#deacon St. John my beloved

[silentgrim]

i need everyone to play days gone rn and show it some love bcs we need a sequel

#deacon St. John my beloved #we need to see more of him! #and boozer! #literally the most underrated game of this century #sucks it failed at launch #but the game is 💯 worth it #went in blind but once i started playing… holy shit #the depth #man #so good #and him #😮‍💨 #ok BYE #chatter #i heard they were making a movie too #gut punch it’s not sam witwer

[fandomsideworks]

All right, starting The Callisto Protocol now.

I know nothing of this game beyond the fact that

Loads of popular streamers are playing it

It takes place in a space-prison

It’s (I think?) the same people who did Dead Space, which I’ve incidentally never played (Although I’m considering pre-ordering the remake, which apparently comes out in January)

Sam Witwer, my beloved Deacon St. John of Days Gone (a game I desperately need to replay), is playing a ?Bad Guy?

IDK I don’t play/watch/read a lot of space-scifi stuff very often, horror or otherwise, so this should be a novel experience

#the callisto protocol #horror #video games #scifi

[draconicocelot]

This game is absolutely gorgeous and so underrated

✨Deacon St. John my dearly beloved✨

#days gone #deacon st john #my posts #photo mode in this game is so fun too

[fidei]

He administered the sacred chalice of Christ's blood

A sermon preached by St Augustine on the feast day of St Laurence

The Roman Church commends this day to us as the blessed Laurence’s day of triumph, on which he trod down the world as it roared and raged against him; spurned it as it coaxed and wheedled him; and in each case, conquered the devil as he persecuted him. For in that Church, you see, as you have regularly been told, he performed the office of deacon; it was there that he administered the sacred chalice of Christ’s blood; there that he shed his own blood for the name of Christ. The blessed apostle John clearly explained the mystery of the Lord’s supper when he said Just as Christ laid down his life for us, so we too ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. St Laurence understood this, my brethren, and he did it; and he undoubtedly prepared things similar to what he received at that table. He loved Christ in his life, he imitated him in his death.

  And we too, brethren, if we truly love him, let us imitate him. After all, we shall not be able to give a better proof of love than by imitating his example; for Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, so that we might follow in his footsteps. In this sentence the apostle Peter appears to have seen that Christ suffered only for those who follow in his footsteps, and that Christ’s passion profits none but those who follow in his footsteps. The holy martyrs followed him, to the shedding of their blood, to the similarity of their sufferings. The martyrs followed, but they were not the only ones. It is not the case, I mean to say, that after they crossed, the bridge was cut; or that after they had drunk, the fountain dried up.

  The garden of the Lord, brethren, includes – yes, it truly includes – includes not only the roses of martyrs but also the lilies of virgins, and the ivy of married people, and the violets of widows. There is absolutely no kind of human beings, my dearly beloved, who need to despair of their vocation; Christ suffered for all. It was very truly written about him: who wishes all men to be saved, and to come to the acknowledgement of the truth.

  So let us understand how Christians ought to follow Christ, short of the shedding of blood, short of the danger of suffering death. The Apostle says, speaking of the Lord Christ, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not think it robbery to be equal to God. What incomparable greatness! But he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and being made in the likeness of men, and found in condition as a man. What unequalled humility!

  Christ humbled himself: you have something, Christian, to latch on to. Christ became obedient. Why do you behave proudly? After running the course of these humiliations and laying death low, Christ ascended into heaven: let us follow him there. Let us listen to the Apostle telling us, If you have risen with Christ, savour the things that are above us, seated at God’s right hand.

[astridstorm]

A Patron Saint for Scarsdale: James “the Less”

Ah, today, we welcome a new month, and spring (to me) somehow doesn’t feel real until May. April is “cruel” as T.S. Eliot said; it taunts us with warmth but delivers too many cold days for my liking. But now, we’re in spring. And what a beautiful weekend!

At St. James we have a full and joyous month. We go into it, though, with some sadness, with Deacon Susie’s departure. I know we all miss her, very much. It’s rare for someone to be in a parish for as long as she was, and we’ve been unusually blessed. But it’s not going to be a quick or easy adjustment, and I get that. 

Before she left, I told Susie I’d be reminding you all today that she needs ample space to get to know her new congregation and community. The best thing we can do for her right now is refrain from calling, or asking her to lunch, or stopping by her new church for a visit. I know it sounds strange, but we can show our love by letting her get fully invested in her new parish. The move from one parish to the other for clergy is excruciating--no one talks about that. She has to hit the ground running with a smile on her face in a sea of strangers, which really requires (just for now) letting go of us. And we want to let her do that. We’ll see her again sometime, but meantime, she knows we love her. 

So, back to May, and the present. Life at St. James goes on, as it always does. This coming Saturday we’ll remember the life of a longtime and beloved parishioner, Sandy Darlington. On May 15th is our spring Children’s Musical, which Cheryl, Matthew and the kids have been preparing for months. On May 22nd we’ll be giving out the Audrey Davies award for outstanding service to the parish. And today, to start our month, is the Feast of St. Philip and St. James! May 1st. It’s our “patronal feast day” at St. James the Less, this VERY day.

I hesitate most years to even mention it, because no one really knows who St. James the Less was or what he did. I occasionally refer to him as if he’s the writer of the New Testament book of James who penned the words “Faith without works is dead,” but recent scholarship has suggested That book was written by another James, James the “Just,” the brother of Jesus. 

Leaving all of us with churches named after St. James the Less completely confused as to who and what we’re celebrating every first of May. 

There are (now) 3 Jameses; James the Lesser, one of the twelve disciples. James the Greater, another of the twelve disciples, (obviously) the more important of the two. And James the Just, the brother of Jesus and not one of the twelve but a very important figure in the early church. 

We could just honor the spirit of our founders, who believed James the Less and James the Just, were the same person. James, the brother of Jesus and lover of faith-in-action. “God is a verb” is a saying I’ve always liked. I think he would have too. My inclination is to go this route, not let Biblical scholars decide one day our patron isn’t who we always thought he was. 

But I also kind of like being named after a saint who is so obscure that he needs to be combined with another saint and disciple, Philip, to have enough to even say on his feast day. 

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of John. You notice, it doesn’t even mention James the Less. Philip and Thomas are in here, but not our James. James the Less is mentioned in the listing of the twelve disciples in three of the four Gospels, where he’s distinguished from James the Greater, the son of Zebedee who was in Jesus’ inner circle with Peter and John. Peter, James, and John, you often hear those together. They’re right up there, on that window. Jesus frequently pulled them aside for important moments. But again, that’s not our James. 

Ours may be the James who’s mentioned also in the resurrection stories, as the first of the twelve--not the first person, that was Mary Magdalene--but the first of the twelve to have seen the resurrected Christ. That would be very like the Gospels. The lesser, the least important, being the very first to see. That last shall be first. 

But whether that’s our James or James the Greater isn’t clear, either. 

There’s no reason we can’t just hold the traditional line (and that of our founders) that our James was the brother of Jesus, James the Just. He’d go on to become the first bishop of the Jerusalem Church. And the writer of the book of James, which emphasizes action in faith, action over belief. Sometimes in the church it’s okay for the longstanding traditional view to have priority over the historical view. But if he were nothing more than those few fleeting references in the New Testament, the “Nobody” of the twelve, that’s OK too. 

I spent half of this past week at our annual diocesan clergy conference where I’ve gotten used to being teased by my colleagues from the big St. James on Madison Avenue. (That, increasingly, these clergy are close to half my age is especially galling!) When someone asks you what church you attend and you say St. James the Less, point out how unimportant he was. How meaningful it is to you That you attend an Episcopal church in one of the wealthiest, most prestigious communities in the country and yet is named after the most obscure, possibly the least distinguished, the least important, of the twelve disciples of Jesus. And then tell them how inspiring you find that. How you’re trying to become that. How our patron saint is an example for your life. To be less, to be obscure, so that others can claim the title of “the Greater”--that’s what we should all be about. Two words--the less--that make all the difference. In who our patron saint was, and I pray, also, all of us. 

[squiremaximus]

Jesus Christ.

#days gone #deacon st john #daysgoneedit #daysgonedaily #vgedit #gamingedit #q #my beloved<3 #.gif

[ziracona]

When Deacon finally defends O’Brian to someone else one (1) time

#days gone #James O’Brian #I finally got to thank him one (1) time too I want more quests w him TuT Deac why you gotta be this way #O’Brian…my beloved little snapped twig energy of a grad student #days gone O’Brian #Deacon St John #‘he’s not full of shit’ thanks babe finally you care 😭 — I want them to be allies #I’m getting all the so funny I could keep over enemy ally energy I need from Skizzo every time they look at each other you could write four #paragraphs of internal monologue that would get a comedy club on their feet

[arno-the-gay-whisperer]

I'm just gonna drop this rare photo of my father when he was young and suspiciously similar photo of Deacon here for you guys

#days gone #deacon st john #personal #father #my beloved father

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Return to me; John Deacon x Veronica Deacon

*Author’s note*

Now I know this doesn’t fit with today’s theme but I couldn’t wait 2 more days to finally release this beauty to the public, I literally CRIED writing this and I hope that you @eileen-crys​ think this is worthy of being in your special little give-a-way. After watching League of their own, the Pacific and reading another ww2 au John deacon fic this little baby was born. So I hope to all those who usually love my reader inserts will give this fic a chance :)

Taglist:

@psychosupernatural​

@plethora-of-things​

@waddles03​

@ixchel-9275​

@georgesgentlyweepingguitar​

@eileen-crys​

@queendeakyy​

@kairosfreddie​

@geek-and-proud​

@simonedk​

________________________________________________________

*1943*

I don’t know how long it was going to continue.  Every day I look forward to the letters I would receive overseas from the warfront.  And it’s not like you can escape from it, all over the radio you can just hear it on the radio.  Like now the radio was talking about the bombings continue to target at the heart of London.  Thankfully John has taught me how to listen for the alarms and quickly get into the bomb shelter he had built for us.

