#something something ''It is a greater act of worship for a saint to love someone this deeply than it is for them to pray'' something

[x-i-l-verify]

I should've told you about...

“Yeah, you probably should have,” they say. “We could’ve helped you. We know you like we know ourselves.”

I didn’t want to burden you with it.

“Burden? When are you ever a burden, rancher? You use that word a lot. Love isn’t a burden.”

You loved me.

“Always.”

What do you mean, always?

“Even if we didn’t know it yet, we loved you. We loved each other, all of us. One soul. One heart. Across time. Isn’t that something? A thousand years in the future, there’s someone that remembers you when they dig their hands in the earth and hum while they do it. A thousand years in the past, there’s someone that does a double-take in a market because they thought they heard your voice. It’s just a bunch of little souvenir forevers, isn’t it.”

your soul in blatchery plain | tundra vow | "wanna know a secret?" | goodbyes on star-grass | garden of heroes | the lusher the cradle, the lusher the grave

and still, the cradle blossoms: a fic about falling in love but make it familial and heartbreaking, but worth it to have loved and lost than not loved at all

fic link | playlist link

[thrashkink-coven]

Let’s talk about Angels!

Hello all,

I am an eclectic witch and I have been working (seriously) with a few angels, mostly Jophiel, Haniel, and Raziel, and a couple others, for about 4 or so years.

Many folks on seem very interested in summoning and contacting angels. I wanted to share some of my insight with you guys as someone who works primarily with angels. I’d love to hear your guys’ perspectives on them as well.

Something to keep in mind: My experiences and perspectives on these infinitely complex and impossible to understand entities are not the one true most valid ones. My experiences will be different from yours and that is okay and to be expected. While we can always converse and theorize together we must always respect and understand that we really truly don’t know shit 🖤🖤

So you wanna contact an angel. What does that mean?

One of the most important things we humans have to consider when working with angels is that our matter of perspective is super important to how we classify entities.

What are considered angels to some, are gods and demons to others. We consider angels to be angelic because of their nature and attitudes, but it is incredibly important to remember that just because one entity may be called “angel” and the other “demon” does not mean that the angel is this happy go lucky chummy fellow, and the demon is some evil bringer of chaos. Both of these entities are capable of being kind, loving and helpful, and both will quickly put you in your place if pushed to. Both will be willing to work with you regardless of your faith and what gods you follow. The difference between these two entities is more political than physiological.

I have consistently observed with many angels that you do not necessarily have to be religious to work with them. They are very subordinate to the idea of God, whichever God that may be for you, but it is not mandatory. They may ask you to consult “God”, but I have come to realize that they mean something totally different than we do when they use the word “God.” (That is super super important imo)

When I first started working with Jophiel, I only “worshipped” the mother goddess. With him we dabbled with YHVH and some others before becoming comfortable where we are now. With every God I’ve worked with, my angels have adjusted accordingly. Some may speak occasionally about “The one true God”, but again, I don’t think that’s something that we have the best understanding of as a species yet.

Invoking angels “in the name of ______” increases their strength and likelihood of manifesting in my experience as, angels naturally serve and aid God. God means many things. For example, an angel I work with who is very close to Father Lucifer will manifest far better when invoked in the name of Lucifer. My saint Haniel manifests with greater ease when invoked in the name of The Mother Moon or Lady Venus. I’ve played around with this a lot and it seems that angels just like to be aided in their energy when we call on them by a “greater” power. Some food for thought!

Believing in the angel themselves definitely is required as this is a demonstration of faith, but angels are not as concerned with religion as you may think. Some may insist that you are some kind of believer, some are very closed to YHVH, others are less so. Some will want you to be some kind of monotheist, others won’t have an opinion on that whatsoever.

Different angels have different natures, classes, and orders. It’s a good idea to have a very great understanding of angelic hierarchy before doing any kind of work with them. A seraphim for example may present themselves far differently than a Cherub, an archangel, or a lesser angel. Fallen angels may act differently as well. Each angel will have their own energy, opinions on things, and correspondences. Some angels are very fond of humanity and are very willing to be of assistance in magical operations. Some angels are very indifferent towards humanity and might not want anything to do with you. If you’re repeatedly being told no, do yourself a favour and leave them alone.

Don’t make this mistake of underestimating them because they are classified as a “lesser” angel or are not considered a “Great Saint” like Micheal or Raphael. The order of the hierarchy does not necessarily speak to importance or power, just their distance away from us on Earth.

Some angels are more accustomed to modern humans, crack jokes, and are in the know about pop culture , others may speak in very broken english and lots of things may seem to go over their heads. Some angels are very physical and will want to touch or caress you, some will keep their distance. Some angels enjoy sex and others don’t have any ability to experience it. All angels have a completely different set of morals than we do. They may seem aloof or ornery at times. Don’t assume they’re evil just because they don’t come off as enthusiastic.

No two angels are the same. Don’t contact Raphael and expect the experience to be anything like contacting Raziel. Make sure you know exactly who you’re contacting and that you have a good reason. Know what they are all about and what they represent. Don’t assume that what worked for one guy is gonna work for someone else. Likewise I suggest not talking badly on any other entities while in an angels presence, even demons or beings you think are “bad”. Many of these angels are related in ways we might not know. Don’t make the assumption that Micheal “hates all demons”. Talking bad on Asmodeus isn’t gonna gain you points with Raphael.

Avoid testing them by asking them questions like what happens after you die. Some may humour you but it’s generally considered rude and they are not here to spill the beans on all of the great secrets of life. Some might, but always ask these questions with reverence and accept “none of your business kid” as a valid answer.

Angels are quite proud of their names and will usually announce them upon arrival. Likewise they will likely correct you if you have them confused for someone else. Always be willing and ready to interrogate your angel in a safe and respectful way. It is important that you are knowledgeable on tricksters.

When you’re working with angels, be sure not to underestimate them. They are not your pets and they do not exist to make you feel good about yourself. They do not exist to simply tell you good things. They are brutally honest.

Higher angels, like Archangels, are *intense* and burn *very bright*. I’ve seen many people share the idea that unlike working with a demon, there are no prices to be paid when working with an angel. This is only half true. Angels usually don’t accept offerings, they don’t make traditional deals like other spirits may. But, they are an incredibly holy and intense thing to witness. Their presence can be mind altering. You really really need to mentally and physically prepare yourself for such an encounter. They will never make any attempts to harm you on purpose (unless you’re extremely out of line), but it can happen on accident if you aren’t being careful. It is in many ways like looking directly into the sun. This will likely exhaust you. Take breaks and don’t go too hard too fast. Some angels are more considerate than others.

Many higher angels don’t fuck around. These guys are not really beginner friendly. An angel like Michael is a holy warrior and is going to expect that you are committed and disciplined. He is a gargantuan energy and the ultimate protector. Do not flagrantly call upon his energy. Not to say that Michael is not incredibly kind and considerate, but that his energy is so INTENSE that his presence should only be invoked with intention.

The angel I work most often with sometimes appears in a form that is so huge I cannot see the top of him, like a mountain. He can appear truly terrible like an Erdrich horror. Other times they can appear so bright that it feels like my eyes might fry out of my skull. Sometimes they can be extremely loud, like cracking thunder. Other times they can seem extremely quiet, like they’ve muted the whole world. They can appear in human or animal form. Male, female, or something in between. Sometimes they just appear as rays of light or waves of energy. We must be not afraid even when they are being weird as fuck lol.

There are many methods. I like to use sigils and scrying mirrors as well as their names as a mantra for meditation. Whatever works for you is valid. 🖤🖤

[guiltywisdom]

Is it okay to help a friend of mine maintain the appearance of being a part of another religion and to pretend to pray to that religion's gods? He was raised in an extremist Hellenic cult and while we're working on an escape plan for him, it is vital no one around him catches on. So we've been lying that I'm interested in Hellenismos and I've had to fake some things in front of his family, as well as help him seem like he's been talking to me just for religious purposes. I feel awful saying things that aren't true and saying the names of these Greek gods as if they're sacred or to be revered. I would feel far worse if I didn't get this guy out of this cult. They believe that - well, it's complicated but based on some obscure Greek myths they believe twins should be together sexually, and his sister is so brainwashed she's all for it. He's not. He's repulsed by it. I've arranged to get him out when he turns 18 in the last week of December - and get him to the safety of his grandparents, over a thousand miles away; thank God my dad is a pilot and has connections in the industry who could make this happen - but until then we need to keep suspicions as low as possible.

I hate saying these awful sacrilegious things. I hate lighting incense and burning offerings and pretending to be something I'm not. It makes me feel sick. I don't know how I'll ever be forgiven for this. But you have to understand, these people are abusive. They've starved him as punishment for resisting doctrine so many times. They want to make him have sex with someone against his will. He doesn't deserve this. I can't let this happen to him.

I've done things I'm not proud of for this. I've said false prayers to gods I don't believe in and had to stand still while his father pulled the cross off my neck and threw it into a fireplace. I feel like a heretic. I feel like I've prioritized someone over God. I have stress nightmares constantly. Am I doing the right thing? Is it alright to do these things? Will God forgive me? What do I have to do to be forgiven for things this terrible?

I can't tell my priest or any of my Orthodox friends. The risk someone will say something and the whole plan will fall apart is too high. Only my dad - I was raised in a single-parent home - knows. I need some kind of guidance. I don't know where to turn.

I'm so sorry for burdening you with all this. I know it's a lot. But I'm out of other options and I trust you. You seem spiritually sound and strong in faith.

I'm sorry this post got lost in my inbox so the reply is late.

I think a lot of people prioritize the idea of outward faith, of showing people, themselves and God that they are faithful in outward ways but this is not the true way of loving God.

Christ said, “whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. (Matthew‬ ‭6:5‬ ‭NRSV-CI).

God sees deep into your heart, he knows what lies there and it cannot be hidden, not on purpose or by this facade you have to engage in. You are doing this out of love and we are told to love our neighbour as ourselves, there is no greater act than that. Saint Maria of Paris said, "We must not allow Christ to be overshadowed by any regulations, any customs, any traditions, any aesthetic considerations or even any piety."

It might sound controversial but I believe that our most important consideration is to be like Christ and that worshipping him is secondary to this. Saint Maria of Paris said, "Piety, piety…but where is the love that moves mountains?"

You are doing such an amazing act out of love, you are helping a friend escape. Saint Maria of Paris also helped people escape, escape from Nazi occupied Paris. Stay strong my sibling in Christ, God knows your heart and that's all that is important here.

[rpmemesbyarat]

RP Meme from "Chapter One: Shoots and Canes" in the Children of Gaia Tribebook from "Werewolf: The Apocalypse" Part Two of Two

As corrupt as it was, it was still a civilization with laws and with that came at least a measure of stability.

For better or for worse, we had gotten what we wanted.

Sure I know who Jesus is. I watch TV, don’t I?

But who was Jesus? I mean, really.

I mean, do you get all crazy-weepy and stuff over religion? I’m not making fun of you, I just want to know.

He was a great man, the greatest.

He told us the most important things ever-- love each other, care for each other, do right.

I know he was, he is, the most important teacher of righteousness who ever lived.

Whether he was God, or a god, I don’t know.

No one knows. We can only believe.

He stays with us always.

Thanks a lot. I needed that.

Is this serious enough?

Okay, women had it rough in Athens, but they had more rights in Sparta than anywhere else in the ancient world.

We’re here to talk about our successes, our biggest battles, the things that give us hope in this age.

Wild unicorns were still around back then.

Would that more were like him today.

I’ve got a great story for you!

People began standing up for themselves and a little hope returned to the beaten down multitudes.

Everyone drank.

It was a house of the dead, y’all, not a place to party.

That place sounds pretty weird.

So we are reminded — though we may desire peace, we must still be ready to fight.

It is our duty to make war when needed so that others will not have to.

No bringer of war dies content.

Rape exists outside the human species; it has for a long time.

Is it possible to kill with love in one’s heart?

Who is it you must kill?

Great for the throat, don’t you think?

It wasn’t just that they tricked us, it’s that we kept trying and trying to mend fences that were long since scattered ash.

We’re not saints.

As much as we want to be of one heart and one mind, we’re still individuals at heart.

Some of our ancestors — let’s be honest, some of our contemporaries have done stuff we’re all ashamed of.

How did humans get to messing with nature, instead of the other way round?

Maybe it’s the humans’ fault — they’ve managed to do a lot of stuff without any help.

That’s the toolmaker puzzle; you make things, and you eventually make something that can destroy the world.

No one can say when a legend is legend, when a myth is a myth, or when a piece of knowledge becomes so shabby and unreal as to be a ‘fairy tale’; myths are not lies but stories about what is true.

They had something we did not, something we still have not.

What to do about the human population?

Get something between his teeth to prop his mouth open

To tell of a thing for the first time is to make it, to make it real.

We can make, you know, necklaces or something out of this?

I guess we have to choose what we want to believe.

My teacher in school said something funny one day, said religion is choosing the forms of worship from poetic tales.

Hey, let’s go back to the real world.

I am honored that you have come all this way.

My tongue is harsh and my teeth are still sharp.

There are things that must be heard, even by our youngest and most innocent.

There are things that must be done.

He believes that his intellect can overcome his instincts — and perhaps in his case it can.

We fight, though none have yet died for one side or another.

Each of these cities has seen an outbreak of some new disease, some epidemic that is — so far — limiting itself to a small but unmourned portion of the human population.

It is as if these cities are petri dishes where some person, or thing, or group is cultivating and experimenting with new sicknesses.

Whoever bred them is now waiting to see how much damage they can do — perhaps before the next batch is released.

Many of us are already in the cities, working among the infected to heal and to prevent.

It is an effort that you may wish to join, I think.

Some of you are not old enough to remember the fear of nuclear fire.

The threat is ended.

Did these bombs simply vanish? Did the circuitry evaporate, the plutonium turn to lead, the arming systems transform into home appliances? They did not. Of course many still sit in their wasp-tunnels, still connected to the same buttons that did not go away, just in case a petty man in power needs to kill a continent. Others, though. . .Others have been taken apart, and sold.

Some are now in the hands of evil men. Some are in the hands of organized criminals who look for the most profitable buyer. And some are surely in the hands of the Enemy.

No greater nightmare exists.

These bombs, this fire — it is out there, waiting to be used.

Someone has committed a grave atrocity against the world, and for what purpose?

Who could even harness such power?

We have no time left. We must act.

[akhaziz]

Salaam alaykum

I’m a Sunni sister, and I’ve recently come across Sufism and Islamic mysticism. I’m very much interested in learning about Sufism but there are debates on this whole ‘Sunni-Sufi’ thing, I’m confused and I’m trying to ask everyone of their opinion and know if what I’m doing is right or wrong. Could you please share your thoughts on this?

Waʿalaykumu s-salām wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh sister. Thank you for asking your question in such a nice way. Your question reminded me of something a very wise person once said, followed by a very logical and precise answer written by a scholar and seeker of knowledge. So you know, I am neither wise nor a scholar or a man of knowledge. I look to others for guidance just as you do.

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya said:

Why is the word darkness always mentioned in the plural [in the Quran], while light is always singular?

This is one of the wonders of the Qur’ān, and the reason is that there is only one path of truth, while numerous paths of falsehood.

May Allāh ﷻ guide us all to the right path. Ameen.

—

Sufism

Praise be to Allaah.

The word “Sufism” was not known at the time of the Messenger or the Sahaabah or the Taabi’een. It arose at the time when a group of ascetics who wore wool (“soof”) emerged, and this name was given to them. It was also said that the name was taken from the word “soofiya” (“sophia”) which means “wisdom” in Greek. The word is not derived from al-safa’ (“purity”) as some of them claim, because the adjective derived from safa’ is safaa’i, not soofi (sufi). The emergence of this new name and the group to whom it is applied exacerbated the divisions among Muslims. The early Sufis differed from the later Sufis who spread bid’ah (innovation) to a greater extent and made shirk in both minor and major forms commonplace among the people, as well as the innovations against which the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned us when he said, “Beware of newly-invented things, for every newly-invented thing is an innovation and every innovation is a going-astray.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, who said it is saheeh hasan).

The following is a comparison between the beliefs and rituals of Sufism and Islam which is based on the Qur’aan and Sunnah.

Sufism has numerous branches or tareeqahs, such as the Teejaniyyah, Qaadiriyyah, Naqshbandiyyah, Shaadhiliyyah, Rifaa’iyyah, etc., the followers of which all claim that their particular tareeqah is on the path of truth whilst the others are following falsehood. Islam forbids such sectarianism. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“… and be not of al-mushrikoon (the disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah, polytheists, idolaters, etc),

Of those who split up their religion (i.e., who left the true Islamic monotheism), and became sects, [i.e., they invented new things in the religion (bid’ah) and followed their vain desires], each sect rejoicing in that which is with it.” [al-Room 30:31-32]

The Sufis worship others than Allaah, such as Prophets and “awliya’” [“saints”], living or dead. They say, “Yaa Jeelaani”, “Yaa Rifaa’i” [calling on their awliya’], or “O Messenger of Allaah, help and save” or “O Messenger of Allaah, our dependence is on you”, etc.

But Allaah forbids us to call on anyone except Him in matters that are beyond the person’s capabilities. If a person does this, Allaah will count him as a mushrik, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And invoke not, besides Allaah, any that will neither profit you, nor hurt you, but if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers).” [Yoonus 10:106]

The Sufis believe that there are abdaal, aqtaab and awliya’ (kinds of “saints”) to whom Allaah has given the power to run the affairs of the universe. Allaah tells us about the mushrikeen (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say [O Muhammad]: ‘…And who disposes the affairs?’ They will say. ‘Allaah.’…” [Yoonus 10:31]

The mushrik Arabs knew more about Allaah than these Sufis!

The Sufis turn to other than Allaah when calamity strikes, but Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And if Allaah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things.” [al-An’aam 6:17]

Some Sufis believe in wahdat al-wujood (unity of existence). They do not have the idea of a Creator and His creation, instead they say that everything is creation and everything is god.

The Sufis advocate extreme asceticism in this life and do not believe in taking the necessary means or in jihaad, but Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“But seek with that (wealth) which Allaah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of legal enjoyment in this world…” [al-Qasas 28:77]

“And make ready against them all that you can of power…” [al-Anfaal 8:60]

The Sufis refer the idea of ihsaan to their shaykhs and tell their followers to have a picture of their shaykh in mind when they remember Allaah and even when they are praying. Some of them even put a picture of their shaykh in front of them when they are praying. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Ihsaan is when you worship Allaah as if you can see Him, and although you cannot see Him, He can see you.” (Reported by Muslim).

The Sufis allow dancing, drums and musical instruments, and raising the voice when making dhikr, but Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“The believers are only those who, when Allaah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts…” [al-Anfaal 8:2]

Moreover, you see some of them making dhikr by only pronouncing the Name of Allaah, saying, “Allaah, Allaah, Allaah.” This is bid’ah and has no meaning in Islam. They even go to the extreme of saying, “Ah, ah” or “Hu, Hu.” The Sunnah is for the Muslim to remember his Lord in words that have a true meaning for which he will be rewarded, such as saying Subhaan Allaah wa Alhamdulillah wa Laa ilaaha illa Allaah wa Allaahu akbar, and so on.

