#Jesus Christ like. love when women are killed simply for the crime of existing in wc

[artaintfartwarriors]

#moonlight #moonlight wc #tree’s roots #squirrelflight’s hope #the sisters #sisters #ghost #I have so many mixed feelings about her #like misandry to the next level what the hell #but she was RLY cool to squilf #but then she told squilf to abandon her son(s) simply for being a boy #which like. dude. cmon #but either way feelings aside her death was not fucking justified bramblestar I’m looking at you what the hell #‘they’re in our territory they have to leave raaaugh’ dude she’s gonna give birth any second now GIVE IT A MINUTE. #Jesus Christ like. love when women are killed simply for the crime of existing in wc

[controversial-blorbo-bracket]

Controversial Character Tournament Round 2: Light Yagami from Death Note vs Edelgard von Hresvelg from Fire Emblem: Three Houses

(remember that these characters are fictional and your fellow tumblr users are real. please be normal in the notes, i will not hesitate to block if you harass people)

Propaganda under the cut, may contain spoilers:

Light Yagami:

LOVE: - "He does some messed up things but have you considered: fucked up protagonists rock :)" HATE: - "this man makes me sick. ive genuinely had manic episodes over hating him. i have trauma from his existence in general. not even because of the murder. because hes a sexist cheater :(" - "My cousin and I frequently debate this. I think despite his 'intentions' he's ultimately a despicable character who cares for nobody but himself. She disagrees and says that he is just trying to do the right thing and making a difference in the world (she still thinks his actions are wrong, but she doesn't think he himself is despicable)" BOTH: - "I mean cmon man"

Edelgard Von Hresvelg:

LOVE: "People either claim she's the hero or the irredeemable villain with no in between. She's also my lovely wife who has never done anything wrong in her life." "I never even finished her route and remember nothing of what happens in that game but I DO remember the absolute warzone the fandom turned into because of her. She staged a coup and overthrew the head of the government/church and I think that's pretty cool of her. "But she committed war crimes!" God forbid women do anything." "I lied in the previous question. I don't hate her or love her in fact I have never even played this game. But I keep finding people making up Discourse™ featuring wild accusations of bigotry towards both Edelgard fans and Edelgard haters so I feel that she belongs here. (Also my friend hates her. but HER friend loves Edelgard. So even in my small social circle there is a clear polarization.)" "ok I don't have any solid propaganda because my opinion of her is more positive-neutral, but. she fits the spirit of this poll. trust me." "[three houses spoilers] Yes she started a war but it was the only apparent way to break the chokehold the church had over everyone in Fodlan. Also she’s the only lord you can gay marry so I’m hopelessly biased" "every time i go into the tag its either "edelgard is perfect no notes!!" or "edelgard is literally a fascist!!!". ive never seen someone with a neutral opinion of her. i yearn for battle." "I know very little about her to be quite honest! But good god. As a fire emblem fan for the GBA and engage. I have NEVER seen such a decisive character like Edelgard. Jesus Christ. I still find stuff in those tags. What the hell!!!" "I don’t even go to Fire Emblem but even I know that Edelgard has never done anything wrong, ever, in her entire life, and that if she did any war crimes they were a SUPER effective use of girl power. source: I am a lesbian. (realtalk I genuinely love a noble-minded extremist revolutionary and think Edelgard is a great character, so it’s kind of a shame that opinion on her seems to simply split down the line of “whether the person wants to kiss Edelgard or Dimitri more.”)"

HATE: "So on the one hand, she's fully willing to kill and burn and murder her way to a "better future" at the expense of the present, but on the other hand she's pretty cool and #girlboss. She's also a canon gay romance option, but idk if that makes her more or less problematic." "I just. I understand why people like her. I really do. And I don't have anything new to say for why I dislike her. Edelgard fans and stans have heard everything. She has great points and motivation, but her methods are wrong. She hitches her ideals to the first good opportunity and never reconsiders her allegiance when things go off the rails. She hates the church for "lying to people" and proceeds to lie to her own populace herself in her own route. She gives Claude an opportunity to live because she knows he believes in her goals. But Dimitri and his Kingdom are too beholden to the church to ever be offered such mercy. She herself acknowledges that the change she wants to see is more quickly enacted through war than subtle and slow societal change. She recognizes the human toll of her actions, but she justifies it through flowery language and an insistence that the change needs to happen now or it never will. I honestly find her so interesting, and I agree with a lot of her thoughts about the need for societal change in the world of FE:3H. But people latched onto her and propped her up as someone who can do no wrong. And that just never sat right with me. I just think she’s a hypocrite who got put in front of a shiny means to her end and was immediately blind to every other opportunity around her." BOTH: - "I dont even play fire emblem but I cant escape people not shutting up about how much they love or hate her" - "You said there were no hate answers for her...and I don't really hate her so it wouldn't be right but I wanted to balance things out some. She's the perfect storm of a character who sounds right and progressive and has a route all to herself that doesn't contradict that...but once you play other routes, it becomes clear she's kind of. full of misinformation. And attacking people who don't deserve it. Also a LOT of the divisiveness I'm willing to blame on the writers rather than her, for having her both be Evil Tyrant we NEED to take down and Sad Uwu Baby who just wants to eat cake and laze around and loves You the Player SO MUCH."

#poll #4 submissions #12 submissions #round 2 #yagami light #light death note #light yagami #death note #edelgard von hresvelg #fe3h edelgard #edelgard fire emblem #fe3h #fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem 3 houses

[musicgoon]

As a Father Shows Compassion to His Children: 10 Reasons Why the Atlanta Murders Resonated with Asian American Christians

To help give you more of my context, I am an adult male living in Southern California. My wife is Asian American, and we have two young sons. Our first son was adopted and he is Hispanic. Our second son was biologically born to us. I do not believe I faced extreme racism growing up and I do not believe I experience it now. I live in an area outside of Los Angeles called the San Gabriel Valley, and it is the largest concentration of Asian American communities in the United States. I attend First Chinese Baptist Church of Walnut, and we are a trilingual church with English, Mandarin, and Cantonese worship services.

While I have not experienced what I consider to be extreme racism, I do want to clarify that this does not mean it does not exist. Although I live in the San Gabriel Valley, home to the largest Asian population in the United States, there are still incidents of racism being reported.

Regarding the Atlanta Shootings and the Rise in Anti-Asian Sentiments

Pastor Hanley Liu and I got together on Zoom to process the recent shootings in Atlanta and talk about pastoring an Asian American church. Watch Part 1: Processing and Part 2: Pastoring on YouTube. This is a sensitive topic and an ongoing situation that we’re both still processing. Our prayer is that the church would be edified and Christ would be glorified with our conversation.

Pastor Hanley Liu then wrote and read a statement on behalf of my home church, FCBC Walnut, on that Sunday morning: Regarding the Atlanta Shootings and the Rise in Anti-Asian Sentiments. “For anyone struggling with fear, anger, or pain regarding the Atlanta shooting or the rise in anti-Asian sentiments, please reach out to our pastoral team. We will pray with you and walk with you. And ultimately, we will point you back to Christ, our Redeemer.”

Additional Resources from Asian America

Julius Kim, President of The Gospel Coalition, also wrote his Reflections on the Killings in Atlanta: “But until that day, I want to love those who are hurting, by listening to them and lamenting with them. I want to help my family, especially my daughters, see the beauty of Jesus, knowing that his perfect love casts out fear and worry.”

SOLA Network wrote: “Anger. Grief. Sadness. Helplessness. Fear. Asian Americans have felt a multitude of emotions from the violent attacks in Atlanta on March 16.″ Read our new article on Sharing Grief: A Statement from the SOLA Network on the Atlanta Shootings.