I also wait anxiously for the mail to arrive because that means I know that my darling John is still alive and anxiously waiting to come home.

‘And the Germans continue to advance on the front lines, more fatalities continue to skyrocket on the Allied sides…..’ the radio suddenly turned off and that’s when I saw my mum holding my 3 year old son Robert.

“Do you think hearing all that is a good idea?”

“It’s not like I can escape it mum. Every day that’s all you hear is about the war.”

“I know love, I just—I just worry about you. Both of you.”

“I know you mean well mother, but I’m doing fine. Robert is still healthy and…..”

“And you’re barely sleeping because you’re up all night worrying about John. Believe me love I know how hard it was, I dealt with the same thing with your father in the first war. I don’t want to see you go down a dark road like I once did.”

“I’ll be fine mother, now it’s time for me to feed Robert his dinner and I think dad will need you home for supper.”

“If that is what you wish.” She said as she handed me my son back before walking out without saying another word.  As I looked down at my son who had every ounce of his father in his face and hair, I held him close and kissed the top of his head as he cooed at me.

I was sitting in the living room watching Robert eat his sandwich when I heard a knock at the door.  All of a sudden I felt my heart drop, was it them? Oh please god above please pray let it not be them. The officers who always deliver the death sentences to families, just last week my dearest friend Susan had received word that her twin brother had been killed in action.

I stood up from the couch and walked slowly towards the door.  I unlocked it before opening it to reveal our mailman Jacob.

“Oh Jacob, it’s only you.”

“Relieved Mrs. Deacon?”

“You have no idea. Anything important today?”

“Just some letters from your school, some family members and��something from a certain Marine officer of yours.” I quickly took the mail from Jacob and looked through it till I found the letter I’ve been anxiously waiting for.

“Thank you Jacob.” I thanked him before closing the door.  At that point I could hear Robert really starting to get fussy. I quickly raced back towards him and handed him his bottle while I quickly ripped up the note from my beloved John.  

“Is it daddy?”

“I think so Robert dear, come sit by me and we can read it together.” He abandoned the remaining half of his sandwich and sat down close to me.  Once I unfolded the letter I could see the stained dirt from it and the smudged ink from his messy handwriting, but to me it was clear as day.

My dearest, Veronica,

Words cannot describe how much I miss you and our son.  He surely has gotten bigger since the last photograph you’ve sent me of him the day he was born.  Every day it gets harder and harder to go on, ambushes and several other attacks go by non-stop.

I’ll spare you the gruesome details because you don’t deserve to know the horror’s I’ve been through.  I only hope and pray to God that this war ends soon so that I can come home and help you raise our son.  Is he healthy? Happy? Does he even know who I am? I hope you’re not telling him the embarrassing stories of when we first got together, wouldn’t want his father to be painted as a timid mouse now right?

I couldn’t help but smile at that comment.

I miss you both with all my heart, and I long for the day for us to finally be reunited once more.  Take care and always know how much I love you both.

With all my love,

Corp. John Deacon

“Is daddy gonna come home soon?” Robert asked me.  I looked down at him and tried to figure out how to answer him.

“Oh sweetie, he’s trying his best. He and a few of his friends are off fighting against some really bad people.”

“But I thought you always said violence was never the answer?”

“It shouldn’t but—sometimes people just do things their own way. But it takes brave men like your father to stand up for what’s right to try and make those bad guys see that what they believe isn’t right.”

“I wish I got to meet him.” I stroked through his auburn hair and said.

“I know honey, I do too. But just know your daddy loves you soo much and that he’s gonna try to find a way to come back home to us.”

“Okay. Can I see the picture of him again?” I smiled lovingly at him and said.

“Of course, I’ll show you all the pictures you want.” I went up to the bookshelf and grabbed the family photo album and I showed Robert all the pictures John and I took from every date, every picnic, and even the wedding pictures.  Going through each picture made my heart ache and sink down to my stomach, as well as form a lump in my throat.  But seeing Robert be fully invested in seeing his father, even through photograph, filled me with some warmth.

Later that evening, I tucked Robert into bed and I kissed him goodnight before finally going downstairs to write my letter to John to be delivered in the morning. I poured my heart and soul into the letter, even allowed a few tears to fall onto the paper.  I squirted a bit of my perfume onto the paper so that John could remember something from home, even being a thousand miles away.

After completing the letter, I placed it into the envelope, sealed it and stamped it before writing the address to where my beloved was stationed.  I kept it on the desk so that I could grab it first thing in the morning.  I turned the desk light off before heading back upstairs and once again slept in the empty bed.  I hugged John’s pillow and held it close to me.

Even though his scent was long gone, I still could remember it by heart.  I allowed a few tears to slip down my face as I whispered John’s name over and over before I finally fell asleep.

*John’s POV*

This place was a literal hell.  Intense humidity, bug literally biting you day and night, and nothing but the stench of gunpowder and death staining the air.  I was cleaning out my rifle when the messenger came by.

“Alright ladies, letters from home! Come and get your mail here!” he passed by each Marine one by one before finally getting to me. “Here you are Corporal.”

“Thank you.” I took the letters from him and I skimmed through them till I found the familiar elegant writing that was my Veronica.  I opened the envelope and the first thing I was hit with was the scent of her perfume.  Oh my Ronnie, always knowing just how to bring me back to sanity.

My beloved John,

It seems like an eternity and the days get much harder the longer you’re away.  Your letters are the only thing that give me hope that you’re still alive, but the fear of one day hearing your death breaks my heart.

Oh Ronnie.

I was told just last week that Susan lost her twin brother out in Germany, with more news coming to people that I know losing their family member or husband, I fear one day it’ll happen to me.  I must sound dramatic or hysterical but…..

I noticed a drop of water on the letter.

“Oh Veronica, my sweet, dear Veronica.”

“A letter from the missus?” I looked up to see my three good friends from my unity, Private 1st class Freddie Mercury, Corporal Roger Taylor and Lance Corporal Brian May.

“You gonna swipe the letter away this time Taylor?”

“Nope, not this time.” Roger spoke as he sat himself down beside me.

“How’s she been?” asked Brian.

“Seems much harder than last time. Been getting news all around her from people she knows about their losses. Just last week her old sorority sister Susan lost her twin brother to the Germans.”

“Fucking Nazis.” Hissed Freddie.

“I think I’d take a Nazi over a Jap any day, these guys keep coming up like roaches.” Roger said as he lit up his smoke.  I went back down to read her letter.

I just miss you so much my beloved.  And don’t you dare say you miss me more because that’s highly impossible, at least you know my life is the same routine.

I couldn’t help but grin.

Robert talks about you a lot, he’s really asking all the questions now a days. Like today, he wanted to see pictures of you and began asking questions of how we met, how I knew you were the one for me, and about the day you asked me to marry you. He’s like you in so many ways John, not just through your looks but your personality too.  Heck he even has the same interest in cars as you do.

Please come back to us my love, I long for the day for you to finally meet your son. And I wish to hold you once more before it’s nothing but a faint memory.

All my love my beloved and strong Marine,

Veronica Deacon

God it warmed my heart to see her sign off with my last name.  Sometimes she still uses her maiden name for some things, but each letter she writes, she always uses my name.

“What’s got you all smiling? She promise to give you an epic shag when you return?”

“Shut up Roger!” Brian spoke for me.

“Children please, we can all murder each other but then who’d be left to fight this war?”

“They’ve got plenty of soldiers to spare. To them, we’re disposable.” Roger sneered.

“Why the hell would you say something like that?” Roger shrugged.

“For once I kinda agree with Roger.” I spoke.  They turned towards me and I continued, “Thousands of us die each day, and tomorrow could be our last. Yet we keep pushing and pushing but the enemy keeps pushing back. An endless tug of war between one another till all on the opposing side is dead.”

“You sure you graduated with an electrical engineering degree Deacon?” mocked Taylor. I turned towards him and his grin disappeared before I sighed heavily.

“I already had to miss out on the birth of my son. I missed his first steps, his first words. The only time I get to see him is through a photograph. He’s gonna be four pretty soon in the next few months, and already he’s asking questions.”

“Be thankful that he is Deacy. Some of these motherfuckers don’t even know if they have kids yet, or their kids don’t know about them.” Freddie said.

