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hobbitkiller · 5 years ago

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She-Ra, Supergirl, and Tangled: A Tale of Three Female Relationships: Part 3

*SPOILER WARNING FOR SHE-RA, SUPERGIRL, AND TANGLED: THE SERIES*

Previously on “A Tale of Three Female Relationships” AKA HobbitKiller clearly misses grad school but not enough to find secondary sources for a multi-part tublr. post (or thoroughly proofread):

In Part 2, I discussed the impact narcissistic mother figures, resentment for chosen ones, and repressing emotions has had on three female relationships in three different series: Adora and Catra from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Lena and Kara from Supergirl, and Rapunzel and Cassandra from Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure.

These posts are a deep dive into where these relationships went wrong and will eventually culminate in a discussion of what these relationships say about the portrayal of female characters and female relationships in media.

For today’s installment, I will be covering two subjects: Blond Bulldozers and I Don’t Care (I Ship It). WARNING: This one gets reallllllly long. Like, possibly multiple sittings.

PART VI: BLOND BULLDOZERS

In my first post in this series, I jokingly mentioned that one half in all three of these relationships is a superpowered blonde who saves the world.

There are of course many implications in the fact that, though all three of these shows strive for increased diversity compared to their source material (It is also interesting that these are all shows based on pre-existing franchises), the main character continues to be a fair-skinned blond woman.

That’s mostly a matter to be discussed another day, but I do find it interesting that all of these relationships feature one blond and one not-blond. Lena and Cassandra have black hair, and Catra is...well...a cat-person. Beyond that, the blond is not only the hero, but is typically depicted as morally superior and more righteous. Kara, AKA Supergirl, was literally declared the “Paragon of Hope” in the latest CW crossover, Crisis on Infinite Earths. That title could just as easily have gone to Rapunzel whose chief characteristics are her optimism, desire to see others achieve their dreams, and belief that everyone gets a second chance no matter their criminal past and exploits (seriously, everyone in Corona--the name of the kingdom unfortunately for right now--gets one total pardon as long as they’re sorry even if the tried to kill multiple people). Adora is a little less cotton-candy that Kara or Rapunzel. She has the same moral righteousness, but actually has more of an edge to her than many of her friends due to her upbringing as a child soldier. Still, all three blondes are meant, for the most part, to be the moral center of their shows.

But, the thing is, when I look at these relationships, I can’t help but think of another popular blonde/not blonde friendship that went wrong:

Ahhh, Wicked, the prototypical female friendship story for so many of us. Wicked aims to take this classic dynamic of the morally pure blond protagonist and their dark-haired frienemy and turn it a bit on its head. Throughout the musical, Glinda is treated as pure, superior, and good because she is flattering and pretty. In reality, Glinda is often selfish and lacks the courage to stand up to people and systems she believes are wrong. Elphaba, on the other hand, is treated like an outcast because of her green skin and social awkwardness. Yet, for most of the musical, she is the one with the moral righteousness. She is labeled “wicked” by those in power for challenging them and standing up to them.

We’ll discuss Wicked more in the finale of this multi-part post.

For now, I’d like to contrast that relationship to the three being analyzed right now. None of these three shows goes as far as Wicked did to undermine this trope of the perfect blond versus the darker brunette. This makes sense as none of the three properties is seeking to deconstruct their source material or turn it on its head in the way Wicked aims to do so for the Wizard of Oz (the movie more than anything else). They seek to update and diversify certain aspects to be sure (someone heard loud and clear the criticism that there are no people of color in Tangled), but not to challenge them.

That being said, each show does try to layer in flaws in their blond protagonists approach to relationships. These flaws tend to be more subtle than those of the people around them, perhaps to protect said blondes from becoming too unlikeable, but they are clearly there.

In the last post, I talked a lot about the resentment of the non-blondes in these relationships and how that helped lead to the relationships falling apart. Those characters are also much more the aggressors in said relationships and are much more set on taking down the other party.

However, the blondes in each relationship are not without blame for it falling apart.

In the previous post, I discussed how being friends of a so-called “chosen one” or “golden child” can breed resentment. I also mentioned that raising someone as a “golden child” is its own form of abuse. It creates a level of unrealistic expectations to always be perfect and responsible. It can be the same for a “chosen one.”

Adora, Kara, and Rapunzel all feel a tremendous amount of responsibility as the “saviors” of their respective worlds. This manifests itself in a need to constantly “fix” everyone else’s problems. Adora frequently describes her need to fix whatever goes wrong in the Rebellion. Kara feels it’s her job to fix things so much that she contacted her former boss’s estranged son behind her back to try to reconnect them. Rapunzel frequently becomes involved in the personal lives of her friends for the sake of fixing their problems.

To an extent, this is a good quality. All three of our blond saviors have good hearts and don’t want to see anyone else suffer, partially because all of them have suffered their own childhood traumas from being raised as a child soldier to witnessing one’s entire planet and species destroyed to being held prisoner for 18 years.

However, as the title of this section suggests, all three of these characters tend to take a bulldozer approach to their involvement with their loved ones’ lives. This creates tension in many of their relationships, not just those discussed in these posts. Adora’s attempts to help her friend Glimmer after Glimmer becomes queen come off as controlling and as though Adora doesn’t respect Glimmer’s position of authority. Kara, in addition to the incident with her boss’s son, had also tried to control the life of another alien (and eventual boyfriend), Mon El as well as did things like break into her sister’s apartment when she was sad. Rapunzel promises to fix everyone’s problems, which leads to friends feeling betrayed when she can’t follow through. She also frequently intrudes in Cassandra’s life and plans.

One of the most threatening things for people like Catra, Lena, or Cassandra is to feel as though they do not have control over their lives. When you already have trust issues, feeling like someone else is trying to control you can feel like you’re being trapped. Control is particularly important to Lena. In many ways, she has the same feelings of responsibility as Kara. Like Kara, Lena, having been raised by one of the most powerful and influential families on the planet, feels a sense of responsibility to be a world leader. She feels that even more keenly in light of the villainous actions of her mother and brother--that she has to restore honor to the family name. As discussed in the previous post, this feeling in Lena manifests itself in her actions towards her friends through buying them things or trying to solve problems for them such as buying Kara’s and James’s place of work, Catco, to save it from being purchased by a scumbag.

This need to take back control of her life and legacy, to me, is why Lena reacts so drastically to discovering that Kara is Supergirl. Being mad at Kara for keeping secrets is, frankly, hypocritical on several counts. Not only does Lena keep many, many secrets from Kara throughout the show, but she is also fine with the fact that Alex, Kara’s sister, never told Lena explicitly that she was an agent of the Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO). Of course, the reason why Lena wasn’t mad at Alex is because Lena had already known who Alex was, thus giving her power and control in that relationship. Finding out that her friend had successfully hidden her identity for years and had been influencing events without Lena’s knowledge took away the control Lena felt she had over that relationship.

Cassandra also feels a keen lack of control over her life and her relationship with Rapunzel due to the fact that Rapunzel is both her monarch and direct employer. Cassandra serves Rapunzel and that is the first avenue through which they formed a relationship. Early in their relationship, Cassandra resented Rapunzel’s attempts to become friends and said the chance of a Lady in Waiting and a princess becoming friends was a million to one. Rapunzel, by nature of being “irrepressible” (as her friends call her), manages to worm her way into Cassandra’s heart to the point that Cassandra almost forgets that she and Rapunzel are not equals.

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What I find interesting about both Cassandra and Lena is that they both, in some ways, considered themselves the protectors of their naive blond friends. While it’s true that Cassandra always knew her station was below Rapunzel, part of her job early on was teaching Rapunzel how to be a member of the court--what to do, when to curtsy, who was who, etc. In fact, Rapunzel had so little exposure to the outside world, Cass was partly responsibly for teaching her how to interact socially in general. There’s also the added factor that Cassandra is 4 years older than Rapunzel, which can seem like a lot at their ages. Lena, as previously discussed, saw herself as a major figure in shaping the future of the world. She went out of her way to help Kara by buying Catco and tried to protect Kara if they were ever in physical danger together.

Both of these characters suffered from an abrupt challenge to the relationship roles they previously thought they had. Cassandra in this scene and Lena when Lex tells her that Kara is Supergirl.

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It’s interesting that, in that scene, Lex emphasizes the idea that Lena has been a fool. (And, fair enough, I’m pretty sure everyone who’s ever watched the show found it hard to believe that Lena never once realized her best friend was Supergirl. I mean...really, glasses?) But this idea, that she had been a fool plays right into Lena’s fear of losing control. It’s the idea that someone else was pulling strings while she was oblivious that taps right into her deepest insecurities.

Catra’s issues with feeling controlled by Adora are mostly revealed in the episode discussed last post called “Promise.” They come up again in the third season finale when Adora tries to convince Catra to come with her and leave a world that is crumbling out of existence and Catra declares that she will never go with Adora, and that she won’t “let you win” and “would rather see the whole world end (which it’s doing BTW) than let that happen.” Catra believes the way to get control back from Adora is to “win” at any cost.

In the end, this idea of “winning” becomes part of all three relationships. It’s no longer about working together or “us against the world” for the not-blondes who have felt crushed under the weight of their friends. Now it’s about achieving their goals in spite of the collateral damage.

And the most frustrating part is that the blondes are largely oblivious to the fact that they make their friends feel this way or that they are overstepping boundaries. They just think they’re doing the right thing because they’re “taking care of” or “fixing” the problem. They’re so concerned with taking care of or protecting their friends, that they don’t realize how patronizing and condescending that can feel.

So, even as these relationship turn so sour, why are so many people not only rooting for the friendship to return, but for our ladies to go the next level beyond?

