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thepilgrimofwar · 5 years ago

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Pure of Heart

Solendis waited in the guest wing, seated by the fire in the common room. He waited, not for the usual staging of a diplomatic talk, or to speak about strategy from the war room. He waited for something more important than any of that. He waited for the boy, who seemed to be dragging his family off-track.

“Evening Mr. Bladeborn,” he said when Vissehn finally appeared. The Steward had heard him and his son laughing on the roof tops, drunk and high off Bloodthistle. Thankfully, only the House Huards had been around to bear witness to this. Lest his son’s reputation be besmirched.

The hallways seemed smeared with light; his pupils blown wide, Vissehn wondered if he touched one, if perhaps his hand might also become so brilliant and glowing. His laughter chimed through as he ambled-- staggered-- towards the guest wing.

It had been a bloody success; he had brought down the cold and sad walls he had seen springing up around Stenden’s heart and head, crashed into them like a meteor of bawdy songs and pilfered liquor, and now the boys laughter played over in his mind, shining like a new coin. If he’d been robbed of a boyhood, well, he would lend some of that to another; find the kindred spirit beneath the stuffy layers of velvet and linen and silk, bear it and bask in finally not being alone.

Neither of them needed any more years being alone in their youth.

He careened into the common room, he wasn’t even looking to the crackling flames. Vissehn had only eyes for windows, and stars. In that candid moment, before he knew of the other man, his youth revealed like so much bare skin, he was every inch the vagabond he had espoused-- wind tousled hair, cheeks freckled and high in color, the acrid scents of liquor and thistle a cloud around his shambles of an outfit.

When he heard the voice, he turned hard on a heel, spinning almost comically towards his chosen surname. “Oi, Steward Emberheart?” Vissehn saluted breezily, squinting a moment to make sure he had the right man. “Cor, you look like yer brother in this light, almost thought I was seein’ ghosts!” He grinned, his good mood taking even the barbs out of his jests.

Solendis folded his arms, taking measure of the man- no- the boy in front of him. He did not like what he saw. This was Stenden’s agent of choice. True, Vissehn was a capable killer, a proven agent that had served greater names than theirs in the past, but all in all, the boy in front of him was a bad influence. He made Stenden forget his station, the decorum that separated nobility from the commoners- and possibly the only thing that held the Emberglades together.

“Enjoying yourself?” He spoke firm, arms folded, ears flat against his skill and a gaze that only disapproving parents could muster. “You may have free run of the house as my son’s agent, but don’t for one second believe that you’re free to do as you please- without consequences.” Solendis rose to his feet, towering slightly over Vissehn. “I understand that you believe you are helping Stenden by…” he made an offhanded gesture at the roof. “Relaxing. But you are doing the complete opposite.”

Vissehn looked up at his friends father as he rose, one brow lifting to that jaunty arch that made the youth look puckish and fey. Solendis was a tall man; taller than Vissehn and certainly bore down with the paternal disapproval that had likely cowed Stenden in his more playful years. The light of his evening was dimmed in the derision he heard in Solendis' tone, but not with shame. "Yeah, you got good liquor down in the cellar and bad locks to go with them. Sounds like a mighty enjoyable evening to me."

Eyes glittering with that cold mirth, he let his lips curl up in that wicked grin. "Naw, see, the plans to let him get all cozy comfy an then ruin th'Emberglades by exposing that their Lord is--" he gasped theatrically. "A fuckin' lad who wanted to live a little! Gods an' ghosts, whatever'll everyone do? Carry on with all their lives cause it don't fucking matter if a boy has a moment to hisself?" He snorted and tossed his name of golden hair. "Consequence, hoo M'lord I'm just a peasant brat what didn't get that stirling education, you'll have to use smaller words than that." He feigned a poor imitation of woe, the light never leaving his eyes as he already turned to walk off.

Solendis maintained his composure, sticking to his condescending gaze of disappointment. But as Vissehn began to walk off, he raised his voice. “You’re a smart boy, educated or not, so listen to me. Stenden cannot afford to be a boy, not now, not ever. I’m not sure where you’ve lived exactly, but the entire system that holds the Emberglades together is predicated on the ideas of nobility- exclusivity- the right to rule because we are a cut above the rest. Let the people see him the boy he is and not their Lord, and you’ll have what we have now, only ten-fold.”

The bark of authority in Solendis words made Vissehn straighten-- though perhaps not for the intended reason. Hackles raised and blood thick with liquor and assurance, he turned and closed the distance faster than his stumbling in the hall had would indicate.

This close to the man, Vissehn could see the weight of years in the lines around his eyes, the necessities he had born in the name of the Emberglades; he’d been illused and run up by wars and ledgers and lost causes. In other times, Vissehn might have sheathed his bladed tongue and let the man go on with his platitudes and his conceptions, but alcohol made truth out of anger and the commonborn youth had so much truth in him.

“Cut above?” His grin pulled sideways. “Oh, fancy that, cut above. See, even piss drunk an’ half blind from thistle I shoulda never mistook you for Sederis, cause there was a bloke that knew the truth in it, didn’t he?” Vissehn’s words were sharp with laughter. “Ain’t a single soul of us better than the dirt we’ll die in, save by the deeds done on it, not the blood we’re born of.” He canted his head and let his gaze streak over Solendis.

His following snort showed how much he thought of the inspection. “Your father seems to have ‘predicated’ that he was right to rule by sowin’ more graves than any other fucker; how his get carry on is on them, I figure.”

“My father sowed those graves so he could reap almost three centuries of peace!” Solendis responded to Vissehn’s snort. “And there is more blood that has yet to be spilled to let Stenden enjoy three hundred more. Leave it up to people like you and we’d still be a wartorn backwater, stabbing each other over better plots dirt. Content to accept your lot, and do as you please. No ambition to change things for the better! Nothing beyond what can be touched and felt on the morrow!”

Solendis threw his arm out to his side, gesturing at the manor and everything that surrounded it. The fields, the villages, and for now, the soldiers that were fighting on their behalf from all over Quel’thalas. “So yes, we are a cut above the rest. Because building a better tomorrow is more important that the price we pay today. That was something Sederis understood, before the end. It is that, which puts Stenden a cut above the rest.”

“Which includes you.” He brought his arm back round and pointed his finger at him, the distance now close enough to bring his fingers inches from his chest. “You more you remind him that he’s a boy, free to do as he pleases, the more you drag him down to your level. Keep it up and he’ll be back to square one- No one will bear an ounce of respect for him. His words will carry no weight as they did at the start. And I’d sooner be damned before watching him get humiliated- and underestimated like that again.”

Sobriety was the better part of wisdom, and even when not a bottle or more in, Vissehn could not be called wise. “Like me, eh?” His voice was low and soft, a shadow coming to those bright eyes. “And what the fuck do you think you know about me?”

He was in Solendis space then, closing that distance so that the finger extended pressed against the fabric of his tunic. “I know your lot-- a merchants lad’ll break your bones, a lords son’ll bury the lot. I know how many of my cousins had long ears after their mums spent a spell as maid in a manor. That’s how you shape your tomorrows-- kill the kind that don’t match, or if you’re feelin’ charitable, just fuck it into them. You all pretend to some greatness, somethin’ pure and noble of the blood, but I seen what your lot do when no one important is lookin, and your kind is as base as mine. Leastwise we don’t have the gall to claim ourselves any mans betters.” The deep hate in him seeped out into his words, and he pushed forward so the finger jabbed hard against the fabric. “That you think Stenden’s greatness has got anything to do with Mereded, or you, or this bloody manor and name-- that’s where you’re wrong.”

Vissehn grabbed Solendis’ wrist, his lean and long fingers gripping tight enough to show the strength of the boy but not yet painful. “I’ve bled and killed for better tomorrows-- cut enough short for others to know the weight of a future and how little it really is. Stenden’s got a greatness to him, but it’s not been inherited from warlords or passed on by cuckolded politicians. He’s got vision, a heart big enough to carry the burdens of his ancestors an’ a mind canny enough to know when to hold fast or when to fold.”

He released Solendis, shaking his hand as though he had touched something filthy. “Everyone ‘round here got their heads so full of shite, Emberheart, Illithia, sayin’ names like they got weight behind the letters somewhere. You want a son at the end of this? Stay out of my way. Elsewise Emberglades’ll get a Lord, for certain-- one without a soul. I’ve looked into the eyes of the livin’ dead, and I’d take on a scourge and a legion afore I have to see another home lost to a man whose got more nobility than soul.”

Solendis rubbed his wrists, “Then I’m afraid to say that such horrors await you.” The Steward spoke evenly, knowing better to test the patience of an impulsive drug addled youth- With a body count to his name. “Maybe not now, maybe not for a hundred more years. But when Stenden is a boy no longer, you’ll find that he’ll sell his soul on his own accord. Because you are absolutely right. You are right. Stenden has greatness to him, he’s growing into it right now, but all great rulers understand that a soul must be sacrificed to rule-.”

He let his arm sink to his sides. “To rule well with kindness, and justice. To put his people first. That leaves no space for himself or the baseness you seek to encourage.”

Then his hands clenched into fists. “You claim I know nothing of you? Well, touché Mr. Bladeborn- or whatever your namesake truly is! I am not those men who inflicted misery upon you and yours, they are not my lot!” He thrusts a finger at Stenden’s office, still glowing with candlelight within. “HE is my lot. Stenden, Riah, even my brother, THEY are my lot. We live, trying to undo the sins of our fathers, to make the blood they spilled and injustices they wrought WORTH it.”

Solendis pushes himself forward, folding his arms once more. “So, you tell me to stay out of your way? Let my son live a little? Indulge in his desires? Your way will turn Stenden into one of those Lordlings you hate.”

“He doesn’t have to sell shit!” Vissehn roared, losing the thin threads of control he had on himself. His hands shot forward, clawed to grab Solendis by his tunic but at the last moment he jerked his hands back as though burnt. “You can be kind an’ good an’ still have power-- The High Cleric, The Knight Commander-- you can take lives an’ still be good, and real. Don’t need a title, don’t need a-- a legacy to protect. You’re gonna kill him an’ not even have a body to mourn!”

He ran his hands through his hair manically, laughing roughly. “You’re offering your fuckin-- your fucking son-- for a future that you can’t even see is all going to shite! You’re layin’ him on an altar and lettin’ the world go in with the knife. Gods, I might as well be fuckin’ trying to reason with Her!”

The eyes that turned on Solendis were thick with undisguised disgust. “He ain’t your lot. You might have gotten him on his mother, but he’s got more of Sederis in him, an’ that means he can be more than you’re giving credit for.”

Vissehn turned away and rubbed his face, exhausted from the anger he’d let fly. He was a tall youth but he was so lean, hungry in every sense and it showed in the way the light flickered over the sharp edges of his cheeks and the faint hollows beneath. His head pounded, the lights were all too much, and he’d thought of Her for the first time in-- in too long. “You’re not my employer, an’ until the time Stenden sends me off like th’nothin I am, I’m his. However long he’s got a soul burnin’ in there, he’s got me.” The weight of the declaration settled in his soul, and he realized he meant it. “You want to know the ilk who is swearing themselves to your lad?” The words tumbled out before his reason and self preservation could stop them.

“Vissehn, once of the Hawk.” He shrugged and let his grin return, still wicked but dimmed. “My deals-- my vows-- are good.”

Solendis gives a moment for his confession to sink in. “Ah, so,” he speaks after taking in its meaning. The rumors were true. He had heard whisperings after looking to Zarannis’ background and the tribe of Tel’dorei that she had spent the best years of her youth with- The Hawk Tribe. The boy was Unwelcomed- Exiled- Dead in the eyes of his clansmen. “We could never confirm if you wore the mark that all Exiles of your kind wear. But I see where all that spite comes from.”

His arms unfold, reaching for his chin, a calculating look flashing in his eyes. “Very well. I think there’s no point on harping-on on what’s already been said. You belong to my son’s retinue. You say you’re good on your promises- Then good. Serve him well. Just know that Stenden, like Sederis before him, understood the meaning and value of sacrifice. It’s only a matter of time before he offers his soul to the Emberglades.”

Vissehn did not look back as he left Solendis in the common room, the stifflegged walk to his own rooms too long by far. Solendis had no answer from the youth to that parting volley, only the seething quiet of rage contained poorly behind clenched teeth. Vissehn slammed his door, knowing it would only cement whatever the man thought of him and finding he wanted to prove every base thought true this time. Let them think him a roustabout; a good for nothing witches get. He was and worse, for all they would ever know of him.

When the door closed, though, he slumped against the wood, hand rising to catch at his collar.

In the dark spanse of his suite, he stared. He stared until the shadows held no mystery, until the ghosts and monsters summoned with just Her thought had dissipated into vapor and paranoia. Only when he was sure, only when the lock slid I to place and the windows shuttered against the night, did he settle on the overstuffed coverlet.

Vissehn pulled up the tunic, palm grazing the fabric of the binding beneath. His fingers pushed between the layers of bandage, and he twisted until his breath came short and his vision swam.

People like you.

You’re the first real friend I’ve had Viss.

He threw himself down on the bed, eyes closed as he tried to find the moment under the stars, the burn in his belly.

Instead, the press of Solendis finger seemed to burn instead, the judgement lingering long after the night and sleep claimed Vissehn, once-of-the-Hawk.