“I just wish to be back home. Teaching my son how to play catch, how to ride a bike, even how to fix a car. But instead I’m stuck here fearing that today maybe my last day. And what if one day he starts asking Veronica why I left him?”

“That’ll never happen. Now you listen here Deacy dear. Veronica loves you too much to allow that to happen. You boy’s finally interested in you, you’ve got a clever girl for a wife who will gladly tell your son everything he needs to know. And if he does ask that, then she knows to tell him that his daddy is being a superhero right now fighting off the bad guys. And don’t you fucking dare say that today’s gonna be your last day! Cause if it’s yours, then it’s ours too.” Freddie said as he forced me to look at him.

“He’s right. We all made a pact once we started to get to know each other, that we’re all in this together. And you proved that John when you came in and stopped a Jap sniper from ending my life as I was leading a patrol team through the Jap barracks.” Brian said.

“Or when I threw the grenade into a hidden bunker as you ran to Brian’s aid.” Roger added as he exhaled his smoke like a chimney.

“And of course my darling you can’t forget when I saved all your arses back in Okinawa with the midnight ambush. Without my missiles none of you would be alive.” Freddie bragged.  The corner of my mouth slowly went up in a half-grin and I said.

“You’re right guys, sorry I went off on that rant there.”

“We get it John. Because we all have families back home, not just our parents but wives, girlfriends or fianc��s back home who need us alive.” Brian said as he clamped his hand on my shoulder.

“ALRIGHT LADIES! We’re moving out 20 miles East! Pack your bags and move out!” the commanding officer proclaimed.

“Alright my dears, let’s get a move on.” Freddie said as he grabbed his pack and walked on ahead.  I placed the letter into my journal before stuffing it into my uniform inner-breast pocket.  I grabbed my bag and tried to think about what to write back to Veronica once we got to our next station.

*1st POV*

Five months later and the school year was just about to end.  All my friends and co-workers were gathered in the teacher’s lounge for one last big shebang before the summer holidays came into play.

“So what have you got planned today Stacy?” asked Emily, the Year 3 instructor asked.

“Well the last letter I received from Billy said that his enlistment is almost expired so once it does, he’ll be free to return home. The first thing I’m gonna do when that man pulls in from the train station is hug and kiss that man like there’s no tomorrow.” Replied Stacy, who taught the same year I did. In fact we were right across the room from each other so we talked pretty much every morning as the kids all came into the classroom.

“What about you Emily?” I asked.

“Well with the boys away at their grandfather’s out into the country, the nest is completely empty. So I might go over there and visit them for a while.”

“It’ll be nice to get out of the city from all the chaos that’s been happening.” Said Stacy.

“And what about you Veronica? Any big summer plans?”

“No idea. John was…..” I trailed off sadly as I looked down.  Stacy placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. “He was always the better planner than I was. That man even planned out our entire wedding.”

“Man I wish my Henry was like your Johnny D.”

“I only just hope Robert gets the chance to have a father.” I said solemnly.

“Hey have any of you talked to Susan?” asked Emily.

“I’ve been trying to reach out to her but she’s ignored my calls. Thankfully her husband has been there to help her out.” I said.

“Yeah, thank god for Tony. God her and Peter were as thick as thieves, even when we were kids.” Emily said.  Suddenly there was a knock at the door.  The principal opened the door and that’s when a man dressed in military uniform came in and he said.

“Afternoon, I come with an urgent telegram for one of these ladies from the War department.” At that point all of us went quiet.

“Oh god not another one.” I muttered as I slowly sat down and held my hand to my mouth.

“Now I’m sure I had the name here somewhere—I personally wanted to deliver this in person, tell you that your husband’s dead.” The messenger continued to speak as he tried to find the name of one of us. “Damnit all, I guess I must’ve misplaced it, I’ll need to go back and track the name down again.”

“That won’t be necessary son, give it to me.” Mr. Lee, our principal spoke for all of us.

“I’m sorry sir but this is official business, I can’t just give someone out of this telegram the message.”

“Just give me the damn telegram son and be on your way!” Mr. Lee snapped.  When the officer refused to give it up, Mr. Lee took it by force before finally shoving the officer out of the lounge and slamming the door shut.  Stacy and I took hold of each other’s hands as Mr. Lee opened the letter and read through it.

He spoke not a word as he looked at us all sadly and walked by each of us one by one. At first he would stop in front of a teacher and we’d think it was for them before he moved on.  Soon he came up to Stacy and I.  His old eyes brimmed with tears as he finally said as he held out the telegram.

“I’m sorry Stacy.”

“NOO! BILLY!!” she screamed as she collapsed to her knees clutching the telegram. I knelt down beside her along with Emily, Mikaela and Donna as we all tried to comfort her.  She sobbed out Billy’s name.  I rubbed her shoulders and rested her head against my shoulder.

Mr. Lee, who was like a father to all of us, helped Stacy up onto her feet and embraced her tightly.

“It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay Stacy.” He comforted her with soothing rubs onto her back and allowing her to sob into his shoulder.  It was then Mrs. Kowalski who ran the front desk in the office came up and the two of them guided Stacy out.  Her sobs of Billy’s name echoed throughout the halls.

Ohh poor Stacy, she’ll never be over this.  To think she almost had the chance of having her fiancée soon become her husband, and the two of them could finally be wedded in holy matrimony.  But now she has to plan on being a widow, like so many other women have to be now, and the sad thing is she barely got the chance to call Billy her husband,

I fear that after this she may never want to get married again cause she’ll relive this event over and over again.

After that whole situation, we were all allowed to be let out early, teachers and students included all got to go home and start the summer holiday early. While I was cleaning up the house before I would have to go pick Robert up from my mum’s place, I couldn’t help but think back to Stacy.  God just—why did something like that have to happen to her? She didn’t deserve this, we all didn’t deserve this. Why did one man have to go ruining it for all of us? So many deaths and for what?

Just what is this war really about? Please someone tell me that!

As I put the plates and glasses back into the cabinet, I wiped away a tear before closing the cabinet.  That’s when I saw it.  The reflection of someone standing behind me, but the face was no stranger.  I quickly turned around and I swear if I did have a plate or glass, I would’ve dropped it right there on the spot.

For right there standing before me with a bandaged leg and leaning against a crutch, in full Marine uniform was my husband, John Richard Deacon.

He smiled softly at me and I just took in his appearance.  His once long flowing hair was now cut so short that you could only see it from the sides and behind him.  He even appeared taller and much more fit than when I last saw him.  But the battered leg made my heart sink in fear.

Slowly I walked right up to him thinking this was just a dream.  When I finally stood before him, I slowly lifted my hand up towards his cheek but was too afraid to touch him, fearing that this was just my mind playing tricks on me.  That if I should touch him, he’d just fade away like the cherry blossom petals in the spring.

It was then John took my hand in his, his hands now calloused and rough but still had that gentleness to them, and he placed it onto his cheek.  He smiled at me and I immediately hugged him as I began sobbing hysterically.

“Shhhh, shh. I’m here Ronnie. I’ve come back, just like I promised.” I pulled away to finally give him all the kisses I had been longing for.  The deep, passionate, long-awaited type kisses. The kisses that almost make you want to devour the person not out of passionate hunger, but passionate longing.

“You’re back…..y—you really came back, Oh John you’re here, you’re really, truly back!” I sobbed through my kisses.  But through our reunion kiss, I heard him groan in pain. “Oh god John here, sit down.” I guided him towards the living room and set him down on the couch and tried to make him feel as comfy as possible. “What happened to you John?”

“Ambush. The Japs planted several trip-wires through the perimeters of their base, one of the boys in my platoon triggered it and I was lucky to escape with this. They tried to fix my leg but it was beyond what they could do, so they discharged me and got me better care for it than what I would’ve had out in the Pacific.”

“Oh John I—I can’t believe it. I’m so, so sorry this happened to you.”

“Better my leg than my life. I did promise the most beautiful girl in London that I’d come back to her.” He said as he stroked under my chin.  I laughed through my tears and leaned down to kiss him again. His hands went through my hair as our kiss deepened, before I went back to hugging him.

“Promise me you’ll never leave me again John Richard Deacon.”

“I promise Veronica, I’m here to stay for good. I’ve never been more happy than being right here at home.” The tears continued to fall down my eyes as I buried my face into his neck. “Shhh, I’m here love. I’m gonna be okay. Cause now I’ve got the best nurse to look after me.” I laughed and separated from him.

“I would assume so, but I do expect payment from you soldier.”

“Oh yeah? And what payment would you like to receive?” I didn’t reply as I leaned down and softly captured his lips with mine.  I softly hummed as his hand softly and gingerly stroked through up my cheek before tucking my hair behind my ear.

“I think we can arrange that.” He hummed out.

And that’s how it was.  I called my mother to bring Robert home herself because I had a special surprise for him that couldn’t be left alone at the moment.  So within 15 minutes, my mother arrived with Robert and I thanked her for watching him for the day and that I would be over there for supper in a few days.  After Robert said goodbye to ‘mums’ I brought him inside.

“Now Robert, love. There’s—someone very special in the living room that I would like you to meet.”

“Who is it mummy?” he asked.

