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mattchase82 · 3 years

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OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP

The Picture

The original picture painted on gold ground, is the work of a devout and skillful master. The best judges concede that it must have been painted in the 13th or 14th century, in the East, as its Grecian or Byzantine style plainly shows. The Blessed Mother, in half-figure, has her child on her left arm, and in her right hand, she holds the hand of her Divine Infant. Her beautiful eyes are directed towards the beholder with an expression of tender reproach, and speak eloquently of her great anguish at the sufferings of her Son. On either side of her head are four Greek letters, which stand for the words "Mother of God."

The Divine Infant is in full figure. On his head is a crown. He wears sandals, one of which is fastened to his left foot, the other hangs loose from the right. Over his left shoulder are the Greek letters signifying "Jesus Christ." He clasps his mother's right hand in both his own, as though seeking protection from the instrument of His Passion, presented to Him by the two angels at his side. The Angel on the right, over whom are to be seen in Greek the initials of the name of "Michael the Archangel," presents to the Holy Child, the Lance, the Reed and the Sponge of His future Passion, while the Angel on the left holds up before His gaze four nails and a cross, with two beams, as well as the tablet of the inscription; over Him are the initials in Greek of "Gabriel the Archangel." The drapery of the picture is exquisite.

History of The Picture

The original picture, just described, was venerated for many years in the Island of Crete (now called Candia), when upon an invasion by the Turks, about 400 years ago, it was taken away by a pious merchant of that Island to escape profanation. Having been the means of enlisting the power of the Mother of God during a violent storm which occurred on the voyage, a landing was finally made at Ostia, near Rome. At Rome, by a clear manifestation of God's will, the picture was to remain. The pious merchant, falling grievously ill, and feeling death's approach, summoned his host and friend, and exacting from him a strict promise that he would have the picture set up for veneration in one of the churches of Rome, he confided the precious treasure to his care, and then breathed his last. Now become manifest the wondrous ways of God. The wife of the man who had the holy picture confided to him, conceiving a strong natural affection for the Madonna, deaf to her husband's representations, finally prevailed upon him to disregard his promise and retain the picture. Three different times the Blessed Mother appeared in a dream to the unhappy man to remind him of his obligation. Affrighted, he related these occurrences to his wife, who only laughed at his credulity. A fourth time Our Blessed Lady appeared, and said to him in a tone of great severity: "I have now warned thee three times, but in vain,--I see there is no other means of leaving thy house, than that thou be first carried out of it." Very soon after the man died.

The husband's death seems to have been no warning to the obstinate widow. A new warning was at hand. One day her daughter, a young innocent girl, came running to her, saying: "Mother, I have just seen, in our house, oh, such a beautiful Lady, who said to me, 'Go tell your mother and your grandfather that the 'Mother of Perpetual Help' (for the Blessed Virgin gave herself this sweet title) 'wishes her picture to be set up for public veneration in one of the churches in Rome.'" The mother, deeply moved, was about to comply. But a wicked woman of the neighborhood, hearing of the mother's determination, violently opposed the plan, and at the same time insulted and blaspemed Our Blessed Lady. Instant retribution followed. She was stricken down with mortal illness, but repentant and confessing her crime, was permitted to touch the holy picture, when she was instantly cured. The evident miracle conquered the widow's obstinacy. But now the question presented itself: "To which of the three hundred churches of Rome shall the picture be given?" Our Blessed Lady herself graciously deigned to answer this question, by appearing a second time to the child and saying to her: "I desire to have my home between my beloved Church of St. Mary Major, and that of my dear adopted son John (St. John Lateran)." Between these two Basilicas stood the Church of St. Matthew, at that time in charge of the religious of the Augustinian Order. To the Prior, then, of these religious the Picture was given.

On March 27th, 1499, by a triumphant procession through the streets of Rome, the picture was solemnly installed over the High Altar of the Church of St. Matthew, where, for three hundred years it was the fruitful source of numberless graces and favors to the Romans and their neighbors. In the year 1600, a Roman historian writes: "In the Church of St. Matthew is a picture of the Blessed Virgin, which, from the numbers of miracles wrought and the countless graces received, well merits to be regarded as Miraculous.

During the French occupation of Rome (1809—1814) the Church of St. Matthew was demolished by order of the usurping government, compelling the Augustinian Fathers to abandon their monastery. On removing to the Church of Santa Maria, in Posterula, they took with them the miraculous picture but no longer exposed it for public veneration, dreading sacrilegious profanation. One by one the older members of the Community, who had known the Church of St. Matthew in happier days, passed away. In the year 1846, however, two persons were praying in the oratory of the Augustinian Monastery of Santa Maria, in Posterula, one an old man of more than seventy years, the other a youth. Suddenly the old man, pointing out to the youth this long-forgotten picture of the Madonna of Perpetual Help, on the wall of the oratory, said impressively, "This picture was formerly held in great veneration in the Church of St. Matthew, and every year a feast was celebrated in its honor." The speaker was an Augustinian Brother, Orsette by name, the last survivor of the Community of St. Matthew. The youth, Michael Marchi by name, looked attentively at the picture, but attached no great importance to the old Brother's words. Towards the close of his life, Brother Orsette, now almost blind, took great pleasure in conversing with young Marchi of his dear Madonna, her glory and the magnificent feasts of former days. He would sometimes say, with great earnestness and in a mysterious way, "You understand, Michael, that the Madonna, so long venerated in St. Matthew's is the one you see here in the chapel. Mind, don't forget it," adding, "I tell you, Michael, this is certain. Do you hear me? Do you understand what I say? Oh, how many miracles this picture has wrought! Oh, it was indeed miraculous!" The young Marchi listened and "kept all these things in his heart."

Not long after the death of Orsette (1853), Pope Pius IX. ordered the Superior-General of the Redemptorists to transfer the Central House of the Order from Naples to Rome; hence, the Redemptorists, in June, 1854, purchased, on the Esquiline, the Villa Caserta, an old Roman palace, in the garden of which were still visible some ruins of the Church of St. Matthew. The house was transformed into a monastery, and a new church was built close by, dedicated to St. Alphonsus, the founder of the Redemptorist Order. One of the Fathers of Villa Caserta, searching one day among some old books and manuscripts for historical information concerning the site on the Esquiline, discovered some valuable documents relating to the ruined Church of St. Matthew, and in particular to a Picture of Our Lady, famous for its many miracles. When he gave an account of what he had found out, one of the Fathers suddenly exclaimed, "I know where this miraculous Madonna is. I have seen it myself many a time, in the chapel of the Augustinians of Sancta Maria, in Posterula." The Father who thus spoke was none other than the youthful confidant of Brother Orsette, Michael Marchi, who had become a Redemptorist soon after the foundation of the Villa Caserta. He died there in January, 1886.

One Saturday, in February, 1863, Father Blosi, S. J., preaching on the glories of Mary, took for his subject the ancient and miraculous "Picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help," recalling its past glory and how the Blessed Mother had made known her will, that the picture should be placed for veneration in a church situated between St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major. The Redemptorists were deeply impressed when they heard of this sermon, for many providential circumstances pointed clearly to their own Church of St. Alphonsus as the new sanctuary chosen by Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The Very Rev. Father Mauron having waited two years longer and after many prayers offered to ascertain God's will, on December 11th, 1865, had an audience with Pope Pius the IXth, in which he presented a supplication, that His Holiness would deign to grant to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer the possession of that venerable picture. Pius IX. gladly signed the petition, and January 19th, 1866, after a banishment of sixty years, Our Lady of Perpetual Help was again brought back to a sanctuary between St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran.

