#moses citizen and me

[dragoneyes618]

On February 5th, 1840, the Syrian Jewish community was thrown into peril when Father Thomas, an Italian monk, and his Muslim servant, Ibrahim Amara, disappeared in Damascus. Despite there being no evidence of the Jews’ involvement — in fact, historians think it’s more likely that Father Thomas was murdered by a local Turkish muleteer — the good citizens of Damascus could never lose an opportunity to scapegoat a Jew. Accusations of “blood matzos” spread rapidly (a common justification for many European blood libels), and thus began what became known as the Damascus affair. At the time, the city was governed by the (anti-Semitic) French consul, Ulysse de Ratti-Menton, who ordered a search of the Jewish quarter. While his hunt did not unearth any stored blood or bodies, Ulysse de Ratti-Menton was not about to let a small matter of literally no evidence get in the way of his convictions. A Jewish barber named Solomon Negrin was arbitrarily pulled off the street and tortured until he “confessed” that the monk had been killed in the house of David Harari — a wealthy member of the community — by seven Jews, who were rounded up before they could flee.

Meir Farhi, another wealthy Jew, was indicted in the disappearance of Ibrahim Amara. The Damascus authorities were furious that he escaped before they arrived to arrest him. Determined to drive him out of hiding, they began to whip his toddler son. After being forced to watch her son receive 300 lashes, and nearly bleed to death, a distraught Mrs. Farhi gave the authorities her husband’s location (along with a bribe for “humane” treatment), and he was promptly imprisoned.

In the interim, none of the seven “conspirators” in Father Thomas’s murder confessed, despite being tortured. Wanting a “confession,” as they still didn’t have any physical proof, Damascus authorities abducted 63 Jewish children (along with their mothers) and refused to release them until someone owned up. Aslan Farhi, a brother of Meir Farhi, confessed to the murder under torture.

While the Christians and Muslims had found their “murderers,” they still hadn’t located the bodies or the blood. Investigators eventually found some animal bones in the sewer, and claimed they belonged to Thomas and Amara. A local physician refused to certify that they were human bones and suggested they be forwarded to Europe for confirmation, but the French consul decided that would be too much effort — he had all the proof he needed.

Jewish communities worldwide were horrified about the blood libel, and even more so about the fact that the greater world accepted it as justified. No one in Europe rose to the defense of the Damascus Jewish community, or even questioned the obvious discrepancies in the case. But before the American Jewish community could take action, President Martin Van Buren spoke up.

Though the State Department issued an official statement condemning the situation in Damascus, President Van Buren wasn’t content to just send his “thoughts and prayers,” and instructed his government to pressure and influence the Sultan as well.

The American consul in Constantinople, David Porter, received the following message: “…As the scene of these barbarities are in the Mahomedan dominions, and as such inhuman practices are not of infrequent occurrence in the East, the President has directed me to instruct you do to everything in your power with the Government of his Imperial Highness, the Sultan to whom you are accredited… to prevent or mitigate these horrors…”

Mr. Porter’s pressure campaign (along with some assistance from the British and French governments) forced Pasha Muhammed Ali, the Ottoman Viceroy and ruler of Egypt and Syria, to end the torture and imprisonment of the Jewish prisoners who were still alive. Additionally, the American ambassador (along with Moses Montefiore) was able to secure an Ottoman imperial decree declaring that the blood libel had “not the least foundation in truth,” and that Jews “shall possess the same advantages and enjoy the same privileges” as his other subjects — most notably the free exercise of their religion.

While the American Jewish communities arranged protests in New York, Boston, Charleston, and Philadelphia, these rallies took place two weeks after the President intervened. His actions were a matter of conscience, not the result of political pressure or lobbying.

Source

[girlactionfigure]

Know Thine enemy

I am not a Jew and I’m not a citizen of Israel. I haven’t even visited Israel. I don’t trace my religion back to a holy site in Jerusalem and I don’t have a problem with Arabs or Muslims or Christians. I’ve read about Abraham, Moses, David and Solomon; the Umayyads, the Abbasids and the Ottomans; I know about the British, the Balfour declaration, Ben Gurion and Golda Meir. I know a bit about the Six-Day War and the Intifada. I might not have any personal stake in the Holy Land, but humanity certainly does - and I’m a human being.

The women, men, children, elderly people and soldiers who were kidnapped, tortured, raped, humiliated and murdered on Saturday by Hamas in sovereign Israel were human beings too.

Those who did it to them are not.

Imagine what kind of rational and ethical gymnastics you have to do to justify the cold-blooded murder of teenagers at a music festival; or watching a child, perhaps 5 years old, being prodded with a stick and made to cry for his mother in Hebrew while children of a similar age laugh and mock him? We don’t know that child’s fate and for all we know what followed may have been much worse. It’s depraved. To even enter a conversation about these disgraceful facts with a rehearsed retort about territory or Gaza being an “open-air prison” reeks of moral bankruptcy.

If you wail and scream about your land, dignity, rights, oppression and poverty but are willing to murder, rape, kidnap, torture or humiliate children; then I don’t have to listen to your reasons. When the video footage, photographs and stories of Saturday’s carnage come not from "Israeli propaganda” but from the Hamas terrorists themselves, then how am I to read anything else into it but that you want credit for these atrocities? You want me to know you did it. You want me to know you are proud of it. You want me to see you for who you are. Well, I do.

So, if you swarmed the Israeli Embassy in London, waving Palestinian flags and calling for genocide; if you went down to Times Square to celebrate a victory for decolonisation against “apartheid Israel”; if you sang along to “gas the Jews” chants at the Sydney Opera House or hung a “one settler, one bullet” Palestinian flag over Grayston bridge in Johannesburg then you’re telling me who you are. Well, I see you - and you’re my enemy.

I’m one of those people who believe civilisation is a real thing, and I’ve resisted the poison of moral relativists in the humanities departments of universities across the west who think that being nuanced about the idea of civilisation versus barbarism is a signal of intellectual prowess or critical self-reflection. Upon even a cursory investigation of these people or their positions, you will find every sign of pedestrian intelligence and self-absorbed navel-gazing, combined with a fetishisation of victimhood and always concomitant humourlessness. They too, are my enemies.

It is always interesting to note that only western liberal democracies tolerate and give succour to the most heinous arguments and positions in public protests. You couldn’t picket on the side of quite laudable things like education for girls in Taliban Afghanistan, gay rights in Syria, or against the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. The Ayatollahs of Iran wouldn’t allow women to protest the hijab there under threats of violence. But London, New York, Sydney and even Johannesburg will embrace marches where people actively call for genocide. This is not how allies behave.

Perhaps when the dust has settled we can examine the insidious links between Anglo-American leftism and antisemitism, between Europe never reckoning with what happened in the holocaust and their growing Muslim populations, and between ignorant regimes like mine in South Africa and their determination to stand alongside the worst human-rights abusers in the Middle East.

For now, it’s no big mystery that this has nothing to do with the existence of the State of Israel and everything to do with Jew-hatred - that great, festering wound in the side of humanity from which all prejudice flows. It has been there for thousands of years and every time we think it has healed, some monstrous collective claws it open again.

Hamas aren’t hiding the ball. Their leader, Ismail Haniyeh, safely skulking in Qatar, made this clear. He celebrated dead Jews, not territory won, nor Gazan lives saved.

I’m afraid there are only two sides in a war - your allies and your enemies. On September 11th, 2001, I knew whose side I was on. I feel the same today.

Gareth

Gareth Cliff

[secular-jew]

So you admit that even when a holy book instructs or excuses horrific acts to other people that doesn’t make the religion itself or its followers inherently evil?

Because for every fucked up thing in Muslim holy books I’m sure I can find something similar in other holy books or stories, just because one religion “doesn’t do it anymore” doesn’t mean the religion is inherently one of peace.

If your problem is solely with people’s actions then direct your ire towards those actions

But if you hate the beliefs behind these actions, then be consistent and hate ALL similar beliefs

There are people trying to fulfill a cow based prophecy in Israel right now so it’s not like wacko’s don’t exist in Judaism to.

There is a difference. Muslim caliphs, mullahs, and sheiks are constantly preaching the Quran to their flocks every week, and they are repeating the calls to Jihad, the destruction of an Israel, attacks on Jews and other Kafirs. And so, there are 5 murderous attacks, per day, documented, by those shouting Allahu Akbar, our Islamic God is Great, we are killing the unbelievers in Allah's name." 5 per day, 2,000 per year since these attacks have been documented starting in 2001, post 9-11, an Allahu Akbar event I witnessed personally, and lost 2 female colleagues who were killed in barbaric manner while doing their day jobs in the World Trade Center. Some of these 46.262 Allahu Akbar attacks have resulted in 1-5 deaths, some 200, and some 3,000.

This is not happening in Christianity or in Judaism, nor in Buddhism or Taoism.

Maybe you can tell me, how many Jews have blown up airplanes or flown them into civilian buildings? How many Buddhists have killed 200 people dancing at a beach bar? How many upset or ultra-orthodox Protestants kidnapped hundreds of Nigerian or Yazidi girls, and used them as personal sex slaves? How many Zoroastrians have blown up buses and pizzerias? Sure, Jews have wackos - every religion does.

I used to think that all religions were peaceful save for a few extremists, up until 9-11, after which I did an intense amount of research into the history of Islam and of Jihad (both are intensely and deliberately intertwined). Also, it turns out, Mohammad was no Moses and no Jesus. He's not like other actual prophets.