“You’ll see love. Now he’ll look a little different and you’ll have to be very gentle with him because he got injured very, very badly. Are you ready to meet him?” he nodded and that’s when I picked him up and took him to the living room. When John finally laid eyes on Robert, it was like his whole world had changed.  His eyes that were tired and almost soulless now suddenly lit up.

I set Robert down and he shyly hid behind my dress when I said to him.

“It’s okay Robert, no need to be afraid. Robert love, this is your father John Richard Deacon. John, this is your son Robert.” Robert peeked out from behind my dress while John slowly rose up against the couch and tried to sit up. Robert slowly came out from behind me and he walked up to John and just looked at him.

“You’re hair’s not long.” Was the first thing that came out of his mouth which made both John and I laugh softly.

“Afraid so bud, they force you to cut your hair so that way you don’t get caught on things. Hope you don’t mind it though.” Robert walked closer to him before raising his arms up wanting to be picked up, which John happily obliged and placed our son on top of his uninjured leg.  Robert touched his father’s cheek before saying.

“I like it short.” John smiled happily and said.

“Then I’ll keep it short for you pal.” Robert smiled before finally embracing his dad for the first time ever.  John was stunned at feeling this tiny person hug him but almost immediately he wrapped his arms around his son and held him close as well as burying his nose into his son’s hair, breathing in his scent.

I couldn’t help but tear up at this beautiful sight.  My two boys meeting each other at last.

“Shall we let mummy in the group hug?” I heard John say to Robert softly.

“Mm-hmm! Yeah mummy join us!” Robert exclaimed with an enthusiastic nod.  I smiled and said.

“Well if that’s what my boys want.” I then sat by the couch next to John and the two of us cuddled close to each other but I was cautious of his injuries.  Soon it was a cuddle party between the three of us as we held Robert in between us, and I buried myself into John’s body trying to reclaim the warmth and love that I had lost while he was away.

#johnicaweek2020 #johnicaweek #john deacon x veronica #john deacon x veronica tetzlaff #veronica deacon #john x veronica #queen #queen au! #AU!Queen #ww2 au! #queen imagine #queen imagines #john deacon imagine #john deacon imagines #john x veronica imagine #john x veronica imagines

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Tue., Mar, 31, 2020

St Hypatius of Gangra

Hieromartyr Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra, was bishop of the city of Gangra in Paphlagonia (Asia Minor). In the year 325 he participated in the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea, at which the heresy of Arius was anathematized.

When Saint Hypatius was returning in 326 from Constantinople to Gangra, followers of the schismatics Novatus and Felicissimus fell upon him in a desolate place. The heretics ran him through with swords and spears, and threw him into a swamp. Like the Protomartyr Stephen, Saint Hypatius prayed for his murderers.

An Arian woman struck the saint on the head with a stone, killing him. The murderers hid his body in a cave, where a Christian who kept straw there found his body. Recognizing the bishop’s body, he hastened to the city to report this, and the inhabitants of Gangra piously buried their beloved archpastor.

After his death, the relics of Saint Hypatius were famous for numerous miracles, particularly for casting out demons and for healing the sick...keep reading Orthodox Church of America

St Innocent of Alaska

t. Innocent of Alaska Missionary, Bishop, Scientist, Linguist

In 1823, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church of Russia sent out a request for a priest to volunteer for service to the remote Russian colony of Alaska.  Not surprisingly, there was no response from any of the clergy who were reluctant to leave their comfortable lives for the remote wilderness.....until the young Father John Veniaminov stepped forward.  After a journey of fourteen months, he, his wife, mother, brother, and young son arrived in Alaska on July 29, 1824.

His Early Life

The future St. Innocent was born as John Popov near the Siberian city of Irkutsk, Russia.  He was born into a pious family whose life centered on their village church.  In 1807 at the age of 10 he entered the Irkutsk Theological Seminary and ten years later was ordained a deacon, have first married a priest’s daughter named Catherine.  His ordination as a priest came in 1821 and he began his duties at the Church of the Annunciation in Irkutsk. Father John was known even while in seminary as multi-talented as he used his spare time in manufacturing clocks, violins, harps, and barrel organs...keep reading source

Genesis 15:1-15 NKJV

God’s Covenant with Abram

15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, [a]your exceedingly great reward.”

2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I [b]go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one[c] born in my house is my heir!”

4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

7 Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”

8 And he said, “Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?”

9 So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror andgreat darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you shall [d]go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.

Footnotes:

Genesis 15:1 Or your reward shall be very great

Genesis 15:2 am childless

Genesis 15:3 a servant

Genesis 15:15 Die and join your ancestors

Proverbs 15:7-19 NKJV

7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, But the heart of the fool does not do so. 8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight. 9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But He loves him who follows righteousness. 10 Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way, And he who hates correction will die. 11 Hell and Destruction are before the Lord; So how much more the hearts of the sons of men. 12 A scoffer does not love one who corrects him, Nor will he go to the wise. 13 A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. 14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. 15All the days of the afflicted are evil, But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast. 16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, Than great treasure with trouble. 17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, Than a fatted calf with hatred. 18 A wrathful man stirs up strife, But he who is slow to anger allays contention. 19 The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, But the way of the upright is a highway.

#orthodoxy #spirituality #firstchristian #ancientchristianity #bible

[pamphletstoinspire]

One, Holy, Catholic, and Neuter

The Church today suffers from a deficiency in her identity, lacking awareness of both her Marian and Petrine dimensions. I borrow these concepts from Hans Urs von Balthasar to explore the feminine and masculine aspects of the Church. In some ways we have become a neuter Church, lacking both Mary’s feminine receptivity toward Christ and Peter’s masculine boldness toward the world. (This is not to say that men are incapable of accessing the feminine dimension in their soul or that women cannot exhibit a masculine boldness vis-à-vis the world).

The Marian dimension of the Church precedes the Petrine. The Petrine dimension of the Church includes ecclesiastical structures that are necessary: the pope, bishops, and priests who are ordained to govern the Church, celebrate the sacraments, and preach the Gospel. But these activities cannot be limited to externals. The Marian, feminine dimension of the Church reminds us that receptivity precedes activity. Jesus praised another Mary for sitting at his feet and listening to him, in contrast with Martha who was preoccupied with the human activity of serving the Lord.

Pope Emeritus Benedict has written about a misplaced masculinity in our approach to the Church. He has in mind our own internal relationship with the Church and not the masculine boldness we need in preaching the Gospel in a secular culture. In Mary, the Church at the Source, he writes, “In today’s intellectual climate, only the masculine principle counts. And that means doing, achieving results, actively planning and producing the world oneself … this attitude characterizes our whole approach to the Church. We treat the Church almost like some technological device that we plan and make … this is why the Church needs the Marian mystery; this is why the Church herself is a Marian mystery.”

The Marian mystery is one of humble, feminine receptivity to the grace of God and the love of Christ. It is modeled on Mary’s fiat in the Annunciation: “Let it be done to me according to your word,” followed by the Incarnation of Christ in the womb of Mary. All of us are first called to imitate this Marian fiat before receiving the grace of Peter’s boldness in proclaiming the Gospel. As the Latin legal maxim reminds us, Nemo dat quod non habet. “No one can give what he does not have.” Applying this phrase to the spiritual life, it is clear that no one can give to others what he has not first received from God. As Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “What do you have that you did not receive?”

Peter himself possessed a dimension of Marian receptivity to Christ’s love. When the risen Christ appeared to Peter and several other apostles by the Sea of Tiberias, Jesus asked Peter three times, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter replied three times, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” We can assume that Jesus was looking intently at Peter and loving him. Peter received this love and reciprocated. Only then did Jesus say, “Feed my sheep.”

Later, Peter and the apostles received the Spirit at Pentecost to proclaim the Gospel with power, performing miracles and converting thousands of people. Many passages in the Acts of the Apostles are a study in parrhesia, the Greek word that is entering the English language as a technical term for boldness in preaching the Gospel. In chapter 4, we read that the Jewish leaders arrested Peter and the apostles for teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the Resurrection of the dead. Peter preached to the gathered assembly of the elders, scribes and the high-priestly family, who were amazed at the parrhesia of both Peter and John, noticing they were uneducated and ordinary men. The council threatened them and ordered them not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Once released, however, they gathered together and prayed, “Lord … grant your servants to speak your word with all parrhesia,” and they continued to fearlessly proclaim the Resurrection of Christ. In comparison with Peter and the apostles, something is definitely lacking in our boldness in sharing the Gospel with our contemporaries.

One reason for the absence of masculine boldness in the Church’s proclamation is precisely the lack of feminine receptivity to Christ’s love within the Church and in the Eucharist. (Recall that Peter first received Christ’s love by the Sea of Tiberias before he proclaimed the Gospel in Jerusalem). What happens in the sanctuary affects the strength of the Church’s witness in the world. In every Eucharist, we should be able to repeat the lovers’ dialogue from the Song of Songs, and apply it to our soul’s relationship with Christ: “My beloved belongs to me and I to him.” It is impossible to have a spiritual and emotional experience of Christ’s love in the Eucharist and to remain the same, to keep quiet. Those who fall in love always tell their friends.