The Sufis recite love poems mentioning the names of women and boys in their dhikr gatherings, and they repeat words such as “love”, “passion”, “desire” and so on, as if they are in a gathering where people dance and drink wine and clap and shout. All of this has to do with the customs and acts of worship of the mushrikeen. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Their salaah (prayer) at the House (of Allaah, i.e., the Ka’bah at Makkah) was nothing but whistling and clapping of hands…”

[al-Anfaal 8:35]

Some Sufis pierce themselves with rods of iron, saying, “O my grandfather!” So the shayaateen come to them and help them, because they are seeking the help of someone other than Allaah . Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whosoever turns away (blinds himself) from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent (Allaah), We appoint for him a shaytaan (devil) to be a qareen (intimate companion) for him.”

[al-Zukhruf 43:36]

The Sufis claim to have gnosis and knowledge of the unseen, but the Qur’aan shows them to be liars. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: ‘None in the heavens and the earth knows the ghayb (unseen) except Allaah…’” [al-Naml 27:65]

The Sufis claim that Allaah created the world for the sake of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but the Qur’aan shows them to be liars. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And I (Allaah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone).” [al-Dhaariyaat 51:56]

Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, addressed His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with the words (interpretation of the meaning):

“And worship your Lord until there comes unto the certainty (i.e., death).” [al-Hijr 15:99]

The Sufis claim that they can see Allaah in this life, but the Qur’aan shows them to be liars. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“[Moosa said:] ‘O my Lord! Show me (Yourself), that I may look upon You.’ Allaah said, ‘You cannot see Me…’” [al-A’raaf 7:143]

The Sufis claim that they take knowledge directly from Allaah, without the mediation of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and in a conscious state (as opposed to dreams). So are they better than the Sahaabah??

The Sufis claim that they take knowledge directly from Allaah, without the mediation of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They say, “Haddathani qalbi ‘an Rabbi (My heart told me from my Lord).”

The Sufis celebrate Mawlid and hold gatherings for sending blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but they go against his teachings by raising their voices in dhikr and anaasheed (religious songs) and qaseedahs (poems) that contain blatant shirk. Did the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) celebrate his birthday? Did Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, the four imaams or anyone else celebrate his birthday? Who knows more and is more correct in worship, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Salaf, or the Sufis?

The Sufis travel to visit graves and seek blessings from their occupants or to make tawaaf (ritual circumambulation) around them or to make sacrifices at these sites, all of which goes against the teachings of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Do not travel to visit any place but three mosques: al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah], this mosque of mine [in Madeenah] and al-Masjid al-Aqsa [in Jerusalem].” (Agreed upon).

The Sufis are blindly loyal to their shaykhs, even when what they go against the words of Allaah and His Messenger. But Allaah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Do not put (yourselves) forward before Allaah and His Messenger…” [al-Hujuraat 49:1]

The Sufis use talismans, letters and numbers for making decisions and for making amulets and charms and so on.

The Sufis do not restrict themselves to the specific blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that were narrated from him. They invented new formulas that involve seeking his blessings and other kinds of blatant shirk which are unacceptable to the one on whom they are sending blessings.

With regard to the question of the whether the Sufi shaykhs have some kind of contact, this is true, but their contact is with the shayaateen, not with Allaah, so they inspire one another with adorned speech as a delusion (or by way of deception), as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And so We have appointed for every Prophet enemies – shayaateen (devils) among mankind and jinns, inspiring one another with adorned speech as a delusion (or by way of deception). If your Lord had so willed, they would not have done it…” [al-An’aam 6:112]

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“… And, certainly, the shayaateen (devils) do inspire their friends (from mankind)…” [al-An’aam 6:121]

“Shall I inform you (O people!) upon whom the shayaateen (devils) descend?

They descend on every lying, sinful person.” [al-Shu’ara 221-222]

This is the contact that is real, not the contact that they falsely claim to have with Allaah. Exalted be Allaah far above that. (See Mu’jam al-Bida’, 346 –359).

When some of these Sufi shaykhs disappear suddenly from the sight of their followers, this is the result of their contact with the shayaateen, who may even carry them to a distant place and bring them back in the same day or night, to mislead their human followers.

So the important rule here is not to judge people by the extraordinary feats that they may do. We should judge them by how closely or otherwise they adhere to the Qur’aan and Sunnah. The true friends of Allaah (awliya’) are not necessarily known for performing astounding feats. On the contrary, they are the ones who worship Allaah in the manner that He has prescribed, and not by doing acts of bid’ah. The true awliya’ or friends of Allaah are those whom our Lord has described in the hadeeth qudsi narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh (5/2384) from Abu Hurayrah, who said:

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah said, ‘Whoever shows enmity towards a friend (wali) of Mine, I declare war against him. My slave does not draw close to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties that I have enjoined on him, and My slave continues to draw close to Me with supererogatory (naafil) acts, so that I will love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it.’”

And Allaah is the Source of Strength and the Guide to the Straight Path.

https://islamqa.info/en/4983

[theholycovenantrpg]

CONGRATULATIONS, JORDAN! YOU’VE BEEN ACCEPTED FOR THE ROLE OF GADRIEL.

Admin Rosey: Eeeeeee! Jordan you have no idea how much I’m bouncing off the walls because you brought us such an unparalleled Gadriel! I was hoping, with all my heart, that someone would dare to write a character that is full of such unfettered love, and you did it. All the more, you didn’t hold back with the adoration that seems to burrow itself into every single facet of the character. Your para sample was an absolute thrill to read and truly, I couldn’t have asked for someone more capable of delivering the Gadriel we all know and love. Thank you so much for this wonderful application - it had me grinning from ear to ear. Please create and send in your account, review the information on our CHECKLIST, and follow everyone on the FOLLOW LIST. Welcome to the Holy Land!

OUT OF CHARACTER

Alias | Jordan

Age | 23

Personal Pronouns | She/her

Activity Level | I’m not in school or working right now, so I do have quite a bit of free time on my hands. However, I still have real life stuff that crops up occasionally, and I’m currently looking for a job, so  if/when?? (hopefully) that happens I’ll let you guys know! As it stands, I can on average devote a few hours each day to rp’ing, though that might vary depending on the day.  

Timezone | EST

Triggers | REMOVED

How did you find the group?  | I saw Rosey reblog the prerelease advertisement thing and the rest was history. 

Current/Past RP Accounts | https://chandlerrosen.tumblr.com/ 

IN CHARACTER

Character | Gadriel

What drew you to this character? | 

Though there were quite a number of characters I considered applying for at various stages, I kept coming back to Gadriel. Within her character is everything I’m familiar with, and yet nothing that I’ve written before. I study (or studied, technically) early modern literature and art history, with a focus on Catholic theology, so I was initially drawn to Gadriel’s background as a martyred saint. I love her grief, I love the way she grows from it while still carrying it with her. I love her fighting for compassion and pacifism, while still being shrouded by the monstrous aspect of her that has always lingered within. Her love is her driving force, and her vision all encompassing, and for the “greater good,” but she is still so selfish. More on this now!

What future plots do you have in mind for the character? | 

i. beware of false prophets [. . .] ye shall know them by their fruits

The God she loved was not always a benevolent one, but she loved Him nonetheless, the words of the scripture a familiar glaze on her tongue, weaving its way through the air as it settles around her like a warm blanket. These were the words she lived by, and the words she, in another life, died by. But now these words, and the God who fomented them, are obsolete—ash and dust, they swirl around her still, only a faint echo of their former glory. Now, the residents (those who choose to partake in religion) worship the Hundred-Eyed God—instead of fire and brimstone, this new deity promised everlasting serenity. Gadriel, like most residents of Caelum, doesn’t worship the Hundred-Eyed God, but as God’s most devout and loving follower, she is faced with the difficult task of protecting ISOLDE, the All-Seeing Priestess of the faith. Despite her best efforts, Gadriel finds herself liking the mortal, and where once Gadriel would have seen an idolator, she now sees what could turn into a friend. The relationship, however, is tenuous, and Gadriel is very reluctant to let herself become attached to the girl—it didn’t end so well for the last worshipped figure in Gadriel’s life. But more than that, Isolde feels like a punishment, or rather, like she should be a punishment. Sure, it pains Gadriel to watch new rituals when the old ones sit in her bones and on her tongue, aching to be remembered and repeated, but otherwise, her task is, at times, an enjoyable one. So when will the other shoe drop? I’m very interested in seeing how this relationship will develop, and how ESTIENNE will fit into it. The biography mentions that Gadriel would kill to protect ARAEL, presumably she would do the same for Isolde, if only out of obligation (though personal affection may one day be a reason as well). Whether it be Estienne or someone else, how will Gadriel, generally a pacifist, react if Isolde is threatened?

I also think it’s interesting to consider what would happen, not if Isolde is physically threatened, but if her status is somehow threatened, or if someone, say ORIAS or CASSIEL (though there are many others), challenges Isolde (an extension of the Hundred-Eyed God) as someone/something to be worshipped? Zealotry is comfortable for Gadriel, a familiar armor to lace over her chest as she draws her sword, but it has rusted and worn down, a passion without a purpose, without an outlet. I think Gadriel is far from becoming a zealot for the Hundred-Eyed God, and to be honest, I’m not sure it would ever actually happen. However, I can see this going two ways (not necessarily mutually exclusive, either): 

Gadriel develops a love for Isolde similar to the love she felt for God; it would be different, no doubt, but I think part of Gadriel’s worship of God in her mortal life came from, faith yes, but also love and a desire to be loved. Her worship of God was not entirely unselfish, but fervently pious nevertheless. Could Gadriel ever get to the point where she would take up her sword for Isolde, not against imminent danger, but against idolatry? Maybe, maybe not, and if it did, it would be, as I said, much further down the line, and certainly not as strong as the zealotry she exhibited for God, but I do think it’s an important aspect of Gadriel that cannot just be shirked because her God is dead.

Regardless of Isolde and how Gadriel may feel about her, there is still a part of Gadriel, no matter how slowly waning it may be, that fought tooth and nail to worship her God, both as a human and angel. And now, with people cropping up, Orias, Cassiel, Michael, etc. who try to fill that void He left, to be worshipped in their own right, I’m interested in how Gadriel will react. Obviously, Gadriel is not omnipotent, and therefore doesn’t necessarily know the extent to which these various figures have designs on power, on reverence. But throughout the course of the roleplay, I think as their actions reflect their intentions, and as those intentions become clearer, the familiar feeling of zealotry will crop up again, burning inside Gadriel’s bosom as it once had. Perhaps something starts it, perhaps she will see the corruption of mortals, of her fellow angels, even, and she wants to stop it. It’s not something she could do alone, at least not successfully, and depending on where Gadriel is in her development, she might not even care at first. But I still think it would be interesting to explore, and which unlikely alliances she may form to quell the rising of a new, different, idol. 

ii. should intermitted vengeance arm again / His red right hand to plague us?

For every cloud, there is a silver lining, and for every slain deity, a world to be made anew. I don’t think Gadriel has ever been motivated by power, and I don’t think she is now, either. I do think, however, that she believes in a very strong vision of the world, a vision she believed she shared with her God. Of course, without God, Gadriel now has the freedom to reshape her vision, and mold the world into, as the biography states,  “her own vision of beauty.” But that which is beautiful, is also terrible, for beauty without power is vulnerability, a quality Gadriel has shedded like a skin too tight and too itchy to ever be comfortable again. There is an anger inside her, a feeling of righteousness against those she believes have acted unjustly. Namely, MICHAEL and CASSIEL. There are many people she blames for this war, for the death of her beloved God, and Michael’s name is at the top of the list. He clipped her wings, he punished her for her pride (for is hubris not the most base of the tragic flaws?), smearing her face in the dirt of her own folly by naming her the Virtue of Temperance, forcing her to protect a being instrumental to the worship of a new, unfamiliar religion. And still, Gadriel turns the other cheek. To wage outright war against Michael would be foolish, and though Gadriel is privy to foolishness (a lingering effect of her not-so-long-forgotten mortality), she isn’t that foolish. I think the dynamic between Gadriel and Michael is very interesting, and something I’d love to explore. As he hungers for more power, as Gadriel’s resentment of him festers, infecting her life’s blood with boiling wrath, when will Gadriel decide that enough is enough. And who will stand with her? 

Now onto Cassiel. Cassiel’s betrayal of the Cherubim, of Gadriel and her own people (though really, with Gadriel’s part in the war against Michael, I think Gadriel would be put on trial regardless), is another interesting avenue to explore. I mentioned Cassiel above as being a sort of “False Prophet,” and in truth, I think she is the antithesis to Gadriel. Speaking of Cherubim, I think Gadriel and ZADKIEL would actually get along fairly well, as Gadriel is (or at least was) well-liked by her fellow angels, and liked them in return, and I think they have a similar philosophy and moral compass. Would Gadriel and Zadkiel, two angels affected by Cassiel’s actions, end up lighting the spark of retribution against Cassiel? Or will it divide them? Cassiel and Gadriel are two people driven by the notion of beauty, though their definitions couldn’t be further apart. While Cassiel’s vision is of herself, Gadriel sees an eternal peace, filial piety and the burning passion of people who join in communion as one (so really, the concept of the Hundred-Eyed God should be alluring to her, once Gadriel realizes that it aligns with her vision and she could wield it considering Isolde is her charge—I digress). Perhaps Gadriel goes against Cassiel, not necessarily for past indiscretions, but present grievances. 

To create, you must destroy, and from the ashes of the old world will Gadriel’s vision of beauty rise, sheathed in gold with a purity so simple, it can only be considered divine.   

iii. when is a monster not a monster?

The answer, of course, “when you love it.” Gadriel’s connections to Asmodeus, Arael, and Mammon are all thematically concerned with when Gadriel shows her monstrous side, if at all. With ARAEL, Gadriel’s monstrous side is not hidden, because with their level of intimacy, with its purity, Gadriel holds no secrets from Arael. It just rarely (if ever) rears its ugly head. The biography mentions that Gadriel would kill for Arael, and I would like to put that to the test. I don’t know how, or when, but I want Gadriel to become a monster, all for the sake of Arael. She knows of Arael’s grief, but I’m wondering just how much Gadriel knows of Arael’s visits to ABBADON’S domain. If she doesn’t know, then perhaps Gadriel will feel betrayed. Of course, she wouldn’t take it out on Arael, there is very little Arael could do to warrant that sort of emotion from Gadriel, but I do think it would shift their relationship. If Gadriel does know, however, I wonder if Gadriel might try to take it upon herself to help Arael (if it’s unwanted, so much the better), because Gadriel is the picture of self-righteousness.  

ASMODEUS is an interesting case with regard to Gadriel’s monstrous side. She hasn’t quite figured him out, she doesn’t know his sad past, but the glances they share, the stares that betray his longing for something else, someone else, intrigue her. And I think it makes Gadriel feel powerful, this unsaid tension between them, the notion that at any moment, it could all crumble and collapse, that he could, if she so chose. I think she wants to poke and prod at him, maybe from afar at first, and then toy with him, his vulnerability between her teeth, with only gravity (the gravity she is so adept at manipulating) to crush it, or release him from her grasp. Of course, Gadriel is not without compassion, and maybe once she knows Asmodeus’ story, she’ll feel differently. It all depends on what part of Asmodeus she chooses to see: the human, or the demon.

Gadriel’s most monstrous side, her most vindictive and self-righteous, self-satisfying, parts, are shown in her relationship with MAMMON. She spared them, not because she felt pity, not because she cared, or didn’t wish to shed blood, but to show them that she could. She held their life at the end of her blade and laughed when she removed it from his throat. Surely they still harbor bitter feelings towards her, feelings of hatred and resentment, even. In Emma’s app for Mammon, she mentions how she envisions them fighting, even to the death. I fully agree, and am looking forward to their confrontation a lot. Gadriel is, generally, soft, but I want to explore those parts of her that are more monster than divine, more human than angel. 

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | Yes.

IN DEPTH

Driving Character Motivation | 

In Gadriel’s mortal life, her driving motivation was her love for God, and her desire to be loved by God. The picture of piety, Gadriel shirked near all else to proclaim her love for God, frustrated when others wouldn’t recognize His great power, his all-encompassing love. Even when she became an angel, she was still driven by this love, but now it was realized, it was reciprocated. And rather than have that be diminished upon conquest, it only grew stronger and more fervent. 

Of course, after the war, after her wings were clipped, Gadriel turned into the dutiful angel, obeying Michael’s orders (much to her chagrin). Now she’s driven by her vision of beauty, of peace everlasting and passion overflowing. Love is still very much part of the equation, and the love she feels for Arael, for Isolde (maybe, eventually), also motivates her. But it’s her love for God, and for his vision, that stoke the fire of ambition in her loins. I think Gadriel is tired of constantly being taken for granted, being walked all over, and is using the new world as an opportunity to turn a page in her own life. To become all that she once sought to, to fulfill all righteousness on earth, and to spread her vision to all those who will listen. 

Character Traits | 

(passionate, loyal, empathetic)

(dogmatic, vengeful, obstinate)

In-Character Para Sample | 

“Brothers, sisters, friends, lend me your ears,” she began, standing in front of her fellow angels, on trial for crimes committed against Michael, committed for God. “I stand on trial today, though I believe myself innocent of all crimes, guilty only of being consumed by love. Perhaps my love was misplaced, my loyalty misguided, but is that so unreasonable? Was that not God’s almighty power—to stir inside those who are lost the guidance to follow His will through His love?” She looked around, eyes imploring as she clutched her chest. The room was bright, the sun almost overbearing and artificial, devoid of everything Heaven held, a false divinity imbuing every corner and crevice. She had been here before. But rather than in a spotless room, she was surrounded by dust and the jeers of Romans who believed her guilty of the same crime she was accused of now: treason.

“You accuse me of treason,” she began again, and the lion’s roar in her ear was so loud, she felt as though it was standing across the room from her, not Michael, “but forgive me, I knew nothing else. If my actions offended, let us rectify the situation, together. Let us venture forth, hand in hand, brothers in arms, angels enshrouded in the divinity that is our right, into this new era. But let us not paint this era with more blood than has already been shed; for is that truly what you want your legacy to entail? Fire and brimstone—would you be any better than the God you have deposed?” She raised her eyebrow, scanning the eyes of the crowd as they shifted uncomfortably. An invisible string lifted Gadriel’s spine—perhaps it was her power of gravity, perhaps newfound confidence at the uncomfortability of the angels who wished her dead.

“And how, dear sister, could we trust you?” Michael asked, unmoved, the pinnacle of strength and composure. 

“This is new territory for both of us, brother. This world has never known God’s absence—but together, and only together, could we bring it into a new Golden Age, an era of rebirth and plenty.” Everyone was silent, pondering her words. This silence was deafening, and the lion roared louder. Her heart began to race as she saw the saliva glint off the lion’s teeth, the blood staining its fur from the last human he shred. 