What I learned is that the effed up Islamic trilogy (Quran, Hadiths, Sirah) is very dangerous, is militaristic and political, and ~60% of the texts instruct Muslims, specifically, how to treat others (non-Muslims, Kafirs, unbelievers) as 2nd class citizens at best, and corpses at worst. This is a major and defining difference. I won't get into all the nuances bc it would take an entire book.

[lullydoesstuff]

"The Plagues" - a 76th Hunger Games concept

This idea lives 24/7 in my mind and it's not even paying me rent, so I have to let it out and share it with someone. I love the Hunger Games saga, I can't wait for the next book, but now I absolutely want to talk about a 76th edition concept.

So, we need to send a message with this edition and Capitol City has to pay for what they did, maybe not everyone, but for sure rich, wealthy and powerful families that could do at least something to stop the games surely have to. And we need to punish them once for all for their 75 years lasting dictatorship; nothing's better than representing this with God's Wrath.

Remember what happened in the Bible when the Egyptian pharaoh didn't want to let Moses and Jews go away? God sent the ten plagues. This sounds familiar, it's similar to Panem's situation, isn't it?

So, in this edition, the tributes are reaped amongst those families' firstborns (keep that info for later, we'll need that).

Our arena will be an ancient Egypt inspired city, the weapons they can have are mainly kopeshes and whips, but there are also venomous snakes and the desert is very cold at night so this alone is dangerous.

We'll base our arena events on the ten plagues and you know, they're already deadly and this situation would be very hard to face but Capitol City always wanted a show from the Hunger Games, and we'll give them one.

I mean, sending random people in an arena, dressed up as some ancient Egyptian folk? I don't know, kinda boring to watch, and... they were all from the high class, they're friends and maybe they could refuse to fight each other, the plagues are dangerous but, as I said, we want a show.

We can subject the tributes to mental control (MK ultra or stuff like that) so we can convince them they're not Capitol citizens but they think they're a pharaoh, his wife, the visir, a merchant, a slave, a priest of some god, so in the arena they'll think they are actual Egyptian people. This is how you put on a show.

We have the arena, we have the tributes and we also know what arena events there will be, but... let's try to imagine what could happen for a moment.

The first day would be calm until water stars changing into blood, this would lead to a general confusion and maybe the tributes would ask the priest what's happening and he wouldn't know, the next days frogs, mosquitos and flies would invade the arena and after this the tributes would most likely start a riot against the pharaoh and his wife, once the rebellion is sedated animals they used for food die, and the tributes (TRIGGER WARNING) are forced to rely on cannibalism, but anyone who ate another tribute will start to have burns on thier body that eventually infect and ice and fire start raining, once the rain is over a swarm of grasshoppers attacks the tribute, after the attack the night lasts a whole day and in this moment the effects of the mind control start to fade, tributes are now confused, some remember who they are, some are still "in character" and some are simply getting ABSOLUTELY CRAZY.

And when chaos spreads we have the last plague: death of the firstborns.

... does this make me a horrible person? I'M 100% SURE IT DOES.

But I really wanted to post it and if I wasn't the queen of procrastination I'd probably write a fanfic on it.

[determinate-negation]

This example, of course, represents virtually the outer line, but even for those who continued to think of themselves as Jewish, German culture was the only valid culture. All that remained from Judaism were some ritualistic hangovers (such as a trip to the synagogue on Yom Kippur) and biblical monotheism. The exemplars of wisdom were no longer Moses or Solomon, but rather Lessing and Goethe, Schiller and Kant. Schiller in particular was truly venerated: his Complete Works were required in the library of every self-respecting German or Austrian Jew (when my parents left Vienna in 1935, they took their copy with them). In Germany, the most resolute assimilationist current was the Central-Verein deutscher Staatsbürger jüdischen Glaubens [Central Association of German Citizens of Jewish Denomination]. Describing this social milieu (to which his own family belonged), Gershom Scholem noted:

"Education and readings were oriented exclusively to Germany, and in the majority of cases, any dissidence, notably in the direction of a return to Judaism, was met with decided opposition. Assimilation ran very deep. Each time, they emphasized over and over, albeit with slight differences, that we belonged to the German nation, at the center of which we formed a religious group, like the others. What was even more paradoxical was that in the majority of the cases, the religious element – which was the only difference – did not exist nor did it exert any influence over how they conducted their lives."

None the less, it would be wrong to regard this thirst for cultural integration as mere opportunism: it could also express sincere and authentic convictions. Even as profoundly religious a Jew as Franz Rosenzweig wrote in 1923, shortly after the publication of his great theological work, Der Stern der Erlösung (The Star of Redemption):

"I believe that my return to Judaism (Verjüdung) made me a better and not a worse German… And I believe that Der Stern will one day be duly recognized and appreciated as a gift that the German mind owes to its Jewish enclave."

Assimilation was successful to a certain degree, but it came up against an insurmountable social barrier. According to Moritz Goldstein’s famous lament of unfulfilled love, which he wrote in 1912 (‘Deutsch-Jüdischer Parnass’), "in vain we think of ourselves as Germans; others think of us as completely un-German [undeutsch]… But were we not raised on German legends? Does not the Germanic forest live within us, can we too not see its elves and its gnomes?"

Assimilation also came up against de facto exclusion from a series of areas: State administration, the armed forces, the magistrature, education – and after 1890 in particular, against growing anti-Semitism, which had its ideologues, activists and press. For all of these reasons, the Jewish communities in Central Europe did not truly integrate into the surrounding society.

–Michael Löwy, Redemption and Utopia: Jewish Libertarian Thought in Central Europe

[ultravioart]

(sigh) Not that I should be surprised considering the track record of suspect OW skins, but do I NEED to explain how messed up it is to make a "Diesel Baron" (or "Oil Baron?") skin that looks like an old school British royal for a character that is SWANA/Indian/Nepalese coded??? And the name of the skin implies the 'Baron' made money due to oil profits... Yet another colonizer skin for a British accented hero, it seems. (side eyes Lifeweaver's "sovereign" skin with powdered wigs...) FYI: The British empire colonized India in a horrendous manner, and yes, used India's oil reserves. This colonial history is horrific, traumatic, and littered with various war crimes on citizens. I needn't go further. The SWANA communities (includes Egypt) have been colonized/attacked repeatedly for oil reserves. This history is horrific, traumatic, and littered with various war crimes on citizens. I needn't go further.

The "Diesel Baron" skin feels very distasteful because of this history. Also, Ramattra is undeniably SWANA coded (Ancient Egyptian god Anubis inspo + 'Moses' character archetype (staff and everything!) + Sadhu aka holy person of Hinduism/Buddhism/Jainism that also was inspo for the Shambali). I get that "Diesel Baron" as a name was most likely chosen out of ignorance of history/implication, like 'Diesel' or 'Oil' is probably only there because it's a robot hero, and 'Baron' only because it's probably(?) a steampunk skin, but seriously... Who approved this?

Even with ALL that said, the skin doesn't even do a 'Ramattra skin' right. It loses Ramattra's identity with this new faceplate. No mane, no iconic Ram triangle 'face' or 'eye' shape, not even a full scarf wrapped at the neck to hint at Ramattra's og silhouette. This skin looks more like BOB (round face, omnic mustache, big collar, belt and pants) than Ramattra! Overall, imo it's a bad Ramattra skin, -500/10 If you enjoy the skin, congrats, I guess! But for me the implications are enough for me to dislike this skin.

[andyxcds]

babel rant

okay so i read babel by r.f kuang and i really cannot stop thinking about it.

like i wrote a long piece of my mind and anyone can read it but it might uhm, ruffle some feathers...

anyways im going to reread this soon, if anyone wants to talk literally dm me or reply.

Babel by R.F. Kuang is a literary masterpiece which explores the concepts of racism, and the consequences of elitism, and can be compared to the likes of the Secret History.

“That's the beauty of learning a new language. It should feel like an enormous undertaking. It ought to intimidate you. It makes you appreciate the complexity of the ones you know already.”

To some extent that seems to be the issue I face when I begin learning a language. There is often some battle in my mind because I am made up of only one tongue. When I speak in English, I think in English. Therefore, when I am told something in the tongue of another, I have no choice but to turn it into something I understand. There is hope that some underlying knowledge is made clear to me when faced with a foreign tongue.

“That's just what translation is, I think. That's all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they're trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands.”

When Kuang takes it out of the context of speaking, translation becomes something of objectivity. It is transformed into a means of understanding in which topics such as feelings, emotions, ideas, and values are given a new perspective. I could elaborate on my feelings to a stranger in hopes they can understand how I feel. I could express my observations to a friend and hope they have observed the same. I could share my ideas to a classroom and pray that they can easily grasp and memorize them. I could proclaim my opinions and values to the world hoping they may be able to act in the same way as I.

“How slender, how fragile, the foundations of an empire. Take away the centre, and what’s left? A gasping periphery, baseless, powerless, cut down at the roots.”

This is where Kuang revealed her prowess. Her plotting was ever so brilliant in the sense that she decidedly recreated the falling of Jericho, Babel, and Egypt. Three of the most influential venues in the Bible. She begins to paint Robin as Joshua, the soldier of God who was an important part of bringing down the walls of Jericho, in the context of bringing down the British empire from striking against those of China. However, she also creates a contrast between the Babel of the Bible and the Babel of the Great Empire of Britain. Finally, she paints Robin, not as Moses, almost rather close to God inflicting plagues upon those of Britain.