On April 26th, the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel, and of St. Cletus, the Pope, who first built the Church of St. Matthew, the holy picture was carried in solemn procession through decorated streets, amid the acclamations of more than 20,000 people, to its place in the Church of St. Alphonsus.

During the Triduum more than 50,000 persons came to honor the sacred picture. Again, as in 1499. Mary strewed her path with graces and miracles. On May 5th, Pius IX. himself came to honor the Madonna. He had already placed a copy of the original picture in his Chapel.

The Chapter of St. Peter at Rome has the custom of crowning with a golden diadem the most illustrious and venerated pictures of the Madonna. On the Sunday preceding the Feast of St. John Baptist, the Dean of the Chapter confided the crown to the Most Rev. Father-General of the Redemptorists, after receiving from him an oath, that it would always remain over the picture. Mass and the ceremony of coronation followed, whilst outside the roaring of cannon and the pealing of bells announced, that the Picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was numbered among those worthy of the title miraculous.

The beneficent action of miraculous pictures is generally confined within certain limits, and does not extend beyond the shrine where the original picture is venerated, but not so in regard to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Her sweet influence extends wherever this devotion is practised.

The devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help soon spread throughout the Christian world. Exact copies of the beautiful picture were made, and a greater value was given them by the fact that they were touched to the original picture in Rome. Notwithstanding the unholy carpings of captious critics, there is nothing unreasonable in this practice. If we treasure a lock of hair of some dear departed one; if we stand with reverent mien in the apartment used by a saint of God, and there yield our soul to holy reveries; if we value at an unspeakable price a shred of the garment, or a tiny bone of God's heroes and heroines; if we kiss with reverent love those spots pressed by the Saviour's feet; why should we not place a special value upon that which has touched a wonder-working picture, made illustrious by God's holy Mother?

Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help

O Holy Virgin Mary! Thy sweet name, "Mother of Perpetual Help," inspires me with unlimited confidence. I beg of thee to help me at all times and in all places; in my temptations, after my falls, in all my difficulties, in all the miseries of this life; but above all at the hour of my death. May I always have recourse to thee, for I feel sure that if I invoke thee faithfully, thou wilt be faithful in helping me. Obtain for me, then, the grace to pray to thee with the confidence of a child in order that I may secure thy perpetual help and final perseverance. Bless me, O tender Mother; and pray for me now and at the hour of my death. Amen.

PRAYER OF CONFIDENCE

O Holy Virgin Mary, who to inspire us with boundless confidence, hast been pleased to take the sweet name of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, I implore thee to come to my aid always and everywhere in my temptations, after my falls, in my difficulties, in all the miseries of life, and above all, at the hour of my death. Give me, O loving Mother, the desire and the habit always to have recourse to thee trusting that thou wilt be faithful and come to my assistance. Obtain for me the this grace of graces, the grace to pray to thee without ceasing and with childlike confidence, that I mayest ensure thy perpetual help and final perseverance. O Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for me now and at the hour of my death. Amen.

Litany of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

For Private Use Only.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven,

have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the World,

have mercy on us.

God the Holy Ghost,

have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God,

have mercy on us.

Holy Mary,

pray for us.

Holy Mother of God,

pray for us.

Holy Virgin of virgins,

pray for us.

Mother of Christ,

pray for us.

Queen conceived without the stain of Original Sin,

pray for us.

Queen of the most Holy Rosary,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help,

pray for us.

O Mother of Perpetual Help,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may love God with all my heart,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may in all things conform my will to that of thy Divine Son,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may always shun sin, the only real evil,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may always remember my last end,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may often and devoutly receive the Sacraments,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may avoid every proximate occasion of sin,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may never neglect prayer,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may ever remember to invoke thee,

particularly in time of temptation,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may always be victorious in the hour of temptation,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may generously pardon my enemies,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may arise quickly, should I have the misfortune

of falling into mortal sin,

Come to my aid. O loving Mother.

That I may courageously resist the seductions of evil companions,

Come to my aid. O loving Mother.

That I may be strong against my own inconstancy,

Come to my aid. O loving Mother.

That I may not delay my conversion from day to day,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may labor zealously to eradicate my evil habits,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may ever love to serve thee,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may lead others to love and serve thee,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

That I may live and die in the friendship of God,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

In all necessities of body and soul,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

In sickness and pain,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

In poverty and distress,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

In persecution and abandonment,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

In grief and dereliction of mind,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

In time of war, famine and contagion,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

In every danger of sin,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When assailed by the evil spirits,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When tempted by the allurements of a deceitful world,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When struggling against the inclinations of my corrupt nature,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When tempted against the holy virtue of purity,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When death is nigh,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When the loss of my senses shall warn me that my

earthly career is at an end,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When the thought of my approaching dissolution shall fill me with fear and terror,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When at the decisive hour of death, the evil spirit will endeavor

to plunge my soul into despair,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When the priest of God shall give me Extreme Unction,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When my friends and relations, surrounding my bed moved with compassion,

shall invoke thy clemency on my behalf,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When the world will vanish from my sight, and my heart will cease to beat,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When I shall yield my soul into the hands of its Creator,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When my soul will appear before its Sovereign Judge,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When the irrevocable sentence will be pronounced,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

When I will be suffering in Purgatory, and sighing for the vision of God,

Come to my aid, O loving Mother.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,

Spare us, O Lord!.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,

Graciously hear us, O Lord!

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,

Have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, our powerful Mediatrix,

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O Almighty and merciful God, Who, in order to succor the human race, hast willed the Blessed Virgin Mary to become the Mother of Thy only-begotten Son, grant, we beseech Thee, that by her intercession we may avoid the contagion of sin and serve Thee with a pure heart, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/Our%20Lady%20of%20Perpetual%20Help.html

#the blessed virgin mary #blessed virgin mary #immaculate heart of mary #mary mother of jesus #mary mother of god #catholic prayers #traditional catholic #catholicism #catholic #christianity #heaven #love #jesus christ #its the truth #catholic saints #catholic faith

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rooftinandskyblue · 7 years

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Ginger Judas, obscure superstar

Well that’s an old interview released on Aug. 26, 2012… I haven’t seen the whole article before so I guess I’d just put it here. And there are some highlights…maybe.

A couple of months ago the comedian and lyricist Tim Minchin told an audience at a literary festival: “I hope my daughter dies tomorrow in a car crash. I’ll tweet if she does.”

That sounds bad, out of context.

“People get dim about stuff sometimes,” he says of the ensuing outcry. At the festival, he explains, he was trying to illustrate his point that you can’t actually “tempt fate”.

“You have to overcome your superstitions. Saying ‘I hope you have a plane crash’ isn’t going to change the outcome of a person’s flight. I said, 'I hope my daughter dies tomorrow at 10am.’ The specificity’s very important. You have to say something that won’t happen - because of the odds - in order to overcome your superstition that it will happen. "You have to overcome your megalomaniacal 'I’m so important’ human bullshit bias - you have to overcome the idea that you are magic. Because you’re not magic.”

Minchin is magic, though. He’s the most famous Australian nobody can quite picture until you say “that ginger bloke with the piano and the funny songs”.