In a sense, every Christian must learn to imitate Mary at the Annunciation, and Peter on Pentecost. Obviously, in the history of salvation, there is no Pentecost and no Church without the Annunciation and the Incarnation. But the same is true with every Christian. Without first accepting the gift of Christ’s love with a Marian receptivity, we will have no personal Pentecost and no Gospel to share.

How can we become more Marian? In part, through consecration to her and by praying the Rosary. Many saints such as St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and St. John Paul II have promoted personal consecration to Mary as a sure and certain means of sanctification. Through our consecration, and by praying the Rosary with a reverent and recollected spirit, we are asking for Our Lady’s constant intercession to give us a heart like hers to listen to the Word of God and receive the gift of Christ’s love.

How do we imitate Peter’s boldness in preaching the Gospel? Each one of us can pray for the grace of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit’s gift of boldness. The Charismatic Renewal is evidence that the same Holy Spirit that inspired Peter and the Apostles is alive, active, and powerfully present in the Church today. Those ordained to formally preach the Gospel—the pope, bishops, priests and deacons—should be on our knees begging for a spirit of boldness and courage to meet the challenge of proclaiming Christ in a secular environment that is at times indifferent or even hostile. However, the same is true for the people of God who are called to share the Gospel with their family, friends, and colleagues.

The Marian fiat and the Petrine parrhesia, the feminine and masculine, are both essential to the spiritual health and strength of the Church. Western secular culture may be hurtling further into the abyss of absurd ideologies, for instance gender theory on the sameness and interchangeability of men and women, but now is the time for the Church to be more clearly masculine and feminine rightly understood. In God’s providential plan, perhaps it is the very prevalence of gender ideology in our secular culture that can drive us deeper into our own identity, and make us more effective witnesses in the world.

I wonder if the Church may also need an element of masculine strength in imitating the men who rebuilt Jerusalem after the Exile. They built with one hand, while the other was ready to grab a sword. We need to protect the tender, vulnerable, feminine, and Marian dimension of our souls and of the Church, so that in safety and security, we can enjoy the embrace of the Beloved, without fear of being disturbed by our enemies. Subsequently, when the soul has been deeply nourished and revived by the food of love, then we have the stamina, courage and parrhesia to go out into the world to proclaim the Good News.

BY: FR. TIM MCCAULEY

From: www.pamphletstoinspire.com

#one holy catholic and neuter

[mattchase82]

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist from the Liturgical Year, 1904

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The Voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord; behold thy God (Is. xl. 3-9)!" Oh! in this world of ours grown now so cold, who can understand earth's transports, at hearing these glad tidings so long expected? The promised God was not yet manifested; but already have the heavens bowed down (Ps. xvii. 10), to make way for His passage. No longer was He "the One Who is to come," He for whom our fathers, the illustrious saints of the prophetic age ceaselessly called, in their indomitable hope. Still hidden, indeed, but already in our midst, He was resting beneath that virginal cloud compared with which, the heavenly purity of Thrones and Cherubim wax dim; yea, the united fires of burning Seraphim grow faint, in presence of the single love wherewith she alone encompasses Him in her human heart, she that lowly daughter of Adam whom He had chosen for His mother. Our accursed earth, made suddenly more blessed far than yonder heaven so long inexorably closed to suppliant prayer, awaited only that the august mystery should be revealed; the hour was come for earth to join her canticles to that eternal and divine praise, which henceforth was ever rising from her depths, and which being itself no other than the Word Himself, would celebrate God condignly. But beneath the veil of humility where His divinity, even after as well as before his birth, must still continue to hide itself from men, who may discover the Emmanuel? who, having recognized him in His merciful abasements, may succeed in making him accepted by a world lost in pride? who may cry, pointing out the Carpenter's Son (St. Matth. xiii. 55), in the midst of the crowd: Behold Him Whom your fathers have so wistfully awaited!

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For such is the order decreed from on high, in the manifestation of the Messias. Conformably to the Ways of men, the God-Man would not intrude Himself into public life; He would await, for the inauguration of His divine ministry, some man who having preceded him in a similar career, would be hereby sufficiently accredited, to introduce Him to the people.

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Sublime part for a creature to play, to stand guarantee for his God, witness for the Word! The exalted dignity of him who was to fill such a position, had been notified, as had that of the Messias, long before his birth. In the solemn liturgy of the Age of types, the Levite choir, reminding the Most High of the meekness of David and of the promise made to him of a glorious heir, hailed from afar the mysterious lamp prepared by God for His Christ (Ps. cxxxi. 17) Not that, to give light to His steps, Christ should stand in need of external help: He, the Splendour of the Father, had only to appear in these dark regions of ours, to fill them with the effulgence of the very heavens; but so many false glimmerings had deceived mankind, during the night of these ages of expectation, that had the true Light arisen on a sudden, it would not have been understood, or would have but blinded eyes now become well nigh powerless, by reason of protracted darkness, to endure its brilliancy. Eternal Wisdom therefore decreed that just as the rising sun is announced by the morning-star, and prepares his coming by the gently tempered brilliancy of aurora; so Christ, who is Light should be preceded here below, by a star, His precursor; and his approach be signalized by the luminous rays which He himself, (though still invisible) would shed around this faithful herald of His coming. When, in by-gone days, the Most-High vouchsafed to light up, before the eyes of his prophets, the distant future, that radiant flash which for an instant shot across the heavens of the old covenant, melted away in the deep night, and ushered not in, as yet, the longed-for dawn. The "morning-star" of which the psalmist sings, shall know naught of defeat: declaring unto night that all is now over with her, he will dim his own fires only in the triumphant splendour of the Sun of Justice. Even as aurora melts into day, so will he confound with Light increased, his own radiance; being of himself, like every creature, nothingness and darkness, he will so reflect the brilliancy of the Messias shining immediately upon him, that many will mistake him even for the very Christ (St. Luke, iii. 15).

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The mysterious conformity of Christ and His Precursor, the incomparable proximity which unites one to the other, are to be found many times marked down in the sacred scriptures. If Christ is the Word, eternally uttered by the Father, he is to be the Voice bearing this divine utterance whithersoever it is to reach; Isaias already hears the desert echoing with these accents, till now unknown; and the prince of prophets expresses his joy, with all the enthusiasm of a soul already beholding itself in the very presence of its Lord and God (St. Luke, iii. 15). The Christ is the Angel of the Covenant; but in the very same text wherein the Holy Ghost gives Him this title, for us so full of hope, there appears likewise bearing the same name of angel, the inseparable messenger, the faithful ambassador, to whom the earth is indebted for her coming to know the Spouse: Behold, I send My angel, and he shall prepare the way before My face. And presently the Lord Whom ye seek, and the Angel of the testament whom you desire, shall come to His Temple; behold he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts (Malach. iii. 1). And putting an end to the prophetic ministry, of which he is the last representative, Malachias terminates his own oracles by the words which we have heard Gabriel addressing to Zachary, when he makes known to him the approaching birth of the Precursor (Ibid. iv. 5-6).

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The presence of Gabriel, on this occasion, of itself shows with what intimacy with the Son of God, this child then promised shall be favoured; for the very same Prince of the heavenly hosts, came again, soon afterwards, to announce the Emmanuel. Countless are the faithful messengers that press around the throne of the Holy Trinity, and the choice of these august ambassadors usually varies, according to the dignity of the instructions, to be transmitted to earth by the Most High. Nevertheless, it was fitting that the same archangel charged with concluding the sacred Nuptials of the Word with the Human Nature, should likewise prelude this great mission by preparing the coming of him whom the eternal decrees had designated as the Friend of the Bridegroom (St. John, iii. 29). Six months later, on his deputation to Mary, he strengthens his divine message, by revealing to that purest of Virgins, the prodigy, which had by then, already given a son to the sterile Elizabeth; this being the first step of the Almighty towards a still greater marvel. John is not yet born; but without longer delay, his career is begun: he is employed to attest the truth of the angels promises. How ineffable this guarantee of a child hidden as yet in his mother's womb, but already brought forward as God's witness, in that sublime negotiation which at that moment is holding heaven and earth in suspense! Illumined from on high, Mary receives the testimony and hesitates no longer. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, says she to the archangel, be it done unto me, according to thy word (St. Luke, i).

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Gabriel has retired, bearing away with him the divine secret which he has not been commissioned to reveal to the rest of the world. Neither will the most prudent Virgin herself tell it; even Joseph, her virginal Spouse, is to receive no communication of the mystery from her lips. Yet fear not; the woeful sterility beneath which earth has been so long groaning, is not to be followed by an ignorance more sorrow-stricken still, now that it has yielded its fruit (Ps. lxxxiv. 13). There is one from whom Emmanuel will have no secret, nor reserve; it were fitting to reveal the marvel unto him. Scarce has the Spouse taken possession of the sanctuary all spotless, wherein the nine months of his first abiding amongst men, must run their course, yea, scarce has the Word been made Flesh, than Our Lady, inwardly taught what is her Son's desire, arising, makes all haste to speed into the hill-country of Judea (St. Luke, i. 39). The voice of my Beloved! Behold he cometh, leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills (Cantic. ii. 8). His first visit is to the "Friend of the Bridegroom," the first out-pour of His graces is to John. A distinct feast will allow us to Honor in a special manner, the precious day on which the divine Child, sanctifying his Precursor, reveals himself to John, by the voice of Mary; the day on which Our Lady, manifested by John, leaping within the womb of his mother, proclaims at last the wondrous things operated within her, by the Almighty, according to the merciful promise which he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever (St. Luke, i. 55).