“You seek to do better than God? Well do better. Ff His picture of compassion was imperfect, perfect it. His vision of mercy unfulfilled, fulfill it.” The words stung her tongue as she spoke them against her God, but perhaps she could give Michael and his legions the chance to be better, if that is what they truly sought. “Violence, retribution. This is not the way, and we both know it.” 

Silence still more. Until finally, Michael made his decision. 

“Very well, you have your amnesty. But Gadriel, this can not go unpunished.” He contemplated further, his hands steepled like a church she once worshipped at, before continuing, “your wings will be clipped, and we will watch you. Very closely.” He nodded, but she could tell this wasn’t his desired outcome. 

“Thank you, Michael, for your compassion. You won’t regret it,” she said through gritted teeth, sharp as a lion’s, before she sheathed them. Not now. Not today. Today, she lived, and she will continue to do so, if only to continue God’s work. For so it become us to fulfill all righteousness. 

Extras | 

i. COMPANION: By her side, Gadriel’s companion is a LION. I’m hearkening back to the typological tradition of depicting a martyred saint with the instruments of their demise. St. Lawrence has his grill, St. Catherine of Alexandria her spiked wheel, and so Gadriel will have her lion. 

ii. WINGS: Gadriel’s wings are clipped, but not torn from her back. Right now they don’t extend past her shoulder blades, but at once they were the most radiant, pure, white of the softest down. When they grow back, however, perhaps they will be muddled and murky.

[pamphletstoinspire]

Now Is the Time to Consecrate Yourself to Saint Joseph

I did not understand St. Joseph well enough, but that will change.

— St. John of the Cross

In the 16th century, St. John of the Cross humbly acknowledged that he lacked a proper understanding of the greatness of St. Joseph. Inspired by the tremendous love that his friend, St. Teresa of Avila, had for St. Joseph, St. John of the Cross made a firm resolution to get to know and love St. Joseph better.

What about you? Do you know St. Joseph? Do you feel you understand his greatness and love for you?

Saint José Manyanet, a priest in 19th-century Spain, fervently promoted devotion to St. Joseph and the Holy Family. He prophesied that a “time of St. Joseph” would soon arrive in the life of the Church. He wrote:

I believe that the true time of Saint Joseph has not arrived yet: after two thousand years we started only now to glimpse something of the mystery in which he is immersed.

Well, my friends, I firmly believe that in our day the Lord wants to direct our hearts, families, parishes, dioceses, and Church to St. Joseph in a major way. In 1961, St. Pope John XXIII made a profound statement about St. Joseph. He wrote:

In the Holy Church’s worship, right from the beginning, Jesus, the Word of God made man, has enjoyed the adoration that belongs to him, incommunicable as the splendor of the substance of his Father, a splendor reflected in the glory of his saints. From the earliest times, Mary, his mother, was close behind him, in the pictures in the catacombs and the basilicas, where she was devoutly venerated as “Holy Mother of God.” But Joseph, except for some slight sprinkling of references to him here and there in the writings of the Fathers [of the Church], for long centuries remained in the background, in his characteristic concealment, almost as a decorative figure in the overall picture of the Savior’s life. It took time for devotion to him to go beyond those passing glances and take root in the hearts of the faithful, and then surge forth in the form of special prayers and of a profound sense of trusting abandonment. The fervent joy of pouring forth these deepest feelings of the heart in so many impressive ways has been saved for modern times!

What the Vicar of Christ clearly stated is that now is the time of St. Joseph. We are living in modern times, the time in which the Church is witnessing an unprecedented era of devotion to St. Joseph. According to St. Pope John XXIII, God desires devotion to St. Joseph to surge forth in our day in the form of special prayers of “trusting abandonment.” This means one thing in particular: It’s time for total consecration to St. Joseph!

Here is a list a list of remarkable events that have taken place over the past 150 years that show St. Joseph’s increasing importance in the life of the Church. They clearly indicate that we are living in an unprecedented time of St. Joseph.

1868 — Blessed Jean-Joseph Lataste, OP, writes a letter to Blessed Pope Pius IX asking him to declare St. Joseph the “Patron of the Universal Church.” 1870 — Blessed Pope Pius IX declares St. Joseph the “Patron of the Universal Church.” 1871 — Founding of the Josephites by Cardinal Herbert A. Vaughan 1873 — Founding of the Congregation of St. Joseph by St. Leonardo Murialdo 1878 — Founding of the Oblates of St. Joseph by St. Joseph Marello 1879 — Apparitions at Knock, Ireland. Saint Joseph appears with the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John the Apostle, and Jesus (appearing as the Lamb of God). 1889 — Pope Leo XIII writes Quamquam Pluries, an encyclical letter on St. Joseph. 1895 — Blessed Petra of St. Joseph begins construction on a shrine to St. Joseph in Barcelona, Spain. It is consecrated in 1901. At her beatification in 1994, St. John Paul II calls Blessed Petra the “apostle of St. Joseph of the 19th century.” 1904 — Saint André Bessette constructs an oratory dedicated to St. Joseph in Montreal, Canada. It expands, is declared a minor basilica, and finally is completed in 1967. Today, it is known as St. Joseph’s Oratory and is considered by many to be the preeminent international center of devotion to St. Joseph. 1908 — Saint Luigi Guanella begins constructing a church dedicated to St. Joseph in Rome. It is completed and consecrated as a basilica in 1912. 1909 — Saint Pope Pius X officially approves the Litany of St. Joseph. 1914 — Saint Luigi Guanella founds the Pious Union of St. Joseph for the Salvation of the Dying. 1917 — Apparitions at Fatima, Portugal. During the last apparition on October 13, St. Joseph appears holding the Child Jesus and blessing the world. 1921 — Pope Benedict XV inserts the phrase “Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse” into the Divine Praises. 1947 — Spanish Discalced Carmelites found Estudios Josefinos, the first theological journal devoted to St. Joseph. 1950s — The alleged apparitions of Our Lady of America given to Sr. Mary Ephrem emphasize a renewed devotion to St. Joseph, and St. Joseph himself speaks to the visionary about this devotion. 1955 — Venerable Pope Pius XII establishes the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, to be celebrated on May 1. 1962 — Saint Pope John XXIII inserts St. Joseph’s name into the Canon of the Mass (Eucharistic Prayer I). 1989 — Saint Pope John Paul II writes Redemptoris Custos, an apostolic exhortation on St. Joseph. 2013 — Pope Francis, echoing and fulfilling the intentions of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, inserts the name of St. Joseph into all Eucharistic Prayers. He also consecrates Vatican City State to St. Joseph. Whoa! Did you know all that? Most people are unaware of these remarkable events. Without exaggeration, the Church has done more to promote St. Joseph in the last 150 years than in the previous 1,800 years of Christianity! But why now? Why St. Joseph?

There are many reasons, but I believe there are two that are especially important.

First, we need the spiritual fatherhood of St. Joseph to help us protect marriage and the family. Marriage and the family have always been under attack, but in modern times, the threats have reached extraordinary heights. Many people no longer know what it means to be a man or a woman, let alone what constitutes a marriage and a family. Many countries even claim to have redefined marriage and the family. There is great confusion on these matters, greater confusion than in any previous era of human history. The Servant of God Sr. Lucia dos Santos, the longest-lived visionary of the Fatima apparitions, knew the seriousness of the times and made a powerful statement about this issue. She wrote:

The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be about marriage and the family.

To combat and overcome Satan’s deceptions, the Church needs St. Joseph. His example and protection are the only way out of the confusing mess we are in. Who else can we turn to who can help us understand what marriage and the family are all about if not to the Head of the Holy Family and our spiritual father?

Second, the entire world needs to be re-evangelized, including the vast majority of baptized Christians. Saint Joseph was the first missionary. Today, he desires again to bring Jesus to the nations. Many nations and cultures that were previously Christian have fallen away from their Christian roots and are on a path of self-destruction. Countries once established on Judeo-Christian principles have become overrun by ideologies and organizations that seek to strip society of all that is sacred. Without a major turnaround, civilization itself is going to self-destruct.

In an apostolic exhortation on St. Joseph in 1989, St. John Paul II reminded us of the necessity of invoking St. Joseph in the work of re-evangelizing the world. He wrote:

This patronage [of St. Joseph] must be invoked as ever necessary for the Church, not only as a defense against all dangers, but also, and indeed primarily, as an impetus for her renewed commitment to evangelization in the world and to re-evangelization in those lands and nations where religion and the Christian life were formerly flourishing and are now put to a hard test.

Now is the time to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph! God is telling his Church that, in order to defend marriage and the family, elevate morals, recover lost ground, and win souls for Jesus Christ, we need to bring St. Joseph onto the battlefield. He is the Terror of Demons! With his powerful spiritual fatherhood, incredible love for his spiritual children, and constant intercession, the Church can be renewed as a light to the nations!

What exactly is consecration to St. Joseph? In other words, what does it mean for a person to be consecrated to St. Joseph? Well, it basically means that you acknowledge that he is your spiritual father, and you want to be like him. To show it, you entrust yourself entirely to his paternal care so that he can help you acquire his virtues and become holy. Total consecration to St. Joseph means you make a formal act of filial entrustment to your spiritual father so that he can take care of your spiritual well-being and lead you to God. The person who consecrates himself to St. Joseph wants to be as close to their spiritual father as possible, to the point of resembling him in virtue and holiness. Saint Joseph, in turn, will give those consecrated to him his loving attention, protection, and guidance.

Perhaps someone reading this has already consecrated themselves entirely to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and is wondering if they can consecrate themselves to St. Joseph and entrust everything to him, as well. The answer is a resounding “Yes!” God desires that all children be committed to the love and care of a mother and a father. You are not a member of a single-parent spiritual family. Mary is your spiritual mother, and St. Joseph is your spiritual father. The spiritual fatherhood of St. Joseph is extremely important for your spiritual growth. Total consecration to Mary is not diminished by total consecration to St. Joseph. Mary wants you to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph! Jesus wants you to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph! Everything you have given to Jesus and Mary can also be given to St. Joseph. The hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are one.

So is there a book that offers a method of consecration to St. Joseph? Yes, there is! It’s called Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of our Spiritual Father and it follows a method similar to the tried-and-true 33-day preparation method employed by St. Louis de Montfort in his Marian consecration. The 33-day program can be done by individuals, parishes, and entire diocese. Through this program, I hope to spark the first worldwide movement of consecration to St. Joseph!

Consecration to St. Joseph has endorsements from Cardinal Raymond Burke, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Jim Caviezel, Scott Hahn, and many others. Get your copy of Consecration to St. Joseph and be part of the movement! Go to www.consecrationtostjoseph.org to find out more!

FR. DONALD CALLOWAY, MIC

[risalei-nur]

TAFSIR: Risale-i Nur: The Words Collection:The Thirty First Word .Part 8

QUESTION: We can ascend only to a certain height by aircraft. How can someone bodily travel within a few minutes a distance that would nor-mally take thousands of years to cover ?

 ANSWER: According to science, whose findings you accept without question, a heavy body like the earth travels about four hundred miles in a minute, and about two hundred million miles in a year. Should an All-Powerful One of Majesty, Who causes the earth to make that regular motion and revolves it like a stone in a sling, be unable to convey a human being to His Supreme Throne? Should a Wisdom that causes the heavy earth to revolve around the sun like a dervish through a law of Divine Lordship (gravity) be unable to raise a person, like lightning, to the All-Merciful One’s Throne through the “gravity” of the All-Merciful One’s Mercy and the attraction of the Eternal Sun’s love?

 QUESTION: Even if he could ascend, why did and why should he? Would it not have been enough for him to ascend in heart and spirit like saints?

 ANSWER: The All-Majestic Maker wanted to show His amazing signs in His domain’s inner and outer dimensions, make this world’s workshops and sources observed, and display the results of our actions pertaining to the Hereafter. Given this, and as required by reason and wisdom, He would take Muhammad to His Supreme Throne not only with his eyes (the key to the world of visible objects) and ears, (which perceived His signs in the world of sound and voices,) but also with his entire blessed body, which, as his spirit’s machine composed of different members and faculties, is the means for the fulfillment of his uncountable duties. Just as Divine Wisdom makes the body accompany the spirit in Paradise, because the body enables numerous duties of worship to be performed and innumerable pleasures and pains to be experienced, it also is pure wisdom that He would make Muhammad’s blessed body accompany his spirit in ascending to the Lote-tree of the furthest limit, the “trunk” of the Garden of Refuge and Dwelling. 

QUESTION: How, in the name of reason, can the distance that normal-ly takes thousands of years to cover be covered in a few minutes? 

ANSWER: In the All-Majestic Maker’s art, motions have infinitely dif-ferent degrees. For example, the speeds of electricity, spirit, imagination, and sound are quite different from each other. Also, science has established that the speeds of planetary movements are astonishingly different. So why should it be unreasonable that Muhammad’s body acquired a sort of refinement, accompanied his spirit in the Ascension, and moved at its speed? Sometimes you sleep for ten minutes but have a year’s worth of experiences. If the words spoken and heard in a dream lasting for only a minute were collected, it would take a day and even longer to speak or hear them while awake. Thus a single period of time means a day for one and a year for another. 

Consider this analogy: A clock measures the speed of a person, a can-nonball, sound, light, electricity, spirit, and imagination. It has ten hands to show the hours, minutes, and seconds down to fractions of an hour to the tenth power. It also has ten circles, one round the other and sixty times larger than it, respectively. If the circle with the hour hand is the size of a normal clock, the circle with the fraction-of-an-hour hand to the tenth power would have to be the size of the earth’s annual orbit or much greater. 

Suppose there are two people. One is mounted on the hour-hand and observes according to its motion, while the other is on the hand showing fractions of an hour to the tenth power. There would be a huge difference, as great as the proportion between a normal clock and the earth’s annual orbit, with respect to what they could see during the same time period. 

Since time is like an aspect or a “ribbon” of motion, a rule that is in force in motion is also in force in time. While we would see the same amount of things during an hour as the one mounted on the hour-hand, which moves in the smallest circle at the slowest speed, God’s Messenger, like the one mounted on the hand showing fractions of the hour to the tenth power, gets on the mount of Divine assistance and, in the same space of time, traverses the entire sphere of contingency like lightning. Seeing the wonders in the inner and outer dimensions of contingent existence and rising as far as the boundary of the immaterial realm of the necessary existence (Divine realm’s limits), he is honored with Divine conversation and vision of His Beauty, receives the decree, and returns to his duty of Messengership on the earth. It was possible for him to do that, and he did it.

QUESTION: Even if this were possible, not everything possible occurs. Is there something similar that we can accept? How can we accept the occurrence of something unique, only because it is possible?

 ANSWER: There are countless similar cases. For example, people with sound sight can ascend with their eyes to Neptune in a second. Astronomers can mount the laws of astronomy in their minds and travel beyond the stars in a minute. Believers can mount in thought on the acts and pillars of the prescribed Prayers and, leaving the universe behind through a sort of Ascension, go as far as the Divine Presence. Perfected saints can make a spir-itual journey and travel the spiritual ranks beyond the realms of God’s Supreme Throne and His Names and Attributes in forty days. Such people as ‘Abdu’l-Qadir al-Jilani and Imam ar-Rabbani truthfully reported that they used to ascend spiritually as far as the Divine Throne in a minute.

 Angels, whose bodies are of light, come and go between the ground and the Divine Throne in a very short time. The people of Paradise will ascend to the gardens of Paradise from the Supreme Plain of Gathering in a short period of time. Many such examples demonstrate that it is pure wisdom, completely rational, and that it undoubtedly occurred that Prophet Muhammad, the lord of all saints, leader of all believers, head of all people of Paradise, and accept-ed by all angels, realized an Ascension, which marks his journey through and beyond all ranks of sainthood, in a form appropriate to his position.

[kristenpoblador]

Blog & Relfection

Servant Leadership

Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” - Mark 9:35

From the Church to Jesus, servant leadership is being delivered to the people needed to be helped. Simply being humble to help others is servant leadership; thus, it shows equality among others. As of today, it is difficult to be humble because of such influences we see and all bullying people may receive especially online. Thankfully, we have the Church to help guide us to go the right direction with humility.

Not only do they deliver servant leadership through the corporal works of mercy but also through spiritual works too. The Church handles things like confession and healing of the sick. By this they get to clean one’s soul, making life easier for them to handle. They get to make contact with God and make one’s soul upbeat. This action is handled by the Church to serve others as God has served His people. Since Jesus is not physically on earth, making miracles, cleaning and healing one’s soul, the Church will be the one to continue these actions.

We all are called to be servant leaders of the Church. Anyone can be humble and help others at even the simplest possible way. Even though your society may tolerate you for some act of kindness and humility, it is best to not stoop to their level as we and God know what we are doing.

Reflection #1

St. La Salle, Patron Saint of Teachers, is unlike any other person especially today. He has put God in the center of his life no matter what. Even if life was being extremely tough on him, to the point where it is God’s existence is doubtful, he never gave up since He knows what is needed to be done. Considering his characteristics, he may be like Mary because no matter how hard it is for her, since she loves and trusts God the Father, she accepted her will. As it is said in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” This evidently shows their attitude towards their mission.

Reflection #2

Apostleship can be shown by servant leadership, doing our part as children of God and more. Before learning what apostleship is, we should know what the apostles do when they were still delivering God’s word throughout the world. As it is said in 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10, apostleship is giving up everything to serve God and others. You may not have anything in return and be at the verge of our uncomfortable zone, or have anything while you are at it but you do have God guiding you and your fulfillment of God’s will. It may not seem like much to most people since we are all distracted by all modern complications but it is what would matter to everyone in the end.

Reflection #3

Unlike the apostles, disciples serve God for sometime and live their normal life afterwards. As children of God, we are obligated to serve God as we have the ability to do so as stated in Ephesians 4:11-17; thus, it gives us a purpose to live. Even though it is our obligation to serve God in ways like going to mass to celebrate with Him, a disciple has a choice to go or not. We have more freedom in choosing what we want to be rather than what we are “chosen” to be like a Church member. Both apostle and disciple do worship though disciples are less willing to do their part in the Church like simply spreading God’s word. These days, if people do this, they are made fun of by others since it is not usual to talk to someone about God; they would most likely want to talk about their life so they would think you are no fun.

Relfection #4

Selflessness is the word that I think can summarize the definition of servant leadership. This is when you humble yourself or lower your pride achieve the same level with others. When Jesus was about to wash his apostles’ feet as said in John 13:1-17, one of His apostles whose name is Peter, hesitated to let Jesus wash His feet since He is the King and He is the one supposed to be served. Since Jesus is a humble king, He wanted to wash their feet instead. He did this to show them how to become a good and humble leader since we are all equal. He taught them that even if you are given authority or you’re given the privilege for something, we must not think of ourselves as someone greater than someone else.

[romancatholicreflections]

27th August >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 23:13-22 for Monday, Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time: ‘You shut up the kingdom of heaven’.

