focal point of our liturgy is not the birth of a child but the unlawful killing of an adult man, Stephen, the first Christian martyr. His killing immediately gave rise to a severe persecution against the infant church in Jerusalem. In the gospel reading, Jesus warns his disciples that a day will come when they will be hated by all on account of Jesus’ name. It was only a short time after Pentecost when that day came for Stephen and for many other believers in Jerusalem. We are being reminded that the birth of Jesus was not experienced as good news by everyone. It gave rise to tremendous hostility from some which led not only to the death of Jesus but also the death of his followers. When we welcome Jesus into our lives, we are risking the same hostility and incomprehension that Jesus and his first followers experienced. Witnessing to the child of Bethlehem, to the crucified and risen Lord, will often mean taking the road less travelled and leaving ourselves open to rejection. Yet, Jesus assures us in the gospel reading today that the one who stands firm to the end, in spite of that, will be saved. Stephen is put before us today as an example of someone who stood firm to the end. He died holding onto the values of the gospel that had sustained him since his conversion to Christ. He died as Jesus died, entrusting himself to God, to the risen Lord, and praying for forgiveness for those who persecuted him.  Stephen shows us how to die, and how to live, how to stand firm in way of the Lord the end.

And/Or

(v)  Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr

It always strikes me as thought provoking that the day after we celebrate the birth of Jesus we celebrate the death of one of his disciples. The church’s calendar brings us from birth to death very quickly. We are also brought from the child Jesus to the risen Jesus very quickly. In this morning’s first reading, Stephen, just before his death, sees the risen Lord standing at the right hand of God. It was Stephen’s relationship with the risen Lord that enabled him to witness to Jesus as powerfully as he did. Our own relationship today is with the risen Lord, rather than with the child Jesus. Like Stephen, it is our relationship with the Lord that will enable to bear witness to him in our lives. Stephen, we are told, was filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the risen Lord, and it was that Spirit which inspired his witness. When we open our lives to the risen Lord, we too will be filled with his Spirit and it is the Lord’s Spirit that will empower us to witness to him in all we say and do. Stephen’s witness seemed to have a powerful impact on one observer of his death. The first reading makes reference to a young man called Saul at whose feet those who stoned Stephen placed their garments; it is said of this man Saul that he approved of Stephen’s killing. Saul would become the man we know as Paul, the great preacher of the gospel to the Gentiles. Like Stephen’s witness, our own witness to the Lord can have a powerful impact on others in ways that we might never suspect or even become aware of.

And/Or

(vi)  Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr

A day after celebrating the birth of Jesus we celebrate the death of the first martyr, Stephen. We move from a birth to a death very quickly. Today’s feast brings home to us the words of Simeon to Mary and Joseph as they brought the child Jesus to the Temple, ‘this child is destined... to be a sign that will be opposed’. Not only would Jesus be opposed but so also would those who witnessed to him, like Stephen. The loss of someone so gifted as Stephen must have been a great blow to the early church. The Acts of the Apostles refers to him as ‘full of faith and the Holy Spirit’ and ‘full of grace and power’. After he was stoned to death, Acts says that ‘devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him’. The other disciples did not simply weep silently over his death but wailed publicly, so great was their loss. Yet, some good came out of this loss. The Lord worked powerfully through the martyrdom of Stephen and the persecution of the church that followed. The Acts of the Apostles says that those who were scattered because of the persecution went from place to place proclaiming the word where it had never been preached. Also today’s first reading tells us that a young man named Saul witnessed the killing of Stephen and approved of it. He went on to become the great apostle to the Gentiles. Perhaps the martyrdom of Stephen was somehow instrumental in Paul’s transformation from zealous persecutor of the church to its most dynamic missionary. Today’s feast reminds us that the Lord can bring new life out of all our losses. In the words of today’s psalm, the Lord remains our rock and our stronghold in the midst of our painful losses. If we entrust ourselves to him at those times, if we commend our spirit into his hands, we will experience his saving help.