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But the time is come, when the good tidings are to spread, from children and mothers, through all the adjacent country, until at length they reach the whole world. John is about to be born, and, whilst still himself unable to speak, he is to loosen his father's tongue. He is to put an end to that dumbness, with which the aged priest, a type of the old law, had been struck by the angel; and Zachary, himself filled with the Holy Ghost, is about to publish in a new canticle, the blessed visit of the Lord God of Israel. (Ibid. i. 68).

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The hymn which follows, furnishes the Church with a beautiful formula of prayer and praise. There are few pieces so famous as this, in the holy liturgy. Its composition is attributed to Paul the Deacon, a monk of Monte Cassino, in the eighth century; and the story attached to it, is particularly touching. Honoured with that sacred order the very title of which remains through the course of ages inseparably linked with his name, Paul Warnefrid, the friend of Charlemagne and the historian of the Lombards, was on a certain occasion, deputed to bless the paschal candle, the triumphal appearance whereof, yearly announces to Holy Church, the Resurrection of the Spouse. Now it happened, that whilst he was preparing himself for this function, the most solemn of those reserved to the Levites of the New Testament, he suddenly lost his voice, until then clear and sonorous, so that, he was powerless to sound forth the glad notes of the Exsultet. In this extremity, Paul recollected himself; and turning to Saint John, patron at once of the Lombard nation and of that Church built by Saint Benedict at the top of the holy mount, he invoked him whose birth had put a stop to the dumbness of his own father, and who still preserves his power of restoring to " vocal chords their lost suppleness." The son of Zachary heard his devout client. Such was the origin of the harmonious strophes which now form the three hymns proper to this feast.

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What is still better known, is the importance which the first of these strophes has acquired in the history of Gregorian chant and of music, The primitive air to which the hymn of Paul the Deacon was sung possessed this peculiarity, namely, that the initial syllable of each hemistich rose just one degree higher than the preceding, in the scale of sounds; thus was obtained, on bringing them together, the series of fundamental notes which form the basis of our present gamut. The custom was afterwards introduced of giving to the notes themselves, the names of these syllables: Ut, Be, Mi, Fa, Sol, La. Guido of Arezzo, in his method of teaching, originated this custom; and by completing it with the introduction of the regular lines of the musical scale, he was the cause of an immense stride being made in the science of sacred music, until then so laborious to render, and so tedious to acquire. He thus acknowledged that the divine Precursor, the Voice whose accents reveal to the world the harmony of the eternal canticle, ought to have the honour of having attached to his name the organization of earth's melodies.

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Hymn: Ut queant laxis

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O for thy spirit, holy John, to chasten Lips sin-polluted, fettered tongues to loosen; So by thy children might thy deeds of wonder Meetly be chanted.

Lo! a swift herald, from the skies descending, Bears to thy father promise of thy greatness; How he shall name thee, what thy future story, Duly revealing.

Scarcely believing message so transcendent, Him for season power of speech forsaketh, Till, at thy wondrous birth, again returneth Voice to the voiceless.

Thou, in thy mother's womb all darkly cradled, Knewest thy Monarch, biding in His chamber, Whence the two parents, through their children's merits, Mysteries uttered.

Praise to the Father, to the Son begotten, And to the Spirit, equal power possessing, One God whose glory, through the lapse of ages, Ever resoundeth.

At the Magnificat, let us recognize the part which our Saint had in this ineffable effusion of the Virgin Mother's sentiments, already alluded to, in the fourth strophe of the preceding hymn. These two, the Magnificat and Benedictus, our evening and morning canticles, are closely linked to the name of Saint John ; for, by his mystic "leaping for joy," and by his hallowed birth, he was the main-spring of both.

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Antiphon of the Magnificat

Zachary being come into the Temple of the Lord, there appeared unto him the Angel Gabriel standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

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Magnificat:

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My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid: for, behold from henceforth all generations shall call me Blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me: and holy is His name. And His mercy is from gene ration unto generation, to them that fear him. He hath showed might in His arm He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy. As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

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Let us pray:

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O God, Who hast made this day glorious unto us on account of the Nativity of blessed John grant to thy people the grace of spiritual joys and direct the souls of all the Faithful into the way of eternal salvation, Through our Lord &c.

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Another festival is yet to come, at the end of August, calling for our renewed homage to the son of Zachary and Elizabeth; the feast, that is to say, of his glorious martyrdom. But, "venerable" as it has every right to be in our eyes, (so the Church expresses herself on that day, [Collecta diei.]) its splendour is not to be compared with that of this present festival. The reason is, because this day relates less to John himself, than to Jesus Whom he is announcing; whereas the feast of the Decollation, though more personal to our Saint, has not in the divine plan that same importance which his Birth had, inasmuch as it preludes that of the Son of God.

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There hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist, are the words to be spoken by the Man-God of His Precursor (St. Matth. xi. 11); and already has Gabriel, when announcing both of them, declared the same thing of each, that he shall be great (St. Luke, i. 15-32). But the greatness of Jesus is that He shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the greatness of John is that he shall go before Him (Ibid). The name of John brought down from heaven, like that of his Master, proclaims the grace which Jesus, by saving mankind, is to bring to the world (St. Luke, i. 13-.31). Jesus Who cometh from above in person, is above all, it is He and He alone Whom all mankind is expecting; John who is of earth, on the contrary, hath nothing but what he hath received; but he hath received to be the friend of the Bridegroom (St. John iii. 27-31), his usher; so that the Bridegroom cometh not to the Bride, but by him (Ibid. i. 7).

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Yea, the Bride even cannot come to know herself, nor to prepare herself for the sacred nuptials, but by him: his preaching awakens her, in the wilderness (Cantic. viii. 5); he adorns her with the charms of penitence and all virtues; his hand, in the one baptism, at last unites her to Christ beneath the waters. Sublime moment! in which, raised far above all men and angels, John, in the midst of the Holy Trinity (Johannes totius medius Trinitatis. Petr. Dam. Sermo 23), as it were, in virtue of an authority that is his, invests the Second Person Incarnate with a new title; the Father and the Holy Ghost acting the while, in concert with him! But presently, coming down from those lofty heights, more than human, to which his mission had raised him, he is fain to disappear altogether: the Bride is become the Bridegroom's own; the joy therefore of John is full, his work is done; he has now but to efface himself and to decrease (St. John. iii. 29-30). To Jesus here manifested (Ibid. 1-31), it henceforth alone belongs to appear and to increase. Thus too, the day-star, from the feast of John's Nativity when he beams his rays upon us in all his splendour, will begin to decline from the heights of his solstice, towards the horizon; whereas Christmas will give him signal to return, to resume that upward movement which progressively restores all his fiery effulgence.

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Verily, Jesus alone is Light, the Light without which earth would remain dead; and John is but the man sent from God, without whom the Light would have remained unknown (St. John, i. 4-10). But Jesus being inseparable from John, even as day is from aurora, it is by no means astonishing that earth's gladness at John's birth should partake of something of that excited by the coming of our Redeemer. Up to the fifteenth century, the Latin Church, together with the Greeks who still continue the custom, celebrated, in the month of September, a feast called the conception of the Precursor: not that his conception was in itself holy, but because it announced the beginning of mysteries. Just in the same way, the Nativity of Saint John Baptist indeed made holy, is celebrated with so much pomp, merely because it seems to enfold within itself the Nativity of Christ, our Redeemer. It is as it were Midsummer's "Christmas Day." From the very onset, God and His Church brought about, with most delicate care, many such parallel resemblances and dependences between these two solemnities. These we are now about to study.

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God, Who in His Providence, seeks in all things, the glorification of His Word made Flesh, estimates men and centuries, by the measure of testimony they render to Christ; and this is why John is so great. For, Him whom the Prophets announced as about to come, whom the Apostles preached as already come, John, at once prophet and apostle, pointed out with his finger, exclaiming "Behold, this is He!" John, being then the witness by excellence (Ibid. 7), it is fitting that he should open that glorious period, during which for three centuries, the Church was to render to her Spouse that testimony of blood, whereby the Martyrs, after the Prophets and Apostles, whereon she is built up (Eph. ii. 20), hold the first claim to her gratitude. Just as Eternal Wisdom had decreed that the tenth and last great struggle of that epoch, should be forever linked with the Birthday of the Son of God whose triumph it secured, by the memory of the Martyrs of Nicomedia on the 25th of December, 303; so likewise does John's birthday mark the beginning of the first of those giant contests. For, the 24th of June, in the Roman Martyrology, is sacred likewise to the memory of those soldiers of Christ, who first entered upon the arena opened to them by pagan Rome, in the year 64. After the proclamation of the Nativity of the Precursor, the Church's record runs thus: "At Rome the memory of many holy Martyrs who under the Emperor Nero being calumniously accused of setting fire to the city, were at the command of the same, most cruelly put to death by divers torments; some of whom were sown up in beasts' skins and so exposed to be torn by dogs; others crucified; others set on fire, so that at the decline of day, they might serve as torches to light up the night. All these were disciples of the Apostles; and first fruits of the Martyrs offered to the Lord by the Roman Church, the fertile field of Martyrs, even before the death of the "Apostles (Martyrol. Rom. ad diem 24 Junii. Octavo Kalendas Julii)."