PART VII: I DON’T CARE (I SHIP IT)

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I sometimes wonder how the greatest point of contention, the biggest source of toxicity, and the most exhausting part of fandom became shipping. I have seen more nastiness among fans and toward creators and actors about shipping than just about anything else.

Shipping has a long history in fandom, though that term is relatively recent. People have been writing fan fiction about Kirk and Spock getting together since the show was on and fan fiction was written and shared at either in-person gatherings or through semi-underground fanzines.

And, trust me, I’ve been in the trenches of a ship war. Back when Avatar: The Last Airbender was airing, I was a hardcore Zutara shipper. And, to be more honest, it made me a jerk. Part of that is just because I was a teenager at the time, and teenagers don’t always realize the potential impacts of their actions due to brain chemistry etc, etc. But still, the intensity with which I argued that my ship either would or should become canon when the creators of the show clearly preferred the other relationship embarrasses me when I look back at it.

These days, fandom shipping has gotten even more complicated and contentious.

Back when those women (and it was mostly women) were typing their Kirk/Spock fan fiction and mailing it to other fans, they knew Kirk and Spock would never actually get together on the show. That was the case for the majority of fandoms until very recently--that there was no expectations of actual canon lgbtq representation. People could claim there was deliberate subtext or coding, but very few, if any people, expected shows to actually have openly lgbtq characters.

Then, it started to actually happen. Not just in a, “the actor said they saw their character as gay” or “the creators said they coded that character as gay” way. Characters actually started being lgbt on screen in ways that weren’t demeaning or stereotypes. Major characters, too.

For me, a big moment that gave rise to the hopes of many that their lgbt ships might actually have a shot at being confirmed as canon was, funnily enough, the sequel show to Avatar: TLA, The Legend of Korra.

The above was the closest the couple got to an on-screen intimate moment, and some fans didn’t believe it was romantic until it was later confirmed by the show creators. Nickelodeon was only willing to go so far, after all. The followup comics, however, are much more explicit with the relationship and the two share multiple kisses and intimate moments.

Many fans argue that Korrasami (as the ship between Korra and Asami is called) was too subtle to be considered real representation. But a wave could certainly be felt throughout the world of animation afterword. Shows became even more bold about confirming lgbt characters or at least became less subtle in their coding.

And suddenly, the idea that a main character’s finale pairing might be anything other than straight became a real possibility and, in some cases, an expectation.

In addition to the growing visibility of lgbt relationships in media, another change was slowly taking place within fandom.

For much of modern fandom, the most popular ships have been male/male (mlm). Back when I was getting into fan fiction (because I love reminding people that I’m old), this was called “slash.” Slash was exclusively a term for mlm relationships. Same-sex relationships between women (wlw) were labeled “fem-slash,” and were much more rare.

Multiple people have discussed theories for why mlm was, and continues to be in many cases, the most popular type of ship. Some believe it has to do with the prevalence of straight women in fandom who might fetishize mlm relationships. While I have no doubt that’s partly true, I believe the other common argument has a great deal of merit: there were more mlm ships because male characters were more interesting and more prevalent.

Star Trek: The Original Series had only two main female characters and neither of them was given close to the emotional depth as Spock or Kirk. Lord of the Rings, which was one of the most popular pieces of media on which to write fanfic when I was younger, has so few women the movies had to add in a boat load of new scenes for Arwen.

Recently, though, not only have more shows invested in writing dynamic, interesting female characters, but they have included multiple diverse female characters with relationships with each other and not just the men in the shows.

So, not only do more people ship wlw ships, but more people expect to actually see those ships represented in their media. Never before has a wlw ship becoming “endgame” seemed more possible.

In many ways this is fantastic. More representation being not only more possible but more expected is absolutely necessary for our media to progress and grow. This has, however, lead to some growing tensions in communities where shipping has, in some ways, become its own form of activism, which means that there is not only people’s personal feelings and preferences for ships on the line, but people who feel that fighting for their ship to become canon is a proxy battle for their own acceptance.

All three of these wlw ships mean a lot to the people who ship them, and all three have been met with the desire, and occasionally demand, of canon validation as well as a heady mess of coding, accusations of queer baiting, and the lingering question of which, if any, relationships might get the same, and hopefully more explicit, validation that Korrasami had.

Let’s start this deep dive into these relationships as ships with the one that has, in canon, already been resolved.

Yep, that’s definitely a Disney twirl going on there.

One of the first points often made when the validity of a mlm or wlw ship is questioned is that, if you say an m/f couple do the same thing, no one would question that it was romantic. This makes it interesting, and sets off the shipping alarm for anyone who’s a fan of wlw ships when Tangled: The Series goes out of its way to not only give Cass and Rapunzel (ship name: Cassunzel) romantic moments like the above “Disney twirl,” but also directly parallels relationship moments that occurred between Rapunzel and her canon boyfriend/future husband Eugene (AKA Flynn Rider).

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Look familiar? It’s almost a shot-for-shot remake of Rapunzel and Eugene meeting for the first time. In this episode, Cassandra accidentally wipes Rapunzel’s memory to the point where Rapunzel thinks she’s still in the tower. It plays out, in part, as “What if Cassandra had found her instead of Eugene?”--something every shipper had doubtless already asked themselves at least once.

Another major moment of paralleling between the two relationships is the endings of both the movie and the series.

Eugene dies in the end of Tangled only to be resurrected by Rapunzel’s love. Cassandra dies in the series finale of Tangled: The Series, only to be resurrected by Rapunzel’s love. And it is love, that much is very clear.

The only debate really, is whether it’s romantic or platonic love.

Cassandra and Rapunzel never get official validation in the show or by the executive producers. The most confirmation fans get outside of the text of the show are comments made by some people who work on the show saying that they deliberately coded Cassandra as gay as they could whenever they could.

Yet, for the most part, the creators of this show are largely given a pass by Cassunzel shippers for not making their ship canon. Most understand that, as a Disney property, many hands are tied, particularly given that, due the previous establishment both form the end of Tangled and from the short Tangled Ever After that Rapunzel and Eugene do get married. The reaction seems to largely be that Disney and the show got about as close to confirming it as they could without doing so.

So let’s transition from the show that met, and in some ways, passed expectations to one that has set expectations super high: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.

She-Ra is perhaps one of the most lgbtqia coded shows out there right now. The first season even ends with them saving the day with a rainbow.

Here is show-runner and executive producer Noelle Stevenson on queerness in her life and She-Ra:

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Yet, despite these deliberate attempts to show representation and to challenge heteronormative ideas, the show has yet to show any of its primary characters or even second tier characters in queer romantic relationships. We have seen a few parents, one pair on in a photo, and their is one married couple of women, but none of these characters are prominently featured on the show.

She-Ra has set expectations incredibly high and has yet to deliver.

Even so, part of what sets She-Ra apart from the other two shows discussed here is that there are multiple queer shipping opportunities. Catra and Adora (ship name Catradora) are one of, if not the, most popular ships, but both Catra and Adora have other female characters with which they could be just as easily shipped.

On the one hand, the pressure is pretty high to establish at least one major queer ship before the end of the show. On the other hand, the pressure is much less that the ship specifically be Catradora.

The near-certainty that there will be one or more wlw ships confirmed before the end of She-Ra means, to me, that Catradora has the greatest chance to become canon.

So, there’s Cassunzel that never really had much of a chance for canon confirmation and Catradora, which has a better chance of becoming canon, but also has less pressure to become THE ship. Where does that leave Lena and Kara?

Anyone who has been in the Supergirl fandom knows that it can feel like a battleground. While all fandoms tend to have their issues, Supergirl’s can be so contentions that it, frankly, makes watching the show less fun. This doesn’t all fall on one groups shoulders, I’ve seen nastiness from many sides over different issues. However, the biggest point of contention tends to center around the potential ship of Lena and Kara (Supercorp).

Supercorp, as a ship, is completely valid. Kara has way more chemistry with Lena than she has had with any of her male love interests, and two of those guys were played by people whom actress Melissa Benoist was actually in relationships with (though the first was an abusive dirtbag, so lack of chemistry probably makes sense there). Lena once thanked Kara by filling her entire office with flowers. There are cuddles, and Kara’s unwavering (until recently) faith in Lena’s goodness. It’s hard not to ship them.

The issue in the fandom, is not so much that people ship Supercorp (though there are increasingly more people who have issues with the ship itself, which is something I’ll address about all three of these ships in the next post) but the vehemence with which some who ship Supercorp approach whether it will be endgame.

In a way, the frustration is understandable. Supergirl is, in many ways, a show that has made a point of including LGBTQ representation. The second season featured a multiple episode story arc of Supergirl’s adoptive sister Alex Danvers (I will stan her until the end of time) realizing she was a lesbian, coming out, and eventually starting a relationship with another woman. Supergirl also made headlines for featuring the first live-action trans superhero on tv with the introduction of Dreamer in Season 4. The trans actress who plays Dreamer, Nicole Maines, has even had input on how the character is represented including a recent episode that discussed the often ignored violence targeting trans people, particularly trans women of color.

She-Ra and Supergirl have different approaches to representation. She-Ra takes place in a fantasy world and appears to take the approach that nothing about identity or sexuality should be assumed about anyone. There is no heteronormativity in Etheria, yet no major characters are in non-m/f relationships. Supergirl on the other hand, is set in a world more similar to ours which has heteronormativity, homophobia, and transphobia, which leads to the show making episodes and story-arcs specifically about those topics while also somewhat constraining the show. There are arguments to be made about the worth of both approaches and both can serve a purpose for viewers, particularly young viewers, who are searching for characters like them in media.

So, why are the people behind Supergirl so often accused of homophobia?

