#the prodigal 1st blood son

[seekfirst-community]

"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him." (Psalm 103).

"Brothers and sisters: In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children:

"My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges.

"Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as his sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

"So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.

"Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled." (Letter to the Hebrews 12:4-7, 11-15).

Wednesday February 1st 2023 in the 4th Week of Ordinary Time.

I heard the above Scripture in a Sunday Mass for the first time after tumbling down the mountain top of corporate ladder to the dark hole in the valley. I have never imagined that misfortune can be engineered by God to serve our higher purpose.

So I was happy and delighted to read again at home this glorious message of Abba Father to me, the once prodigal son:

"Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as his sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it."

My response to the Father is best expressed in the Responsorial Psalm 103 of today's Mass:

"Bless the Lord, O my soul;

and all my being, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits.

"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him,

For he knows how we are formed;

he remembers that we are dust.

"But the kindness of the Lord is from eternity to eternity toward those who fear him,

And his justice toward children’s children among those who keep his covenant." (Psalm 103).

Now consider this question: Where would I be today if not for the residue of grace I received at Baptism? By faith I recognized at once that the Reading from Hebrews that Sunday morning was for me.

You too my friends, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by Him; for whom the Lord loves, He disciplines; He scourges every son and daughter He acknowledges.

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

[death-punk]

ON THE PRODIGAL SON INSTA THE LEAST AMOUNT OF BLOOD IS AT THE START OF THE POSTS, WHICH IS AROUND THE 1ST EP, AND THE MOST AT THE VERY TOP, WHICH IS AROUND THE LAST EP THATS SO CLEVER

[godofplumsandthunder]

Worthless - Bucky Barnes Oneshot

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Latina/Hispanic Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: This was written for @buckysmischief writing challenge. Some how, my dumbass thought the deadline was April 27, how I got the date, no idea 😂 The real date is today, so here it is. My prompt was the song “Without Me” by Halsey. 

Today was a special day. You woke up feeling like a giddy teenager. Today wasn’t any normal day, it was your 1st anniversary with Bucky. The days leading up to your anniversary, you weren’t sure if Bucky would even be here for it. So when you checked the rota last night you were ecstatic to see that Bucky wasn’t on call for any missions. So unless some aliens decide to invade earth, you had Bucky all to yourself today.

You roll over in bed, trying to find the furnace that is your boyfriend, and much to your disappointment, you find a cold, empty side of the bed. He’s probably been up for a while, you thought. It’s not like he had a nightmare, you would’ve heard him. Without the cuddles from Bucky, you don’t have any motivation to stay in bed. You stretch and get out of bed to take a quick shower and change into some loungewear. You didn’t have to report to your job for a few more hours, so it didn’t make sense to get ready so early. You decide to find your boyfriend, which if you were to guess where he’s at, you’d say the kitchen, where he spends most of his free time.

As you make your way to the common kitchen, you couldn’t help but think about Bucky’s strange behavior. You didn’t consider yourself a spoiled brat or a princess, but you thought that Bucky would’ve at least given you a morning surprise. “Did he forget your anniversary?” You thought, but there was no way that he could forget, right? You try to push these thoughts away, as you make your way to the kitchen. And, no surprise to you, you find your boyfriend at the table eating his breakfast. You make your way over to him and take the seat next to him.

“Morning baby,” Bucky greets you while kissing you. You could taste the cream and sugar from his coffee on him. Despite the brooding, dark, and mysterious persona Bucky tries to portray, he is a sucker for anything sweet: especially when it comes to his coffee. It’s one of his many quirks that you love.

“Morning Buck, have any plans for your day off?” You ask Bucky, hoping to see if he has any plans for you later in the day.

“Not really. I’m just happy I have a day where I can relax and decompress. I might go out with Sam later in the evening,” Bucky replies plainly. “He has something planned for tonight,” you think. This whole “going out with Sam” thing is just a clever ruse to cover the fact that he’s taking you out for the night.

“That’s good. It’s always good to just take a day and relax,” You respond to him, without any emotion, sipping your coffee, not giving away the fact that you had uncovered his plans for this evening.

Bucky offers to cook you some breakfast before your shift starts. You try to make a decent dent in the tower of pancakes that Bucky made for you, but after only managing 2, Bucky dutifully took the rest of the pancakes for him to finish. You spend as much time together as you can before you had to leave and get ready for your shift at the medical center, in the tower.

Luckily for you, your work at the medical center kept your mind busy. Being one of Dr. Cho’s medical assistants’ certainty kept you busy. That’s what you loved about this job because unlike the normal doctor’s offices, you were practicing medicine alongside Dr. Cho. She didn’t treat as some glorified secretary. Plus you quickly became best of friends with two of the other medical assistants, Esmeralda and Sara. When your shift would get rough, those two would always be there to brighten you up. And they were thereafter your shifts too. Going to bars and exploring the city. It felt good to have real friends here, and not have to pretend to get along with your co-workers.

Your shift today was going pretty uneventful until Dr. Cho pulled you in to assist her in treating a SHIELD agent. He had a pretty nasty encounter with some HYDRA agents and was left for dead. But luckily his teammates were able to rescue him and send him to the Med center. If it wasn’t for the gravity of the situation you would have joked that he looked like a piece of Swiss cheese, with how many bullets he had. But you knew that this was a life or death situation you were dealing with. It wasn’t the time or the place for silly little jokes.

After many hours of work, a few bags of blood, and countless stitches, you and Dr. Cho were able to save this young SHIELD agent. There would be side effects and repercussions from his injuries, but at least he was alive. You make your way back to the nurse’s station, clearly shocked and exhausted. That’s when Esmeralda pulls you away.

“Mija, you are taking your break right now! Look how tired you are! You have to be well-rested for Bucky tonight,” She orders you as she makes her way to the break room, with you on her arm.

“I don’t know if I’m going to make it through tonight, Esme. That was a pretty hard case. I just hope where ever Bucky is taking me tonight has lots of alcohol.”

“Where is Bucky taking you, Y/N? You know I want all the chisme,”

“I don’t know where he is taking me, Esme. It’s a surprise!”

“Well then, I expect to receive some hot tea tomorrow than,” Esmeralda jokes with you as she leaves you in the break room to get some much-needed rest.

Thankfully, the rest of your shift doesn’t have any big emergencies. Just the usual cuts and bruises. You clock out, say goodbye to Esmeralda and Sara, and head your way back to your room. Ready to have a nice night with Bucky.

========

You lay on your bed, in your blood-stained scrubs, waiting for Bucky. You didn’t want to change until you know where you were going. You were exhausted and desperately in need a big glass of white wine. You are starting to slip out of consciousness when you hear the door open.

“Tough day at work, baby girl?” Bucky, seeing your blood-stained scrubs, asks as he gets into bed next to you.

“Yeah, it was. But thankfully, and luckily, the patient was able to pull through. I’ve just never seen anybody with that many bullets before. 32 bullets, Buck, he had 32 bullets in him. It’s a miracle that he survived, if you ask me,” you cuddle Bucky as you recount your day to him. You stay cuddled for a little while until Bucky, much to your groans of protest, get out of bed.