As all these come toward the end of the book, it should be observed that Kuang has a habit of inflicting tragedy as a form of hooking the reader. From the beginning of the book, our main character, Robin has already gone through many hardships, although very little of his life before Lovell was reduced to nothing short of a bad memory he prefers to hide from himself. Even his name, his birth name, was something he did not seem to have much reverence for, seeing that he rarely mentioned it to his friends. From my understanding, his personality was extroverted but shy, and level-headed and could walk away when he knew he was close to anger. Careful but painfully addicted to and obsessed with the idea of punishment and being punished. The abuse he faced in Lovell’s home could frankly be blamed for the violence he displayed towards the end. His anger towards his father, himself, and his friends impacted who he chose to become in the face of inevitable death.

“English did not just borrow words from other languages; it was stuffed to the brim with foreign influences, a Frankenstein vernacular. And Robin found it incredible, how this country, whose citizens prided themselves so much on being better than the rest of the world, could not make it through an afternoon tea without borrowed goods.”

Back to the context of Britain, Kuang refers to English being Frankenstein vernacular, imposing that English is a language made of many other languages. Some of these languages include the romance languages– Romanian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian– which originally stem from Vulgar Latin, a language most to all scholars were required to fluent in to work in Babel. She later goes on to establish through the mind of Robin that the Britons were nothing short of hypocritical or rather ignorant to the actions of colonialism. But just as she lets Robin have these opinions of the British, I was equally struck when she wrote further about Robin’s addiction to survival. That was when I tried to put the two together. Robin’s need for indulging in the splendor Babel had offered to him, while understanding that what they were doing was wrong, was almost similar to the British scholars and citizens being aware that they were exploiting resources and knowledge they desperately needed from places they believed were below them. It could also be seen in contrasting tones being that Robin was already self-concious in the way the Britons were greedy and selfish.

“So, you see, translators do not so much deliver a message as the rewrite the original. And herein lies the difficulty - rewriting is still writing, and writing always reflects the authors ideology and biases.”

Here, Kuang brings her story out of a page and into life. She is tackling the understanding that often, pieces of fiction written in foreign languages is more than often given new meaning when translated into another language. This often is impacted by current world issues or bias and the ideologies of the translator. Take the Bible for example, so many editions have been published in English from the original Hebrew; the KJV, NIV, NSIV, and the rather blasphemous Gay Bible (I despise this one personally.) Most people love to argue (some atheists) that the Bible was altered so many times for any of the words in it to be true, and some believe that regardless of what it says, the meaning still stands the same. However, in all the versions I have listed, one doesn’t particularly sit right amongst the rest because it is said to go against some of the principles the other Bibles uphold.

Another example would be the Illiad which I am currently re-reading! I have tackled two different versions of it and somehow one makes more sense than the other, but I feel as though the other is somewhat closer to the original Greek version. Altogether, I mean to say that Kuang has addressed what she may have found to be an issue she may have faced when writing. She states in her Author’s Note that the issue with historical fiction and written history is tht some writers get dates and important things wrong. Imagine how bad that would be when translated fiction was brought into play.

[fuwaprince]

On May 5th, 1962 Malcolm X said in Los Angeles during his Who Taught You To Hate Yourself speech:

"In order for you and me to devise some kind of method or strategy to off-set some of the events, or repetition of the events, that have taken place here in Los Angeles recently, we have to go to the root. We have to go to the cause. Dealing with the condition itself isn't enough. We have to get to the cause of it all or the root of it all. And it is because of our effort toward getting straight to the root that people often times think we are dealing in hate."

"Excuse me if I say so-called... it's hard for me to just outright say 'Negro' when I know what that word 'Negro' really means."

"Here your mother is being raped and you're not supposed to be emotional. Your women can't walk the street without some cracker putting his hands on her and you're not supposed to be emotional. If you say this, you're fed up"

"Twenty million black people don't even know their own language. Why? Because he took it away from them. Twenty million black people who don't even know the history of their ancestors. Why? Because he took it away from them. And if you're trying to tell them how thoroughly and completely they've been robbed, he says you're preaching hate. That's something to think about. Today you are coming out of college. You are coming out of the leading universities. You're trying to go in a good direction but you don't know which direction to go in. And if somebody tries to take you right to the root of your problem, they say that that man is a hate teacher."

"And then again if we tell you that 'Negros' are being hung on the tree or being shot down illegally, unjustly and those 'Negros' should do something to protect themselves, they say you're advocating violence. The white man is TRICKING YOU. He's trapping you. He doesn't call it violence when he lands troops in South Vietnam... He doesn't call it violence when he lands troops in Berlin. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor he didn't say Get Nonviolent. He said Praise The Lord, But Pass The Ammunition. But when someone attacks YOU... When someone comes at YOU with a club. When someone comes at YOU with a rope. When someone comes at YOU with a gun. Despite the fact that you've done nothing... he tells you, SUFFER PEACEFULLY... and how long can you suffer after suffering for 400 years? So I just want to clear up that little point right there, because he says we play on your emotions. And when you turn on your television tonight, or your radio, or read the newspaper- they're going to tell YOU that I was playing on your emotions. Imagine YOU a second class citizen."

"That's not getting emotional, that's getting INTELLIGENT."

"They put Moses in jail. They put Daniel in jail. Why you haven't got a man in the Bible that wasn't put to jail when they started speaking out against exploitation and oppression! They changed Jesus with sedition.

They said he was against Caesar. They said he was discriminating because he told his disciples go not the way of the gentiles- but rather, go to the lost sheep. He discriminated! Don't go to the gentiles, go to the lost sheep! Go to the oppressed... Go to the exploited. Go to the people who don't know who they are. Who are lost from the knowledge of themselves and who are strangers in a land that is not theirs. Go to those people! Go to the slaves! Go to the second class citizens. Go to the ones who are suffering the brunt of Caesars brutality."

"And if Jesus were here in America today, he wouldn't be going to the white man. The white man is the oppressor, he would be going to the oppressed. He would be going to the humble. He would be going to the lowly. He would be going to the rejected and the despised. He would be going to the so-called 'American Negro'"

"Let me tell you something- and I'll tell ya: while you say we hate white people, we don't hate anybody! We LOVE our own people so much they think we hate the ones who are inflicting injustice against them."

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Music For the Soul by Alexander MacLaren

Is My Name Written There?

"Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life" – Revelation 20:12

We read, in the highly imaginative picture of the final judgment, that when the thrones are set, two books are opened, one the Book of Life, the other the book in which are written the deeds of men, and that by these two books men are judged. There is a judgment by conduct. There is also a judgment by the Book of Life, That is to say, the question at last comes to be, " Is this man’s name written in that book? " Is he a citizen of the kingdom, and therefore capable of entering into it? Has he the life from Christ in his heart? Or, in other words, the question is, first, Has the man who stands at the bar faith in Jesus Christ? and, second, Has he proved that his faith is genuine and real by the course of his earthly conduct? These are the books from which the judgment is made. We read further in that blessed vision - the vision of the City of God " that came down from heaven as a bride adorned for her husband " - that only they enter in there who are "written in the Lamb’s Book of Life." Only citizens are capable of entrance into the city; aliens are necessarily shut out. The Lord, when He writeth up His people, shall count that this man was born there, though he never trod its streets while on earth, and therefore can enter into his native home. What need we care what other people may think about us, or whether the "hollow wraith of dying fame" that comes like a nimbus round some men may fade wholly or no, so long as we may be sure of acknowledgment and praise from Him from whom acknowledgment and praise are precious indeed.

Remember that names can be blotted out of the book. The metaphor has often been pressed into the service of a doctrine of unconditional and irreversible predestination. But, rightly looked at, it points in the opposite direction. Remember Moses’s agonized cry, "Blot me out of Thy book," and the Divine answer, " Him that sinneth against Me, his name will I blot out of My book." And remember that it is only to " him that overcometh " that the promise is made, " I will not blot him out." We are made partakers of Christ if we "hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end."

Remember that it depends upon ourselves whether our names are there or not. John Bunyan describes the armed man who came up to the table where the man with the book and the inkhorn was seated, and said, " Set down my name." And you and I may do that. If we cast ourselves on Jesus Christ, and yield our wills to be guided by Him, and give our lives for His service, then He will write our names in His book. If we trust Him we shall be citizens of the City of God, shall be filled with the life of Christ, shall be objects of an individualizing love and care, shall be accepted in that day, and shall enter in through the gates into the city. "They that forsake Me shall be written on the earth," and there wiped out as are the children’s scribbles on the sand when the ocean comes up. They that trust in Jesus Christ shall have their names written in the Book of Life, graven on the High Priest’s breastplate, and inscribed on His mighty hand and His faithful heart.

[theprayerfulword]

July 16

Ephesians 2:19 You are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household.

Colossians 2:9-10 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

Matthew 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Psalm 73:28 …for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.