10 Reasons Why the Atlanta Murders Resonated with Asian American Christians

I’ve been thinking about why this situation has resonated so deeply with many in the Asian American community. Please note I am not trying to jump to conclusions. In my podcast with my Pastor, we both admit we don’t have all the details. But I hope to shed some light on what runs through our minds when things like this occur. Why does this event resonate so deeply with many in the Asian American community? I can think of at least 10 reasons.

First, this event comes almost immediately after reports of Anti-Asian hate crimes rose nearly 150% in major U.S. cities last year. Second, it comes while we are still battling the Coronavirus, and Asian Americans are being verbally and physically targeted. Third, the rise in attacks on elderly Asian Americans goes against a cultural consideration of specifically respecting and taking care of elders. Fourth, more are learning and speaking out about the history of racist fetishizing, sexualizing, and marginalization of Asian women. Fifth, this resonates with the rise of violence specifically against Asian American women. Sixth, the model minority myth is being challenged. Seventh, Asian Americans want to be accepted simply for being American. Eighth, there is a history of Asian Americans and Christianity, and this event intersects with both. Ninth, despite the history, Asian Americans are still perceived to be unwelcome in Christian churches. Tenth, Asian American Christians still believe in a future for the Asian American church, but events like this call for action.

As a Father Shows Compassion to His Children

I’ve often wondered about my sons who will have to grow up in this world. Will they have it harder? Will things get worse? How am I going to take care of them? As ethnic minorities, the thought does cross my mind. But to be sure, my primary identity is that I am a Christian. I denounce this type of violence, murder, and hatred as sin. And I affirm the value, worth, and dignity of every person. 

The preaching priority right now is to repent and believe for the Kingdom of God is at hand. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. While I don’t always understand or make sense of what is happening in the world, I believe that God holds it in his hands. And he holds us in his hands. I am united by the blood of Jesus to all of my brothers and sisters in Christ. We can find forgiveness and healing in the love of Jesus and the hope he brings. And our Father always takes care of his children.

An earlier version of this article was first shared in my newsletter. I want to send you all of the free eBooks I find on the Internet. Join my free newsletter for my book reviews, articles, ministry updates, and family life. Show your support and subscribe for free today.

#asian american #aapi #christianity #culture #racism

[kingdomofthelogos]

A Sanctuary from Sin

The Church is called to be a sanctuary from sin, not a harbor for sin. As Christians we are called to be born again as Children of God, not mere products of our passions. Furthermore, we must structure the church as a place where people clearly can see liberty from their sin.

In order to do this, we have to assert the truth of sin. Does Christ erase the existence of sin, or cleanse the sinners willing to receive His testimony and pursue Christlikeness? A good understanding of salvation and sanctification holds that sin and its temptations are threats to spiritual health. Sin is a serious problem, and it cannot simply be wished away with good will.  

We live in a culture that holds to a belief of “live your truth,” or “live out your passion.” This sounds simple and harmless, but there is a huge problem with this line of thinking that says “live your truth.” This notion fails to acknowledge the truth that we are all sinners, and need the power of God to be liberated from sin. Furthermore, if fails to acknowledge that there are real consequences to sin. We need to have a fixed standard for truth, and not leave truth up human impulse.

The entire myth that abortion is acceptable is centered around a modern luxury where actions do not have immediately visible consequences. We hide the brutal truth of abortion, or pretend that a God who sent His Son to die for others, that a God teaching there is no greater love than the love that leads one to lay down their life for another, that a God who chose to redeem degenerates and defectives would somehow find it acceptable to kill our own children if we consider the circumstances of their birth to be anything other than ideal. Our culture is built around hiding from the consequences of our actions, and its all a lie.

If your passion is to rob banks or commit violent crime, we can easily see that those are not good Yet, the hidden sins are equally destructive. If we are honest we will realize that our unregenerate passions are contrary to the call of God, and sometimes "our truth" is outright evil. We need to be transformed into Christlikeness so that the truth we live out is not of our own design, but instead it is of the design of God.

The truth of God is that He sent His Son to forgive us of our sins. The condition of humanity is to be a sinner, and this is true for every son of Adam and daughter of Eve. Everyone of us is born with an immovable sin. However, if we turn to God and accept the Testimony of Christ we can find forgiveness and be made new regardless of where we start in life.

The Truth of God is greater than the truth of a single man. It is greater than the truth of a collection of men. In fact, the truth of God cannot be compared to the unreliable truths emerging from the soul of sin.

Yet, once we have accepted Christ and begin the journey of sanctification, we will find ourselves being renewed day by day. We will find our minds being transformed and molded more and more into the image of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Galatians 4:8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. 9 Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again? 10 You are observing special days, and months, and seasons, and years. 11 I am afraid that my work for you may have been wasted. (NRSV)

Sin enslaves people, and its consequences are real. Despite the obvious ugliness of slavery, there are many people who desire to be slaves to sin. Our world sells a belief system that tells people it is ok to be enslaved to one’s own truth or desire. That you can only be fulfilled if you are living out your desires. This is quite tragic, because it is ultimately unfulfilling. The church must give people an alternative to where they can be relieved from the chaos of sin.  

The Consequences of Sin

Galatians 4:22-26 takes us to the story of Hagar, found in Genesis 16, where a child is born due to a direct lack of faith. Abraham and Sarah didn’t trust God’s promise to bring them a child, so they decided to live “their truth” and seek to fulfill themselves through a means other than God’s design. This created great suffering and caused chaos with no easy answer. If we look at the social dilemmas and injustices in this world, we will find that they are all consequences of sin.

Galatians 4:21 Tell me, you who desire to be subject to the law, will you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman. 23 One, the child of the slave, was born according to the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman, was born through the promise. 24 Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother. (NRSV)

The Galatians text uses the story of Hagar as a springboard for understanding our relationship to sin. Abraham made the decision to move outside of God’s design and have a child with Hagar, who was not his wife Sarah. Suffering immediately ensued. As soon as Sarah, Abraham’s wife, gave birth to her first child with Abraham, she was immediately displeased with the existence of Hagar and her child. Therefore, Hagar and her son Ishmael were thrown out into the wilderness.

Whenever people act outside of God’s design, suffering and chaos is brewing. God does not desire for us to life in suffering and chaos. Hagar is stuck in a difficult situation because of sin.

So how do we respond to these difficult situations? If you were asked by Hagar who her husband was, what would be your answer? If she asked you to take her home where would you take her? If she asked you to return Ishmael to his homeland where would you take him? There is no clean answer to these questions, because sin has complicated life.

God’s response is to redeem rather than condemn. Hagar and Ishmael were already condemned as they waited thirstily for a death of starvation in the wilderness. God came to them and blessed them with life and a promise to make a nation out of Ishmael. Despite the reality of sin, God came to pull Hagar and Ishmael out of the pits caused by sin.

There are many who are trapped in slavery to sin, where they have made covenants outside the design of God. Many people do not care to acknowledge the state of their soul. The church must want to pull people out of covenants of slavery and show them the liberating Gospel of Christ Jesus.

We as the church must be people pulling people out of these situations rather than advancing them. The church must be a sanctuary from sin, and this requires us to work with others to give them the hope found in Christ Jesus. Our world likes to be desperate and stay in the pits of life, but Christ wants to call us out of them.

#Sanctuary #Nazarene #Christian #Holiness #Church of the Nazarene #Pastor #Bible Study #Galatians #Faith

[thesoulpatch-blog1]

Intro to Spirituality

Spirituality is a complex word. It means many different things at once and is a concept that all of humanity must bear. We will never understand what it means in our lifetime, and likely not even in death. To me, spirituality is what makes one human. The fact that every man and woman has a spiritual experience in their time on Earth is what lets me know that we are equals. We’re one big school of fish. We’ll never escape the depths we dragged our spirits into in the world we created. We see massive amounts of violence, poverty, and hatred everywhere we look. Those things bear weight on our souls each and every day. But our souls can be uplifted just as easily through love and compassion from our neighbors. We cannot forget what love can do. We cannot forget to continue doing the uplifting things we do every day. But our world is ultimately attempting to kill spirituality, and thus kill every human to someday walk on this sacred ground. I think the time has come to focus on thwarting that plan.