I mentioned in the Blond Bulldozers section that it is a bit telling that all three shows being discussed here attempt to create diversity while having the whitest, most mainstream character as the lead. There are many who would argue that the true values of the shows are represented by their main characters, and that the rest are window dressing to try to make the show look good as a form of tokenism. The point being that shows won’t really show a commitment to diversity until the main characters are just as diverse as the rest of the cast.

These are all valid arguments.

A less valid argument is the claim that Supercorp is being deliberately baited by the creators of the show. Queer baiting is a term that seems to have a lot of subjectivity tied up with it. The general idea is that it is when creators purposefully use queer coding or other means to inspire queer shipping of characters as a means to draw in the queer community to their show but then never delivering on that potential.

In some ways, all three of these shows could be accused of queer baiting. The direct parallels in between Cassandra/Rapunzel and Eugene/Rapunzel were no accident. The coding and “anything can happen” while very little does on She-Ra is much the same. And Supergirl is trying to center a large part of the show around the relationship between Kara and Lena, a relationship they know many of the fans see as romantic.

Yet, to me, Supergirl, is actually a less guilty party, at least when it comes to Supercorp. One can, again, argue that the canon LGBT ships and characters exist to pander and draw in those audiences, but Supercorp, I believe, genuinely came out of a place of wanting Kara to have a strong female relationship with someone other than her sister, mother, or boss, and I’m sure this falling-out was in the plans fairly early on.

Has the show completely shut down the idea? No, I don’t think they would be foolish enough to do that. But I don’t believe that it rises to the level of baiting. Shows like Sherlock or movies like Pitch Perfect 3 are, to me, much more egregious examples.

Still, as I said, I can understand the frustration of Supercorp shippers, I just feel like the level of anger directed by some not just at the creatives who make the show but at other fans as well is not fully justified. (And yes, I know “not all Supercorps” and I also know other fans have been jerks. Sanvers shippers who are being asses about Kelly are just as bad.) And who knows? I’d never say never to the ship maybe becoming canon eventually after Kara and Lena work out their issues.

That being said, all three of these ships, regardless of canon status, are incredibly popular, and I want to examine more of what that is and the reason some people are wary of these ships and the potential messages they send. This leads me to our topics for our next installment:

MY WIFE IS A BITCH AND I LIKE HER SO MUCH

and

POISON PARADISE

I will try to make the next one shorter. Also, sorry for typos, I did not give this a thorough read-through. I used all my brain power just writing it.

#supergirl #kara danvers #lena luthor #supercorp #she ra #spop #adora #catra #catradora #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #rapunzel #tts cassandra #cassandra #cassunzel

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pamphletstoinspire · 5 years ago

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The Feast of the Ascension.

by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1876

“And the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God.”–Mark xvi, 19.

The various feasts which we, as children of the Church, are called upon to celebrate throughout the year, invite us to consider, with special attention, and, as it were, to behold in spirit the mysteries of which that tender Mother makes mention herself, in so solemn a manner to us all.

This is particularly so on the festival of today, which commemorates the Ascension of Christ into heaven. We gaze with the disciples into the cloudless sky as if we fain would pierce the secrets of the celestial realm beyond, and witness the entrance of Christ therein. Then the thought arises within us: “O happy Apostles! chosen to behold the Ascension of the Lord; would that we could know the feelings which filled your hearts when you saw Him surrounded by a luminous cloud, disappear from view.”

Beloved in Christ Jesus, I will tell you: Unspeakable longing after heaven took possession of them when they beheld their beloved Master enter therein. The same longing should also fill our heart. O Mary, Queen of heaven, obtain for us that same longing which animated your immaculate heart, to follow your divine Son to the abode of eternal bliss. I speak in the most holy name of Jesus for the greater honor and glory of God.

As I have already said, the feelings of the disciples, as they stood gazing upon Jesus as he faded from their view, were concentrated in one ardent desire for heaven, to be and remain with him there forever. Yes; and so also would we have felt had we been present on Mount Olivet with Mary, the Apostles and disciples, when Christ raised Himself from the ground, blessed them, and, soaring aloft, was seen no more.

“Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking up to heaven?” was the question put to them by the Angels; and, my brethren, had I been present, I would have said: “O dear Angels, how can you ask? for, while the favored few, whom Christ selected to witness His wondrous ascension, did certainly congratulate Jesus upon entering His eternal home, they also sighed, from their very hearts, ‘O that we, too, could leave this earth, to be and remain with our beloved Saviour in heaven.'”

This ardent desire is the more important because it is the fundamental condition without which we can not follow the admonition contained in the succeeding words spoken by the angelic messengers: “This Jesus, Who is taken up from you, so shall come again.” He will exact a rigid account from every man as to whether he has fulfilled that end for which God called him into existence, redeemed him, and permitted him to belong to the kingdom of His Church.

Upon the eve of His Ascension, Christ declared that He would send His disciples to the confines of the earth; and that they might be better enabled to proclaim His word, He would prepare them with the strength of the Holy Ghost. For only those who combat and conquer, who work for and with Jesus, who complete the work on earth for which God created them, and remain faithful, receive a beauteous crown in heaven.

Besides the strength God the Holy Ghost bestows, that divine Spirit also implants in the heart another disposition–a longing to accomplish something for God. This is confirmed by numerous examples of heroic actions, performed by those who, devoting their lives to sanctity, listened to and acted upon the inspirations of that divine Spirit. What wonderful things have been accomplished, even according to the testimony of our own experience, at the price of innumerable sacrifices and hardships, from the impulse and through the strength of this ardent desire! This has also its perfect application in the great affair of salvation.

Whoever meditates as he should upon heaven, feels strong enough to labor, to struggle, and to suffer for it, in faithful perseverance, unto the end. And what should be more easy than for every faithful child of the Church to excite in his heart this longing desire? Consider how many and what powerful motives there are to increase it therein! Let us devote some moments to these considerations; and with the divine blessing, even as the words fall from my lips, this desire for heaven will arise and increase in our hearts.

Behold, in spirit, Christ ascending to heaven, and say, within yourselves, Dear Jesus, where are you going? O beautiful country! how I sigh after thee. Here is the land of our exile; there, our eternal home. Here are hunger and thirst; there, an excess of delight. Here, lamentation and wailing; there, the security of bliss. Here is poverty and nakedness; there, the glorious vesture of heaven, decorated with the diamonds of merit, acquired by our good works upon earth. Here we have no lasting dwelling; there, when the Christian enters upon the reward of a well-spent life, he can exclaim: “Heaven is mine; all is mine; I enter the dwelling which Jesus prepared for me, and ascend a royal throne, whereon I will be crowned with a radiant diadem forever.”

Here there is a never-ceasing sound of wailing, as human hearts grow faint with the burden of sorrow; there, in heaven, the eternal Alleluia resounds, and never for one moment does the celestial music of angelic voices cease. Here is the labor; there, rest and quiet–the reward; and O what a reward! Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard; nor hath it ever entered into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for those who love Him. Here we must endure mortification and persecution; there, we shall enjoy a peace which passeth all understanding.

Here we are subject to temptations; there, no thought of evil can come. Here it is constant struggle; there, is the triumph attained. Here the world, and those who are of the world, strive only for the possession of creatures; there, the sole desire of the blessed is to see and possess God Himself in His infinite perfection and beatitude. Here a shadow rests upon our brightest hours,– the thought of the impending separation from our loved ones by death; there, neither sorrow nor death can enter; and the union among the blessed and with God will be eternal.

Blessed Egidius! when we think of these striking contrasts, we can not wonder that the very mention of heaven–“Paradise”–threw your soul into an ecstatic state, while your ardent desire after its joys raised your body from the ground as if your spirit longed to soar.

Yes, beautiful Heaven! the ardent desire of my heart, who will give me wings like a dove, to fly from this valley of tears, and rest on the mountain of bliss? But this necessitates labor, struggling, suffering. And what, beloved in Christ, will make this suffering light? what but this ardent desire of heaven!

See the laborer as he goes forth to his daily toil, willing to endure all, and leave himself no rest, for he knows that the more diligently he works, the greater will be his gain. And daily experience proves, that it is the same in every walk of life; yet how poor and trifling, how infinitely small, is the richest guerdon which the world can give compared to the reward which awaits us in heaven for every meritorious' work performed by us on earth. How worthless should the world's rewards appear when we think how soon they pass away! How infinitely great should we deem the ones which never, never end! How brave and determined the warrior who knows that, if he return from the conflict with the laurel wreath of victory, his fortune is assured! How willingly he risks that life, which is to him so precious, for the hope of a possible reward. How bravely, therefore, my dearest Christians, should not you be able to combat, having in view the hope of Heaven– the crown of eternal victory!

Men have borne, with the greatest patience, the most painful operations, with a view to saving life or limb. Strive, therefore, to bear with patience the sorrows and trials of earth, to save your immortal souls. Oh, let us never forget the heaven which may be all our own! Let us think of it, not only while we celebrate this glorious festival, but long after it has passed away, that we may so live that, when we close our eyes to earthly things, we may, without delay, ascend to that bright and glorious home to dwell with Christ in Heaven for evermore. Amen.

“They going forth preached every-where, and the Lord working withal, confirming the word with signs that followed.”–Mark xvi, 20.

Jesus had entered into glory, and still the disciples remained spell-bound, gazing after Him with irrepressible yearning to follow Him to that heavenly home, whither He went to prepare a dwelling for the souls He had redeemed.

Suddenly, as the Evangelist St. Luke relates, there appeared to the Apostles two Angels clad in white robes of golden glory, who thus addressed them: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, as you have seen Him going into heaven.” This is the explanation of the above: “As surely as you have witnessed the departure of your blessed Saviour, so surely will He come again. He will come not in His humiliation, but in the full splendor of His incomparable Majesty, to you, as well as to the whole world.”