Psalm 24:3-4 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart…

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

May you find that even in times of great tragedy the foundations will be laid for great victory, even as God established the location for His temple at the time plague devastated Jerusalem because of David's presumptive sin. 1 Chronicles 22

May you work with all your might, filled with excitement and joy over the privilege of having a part in God's plan, remaining obedient to the task you are given and devoting your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. 1 Chronicles 22

May you be confident in the work of God, though you feel young and inexperienced, ill-prepared for the magnificence of the vision, for One Who went before you has made preparation for you; He has fulfilled each of His promises to you, calling you by name and giving you peace and rest around you with strength and life within you. 1 Chronicles 22

May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when He gives you an assignment in His harvest field, so that you may walk in the ways of the Lord, for then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws of the Lord; be strong and courageous and be not afraid or discouraged. 1 Chronicles 22

May you be given eyes to see the riches and abundance of resources you can call upon from God storehouse when doing God's work, for He has mobilized the hosts of heaven to aid, support, and strengthen you as you are obedient to the heavenly calling and the divine vision. 1 Chronicles 22

May you work with an eager heart and willing hands at whatever task is given you, delighting greatly in God's work and being satisfied in the blessing of God's presence, for even the sons of Moses were simply counted among the Levites. 1 Chronicles 23

Be not circumscribed by your own boundaries, My child, or limited by your own understanding. Rather, let the life-giving flow of the Spirit fill you with the heavenly vision that I grant to each one willing to look up to Me and to look out from themselves. In springtime the bud swells and grows on the plant when the life rises from the root. The buds open into the leaves that bring healing and produce the flowers whose fruit brings life to others. Even so, abide in Me as the True Vine, receiving the ministry of the Spirit and the life of the Word to share with those I bring you to. Recall, My child, that I did not receive the in-dwelling of the Spirit and the anointing of the Father to live to Myself in a quiet corner of the land; instead, I addressed the congregations of the faithful and spoke in the market-places of the cities to those who would listen. I did not remain in the obscurity of My “father's” carpentry shop but stepped out into the work My Father assigned Me. As you seek Me in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, My peace, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your heart and mind. With My peace bringing quiet and rest to your thoughts and emotions, you will be able to hear the soft, gentle whisper of My Spirit giving the direction and the leading for the next step. In trust and confidence you can move forward, not looking back, but setting your mind on the things that are above. Be sober of spirit and alert of mind, for not all to whom you speak will be in agreement with the words that I give. My words, since they are Truth, bring division and polarization because My Spirit, watching over My Word to perform it, convicts the hearers of sin and righteousness and judgment. Those who know the fear of God and who hunger for the righteousness of Christ will answer the call, but those who prefer the darkness will allow the adversary to influence their words and deeds to move against all who bear My name. Do not be afraid or allow yourself to be distracted, but stay fixed on the heavenly vision and calling you have received. As you persist in the work and endure to the end, you will find that though the way to the crown is through the cross, My grace is sufficient. Reach out, My dear one, beyond yourself, and meet Me where the paths of others cross yours.

May you know the fear of God and keep it before your eyes so that you may find the way of peace as you seek God and His understanding, lest ruin and misery mark your way as it does for those without hope. Romans 3

May you not boast of what you have done, or rehearse all you have accomplished, relying on your deeds to defend or reward you, but know and accept your own guilt, seeking with hope the righteousness from God, which comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe Him to be the Son of God. Romans 3

May you always hold the Word of God dear to your heart and ever consider the laws of God holy, for He Who has left the sins you committed beforehand unpunished to demonstrate His justice, has expressed His faithful nature and exposed His caring heart in the scriptures He has given. Romans 3

May the Lord help when the godly are not to be seen and the faithful have vanished from among men, for then lies and deception are found everywhere, and men will claim to control their own lips and be their own masters until God cuts them off, for the words of the Lord are flawless like silver purified seven times, refined in a clay furnace. Psalm 12

May the Lord keep you safe and protect you forever from those who malign you because the wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men. Psalm 12

May you give praise to God and extend thanks to the Lord for an insightful, prudent, and understanding spouse. Proverbs 19:14

[rockyroadsmith]

What do you think are the monsters backstories? Besides Suezo Mocchi, since we already know theirs. Like, I always wondered what Hare was doing before he met Fairy Hare and Wild Hare. Or why Golem decided to stay at the fortress, etc. Monsters have to be unlocked, right, so did they have a partner before who unlocked them then left? Hmm...

Thank you for the very interesting ask! This is definitely a question I’ve thought about a lot over the years and I have a few theories for each! I always hated that they never really go into Tiger, Hare, and Golem’s pasts even though they give us little crumbs to eat. It’s definitely frustrating!

For Tiger, we know he was unlocked along with Gray Wolf, although he never says by who. The first real memory we see of these two is when they’re in a crate drifting down a river. If we look at lore and popular usage of this scenario, babies being sent down a river, like Moses, is usually a desperate last attempt to protect the baby from being killed. Even if Moo wasn’t around yet, there’s always evil in the world, so this makes me wonder if the Tiger brothers were unlocked by a human and with the threat of their village being under attack, the person who unlocked them put them in a crate and sent them down the river to save them. Tiger and Gray Wolf, being so young, most likely didn’t understand what was happening and took this as a sign of being abandoned by the human, which started their distrust for humans all together. I think from there, everything turned into survival and the two brothers had to learn quickly how to fend for themselves. I think at first they stuck to hunting and fishing, like we see in some of the flashbacks, but as they became more worldly, they found stealing supplies from humans was far more efficient. I think the Tiger brothers started frequently stealing from human travelers and the more infamous they became, the more rouge monsters also became interested in them. It’s interesting because we see Tiger only allowed other Tiger breeds to join his group of bandits, such as Daton and Datonare, so he must not have trusted other monsters. At this point, they would have their encounter with Moo, where Moo would ultimately abduct Gray Wolf and would give Tiger his trademark scar. After that, I think Tiger just continued his normal way of life since without Gray Wolf, he had lost his reason for existing. Running into the Searchers would change this, however, and would begin his journey to save his brother. :3

Hare must have been pretty poorly off at some point, which caused his obsession with money. I think Hare was unlocked by a human who wasn’t exactly an upstanding citizen, which is where he learned his con artist way of life. At some point, I can see a robbery going wrong and the human throwing Hare under the bus, which is what cemented his distrust and more negative views of humans. Something like this would have been very traumatic for Hare, too, which would make him less trusting of others. At some point he would have met Fairy Hare and Wild Hare, and in the flashbacks we see they all look the same as they did in the present, so I think this means Hare probably traveled alone for years until he met these two. The trio of Hares would go on to steal from anyone, and at some point of them being together, Moo was revived. Wild Hare began to feel jealous of how close Hare and Fairy Hare had become, and he ultimately sides with Moo and sells out his two friends. Unaware of the betrayal, Hare looks for his two friends, but after having no luck finding them, he goes back on the road alone. Over time, Hare becomes more obsessed with money, for it’s the only constant thing in his life and the only thing that hasn’t left him behind. Eventually he enters a tournament where he meets another notorious thief, Tiger of the Wind, and his life changes forever.

To me, Golem is one of the most interesting and mysterious characters in the entire show. His past is so shrouded in mystery and I have so many questions about him. In the Japanese version of episode 3, Golem tells the Searchers a little about the mass grave of Lost Discs he guards and that they were from ancient times. He states that his task is to soothe the souls of the dead and it’s one he’ll do for all of eternity. An interesting quote from him in the Japanese version is “My family will always guard this grave…”. Note the fact he mentions that his family also guarded the Lost Discs, meaning Golem actually had a family at one point, although we don’t know what happened to them and they’re never mentioned again. We also know the ancient people were highly advanced, so the more medieval style of the castle doesn’t really fit with the theme of the actual ancients we know about who created monsters. I think, perhaps, the people who built that castle and who’s Lost Discs Golem was guarding were from older times, but not quite from the same time as the ancients. This would also better align with the fact we know a king and his army went to kill Moo only a couple year prior to Genki being brought into the monster world as Suezo states this in episode 2, so this style of medieval culture is still practiced even to the current day while the ways of the ancients was destroyed during the original war with Moo and the Phoenix. I think that Golem’s family (or what he perceived as family, since even Tiger mentioned him and Gray Wolf are most likely not biologically related and were just unlocked at the same time) were guardians to whichever king the castle belonged to. The kingdom went through several different wars, each with terrible casualties, until a final war brought the castle down completely. I think throughout these wars, each time one of Golem’s ancestors was killed, the king would revive a new Golem breed in their place, much like Bossy with the Apes. One interesting trait of Golem that we see in episode 3 but is never used again, is his berserker state. We see him get so upset that he wipes out the entire troop of Jells, even the ones who tried to flee for their lives. I wonder if this was a trait his family had, as well, and that many of the Lost Discs found at the castle were casualties of them entering this berserker state. One thing we find out is every flower in the grave of Lost Discs grew from one of Golem’s tears and there’s tons of flowers in the area. I wonder if these were tears of guilt, perhaps from times in Golem’s past where he went into the berserker state and killed more monsters defending the ruined kingdom without meaning to kill them. I think Golem spent his entire life just guarding the ruined castle alone, just as he had been ordered to do so, until he meets the Searchers. It would explain a lot of his innocent and naive tendencies since he hadn’t seen the outside world for himself until he met Genki and the others.

These are just some theories, is all! There are definitely a lot of questions left unanswered in this series!

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

25th November >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Saturday. Thirty Third Week in Ordinary Time 

or

Pope Saint Clement I, Martyr 

or

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin, Martyr 

or

Saint Colman of Cloyne, Bishop 

or

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 

Saturday. Thirty Third Week in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Colour: Green: A (1))

First Reading 1 Maccabees 6:1-13 'I remember the wrong I did in Jerusalem'.