Even some of the axioms of our culture have hateful implications. We assume pink is a girl’s color and boys can’t play with dolls. We tend to be confused when women have short hair. For some reason, a cop playing basketball with black children is worthy of going viral, met with sounds of praise for a cop who just wasn’t racist. Oh, look! A cop who likes black kids! See, now it’s okay that Tamir Rice died, because this other cop isn’t a racist. The problem isn’t racist cops, the problem is a racist assumption being made in the first place. For example, the assumption that a 12 year old black boy out late in the city must be committing crimes and so you pull a gun on him. I once lived with a black man from the Bay area who referred to being stopped by the police as “getting a WWB (Walking While Black).” He had been stopped and accused of crimes he did not commit multiple times while just walking down the street, and multiple more when behind the wheel. If you deny the reality of police bias, you are contributing to the racism ingrained in our society and thus our brains. We have willingly accepted these hateful assumptions as truth, and it has ruined us in so many ways. Our spirits are starting from square one at this point in history, but we can better things for the future. It begins with forgetting everything we know. We have lived in a world geared toward killing the spirit and we have believed in it. It’s time to begin being skeptical of the things we know. We can and must begin believing in something new. Whether it be Christ, Allah, or anything else, we’re all talking about the same thing. It’s love and compassion, and we can’t make any progress if we don’t believe in that.

Whether we like it or not, one of the world’s most drastic changes is coming. It is a very dark place we will enter. Perhaps the darkest of dark ages. There is a pool of ignorance that our nation is drowning in deeper than we can fathom. We are fooled constantly by those who have benefited and profited from our lack of awareness of the world around us. Americans have no say in many of the things they claim to be passionate about. We are so entitled that we take that entitlement as inherent. Entitlement has bred nationalism of a spectacular degree. Even those on the rational side of the aisle are there for the wrong reasons. So where do we go from here?

Firstly, we go spiraling downward into the abyss we have dug ourselves. Only when we reach the bottom can we search for materials to build our way out. When we each hit rock bottom after spending so much time in the clouds, the time of enlightenment will be upon us. It’s easy in a time like this to place blame elsewhere. Establishment, billionaire class, immigrants, Republicans, Democrats, terrorists, poor people, and most importantly, anyone but one’s self. But the (hopefully) temporary struggle of humanity is the fault of humanity itself, and no one person is absolved of blame. This chapter of our world’s timeline is the result of the entirety of that timeline so far. I don’t have to tell you the specific actions necessary to save yourself, because if you’re a positive contribution to the world that will rise from the ashes, you’ll simply know the right actions when they are upon you.

Preventing this disaster truly was as simple as doing the right thing, but rarely does the right thing feel good. In order to rebuild a world that we can all share peacefully, we all must do the right thing time and time again. That means hardship beyond the hardship. It means that when you go from having everything to having nothing to having a little, you must share what little you have with those who still have nothing, whether they had anything to begin with or not. Your personal window of opportunity may open long before many others, but you can’t go through it until it is big enough for everyone to come with you. There are some that will not understand this. They will try to climb the ladder out of the abyss before we have built a sturdy one. And they will likely fall to their death. We cannot create a world anything like this one if we hope for it to flourish. A world like our current one can only lead to the same demise we’re about to experience.

In this time of hardship, we only have each other. Those who wish to be saved will join a community of love and compassion for your fellow human and your planet, knowing that is the only true security where we’re heading. Those who are left behind will choose another path, and it is with great sorrow that we must condemn them. The rapture is coming, but it’s not as simple as the godly people disappearing to heaven one day. Heaven is earned, and heaven is achievable only in our hearts. Those who do not strive for a heavenly life for all are those who will be cast into eternal damnation. The simplest advice I can offer to save oneself is to begin to live with unconditional honesty, integrity, and to ask yourself at every turn: “What would Jesus do?” The answer is not as simple as we’d like to believe. But if we can apply that question to every aspect of the world around us and answer it honestly, then we will prosper as a species. The kingdom of heaven is upon us. We must come to truly know our souls to achieve it. But you won’t do that thumping a bible.

We intend to link the political and social aspects of our world to the concept of spirituality. Humanity is hurting because humanity stopped believing in itself. But the world that caused that phenomenon is about to be killed by the spirit. The spirit is complex. It holds immense power. The spirit is truly the greatest creation of the known universe. Whatever the spirit is, it is the answer to our existence. It is why we’re here. You cannot keep it at bay forever, and the time is coming for it to break its chains. These are not chains that have bounded us, but chains we have submitted to. We accepted hateful assumptions to be inherently true and allowed them to shape how society treats its members. The oppressed will not stay that way. Those who believe in the spirit will rise against those who beg for the chains; those are the people who believe we are evil creatures. But the spirit is good and only good. If you want to live life, actually live it, you will embrace the spirit. You will condemn the words of anyone who claims we need controlled to be good. Control and false truths have raped us. We have collectively lost what’s made us human.

I believe that all major events can be connected to the battle between the spirit and our current society. I think this point in time has identified three important players: The Spirit, The People, and The Enemy. The Spirit is what I've rambled about this whole time, and I hope I have conveyed what I believe it can be. The Enemy is any energy, idea, or life force that beats down the spirit and discourages its existence. The People are simply the prize to be won. Our physical being. We can be taken by The Spirit and allow real freedom for ourselves and our descendants, or we can watch The Enemy prevail and essentially, or literally, enslave the human population. Be honest with yourself and others, spread love everywhere you go, and learn everything you can. Times are changing, and we can only fix this place by doing the right thing every chance we get.

[abitoflit]

Jean Toomer’s Work

As were many of the authors that came before him, Jean Toomer was a product of his times. He, like many other writers, chose to relay his positions on political as well as social matters through the use of his work. However, unlike some of his contemporaries, Toomer, I feel, wrote in a more general sense of the plight of various groups. For example, Toomer often spoke of the plight of his own people- the African Americans- as well as that of women.

In “Karintha,” Jean Toomer paints the picture of a young girl, so beautiful, that she attracted the attention of many men, including those much older than she. These men lost interest in women their own age, on account of Karintha’s physical form, and like their younger counterparts, often counted down the days until Karintha was old enough to be bedded. For they wished to “ripen a growing thing too soon,” (Toomer 18). Each of these men, as well as those who knew of her, clothed Karintha in both an illusory mask and veil. Every living person who knew of Karintha glamorized her, which rendered them incapable of formulating a negative view of her and served to heighten her sense of beauty within each of their minds. Thus, even when she acted out, Karintha remained a “golden child” who could do no wrong in anyone’s eyes. Having spent the entirety of her life as an objectified individual, who could not be seen for her character, but only for what she was on the outside, Karintha grew into an individual who deemed her inherent worth as lying in nothing more than her looks. As a result, she “played home” and slept with many different men. She bore a child to one of them, and her “husbands” continued to bring her money. But none of these things brought Karintha any happiness; instead, she felt empty. Toomer claims that it’s because she has “the soul of… a growing thing ripened too soon,” (Toomer 19). In other words, because all of the men in her town kept Karintha from a “true childhood” on account of their endless and often explicit desire to possess her sexually, she grew to be an adult who could not appreciate anything. This stems in part from the fact that she simply didn’t understand the true meaning of a “home” or what it meant to have a family. By writing this work of fiction, Toomer is expressing how women are negatively impacted by their objectification by men.