“I just came up here to grab my keys and wallet. I can’t keep Sam waiting too long.” He tells you. Amid all the drama at work today, you forgot about his plans with Sam. Turns out it wasn’t a distraction or ploy. As Bucky starts heading towards the door, you call out to him.

“Are you sure you haven’t forgotten anything, Buck?”

“Nope, I have my phone, keys, and wallet. I should be good. I’ll make sure to call if anything happens, Y/N. Now I really got to go.” And with that, Bucky plants a quick kiss to your forehead and hurriedly speeds out through the front door.

Left in a state of shock, you yell your heart out, “Asshole! That asshole forgot our anniversary!” You melt into a state of anger, hurt, and sadness. You don’t want to be alone right now, with so much pain and emptiness, so you decide to text your two closest friends.

You: Esme, Sara, I know it’s late to ask, but do you guys have anything going on right now? I could really use you guys.

Both Esmeralda and Sara answer almost immediately.

Sara: Of course, where do you want us to meet you and do you need us to bring wine?

Esme: I’m free too, but shouldn’t you be having other plans tonight??

You: I should, but I’m not. And yes, Sara. Bring a lot of wine.

You sit, brooding in the dark as you wait for your friends to come. And, you can’t wait to drink your problem away.

===========

“He did what?” Sara still couldn’t believe that Bucky would do something like forgetting your anniversary. For her, it just seemed to out of character. Esme, on the other hand, was ready to pounce.

“Pero, que hijo de puta! Where’s his ass at? If he thinks he can fuck with my friend, he has another thing coming. Please, Y/N, let me beat his ass! Just give me five minutes.”

“Esme, he’s not worth it. And don’t call him a hijo de puta, it’s offensive to the puta.” You sigh, as you take another sip from your wine glass. You love your two friends equally, but you couldn’t help but laugh at how different they are. Sara is the quiet friend, who will just sit with you and let you vent for hours if you need to. Then you have Esme, who would burn down Bucky’s apartment and bike if you asked her. They’re both idiots, but they’re your idiots, and you love them with all of your heart. They sit with you watching cheesy romcoms while eating too much ice cream, and drinking WAY too much wine. After a few movies, you send Sara and Esme home, not wanting to waste more of their time, even though they said that you weren’t wasting their time. It took many promises of texting them if you needed something and checking in with them to get them to leave. Hearing the click of the door behind your two friends, you grab the newly opened bottle of wine and head to the coach, to wait for Bucky. “Wouldn’t want the wine to go to waste,” you thought as you got comfortable on the love seat.

===========

It was 11:52 p.m. when Bucky finally decide to come home. Exactly 5 hours and 32 minutes since Bucky last talked to you, when he let you know that he was abandoning you on your anniversary, to go to some sleazy bar with Sam. But, who was counting? For you, its been 5 hours and 32 minutes and 2 and ½ bottles of wine since you saw the asshole Bucky. You don’t know if it was the alcohol or your nerves speaking, but you gave Bucky a piece of your mind.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the prodigal son himself. Finally back home, after 5 hours and 32 minutes away, that is if my calculations are correct.”

“Baby, what are you talking about?”

“Don’t baby me. I’m not in the mood for that. But I guess I should be the one asking you the questions. Asking about your "night out” with Sam. And by the smell of you, I’d wager that you went to one of those sleazy bars, right?“ You ask Bucky with such poison in your voice. Such toxicity. One that surprised both Bucky and yourself. Bucky didn’t know that you had so much bitterness in you. He didn’t know what he did wrong, but he knew he fucked up.

"Y/N, I-” Bucky tried to say something but you cut him off.

“No! You don’t get to speak. You are to listen. Got it?” you bark out to him, waiting for his confirmation that he understands his role. Bucky doesn’t dare to say anything, so he just nods his head, showing that he understands his role.

“You know, when we first started dating, my family and friends told me to not get involved with you. They told me to run while I still had the chance to. They told me that you were so fucked up in the brain. That you couldn’t be fixed. And do you know what I told them? I told them that it wasn’t true. That sure, you did have some problems, but that would make sense after decades of torture. But that we would work through our problems together, as a couple. And oh, God knows that I’ve put up with a lot of YOUR shit,” you viscously say while pouring yourself another glass of wine.

“I had to help you with a lot of shit. First with your nightmares. You’d wake up in the middle of the night, thrashing and yelling which would wake me up. After I got you to calm down, you made me sleep on the couch. The fucking couch! But I helped you with that. But that wasn’t your only problem, because God knows that you have a ton of them. It took you 3 months into our relationship before you were able to take me on a real date, in the city. Not one in the compound, but in the city with other people. 3 months! If that were to happen with any other guy, I’d have dumped his ass a long while ago. But, you were different. Your reasoning was different than any other man alive, and I respected that, and I worked through that with you. Are you starting to see a pattern here, Buck? You have a problem, and I help you fix it. What would you be without me? A hermit with severe PTSD! That’s what you would be!” You fill your glass again with more wine, you should probably stop with the wine, but you didn’t because it felt good drinking your problems away. It felt really good.

“Do you know what day it is, Bucky?” You ask out of the blue, your tone returning back to normal.

“What?” Bucky’s confused now. Where did this come from?

“I asked, what day is it?”

“Wednesday, Y/N. It’s Wednesday.” Bucky nervously answers your question. He’s unsure of what you’re talking about.

“Good fucking job, Bucky. It is Wednesday,” you yell at him, while slowly clapping. “Do you know what else it is, Buck? It’s our first anniversary! One year together. One year, that I wasted. I was wasting a year of my life picking you up and fixing you, and you can’t even remember our anniversary. This morning, when you said you were going out with Sam, I thought you were pulling my leg, making me think you were busy so that you could surprise me. So when I get home from an extremely stressful and difficult shift, I was more than ready to go to a nice restaurant or even to the movies. But I find out that you were dead serious and were going to a bar with Sam Fucking Wilson on our anniversary-” Your ramble is cut short when Bucky starts to apologize.

“Baby, I’m sorry-” You cut him off. You don’t want to hear him apologize. Frustrated, angry, and fueled by the alcohol that was pulsing through you, you grab the bottle of wine and lob it at Bucky, while screaming. “Get out! Get the fuck out! I don’t want to see or hear you.” Bucky’s super-soldier reflexes let him duck in time so that the bottle didn’t hit him, and he knew that no matter what he said it would have fallen to deaf ears. So he decided it would be best for him to sleep on Steve’s couch. He walks out the door of your apartment, leaving you sobbing, feeling absolutely heartbroken. This was not how you were supposed to spend your anniversary.

=======

You wake up the next morning on the same couch you were on the night before. The only difference is the major hangover you’re nursing. Your head’s pounding and the rays of light are just making it worse. Opening your eyes and painfully adjusting to the level of light, you notice a certain super-soldier cuddled up on the love seat, opposite of the couch you were currently spiraled upon. On the table next to him was a tray with your favorite breakfast and a bottle of Tylenol.