King Antiochus was making his way across the upper provinces; he had heard that in Persia there was a city called Elymais, renowned for its riches, its silver and gold, and its very wealthy temple containing golden armour, breastplates and weapons, left there by Alexander son of Philip, the king of Macedon, the first to reign over the Greeks. He therefore went and attempted to take the city and pillage it, but without success, since the citizens learnt of his intention, and offered him a stiff resistance, whereupon he turned about and retreated, disconsolate, in the direction of Babylon. But while he was still in Persia news reached him that the armies that had invaded the land of Judah had been defeated, and that Lysias in particular had advanced in massive strength, only to be forced to turn and flee before the Jews; these had been strengthened by the acquisition of arms, supplies and abundant spoils from the armies they had cut to pieces; they had overthrown the abomination he had erected over the altar in Jerusalem, and had encircled the sanctuary with high walls as in the past, and had fortified Bethzur, one of his cities. When the king heard this news he was amazed and profoundly shaken; he threw himself on his bed and fell into a lethargy from acute disappointment, because things had not turned out for him as he had planned. And there he remained for many days, subject to deep and recurrent fits of melancholy, until he understood that he was dying. Then summoning all his Friends, he said to them, ‘Sleep evades my eyes, and my heart is cowed by anxiety. I have been asking myself how I could have come to such a pitch of distress, so great a flood as that which now engulfs me – I who was so generous and well-loved in my heyday. But now I remember the wrong I did in Jerusalem when I seized all the vessels of silver and gold there, and ordered the extermination of the inhabitants of Judah for no reason at all. This, I am convinced, is why these misfortunes have overtaken me, and why I am dying of melancholy in a foreign land.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 9A(9):2-4,6,16,19

R/ I will rejoice in your saving help, O Lord.

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will recount all your wonders. I will rejoice in you and be glad, and sing psalms to your name, O Most High.

R/ I will rejoice in your saving help, O Lord.

See how my enemies turn back, how they stumble and perish before you. You have checked the nations, destroyed the wicked; you have wiped out their name for ever and ever.

R/ I will rejoice in your saving help, O Lord.

The nations have fallen in the pit which they made, their feet caught in the snare they laid; for the needy shall not always be forgotten nor the hopes of the poor be in vain.

R/ I will rejoice in your saving help, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation cf. Luke 8:15

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are those who, with a noble and generous heart, take the word of God to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance. Alleluia!

Or: cf. 2 Timothy 1:10

Alleluia, alleluia! Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death and he has proclaimed life through the Good News. Alleluia!

Gospel Luke 20:27-40 In God all men are alive.

Some Sadducees – those who say that there is no resurrection – approached Jesus and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, that if a man’s married brother dies childless, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Well then, there were seven brothers. The first, having married a wife, died childless. The second and then the third married the widow. And the same with all seven, they died leaving no children. Finally the woman herself died. Now, at the resurrection, to which of them will she be wife since she had been married to all seven?’

Jesus replied, ‘The children of this world take wives and husbands, but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection they are sons of God. And Moses himself implies that the dead rise again, in the passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men are in fact alive.’

Some scribes then spoke up. ‘Well put, Master’ they said – because they would not dare to ask him any more questions.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

-------------------------

Pope Saint Clement I, Martyr   

(Liturgical Colour: Red: A (1))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading 1 Peter 5:1-4 Watch over the flock, not simply as a duty but gladly.

Now I have something to tell your elders: I am an elder myself, and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, and with you I have a share in the glory that is to be revealed. Be the shepherds of the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a duty but gladly, because God wants it; not for sordid money, but because you are eager to do it. Never be a dictator over any group that is put in your charge, but be an example that the whole flock can follow. When the chief shepherd appears, you will be given the crown of unfading glory.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 88(89):2-5,21-22,25,27

R/ I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord; through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever, that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.

R/ I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: I will establish your dynasty for ever and set up your throne through all ages.

R/ I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

‘I have found David my servant and with my holy oil anointed him. My hand shall always be with him and my arm shall make him strong.

R/ I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

‘My truth and my love shall be with him; by my name his might shall be exalted. He will say to me: “You are my father, my God, the rock who saves me.”’

R/ I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation Mark 1:17

Alleluia, alleluia! Follow me, says the Lord, and I will make you into fishers of men. Alleluia!

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

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

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

--------------------------

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin, Martyr 

(Liturgical Colour: Red: A (1))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Apocalypse 21:5-7 I will give water from the well of life to anybody who is thirsty.

The One sitting on the throne spoke: ‘Now I am making the whole of creation new’ he said. ‘Write this: that what I am saying is sure and will come true.’ And then he said, ‘It is already done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give water from the well of life free to anybody who is thirsty; it is the rightful inheritance of the one who proves victorious; and I will be his God and he a son to me.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 123(124):2-5,7-8

R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

If the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us, then would they have swallowed us alive when their anger was kindled.

R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

Then would the waters have engulfed us, the torrent gone over us; over our head would have swept the raging waters.

R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

Indeed the snare has been broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

Gospel Acclamation Matthew 5:10

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Alleluia!

Or: John 17:19

Alleluia, alleluia! For their sake I consecrate myself, so that they too may be consecrated in the truth. Alleluia!

Or: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed be God, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows. Alleluia!

Or: James 1:12

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy the man who stands firm, for he has proved himself, and will win the crown of life. Alleluia!

Or: 1 Peter 4:14

Alleluia, alleluia! It is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ, for the Spirit of God rests on you. Alleluia!

Or: cf. Te Deum

Alleluia, alleluia! We praise you, O God, we acknowledge you to be the Lord; the noble army of martyrs praise you, O Lord. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 10:28-33 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body.

Jesus said to his apostles: ‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows. ‘So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

------------------------------

Saint Colman of Cloyne, Bishop 

(Liturgical Colour: White: A (1))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

Either:

First Reading Exodus 32:7-14 Moses pleads with the Lord his God to spare Israel.

The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have apostatised. They have been quick to leave the way I marked out for them; they have made themselves a calf of molten metal and have worshipped it and offered it sacrifice. “Here is your God, Israel,” they have cried “who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘I can see how headstrong these people are! Leave me, now, my wrath shall blaze out against them and devour them; of you, however, I will make a great nation.’

But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘why should your wrath blaze out against this people of yours whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with arm outstretched and mighty hand? Why let the Egyptians say, “Ah, it was in treachery that he brought them out, to do them to death in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth”? Leave your burning wrath; relent and do not bring this disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, your servants to whom by your own self you swore and made this promise: I will make your offspring as many as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I promised I will give to your descendants, and it shall be their heritage for ever.’ So the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

OR: --------

First reading Deuteronomy 10:8-9 The Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to do him service

Moses said to the people: ‘The Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand in the presence of the Lord, to do him service and in his name to pronounce blessing as they still do today. Levi therefore has no share or inheritance with his brothers: the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God told him.’

OR: --------

First reading 1 Samuel 16:1,6-13 David is anointed by Samuel

The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.’ Samuel purified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed one stands there before him’, but the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.’ Jesse then called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’ Jesse then presented Shammah, but Samuel said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’ Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ He then asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ He answered, ‘There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep.’ Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes.’ Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing. The Lord said, ‘Come, anoint him, for this is the one.’ At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord seized on David and stayed with him from that day on.

OR: --------

First reading Isaiah 6:1-2,3-8 'Here I am: send me'

In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord of Hosts seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary; above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings. And they cried out to one another in this way,

‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. His glory fills the whole earth.’

The foundations of the threshold shook with the voice of the one who cried out, and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said:

‘What a wretched state I am in! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of Hosts.’

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in his hand a live coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this he touched my mouth and said:

‘See now, this has touched your lips, your sin is taken away, your iniquity is purged.’

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:

‘Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?’

I answered, ‘Here I am, send me.’

OR: --------

First reading Isaiah 52:7-10 Rejoice, for the Lord is consoling his people

How beautiful on the mountains, are the feet of one who brings good news, who heralds peace, brings happiness, proclaims salvation, and tells Zion, ‘Your God is king!’

Listen! Your watchmen raise their voices, they shout for joy together, for they see the Lord face to face, as he returns to Zion.

Break into shouts of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord is consoling his people, redeeming Jerusalem.

The Lord bares his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

OR: --------

First reading Isaiah 61:1-3 He has sent me to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken;

to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison; to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord, a day of vengeance for our God,

to comfort all those who mourn and to give them for ashes a garland; for mourning robe the oil of gladness, for despondency, praise.

OR: --------

First reading Jeremiah 1:4-9 Go and say whatever I command you and do not fear

The word of the Lord was addressed to me, saying,

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations.’

I said, ‘Ah, Lord; look, I do not know how to speak: I am a child!’

But the Lord replied, ‘Do not say, “I am a child.” Go now to those to whom I send you and, say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to protect you – it is the Lord who speaks!’

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me:

‘There! I am putting my words into your mouth.’

OR: --------

First reading Ezekiel 3:17-21 Warn the wicked man, and you will live

The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, I have appointed you as sentry to the House of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from me, warn them in my Name. If I say to a wicked man, “You are to die,” and you do not warn him; if you do not speak and warn him to renounce his evil ways and so live, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, however, you do warn a wicked man and he does not renounce his wickedness and his evil ways, then he shall die for his sin, but you yourself will have saved your life. When the upright man renounces his integrity to do evil and I set a trap for him, he too shall die; since you failed to warn him, he shall die for his sin and the integrity he practised will no longer be remembered; but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, however, you warn the upright man not to sin and he abstains from sinning, he shall live, thanks to your warning, and you too will have saved your life.’

