criminal-culture

[tearsofrefugees]

Raqa, Syria

A girl stands next to a child sitting by a cooking pot at a camp for those displaced by conflict in the countryside near Syria’s northern city of Raqa.

Photograph: Delil Souleiman/AFP/Getty Images

[myremnantarmy]

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥

Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Mt 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples:

"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that

of the scribes and Pharisees,

you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,

You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.

But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother

will be liable to judgment,

and whoever says to his brother, Raqa,

will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,

and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,

and there recall that your brother

has anything against you,

leave your gift there at the altar,

go first and be reconciled with your brother,

and then come and offer your gift.

Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.

Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,

and the judge will hand you over to the guard,

and you will be thrown into prison.

Amen, I say to you,

you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

[ritchiepage2001newaccount]

Project2025 #CorpMedia #Oligarchs #MegaBanks vs #Union #Occupy #NoDAPL #BLM #SDF #DACA #MeToo #Humanity #FeelTheBern

JinJiyanAzadi #BijiRojava Rosaries and rifles: Syria Christians take on IS in Raqa [UPDATES]

An ivory-coloured rosary swings from the rearview mirror of Abboud Seryan's pickup truck as he speeds through Syria's Raqa, inspecting the positions of fellow Christian fighters taking on the Islamic State group…

RELATED UPDATE: Seven Days, a Gun, and a Prayer: The Pentagon’s Plan to Pacify Raqqa

RELATED UPDATE: American foreign fighter says he can't cross Iraqi border to come home due to Iranian-backed militias

RELATED UPDATE: Turkey conducts first airstrikes against Efrin in Syria after Russia withdraws troops

RELATED UPDATE: Syriac Military Council plans imminent deployment to defend “our democratic project” in Efrin

RELATED UPDATE: Syriacs celebrate Martyrs' Day in Tirbespiyê

RELATED UPDATE: Syriac Military Council: We are ready to protect our land

RELATED UPDATE: Turkish army and allied mercenaries carried out 91 attacks on Efrin-Shehba in April

RELATED UPDATE: Escalating violations in Syria’s Afrin – 2024 update

FURTHER READING:

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

13th June >> Fr. Martin's Reflections / Homilies on Today's Mass Readings for Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time (Inc. Matthew 5:20-26): ‘Leave your offering there beside the altar, and be reconciled with your brother first’.

Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA) Matthew 5:20-26 Anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. ‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.’

Gospel (USA) Matthew 5:20-26 Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.

Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

Reflections (3)

(i) Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Behaviour was very important to Jesus and to his Jewish tradition. Yet, in today’s gospel, he focuses on what resides in the human heart, the source of our behaviour. A small proportion of the human race commits murder. However, we are all familiar with the emotion of anger that Jesus highlights in the gospel reading. Sometimes our anger is a sign that some injustice is being done. Our anger can be a signal that all is not well with our world. The gospels show that Jesus himself was angry at times. On one occasion, he was angry with his disciples, because they tried to prevent parents from bringing their children to Jesus for him to bless them. Jesus could see that all was not well with his disciples, and he immediately gave them an important teaching about children’s entitlement to the riches of God’s kingdom. Jesus channelled his anger in a way that served the disciples well, giving them an important teaching on the place of children within the community of faith. Many people’s commitment to working for justice is motivated by anger at the injustices being done to others. Although anger can be a force for good, Jesus was well aware that it can also be a force for harm. We all need to be reflective about our anger. In the gospel reading, Jesus is inviting us to look below the surface of what we do and say to what is within. What emotions do we have towards others that might lead us to speak about them in a derogatory way, or worse? He calls for a deeper virtue than that of the scribes and Pharisees. He wants to renew the human heart, knowing that it is only such deep-seated renewal that can give rise to a way of living that conforms to God’s will for our lives. The ultimate source of the deeper virtue that Jesus calls for is the Holy Spirit because it is only the Spirit who can truly change our hearts, our depths. It is the Spirit at work deep within us who gives us the freedom to relate to others as the Lord does, in ways that serve them well.