In “Blood-Burning Moon,” Jean Toomer relates the story of how two men learn of the other’s interests in “their gal,” and then fight over her. On the surface, his tale seems like a simplistic story of a love triangle, broken into three numbered sections, (to represent the love triangle that exists within the story). However, I believe that the tale is far more complex than that, and is meant to be symbolic. Louisa is meant to represent something desirable, or the rights that may be awarded to any group of people. Bob is meant to represent all whites, and Tom, all blacks. Bob’s last name, Stone, may be reflective of the fact that many of the whites that lived within America during the early 20th century, (when Toomer wrote his work), were unwavering in their convictions, like stone. While the blacks should have been gaining ground, (on account of legislation such as the Emancipation Proclamation), the whites were preventing them from doing so with the Jim Crow laws, numerous murders, etc. Frustrated with their treatment, the blacks, or “Tom,” fought back against his oppressors, the whites, (AKA Bob). In order to “fight back,” Tom gets into a physical altercation with Bob over Louisa, and manages to wound him; but, Bob escapes and relates what happened to his fellow white man. A mob forms, and they capture Tom. He is bound to a stake. “His breast was bare. Nails scratches let little lines of blood trickle down and mat into the hair,” (Toomer 27). Then, Tom is burned for his crime of harming a white male.

The instant I read of the manner of Tom’s death, I began to think of how Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross. Christ died so that man may be relieved of his sins, and was considered by members of many major world religions to be a martyr after the time of his death. I believe that Toomer uses similar images to describe the manner of Tom’s death within “Blood-Burning Moon,” because he knows that they are easily recognizable, and will most likely cause his readers to think of the manner in which Christ was killed by Pontius Pilate. In so doing, Jean Toomer relates Tom’s death to a martyr, demonstrating how the character was meant to express how many African-Americans have become martyrs on account of their beliefs, and have died in their attempt to obtain the rights that they not only desire, but deserve to have as well.

Jean Toomer’s poem entitled “Harvest Song,” reminded me of a pantoum, since the lines repeat themselves rather frequently. However, it isn’t one, since the lines are grouped into couplets, instead of quatrains. When a reader first uncovers the work, it may appear rather straightforward if one were to take it simply at its face value. Clearly, the poem is telling the story of a tired reaper, who suffers from a dry throat and hunger. While it is true that many slaves and field hands were underfed, and therefore, malnourished, I doubt that Toomer’s poem was meant to be so simplistic. By saying “my throat is dry,” or “I hunger,” I believe that Toomer is referring to how a person thirsts or longs for certain things. Given the context of the poem, I would guess that the poem is meant to reflect the fact that many African-Americans long for something more in their lives- better food, a new way of life, knowledge, etc. Furthermore, it is meant to relate how they have grown tired of the way they’ve been made to toil in the fields and the status quo, and desire something more, or at least, something different.

In “Song of the Son,” Jean Toomer appears to be saying that out of adversity, (in this case slavery), new life and opportunity may grow. By writing, “one plum was saved for me, one seed becomes/An everlasting song,” (Toomer 367), he is expressing his belief that there may be hope for the future. Although the history of the African-American people has been fraught with social injustice, many of those who came before him have fought against this injustice, and planted the seeds that will allow for Toomer and future generations to have a better life; a new life, which is unlike that of their ancestors.

In “Cotton Song,” Jean Toomer at first, relates the hard work that slaves performed in the cotton fields. When he writes, “shackles fall upon Judgment Day,” (Toomer 367), it appears as though he is relating his belief that the slaves will be rewarded after the time of their death. Due to the many social injustices that they faced in the form of slavery, and given all of the hard work they carried out without pay, the black race will be rewarded on judgment day. When they stand before god, they will be awarded with life in heaven, on account of their miserable existence on Earth. However, a second thread runs through the poem, describing how they shouldn’t wait. I’m far more unsure of my analysis of this poem than Toomer’s other works, but if I had to guess, I imagine he is suggesting that African-Americans seek their reward prior to their death. In other words, they should try to find their “heaven on earth,” and their own form of happiness, long before they are awarded with life in paradise after their death.

Work Cited:

Chapman, Abraham. “Blood-Burning Moon.” Black Voices: An Anthology of African-

American Literature. New York: Signet Classics, 1968. 19-27. Print.

Chapman, Abraham. “Cotton Song.” Black Voices: An Anthology of African-

American Literature. New York: Signet Classics, 1968. 367-368. Print.

Chapman, Abraham. “Harvest Song.” Black Voices: An Anthology of African-

American Literature. New York: Signet Classics, 1968. 365-366. Print.

Chapman, Abraham. “Karintha.” Black Voices: An Anthology of African-American Literature. New

York: Signet Classics, 1968. 17-19. Print.

Chapman, Abraham. “Song of the Son.” Black Voices: An Anthology of African-

American Literature. New York: Signet Classics, 1968. 367. Print.

#short story #poems #writing #literature #jean toomer #african american literature #karintha #song of the son #harvest song #cotton song #toomer #reading

[republicstandard]

A Logical and Biblical Refutation of John Piper’s Ethno-Masochism

The recent 50-year anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia case has renewed the discussion about interracial marriage, and how far America has come. In particular, renowned theologian John Piper wrote a piece concerning the topic and encouraging white Christians to marry and have children with Christians of other races. After reading the article I felt compelled to write a point-by-point response, mainly for my own benefit and peace of mind.

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This article is best read as a companion to Piper's, which can be found here. All below quotes from John Piper come from this article and are marked in bold font.

After a brief introduction, Piper states, "God’s revealed will for the world is not undermined but advanced when a man and a woman from different ethnicities marry in Christ...Against all of these objections, I believe it is as important as it ever has been that Christians settle it in their minds that interracial marriage in Christ is not only a beautiful picture of Christ’s marriage to his church, but also a flesh-and-blood incarnation of the unity Christ achieved by his death and resurrection."

He continues to cover the reasons he believes the above statements, which I will get to in time. Before I do however, I would like to note that in these statements Piper has shown his thinly veiled "Hybrid Supremacy", and preference to mixed couples over homogeneous ones. This means that if you are a white person and you choose to wed another white person that you are not advancing God's "revealed will for the world" and not creating a beautiful picture of Christ's marriage to the church, or at least one not quite as beautiful. His statements reflect his belief that while a Christian who marries within their race is not exactly sinning, they could (and should) have a mixed marriage in order to advance God's will. His point is that if you are not willing to have your children mate with an children of another ethnic group then you will be distanced from them, and as a result not be able to witness to them. Would he bring this same argument to the many missionaries who sacrificed their lives, sometimes literally, to preach to the unreached tribes in the far corners of the Earth? Piper says "For all these reasons, Christians of every race should search their hearts and search the Scriptures, and bring their hearts, by the power of God’s Spirit into line with God’s word."

In short, his message for all of you whites with a white spouse, fiancé, boyfriend, girlfriend, or would prefer a white spouse for your children is this: That's not very Christian of you.

This kind of heretical rhetoric must be condemned in the strongest way possible.

Here are his five points on why you should race-mix, and refutations for each of them (number 5 will shock you!).

“1. The biblical description of how so-called racial differences emerged from one pair of human beings, Adam and Eve, shows that interracial marriage does not contradict God’s purpose for diversity in this world and the next.”

Piper states that God's plan for humanity involves "ethnic diversity" and that having many different types of human brings more glory to God than if everyone was the same. His reference is the verse in Revelation that states there will be people of every tribe, tongue, and nation in Heaven. I have always understood that verse means salvation is offered to all peoples, not that God requires us to be as different as possible. There is no reason why the existence of different languages and races in Heaven is a reason to destroy your own, or merge it with a vastly different one.

