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stpaullutheranchurch · 2 years

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July 31 2022

July 31st 2022

Old Testament: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-26 “All is vanity”

Psalm: Psalm 85 “The Lord will give what is good”

Epistle: Colossians 3:1-11 “Put to death what is earthly in you”

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21 “Be on guard against all covetousness”.

Sermon Text: Luke 12 Colossians 3

Sermon Title: “Be on guard against … covetousness”

Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

“Jesus said to them; Take care, and be on guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”. (Luke 12:15) The Apostle Paul wrote, “Set your minds on things that are above … Put to death what is earthly in you; sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness; which is idolatry. It is on account of these things that the wrath of God is coming”. (Colossians 3:1,5-6) These are our texts for today.

In the Epistle reading, the Apostle Paul gives us a list of sins that we are not only to try to avoid as best as we can, but to actively “put to death”; mortify them. (Colossians 3:5a) These exhortations of Paul cover virtually all of the Ten Commandments. We could go into any (or all) of these at length at this time, for Paul speaks of wrath and malice, of sexual immorality and impurity; of obscene talk and lying and slander, and the many other sins that bring God’s wrath.

But today, I want to focus primarily on the 9th and 10th commandments against coveting and greed; since that is what Jesus also warns against in the Gospel; “be on guard against all covetousness”. (Luke 12:14a) And as you just heard, Paul refers to “covetousness (as) idolatry”. (Colossians 3:5b)

“Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. But He said to him, Man; who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you? (Then) Jesus said to them; take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”. (Luke 12:13-15) As the Apostle Paul also declared, “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (causing) some to wander from the faith”. (1st Timothy 6:8-10) If that doesn’t get your attention, it should.

In a positive sense, the Small Catechism describes the 9th and 10th commandments as “God’s Gift of Contentment”. So, the Apostle Paul tells us, “there is great gain in godliness with contentment … if you have food and clothing, with these you should be content”. (1st Timothy 6:6) In other words, “be content with what you have, for He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you”. (Hebrews 13:5)

So, what exactly does it mean to covet? Coveting is having a (strong) sinful desire for anyone or anything that belongs to our neighbor. In the explanation, Luther wrote, “We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbors inheritance or house, or get it in a way that only seems right, but help and be of service to him on keeping it”.

An example of getting something in a way that only seems right, cited by Luther in the Large Catechism, is when people use the court system in order to acquire something “legally” that doesn’t really belong to them. Luther said, “the judge and everyone else may let you keep the property, but God will not … for He sees your wicked heart”. (Large Catechism, 9th and 10th Commandments, par. 308)

The Apostle James also speaks of coveting in his warnings against worldliness saying, “What causes quarrels and … fights among you? Is it not that your passions are at war within you? … You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask! You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions”! (James 4:1-3)

In the Gospel reading, “Jesus told them a parable saying; the land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself; what shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops”? (Luke 12:16-17) Nothing obviously wrong or sinful with the man in our text so far, right? A farmer has land that produced a great crop and he is simply making plans for the future of his business.

But what is hidden from our view is the greed that is in the man’s heart; and what is in our heart eventually becomes manifest in a variety of sinful behaviors. “The rich man said, I will do this; I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat drink, and be merry”. (Luke 12:18-19)

Again, these acts are not sinful in and of themselves, and (of course) not all earthly desires are sinful; but here they reflect the misplaced values of the rich farmer. Notice that everything he said was “I, I, I”. That night, “God said to him; you fool! Tonight, your soul is required of you and the things you have prepared, whose will they be”? (Luke 12:20) You can’t take it with you, as the saying goes.

So is the one who lays up treasure for himself, but is not rich towards God”. (Luke 12:21) To be rich towards God is to have/receive the wealth that is found only in God; reconciliation and peace with Him in the forgiveness of our sins for Jesus’ sake. “Such a person is truly rich, no matter how little they may have of earthly goods”. (Lenski commentary)

Our obsession with money and property, or the lack of it, can easily and often does crowd out God’s Word and ways in our hearts and lives. This is why Jesus warns so strenuously against the idolatry of coveting what belongs to others. In calling coveting idolatry, Paul is saying that coveting is also a breaking of the 1st Commandment against having other “gods”.

In the Large Catechism, on the 1st Commandment, Luther wrote, “If your heart clings to something else and expects to receive from it more good and help than (you would receive) from God … then you have another god, an idol”. (L. C. 1st Commandment, par. 28) Already in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve coveted being “like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5b) and also committed idolatry. When you begin to think that you cannot live without having whatever your neighbor has; you have committed idolatry.

According to Luther, “This then is the plain meaning of the (9th and 10th) commandment; (we are not to have) designs on our neighbor’s property, luring it away from them against their will, and begrudging what God gave them. We are commanded not to desire to harm our neighbors, nor to assist in doing harm, nor to give occasion for it … just as we would wish others to do for us”. (Large Catechism, 9th and 10th Commandments, par. 307, 309)

Though we have focused primarily on coveting, I would remind you that Paul included all the other commandments warning us to “put to death … whatever is earthly in you … for on account of these things, the wrath of God is coming”. (Colossians 3:5-6) Paul warns that “those who do such things have no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God”. (Ephesians 5:5) “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die”. (Romans 8:13a) “Now, you must put them all away; anger wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk”. (Colossians 3:8)

These words serve as a warning to us in the church, not to take the grace of God for granted; not to give in when we are tempted to live according to our sinful flesh, rather than according to the Spirit of God. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are to fight against the sinful flesh. I think that often we are so concerned with not giving the impression that we earn our salvation, that we downplay or even ignore the Scriptures commands to repent and do good.