@retributionpriest @stormandozone @thanidiel

#Epilogue #Solendis

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roman-catholic-mass-readings · 5 years ago

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22nd January >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Friday, Second Week in Ordinary Time

Saint Vincent, Deacon, Martyr.

Friday, Second Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading

Hebrews 8:6-13

The first covenant is already old

We have seen that Christ has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises. If that first covenant had been without a fault, there would have been no need for a second one to replace it. And in fact God does find fault with them; he says:

See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will establish a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They abandoned that covenant of mine, and so I on my side deserted them. It is the Lord who speaks. No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord.’ No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest, since I will forgive their iniquities and never call their sins to mind.

By speaking of a new covenant, he implies that the first one is already old. Now anything old only gets more antiquated until in the end it disappears.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 84(85):8,10-14

R/ Mercy and faithfulness have met.

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and give us your saving help. His help is near for those who fear him and his glory will dwell in our land.

R/ Mercy and faithfulness have met.

Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven.

R/ Mercy and faithfulness have met.

The Lord will make us prosper and our earth shall yield its fruit. Justice shall march before him and peace shall follow his steps.

R/ Mercy and faithfulness have met.

Gospel Acclamation

cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:14

Alleluia, alleluia! Through the Good News God called us to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!

Or:

2 Corinthians 5:19

Alleluia, alleluia! God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled. Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 3:13-19

He appointed twelve to be his companions

Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils. And so he appointed the Twelve: Simon to whom he gave the name Peter, James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges or ‘Sons of Thunder’; then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Saint Vincent, Deacon, Martyr

(Liturgical Colour: Red)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Friday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

2 Corinthians 4:7-15

Such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us

We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. We are in difficulties on all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our problems, but never despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted; knocked down, but never killed; always, wherever we may be, we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may always be seen in our body. Indeed, while we are still alive, we are consigned to our death every day, for the sake of Jesus, so that in our mortal flesh the life of Jesus, too, may be openly shown. So death is at work in us, but life in you. But as we have the same spirit of faith that is mentioned in scripture – I believed, and therefore I spoke – we too believe and therefore we too speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us. You see, all this is for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 33(34):2-9

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free.

I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips; in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. The humble shall hear and be glad.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free.

Glorify the Lord with me. Together let us praise his name. I sought the Lord and he answered me; from all my terrors he set me free.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free.

Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed. This poor man called, the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free.

The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is happy who seeks refuge in him.

R/ From all my terrors the Lord set me free.

Gospel Acclamation

Matthew 5:10

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 10:17-22

The Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. ‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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betterlatethannever2 · 5 years ago

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THE ALLY PALLY CONNECTION

I recently came across a photo, taken from Mountview Road, near Crouch End, where I lived as a child. I was amazed to be able to see Alexandra Palace on a further hilltop, which I am sure was not visible from there in the 1940’s. Grandma and Grandad Hoad (my mother’s parents) lived at 103 Rosebery Road, Muswell Hill, which was barely a stone’s throw from the Palace, and my mother and I were frequent visitors there. This was the house that was provided for my grandparents after their own house at Nunhead (102 Drakefell Road) suffered war damage. These visits are among my earliest memories, and I certainly remember being there in June 1944 when a telegram was delivered to announce that my Uncle Leslie had been killed in a motor-cycle accident on Malta. He was on War Service but wasn’t involved in hostilities at the time. I remember the grief, but it was stoically borne, in my presence anyway. I was four at the time.

The second sad event at this address was the cot-death of my first brother, Anthony. We must have been staying for the night. This was totally unexpected, and I remember my mother’s devastation. For a few weeks it seemed as though I had become the responsibility of Grandma, and my Auntie Marjorie who was still living at home at the time. Nobody spoke to me about the tragedy, and I had to work out for myself why my mother was unable to cope with my care, and why she did not wish to speak to any body. I do not recall being present at the funeral, but I presume my mother was able to regain her composure once all the procedures had been dealt with. We manage things very differently now.

My grandparents were still at this address in 1947, and by this time I was trusted to go and see them by myself on the bus. The bus stop, at the bottom of the green sweep, and on the road that curves round and up to Alexandra Palace was still there fifteen years ago, and I am sure it is still there now. I would get off the bus and make my way through a small cutting, turn left, and then right, and straight on down Rosebery Road to 103. The semi-detached house, in an area now beloved by TV executives, had a very relaxed appearance, and a certain ‘graciousness’ inside. There were two quite large and formal rooms on the ground floor, and stairs down to the kitchen, where we all sat unless there was a big family gathering. the front room was very rarely used, but the back room could accommodate a sizeable party, and I enjoyed one or two of these, at adult knee height. This room had french windows which led out onto a raised wooden veranda overlooking the garden. I can smell the damp woodland feel its slippery surface under my feet, even now. I loved all these visits.

I was the first grandchild, and while not actually spoilt in that sense, I enjoyed lots of affection and attention. On my arrival, Grandad would reach for his ’sweetie’ tin on the piano, and while intoning Fe Fi Fo Fum, would invite me to plunge my small hand into the sweet smelling and sticky selection. I was particularly fond of pear drops. Grandma had a selection of toys, wind-up tin animals and vehicles, simple construction sets, and jigsaws. And of course, there were the Just William books. I was never, ever bored, and always happy to listen in to the adult conversation, without making that too obvious.

Grandad was a very practical man, and was always making useful gadgets and small pieces of wooden furniture, and even toys. He also repaired the family shoes on his lasts - a great saving then, as shoe repairs were very costly. His workshop was a small room tucked away under the veranda. He was also very proud of his garden. His new potatoes, garden peas and strawberries have never been equalled in my experience. I can just about summon their exquisite flavour, together with that of the pears from the trees that grew in the garden.

On a Sunday morning he would take me to the newsagent’s to buy a comic for me, and a couple of the less salubrious Sunday papers for him, together with Titbits. I read them all! In the afternoon he would pack up his leather cases, and take his bowls up to the Muswell Hill Bowling Green. I still have the smaller case, and I treasure it - not with the bowls in unfortunately. I expect other members of the family took care of those.

Grandma, or more often my Auntie Marjorie, would take me to play on the swings in the grounds of Alexandra Palace. On the top terraces, you had a wonderful view over London. On one unforgettable occasion, my mother, Aunty Marjorie and myself dressed up in the beautiful dresses my mother had made out of nylon parachute material. Mine was white with red silk thread embellishment to the frills, and theirs were yellow with jade thread. We were off to the Ball at the Palace. Even at the time I thought it was very nice of them both to take me too, but with hindsight, I guess I made a useful chaperone. They didn’t have to dance together all evening, there were gentlemanly invitations too. I am always trying to reconstruct that evening in my mind, and comb the television screen whenever there is an event at Ally Pally, but it always eludes me.

These memories have been stirred by finding the paperwork connected with the requisitioning of the house that Grandad actually bought in 1933, located between Nunhead and New Cross. He was a draughtsman by profession, and went to work in a suit, white shirt and tie. His recent ancestors had been boatbuilders at Rye, hence his handyman skills, but clearly he was ‘upwardly mobile’. The house cost £650. By 1953, and after a great deal of ‘argy bargy’ about the war damage repair costs, and who was responsible for them, the house was valued at £350. I have not been able to follow the line of argument, but clearly my grandfather knew when and how to dig his heels in when necessary, but he may have lost out on value as a result.

My grandparents were delighted to be back in their own house at last, and I hope that I never let on that I much preferred the house at Rosebery Road. The railway ran at the bottom of their garden which was interesting, but noisy. When I was ten, or eleven, my father (long home from the army by then), accepted a transfer of his post with the Public Trustee (a branch of the Civil Service, dealing with wills and probate) and we moved north to Manchester, settling in the nearby village of Romiley, then in Cheshire. I was very homesick, but my parents allowed me to travel back to Grandma and Grandad’s for some of my school holidays. I had the sort of freedom I would tremble to give my own grandchildren now. Nunhead station was just down the road, and I would regularly take myself into central London to explore. I also enjoyed visits to places like Kew Gardens, and to see other relatives, with Grandma and Auntie Marjorie.

When I watch TV programmes like ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ I know I am very lucky to know exactly who I am. 1st June.2020

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thehumbledwritinggirl · 7 years ago

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Shadowlight: Gavampatih Slythe and Tatsuo Ito

At the port city Malih, in Dragon Haven, a ship arrived bringing many folk who came to visit, learn from the Dragons, perform archeological research under the watch of the Dragons, or perform their coming of age ceremonies. One anthromorph, a scaled humanoid, who's ancestors tie back to the early times of Dragon Haven, was Gavampatih Slythe, better known by his friends as Gava. Gava had come to Dragon Haven from the floating islands continent known as Serra Pahn. The north of the continent was well known for it's mountainous, and snowy islands, which Gava had resided. Aviation between the islands that Gava had to perform was done by the extremely stretchy skin he was known for having between his limbs and torso, as well as along his back, giving him the ability to glide.

He traveled with a lot of effort, to get to the the southern port city of Harbinger's Paradise. The island where the city resides, is closer to the surface of the ocean, and uses the electromagnectivity of the island to run an elevator down to the floating port. Gava was glad he got a ship from there so he could continue his coming of age ceremony, which began in Arthona. Now being in Marlih, he could find the nearest Dragon Temple to understand the Passage of the Dragon.

It didn't take him long before he began to pay attention to the citizens of Marlih, many of them either had scale patch tattoos, or had actual patches of scales. It was more obvious that some of them had thin webbing between their fingers, feet, and underarms. Some had long manes and antlers like those of the famous Lung Dragons. Many of these people appeared to have undergone their own version of the Passage of the Dragon. Some were humans, some were elves, a very few were orcs, and then there were even fewer Alti's. Not all had undergone this transformation as far as Gava could tell. But he was the one anthromorph among the crowds of people as he walked through the streets. Many people who underwent transformation had long skinny tails. His was rather thick and bulky compared to theirs. Though, when he watched people talk, it seems that they didn't develop a snake like jaw.

He decided to find information on the nearest temple, so Gava confronted a short hooded woman, what what looked like ceremonial robes. "Excuse me miss" Gava spoke as he tapped her shoulder. She turned, "Daris kuro fa meh?" She spoke in the language of the dragons. Gava had not learned the language of the dragons right yet, so in response he asked, "I'm, sorry, I do not speak Dragon Tongue."

"Ah that's ok, I speak English as well. I am multilingual here, as is the custom of Dragon Haven" the woman spoke, her eyes suddenly looking like those of a dragons, "I am Tatsuo Ito. I hail from Dahk-Fahl, but found sanctuary here with the Dragons."

"Wait Ito? Isn't that the famous family who owns global jewelry empire Praetorian Jewel Traders" Gava asked concerned.

"You are correct" Tatsuo smiled, "But they are people who I would rather not be connected with just because of my last name. I took some of my mother's money and found a merchant who was willing to take me here to Dragon Haven. I have been living here since I was eight. The merchant still comes by and talks to me every now and then."

"Wait, that must mean you are at least 13 now then right" Gava questioned.

"That is correct. My father did not want to have a daughter, as he felt I was disgraceful, especially for my talent with magick instead of the family business. But I saw something that the Praetorian Jewelry Traders didn't want to see: the slave labor they use in the Dahk-Fahll jewelry mines. Many laborers are beaten when they mess up, damage tools, or are not working their shift. None of them are even compensated either. They only work for my family's business because their payment is a roof over their own family's heads and food to scrape by with" Tatsuo explained, beginning to put on an angered face. It didn't really make Gava intimidated by her, especially due to her short teenage stature, but he was concerned by what she had seen.

"What about your siblings? If you have any" Gava asked.

"Pfff, my older brother doesn't care, in fact if he did at all, he probably would have been introduced to the Rite of Twin Souls by now, just so he would be out of my fathers hair. He didn't always catch on quick when we were growing up, but he was smart. If he found out about what was going on my father would have gotten rid of him as soon as possible." Tatsuo scoffed, not knowing what was actually going on in Praetor.

"The Rite of Twin Souls? I've heard of people who've gone through it they're very powerful duos, and depending on their abilities they can merge into one person right" Gava asked, forgetting his coming of age ceremony for the moment.

"That's right, and a few have joined some of Dahk-Fahl's most strongest armies to conquer other lands. Praetor has been able to stray away from attacks by those who underwent the Rite, because they are bound by their training to not attack those who gave them their gifts" Tatsuo responded swiftly, "And the tougher the training the stronger the duo. If my brother were to undergo the Rite, then he would be part of the strongest duo ever."

"Why is that" Gava suddenly became confused.

"The name Ito means 'thread' in the Far Eastern language. Every coming of age ceremony is tied to your name. My brothers name is Kage, so his name means "The Thread of Shadows". My brother has always been a depressed know it all. And in the Rite of Twin Souls...you have to fight and train against the worst quality about yourself. If Kage underwent the ceremony, he would have to fight his own shadow" Tatsuo explained.

"Interesting. Oh shit, I nearly forgot to mention. I am Gavampatih Slythe, I'm looking for a Dragon temple to continue the Passage of the Dragon, a test given to me by my Elders in Arthona" Gava suddenly remembered, "Oh, and you can call me Gava by the way."

Tatsuo chuckled slightly, "And how old are you Gava?"

"Sixteen, in human years. In my part of the anthro race, we have a birthday every six months" Gava explained.

#writing #thehumbledwritinggirl #writer blog #story blog #inspired #story mode #writer #shadowlight

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zedesirebox2018-blog · 7 years ago

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My Cultural Identity

Myself. Defined as “I” or “me personally.” I would have to say that I usually hate starting off papers with the definition of a word, I think it’s rather cliché.