And/Or

(vii)  Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr

In day to day living birth and death often occur side by side. The liturgy of the church reflects that reality. Yesterday we celebrated a birth, the birth of Jesus. Today, we celebrate a death, the death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. It comes natural to us to celebrate the birth of new life, but we might ask, ‘Why celebrate a death?’ In celebrating someone’s death, we are, in reality, celebrating their life. Many of the funerals in our church are celebrations of life, celebrations of the person’s earthly life and also of the new life that awaits them beyond death. In celebrating Stephen’s death, we are celebrating his life, the kind of person he was. The first reading makes reference to his wisdom and to his being filled with the Holy Spirit. The way Stephen died was in keeping with how he lived; in death he revealed the kind of person he was. He died full of faith and full of love. He was full of faith in the risen Lord as revealed in his prayer, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’. He was full of love, even towards his enemies, as shown by his second prayer, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’. Those words show Stephen to be a merciful person. He forgave his enemies and asked the Lord to forgive them. He models for us that generosity of heart which stands ready to forgive even those who do us harm. There is another character in that reading, Saul of Tarsus. It is said that those who witnessed Stephen’s stoning placed their clothes at Saul’s feet and that Saul entirely approved of Stephen’s killing. Saul, it seems, showed no mercy to Stephen. Yet, Saul or Paul went on to receive mercy from God. On his way from Jerusalem to Damascus, God revealed his Son to him. Paul understood this experience as a moment of extraordinary grace. As a result of this grace the zealous Pharisee and persecutor of the church became the great apostle of the risen Lord to the Gentiles. He would go on to say in one of his letters, God’s ‘grace towards me has not been in vain’. If Stephen inspires us to be merciful, as Jesus was, r Paul encourages us to be open to receive the Lord’s mercy. Paul’s story reminds us that the wrong we have done is never a block to the Lord’s gift of mercy, if only we are open to receive it.

And/Or

(viii)  Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr

You may have noticed a symbol on our parish Christmas tree. There is an explanation of the symbol alongside the tree. The symbol is the Arabic letter ‘N’. This letter was daubed on the homes of Christians by members of ISIS in various parts of the middle east. The letter ‘N’ is short for ‘Nazarene’, a somewhat contemptuous reference to followers of Jesus of Nazareth. We have been invited to hang the symbol on our Christmas trees as a sign of solidarity with our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ. This morning’s gospel reading suggests that Jesus was in no doubt that his followers would be persecuted for bearing witness to him. Towards the end of that reading he declares, ‘you will be hated by all on account of my name’. Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Stephen. He was hated by some on account of the name of Jesus. He became the first martyr for Christ, the first in a long line of martyrs down to this day. Jesus was aware that his followers could do nothing about the hostility and even hatred that their witness to him would generate in the hearts of some people. It would come their way and they could do nothing about it. Yet, how they respond to such hostility is something over which they could have a measure of control. To help his followers to respond well to hostility, Jesus in the gospel reading promises to send them the Holy Spirit, ‘the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you’. Stephen is described in the first reading as ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’. He responded to his persecutors as Jesus did. He prayed for them and asked the Lord to forgive them. The same Holy Spirit is given to each of us. Saint Stephen can inspire us to allow the Spirit to work through us, to shape all we say and do, regardless of how others might regard our faith in the Lord and our witness to him.

And/Or

(ix)  Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr

In the gospel reading, Jesus is very clear about what his followers can expect from the world into which he is sending them. Jesus’ warnings soon come to pass with the stoning of Stephen, whose feast we celebrate today as the first Christian martyr. Yet, Jesus’ warnings are accompanied by a reassuring promise. He tells his followers that when people do their worst to them, the Holy Spirit will come to assist them and will speak through them. This reassuring promise also comes to pass when Stephen is put on trial. The first reading declares that the Spirit prompted what Stephen said, and that, at the moment of greatest hostility towards him he was filled with the Holy Spirit and had a vision of God the Father and his risen Son. At the end of the gospel reading, Jesus says that the disciple who stands firm to the end will be saved. Stephen certainly stood firm to the end, and so he came to share in the Lord’s risen life. Both readings today inspire us to stand firm in our faith in the Lord to the end. They assure us that whenever witnessing to our faith proves demanding and difficult, we will not be left to our own resources. The Holy Spirit will be present to us as our helper, our advocate. That first reading also suggests that our courageous witness to our faith can have a powerful impact on others. It is said in that reading that when Stephen was being stoned, his clothes were placed at the feet of a young man named Saul, who, at the time, approved of the killing of Stephen. Perhaps Stephen’s courageous witness to his faith, unto death, left its mark on Saul or Paul and helped to sow the seed for Saul’s future transformation from persecutor of the church to the tireless apostle to the pagans. We can never underestimate the impact on the faith of others of our own courageous witness to our faith in the Lord.