So, we fight against the sinful flesh that still clings to each of us, “knowing that (as believers, in our baptism) we have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self … which is being renewed after the image of its creator”. (Colossians 3:9b-10) We gladly keep the law of God and love our neighbor; “because He first loved us”. (1st John 4:19b)

This being renewed by the Spirit of God continues to go on throughout our entire lives as Christians, as we abide/remain in the faith; learning and growing; daily confessing and repenting of our sins and regularly receiving His gifts of forgiveness, eternal life and salvation; through the means of grace He provides; the hearing of the Word and the Holy Sacrament; for this is how God strengthens and keeps us in the one true faith to life everlasting. Amen.

The peace of God …

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tpanan · 2 years

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My Sunday Daily Blessings

July 31, 2022

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

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Roman Rite Calendar) Lectionary 114, Cycle C

First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and yet to another who has not labored over it, he must leave property.

This also is vanity and a great misfortune. For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun? All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest. This also is vanity.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17

"If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts."

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11

Brothers and sisters: If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.

Verse before the Gospel: Matthew 5:3

R: Alleluia, Alleluia

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

R: Alleluia, Alleluia

**Gospel: Luke 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”

Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”

**Meditation:

Have you ever tried to settle a money dispute or an inheritance issue? Inheritance disputes are rarely ever easy to resolve, especially when the relatives or close associates of the deceased benefactor cannot agree on who should get what and who should get the most. Why did Jesus refuse to settle an inheritance dispute between two brothers? He saw that the heart of the issue was not justice or fairness but rather greed and possessiveness.

Loving possessions rather than loving my neighbor The ten commandments were summarized into two prohibitions - do not worship false idols and do not covet what belongs to another. It's the flip side of the two great commandments - love God and love your neighbor. Jesus warned the man who wanted half of his brother's inheritance to "beware of all covetousness." To covet is to wish to get wrongfully what another possesses or to begrudge what God has given to another. Jesus restates the commandment "do not covet", but he also states that a person's life does not consist in the abundance of his or her possessions.

August of Hippo (354-430 AD) comments on Jesus' words to the brother who wanted more: Greed wants to divide, just as love desires to gather. What is the significance of 'guard against all greed,' unless it is 'fill yourselves with love?' We, possessing love for our portion, inconvenience the Lord because of our brother just as that man did against his brother, but we do not use the same plea. He said, 'Master, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.' We say, 'Master, tell my brother that he may have my inheritance.' (Sermon 265.9)

The fool who was possessed by his riches Jesus reinforces his point with a parable about a foolish rich man (Luke 12:16-21). Why does Jesus call this wealthy landowner a fool? Jesus does not fault the rich man for his industriousness and skill in acquiring wealth, but rather for his egoism and selfishness - it's mine, all mine, and no one else's. This parable is similar to the parable of the rich man who refused to give any help to the beggar Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). The rich fool had lost the capacity to be concerned for others. His life was consumed with his possessions and his only interests were in himself. His death was the final loss of his soul! What is Jesus' lesson on using material possessions? It is in giving that we receive. Those who are rich towards God receive ample reward - not only in this life - but in eternity as well.

Where is your treasure? In this little parable Jesus probes our heart - where is your treasure? Treasure has a special connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of will and focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. What do you treasure above all else?

Sources:

Lectionary for Mass for use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, copyright (c) 2001, 1998, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain (c) 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 and translated into other languages for non-profit use only. Please cite copyright and original source. Copyright 2021 Daily Scripture Readings and Meditation, dailyscripture.net author Don Schwager

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warcraft-lore-archives · 3 years

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The Folk & Fairy Tales of Azeroth Lore Facts

Editor’s Note: “Some of the tales you’ll encounter here may be rooted in canon, or they may be another traveler just telling a tall tale.”

Eyes of the Earth Mother

Though the Earth Mother heard the whispers of the Old Gods, she could not be swayed by them (13).

Pregnant, the Earth Mother sought a place away from the Old Gods’ corruptive influence to give birth to her children. Unable to find such a place, however, she decided to shape the world and, in doing so, create her own safe haven (14).

All of Azeroth’s lands, waters, and even the elements themselves came forth at this moment. They were suffused with enough of the Earth Mother’s essence so soon after their inception that they kept the Old Gods’ powers at bay (14).

The Earth Mother gave birth to twins: first An’she, a beacon of life and warmth, then came Mu’sha, who was to bring rest, tranquility, and healing. The elements called them the “sun” and the “moon” (15).

Eventually, both An’she and Mu’sha developed connections with the elements. An’she found himself able to wield the light and warmth of fire while Mu’sha maintained some control over the tides and winds (15-16).

The twins even went so far as to use the elements to create weapons to spar with. Mu’sha opted for a bow and arrow, whereas An’she’s weapon of choice was a set of blades (16).

To keep her children safe from the Old Gods’ ever-present influence while she slept, the Earth Mother took both An’she and Mu’sha up into her eyes. Their power was so great that she had to keep one eye open at all times (16).

This, however, meant that Azeroth no longer received An’she’s warmth or Mu’sha’s guidance of the wind while the Earth Mother rested. Cold slowly spread across the land and blizzards raged until she finally woke again (18).

The Earth Mother’s cycle between periods of sleep and awakening would come to form the basis of the seasons as we know them, with her time of work the summer and her time of rest the winter (18).

As the twins grew in power, they developed the ability to bring on the change of seasons at will, though they took care to do it slowly and give the world time to adjust. As the Earth Mother rested, An’she and Mu’sha continued to tend to Azeroth from behind her eyes (19).

After waking at one point, the Earth Mother found that there was new life walking the earth. Plucking wheat from the plains to sprinkle over them, the Earth Mother called them “Shu’halo,” - the tauren (19).

Just as the Earth Mother taught her children, both An’she and Mu’sha taught the Shu’halo in the ways of the elements and caring for the land (20).

When the Earth Mother next slept, however, the Old Gods extended their influence to the tauren, causing them to grow violent and turn on their own kind (20).

Saddened to see the tauren fall to such corruption, the Earth Mother shed a single tear. She realized that the land was no longer able to hold the Old Gods’ power at bay, meaning anything it touched could be corrupted (21).