Monday, Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time  

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

Matthew 23:13-22

Alas for you, blind guides!

Jesus said: ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who shut up the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces, neither going in yourselves nor allowing others to go in who want to.

   ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you have him you make him twice as fit for hell as you are.

   ‘Alas for you, blind guides! You who say, “If a man swears by the Temple, it has no force; but if a man swears by the gold of the Temple, he is bound.” Fools and blind! For which is of greater worth, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? Or else, “If a man swears by the altar it has no force; but if a man swears by the offering that is on the altar, he is bound.” You blind men! For which is of greater worth, the offering or the altar that makes the offering sacred? Therefore, when a man swears by the altar he is swearing by that and by everything on it. And when a man swears by the Temple he is swearing by that and by the One who dwells in it. And when a man swears by heaven he is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seated there.’  

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 23:13-22

Woe to you, blind guides.

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.

   “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.

   “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.”  

Reflections (5)

(i) Monday, Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time

There was a great sense of togetherness yesterday in the Phoenix Park as more than half a million people gathered to celebrate Mass with the Holy Father, Pope Francis. We had a long walk before we got to the Mass and the sense of togetherness was evident even then. It had the feel of a real pilgrimage. People of faith were journeying together and, then, at the end of their journey, joining together in our most important act of worship, the Eucharist. I thought it was a powerful image of what the church is called to be. We are a family of believers who journey together towards the Lord, supporting one another, praying with one another. The church has been through difficult times and even the run up to the Pope’s visit had quite a negative tone to it, especially in the media. In these times, it is all the more necessary that we support one another. In the gospel reading, Jesus is very critical of those who do the opposite. He accuses the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day, of shutting up the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces, neither going in themselves, or allowing others to go in who want to. They reject the message of Jesus and put pressure on others to do the same. They turn away from God’s gift of the kingdom offered through Jesus and they influence others to turn away from it as well. Undermining the faith of others is a very serious matter in the Lord’s eyes. People can do this in all sorts of ways. Our calling is to lead each other to the Lord. This is the heart of our baptismal calling. The celebrations in the RDS, in Croke Park and in the Phoenix Park over the past five days were an example of people of faith doing just that in a very striking way. We were bringing the Lord to each other and bringing each other to the Lord.

And/Or

(ii) Monday, Twenty First Week in Ordinary Time

The first reading this morning is from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. This is the oldest Christian document we possess. We know that it was written by Paul about the year 50, twenty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and twenty years before the writing of Mark’s gospel, which is the first gospel to be written. The first note that is struck in this letter, the earliest Christian document, is one of thanksgiving. Paul thanks God for the church in Thessalonica, ‘we thank God for you all’, mentioning in particular their faith, love and hope. It is appropriate that the first note to be struck in the earliest Christian document we possess is one of thanksgiving, because it is a fundamental attitude of believers in the Lord. Towards the very end of this letter, Paul tells the church in Thessalonica, ‘Give thanks in all circumstances’ – not ‘for’ but ‘in’ all circumstances. No matter what our circumstances in life, we have always something to give thanks for because of the ways that God has blessed us in Christ. Paul thanked God for the church in Thessalonica, which was God’s work. We all have reasons to be thankful to God; Paul calls upon us to express our thanks to God at all times, naming what it is, who it is, we are thankful to God for.

And/Or

(iii) Monday, Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel reading Jesus condemns the Pharisees because they shut up the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. In other words, they hinder people from entering the kingdom of heaven, presumably by trying to keep people from following Jesus who came to proclaim the nearness of the kingdom of heaven. The gospels suggest that Jesus was critical of those who were an obstacle to people coming to believe in him. He was critical of his own disciples for trying to prevent children drawing near to him, in spite of the wishes of the children’s parents for Jesus to bless their children. Rather than shutting up the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces, Jesus wants us to open up the kingdom of heaven to each other. We are to bring each other to the Lord, to reveal the Lord to each other, and, in so doing, to support one another on our journey towards the kingdom of heaven. There are many people in the gospels who brought others to Jesus and who can be an inspiration to us. We only have to think of John the Baptist, whose life mission was to lead people to Jesus, to open up the kingdom of heaven to others. We need the support of each other’s faith, each other’s witness, as we journey on our pilgrim way through life.

And/Or

(iv) Monday, Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time

In the gospel reading Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for preventing people from entering the kingdom of heaven. They won’t enter themselves and they are an obstacle to others entering. Even a disciple can be an obstacle to someone entering the kingdom of heaven. Earlier in the gospel of Matthew Jesus warned his own disciples about putting a stumbling stone in the way of others, causing others to stumble in their response to the Lord’s call. Jesus was very aware that we can impact each other’s faith for good or for ill. We can help others on their journey towards the Lord or we can put a stumbling stone in their way. We are called to support one another in our efforts to respond to the Lord’s call. We can do this in various ways, by praying for each other, by witnessing to our faith when the opportunity presents itself, and just by being generous in our own response to the Lord. Whenever we try to do what the Lord may be asking of us we make it easier for everyone else to do what the Lord may be asking of them. The journey of faith is a shared one and we are interdependent as we travel it. Yes, we can hold each other back, as Jesus accused the Pharisees of doing in this morning’s gospel reading, but we can also help each other along. The Lord wants to work through each one of us to bring one another to a deeper faith.

And/Or

(v) Monday, Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time

One of the ways we connect with each other is by praying for each other. If we were to look at our prayer, we would probably find that a lot of it is prayer for others, intercessory prayer. We pray for each other all the time, especially when we go to places of pilgrimage, like Lourdes. There are nearly thirty going on pilgrimage to Lourdes from the parish at the beginning of October and they will bring the intentions of parishioners with them and pray for them. At the end of this morning’s first reading, Paul declares that he prays for the church in Thessalonica. I am struck by the content of that prayer, ‘We pray continually that our God will fulfil all your desires for goodness and complete all that you have been doing through faith’. We all have what Paul refers to in that prayer, ‘desires for goodness’. We desire to be good; we want to become all that God is calling us to be. That desire is crucial; it is something God can work with, as Paul says in that prayer, ‘God will fulfil all your desires for goodness’. God needs our desire. Our desire gives God an opening to work in our lives. No matter how many times we fall short, as long as we retain our desire for goodness, our desire to walk in the way of God’s Son, God can work powerfully within us, and,in the words of that first reading, will be able to complete all that we have been doing through faith. A good prayer to make for ourselves is to pray that our desire for goodness would never weaken.

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

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

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

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

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Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

[morning-walk]

I just came in from my morning walk.

My devotions led me to this.

Yesterday my friend Joy, who is a source of joy, asked that I renew one of my calls to the faithful.

So.

“Rise up. Love much. Live well. You are needed.”

Later Finley’s Nana told me she had an “ugly cry” which was beautiful. I had an ugly cry myself as my heart swelled so much it ran out of my eyes.

If you didn’t get to go on yesterday’s Morning Walk you will just have to wonder what the tears and beauty were about.

Yesterday my old friend Sandy called from her new home in Florida to ask our prayers for someone she loves - knowing our church loves them both.

Yesterday one of the saints who is Covid wary, and Covid weary, told me they will be at worship Sunday after many months of isolation. “I need our church” were the words she shared. I didn’t have a clue how to guide her.

Yesterday I visited my parents and gave thanks for them.

Yesterday I worked up my sermon about wet eunuchs.

(If that doesn’t get you to worship Sunday you are probably wiser than those who show up. But there’s always a chance, minuscule I know, that it will be worthy.)

Yesterday I mowed acres of grass that had grown a lot while I was out of town last week.

Yesterday I recruited a couple of goodly souls to fix a toilet at the church house.

Yesterday I stopped for a considerable time to ponder over two Hawthorne Oaks I planted last year.

I hope my children and grandchildren and great grandchildren look at those trees in decades to come and know I planted those trees for them.

They say there is no greater act of faith than an old man planting a young tree.

Yesterday I shopped for a sphygmomanometer. There aren’t any in Miragoane. That was a sorrowful discovery that gave me something to get creative about.

Yesterday I bantered with Larry over a pancake at Fat Cats.

David Joe is the best breakfast cook ever.

Bad as I hate to say it, most folks go a lifetime without a friend as strong and faithful as Larry. I have legions of friends that are strong and faithful.

Yesterday I placed an order for Haiti grown coffee. The saints around here do outrageous things to be good to the poor people of Haiti. Like buy a lot of coffee!!

Yesterday I wrapped my head around a wedding I will do tomorrow.

You get the idea.

It was a sweet day with the right balance of past, present, and heaven.

But that was yesterday.

So.

“Rise up. Love much. Live well. You are needed.”

Today.

As our Friend and I enjoyed a satisfying saunter I was just stringing together what I thought was a bunch of random recollections. Nothing big. Just a lot of little things most would quickly forget. He heard me out before smiling at me the way he does and saying…

“Random, eh?”

Your move.

Brother Pat

[vedantaboston]

Thoughts on Service

"From highest Brahman to the yonder worm, And to the very minutest atom, Everywhere is the same God, the All-Love, Friend, offer mind, soul, body, at their feet. These are His manifold forms before thee, Rejecting them, where seekest thou for God ? Who loves all beings without distinction, He indeed is worshiping best his God."  -- Swami Vivekananda

There were two brothers, one was married and other was a bachelor. They owned a farm and shared its produce fifty-fifty. The soil was fertile and they reaped a rich harvest every year. All went well for a few years. Then something extraordinary happened.

The married brother began to wake up with a start from his sleep at night and think, “It is not fair. My brother isn’t married. He needs to save more for the future than me. I am a married man with a wife and five kids. I have all the security in the world. But what security has my poor brother? Who will look after him in his old age? My kids will care for me when I am old. My brother’s need is greater than mine.” With that the married man would leave his bed, steal over to his brother’s granary and pour there a sackful of his own share of grain.

Now the other brother too began to get these nightly attacks. He would wake up from his sleep and think, “It’s too bad that I should accept an equal share of the farm’s produce as my brother who has a family to maintain. I am single and my needs are minimal. He has got to support his wife and children. He deserves a larger share.” So this brother would get up, take a sackful of grain from his stock and empty it stealthily into his married brother’s granary.

Once it so happened that they got out of the bed at the same time and ran into each other, each carrying a grain-filled sack on his back! Years later, when the town wanted to build a temple (the story of the two brothers, who had passed away, had leaked out by then), the people there chose the spot where the two brothers had met that night. “This is the holiest of all places in this town,” the elders said, and a temple was constructed there.

Service (sevā) is indeed a sacred activity and the place where service is done is a holy place. Above all, only a holy person can give true service. Why true service? Is there such a thing as false service? There is, but of course it is not called by that name. That complicates matters. So we must begin by identifying the distinction between the two kinds of service.

One kind of service we are all familiar with. It is something good done for others prompted by the feelings of duty, pity or guilt, or with the desire for name and fame, or for happiness here and hereafter, or just as a part of social ritual. Service is a misnomer really for such an act. It is probably right to call it “good work,” because it does help the person served to some extent and may bring a feeling of satisfaction to the one who offers the service. 

But that’s about all it does and nothing more. It brings lasting fulfillment neither to the one who is served nor to the one who serves. Nor does it bring the joy of freedom. It is possible to do such good work and yet remain selfish, arrogant, frustrated, even immoral. Spiritually speaking, this variety of so-called service perpetuates ignorance and, in the long run, helps neither the person nor society. It is clear that there is nothing particularly sacred about this work. If we must call it “service,” then we had better qualify the term with the adjective “false.”

But there is the other variety of service which elevates the person and benefits society. This service is not the result of pity, duty or guilt. It is the result of the perception of solidarity, of oneness, of identity, with the person served. There is no hesitation or calculation before doing this kind of service. It is a spontaneous act which comes to a person as naturally as breathing. It is free even from the idea “I am doing this service.” It is a free offering with no strings attached. Both the giver and the receiver feel blessed and uplifted. 

This is service, and to distinguish it from the much-too-common variety described earlier, let us call this “true” service. This is the kind of service saints and genuinely holy men and women offer. What this means really is that if you and I are able to extend this kind of service to everyone and everything around us, we too shall become genuinely holy.

Perception of Oneness

Perception of oneness is the mother of true service. But how many of us actually perceive oneness? We only see diversity everywhere. No two things are exactly identical. Even twins are not identical in every respect. The basic distinction we experience in life is between this person who is me and everything else that is not me—the distinction between the “I” and the “not-I.” I am different from the rest and the rest differ among themselves. If there is some being called God, God too is different from me, just as God is different from everyone and everything else. Differences galore everywhere. 

I can perceive oneness only if there is oneness. If it is true that oneness exists, the question is, why do I not perceive it? Vedanta teachers tend to answer it in this way: “We don’t perceive oneness because we don’t want to perceive it. If we close our eyes and deny the sun because we don’t perceive it, does that mean the sun doesn’t exist?”

This can be countered, of course, by saying that everyone sees the sun and the denial by any person would be clearly invalid and unacceptable. But such is not the case with oneness. The fact is, no one sees oneness, though quite a number of people talk or write about it. The perception of the many is a universal experience and cannot be wished away by simply saying that it is the result of ignorance.

This may not be true, however. It is quite all right to say, “I do not perceive oneness,” but what right have I to claim that no one perceives oneness? If something is true in my case, must it be true for others also? I am not the standard by which the world ought to be judged. The claim “no one perceives oneness” is an overreach. We can concede, however, that the number of people who perceive oneness is in all likelihood extremely small, almost microscopic, as compared to the billions who perceive the many.

It is natural to wonder why these handful of people who see oneness could be right and the legions who see the many could be wrong. Apart from the fact that the truth of oneness is validated by the scriptures (see, for instance, Chāndogya Upaniṣad, 3.14.1 and Kaṭhopaniṣad, 2.1.10-11) and is also being admitted by scientists and scholars (read, for instance, writings of Ken Wilber, Abraham Maslow, David Bohm, and Fritzof Capra), the experience of oneness is known to have brought total, irrevocable fulfillment, joy and freedom to those who perceived oneness. How can this be the result of a false experience?

Experiencing the many, on the other hand, is not known to have brought total fulfillment, bliss and freedom to anyone. On the contrary, as we know from our own life, it perpetuates the sense of incompleteness, bondage, imperfection, and the alternating experience of fleeting happiness and sorrow. These are the very things every one of us is struggling to overcome. If the experience of oneness can help us overcome these—and we know it has helped a few brave and determined souls in every generation—then it seems reasonable to assume that there must be something wrong with our present experience of seeing the many. That “something wrong,” according to the Gītā (5.15, 7.25), is ignorance.

When did this ignorance come upon us? Every kind of ignorance seems like it never had a beginning. If I am ignorant of the speed of light and ask, “When did my ignorance start?” I’ll probably end up saying that it’s always been there. But my ignorance can vanish the moment someone tells me what the speed of light is. It’s futile to worry about when my ignorance started. I’m never going to know the answer. All I need to do is to recognize the presence of ignorance and focus on how I can get rid of it.

The method is simple enough. Here are Sri Ramakrishna’s words:

“If one thing is placed upon another, you must remove the one to get the other. Can you get the second thing without removing the first?” (Gospel, p. 944)

And here are Holy Mother’s:

“You have rolled different threads on a reel—red, black and white. While unrolling you will see them all exactly in the same way.” (Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi, p. 32)

The knowledge of my true self is covered by ignorance. To get knowledge, ignorance has to be removed first. This is what Sri Ramakrishna’s words signify. Holy Mother’s words deal with the steps that separate knowledge from ignorance. She says that I have to go back the same way I came. From the experience of oneness I have somehow arrived at the experience of the many. If I know the steps that brought me down from the heights of oneness to the depths of multiplicity, I can go upward by tracing the same steps in the reverse direction. 

From the One to the Many

In the beginning there was only the self. There was no one else. The self was all that existed. It was complete (pūrṇa), eternal (nitya), infinite (ananta), indivisible (akhaṇḍa), pure (śuddha), conscious (buddha), and free (mukta). (See Chāndogya Upaniṣad, 6.2.1,  Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, 1.4.10, Taittirīyopaniṣad, 2.1.1, Kaṭhopaniṣad, 1.2.18,  Gitā, 2. 23-25). 

Then something mysterious seems to have happened. A kind of division suddenly took place in what was really indivisible. The self, the one and only reality, somehow became fragmented into three apparently different entities: God (also called paramātman, the supreme self), the world (sometimes called anātman, the non-self), and me (called jīvātman, the individual self). When cracks appear, they have a tendency to spread. So a further fragmentation of these entities was inevitable. The world got divided and subdivided into countless number of objects and creatures of all sizes, shapes, colors, and characteristics. The extent of these divisions and the variety in the universe are mind-boggling.

Divisions took place in the individual self too. To begin with, there was the obvious division into body and mind, and the not-so-obvious estrangement of the two from the inner self (pratyagātman). The mind was subdivided into the unconscious (called id) and the conscious (called ego) fragments. These divisions were strange. They divided the personality without taking apart the individual fragments. It was like a broken marriage but the unfortunate couple continuing to live under the same roof. Naturally this gave rise to stress and strain. The body and mind were separate but they continued to influence each other. The unconscious and the conscious parts of the mind were divided but they continued to pull and drag the person, often in mutually opposite directions.

The net result of all these multiple fragmentations was that the self became limited and localized. The self (ātman), the real me, became identified with a body and a mind, and alienated from everything else. My identification with the body and mind too was not stable. Sometimes I identified with the body, sometimes with the mind, sometimes with both, and sometimes with neither (as in deep sleep). I became alienated from the spiritual essence of my being and, worse, did not even know that I was so alienated. 

The conscious part of my mind became alienated from the unconscious as well as from the world around. In this way the self became even more narrowed down as it got identified not with the whole personality but only with a fragment of it at any given time. The other fragments thus remained alienated, and it is these fragments that destroyed my peace, upset my harmony, and robbed me of the sense of fulfillment and wholeness. Thus I became, so to speak, alienated from myself.

Much has been written about self-alienation. Some of the best minds in the fields of philosophy, psychology and sociology have pored over the problem of alienation. Their interpretations varied because their ideas of the self varied and also because their perspectives and approaches were different. Nevertheless, they have come up with valuable insights and have enriched our understanding of this central problem of human existence.

We have seen how we descended from the state of oneness to the state of mutually conflicting many. From the one to the many the descent is complete. The fall—allegorized in the story of Adam and Eve—was from the state of oneness. From one have emerged the many, and the many must merge back into the one. The fallen me must rise again. The upward march toward unity must begin. The broken fragments constituting “the many” must be joined, the divisions must be removed. It is here that service comes into the picture.

From the Many to the One

There are two approaches to the problem of overcoming the many. First the popular approach. When pieces have to be joined together, we use an adhesive. Love is the adhesive that joins the many into one whole. Love grows in an unselfish person and expresses itself through service. So first and foremost we must all become unselfish and force ourselves to sacrifice for others and to do good to others.