“Buck, what are you doing here,” your voice was barely above a whisper, but Bucky’s enhanced hearing picked up your words, which brought Bucky out of his slumber.

“Yesterday you didn’t really give me time to talk. So now it is my time to talk and your time to listen. Okay, Y/N,” Bucky kindly responds while pushing you the bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water.

“You should probably take these first. You’re right, Y/N. I am an asshole for forgetting our anniversary. It was a special milestone that I’ve ruined forever. I can’t deny that. And I will try to make it up to you for the rest of my life. But, and I say this as lovingly as possible, the rest of what you said was complete lies. I want you to know that you didn’t waste your time. This last year has been wonderful for me. You were right. When we first met, I was a broken man. I didn’t know who I was or how to live. You showed me that. Your patience, selflessness, and most importantly your love, taught me what it meant to live. Whenever I go on a mission, I don’t worry about me dying, because if I were to die, I would be at peace because you gave me my life back. During the decades, I was under HYDRA’s control, I never felt love. The few moments that my mind was coming out, I wanted to die because I didn’t have an identity, let alone a life. And I never thought I would have a future. But you gave me one. So I know that I fucked this up big time, but do you think you could forgive me? Or at least give me a second chance?" 

Bucky looks at you with tears streaming down your face. He meant every single word he said and you could feel that. While you were still mad at the fact that he forgot your anniversary, you knew it wasn’t done on purpose. It was just a lapse of judgment. Plus, there would always be more anniversaries.

"I think I could forgive you, if you showed me how sorry you were,” You give him a suggestive look as you lead him to your bedroom. “Time to show me what you would have done yesterday, Sarge,” You say in a low voice as you lay next to Bucky on your plush mattress.

“Baby, I’m going to show you how sorry I am. Every single day,” Bucky told you as he showered your body with kisses. Maybe your anniversary didn’t turn out that bad after all.

[whumpty-dumpty]

Hi :) Do you have some recommendations on a tv show that includes maany whump? Like in almost every episode the maincharacter is shot, hallucinating, unconscious or whatever? And others are worried about him. As in prodigal son, what's my new favourite whump show. I really love the handshaking and emotional whump in public, that everyone is noticing and worrying about.

Sure I can.😉

The shows I know, where practically EVERY episode has some kind of whump are:

Banshee

Strike Back

Spartacus (at least the 1st season)

Blood Drive

Ray Donovan and Patrick Melrose (although these two have a lot of sensitive content).

Shows with a lot of whumpy episodes are:

Lethal Weapon

Outlander

Midnight, Texas

Shooter

Supernatural

The Walking Dead

True Blood

Arrow

Teen Wolf

Sherlock Holmes

Bodyguard

Being Human

Breaking Bad

Angel

Nip Tuck (also sensitive content)

24

Hannibal

Forever

Lost

The Blacklist

If you click on my tag #gem you can also find episodes and movies that have a lot of whump.

I'm sure some of my followers can recommend even more shows.😊

[orthodoxydaily]

Icon,Saints&Reading:Tue.Sep.152020

Commemorated on September 2 ( OldJuian calendar

The Holy Martyr Mamant of Caesare (275)

     The Holy Martyr Mamant was born in Paphlagonia of pious and illustrious parents, the Christians Theodotos and Ruphina. For their open confession of their faith, the parents of the saint were arrested by the pagans and locked up in prison in Caesarea Cappadocia. Knowing his own bodily weaknesses, Theodotos prayed, that the Lord would take him before being martyred. The Lord heard his prayer and he died in prison. Saint Ruphina died also after him, having given birth to a premature son, whom she prayerfully entrusted to God, beseeching that He be the Protector and Defender of the orphaned infant. God hearkened to the death-bed prayer of Saint Ruphina: a rich Christian widow named Ammea reverently buried the bodies of Saints Theodotos and Ruphina, and she took the boy into her own home and surrounded him with motherly care. Saint Mamant grew up in the Christian faith. His foster mother concerned herself with the developing of his natural abilities and early on she sent him off to study his grammar. The boy learned easily and willingly. He was not of an age of mature judgement but distinguished himself by maturity of mind and of heart. By means of prudent conversations and personal example young Mamant converted many of his own peers to Christianity. There was a denunciation about this to the governor, named Democritus, and the youth was arrested and brought to trial. In deference to his illustrious parentage Democritus decided not to subject him to torture, but instead sent him off to the emperor Aurelian (270-275). The emperor tried at first kindly, but then with threats to turn Saint Mamant back to the pagan faith, but all in vain: the saint bravely confessed himself a Christian and pointed out the madness of the pagans in their worship of mindless idols. Infuriated, the emperor subjected the youth to cruel tortures. They eventually wanted to drown the saint, but an Angel of the Lord saved Saint Mamant and bid him live on an high mountain in the wilderness, located not far from Caesarea. Bowing to the will of God, the saint built there a small church and began to lead a life of strict temperance, in exploits of fasting and prayer.      Soon he received a remarkable power over the forces of nature: wild beasts inhabiting the surrounding wilderness gathered at his abode and listened to the reading of the Holy Gospel. Saint Mamant nourished himself on the milk of wild goats and deer.      The saint did not ignore the needs of his neighbours: preparing cheese from this milk, he gave it away freely to the poor. Soon the fame of Saint Mamant's life spread throughout all of Caesarea. The governor in concern sent a detachment of soldiers to arrest him. Coming across Saint Mamant on the mountain, the soldiers did not recognise him, and mistook him for a simple shepherd. The saint then invited them to his dwelling, gave them a drink of milk and then told them his name, knowing that a suffering death for Christ awaited him. In surrendering himself over into the hands of the torturers, Saint Mamant was brought to trial under a deputy governor named Alexander, who subjected him to intensive and prolonged tortures. But they did not break the Christian will of the saint. He was strengthened by the words addressed to him from above: "Be strong and take courage, Mamant". When they gave Saint Mamant over for devouring by wild beasts, these creatures would not touch him. Finally, one of the pagan-priests struck at him with a trident-spear. Mortally wounded, Saint Mamant went out beyond the city limits. There, in a small stone cave, he offered up his spirit to God, Who in the hearing of all summoned the holy Martyr Mamant into the habitation on high (+ 275). He was buried by believers at the place of his death.      Christians soon began to receive from him blessings of help in their afflictions and sorrows. Saint Basil the Great speaks thus about the holy Martyr Mamant in a sermon to the people: "Commemorate ye the holy martyr: those, who saw him in a vision, who from amongst the living here have him as an helper, those whom in calling on his name he hath helped in some matter, those whom he hath guided out of a prodigal life, those whom he hath healed of infirmity, those whose children already dead he hath restored to life, those whose life he hath prolonged – all of ye, gathered as one, praise ye the martyr".

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God (1771)

The Appearance of the Kaluzhsk Icon of the Mother of God

Commemorated on September 2, October 12, July 18 and on the first Sunday of the Apostles' Fast.