Knowing that she was not safe for her children anymore because of her own connection to the land, the Earth Mother removed An’she and Mu’sha from her eyes and laid down in despair (21-22).

The single tear that the Earth Mother had shed became a blue baby, later named “Lo’sho,” or the Blue Child (22, 24).

Seeking to put an end to the Old Gods after what they had done to the tauren and the despair they instilled in their mother, An’she and Mu’sha fought against some of the eldritch beings’ manifestations. During the battle, An’she was wounded grievously. Though Mu’sha sought to heal him with wind and water, he continued to bleed (24).

The Earth Mother, stirred by her distant children’s dismay, eventually found her way to them. She urged them to take Lo’sho and go to the heavens so they could protect Azeroth from above, while the Earth Mother chose to root herself in the earth and prevent the Old Gods from ever claiming her children (26-27).

Mu’sha, the moon, continues to follow An’she closely across the sky so she can keep tending to his wounds (26).

One Small Tuskarr

The tuskarr etch their clan and family symbols into their tusks. Though this is customary, some do engrave other symbols - such as marks indicating deeds of great distinction - into their tusks as well (32, 36).

The catch master, who weighs the tuskarr’s catches, has a counting staff adorned with cords in the colors of each of the clan’s active fishermen. In accordance with how big a tuskarr’s haul of fish is, the catch master ties a single knot or more into their respective cord. These knots can be traded for tools, weapons, and coins, among other things (32-33).

A single knot is customary for those who meet basic requirements, while additional knots are allotted to those who catch more (33).

One can also earn knots from other tasks, such as fine embroidery, though they do so at a much slower rate than those who fish (38).

Food is shared equally among the tuskarr (33).

The tuskarr perform nomadic journeys that take them to various kalu’ak towns. While the fishers take their own boats, most of the mothers, adolescents, and children trek across the ice (34).

Fishing practices are passed down from parent to child. Though it is unclear if that is “law,” some of the tuskarr refuse to teach others to fish if they are not their own blood, going so far as to withhold information about the currents and places fish gather (36).

Tuskarr sometimes dye their moustaches (36).

It never gets fully dark in Northrend (38).

Oacha’noa is the tuskarr’s deity of both the sea and wisdom. Her symbol is that of a kraken (39).

The spearhead on most tuskarr weapons is made of sharpened bone (42).

A type of manta ray known as the stargazer can be found in Northrend’s waters (44).

The tuskarr can survive in water so cold it would kill other races native to Azeroth in mere minutes (45).

The tuskarr typically fly kites for fun, though they have been known to use them to send signals to others at great distances (48).

Lay Down My Bones

According to Vulpera beliefs, the first of their kind was born from the magic of the desert. Though they are a nomadic people, an old tale about an artifact called the Wailing Bone claims the desert calls their bodies back to where they began when they die. To ensure they find their way back, the vulpera follow the Wailing Bone (55-56).

Once one of their own has passed, it is customary for the next of kin to carry the bone at the head of the caravan while the vulpera wander in search of the proper place to bury them. The journey may take anywhere from days to weeks, but when the Wailing Bone begins to cry, the vulpera know they have found their loved one’s final resting place (56, 61).

A poem is carved into the Wailing Bone: “Wander, roam; bring me home, / Down paths at my behest; / Among the stones, lay down my bones, / So I, at last, may rest”. Few can read the script it is written in, but most all vulpera can recite it from heart (54).

Two vulpera, frustrated at their inability to find their elder’s final resting place, neglected their duty and left his corpse in a river in the hopes that it would bring him there for them. Refusing to obey the Wailing Bone caused it to crack. From that night on, the vulpera of the caravan found themselves cursed for failing to heed the Wailing Bone (62, 65).

Cracking under the pressure of the curse, the two negligent vulpera ultimately died gruesome deaths at each other’s hands. One of their bones was made into the next Wailing Bone (65).

A caravan always needs a Wailing Bone (65).

The Uninvited Guest

One goblin adage goes like so: “Every great goblin invention was born from necessity, bubble gum, or an accident” (69).

The goblins have a nursery rhyme: “In the dark of night and bright of day, / Keep in your hand a tossaway. / Guard your fortune, mind your greed, / Or else the Uninvited Guest will feed” (70).

The Uninvited Guest is a goblin boogeyman of sorts who is attracted by greed so egregious it offends even the dead. It is incorporeal, invisible, and has the ability to move through walls (76).

The Uninvited Guest feeds off of greed, but it can never be satisfied. It will latch onto its host like an invisible parasite to feed, inciting strange charitable behavior in them until they have given away all of their earthly possessions (76-79).

A “tossaway” is a shiny gold-painted coin stamped with the face of the very first trade prince. These fake coins get their name from the way goblins quite literally toss them away in a symbolically superstitious act to protect themselves and their fortunes from the Uninvited Guest (70, 74).

Tossaways were invented by Slixi Boompowder, the wife of one of the former trade princes of the Steamwheedle Cartel, after her own run-in with the Uninvited Guest. She only escaped from it because she distracted it with actual gold galleons, which inspired her to create the tossaways (83).

Legend has it that the Uninvited Guest still roams Azeroth to this day, looking to feed off of hapless greedy goblins (84).

Klaxz Boompowder was one of the former trade princes of the Steamwheedle Cartel. His rival was Rikter Hogsnozzle, the trade prince of the Bilgewater Cartel (70-71).

Tradition dictates that goblins are buried with their most valuable possessions so they can enjoy them at the Everlasting Party, the goblin afterlife. They are then given burial gifts by other goblins from their own riches, though most goblins are too greedy to truly part with anything important (73).

Once the coffin is sealed, goblins dance on top of it to usher the deceased on to the Everlasting Party (75).

Prominent goblins typically serve as pallbearers while goblins contractually obligated to serve as pack mules carry the rear (75).

The goblins used to employ golden galleons as their form of currency, but it fell out of fashion. Nowadays, they are incredibly rare and expensive (74-75).