And/Or

(x)  Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr

Today’s first reading suggests that Stephen was the first person to be put to death for professing his faith in Christ. His feast prompts us to remember all those who are suffering for their faith in the Lord today. Church in Chains is an independent Irish charity that encourages Irish Christians to pray and act in support of persecuted Christians worldwide. In its latest edition of its global guide to where Christians are persecuted throughout the world, it lists fifteen countries where the persecution of Christians is severe. This charity recognizes that persecution of Christians often occurs alongside the persecution of other religious minorities. Stephen in the first reading is presented as a model of how Christians are to respond to the experience of persecution. He showed courage, witnessing to the glorious Son of Man before his infuriated opponents, and he also showed forgiveness, calling on the risen Lord,‘Do not hold this sin against them’. Both of these qualities were expressions of the Holy Spirit in his life. It is said of him in that reading that the Spirit ‘prompted what he said’, and he is referred to as ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’. It was the Spirit who enabled Stephen to respond to the experience of persecution as Jesus did, with a courageous and forgiving heart. In the gospel reading, Jesus tells his disciples starkly that the time will come when they will be hated by all on his account, but he also assures them that the Holy Spirit will be their resource at that time, ‘the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you’. The same Holy Spirit is given to us all, to empower us to be courageous in our witness to our faith and to be forgiving of those who hold our faith against us. Sometimes times of persecution for the church, especially when responded to in the spirit of Stephen, can bear rich fruit for the life of the church. One of those who approved of Stephen’s killing was a young man called Saul of Tarsus. He went on to become the great apostle to the Gentiles. Perhaps Stephen’s martyrdom was significant in Paul’s transformation from persecutor of the church to apostle of the risen Lord. We are being reminded that even in dark times for the church, the Lord can be working powerfully.

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Email: sjtbclontarf@eircom.net or  revmartinhogan@gmail.com

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie  Please join us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

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[seekfirstme]

The following reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager © 2021. Don's website is located at Dailyscripture.net

http://Dailyscripture.net

Meditation: Who is Jesus for you? John calls Jesus the Lamb of God and thus signifies Jesus' mission as the One who redeems us from our sins. The blood of the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12) delivered the Israelites from their oppression in Egypt and from the plague of death. The Lord Jesus freely offered up his life for us on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 Corinthians 5:7). The blood which he poured out for us on the cross cleanses, heals, and frees us from our slavery to sin, and from the "wages of sin which is death" (Romans 6:23) and the "destruction of both body and soul in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

It is significant that John was the son of the priest, Zachariah, who participated in the daily sacrifice of a lamb in the temple for the sins of the people (Exodus 29). In Jesus John saw the true and only sacrifice which could deliver us from bondage to sin, death, and the powers of hell. How did John know the true identity of Jesus, as the Son of God and Savior of the world (John 1:29)? The Holy Spirit revealed to John Jesus' true nature, such that John bore witness that this is the Son of God. How can we be certain that Jesus is truly the Christ, the Son of the living God? The Holy Spirit makes the Lord Jesus Christ known to us through the gift of faith. God gives us freely of his Spirit that we may comprehend - with enlightened minds and eyes of faith - the great mystery and plan of God to unite all things in his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

"What do you seek?"