And they are very funny. Look up Prejudice on YouTube - a song about how six little letters (N, I, E, R and two Gs) can be so hurtful. Millions already have. Or Lullaby, his wry assessment of fatherhood (“Your blanket’s hand-knitted, with pure angora wool/Your nappy is dry and your tummy is full/Of enough antihistamine, to chill out a bull/Yet still all this gringing”).

Through his twenties, he was an impoverished jack-ofall-arts playing late-night gigs in “bars full of drunken British tourists in Melbourne”.

The combination of music and comedy - he says he’s funny for a musician and a good musician for a comedian - held him back. No one could see a market. He was advised to specialise in one or the other but he wouldn’t. “I was having too much fun,” he says but also, he’s stubborn. Most people would have chucked it in and become an accountant.

Eventually, YouTube happened (“it made me”) and Minchin went viral. He toured. He made DVDs. He became that ginger guy with the eyeliner (to exaggerate expressions) and the backcombed hair (umm). We started calling him British-Australian rather than just Australian (he was born here to Aussie parents and lives here now).

At the same time he was reading lots of philosophy and his unflinching rationalism became a trademark. A Richard Dawkins, but funnier, nicer and camouflaged in flowery piano trills. One Minchin song re-examines love at first sight with the opening couplet: “You grew on me like a tumour/And you spread through me like malignant melanoma”. Another rejoices in Christmas as a time for humanism rather than deism.

Yet another, Ten-Foot Cock and a Few Hundred Virgins, considers God and anal sex.

Why is he still not quite known? “To be a household name, you have to be on telly,” he says. “I don’t believe comedy songs work on the telly.”

Minchin might just be too risque for mainstream television.

Last year, ITV cut his song Woody Allen Jesus from the Jonathan Ross Show because, “the tone wasn’t quite right for the Christmas show”.

True, he did liken Jesus to a zombie. He also covered the virgin birth with the memorable verse: “Breeding without the opposite gender is commonly known as parthenogenesis/Other animals that don’t need males include a lot of lizards and various snails”. But still, you would have thought a television audience could take a bit of mild blasphemy.

ITV thought not.

Critics then accused him of picking only on Christianity. Was he scared of taking on Islam? “It’s a non sequitur,” he says now. “It’s like saying, 'Why are you doing jokes about ice creams, not dolphins?’ "I have no obligations to be balanced, I’m a comedian. Secondly, Christianity’s my culture, it’s the culture I grew up with. I don’t really want to criticise Islam. I mean, I do it but it’s not my thing, even though I do spend five minutes on stage with a Koran talking about sacredness. Thirdly, sure I’m scared of stirring up a violent minority and getting my family killed. Is that not a good reason? It’s like saying, 'You punched that tiny guy, now go punch that karate guy’.”

What we are supposed to be discussing here is Jesus Christ Superstar. Minchin is taking a lunch break from rehearsals at 3 Mills Studios in east London. Alongside Chris Moyles’s Herod, God help us, and Mel C’s Mary Magdalene, he will play Judas Iscariot in the stadium version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 40-year-old hit next month.

This seems an odd career move. Still basking in the huge success of Matilda the Musical, first in the West End and now Broadway too, Minchin has been variously hailed as the “saviour of British musicals”, “an original talent”, “a unique genius” and “unmissable”. But now he’s doing Superstar. With the “saviour of Radio 1”. And a Spice Girl. And Lloyd Webber. Not exactly cutting edge.

“My interest is this incredibly told story - The Passion of the Christ put to rock music,” he says. “As a lover of Deep Purple and Seventies rock, I’m interested in the show musically.

As a musician and a fan of Tim Rice, I’m interested in it lyrically. And as a child whose life was changed by Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express, why would I ever not do this? "It’s theatre. It’s a story. I have no problem delineating stories from real life. I get really annoyed at people who call themselves psychic and telekinetic, but Matilda does magic with her eyes. I tell my children all sorts of fantasies but it doesn’t mean I’m trying to sell them something as truth; it’s just stories.”

To progress further, we must separate the two Minchins. Minchin One is the passionate advocate of humanism and Minchin Two is the happy-golucky storyteller. Of course they are intertwined, but they don’t always both define him. He’s doing Superstar because he wants to. And it will make him more famous, because there’s also a third Minchin, the one who wants affirmation.

“Fame is like group sex,” he tells me confidently. “You desire it till you’ve had it and then it’s like 'meh’.”

I’m halfway through admitting I wouldn’t know on either count, but he interrupts.

“Actually, that’s a bad metaphor.

Once you’ve had group sex you just want more group sex, but I really believe most of us are driven most of the time to be affirmed. I’m absolutely driven to be affirmed but I’m not driven to be affirmed by being rich and famous. Although they are intrinsically linked to what I am driven to be affirmed by, which is impressing people.”

This is how he talks. And writes lyrics. An idea wrapped in the opposite idea inside a riddle. On Twitter he describes himself as “a musician with a swollen sense of my ability to articulate my insignificance”.

He also calls himself an “educationalist”.

Minchin One, the advocate, wants to expose the hypocrisy of those who preach morality but don’t practise it.

Does he believe in nothing? “I’m a humanist materialist.

I don’t believe in anything that’s unlikely. To believe in Jesus, you can either make the assumption that there was a man who broke all the laws of biology and physics or say that humans have mythologised other humans throughout history, and sometimes myths take off. Just because ideas take off doesn’t mean they’re real.”

He continues: “I’m going to write a musical with the Pope as the central character. I want to take a sympathetic view of what it would be like for a young man - while other young men are getting stupid tattoos or accidentally getting girls pregnant - to say 'I believe in a master of the universe’.

What are the odds that these young men stick with their beliefs? That they won’t, at some point, think, 'Well, I don’t really believe that shit any more but this is the structure within which I do my pastoral care. I’ve got bills to pay’?” Last scene: an atheist running the church. Curtain falls. There would be protests. ITV wouldn’t like it. But the lyrics would be good.

Until then, we have Tim Minchin playing the questioning, betraying disciple at the O2 arena. It’s a long way from the Melbourne dive bars, but it sort of adds up. It could even be part of a grand design.

“No, it’s just luck,” he says.

“There’s no soul, no nothing.

It’s just luck.”

And with that, he heads off to rehearse Judas.

Tickets are available at jesuschristsuperstar.com

#tim minchin #do you like group sex tim?#pope the musical would be funnnnn #throwback2012 #sounds remote

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dfroza · 4 years

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the marital bond is a sacred Union

formed by God, the Author and Creator of the heavens and garden Mother earth

with 2 bodies becoming as “One” through sex which is why such an act is reserved for the promise and trust in marriage and why it isn’t meant for a woman to be sexual with another woman, or a man with a man. nor is it possible to change a person’s birth gender to make such a bond by merely changing the appearance of the physical body.

and the marriage relationship is the topic of an ancient question asked of our Creator which was written down and conserved in the Scriptures and seen in Today’s reading from chapter 10 of the book of Mark:

From there he went to the area of Judea across the Jordan. A crowd of people, as was so often the case, went along, and he, as he so often did, taught them. Pharisees came up, intending to give him a hard time. They asked, “Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife?”

Jesus said, “What did Moses command?”

They answered, “Moses gave permission to fill out a certificate of dismissal and divorce her.”

Jesus said, “Moses wrote this command only as a concession to your hardhearted ways. In the original creation, God made male and female to be together. Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage he becomes one flesh with a woman—no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”

When they were back home, the disciples brought it up again. Jesus gave it to them straight: “A man who divorces his wife so he can marry someone else commits adultery against her. And a woman who divorces her husband so she can marry someone else commits adultery.”