Trolls have a tale about an invisible evil that sucks the souls from living beings and leaves them mad. It can only be seen in the light of a full moon (80).

Sister is Another Word For Always

Vereesa felt Sylvanas’ death at the hands of Arthas the moment it happened (89-90).

Sylvanas’ eyes were gray as a high elf (91).

In the midst of her sorrow at her sister’s death, Vereesa sought many escapes. At first she tried to sleep, but when rest and forgetfulness would not come, she embarked on a journey across deserts and forests with little in the way of proper food or nourishment except that which she found (90, 93).

It is very possible Vereesa perished at some point on this journey, for she came across a spirit healer, though she was told it was not yet her time. The spirit healer offered Vereesa a deal: if she could bring her the willing soul of Sylvanas without ever touching her, the spirit healer would restore her to life (96-97).

When Sylvanas first died at the hands of Arthas, it seems as though the Arbiter sent her to Ardenweald (98-99).

After she struggles to locate her sister in Ardenweald, Vereesa is inadvertently pulled into the Maw. There, she still has difficulty finding her, and is told by the Jailer that Sylvanas is not there - at least, not yet. He then urges her to leave, telling her she does not belong there (99, 102-103).

Eventually, Vereesa spots a silver glimmer she knows to be Sylvanas, though it is only a fragment of her soul (103-104).

Before she can escape with the soul of her sister, the Jailer stops Vereesa and inadvertently tricks her into touching Sylvanas, rendering her deal with the spirit healer null and void (106).

At the end of this journey, Vereesa awakes at the foot of a statue, her memory of the experience hazy (109).

The Paladin’s Beast

Uther is originally from Stratholme (117).

Introduced as a fable beloved by the princelings and princesses of Lordaeron, the Paladin’s Beast is a tale that follows a young Uther as he finds himself in a mysterious and unfamiliar land. Determined to prove himself and bring back a prize to his fellow paladins, Uther joins a tournament put on by a foreign kingdom despite the protests of its princess. Though he is a strong warrior, she insists the beast of the tournament kills every knight who challenges it. Still, Uther refuses to back down, confident that his faith in the Light will give him the strength he needs to prevail. However, the princess’ words hold true, as every knight who goes to fight the beast before him perishes. When it is his turn, Uther decides to stay his hammer rather than fight, remembering the princess’ words. The beast withdraws, defeated by his act of compassion. It is revealed afterward as Uther goes for his prize that the princess actually was the beast all along, cursed to fight in the tournament for disobeying her father and breaking the royal lineage. She casts a spell on Uther, making it so that when he returns to Lordaeron, he will not remember anything of who she was or his experience there until the day he finds himself in a fiery field. Though the fable ends there, it is said that Uther dreamt of the silver kingdom and its princess for many years to come. It was not until his final moments, trying to fell a beast with weapons rather than compassion, that he would fully remember the princess and her story (111-127).

For Lies and Liberty

Most undead do not get all of their memories back immediately once they are raised (or given free will). It takes time and encouragement (133-134).

On the long-standing issue of whether or not undead have ichor or blood running through their veins, it appears one Jeremiah Pall still has blood in his body, though it has stopped moving on account of his still heart (134).

The story of the “Fearless Flyer” - a man known as Captain Whitney - is famous among some of the Alliance forces. According to the man himself, Whitney and his outfit had been fighting orcs for months to no avail when he hatched a bold plan to launch himself by catapult into their camp and take them by surprise, hence the nickname the “Fearless Flyer”. This story, unfortunately, turned out to be nothing but hyperbole. As it stands, a drunk Whitney accidentally got tangled up in nets, fell in the catapult, and was unceremoniously flung into the orcish camp. Believing themselves to be under attack, the orcs retaliated and killed most of the unsuspecting humans while Captain Whitney hid (136, 142).

Stones, Moss, and Tears

Though female elves traditionally mark their faces after they have achieved a rite of passage, they can continue to add embellishments to commemorate any further deeds (155).

At least one kaldorei lorekeeper was charged with knowing the name of every Sentinel and recording details of their more noteworthy battles (156).

The Bloomblade druids were one of the oldest, unbroken lines of night elf druids (158).

A species of insect known as glowmoths migrate through Mount Hyjal every autumn (164).

The Embrace

The White Lady and the Sun were charged with keeping watch over Azeroth as it dreamed (171, 176).

Though she loved the people of Azeroth dearly, the White Lady found herself growing lonely and in want of a family (173).

The moon cycles are thought to be the White Lady turning away and hiding her face in her sorrow, though she would always look back upon Azeroth to watch over it (174).

It is said that the White Lady loved Azeroth and its denizens so much that a child - the Blue Child - was born of that love (174-175).

The Blue Child, ever curious, began asking the White Lady questions about the mortals that weighed on her heart, as she could not answer (176).

One night the White Lady woke up to find the Blue Child gone. Unable to find her, she swore off her charge until the Blue Child was returned to her (177-178).

Without her guidance, the planet sped up and the tides ceased. The White Lady was only convinced to return to her duty after the Sun urged her, telling her the Blue Child might return if she had the moonlight to guide her (178).

The White Lady began to glow even more brightly over time in the hopes that her child would see, her light quickly growing to rival that of the Sun’s. This, too, caused problems, for crops burned and navigators could not see the stars to travel by (179).

Upon seeing the terrible effect this was having on Azeroth’s denizens, the White Lady dimmed her light and retreated (181).

The Blue Child ultimately returned from her long travels to her mother. They embraced in the sky, creating a beautiful eclipse (182).

Ever curious, the Blue Child was bound to grow restless again and leave for the stars, but the White Lady knew she would always return (183).

When the moon turns red, it is a sign of her anger (177).

Why the Mermaids Left Boralus

Back when Kul Tiras was still a Gilnean colony, Boralus had hardly any walls or structures protecting it from the wind or sea. More often than not, when the Great Sea churned at the city’s edge, it took houses, ships, and even men down into its depths. So many would drown in these incidents that those remaining covered them with weighted nets, causing them to sink to the seafloor (187-188, 190).