In this approach, the self is objectified and certain moral rules are thrust upon it. We are expected to become unselfish, loving and charitable. The aim is to become someone different from what we are. This involves needless struggle and usually produces inner conflicts. Moreover, we seldom succeed fully in the struggle to become this and that. People go on trying to become unselfish and, to prove the point, doing good to others, but in the process create a lot of unhappiness for themselves and often for others as well.

Most of the efforts at social service in modern times show this phenomenon. In developed countries, social service is more organized and, in a sense, it comes naturally to the people there as a result of years of social discipline and upbringing. Thousands of small and big institutions and millions of men and women, young and old, are engaged in volunteer services of every kind. One would expect that, with so many unselfish people around, modern societies would be ideal. Would to God it was so! But we see that crime, violence, rape, drug addiction, neurosis etc are steadily increasing and the social fabric is crumbling in many parts of the world.

How do we explain this strange phenomenon? When self-alienated people do social service, they only increase their self-alienation and, consequently, their selfishness.  This is what the Gītā (6.6) says:

बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जित: । अनात्मनस्तु शत्रु��्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् ॥

bandhur-ātmā ātmanas-tasya yena ātmaiva ātmanā jitaḥ;

anātmanas-tu śatrutve varteta ātmaiva śatruvat.

“To the (self-possessed) person who has conquered the self by the self, the self is a friend. But in the (self-alienated) person whose self has become inimical, the self behaves like an enemy.” 

Those portions of my personality from which I am alienated act like enemies and I develop a kind of hatred for them. But they are all parts of my own self and my hatred is really a subtle kind of self-hatred. This produces inner insecurity and the fear of facing myself.

Self-hatred can manifest itself in two ways. (1) I may project my self-hatred outward upon other people and thus attempt to cover up my inner hatred, fear and distrust by accumulating everything for myself and refusing to share it with others. They will naturally conclude that I am a selfish person. (2) It is also possible that my self-hatred may get projected inward and I may try to escape from myself through “service.” I’ll decide to become unselfish by trying to solve others’ problems—the underlying, undeclared (and often unacknowledged) reason being my fear of being left alone to confront my own problems. Others may praise my “unselfishness” without realizing that I am spending all my time and energy for others not out of a sense of duty, compassion, sympathy, or love for them (though these may be the ostensible reasons) but to avoid the horror and pain of confronting myself in the silence of my heart.

Indeed, it is not too unusual to see this happening even in the lives of those who turn to spiritual life. Well-meaning but self-alienated people busy themselves with so-called service, imagining they are seeing God in others, and end up after some time filled with disillusion, frustration and, in a few cases, even naked apathy. Many organizations launch service projects with much fanfare and enthusiasm, but are gradually reduced to petty politicking and to being controlled by power-hungry people. Why all this happens should not surprise us. For, service rendered by self-alienated people is no service at all in the true sense of the term. It is only a form of escape, and escapism has nothing to do with spiritual life.

A better approach to service is the existential approach. Here I am not expected to become anyone or anything; I simply have to be my true self. Unselfishness is my true nature. Love is only the dynamic aspect of the all-pervading unity of existence and this also is my true nature. I don’t have to move heaven and earth to become unselfish or try to fill myself with love. I only need to recognize that I am unselfish already. I have all the love in the world already within me. 

If that is so, why do I not feel it? Evidently, some negative mechanism—“alienation”—is operating within me and acting as a hurdle to the manifestation of these spontaneous traits of my personality. All I have to do is remove the hurdles—or eliminate alienation—and my inherent selflessness and love will shine forth in a most natural way.

We have seen that as a result of alienation, my awareness gets localized and identified with a fragment rather than the whole of my personality. The remaining fragments are left in the dark, out of the field of my awareness. To remove alienation, I must expand my awareness and focus its light in every nook and corner of my personality. Through the practice of deep, healthy self-introspection or self-analysis and the help of an illumined spiritual teacher, the alienation of the conscious mind from the unconscious can be removed. Absolute purity of life, intense prayer and other devotional practices eliminate the alienation of the psyche from the true inner self. The alienation of the inner self from the supreme Self is overcome through higher knowledge and the grace of God. This is the final stage and, of course, I can be nowhere near it until the earlier stages are crossed.

But where does service come into the picture? Is it a means to de-alienation or only a result of it? It is both a means and a result. As a means, service not only helps to eliminate the alienation of the person from the world but is also an important aid to remove the alienation within one’s personality. Service as a means demands uncompromising conviction, great application, and extraordinary grit, and is understandably less than perfect. Service as a result is natural, spontaneous, and perfect.

Service as a Means

Service should not be undertaken in a big way until at least a certain amount of expansion of awareness has taken place. Learners are advised not to go toward the deep-end of the swimming pool until they have mastered at least the preliminaries of swimming. In the field of service too a similar rule applies. If we want to do true service, we must have at least the preliminary qualifications necessary to be a true server. When the process of de-alienation is set in motion to some extent, service comes in as a catalytic agent to speed up the process.

I mentioned the necessity of uncompromising conviction. What conviction? The conviction that oneness exists. Though I may not have yet “perceived” oneness, I must be convinced to the core that it exists nevertheless. Not only that; mere conviction is not enough. I must be prepared to make an all out effort to live—in thought, word and action—with the awareness of the undivided existence.

“Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.” When Sarada Devi told this to a disciple she was referring to the underlying oneness of all creation. Mother’s words seem to be suggest not “oneness” but “belonging.” “The world is my own” is clearly different from “I am the world.” But when put into practice, Mother’s teaching leads not to the experience of “belonging” to the world but to the experience of identity with it. 

Just as I am no stranger to myself, nothing in the world should be a stranger to me. The love, care and attention that I bestow on myself must be offered to the whole world too, because the world is my own self in a different form. To serve with this idea obviously requires great application, inner strength and dogged perseverance—particularly because the immediate fallout of this practice may not always be pleasant and endearing.

Three questions arise: (1) The act of service needs at least two, the server and the served; how is service possible when there is only oneness? (2) Is it possible to live and serve with the idea of oneness without actually perceiving it? (3) Is it easy to cultivate this approach to service?

All the three questions are easily answered. Let us begin with the first: How is service possible when there is only oneness?  Service can take place even when there is oneness. When my toe is stubbed, do I not tend it with all care and do everything to heal it? Granted, the hands that tend the toe are different from it, but the fact remains that they belong to one body animated by one conscious being. In the same way, service is possible in this universe which is, as it were, the gross body of the one, conscious, Supreme Being. (Gitā, 13. 13-15)

The second question, Is it possible to live with the idea of oneness without actually perceiving it? To live with the idea of something without perceiving it, is not as difficult as we imagine it to be. We have no difficulty accepting that the protective ozone layer around the earth is steadily depleting and the gaping hole in the layer is threatening some populated areas of our planet. With the exception of a few scientists, none of us has perceived all this, have we? Don’t we accept it as true and try to do something to avert the disaster? Similar is the case with oneness. If we can take the word of the scientists about the ozone layer, there is no reason why we cannot take the word of the spiritually enlightened about oneness.

The words of the spiritually enlightened are far more trustworthy than the words of those who deal with physical sciences. It doesn’t take long for one scientific theory to be contradicted by another and one technology to be superseded by another. The scientists are right only so long as they are not proved wrong, and history shows us that it is never long enough. On the other hand, the words of the spiritually enlightened have stood the test of time for the last God-knows-how-many centuries. The truth of oneness was proclaimed centuries ago and is enshrined in the Vedas, the oldest literature known to us today. It was true then and it is true today, because there were people who perceived it then and there are people who perceive it today. 

Let it not be imagined, therefore, that this discussion is theoretical or only an intellectual exercise. In every generation there are people who have lived with the unshakeable conviction that oneness exists. They have moulded their lives on this conviction, and eventually experienced oneness. This realization brought them total freedom, absolute perfection, and ineffable bliss. If this was possible for some, it is possible for you and me as well. If it was possible in the past, it is certainly possible at present and in future too.

Now the third question: Is it easy to cultivate this kind of nondualistic approach to service? The truth is that “easy” and “difficult” are relative terms. What is easy for one may be difficult for another and what usually makes the difference is the intensity of faith in oneself, a firm determination to succeed, and dogged perseverance. With these in good measure, nothing is difficult; without these, nothing is easy.

Two methods are recommended for those who find it difficult to serve continually with the idea of oneness of all creation. One method is to maintain the constant awareness of one’s true nature as the spiritual self (ātman), distinct from body and mind. All activity is “outside”—merely forces of nature (prakṛti) acting and interacting upon one another. I am only their witness, unaffected and untouched (Gitā, 3. 27-28). All work is done only for work’s sake, not out of any other consideration or hope (Gitā, 18. 9).

The second method is suited particularly to those with a predominantly devotional temperament. Here all actions are done for the sake of God. The results of actions are offered to God. All work is God’s work. As a devotee, I am only a servant of God carrying out my master’s orders. Or, I can looks upon myself as a child of God, and all other beings as God’s children, and I can serve them with that idea in mind. (CW, 3. 83–84)

In his lectures on karma yoga, Swami Vivekananda has described both these methods for overcoming attachments and freeing oneself from the binding nature of karma (see CW, 1. 32, 56-60, 87-90, 98-107). Whichever of these methods I adopt, sooner or later I’ll discover that they lead me to the awareness of unity underlying the endless diversity in the universe. I may not still “perceive” oneness, but I can no longer doubt it. I begin to have a somewhat vague but persistent feeling that the whole universe is a cosmic, multidimensional conscious being (virāt puruṣa), and I joyfully serve this cosmic being as well as I can.

This is service as means at its best. As said earlier, this accelerates the process of de-alienation or reintegration. When this process reaches its logical conclusion, service as means has fulfilled its purpose. Whatever service I do thenceforth is spontaneous and perfect. It is service not as a means to de-alienation but as a wholesome result of it.

Service as a Result

When my awareness expands, it not only removes the alienation within my personality but also transcends at some stage the barrier of the body, and gradually engulfs more and more of the world around. When I am completely de-alienated, all frontiers vanish. Nothing limits me. I perceive the one, infinite, conscious being within and without. My every little act becomes a worship, every word a benediction. I discover that my true self is not different from the true self in each and every creature around. I perceive consciousness pulsating even in objects that are normally considered inanimate (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, 3.8.11, Muṇḍakopaniṣad, 2.2.11, Chāndogya Upaniṣad, 7.25.1-2,  Gītā, 4. 24, 10. 20). I find that there is only one self appearing in countless forms (Kaṭhopaniṣad, 2.2.2, 2.2.9-10,  Chāndogya Upaniṣad, 6.3.2). My love for my true self does not conflict with my love for others, because I see my own self in all, and I see all in my own self (Īśāvāsyopaniṣad, 6-7 and Gitā, 6. 29-32). I become immersed in the bliss of my self. I perceive oneness everywhere. I become free from all duties, responsibilities, obligations. Nothing binds me (Gitā, 3. 17-18). Yet I don’t stop working. Out of the fullness of my heart, out of the spontaneous love that gushes forth from my being for the whole of creation, I continue to serve (Gitā, 3. 25). This is true service.

When I am spiritually illumined, my service need not always take the form of external activity. I will do good to the world by just being who I am. My mere presence will do wonders and I’ll radiate peace, harmony, bliss all around. Whoever comes within the orbit of my influence will become blessed and get the strength, hope and faith necessary to pursue higher life. 

Often we may know nothing about those who are spiritually illumined. “The highest men,” said Swami Vivekananda, 

“are calm, silent, and unknown. They are the men who really know the power of thought; they are sure that, even if they go into a cave and close the door and simply think five truer thoughts and then pass away, these five thoughts of theirs will live through eternity. Indeed, such thoughts will penetrate through the mountains, cross the oceans, and travel through the world. They will enter deep into human hearts and brains, and raise up men and women who will give them practical expression in the workings of human life.” (CW, 1. 106)

Such illumined ones appear in every generation: a few among them become known; most pass away unknown. Known or unknown, they are the greatest benefactors of humanity. Through their lives we learn what this life is all about; through the kind of service they do we understand what true service means.

Summary

We have seen that true service is an act of holiness and it has its origin in the perception of the unity of all existence. Through some mysterious quirk this unity was disturbed. The one, undivided existence became fragmented into many seemingly different existences. This produced alienation, stress, conflicts—and, inevitably, sorrow.

To overcome this, the many have to be resolved back into the one. In other words, alienation must be removed. Since the breaking up into the many is essentially the apparent fragmentation and localization of the all-pervading consciousness, the resolving into the one calls for a progressive transformation and expansion of consciousness.

Several factors play important roles in the de-alienation process. Service is one of them. It acts as a catalyst to the process, provided it is done with the firm conviction (at this stage, there is no actual perception) in the oneness of all that exists. This purifies the heart and helps obliterate the various boundaries that stand as hurdles to the broadening of awareness. When the process of de-alienation is complete and I return to being a fully reintegrated being, I become perfect and am able to perceive “the one” behind the apparent and illusory “many.” Then, and only then, can I offer true service, which does lasting good to the world. (CW 5. 285)

If everything is ultimately one, who serves whom? The answer is, I serve myself, because there is no one else to be served. How the one, indivisible reality got divided into the many is, really speaking, a nonsensical question. If the indivisible could really get divided, it only means it was never indivisible to start with. On the other hand, if it really was indivisible, then absolutely nothing can divide it. Then what was all this discussion about the descent of the one to become the many and the ascent of the many to become the one? If it is impossible for the one to become the many, how did the impossible become possible? 

The impossible can become possible only through ignorance. Which is to say, only ignorance can make the impossible appear as possible. Nothing but the ignorance of a coiled rope in a semlit room can turn it into a snake. Obviously, the rope’s transformation is only illusory. The awareness that it’s only a rope, not a snake, drives away the ignorance and the snake vanishes. In precisely the same way, ignorance divides the indivisible, absolute Being, Consciousness and Bliss (sat-cit-ānanda) into countless fragments. The divisions, obviously illusory, vanish when overrun by the expanding awareness that reveals the undivided nature of all that exists.

Why should I serve myself? No reason why I should, really. But when I discover ignorance having its sway over me, the only way I can kill it off is through knowledge, and service done in the proper spirit is an indispensable aid to the acquisition of knowledge. Once the floodlight of supreme knowledge dispels the gloomy darkness of ignorance, I become free. The service I do thenceforth is a free, spontaneous, perfect offering—not for the sake of knowledge, which I already have—but for the good of the world which I clearly see as my own self in another form.

[greekowl87]

Fic: False Flags Redux 7/13

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) | AO3

As always, thanks to @mulders-boyish-enthousiasm ad @scully-loves-ruthie for making this possible.  Tagging @today-in-fic .

7/13

May 6, 1862 Norfolk, Virginia

He leaned heavily against the window, his muscles taut and ready to fight, as he overlooked the Elizabeth River. He remembered Gosport Shipyard in Portsmouth, the place he had called home for the first half of the year. He remembered the battle he had experienced on the ironclad. He saw as the Confederate troops evacuating on his way over to Scully's house. He had read the reports earlier that day. He knew what they were on the cusp of. The Union was just across the water on the peninsula in Hampton. He had read how Hampton had burned their own city lest it falls into the hands of the Union the year before. He wondered if his temporary sanctuary of Norfolk would have the same fate. He relaxed as he felt familiar small hands grasp his forearm gently in commardiare and lean against his bicep. He sighed and pulled her close, kissing her red locks.

“This is really is happening. This really is happening, isn't it, Mulder?” She said it flatly, like stating a fact instead of an observation. “The Union is coming.”

“Yes. It was only a matter of time. We both knew it.” He sighed. “If they catch me, they'll probably kill me or send me to a prisoner of war camp.

The simple syllable carried heavily to her heart as she sighed. She took his hand. “Are you leaving too?” she mumbled.

“I expect the order to come down soon.”

“Will you follow?”

There was an air of challenge in her voice. He swallowed the sudden lump he had in his throat and freed himself from her. “I need to follow orders,” he whispered. His heart was heavy. He did not want to leave her. “I do what I must.”

“Whose orders, Mulder? Your superiors or the ones in your heart,” she echoed his thoughts.

“What do you expect me to do?”

“I expect you to make your own choices. You made your own choice when you decided to help me!”

“I am a soldier,” he spat. “I have to. As much as I have loved….this, what we have...” He waved his hand uselessly about the room. “I knew it could not last forever. It never does for me. You deserve someone to be happy with, Scully, someone other than me.”

He stormed to the shelf where she kept the whiskey. Without any ceremony, he tore the top off he decanter and drank heavily without pouring a glass.. Scully sighed and brought her hands to her waist in thought. “A soldier?” she challenged. “You're acting like a coward instead, Mulder! You are more than that you know. You are a spy as well. You're a good man!”

“More of a lie,” he chuckled bitterly. “I have to honor this uniform.”

“You speak of duty as if it is a thing so free to give away,” she snapped.

“Hampton burned their own city rather than face the oncoming Union army. The Union navy has blockaded the entire region, Scully. The Confederacy is scuttling their own ships. The office is burning all documents,” he hissed. “What do you expect me to do?”

“I expect you to do something, Mulder!”

Mulder's mind burned with the intensity of her past kisses and his heart sizzled with the remembrance of her soft, soothing touch. “Like when you took me to your bed three weeks ago?” he spat. He slammed the decanter down and punched the wall with resounding force. He gasped angrily. “Shit!”

“I’d appreciate you not punching holes in my wall,” she sighed softly.

“What does it matter?” He replied forlornly. “It’s all going to be burned anyways.”

Scully titled her head, watching him nurse his hand. She shook her head slightly and ordered, “Give me your hand. Let me see it.”

“It is fine, Scully.”

“Mulder, don’t make me break your other hand. Give it here.”

“Scully, I’m fine.”

“Mulder, don’t me make ask again.”

He sighed and held out the offending hand, wincing as he did. She gently took his hand with sure hands and he did everything in his power to keep himself from shivering. He closed his eyes, remembering that night, as his hands had raked his body for the first time, claiming it as hers. His body was hers. As was his heart and soul. Unwittingly, he had submitted to this petite redhead in worship. “You should be a doctor,” he teased under his breath.

“Hm. I wanted to be when I was a child. At one time. Flex your hand for me.”

He did as he was ordered, wincing as he did. She examined him and nodded, a tsk-tsk sound emanating from her lips. “You’re just particularly stubborn. I wish I had a cure for that, however, I do not.”

He closed his eyes: her lips tracing his battle scars, lingering over the musket ball wound near his shoulder, tears in her eyes as she wanted to make all his wounds heal, including his heart.

“Mulder.”

Such love. Such tenderness.

“Mulder.”

He opened his eyes and focused on her. She looked sad, maybe despondent almost. “Anything broken?” he managed.

“No,” she replied stiffly, releasing his hand. “Just bruised. You will be fine.”

The familiarity was gone. The warmth was gone. She stalked away and back towards the window overlooking the Elizabeth River as her thoughts churned with the oncoming destruction. The early summer air seemed intolerable at that point. She wished she could wear something lighter. Unconsciously, she reached for a fan she held by and began to air herself. How she longed for cooler temperatures in her hometown of Baltimore. His decision was just as stifling as the humidity.