The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.

The Book of Mark, Chapter 10:1-16 (The Message)

to be accompanied by lines from a wedding song in Psalm 45 which is read for the 45th day of Autumn:

A Wedding Song

For the worship leader. A contemplative song of the sons of Korah to the tune “The Lilies.”

A love song.

My heart bursts its banks,

spilling beauty and goodness.

I pour it out in a poem to the king,

shaping the river into words:

“Your ozone-drenched garments

are fragrant with mountain breeze.

Chamber music—from the throne room—

makes you want to dance.

Kings’ daughters are maids in your court,

the Bride glittering with golden jewelry.

“Now listen, daughter, don’t miss a word:

forget your country, put your home behind you.

Be here—the king is wild for you.

Since he’s your lord, adore him.

Wedding gifts pour in from Tyre;

rich guests shower you with presents.”

(Her wedding dress is dazzling,

lined with gold by the weavers;

All her dresses and robes

are woven with gold.

She is led to the king,

followed by her virgin companions.

A procession of joy and laughter!

a grand entrance to the king’s palace!)

The Book of Psalms, Poem 45:1, 8-15 (The Message / The Voice)

and in Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments (with Mark 10) from chapter 45 of Ezekiel we read of setting aside a sacred space for God, just as we are meant to do in the heart where treasure is stored (inside, Anew)

[Sacred Space for God]

“When you divide up the inheritance of the land, you must set aside part of the land as sacred space for God: approximately seven miles long by six miles wide, all of it holy ground. Within this rectangle, reserve a seven-hundred-fifty-foot square for the Sanctuary with a seventy-five-foot buffer zone surrounding it. Mark off within the sacred reserve a section seven miles long by three miles wide. The Sanctuary with its Holy of Holies will be placed there. This is where the priests will live, those who lead worship in the Sanctuary and serve God there. Their houses will be there along with The Holy Place.

“To the north of the sacred reserve, an area roughly seven miles long and two and a quarter miles wide will be set aside as land for the villages of the Levites who administer the affairs of worship in the Sanctuary.

“To the south of the sacred reserve, measure off a section seven miles long and about a mile and a half wide for the city itself, an area held in common by the whole family of Israel.

“The prince gets the land abutting the seven-mile east and west borders of the central sacred square, extending eastward toward the Jordan and westward toward the Mediterranean. This is the prince’s possession in Israel. My princes will no longer bully my people, running roughshod over them. They’ll respect the land as it has been allotted to the tribes.

“This is the Message of God, the Master: ‘I’ve put up with you long enough, princes of Israel! Quit bullying and taking advantage of my people. Do what’s just and right for a change.

The Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 45:1-9 (The Message)

to be concluded by these lines from Today’s chapter in the book of Proverbs that point to the significance of being faithful in marriage:

Someone who struts around taking advantage of unsuspecting souls

and deceiving others is to be avoided.

With a wink of his eye, a quick shuffle of his feet,

and a slight gesture with his hand, he signals his roguish treachery.

With a warped mind and twisted heart, he constantly looks for his own gain at others’ expense,

causing friction everywhere he goes.

But you watch: his actions will bring sudden disaster!

In an instant, his life will be shattered,

and there will be nothing to save him.

Take note, there are six things the Eternal hates;

no, make it seven He abhors:

Eyes that look down on others, a tongue that can’t be trusted,

hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that conceives evil plans,

feet that sprint toward evil,

A false witness who breathes out lies,

and anyone who stirs up trouble among the faithful.

So, my son, follow your father’s direction,

and don’t forget what your mother taught you—

Keep their teachings close to your heart;

engrave them on a pendant, and hang it around your neck.

Their instruction will guide you along your journey,

guard you when you sleep,

and address you when you wake in the morning.

For their direction is a lamp; their instruction will light your path,

and their discipline will correct your missteps,

sending you down the right path of life.

They will keep you far from the corrupted woman,

away from the smooth talk of a seductive woman.

Do not lose yourself in desire for her beauty

or let her win you over with her painted eyes,

For you can buy a harlot with a loaf of bread,

but sex with another man’s wife will cost you your life.

Can you carry fire right next to your body

and keep your clothes from burning?

Can you walk over fiery coals

and keep your feet from blistering?

Take another man’s wife, and you will find out—

whoever touches her will be found guilty.

People don’t despise a thief

who only steals to fill his hunger;

Still if they catch him, he must repay seven times over—

he could end up losing everything he owns!

By contrast only a fool would commit adultery

since by his action he loses not only his possessions but also his own life.

He will suffer injury and be disgraced;

dishonor will leave a permanent mark on his life.

For jealousy sparks a husband’s rage—

when he gets his revenge, he’ll show no mercy.

He will not be paid off or appeased;

no bribe or gift will set things right.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 6:12-35 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Wednesday, november 5, the 45th day of Autumn and day 310 of the year:

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redknight3996 · 5 years

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A Summer Shanty, Part 2

~2~

“Hh-!...hah…” Gregory Louis Morgan exhaled, leaning back in his chair and looking around his dark office. His heart was racing harder than it ever had before and for a moment he felt like he was still falling. He shook his head and pushed himself up from his desk. There was something deeply wrong here.

When had he moved into his office? He had just been dreaming. He wouldn’t...he didn’t sleepwalk. It didn’t make sense.

His breath was still coming in fast pants as a sudden worry hit him and he looked at his watch. ‘2 AM’ blinked back at him.

Morgan was not a stupid man. Indeed, in some ways, he was quite intelligent. One of those ways was pattern recognition, and while he wasn’t exactly as well-versed in the classics as some, he could figure out very quickly that there was some significance to the white woman appearing around 1 AM and it now being 2.

“...Come on out,” he muttered, before shaking his head and glaring up at the ceiling. “COME ON OUT! I KNOW YOU’RE THERE, WHATEVER YOU ARE! YOU THINK YOU CAN SCARE ME!? I WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY VIOLENT THUGS! I EARNED EVERY CENT I HAVE, AND IF YOU THINK I’M GOING TO FALL FOR THIS CHICANERY, YOU HAVE ANOTHER THING COMING!”

And for all his enraged shouting, the ceiling remained silent.

Morgan stared up at it for a moment, then slowly raised a hand and felt his nose. It was still crooked.

“...Gh. Bastards…” He swore to someone that he would make whoever was doing this-No. No, it was a dream. He’d almost forgotten. It was all a dream.

He rubbed the back of his neck, felt how sweaty he was. He needed some air. Some air and some water, and then some actual bedrest.

With those thoughts in mind, Morgan walked over to the door to his study, and opened it up.

“...What the devil?” he murmured, staring out into the vast, cold desert stretching in front of him. His study was on the second floor. How on Earth did he…

He turned to look back at his study and flinched back, stepping into the sand. Red moths and locust covered every inch of his bookshelves. He could see them gnawing at the wood and carrying off the books, devouring the curtains, the windows, the walls-

In an instant, his study dissolved in an explosion of bright insects and he was left in the desert alone, the half-moon overhead. It was shockingly cold. He could see his own breath. Weren’t deserts supposed to be hot?

“...Hello? Hello!” he shouted into the barren land. There was nothing-No. He could see a sign. It said…”Please Wait”?