Many of the roads out of Boralus flooded during great storms, making it deadly to try to leave the city on foot or by ship (198).

The Kul Tirans declined to build a seawall for fear that it would have done nothing and also because repairing it after a storm would have been just as dangerous as the storms themselves (188).

Most of Boralus’ early inhabitants were seamen of some sort, whether fishers, sea priests, sailors, or pearl-divers (188).

During storms, the tidesages would act as a makeshift seawall and use their power to cut the waves before they made it deeper into the harbor (199).

Mermaids appeared quite openly near Boralus in its early days. Though they lived much deeper than most could naturally dive, they liked to sit on the rocks and watch ships go by, among other things. Most lived in temples beneath the sea that belonged to Kul Tiras’ former inhabitants (189, 191).

According to superstition, sighting a mermaid was bad luck and presaged many inauspicious things including a doomed voyage, a brutal winter, and poor fishing. They were also seen as the harbingers of storms (189-190).

Tidesages were (and still are) always the first and last to disembark from a ship. As a result, they usually went down with their ships (191).

The tidesages’ unrivaled dedication, combined with the frequency of drownings and shipwrecks, often meant they died young (191).

Mermaids are spawned from eggs and leave no corpses when they die (191, 203).

The mermaids had very little understanding of the Kul Tirans’ mistrust towards them (191).

Mermaids have some power over the rocks and water - granted to them by the Tidemother from birth -, but they use it sparingly because it is finite. Once a mermaid runs out of magic, they die. As a result, mermaids can live up to five hundred years (192).

Mermaids consider sirens lazy and murlocs deplorable (192).

According to legend, the bubble seaweed in Boralus Harbor is actually discarded pearls. A mermaid by the name of Halia fell in love with a tidesage and kept secretly gifting them to her as a token of her affection. The tidesage, Ery, was far too pragmatic for such a gift and dumped the pearls back in the water every time (195).

The mermaids believe that the Tidemother will give tails to those who slit their feet from toes to heels and walk into the harbor at dawn (197).

According to legend, Boralus’ great stone seawall was formed through the combined efforts of dozens of mermaids and one lone tidesage. A virulent tempest had come upon Boralus one day, taking men and ships alike with it. Though the city’s tidesages gathered to push back the waves, all but one were lost to the storm over the course of five long days. The last remaining tidesage, Ery, persisted despite her exhaustion while the mermaid Halia, too afraid to watch her lover perish, began using her own magic to craft a seawall. Though the storm repeatedly broke it down, her fellow mermaids joined her, ultimately expending their magic and sacrificing themselves to raise a wall so grand it towered over even the mightiest of ships and waves. Ery herself nearly died after this, though Halia saved her by invoking the Tidemother. She cut Ery’s feet from toes to heels and dragged her into the harbor, performing the ritual necessary for her transformation into a mermaid (198-203).

All but one of the mermaids - Ery notwithstanding - perished to save Boralus, which is why none are seen there today (204-205).

As a result, the sailors of Boralus now see mermaids as a symbol of the highest honor, good luck, and sacrifice (205).

During calm sunsets when the red of the sky is reflected in the harbor, sailors refer to it as “Ery’s blood,” after the tidesage who fought the storm so valiantly. Ery’s blood is a sign of good weather to come (205).

The Courageous Kobold and the Wickless Candle

Kobolds tell a sleep-time story (209).

Kobold families live together in caves. They have their own nests, but congregate in common areas for stories, among other things (210).

Some time ago, the Whiskersnoot kobold tunnels crumbled, submerging the Whiskersnoots in total darkness. They lived like that for generations, having decided it was no longer safe to dig higher after the cave-in. This spawned a saying: “Never pick above your snout, else the darkness snuff you out!” (210-211).

Granny Whiskersnoot, however, dug just a little bit upward every day until one day she broke through to a light above. She intended to lead the other kobolds to it, but could never find her way back through the tunnels again. It wasn’t until her granddaughter persisted in finding it that they made their way back above ground (211, 222).

The kobolds think of the sun as a “Wickless Candle” (211).

Visage Day

On a dragon’s Visage Day, they choose what mortal form they will take. This is significant, as it shows the Aspects trust them to adopt the guise of one of the mortal races and walk among them. It is the dragons’ hope that through choosing a form to embody and relate to mortals, the more mortals can understand dragons in turn (228, 234).

Onyxia, on the other hand, maintains dragons choose visages that allow them to control the mortals (241).

In accordance with tradition, the Visage Day ceremony occurs on the uppermost level of Wyrmrest Temple. Each of the Aspects are usually present for members of their own dragonflight, though Alexstrasza herself has been known to officiate on occasion. It is also customary for each flight to send emissaries (243).

During the ceremony, all attendant dragons take their own mortal forms in honor of the dragon whose Visage Day it is (245).

Before they publicly choose their form, the dragon in question traditionally makes a proclamation (245).

The Visage Day ceremony can be delayed (244).

Nozdormu has helped many bronze dragons prepare for their own Visage Day (230).

When Nozdormu sits in the sands at the heart of the Bronze Dragonshine, intricate patterns form around him (233).

Both Kalecgos and Chromie performed a short incantation to assume their mortal forms, though Nozdormu did not appear to need to (234, 236, 246).

Kalecgos says that he chose a half-elf form - which he calls a “blend of mortal worlds” - in order to symbolize his own attempt to blend together the dragon and human worlds (237).

Onyxia, on the other hand, opted to take the form of a beautiful human woman to better manipulate mortals (241).

The dragons often go by nicknames in their mortal forms because they find their full names sound too formal to humans (238).

The drakonid were fashioned by the dragons to be helpful and loyal (238).

The black dragonflight practices how best to inflict pain (239).

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vohalika · 5 years

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hello, this is random but.. could u please tell me some of your fav things about vex? i don't often see people who Really Like Vex and we need more of that

Well, well, well, anon.