And/Or

(ii) Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus declares that if any of his Jewish contemporaries were bringing their offering to the altar in the Jewish temple and they remember that someone has something against them they should first be reconciled with their brother or sister and only then present their offering. The Lord will always send us out to work to be reconciled with those who have something against us. We may not succeed in our efforts, but the Lord calls on us to be prepared always to make the first move. ‘Go and be reconciled’ Jesus declares. We are not just to wait for others to take the initiative; we have to make the move, even if in doing so we fail. The Lord took the initiative to reconcile us to himself, through his life, death and resurrection; he calls on us to be as ready as he was to take the same initiative when a relationship needs reconciling.

And/Or

(iii) Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

 In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus calls for a virtue that goes deeper than the virtue of the scribes and the Pharisees. He is looking for a virtue that is at the level of the heart or inner core of the person and not simply at the level of action. The Ten Commandments relate to actions which are to be done or, for the most part, not to be done. Jesus quotes one of the commandments at the beginning of our gospel reading, ‘You shall not kill’. What Jesus goes on to prohibit is not just the action of killing but the kinds of attitudes and emotions that can led people to kill one another. He warns against anger towards others and the perception of others that leads us to refer to them as fools. We might be tempted to think of the commandment, ‘Do not kill’, as not really relevant to us because the likelihood of any of us killing somebody is very remote. However, when Jesus speaks about the deeper level of emotion, attitude and perception, we cannot distance ourselves so easily. We have all experienced anger and can recognize its destructive power even in ourselves. We have all perceived some people in ways that lead us to speak of them or to them in a manner that is disrespectful. Even though we may differ from others at the level of action, when it comes to that deeper level that Jesus talks about in the gospel reading we all have much more in common. That virtue at the deeper level that drives our actions is one we are all constantly striving to attain. It can only be attained with the help of the Holy Spirit, whose power at work within us can begin to shape all we do and how and why we do it.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[adropofhumanity]

bilal bin sa'ad said:

"do not think about how small the sin is but think about who you have just disobeyed."

[ al mubarak al zuhd wa al raqa iq vol 1, page 150 ]

[gladioshocktrooper]

Syrian Kurdish SDF Asayish security forces walks past a house during a raid against suspected Islamic State group fighters in Raqa, the jihadist group's former defacto capital in Syria

[bear-do-well]

Also, what can't really be portrayed well in picrews: Raqa is a big guy. This man was raised among Klingons (space orcs) so he was forced to put on quite some muscle, even with Vulcan superior strength. He still looks Vulcan, but obviously more muscled and scarred than any Vulcan anyone has ever seen

sorry i saw the words "big guy" and blacked ouiut

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

13th June >> Mass Readings (USA)

Saint Antony of Padua, Priest, Doctor 

on

Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time.

Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

(Readings for the feria (Thursday))

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

First reading 1 Kings 18:41-46 Elijah prayed and the sky gave rain (James 5:18).

Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, crouched down to the earth, and put his head between his knees. “Climb up and look out to sea,” he directed his servant, who went up and looked, but reported, “There is nothing.” Seven times he said, “Go, look again!” And the seventh time the youth reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.” Elijah said, “Go and say to Ahab, ‘Harness up and leave the mountain before the rain stops you.’” In a trice the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain fell. Ahab mounted his chariot and made for Jezreel. But the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, who girded up his clothing and ran before Ahab as far as the approaches to Jezreel.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13

R/ It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have you enriched it. God’s watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain.

R/ It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods, Softening it with showers, blessing its yield.

R/ It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

You have crowned the year with your bounty, and your paths overflow with a rich harvest; The untilled meadows overflow with it, and rejoicing clothes the hills.

R/ It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

Gospel Acclamation John 13:34

Alleluia, alleluia. I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Matthew 5:20-26 Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. +

Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Saint Antony of Padua, Priest, Doctor 

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

(Readings for the memorial)

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

First Reading Isaiah 61:1-3d The Lord GOD anointed me and sent me to bring good news to the poor.

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn; To place on those who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 21-22, 25 and 27

R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

The favors of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness. For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.

R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.”

R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

“I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, That my hand may be always with him, and that my arm may make him strong.”

R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

“My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him, and through my name shall his horn be exalted. He shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.’”