Jesus raised Himself on high and entered heaven as Conqueror over death and hell; and once again He will come, not as Reconciler, but as Judge. Can we endure the penetrating glance of His all-seeing eye; that eye which will, as it were, search into the very marrow of our souls? It depends very much upon ourselves. If we have during life been disposed as were the disciples on Mount Olivet on Ascension-day, there will be no terror for us in the coming of Christ at the end of the world.

O Mary, Queen of angels, to whom it was granted to be assumed body and soul into heaven, and to sit enthroned at the right hand of your divine Son, bless and protect us, that we may one day behold the bliss of heaven! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, for the greater honor of God!

Deep in the human heart there lingers sweet hope of ascending at last to heaven. There is scarce a sinner, be he ever so abandoned, that does not cherish the hope that by some unlooked-for grace he will behold his glorified Saviour. It is true that sincere, even if tardy, repentance can win forgiveness for any crime, no matter how great; yet we must not expect to be called by wonderful ways; but, to insure to ourselves the eventual possession of that exquisite bliss, we must, during our whole lives, look up to heaven with affections similar to those of the disciples as they looked after Jesus when He soared aloft beyond the skies. It was, above all, the wish to enter heaven with Him which animated them when they, after He had disappeared from their view, stood spellbound, looking up as if they could still behold His beloved face. I have already touched upon this disposition of ardent desire, but after the address of the angels there were other affections which deeply moved their hearts.

First, they congratulated Jesus upon His entrance into glory. In proportion to the compassion with which His humiliation and bitter sufferings had inspired them, they now rejoiced; and repressing their grief at His departure, felicitated Him upon having ascended to heaven. They stood upon Mount Olivet, that spot so rich in sacred memories,–that spot where the agony of the Son of God forced blood from His pores. Their feet touched the ground once moistened by that precious blood; and with these thoughts welling up in their hearts, they might well exclaim: “According to the afflictions of my heart, consolations have rejoiced my soul.”

The disciples rejoiced with Jesus, especially at the assurance He gave them: “I go to prepare for you a lasting dwelling,” and now they perceived more clearly than ever the grand and majestic character of the happiness which had been conferred upon them, of beholding the incarnate Son of God,–that happiness after which Abraham and the prophets had so ardently longed,–yet which they were not permitted to enjoy, with the exception of Moses and Elias.

They now understood the favor which had been meted out to them, and blessed the Saviour that they had received from His lips the word of salvation; that they had walked by His side, and had had constant personal intercourse with Him. They thanked Him with the most intense fervor of heart for their call to the true faith, and for their election, according to the Saviour's promise, to proclaim the word of life to the very extremities of the earth, and to distribute to the children of men the treasures of the Redemption, by propagating the true Church to which had been bequeathed such fruitful means of salvation.

And it was not merely sensible affections of the heart which so deeply moved them; for they, at the same time, made firm resolutions, with the assistance of divine grace, to fulfill their calling faithfully, and to obey the precept which had been given them, to await at Jerusalem, in prayer, the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete. And this, my brethren, should be the disposition of our hearts upon this glorious day.

Let us exult and praise the Lord for His Majesty; for if we love Jesus more than ourselves, we should rejoice at His Ascension to such a kingdom of delight. What exultation must expand the heart of the Christian who really loves Him, as he recalls today the words of the psalm which prophetically describes the Ascension of Christ: “Be ye lifted up, O eternal gates, for the King of Glory approaches!” and behold in spirit the myriads of Angels coming from heaven to meet Him, entoning the Alleluia of victory before the Lord.

We should also imitate the Apostles and disciples in their gratitude; for if we reflect that we have been called to the true faith through no merit of our own, while the souls of millions who might have responded more fully to the grace of God, and availed themselves more frequently of the means provided by Him to help us on our heavenward way, are left in the darkness of error. What cause for thankfulness is the certainty that we are on the right path to salvation, and that if we really wish to attain it, we can do so through Jesus Christ our Lord. We should also thank God that we, as children of the true Church, may lead other souls thereto, and thus propagate His kingdom. There is no other way to heaven than that which Jesus trod, the way of struggle, labor, and toil,–of self-denial, mortification, and tears–no other way, in short, than the royal road of the holy cross.

But heaven is worth it all, and when well nigh fainting in the conflict, the Christian should think of the Saviour, Who, in His painful walk to Calvary, faltered and fell three times; and, taking courage, exclaim with St. Paul: “I can do all in Him who strengthens me.” The same Holy Ghost, promised and sent by Christ to His Apostles and disciples; He has, according to St. John, promised to us also; and He will send Him if we, by zealous and fervent prayer, prepare our hearts for His reception. The Apostles and their companions at Jerusalem did so. And after that happy event they immediately ordained deacons for the service of the Church, that they might themselves have more time for prayer and union with God.

Let us, then, beloved in Christ, imitate their example, by an increase of zeal in prayer, as we celebrate this festive day. Let us, in spirit, place ourselves in their midst, and imagine the deep emotion with which we would have fallen at the feet of Christ and embraced them, had we been witnesses of this happy meeting between Him and His holy Mother, and faithful friends. With what ardor we would have implored Him to remember us before His Father in heaven, and promised to do His holy will in all things, that we might one day follow Him to the realms of everlasting bliss.

If we possess these affections, and fulfill the resolutions arising therefrom; if we think constantly of heaven, and live only for it, then most assuredly will we courageously combat those enemies who would fain deprive us of its celestial joys; and having borne the cross on earth, we shall wear an eternal crown above. Amen!

FEAST OF THE ASCENSION by Fr. Prosper Gueranger 1870 The sun of the fortieth day has risen in all his splendor. The earth, which shook with gladness at the Birth of our Emmanuel (Ps. xcv. xcvi. xcvii.), now thrills with a strange emotion. The divine series of the mysteries of the Man-God is about to close. Heaven has caught up the joy of earth. The Angelic Choirs are preparing to receive their promised King, and their Princes stand at the Gates, that they may open them when the signal is given of the mighty Conqueror's approach (Ibid. xxiii. 7). The holy souls, that were liberated from Limbo on the morning of the Resurrection, are hovering round Jerusalem, waiting for the happy moment when Heaven's gate, closed by Adam's sin, shall be thrown open, and they shall enter in company with their Redeemer: a few hours more, and then to Heaven! Meanwhile, our Risen Jesus has to visit His Disciples and bid them farewell, for they are to be left, for some years longer, in this vale of tears.

They are in the Cenacle, impatiently awaiting His coming. Suddenly He appears in their midst. Of the Mother's joy, who would dare to speak? As to the Disciples and the holy Women, they fall down and affectionately adore the Master, Who has come to take His leave of them. He deigns to sit down to table with them; He even condescends to eat with them, not, indeed, to give them proof of His Resurrection, for He knows that they have no further doubts of the mystery, but now that He is about to sit at the right hand of the Father, He would give them this endearing mark of familiarity. O admirable repast! in which Mary, for the last time in this world, is seated side by side with her Jesus, and in which the Church, (represented by the Disciples and the holy Women,) is honored by the visible presidency of her Head and Spouse.

What tongue could describe the respect, the recollected mien, the attention of the guests? With what love must they not have riveted their eyes on the dear Master? They long to hear him speak; his parting words will be so treasured! He does not keep them long in suspense; He speaks, but his language is not what they perhaps expected it to be, all affection. He begins by reminding them of the incredulity wherewith they heard of His Resurrection (St. Mark, xvi. 14). He is going to entrust His Apostles with the most sublime mission ever given to man; He would, therefore, prepare them for it by humbling them. A few days hence, and they are to be lights of the world; the world must believe what they preach, believe it on their word, believe it without having seen, believe what the Apostles alone have seen. It is by Faith that man approaches His God: they themselves were once without it, and Jesus would have them now express their sorrow for their former incredulity, and thus base their Apostolate on humility.

Then assuming a tone of authority, such as none but a God could take, He says to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not, shall be condemned (Ibid. xvi. 15, 16). And how shall they accomplish this mission of preaching the Gospel to the whole world? how shall they persuade men to believe their word? By Miracles. And these signs, continues Jesus, shall follow them that believe: in My name, they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover (St. Mark, svi. 17, 18). He would have Miracles to be the foundation of his Church, just as He had made them the argument of His own divine mission. The suspension of the laws of nature proves to us that it is God Who speaks; we must receive the word, and humbly believe it.

Here, then, we have men unknown to the world and devoid of every human means, and yet commissioned to conquer the earth and make it acknowledge Jesus as its King! The world ignores their very existence. Tiberius, who sits on the imperial throne, trembling at every shadow of conspiracy, little suspects that there is being prepared an expedition which is to conquer the Roman Empire. But these warriors must have their armour, and the armour must be of heaven's own tempering. Jesus tells them that they are to receive it a few days hence. Stay, says He, in the city, till ye be endued with power from on high (St. Lluke, xxiv. 49). But what is this armour? Jesus explains it to them. He reminds them of the Father's promise, that promise, says He, which ye have heard by my mouth: for John, indeed, baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence (Acts, i. 4, 5).

But the hour of separation is come. Jesus rises: His blessed Mother, and the hundred and twenty persons assembled there, prepare to follow Him. The Cenacle is situated on Mount Sion, which is one of the two hills within the walls of Jerusalem. The holy group traverses the city, making for the eastern Gate, which opens on the Valley of Josaphat. It is the last time that Jesus walks through the faithless City. He is invisible to the eyes of the people who denied Him, but visible to His Disciples, and goes before them, as, heretofore, the pillar of fire led on the Israelites. How beautiful and imposing a sight! Mary, the Disciples, and the holy Women, accompanying Jesus in His Heaven-ward journey, which is to lead Him to the right hand of His Eternal Father! It was commemorated in the Middle-Ages by a solemn Procession before the Mass of Ascension Day. What happy times were those, when Christians took delight in honouring every action of our Redeemer! They could not be satisfied, as we are, with a few vague notions, which can produce nothing but an equally vague devotion.