I have literally no idea how long it has been since you asked this of me, but rest assured I have not forgotten! Well, okay, I had for a while, then I saw it again and was like “oh, right, huh… And would you look at that, I’m about 100 posts away from 100,000… Wouldn’t that be a good one…”

So. Here we are! An unstructured rambling of all the reasons I really, really love Vex, somewhere between superficial and embarrasingly personal, to celebrate this arbitrary number of things I have spread around on this hell site.

Okay, first of all, the only thing Laura had to say to Kit Buss for the official art was “make her hot”. That is a Statement. And boy did Kit and also everyone deliver on that.

Like seriously. I didn’t use to be a fan of feathers in hair or white armor, but good god does she make it work.

Hey, I said this was going to be extremely superficial

Another thing I really didn’t use to like, twins. Overdone and usually poorly executed. But our girl made a Point out of being as different from her twin as she could be while at the same time being completely believable siblings.

I swear to god I’ll do my absolute best to mention Vax as little as possible. This is not about him.

Third thing I really couldn’t stand! The one, usually female, team member with a pet! Closely related to the one with the nature powers! I don’t know, these just always rubbed me the wrong way in media before, probably because I also never really cared for shows or movies about animals. Fight me.

And yet here she is, and she is not the “won’t somebody think of the children animals!” type of gal and Trinket is amazing and it still ties into her personality on a larger scale without being preachy.

I have a fourth thing. I also really don’t care for elves, ever. Everybody hates them. And then she turns around and makes me cry about the elf thing. Good god.

Yes, watching the first episode way back when was an uphill battle. There’s a reason I started with episode 69 and then watched the rest.

Nice.

Vex has the best worst sense of humor. No, really. I’m not even talking about that time she made a comment about the boy with the shot off fingers not having much of a future as a musician. But I’m also talking about that. And that time Scanlan tried having a meaningful monologue about having a daughter now. “I’ve defined most of my life by the people I slept with, and now…” - “Well, technically, this is still kinda defined by that.”

(Shoutout to Percy “I was just thinking that”)

Also, “We don’t do anything with dignity”, “I only serve gods with big dicks”, “You might live forever, but you will still be fucking ugly”? Girl is iconic, even if her sense if humor is usually pretty inappropriate for the given situation, she just can’t help it. I relate.

On a related note, it is so easy to play a similar archetype and have her just be this always dignified and above the humor kind of stuck-up. It’s basically how most people would have written her (and a certain someone did). But not our girl, oh no.

Also, I recently made a post about this, but we really, really don’t talk enough about how she’s just the leader of the party. She is. No, really, lower your bitch sticks, y’all. She’s the one to talk to the most NPCs, she’s the one to usually say go, and everyone just naturally adheres to her. It’s never forced, it’s never an “I, as the leader” moment, and she doesn’t try to wrestle her way into the role. It’s just what happens naturally.

Which also means she’s good at stepping back and letting other people shine for a bit. But still, Vex is the reason they didn’t just flounder around like a chicken without its head after Scanlan left. Laura was late to two sessions in campaign one; the first one was already in an extended battle scene, and the other was literally spent in a bedroom in hell waitinig for Vex to tell them what to do.

This is why scholars are generally of the opinion that Vex is the only Top in VM. And also what intellectuals refer to as Big Dick Energy.

Let’s talk about what the assholes call Greed. Yes, Vex is, out of all of them, the most pre-occupied with gold and loot. But she NEVER hoards anything for herself, never spends any of her own gold on herself even until the timeskip, leave alone the party funds.

She looks out for the interests of the group, makes sure they get the best possible deals and are paid what they are owed. And she’s the only one to ever worry about money, too, whereas everyone else never bothers to think about it. Hence why her and Vax split the cost of paying their staff after the party spent all the funds early on.

Look, I find her worries very indicative of growing up in poverty with her mom, than surrounded by rich and important people but locked out of the loop, and then poor and on the road again with Vax. I find it very relatable, and everyone who claims that looking out for the financial well-being of the party is “greedy” is lucky enough to never have had to worry about eating next month while also making rent.

There’s Safety In A Fist Full Of Diamonds, okay?

No really I need y’all to read that and send it to the annoying bitches who complain.

Vex is literally never stingy when it comes to helping people with the money she made sure they have. Remember how she didn’t even flinch at spending a five digit number to free angel boy slaves?

WHICH LEADS ME TO ANOTHER POINT. Vex. Vex has a serious hoarding problem. But not when it comes to money of earthly possessions. No. When it comes to PICKING UP STRAYS.

It’s how she got Trinket.

It’s how she got the angel babies.

It’s what she tries to do with the grey render baby.

It’s what she suggested they do with the dragon eggs in the Raishan fight

(LET! VEX! HAVE! PET! DRAGONS!)

IT HOW SHE GOT HER OWN GODDAMN HUSBAND OKAY.

I have no idea how she hasn’t adopted her own zoo by the time VM forms. Though I can totally see her opening orphanages in Whitestone, both for people and animals and creatures of all kinds, really.

Remember when she was the only one to protest the punching of a spectral ghost cow?

The hardships of her youth made her, yes, very afraid of being out of money, but also made her compassionate as fuck. She’s always down with helping people even if there’s little to no coin in it, okay? Stop overlooking that, assholes.

SPEAKING OF COMPASSION. Remember what her original beef with the Vasselheim potion seller was? That he took advantage of Grog being intellectually challenged. Which is what he did! Blatantly so! And he wasn’t the least bit sorry about it!

I mean, I bet he is by now, but, you know. Karma.

When Laura says Vex just wanted justice and then everyone else escalated that scene she is goddamn right, rewatch your own footage Matthew.

Oh god do I have to talk about broomgate now. I don’t want to talk about broomgate.