R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation Luke 4:18

Alleluia, alleluia. The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 10:1-9 The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[bytchysylvy]

BODY THOUGHTS ESSAY PART 3/3

SOU CAST

(they werent meant to be spoilers but i forgot to mention it before so now its going to feel like a punch i guess, brace or dodge bitch)

rydara has a lot of mixed emotions because on one hand, he is soft and buff just as the vazuvyn ideals predicted, but on the other he is highly influenced by mortal media which looks at his build and the general largeness of vazuvyr with disgust. Dont even get him started about being a trans man while being the last child of udysna in a matriarchal society we dont have time for it. He is deeply insecure about his body and the binge eating problem isn't helping.

dathevar likes to think himself as the worlds fattest fuck and hopes to get fatter actually. his weight grounds his telekinesis and makes him literally, measurably more powerful than you could ever know. Hopes you bully him for it too because thats his kink. We are dealing with a sick fuck pervert here and we are all trapped on this planet with him.

vokutlvek has what theyre calling "post occupation syndrome" which is a self explanatory catch all diagnosis. For him it looks like his heart randomly giving out and fainting, chronic fatigue, the inability to get the strength he once had back, and erectile dysfunction. Only the other syrodsik and a few doctors know about it, he's too insecure about what's going on with him to be open about it. The fact he isn't as lean as he used to be gets to him despite the fact that most vazuvyr who lived through the occupation are now chubbier than they were before it, and its seen as a good thing, because to him its a reminder of whats going on. His body takes up more space now and he has nothing to show for it. Fears one day all his strength will be gone and he will be a useless drain on his kin.

azrem is a typical anorexic. Granted it comes less from a place of appearance and more that he is hypersensitive and gaining five pounds will feel like carrying a small child on him. And he already feels weak tired and exhausted for reasons no one could possible know so he cant afford to carry around more weight. While his appearance is very much not the vazuvyn ideal for a man he knows there is a subset of those who like his body type (such as his husband) and he tries his best to stay all dolled up to maintain that boytoy look.

qamkii is a perfectly plump little juicy pear of a man. he knows what he has. no notes.

medinyolv suffers from the dysphoria of wanting to turn themself into a dragon or perhaps a griffin. Outside this, they do not think much of their body except for how annoying it is to be so, so tiny among these giants. Its hard to let beauty standards get to you when you literally do not have a body like everyone around you.

udysna much enjoys being big and soft. its not that deep, she likes to roll down hills and likes having all the cushion she can have. she doesn't think, let alone about what mortal's think of her body.

norket knows he is a creature of great beauty and should never hide

the feelings silence has toward his body are beyond words, neither in a positive or negative way just. weird to exist like this but completely natural to do so

debatable if unknown has a body but if they do then its perfect

raqa is the most insecure specimen known to science. she could blow away in the breeze at any moment and is constantly aware of this. thinness being favored by mortals doesn't make her feel any better, vazuvyn women don't look like that, they arent skinny, who wants skinny bitches. she doesn't. she was spotted in seattle in need of a fat bitch.

panatyl loves her body because she will use it to tear you apart. doesnt know who attractiveness is or what it is.

glydenoras is ok. She's at an age where she has her clique of people who are attracted and available to her. Doesn't need much else other than that. Gets a little annoyed that people will think she's pregnant and ask considering how much trauma she has around it with all but one of her children being dead.

kudelsa has the benefit of being an age-old beauty ideal. Full hourglass figure complete with a thick waist. Of course she has a good relationship with her body. Though she keeps her attire reserved because its something sacred for only a few worthy of it. Her body is a temple, she takes care of it like one.

buvikiro is in the same boat but also is a beauty ideal for mortals since he has that stupid tiny waist. Knows she's a sex symbol to both mortals and vazuvyr dresses to appeal to both groups. Her body is an amusement park, open to anyone who can pay the fee.

[theblackbookofarkera]

Ride of the Blue Horsemen

Every 2,013 years a terrifying and glorious blue comet haunts our skies for several weeks. It almost seems cliche that the appearance corresponds with significant events of great magnitude and historic importance. Great and terrible things occur all the time but sorcerers take advantage of events like comets to harness the psychic energy of the populace to manipulate events to their will.