The story of Creation, of Adam and Eve, and all humans beings descended from that pair is more of a curse to Mr. Piper's beliefs than a boon. Since all humans came from the same place there is no excuse for the abject desolation the Africans have been subjecting their people and continent to. It means that any disparity, mentally or morally, between the races is solely the fault of that race and their ancestors. Moreover, simply because a species starts in the same place, doesn't mean each branch finishes the same. Dogs are a perfect example of this. Different breeds of dog are genetically viable with each other, and all fall under the umbrella of Canis familiaris, but I doubt you would find many people who think a Shih Tzu and a Tibetan Mastiff would make a good mix. This is the logical conclusion of Piper's virtue signalling piety.

The next point is a silly and confusing argument that totally misrepresents the point of view of someone who prefers not to race mix. He says that because Noah's three sons did not have distinct and well-defined races, and because their children intermarried, that the very concept of race is fluid and without boundaries. Piper is taking a unique time in very early Biblical history when all of "diversity" was literally three men and saying that because they were similar enough to mix that we should do the same now. The fundamental misunderstanding that Mr. Piper has shown through this argument is that a people's genetic makeup remains unchanging throughout history. Put simply, as time goes on, certain genetic lines are purged from the group because those people possess undesirable traits. That could mean traits that get them killed before they can reproduce -either by the state or other violent humans- or traits that make them unattractive to potential mates, or only attract low quality mates. Over time a people is refined and traits deemed negative -in strictly evolutionary terms- are expunged from the gene pool. At the same time, positive traits mean an individual is more likely to get a quality mate. A good example of this is can be seen in how well Africans preform in Olympic sprinting verses swimming events. The list of world record holders of one of theses events is very black and the other is very white. Be honest, you already know which is which. The environment and people of Africa allowed for fast runners to prosper, thus propagating that specific gene and changing the African's genetic makeup.

Add to this knowledge the fact that nearly every aspect of our lives including intelligence, culture, and temperament can be linked to genetics and mate selection, and you should start to think about what 2,000 years of Christianity has done for Europeans, and what 10,000+ years of animism has done for Africans.

“2. The Bible forbids intermarriage between believer and unbeliever — not between races or ethnic groups.”

If the Bible verses in the Old Testament about not intermarrying were really about protecting religious purity and not racial purity, then they would say, "Don't intermarry with other nations, unless they convert." But they don't. They just say, "Don't intermarry" and leave no allowance for converts. Deuteronomy 7 does give further reasoning by saying that foreigners will turn your children against God, but there are many more verses that do not give that reasoning and simply state that marrying outside the group is negative.

For example: “And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord...” (Ezra 10:2-3)

Surely some of the offspring of the interracial marriages should be able to stay, right? Why weren't they given the same chance of repentance as the rest of the Israelites? Verses 18-44 of the same chapter offer a list of the sons of priests that are guilty of intermarriage. Their crime was so significant that it has been listed as God's word to be read throughout eternity. The last verse mentions that some of these foreign wives had even borne children, as if to add to the severity of the offense.

As for the story of Ruth, Piper does not notice a very specific and significant verse in Deuteronomy. Chapter 23:3 states, “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever”. I find it difficult to believe that Ruth was a Moabite since she was three generations away from David and four from Solomon, which would bar both from entering the Temple. The more likely interpretation is that Ruth was an Israelite living in Moab.

“3. In Christ, our oneness is profound and transforms racial and social differences from barriers to blessings.”

For this point Piper brings out the big guns, the oft quoted Colossians 3:11 which, along with Galatians 3:28, is a favorite of the left and egalitarians.

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. " Galatians 3:28

What these verses are referring to is the shared connection all believers have in Christ, and that all believers are valuable in the eyes of God. It does not mean that we need to abolish all differentials between believers. If this verse can be used to endorse interracial marriage, then it can be used justify homosexual marriage as well. Piper does not argue this point -although many leftists do- instead he goes even further. What Piper is saying is that these differences (Jew/Gentile, Male/Female, free/slave), become blessings in Christ. Which, ironically, might be a case against the abolition of slavery. You wouldn't want to get rid of that blessing among believers, would you?

4. God severely disciplined the critics of one interracial marriage.

Piper brings up Moses and his wife Zipporah, who is often thought to have been black. While there are many different views on the subject of Moses' wife, including the fact her father was a priest of Midian (Exodus 18:1, Genesis 25:1-2, related through Abraham), my main contention is that Piper's interpretation misplaces the sins of Miriam and Aaron. In the very next verse,

Numbers 12:2,8-9 shows what God was so angry about: "And they (Aaron and Miriam) said, 'Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?' And the Lord heard it...'With him (Moses) I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?' And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.”

The Lord was clearly angry that Miriam and Aaron were speaking out against Moses, and by proxy, against The Lord. If God was really so concerned about racism, why did he not even mention it after going through all the trouble of coming down as a pillar of cloud and handing out free leprosy? Piper states that God was not pleased with the criticism of Moses marrying a Cushite, but completely fails to mention that God's wrath was directed at them for trying to usurp his prophet. And to imply that Miriam was punished with leprosy for her "white supremacy" is completely ridiculous. Honestly, how tan do you think people living in ancient Egypt were? "White supremacy” did not even existed as a concept in those days. In-group preference is not a sin. Were all the founding fathers sinning when they only allowed white men to vote? Why do the following verses seem to condone treating people of other races and tribes differently?

Hosea 5:7

They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord; for they have borne alien children. Now the new moon shall devour them with their fields.

Nehemiah 10:30

We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.

Genesis 28:1

Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women."

Nehemiah 13:3

As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.

Deuteronomy 23:3

No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever...

Leviticus 19:18-19

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.

So we’re left with a nice list consisting of discrimination, segregation, and anti-miscegenation. “Racism” is not listed as an act punished by God, but endorsed or even commanded by Him, even though it goes against our modern culture.

Weird, I’ve never seen anything like that before.

“5. In Christ, the good effects of interracial marriage are worth the challenges it can bring.”

John Piper: "Will it be harder to be married to another “race” than to your own? Will it be harder for the children? Maybe. Maybe not. But since when is that the way a Christian thinks?"

Will it be harder to be married to someone HIV positive?

Will it be harder to be married to a transitioned transvestite?

Will it be harder to be married to someone with Downs? With Autism? With Tay-Sachs?

Will it be harder to be married to a pedophile? Will it be harder for the children?

Will it be harder for the children? Since when is that the way a Christian thinks? Since when did Christians care about their children? What a contemptuous viewpoint to have! Why on God's green Earth would Christians want what's best for their children? How hard does Christ want us to make our lives? How far should we go? Why not voluntarily blind yourself?

"It’s hard to take a child and move into a diverse neighborhood where he may be teased or ridiculed."

Let’s be honest, that’s probably only true if he's white in modern America.

"It’s hard to help a child be a Christian in a secular world where his beliefs are mocked."

It's a lot easier in a Christian world or nation, which is why our ancestors fought to create one.

"It’s hard to raise children when dad or mom dies or divorces."

Immensely difficult, which is why you should do everything in your power to prevent that, right?

"Whoever said that marrying and having children was supposed to be trouble free? It’s one of the hardest things in the world. It just happens to be right and rewarding."

So why is Mr. Piper trying to make it even more difficult? The level of difficulty does not align with the level of righteousness.

Piper says, "Who knows what blessings through pain God may have in store? Interracial marriage has an amazing potential for great joy and peace...Over time the suspicions and prejudices and hostilities die away, and something beautiful is born: reconciliation and respect and harmony, spreading out beyond the marriage in ways no one thought possible."

Sure, the genetic disorders aren't optimal, but everyone will be so much more respectful of the autistic if you have children with them! At this point, I would doubt your salvation if you aren't willing to marry someone who would add the most suffering to your life and the life of your kids. Since when do Christians think of their children? The very idea is absurd.