OKAY

Broomgate is literally the only time in the entire series that Vex ever takes something for herself. Was it the morally right thing to do? Maybe not. Though to keep in mind that a) Hardwick is a piece of shit, b) they literally met Gern when he had the skeletons of Kiki’s dead civilization dancing for him; Vax shanked Nothics for less, c) and this was hot off the heels of fighting a necromancer in the last big arc, too, d) they were on a mission to kill dragons. That fly. With no method of flying for the majority of the party. Vex always intended to use the broom for that purpose, so you could make the legal argument of commandeering it instead of stealing, and, finally, e) SHE HAD JUST FUCKING DIED

Why do we never talk about that

Other characters get cut all the slack for what they do after just dying

Other characters get cut all the slack when they steal from other guests

Other characters get cut all the slack when they withhold loot for the party

Other characters DIDN’T GET AN ALIGNMENT DROP FOR DOING WORSE SHIT THAN THIS

WHY ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT BROOMGATE

WHY WAS BROOMGATE EVER EVEN A THING

okay

MOVING ON

Hey, while we’re at dying. Remember how Vex spent the day after she, literally, died, trying to make sure the person who was to blame for her death was okay? She did that. And Percy was uncomfortable with it, visibly so, but also too guilty to call her out here.

And no one. NO ONE. EVER. Bothered to check in on how she felt after dying.

Vax made it all about the sacrifice he made, Percy felt too guilty, NO ONE ELSE CARED.

And what does she do? Soldier on. Try and cheer Vax up and support him in any way she can.

Honestly, learning the Raven Queen book by heart and then telling him that being the champion of a god is really fucking cool? Relatable. Relatable as fuck. You go girl.

And TO THIS DAY. ACROSS TWO CAMPAIGNS. Vex has been the only one. THE ONLY ONE. To EVER check up on someone after they died. Jester might eventually be the second one, but, you know. I am a big advocate for post-death and just post-big-battle-in-general aftercare cuddle piles or whatever. Someone tell the cast to implement that immediately.

And while we’re at death, let’s talk about THE DARKNESS

There are dark facets to her character. Vex never makes her own issues everyone else’s problem and they go largely unadressed, but they’re there.

Saundor brought up the story about how she got Trinket and had to kill for the first time while doing so.

(Sidenote: Saundor doing more research into her character than an actual writer is extremely telling.)

That was definitely traumatic for a young girl and I don’t mean to dismiss that, but that’s also the part I can understand Vax dismissing when they talk about it later on. They do kill a lot of people after that and this was self-defense, so hey, okay. Fine.

HOWEVER

That short story was indicative of many other things that torment Vex. Mostly her low sense of self-worth.

Like, her entire inner monologue is centered around how stupid she was for getting into this situation in the first place (= for being taken advantage of by criminals at the tender age of probably like 15), and how this would never have happened to Vax, who was away in the city to take care of them.

And we see that low sense of self-worth bleeding into Vex’s character throughout the campaign. That’s part of the reason why she spends the day after her first death making sure everyone else is okay. That’s also part of the reason she blames herself for Scanlan leaving and acts like she’s completely fine when he returns just so he’ll stay.

Honestly that short story is so insightful and explains so much about her, I don’t know how anyone could claim to have any grasp on her character without reading it.

(Also, Laura should write more, she’s talented)

Now a significant part of her self-worth issues obviously also ties back into her time at Syngorn. I can just hear people getting out their tiny violins, oh, waaah, she wasn’t one of the rich, cool kids in elf school, poor her.

But that’s not entirely it?

Like, just that is already plenty to fuck a person up. I’ve been there, too.

But let’s just say the fact that her dad was also cold towards them and acted like they were unworthy is a BIG part of what fucked her up. Call it daddy issues if you feel like being dismissive about a genuinely traumatizing upbringing, but that’s how it is.

And don’t get me wrong, if this were the traumatic childhood olympics, it’s not exactly up there and relatively tame for the background of a character in a fantasy story, but it is very true to life and extremely relatable, and Laura just executes it so well. So, so well.

That’s part of what makes the entire stretch of Feywild episodes so great. From what we see of Vax’s reaction later on, Percy is the only person she ever talked to about this - or at least the only one who ever listened - and he immediately got it. And instead of yelling at her about how amazing she is, he did something to make her feel better about herself. Without making it about himself, by the way.

I enjoy a fake married plotline as much as the next gal, but Percy giving her a title she’d have to earn by her own merits is soooo much more meaningful than just putting a fake ring on her, okay?

Yes, at the end of the day, this is basically a Cinderella fantasy. So what? No, really. One of the best things about Vex and her arc is that it validates feeling upset about not measuring up in superficial, material ways. And it validates getting your come-uppance. These are, as mentioned above, experiences that can really mess with a person, but we’re usually supposed to be above it all because money and titles don’t make you happy.

Also something only people who never struggled financially can say/believe unironically and without specifying.

Hell, that’s about 70% of the reason I’m considering getting a Ph.D. if I happen to get the grades.

I’m also not a big fan of the term daddy issues, but I can’t deny that this is a thing here

not the thing they went into the Feywild for, buuuut

ahem

So. Remember when Laura said during the campaign wrap up that Vex thought of Scanlan as a father figure and everyone was like whaaaaat? And I was like ahahahaha, I knew it.

This is so tragic, really. Because she tried so hard so many times to help Scanlan and be nice to him and he just brushed her off. And then she’s the one who volunteers to spend the night all by herself in some dirty pub far, far away after opening up to his daughter about her own issues to bring him back alive, and then gets yelled at, and never apologized to.

And then he comes back and tries to erase her memory and not only is that never even brought up, she also just doesn’t even think she might be owed an apology because a) she still blames herself for him leaving because, you know, they never really talked out what happened there and b) she’s just too happy for at least that father figure returning to them to make much of a fuss about it, and Percy, bless his heart, TRIES, but it’ll take a few more years of marriage to talk through all of her issues

And like. I am not wild about anything that happens after episode 99. If I’m known for anything in this fandom on this platform it’s probably for that time I was really into the Ioun discourse, which I still stand by, btw. And I personally would have preferred for Vex to maybe get someone like Sehanine as her patron, as fitting as giving her yet another unworthy and disapproving father figure in her life might be

But there is also something somewhat gratifying about everyone talking about how great she is. And she had been sort of working for Pelor before that. Also, the headcanons about her having sun spots or starting to glow when she gets emotional after this are amazing.