“A herald of my doom? A herald of your doom? Perhaps all of our doom. Emperors die, prophets are born like ordinary men on any given day they say. But sometimes...sometimes in the heavens there are movements like music. This music reaches cosmic crescendo when these dead gods creep through our skies sprinkling their songs upon us. Great and terrible things do happen...but when they are in our sky...oh my...”

-Raqa Ibil, the mad starseer

[catolinewsdailyreadings]

Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Readings of Thursday, June 13, 2024

Reading 1

1 KGS 18:41-46

Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." So Ahab went up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, crouched down to the earth, and put his head between his knees. "Climb up and look out to sea," he directed his servant, who went up and looked, but reported, "There is nothing." Seven times he said, "Go, look again!" And the seventh time the youth reported, "There is a cloud as small as a man's hand rising from the sea." Elijah said, "Go and say to Ahab, 'Harness up and leave the mountain before the rain stops you.'" In a trice the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain fell. Ahab mounted his chariot and made for Jezreel. But the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, who girded up his clothing and ran before Ahab as far as the approaches to Jezreel.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 65:10, 11, 12-13

R./ It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have you enriched it. God's watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain. R./ It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

Thus have you prepared the land:  drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods, Softening it with showers,  blessing its yield. R./ It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

You have crowned the year with your bounty, and your paths overflow with a rich harvest; The untilled meadows overflow with it, and rejoicing clothes the hills. R./ It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

Gospel

MT 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples:  "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

[myremnantarmy]

𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥

Mt 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples:

"I tell you,

unless your righteousness surpasses that

of the scribes and Pharisees,

you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,

You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.

But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother

will be liable to judgment,

and whoever says to his brother, Raqa,

will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,

and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,

and there recall that your brother

has anything against you,

leave your gift there at the altar,

go first and be reconciled with your brother,

and then come and offer your gift.

Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.

Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,

and the judge will hand you over to the guard,

and you will be thrown into prison.

Amen, I say to you,

you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Thu June 13th, 2024 ... Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B/Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Reading 1

____________

1 Kgs 18:41-46

Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink,

for there is the sound of a heavy rain."

So Ahab went up to eat and drink,

while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel,

crouched down to the earth,

and put his head between his knees.

"Climb up and look out to sea," he directed his servant,

who went up and looked, but reported, "There is nothing."

Seven times he said, "Go, look again!"

And the seventh time the youth reported,

"There is a cloud as small as a man's hand rising from the sea."

Elijah said, "Go and say to Ahab,

'Harness up and leave the mountain before the rain stops you.'"

In a trice the sky grew dark with clouds and wind,

and a heavy rain fell.

Ahab mounted his chariot and made for Jezreel.

But the hand of the LORD was on Elijah,

who girded up his clothing and ran before Ahab

as far as the approaches to Jezreel.

Responsorial Psalm

________________

Ps 65:10, 11, 12-13

R. (2a) It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

You have visited the land and watered it;

greatly have you enriched it.

God's watercourses are filled;

you have prepared the grain.

R. It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

Thus have you prepared the land:

drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods,

Softening it with showers,

blessing its yield.

R. It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

You have crowned the year with your bounty,

and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;

The untilled meadows overflow with it,

and rejoicing clothes the hills.

R. It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.

Alleluia

_______

Jn 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I give you a new commandment:

love one another as I have loved you.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

_________

Mt 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples:

"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that

of the scribes and Pharisees,

you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,

You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.

But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother

will be liable to judgment,

and whoever says to his brother, Raqa,

will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,

and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,

and there recall that your brother

has anything against you,

leave your gift there at the altar,

go first and be reconciled with your brother,

and then come and offer your gift.

Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.

Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,

and the judge will hand you over to the guard,

and you will be thrown into prison.

Amen, I say to you,

you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.” Matthew 5:21–22

The passage quoted above gives us three deepening levels of sin that we commit against another. These sins were new teachings not contained in the Old Testament. By this teaching, Jesus’ call to radical holiness and love of neighbor is made very clear.