     The Appearance of the Kaluzhsk Icon of the Mother of God occurred in 1748 in the village of Tinkova, near Kaluga, at the home of the landowner Vasilii Kondrat'evich Khitrov. Two servants of Khitrov were examining old things in the attic of his home. One of them, Evdokia, noted for her unconstrained temper, was given to rough and even indecorous language. Her companion began to admonish her and while arguing she discovered a large package covered in a grimy sackcloth. Undoing it, the girl saw the picture of a woman in dark garments with a book in her hands. Considering it to be the portrait of a woman monastic and wanting to bring Evdokia to her senses, she accused her of being disrespectful to the hegumeness. Evdokia answered the scolding words of her companion, and becoming increasingly angry, she spit at the picture. Immediately she became convulsed and fell down senseless. Her frightened companion reported about what had happened throughout the household. The next night, The Queen of Heaven appeared to Evdokia's parents and told them, that their daughter had jeered at Her blasphemously and She ordered them to make a molieben before the insulted icon, and to sprinkle the invalid with holy water at the molieben. After the molieben Evdokia recovered, and Khitrov took the wonderworking icon into his own home, where abundantly issued forth healings to those approaching it with faith. Afterwards they conveyed the icon to the parish temple in honour of the Nativity of the MostHoly Mother of God in the village of Kaluzhka. A copy of it was dispatched to Kaluga. At the present time it is situated in the cathedral church of Kaluga.      Through this icon the Mother of God has repeatedly manifest Her protection of the Russian Land during its difficult times. The celebration of the Kaluga Icon on 2 September was established in remembrance of the deliverance from an ulcerous plague in 1771. A second celebration was established 12 October, in memory of the saving of Kaluga from the French invasion of 1812. In 1898 there was established a celebration on 18 July in gratitude to the Mother of God for safe-guarding against cholera. Celebration is made likewise on the 1st Sunday of the Peter fast.

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

Galatians 2:21-3:7

21I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.1O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?2This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?3Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?4Have you suffered so many things in vain-if indeed it was in vain?5Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?-6just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."7Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

Galatians 2:11-16

11Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed;12for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.13And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.14But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?15We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,16knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

Mark 5:24-34

24So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.25Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,26and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.27When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.28For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."29Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.30And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"31But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?' "32And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.33But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.34And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."

[pamphletstoinspire]

25 Quick Tips to Improve Your Confession

In Sacramental Theology there exists an all-important concept for the efficacious reception of any of the Sacraments. This is called Dispositive Grace or Grace of Disposition. What this concept means is simply this: the graces that you receive in your reception of the Sacraments are in direct proportion to the disposition of your soul at the moment of the reception of that specific Sacrament.

In the Sacraments, Jesus touches us directly, in the most personal and powerful way that we could possibly imagine.  The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ and Christ unites Himself with us through the Sacraments.

Receiving a Guest

One of the easiest analogies to understand the concept of Dispositive Grace could be the example of inviting a guest to dinner.  There is a whole gamut of ways that the guest could be received, from totally poor to excellent.  In inviting a guest, you might even forget that you invited him—pretty shabby!  Or the guest might come and the door is open, but there has been no prior preparation.  Still again, the guest might be received with a meal prepared, but all is done in a rush, in which the guest feels as if he were a burden.  Then, there might be preparation for the guest with a welcoming committee, a good meal, and great desert.

Finally, it might be such that the house was cleaned the day before, the favorite food of the guest has been prepared, the guest’s favorite music is playing in the background, and then at the end of the meal the family offers the guest a special gift that the guest really likes!  Obviously, every scenario is different.  This can be applied with respect to the concept of Dispositive Grace, most specifically to the reception of Jesus in the Eucharist. He could be received very poorly or with an excellent disposition.

Frequent Sacraments

There are two Sacraments that we should receive frequently until we die and meet the Lord—Confession and the Holy Eucharist.  In this article we would like to highlight specific ways that we can enhance the graces that we receive in the reception of the Sacrament of Confession, sometimes called Penance or Reconciliation.  The suggestions will be very short, but we hope very useful to upgrade your reception of the infinite mercy of Jesus that comes through this Sacrament.

1. Trust. We must have s limitless trust in the infinite love and mercy that comes to us through Jesus in the Sacrament of His mercy, Confession. May this prayer issue forth from our hearts time and time again: Jesus I trust in you!

2. Read Luke 15. An excellent means to prepare us to receive the Sacrament of God’s mercy is to read and meditate upon Luke 15, sometimes called the Lost and Found Chapter.

3. Parables of Mercy. In Luke 15 we encounter the lost sheep and the sheep that is found, the lost and found coin, and the lost and found son—the Prodigal Son.  Confession is being found and loved by our merciful Father.

4. Just do It. The modern phrase found on many young people’s T-shirts is Just do it!  The devil will prevent you from going to confession.  So, kick the devil in the behind and Just do it!

5. Priest-Christ. We must renew our faith that by going to confession to the priest we are really confessing to Jesus, the Eternal High Priest.

6. Biblical Truth. Recall the words that Jesus used in instituting the Sacrament of Confession, the 1st Easter Sunday night, when the Apostles were in the Upper Room.  “Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you forgive will be forgiven; whose sins you retain shall be retained. (Jn. 20:21-23)

7. Confess ASAP. If you have had the misfortune of falling into mortal sin, in which you have lost sanctifying grace and friendship with Jesus, do not wait, but go to Confession as soon as possible!  If your house were on fire, you would not wait. What about your soul in danger of eternal perdition, do not wait!

8. Prepare Well. As said earlier expressing the concept of Dispositive Grace, the better the preparation, the more abundant the graces.  The fault is never in the Sacrament but in the poor disposition of the recipient of the Sacrament.

9. How? Get a good booklet explaining the Ten Commandments in detail and read through it; better said, pray through it.  Jesus said to the rich young man that salvation comes through observing the Commandments.  Indeed, they are Commandments and not Suggestions!

10. Write it Down. It could be very helpful to actually write down your sins on a piece of paper; this will prevent memory-loss in the moment you go to confession. However, after confession, trash the paper and the sins.

11. Grace of True Sorrow. Of paramount importance in making a good confession is begging the Holy Spirit for the grace of true sorrow for your sins. Imperfect sorrow is called Attrition, which is Fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of Wisdom. It is also one of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Imperfect sorrow is fear of going to hell. This is enough to receive forgiveness for our sins.

12. Perfect Sorrow. However, we want to arrive at perfect sorrow. This means that we are sorry for having sinned because our sins have hurt the One who loves us so much and the One we should love in return—Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

13. Beg for the Grace.   We should beg for the grace to attain both imperfect contrition, as well as perfect contrition.  Saint Augustine put it concisely: We are all beggars before God.

14. Firm Purpose of Amendment. What necessarily flows from true and sincere contrition of sorrow for sin is a firm purpose of amendment. In concrete this means that we are ready and willing to avoid any person, place, or thing that can lead us into sin.

15. Don’t Play With Fire. In other words, we should not play with fire.  We should not walk on a slippery moral slope. We should not walk on thin ice. Often we sin because we place ourselves in harm’s way.  We must be firm in avoiding all near occasions of sin!