Give it all up for the vain, untested hypothesis that people won't be as bigoted anymore.

"The once-angry father now views all his ethnic colleagues at work differently."

What’s that? You're not willing to potentially sacrifice your relationship with your father to alleviate him of his mortal sin of not liking black people?

As for the positive effects, can they really be that great if 97% of Black fathers who have children with White women are not active in their children’s lives? Should Asian people also be compelled to mix with white, knowing the children of this coupling are twice as likely to suffer mental illness?

(You can read more about these statistics, and other studies, here.

Concluding Remarks

John Piper finishes, "The freedom and the beauty and peace of interracial marriage..." the same one that is significantly more likely to end prematurely and, in Piper's words, will bring you "pain", "...is one ray of the glory of Christ that should be shining from this new humanity — this “chosen race” — which Jesus Christ died and rose again to create."

And just as Christ modeled his marriage to the church, so should you model your painful marriage with a disabled man of any race other than your own. And when it hurts, just remember that all the pain means you're doing the right thing. He's a Christian after all, that negates all other factors, and you have to keep creating the "chosen race"! Which speaking of, why not preach this message of love and tolerance among the "bigots" in Israel, Mr. Piper?

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I'm not sure what possessed Piper to write this article and take the unbiblical and hateful stance on race that he has. Maybe he looked at history and saw an image of The Church as pale as the White Cliffs of Dover and thought to himself, "Heaven doesn't need any more white Christians, it's clearly got enough."

Matthew 15:8-9 “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

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[romancatholicreflections]

7th May >> Sunday Homilies and Reflections for Roman Catholics on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Cycle A

Gospel text : John 10:1-10 vs.1 Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. vs.2 The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; gate o sheepoldvs.3 the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. vs.4 When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. vs.5 They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.” vs.6 Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them. vs.7 So Jesus spoke to them again: “I tell you most solemnly, I am the gate of the sheepfold. vs.8 All others who have come are thieves and brigands; but the sheep took no notice of them. vs.9 I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. vs.10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.” ********************************** We have four sets of homily notes to choose from. Please scroll down the page for the desired one. Michel DeVerteuil : A Trinidadian Holy Ghost Priest, Specialist in Lectio Divina Thomas O’Loughlin: Professor of Historical Theology, University of Wales. Lampeter. John Littleton: Director of the Priory Institute Distant Learning, Tallaght Donal Neary SJ: Editor of The Sacred Heart Messenger ******************************************************* Michel de Verteuil Lectio Divina with the Sunday Gospels – Year A www.columba.ie General comments According to the liturgical tradition, the gospel reading on the fourth Sunday of Easter speaks about Jesus as shepherd, which is the theme of chapter 10 of St John’s gospel. This theme is dealt with in several sections or “movements”, as is often the case in this gospel. One movement is read on this Sunday each year of the three year cycle; this year we read the first movement. Jesus good shepShepherd is one of the biblical titles for a leader, a memory of the days when the Jews were sheep rearing nomads. The passage therefore invites us to celebrate people who have “shepherded” us by touching our lives, some through direct contact, others from reading about them or hearing their stories. We remember, too, great world leaders, in modern times or in the past, and recognise that they were the presence of Jesus in the world, “shepherding” the human family. The passage can also be an examination of conscience on how we are fulfilling our vocation as parent, teacher, guide, friend, or leader in the church community. Actually, the shepherd theme (or “parable”, as it is called in verse 6) is only in verses 1 to 5. In verses 7 to 10 Jesus speaks of himself as “the gate”. The special characteristic of good shepherds is brought out in the passage in the relationship of trust between them and the sheep. They are trusting and in turn they inspire trust in those whom they lead. This wonderful quality – so rare in our experience – is expressed in a series of images, each of which can touch us deeply. The shepherds “enter the sheepfold through the gate”, they are not devious; they “call the sheep by name” – no haranguing; they “go ahead of the sheep” – no looking back to see if they are being followed. The sheep “know the voice” of the shepherd; their relationship is almost instinctive, of the heart. The image of the gate is not as well known as that of the shepherd and is more difficult to enter into, but if we make the effort it can be very touching. Leaders who are like a gate are the opposite of possessive; they are content to be the humble instruments through which others can “go freely in and out”, making their own way to “life to the full”. A wonderful picture indeed of great parents, teachers, community leaders and friends. Prayer Reflection mandela Lord, we remember with gratitude the great people we have known, in the world and in our country: teachers, fellow workers, community leaders, parents, grandparents, uncles or aunts, elder brothers or sisters. We remember how they came to us openly, without pretense, passing through the open gate. We knew immediately it was someone who understood us, a voice we had always longed to hear. We felt we were being called one by one, each by name. They said what they had to say and went ahead, not looking back suspiciously to make sure we were following, and we did follow because we knew we were not with a stranger. Lord, we ask you to bless leaders in our country and in the world. Give them today the grace to look into their hearts and ask themselves are they real shepherds of the flock. Have they come openly through the gate like shepherds, or deviously like thieves? Have they come to give life or to steal, kill and destroy? Do they speak a foreign language that the sheep cannot recognise so that they naturally run away from them? Do they take the trouble to know their sheep so that they can call them out one by one, by their own names? Is their relationship with people one of trust, freeing them to go ahead of the flock, or must they always be looking back, wondering if they are being followed? Lord, we ask you today to send us many good priests, religious and lay leaders, men and women who will be like a gate to a sheepfold, without the slightest trace of possessiveness, happy to be a passageway through which many will pass freely and live life to the full. Lord, we pray for the Church as it emerges among the ancient cultures of Asia, Africa and Latin America, as it exists side by side with other faiths. We pray that we may not be envious of things that others have and we don’t, that we may never be destructive or the cause of people or institutions dying, but rather that we may be true shepherds whose only concern is that people may have life to the full. Lord, we pray for our Church which is experiencing a bad patch in our history, one of pain, scandal and betrayal of trust by some of our leaders. Help us to relearn to trust in emerging good leaders who are of trying to guide us as Jesus did. ************************************************** Thomas O’Loughlin Liturgical Resources for Lent and Easter www.columba.ie Introduction to the Celebration Who do we follow? This is the question that today’s gospel puts before us. Many of us would like to think that we follow no one, that we make our own decisions and choose our own paths. Yet, our experience tells us that we are often led — look at advertising— and often led astray: look at how many brigands have incited human beings so that the worst of crimes and destruction have been justified? But the choice of Christ as our shepherd is the choice to bear witness to the victory of life, and love, and forgiveness over the forces of death, domination, and vengeance. So where do we stand in terms of calling ourselves disciples? Homily Notes 1. In many places this is ‘Recruitment Sunday’: ‘we need priests because without priests there will be no Mass – so if there are some generous, unmarried men in the congregation, why not join up now!’ However, whether or not such appeals have any effect, it is best to avoid the whole topic as it abuses the liturgy by turning the moment in the assembly’s week when its president is charged with helping his brothers and sisters reflect on the mystery of Christ into an advertising slot. Preaching is a sacred task and no other end, however noble, can justify replacing the Sunday homily with a piece of promotional work. 2. Since the gospel text is opaque, and the use of allegory as its key usually results in something that is little more than a free association of ideas, it is worth inviting people to explore the dynamic underlying Luke’s ‘sermon’ in Acts, for this brings us face-to-face with what the evangelist saw as the kernel of the Christian vocation. So instead of a formal discourse, invite the assembly to work through the text meditativly, noting its main features. 3. The text can be conceived as trinitarian in structure. It sup­poses that the kerygma’s audience, both the audience described in the text and the text’s audience, begin from a position of belief in God who has brought them into existence, sent them his revelation, and exercises a providential care for them. This is the starting point of faith in God, who once the Son has been recognised will be acknowledged as Father; and with it goes a recognition of human need and incompleteness. This notion of providential care and the human predicament of sin is clearer when the whole text of Acts 2:14-41 is read – which could be summarised in a few words. Voc SunThe Father has sent us, his children, his Son. Then we are given a list, of sorts, which set out what we receive through Jesus and his victory over death – we should note that Luke locates his sermon in the context of Easter, the Paschal mystery, and its proclamation: – Jesus’s life, death and resurrection reveal the life of God; – through Jesus we are remade as a community: the People of God; – Jesus calls us to share in his Paschal Mystery and to enter his communion in baptism; and – Jesus draws us to repentance, a new vision, a new lifestyle. We as baptised people have received the gift of the Spirit. We are those ‘whom the Lord our God will call to himself’. 4. Such a recollection of the structure of the Paschal Mystery is appropriate to Eastertime. Moreover, the text of Acts lends itself to this narration of ‘the wonderful act of God’ which every Sunday Eucharist celebrates. A fitting conclusion to a homily whose style is a meditative pondering of a text is to simply read the final sentence of this section of Acts 2:42, which Luke imagines as the on-going effect in the hearers’ lives of their conversion on the day of Pentecost (the verse that opened the reading on Second Sunday of Easter), and this makes a good transition, after some moments of silence, to the recitation of the Creed. ********************************************************** John Litteton Journeying through the Year of Matthew www.Columba.ie Gospel Reflection There are several reasons for the lack of interest in priesthood as a way of life. Among them is undoubtedly the model of priesthood that is currently practised. Obligatory celibacy is another reason. But the most serious reason is the growing secularisation of society and the consequent absence of faith from the lives of many people. In general, society has become more overtly materialistic and individualistic. Attentiveness to sacred and religious matters has waned. The Church is perceived to be a remnant from the past that has little or no relevance now. In such a situation, the significance of priesthood becomes meaningless. So it is not surprising that fewer men seriously consider being a priest. A priest is a man who, having already been baptised, receives the sacrament of holy orders when the bishop ordains him. The priest is ordained to serve as a spiritual leader of God’s people in the local church. He imitates Jesus the Good Shepherd. This means that his essential role is to form and support a Christian community based on the proclamation of God’s word and the celebration of the sacraments. In particular, the priest presides at formal gatherings for worship, especially the celebration of the Eucharist. Thus he facilitates people in the expression and nurturing of their relationships with God. What, then, distinguishes the ordained (or ministerial) priest from the priesthood of other members of the Church? The essential nature of ordained priesthood that distinguishes it from baptism is that the ordained priest acts ‘in the person of Christ’ (in Latin: in persona Christi) or stands in the place of Christ, especially when he presides at the celebration of the Mass and when he absolves sin. This is not to deny Christ’s presence in the people assembled. Crucially, ordination to the priesthood brings about a change in the character of the man being ordained. This means that the priest, whose person is conformed or moulded to Christ, becomes ‘another Christ’ (in Latin: alter Christus). The priest is called to imitate the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his flock. The priest is charged with the task of knowing, loving and caring for those who have been entrusted to his pastoral care. Being a priest can sometimes be difficult. This is not to suggest that other vocations, for example, to married life or to religious life, have no problems. They most certainly do. The life of a priest requires faith, permanent commitment, prayer and humility. It is about self-sacrifice and total service of God and his people. But it is also a rewarding and fulfilling way of life. Priests share in and help to make sense of the joyful and sad occasions in people’s lives. They regularly have opportunities to share Christ’s healing and life-giving power with people so that life can be more meaningful. They teach people to be faithful to the Good News so that they are like sheep who follow Jesus the Lord who is the Good Shepherd. signs of timesNo priest is perfect. Like all people, priests are always being called to conversion. We live in a society where confusion abounds and in a Church where many members are disillusioned. We need priests today more than ever because our world is crying out for signs of hope and God’s presence in many situations that have become distressing and futile. There is still much work to be done in building the kingdom of God in our world. Priests are absolutely necessary for this task. It is time for us to pray more fervently for the priests that we have and for more vocations to the ordained priesthood. It may even be time for some of us to consider pursuing the priestly vocation or, perhaps, re-imaging the model of priesthood. For meditation I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full. (Jn 10:10) Lord, give us all a new heart and new spirit Lord, give us all a new heart and new spirit ********************************************************* Fr Donal Neary, S.J Gospel Reflections for the Year of Matthew www.messenger.ie Follow in Love The first big moment of vocation is baptism. The anointing of chrism at baptism might be called the anointing for vocation. The baptismal vocation is for witness, love and service. This is expressed in ways in which people live out their baptism in married life, single life – and within the single life, maybe religious life or priesthood. Our active witness is to the life and the values of Jesus in our lives. Teaching is not itself a vocation, for example, but the way we teach is a way of living out our vocation. It is the same with many of the helping professions and employments. Being a good neighbour can be a living out of our vocation. We witness to love in marriage, in family, extended family, and in friendship. Any love is a sharing in the love of God. In the moments of unselfish love in any relationship we are living out our vocation. When we love, we are doing God’s will! We witness to service in the wider world in our care for the poor and in welcoming the stranger. In a place of silence, let the words ‘Come, follow me‘ echo in your mind and heart. Lord, be with me as I offer myself in partnership with you to work in your world. ****************************