They reflected on the thoughts which Mary must have had during these last moments of her Son's presence. They used to ask themselves, which of the two sentiments were uppermost in her maternal heart, sadness, that she was to see her Jesus no more? or joy, that He was now going to enter into the glory He so infinitely deserved? The answer was soon found: had not Jesus said to His Disciples: If ye loved me, ye would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father (St. John, xiv. 28)? Now, who loved Jesus as Mary did? The Mother's heart, then, was full of joy at parting with Him. How was she to think of herself, when there was question of the triumph of her Son and her God? Could she that had witnessed the scene of Calvary do less than desire to see Him glorified, Whom she knew to be the Sovereign Lord of all things, Him Whom, but a short time ago, she had seen rejected by His people, blasphemed, and dying the most ignominious and cruel of deaths?

The holy group has traversed the Valley of Josaphat; it has crossed the brook Cedron, and is moving onwards to Mount Olivet. What recollections would crowd on the mind! This torrent, of which Jesus had drunk on the day of His humiliation, is now the path He takes to triumph and glory. The Royal Prophet had foretold it (Ps. cix. 7). On their left, are the Garden and Cave, where He suffered His Agony and accepted the bitter Chalice of His Passion. After having come as far as what St. Luke calls the distance of the journey allowed to the Jews on a sabbath-day (Acts, i. 12), they are close to Bethania, that favoured village, where Jesus used to accept hospitality at the hands of Lazarus and his two Sisters. This part of Mount Olivet commands a view of Jerusalem. The sight of its Temple and Palaces makes the Disciples proud of their earthly city: they have forgotten the curse uttered against her; they seem to have forgotten, too, that Jesus has just made them citizens and conquerors of the whole world. They begin to dream of the earthly grandeur of Jerusalem, and, turning to their Divine Master, they venture to ask him this question: Lord, wilt thou, at this time, restore again the kingdom to Israel (Acts, i. 6)?

Jesus answers them with a tone of severity: It is not for you to know the times or moments which the Father hath put in His own power (Ibid. 7). These words do not destroy the hope that Jerusalem is to be restored by the Christian Israel; but, as this is not to happen till the world is drawing towards its end, there is nothing that requires our Saviour's revealing the secret. What ought to be uppermost in the mind of the Disciples, is the conversion of the pagan world, the establishing the Church. Jesus reminds them of the mission He has just given to them: Ye shall receive, says He, the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts, i. 8).

According to a tradition, which has been handed down from the earliest ages of Christianity (Constit. Apost., lib. v. cap. xix), it is mid-day, the same hour that He had been raised up, when nailed to His Cross. Giving His Blessed Mother a look of filial affection, and another of fond farewell to the rest of the group that stand around him, Jesus raises up His hands and blesses them all. Whilst thus blessing them, He is raised up from the ground whereon He stands, and ascends into heaven (St. Luke, xxiv. 51). Their eyes follow Him, until a cloud comes and receives Him out of their sight (Acts, i. 9).

Yes, Jesus is gone! The earth has lost her Emmanuel! For four thousand years had He been expected: the Patriarchs and Prophets had desired His coming with all the fervour of their souls: He came: His love made Him our captive in the chaste womb of the Virgin of Nazareth. It was there He first received our adorations. Nine months after, the Blessed Mother offered Him to our joyous love in the Stable at Bethlehem. We followed Him into Egypt; we returned with Him; we dwelt with Him at Nazareth. When He began the three years of His public Life, we kept close to His steps; We delighted in being near Him, we listened to His preaching and parables, we saw His miracles. The malice of His enemies reached its height, and the time came wherein He was to give us the last and grandest proof of the love that had brought Him from heaven, His dying for us on a Cross; we kept near Him as He died, and our souls were purified by the Blood that flowed from His Wounds. On the third day, He rose again from His Grave, and we stood by exulting in His triumph over Death, for that triumph won for us a like Resurrection. During the Forty days He has deigned to spend with us since His Resurrection, our faith has made us cling to Him: we would fain have kept Him with us forever, but the hour is come; He has left us; yes, our dearest Jesus is gone! O happy the souls that He had taken from Limbo! they have gone with Him, and, for all eternity, are to enjoy the heaven of His visible presence.

The Disciples are still steadfastly looking up towards heaven, when lo! two angels, clad in white robes, appear to them, saying: Ye men of Galilee! why stand ye looking up to heaven? This Jesus, Who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as ye have seen Him going into heaven (Acts, i. 10, 11)! He has ascended, a Saviour; He is to return, as Judge; between these two events is comprised the whole life of the Church on earth. We are therefore living under the reign of Jesus as our Saviour, for He has said: God sent not His Son into the world to Judge the world, but that the world might be Saved by Him (St. Joh, iii. 17): and to carry out this merciful design He has just been giving to His Disciples the mission to go throughout the whole world, and invite men, whilst yet there is time, to accept the mystery of Salvation.

What a task is this He imposes on the Apostles! and now that they are to begin their work, He leaves them! They return from Mount Olivet, and Jesus is not with them! And yet, they are not sad; they have Mary to console them; her unselfish generosity is their model, and well do they learn the lesson.

They love Jesus; they rejoice at the thought of His having entered into His rest. They went back into Jerusalem with great joy (St. Luke, xxiv. 52). These few simple words of the Gospel indicate the spirit of this admirable Feast of the Ascension: it is a Festival, which, notwithstanding its soft tinge of sadness, is, more than any other, expressive of joy and triumph. During its Octave, we will endeavour to describe its mystery and magnificence: we would only observe, for the present, that this Solemnity is the completion of the Mysteries of our Redemption; that it is one of those which were instituted by the Apostles (St. Augustine, EP. ad Januar); and finally, that it has impressed a character of sacredness on the Thursday of each week, the day already so highly honoured by the institution of the Eucharist.

We have alluded to the Procession, whereby our Catholic forefathers used, on this Feast, to celebrate the journey of Jesus and His Disciples to Mount Olivet. Another custom observed on the Ascension, was the solemn blessing given to bread and to the new fruits: it was commemorative of the farewell repast taken by Jesus in the Cenacle. Let us imitate the piety of the Ages of Faith, when Christians loved to honour the very least of our Saviour's actions, and, so to speak, make them their own, by thus interweaving the minutest details of His Life into their own. What earnest reality of love and adoration was given to our Jesus in those olden times, when His being Sovereign Lord and Redeemer was the ruling principle of both individual and social life! Now-a-days, we may follow the principle, as fervently as we please, in the privacy of our own consciences, or, at most, in our own homes; but publicly, and when we are before the World, no! To say nothing of the evil results of this modern limitation of Jesus' rights as our King, what could be more sacrilegiously unjust to Him Who deserves our whole service, everywhere and at all times? The Angels said to the Apostles: This Jesus shall come, as ye have seen Him going into heaven: happy we, if, during His absence, we shall have so unreservedly loved and served Him, as to be able to meet Him with confidence when He comes to judge us!

FEAST OF THE ASCENSION by Fr. Raphael Frassinetti, 1900

Gospel. Mark xvi. 14 – 20. At that time as the eleven were at the table, Jesus appeared to them, and upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart: because they did not believe them who had seen Him after He was risen again. And He said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they shall cast out devils: they shall speak with new tongues: they shall take up serpents: and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover. And the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God. But they going forth preached everywhere, the Lord working withal, and confirming the word with signs that followed.

After Our Lord had consoled the Apostles by appearing to them at different times, and by wishing them peace, He declared at last that He was about to leave this world and ascend to heaven “to prepare a place for them.”

On this day, for the last time, He came to visit the Apostles. He promised to send them the divine Spirit, the Spirit of strength and wisdom. He said that the time had arrived for Him to go from them to remain in the enjoyment of His peace. He raised His hands, blessed them, and took leave of them all, as well as of His dear Mother. He then conducted them to the Mount of Olives. There they listened to His words, with their eyes fixed upon Him, when suddenly He was raised above them; higher and higher still He was borne, until a light cloud withdrew Him from their sight. While they were beholding Him going up to heaven, suddenly two angels stood by them, who said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven?” This same Jesus whom you have just seen ascending into heaven will return again at the end of the world to judge mankind. He will then appear in the same form in which you have just seen Him. You ought then, my dear young friends, joyfully do all that He has commanded you before He left you, that you may be well received by Him on His return. The disciples fell to the ground and adored their Lord and Master, and then returned to Jerusalem; where they retired to a quiet place, and remained in prayer until the coming of the Holy Ghost.

My dear young people, who can imagine the great triumph with which the King of glory was received on His entrance into heaven. The whole court of heaven was there, ready to meet its Master and Creator. All came forward to make their submission to the great Conqueror of the world and the devil, who has returned in triumph. These good souls must have been in an ecstasy of joy when they saw the great Hero; they looked with wonder on those wounds, which shone like stars. As He entered heaven they joined Him singing hymns and canticles to the great glory of God; then they conducted Him to His throne in heaven, where He sits at the right hand of His Father.

Our Lord, my dear young friends, left this world and ascended into heaven, to prepare a place for us; we had lost heaven, but He regained it for us. He again opened heaven to us, that pleasant, happy place, which will be our home for all eternity. As long as we live on this earth, we shall have to suffer many evils, sickness, and, finally, death, but in heaven we shall have everything; riches, happiness, enjoyment; we shall be inebriated with torrents of delight. The angels will be our companions, the saints will be there, and Mary and Jesus, too. We shall enjoy the happiness that God gives; we shall see God's omnipotence, with which He created heaven and earth; we shall see His wisdom and providence, by which all created things are governed; we shall see all the perfections and attributes of God clearly. We shall then see the Son of God in the Godhead, and Jesus in His divine person. We shall be filled with the Holy Ghost. We shall see God in the splendor of His glory on a throne of majesty; the centre and source of all the joy and brightness of heaven. If one little drop of that heavenly joy should fall from heaven into hell, it would sweeten the dreadful pains that are felt there.