16. Use images.   Of great utility could be as you prepare yourself for confession, as you examine your conscience and beg for true sorrow, to pray before images that raise your mind and heart to God. Three in specific: The cross, aware that our sins nailed Jesus to the cross; Divine Mercy, so that our trust will be infinite; finally, Our Lady, to whom we pray as such: Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

17. Pray for the Priest. On one occasion, Saint Faustina left the confessional without peace and she wondered why.  Jesus revealed to her the reason: she forgot to pray for the priest before she entered the confessional.  So pray for the priest (a Hail Mary or a prayer to the Guardian angels—theirs and yours) and the confession will flow more smoothly!

18. Qualities of a Good Confession. Jesus also revealed to Saint Faustina the three most important qualities of a good confession: transparency, humility, and obedience.  To be a good penitent, we must express our sins with great clarity.  Then we should make no excuses when we confess our sins or blame others.  Finally, we should obey what the priest tells us.

19. Start Right, Close the Door, Begin. Upon entering the confessional make sure that you close the door.  Then start with the proper formula: Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.  My last confession was… (for example, a month ago).  These are my sins…

20. Stay on Topic. In that famous TV Program Dragnet, we heard those all-important words from Joe Friday:  Just the facts ma’am, just the facts.  So in confession the priest wants to hear:  Just the sins, mam, just the sins.  Cut to the quick and tell your sins; that is the essential matter for confession, and of course a true and repentant heart!

21. Acts of Contrition and Absolution. The Sacrament concludes with you, the penitent, praying with great sincerity and fervor your Act of Contrition. Then the priest imparts absolution. With the words of Absolution through the ministry of the priest, the most Precious Blood of Jesus washes your soul clean, as white as the snow!

22. An Attitude of Gratitude. Thanks the priest, as you leave thank Jesus for His infinite love and mercy that you have received in this wonderful Sacrament! Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His mercy endures forever.

23. Penance. The last a final step of making a good confession is to carry out the penance that the priest gave you.  Once my spiritual director made a suggestion on the penance.  He said always try to do double what the confessor gives you (not that this is absolutely necessary).  However, it is a sign of good will and the sign of a really good grace of disposition.  God will bless you all the more!  God can never be outdone in generosity!

24. Healing the Wounded Heart and Soul.   The specific sacramental grace of Confession is that of Healing.  Sin wounds our soul, but Jesus heals us.  As Jesus healed the many sick and infirm in the three years of His Public life, so He continually heals us through making good confessions.  Rejoice in being healed!  Indeed, Jesus is the Wounded Healer!

25. Be An Apostle of Confession!   You have received so much peace, joy, happiness, love, and mercy through having received the Sacrament of God’s mercy, Confession, now go out and proclaim the Good News!  Bring others to this infinite Font of God’s mercy!

FR. ED BROOM, OMV

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, February 16

BUFFY: The city dump. Where smells go to relax and be themselves. RILEY: People say they're recycling. (shakes head) They're not recycling. (Xander pats him on the shoulder) WILLOW: I found a spell so you can't smell anything, but it does it by taking your nose off, so ... no. They hear noises and see someone rooting around in the trash. RILEY: What are *you* doing here, Spike? (We see that Riley has a crossbow) Spike straightens up, holding a mannequin arm. SPIKE: Oh, there's a nice lady vampire who set up a charming tea room over the next pile of crap. What do you think I'm doing? I'm scavenging, ain't I? (Holds up a small lamp in the other hand) WILLOW: Very pretty.

~~The Replacement~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Time turns Vampires into Cats (Spike/Buffy, T) and many other Spuffy oneshots archived by Hello_Spikey

Angel's rebuttal to Angelus (Angel, Fanged Four, Wesley, T) by Hello_Spikey

Oz's meme (Oz, T) by Hello_Spikey

If Spike Ruled the World (Spike, G) by Hello_Spikey

Spike sets the record straight (Spike, Buffy, Dawn, T) by Hello_Spikey

Zen and the Art of Sexuality (Oz/Spike, T) by Hello_Spikey

Black Mariah (Spike/Drusilla, T) by Hello_Spikey

The Other Ones (Faith/Spike, Buffy/Spike, T) by Hello_Spikey

No Rest for the Wicked (crossover with The Crow, Buffy/OC, T) by Crowsims

The Soul Inside (crossover with The Crow, Buffy/OC, T) by Crowsims

Diary of a Frantic Kid Sister (Dawn, T) by ProphecyGirl

FM(un)L (Spike, T) by Hello_Spikey

Harmony's fantasy (Spike/Harmony/Illyria, E) by Hello_Spikey

Cordy in a Convent (Cordelia, Spike, Angel, T) by Hello_Spikey

A Demon Decides (Lorne, Lindsey, T) by Hello_Spikey

Ghosts and Coffee Breaks (Spike, Lilah, T) by Hello_Spikey

Second Chance (Lindsey, Spike, T) by Hello_Spikey

It Only Hurts for a Minute (Spike/Lindsey, M) by Hello_Spikey, ash_carpenter

Sleepflower (Riley/Dawn, M) by ProphecyGirl

Samatha (Dawn, Tara, Oz, Giles, G) by ProphecyGirl

Freakish (Dawn, Tara, Oz, Giles, G) by ProphecyGirl

The beginning of a beautiful friendship (crossover with True Blood, Spike/Eric, T) by Hello_Spikey

Unconditional (Spike/Tara, T) by Hello_Spikey

Prodigal Sons (Spike/Penn, T) by Hello_Spikey

Do The Right Thing (Spike, Angel, Illyria, T) by Hello_Spikey

A Memorandum from Illyria (Illyria, Spike, G) by Hello_Spikey

A Decided Lack of Self Control (Spike/Wesley, E) by Hello_Spikey

Kitten Spangel (Spike, Angel, T) by Hello_Spikey

[Chaptered Fiction]

Boys of St. Andrew's Chapter 1-3 (Angelus/Lindsey, Lindsey/Spike, E) by Hello_Spikey

Fuss and Feathers Chapter 4 (Spike/Buffy, R) by SzmattyCat

[Images, Audio & Video]

Photo: Drusilla cosplay (worksafe) by witchofthewoods89

[Community Announcements]

Round 159 Masterlist: Alternate Universes at femslash_minis

The deadline for Whedoncon panel/workshop submissions is March 1st

[Fandom Discussions]

Joyce, Spike and Passions hosted by DeadlyDuo

Variations of tragedy in Buffy and Angel by AnthonyCordova

Willow & Xander together in S3 hosted by spikenbuffy

Was the fight choreography and action in Angel better than Buffy? hosted by slayer730

Best Xander themed episode? hosted by Mr Trick

Did Fred ruin the show? (cont'd) by multiple participants

Did season 5 ruin Gunn? (cont'd) by AnthonyCordova, WillowFromBuffy

Riley was Buffy's best boyfriend by sariahc

Which recurring character do you think most deserved a main credits spot? hosted by DrPepper450

Gaging opinions on one of my favorite additions to the main cast [Harmony] hosted by DrPepper450

The Irish in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode is about a new bus lane opening in Dublin by Damien Ryan, Womble, and others

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Comics: preview of Boom! Studios "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" #3

Convention footage: James Marsters Paris Manga Videos x 13 (inc full Q&A & Showcase) via dontkillspike

Event news: James Marsters Concert (Feb 23rd) and Caritas Karaoke with Nicholas Brendon (Feb 22nd) at Wizard World Portland

[alnwickcastleofficial]

Happy Father’s Day

Today is Father’s Day, and we asked three of our guides: who were some of the best (and worst!) fathers in Alnwick Castle’s long history?