He blinked for a moment, then looked past it. Further along was a bush. A dead bush, that looked oddly burnt, but still a bush.

Morgan walked over to the bush, scowling and looking around. “I know you’re out there! Show yourself already! What’s the point of this!?”

He growled and glared at the bush. “Damn thing.”

“Hello Louis. You didn’t wait by the sign.” Morgan stiffened and turned his glare back at the woman standing behind him. And then up at the woman now in front of him.

She was at least a foot taller than him. The other woman had gotten disturbingly tall and lanky when she was dragging him before, a thought that brought a wince from Morgan as he looked down at his ankle for a moment. This new one was already bringing up unpleasant thoughts…

He huffed, then bothered to actually look–Dear God, she was red. Where the white woman had been a horrifically, ghastly white, the tall woman was a visible mix of vibrant reds. She had actually shades to her body and her clothes; her lined skin was a dull red and her hair, which was cropped close to her head in a buzzcut, was a darker shade.

The woman was wearing an army service uniform, all in shades of red with over a dozen red medals pinned on her jacket. As she adjusted her tie, the red woman looked almost professional, though the overall effect was ruined by the headphones she had on, completely covering both of her ears.

“...I have no intention of playing along with this farce,” he stated, trying to ignore the pit in his stomach. For some reason, he felt underdressed. “I will not be dragged around and abused like some...beaten housewife! I have my pride, young lady, and I have no intention of...I will not go along with this...joke!”

He felt his cheeks burn for a moment. He was stumbling over his words like a damn junior high student and the woman just stared at him impassively.

“Do make sure to sit down,” she abruptly said. “You won’t have a pleasant time if you fall off immediately.”

“What? What does that-Hey! Don’t turn away from me!” He glared at the woman’s back, but she only took a few steps before she turned again and suddenly sat down, cross-legged and apparently uncaring of the sand around her. “Gh...what, are you mute now? Too good to lecture me about the ‘evils’ of participating in actual economics?”

She stared at him. Her eyes were red too, because of course they were, though each part of the eye was a different shade of red. The iris was the brightest and the pupil was the darkest.

“...Well say something! Tell me then! What are my sins this time, hm? What have I ever done that was so wrong!? I have a right to live my life as I choose to!”

“The United States of America was founded on July fourth, seventeen seventy-six, Anno Domini, otherwise known as Common Era, if we are to go by the Gregorian Calendar, when the thirteen colonies at the time declared independence from the British Empire,” she answered.

He blinked. “What? What does that have to do with anything? This is about me, isn’t it? How is American history a part of this?”

“Born through revolution, the United States were conceived through treachery and bloated by enslavement and genocide. From the moment of its conception, the United States have been a country of immense evil.”

Morgan actually flinched, then scowled at the woman. “So is that it then? What, are you supposed to be the embodiment of communism? Give up everything you own so everyone else can have what they didn’t earn! Ha. If you think I’m going to just sit with you and listen to you regurgitate that hippy bullshit, you have another thing coming.”

The woman just stared at him impassively, then spoke again. “It’s a curious thing. The United States professed to be a beacon of freedom while ripping people from their homes and condemning them to death and suffering for the sake of its own enrichment. The United States claims itself as a land of opportunity while shunning the immigrants seeking to live there and ripping opportunities from its citizens through poverty, imprisonment, and suppression of their voices. The United States proclaims that it is a defender of freedom and democracy while disrupting the autonomy of other nations and holding Puerto Rico, Guam, the North Mariana Islands, the US Virgin Islands, and American Samoa under the yoke of Imperialism.”

“I don’t need to listen to this,” Morgan muttered. But where was he supposed to go? All around him was desert. It was aggravating. At least the white one had kept him moving.

The red woman stared at him again, then patted the ground in front of her, her expression still neutral. “Don’t misunderstand me. I love my young child. In less than two hundred years, it built itself into a superpower matched only by its chief rival, itself a younger nation built from the corpse of an old empire. That is an impressive feat, and its accomplishments are its own, even if they are evil in the eyes of God.”

Morgan blinked, then shook his head, taking a step towards the woman. “What on Earth are you babbling on about? What ‘child’? What...evil?” What sort of crackpot was he dealing with?

“You’re a very obtuse man, Louis. You should be sitting by now.”

“Don’t call me by my middle name! And I refuse to sit down in the sand like some filthy vagabond-” There was a red towel laid across the sand in front of him.

Morgan stared suspiciously at it for a moment, then looked back up at the impassive woman. After about a minute of complete silence, he finally sat down on it, grimacing. “I would have preferred a chair.”

“Do try to sit still.”

He only had a brief moment of confusion that immediately erupted into alarm as the ground beneath them suddenly rose. In seconds, the two of them rushed high into the air as the sand around them fell away into a massive crimson field.

“All nations bear sins. None are clean of blood. America is only exceptional because it has chosen to be as such,” the woman continued as though nothing had happened, as though Morgan wasn’t clutching his chest as he felt his heart racing, pounding against his ribcage.

“W-What...What the devil was that?” he asked, staring in utter shock at the abrupt change all around him.

“In its own way, America has had immense opportunities and advantages that no other country was afforded. It was born in a time of turbulence, where old empires attempted to stretch their roots across the world and were repaid for their vicious cruelty with impoverishment and death of their own,” the woman droned on, uninterrupted, “Sin is a curious thing. It repays all sinners with an end brought about by their own actions. Inevitably, all empires are crushed under their own decisions.”

“I...I don’t…” Morgan slowly stood. He could feel them continuing to move, slowly, steadily. What in the world were they on top of?

“Consequences come to everyone, in the end. Cruelty is repaid, and those who escape punishment in life rarely find their legacies untarnished. History spares no one, and the lovely warmongers face retribution sooner or later.”

Morgan stared at her for a moment, then turned his gaze out towards the sands, his remaining hair blown back in the breeze. It was still dark, and he could barely see out into the desert surrounding him. But...things seemed to be moving out there.

“Allow me to tell you a story.”

He took some slow steps forward, squinting.

“Once, the world lived in an age of earth and trees. In a small land, the smallest land, a number of trees had grown. These trees grew high and their branches stretched far over their little land. The branches tangled together, sometimes snapped, sometimes fell, and yet the trees continued to grow.”

He could vaguely see those shapes in the dark. They were large. Maybe as tall as skyscrapers.

“Eventually, the trees discovered a strange truth. Their branches could extend further than they had known. Water was no barrier. Sand was no barrier. People were no barrier. And so, they stretched their limbs, and claimed the earths they now shadowed were theirs and theirs alone. They had no roots in those soils, and yet they claimed them as theirs. But the trees are not important.”

Abruptly, the shapes seemed to light up, standing out against the night sky.

“The true importance, the modern importance, comes from those born from their branches.”

It was a parade of elephants. Bright, red elephants, shining out against the night sky.

“From the broken branches and rotted corpses, flames were born.”

For a moment, Morgan thought he might be hallucinating. Then he wondered how he got to the point of hallucinating in his dreams.

“The western flames rose from sickness and exploitation. They devoured the dead indigenous and built pyres of slaves, trapped by race and poverty, to sustain themselves and build their flames brighter. Of the west, the southern flames split into many, a myriad of phoenixes sprouting from broken branches. In the north, the flames centered themselves into three, but one clawed itself westward in a manifested destiny, cloaked in blue and branded with stars. Yet its soul was red all the same, cored in blood and gore.”