[mayorgalvan]

Switzerland`s Nazi Templar Banks 1:09:33 / 1:31:48Switzerland`s Nazi Templar Banks chatzefratzSubscribe9,637Add to Share More39,614 views283 39ShareEmbedEmail Start at: Published on Apr 19, 2013SWITZERLAND THE HEART OF FASCISMCategoryLicenseCreated usingSource videosNews & PoliticsStandard YouTube LicenseYouTube Video EditorView attributionsSHOW LESSCOMMENTS • 180 Add a public comment...Top comments Dannunaki3 years agoYou should look up Brown Brothers, Prescott Bush, Union Banking Corporation, Harrimans, Silesian Steel Company, I.G. Farben, The Du Ponts, and the Rockefellers, Max and Paul Warburg, The Rothschilds, and The Crown Corporation of London. There is a whole lot of shady business going on there.Reply 7   jleetxgirl1 year agoDude, what the heck kind of camera is that?  That zooooommmm is fantastic!Reply 4   show us yr PAPERS shnel1 year agoyeah it isReply   Johnny Draco6 months agoFor a guy with no job and money he sure has the best camera. Are you thinking???Reply   Hans Muller2 years agoVery few realize that Rome is secretly United with the Illuminati, Masonry, Communism, Zionism and their subsidiaries to control Banking and world Commerce. They also use the media to manipulate almost everyone on earth. The net result, One church and One world government. Both historically and prophetically, the Whore of Revelation 17.5-6 is our enemy. Satan uses the Vatican to orchestrate our destruction. (Rev. 18.2-3.) Wake up people!!! You have been warned!!! The only hope is Jesus Christ. (John 14.6.)Reply 3  View all 7 replies Hans Muller1 year agoTrue believers in Christ Must wake up, sound the alarm to other Christians about the Ecumenical take-over.... God bless!!!Reply   Hans Muller1 year agoThe Great Whore of Revelation 17:5(The satanic Vatican) Rules the world.But Jesus will destroy very soon this evil and wicked organization.(Rev.19:2.) Her days are numbered!!!( Rev.20:10.) He that hath ears to hear,let him hear.Reply   Mykey Hexadelic1 year ago#Zionist, NOT Nazi. There is a major difference.Reply 2  View all 3 replies Tetractys Merkaba5 months agoYes. Unlike Nazism, Zionism is a peaceful philosophy.Reply 1   Oz5 months agoSUREReply   Michael Aebi1 year agoTHE CRIMINAL FASCIST SWISS NAZI PIG REGIME-NATION - PEOPLE COMMIT TILL TODAY 2015 THE PSYCHO - HORROR OF DR. MENGELE -NAZI CRIME AND  CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY-HUMAN RIGHTS.....THEY ARROGANTLY IGNORE ALL NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LAWS  (GENEVER CONVENTION-NUERNBERG CODE - UNITED NATION CARTA)  THEY RUN A SILENT PSYCHO HOLOCAUST - CLEANSING - EUGENICS - ZERSETZUNG - GENOCIDE ON AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE AND COVER IT UP WITH THERE VIGILANTY-SELECTIVE JUSTICE SYSTEM.....THIS IS THE BIGGEST  "GULAG " THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN..........THEY LOST REALITY......THEY HAVE LOST CREDIBILITY  IN THE EYES OF THE CITIZENS OF THIS WORLD.......THEY HAVE SURPAST THE CRUELTY-CRIMES OF THE NAZI-SS-GESTAPO-STASI REGIMES.......THIS SWISS-SUISSE-SVIZZERA IS THE MOST DANGEROS TOTALITAERIAN  "SCHURKENSTAAT " THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN........READ MY WEBSITE: www.thehuntedhuntthehunter.wordpress.com.....AND MY TIMELINE ON FACEBOOK.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Read moreReply 2   Michael Aebi1 year ago+Michael Aebi THIS CRIMINAL COUNTRY CALL FAKE ILLEGAL   "SWITZERLAND  " COMMIT SINCE 60 YEARS A NAZI-GESTAPO-SS-STASI " SILENT HOLOCAUST.....THEY MURDERED MY FATHER....THEY USE MY FAMILY  TO COMMIT THERE   "PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH" DR. MENGELE CRIMES ......CLEANSING-EUGENICS FANATIC NAZI CRIMES AND GENOCIDE ON AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE......THIS IS THE WORST CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY-HUMAN RIGHTS ...THIS IS MURDER OF INNOCENT CITIZENS........THIS IS THE REALITY OF THE   "MIGHTY" SWITZERLAND....THIS IS THE ACHIEVEMENT OF A TOTALITAERIAN REGIME.IDEOLOGY-DOCTRINE...........CRIMINAL SWISS REGIME.......I WILL TEAR DOWN YOUR DIRTY  "VEIL".......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Read moreReply 2   Michael Aebi1 year ago+BlueSwimmer I LIKE YOUR OUTBURST.....INFORM YOURSELF....EDUCATE YOURSELF...Reply   America Owns The Internet1 year agoand THE LESSON TODAY IS,... CONSPIRACY NUTS ARE ACTUALLY nuts. LOL Haven't laughed like this for agesReply 2   Bad times1 year agoDefenitly lol but the footage is great and the Swiss are great! Love looking at historyReply   hexum71 year ago+Ergnat Huamtsif Oh, you'll be laughing when those sneaky lederhosen wearing reptiles yodel you to deathReply 1   phaedris2 years agoLOL @49:10'Usama Banc Switzer-laden"Reply 2   j195272 years agoWasnt it the jews that created the swiss banking system after they put all of their money into swedish accounts during and after the war? If thats the case, you need to change the word nazi, to jew!!! I win! You lose! God, this jewish propaganda if i have ever seen others like it!Reply 2  View all 10 replies John Doe2 years ago+j19527 i lost? lost what?Reply   show us yr PAPERS shnel1 year agoHitler couldn't have done it without you my friend. YOUR THE part of the equation sean leaves out. Aside from the cops and corporate court of the pharaohs they need stupid and ignorant PEOPLE to help them pull it OFF. ah, IDIOT, JEWISH BANKING existed a long TIME in Europe. LIKELY THEY actually MADE a giant business of it, their roots go far far back, and were in other parts of the world and Europe That didn't have swiss Nazis. JEWS are successful in many things. normalized FOR POPULATION they are 4x as smart based on Nobel prizes, SAME in many area and seriously they are among the very lowest in criminal involvement.. But its your hypothesis THAT every problem is due to the Jews. So, THANKS FOR watching Sean but you DONT get a word of what he says. Ignorant fucks LIKE you are THE problem, just LIKE sean says, everything is turned around. Maybe you Nazis know your deficient and your best bet is to kill everyone so you won't have to worry THAT THEY will find out and kill you?Read moreReply   dereckvon2 years agoEye opening.Reply 4   dehertogvanbrabant2 years ago (edited)1:05:02 Soviet officers and officials were all jewish ashkenazis. and about the ``strict orders not to touch any women or girls`` to the soviet soldiers, here is what Ilya Ehrenburg, jewish soviet minister of propaganda told the entire Red army: ``kill,kill,kill brave soldiers of the red army, kill all German men, women and children, even in the womb because they are all guilty (nazis), and to take for spoil the German women and break with violence their racial pride``. This SOB was a jew.Reply 2   Cadyn Murphy2 years agohitler, winston,rosevelt stalin all controlled by vatican jesuit's. Hitler was funded by the west hugo boss, henry ford, bayer and bayer, ibm the bush family the list is long its the set up we all payed for with the blood of our brother's sister's mother's father's.Reply 2   Pedro Zulu1 year agoDont look Bull Shit !!!!!Reply 1   Edie Simmons2 years agoHitler did warn the Jewish to leave for 1 year they refused out of stubbornness, I had a cousin who said his  grand father said the men had high unemployment around  30% because the Jews had bought all the factories and stores and refused to hire only Jews The starving Germans blamed losing work on all the Jewish buying  out Germany He  said talk about a group of racist, the Jews only stayed with the JewsReply 6  View all 4 replies Paul Tasker2 years ago+Joe E "every jewish person living in germany deserved to be killed in a horrific manner." how silly,its not just those jews that are parasites,its all of them!Reply   vortex1622 years ago+Joe E To state a fact is not a defense but simply a truth. Jews to this day can't handle the truth and suppress it! The truth hurts and is portrayed as toxic! So, is the deaths of Zionist murders in Iraq and other countries supported by america, portrayed every day on TV news media! And they justify it with hideous reasons! That is fact! At no point is in the statement of Edie that he/she supports it!Reply   Konan Igan1 year agoTHEY also include and are co-joined by the Jesuits...both the Scottish Rite and York Rite and all of their secret societies from antiquity thru Egypt and Babylon.Reply 1   Colleen Wasner1 year agoslimy swissy reptilesReply 1   Kerry Mckeon1 year agoFantastic work. Thank you Reply 1   killy7312 years ago (edited)37:37 "Three kings which is the number three.  Four obelisk which is the number four.  Three plus four is seven, this is very important...... for the pharaoh's" Right...... well here is my hypothesis...... you are just filming a hotel. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Les_Trois_RoisRead moreReply 1   BelleoftheBall2night2 years agodammmm you blew my mind especially at 1 hour 15 minReply 1   SomeUser97532 years agoIt's cult to the dragon, the sanke same  they have in those pro Nazi tribes like maya etc. Dragons and balls :), I used to paiant one at the age of 6. Some nephilim seed, probably lemurian or something, who cares. This is shit, and it's evil. Because those ancient civilizations they were less than humanity in spiritual evolution and were science based not witchcraft based.  It's amazing how those jesuite Satanists did communism and Nazism and WWII. But it's all about being a Christian and evolving technologically. IT's known that symbols have certain energetic representation, its a result of the way metaphysics work in the universe, and they use those things and demonic spirits to do magic, but it's science that overruns all. Those reptilians are really Satanists so anything connected to them is a failure,having dumb communist ruining their countries representing Switzerland to me, it's a failed system obviously. Those pyramids look to be fake to me, hollow you know :). The fact that you build pyramids doesn't mean you know science. And the egregor they can stick up their ass. They have no style. 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