Fatherhood is an incredibly important part of the Castle’s story. The dukedom of Northumberland - and before that, the earldom of Northumberland and barony of Alnwick - have traditionally been inherited through primogeniture, the law that usually takes the form of father-to-son. But some fathers have been more notorious than others!

1) Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland

(1342 - 1408)

Guide Gary says:

“The 1st Earl is my nomination for worst father... Not only did he lead his son, Hotspur, into rebellion, he then failed to join up with him in battle claiming a heavy cold or some such! Then he goes to York, meets the King and practically blames his son for the whole affair, his only punishment being a heavy fine and slap on the wrist! He ought to have been ashamed of himself!“

It is true that the 1st Earl did not actively take part in his son Hotspur’s rebellion in 1403, in which Hotspur was killed. It was reported that he was too ill even to mount his horse and was not physically able to be at the battle. Whether this was genuine ill health or effectively ‘calling in sick’ to avoid risking his own life is up for debate!

After hearing of Hotspur’s death, the Earl was summoned to answer for his conduct during the rebellion. It is unknown what exactly was said at this meeting between the Earl and King Henry IV, but it is clear he must have demonstrated submission, and that Henry must have shown some mercy in turn, but historians believe the Earl would have known “he had sinned past the royal forgiveness”, and Henry IV would have been “confident that the death of Hotspur would not [be] unavenged”.

Percy family historian de Fonblanque claims the 1st Earl was, from this time, “broken in health and inconsolable under the loss of the son... he so dearly loved”. He rebelled twice more himself until his death in 1408.

-

2) Henry ‘the Magnificent’ Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland

(1478 - 1527)

Guide Olga says:

“Here is a good example of a bad father. The ‘Magnificent’ Earl was not magnificent to his son [who became 6th Earl]. He used to humiliate his son publicly, often calling him a ‘thriftless waster’. He did not respect his son's choice [of partner], Anne Boleyn, insisting that she was not a suitable bride, and forced a marriage with another woman upon his son, which resulted in a disaster. All his life, the 6th Earl was seeking approval and respect from other people and ended up as a ‘landless pensioner’, willing his fortunes to the Crown. Isn't that a good example of a bad father?“

It is true that the 5th Earl did not appear to hold a high opinion of his heir, Harry Percy. He worked closely with Cardinal Wolsey, advisor of King Henry VIII, to prevent the relationship between Harry and Anne Boleyn. When he met with his son regarding the matter, an eyewitness reported him saying:

‘Son, even as you have been, and always were, a proud licentious and unthrifty waster, so have you now declared yourself… having neither regard unto me, your natural father, nor yet to the King your natural Sovereign Lord... nor to the wealth of your own estate; but have unadvisedly assured yourself unto her, for whom the King is highly displeased with you... his indignation [could] ruin me and my posterity utterly... I assure you that if you do not amend your prodigality you will be the last Earl of our house; for of your natural inclination you are wasteful and prodigal, and will continue to waste all that your progenitors have with great care and travel gathered and kept together with honour… to tell you true, I intend not to make you my heir; for I thank God I have more boys, that I trust will prove much better than you…’

In 1523, Harry was married to Lady Mary Talbot in order to remove him from any attachment to Boleyn. He was banished from the royal court and forbidden from seeing Anne again. In the words of de Fonblanque, ‘thus passed away the one gleam of sunshine that ever brightened the sad life [of Harry Percy].’ He had been so rebuked that the fear of displeasing his father became the primary factor in his life.

-

3) Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset

(1684 - 1750)

Guide Maria chose the 7th Duke as one of the best father’s in the Castle’s history, and says:

“I am sure he was a good father! [It’s popularly known] that the 7th Duke of Somerset went against his own father in order to ensure that his daughter Elizabeth and her husband Sir Hugh Smithson would inherit the Percy estates. This is a story that we've heard many times - [and they went on to become the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland and restore Alnwick Castle. It couldn’t have happened without her father’s help!]“

Algernon was a Percy by blood, but not technically by name. Though he held the earldom of Northumberland and the barony of Percy, his Percy lineage came from his mother Elizabeth’s side of the family - his own father, Charles Seymour, had agreed to take the Percy name on their marriage (in fact, this was one of the main conditions of the marriage) but later ensured Elizabeth signed a contract to take his own name instead.

Charles’ hatred of his son’s family (particularly Algernon’s wife Frances) led him to secretly approach King George II to ensure his granddaughter Elizabeth and any children she had with Sir Hugh were excluded from any major inheritance.

The Duke’s plan was discovered and foiled at the last minute by Algernon and Sir Hugh, who convinced the King to suspend any decision. Frances wrote in 1744 that Algernon ‘wrote to the King and told him that it was not in the power of the Duke or Duchess of Somerset to hinder [Elizabeth] of the estates in Northumberland, and therefore he hoped that His Majesty would not do so great a hardship to him as to give the title from his only child.’

Algernon became Duke of Somerset in 1748, and the following year George II issued a patent stating that on Algernon’s death, the Percy titles and lands would pass to Sir Hugh and Elizabeth, and to their male descendants thereafter. Algernon died just four months later, but in 1750, an Act of Parliament stated that he ‘did in his lifetime express his desire that the name of Percy should be used and be the surname or family name of the Earls of Northumberland.’ This meant Hugh and Elizabeth could reclaim the Percy name, which had been so close to disappearing, and not only own Alnwick Castle, but transform it into their ancestral family home again.

-

We hope everybody reading is able to treat their dads this Father’s Day - provided they’re more like Algernon and less like the two Henrys!

[dfroza]

At the closing of a Letter

Paul points to the significance of planting seeds in life, and what they grow into...

Today’s reading from the New Testament is the 6th chapter of Galatians

[Nothing but the Cross]

Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience.

Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

Now, in these last sentences, I want to emphasize in the bold scrawls of my personal handwriting the immense importance of what I have written to you. These people who are attempting to force the ways of circumcision on you have only one motive: They want an easy way to look good before others, lacking the courage to live by a faith that shares Christ’s suffering and death. All their talk about the law is gas. They themselves don’t keep the law! And they are highly selective in the laws they do observe. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast of their success in recruiting you to their side. That is contemptible!

For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can’t you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God—his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them!

Quite frankly, I don’t want to be bothered anymore by these disputes. I have far more important things to do—the serious living of this faith. I bear in my body scars from my service to Jesus.

May what our Master Jesus Christ gives freely be deeply and personally yours, my friends. Oh, yes!