But, my dear young friends, remember that if you wish to attain the possession of this happiness and to reign with Jesus, you must not look for your heaven here on this earth; those who enjoy this world will hardly enjoy heaven. Many wish to give full sway to their passions here, and then expect to have the reward of heaven also. But they are foolish, for if they indulge their passions here in this world, they defile their souls, and cannot enter heaven. If you want to get to heaven, keep the law of God, keep the commandments of the Church, observe the laws of the state, and you will have a right to its joys.

Not only should we observe the commandments of God, but we must also join to it the imitation of Jesus Christ if we wish to possess the place which He has prepared for us in heaven. My dear children, Jesus Christ is the model that is set before us and we must imitate Him just as the artist does who has a model before him; he marks the outlines, and then faithfully follows every lineament, every particular feature with the most scrupulous exactness. Have you so far endeavored to model your lives on that of Jesus Christ? “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ,” so that those who see you will say, “this is a faithful imitator of the divine Master.” It is easy to recognize the original and the faithful copy.

Jesus, my dear young people, is the lily of the valley, the immaculate Lamb. Here is a very important virtue. Do you possess that scrupulous purity of thought and action which renders man like the angels? Jesus was obedient, obedient even unto death. What are the inclinations which most young people follow? They are disobedient and rebellious, independent and loving liberty; they are constantly looking for pleasure, so that life loses the necessary seriousness which belongs to it. What a difference between their life and that of Christ! Your whole effort, my dear children, should be to imitate Jesus in the purity of His life, in His obedience to the divine will, and His respect for authority. Lead a mortified life, joyfully accepting all the trials you may meet with here on this earth, and then shall come true as St. Paul says, “As you are partakers of the sufferings, so shall you be also of the consolation.”

A young man once came to St. Jerome and said he desired to abandon the world, to follow Jesus and to imitate Him. He was rich. St. Jerome voluntarily accepted him among his disciples, but he took him aside and gave him a little instruction. First he said, “Son, our life is a very hard one, as you see; we have no shoes, our clothes are coarse, we have to bear the cold and the heat in our houses; to endure abuses and hard words from people and violent temptations from the devil. I know not whether you can endure all this; you seem to have been brought up tenderly and in luxury.” The young man answered, “Am I more delicate than Jesus was when He walked about without shoes, suffered hunger and thirst, cold and heat, many persecutions and at last death? He has promised to help me: had I twenty bodies I would sacrifice them all for His love.”

O, my dear young people, if you will reflect seriously but for a moment, you will see that the imitation of Jesus Christ is a necessity. “I have given you an example that as I have done to you, so you do also.” Jesus desires you all to be in paradise. Do you not wish to go there? Yes, certainly; everybody expects to go to heaven; it is the greatest insult even to intimate to your friend that there is a danger of his going to hell.

Do, then, as the Apostles did. When they saw Our Lord ascend and taken away from them their hearts followed Him because they had no interest except in the glory of Jesus and the spread of His kingdom on earth. They desired trials, torments, persecutions, even violent deaths in order to be the sooner with Christ. They disliked the world and all its vanities. Let us not put our love on the things of this earth; let us look up to heaven, where our home is. Let us suffer, let us labor hard, let us employ all our time in this life, and so deserve a heavenly reward.

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clacolu95 · 6 years ago

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Don’t Want to Let You Go Chapter 6: The Night They Spent Together

I feel the need to warn you! This chapter has adult content. Procceed only if you’re comfortable with that fact.

Previous Chapter: Chapter 5: Truth or Drink

Next Chapter: Chapter 7: Wicke Knows

Gladion could feel Moon’s breathing growing erratic with every kiss he gently placed on her apparently over-sensitive neck, her soft unintentional moans felt like the sweetest music to his ears as he realized she was actually trying to contain them and failing in the process. He looked at her kind of nervous as he delicately lowered his arms in order to place her on his bed, her big brown eyes staring directly at his emerald ones. His body trembled on top of her as he slowly caressed her light skin that seemed to reflect the almost non-existent light of the Moon in the most perfect way. He stared at her sweetly as the light blush on Moon’s cheeks became more intense. “W-why are you smiling?” She asked him suddenly becoming self-aware. The soaked dress that still separated her body from his bare chest feeling thinner with every second his sweet but at the same time piercing gaze stared directly at her. “I don’t know…” Gladion whispered as he lowered his body all the way down to her legs and started trailing soft kisses on them, slowly advancing to the top and dangerously approaching her sensitive area right between her slim but still well-toned legs. “I guess I just can’t believe this is happening…” She could feel his heavy breathing right on top of her pubis as a really big part of her wished her dress wasn’t blocking his path and the other screamed her to cover up in awkwardness. She let out a sigh of both relief and frustration as he stopped his ministration of kisses right when he got to the lower part of her dress and instead chose to grab on the fabric, gently pulling it towards her head and removing it from her body. Her heart stopped as soon as she saw the blond throwing the dress desperately to the floor and she could feel her body growing hotter, not only because of the discarded wet cloth but also from the obvious arousal that grew wilder and wilder with each passing minute, gluing her to the blond’s bed and making her desperately long for his touch. He took the initiative as he fused their lips together in a passionate yet sweet kiss, their tongues intertwining in a frenzy. “Arceus Moon, you’re so beautiful…” The blond muttered as her hands reached for his pants and desperately unclasped them, sliding them down his legs and taking his lips on hers, grinding herself against his now barely covered erection. Gladion groaned as he felt her entrance so close to him, perceiving her wetness despite the fabric that still separated their bodies. He fought against the girl’s bra for nearly two minutes, too embarrassed to admit that he was actually having a hard time until he finally gave up with it and decided to remove it as a t-shirt instead, pulling it towards Moon’s head and throwing it to the floor. The girl chuckled at his stubbornness but was soon silenced by his sloppy kisses on her sensitive breasts, his mouth ending up on her right nipple as an irrepressible moan that was more like a scream left her lips. The pleasure overcame her as he played with his tongue, circling the bundle of nerves and driving her crazy as she determinedly tried to fight back, sliding her hand under his boxers and causing his body to arch a little bit. She smiled triumphantly as she caressed his length and his breathing became more and more labored. He let go of her nipple with a final nip and this time took his hands to her waist. He closed the remaining distance between their bodies and nibbled her neck playfully. “Two can play this game” He whispered in her ear making her shiver and causing her goosebumps all over her skin. She felt his hands slowly removing her underwear, which was also the last piece of clothing that she had on her body. He gazed at her, now completely naked as his scientific side took over and decided to inspect her newly revealed body part. “W-what are you doing?” The girl asked as a strong flush warmed her whole face, the undisturbed blond inspecting her soaked entrance with one of his fingers. “You’re really wet… Is that normal?” Gladion asked out of curiosity, earning a kick from the Alolan champion that was now as red as a tomato. “I-I-I don’t know you idiot!” She screamed at him distressed “And also why am I the only one fully naked!? You still have your underwear!” The champion’s kick was strong, putting some distance between Gladion and her as she took the bed sheets to cover herself up. “You didn’t have to do that…” The blond complained as he rubbed the side of his face that had been kicked by the embarrassed girl in front of him “If you wanted me naked so badly you should have just asked” Gladion chuckled and threw at her a lopsided smile that made Moon’s heart skip a bit and her body heat to increase exponentially. The blond’s discarded boxers ended up in the floor as his lips connected with hers and his hands caressed her body making her legs quiver. “Gla---” She muttered as he pushed her against the pillows, trailing kisses down her jawline to her neck and slowly going down towards her breasts. “Mhm?” The boy asked as he took one of her nipples on his lips and started toying with him, causing the young woman to whimper loudly.