However, as I sit here writing a paper that intends to uncover some more of my own cultural identity, I find the definition of the word myself rather fitting.

I am me. I am a single human being distinct from a group, class, or family. Yet, I would be nothing without the influences of said family, groups, and classifications. My existence is rooted in my cultural history, and my identity is entrenched in my experience with this world. Throughout this paper I intend to unearth definitely not all, but race and ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status as three of the main facets of my constantly evolving identity.

The first impressions of my cultural identity appear in my race. The first impressions being what others see, and what I see when I look in the mirror. Honestly, sometimes I find it a little confusing, probably as others do too, since being mixed race doesn’t make it as easy to categorize a person. Being mixed race I find myself feeling category-less but in the best way possible. I think people always want to tell you where you should be, but sometimes I don’t really see myself anywhere, and I think that that is totally okay. I look at myself and I see tan skin, brown, curly hair, large, brown eyes, and an athletic thin body. I see my father’s skin color in mine, his athletic legs, his passion for music and artistic things. I see my mother’s lips, her eyebrows, her boldness, and her strength.

Do I see my father’s Puerto Rican blood running through me? My mother’s Guyanese blood? I know I have it and that it pulses through my body. I can see it in my features because I can see my parents in myself.

My father was born and raised in the Bronx in New York by his two parents. His parents were born in Puerto Rico and came to the United States to start a family. They spoke Spanish in their home, and he grew up in one of the poorest areas in New York City, minutes from Spanish Harlem. My mother immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old from Guyana, in South America, with her father and three brothers. Just like my Dad, she grew up in one of the poorest areas in New York City.

While I grew up both of my parents spoke English and Spanish. My dad would always have us listen to music that he grew up listening to, and would share with my siblings and I stories of his childhood. When holidays came around, that would mean lots and lots of food. Dinner on Christmas or various other holidays always meant a Puerto Rican feast with arroz con gandules, plantains, yucca, pernil (roast pork), and pollo asado.

My mom would talk about what it was like being a child in South America, and the struggles she had when they first came to America. She would talk about eating daahl, roti, and curry and I could hear her Guyanese accent when she spoke on the phone with relatives or when family came to visit.

My parents wanted us to be aware and accepting and worldly when it came to understanding culture. They showed us the aspects of theirs, and encouraged us to always be accepting of others. However, my parents never made me feel like I had to choose between Puerto Rican and Guyanese. They never me feel like both of my races were so salient and that I needed to very strongly identify with both or either…and that is what I think it means to be mixed race.

Poston’s Biracial Identity Development Model shows the steps of identifying oneself with finding personal identity, then choice of group categorization, then enmeshment and denial, then appreciation of multiple identities and exploration of heritages, and finally the integration and valuing of a multicultural identity. Ethnically I identify with Puerto Rican, Guyanese, and white culture. My ancestors are from Puerto Rico and from Guyana, and as I described earlier, I grew up with aspects of these cultures in my life. Racially I am clearly not white (just based off of what I look like) so I consider myself to be mixed race. I grew up around mostly white people, living in a nice area, going to a good school, having the opportunity to play whatever sport I wanted to, and being able to go through most parts of my life without people assuming things about me because of my race.

However, I still know what it feels like to have someone refer to a Puerto Rican person as a spic and those words are still very hurtful to me. I’ve had people tell me that my curly hair isn’t professional enough, and that I need to straighten it. I’ve had people see me at first glance and assume white, and then furrow their brows when they attempt to read my Spanish-sounding last name. I’ve had people deliberately question where the “brown” came from when they see my mom and me, because although she is South American she has pale skin and I am tan. Being biracial, I find it is not where I identify myself that I struggle with, it is with people wanting to tell me where I should be.

Continuing to look at the Biracial Identity Development Model, I believe I am still within the first step of finding my personal identity, and I attribute this to the fact that my mixed race identity is made salient depending on the situation I am in. Being at a school like Cal Poly, people have asked me “what are you?” Since most of my life and even now I have been around majority white people, I think when I was younger I really tried to categorize myself as white, because identifying with my Puerto Rican and Guyanese culture wasn’t as important to me. But, as I’ve gotten older, it has become more important to me. This is because as I evolve, and become a person that I myself love, trying to speak Spanish better, listening to more Latin music with my parents, and thinking about how their stories relate to my own life story has become more important to me.

I don’t think I ever truly denied my biracial identity, as the third step of Poston’s model describes, but I think I definitely used to choose to be unaware of it. Finally, as the last two steps describe I believe I am still on my quest of exploring my heritage and integrating my identity as my own. My biracial identity is something that can’t be put into a box, even though people truly wish they could put it there.

In another aspect of Hay’s Addressing Model, gender is something I find crucial to my identity. Being a woman means that gender-based issues and encountering sexism is something that is and always will be part my life. I grew up with a mother who is an Emergency Medicine Physician, and who is now the Chief of Medicine at her hospital. Even now, people who have met my mom automatically assume she is a nurse because she is a woman, and I find that completely intolerable. To say that I grew up with an incredibly strong and driven woman as my role model isn’t saying enough. She has been working since before I was born, and before I was born my parents made the decision together that my dad would leave his job as an accountant in New York City and stay at home to take care of the family that he knew my mother wanted.

For all of my life, my mother has worked while my dad has stayed at home. That kind of family dynamic is the opposite of most families in the United States, but it is something I believe has played an unbelievably huge role in shaping who I am today. I’ve grown up watching a woman pursue her career goals while being an attentive and supportive mother, while having a father who has supported her nonetheless, and been the most loving, and incredible father without his manliness being threatened by having his wife working.

I’ve grown up with independence being encouraged, with both of my parents encouraging me to strive for any career, and that I should never, ever, settle. I am a woman and my post-graduate goal is to go to Dental School and do oral surgery. Having a goal like that would never be possible without having a family that has shown me that I should never allow being a woman to be a barrier to achieving my goals. Through my twenty years of life so far I’ve learned that not only do men view women as less, but so do other women, and the only way to break from it is by encouraging and empowering each other. I know that I will have job interviews where people will make decisions based off of how I look, and no matter how hard I try people will always see being a doctor as a male dominated career, but even with that I will not stop persisting.

I’ve discussed my family throughout this paper and the tremendous impact they’ve had in shaping me into the person I am today. The life they have provided me with is the last facet of the Hay’s Addressing Model I am uncovering throughout this paper. My socioeconomic status has provided me with so many opportunities that have made me unbelievably lucky. Growing up with a mother who is a doctor, I am very humbled to be living this comfortable life I have. Furthermore, and knowing how my parents grew up compared to where they are now and what they have given me, I am humbled even more.

I grew up with privilege.

I attended the best public schools in the areas we were living in at the time. I played multiple club sports such as soccer, volleyball, and track and field because my parents could afford it, and now I sit here at an out of state university because of my upbringing. My parents believed it was crucial for me to leave Arizona and attend a good university in a beautiful state, so they did everything they could to make it happen and here I am. My socioeconomic status has enabled me to travel, which has increased my cultural understanding, and this again is privilege.

On one of the first days of class we were asked to write down things that we identify our self as. Looking back at that list, I see that I wrote down mostly characteristics, like “athletic, caring, hard-working, loving, smart”, and a few identities like “a woman, a daughter, and a sister.” I didn’t write down my race or my ethnic identity, because of the privilege I have those aspects of myself weren’t especially salient to me in that moment, but as I grow, they are becoming more important. Being a woman my middle name is persistence, and with the privilege I have been given because of my family’s socioeconomic status I intend to make the most out of the life I have been given, because the future is female. I am a mixed race woman who’s race is Puerto Rican, is Guyanese, and is White because that is the culture I have grown up with.

I am still taking steps in my cultural identity development. They are small and big steps. It is by not trying to hide some of race by straightening my hair on weekends, or maybe even doing the 23 and me test so I can learn even more about my background, and by doing my part as a human to understand, accept, and enjoy my own life and the lives of those around me.

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90jeduardo-blog · 5 years ago

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#87 This Is My Stick, There's Many Like This But This One Is Definitely Mine! . http://www.boredpanda.com/wholesome-dog-pics/ . 97 Wholesome Dog Posts To Warm Your Heart . Sleep, eat, work, repeat. Our . . . . . . . Science claims that a wet nose and a wagging tail can be an excellent solution to many psychological problems. You can call it the pet effect. How does it work? To find out, Bored Panda spoke to Antonio Diaz, a certified and professional K-9 trainer and dog behavioral specialist based in Las Vegas, about the health benefits of having a pet dog in your life. “Dogs give people a reason to keep living. My German Shepherd, Brooklyn, literally helped me get through depression after a bad motorcycle accident in 2012 and she is the reason I found my passion and I am doing what I love. Dogs can be extremely affectionate towards humans and they also have the ability to read our body language much better than we (most people) can read theirs. Studies have shown that dogs can make people happier, lower blood pressure, lower heart rates, and help to release serotonin and other 'feel good' hormones in the brain. Dogs can literally help you live longer!” Moreover, “Dogs are used in courtrooms to help victims of sexual and violent crimes speak during their testimony. They are used to help children build confidence in reading and also used to bring happiness to the elderly.” Froma Walsh, a Professor Emerita from the University of Chicago's Department of Psychiatry, claims that our ancestors already knew about the importance of the human–animal bond. “In ancient times and in cultures worldwide, animals have been respected as essential partners in human survival, health and healing. Many spiritual traditions have honored the relationships of people to animal forms of life.” In fact, “Dogs were considered such loyal companions during life that they were revered as guides in the afterlife. When a pet dog died, the owners shaved off their eyebrows, smeared mud in their hair, and mourned aloud for days.” . #adoptnobuy #refugioanimal #adoptar #adopta #dog #cat #animalsanctuary #animalshelter #donate #adoption #adoptions #puppies #kitties #adoptme #animallivesmatterstoo https://www.instagram.com/p/B97cNsFnhxg/?igshid=20faowzsaiqy

#87 #adoptnobuy #refugioanimal #adoptar #adopta #dog #cat #animalsanctuary #animalshelter #donate #adoption #adoptions #puppies #kitties #adoptme #animallivesmatterstoo

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amyddaniels · 6 years ago

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Read Yoga Girl's New Memoir

Rachel Brathen's book hits stores this week. In this excerpt from the chapter entitled "Forgive," Brathen attends a shamanic ceremony in Costa Rica where she finally releases some ghosts from her past.

Buy Rachel Brathen's book here.

One day John [Brathen's boss at the time in Costa Rica - Ed.] told me the commune was hosting a cacao shaman at the farm and that there would be a chocolate ceremony later in the day. I had heard of chocolate ceremonies for emotional healing and I was intrigued. A cacao shaman works with special types of beans from sacred parts of South America. An ancient ritual to prepare the cacao involves roasting and grounding the beans, then mixing the hot chocolate with brown sugar or agave syrup and cayenne pepper in a large pot. Cacao increases the blood flow to the heart and frees the heart chakra. Emotionally it translates to releasing pent-up feelings, and the ritual can be both intense and therapeutic.

John and I arrived at the farm in the early afternoon and joined the group on the patio. The circle of twenty or so people, some of them new faces, sat around the big pot of bubbling cacao. I’d never met a shaman before and was intrigued to see what he would look like. I envisioned an indigenous man, dressed in beads and robes. Instead, I arrived to find that the shaman was an American man in his sixties, with white hair and a long white beard. I sat down in the circle feeling a little wary—what had I signed up for? Of all places, the shaman sat down right next to me and we locked eyes. Looking into his clear, blue eyes, I felt a jolt of electricity zap through my body. It felt as if he were looking into the depths of my soul.

“Interesting,” he said. “We’re going to do you last.” I had no idea what he meant, but I felt chills up and down my spine. We all drank the cacao and my mouth went dry from its bitter, spicy taste. This tasted nothing like the hot cocoa I used to drink on ski trips back home! My friends from the farm told me it could take some time for the cacao to “work its magic,” but it was only a few minutes before I felt myself welling up with emotion. How did I end up here? In the middle of the jungle, with people I barely knew but somehow trusted deeply? The circle felt absolutely sacred, filled with a golden glow.

For an audio excerpt of To Love and Let Go, click here.

One of the attendees was a sweet man named Jesse who lived on the farm and had come to the ceremony with his wife and kids. Jesse was a realtor in town and a friend of John’s. His last name was Angell (seriously!). I felt curiously drawn to his four-year-old daughter, Grace, who sat on a cushion— cross-legged, eyes closed, fingers in a gyan mudra—meditating. Grace wasn’t trying to be present the way the others were. She just was. Seeing her so intensely present without effort awakened something deep inside of me. We were all just trying to make our way back to what we already are! We are born this way, full of light, emanating love. We see it in children; it’s effortless. But somehow we get lost along the way. I felt a light emanate from Grace straight into my heart and, before I knew it, I had lost track of time and space. My eyes were open but I was breathing so deeply, completely immersed in the intricate workings of the moment unfolding around me. I felt one with the circle, one with the earth and the sky, one with all, and it lasted for what felt like forever. It was the most intense spiritual experience I had ever had. There was no thought, no ego, just light.