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The solemnity of the 24th of June, therefore, throws a double light on the early days of Christianity. There never were even then, days evil enough for the Church to belie the prediction of the Angel, that many should rejoice in the birth of John (St. Luke, i. 14); together with joy, his word, his example, his intercession, brought courage to the Martyrs. After the triumph won by the Son of God over pagan negation; when to the testimony of blood succeeded that of confession by works and praise, John maintained his part as Precursor of Christ in souls. Guide of monks, he conducts them far from the world, and fortifies them in the combats of the desert; Friend of the Bridegroom, he continues to form the Bride, by preparing unto the Lord a perfect people (St. Luke, i. 17).

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In the divers states and degrees of the Christian life, his ever needful and beneficent influence makes itself felt. At the beginning of the fourth Gospel, in the most dogmatic passage of the New Testament, not by mere accident, is John brought forward, even as heretofore at Jordan, as one closely united with the operations of the Adorable Trinity, in the universal economy of the Divine Incarnation: There was a man sent from God whose name was John, saith the Holy Ghost; he came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, That All Might Believe THROUGH HIM (St. John, 8. 6-7). "Precursor at his birth, Precursor at his death, St. John still continues," says St. Ambrose, "to march in front, before the Lord. More perhaps than we are aware of, may his mysterious action be telling on this present life of ours. When we begin to believe in Christ, there comes forth virtue, as it were, from St. John, drawing us after him: he inclines the steps of the soul towards faith; he rectifies the crooked ways of life, making straight the road of our earthly pilgrimage, lest we stray into the rugged wilds of error; he contrives so, that all our valleys be filled with the fruits of virtue, and that every elevation be brought low before the Lord (Ambr. in luc. i 38)."

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But if the Precursor maintains his part in each progressive movement of faith which brings souls nearer to Christ, he intervenes still more markedly in each baptism conferred, whereby the Bride gains increase. The baptistry is especially consecrated to him. It is true, the baptism which he gave to the crowds pressing day by day, on Jordan's banks, had never power such as Christian baptism possesses; but when he plunged the Man-God beneath the waters, they were endowed with a virtue of fecundity emanating directly from Christ, whereby they would be empowered until the end of time to complete, by the accession of new members, the Body of Holy Church united to Christ.

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The faith of our fathers never ignored the great benefits for which both individuals and nations are indebted to Saint John. So many neophytes received his name in baptism, so efficacious was the aid afforded by him in conducting his clients to sanctity, that there is not a day in the Calendar, on which there may not be honoured the heavenly birthday of one or other so named (Annus Johannis, auctore Johanne N. [Pragae, 1664]). Amongst nations, the Lombards formerly claimed Saint John as Patron, and French Canada does the same now-a-days. But whether in East or West, who could count the countries, towns, religious families, abbeys, and churches placed under this same powerful patronage: from the temple which, under Theodosius, replaced that of the ancient Serapis in Alexandria with its famous mysteries, to the sanctuary raised upon the ruins of the altar of Apollo, on the summit of Monte Cassino, by the Patriarch of monks; from the fifteen churches which Byzantium, the new Rome, consecrated within her walls in honour of the Precursor, to the august Basilica of Lateran, well worthy of its epithet, the golden Basilica, and which in the Capital of Christendom remains for ever Mother and Mistress of all churches, not alone of the City, but of the whole world! Dedicated at first to our Saviour, this latter Basilica added at an early date another title which seems inseparable from this sacred name, that of the Friend of the Bridegroom. Saint John the Evangelist, also a " friend of Jesus," whose precious death is placed by one tradition on the Twenty-fourth day of June, has likewise had his name added to the other two borne by this Basilica; but all the same, it is none the less certain, that common practice is in keeping with ancient documents, in referring, as it does, more especially to the Precursor, the title of Saint John Lateran, whereby the patriarchal Basilica of the Roman Pontiffs is always designated in these days.

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" Fitting it was," says Saint Peter Damian, "that the authority of the Bride should subscribe to the judgment of the Bridegroom, and that this latter should see his greatest Friend raised in glory there, where she is enthroned as queen. A remarkable choice is this, to be sure, whereby John is given the primacy, in the very city that is consecrated by the glorious death of the two lights of the world. Peter from his cross, Paul beneath the blade, both behold the first place held by another; Rome is clad in the purple of innumerable martyrs, and yet all her honours go straight to the blessed Precursor, "Everywhere John is the greatest (Peter Damian Sermon 23)!"

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On this day, therefore, let us too imitate Mother Church; let us avoid that obliviousness which bespeaks ingratitude; let us hail, with thanksgiving and heartfelt gladness, the arrival of him who promises our Saviour unto us. Yea, already Christmas is announced.

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To the Office of Lauds, on this day, a special importance is to be attached, because the Canticle Benedictus, which is sung during Lauds all the year round, is the very expression itself of the sentiments inspired by the Holy Ghost to the father of Saint John the Baptist, on the occasion of that Birthday which gave joy both to God and man.

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(Zachary writes down the name of John)

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Canticle of Zachary

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: because He hath visited and wrought the redemption of His people.

And hath raised up a horn of salvation to us, in the house of David His servant.

As he spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets, who are from the beginning.

Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us.

To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember His holy testament.

The oath which He swore to Abraham, our father; that He would grant to us,

That being delivered from the hand of our enemies we may serve him without fear,

In holiness and justice before Him, all our days.

And thou child, Precursor of the Emmanuel, shalt be called the Prophet of the Most High: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to prepare His ways.

To give unto His people the knowledge of salvation, unto the remission of their sins.

Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:

To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death; to direct our feet in the way of peace.

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Prayer:

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Precursor of the Messias, we share in the joy which thy birth brought to the world. This birth of thine announced that of the Son of God. Now, each year, our Emmanuel assumes anew His life in the Church and in souls; and in our day, just as it was eighteen hundred years ago, He wills that this birth of His shall not take place without thy preparing the way, now as then, for that nativity whereby our Saviour is given to each one of us. Scarce has the sacred cycle completed the series of mysteries whereby the glorification of the Man-God is consummated and the Church is founded, than Christmas begins to appear on the horizon; already, so to speak, does John reveal by exulting demonstrations the approach of our Infant-God. Sweet Prophet of the Most High, not yet canst thou speak, when already thou dost outstrip all the princes of prophecy; but full soon the desert will seem to snatch thee for ever from the commerce of men. Then Advent comes, and the Church will show us that she has found thee once more; she will constantly lead us to listen to thy sublime teachings, to hear thee bearing witness unto Him whom she is expecting. From this present moment, therefore, begin to prepare our souls; having descended anew on this our earth, coming as thou now dost, on this day of gladness, as the messenger of the near approach of our Saviour, canst thou possibly remain idle one instant, in face of the immense work which lies before thee to accomplish in us?

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To chase sin away, subdue vice, correct the instincts falsified in this poor fallen nature of ours; all this would have been done within us, as indeed it should long ago, had we but responded faithfully to thy past labours. Yet, alas, it is only too true, that in the greater number of us, scarce has the first turning of the soil been begun: stubborn clay, wherein stones and briers have defied thy careful toil these many years! We acknowledge it to be so, filled as we are with the confusion of guilty souls: yea, we confess our faults to thee and to Almighty God, as the Church teaches us to do, at the beginning of the great sacrifice; but, at the same time, we beseech thee with her, to pray to the Lord our God for us. Thou didst proclaim in the desert: From these very stones even, God is still able to raise up children of Abraham. Daily, do the solemn formulae of the Oblation wherein is prepared the ceaselessly renewed immolation of our Saviour tell of the honourable and important part which is thine in this august Sacrifice; thy name, again pronounced whilst the Divine Victim is present on the Altar, pleads for us sinners to the God of all mercy.

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Would that, in consideration of thy merits and of our misery, he would deign to be propitious to the persevering prayer of our mother the Church, change our hearts, and in place of evil attachments, attract them to virtue, so as to deserve for us the visit of Emmanuel! At this sacred moment of the Mysteries, when thrice is invoked, in the words of that formula taught us by thyself, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world, he, this very Lamb, will Himself have pity upon us and give us peace: peace so precious, with heaven, with earth, with self, which is to prepare us for the Bridegroom by making us become sons of God (St. John, i. 12--St. Matth. v. 9), according to the testimony which, daily, by the mouth of the priest about to quit the altar, thou continuest to renew. Then, O Precursor, will thy joy and ours be complete; that sacred union, of which this day of thy Nativity already contains for us the gladsome hope, will become, even here below and beneath the shadow of faith, a sublime reality, whilst still awaiting the clear vision.