He continued going down, ignoring her womanhood and going directly to her legs, only to start going up again, driving her crazy minute by minute. “G-Gladion wait…” Moon moaned in a low pitched voice clouded with desire as he kissed each of her thighs, making the girl contain her breath and grab his hair desperately, pushing his face towards her soaked entrance. “Do you really want me to stop?” Gladion inquired with a cocky grin as he reached her entrance with his finger and started toying with it. It was obvious her body language and her words didn’t match: Her hands grabbed his head eagerly, pushing him closer to her every second and her hips danced and twitched with every new spot of her entrance his fingers discovered. The girl’s breaths were strong and her moans were growing louder, but when he raised his head to look at her eyes he could see some kind of seriousness in them, though it was clearly clouded by the animalistic instincts they’ve both waken up with their heavy make-out session. The blonde recomposed and waited for her to catch her breath and do the same. He had to try his best to not look directly at her body, as he was sure he would lose his remaining sanity if he did. “Moon is there something…?” “Why now?” The brown haired girl interrupted once she caught her breath back. The question took her partner by surprise “What do you mean why now?” He asked trying to force his alcoholized brain to make sense out of her question. The champion frowned, then evaded his gaze in embarrassment as her hands raised the expensive blanket that covered the bed and used it to hide her body instead. “I thought we had something back then… but then you pushed me away and stopped talking to me…” The blond could feel his soul-shattering with every word the girl muttered but decided to accept the guilt anyways and hear whatever the girl wanted to say to him. “I mean… we haven’t spoken to each other in years… so why now? Why all of a sudden…” She started saying but stopped as her body grew hotter both in shame and in anger. Gladion looked at her, trying his best to make eye contact with the girl, but it was useless. She evaded his gaze, not really focusing on anything in particular as she completely covered her body with the white bed sheets tightly gripped over her chest. He knew what he was getting into when he decided to talk to her at the open bar some hours ago. He knew he was probably opening a door to the past that had hurt them both so badly. It’s not like he was expecting to hang out with her and just forget about his troubles like in the old times without actually giving her some kind of explanation... ...Or was he? I need to take care of my mother’s company and you are only an obstacle. He suddenly remembered as he clenched his teeth in annoyance at the memory. What? You can’t be rejected because you’re the champion of Alola?. His heart ached at the memory. He still couldn't handle it. Still, he couldn’t stop remembering the words he had said so many years ago. The words that had broken the girl’s heart and shattered his soul into a million pieces as well. His hands trembled in annoyance to the remembrance of his own words. So blunt. So venomous. How the hell was she able to handle it? “I’m sorry” He finally stated as his gaze focused on his bedroom ceiling. “I’m really sorry I put you through all of that, and if it’s of any help… I’ve regretted it from second one”. Moon looked at him in awe, not really believing his words as she perceived him so fragile, she opened her mouth to speak, but found nothing to say to the boy as he determinedly looked at her again at a close enough distance for her to smell the scent of liquor that still lingered in his breath. “I… I know I hurt you, Moon. And trust me, I’ll never forget myself for doing it. But I don’t want to lie to myself anymore… I-” He hesitated for a moment, the words stuck in his throat as he turned his hands into fists to stop the trembling. There’s no way she’s going to forgive me. What the hell was I thinking? He gave up. His eyes closed in realization as he opened his mouth to speak again. “I’ll get dressed” He spoke defeated as Moon’s intelligible stare was still directed at him. “Feel free to grab some of my clothes. There’s no way your dress will dry off today” He moved the bedsheets away from him in a slow motion to give Moon enough time to look away and got off the bed ready to find some dry clothes to wear, but was surprised by Moon’s hands taking his own and impeding his movement. He turned around surprised, finding the very flushed girl kneeled on top of the bed with her diverted gaze, pulling him towards the bed again. He blushed furiously at the sight of the uncovered champion, but in the end, he obeyed her gesture. He got back to the bed, covering both of their bodies with the bed sheets and trapping her into a tight hug as his head rested on top of hers. “Don’t leave me. Not this time” She muttered with a barely audible voice, making the boy smile sheepishly.

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#gladion x moon #lonashipping #mahinashipping #gladion #moon #protagonist #hau x lillie #snowlilyshipping #pokemon #pokemon sun and moon #pokemon fanfiction

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tuthillscopes-blog · 8 years ago

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Marriage Is Driving Some To Drugs And It May Not Be A Bad Thing

check it out @ https://tuthillscopes.com/marriage-is-driving-some-to-drugs-and-it-may-not-be-a-bad-thing/

Marriage Is Driving Some To Drugs And It May Not Be A Bad Thing

by Don Lattin, initially printed on californiamag.org

Author Ayelet Waldman was teaching a category on drug policy reform at UC Berkeley when she and her husband, the most popular novelist Michael Chabon, made the decision that MDMA, the illegal party drug fueling individuals all-night raves, could also be medicines that may save their marriage. They were given the concept after Alexander Sasha Shulgin, the psychedelic chemist and thus-known as godfather of ecstasy, spoke to her class.

Which was about about ten years ago. Since that time, the pair go off once every couple of years for 2-night getaways around the California coast, something Waldman calls our marriage-recharging ritual.

We obtain up, choose a hike, so when were on the long ago, in regards to a half-hour in the hotel, we go ahead and take pills, stated Waldman, an old federal court public defender. Then, for the following six hrs, we discuss our relationship. After I tell my women buddies relating to this, they softly say, Yes. The boys all goNoooo!!!

Chabon, the bestselling author of these books as Telegraph Avenue and Moonglow, declined to sit down lower around and discuss this, for six minutes, after i interviewed his wife round the dining table within their Builder brown-shingle in Berkeleys Elmwood neighborhood. Michael made an appearance in the finish from the interview, nicely trembling my hands, saying hello and goodbye while ushering me the door.

Waldman, however, was wanting to discuss her illegal psychedelic drug routines, partly because shes just out with a brand new book entitled A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life. The majority of the book is all about how this irrepressible mother-of-four required minuscule, sub-perceptual doses of LSD so that they can quiet her moodiness and concentrate her mind.

Michael didn’t join Ayelet for the reason that month-lengthy acidity test. But each of them, she states, have taken advantage of their periodic, regular-dosing sessions with MDMA, a substance that enables us to explore incredibly painful things, however with love and empathy.

MDMA was during the news lately due to positive results from government-approved, independently-funded clinical drug trials that legally used the like a tool in psychiatric therapy sessions for patients struggling with Publish Traumatic Stress Disorder, including U.S. veterans from the Afghan and Iraq wars.

That can be a is news, couples have used this drug, without or with a counselor, legally and unlawfully, for many years.

Modifying the legal status of MDMA to routinely treat Post traumatic stress disorder could open the doorway for doctors to prescribe the drug being an off-label psychiatric therapy tool to deal with depression, anxiety and marital problems. Without supervision recreational use would be illegal.

First, just a little history about MDMA, chemically referred to as methylenedioxymethamphetamine:

In 1985, the us government banned MDMA among an earlier wave of youthful people while using compound like a party drug to fuel raves, all-night dance parties that will nonetheless keep growing within the 1990s with hundreds and often a large number of celebrants packed into private warehouses and public auditoriums. There have been numerous deaths at these occasions, sometimes caused by people dancing through the night and never consuming enough water, or by mixing MDMA with alcohol along with other drugs.

Despite anecdotal proof of its medical benefits like a therapeutic tool, the drug was considered an agenda 1 substance, meaning the us government had figured that MDMA was easily mistreated and without medical value. (Underneath the strange disconnect between condition and federal drug laws and regulations, marijuana continues to be a banned Schedule 1 substance through the feds, though it may be now legal for recreational and/or medical use within many states, including California. Cocaine, however, isn’t a Schedule 1 drug, meaning you can use it for medical purposes).

Earlier, in 4 decades ago and early 1980s, an increasing number of psychotherapists started silently using MDMA, then known as ADAM, like a therapeutic tool for people and couples. Following the 1985 ban, a few of these therapists stored carrying this out operate in a psychedelic-aided psychiatric therapy subterranean, risking criminal action and losing their professional licenses.

It is not always pretty, nevertheless its alive. Seeing another partner express fears can make more honesty within the relationship, and much more closeness.

One longtime subterranean psychedelic counselor, who for apparent reasons requested to stay anonymous, explained she’s securely and effectively used MDMA with a large number of couples. Within an interview in her own cozy Bay Area office, she described the way the drug could make her clients less defensive and less inclined to project past traumas onto their partners.

It is not always sweet and schmoozy, she stated. They frequently have difficult issues and are available in my experience to check out the dynamics of the relationship. Who has the ability? Who desires sex greater than another? Whenever they separate? It is not always pretty, nevertheless its alive. Seeing another partner express fears can make more honesty within the relationship, and much more closeness.

Her protocol begins by seeing each partner individually and leading them with an individual MDMA journey, which could last 3 to 4 hrs. Sometime later, the pair all comes together for any joint session that they receive time for you to both inwardly think about after which discuss whatever issues they would like to address. The counselor then provides them time for you to be alone.

There is a queen-size futon with sheets, blankets and pillows. Its okay when they get naked, she stated. They may be physicalbodies, skinwithout being sexual. After 20 or 25 minutes Ill knock around the door and get in the future in. This really is frequently time whenever we might discuss their love language or their sex existence.

While they’re still feeling the results from the MDMA, this counselor begins the key discussion about how exactly they will integrate the drug experience of their lives. How could they be likely to follow-up on this? They create decisions immediately, she stated.

The particular MDMA journeys occur inside a woodsy location outdoors the town. Some couples take a stroll inside a nearby forest toward the finish of the trip, or perhaps spend the night time in a cottage around the property.

You will find then two follow-up visits back in the Bay Area office to speak much more about integrating your way.

This counselor charges $2,500 to $3,000 for that preparation, MDMA journeys, and also the follow-up counseling.

While MDMA is viewed as an invaluable tool for couples work, psilocybin mushrooms are frequently the medication employed for individual sessions by subterranean guides. Mushroom journeys have a tendency to mind into more mystical realms, and involve ego dissolution, or even the melting off from the boundary between self along with other.

With MDMA, the ego structure is undamaged, the counselor described. The individual can reflect inwardly without seeing the walls moving.

She and her husband happen to be carrying this out work and silently training other subterranean guides for 3 decades.

In the past, the 2 leading lights behind the psychedelic psychiatric therapy movement and also the popularization of MDMA were chemist Sasha Shulgin and Jungian analyst Leo Zeff, each of whom studied at UC Berkeley. Shulgin, who earned his PhD in biochemistry in 1954, starting with inspire the rediscovery of MDMA in 4 decades ago and early 1980s. Shulgin met Zeff, who died in 1988 at age 75, in the Caffe Mediterraneum on Telegraph Avenue in 1964. Once they met, Zeff, who briefly studied psychology at Cal, had been leading LSD therapy sessions. Shulgin was busy synthesizing an amazing variety of new psychoactive compounds inside a funky laboratory hidden within the Orinda hillsides.

Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon / Andy Freeberg

Sasha Shulgins wife Ann, who gave Ayelet the concept to consider ecstasy together with her husband throughout a guest appearance at Waldmans drug policy reform class at Berkeley Law, lead therapy sessions with couples taking MDMA. She told Waldman they could accomplish more in one six-hour ecstasy session compared to six many years of traditional therapy.