The first level of sin is simply to be “angry” interiorly. The sin of anger is an interior attitude of disgust toward another. Jesus says that the consequence of having anger toward another is that you will be “liable to judgment.” The second level of sin is when you say to another “Raqa.” This Aramaic word is difficult to translate but would include some form of expression of one’s anger toward another. It would be a derogatory way of saying to another that they are unintelligent or inferior. The third level of sin Jesus identifies is when you call another “fool.” This word is an even stronger expression of Raqa and would be a verbal criticism of them, indicating that the person is a lost soul in a moral sense. It’s a strong moral condemnation of another that is expressed.

So, do you struggle with anger? Jesus’ calling to freedom from all levels of this sin is a high one. There are many times in life when our passion of anger is stirred up for one reason or another, and that passion leads to one of these levels of sin. It’s a common temptation to want to condemn another with whom you are angry in the strongest way possible. 

It’s important to understand that this new teaching of Jesus is truly not a burden when understood and embraced. At first, it can seem that these laws of our Lord against anger are negative. That’s because lashing out at another gives a false sense of satisfaction, and these commands of our Lord, in a sense, “rob” us of that satisfaction. It can be a depressing thought to think about the moral obligation to forgive to the point that disordered anger disappears. But is it depressing? Is this law of our Lord a burden?

The deep truth is that what Jesus teaches us in this passage is, in many ways, more for our own good than that of others. Our anger toward another, be it interior, verbally critical or all-out condemning, can be hurtful toward the person with whom we are angry, but the damage these forms of anger do is far worse for us than them. Being angry, even interiorly, even if we put on a happy face, does great damage to our soul and our ability to be united to God. For that reason, it is not this new law of our Lord regarding anger that is the burden, it is the anger itself that is a heavy burden and a burden from which Jesus wants you free.

Reflect, today, upon the sin of anger. As you do, try to see your disordered anger as the real enemy rather than the person with whom you are angry. Pray to our Lord to free you from this enemy of the soul and seek the freedom that He wants to bestow.

Let's pray ...

My merciful Lord, You call us to perfect freedom from all that burdens us. Anger burdens us. Help me to see the burden that my anger imposes upon me and help me to seek true freedom through the act of forgiveness and reconciliation. Please forgive me, dear Lord, as I forgive all who have hurt me. Jesus, I trust in You.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saint Anthony of Padua

(1195 – June 13, 1231)

Saint Anthony of Padua’s Story

The gospel call to leave everything and follow Christ was the rule of Saint Anthony of Padua’s life. Over and over again, God called him to something new in his plan. Every time Anthony responded with renewed zeal and self-sacrificing to serve his Lord Jesus more completely.

His journey as the servant of God began as a very young man when he decided to join the Augustinians in Lisbon, giving up a future of wealth and power to be a servant of God. Later when the bodies of the first Franciscan martyrs went through the Portuguese city where he was stationed, he was again filled with an intense longing to be one of those closest to Jesus himself: those who die for the Good News.

So Anthony entered the Franciscan Order and set out to preach to the Moors. But an illness prevented him from achieving that goal. He went to Italy and was stationed in a small hermitage where he spent most of his time praying, reading the Scriptures and doing menial tasks.

The call of God came again at an ordination where no one was prepared to speak. The humble and obedient Anthony hesitantly accepted the task. The years of searching for Jesus in prayer, of reading sacred Scripture and of serving him in poverty, chastity, and obedience had prepared Anthony to allow the Spirit to use his talents. Anthony’s sermon was astounding to those who expected an unprepared speech and knew not the Spirit’s power to give people words.

Recognized as a great man of prayer and a great Scripture and theology scholar, Anthony became the first friar to teach theology to the other friars. Soon he was called from that post to preach to the Albigensians in France, using his profound knowledge of Scripture and theology to convert and reassure those who had been misled by their denial of Christ’s divinity and of the sacraments.

After he led the friars in northern Italy for three years, he made his headquarters in the city of Padua. He resumed his preaching and began writing sermon notes to help other preachers. In the spring of 1231 Anthony withdrew to a friary at Camposampiero where he had a sort of treehouse built as a hermitage. There he prayed and prepared for death.

On June 13, he became very ill and asked to be taken back to Padua, where he died after receiving the last sacraments. Anthony was canonized less than a year later and named a Doctor of the Church in 1946.