Meanwhile, the shaman worked his way around the circle, taking his time with each person, sitting with them, guiding them deeper. Eventually, after many hours, I was the only one left. Turning to me, he spoke out loud to the whole group. “We are about to enter a very sacred space together now.” I heard his voice clearly, but it was as if I were somewhere else. I felt like I was floating above the ground. “You are on the verge of something life changing,” he told me. “Everyone has a purpose in life, but it’s very rare that I meet someone and immediately know theirs. I knew it the moment I looked into your eyes. And you are meant to realize and understand it now, too.” When he said this, I started crying, but it was different from the tears I had shed in the past. I wasn’t gasping for breath or wiping snot from my nose. Streams of tears flowed, no, poured from my eyes, but it didn’t feel like I was crying. It felt like I was purging. These are not my tears, I thought. But if they weren’t mine, where were they coming from? “They’re your ancestors’ tears,” the shaman said, as if he’d heard my thoughts. “That light you’re feeling in your chest? We all feel it, too. Keep expanding it. Keep breathing into it. We are going to move into your ancestry now. It’s a dark place and you’re going to need to bring this light with you.”

Rachel Brathen aka Yoga Girl

I did as he said and closed my eyes. “Standing behind you are your ancestors,” the shaman said. “To your left is your mother. To your right is your father.” Behind them were their parents—my grandparents—and behind them theirs, and so on, he said, “creating an infinite triangle of generations behind you and forming the entirety of your past and your lineage. As you can feel, your ancestry is weighed heavy with pain.” Suddenly, I was overcome with emotion. I still felt the light emanating from my chest, but the rest of my body grew heavy with sadness and fear. Visions came before my eyes that felt like memories. I saw it all so clearly. Just like the tears I was crying weren’t mine, the memories I saw flash in front of my eyes weren’t mine either. I saw my dad, as an infant, being thrown across the room by his father in a fit of rage; whipped with a belt; abandoned in a sterile hospital bed. My mother as a little girl with bruises on her arms, all alone and crying under her bedcovers while her sisters ate dinner with my grandmother in another room. My grandmother as a child locked in a cold dirt basement, the space so small she couldn’t stand up or lie down. My grandfather, chased down by his dad and beaten with a closed fist. The flashes of abuse went so far back that I didn’t recognize the children in them anymore, but I felt their fear and their sadness intensely. I was witnessing abusive behavior as it was passed down through generations. I felt my whole being weighed down with pain and sadness, but if I kept breathing into the light in my heart the way the shaman guided me to, it was bearable. Vision after vision passed in front of my eyes, and although I wasn’t speaking, the shaman was able to address them all. He saw what I saw. After a while, I felt myself strangely distant from yet intricately connected to what I was seeing. A part of me understood: this all lives in me. I was witnessing pain passed down from person to person, and however awful it was, it was what it was. I couldn’t change it. It was the past I’d been given, and it was given to me for a reason. In an instant I had a massive revelation: None of the people in my family had acted with intentional cruelty. They were acting out what they knew, repeating a pattern that started long before their own consciousness, generations before they were even born. The trauma was passed on to them and, strangely, they had no other choice. This was the best they could do.

Finally, I saw myself as a child, and all of the emotional damage that was done to me. I saw glimpses of my mother’s depression, her suicide attempt, leaving me alone to take care of myself. All the separation and divorce in our family. I saw my father abandoning us to start another family. Threatening us. Yelling at me. With every flashback I felt the pain I’d been carrying for so many years. With that came the insight that I’d lived my life up to that point with the idea that my parents “should” have done things differently—as if they had made a conscious decision to bring about such hurt. Once I could see and feel what they endured as children, my own childhood began to make more sense. In one swift moment, I understood that my parents loved me the only way they knew how. They had done the best with what they were given. What more could I possibly ask?

The next breath I took was so deep it felt like the whole of the universe was breathing through me. As I breathed out, I exhaled much of the resentment I’d been carrying for most of my adult life. The pain was still there, but it was bearable now. There was still healing left to do, but the weight of my sadness was lighter. With that realization, I cried so hard it felt as if the world was crying through me. I’d been right earlier when I’d thought my tears were not mine. They were the tears of an entire lineage, of all of my ancestors combined. I cried for my mother, for my father, who were just children once, too. I cried for my grandparents and for their parents. I cried for every child who had ever felt unsafe, for every moment of pain they’d ever endured. I cried for all of humanity until, suddenly, there were no tears left to cry.

When I opened my eyes again, it was getting dark outside. The whole day had passed and the only people remaining were the shaman, my boss, John, and a woman I didn’t know. They were all looking at me with tears rolling down their cheeks. The shaman spoke to me: “It is your life’s purpose to take on the accumulated pain of your ancestors, carry it on your shoulders, and transform it to light throughout your lifetime.” As he was speaking, I felt a palpable light shining from my chest. If light was a feeling, this was it. “This all ends with you. All of this pain—it ends here. It’s a heavy life purpose to have, but you can do it. It’s why you are here. This pain ends with you. Your daughter will be the first in your lineage not to take it on.” Goose bumps suddenly covered my body. “My daughter?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied. “Your daughter. Spirit has great plans for her, too.” I smiled. One day. A daughter. Looking at the others, he said, “Place your hands on Rachel. She needs to feel this connection.” They did as they were told, but I felt uncomfortable. My own hands were on fire—I didn’t need people to put their hands on me. I needed to put my hands on someone else. I turned around and put my hands on John’s and the woman’s backs. It felt like flames were shooting out of my palms. John later said it felt like he was being lifted off the ground.

I don’t know how long we sat there, the four of us, on that wooden deck, but I felt the need to rest, so I closed my eyes. When I awakened, I was alone. A quiet rain fell on the tin roof, and a mist rose from the grass. The light I’d felt emanating from my body earlier was still there, and my heart felt like it was swelling out of my chest. Everything was so unbearably beautiful. The silence was otherworldly, like nothing I’d ever experienced. But it wasn’t that the world had gone quiet. It was my mind. The incessant chatter I’d lived with, that little voice in the back of my head that said, You’re not good enough . . . no one loves you . . . that’s why everyone abandons you—the voice I was only ever able to quiet during moments of intense meditation—that voice was quiet. The silence was coming from within. Is this enlightenment? I wondered. With that thought came the instant realization that it wasn’t, because if it were, I wouldn’t be asking the question. I felt no disappointment. Okay, it wasn’t enlightenment. But it was damn close.

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cedarrrun · 6 years ago

Link

Buy Rachel Brathen's book here.

For an audio excerpt of To Love and Let Go, click here.

Rachel Brathen aka Yoga Girl

#sleep sounds #sleep music #white noise app #nature sounds #relaxing sounds #rain sounds for sleeping

0 notes

krisiunicornio · 6 years ago

Link

Buy Rachel Brathen's book here.

For an audio excerpt of To Love and Let Go, click here.

Rachel Brathen aka Yoga Girl

#sleep sounds #sleep music #white noise app #nature sounds #relaxing sounds #rain sounds for sleeping

0 notes

thepilgrimofwar · 5 years ago

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Warplanning 1 - Edited Roll20 Log

[Backdated to after Whiskey & Rye and before Business as Usual & An Offering unto War]

[Event Start]

The day after the funeral had filled itself with both tension and dread. Messages and letters came and went. They were a mix of requests for help, proclamations to the people of the realm, declarations of war and eagerly awaited responses. But the highlight of the day began in earnest after the arrival of soldiers and sell-swords from across the realm, and the War Meeting was delayed as long as it could be in anticipation for the officers, retainers, friends, and ex-colleagues of those from the Sunguard.

Beathyn called together everyone in the manor who had answered the calls for help from himself, Vissehn, Lirelle. “Please gather round, by the dining hall!” He yelled, through the manor. He’d have used a dinner if Solendis had let him. That always seemed to gather people faster than anything official he could say outloud.

Judereth looks out at everyone gathered in the dining hall. Before the Lord of the Emberglades was the map of the provinces. Banners and tokens lay across its surface, moved to represent the forces at play. "Thank you all for coming. I am Judereth Swiftquiver. Banneret of what remains of the soldiers of the Heartland and all of its militia." She nods at Stenden.

Stenden speaks up, briefing the ones round the table. "So, the news is in and the die is cast. House Illithia, whose assassins had graced us with their presence yesterday- Is backed by House Goodember. Opening two fronts- East and West-" He marks it out on the map infront of him.

Stenden:"House Wintergale has refused to answer our pleas for help. Declaring their independence and swearing fealty directly to the crown. We'll... Need to address this eventually. But at least we don't have a third front to worry about in the South."

"So we are alone." He states.

Thanidiel:"Neutrality isn't a bad thing. It fucks the enemy's movements too."

Ethalarian sits with his arms folded across his chest as the situation is laid bare to the group. He drums his fingers on his biceps and gives a slight shake of his head. "So business as usual for us: outnumbered and outflanked with unreliable help."

Lirelle |“The Cloudrend Glades can be dealt with once this war is over. Once we have destroyed the greater threat we can march what forces we have up there to replace him with someone more loyal.” She glances at Zarannis. A suggestion perhaps.

Esheyn rolls her shoulders. "Business as usual, indeed. Nothing we aren't accustomed to."

Ethalarian nods across the table to Esheyn.

Thanidiel:"Last I remember, Sederis never spoke well of this... Goodember, right? Can he be intimidated back into line?"

Stenden he looks to the ones gathered at the table. All of them had answered the call, some of them knowing full well of the consequences. He hears that this seems to be business as usual to those gathered at the table and doesn't know if he should smile or frown. "That's... Good, I suppose. Given current circumstances. If it is in-fact business as usual. But as it stands, it looks like a desperate situation to the militia and citizens of the Heartlands."

Lirelle:“Goodember is fat, weak, and stupid. Use him to set an example, we have already delayed a counterattack for far too long. You need to strike now to send a message, show them what happens to traitors.”

Isilos nodded to Lirelle, he was proud death didn't change her too much.

Oosaarn:"Unless you got friends hiding somewhere, pick the weaker opponents off first. Leave just enough to hold off the other until you can send your full might against them."

Judereth:"I've already have men digging in on both fronts- Repelling what advances have already been made in the past hours. Are you suggesting that we... Attack?"

Oosaarn:"Would you rather sit here and wait to be torn in two?"

Lirelle nods. "As we should have, days ago."

Judereth:"Days ago? With who might I ask? I'm still mobilizing the majority of the militia- And the garrisons are barely enough to hold the line as it is."

Lirelle:"Inaction comes off as weakness. I'm sure you have more than a handful of men who are eager to taste their first battle? The best of those should have been sent out to skirmish once war was declared."

Thanidiel:"Dawnstalker is here, we have Crows and two dozen of my personal followers."

Ethalarian Dawnstalker grunts.

Thanidiel:"Furthermore - we don't even have to field enough to annihilate them. We just need to find the weak aristocracy you're so fond of around here and dangle him and his offspring off the walls until he pledges his swords."

[Dealing with Shalemarch & House Goodember]

Lirelle:"With the Crows I can have Goodember's head for you in two days."

Lirelle points at Aravel. "They know the way into his manor, likely as not."

Thanidiel:"Who are you?"

Aravel smiles. "I'm nobody, at least on paper. Dawnveil will not get involved in this, but well, we're free citizens, and a chance to take that pompous bastard down a peg is always welcomed." She turns to Judereth. "There's twenty more outside, we'll need uniforms. Can't have people seeing us in our armour, even if it is better."

Stenden smiles as Aravel speaks up. "We're glad to have your assistance, as unofficial as it is."

Ethalarian:"Barring that, your people have a thing for honorable oaths and strength of arm don't they?"

Stenden turns towards Ethalarian, "And they do. Oaths are what hold the land together. At least they did before these... Unruly lords broke theirs."

Judereth shook her head. "I'm not sure if you've ever worked with militia before Ms. Dawnbrook. Organizing and gathering strength is not inaction. Perhaps you might have the luxury of professional troops but I do not. But no matter. If you think you can mount a counter offensive, I can provide you with the best and most eager troops available. They'll be glad to be of aid."

Thanidiel:"Oaths are interpretable. Do not rely on them."

Ethalarian shrugs again. "Then call them out. Publically. If you think it worth the effort, single combat is something of a specialty of mine." The knight scratches his chin and blows out a sigh. "I don't know much about these lands, but I could always embarrass these Houses and their Champions for you."

Ethalarian:"If that doesn't work, you can always go with Highdawn dangling their children from battlements. That's something of a specialty of hers."

Oosaarn:I'm neither sooldier nor Sunguard anymore. I fight for whatever cause I choose whenever I damn well please."

Judereth:"That is good to know."

Lirelle nods at Judereth. "Save your men. The less we go in with, the better. The mountains are hard enough to pass with just a handful of people."

Thanidiel:"I do the dirty work," is her plain agreement. She can't deny that even if he is not saying it out of camaraderie.

Ethalarian is definitely not.

Judereth turns towards Lirelle. "You say, you can give me Lord Goodember's head in days." She states skeptically.

Lirelle:"By weeks end."

Judereth:"Behind enemy lines. Which could be thousands- If Goodember has mobilized at the rate we have."

Vissehn yawns and rubs the back of his neck, only just now tuning in. "I mean why can't we assassinate the dude back?"

Vissehn:"Like. Just off him. He doesn't have fuckin' friends like us waiting in the wings."

Vissehn motions down the table to the gathered killers and soliders.

Lirelle simply motions at Aravel.

Ethalarian wonders which of those categories he falls into.

Solendis clears his throat. "As much as I'd like to say that we shouldn't- Due to diplomatic repercussions. Assassination will serve us best in these... Times."

Thanidiel:"What are numbers? He cannot fit his thousands in his castle, 'lest he is tucking them under his gut."

Muroco stretches his limbs with indifference, his plates creaking with the motion.

Vissehn looks to Solendis. "I'm just saying he's a shit grandfather, not like you're gonna be missing Wintersveil gifts or summar."

Thanidiel:"Two men fit in a corridor. And I doubt he will ever be expecting or or have men swift enough to catch up to us when we're in."

Judereth:nods at Thanidiel. "His troops are too busy mounting assaults on the Eastern lines worry about protecting their manor. At most he'll have his houseguard with him. Good men, but few in number. Majority of them paid mercenaries."

Vissehn hooks a thumb at Thanidiel! She's Smart! Smartest tin can!

Aravel points a finger at the map, directly at the mountain range that stretched across the flank of Shalemarch. "We know the ways in and out of here. His estate sits right up against the mountain, in what used to be a quarry before his ancestors plundered it. A quarry which is... fairly well mapped. Like she says, I can guide a portion of her men right up to his door, but the rest is on her."

Ethalarian:"Is he going to be worth a shit if we do?"

Lirelle:"If you strike his forces on the front itself to take attention away, the Crows and I will only need one night."

Stenden frowns. "If we're going to kill Nelio Goodember, we must be prepared for all of Shalemarch to fall into chaos shortly after. They'll be out of the war, but I am not sure if I want to consign the entire province to the whims of mercenaries and sell-swords that no doubt make up the core of their forces."

Esheyn:"He could be used as a bargaining chip."

Esheyn shrugs.

Stenden:"I'd prefer to have him captured." He nods at Esheyn. "And used to bargain if possible."

Thanidiel:"You hold him in a cell with his stupid little noble stamp and you now have full control of Shalemarch."

Lirelle:"Kill him."

Thanidiel:"No disorder, no unexpected variables."

Lirelle:"Kill him and offer his men a pardon if they fight for their true lord."

Vissehn:"Hostages are good leverage."

Thanidiel:"Pardons are only good when you overwhelm them."

Judereth smiles at the turn of events. "Either works for me. My job is to win."

Thanidiel:"Otherwise it's easier to go bandit like the boy said."

Ethalarian shrugs and goes back to leaning in his chair and pinching the bridge of his nose. He looks very, very tired.

Thanidiel:"Proxy control is simply the most strategic way to keep a people in order."

Lirelle:"Goodember's only worth as a bargaining chip is his men. If they can be acquired in some other fashion, he is much more worth it as a cautionary example. Garris himself would know better, but lesser mercenary companies can always be absorbed under a stronger banner."

Vissehn:"Barring, uh. Present company, its usually harder to un-dead a person than to just keep 'em alive just in case and you can also kill them in the end if it becomes necessary."

Stenden claps his hands. "If what you say is true, and you are absolutely confident in success given your... History. I approve." He looks to Lirelle. "Capture Goodember. Bring him back here and we'll see if we can bring an entire front to a close by the end of the week." He looks to Judereth. "Banneret- Hold the line.Don't cause death if you don't have to. Remember that our enemies will be our citizens once this war is done with."

Esheyn 's stony expression melts just a bit at that, her lips twisting into a smirk.

Vissehn grins at Esheyn! See! He's helping!

Lirelle:"Heads are lighter. Do you know how fat he is?"

Iiloridan coughs from his end of the table, torn between horror and dark amusement.

Stenden frowns even more at Lirelle's comment.

Thanidiel:"I can go with you."

Thanidiel:"What is your noble to a goblin king?"

Lirelle:"Much taller, for one."

Thanidiel:"Like rotted lumber."

Thanidiel does not at all seem serious.

Ethalarian:"You two haven't lost your touch I see."

Vissehn:"It's like old times, could wipe away a tear."

Esheyn:"Some things never change."

Thanidiel just kinda, grunts back to the peanut gallery just like Ethalarian did earlier. "I would recommend the ex-Pathfinders amongst us if anyone were to support Lirelle."

Lirelle looks at Stenden for a few seconds, weighing up whether she should press the point now or in private. At last she ends with "If you insist on him being alive, I will do my best."

Lirelle:"I'll make sure to tell Garris you volunteered him for the heavy lifting Highdawn."

Vissehn lifts his hand.

Lirelle nods at Vissehn. "Come to my rooms later, we can speak about the details."

Judereth smiles. "That's one front I don't have to worry about then. If that is so, I can send the majority of the militia west-wards to the front with Illithia." He looks at Lirelle, then nods at her. "I'll be able to mount a massive counter-offensive." She looks at the others at the table. "The Emberglades rely on militia, Illithia included. They are vast in numbers but are ultimately no more than peasants who drill every couple of years. None are blooded. None have seen combat- All of those that did, perished with Sederis, light rest his soul. That said, I'd like to make use you and yours as shock troops- The tip of the spear that I intend to drive deep into the heart of Illithia."

Thanidiel:"Sometimes the hatchling has to be kicked out of the nest," is her retort to the woman alongside her.

"--I do not think anyone here will turn down a jaunt into frontlines."

Ethalarian had opened his mouth to ask a question, only to have it answered for him. Tired eyes give Judereth a once-over and he purses his lips, rolling the idea around a little.

Judereth:"If there are no objections, I'll have the rest of out who aren't involved in this... Subterfuge, marching with the troops westwards. I'll provide you with the best men I can. Provided that you're up to the challenge of commanding them.”

[Dealing with matters of the frontlines]

Orbaniwix "AHEM." A goblin clears his throat in the corner of the room. "Or- if militia ain't your thing! Me and present company prefer to be paid in coin- rather than debt!"

Thanidiel:"--what is that?"

'Where is that sound coming from?"

Ethalarian:"A buzzing fly."

Thanidiel:"That must be why it came from near Fish."

Beathyn waggles his finger at the goblin and men in the corner. "That is Orbaniwix- Gun maker- Cannon Maker- and over all mercenary agent. I invited him because I thought we might need some extra... fire-power."

Ethalarian:"Ah, yes. Goblin firearms. Well renowned for their reliability, especially if you prefer them blowing up in your face."

Orbaniwix folds his arms in disatisfaction at Thanidiel's mannerisms. Tapping his foot on the crate he stands on. "Well. In either case, if you need men, I've got men, if you need guns, I've got guns. Take it or leave it."

Muroco sighs, the bass of his voice rumbling as he wipes one of his hands down his face.

Vissehn looked at the goblin and nodded. One litle Creachur to another.

Zwiess Mercenary eyes the Goblin, then looks at the others in the room. "We're men of quality. Even if our... Agent doesn't make it seem so."

Thanidiel:"I do not believe much of us have expertise in firearms aside from... Beathyn."

Thanidiel squints at Iilordian. Maybe if his cousin were here...

Beathyn spreads his arms as wide as he can. "Big Guns- Not just Firearms-" he has a grin on his face as he says this.

Winged Hussar:"In either case, our horses are ready. If shock troops are what you need, Baneret. You can make use of us if the others will not."

Vissehn:"Wait like canons."

Beathyn nods excitedly at Vissehn.

Thanidiel:"That is what is implied that a 'Cannon-maker' produces."

Iiloridan casts an faux-innocent look Thanidiel's way. 'Fire the cannons' who?

Vissehn leans forward. He is definitely sipping that starbucks and not paying attention. "I want canons."

Orbaniwix claps his oversized hands together. "Excellent! You'll be able to pick one up for the low-low price of Nine-ninety-nine!"

Thanidiel:"Nine-ninety-nine what?"

"Bushels of wheat?"

Ethalarian quietly wonders how he continually finds himself in the company of such...-colorful- people, for lack of a better term. He should've said no.

Thanidiel:"What does 'one' imply here?"

Orbaniwix throws his hands in the air. "Big ones! Gold! Coin!" Thanidel had successfully exasperated the little green man.

Thanidiel:"Hmm."

[Dealing with House Wintergale & The Cloudrend Glades]

Zarannis waits until the attention returns to the map at hand. "What of Wintergale?" she states, leaving her question hanging in the air.

Thanidiel:"What is your tie to Wintergale?"

Vissehn looks at the familiar tattoo on Zarannis face and his expression immediately sours.

Zarannis:"None, officially. I was disowned two-centuries back."

Vissehn:"Yeah and went slummin."

Muroco:"I'll just wait outside until this is all done."

Zarannis ignores the youth. It wasn't worth fighting over at this time of the afternoon.

Lirelle:"As I said, Wintergale can be dealt with after we get rid of Ilithia."

Thanidiel lofts a single platinum brow across the way to Vissehn. An ear flicks. Confusion is plainly there as her attention dies.

Stenden:"Like Dawnbrook said. We will deal with them at a later date. Their loyalty, officially as recognized under the Crown, lies with Emberheart. So we'll have just cause."

Thanidiel:"If they're independent, they're an obstacle to -everyone-, not just Emberheart. It's a... good thing, and can be afforded to handle on a different day."

Ethalarian casts a quick sidelong glance at Oosaarn. The big Orc was being oddly quiet. Wasn't this one always going on about death and honor and other...Orc things? Odd.

Vissehn cants his head. "I can confirm if they're really as neutral as they're claimin."

Beathyn raises a hand. "Might I interject- Couldn't we... Talk to them? You said it yourself young Lord. Enemies today are our citizens tomorrow. Why not just hasten the process? We might be able to open a second front on Illithia and flip the entire war on its head."

Vissehn:"I got friends in the Hawks still, don't take much to bypass a seal an' read a letter."

Vissehn snorts at Beathyn. "Like they'd tell the honest truth."

Zarannis frowns. "Disowned or not. I'd prefer if we didn't have to kill my countrymen."

Zarannis:"The Wintergales are an honest bunch."

Thanidiel:"No one said anything about killing."

Ethalarian:"Technically anyone we kill are your countrymen."

Thanidiel:"Though I understand the jump."

Zarannis squints at Thanidiel. "When it comes to how the Emberhearts deal with people later. It usually ends in killing."

Vissehn looks to Stenden. "I'm gonna read their mail and see what we got on 'em." It's not phrased as a request.

Lirelle:"Your father made that decision for them already. Unless you care to reverse it?"

Thanidiel:"Then maybe it's up to you to figure out a way to handle it earlier."

Stenden shoots a look at Zarannis. "Enough." They can smell the scent of whiskey off her and took that into account. "Is there anyone else here willing to speak with them at all?"

Zarannis folds her arms. Not liking the implications they were making of what she should do.

Thanidiel:"I do not wish to accompany Lirelle on matters of subterfuge as much as I value our companionship. But I would pledge to the frontlines or... strongarming as desired by the Lordling here."

Ethalarian:"Define 'speak' with them."

Thanidiel:"--I want Dawnstalker with me too in the latter case."

Ethalarian 's ear flicks.

Thanidiel:"Bad Blood Knight... and Bad Blood Knight." She says this so deadpan.

Lirelle:"I agree that your real value lies on the field Highdawn, but I appreciate the sentiment."

Ethalarian SQUINTS.

Thanidiel:"Esheyn can be the Good Blood Knight."

Beathyn waves his arms at Ethalarian. "Actually speak with them."

Esheyn tilts her head, that smirk still on her face. "But of course."

Beathyn:"I'll be willing to go. On your behalf of course." He gestures to the family.

Vissehn shoots Beathyn a LOOK. He won't be one upped! "I can do that too. And read their mail. But also talk."

Thanidiel:"You're already with Lirelle."

Vissehn:"I can go lots of places--"

Thanidiel:'You have to choose your parent."

Esheyn:"Two Winter Veils."

Thanidiel smiles ever-so minutely with Esheyn's backup there.

Vissehn squints.

[Summary]

Judereth continues. "After we break their front-lines and have them on the run. You'll be free to... Do what you've planned."

Judereth leans forward over the warmap. "So. Lirelle and company will take care of Goodember. Freeing up my men for a counter-attack against Illithia." She moves the tokens to illustrate. "We'll hold then in the east."

Ethalarian:"About the only thing I'm good for is swinging a sword." He shrugs again for the fiftieth time tonight because that's apparently his default mode of communication. He's very expressive. Clearly.

Stenden nods. "To speak Wintergale and see what can be done about his loyalty. Preferably without bloodshed."

Ethalarian barks a very, very short laugh. That's optimistic.

Thanidiel:"Maybe the disowned one will be sober by then." Ouch.

Lirelle:"She's smelled like that for days now."

Zarannis tsked. But made no other response. Knowing that she was absolutely right.

Thanidiel:"I'm surprised you smell."

Lirelle:"When she smells that strongly, I can pick up the scent."

Thanidiel:"Consider a spar or 'thistle to burn off your feelings."

Ethalarian:"I could use a warmup. And a drink."

Stenden gives all of them smile. A growing hope began to rise in his chest. If this worked- If all of it played out as he had hoped- Then the war could be won after all.

[Event End]

#Epilogue #Warplanning

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roman-catholic-mass-readings · 5 years ago

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8th July >> Mass Readings (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Wednesday, Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Saint Kilian, Bishop and Martyr.

Wednesday, Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading

Hosea 10:1-3,7-8,12

Seek integrity and reap a harvest of kindness

Israel was a luxuriant vine

yielding plenty of fruit.

The more his fruit increased,

the more altars he built;

the richer his land became,

the richer he made the sacred stones.

Their heart is a divided heart;

very well, they must pay for it:

the Lord is going to break their altars down

and destroy their sacred stones.

Then they will say,

‘We have no king

because we have not feared the Lord.’

But what can a king do for us?

Samaria has had her day.

Her king is like a straw drifting on the water.

The idolatrous high places shall be destroyed –

that sin of Israel;

thorn and thistle will grow on their altars.

Then they will say to the mountains, ‘Cover us!’

and to the hills, ‘Fall on us!’

Sow integrity for yourselves,

reap a harvest of kindness,

break up your fallow ground:

it is time to go seeking the Lord

until he comes to rain salvation on you.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 104(105):2-7

R/ Constantly seek the face of the Lord.

R/ Alleluia!

O sing to the Lord, sing his praise;

tell all his wonderful works!

Be proud of his holy name,

let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.

R/ Constantly seek the face of the Lord.

R/ Alleluia!

Consider the Lord and his strength;

constantly seek his face.

Remember the wonders he has done,

his miracles, the judgements he spoke.

R/ Constantly seek the face of the Lord.

R/ Alleluia!

O children of Abraham, his servant,

O sons of the Jacob he chose.

He, the Lord, is our God:

his judgements prevail in all the earth.

R/ Constantly seek the face of the Lord.

R/ Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

James1:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

By his own choice the Father made us his children

by the message of the truth,

so that we should be a sort of first-fruits

of all that he created.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mark 1:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

The kingdom of God is close at hand:

repent and believe the Good News.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 10:1-7

'Go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel'

Jesus summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who was to betray him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows:

‘Do not turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

———————————

Saint Kilian, Bishop and Martyr

(Liturgical Colour: Red)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Wednesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

2 Chronicles 24:18-22

'You have deserted the Lord: now he deserts you'

The Judaeans abandoned the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, for the worship of sacred poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem. He sent them prophets to bring them back to the Lord, but when these gave their message, they would not listen. The spirit of God took possession of Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said, ‘God says this, “Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord to no good purpose? You have deserted the Lord, now he deserts you.”’ They then plotted against him and by order of the king stoned him in the court of the Temple of the Lord. King Joash, forgetful of the kindness that Jehoiada, the father of Zechariah, had shown him, killed Jehoiada’s son who cried out as he died, ‘The Lord sees and he will avenge!’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 30(31):3-4,6,8,16-17

Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

Be a rock of refuge for me,

a mighty stronghold to save me,

for you are my rock, my stronghold.

For your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.

Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

Into your hands I commend my spirit.

It is you who will redeem me, Lord.

As for me, I trust in the Lord:

let me be glad and rejoice in your love.

Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

My life is in your hands, deliver me

from the hands of those who hate me.

Let your face shine on your servant.

Save me in your love.

Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

Gospel Acclamation

Mt5:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy those who are persecuted

in the cause of right,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn17:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

For their sake I consecrate myself,

so that they too may be consecrated in the truth.

Alleluia!

Or:

2Co1:3-4

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed be God, a gentle Father

and the God of all consolation,

who comforts us in all our sorrows.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jm1:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy the man who stands firm,

for he has proved himself,

and will win the crown of life.

Alleluia!

Or:

1P4:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

It is a blessing for you

when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ,

for the Spirit of God rests on you.

Alleluia!

Or:

cf.Te Deum

Alleluia, alleluia!

We praise you, O God,

we acknowledge you to be the Lord;

the noble army of martyrs praise you, O Lord.

Alleluia!

EITHER:

Gospel

Matthew 10:17-22

The Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you

‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 10:28-33

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body

Jesus said to his apostles: ‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.

‘So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 10:34-39

It is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword

Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be those of his own household.

‘Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.’

OR:

Gospel

Luke 9:23-26

The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously

Jesus said:

‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self? For if anyone is ashamed of me and of my words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.’

OR:

Gospel

John 12:24-26

If a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it yields a rich harvest

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I tell you, most solemnly,

unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies,

it remains only a single grain;

but if it dies,

it yields a rich harvest.

Anyone who loves his life loses it;

anyone who hates his life in this world

will keep it for the eternal life.

If a man serves me, he must follow me,

wherever I am, my servant will be there too.

If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.’

OR:

Gospel

John 15:18-21

The world hated me before it hated you

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If the world hates you,

remember that it hated me before you.

If you belonged to the world,

the world would love you as its own;

but because you do not belong to the world,

because my choice withdrew you from the world,

therefore the world hates you.

Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master.

If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too;

if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well.

But it will be on my account that they will do all this,

because they do not know the one who sent me.’

OR:

Gospel

John 17:11-19

Father, keep those you have given me true to your name

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Holy Father,

keep those you have given me true to your name,

so that they may be one like us.

While I was with them,

I kept those you had given me true to your name.

I have watched over them

and not one is lost

except the one who chose to be lost,

and this was to fulfil the scriptures.

But now I am coming to you

and while still in the world I say these things

to share my joy with them to the full.

I passed your word on to them,

and the world hated them,

because they belong to the world

no more than I belong to the world.

I am not asking you to remove them from the world,

but to protect them from the evil one.

They do not belong to the world

any more than I belong to the world.

Consecrate them in the truth;

your word is truth.

As you sent me into the world,

I have sent them into the world,

and for their sake I consecrate myself

so that they too may be consecrated in truth.’

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possessingthepromise-blog · 8 years ago

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Possessing the Promise “Then Joshua asked them, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?” ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭18:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This scripture hit me when i read it, here’s why... How long are you going to wait until you take possession of whats already yours? Different translations use these words instead of wait : •Slack - characterized by a lack of work or activity; quiet. (KJV translation) •Sit around on your hands. (MSG translation) •Neglect - failure to take proper care in doing something. (NKJV translation) When are we going to take hold of God’s promises to us Healing (Exodus 15:26) Hope ( Jeremiah 29:11) Peace ( John 14:27) Etc. Or maybe there’s some personal things that God has showed you that you have yet to take hold of like A better job, maybe a new position A calling over your life Most of us disqualify ourselves because we don't believe these things to be for us . BUT if your reading this right now, YES YOU! I’m here to tell you, it is for you!!! That thing that God spoke over you it is yours & NO ONE can take it from you! •It’s as easy as 123! 1 . PREPARE FOR IT 2. DECLARE IT 3. WALK IN IT One thing we don't want to do is let fear rob/ distract us of getting to our Promise Land. “As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:10-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬ -As we read above when the Egyptians caught up to the Israelites all of a sudden God’s promise went out the window. *SELF CHECK- is that what you look/act like when things don't go your way? When the enemy brings up the past ? • Identify what needs to be possessed - know what God has given you, stand on that •Receive it in faith - if God already spoke it, it’s MINE ! My Prayer for you : God i ask that you would help whoever is reading this to be mindful of all the things you have for them, that they have yet to grab hold of. I bind any and every work of the enemy that would try to hinder them from receiving your promise! Teach them to speak in an attitude of possession for whats already theirs, In Jesus name AMEN !

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aeyemenethes-blog · 8 years ago

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Lathbora viran Ch. 10

Here's the next chapter of Lathbora viran. It can also be found on AO3 at http://archiveofourown.org/works/10213937/chapters/24206559. Enjoy!

Setting foot on Tarasyl’an Te’las’ soil again after the incident made me kneel, and place my head on the cool ground. I whispered a prayer to all my kin that lived and died in this fortress. My fortress.

Aly’xin…falon… Ir abelas… I failed you.

The energies were rife and claustrophobic, with the Veil feeling extremely thin here as this fortress was the place of its origins. Giving a brief moment of silence to respect those who passed, I stood up to re-join the survivors of the Inquisition. The fortress was theirs now.

Everyone surrounded the massive, stone staircase leading up to the fortress’ heart, and watched as a smaller group of three people stood deep in conversation. Drawing closer to lean against a tree near the back of the crowd, I noticed Leliana holding a rather impressive sword that appeared more for decoration though I imagined it could be wielded in battle. Cassandra was next to the Herald speaking and gesturing to this sword, and Ellana furrowed her brow with a hint of fear reflecting from her cloudy blue eyes.

Ellana glanced out into the crowd and raised up the massive sword, staring intensely at its blade. While almost unimpressive, I did notice the polished metal cross guard shaped to look like the open mouth of a High Dragon.

“Have our people been told?” Cassandra asked in a voice well-rehearsed in the words.

Up front, Ambassador Josephine stepped forward to deliver an answer. “They have. And soon the world.”

Following what I can only assume was a written ceremony, Cassandra called out a second time. “Commander, will they follow?”

Cullen turned to address the crowd assembled behind him. “Inquisition! Will you follow?”

A rallying cry went up from all, save perhaps me. Instead, I hugged the shadows and watched the Herald’s face. Complexity, touched with a hint of doubt, spoke along the delicate lines of her face. She felt overwhelmed by it all, and who could blame her?

“Will you fight?” Cullen shouted and raised his arms to be heard over the crow. “Will we triumph?”

And still they almost drowned him out. My ears twitched from the noise amplification and sensitivity that my race was both cursed and blessed with. Some more soothing activity was called for after this was finished.

“Your leader! Your Herald! Your Inquisitor!” Cullen unsheathed his sword and pointed it up to Ellana.

With the proclamation and praise from the crowd, the Herald flushed then raised the sword she held higher. I watched a little longer unable to keep the smile, and worry, from my face. In achieving so much, she now sacrificed more than she realized. When I looked at her I noticed a younger version of myself.

Like me, Lethallan, you now walk a dark path…one destined to erase your face.

Turning back toward the fortress, I went to secure my new quarters; not the bedroom in the tower that once was mine, but somewhere near the old library. Rotting wooden beams, most of which once supported parts of the roof, cluttered around brittle blocks of stone. Nesting animals poked their heads out of their burrows, hearing the hollow echo of my feet as I moved past them. Tattered remains of whatever heraldry banners hung from Skyhold’s previous residence still fluttered near the dirt smudged, stained-glass windows; what windows were still intact.

Walking through the skeletal structure wrenched my heart remembering happier days. Scents of mould and neglect settled in the stagnant air as I tiptoed through the rubble in search for the correct door. When I found it, I pulled it open, wincing at the rusty squeak from the hinges, and entered. The rotunda was at the lowest level of the tallest tower in the fortress with stairs spiralling upward into the library full to the brim with tomes, and ascending further until it stopped in the crow’s nest. I ran my palm along the compacted mud walls of the rotunda and breathed in the earthy soil.

“Perfect.” I whispered and set out to unpack my belongings, including the rolled up wolf skins and jars of herbal paints.

Once I setup the earthenware bowl full of water, my horsehair brushes and uncorked my paints, I outlined the murals I planned to decorate across my new bedroom walls. Scattered on the wooden desk in the center of the room were illustrations I intended to transfer onto my new blank canvas. Pulling off my tunic and folding it on my chair, I climbed the ladder to begin my work on alleviating my headache.

. . .

“Oh wow! By the Creators! You proclaim you aren’t Dalish, but I’ve seen ancient paintings done in a similar technique on many of our people’s ruins.”

I turned my head to the side and gave Ellana a small smile. “This technique is much older than the Dalish. It started in Arlathan with the Elvhen and I happened upon it during a trip in the Fade.”

“They’re beautiful…I’d be interested in hearing your opinions on elven culture.” She asked as I climbed down the ladder.

Walking to the desk, I rinsed my brushes in the bowl of water as well as a dampened cloth that I proceeded to swipe along my chest and face to clean the paint splotches. “I thought you would be more interested in sharing your opinions of elven culture. You are Dalish, are you not?”

At my question, Ellana straightened and jutted out her chin, but I noticed the scarlet on the apples of her cheeks as her eyes lingered a bit longer on my muscled abdomen. “Yes. I am. The Dalish are the best hope for preserving the culture of our people.”

I sighed and shook my head. Of course the arrogance spread to her as well even if she was such a striking creature. Your arrogance and ignorance blinds you to the truth. “Our people. You use that phrase so casually. It should mean more…But the Dalish have forgotten that.” I clipped feeling a press of annoyance against my temples. “Among other things.”

Why can’t you see what’s missing and search for the answers…your passion is too hungry to just accept what the Dalish speculate at as absolute fact!

A spark ignited in Ellana’s eyes, informing me that I just opened up a can of worms. “Oh, but you know the truth right?”

I lived it… “While they pass on stories, mangling details, I walk the Fade. I have seen things they have not.” I braced myself against the lashing I would undoubtedly receive.

She gritted her teeth and cocked her hip, crossing her arms over her chest. “Fine. You think we’re terrible. What about the Alienages full of elves who aren’t Dalish?”

I scoffed. Here we go again! If I don’t agree with the Dalish, I must sympathize with the Elves whose knowledge of my people would barely fit a thimble! Typical! “Why? What would it benefit some poor man in a Ferelden Alienage to learn that his Ancestors strode the land like gods?” I clenched my fist, forcing my tone to remain calm and collected despite seething inside. “It would only make him bitter, or inspire him to take a foolish risk and get himself killed.”

“You’ve decided his reaction for him.” Ellana accused, keeping her voice equally as calm, belying the rage simmering behind those beautiful eyes.

Sighing, I relaxed my rigid posture, relieving the tension built up in my muscles from both the painting and this disagreement. This arguing is getting us nowhere and she’s not just any Dalish woman… “Perhaps I have. If you have questions and believe the answers will help, ask.”

Surprising me, Ellana also relaxed, her fingers even running over the wood grain of the table, worn smooth from millennia of use, and her gaze traveling over the parchments of paintings. When her eyes met mine again, curiosity replaced hatred and anger, and when she spoke, her voice was just as soft. “I’d like to know more about the elves from before our time.”

Tread Carefully, Solas...

“The Dalish strive to remember Halamshiral, but Halamshiral was merely a fumbling attempt to recreate a forgotten land.”

“Arlathan.” She answered immediately, and I nodded, but she wasn’t completely correct.

“Elvhenan was the Empire, and Arlathan its greatest city. A place of magic and beauty, lost in time.” Even now I recalled the elegant, hand-carved bridges and pristine, white washed walls, spiralling throughout massive, imposing trees. Magical runes of protection and prosperity glistened as beacons cast onto all the inhabitants, and I could feel its electric energy wherever I walked. Magic flowed natural and undisturbed by the ignorant louts of our present who were too afraid of the mysteries of the world that they’d rather ban it than study the very fabric of what created Thedas. These trees grew bore the sweetest fruits so none would walk the vendors hungry, and its people – vendors and citizens alike – wore clothing that would make an Orlesian green with envy. Yet we never wore masks. There was no need to hide our character.

Such crisp imagery came back to me, and I felt as if every breath I took refreshed my memory. For a moment, I walked its present rather than its past. Oh, how I missed those times…but it had to be done.

“You’ve studied ancient Elves. What else do you know of Arlathan?”

Oh how I love her inquisitive nature! Dangerous. Attractive.

“We hear stories of them living in trees and imagine wooden ramps or Dalish Aravels. Imagine instead spires of crystal twining through the branches, Palaces floating among the clouds. Imagine beings who lived forever, for whom magic was as natural as breathing. That is what was lost.” Keeping my answers vague would continue the ruse that I only knew what I saw in the Fade.

Wonder grew in her eyes, but she just shook her head and plucked at the edge of my desk, killing whatever question she formed in her mind. A slight smile pursed her lips and she slowly skirted around the walls, scanning what murals I began with narrowed eyes. I wondered if maybe she was going to ask me the meaning behind the paintings or maybe inquire more about the ancient technique I used. I watched her, careful to keep the muscles in my face neutral and relaxed.

Her delicate fingers would reach out occasionally, begging to touch the fresh paint, but ultimately pulled back to continue her stroll with hands clasped tight behind her back. Her tongue wet her plump bottom lip, and she mouthed unspoken words. Curious warmth boiled along my body, and I distracted myself with shuffling my parchment in order and corking the various paints.

“Are all Dalish Elves like my Clan?” Ellana finally asked, stopping a foot behind me.

I shivered, feeling her heat invading me. Creators! Does she even know what she does to me? Focus on the question! “No. Your Clan was unique in having enough interest in human affairs to send you to spy upon the Divine’s meeting. As your Clans have been separate for so long, they have all changed, adapting to the lands in which they live.”

And take me in for a time…without hostilities until I started showing intimate interest in you…

“Some are no more than bandits, others trade feely with humans, and some have disappeared entirely into the forest.” I added, disgusted about other outcomes that I didn’t go into. Slavery. Seclusion. Cannibalism. Just to name a few.

She nodded. “What can you tell me about Elves living in human cities?”

Chuckling, I sat down in my plush chair and stretched my legs out under the desk. Gesturing for her to do the same toward the white couch in the room, I devised an answer to sate her question. “The culture in Alienages or among the slaves of Tevinter is like any of the impoverished and powerless. They cling to memories of a better past and practice a few rituals to distinguish themselves from humans.”

Sorrow filled her eyes, but she did sit down, letting her head fall in her hands for a moment. I wished I could read her mind. I hated seeing the distress that painted her features so clearly as my answer settled. Then, he lifted her head and gave me a hollow smile.

“Is the magic they teach in the Circle different from the magic I learned with my people?”

In actuality, the magic taught by both groups is fragmented and a perverse version of true magic. Like the difference of drinking wine versus drinking watered down wine. It is still wine but its effects are muted and leaves you wanting.

Aloud, I gave another answer. “No and yes. Magic is magic, just as water is water, but it can be used in different ways. Dalish magic is more practical, not needing Chantry approval. Although they still frown on Blood Magic. Superstition. Much of it is more subtle. A legacy from when Elves were Immortal.”

The last part made her straighten in her sitting position. “The legends of Elven Immortality…did they use magic to increase their lifespan?”

“No.” I stated firmly. I am the living embodiment of this legend, and it was my cruel, but necessary act that ended it all for the Elves. “It was simply part of being Elven. The subtle beauty of their magic was the effect, not the cause, of their nature. Some spells took years to cast. Echoes would linger for centuries, harmonizing with new magic in an unending symphony. It must’ve been beautiful…”

Silence took over the room and I didn’t push Ellana. Truth was, I enjoyed being here with her, and answering her questions. I watched as a kaleidoscope of colours painted her face, and how she furrowed her brow or wrinkled her small nose. My heart swelled in knowing that I placed these manifestations on her features and in her mind.

“You said that the censure against Blood Magic was superstition.” She eventually asked, pinching her brow.

“I did.” I replied with a smile and leaned across the table with my elbows propped up. “It’s fortunate Cassandra is not within earshot. Most modern cultures forbid Blood Magic. Publicly, even Tevinter disapproves of it. But as I said, magic is magic. It matters only in how it is used.”

She chewed her bottom lip. “I’d be interested in learning more about Blood Magic.”

Healthy curiosity! “I would teach you, if I knew it. Unfortunately, using Blood Magic seems to make it more difficult to enter the Fade. You understand why I have never bothered to learn it. A shame. As it is extremely powerful. Provided it remains a tool, not a crutch��nor a passion.”

“Thank you, Solas. We’ll talk more later. At dinner, perhaps.” Ellana stood and gave me a smile before walking out with one more glance at my half done murals, and my naked torso.

. . .

Dinner was spent in the main hall of the Inquisition once enough rubble was cleared away to get a large wooden table inside with space for most of the key members of the Inquisition. When I entered – after cleaning up from the rest of the day spent painting, Ellana stood and waved me over to sit beside her. Food followed shortly and rowdy conversation. I added comments here and there when they seemed appropriate, but for the most part, I observed in silence. In truth, I didn’t have much in common with any of the members save maybe the Inquisitor, herself.

At least Sera and Dorian were loud enough to draw most of the attention. Varric and the Iron Bull sat next to each other exchanging stories, and possibly bets, judging by the casual glances they threw to various members. When their wandering eyes settled on me, I just raised an eyebrow and returned to the scroll I had been reading. They chuckled not long after.

Then, Ellana stood up and I felt an arc of electricity pass along in the movement. A hand touched my shoulder drawing my eyes up to gaze into hers. Raw intent flared in those orbs and a hunger that my earlier answers to her questions didn’t suppress. “I’m interested in what you told me of yourself and your studies. If you have time, I’d like to hear more.”

All noise stopped and heads turned to stare at the two of us. I felt their invasive smirks, wondering what was transpiring between us. If Ellana noticed, she showed no shame in what gossip her actions would no doubt create. I settled back in my chair and dabbed my mouth with my napkin. I wanted to talk to her more as well… just not with a crowd.

“You continue to surprise me.” I kept my voice purposely low and noticed – out of the corner of my eye – many of the Inquisition members leaned forward in their chairs to catch what I said to her. “All right, let us talk…preferably somewhere more interesting than this.”

I stood up then and brought her into my chambers trying to ignore the snickering from the other member as we left. I offered her some wine as an after dinner dessert and waited for her to nod off from the sleeping draft I mixed in with it. Gathering her up in my arms, I carried her through a secret passage that led straight up to her room where I tucked her into bed. I touched her cheek and smiled before disappearing to take my own draft and meet her in the Fade.

. . .

The vibrancy of Haven hit me as we both took the steps toward the Chantry. Instinctively, I glanced back to make sure Ellana still followed. It was amazing that she was even here at all. When I gave her the sleeping draft, I hadn’t expected that she would meet me here so easily, which made me smile all the more. She was brilliant and talented and…beautiful. My heart pounded, threatening to burst out of my chest, at how much she already did and the possibilities laid out before her. She almost felt like a kindred spirit, especially in the Fade.

“Why here?” Ellana asked, sweeping her gaze over at an intact Haven.

I stopped and gestured, before moving on. “Haven is familiar. It will always be important to you.”

She sighed deeply and shook her head. “We talked about that already.”

She thinks I’m leading her in a merry chase; never fully answering her questions. Clever girl.

We made our way down into the Chantry’s dark dungeons and a wave of the first night returned. I shivered thinking about how we came full circle.

“I sat beside you while you slept, studying the Anchor.”

I heard her giggle. “How long can it take to look at a mark on my hand?”

Smiling, I turned and shrugged. “A magical mark of unknown origin, tied to a unique Breach in the Veil? Longer than you might think. I ran every test I could imagine, searched the Fade, yet found nothing.”

I remembered that night so clearly, back when the Seeker hauled me to her with all her fury. “Cassandra suspected duplicity. She threatened to have me executed as an apostate if I didn’t produce results.”

To my surprise, and delight, Ellana nodded. “Cassandra’s like that with everyone.”

Curls of Fade whipped around the elven mage, dancing as little sprites and flowed both in and out of the Anchor. So much pulled at my spirit surrounded in such an intimate space with a woman who caused my heart to flutter. Even with those words, a warmth spread over me.

I chuckled. “Yes.”

Then I gestured for Ellana to follow me as we left the Chantry. My fingers caught her own and I blushed, my nerves ignited and my head softly spinning. Once outside the Chantry, I thought of distractions and went back to telling my story. With any luck, the elven lass wouldn’t pick up on my hesitation.

“You were never going to wake up. How could you, a mortal sent physically through the Fade?” We stopped and faced one another as I divulged my feelings to answer her question about myself. “I was frustrated, frightened. The spirits I might have consulted had been driven away by the Breach.”

Memories of that night flooded through me; of how my dream walking had been interrupted and I was dispelled from the Fade. The Explosion was at the core, the fault, but I wouldn’t hold the Inquisitor responsible.

“Although I wished to help, I had no faith in Cassandra…or she in me. I was ready to flee.”

Possibly confront Corypheus and snatch back my orb…somehow.

Ellana blinked and gazed at me skeptically. “The Breach threatened the whole world. Where did you plan to go?”

To the Conclave… to stop Corypheus or die trying.

I shrugged. “Someplace far away where I might research a way to repair the Breach before its effects reached me. I never said it was a good place.”

Smiling, I turned to stare up at the memory of the green Breach the Fade had recreated and stretched out my hand as if I perhaps had the Anchor etched inside my palm. “I told myself, one more attempt to seal the Rifts. I tried and failed. No ordinary magic would affect them.”

The Breach flashed and danced in its powerful, vibrant magic that used to belong to me. Such beauty turned into a dreadful darkness and I knew I was at fault. I stared deep at the swirling vortex almost mesmerized. “I watched the rifts expand and grow, resigned myself to flee, and then…”

Images of holding Ellana’s soft, delicate hand as I raised her arm to close the rift with the Anchor, imprinted in my mind. The heat and rapid heartbeat returned with a ferocity I could no longer deny, even if I tried. Turning, I looked deep into Ellana’s lovely, blue eyes and breathed in her combined scent of femininity and sandalwood that the Fade recreated.

“It seems you hold the key to our salvation. You had sealed it with a gesture…and right then, I felt the whole world change.” Revolving around you, I finished to myself. Ellana’s expression softened and she shifted her weight from one leg to the next, her eyes telling me she longed to reach out. “Felt the whole world change?”

“A figure of speech.” I added.

“I’m aware of the metaphor. I’m more interested in ‘felt.’”

Fenedhis…nothing gets passed her.

Do you really want it to, Solas? The Wolf’s voice, silent for most of the day, chose to speak up now.

I sighed in defeat. No, not really.

She closed in and I gasped, my own features softening, and my mask dropping. “You change…everything.”

“Sweet talker.” Ellana muttered.

I looked away then felt her hand touch the back of my neck and pulled me around. Before I could register, those soft, full lips found mind. Blood pooled down my spine, settling into my groin to harden it. The kiss was brief as she pulled away with an embarrassed flush on her face, but I shook my head. Inside the Wolf growled just as hungry as me. As she turned away, I turned her around and kissed her again. Fierce. Desperate.

She tasted of honeyed-tea and wine. Her lips melted as butter against mine and she sighed into me. I wanted more. My tongue flicked intrusively at her teeth, and she parted them ever so slightly to invite that curiosity inside. She sucked and nibbled at my tender skin, her own tongue dancing along mine. With every new thrust from our tongues, I glorified in the electricity shooting through me body.

It took me back to the nights spent in the deep forest, stealing quiet moments just to drink in each other’s presence. These memories drove me into madness every night I lay without her in my arms and I slid my hands around her petite waist, traveling lower to cup her round ass.

Ellana’s hands explored the contours of my body, tracing each hard plane of muscle with her fingers. Those hands were far from innocent and every path they trailed pulled up the flesh underneath my tunic. A fire burned through me and I moaned in her mouth. Before I could contain my want, I pressed myself flat against her, rubbed my angry erection along her inner thigh. Ellana moaned and formed her body around mine.

The flames were consuming me, threatening to execute my good judgement faster than anything Cassandra threw at me. I want you. Need you!

Just let go, Solas.

No! I can’t…

Reluctantly, I pulled away, shaking my head. Ellana stared back at me with pink lips so swollen from our erotic dance and I saw wild lust staring back at me. I shook my head and slated my lips to hers once more for a simple, chaste kiss that was anything but. When I broke it for a second time, I took a few steps back to separate us and the growing desires.

“We shouldn’t. It isn’t right. Not even here.”

Are you so sure about that?

Thankfully, though her face held clear disappointment, Ellana didn’t reach for me. She didn’t try to pursue further, but it was so hard to ignore the hurt and confusion in her eyes. Little did she know, how close she came to undoing me.

“What do you mean, ‘even here?’”

I took the opportunity to end this before it escalated into sex… and it would if I didn’t leave now. “Where did you think we were?”

As if noticing that Haven was intact, and whole for the first time, Ellana turned her head like she was truly seeing it for the first time. “This isn’t real.”

A cool wind blew, trying hard to extinguish a fire that never could truly be stifled. Even after the passing of time and space. I was starting to see the true danger that Ellana Lavellan possessed to my plans and…myself. Still, I focused on answering her questions. At least by actively doing so held off the need to rip our clothing from us and fuck until our bodies grew limp from exertion.

“That’s a matter of debate…probably best discussed after you wake up.”

#Solas #solas romance #solas x lavellan #solavellan #solavallen #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #amwriting #writing #writers #fanfic #romance #elves

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roman-catholic-mass-readings · 5 years ago

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3rd June >> Mass Readings (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Wednesday, Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Saints Charles Lwanga and his Companions, Martyrs

Saint Kevin, Abbot (Ireland).

Wednesday, Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: White or Red)

(Readings for the feria (Wednesday))

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Wednesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

2 Timothy 1:1-3,6-12

God's gift is the Spirit of power, love and self-control

From Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus in his design to promise life in Christ Jesus; to Timothy, dear child of mine, wishing you grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.

Night and day I thank God, keeping my conscience clear and remembering my duty to him as my ancestors did, and always I remember you in my prayers. That is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, or ashamed of me for being his prisoner; but with me, bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy – not because of anything we ourselves have done but for his own purpose and by his own grace. This grace had already been granted to us, in Christ Jesus, before the beginning of time, but it has only been revealed by the Appearing of our saviour Christ Jesus. He abolished death, and he has proclaimed life and immortality through the Good News; and I have been named its herald, its apostle and its teacher.

It is only on account of this that I am experiencing fresh hardships here now; but I have not lost confidence, because I know who it is that I have put my trust in, and I have no doubt at all that he is able to take care of all that I have entrusted to him until that Day.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 122(123):1-2

R/ To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.

To you have I lifted up my eyes,

you who dwell in the heavens;

my eyes, like the eyes of slaves

on the hand of their lords.

R/ To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.

Like the eyes of a servant

on the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes are on the Lord our God

till he show us his mercy.

R/ To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.

Gospel Acclamation

John 17:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is truth, O Lord:

consecrate us in the truth.

Alleluia!

Or:

John 11:25, 26

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;

whoever believes in me will never die.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 12:18-27

The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob is the God of the living

Some Sadducees – who deny that there is a resurrection – came to him and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a wife and then died leaving no children. The second married the widow, and he too died leaving no children; with the third it was the same, and none of the seven left any children. Last of all the woman herself died. Now at the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be, since she had been married to all seven?’

Jesus said to them, ‘Is not the reason why you go wrong, that you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising again, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

—————————-

Saints Charles Lwanga and his Companions, Martyrs

(Liturgical Colour: Red)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Wednesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

2 Maccabees 7:1-2,9-14

'The King of the world will raise us up to live for ever'

There were seven brothers who were arrested with their mother. The king tried to force them to taste pig’s flesh, which the Law forbids, by torturing them with whips and scourges. One of them, acting as spokesman for the others, said, ‘What are you trying to find out from us? We are prepared to die rather than break the laws of our ancestors.’

With his last breath the second brother exclaimed, ‘Inhuman fiend, you may discharge us from this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up, since it is for his laws that we die, to live again for ever.’

After him, they amused themselves with the third, who on being asked for his tongue promptly thrust it out and boldly held out his hands, with these honourable words, ‘It was heaven that gave me these limbs; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again.’ The king and his attendants were astounded at the young man’s courage and his utter indifference to suffering.

When this one was dead they subjected the fourth to the same savage torture. When he neared his end he cried, ‘Ours is the better choice, to meet death at men’s hands, yet relying on God’s promise that we shall be raised up by him; whereas for you there can be no resurrection, no new life.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 123(124):2-5,7-8

R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

If the Lord had not been on our side

when men rose up against us,

then would they have swallowed us alive

when their anger was kindled.

R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

Then would the waters have engulfed us,

the torrent gone over us;

over our head would have swept

the raging waters.

R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

Indeed the snare has been broken

and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

R/ Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.

Gospel Acclamation

Matthew 5:3

Alleluia, alleluia!

How happy are the poor in spirit:

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 5:1-12

How happy are the poor in spirit

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

‘How happy are the poor in spirit;

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy the gentle:

they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Happy those who mourn:

they shall be comforted.

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:

they shall be satisfied.

Happy the merciful:

they shall have mercy shown them.

Happy the pure in heart:

they shall see God.

Happy the peacemakers:

they shall be called sons of God.

Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven: this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

—————————-

Saint Kevin, Abbot (Ireland)

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Wednesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

Genesis 12:1-4

All the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you

The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as a blessing.

‘I will bless those who bless you:

I will curse those who slight you.

All the tribes of the earth

shall bless themselves by you.’

So Abram went as the Lord told him.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 1:1-4,6

His delight is the law of the Lord.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

The just will flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of our God.

Happy indeed is the man

who follows not the counsel of the wicked;

nor lingers in the way of sinners

nor sits in the company of scorners,

but whose delight is the law of the Lord

and who ponders his law day and night.

His delight is the law of the Lord.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

The just will flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of our God.

He is like a tree that is planted

beside the flowing waters,

that yields its fruit in due season

and whose leaves shall never fade;

and all that he does shall prosper.

His delight is the law of the Lord.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

The just will flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of our God.

Not so are the wicked, not so!

For they like winnowed chaff

shall be driven away by the wind:

for the Lord guards the way of the just

but the way of the wicked leads to doom.

His delight is the law of the Lord.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

The just will flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of our God.

Gospel Acclamation

Mt5:3

Alleluia, alleluia!

How happy are the poor in spirit:

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt5:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:

they shall be satisfied.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt5:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy the pure in heart:

they shall see God.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father,

Lord of heaven and earth,

for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom

to mere children.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt23:11,12

Alleluia, alleluia!

The greatest among you must be your servant, says the Lord:

the man who humbles himself will be exalted.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt11:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened

and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

Alleluia!

Or:

Lk21:36

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake, praying at all times

for the strength to stand with confidence

before the Son of Man.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn8:12

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn8:31-32

Alleluia, alleluia!

If you make my word your home

you will indeed be my disciples,

and you will learn the truth, says the Lord.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn13:34

Alleluia, alleluia!

I give you a new commandment:

love one another just as I have loved you,

says the Lord.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn15:4,5

Alleluia, alleluia!

Make your home in me, as I make mine in you,

says the Lord;

whoever remains in me bears fruit in plenty.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn15:9,5

Alleluia, alleluia!

Remain in my love, says the Lord;

whoever remains in me, with me in him,

bears fruit in plenty.

Alleluia!

EITHER:

Gospel

Matthew 5:1-12a

How happy are the poor in spirit

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

‘How happy are the poor in spirit;

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy the gentle:

they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Happy those who mourn:

they shall be comforted.

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:

they shall be satisfied.

Happy the merciful:

they shall have mercy shown them.

Happy the pure in heart:

they shall see God.

Happy the peacemakers:

they shall be called sons of God.

Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 5:13-16

Your light must shine in the sight of men

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 7:21-27

The wise man built his house on a rock

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?” Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men!

‘Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 11:25-30

You have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to little children

Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 13:44-46

He sells everything he owns and buys the field

Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 16:24-27

Anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?

‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 18:1-5

Unless you become like little children you will not enter the kingdom of heaven

The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 19:3-12

Husband and wife are no longer two, but one body

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and to test him they said, ‘Is it against the Law for a man to divorce his wife on any pretext whatever?’ He answered, ‘Have you not read that the creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: This is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body? They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.’

They said to him, ‘Then why did Moses command that a writ of dismissal should be given in cases of divorce?’ ‘It was because you were so unteachable’ he said ‘that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not like this from the beginning. Now I say this to you: the man who divorces his wife – I am not speaking of fornication – and marries another, is guilty of adultery.’

The disciples said to him, ‘If that is how things are between husband and wife, it is not advisable to marry.’ But he replied, ‘It is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted. There are eunuchs born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs made so by men and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 19:27-29

They will be repaid a hundred times over and inherit eternal life

Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘What about us?’ he said. ‘We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times over, and also inherit eternal life.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 22:34-40

The commandments of love

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 25:1-13

The wise and foolish virgins

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 25:14-30

You have been faithful in small things: come and join in your master's happiness

Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of Heaven is like a man on his way abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out.

‘The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. The man who had received two made two more in the same way. But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

‘Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.”

‘His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”

‘Next the man with the two talents came forward. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”

‘Last came forward the man who had the one talent. “Sir,” said he “I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest. So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the five talents. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 25:14-23

You have been faithful in small things: come and join in your master's happiness

‘His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 25:31-46

I was naked and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.

‘Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”

‘Next he will say to those on his left hand, “Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.” Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?” Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.”

‘And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.’

OR:

Gospel

Matthew 25:31-40

I was naked and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me

OR:

Gospel

Mark 3:31-35

Who are my mother and my brothers? Those that do the will of God

The mother and brothers of Jesus arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’

OR:

Gospel

Mark 9:34-37

Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me

The disciples had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So Jesus sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

OR:

Gospel

Mark 10:13-16

It is to such as these little children that the kingdom of God belongs

People were bringing little children to Jesus, for him to touch them. The disciples turned them away, but when Jesus saw this he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ Then he put his arms round them, laid his hands on them and gave them his blessing.

OR:

Gospel

Mark 10:17-30

Give everything you own to the poor, and follow me

Jesus was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him, ‘Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You must not kill; You must not commit adultery; You must not steal; You must not bring false witness; You must not defraud; Honour your father and mother.’ And he said to him, ‘Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days.’ Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said, ‘There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.

Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!’ The disciples were astounded by these words, but Jesus insisted, ‘My children,’ he said to them ‘how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were more astonished than ever. ‘In that case’ they said to one another ‘who can be saved?’ Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he said ‘it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.’

Peter took this up. ‘What about us?’ he asked him. ‘We have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land – not without persecutions – now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life.’

OR:

Gospel

Mark 10:17-27

Give everything you own to the poor, and follow me

OR:

Gospel

Luke 6:27-38

Love your enemies

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too; to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

OR:

Gospel

Luke 9:57-62

'I will follow you wherever you go'

As Jesus and his disciples travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’

Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’

Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

OR:

Gospel

Luke 10:38-42

Martha works; Mary listens

Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’

OR:

Gospel

Luke 12:32-34

It has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.

‘Sell your possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’

OR:

Gospel

Luke 12:35-40

You too must stand ready

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’

OR:

Gospel

Luke 14:25-33

Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple

Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.” Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’

OR:

Gospel

John 15:1-8

I am the vine, you are the branches

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I am the true vine,

and my Father is the vinedresser.

Every branch in me that bears no fruit

he cuts away,

and every branch that does bear fruit

he prunes to make it bear even more.

You are pruned already,

by means of the word that I have spoken to you.

Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.

As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself,

but must remain part of the vine,

neither can you unless you remain in me.

I am the vine,

you are the branches.

Whoever remains in me, with me in him,

bears fruit in plenty;

for cut off from me you can do nothing.

Anyone who does not remain in me

is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers;

these branches are collected and thrown on the fire,

and they are burnt.

If you remain in me

and my words remain in you,

you may ask what you will

and you shall get it.

It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit,

and then you will be my disciples.’

OR:

Gospel

John 15:9-17

You are my friends if you do what I command you

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘As the Father has loved me,

so I have loved you.

Remain in my love.

If you keep my commandments

you will remain in my love,

just as I have kept my Father’s commandments

and remain in his love.

I have told you this

so that my own joy may be in you

and your joy be complete.

This is my commandment:

love one another, as I have loved you.

A man can have no greater love

than to lay down his life for his friends.

You are my friends,

if you do what I command you.

I shall not call you servants any more,

because a servant does not know

his master’s business;

I call you friends,

because I have made known to you

everything I have learnt from my Father.

You did not choose me:

no, I chose you;

and I commissioned you

to go out and to bear fruit,

fruit that will last;

and then the Father will give you

anything you ask him in my name.

What I command you

is to love one another.’

OR:

Gospel

John 17:20-26

Father, may they be completely one

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Holy Father,

I pray not only for these,

but for those also

who through their words will believe in me.

May they all be one.

Father, may they be one in us,

as you are in me and I am in you,

so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.

I have given them the glory you gave to me,

that they may be one as we are one.

With me in them and you in me,

may they be so completely one

that the world will realise that it was you who sent me

and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.

Father, I want those you have given me

to be with me where I am,

so that they may always see the glory you have given me

because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Father, Righteous One,

the world has not known you,

but I have known you,

and these have known that you have sent me.

I have made your name known to them

and will continue to make it known,

so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,

and so that I may be in them.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

4 notes · View notes