The Letter of Galatians, Chapter 6 (The Message)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 17th chapter of First Kings that introduces Elijah:

And then this happened: Elijah the Tishbite, from among the settlers of Gilead, confronted Ahab: “As surely as God lives, the God of Israel before whom I stand in obedient service, the next years are going to see a total drought—not a drop of dew or rain unless I say otherwise.”

God then told Elijah, “Get out of here, and fast. Head east and hide out at the Kerith Ravine on the other side of the Jordan River. You can drink fresh water from the brook; I’ve ordered the ravens to feed you.”

Elijah obeyed God’s orders. He went and camped in the Kerith canyon on the other side of the Jordan. And sure enough, ravens brought him his meals, both breakfast and supper, and he drank from the brook.

Eventually the brook dried up because of the drought. Then God spoke to him: “Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I’ve instructed a woman who lives there, a widow, to feed you.”

So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the entrance of the village he met a woman, a widow, gathering firewood. He asked her, “Please, would you bring me a little water in a jug? I need a drink.” As she went to get it, he called out, “And while you’re at it, would you bring me something to eat?”

She said, “I swear, as surely as your God lives, I don’t have so much as a biscuit. I have a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a bottle; you found me scratching together just enough firewood to make a last meal for my son and me. After we eat it, we’ll die.”

Elijah said to her, “Don’t worry about a thing. Go ahead and do what you’ve said. But first make a small biscuit for me and bring it back here. Then go ahead and make a meal from what’s left for you and your son. This is the word of the God of Israel: ‘The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought.’”

And she went right off and did it, did just as Elijah asked. And it turned out as he said—daily food for her and her family. The jar of meal didn’t run out and the bottle of oil didn’t become empty: God’s promise fulfilled to the letter, exactly as Elijah had delivered it!

Later on the woman’s son became sick. The sickness took a turn for the worse—and then he stopped breathing.

The woman said to Elijah, “Why did you ever show up here in the first place—a holy man barging in, exposing my sins, and killing my son?”

Elijah said, “Hand me your son.”

He then took him from her bosom, carried him up to the loft where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he prayed, “O God, my God, why have you brought this terrible thing on this widow who has opened her home to me? Why have you killed her son?”

Three times he stretched himself out full-length on the boy, praying with all his might, “God, my God, put breath back into this boy’s body!” God listened to Elijah’s prayer and put breath back into his body—he was alive! Elijah picked the boy up, carried him downstairs from the loft, and gave him to his mother. “Here’s your son,” said Elijah, “alive!”

The woman said to Elijah, “I see it all now—you are a holy man. When you speak, God speaks—a true word!”

The Book of 1st Kings, Chapter 17 (The Message)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for monday, november 30 of 2020 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible, along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

A post by John Parsons that reflects upon our time while in this world and our longing for Love:

You may sometimes feel lonely and afraid, wondering if anyone really cares for you; you may feel abandoned to wander about in your heartache, without a sense of acceptance or "place" for your life; you may feel estranged from others, in a place of desperation, a silent scream, without apparent comfort in the world... These are real feelings and I do not discount them, though often such feelings arise from unbelief, or at least from questioning whether God's love is for you, after all.

Friend, there is an intimate comfort for your mourning; there is heavenly consolation for the grief and emptiness you feel inside. Look again to the cross and attend to God's passion for you; believe in the miracle of Yeshua's love for you; by faith see his blood shed for you... He knows your alienation: he was "despised and rejected of men"; he knows the pains of your heart: he was a "man of sorrows acquainted with grief"; he knows the heartache of being forsaken, abandoned, and utterly betrayed. Indeed Yeshua knows your infirmities; he understands how you hurt and calls you to his comfort... Therefore when feelings of loneliness well up within you, go inward to commune with the Spirit. Ask God for his consolation so that you too might console others who are suffering (2 Cor. 1:3-4). Do not lose hope but foresee your blessed future. Focus on the coming day of healing for all the world. Remind yourself again and again that you are never really alone, that nothing can separate you from God's love, and that God's Name is "I-am-with-you-always," "I am your Abba, your Imma, your true home and place of belonging, all your dreams of love will come true, and unimaginable beauty and endless delight await you in the glories of the world to come.”

“Whoever has God truly has a companion in all places, both on the street and among people.. Why is this so? It is because such people posses God alone, keeping their gaze fixed upon him, and thus all things reveal God for them.... Such people bear God in all their deeds and in the places they go, and it is God alone who is the author of all they do.” - Eckhart (Talks of Instruction)

You will never feel safe as long as you regard the acceptance of who you are as conditional, since you will only be as secure as your own best efforts, a project that will exhaust you in the end. Instead you must know yourself as truly loved by God, just as the “prodigal son” came to know his father’s unconditional love and acceptance despite his many misdeeds (Luke 15:11-32). The incarnation of Jesus means that God “runs to meet and embrace you,” regardless of whatever happened in your life that made you run away from home. And whatever else it may be, sin is the separation from God’s love, but Yeshua made the decision to die for your sins before you were born. Your sin cannot overrule God’s surpassing and personal love for your soul, since God gave up his very life for you to find life.

The Hebrew word for “life” is chayim (חַיִּים), a plural noun that contains two consecutive letter yods (יי) that picture two “hands held together” (the Hebrew word yad [יָד] means “hand”), or the union of our spirit with God’s Spirit. The word itself reveals that there is no life apart from union with God, who extends his hand to you and says, “Live in me” (John 15:4). We live in him by faith, receiving our daily bread as his flesh and our drink as his blood (John 6:53). Yeshua is the Source of all life, and we find nourishment, strength, and fullness of joy in his life. The Lord is our light and our salvation, the Mediator of divine life (Psalm 27:1; John 1:4). As it is written, “Whoever has the Son has the life; but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 John 5:12).

The Lord is also called “the God of breath” (Gen. 2:7; Num. 16:22). The Hebrew word for breath is ruach (רוּחַ), a word that means both “spirit” and “wind.” God is as close as your breath and surrounds you like the unseen yet encompassing air. Since God’s name YHVH (יהוה) means “Presence” (Exod. 3:13-14), “Life” (Deut. 30:20), and “Love” (Exod. 34:6-7), he is the Beloved, the “I-am-with-you-always” lover of your soul. So fear not; you are never really alone. Yeshua breathes out to you and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). [Hebrew for Christians]

https://hebrew4christians.com/

11.30.20 • Facebook

Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research

November 30, 2020

Come Forth as Gold

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7)

These words of Peter are certainly applicable today, but they have always been true. That proper character and testimony are of supreme importance to God was certainly recognized by godly Job in the midst of his heavy trials, for he claimed: “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). The context for this stirring statement of faith proves instructive.

Just as most people do, whether Christian or not, Job appealed to heaven for relief from his troubles (v. 3). Job felt he was suffering unjustly and wanted to state his case before God (v. 4), but more importantly, Job desired to know God’s will in the matter. “I would [i.e., desire to] know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me” (v. 5). He knew God well enough to know that God had a purpose in his suffering, and Job asked for knowledge of that purpose. Job knew God’s goodness, that He would not punish him for his questions, and felt that greater understanding would give him strength to continue. But without God’s revelation, Job knew he was unable to understand or even find God (vv. 8-9). God mercifully and lovingly allows trials to discipline, guide, and develop us. Such trials will, in the end, work to our advantage as impurities are removed, leaving behind only that which is lasting and precious.