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http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/

#saint john the baptist #catholicism #traditional catholic #catholic #christianity #heaven #jesus christ #love #its the truth #catholic saints #catholic faith

[anastpaul]

NOVENA to St John Paul the Great:  DAY EIGHT – 20 OCTOBER

Little Known Fact #8:  In addition to meeting with the sick at a parish visitation, Bishop Karol Wojtyla signaled out married couples and gave them a special blessing.   Often the parish priest would personally invite married couples to be present for the blessing. Wojtyla did this so that it would be a model for his priests in parish ministry.   He sought to show them that married couples formed the basic cell of the parish.   He stressed this point in a document in 1960, where he stated: “Through [the sacrament of marriage], the family is created within the Church but, at the same time, the family in some measure created the Church as a living community of the people of God.   The meeting of the Bishop with married couples during the visitation of a parish is like touching this very basic bond of the human community which is shaped in the Church and which in turn shapes the Church.”

Reflection:   “Dear brothers and sisters, today our eyes behold, in the full spiritual light of the risen Christ, the beloved and revered figure of John Paul II.   Today his name is added to the host of those whom he proclaimed saints and blesseds during the almost 27 years of his pontificate, thereby forcefully emphasizing the universal vocation to the heights of the Christian life, to holiness, taught by the concilliar Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium.   All of us, as members of the people of God – bishops, priests, deacons, laity, men and women religious – are making our pilgrim way to the heavenly homeland where the Virgin Mary has preceded us, associated as she was in a unique and perfect way to the mystery of Christ and the Church.   Karol Wojtyla took part in the Second Vatican Council, first as an auxiliary Bishop and then as Archbishop of Kraków.   He was fully aware that the Council’s decision to devote the last chapter of its Constitution on the Church to Mary meant that the Mother of the Redeemer is held up as an image and model of holiness for every Christian and for the entire Church.   This was the theological vision which Blessed John Paul II discovered as a young man and subsequently maintained and deepened throughout his life.   A vision which is expressed in the scriptural image of the crucified Christ with Mary, his Mother, at his side.   This icon from the Gospel of John (19:25-27) was taken up in the episcopal and later the papal coat-of-arms of Karol Wojtyla:  a golden cross with the letter “M” on the lower right and the motto“Totus tuus”, drawn from the well-known words of St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort in which Karol Wojtyla found a guiding light for his life: “Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria – I am totally yours and all that I have is yours. I accept you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart.” Pope Benedict XVI at the Beatification Ceremony

Let us Pray:

O Holy Trinity, we thank You for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II and for having made him shine with Your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christand the splendour of the Spirit of love.

He, trusting completely in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us the way of holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You Grant us, through his intercession, according to Your will, the grace that we implore,

………………….. [state your intention here].

Continue, beloved St John Paul, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. We praise and thank You Father that St John Paul has been numbered among Your saints and make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever.

Totus Tuus, Amen.

Quote Day 8:   “Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family – a domestic church.”

(via AnaStpaul – Breathing Catholic)

#mypics #dayeightnovenastjohnpaul #novenastjohnpaul #quotestjohnpaul #popebenedictxvi #catholic #mypic #catholicism

[rudyscuriocabinet]

The Roman Church (still Orthodox at this time) commends this day to us as the blessed Laurence’s day of triumph, on which he trod down the world as it roared and raged against him; spurned it as it coaxed and wheedled him; and in each case, conquered the devil as he persecuted him. For in that Church, you see, as you have regularly been told, he performed the office of deacon; it was there that he administered the sacred chalice of Christ’s blood; there that he shed his own blood for the name of Christ. The blessed apostle John clearly explained the mystery of the Lord’s supper when he said ‘Just as Christ laid down his life for us, so we too ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.’ St Laurence understood this, my brethren, and he did it; and he undoubtedly prepared things similar to what he received at that table. He loved Christ in his life, he imitated him in his death. And we too, brethren, if we truly love him, let us imitate him. After all, we shall not be able to give a better proof of love than by imitating his example; ‘for Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, so that we might follow in his footsteps.’ In this sentence the apostle Peter appears to have seen that Christ suffered only for those who follow in his footsteps, and that Christ’s passion profits none but those who follow in his footsteps. The holy martyrs followed him, to the shedding of their blood, to the similarity of their sufferings. The martyrs followed, but they were not the only ones. It is not the case, I mean to say, that after they crossed, the bridge was cut; or that after they had drunk, the fountain dried up. The garden of the Lord, brethren, includes – yes, it truly includes – includes not only the roses of martyrs but also the lilies of virgins, and the ivy of married people, and the violets of widows. There is absolutely no kind of human beings, my dearly beloved, who need to despair of their vocation; Christ suffered for all. It was very truly written about him: ‘who wishes all men to be saved, and to come to the acknowledgement of the truth.’ So let us understand how Christians ought to follow Christ, short of the shedding of blood, short of the danger of suffering death. The Apostle says, speaking of the Lord Christ, ‘Who, though he was in the form of God, did not think it robbery to be equal to God.’ What incomparable greatness! ‘But he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and being made in the likeness of men, and found in condition as a man.’ What unequalled humility!     Christ humbled himself: you have something, Christian, to latch on to. Christ became obedient. Why do you behave proudly? After running the course of these humiliations and laying death low, Christ ascended into heaven: let us follow him there. Let us listen to the Apostle telling us, ‘If you have risen with Christ, savor the things that are above us, seated at God’s right hand.’

A sermon preached by St Augustine on the feast day of Saint Laurence

[fidei]

He administered the sacred chalice of Christ's blood

A sermon preached by St Augustine on the feast day of St Laurence

The Roman Church commends this day to us as the blessed Laurence’s day of triumph, on which he trod down the world as it roared and raged against him; spurned it as it coaxed and wheedled him; and in each case, conquered the devil as he persecuted him. For in that Church, you see, as you have regularly been told, he performed the office of deacon; it was there that he administered the sacred chalice of Christ’s blood; there that he shed his own blood for the name of Christ. The blessed apostle John clearly explained the mystery of the Lord’s supper when he said Just as Christ laid down his life for us, so we too ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. St Laurence understood this, my brethren, and he did it; and he undoubtedly prepared things similar to what he received at that table. He loved Christ in his life, he imitated him in his death.

And we too, brethren, if we truly love him, let us imitate him. After all, we shall not be able to give a better proof of love than by imitating his example; for Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, so that we might follow in his footsteps. In this sentence the apostle Peter appears to have seen that Christ suffered only for those who follow in his footsteps, and that Christ’s passion profits none but those who follow in his footsteps. The holy martyrs followed him, to the shedding of their blood, to the similarity of their sufferings. The martyrs followed, but they were not the only ones. It is not the case, I mean to say, that after they crossed, the bridge was cut; or that after they had drunk, the fountain dried up.

The garden of the Lord, brethren, includes – yes, it truly includes – includes not only the roses of martyrs but also the lilies of virgins, and the ivy of married people, and the violets of widows. There is absolutely no kind of human beings, my dearly beloved, who need to despair of their vocation; Christ suffered for all. It was very truly written about him: who wishes all men to be saved, and to come to the acknowledgement of the truth.

So let us understand how Christians ought to follow Christ, short of the shedding of blood, short of the danger of suffering death. The Apostle says, speaking of the Lord Christ, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not think it robbery to be equal to God. What incomparable greatness! But he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and being made in the likeness of men, and found in condition as a man. What unequalled humility!

Christ humbled himself: you have something, Christian, to latch on to. Christ became obedient. Why do you behave proudly? After running the course of these humiliations and laying death low, Christ ascended into heaven: let us follow him there. Let us listen to the Apostle telling us, If you have risen with Christ, savour the things that are above us, seated at God’s right hand.

[vicarofskidrow]

Padre's World: Today the Good Rector and the Beloved Deacon Pat visited one of our parishioner's son who had a surgical procedure at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. This was my first time there and so Deacon Pat and I decided to indulge our inner child and get pictures with the Disney Decor. We have a ministry principle at The Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist where if anyone is a part of our neighborhood in any way they are part of our Parish. No one is a stranger and everyone a neighbor. We invite everyone to Noonday Prayer on Wednesday as well to our Lenten Study: The Way of Love. I will be talking about the discipline of studying the Scripture. #padrepower #gangstapriest #kingdomofgod #god #jesus #holyspirit #vicarofstjohnthebaptist #mystic #charismatic #contemplation #inspiration #intergrated #intuition #imagination #recovery #addiction #homeless #transformation  #shalom #wholeness #realignment #retreat #lent #healing #eucharisticcommunity  #stjohnthebaptist #poor #orlando #episcopal #beautyandthepriest (at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvfYzKGB674/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xpwkvkzdwklz

#padrepower #gangstapriest #kingdomofgod #god #jesus #holyspirit #vicarofstjohnthebaptist #mystic #charismatic #contemplation #inspiration #intergrated #intuition #imagination #recovery #addiction #homeless #transformation #shalom #wholeness #realignment #retreat #lent #healing #eucharisticcommunity #stjohnthebaptist #poor #orlando #episcopal #beautyandthepriest