“Scully,” he began.

“You risked your life because you believed in something,” she began, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. “You risked everything because of me, a complete stranger, asked you to. Why?”

He remembered the hurried kissing from that night, the completeness he had felt.

“It felt right.” Silence. “It was right.”

“You blame me for that night.”

“I blame you for nothing,” he defended quickly. “You saved me.”

The last part came out hurriedly, like the storm surge from a brewing storm that was inevitable but still surprising.

“I did no such thing,” she began. The air was still heavy in between them. “So you leave. You rejoin you comrades and flee to God know where.” She hugged herself. “The end. With that being said, thank you for your service. I wish you well, Mr. Mulder.”

“Scully.”

“Just stop, Mulder.” She leaned against the windowpane. “Just. Stop. I cannot bear you to utter another word other than goodbye! You've served your purpose!”

“What would you have me do?” He cried. “I betrayed my oath. I am a traitor! I have nothing to go back to!”

“Just for once,” she yelled, tears in her eyes, “will you stop being the martyr! It isn't all about you. Have you ever considered for a moment that you actually have meant something to me!”

“I am not a martyr!”

“Yes. You. Are.” She hissed, pausing at each word for emphasis. “You always were. You haven't even listened to me just now! That is why you agreed to do this. That is why you relented to come to my bed three weeks ago. You still grieve as the widower and you commit adultery to punish yourself. You see yourself unworthy. I bet you hoped to die when you agreed to help me.”

“That night,” he spat. “I did because I wanted to. Because we...we, Scully, wanted to. I did it because I love you.”

Silence.

“Yes. Because we, Mulder, we,” she paused, “we wanted too. I love you too. Do you hear me, Mulder. I love you.”

Her last words were lost on him. “I’m a traitor,” he began in a whisper, focusing on his bashed hand. “I am an adulteress. I am a disappointment, not only to my uniform but to my family as well. I failed as a husband, to the father I never was, as a soldier, both to my countries, real and fake, to my commanding officer, to my God. I am nothing but a failure.”

“For god's sake,” Scully huffed angrily, “you are intolerable when you are moody. You are worse than my mother.” She rushed forward and cupped his face in her hands. “And you're an idiot. Did you not hear me, Mulder. I love you. I love you.”

“You are a saint for dealing with me,” he mumbled.

“Saint Scully at your service,” she mocked. She sighed and rested her forehead against his. “We can flee, Mulder. We can always run.”

“We?” He took a moment to let the idea process in his head.  “We? You would come with me?”

“You face certain death if you stay,” she said. “I’ve read about the prisoner camps. You will surely die. And yes. Why would I abandon the man I have fallen in love with?”

“I betrayed my uniform. I'm a coward.”

“You fight for the greater good. And you're a bit misguided, and a fool. But you're my misguided fool.”

“I had relations with my captain's wife. I took a married woman to bed.”

“Oh for god’s sake,” she mumbled, pushing away from the window. “Adultery? This again? Let it go, Mulder. For me, let it go.”

“This is very uncatholic like.”

She rolled her eyes. “It is my life to do as I wish. Not you or Franklin have a say in that, do you understand? Well, you have a wee bit of a say. I have never loved the man. I married him because it was my duty to my family. I am tired of doing things for everyone else but myself. I choose to bed you. I choose to give my trust to you. I choose to give myself to you. And do you know what, Mulder? It has never felt more right. I have never felt safer. I belong with you, Mulder.” She took a deep breath to steady myself. “Does it bother you that I am a married woman?”

“Formality? In passing?”

“To you, Mulder. I am asking you. Fox Mulder. The man.”

“No.”

“My husband might as well be dead,” she said slowly. “I accepted that fact. I haven't seen a letter nor have you heard anything. You haven't as well.”

“He was very much alive when I saw him in the infirmary.”

“He was whisked off to Richmond. I have not heard anything since then. He might as well be dead. He has made no effort to write me so why should I care?”

“They made him an admiral shortly after the battle,” he whispered. “I saw the report.”

“Why do I care?” Scully repeated. She caressed his cheek.  “As far as I am concerned, he is dead, Mulder. I was used…” She shook her head in disgust. “But do not let yourself be.”

“How,” he laughed.

The laughter stung. She clutched her hands to her heart, feeling tears in her eyes. “Come with me,” she whispered. “We can flee this place and continue what we started.”

“What?” He choked on a bitter laugh. “Our little spy ring? If I leave, I am a deserter. They’ll track me down.”

“So desert,” she urged. “Mulder, come with me. Please. I’m begging you.”

She never begged. She never allowed herself to bow to anyone else, especially her husband. But he was different. He was somehow...different. The dreams had plagued her since the night she had laid eyes on him. She felt something the moment she had laid eyes on him. The dreams were so overpowering. That is why she had taken him to her bed to begin with. That is why she had fell in love with him. She held out her hand, a token of modesty and desperation. She expected him to dismiss her. He did not believe. He would never believe.

But to her surprise, she felt a hot hand take hers gently from her breast. Then his lips. Dear God, those lips of his should be a sin because of things he did to her that night was.

“How?” he whispered, joining her at the window.

Unconsciously, he pulled her towards his chest, his arms cocooning around her (it felt right). It was right. “We could flee together.”

“Star-crossed lovers? Did not Shakespeare write about that? It did end well.”

“I like surprise endings.”

She felt him breathe deeply as she sunk her arms around him. “Me a deserter, spy, an adulteress. You, an angel on Earth.” She snorted into his chest. “Well, my devilish muse.”  She smiled into his shell jacket. “Flee Norfolk tonight. The armies, on both sides, mind you, likely ready to kill us. Where would we go?”

“We could go to Richmond,” she whispered, kissing his exposed throat “A new beginning.”

“For who?”

“Us. We can resume where we left off at and continue to make a difference”

Mulder wretched her left hand from his back, as much as he despised it, and held it for inspection. “Will you do me the honors,” he whispered, kissing her wedding band, “of being my wife?”

She laughed. “You have to get me a proper ring and a priest.”

Gently, he tore off her wedding bands and looked at her bare hand hungrily. She took his own left hand hurriedly and pulled off his own wedding band that he wore in remembrance. Together, they let both of their left hands push and extend against each other, their fingers elongated as if testing each other in strength, before they finally settled, clasping each other in singular bond. She nuzzled his chest.

“We would need a name.”

“Hm. Indeed. Any ideas, Scully?”

“Healey,” she breathed, against the gray wool. “My mother’s maiden name.”

“Fox and Dana Healey.

“William and Katherine Healey.”

“We would need new rings.”

“We could buy them.”

She hesitated. “We would need a priest.”

“For what?”

“To make it official.”

He pulled back in surprise. “Scully?”

“Who the fuck cares?”

“Fuck,” he questioned lightly. “I’m not familiar with the word.”

“I read John Ash’s dictionary the other week,” she smiled. Her kisses continued. “It just feels right, Mulder. Like us.”

He should do the noble thing. It was in his blood. It had been bred into his life. His mother made sure of it. But her. Scully. Dana. Dana Scully. The surname of Buchanan felt absurd like it did not belong. It had never belonged to her. “I would need a change of clothes.”

She expanded her hand of his chest, picking at his buttons. “I will take care of it,” she whispered. “Don’t go back. We need to leave tonight.”

“Everything that I have,” he mumbled as an afterthought. “Our letters…”

“You have me instead, Mulder,” she soothed. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He nodded slightly, his heart feeling heavy. “War drives us into desperation,” he whispered.

“I found my light,” she answered instead. She gently undid his shell jacket’s buttons and reached her hand inwards to take off his jacket. She felt the warmth of the rosary’s beads against his undershirt. “You still wear it.”

He took her hand gently and squeezed it affirmingly. “I have not taken it off since the night you gave it to me, Scully. I wore it during the battle.”

Overcome with emotion, she buried her face into his chest. The dreams had plagued for months, finally easing in their intensity the night she had decided to take him to her bed. Everything had he had did burned and ravaged itself into her memory, burning away the dreams into a calming sea, and made her realize, this was right. He was right. He was the only one for her. He had been all along.

“Scully? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Mulder. I’m better than fine.” She kissed his neck tenderly. “I have never felt more alive.”

“I better get rid of this jacket then?”

Her small, deft hands gently unbuttoned his shell jacket and pulled it off of him. “We have a lot to do.”

“You’ve been planning for this, have you not?”

“Should the day ever come, yes, I have. But I was not planning on the company.”

. . . .

The darkness hung over them as Mulder took her hand tightly as she slung the sack over her shoulder. Mulder was dressed in a worn white shirt and dirty tan jacket along with his gray uniform pants and boots. Scully wore a much simpler dress similar to what her kitchen staff usually wore. The streetlights flickered every few blocks. Scully was tense but felt the familiar warmth of his hand rest on the small of her back against the heavy, humid air.

“We can’t get caught,” she whispered.

They walked slowly together, trying not to appear out of place on the already deserted streets. She looked around in surprise, expecting to see someone or something, anything really at this point. “Mulder, where is everyone?”

“The Confederates have already retreated. They are scuttling the Gosport Naval Yard. The Union will be here by dawn. The ferries haven’t stopped yet, or at least I hope. We should be able to catch one of the last ones and ride into Hampton.”

“They still had ferries going to Hampton?”

He nodded slightly, wrapping his arm around her small waist in favor of holding her hand. “They had to exchange mail somehow. There are four boats, two southern, two northern. We’re going have to board the other boat in the middle of the river.”

“Why about a more direct path?” she countered. “We cannot risk getting caught. Someone might recognize you.”

“What do you propose we do then? I’m open for options.” She bit her lip and nodded towards the direction of the docks. “We might be able to find passage on a fishing boat.”

“Who’d be crazy enough to take us to the other side of the water, in the middle of a blockade, with an invading army?”

She silenced him by gently putting her finger to his lips and she felt him relax slightly. “Right now, Fox, you have to have faith in your wife. Fate brought us together, faith is what will keep us together.” She rested her hand on his heart, feeling the rosary beads beneath his shirt. “Do you understand?”

He nodded slightly, resting his forehead against hers. “Don’t get used to calling me Fox. Against all odds, hm, Dana?”

“Sorry, William,” she smirked. “We just can’t afford to get caught. That’s just our way. Come on, we have to make time.”

Wearily, Mulder and Scully made their way through the abandoned streets cautiously, making their way towards the river. The southern humidity seemed to grow heavier as they came closer to the docks like the tension was thickening as they neared their destination. They slowed when they saw a lone soldier walking up and down the docks, taking the time to stuff his pipe to smoke some tobacco. Mulder nodded towards the end as he saw two men coiling ropes and bringing them aboard their ship. He nodded southwards to the end of the dock. “There, Scully, there’s our boat.”

“I hope your hunch is right.”

“We’re about to find out,” he murmured. He tried to stand taller and held Scully to his side like a protective husband would. “Excuse me! Excuse me, do y'all have a moment?”

Scully looked up in amazement as Mulder’s neutral New England accent took on a southern drawl that reminded her of the South. The older of the two fishermen dropped the arm full of ropes on the wooden deck of the small sailing vessel. The other fisherman wearily let his hand hover above a knife he kept tucked away in his belt.  “What y'all wants?”

“We are trying to get to Hampton,” Mulder began. “My wife has family in Richmond. We’re trying to flee before the Union comes.”

“Ain’t gonna do you no good.” The older man spat a dollop of tobacco over the edge of the boat. “They done burn their city down to the ground last year before those Yanks come in. Ain’t gonna do you any good.”

“Please,” Mulder said, “my wife is with child.”

Scully felt Mulder’s strong hand cover her lower abdomen in a vain attempt to sell their sorry story. “Please.”

“Sorry,” the old man grinned and turned back to his work.

Scully felt Mulder’s confidence stumble as he looked sadly at her as if asking forgiveness. She broke away from Mulder, twisting off her wedding band in the process and held it out as an offering. “Will this do?”

The younger fisherman glanced at his partner and the old man nodded slightly. “Your husband’s too.”

Mulder took a few steps forward slowly and twisted off the plain wedding band from his left ring finger and dropped it into the younger man’s outstretched hand which already held Scully’s wedding band. The gold band clinked next to hers and the younger man clutched them and gave them to his boss. Mulder felt suddenly lighter, despite the graveness of the situation. He took Scully’s hand and pulled her close. In a rare display of affection, well as much as he knew her to be, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist, closed her eyes and buried her face into his cotton shirt. She molded to his side so perfectly.

The old fisherman took the wedding bands, eyeing carefully in the lamplight, biting briefly on Mulder’s to test if it was real. “Fine,” he sighed. “You all can stay below. We leave at dawn.”

“Thank you,” Mulder breathed, kissing Scully’s tumultuous loose strands of red hair freed from her quick bun.

“I need names before we go further.”

“William,” Mulder said automatically and he hugged her slightly. “This is my wife, Katherine.”

“Welcome aboard the Sprout.”

“Quite a name for a naval vessel,” Scully murmured into his shirt.

Mulder held her hand as the younger fisherman guided Scully onto the deck of the small vessel and he followed closely up the gangplank. The ship shifted uneasily in the tide and Scully, with her nervousness and fatigue, struggled to find her balance. Mulder was beside her in an instant, his hand on the small of her back, gently guiding her to his side. She grabbed his other hand and squeezed it tightly, which he interpreted as ‘I’m going to kill you.’ “I’m sorry,” Scully apologized faintly, “I’ve never been on a ship before. It is very overwhelming.”

He kept himself from grinning as the younger fisherman lead them to a small hatch and handed him a lantern. “It’s our storeroom. It ain’t comfortable but it’s safe and warm. I’ll be back with some blankets.”

“Thank you.” Mulder shook the man’s hand firmly and gently guided Scully down the ladder to the storeroom. He passed her the lantern as she hung it above on a random nail. “Well, Scully, home sweet home.”

She frowned in disgust. There was a corner of sacks with a variety of dry goods, a corner of barrels filled with random things, and the other two walls decked out in ropes and various tools. She looked at him softly, trying to hide her smile. “I suppose you don’t have a hammock in your pocket, do you?”

“They aren’t meant for two, but if I did, I suppose I could work something out. You’re tiny enough,” he teased softly.

She dropped her cloth satchel on the bags and smiled slightly, recognizing his teasing. “This is hardly romantic,” she murmured.

They both looked up in surprise when the young man pulled up the top hatch and jogged down the gangway with an armful of cloth. “The captain sends his wishes,” the young man nodded to Scully, “for uh, you and the unborn babe.”

The young fisherman tossed to blankets in the corner and unfurled a hammock, attaching it to two poles under the bunch of sacks of dry goods. “We leave with the tide at dawn. The trip should take a few hours and you should be in Hampton by midafternoon.”

“Thank you,” Scully whispered gratefully, holding her lower abdomen to show.

The young man bowed graciously before leaving the two below in dry storage. “I wish he had been as nice when he took our wedding bands,” Mulder murmured, inspecting the knotwork of the hammock. He nodded in approval. “You’ll be comfortable up there tonight. I never slept better than on a hammock when I was on the Virginia.”

Scully quietly inspected the canvass bed. “I’d be more comfortable with you,” she murmured softly. Mulder bowed his head reverently and outstretched his hand. She took it firmly and pulled him to her and he swallowed her in an embrace. “I regret nothing. Remember that. I am glad for that February night.” She kissed his chest and looked up at him expectantly. “I am happy I found you, Mulder and I only look forward to our future.”

“Our future.” He kissed her lips lightly and rested his forehead against hers. “Against all odds?”

“Against all odds.”

He smiled, despite himself and the situation. “When I gave up my wedding band,” he whispered into her unruly red hair, “I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Thousands of years of imaginary purgatory I had put myself through. You freed me, Scully. You know that? You set me free.”

“I could say the same,” she murmured, closing her eyes. “I know where I belong.”

“Being a spy?” he whispered in her ear.

“Only with my partner in crime,” she replied quietly. Scully smiled and tried to hide a yawn.

“Tired?” he asked softly. She nodded against his shirt and he smiled in response. “Let’s get you in that hammock.”

“Stay with me,” she ordered softly. He hesitated and nodded slightly. Cupping her cheek, he tilted her head back to gaze into her deep, icy eyes and felt his soul spring free and drown. In her eyes, he felt himself grow ages older, but still, she was always there, entwined with his life, like two sides of a coin. Mulder blinked as he felt her cool hands cup his face. “You feel it too? That is why I came to you that night. I had dreams about you even though we just met. There is something about us, Mulder. I can’t put my finger on it…”

He silenced her with a deep kiss, his tongue delving into her mouth, silencing her effectively. “Then don’t. We are here now, in the middle of a war, with an uncertain future together. That is all I care for is you. Just you, Scully.”

“Maybe you were a bard and I was a princess in a past life,” she teased.

“And I stole you away from your wicked husband?” he continued.

They began to sway together with the rhythm of the rocking of the small boat. “The other way around,” she corrected. “I saved you, on top of a white horse and a sword on fire.”

“I don’t doubt that,” he chuckled.

Scully smiled and nuzzled his chest. This is why she loved this man, even though they had yet to admit the three words, but she knew she had never felt this sort of love, attraction, or loyalty to anyone but him in her life. He treated her as his equal and, sometimes, looked to her for guidance. Nuzzling his neck, Scully whispered, “Let’s go to sleep.”

Mulder was the first into the hammock, steadying it as Scully’s petite form climbed on top of him and rolled unceremoniously to his left side, snug and wedged between the canvass side and his chest. She tossed the wool blanket around them, effectively cocooning them in the hammock. She felt his left arm snake around her as she wiggled against him to get comfortable. “It’s a little tight,” he managed. “Sorry.”

“Hmph,” she grunted, “don’t be.”

She felt Mulder’s hand tracing her hip and waist, humming happily. “There aren’t those usual contraptions keeping me away.”

“I’m not one of those French girls.”

“That night, Scully,” he paused, unsure how to continue.

“It won’t be the last,” she whispered, arching her neck to whisper in his ear. “But I do not like an audience.” She guided his free hand down and through her skirts, applying just enough pressure. “You’re still a miracle worker,” she murmured. “Not now.” She grunted happily, sliding against him. “Later. Later.”

“Your wish is my command.”

. . . .

Scully’s eyes were closed as the small fishing vessel rocked in the harbor waves. She could not sleep. Her skirts felt heavy, the blanket was too warm, everything was too unfamiliar. The rocking of the small craft made her feel uncertain. “Mulder,” she whispered.

“Mmph,” he murmured, nuzzling her head with his nose. She could tell he had been asleep as his lanky form stretched unsuccessfully in the hammock. “You okay, Scully?” She made a noncommittal sound and hugged her arm across his chest tightly. He interlaced his free hand with hers and squeezed it. “You want to tell me?”

She shook her head and they continued to lay in silence.