Reflection

_________

Anthony should be the patron of those who find their lives completely uprooted and set in a new and unexpected direction. Like all saints, he is a perfect example of turning one’s life completely over to Christ. God did with Anthony as God pleased—and what God pleased was a life of spiritual power and brilliance that still attracts admiration today. He whom popular devotion has nominated as finder of lost objects found himself by losing himself totally to the providence of God.

Saint Anthony of Padua is the Patron Saint of:

Lost items

Poor

Travelers

***

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[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

23rd February >> Fr. Martin's Reflections / Homilies on Today's Mass Readings (Inc. Matthew 5:20-26) for Friday, First Week of Lent: ‘But I say this to you’.

Gospel (Except USA) Matthew 5:20-26 Anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.’

Gospel (USA) Matthew 5:20-26 Go first and be reconciled with your brother.

Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

Reflections (10)

(i) Friday, First Week of Lent

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus speaks about virtue. He calls for a virtue that goes deeper than the virtue of the scribes and the Pharisees. The Jewish Law spelt out how people were to live and relate to each other. However, Jesus came to form in people a virtue that is more radical than the virtue that the Jewish Law tried to promote. The adjective ‘radical’ is from the Latin word for ‘root’. Jesus seeks a virtue that is more deeply rooted in the human heart. He gives an example of this more radical or more deeply rooted virtue in today’s gospel reading. Whereas the Jewish Law prohibits someone from taking the life of another person, Jesus prohibits the deeply rooted anger that finds its most deadly expression in the killing of someone. The first act of killing mentioned in the Bible, Cain’s killing of Abel, sprung from anger. Cain was angry with his brother. Jesus was very concerned about human behaviour. He often speaks about the need to do the will of his heavenly Father. However, he is even more concerned about the deep seated emotions and the underlying attitudes that give rise to behaviour. Jesus wants to renew the human heart, knowing that it is only such deep seated renewal that can give rise to a new way of living, one that conforms to God’s will for our lives. Jesus came to pour the very Spirit of God into our lives, into our hearts, so that we can live as God desires us to live. The ultimate source of the deeper virtue that Jesus calls for is the Holy Spirit because it is only the Spirit who can truly change our hearts. Each day we need to keep praying, ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart’, renew my heart’. Then, the face of the earth will begin to be renewed.

And/Or

(ii) Friday, First Week of Lent

This morning’s gospel reading is taken from the Sermon on the Mount. There Jesus affirms the value of the Jewish Law but goes beyond it in various ways. At the beginning of the gospel reading Jesus quotes from one of the Ten Commandments ‘You shall not kill’. However, he goes beyond that commandment by prohibiting attitudes and behaviours that could eventually lead to killing. He prohibits anger, not the anger that is part and parcel of every person’s emotional life, but the nurturing of anger that can lead to destructive action. This was the kind of anger that Cain had towards Abel and that led him eventually to kill Abel. Jesus also warns against insulting language, such as calling someone ‘Fool’ or ‘Renegade’. You may be familiar with the saying, ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’. Jesus would beg to differ. He is very aware of the potentially destructive and indeed deadly power of language. How we speak to and about people will shape how we relate to them. Jesus goes on to speak about the need to be reconciled with someone who has something against us. We might have expected him to speak about the need to be reconciled with someone we have something against. No, he calls on us to go out to the person who has something against us. He suggests that this work of reconciliation takes priority over the act of worship. ‘Leave your offering there before the altar...’. In various ways in this gospel reading Jesus speaks about the importance of doing all we can to build right relationships with others.

And/Or

(iii) Friday, First Week of Lent

In the gospel reading Jesus calls for a virtue that goes deeper than the virtue of the scribes and Pharisees. In a sense, he is calling for a virtue that is more radical, that is more deeply rooted in God’s word. As an example of this deeper virtue, the command not to kill becomes in Jesus’ teaching the call not to be angry and not to engage in name calling; it also becomes the call to work for reconciliation with those who are estranged from us. Jesus looks for more than the Jewish law looks for. He is always calling us to a deeper virtue than the virtue we presently possess. There is a radical quality to the call of Jesus and to his teaching. He never allows us to settle and to become comfortable with where we are. He disturbs us in the good sense, because he is always calling us beyond where we are. In Lent we try to listen to what that call might mean for each of us here and now, trusting that the Lord will give us the grace to respond to his call to a deeper virtue.