OR: --------

First reading Ezekiel 34:11-16 I will look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view

The Lord God says this: I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view. As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when he stands up in the middle of his scattered sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered during the mist and darkness. I shall bring them out of the countries where they are; I shall gather them together from foreign countries and bring them back to their own land. I shall pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in every inhabited place in the land. I shall feed them in good pasturage; the high mountains of Israel will be their grazing ground. There they will rest in good grazing ground; they will browse in rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. I myself will pasture my sheep, I myself will show them where to rest – it is the Lord who speaks. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 88(89):2-5,21-22,25,27

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord; through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever, that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: I will establish your dynasty for ever and set up your throne through all ages.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

‘I have found David my servant and with my holy oil anointed him. My hand shall always be with him and my arm shall make him strong.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

‘My truth and my love shall be with him; by my name his might shall be exalted. He will say to me: “You are my father, my God, the rock who saves me.”’

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation Mt23:9,10

Alleluia, alleluia! You have only one Father, and he is in heaven; you have only one Teacher, the Christ. Alleluia!

Or: Mt28:19,20

Alleluia, alleluia! Go, make disciples of all the nations. I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. Alleluia!

Or: Mk1:17

Alleluia, alleluia! Follow me, says the Lord, and I will make you into fishers of men. Alleluia!

Or: Lk4:18

Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives. Alleluia!

Or: Jn10:14

Alleluia, alleluia! I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my own sheep and my own know me. Alleluia!

Or: Jn15:5

Alleluia, alleluia! I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty, says the Lord. Alleluia!

Or: 2Co5:19

Alleluia, alleluia! God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled. Alleluia!

EITHER: --------

Gospel Matthew 9:35-37 The harvest is rich but the labourers are few

Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness. And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’

OR: --------

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

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

OR: --------

Gospel Matthew 23:8-12 The greatest among you must be your servant

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will exalted.’

OR: --------

Gospel Matthew 28:16-20 Go and make disciples of all nations

The eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’

OR: --------

Gospel Mark 1:14-20 I will make you into fishers of men

After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’ As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him. Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.

OR: --------

Gospel Mark 16:15-20 Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News

Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them: ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’ And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 5:1-11 They left everything and followed him

Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point. When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 10:1-9 Your peace will rest on that man

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.”’

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 22:24-30 I confer a kingdom on you, just as the Father conferred one on me

A dispute arose between the disciples about which should be reckoned the greatest, but Jesus said to them: ‘Among pagans it is the kings who lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are given the title Benefactor. This must not happen with you. No; the greatest among you must behave as if he were the youngest, the leader as if he were the one who serves. For who is the greater: the one at table or the one who serves? The one at table, surely? Yet here am I among you as one who serves! ‘You are the men who have stood by me faithfully in my trials; and now I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father conferred one on me: you will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.’

OR: --------

Gospel John 10:11-16 The good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep

Jesus said:

‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; this is because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep.

‘I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and these I have to lead as well. They too will listen to my voice, and there will be only one flock, and one shepherd.’

OR: --------

Gospel John 15:9-17 You are my friends if you do what I command you

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete. This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I shall not call you servants any more, because a servant does not know his master’s business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. You did not choose me: no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; and then the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. What I command you is to love one another.’

Or:

Gospel John 21:15-17 Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.

Jesus showed himself to his disciples, and after they had eaten he said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

---------------------------

Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

(Liturgical Colour: White: A (1))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

Either:

First Reading Genesis 3:9-15,20 The mother of all those who live.

After Adam had eaten of the tree the Lord God called to him. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’ Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,

‘Be accursed beyond all cattle, all wild beasts. You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust every day of your life. I will make you enemies of each other: you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. It will crush your head and you will strike its heel.’

The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

OR: --------

First reading Genesis 12:1-7 All the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you

The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as a blessing.

‘I will bless those who bless you: I will curse those who slight you. All the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you.’

So Abram went as the Lord told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had amassed and the people they had acquired in Haran. They set off for the land of Canaan, and arrived there. Abram passed through the land as far as Shechem’s holy place, the Oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘It is to your descendants that I will give this land.’ So Abram built there an altar for the Lord who had appeared to him.

OR: --------

First reading 2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-11,16 The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House

Once David had settled into his house and the Lord had given him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.’ But that very night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus the Lord speaks: Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you on all your expeditions; I have cut off all your enemies before you. I will give you fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I will provide a place for my people Israel; I will plant them there and they shall dwell in that place and never be disturbed again; nor shall the wicked continue to oppress them as they did, in the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel; I will give them rest from all their enemies. The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’

OR: --------

First reading 1 Chronicles 15:3-4,15-16,16:1-2 They brought in the ark of God and put it inside the tent that David had pitched for it

David gathered all Israel together to bring the ark of God up to the place he had prepared for it. David called together the sons of Aaron and the sons of Levi. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the shafts on their shoulders, as Moses had ordered in accordance with the word of the Lord. David then told the heads of the Levites to assign duties for their kinsmen as cantors, with their various instruments of music, harps and lyres and cymbals, to play joyful tunes. They brought the ark of God in and put it inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and they offered holocausts before God, and communion sacrifices. And when David had finished offering holocausts and communion sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

OR: --------

First reading Proverbs 8:22-31 Before the earth came into being, Wisdom was born

The Wisdom of God cries aloud:

The Lord created me when his purpose first unfolded, before the oldest of his works. From everlasting I was firmly set, from the beginning, before earth came into being. The deep was not, when I was born, there were no springs to gush with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I came to birth; before he made the earth, the countryside, or the first grains of the world’s dust. When he fixed the heavens firm, I was there, when he drew a ring on the surface of the deep, when he thickened the clouds above, when he fixed fast the springs of the deep, when he assigned the sea its boundaries  – and the waters will not invade the shore – when he laid down the foundations of the earth, I was by his side, a master craftsman, delighting him day after day, ever at play in his presence, at play everywhere in his world, delighting to be with the sons of men.

OR: --------

First reading Ecclesiasticus 24:1-4,8-12,18-21 From eternity, in the beginning, God created wisdom

Wisdom speaks her own praises, in the midst of her people she glories in herself. She opens her mouth in the assembly of the Most High, she glories in herself in the presence of the Mighty One: ‘I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and I covered the earth like a mist. I had my tent in the heights, and my throne in a pillar of cloud. Then the creator of all things instructed me, and he who created me fixed a place for my tent. He said, “Pitch your tent in Jacob, make Israel your inheritance.” From eternity, in the beginning, he created me, and for eternity I shall remain. I ministered before him in the holy tabernacle, and thus was I established on Zion. In the beloved city he has given me rest, and in Jerusalem I wield my authority. I have taken root in a privileged people, in the Lord’s property, in his inheritance. Approach me, you who desire me, and take your fill of my fruits, for memories of me are sweeter than honey, inheriting me is sweeter than the honeycomb. They who eat me will hunger for more, they who drink me will thirst for more. Whoever listens to me will never have to blush, whoever acts as I dictate will never sin.’

OR: --------

First reading Isaiah 7:10-14,8:10 The maiden is with child

The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’ Then Isaiah said:

‘Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men without trying the patience of my God, too? The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel, a name which means “God-is-with-us.”’

OR: --------

First reading Isaiah 9:1-6 A Son is given to us

The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone. You have made their gladness greater, you have made their joy increase; they rejoice in your presence as men rejoice at harvest time, as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils.

For the yoke that was weighing on him, the bar across his shoulders, the rod of his oppressor, these you break as on the day of Midian.

For all the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood, is burnt, and consumed by fire.

For there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.

OR: --------

First reading Isaiah 61:9-11 I exult for joy in the Lord

Their race will be famous throughout the nations, their descendants throughout the peoples. All who see them will admit that they are a race whom the Lord has blessed.

‘I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity, like a bridegroom wearing his wreath, like a bride adorned in her jewels.

‘For as the earth makes fresh things grow, as a garden makes seeds spring up, so will the Lord make both integrity and praise spring up in the sight of the nations.’

OR: --------

First reading Micah 5:1-4 He will stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord

The Lord says this:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel; his origin goes back to the distant past, to the days of old. The Lord is therefore going to abandon them till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth. Then the remnant of his brothers will come back to the sons of Israel. He will stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord, with the majesty of the name of his God. They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power to the ends of the land. He himself will be peace.

OR: --------

First reading Zechariah 2:14-17 'I am coming', says the Lord

Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion; for I am coming to dwell in the middle of you – it is the Lord who speaks. Many nations will join the Lord, on that day; they will become his people. But he will remain among you, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. But the Lord will hold Judah as his portion in the Holy Land, and again make Jerusalem his very own. Let all mankind be silent before the Lord! For he is awaking and is coming from his holy dwelling.

EITHER: --------

Responsorial Psalm 1 Samuel 2:1,4-8

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

My heart exults in the Lord. I find my strength in my God; my mouth laughs at my enemies as I rejoice in your saving help.

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

The bows of the mighty are broken, but the weak are clothed with strength. Those with plenty must labour for bread, but the hungry need work no more. The childless wife has children now but the fruitful wife bears no more.

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

It is the Lord who gives life and death, he brings men to the grave and back; it is the Lord who gives poverty and riches. He brings men low and raises them on high.

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

He lifts up the lowly from the dust, from the dungheap he raises the poor to set him in the company of princes to give him a glorious throne. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, on them he has set the world.

My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

OR: --------

Responsorial Psalm Judith 13:18a-19

You are the highest honour of our race!

May you be blessed, my daughter, by God Most High, beyond all women on earth; and may the Lord God be blessed, the Creator of heaven and earth.

You are the highest honour of our race!

The trust you have shown shall not pass from the memories of men, but shall ever remind them of the power of God.

You are the highest honour of our race!

OR: --------

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 44(45):11-12,14-17

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words: forget your own people and your father’s house. So will the king desire your beauty: He is your lord, pay homage to him.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words.