The goal of our lives should be to bring “praise and honour and glory�� unto our Lord, and if tribulation can best accomplish these goals, so be it! As David said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word” (Psalm 119:67). God knows what is best for us. He knows what He is doing, and we can rest in that fact. JDM

[ao3feed-prodigalson]

by IoanNemos

The events themselves are mostly coherent. It’s putting them in the right order that’s hard. …Maybe not that coherent.

Words: 7000, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Malcolm Bright, Gil Arroyo, Dani Powell

Relationships: Gil Arroyo & Malcolm Bright, Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell

Additional Tags: takes place between 1.15 and 1.16, rated for/featuring:, Hallucinations, Mild Injuries, Blood, Language, lots of talking about and flashbacks to a stabbing, Nightmares, lots of talking about nausea and vomiting (dry heaving occurs), disordered eating (sort of), Disassociation, Depersonalization, POV remains the same but changes from 3rd to 2nd to 1st, in an attempt to convey said disassociation and depersonalization, Father-Son Relationship, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, boy i hope this story makes sense bc i've read it too many times and can't tell anymore, Angst, (shocking I know)

[pagedesignhub-blog]

All you want to recognise: Rugby World Cup 2019 draw

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All you want to recognise: Rugby World Cup 2019 draw

The photo of Richie McCaw hoisting the Webb Ellis Cup aloft at Twickenham 18 months in the past can also best simply be beginning to fade inside the minds of many rugby fans worldwide, but the draw for the 2019 Rugby World Cup is about to take the region in below forty-eight hours in Kyoto, Japan.

The draw for the 2019 Rugby World Cup is an event to be able to decide which countries will play each other in every of the 4 pools at rugby’s global showpiece in two years’ time.

The draw will be held at the Kyoto State Guest House. Akira Shimazu, chief executive of Japan’s organizing committee, stated this year’s draw would be the first time it’d be held outdoor of the UK and Ireland.

2010 World Cup Football South Africa Showcases World class Black Talent Yes, the sector is in the throes of football fever. The 2010 FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) World Cup football, which wows the globe every four years is now in its quarter-final stage and all bets are on to peer who will capture this yr’s final cup. Will the indomitable Germans beat the resilient Argentineans or, will the Netherlands score a dissatisfied? World Cup Football is hands down, the best and maximum rather predicted sporting event of all time. Two hundred and four countries tried to qualify for thirty spots, with the U.S. Qualifying for the first time in decades. 2006 very last healthy among Italy and France was watched by means of a predicted 715 million. With shifting demographics and 21st-century generation rendering borders almost out of date, this 12 months’ tally is anyone’s guess. Aficionados pour into stadiums, huddle around television units, with gladiator-like fervor. Histories are invoked, wars waged, gamers pilloried and publicly chastised. Allegiances for gamers and international locations are drawn in stone with blood and sweat.

It is thought universally as, “the stunning recreation,” for its fashionable simplicity, the divinely appointed athletic prowess of its gamers and its appeal to the commonplace guy. The talent of the play, the passion and the iconic love for the sport creates a brotherhood that transcends the sport. The unprecedented excessive and mindless pleasure of GOOOOOAAAL! Much like basketball, it elevates its proficient players to god-like repute, whilst concurrently connecting them with the mortals who stay vicariously via them. More than any other sport, football is a super equalizer. Because not mere color of pores and skin, or nationality or Club can dictate capability or greatness. It sincerely is. A boy from a favela of Brazil with a devastating strike or from an difficult to understand village in Côte d’Ivoire can emerge as a striker for a international-class English Club. A precise wide variety come from exceptionally difficult occasions, in which pulling your self up by the bootstraps regularly manner borrowing a pair of cleats and heading to a sport on a dusty bowl. Today’s black football gamers who hail from a long way-flung international locations to play for European Clubs such as Inter Milan, Barcelona and Manchester United. But for World Cup, they go back to play simplest for their country wide crew. This is not to say that racism in soccer isn’t a serious problem. Taunts and behavior of lovers can be unspeakably unpleasant, merciless and primitive, coming as it does from a contingent that remains stubbornly ignorant and primitive. That gamers always upward push above it’s miles a testimony to their non-public electricity and integrity. The recreation has become a manner of existence which can alternate the trajectory of lives and groups. Stunning paychecks are regularly followed through lofty business endorsement from Nike, Gillette, and others. Players share their true fortune, donating good sized amounts to construct hospitals, schools, and existence-saving social carrier packages.

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa is the primary performed on the continent of Africa and has the capability to shift global perceptions on some of the stages. From the Africa Cup of Nations to 2010 World Cup, footballers of African descent and nationality have positioned the sector on the word: they’re a force with which to be reckoned. Just the ask Team USA.

2010 World Cup – Full List of Preliminary National Team Squads

The 32 certified groups collaborating within the 2010 World Cup in South Africa have supplied a preliminary list of as much as 30 gamers. The groups have until June 1st to provide a very last list of 23 players. Provisions are made in which gamers with extreme accidents may be replaced as much as 24 hours before their team’s first sport.

The highlight in any footballer’s profession is clearly, playing for his USA in the World Cup. This week became “a dream come properly” for lots gamers and a massive sadness for others. Thousands of enthusiasts in the 32 international locations will contest their teach’s controversial choices to consist of sure gamers while omitting others.

World Cup Group A (France, Mexico, Uruguay, South Africa)

Raymond Domenech, the French educate announced a preliminary list of 30 gamers for the 2010 World Cup. The huge surprises are the absences of Benzema (Real Madrid), Nasri (Arsenal) and Patrick Vieira (Manchester City). France and the host u. S . South Africa will face inside the starting healthy of the match on eleven June.

In this same group, Mexico has selected a totally younger squad and will, play without the gifted Miguel Sabah due to damage. Bafana Bafana’s Brazilian instruct Carlos Alberto Parreira, additionally sprang some surprises for South Africa, like Israel-based total defender Bevan Fransman and prodigal son Benni McCarthy.

As for Uruguay, Oscar Tabarez announced a listing of 26 with none main surprises besides for the noninclusion of Cristian Rodríguez, possibly for the truth that he could have overlooked the first two video games of the World Cup because of a red card suspension.

World Cup Group B (Argentina, Greece, Nigeria, South Korea)

Diego Maradona’s choice furnished a few surprises for the Argentines, via selecting the unknown trio of Ariel Garcia, Sebastian Blanco, and Juan Insaurralde, contrasting with superb absences like Javier Zanetti, Cambiasso, Gago, or Lucho Gonzalez. Argentina is drawn in Group A together with Greece, Nigeria, and South Korea.

The Greek coach, Otto Rehhagel, named 30 gamers with none surprises, bringing in Seitaridis and Patsatzoglou after an injury-filled the season.