And/Or

(iv) Friday, First Week of Lent

In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus calls his disciples to a virtue that goes deeper than the virtue of the scribes and Pharisees. One of the ten commandments of the Jewish Law was ‘You shall not kill’. However, the call of Jesus goes deeper than that; it looks beyond the action of killing to the underlying attitudes and emotions which lead people to kill or injure each other. Jesus invites us to look below the surface of what people do to why they do it. He calls for a renewal of the heart and mind; that is what we mean by ‘repentance’ or ‘conversion’. That deep-seated renewal that Jesus calls for is not something we can bring about on our own. We need the Holy Spirit to work that kind of deep transformation within ourselves. A prayer that has been traditional within the church acknowledges that very clearly: ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart, and kindle in me the fire of your love’. It is a prayer I have always found myself drawn to. It calls on the Holy Spirit to recreate deep within us the love which shaped the person of Jesus; it calls on the Spirit to form in us the roots of that deeper virtue which Jesus speaks about in today’s gospel reading.

And/Or

(v) Friday, First Week of Lent

Jesus can sometimes be portrayed as angry by the evangelists. He can angry with his opponents but also with his own disciples. Yet in today’s gospel reading Jesus seems to prohibit anger towards others. If the Jewish law forbade murder, Jesus forbids anger. He shows an awareness of how anger can lead someone to gravely insult another; he also suggests, by implication, that at its worst anger can lead someone to take the life of another. In the gospel reading Jesus is shown as having a healthy respect for anger. Yes, it can be channelled in a life-giving way, just as Jesus used his anger in the service of the coming of God’s kingdom. Yet, anger also has the potential to be very destructive of others. We don’t all have the capacity of Jesus to direct our angry energies in a direction that serves the well-being of others, because, unlike him, we are not without sin. What we can do is to bring our anger to the Lord in prayer, asking him to be with us in our struggle to express our anger in ways that are in keeping with his life and message.

And/Or

(vi) Friday, First Week of Lent

In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus calls his disciples to a virtue that goes deeper than the virtue of the scribes and Pharisees. One of the ten commandments of the Jewish Law was ‘You shall not kill’. However, the call of Jesus goes deeper than that; it looks beyond the action of killing to the underlying attitudes and emotions which lead people to kill or injure each other. Jesus invites us to look below the surface of what we do to why we do it. He calls for a renewal of the heart and mind; that is what we mean by ‘repentance’ or ‘conversion’. That deep-seated renewal that Jesus calls for is not something we can bring about on our own. We need the Holy Spirit to work that kind of deep transformation within ourselves. A prayer that has been traditional within the church acknowledges that very clearly: ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart, and kindle in me the fire of your love’. It is a prayer I have always found myself drawn to. It calls on the Holy Spirit to recreate deep within us the love which shaped the person of Jesus; it calls on the Spirit to form in us the roots of that deeper virtue which Jesus speaks about in today’s gospel reading.

And/Or

(vii) Friday, First Week of Lent

Action, behaviour, was very important to Jesus. Yet, in his teaching, he often focused on what resides in the human heart, the wellspring of our action. In today’s gospel reading, he goes beyond the action of murder to the anger that so often lies behind that action. The Jewish Law declares, ‘You must not kill’. Jesus goes further and declares that whoever is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court. A relatively small proportion of the human race commits murder. However, we are all familiar with the emotion of anger. All kinds of things can make us angry. Sometimes our anger is a sign that some injustice is being done to ourselves or to others. Our anger can be a signal that all is not well with our world, and, to that extent, it can serve a good purpose. At other times, our anger can be saying more about us. Because of the particular space in which we find ourselves, we get angry at what would pass most people by. Whatever the cause of our anger, Jesus in the gospel reading is alerting us to the damaging potential of our anger. It can negatively impact of how we speak to others. Jesus makes reference to those who call others names in anger. It can impact on how we behave towards others. Jesus suggests that it is an emotion that is worth attending to, because it can lead us to become estranged from others. In the second part of the gospel reading, Jesus encourages us to do all we can to heal such estrangement when it does happen. He even goes so far as to say that prayer and worship may have to take second place to whatever initiative we can take to bring about reconciliation with those who are estranged from us.