MDMA creates a different experience from LSD or any other drugs regarded as hallucinogens, for example mescaline and psilocybin, the ingredients in peyote and magic mushrooms. When drawn in bigger doses, LSD is really a effective mind-altering substance that may blast users into uncharted, sometimes frightening, psychic territory.

MDMA includes a softer effect. Many people refer to it as an empathogen due to its capability to produce feelings of empathy and empathy. People around the drug will not possess the intense visual distortions you can experience on LSD. They might feel less stoned, yet transformed a minimum of for any couple of hrs.

Dr. George Greer, a Boise State Broncos mental health specialist who treated patients with MDMA prior to the 1985 ban, stated the compound puts couples within an altered condition, however they have their full intellectual ability for communication.

MDMA prevents the emotional fear reaction to a perceived threat, Greer explained. Married people dont enter into their normal knee-jerk reactions. Fear doesn’t push your brain right into a defensive postureDuring sessions they learn how to communicate in additional honest, direct ways. They learn to employ that skill later with no drug.

Greer has become the medical director from the Heffter Research Institute, that has backed double-blind placebo trials at Johns Hopkins and New You are able to College using psilocybin-aided therapy to deal with the anxiety and depression that frequently comes with a existence-threatening diagnosis.

Within an interview with CALIFORNIA Magazine, he informed not to couples trying ecstasy by themselves, due to the fact its illegal and users cant be sure they’re really acquiring pure MDMA.

Waldman recommends that couples have an MDMA test package and evaluate any illicit substance acquired from the source it normally won’t completely trust. But with pure MDMA, Greer notes, a small risk to individuals with cardiac issues since the drug boosts the heartbeat.

MDMA mainly works via a complex and just partly understood interaction of three mood-controlling brain chemicals: serotonin, dopamine, andnorepinephrine

Nevertheless, Greer acknowledges that huge numbers of people took MDMA coupled with good encounters.

Within the brain, MDMA mainly works via a complex and just partly understood interaction of three mood-controlling brain chemicals: serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. That (cheap the MA means crystal meth) explains why users feel excitement and elevated energy in addition to elevated sensitivity to light and seem.MDMA also appears to modify the flow of oxytocin, a hormone associated with human mating and connecting.

Its an ideal storm of pharmacology, developing a great set-up for psychiatric therapy, stated Dr. Julia Holland, a brand new You are able to City mental health specialist and author and editor from the book Ecstasy: The Complete Guide. You need to talk and fasten. You are feeling more having faith in and also have this sense that is nice.

David Presti, that has been teaching neurobiology, psychology and cognitive science at UC Berkeley since 1991, believes the bond between brain chemistry, empathy and empathy among MDMA users continues to be highly over-construed.

Brain and behavior tend to be more subtle and sophisticated than that, stated Presti, the writer of the new book entitled Foundational Concepts in Neuroscience: A Brain-Mind Odyssey. Within the mission to find simple explanations for that complexities of human behavior, there’s a wish to assign dominant regulatory roles to single molecular entities or specific brain regionsHow individuals variations result in differing behavior effects awaits further elucidation.

Based on the National Institute on Substance Abuse, some heavy MDMA users experience lengthy-lasting confusion, depression, and selective impairment of working memory. Many experienced recreational users report feeling lower a few days following a session, and advise against using the drug greater than a couple of times annually.

What everybody appears to agree with may be the more you’re doing so the more serious you are feeling, Holland explained. You will find really diminishing returns. She also noticed that people taking anti-depressants will most likely feel little effect from ecstasy as their daily medication blocks the serotonin receptors MDMA must achieve.

Advocates of medically supervised therapeutic use, who generally guide patients through one, two, or three sessions spaced during a period of several several weeks, report no serious side effects in countless documented sessions. Each session lasts 4 to 6 hrs and happens inside a space that appears a lot more like a family room than the usual medical office. Volunteers are lightly led through the set of trained therapists who encourage volunteers to put on eyeshades and pay attention to evocative music to accentuate the drugs introspective effects.

Rob Metzner, an experienced psychedelic investigator, who resides in Sonoma County, stated MDMA doesn’t have exactly the same mental risks as LSD. You cannot possess a bad trip, he stated.

Like Greer, Metzner used MDMA like a therapeutic tool for couples and people within the 1980s. He collected accounts of individuals sessions inside a book entitled Through the Gateway of the Heart. In a single of individuals tales, a 37-year-old businessman stated the drug gave him an abrupt openness to giving and receiving unconditional love and adoration. This patient stated several MDMA sessions saved his relationship together with his partner. The accrued grievances of the stormy five-year relationship paled into insignificance he stated.

Like a counselor, Metzner also favored the approach of supervising separate sessions with every partner, especially for brand spanking new explorers. Then your couple would take ecstasy not being watched. They may soon give up of therapy, he stated. Theyd say, We do not need you (the counselor) any longer. Now we understand how to discuss our difficulties.

Surveys of illicit drug abuse demonstrate that ecstasy (or at best pills around the underground community that tell you they are MDMA) remains a well known recreational high. So it is not difficult to find couples utilizing it for all sorts of reasons. One pair, aging seniors, sitting lower beside me one evening recently within their home in San Franciscos Noe Valley neighborhood. We sipped teas and spoken about how exactly the drug helps them with the pleasure and discomfort of 30 years of married existence.

MDMA was pivotal for all of us, stated the husband. It helped us survive some very hard occasions, just getting just a little oasis of enjoyment and pleasure.

Just finding yourself in that expansive, loving place, added the wife, trying and touching her partners hands. It really deepened our relationship.

They yet others observe that MDMA is much more of the love drug than the usual sex drug.

This couple also occur to act as psychotherapists. And both dream during the day once they could possibly legally use MDMA to assist their sufferers discuss difficult issues and discover possible ways to know their spouses, parents, children, and themselves.

That dream might be become a reality between the 2020s. Or it might not.

The majority of the numerous studies with MDMA are backed through the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a personal nonprofit research and lobbying group located in Santa Cruz. Its principal investigator, Dr. Michael Mithoefer, a Sc psychotherapist, is performing a brand new MDMA therapy study of couples by which one spouse continues to be identified as having Post traumatic stress disorder.

Ten couples are given MDMA-aided therapy, such as the person in the pair who doesn’t have a clinical diagnosis but is nonetheless experiencing problems connected using the psychosocial conditions of the partners condition.

Mithoefer stated the very first couplea man with Post traumatic stress disorder from child sexual abuse, and the wifehas completed joint therapy, and subsequently three couples is going to be treated in Feb and March. The month-lengthy treatment plan includes two MDMA sessions and utilizes a couples talk therapy technique produced by Dr. Candice Monson, a clinical psychiatrist and Post traumatic stress disorder expert at Ryerson College in Toronto, who’s dealing with Mithoefer.

Post traumatic stress disorder affects peoples relationships a lot that a great way to address it is inside the relationship, stated Mithoefer.

A lot of Mithoefers work nowadays involves training generation x of psychedelic therapists in separate programs operated by MAPS and also the California Institute of Integral Studies in Bay Area. A few of these therapists is going to be focusing on the ultimate phase of numerous studies that MAPS and also the Heffter Research Institute researchers are performing within the next couple of years with MDMA and psilocybin.

Mithoefer stated his office continues to be flooded with calls and emails from individuals and couples wishing to get involved with his Post traumatic stress disorder programs. Most who would like MDMA-aided therapy should be switched away. Its sad that we’re so limited with what give us a call now, he stated. But hopefully which will change.

Don Lattin may be the author of 5 books, including The Harvard Psychedelic Cluband also the forthcoming Changing Our Minds: Psychedelic Sacraments and the New Psychotherapy, which is printed in April. This story was initially printed californiamag.org

Find out more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marriage-is-driving-some-to-drugs-and-it-may-not-be_us_58a4e76ce4b0b0e1e0e20668?hgmvn8shvxkgctyb9&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

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pamphletstoinspire · 6 years ago

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THE FEAST OF THE ASCENSION by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1876

“And the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God.”–Mark xvi, 19.

“They going forth preached every-where, and the Lord working withal, confirming the word with signs that followed.”–Mark xvi, 20.

We should also imitate the Apostles and disciples in their gratitude; for if we reflect that we have been called to the true faith through no merit of our own, while the souls of millions who might have responded more fully to the grace of God, and availed themselves more frequently of the means provided by Him to help us on our heavenward way, are left in the darkness of error. What cause for thankfulness is the certainty that we are on the right path to salvation, and that if we really wish to attain it, we can do so through Jesus Christ our Lord. We should also thank God that we, as children of the true Church, may lead other souls thereto, and thus propagate His kingdom. There is no other way to heaven than that which Jesus trod, the way of struggle, labor, and toil, – of self-denial, mortification, and tears–no other way, in short, than the royal road of the holy cross.

Feast of the Ascension by Fr. Prosper Gueranger 1870

The sun of the fortieth day has risen in all his splendor. The earth, which shook with gladness at the Birth of our Emmanuel (Ps. xcv. xcvi. xcvii.), now thrills with a strange emotion. The divine series of the mysteries of the Man-God is about to close. Heaven has caught up the joy of earth. The Angelic Choirs are preparing to receive their promised King, and their Princes stand at the Gates, that they may open them when the signal is given of the mighty Conqueror's approach (Ibid. xxiii. 7). The holy souls, that were liberated from Limbo on the morning of the Resurrection, are hovering round Jerusalem, waiting for the happy moment when Heaven's gate, closed by Adam's sin, shall be thrown open, and they shall enter in company with their Redeemer: a few hours more, and then to Heaven! Meanwhile, our Risen Jesus has to visit His Disciples and bid them farewell, for they are to be left, for some years longer, in this vale of tears.

FEAST OF THE ASCENSION by Fr. Raphael Frassinetti, 1900

From: www.pamphletstoinspire.com

#feast of the ascension of jesus

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