The daughter of the king is clothed with splendour, her robes embroidered with pearls set in gold. She is led to the king with her maiden companions.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words.

They are escorted amid gladness and joy; they pass within the palace of the king. Sons shall be yours in place of your fathers: you will make them princes over all the earth.

Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words.

OR: --------

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 112(113):1-7

May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore! or Alleluia!

Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! May the name of the Lord be blessed both now and for evermore!

May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore! or Alleluia!

From the rising of the sun to its setting praised be the name of the Lord! High above all nations is the Lord, above the heavens his glory.

May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore! or Alleluia!

Who is like the Lord, our God, who has risen on high to his throne yet stoops from the heights to look down, to look down upon heaven and earth? From the dust he lifts up the lowly, from the dungheap he raises the poor

May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore! or Alleluia!

OR: --------

Responsorial Psalm Luke 1:46-55

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

He looks on his servant in her nothingness; henceforth all ages will call me blessed. The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy his name!

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

His mercy is from age to age, on those who fear him. He puts forth his arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted.

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly. He fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty.

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

He protects Israel, his servant, remembering his mercy, the mercy promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his sons for ever.

The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

Gospel Acclamation cf.Lk1:28

Alleluia, alleluia! Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou among women. Alleluia!

Or: cf.Lk1:45

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled. Alleluia!

Or: cf.Lk2:19

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who treasured the word of God and pondered it in her heart. Alleluia!

Or: Lk11:28

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy are those who hear the word of God and keep it. Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise, for the sun of justice, Christ our God, was born of you. Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy is the Virgin Mary, who, without dying, won the palm of martyrdom beneath the cross of the Lord. Alleluia!

EITHER: --------

Gospel Matthew 1:1-16,18-23 The ancestry and conception of Jesus Christ

A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:

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

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Azariah, Azariah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah; and Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers. Then the deportation to Babylon took place.

After the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob; and Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’

OR: --------

Gospel Matthew 1:18-23 How Jesus Christ came to be born

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’

OR: --------

Gospel Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 The flight into Egypt and the return to Nazareth

After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:

I called my son out of Egypt.

After Herod’s death, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you and go back to the land of Israel, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, went back to the land of Israel. But when he learnt that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as ruler of Judaea he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he left for the region of Galilee. There he settled in a town called Nazareth. In this way the words spoken through the prophets were to be fulfilled:

‘He will be called a Nazarene.’

OR: --------

Gospel Matthew 12:46-50 My mother and my brothers are anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven

Jesus was speaking to the crowds when his mother and his brothers appeared; they were standing outside and were anxious to have a word with him. But to the man who told him this Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand towards his disciples he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.’

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 1:26-38 'I am the handmaid of the Lord'

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 1:39-47 Blessed is she who believed the promise

Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ And Mary said:

‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour.’

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 2:1-14 'In the town of David a saviour has been born to you'

Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken. This census – the first – took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to his own town to be registered. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and travelled up to Judaea, to the town of David called Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn. In the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their flocks during the night. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng of the heavenly host, praising God and singing:

‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour.’

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 2:15-19 The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and found the baby lying in the manger

Now when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 2:27-35 'A sword will pierce your soul too'

Prompted by the Spirit Simeon came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:

‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.’

As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 2:41-52 Mary stored up all these things in her heart

Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have, you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’ ‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant. He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and men.

OR: --------

Gospel Luke 11:27-28 'Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!'

As Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!’ But he replied, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!’

OR: --------

Gospel John 2:1-11 'My hour has not come yet' - 'Do whatever he tells you'

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. When they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the wedding was all finished, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said ‘Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’, and they filled them to the brim. ‘Draw some out now’ he told them ‘and take it to the steward.’ They did this; the steward tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from – only the servants who had drawn the water knew – the steward called the bridegroom and said, ‘People generally serve the best wine first, and keep the cheaper sort till the guests have had plenty to drink; but you have kept the best wine till now.’ This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him.

Or:

Gospel John 19:25-27 'Woman, this is your son'.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[bopinion]

2024 / 30

Aperçu of the week

"Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses. He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil!"

(Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 and one of the first female heads of government in the world)

Bad News of the Week

"Escalation in the Middle East conflict" - this headline is no longer followed by a question mark, but by an exclamation mark. For one thing, one or even several escalations are taking place and for another, these are no longer limited to Gaza. The attack on the Golan Heights, allegedly carried out by Hezbollah and resulting in around a dozen deaths, could unleash a momentum that could trigger the feared conflagration.

The Golan Heights, wedged between Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, have always been an insecure region. Actually Syrian territory, the strip of land was conquered, occupied and effectively depopulated by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Almost 125,000 Syrians were displaced. Today, around 25,000 Israeli (militant) settlers and 23,000 Druze live there. And now the Druze have had to accept the death of children who have done nothing but play soccer.

This attack has a new quality. Or was it a tragically misguided missile that nobody wants to admit to? For the first time, neither military nor infrastructural targets were in the vicinity. For the first time, a nation that has so far kept out of the conflict has been hit. The Israelis, who see the region as their territory, will strike back. The only question is how drastically. After all, Hezbollah is nothing other than the extended arm of Iran, which defines Israel as its mortal enemy.

The first governments have already called on their citizens to leave Lebanon, the southern part of which is under the control of Hezbollah. The official government of the failed state is calling on all parties involved to show moderation, but has no say in the matter. I already know that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will not be the only peace-loving person to light a candle. Because the bomb is ticking.

Good News of the Week

Kamala Harris. That's it. You don't really need to say any more. The mere fact that it seems possible that a woman of color who is competent, liberal and democratic could take the helm of the (still) greatest nation on earth is good news. "Is America ready for a woman - or just a misogynist?" asks the leading German news magazine Der Spiegel. Journalist Ulrike Knöfel explains: "When it comes to potential presidential candidate Kamala Harris, people often ask whether she can make it as a black woman. The right question is whether the USA can manage to choose a qualified woman."

That is the point. The one that goes beyond ethnicity. Only in the last few days have I learned the term "DEI" - which stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Very positive, important terms. Which Harris is nevertheless being labeled with malice by Republicans. But I already didn't understand why "woke" has actually become a derogatory word, almost an insult. After all, it means awake, alert, attentive. Then I like being woke. And sleep much better when I know Harris is in the Oval Office. And not the ridiculous misanthrope Donald Jessica Trump. Spot the difference!

Personal happy moment of the week

We actually wanted to go to a museum on Sunday. To the Museum of Fantasy on Lake Starnberg, to be precise. With friends. But instead, we had a pretty good breakfast in the museum café, had a lengthy exchange about living with teenagers with laughter and tears and then went for a walk when the sun came out. Also good.

I couldn't care less...

...over 400 meters freestyle swimming, barre gymnastics and field hockey. Normally. Because with the Summer Olympics currently taking place in Paris (with a remarkably creative opening ceremony, by the way), I'm suddenly interested. It must be the Olympic spirit...

It's fine with me...

...that the current US executive branch is planning to reform the US judiciary. After all, the current Supreme Court has made every effort to ensure that the need for term limits or a code of conduct has become obvious.

As I write this...

...I discover the "100 best albums of all times" on Apple Music. Not according to sales figures (even if that might be the case for Michael Jackson's "Thriller" or Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon"), but curated by a music editorial team and artists themselves. Of course I know famous standards such as "Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys, "My life" by Mary J. Blige or "Back in Black" by AC/DC. But also "Blue Lines" by Massive Attack, "I put a spell on you" by Nina Simone or "The Miseducation of..." by Lauryn Hill (at number 1!), which I like to listen to again when I get the chance. I miss other albums on the list, such as "Imagine" by John Lennon, "Play" by Moby or the soundtracks to The Blues Brothers or West Side Story. And artists like Bill Withers, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Billy Joel - or Elvis. But tastes are different, and that's a good thing. But above all, it's nice to discover new artists: Robyn, for example, is obviously not my thing, but I think Erykah Badu is great. Music is simply something wonderful.

Post Scriptum

The EU reached an agreement in the spring and now the money is flowing: 1.5 billion euros from the interest earned on frozen Russian state assets is to go to Ukraine - for defense and reconstruction. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen commented: "There is no better symbol or use for the Kremlin's money than to make Ukraine and the whole of Europe a safer place to live". Significantly more money will come if Putin does not come to his senses. So I agree.

[sleepybamboo]

Dr. Franklin meets his Inverted!Counterpart

This is what Inverted!Dr. Franklin looks like:

Scenario Below:

Dr. Franklin quietly read his novel as he took one final sip of his tea. Feeling the crisp edges of each page, he soaked up each word. The rising sun glimmered through the lenses of his bifocals.

James: “Dr. Franklin, there’s a letter for you!”

Dr. Franklin: “Just a moment!”

Dr. Franklin slowly got up and stretched. He let out a quiet groan, his gout attacked him again. He proceeded to grab his cane and made his way into the printshop.

Dr. Franklin: “Who is it from, James?”

James: “It doesn’t say, but it seems like it’s urgent. Here you go!”

Dr. Franklin: “Thank you, James.”

Dr. Franklin turned to the printshop’s window. He opened the letter and cleared his throat.

Dr. Franklin(reading): “Dear Benjamin, if you are reading this letter, I hope you can navigate yourself once it all fades away.”

Dr. Franklin: “What does this even mea-“

Everything glitches out.

He looked up to see nothing. Nothing. There was just him, his letter, and a white, empty void. He quickly looked around, for any signs of familiarity.