It wasn’t quite a parade, was it? The elephants were scattered, but all moving in the same direction. Did they have women on top of them too? If he looked close, would he see someone he knew getting lectured?

“The starry bird preened proudly for many a year. It squawked, it cawed, it called attention to every victory and forgot the times it was chastised by the trees. When it had gorged itself to a bloated size on the flesh of aboriginals and the labor of enslaved captives, it cawed loud and declared all the phoenixes were under its sway. The West belonged to it alone. The birds were its to protect, even if they needed no protection. It was the West. And, after its time of callous enslavement ended in a fumbling reconstruction and an era of arrogant isolation drove it to proud heights, it turned its eyes eastward.”

Morgan glanced back at the woman. She was still talking. He turned his gaze back to the red-eyed elephants and tried to understand what they were doing, where they were going.

“It crooned so joyously when the world wars occured. Its cowardice paid wondrously, and it always entered the battles long after all the trees had been bloodied. It could crow to itself for its resplendent rescue, and the second made it more joyful than ever. Three monsters had formed in the world, fascist, nationalist and imperial, committing atrocity after atrocity. The greatest of evils had entered the world and the starry bird could be the hero it always wished to be.”

The elephants were trailing blood. It was hard to tell, at first, but despite it still being night, everything seemed to lighten just enough for him to see the darker red leaking from massive cuts and bullet wounds in the elephants’ hides.

“And yet, their foes fell, as foes are wont to do. The evil of their east fumbled and faltered and blew its brains out while the evil of their west was cowed through nuclear fire. The starry bird had been victorious, but it wanted so much more. Repair was so dull when compared to the glory of war. How could it be a hero when it had no villain?

“And then and there, the starry bird found its truest love: a glorious rival with radiant plumage, cast in gold and red.”

He almost wanted to get closer. The elephant he stood on, and it had to be another elephant, had a wide back, so he could afford a few steps further, surely.

“The two birds had been allies against the twisted trees. Once the trees burned, they turned their gazes towards one another. They hated each other from the start. Their ideologies were too different. One declared that all people were created equal, and the other said they deserved equal treatment. And so, the bristling, burning birds allowed themselves to pretend at being ice. They would prolong their conflict, for a direct battle would see them both dead, and there were so many more birds they could slaughter in their enemy’s stead.”

Morgan turned and looked behind himself. There were more elephants on that side too. Scattered, but all still moving in the same direction.

“A third rival, feathered red and gold, eventually rose close to the eastern bird, born of ruin and famine much like its northern sibling in ideology. This new bird would eventually rise high, but the starry bird only had eyes for its first golden rival. They were so eager to prove themselves once again, it came as a horrible shock when the wall in Berlin came crashing down and their rival shed its gold for white and blue bars. They could no longer pretend at being foes, so the starry bird despaired. Where could it find itself a new rival?”

Morgan walked to the other side of his elephant, trying to stare at the ones closest to him. Could there be other people here? Where were they going?

“Still, the starry bird crowed to itself, proclaiming its victory, then shrieked a most horrible sound. A smaller bird, one its rival had clawed in their conflict, had nipped at its talon, and drew blood. The starry bird shrieked again, in fear and rage, and ripped the small bird and all its siblings apart, viciously slaughtering them while screeching in a thunderous cacophony that it had declared war on terror itself.”

Morgan paused and looked at the woman. “What?”

“It was inevitable, of course. The starry bird had never known fear before. Its nest had never been truly hurt. At most, it was scuffed at times by foolish attacks and forgotten invasions. This was different though. The all-important civilian had been harmed, the eggs in its nest turned to martyrs to justify a mass-murder of a hundred times what it lost.”

“I...were you talking about the war on terror?” Morgan muttered, frowning at her.

“The starry bird had been spoiled. It had never faced bloodshed on its soil, so it said. Aside from its birthing revolution, its culling of the indigenous, its chastisement by the parent it abandoned, wherein its slave-built houses burned, its brutal theft of land from its southern neighbor and, of course, its noble war against itself to smother an even more vile child before it could grow into a nation of slavers.”

The woman suddenly smirked, tilting her head back in what was clearly smug condescension. “Do you think that’s why the wondrous southern states fear abortion so much? Because it reminds them of how their adorable confederacy was snuffed out by its own parent?”

“What!? What the hell is that-” Morgan cut himself off and looked skyward as he heard something move over head. It sounded like something just went right over his head. He looked around and–Was one of the elephants gone?

“At any rate, that is where my child’s story has led it.” His gaze immediately went back to the smirking woman. She was showing her teeth, and every last one of them was red. Stained with blood from leaking gums. “It’s not the end, of course. Stories don’t end until death has come to all involved. Everything else is merely a pause.”

“What? Wait, no, go back. You said-What was that about abortion?”

“It’s cute.” The woman smiled and she stood, placing both her hands in her pockets and staring down at him in obvious amusement. “My poor child thinks they have won every war they fought. Never defeated. Never scarred. They think their rival vanquished when it merely wears a new coat to profit. Ideology pays little, you know, yet my poor, rich, stupid child thinks it can conflate wealth, logic, and religion altogether.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“All the while, it declares more conflicts with itself than any other. War on drugs, war on faith, war on protest, war, war, war. My child so does love their mother.” She grinned again, her eyes glittering like bright flames.

And Morgan, who could be quite clever at times, began to understand. “War. You’re...You’re war? W-What? You mean you’re Mars? Or Ares or...but you're a woman. That…”

“It’s getting about that time. You have another stop along the way, Louis. I enjoyed our talk.”

And then he actually did connect things. “...The first woman was disease. She was in a hospital, she talked about...Pestilence. She was Pestilence, and you’re War, then...the four horsemen? But...you…”

War chuckled, a rough, husky sound. And then she pulled her headphones down from her ears. Her nonexistent ears.

They’d been cut off. The wounds were blatant, it wasn’t as though she’d been born without them, no one was born with their ears cut off. Right? The scar tissue looked inflamed, and then he realized she had no skin. She wasn’t red, she was flayed, and the slow drip of blood leaking down her face echoed in the dark. “I...W-Why would you be here for me? I haven’t...I’m not...I’m barely involved with any part of the military! I don’t produce weapons, I don’t sell mercenaries, I don’t...I’m not! Why would…You can’t blame me for being in oil!? I-No, for all that liberal bluster, my companies–we didn’t start any wars! It was the damn-!”

He cut himself off again. She’d mentioned the war on terror earlier, hadn’t she? It was always going back to that, she said it, but what did she say? “I...we weren’t involved. None of that was our fault.”

She let him stammer, then smiled kindly. “Resources are such a lovely thing to fight over. There’s a desperation in it, born of a desire to survive at all costs. It’s not my place to talk of alternatives or wastes. That, I leave for the third.”

She looked out towards her side. He looked too, and flinched back. The elephants were smiling now. Horrible, ghastly smiles, where their cheeks were ripped open to bare blunt, block teeth stained a vibrant red. He could hear laughter, though no mouths moved.

“...I-I don’t understand.”

“Before you go, Louis, I would like you to remember something.” He looked back towards the red woman. Towards War. She was wearing a peaked cap now, her headphones gone entirely. Every wound was on display, and he felt bile rising in his mouth.

“All sins are paid for. If not immediately, then eventually. People love accountability and vengeance and my poor child has committed so many sins.’

Her smile widened, her eyes gleaming with an unhinged glee. “I do so look forward to what their pyre births.”