And/Or

(viii) Friday, First Week of Lent

Today’s gospel reading is taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Throughout this Sermon, Jesus is presenting us with what he calls a virtue that goes deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees. In other words, the kind of virtue or virtuous life that Jesus is presenting in the Sermon, while based on the Jewish Law, goes further than the Jewish Law calls for. We are all familiar with the fifth of the Ten Commandments in the Jewish Law, ‘You must not kill’. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus takes that commandment and goes beyond it. He recognizes that prior to the action of taking someone’s life, there is a set of attitudes and emotions that underlie this action. The underlying emotion is often anger. The underlying attitude is often one of disrespect for the person, expressed, for example, in labelling someone a ‘fool’ or worse. It is this kind of attitude and emotion that concerns Jesus in today’s gospel reading. Anger is a normal human emotion. We cannot avoid it. Sometimes our anger is very justified. Jesus himself was angry at how the Temple in Jerusalem was being run. Yet, he was very aware of how destructive anger can be. It can often find expression in speaking disrespectfully to others or about others, or in acting disrespectfully towards them. The ultimate disrespectful action towards another person is to take their life away. Today’s gospel reading encourages us to become more aware of the emotion of anger in our lives and of its potential to be destructive of others. It is an emotion we can bring to prayer, asking the Lord to help us to express it in ways that serve God’s purposes for our world.

And/Or

(ix) Friday, First Week of Lent

In his teaching, Jesus often shows a concern about human behaviour, what we do and what we fail to do. However, he is equally concerned about the wellspring of human behaviour, the inner emotions, attitudes, values that shape our behaviour. We find this concern in today’s gospel reading. Jesus cites the Jewish Law in relation to the most destructive form of human behaviour, ‘you shall not kill’. He then goes beneath such destructive behaviour to the emotion that often underlies it, ‘anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it’. The first murder in the Bible is the murder of Abel by his brother Cain. According to the book of Genesis, Abel’s murder was motivated by anger. ‘Cain was very angry… and rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him’. Jesus was aware of the destructive power of anger from the story of his own people. The gospels suggest that Jesus himself was angry at times, so anger in itself is not morally wrong. On one occasion, Jesus was angry with his disciples, because they tried to prevent parents from bringing their children to Jesus for him to bless them, ‘when Jesus say this, he was indignant and said to his disciples’. Jesus went on to give an important teaching about children’s right to the riches of God’s kingdom. Here is an example of anger being channelled in a way that is beneficial for others. Many people’s commitment to working for justice is motivated by an anger at the injustices being done to others. Anger can be a force for good, but Jesus was well aware that it can be, and more often than not is, a force for harm. We all need to be reflective about our anger. We acknowledge it and we ask the Lord to help us to use its energy in a way that is life-giving for others.

And/Or

(x) Friday, First Week of Lent

Jesus was very aware that actions have their roots in something deeper. The awful action of killing someone often has its roots in anger residing deep within the person. That is why Jesus goes beyond the commandment ‘Do not kill’ and prohibits the kind of anger that leads to killing, an anger that often finds expression initially in speaking disrespectfully of others, such as calling them ‘fool’. Behind a certain way of acting is often to be found a certain way of speaking and behind both can be found dark emotions in the human heart. Jesus wanted to get to the root of actions that inflict harm, sometimes deadly harm, on others. That is what Jesus means in today’s gospel reading by a ‘virtue that goes deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees’. Such a deeper virtue is not something we can create from our own efforts or will power alone. It is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the risen Lord, who can transform the deepest roots of our lives.  The Jewish Scriptures speak about the Spirit creating a new heart within us, the heart understood as the inner core of the person from which so much else flows. Within our own Christian tradition, there is a prayer that reflects this understand of the role of the Spirit of God, ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart, and kindle in me the fire of your love’. In one of his letters, Paul says, ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ can live deep within us, and that is the source of the deeper virtue that Jesus speaks about in today’s gospel reading.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[ecposhgirl]

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