The void was slightly chilly.

Dr. Franklin(yelling): “Moses?! James?! Henri?! Sarah?!”

Dr. Franklin: “What the hell is this place?”

Dr. Franklin rushed around, trying to find remnants of Philadelphia. He suddenly bumped into someone.

Dr. Franklin: Excuse me, sir! Do you know what this place is-“

Inverted!Dr. Franklin(flailing his arms, yelling): “I don’t fuckin’ know?!”

Dr. Franklin, puzzled, quickly stood up.

Dr. Franklin(slightly irritated): “Look sir, I’m just as confused as you are, but you don’t have to act so-huh?!

He looked just like Dr. Franklin, except he wore blue instead of brown, had his hair in a ponytail, and held a judging expression on his face. The ball on his cane was made of obsidian instead of gold.

Dr. Franklin stared for a moment, puzzled.

Inverted!Dr. Franklin: Haven’t you heard it’s rude to stare?!

Dr. Franklin: “….My apologies. But I’ve never seen another version of me before.”

Inverted!Dr. Franklin glanced at his counterpart up and down, in disbelief that that person was a different version of him. He quickly turns his back on him and starts walking away.

Dr. Franklin: “Wait…do you know how you arrived here?”

Inverted!Dr. Franklin: “I don’t know, one moment I was telling off Mr. Adams for being an idiot, then I found myself in this fucking hellhole!

Dr. Franklin(thinking): “Such foul language…but telling off Mr. Adams?!”

Dr. Franklin: “Calm down, my friend. There is no need for such a foul mout-“

Inverted!Dr. Franklin: How dare you?! I will say whatever the FUCK I want! I am Dr. Benjamin-FUCKING-Franklin!

Dr. Franklin(thinking): This is gonna be a long day…

Dr. Franklin and his Inverted! counterpart walked around, trying to find a way out. Dr. Franklin tried to maintain a positive demeanor through all this…but it became extremely difficult to put up with his counterpart’s constant berating.

One thing about Dr. Franklin:

He has always loved to help others. Usually each time he is seen, he has a welcoming smile. A smile that grants reassurance and relief to Philadelphia’s citizens.

But have you ever thought…how hard it would be to keep that smile?

This smile is like a glass bottle. Sometimes the smile fades, causing a crack in the bottle. With each crack, the liquid from the bottle flows out. The liquid is his sanity. His sanity slowly decreases as the Revolution worsened. The bottle is flowing out faster than ever.

Might make a part 2.

[justforbooks]

Lonely, as words go, is a bit of a loner. As the critic Christopher Ricks writes, it pleasingly has “only” one rhyme, and no real synonyms. After all, being alone and being lonely are quite different things. For all this, poets and writers, from Audre Lorde to Philip Larkin, have made much of loneliness, drawn to the challenge of bringing us close to an emotion whose very nature is to stay at a distance.

Some lonely renderings turn out to be a bit of a sham. Records show that when Wordsworth “wandered lonely as a cloud”, his sister Dorothy was strolling companionably beside him, and she liked the daffodils too. Thoreau’s standing as the poster-boy of solitude, living “alone” and “Spartan like” by Walden Pond, starts to unravel when one actually reads his book, which contains a hefty chapter on “Visitors”. (The fact that Thoreau’s mum probably helped out with his laundry has also – maybe unfairly – raised a few eyebrows.)

It is, of course, perfectly possible to feel lonely in the company of others. “Loneliness”, as Olivia Laing writes, “doesn’t necessarily require physical solitude, but rather an absence or paucity of connection”. Her Lonely City is a powerful account of the loneliness explored and expressed by writers ranging from Alfred Hitchcock to Billie Holiday, combined with Laing’s own experience as a “citizen of loneliness”: “I often wished”, she writes, “I could find a way of losing myself altogether until the intensity diminished”.

Loneliness may be a condition that’s tricky to categorise but it is also, in Laing’s words, “difficult to confess”. Indeed, loneliness’s favourite companion seems to be shame. One of the many beauties of Kent Haruf’s small-town love story, Our Souls At Night, is the way in which his heroine breaks this seeming taboo, surprising her neighbour with an unconventional proposal, not of marriage, but of a kind of lo-fi pyjama party. “I’m lonely”, Addie candidly states. “I think you might be too. I wonder if you would come and sleep in the night with me. And talk”.

For some, such as Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant, loneliness is a lived atmosphere, a kind of chronic condition. For others, it comes from a tectonic shift – a sudden loss or bereavement. As Juliet Rosenfeld writes in her memoir, The State of Disbelief, the painful force of her husband’s death made her feel as if she’d been captured by an unseen captor: “I learnt quickly that to protest would make no difference, and choice-less, I submitted to this saboteur with no prospect at all of release or freedom. I believed for a long time that I would never feel differently. I felt a painful absence and loneliness all of the time.”

“We read to know we are not alone”, as C S Lewis famously didn’t say (the line belongs to his on-screen persona in Shadowlands). So it is a sad irony that books which might best provide company nearly didn’t see the light of day. Radclyffe Hall’s Well of Loneliness was banned, after its first publication, for more than 30 years, accused of promoting “unnatural practices between women”. Because of that judgment, many readers missed an encounter with the beauty of the novel’s prose, its tender account of the heroine as she reflects on her childhood home. She dreams of “the scent of damp rushes growing by water; the kind, slightly milky odour of cattle; the smell of dried rose-leaves and orris-root and violets”, and knew “what it was to feel terribly lonely, like a soul that wakes up to find itself wandering, unwanted, between the spheres”.

This sense of loneliness as a kind of between-ness, an uncharted territory, is movingly captured in Sam Selvon’s 1956 novel, The Lonely Londoners. This Windrush chronicle charts the trials of those arriving at Waterloo from the West Indies, as they struggle to navigate the “unrealness” of London. Selvon’s hero, Moses Aloetta, becomes, over time, the reluctant guide to this latter-day Waste Land. Selvon leaves us with Moses’s lyrical and allusive understanding of the city’s “great aimlessness”. Standing on the banks of the Thames, he conjures a vision of a world in which we are all, in the end, alone together:

As if … on the surface, things don’t look so bad, but when you go down a little, you bounce up a kind of misery and pathos and a frightening – what? He don’t know the right word, but he have the right feeling in his heart. As if the boys laughing, but they only laughing because they ’fraid to cry.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[mariacallous]

WASHINGTON (JTA) — In a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi mentioned Blinken’s Jewish identity, and made a false and curious claim.

“Mr. Secretary, you spoke about the crisis and you spoke as a Jewish person, and let me tell you that I am an Egyptian citizen, and I was born and brought up in a neighborhood where we had Jewish neighbors,” Sisi told Blinken, who was in Cairo Sunday to drum up support for Israel’s war against Hamas. “And Jews who used to live here in Egypt [had] not ever suffered from oppression and persecution…  As a matter of fact, the Jews were never targeted … throughout the whole history. ”

Sisi, who is an ally of the United States and is friendly with Israel, has nurtured what’s left of the Jewish community in his country. But Egypt’s treatment of its Jewish population in modern times is replete with repression, discrimination and at times bloody violence — especially during and after Israel’s establishment. From a community of 80,000 in 1947, Egypt’s Jewish population now counts in the single digits.

Anyone familiar with the Bible and the Passover story, of course, can point to a far more ancient history of Jews being oppressed in Egypt — and that’s what Sisi may have been referencing in his comment. Modern Egyptians take umbrage at the tale of the Exodus, which recounts the tribulations of Jews as slaves in Egypt.

There is no archaeological or historical record of Israelites being in Egypt, as slaves or otherwise. Historians have said that the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers building an Israelite presence in Egypt may have origins in the reign of the Hyksos, a group of Canaanite tribes.

It’s a sensitive issue for Egyptians: In 1977, as the leaders of Israel and Egypt launched the history-changing talks that led to the Camp David Accords, which have endured decades later, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin joked that he looked forward to seeing the pyramids because “after all, we helped to build them.”

A top aide had pleaded with Begin not to make any reference to the pyramids, and his warning proved prescient: there was a flurry of aggrieved articles in the Egyptian press.

The pyramid myth has its modern origins in the hugely popular 1956 film “The Ten Commandments”, which depicts the Hebrew slaves laboring on the pyramids until they are redeemed by Moses, played by Charlton Heston.

Exodus describes the Hebrew slaves as working in construction, but does not mention the pyramids. As Rabbi Mordechai Becher pointed out last year on the website of the Orthodox organization Aish, the pyramids were built long before the children of Israel were purported to have been in Egypt. “Sorry to disappoint, but it was indeed aliens,” Becher joked in an account of his visit to Cairo.

Still, the myth continues to sting: As recently as 2010, Egyptian archaeologists were at pains to point out that discoveries showed that the people who built the pyramids were paid for their efforts.

More recently, the Jews of Egypt have had a painful, and documented, history: In its first stages of modernization, under the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in the 19th century, Egyptian authorities introduced laws discriminating against Jews. A sequence of laws in the 20th century disenfranchised the vast majority of Jews in the country.

Those laws and a series of bloody and deadly pogroms drove the Egyptian Jewish community to flee, depleting it to its current tiny size.

Blinken, who has noted his Jewish roots and the persecutions of his extended family to explain his commitment to Israel and to human rights, did not take Sisi’s bait. Hamas’ savage murder of more than a thousand people is what was moving him in this instance, Blinken said.

“I come first and foremost as a human being,” he said. “A human being like so many others appalled at the atrocities committed by Hamas.”