And then every elephant erupted in massive explosions of fire and sound.

#short story #political #writing #four horsemen #horror #my writing #my stories #anti-capitalism #america #war #a summer shanty

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frontstreet1 · 7 years

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Mexico Moves Quake Death Toll Down To 223

A Red Cross worker stands, top center, on a collapsed building where rescuers continue searching for people trapped inside, in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017. Mexicans across the city are digging through collapsed buildings, trying to save people trapped in debris under schools, homes and businesses, toppled by a 7.1 earthquake that killed more than 200 people. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

MEXICO CITY -- The Latest on a major earthquake that has struck Mexico (all times local):

3:20 p.m.

Mexico's federal disaster agency is adjusting its death toll from this week's big earthquake.

National Civil Defense Coordinator Luis Felipe Puente said in a tweet Wednesday that officials now count 223 dead - a reduction of two from the figure they gave earlier.

He now says 93 people have died in Mexico City, 69 in neighboring Morelos state, 43 in Puebla, 13 in the State of Mexico, four in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.

Determining the number of casualties has been complicated by the diverse places where Tuesday's magnitude 7.1 quake hit and where victims were taken.

---

2:10 p.m.

The Mexico City government says 52 people have been rescued from the rubble of collapsed buildings in the capital following Tuesday's powerful earthquake.

The city's Social Development Department tweeted the number Wednesday afternoon and added: "We won't stop."

The quake has killed at least 225 people in several states, and rescue efforts are continuing furiously, including at a primary and secondary school where 25 bodies have been found and a young girl was located alive amid the rubble.

Workers have been trying to extricate her for hours now.

---

12:45 p.m.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto says "every minute counts to save lives" of people under the rubble of buildings toppled by yesterday's powerful earthquake.

Pena Nieto says the country's highest priority is rescuing people in downed structures and treating the wounded. Earlier Wednesday he declared three days of national mourning in honor of the victims. At least 225 people died in the quake.

---

12:10 p.m.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has declared three days of national mourning to honor victims of the 7.1 magnitude quake that has killed at least 225 people.

The official Twitter account for the office of the Presidency announces the declaration, saying that "Mexico shares your pain."

Rescuers continue to dig through the rubble of homes, buildings and schools on Wednesday in a search for survivors of the previous day's quake.

---

11:50 a.m.

An analyst is warning of economic disruption in Mexico's capital and other parts of central Mexico following this week's 7.1 magnitude earthquake.

Alfredo Coutino is Latin America director for Moody's Analytics. He writes Wednesday that beyond the lives lost, buildings, roads and bridges were damaged and "most activities were interrupted in Mexico City."

Coutino says it's too early to estimate the extent of the damage, but "it is certain that economic activity ... will continue to be disrupted for some time."

Coutino adds that while the government maintains a disaster fund, "public accounts may be impacted, depending on the extent of the damage and the financial relief available for the reconstruction."

---

11:40 a.m.

U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken to the president of Mexico in the aftermath of a massive earthquake that struck that country.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says that Trump "had a lengthy call" with Enrique Peña Nieto on Wednesday.

More than 220 people have been confirmed killed by the 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck Tuesday.

It is Mexico's deadliest earthquake since 1985. Rescue workers are digging through rubble of collapsed schools, homes and apartment buildings looking for survivors.

Trump received some criticism for waiting days to call Peña Nieto after a previous earthquake struck Mexico earlier this month.

Trump blamed it on the Mexican president's poor cell service in a mountainous region.

---

11 a.m.

The government of Panama says one of its citizens is among those killed by Mexico's deadly earthquake.

The Foreign Ministry reports that a 55-year-old Panamanian woman who resided in Mexico City for the last 10 years died in a building that collapsed. A group of 35 Panamanian workers from the Red Cross, National Civil Defense and security agencies left Wednesday for Mexico to help with rescue efforts.

---

10:20 a.m.

People in the Mexican city of Jojutla are mourning those killed by yesterday's 7.1 magnitude earthquake.

Relatives held a wake on Wednesday for toddler Daniel Novoa and his aunt, Marta Cruz. Family members bent over a white, child-size coffin. A crucifix and two images of Mexico's patron, the Virgin of Guadalupe, were placed above the child's coffin and that of his aunt.

Another wake was held outdoors under a tarpaulin.

Police, firefighters and civilians are digging frantically through the rubble of collapsed schools, homes and apartment buildings looking for survivors. With 225 confirmed dead so far, it is Mexico's deadliest earthquake since 1985. Seventy-one were reported killed in the state of Morelos, where Jojutla is located, and the town appeared to be the most damaged part of the state.

---

9:45 a.m.

Rescuers have located a child alive under the rubble of a Mexico City school that collapsed due to yesterday's 7.1 magnitude earthquake.

Images broadcast by Mexican media show helmeted workers working at the debris at the Enrique Rebsamen school in a southern neighborhood of the capital.

Foro TV reports that the child is a girl. Rescuers spotted the child and shouted to her to move her hand if she could hear them, and she did. A search dog subsequently entered the wreckage and confirmed she was alive.

9:10 a.m.

The head of Mexico's national civil defense agency says 225 people are now known to be dead due to the magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

Luis Felipe Puente posted a tweet Wednesday saying 94 are known dead in Mexico City, 71 in Morelos state, 43 in Puebla, 12 in the State of Mexico, four in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.

He'd earlier listed 217 fatalities from the quake that hit southeast of Mexico City on Tuesday.

---

7:15 a.m.

The Israeli military says it's sending a 70-member delegation to Mexico to assist with rescue efforts following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus is a military spokesman who says the delegation is expected to arrive in Mexico on Thursday morning. He says the delegation's main effort will be to provide engineering assistance.

Some 25 engineers make up the biggest component of the team. They will help survey and assess damage and determine whether buildings are safe. The team will also include search and rescue professionals, as well as support staff providing medical care and logistics.

Earlier Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it was sending a rescue team in response to a request for assistance from Mexico. Netanyahu paid an official visit to Mexico last week.

---

6:45 a.m.

Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says a Spanish national has been identified among the victims of Mexico's magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

Officials aren't yet identifying the person or giving more details.

Mexico's civil defense director says that at least 217 people died in Tuesday's quake. No other victims so far have been identified among the victims.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday sent a telegram to Mexico's president offering help in rescue efforts.

---

4:50 a.m.

Pope Francis has led tens of thousands of people in prayer for the victims of the Mexico earthquake.

Francis acknowledged many Mexican pilgrims were on hand for his weekly general audience Wednesday in St. Peter's Square.

Speaking to them in Spanish, Francis add-libbed a prayer, saying: "In this moment of pain, I want to express my closeness and prayer to the dear Mexican people." He urged prayers for victims, their families and rescue crews.

The 7.1 magnitude quake toppled schools, homes and apartment buildings and killed more than 200 people in the deadliest temblor to strike Mexico in decades.

---

4:35 a.m.

The head of Mexico's national Civil Defense Agency has lowered the number of confirmed dead in Tuesday's earthquake to 217.

Luis Felipe Puente says on his Twitter account that at least 86 people died in Mexico City, 71 in Morelos state, 43 in Puebla, 12 in the State of Mexico, four in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.

He gave no explanation for the lower toll after earlier reporting 248 confirmed deaths.

---

4:10 a.m.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says it has received a request for assistance from Mexico following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake, and that it will be dispatching a search-and-rescue team as soon as possible.