John in his characteristic humility was eager to point beyond himself to the Christ (means Anointed One and Messiah). He did not hesitate to direct his own disciples to the Lord Jesus. When two of John's disciples began to seek Jesus out, Jesus took the initiative to invite them into his company. He did not wait for them to get his attention. Instead he met them halfway. He asked them one of the most fundamental questions of life: "What are you looking for?" Jesus asks each one of us the same question:"What are you searching for? Do you know the meaning and purpose for your life?" Only God, the Father and Author of life, can answer that question and make our purpose fully known to us. That is why the Lord Jesus invites each one of us to draw near to himself. He wants us to know him personally - to know what he came to do for us and what he wants to offer us.

"Come and see"

"Come and see" is the Lord's invitation for each one of us to discover the joy of friendship and communion with the One who made us in love for love. Saint Augustine of Hippo reminds us that it is God, our Creator and Redeemer, who seeks us out, even when we are not looking for him: "If you hadn't been called by God, what could you have done to turn back? Didn't the very One who called you when you were opposed to Him make it possible for you to turn back?" It is God who initiates and who draws us to himself. Without his mercy and help we could not find him on our own.

When we find something of great value it's natural to want to share the good news of our discovery with our family, friends, and neighbors. When Andrew met Jesus and discovered that he was truly the Messiah, he immediately went to his brother Simon and told him the good news. Andrew brought his brother to meet Jesus so he could "come and see" for himself. When Jesus saw Simon approaching he immediately reached out to Simon in the same way he had done for Andrew earlier. Jesus looked at Simon and revealed that he knew who Simon was and where he came from even before Simon had set his eyes on Jesus. Jesus gave Simon a new name which signified that God had a personal call and mission for him. Jesus gave Simon the name "Cephas" which is the Aramaic word for "rock". Cephas is translated as Peter (Petros in Greek and Petrus in Latin) which also literally means "rock".

To call someone a "rock" was one of the greatest compliments in the ancient world. The rabbis had a saying that when God saw Abraham, he exclaimed: "I have discovered a rock to found the world upon." Through Abraham God established a nation for himself. Through faith Peter grasped who Jesus truly was - the Anointed One (Messiah and Christ) and the only begotten Son of God. The New Testament describes the church as a spiritual house or temple with each member joined together as living stones (see 1 Peter 2:5). Faith in Jesus Christ makes us into rocks or spiritual stones. The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of faith to know the Lord Jesus personally, power to live the gospel faithfully, and courage to witness the truth and joy of the Gospel to others. The Lord Jesus is ever ready to draw us to himself. Do you seek to grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus Christ?

"Lord Jesus Christ, fill me with the power of your Holy Spirit that I may grow in the knowledge of your great love and truth. Let your Spirit be aflame in my heart that I may joyfully seek to do your will in all things."

The following reflection is from One Bread, One Body courtesy of Presentation Ministries © 2021.

SLEEPY HEAD

“Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was.” —1 Samuel 3:3

Will you sleep through 2021 or will you wake up and answer God’s call? Many people, even religious people, will tell you to “go back to sleep” (1 Sm 3:5, 6). Instead, you should turn to God and say: “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening” (1 Sm 3:9).

2021 can be the greatest year of your life. “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9). Some of those reading this will die and go to heaven this year. Others may be just moments from hell unless they repent and turn to Jesus. Some will make the most important decisions and face the greatest challenges of their lives in 2021.

If we knew what will happen internationally in 2021, we would immediately fall on our knees in prayer. “That is why we read: ‘Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.’ Keep careful watch over your conduct. Do not act like fools, but like thoughtful men. Make the most of the present opportunity, for these are evil days. Do not continue in ignorance but try to discern the will of the Lord” (Eph 5:14-17; cf Rm 13:11; 1 Thes 5:6).

Prayer:  Father, thank You for creating me to live for You in 2021.

Promise:  “You must know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is within — the Spirit you have received from God. You are not your own. You have been purchased, and at a price. So, glorify God in your body.” —1 Cor 6:19-20

Praise:  “He will give a new form to this lowly body of ours and remake it according to the pattern of His glorified body, by His power to subject everything to Himself” (Phil 3:21). Praise the risen Jesus!

Reference:  (For a related teaching on Holy Spirit Our Hope, order, listen to, or download our CD 81-3 or DVD 81 on our website.)

Rescript:  "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for One Bread, One Body covering the period from December 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 14, 2020"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements