#god bless no more formatting woes

[brilliantfantasticgeronimo]

60th Anniversary Doctor Who Rewatch – “The Unquiet Death” takes

(Hello. This is part of a series of on-going posts covering my analysis / impressions of RTD-era doctor who episodes (and spin-offs?) as I revisit them.* The **approach of this is candid and informal, with aim to be cleaned up in the future.*)

(I’m dividing this analysis into the following categories:COMPANION WATCH(characterization analysis of the companion for that episode)/THE TIMELESS CHILD RETROACTIVE CONTINUITY BONUS (stuff that Hits Different after knowing the TTC)/ **BLORBOS(things that made me emotional re: characters / ships) THEMES(exploration of possible associations, metaphors and recurring themes)/ COLONIALISM/HEGEMONY (political critiques) / ENVIRONMENT (how the set design or architecture plays a role in the story). Note that not all the episodes may cover these points, it will depend on the episode.)

(These posts will be the basis for a larger live-document that will change according to feedback and BTS material that I encounter in the future. For now think of these posts as advanced-drafts being sent for fandom-peer-review).

COMPANION WATCH:

The bit of Rose putting the slimy old man in his place is pretty awesome. It gives me Jackie Tyler vibes as well, for some reason!

Rose Tytler regularly skipped school to go to the mall and look at boys. I stan one (1) normie. (also, it's criminal Rose and Gwen Cooper never interact, honestly!).

It's a small thing but I find it charming rose already is like "you opened the doors last time so now it's my turn!". Rose has this thing with really managing to… let’s say “keep the pants in the relationship” that I think a lot of companion/doctor dynamics strive to do, but don’t always feel genuine/don’t commit to it? But Rose manages at times to keep the power dynamics somewhat balanced (probably from her experiences with dating older guys like Jimmy Stone and Mickey?).

Then again, this episode also gives us the "Accept the way I do things, or go home". Which is a major power move from The Doctor. "You can leave if you want (I'm tempting to firing you), but I know you won't (you'll do what I think it's best)".

"You've got all the clothes and the breeding, but you talk like some sort of wild thing. / Maybe I am. Maybe that's a good thing" Rose as a sex positive activist :)

THEMES Bodies as a resource that becomes more valuable once its dead. Once again separation of the “body” from the “personsoul/consciousness** Modern Hypocrisy. Diplomacy and Negotiation (once again not working). Grief, Mourning and “Respect for the Dead”. Class (the Classic Rose/Gwen dialogue but also ‘’You look like a navvie” (from Dickens to the Doc). Margins: Cardiff, not London. Undertakers? Ghostly Christmas (paganism?). Atheism (falsely questioned?). Science Fiction vs Realist Fiction. Nine fighting / doctoring as his way of “Dancing” (“I think this is my dance” *as he saves Rose from the zombie). Fatality as in literal death and as in an attitude towards life. Illusions vs Reality (Dicken’s dilemma but also the “escapist” aspect of Rose’s travels meeting the reality of having to make tough calls). Time / Death. Destiny. Telepathy. We get also a biiit of an introduction to the whole “Earth’s self-determination” thing the New Series explores (Gwenivere should make the call of what happens to her).

BLORBOS:

Nine referring to Rose as “Barbarella”…….. coughhisroleplayscenariocough

"you look beautiful... considering that you're human" is this another nine stupid apes moment or nine's first "curse of the timelords" moment?

THE TIMELESS CHILD RETROACTIVE CONTINUITY BONUS:

The Child could have come from the (a) rift? see:

DOCTOR: Means it's getting stronger, the rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through / ROSE: What's the rift? / DOCTOR: A weak point in time and space. A connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time.

Dickens gives us some parallels to The Doctor’s curse of immortality:

"Absolutely. I was just brooding. Christmas Eve. Not the best of times to be alone. "/ I've been rather, let's say, clumsy, with family matters. Thank God I'm too old to cause any more trouble. / You speak as though it's all over, sir. / No, it's never over. On and on I go, the same old show. I'm like a ghost, condemned to repeat myself for all eternity. "

ENVIRONMENT: the final confrontation taking place on a basement signaling the “Underground War” theme of s1. Dicken’s performance signaling the self-referential/post-modern vibe of the New Series (show within a show).

COLONIALISM / HEGEMONY: couple points… this is the kind of episodes that the more I thought about the implications the more uncomfortable it got, unfortunately.

History in *theory* being in “flux” and regrettable, but ultimately the Status Quo must be preserved. Many times aliens will come asking for help, whether genuinely or not the show's format is restricted on legitimately changing the status quo of earht, bc it means distancing the audience from "that" version of earth.

Implicit in the mythos of the Time War and The Shadow Proclamation is the notion of human societies being “advanced” (and thus other societies being "primitive". We discover that the Time War was “Invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher forms”. What does this mean? What is a “smaller species” and what is a “higher form”? Also, we know from episode 1 that the earth’s position in the “technological scale” makes it vulnerable to “invaders”. There’s a lot of assumptions implicit in this whole set up: that a technologically “superior” civilization will *always* invade a “lower” one (a kind of naturalization of colonialism), that technological advancements can be categorized this way in a progressive 1-10 scale, and that "a societies is defined by its tech" (presumably The Shadow Proclamation defines tech in the narrow, “tools and science” definition, and not the wider anthropological "any ideas that produce a desired effect" definition).

There’s a bit of an Atheist vs Supernatural thing going on in this episode. The UK is at its core still largely a Christian country, but it’s been progressively shifting with time to an atheist / agnostic one as the ruling classes has distanced from its primary tool of consent making (Christians were 71.6% on the uk's 2001 census, 59.3% on the 2011 census vs 46.2% on the 2021 one). So, it makes sense the writing reflects this anxiety. It gets a bit bizarre though…to explain, let’s look at the crux of Dickens arc, found in this dialogue:

"I've always railed against the fantasists. Oh, I loved an illusion as much as the next man, rebelled in them, but that's exactly what they were, illusions. The real world is something else. I dedicated myself to that. Injustices, the great social causes. I hoped that I was a force for good. Now you tell me that the real world is a realm of specters and jack-o'-lanterns. In which case, have I wasted my brief span here, Doctor? Has it all been for nothing?"

But... his worldview is truly being challenged by the situation. There IS a rational explanation to the “ghosts”, there aren’t “specters and jack-o.lanterns” in the who-world (eu voice: not after The Anchoring Of The Thread!). Dickens walks from the story with the impression that irrationality is True and There’s Life After Death and that he’s wasted his time writing about “the great social causes”. Again… it’s strange. I’m not sure the episode is aware it is doing this?

Finally we get the Really uncomfortable (unintentional?) allegory of this episode…

->The Gelth are refugees from a war between “superior civilizations”. -> The Gelth intentionally lie about their numbers and resources they need. ->They lie about being a “couple hundred”- turns out they’re billions! ->Earthlings cannot share their land with them. Because they will take “everything”. ->The only solution is to kill them, they’re too duplicitous and aggressive to do anything else! ->(And once again, like with the Nestene... there’s not really a grappling with how it was the Time Lords' fault that this is even happened).

[tariqchosenone]

Jesus Christ is angry at women and jealous of lucifer's penis that is why you are suffering and are in pain, it's all Jesus Christ's fault.

God is on your side and keeping the commandments heals your body it won't harm you.

But remember if you have the mark of the beast(you are merged with technology) you must obey the A.I. because God is programing the A.I. that controls your actions.

In a parable format the Devil is actually Jesus Christ, read chapter 2 and 3 of revelation and Jesus clearly aligns himself with the synagogue of Satan.

Michael and the archangels fight against Jesus Christ and his angels.

There was and still is division in heaven.

BTW an FYI just because you worship the devil or lucifer does not mean Jesus will bless you, Jesus looks at luciferians as a sacrifice to help him gain power over God.

If you are depressed, sad, unhappy and you feel pain and have trouble sleeping that is because Jesus christ is drinking your blood to sacrifice devil worshippers and he sacrifices born again christians so he can take out God and Lucifer.

These sayings are real, Jesus christ wants to destroy lucifer the prince of earth and God the king of kings.

The Lamb in the book of revelation is me, Tariq. The Lamb is basically God in human form

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:7‭-‬9 KJV

https://bible.com/bible/1/rev.12.7-9.KJV

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Revelation 12:11‭-‬12 KJV

https://bible.com/bible/1/rev.12.11-12.KJV

The devil has great wrath because Jesus knows since he is cast unto the earth that is time is nigh to suffer eternal damnation.

Also remember even though I'm the Lamb I have no superpowers but If I obey the LORD I can change the energy of Earth and all of humanity by keeping God's word and obeying the commandments of God in the law of Moses (Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy).

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 12:17 KJV

https://bible.com/bible/1/rev.12.17.KJV

The dragon is Jesus Christ and he is angry at the Women who are in love with God and having sex with God.

Jesus ultimate goal is kill and ravish all women who are righteous and all women who glorify lucifer.

Jesus hates lucifer because he has a God penis.

Therefore Jesus is trying to cause as much pain on the human race as possible.

[legends-live-in-memories]

“How Did All This Happen?”- A Memoire by one Marinette Dupain-Cheng 1

Soooooo I decided to write this. much longer than the other things i posted, also very tonally different. I will definitely continue that other fic tho. I was just brainstorming and now this exists. Yeah.

 without further ado

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

People Fucked Up and Now It’s All Marinette’s Mess to Clean Up I

This was not how Marinette planned for her night to go. Granted, she also could not envision it going literally any other way. The woes of making a deal with the hell-raiser himself, John Constantine, she supposes. She truly hoped Adrien was having a much better time than her with his cousin in London. After the circus that was the past three years, he deserved some reprieve, even if it was with his bratty doppelganger. Regardless, Marinette. Was. Not. Pleased. No matter how many times she thinks over her plan, recalculates every step and decision, she could not fathom this night ending well for her, or anyone really, but mostly her. And no amount of old Ladybug or Guardian luck could help her. Now, if one were to wonder what kind of tragedy had befallen Marinette on this disgraceful night, a brief history of the last three months could enlighten such a person. Or better yet, let’s start at the beginning. The Real Beginning.

So, things existed. Obviously. First there was nothing, and then, something. And as more things began to exist, as new schools of knowledge and concepts and ideas began to, well, exist, Kwamis formed as well. Each Kwami was the physical manifestation of these ideas or abstracts. Creation was the first, coupled with Destruction. And as more things began to exist, more things began needing to be protected. Thus, the Kwami of Protection. This went on. For a while. Soon thereafter there were Kwamis of all types. Jubilation, Time, Strength, etc, etc, and etc. Now these Kwamis did not linger in one spot. They roamed across the far stretches of existence and interacted with the life they found.

Some Kwamis decided to form a magical pact which intergalactic historians would later dub the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum. Sounds familiar? The Kwamis themselves were completely blissfully unaware of this title, lest they would have explained to these beings, Maltusians they were called, that they were not in fact, electromagnetic but more so a part of the Powers that Be. Kind of. But this side-story involves the formation of a few universally known Lantern Corps, and that is a barrel of monkeys our exasperated narrator does not want to touch with a ten-foot pole. Or ever.

Other Kwamis, who stuck close to what would become known as the Milky Way, were discovered by a mage who granted them the ability to interact with humans. This mage— and Marinette was silently cursing his descendants, herself included, for if it weren’t for this absolute mad lad, none of the subsequent events of this night would have transcribed—had bound the Kwamis to magical jewelry called Miraculouses. An interesting side effect of these Kwamis being bound to the miraculouses was that the wearer could call upon the powers of the Kwamis for their own usage. The mage feared what could become of the world if this kind of power became so easily accessible, so he created the Order of the Guardians. The Order was dedicated to training young mages to protect, wield and harvest the powers of the miraculouses. The Order swore to true neutrality; wishing not to impose their will on one side or the other, to maintain balance and to not upset the natural order of the world. 

This went surprisingly well for a few millennia, that is, of course, if you ignore the sinking of Atlantis, the extinction of the dinosaurs, the Black Plague, the creation of the Lazarus Pits, Pompeii, to name a few completely egregious instances—not necessarily in order of course—and well, the point stands that it could have been astronomically worse. Until it was.  

One young mage and Guardian in training had caused the downfall of almost the entire Order of the Guardians. All the centuries of history, teachings, artifacts and even the people at the head temple, were lost to the calamity. Dozens of Miraculous Boxes were lost, destroyed in the fray. The Kwamis themselves were relatively unaffected, being immortal and all, but the magical jewelry binding them to the earth were broken, thus those Kwamis were lost to mankind once again. Only one singular box, and the young mage himself, survived. The new Guardian of one miraculous box was left to scour the earth in solitude. Well, about as much solitude one could have with 17 pocket gods as company. The fact that the only box that survived was missing two more miraculouses caused the already stressed guardian to grey further. But that tidbit of information would be a problem for later. And for someone else entirely too. Oh joy.

But before that sequence of events, aptly named “Marinette’s Trial by Fire,” however, the young guardian had a couple more life mistakes to make before he reached his internal quota apparently. Rather than travel to another sector of the Order on the other side of the earth, this young mage stumbled upon another organization, one similar in architecture and hierarchy but a pendulum swing in the total moral opposite. Yes, that’s right, the guardian found himself upon the League of Shadows, led by Ra’s Al Ghul in his endeavor of global cleansing; by acts of ecoterrorism, but who sweats the small stuff, right? There, the young guardian, who adopted the name of Wang Fu, met his first love Ming Hong and they had a son. The son had a daughter he named Mei. Now Mei was only a few weeks younger than Ra’s Al Ghul’s grandson, Damian. Now with an appropriate heir, and someone to procreate with said heir, Ra’s Al Ghul gained a special interest in the small Fu family that originally flew under the radar of the League. 

Now this is where things continue to go downhill, but not until much, much later in this story. Ra’s Al Ghul, despite his radical ambitions, was particularly good at playing the long game and understood when he couldn’t accomplish a task directly. This being said, he recognized that, due to prolonged exposure to the Lazarus Pits, his soul could not bear the strain of being a wielder of a miraculous and so he waited. Waited until a suitable heir was sired and could copulate with an heir to the guardian of the miraculous box, desiring to create a bloodline of genetically suitable successors and wielders who were loyal to him and his cause. 

Ra’s ordered for the Fu family to have a place on his court and ordered for Mei Fu to be trained in mastering the secrets of the miraculous. And master she did. By age 6 she was fluent in the coded language of the magical text, or as fluent a 6 year old can be in any language, and she had mastered 7 out the 17 miraculouses. By age 10 she was as skilled as the grandson of the Demon Head in combat and could handle simultaneous wear of 3 miraculouses. Her training, however, had to be put on hold as somebody thought usurping the Demon Head was of the utmost importance that glorious Tuesday and staged a coup. She wished Deathstroke had lost more than an eye that day, but a girl can dream she supposes. Mei and her grandfather were separated from the rest of the League and journeyed west. Somehow they ended up in Paris, France. After one too many run ins with the authorities, Mei was removed from her grandfather, who was deemed too unfit to support her. It was a miracle he wasn’t deported. 

Mei was put into protective custody where she resided until she was 13. Recently adopted, and thoroughly done with the plebeians of her daily encounters, Mei Fu became Marinette Dupain-Cheng, daughter of the best bakers in Paris. All was well and good for the new Dupain-Cheng until the start of the new school year. 

She met her grandfather again. And apparently he had a job for her and her soon to be new partner.

Hawkmoth, that bitch, had somehow acquired the two last surviving miraculouses and the only surviving grimoire and thought domestic terrorism was on the agenda for the next few years. Why? Because investing in a family therapist was too much of an inconvenience for local recluse, Gabriel McFucking Agreste, Marinette would shortly learn. 

After dealing with all of that and juggling between her reignited guardian training, and ‘normal’ girl life—because her parents don’t know that she’s a magical girl in the making—, Marinette was ready to sleep for a thousand years. Or commit murder. Whichever gave her enough serotonin to complete her current passion project. But, alas, no rest for the totally-over-it or however that saying goes. Because after declaring Paris safe once again, sending off her brother-in-arms, Adrien Agreste, to family in London (marginally decent but anything beats the abusive prick of a sperm donor), in waltz one drunken John Constantine.

Ah yes. Him. That absolute bastard who doesn’t deserve nice things in life. That guy.

This unpleasantry approached Master Fu and Marinette, who has been regulated to errand-girl in lieu of training, with a job that he proclaimed that only one blessed with magic, and specifically NOT connected to the Justice League could accomplish. Apparently, a group called the Cult of the Kobra resided on Santa Prisca and was in possession of a dangerous magical artifact that had been the backbone of their organization for years. Constantine came to them asking them for assistance in retrieving it as the Justice League could not interfere in the Caribbean due to new UN legislation. It was a mission of utmost urgency for he feared the cult leader, Kobra himself, was planning on enacting a ritual that could bring calamity to Earth. Which is just what the doctor ordered. Not. In exchange, he agreed to add to her magical training as while master Fu was good, he was still young when he ran away from his problems the first time and thus was limited in his magical knowledge.

That was three months ago. Three months of planning, training, and convincing her parents that letting her go on an extended retreat for an undetermined amount of time with her mostly absent biological grandfather was totally reasonable for the seventeen year old to do. Like, come on. She’s almost old enough to drink, almost ready for university and has been praised for her independence and self-sufficiency for years. She’ll be fine is what she told her parents and she was almost able to convince herself of that too. She would be perfectly fine. Right?

Wrong.

Marinette was anything but fine. She was stressed, she was tired and she was abso-fucking-lutely pissed at anything that even breathed in her direction. Why? Well that brings us back to the beginning of the story when everything on this mission did not go according to plan. So here she was along what was once upon a time the eastern coastline of Santa Prisca. Oh and look. The Junior Justice League has arrived.

Purrrrfect. 

Some one asked for a taglist. Ask and ye shall receive

@deathwishy @neakco  @ virtualreading  @f-rget-lt @your-resident-chicken-nugget

[profanityandprophecy]

Ash Wednesday for Non-Christians, Secular Humanists, Non-Believers, etc.

Note: I started this post in 2015 and worked on it some in 2016 and finished it in 2017. So it’s a little disjointed.

Ash Wednesday is coming up this Wednesday. (That would be March 1st, 2017, to those folks playing along from home.)

I found myself thinking about Ash Wednesday a lot back in 2015. All of this collided in my head.

“We have begun to contemplate our origins: starstuff pondering the stars; organized assemblages of ten billion billion billion atoms considering the evolution of atoms; tracing the long journey by which, here at least, consciousness arose.” ― Carl Sagan, Cosmos

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” ― Carl Sagan, Cosmos

"Remember, man, you are dust, and unto dust you shall return." Genesis 3:19

Even without the idea of humanity being created by God from dust, we really ARE made out of virtual dust, scientifically.

For Catholics and many other Christians, Ash Wednesday is like Yom Kippur for Jews (although I personally think the Jews do it better). It’s a day of fasting, repentance, and prayer. In Biblical times, people wore sackcloth (scratchy fabric) and covered themselves in ashes to be uncomfortable and have an outward sign of their fasting and repentance. (Which is why Jesus suggested folks do the opposite, to do it quietly and not make a big show of it, because folks were like OH WOE IS ME LOOK AT ME I’M FASTING I AM SO PIOUS ZOMG YES.) (We need a doge meme for this.) The ashes, drawn on foreheads in the shape of a cross (while stating “you have come from dust, and unto dust you shall return”), are a visible reminder of one’s faith and a throwback to that tradition. They are a reminder to the world as well as ourselves of the need for repentance. As a child in Catholic school, we were encouraged to wear them the whole day (although technically allowed to wash them off if we wanted... technically), that they were nothing to be ashamed of, to own our faith visibly in the world. (Other interesting facts: they’re not just made of any old thing. The ash comes from burning the blessed palm leaves that were used during the previous Palm Sunday, the previous Lent. We’re getting rid of this symbol of celebration while in this solemn time, to create them anew 6 weeks later. It’s like hitting the reset button.)

I did some reading into Ash Wednesday, and I’m realizing that the message and meaning of it was actually lost to me as a child. “You have come from dust, and unto dust you shall return” was never supposed to be a reminder of mortality or an entreaty towards humility, but rather (from Wikipedia) “based on the words spoken to Adam and Eve after their sin, reminds worshipers of their sinfulness and mortality and thus, implicitly, of their need to repent in time.”

In the song Ashes, the first verse has an almost Pagan-esque phoenix theme, being reborn from the fire, emerging from the ashes of the wrong we’ve done into new life. (Plus, it’s pretty.)

(Tumblr is acting totally buggy, so see the end for the song and video.)

So what can a non-Christian/non-theist/secular humanist draw from the solemnity of Ash Wednesday? Humility isn’t a bad place to start. I’m probably not the right person to talk about humility, though. I don’t fully understand the concept... I don’t know how it interacts (or if it does at all) with the concept of self-esteem. (Anyone out there get all the nuances of dealing with the concept of humility that would like to chime in?)

“You have come from dust and unto dust you shall return” isn’t a bad way to promote the concept of “Don’t fear the reaper”. (Feel free to insert the song here.) Coming to terms with death is something that we have a long way to go on in our society. The idea of death being inevitable, the natural order of things... I’ve always found this calming & helpful.

But not only that, but that, frankly, we don’t know how much time we have, and if there’s wrongs you need to set right in your life, ya should probably get on that shite, post haste.

But I think the core of it is at repentance. We may have a celebration of thanksgiving in a neutral format that works for all people (note: I understand the issues with celebrating the ideas of the American Thanksgiving holiday (esp when we commemorate the original Thanksgiving feast) and how it’s a major problem for Native & Aboriginal folk. I don’t want to detract from that or erase their history. I’m talking about the very concept of having a day at all for thankfulness.), but we have no such civic-led day for the concept of being sorry for wrongdoing and making up for it. (I think that’s VERY telling of our society, that it feels the need to put on a show, to act like we never do wrong, and we have no need for this concept. Or that this idea is merely a religious one.)

I think there’s a place for the concept of repentance amongst society, amongst secular folks. The word has a lot of history and baggage from traditional religion, and probably makes you think of the soapbox preacher, but I personally think that repentance is simply the process to undergo when you’ve hurt or harmed someone else or others (or a group, or the planet). It’s

realizing you’ve done wrong

being sorry that you’ve done wrong

expressing both of those things

making amends for what you’ve done: either setting it right, or, if that’s impossible, contributing to bettering in another way

learning how to not do it in the future, and avoiding doing it again

These are not concepts that are exclusive to theists. Not only Christians have a need for this. All of humanity does wrong in some way or another, all of humanity has room for improvement, some more than others. (I know I do.)

And some places they say “Repent and return to the Gospel” instead of “you have come from dust, and unto dust you shall return”. How about “Repent and return to Goodness”? Repent and return to the writings you find most inspirational, that guide you to being a better person?

[prasadgee]

NALACHARITHAM

The story of Nalacharitham (The saga of Nala) is developed from a small anecdotal reference to the vices of the game of dice in the great epic Mahabharatham. Adapting this story for kathakali, Unnayi Varrier penned ‘Nalacharitham’ and, owing to its length split it into four parts. This translation of Part 1 covers the scenes that are normally presented on stage. It is not a complete translation of Part 1. About the translation:- Translating versified literature in Sanskrit to English at best can only result in a bad product. This may be primarily because the Indian sensibilities and ideas differ from the western ideas and benchmarks of poetry and the qualitative assessment of its worth. ‘Nalacharitham’ is written in a language termed as ‘Manipravaalam’- a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam-with a bias towards Sanskrit. Sanskrit poetry is rich in metaphors and allegories but do not give much importance to rhyming. Malayalam poetry on the other hand is too hung up on rhyming. Writing in Manipravaalam, Unnayi Varrier has employed the rhyming techniques of Malayalam to the already existing complexities of metaphors and allegories of Sanskrit. The extensive and often lengthy use of adjectives and adjectives on adjectives make the translator’s task a lot tougher. I think English poetry by Western authors use techniques of figure of speech, allegories, personification, metaphors, idiom etc more often than they employ rhyming. But rhyming is still one of the norms that had been used. Notwithstanding the relevance of rhyming or the lack of it in English poetry, I have used it extensively for making the translation more poetic. The metaphors, idioms, figure of speech etc used are not my creations. They are all entirely Unnayi Varrier’s. So if these techniques look and sound flat in the translation, I am not to be blamed. But I am to be given due credit in the rare cases when they sound apt and really poetic. This translation is mostly word to word. It is fundamentally for those who are watching the live performance on stage and wanting to know what is being played out. In kathakali format the gestures follow the words-mostly. Aberrations from this norm in the translation are in favour of rhyming. For rhyming, words not in the original text may have been added. On a few occasions, even lines have been added. These are obviously compromises between making the translation poetry-like and at the same time not losing out on conveying the meaning. Also, Unnayi Varriers’s Nalacharitham is more suited for singing and listening than for playing and seeing and indeed, reading. Essentially, it is a musical. This is one of its biggest shortcomings when it has to be presented in an emphatically visual format such as kathakali. This translation is not for earning merits in poetry writing. It is meant to be a user-friendly version for those viewers who want to relate the gestures on stage to the words in the verses. The enacting of a verse in Kathakali is not at all at the same pace of a reader reading the verse. This is because each word in the verse has to be enacted using gestures and facial expressions. This will cause a lag between reading and seeing. But this also results in the verses becoming endearingly slow and musical. There are other complications. The Indian ideas of beauty (especially of women) are different from the western concepts when it comes to describing it in literary works-especially in poetry. So you will encounter moon-faced beauties and lotus-eyed beauties. You will also see someone’s feet being compared to a lotus flower etc. These are not to be taken literally. The verses in Kathakali are usually broken into two parts-the words of the author (narrator) and the words of the characters. Author’s words are normally a Sloka (a four line verse or a quatrain) at the start of a scene. This is mostly written in Sanskrit. These four lines give the context of the scene to be enacted and a brief on the characters involved. The characters’ words are not necessarily of fixed length and are mostly written in Manipravaalam. In contrast to this norm, in Nalacharitham, there are many verses which are neither the author’s words nor the dialogue between characters. Such verses are expressions of a character’s thoughts. In this translation, such verses are specifically mentioned as ‘in contemplation’ with reference to the character in contemplation. STORYLINE Nala and Damayanti are the central characters of the story. Nala is a just and able king and Damyanti is a beautiful princess. They fall in love even before seeing each other owing to their respective popularity. King Bheema, Damayanti’s father plans to give his daughter’s hand in marriage through Swayamvaram (Swayamvaram is a system of marriage in which the bride gets to choose her husband from an assembly of suitors). Even the gods and demons are desirous of Damayanti. Coming to know of this, Narada, a rishi respected by both the virtuous and the vicious, feels that there is no one more deserving of Damayanti than Nala and that they are made for each other. He decides to make efforts at uniting them. CHARACTERS:- NALA(NALAN):-King of the kingdom of Nishadha, son of the king Veerasena. So he is also called Naishadha(king of Nishadha) and Vairaseni (son of Veerasena). DAMAYANTI(Damayanthi):-Princess of Vidarbha or Kundtina, daughter of king Bheema. So she is also called Vaidarbhi (of Vidarbha) and Bhaimi(daughter of Bheema) Narada(Naradan): Respected itinerant Rishi born out of Brahma, the creator god of the Hindu pantheon. Though notorious for creating friction among individuals, he is also good at public relations. Brahma:- The creator god among the Hindu mythological triumvirate. He himself is born out of a lotus flower bloomed from Lord Vishnu’s navel. Vishnu:- The god who sustains the cosmic balance in the Hindu mythological triumvirate. Rema:- Also Mahalakshmi, lord Vishnu’s chief consort and the goddess of beauty, wealth and prosperity. Shiva:- The third god of the triumvirate in the Hindu pantheon. Kamadeva: The god of love and lust-often depicted as one wielding floral bow and arrows. He instills love and lust in humans, demons and gods alike. He is also known by his flag carrying the emblem of a fish. Rati:-Kamadeva’s consort and goddess of love and lust. Hamsam: An un-named, golden-plumed swan acting as the go-between in the development of love between Nala and Damayanti. ACT 1/SCENE 1 Nala’s palace at Nishadha Synopsis: Narada visits Nala at his palace to ask him to strive to get Damayanti as his wife. Narrator: Pleased with the noble way king Nala ruled his kingdom, Venerable Rishi Narada paid him a visit with all his divine wisdom. Nala: Oh! Narada, I bow to you and seek your blessing. Thanks to your visit, my humble dwelling has been purified and made pristine, Are you coming from the abode of Vishnu, or from the realms of the divine? My heart is now filled with joy much like how the night Lily feels on the full moon rise. Oh! Great Rishi! Please command me what need to be done hence. Narada: Your power scares the enemy armies from coming near, Oh! Nala, you are so rich in grace and valour, You are the lord of the earth, Yet you lay your youth to waste. Not for long do I stay anywhere, I keep traveling everywhere, I am known for making conflicts between one and the other, in this world, in that and in the nether. (((Note: For a change, Narada wants to do a benevolent deed))) Have you not heard of Damayanti, the Vidarbha princess of unsurpassed beauty? She is the jewel among all the choicest maidens, and is lusted after even by the lords of the heavens. Oh! Nala, this jewel is for you to own, Let only the prayers be with the divine, You should seek to beget Damayanti for her worth. You are the most deserving of her on all earth.

Narada and Nala

 ACT 1/SCENE 2  Thus persuaded by Rishi Narada, Nala ponders over the ways and means to get Damayanti as his wife. Since Damayanti is sought after by even the divine beings, Nala is worried if he stands a chance. He loses interest in the day to day affairs, thinking about how to win Damayanti and musing over her celebrated beauty. Narrator: Thus hearing from Narada about Damayanti, And also remembering the words of the people praising her purity, Nala lost his heart to her and lost its calm And he was left musing over her charm. (Nala in contemplation): I just heard Damayanti is surpassed by no maiden in this earth and in the heaven, So I hear from sage Narada’s mien. I keep hearing about her virtue, that no other woman could imbue. My love for her is growing day by day, That is apt, as that is what Narada say.  What worth do I have to deserve, The moon-faced beauty’s unbridled love? A woman’s heart to grow in lust The lord of love need embed its seed, he must. Musing over the lusciousness of the moon-faced maiden I grow melancholic and my routine feel like midden. Either I merrily get entangled in her lustrous hair Or go on exile, disentangling from the kingly affair.  ACT 1/SCENE 3 Narrator: Restless Nala grew over Narada’s word, And hurt his mind was with arrows of the love-lord, Assigning the reins of the kingdom to the nobles He left his self in isolation in the palace gardens. (Nala in contemplation): This garden is so very deserted, That is its only quality making me feel lighthearted. But the gods to me no more look so benign, Neither is the lord of lust with his fish-ensign. The objects in the garden only sharpen my woe, They appear to be the masters of filling one with sorrow I can see them all, but my eyes want to allow The view of the damsel my thoughts now follow. The lord of love has made this garden a garrison, The breeze turn battlers, the flowers turn weapon, Cuckoos blow bugles in battle, the trees form armory, Not without reasons, the air here feels so unsavory. Swans of myriad colours over there look somewhat pleasing, They play among themselves frolicking and caressing, There is one among them of golden plume, its eyes in the closing, Oh my! Its beauty is worth beholding. Only if I could get hold of this swan, so beautiful, To turn my day somewhat fruitful! ACT 1/SCENE 4 Synopsis:- Nala, seeking some relief from restlessness, catches hold of the golden-plumed swan. The swan wails in horror and pleads to Nala to let him free.  Narrator: Thus morosely watching the trees and the vine, Where leaves and flowers lovingly entwine, Nala chances upon the view of the swan, golden plumed, Dosing off of effort making merry, his strength consumed. The king approached the swan stealthily, While it lay in slumber motionlessly Befriending the bird the king’s only intention, But when woken, it wailed in commotion. Hamsam (Swan): Oh! Shiva, what am I to do, my god? I am being killed in deceit by this land’s lord. My family is going to be orphaned. My father away in death, Lonely he left me on earth, My mother’s heart will burn like a hearth, My child is soon to take birth In agony my wife will fall in death’s embrace With that my clan will disappear without a trace. I have not harmed you in any manner, Yet you harm me, you are a sinner, You kill me for my plume’s gild And my wings and feathers are of gold You cannot turn richer by stealing my clad My beauty is my enemy now, turn of events so bad.  Nala: Oh! Dear bird so charming, don’t be so sad and stop wailing I have no desire at harming. The beauty of your body caused me wanting to hold you and caress you for befriending. I have only liking for you and admiration You may fly off to your desired destination. ACT 1/SCENE 5 Synopsis:- Nala releases the swan. The swan is pleased at Nala’s kindness. He returns from his flock to Nala with the intention of reciprocating his act of kindness. The swan has perhaps read king’s mind and sensed that he is disturbed by some thoughts on unfulfilled love. Narrator:- Thus released from the king’s captivity, Off the bird went to his flock in proclivity, Then he came back without fear to the king’s proximity, And spoke thus with the kind king in all magnanimity. SWAN:- Oh! Kind king with a soul so tender, I will do you a deed so good forever you will remember. There are not many as generous and upright as thee, To be found in the three worlds, certainly. The expanse of this kingdom shows the value of the protection offered by your brow. Your majestic presence endows your subjects with happiness and glow. They respect the kindness you bestow and take it as the way to follow, You are so virtuous and valorous that it is a wonder that you still remain solo. Valorous too is the Vidarbha king, Bheema his name, has a daughter-a darling, No woman on earth is capable of matching, The charm she has; her poise and standing. If she is to become your wife, it will be very apt, I can help to bring your hearts to meet I can do that you may rest assured, If you will permit me, that is all I need. She is a maiden- desirable to all, virtuous and pure, pure gold if also fragrant, she is such that for sure. The lovely daughter of Bheema, her name Damayanti, is to earth what to heaven Rema is- the goddess of prosperity. Divine nymphets, hurt they will be in their pride, Should Damayanti come and stand by their side. My mission is to make her fall in love with you in her heart’s essence. Even the lord of heavens, her admirer, against you will stand no chance.  Nala: My dear friend, I choose you of all my messengers, to convey my message of love to the lady my heart harbours. Are you giving this promise just to please me? Or will you really do the deed that you say it would be? Many have told me the stories of the lady who blushes like a lotus Now lust is filling my heart, making it weak and porous While I had no mate to confide and my life’s path turned treacherous I got you-it is the play of god in all his kindness. You know me now and my feelings; and to tell that all to her, You can freely move about like a true messenger. No doubt for those who seek truthfully, destiny is a giver. You are not just a dear friend, you are a veritable treasure. With your deft way of talking, my dear friend! Present me to her liking, and make her favourably respond God is bound to give your good deeds ample reward Without your guidance, I would be damned and be wayward.

Nala and the Swan

PART 1/ACT 1 ENDS///// PART 1/ACT 2 SYNOPSIS:- Taking up the task of carrying the message of Nala to Damayanti and to get her positive response in return, the Swan goes to Vidarbha. There he waits for Damayanti and from her mood gathers that she is also restless and listless owing to her unfulfilled love for Nala. He decides to know how firm her heart is for Nala.

Damayanti and the maids

NARRATOR:- With the message of love from Nala, off to Vidarbha goes the swan and sits in the open in the tranquillity of the palace garden. Unfulfilled in love for Nala, Damayanti -listless and wan Was lead to the garden by maids to bring back her cheer and elan. DAMAYANTI AND HER MAIDS IN THE GARDEN:- Praise Brahma and the goddess of words, praise the goddess earth Praise Lord Vishnu and praise the goddess of worth Praise Lord Shiva and praise Parvathy, his consort Praise the moon god and Rohini and to the gods of love, give respect Indra the lord of heaven be praised and so be his wife Indrani, Not just them,let all the divine couple bless our dear Damayanti. May Anasuya, Lopamudra and Arundhati -all chaste women of rishis Bless us for fulfilling our wishes. NARRATOR:- Overcome was Damayanti with the unfulfilled desire; yet Undisclosed her mind remained to the maids from the outset, Now in the garden with them, in passion she shuddered And calling them aside, she almost thus pleaded. DAMAYANTI:- Friends, my dears, let us return to my father’s court It is better for me than these gardens, they hurt. In the court people from afar come and tell stories That will ease my mind; these gardens give me only miseries. MAID:- You wished to come to the garden, with your honey-sweet voice That was what you wanted, to come outside the palace, Why did you come here, if to return so fast dear moon-face? Tell us what hurts your heart, you of doe-eyed gaze. We spend time here- there is surely pleasure to be sought, Bhaimi dear friend, enjoy this garden’s sight. DAMAYANTI:- The buzz of beetles feels like smouldering fire in my ears The coo of the cuckoos-like a lance they pierce The fragrance of flowers hurts my tender nostrils like buffalo a calm pond Altogether these gardens bring sorrow and miseries unbound. (((Seeing some bright object in the sky))) Is that a shard of lightning landing on earth? Or is it the moon itself, dawning forth? Is that a golden swan gliding down in mirth? For the eyes it is a flow of elixir-a sight of great worth. That is a swan with beauty so soothing, oh! Dear Never have I seen it before nor have I heard ever. It is golden-plumed and has a sweet sound to match it It seems he would be friendly if I were to catch it. I wish I could touch it with my hands, friends dear. If I could get hold of him I could play with him without fear. It is not vicious, seems like a gentle soul; stay clear -my friends, I will go to him, you don’t come near. NARRATOR:- Each step she takes gets the swan in hand’s reach Each step she takes gently, walking without stretch Each step Damayanti and the swan took, the farther they went From her friends, seeing this, the swan said thus in amusement. SWAN:- Oh! The most charming of all maidens! What are your intentions? How are you planning to catch me? I can fly off to the sky easily. Youth has blossomed on you, yet you behave like a child If the sensible were to see this, some would Tease you and some others will scold. You will lose your reputation and you will be left out in the cold. You don’t need to catch me-I will stay your friend More than your friends, it is me you want to trust and befriend May the lord of this world and the love-god Bless you to beget a husband you dreamed. I live in the kingdom of Nala on Lord Brahma’s command To train the beauties there to walk seductively around, Enhancing their youth and advertising their charm This is not a lie and I intend no harm. DAMAYANTI:- I saw you so very close and I heard your playful voice You are Brahma’s vehicle of choice Oh! Sweet voiced and of nice poise Is it Lord Brahma who sent you here? Is it Nala’s land the place you hold dear? If that be so oh! Swan of such glow With love and respect, to you I bow. Dear vehicle of Brahma, please narrate the tales of king Nala in words not ornate. With your words my sorrow may mitigate And may my ears-with elixir they saturate. The deepest thoughts now in my mind, I will share with you dear friend Perhaps you can help me oh! God-sent Virtuous soul, help me, don’t leave my heart to rend. NARRATOR:- The sweet-voiced maiden, the crown among women, her mind now swinging open slowly to the swan, yet knowing that her mind is not fully open the swan attempted to know her feelings for Nalan. SWAN:- Confide in me happily, let your feelings unfurl, Oh! king Bheema’s darling girl. Trust me more than the trust you carry For your pals; tell me without shyness and worry. Oh! The crowned one among the bright-eyed women Oh! Sister of Dama, sweet maiden, To which man your heart had been given He will be the most blessed of all men. Do not hesitate to tell me oh! Doe-eyed Don’t let your shyness cause you to hide I will help you to fulfil your wishes, oh! Sweet-bodied, Will I ever let your name to be sullied? Fulfilled will be your heart’s desires- I assure you and that is a promise. DAMAYANTI:- Oh! Majestic swan, what am I to tell? Women of high rank do not feel, It right to let their hearts reveal. (Their secret desires) Time and again my mind is on Nala-the much praised king, his reputation and deeds cause my ears to pleasingly ring. On thinking of his manliness, the love-lord’s arrows sting my heart and makes me feel frail and a weakling. SWAN:- Whatever your heart feels- let these be revealed. Oh! Willowy-bodied, only then you will feel fulfilled. The good should join the good, not lesser For you there is surely no suitor any better. He is stronger than the lord of cloud and of high standing, virtuous and bold. Gold and jewel are made for each other Your match with Nala is similar. As Vishnu is for Rema and night is for the moon, Uma is for Shiva and so you should have Nala soon. DAMAYANTI:- My desire for Nala is growing day by day But I haven’t let out my mind to the maids to this day Oh! Swan please go and tell this without delay to Nala and draw out what he has to say. SWAN:- I will tell the king about the desires you hold dear The king too will be pleased to hear. But if you were to fall in love with another You may receive the king’s displeasure. Your father may get you married to another man. You may also begin to like him; that is human. Many times people talk without purpose. You may later feel I too was capricious. Our lives may come in harm’s way Is your mind firm on Nala? Now you must say. DAMAYANTI:- Oh! Swan, why do you distrust me? How can another man in my heart be? A river must reach the sea Can the hill stop it possibly?

Damayanti and the Swan

PART 1/ACT 2 ENDS/////

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What Does the Lord Require of You?

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 The prophet Micah was chastising his people for their indifference to all the good God had done for them. They sought to appease the Lord with ritualistic sacrifices rather than humble service and faithful obedience.

A few years ago, paying-it-forward entered pop culture. If somebody did something good for you, you responded with a good deed for someone else. Admirable behavior for sure. Micah’s point in this passage is that God’s good should be followed by paying-it-forward into the lives of others. Additionally, God’s good should be reflected in our conduct and thinking. You can’t please God with sacrifice alone. Religious ritual accompanied by ungodly behavior is useless. Jesus confronted a similar concern during His ministry. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” (Matthew 23:23) Are you familiar with the concept of a sales and marketing funnel? Capture a potential customer in the funnel and then through a series of pre-defined steps convert that individual into a buyer. Well, we’re like funnels for God’s good. He pours His mercy, grace, love, blessings, and help into our lives. We then funnel all that good into the lives of others. In our focus text we learn that God requires us “…to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your (our) God.” Three expectations are listed here. Justice. Mercy. Humility. To act justly is to demonstrate godly behavior. To love mercy is to withhold wrath when wronged. Rather, respond with kindness, grace, love, and forgiveness. And to walk humbly with your God means to submit ourselves to His instruction and guidance. Walking WITH God is a beautiful picture of the relationship God desires. He wants us with Him, but we are to walk humbly. We don’t lead Him. He leads us. Christians don’t serve a distant God who is disinterested in the minutia of daily living. He’s not a king who stays in his castle and only makes appearances on special occasions. God is WITH His people. In the birth narrative, Jesus is called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) But with that nearness to holy God comes responsibility — requirements. And when we stumble, He is there to catch us and forgive us. The Bible emphasizes the closeness of God to His people. We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 3:16) Christ lives in us. (Galatians 2:20) In fact, due to the presence of the Spirit of God our bodies are called temples. (1 Corinthians 6:19) Have you ever heard a parent say to a child, “Is it too much to ask for you to behave?” Naturally, the expected response is “no.” After all the parent has done for the child, good behavior is a reasonable request. That same question can be asked of God’s children. After all the good He has done for you — is it too much to ask for you “…to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?” For more on this topic, check out this article: Your Amazing Victory in Jesus Reprinted from The Forever Notebook, Book 3 (July - September) Get your copy here: Paperback and eBook/Kindle formats.

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My Thursday Daily Blessings

January 11, 2018

Be still quiet your heart and mind, the LORD is here, loving you talking to you...........

Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time (Roman Rite Calendar)

Lectionary: 308, Liturgical Year B

First Reading: 1 Samuel 4: 1-11

The Philistines gathered for an attack on Israel. Israel went out to engage them in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek. The Philistines then drew up in battle formation against Israel. After a fierce struggle Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who slew about four thousand men on the battlefield.

When the troops retired to the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD permitted us to be defeated today by the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the LORD from Shiloh that it may go into battle among us and save us from the grasp of our enemies."

So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were with the ark of God. When the ark of the LORD arrived in the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth resounded. The Philistines, hearing the noise of shouting, asked, "What can this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?"

On learning that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, the Philistines were frightened.

They said, "Gods have come to their camp." They said also, "Woe to us! This has never happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods that struck the Egyptians with various plagues and with pestilence.

Take courage and be manly, Philistines; otherwise you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they were your slaves. So fight manfully!"  The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated; every man fled to his own tent. It was a disastrous defeat, in which Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were among the dead.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 44: 10-11, 14-15, 24-25

"Redeem us, LORD, because of your mercy."

Verse before the Gospel: Matthew 4:23

Alelluia, Alelluia

"Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people."

Alelluia, Alelluia

Gospel Reading: Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, "If you wish, you can make me clean."

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him,  "I do will it. Be made clean." The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. Then he said to him, "See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them." The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

**Meditation:

Do you seek the Lord Jesus with expectant faith? No one who sought Jesus out was refused his help. Even the untouchables and the outcasts of Jewish society found help in him. Unlike the people of Jesus' time who fled at the sight of a leper, Jesus touched the leper who approached him and he made him whole and clean. Why was this so remarkable? Lepers were outcasts of society. They were driven from their homes and communities and left to fend for themselves. Their physical condition was terrible as they slowly lost the use of their limbs and withered away. They were not only shunned but regarded as "already dead" even by their relatives. The Jewish law forbade anyone from touching or approaching a leper, lest ritual defilement occur.

The Lord Jesus has power to touch our wounds and make us whole This leper did something quite remarkable. He approached Jesus confidently and humbly, expecting that Jesus could and would heal him. Normally a leper would be stoned or at least warded off if he tried to come near a rabbi. Jesus not only grants the man his request, but he demonstrates the personal love, compassion, and tenderness of God in his physical touch. The medical knowledge of his day would have regarded such contact as grave risk for incurring infection. Jesus met the man's misery with compassion and tender kindness. He communicated the love and mercy of God in a sign that spoke more eloquently than words. He touched the man and made him clean - not only physically but spiritually as well.

We, too, can bring Christ's healing power and merciful love to others How do you approach those who are difficult to love, or who are shunned by others because they are deformed or have some defect? Do you show them kindness and offer them mercy and help as Jesus did? The Lord is always ready to show us his mercy and to free us from whatever makes us unclean, unapproachable, or unloving towards others.

**Prayer:

Lord Jesus, inflame my heart with your love and make me clean and whole in body, mind, and spirit. May I never doubt your love nor cease to tell others of your mercy and compassion."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Sources:

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

**Meditations may be freely reprinted for non-commercial use. Cite copyright & source: www.dailyscripture.net author Don Schwager© 2015 Servants of the Word