Israel's Foreign Ministry says a team of approximately 60 people, mostly engineers and search-and-rescue personnel from the military's Home Front Command, will be dispatched Wednesday afternoon to assist in the aftermath of the earthquake, which is known to have killed almost 250 people.

---

2:50 a.m.

Hundreds of volunteers, soldiers and police are digging and tunneling overnight into the precarious, pancaked ruins of a collapsed Mexico City school where at least 25 students and teachers were killed in a magnitude 7.1 quake.

Volunteer rescue worker Pedro Serrano, 29, a doctor, was one of the rescuers who managed to crawl into the crevices of the tottering pile of rubble that had been Escuela Enrique Rebsamen.

With barely room to move, in an intensely claustrophobic situation, Serrano managed to make it into a collapsed classroom - only to find all of its occupants dead.

"We dug holes, then crawled in on our bellies," Serrano said.

"We managed to get into a collapsed classroom. We saw some chairs and wooden tables. The next thing we saw was a leg, and then we started to move rubble and we found a girl and two adults - a woman and a man."

Asked if there was hope of finding anyone alive, Serrano looked weary but said workers were still trying despite the danger.

"We can hear small noises, but we don't know if they're coming from above or below, from the walls above (crumbling), or someone below calling for help."

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2:30 a.m.

Police, firefighters and ordinary Mexicans are digging frantically through the rubble of collapsed schools, homes and apartment buildings, looking for survivors of Mexico's deadliest earthquake in decades as the number of confirmed fatalities climbed to 248.

Adding poignancy and a touch of the surreal, Tuesday's magnitude-7.1 quake struck on the 32nd anniversary of the 1985 earthquake that killed thousands. Just hours earlier, people around Mexico had held earthquake drills to mark the date.

One of the most desperate rescue efforts was at a primary and secondary school in southern Mexico City, where a wing of the three-story building collapsed into a massive pancake of concrete slabs. Journalists saw rescuers pull at least two small bodies from the rubble, covered in sheets.

A mix of neighborhood volunteers, police and firefighters used trained dogs and their bare hands to search through the school's rubble. The crowd of anxious parents outside the gates shared reports that two families had received Whatsapp messages from girls trapped inside, but that could not be confirmed. The rescue effort was punctuated by cries of "Quiet!" so searchers could listen for any faint calls for help.

Sep 20, 4:28 PM EDT

#Collapsed Buildings #Death Toll #Down To 223 #Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake #Mexico Earthquake

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frontstreet1 · 7 years

Text

Mexico City Says 52 Saved From Quake Ruins

MEXICO CITY -- The Latest on a major earthquake that has struck Mexico (all times local):

2:10 p.m.

The Mexico City government says 52 people have been rescued from the rubble of collapsed buildings in the capital following Tuesday's powerful earthquake.

The city's Social Development Department tweeted the number Wednesday afternoon and added: "We won't stop."

Workers have been trying to extricate her for hours now.

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12:45 p.m.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto says "every minute counts to save lives" of people under the rubble of buildings toppled by yesterday's powerful earthquake.

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12:10 p.m.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has declared three days of national mourning to honor victims of the 7.1 magnitude quake that has killed at least 225 people.

The official Twitter account for the office of the Presidency announces the declaration, saying that "Mexico shares your pain."

Rescuers continue to dig through the rubble of homes, buildings and schools on Wednesday in a search for survivors of the previous day's quake.

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11:50 a.m.

An analyst is warning of economic disruption in Mexico's capital and other parts of central Mexico following this week's 7.1 magnitude earthquake.

Coutino says it's too early to estimate the extent of the damage, but "it is certain that economic activity ... will continue to be disrupted for some time."

Coutino adds that while the government maintains a disaster fund, "public accounts may be impacted, depending on the extent of the damage and the financial relief available for the reconstruction."

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11:40 a.m.

U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken to the president of Mexico in the aftermath of a massive earthquake that struck that country.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says that Trump "had a lengthy call" with Enrique Peña Nieto on Wednesday.

More than 220 people have been confirmed killed by the 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck Tuesday.

It is Mexico's deadliest earthquake since 1985. Rescue workers are digging through rubble of collapsed schools, homes and apartment buildings looking for survivors.

Trump received some criticism for waiting days to call Peña Nieto after a previous earthquake struck Mexico earlier this month.

Trump blamed it on the Mexican president's poor cell service in a mountainous region.

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11 a.m.

The government of Panama says one of its citizens is among those killed by Mexico's deadly earthquake.

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10:20 a.m.

People in the Mexican city of Jojutla are mourning those killed by yesterday's 7.1 magnitude earthquake.

Another wake was held outdoors under a tarpaulin.

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9:45 a.m.

Rescuers have located a child alive under the rubble of a Mexico City school that collapsed due to yesterday's 7.1 magnitude earthquake.

Images broadcast by Mexican media show helmeted workers working at the debris at the Enrique Rebsamen school in a southern neighborhood of the capital.

9:10 a.m.

The head of Mexico's national civil defense agency says 225 people are now known to be dead due to the magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

Luis Felipe Puente posted a tweet Wednesday saying 94 are known dead in Mexico City, 71 in Morelos state, 43 in Puebla, 12 in the State of Mexico, four in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.

He'd earlier listed 217 fatalities from the quake that hit southeast of Mexico City on Tuesday.

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7:15 a.m.

The Israeli military says it's sending a 70-member delegation to Mexico to assist with rescue efforts following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

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6:45 a.m.

Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says a Spanish national has been identified among the victims of Mexico's magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

Officials aren't yet identifying the person or giving more details.

Mexico's civil defense director says that at least 217 people died in Tuesday's quake. No other victims so far have been identified among the victims.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday sent a telegram to Mexico's president offering help in rescue efforts.

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4:50 a.m.

Pope Francis has led tens of thousands of people in prayer for the victims of the Mexico earthquake.

Francis acknowledged many Mexican pilgrims were on hand for his weekly general audience Wednesday in St. Peter's Square.

The 7.1 magnitude quake toppled schools, homes and apartment buildings and killed more than 200 people in the deadliest temblor to strike Mexico in decades.

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4:35 a.m.

The head of Mexico's national Civil Defense Agency has lowered the number of confirmed dead in Tuesday's earthquake to 217.

Luis Felipe Puente says on his Twitter account that at least 86 people died in Mexico City, 71 in Morelos state, 43 in Puebla, 12 in the State of Mexico, four in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca.

He gave no explanation for the lower toll after earlier reporting 248 confirmed deaths.

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4:10 a.m.

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2:50 a.m.

Volunteer rescue worker Pedro Serrano, 29, a doctor, was one of the rescuers who managed to crawl into the crevices of the tottering pile of rubble that had been Escuela Enrique Rebsamen.

With barely room to move, in an intensely claustrophobic situation, Serrano managed to make it into a collapsed classroom - only to find all of its occupants dead.

"We dug holes, then crawled in on our bellies," Serrano said.

Asked if there was hope of finding anyone alive, Serrano looked weary but said workers were still trying despite the danger.

"We can hear small noises, but we don't know if they're coming from above or below, from the walls above (crumbling), or someone below calling for help."

---

2:30 a.m.

Sep 20, 3:16 PM EDT

#52 People Rescued From Rubble #7.1 Magnitude Earthquake #Collapsed Buildings #Enrique Peña Nieto #Major Earthquake #Mexico #Mexico's President

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