Mulder sighed and paused before talking. “You know, this is actually quite homely compared to what it was like on the Virginia. That was my second time aboard a ship. My first time was right when the war broke out. I think I was on a small tug down in South Carolina. I was just catching a ride to my next post and there was no room for me to sleep below deck so they set me up this little net, similar to a hammock and I had to sleep outside.”

He paused and she squeezed his hand, an indication she was listening. He smiled and continued. “It had just finished storming. You know, one of the summer thunderstorms that leave the air heavy, especially with that southern air. But the air wasn’t thick like that. It seemed clearer that night. And then the clouds opened up.”

Scully closed her eyes and snuggled closer under the blanket and pressed herself against his side. She imagined being there with him as he told his story. “What did you see?” she whispered.

“The moon and the stars.” He released a slow, satisfying sigh in memory. “Scully, I had never seen the moon so bright. Night was day. The waves lapped against the hull and it was like being rocked to sleep.”

“Kind of like now?”

“Hm. I would take now over then. The view is much more beautiful.”

“We’re in a storage hold.” She opened her eyes and looked up and saw how he dreamily gazed at her. For a moment, she was mesmerized by his eyes and she felt like she had known him much longer than two months, more than a lifetime, many lifetimes over. “Oh.”

“I know, I know this isn’t what you had in mind, Scully. But I just wanted to know, I’m glad you decided to let me tag along.”

Sher arched her neck up, kissing him deeply before snuggling back into his chest. “Tell me another story, Mulder.”

. . . .

Holiday Inn by the Airport Norfolk, Virginia December 16, 1998

Scully sat up in her bed suddenly, blinking away the sleep from her eyes. The dream had been so vivid. She could still the May humidity in the air and the snugness of the hammock--hammock? What? She leaned against the headboard, wondering if her fuzzy head was due largely in part to the mix drinks with Mulder earlier that evening. Her eyes went to the nightstand to read the red numbers 3:07 a.m. She could see the shadow of her cell phone wondering if the U.S. Marshalls would be calling with a lead on Buckley.

Buckley.

The way he had addressed her seemed so...familiar and unnerving. She closed her eyes in thought, forcing her to focus on her breathing. The thought of him seemed to force her body to unconsciously panic, tensing, as if she was expecting something.

“Franklin, do you think you scare me?”

“You should be scared, Dana. You betrayed your country. You betrayed our marriage.”

She can’t see this man’s face. This Franklin.

“I never loved you! You kept me prisoner in a gilded cage!”

“We took vows, Dana!”

Scully unconsciously rose her left hand defiantly, baring her naked ring figure for the imaginary audience to see.

“What vow? I was never your wife. I never loved you.”

She flinched as if feeling something cold press against her neck, right in the same spot as the chip that kept her cancer at bay.

“Well, at least you will be joining him, till death do you part.”

She remembers seeing another mind, bound, being forced to watch her. She can’t see his face but it is his eyes. Dark hazel eyes that swarm with gold, green, and brown, drawing her into her into its depths as the cold sensation on the back of her neck increased.

“It’s okay, Scully. It’s okay.”

She knew that voice. Where did she know that voice from?

“Just keep looking at me, okay? Just look at me.”

That voice seems choked in a sob. Why was the other man crying? What was happening?

“For godsakes, Lieutenant, I knew you were such a pansy.”

“Scully, I love you. I will always love you, now and forever.”

Things suddenly came into focus for a split second as the hammer of the pistol cocked back and she saw him. The pistol went off and she just remembered screaming his name.

She opened her eyes and saw Mulder standing in the doorway adjoining their rooms mid-run, his eyes searching her face. He took three swift steps before turning on the night stand light and sitting on the edge of the queen bed. “Scully?” He frowned, gently cupped her face, and pushed away from the tears with his thumbs. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

She grabbed his wrists as if trying to anchor herself to reality. “What are you talking about?”

He stilled her frantic movements and calmly called her name. “Scully. Scully, look at me.”

Her watery blue eyes found his gaze. Those dark hazel eyes had pulled her in during that weird memory and she realized that man was Mulder. Her Mulder. The dreams came back with sudden clarity and she tried to stay anchored to the moment. She continued to cry, breaking away. He was alive. Mulder was alive. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, scratching at his back as centuries of grief and love came to her in that one singular moment.

Mulder was surprised at her sudden show of emotion, especially by her. Instinctively though, he tucked her form into his lap and coiled his own arms around her. He tried to follow her endless stream of chatter over her hiccups.  “Mulder...I remember now...all...us. You left...everything...for us. He found...shot me...you watched.”

He whispered fervently. “Scully, what are you talking about?”

She pulled back, examining his face. Her had no clue. Mulder had no idea.

[prangelbaby-blog]

The Purpose of Prayer

Why Pray?

Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.

—1 Samuel 12:23

It was the mid-'70s and my husband, Floyd, and I were with a group of Christian leaders called to bring the love of God to Africa. The scorching heat from the penetrating sun was nothing in comparison to the outpouring of the Son's power on the vast crowd of ebony faces and hungry hearts that stood before us. The lame began to walk; the blind received their sight. Healings of every kind were happening before our very eyes. Twenty-three thousand people were miraculously healed as God's power swept over the crowd I remember thinking, Lord, this is the Book of Acts in action.

As I sat on the platform watching this miraculous wave of God's power. I began to cry out to God "Lord, why are we not seeing miracles such as these in our western culture? Is it because we are bogged down in traditions and doctrines?" I will never forget His reply:

"No, Daughter, these people are receiving because they have no fear of man."

The fear of man is our greatest detriment to knowing and serving God. Only as we lay down our worries about what people think of us and what to expect of others can God honestly and openly speak into our lives. Often we have preconceived ideas of how a person must change before he or she can come to Christ. And yet when Jesus called us to be fishers of men (and women), He told us to go out and bring them in; He did not tell us to clean up the fish before reeling them into our churches. I have never seen a fish yet who was cleaned up before it was caught.

So what is prayer and why should we pray? Do our prayers really make a difference?

The Purpose of Prayer

Christians are called to a lifestyle of prayer, but many have come to see prayer as nothing more than calling upon their Heavenly. Butler for daily service, or crying out to their Heavenly Lifeguard when they are drowning in their daily circumstances. Certainly God has more for us than that. Jesus said that because He was going to the Father, we would do even greater works than He did (see John 14:12). When He spoke those words, He was not talking to a crowd of world-renowned Christian evangelists. No, He was speaking to every person who names Jesus as Lord and Savior. He was speaking to you and to me.

Prayer is the responsibility of every Christian. God's Word tells us to pray. But we don't pray just because we have to; we pray because talking to God is a privilege. Prayer is entering into relationship with God so we can determine His will in the matter and call His will into existence upon the earth. As you read the following verse, notice that talking to God on behalf of others carries a promise:

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity (1Tim. 2:1,2, italics added).

Much of the discontent and worry we as believers suffer is the result of disobedience to God's Word, which exhorts us to pray:

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints (Eph. 6:18).

Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matt, 26:41).

Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17).

The Priority of Prayer

Prayer was the priority in Jesus' life. He considered it more important than physical rest, and He was commonly pictured praying all night (see Luke 6:12). Talking with the Father took priority over His social activity. Scripture often refers to Jesus going off alone to be with the Father (see Matt. 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; 6:12). And, finally, Jesus made prayer a priority over His physical appetite. He fasted for long periods of time, withdrawing from physical food to release spiritual power (see Luke 4:2; Matt. 6:18,25.31; Heb. 7:25).

Prayer was the primary communication link between Himself and the Father. Every major event and every minor decision in Jesus' life was shrouded with prayer. If we are to be Christlike, or like Christ, we must follow His example. Jesus did not pray because He had to; Jesus prayed because He wanted to be obedient to, united with and empowered by the Father. Prayer is to be our priority for those same reasons.

Someone has said that seven days without prayer makes one Christian weak. Prayer is the way that we, His branches, draw the nutrients we need from God the Vine to produce the fruit of His Spirit in our lives. And we do this because, as believers, prayer to be our primary ministry.

The Ministry of Prayer

Ministry to God must come before ministry to people. First Peter says that you are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (2:9, italics added). The role of the priest is to minister first to God; then to the people. The way that we minister to God is by praising, worshiping and communing with Him in prayer and meditation. The way that we minister to the people is by allowing the overflow of what we have received in our time alone with Him to pour out into the lives of others. (See Prov. 15:8; 1 Pet. 2:5; Eph. 1:4.5: 2 Cor 5:21 and Heb. 4:16.)

The Relationship of Prayer

My husband, Floyd, and I have been married for 43 years. We love each other, and because we do, it is not a chore to be together—it is an awesome privilege. We want to share and know the most intimate details of each other's lives. Although I am often the one who is out front in our ministry, Floyd is the strength behind the scenes, working to make sure that what I do when I am publicly ministering runs smoothly and effectively. This happens as we spend time communicating about our heartfelt and physical needs.

We have the same goals, the same purpose, and a mutual love and respect for each other.

Similarly, the Bible says that you are Christ's Bride (see John 3:29, NIV). Your marital relationship with Him will deepen as you spend time alone with Him, sharing heart to heart. Prayer is that unique channel of dialogue between you and the Lord. Intimacy is cultivated as you invest time in your relationship with Him. The result will be knowing His will and making His will known to the people. Moses is a perfect illustration of this.

There is probably no one man in the Bible who is more fully respected among the Jewish people than Moses. Why? Moses knew God; therefore, God made His ways known to Moses and His acts to the children of Israel. We read in Exodus 33.11 that "the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend." The Lord longs to speak to you today through the Holy Spirit, just as He spoke with Moses. (Read Exodus 33:11-23.) And not only does God want to speak to you, but He also wants to show you a dimension of life that is invisible to the natural eye.

The Bible says that "God is Spirit" (John 4:24). Therefore, to know and understand the things of God, your spiritual eyes need to be opened. Keenness in the Spirit realm comes as you discipline yourself in prayer, praise, fasting and renewing your mind through God's Word. Ask the Lord to reveal spiritual reality to you just as Elisha did when he asked God to open his servant's eyes, allowing him to see the chariots of protection:

So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:16,17).

The more our spiritual eyes are opened, the more understanding we will have about our physical circumstances. Jesus was so spiritually attuned that He said:

"Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it. Peter said, "Master, the multitudes are crowding and pressing upon You." But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me" (Luke 8:45,46).

Peter was looking at the natural touch; Jesus was aware that something was happening in the spiritual realm. Prayer ignites our natural senses so the light of His Spirit is able to shine in on the motives of the power and principalities at work around us.

The Sacrifice of Prayer

The Scripture tells us that Jesus went to the cross for the joy set before Him. How can this be? How could the Cross possibly have brought Him joy? Because when Jesus was on earth, He was limited by time and distance. Through His death and Resurrection, however, He was able to send the Comforter so all believers could have ongoing, immediate access to the Father via the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:34 says that "Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us."

Prayer is a love response to the burdens of others.

As we follow Christ's example, we too must freely give ourselves to prayer. Prayer is an unselfish work that is often unseen and unappreciated by others; they only experience the results. When we pray, we are not seeking to be seen by men, but rather to stand in the presence and pleasure of the Lord (see Matt. 6:5; Heb. 7:25). Our times with God the Father bring us into oneness of heart with Him. We are then able to experience His heartache over the lost, His compassion for the hurting and His love for others—even our enemies.

Prayer is a love response to the burdens of others. The apostle Paul set forth a model for unselfish prayer in Philippians 2:3,4:

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

The apostle said he did not cease giving thanks for others while making mention of them in his prayers (see Eph. 1:15.16; Phil. 1:3,4,7). Paul, like Jesus, believed God. As a result, prison gates were opened, souls were saved, the afflicted were healed and lives were transformed. Prayer is powerful, especially when it is based upon God's Word.

The Word of Prayer

As you spend time talking with the Father and reading His Word, your prayers will begin to reflect the heart, mind and Word of the Lord. God's Word is the same yesterday, today and forever. God will meet you right where you are, using the amount of knowledge you have. For example, I remember when a woman who had just become a Christian once called for prayer, saying that her baby had a stubborn diaper rash that would not respond to medication. I told her to "apply the Word of God" and call me with the answer. Twenty-four hours later, she called to say that her baby was cured. When I asked her which verse she had prayed, she explained that she had ripped a page out of the Word and placed it in her baby's diaper each time she changed it. God met this young mom right where she was, with the knowledge that she had!

Ask God to give you a verse that applies to the situation for which you are praying, and pray it. For example, you might pray Colossians 1 by inserting your own name or the name of your family and friends, asking "that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light" (vv. 9-12).

Your prayer will then become God's own Word alive in your mouth. Praying God's Word brings results and answers, because God Himself said that His Word will not return to Him empty, without accomplishing what He desires, and without succeeding in the matter for which He sent it (see Isa. 55:11). When you pray the Word, however, it must be quickened by the Holy Spirit so you may speak forth with anointing.

Do not pray the Word for the sake of religious activity. Pray the Word based on faith, believing that you are in agreement with God's will for the circumstance. Let faith be the motivation behind your prayer. Then you will have the assurance that He will work in cooperation with you:

And without faith it is impossible to please Him. for he who comes to God must believe that He is. and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Heb. 11:6). Prayer that is based on faith bears fruit for the Kingdom and pleases God When you pray and communicate with God in faith. He will speak to you and give you direction, wisdom, knowledge, strength and protection (see Col. 1:9-11; Ps. 40:1.2; John 15:7,8).

The Kingdom Partnership of Prayer

Prayer makes a way for God to act sovereignly on earth. Jesus said to pray, "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10). God has chosen to work through people, not around them. Therefore, He also says, "Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt 18:18). The obvious inference is that God has limited some of His activities on the earth and will respond only to the prayers of His children.

Heaven waits for those of us on earth to pray for things to happen. E. Stanley Jones once said, "We align ourselves with the purpose and power of God and He is able to do things through us that He could not do otherwise." God seeks for a person, an intercessor, to plead for His perfect will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (see Isa. 43.26; Jer. 1:12).

Prayer Versus Intercession

At this point you may be asking, What is the difference between prayer and intercession? Prayer starts with you and what you know to be the obvious facts as you bring them before God. God will then take over and you will pray what is on your heart and mind until you have prayed it through. Many times prayer will lead to intercession, where God takes over and you are praying in ways you do not understand for that person.

Intercession differs from prayer in that it starts and ends with God. You might be driving along and someone will come to your mind, maybe a sense of urgency about a friend or relative, or even a person you haven't thought about in years. This is God speaking to you. Sometimes you won't understand why you are praying what you are praying, but as you are obedient to pray what you are sensing, God's will is done on earth. Sometimes God will allow you to know the outcome; other times He won't. Your responsibility is to be obedient.

An example of this from my own life involves a favorite cousin I hadn't seen in about 10 years. I crawled out of bed in the middle of the night for a glass of water when a picture of my cousin canvassed my mind. Suddenly I dropped to my knees and began to cry out, "God, don't let Mike move! Keep him still, Lord! Keep him still! Oh God, please don't let him move! Hold him, Lord! Hold him!"

Even though I was pleading on Mike's behalf with my words, I remember thinking, This is really ridiculous. Why am I praying this? Then the words ceased, and when they did. I could not muster another word. So I got up, drank a glass of water and started back toward the bedroom. Again I fell to the floor and began to cry out with a grave sense of urgency. "Don't let him move. God! Don't let Mike move! Stay still! Stay still!" The words came to an abrupt end. This time I thought, Oh no! This must be a nightmare!

I had no feeling inside of me other than the feeling to pray. I got up and began to pace the floor, wondering what in the world that was all about One more time I took a few steps toward the bedroom when again I dropped to the floor. Only this time I was yelling, "Get him up, Lord! Get him to run! Run, Mike! Lord, help him to run... run...run! Let him run, God! Run, run, run!" After several minutes, a calm came over me and I returned to bed for the night.

The following day, I called my aunt to see if she could help me put the pieces together about my puzzling outcries the night before. She informed me that Mike was in Vietnam. The experience still made very little sense.

Finally, a month later my aunt called to read a letter she had received. The letter told how Mike, who was a pilot, had been shot down and landed in a tree. He had been warned to get out of the area as quickly as possible, but explained that just a few hundred yards from the crash site, he fell into a bush. "Mom," he wrote, "it was like I was pinned down. I felt like somebody was sitting on me. The Vietcong came and were unknowingly standing on my pant leg while looking up at my parachute in the tree. They turned around and began to slash the bushes with their bayonets. It looked safe, so I started to get up and was about to run when once again I fell into the bush as though someone were pushing me. I laid there for a couple of minutes when suddenly I had an impulse to get up and run. I heard a helicopter so I sprinted through the wooded area, following the direction of the noise, to an open space where I was whisked off to safety. The helicopter crew said they came in response to my beeper. And yet, it had not been working when I was shot down." That, dear ones, is intercession!

The Power of Prayer

Prayer can cause God to relent. Many times the fate of the world is not in the hands of governors or kings, but in the hands of mighty intercessors. You, too, can influence society as did Abraham and Daniel and others in the Old Testament (see Gen. 18:17-30; Num. 14:11-23; 1 Sam. 7:8-13; 2 Kings 20:111; Dan. 9:2,3). It is exciting to realize that your prayers not only affect those you are praying for, but can also help to mold national or international events. As you read the following passage, notice how God changed His mind based on Moses' prayer:

Then Moses entreated the Lord his God. and said, "O Lord, why doth Thine anger burn against Thy people whom Thou hast brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Thy burning anger and change Thy mind about doing harm to Thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Thy servants to whom Thou didst swear by Thyself, and didst say to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people (Exod. 32:11-14).

Not only does the Lord change His mind when His people pray, but He also gives revelation knowledge and the mind of God through His Holy Spirit. As you pray. He will pinpoint a problem area in someone's life or in a situation, allowing you to see as He sees. Luke tells us that "all things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him' (10:22, italics added). The role of intercession is a sacred trust. The intercessor must carefully guard the secrets God reveals during prayer and be obedient to share only when the Lord directs. Seek His clear guidance on the proper follow-up of His revelation (see Matt. 11:25,26; Phil. 3:15).

As you continue in prayer, the kingdom of God will become real through the miracles of God operating in your life. You will see the manifest power of God confirm your spiritual walk. Jesus said that "these signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover* (Mark 16:17,18). Do not be afraid to believe God for the miraculous.

The Warfare of Prayer

But remember, you have an enemy. Ephesians tells us that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (6:12).

You are called to do spiritual warfare through prayer over Satan's strongholds until you win! Satan will usually attack us most in our greatest area of strength. I used to think the reverse was true—that he would attack most in our area of greatest weakness. But I have found that in our areas of weakness, we are more apt to call upon the Lord and rely upon Him. In our areas of strength, however, we tend to rely on self and often find ourselves burning out from fighting our battles alone. Every area of your life is subject to enemy attack, so you must fight on your knees before you can stand on your mission field.

Jesus Himself had to battle Satan through prayer for His ministry and in other situations. We find this clearly illustrated in His wilderness temptation. He experienced spiritual warfare and won before He ever went out into public ministry. You, too, must win before you can fully function in what God has called you to do. The success of your Christian life is dependent on winning... winning in prayer (see Josh. 1:3.11.15; Matt 4:11; Mark 3:27).

Daniel's spiritual battle clearly illustrates the war that occurs in the heavenlies:

Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia" (Dan. 10:12,13).

Daniel's story gives hope for those who are in the midst of battle. Don't give up. You are in a win-win situation. God is for you, and the battle is the Lord's.

The Invitation of Prayer

Prayer is not just a call to war; it is also an invitation to rest. Jesus said, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6,7).

Knowing that God is on your side will help you to enter into the rest He offers. He invites you to give Him your problems, cares, concerns and worries (see 1 Pet. 5:7; Matt. 6:25,26). "Cast your burden upon [Him], and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken" (Ps. 55:22). Cease striving and partner with Him. He loves you and longs to share His heart with you. He has called you, dear child of God, to rest in His love as you come away with Him in prayer. Will you say yes to that invitation today?

[arisefairsun]

ok I seriously love romeo. when I read this in freshman year everyone hated him bc he was so sensitive and emotional but that was what I loved about him. even though I'm a girl I relate to him so much bc of that and he thinks with his heart far more than he does with his brain. I love how he is so different from the other boys in verona bc he doesn't want to fight, and I love his contrast w juliet. it's like they're fire and water or the sun and the moon like I just love his character so much

THANK YOU. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one in the world who loves Romeo’s personality. Let me just ramble about him because I absolutely love this boy.

He lives in such a dark, abusive, coercive society, doesn’t he? A society that does not allow its citizens to achieve freedom—a society that despotically forces the men into violence, war, bravado, machismo, and this empty, meaningless concept of a dehumanized man that should have no feelings, no fears, because otherwise he is unmanly and shameful. It is a society that does not accept those men that do not behave as such. Look at the deification of machismo in the opening dialogue between Sampson and Gregory. Look at Mercutio’s constant mocking of Romeo for choosing to be a lover and a poet rather than a fighter:

Alas poor Romeo! he is already dead; stabbed with awhite wench’s black eye; shot through the ear with a love-song; the very pin of his heart cleft with the blind bow-boy’s butt-shaft: and is he a man to encounter Tybalt?

Look at the way the Nurse urges him to ‘man up’: ‘Stand up, stand up; stand, an you be a man’. Even Friar Lawrence shows his contempt for his unmanly attitude:

Art thou a man? thy form cries out thou art.Thy tears are womanish; thy wild acts denoteThe unreasonable fury of a beast.Unseemly woman in a seeming man!O ill-beseeming beast in seeming both!

Romeo, as Montague’s heir, is expected to perpetuate these senseless masculine ideals. Benvolio is certain that Romeo will fight Tybalt (‘Romeo will answer it’), and so does Mercutio (‘Marry, go before to field, he’ll be your follower’). He does not, cannot comprehend why Romeo didn’t accept Tybalt’s challenge, why he stated that he loved the Capuet surname ‘as dearly as mine own’, why he literally said he loved Tybalt (‘O calm, dishonorable, vile submission’). To Mercutio, Romeo is only truly Romeo when he is jesting in his male circle: ‘Is not this better now than groaning for love? Now art thou sociable; now art thou Romeo. Now art thou what thou art by art as well as by nature’. (Little does he know that the reason Romeo is in such a good mood in this scene is that he spent the previous night talking to Capulet’s daughter about the insignificance of names and social labels.)

This is brutal. This is terrible. This is the abusive impact that patriarchy and toxic masculinity and social oppression have on a boy who just wants to go on talking about blushing pilgrims and love’s light wings. Unlike the other boys in Verona, Romeo does not care about his social identity. He simply chooses to ignore it. Think of his reaction to the fight in the first scene: ‘O me! What fray was here? / Yet tell me not, for I’ve heard it all.’ There is weariness in his words. He is tired of the feud. He immediately starts rambling about love instead: ‘Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love. / Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate…’ But it’s not as simple; he just cannot forget about it so easily. In act III, his identity as Montague’s heir brings him so much anxiety and distress that he attempts to take his own life, hoping that this will allow him to extirpate his own name from himself:

O, tell me, friar, tell me,In what vile part of this anatomyDoth my name lodge? tell me, that I may sackThe hateful mansion.Drawing his sword.

These lines are heartbreaking. He is so tired. He is ‘world-wearied flesh’. I don’t think it’s fair to dismiss his emotions and say that he’s just an idiot going through an emo phase. No. Romeo is desperate. Romeo needs affection to survive, and I don’t think that’s a joke if we take into account the brutality of his society. He needs to believe that there is something that’s more powerful than hate in life.

For instance, I can never get enough of the juxtaposition in the first scene. The chaos of the fight, the phallic violence, the toxic pride of Sampson and Gregory—all of this contrasts beautifully with Romeo’s first entrance. From the moment Lady Montague asks, ‘O where is Romeo?’, the characters shift toward a more lyrical, dreamlike speech. They mention Aurora’s bed, the worshipped sun, an artificial night, etc. The force of poetry accompanies Romeo’s character even before he comes on the stage. The language of the scene invites us to conceive Romeo as a different boy, one that isolates himself, one that cries under sycamores, ‘with tears augmenting the fresh morning dew, / Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs’, while the other men shed blood over a thumb-biting gesture. Romeo is lyrical, he is poetry itself, an ardent defensor of the power of dreaming. And yet, in the first act, his poetry is poor and his understanding of love limited, stereotyped, void. It’s artificial and forced. As Friar Lawrence remarks, ‘thy love did read by rote, that could not spell’. Romeo’s 'love’ for Rosaline exposes again the banality of his society. 

It’s not until he meets Juliet that he transcends the limited customs of his society and begins to explore his real self. With Juliet he finds a new kind of love, one that’s personal, real, daring, full of meaning. During his first conversation with Juliet, they both triumph at composing a perfect Shakespearean sonnet together. The poetry is finally mutual, real, alive. From that moment on, though, they will generally speak in blank verse together; Romeo finds a new voice, a different sort of dream, in Juliet’s company. He changes his nonsense, excessively elaborated speech for a much more honest, spontaneous language. He can do so much better than his society—he can be a far better poet than he thinks. Juliet, who shows a greater command of her language, demonstrates this to him.

Something I love about him is that even if he is the romantic lead of the story, he is far from being the perfect prince: he is a helpless, scared child. Juliet is certainly more determined than him, far more careful and resourceful. When she is threatened by her father to marry a man she dislikes, she immediately asks the Nurse for help (‘O Nurse! How shall this be prevented?’). When the Nurse betrays her, she immediately turns to the friar (‘I’ll to the friar to know his remedy’). After Romeo’s banishment, on the contrary, he just lies on the floor 'with his own tears made drunk’, refuses to listen to the friar’s advices, and even attempts to kill himself. But I don’t think we should despise Romeo for this; Romeo needs help and protection and that is not a joke. Romeo goes through a lot of anxiety because he is forced to become someone he doesn’t want to be and that’s just not his fault.

Even if both of them are very protective of each other, it is Juliet who most mentions her need to protect 'my Romeo’. Despite all her fears, this is what finally makes her drink the friar’s potion:

O look! Methinks I see my cousin’s ghost,Seeking out Romeo that did spit his bodyUpon a rapier’s point: Stay, Tybalt, stay!Romeo, I come. This do I drink to thee.

Juliet fears that Tybalt, one of the major exponents of toxic masculinity in the play, will destroy her Romeo if she doesn’t defend him. It is as if there were two Romeos: his imposed identity as Romeo Montague, based on honor and violence; and then the identity he chose himself as her Romeo, based on love and tenderness. He attempts to break the patriarchal norms by rejecting his household in the balcony scene ('Had I [my name] written, I would tear the word’); however, he doesn’t ask the same from her. Ultimately, his death in Capulet’s vault destroys his obedience to the feud (and he uses poison, often attributed to women and weakness, as opposed to Juliet’s dagger).

Juliet revitalizes him in every possible way. She introduces him to a brighter, kinder world. Picking up again the saint/pilgrim motif, he asks her to 'call me but love and I’ll be new baptized’. He finally finds someone who doesn’t believe in the coercive customs of their society—someone who fearlessly states that he would still be as valuable even if he were not a Montague. While their households continue to fight over the importance of names and honor, Juliet is so skeptical that she even wonders, 'What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, / Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part / Belonging to a man.’ She’ll fight anyone over her Romeo. She is ready to do anything in order to take care of him (more on this here). And Romeo himself rejoices in her protectiveness. He knows she’s stronger than all the swords in Verona ('Look thou but sweet and I am proof against their enemy’). To him, she is a light forcing her way through the physical restrictions of their world, freely expanding her light across the whole sky and shaming 'those stars / As daylight doth a lamp’. She is his sun. There is so much life in her that he believes she could revive him with her kisses as if he were a Disney princess (‘… And breathed such life with kisses in my lips / That I revived and was an emperor’). He is in love with her mind, with her light, and not only with her body (FIGHT ME): 'How is’t, my soul? Let’s talk, it is not day.’

In short, Juliet builds a new identity for him, one that’s free from Verona’s rules and the feud, one that’s tender and blissful and full of light, as they always say. This brings him hope—Juliet’s brave, restless energy turns his dreams into reality. Look at his intrepid words:

With love’s light wings did I o'er-perch these walls,For stony limits cannot hold love out, And what love can do, that dares love attempt.Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me.

Love is his strength. Romeo’s courage is of a different kind than that of the other men. It is not based on violence and rage—he dislikes those. Romeo’s bravery lies in his tears, his softness, his emotions, his dreams. His inability to live without Juliet denotes his inability to live without freedom, subjugated to the toxicity of the feud and masculinity. In the balcony scene he tells Juliet 'I would I were thy bird’; he tells her he wishes to say there 'forgetting any other home but this’. And indeed, he chooses Juliet’s breast as his final resting place. Productions don’t generally make him die on her breast, but that’s what Friar Lawrence describes: 'Thy husband in thy bosom there lies dead.’ It tragically echoes his words in the balcony scene: 'Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast, / Would I were sleep and peace so sweet to rest!’

They are a team. They love, help, save, trust each other. The intimacy they achieve by the end of act III is remarkable. Look at the Nurse’s words when she finds Romeo crying in the friar’s cell:

O, he is even in my mistress’ case,Just in her case! O woeful sympathy!Piteous predicament! Even so lies she,Blubbering and weeping, weeping and blubbering.

He shows as much despair as her. They are not the typical straight couple—a perfectly disciplined man, an oversensitive woman—Romeo and Juliet share their pain. For instance, I’m in love with this passage from the farewell scene:

JULIETO god! I have an ill-divining soul!Methinks I see thee there, thou art so low,As one dead in the bottom of a tomb.Either my eyesight fails or thou lookst pale.ROMEOAnd trust me, love, in my eye so do you.Dry sorrow drinks our love. Adieu, adieu!

This could be paraphrased as ‘I’m scared.’ ‘I’m scared, too.’ This is beautiful and not so easy to find in literature. This is a man who doesn’t pretend he is too strong to show weakness. Romeo imagines his blood being sucked by sorrow, and he doesn’t mind telling Juliet. Indeed, he always stands up for his own emotions and his right to feel. I’ve always been in love with his response to the friar’s words in 3.3:

Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel:Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love,An hour but married, Tybalt murdered,Doting like me and like me banished,Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear thy hair,And fall upon the ground, as I do now,Taking the measure of an unmade grave.

Romeo is unable to cope; he is weak, sensitive, and spends too much time dreaming. He is the kind of person who needs people by his side. He simply needs affection and that’s precisely what his society prohibits him from having. But instead of mocking him for this, I believe it would be fairer to judge those that instill such anxiety and despair in this poor child who just wants to spend his life poetizing the power of love but who is tragically forced to kill and hate. He is such an idealistic young boy, isn’t he?—completely governed by his dreams, madly in love with his own fantasies. I can never get enough of this funny exchange between Mercutio and Romeo:

ROMEOI dreamt a dream tonight.MERCUTIOAnd so did I.ROMEOWell, what was yours?MERCUTIOThat dreamers often lie.ROMEOIn bed asleep while they do dream things true.

This is not only a man showing his emotions and clinging to his dreams, this is a man who was raised to promote toxic masculinity, rage, and violence, and who does what he can to distance himself from that. We should never forget that. Let’s not decontextualize Romeo and Juliet’s actions from the feud. They are not ‘normal’ kids living in a ‘normal’ world. I think that’s people’s problem with this play—they forget the patriarchal, abusive society Romeo and Juliet were raised in. Two idiots getting themselves killed? That’s dumb indeed. But that’s not what happens in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet cling to each other because they accept each other for what they truly are. It’s the fact that they are left alone, that nobody else is willing to accept them, that their society feeds itself with blood and hate and prejudice—this is what kills Romeo and Juliet. To me, it’s the story of two young people who rebel against all the chaos they are to inherit from their parents. And Romeo’s rebellion lies in his emotions. This is the 21st century, for God’s sake. Are we going to mock a boy who is just too tired of all the unhealthy ideals being forced on him? Romeo is quite a unique character—how many men living in a society that encourages them to show off their masculinity would refuse to perpetuate it? Let Romeo cry. Let him fall on the ground in tears. Let him sigh and talk about how his 'heartsick groans, mist-like,’ will 'infold me from the search of eyes’. The fact that he is vulnerable is proof that he doesn’t want to be dehumanized by social constructs. It’s the bravest, most revolutionary thing he could have done in his world. The problem is not Romeo, but Romeo’s society.

[risalei-nur]

TAFSIR: Risale-i Nur: The Words Collection:The Thirty Second Word .Part 11

People, especially the misguided, cannot measure God properly and are usually forgetful of Him. For example, a private pays his corporal per-fect respect and attributes to him whatever good he enjoys. He is oblivious of the king; even if he remembers him, it is still to the corporal that he shows gratitude in return for any good he receives. Such a private should be warned: “The king is greater and more benevolent than your corporal, so you must thank the king.” This does not mean to compare the king’s actu-al, magnificent commandership with the corporal’s—such a comparison would be meaningless. What is meant is to warn the private who prefers the corporal in gratitude and forgets the king.

 Similarly, means, nature, and causes blind heedless people to the True Bestower of bounties. They attribute the bounties which they receive to means and nature and creativity to causes, as if they were the actual sources, and praise and thank them. Therefore, the Qur’an warns: Almighty God is much greater and a far better Creator and Benefactor (actually meaning that He is the sole Creator and Benefactor). Regard Him and thank Him.

 Fourth indication: Just as actually existent things may be compared with each other and preferred over each other, so possible, and even hypothetical things may also be compared with and preferred over each other. Since there are numerous grades or degrees in qualities and natures, people may imagine infinite grades in the essences and manifestations of Divine Names and Attributes. Almighty God is, however, of the highest, most perfect, and most beautiful of all grades that His Names and Attributes are imagined to have. The universe bears witness to this. His description of all His Names as the best or most beautiful, as in: His are the Most Beautiful Names (20:8), points to this fact.

 Fifth indication: Such phrases also should be considered from the follow-ing viewpoint. Almighty God has two kinds of Attributes and ways of mani-festations. In the first one (Wahidiya), in the form of an all-encompassing law, He manifests His Names and exercises His authority throughout the universe from behind apparent means and causes. In the second one (Ahadiya), He focuses His manifestations on one being without any means or veils. When shown in this second way, His kindness, creation, and grandeur are brighter, more beautiful and splendid than their manifestations in the first way.

Suppose a saintly king executes his authority directly, with all his offi-cials and commanders being only veils or screens. His execution of his authority is in two ways: by some general laws he has established and using officials and governors in every office, or through direct governance by being present everywhere at the same time in different forms and without officials. This second way is better and more excellent in the sight of his subjects. Similarly, the Creator of the universe, the Eternal Sovereign, uses means and causes to veil or screen His rule and to demonstrate His Lordship’s majesty in this life. However, He also has installed a “private telephone” in His servants’ hearts so that, leaving all means and causes behind, they can contact Him and declare: You alone do we worship and from You alone do we seek help (1:5). Phrases like the Best of Creators, the Most Merciful of the Merciful, and God is the Greatest also underline this fact.

 As for how we can judge something as perfect if it has no opposites, consider the following five points:

FIRST POINT: One who asks such a question is unaware of true perfec-tion and imagines relative perfections to be true. Any virtue, perfection, or superiority that manifests itself in comparison to or in contrast with others is not true; rather, it is of relative value and significance. Thus losing its opposite causes it to lose its value.

 For example, heat is desired over severe cold and food is delicious in pro-portion to one’s hunger. Without cold and hunger, heat and food have no or little value. True pleasure, love, perfection or virtue do not show themselves in comparison with others or in proportion to their opposites’ degree—they are by and of themselves, and so are substantial and constant realities.

 Existence, life, love, knowledge (especially knowledge of God), belief, permanence, mercy, compassion or affection, as well as light, sound sight and hearing, eloquence, munificence, good conduct or moral virtues, appro-priate form, and the perfections any people have either in their persons or characters and attributes or acts—these are all virtues by their very nature. With or without opposites, they are virtues and perfections in themselves. Neither they themselves nor their pleasure and beauty do not need compar-isons or opposites to perceive and appreciate. Thus, all perfections of the All-Majestic Maker, the All-Gracious and Beautiful Originator and the Creator of Perfection are true in and of themselves. Whatever other than Him can have no effect on Him. The perfections in creation are only their reflections according to the capacity of each being.

SECOND POINT: In Sharhu’l-Mawaqif, Sayyid Sharif al-Jurjani writes: “The cause of love is either pleasure or benefit or sexual or natural inclination or perfection. Perfection is loved because of itself.” In other words, you love something or someone either because of the pleasure you find in them or their benefit or your sexual or natural (e.g., fatherly, motherly, filial, etc.) inclina-tion, or its perfection. If love arises from perfection, there is no need to search for another cause. For example, people tend to love people of perfection and of perfect virtue although they have no relation to them whatsoever.

 Thus, as they are true, indisputable, and infinite, all of Almighty God’s Perfections and His All-Beautiful Names are loved because of themselves. The All-Majestic Being, Who is absolutely worthy of love and is the True Beloved One, loves His Perfections and the beauties of His Names and Attributes in a manner appropriate to Himself. He also loves the works of His Art and the beauties in His creatures, which mirror His Perfections. He loves His Prophets and saints, particularly His noble beloved, the lord of Messengers and master of saints—Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings.

 Due to His love for His Own Beauty, He loves His beloved, who mir-rors that Beauty. Due to His love for His Own Names, He loves His beloved, who manifests those Names in a most comprehensive way, as well as all other Prophets. Due to His love for His Art, He loves His beloved, who displays that Art, and those who are like him (the other Prophets). Due to His love for His creatures, He loves His beloved, who welcomes those creatures with due appreciation and applause, saying: “What wonders God has willed! God bless them! How beautifully they have been created!” and those who follow him. Due to His love for the beauties of His creatures, He loves His beloved, who is the most comprehensive embodiment of all those beauties and all moral virtues shared by them, and his followers.