So I made my peace with that. She deserves better, but hey, she always does.

She is so smart. So extremely smart. People roll their eyes at her battle plans and say it’s all Travis feeding Laura information, but Travis fed her nothing that time she schmoozed up to the Briarwoods while also making herself appear extremely superficial and unthreatening. Honestly. That dinner scene? Prime Vex. Amazing Vex.

Her battle plans are also so good. Pokeball-ing Grog out of the kill box? Using the Goristro against Vorugal to save the party a trip into the abyss? The only plan of Vox Machina that ever worked out basically perfectly? Amazing. And even IF Travis told Laura these ideas, that means literally nothing in relation to how smart Vex is.

And btw I don’t believe that for a second. People just aren’t good with acknowledging that sometimes, D&D playing women might actually have good ideas.

And she just is so street smart. With her skills, her battle plans, and just her way of handling people. There’s a reason she is the natural leader when it’s not someone’s turn in the spotlight at the time.

Like, the two things holding her back were that her class was extremely underwhelming, so much so that it got completely revamped in the Unearthed Arcana to make up for how bad it was in the PHB, and the fact that she just. Has, what. 1.5 episodes of her own storyline? Even Pike got 2. It’s amazing that I can even say this much about her with how little narrative focus she got throughout the series. And most of what she did was literally due to Percy using his plot clout and putting a foot in the door to force her into the spotlight.

Speaking of which. Percy’s best quality, next to being self-aware of how fucked up he is and actively trying to do better and be kept in check, is how he realizes Vex is the coolest, smartest, most amazing person around and treats her accordingly. The way she deserves to be treated.

Oh hey I mentioned to get this far without even mentioning the romance arc. And oh my god THE ROMANCE ARC. The pining. The slow burn. And the fact that we actually saw them together and later married for like 35 episodes. They were so good for each other.

And yes, PERCY WAS GOOD FOR HER. And Vex was not his therapist and manic pixie dream girl. None of that bullshit here. Percy was already firmly on the path to being better before he even considered that crush he has had on her for forever to turn into something more.

And by he was good for her I mean that he actually UNDERSTOOD her and where she was coming from. Refer again to the titling issue, where Vax is just confused and kind of pissed, Percy got it. And that’s important.

Something I have not made a post about so far, by the way, is also something people have called problematic and co-dependant is how Percy shares his darker impulses with Vex in hopes she’ll talk him out of it. Which she does, and it’s never hard, but that also means so much to her? Because he involves her and tells her exactly what is going on with him and values her opinion? And that is just exactly what she needs? And they’re so good? THEY’RE SO GOOD.

WHEN DOES YOUR OTP EVER

HE COULDN’T HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER DREAM

This is more on Laura, admittedly, but also, it was just so great to see her unapologetically pursuing this romance? There’s a place at the table for a 72 episode slow burn, and she’s gonna go for it, and there’s nothing any of the dudebros who are just here for the fighting can do about it.

And also Vex is just so unapologetically sexual at the same time. From episode 1 onwards, really, and in general and just limited to Percy. And no one ever treats that as weird or bad or anything. It’s just who she is and that’s great.

And she fought. So hard. For that happy ending of hers. Kicking and screaming, against the world and against Taliesin’s determination that Percy is irredeemable and not capable of getting a happy ending. Defy that auctorial intent, my girl. You deserve it.

Seriously. Seeing her get that happy ending against all odds was unfathomably gratifying and validating and I’ve never connected to any single character or narrative at large for that matter this much and this intimately, and considering how I came across this story at one of the darkest times in my life, I probably never will feel so strongly connected to anything ever again.

Which is probably for the best, but hey.

Aaaand there you go. An almost unstructured, epically long list of reasons I love Vex. Dammit, I talked about other characters way more than I intended, buuuut hey. That’s how it goes when you’ve got an ensemble piece, they’re all kinda interwoven.

Thank you this wonderful ask, anon, and reason to celebrate my 100,000th post on this site in style.

#critical role #cr #cr1 #vex'ahlia #lady vex'ahlia de rolo #is better than you #deserved better from the narrative #will forever be my favorite character probably #will forever be part of my ultimate OTP #we do not deserve her #we are unworthy #long post #long post for ts

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emersonmanandnature · 4 years

Text

January 16, 2020

Journeys End

amongst the unknown architects intense revelations, a system of comparisons duty bound criticizing the slackers a shifting of reason as a book reveals the ingenuity of his presence seeking followers, a collaboration of hope without substance we live in a physical universe empty of parody leaving regulations to those that have brought an authority founded in a history of dissections and false witness, what is ones freedom of purpose, how do we see truth surrounded by phantom avengers, illusions encompassing our psyche with prickly guilt, a breakdown of conscious thoughts with terror intruding on a misrepresentation of self awareness, violence is an action of cowards relying on intimidation to create fear and an unwillingness to challenge your inner sight, seeing infinite possibilities, we ignore our stagnating future with compositions of meaningless words, we talk through ideas faltering, then evaporating, now full of futile bickering with no real purpose given to our needed future, what do we sacrifice by giving an expressive smile to one passing, beyond these ever shifting realities, surface facades changing as the scene radically decomposes to an aggressive, idolized fraud, no faith maintained, willing to do harm to anyone that interrupts the flow of money into

the ministries coffers, an outward hallelujah, another fabrication of our church’s meaning, a new appearance, a sparkling entrance with new artwork for the depositors of money in our baskets, god love the rich for their pennies, our god long crucified, abandoned, we suffered through the centuries as we were placated by promised salvation by religious zealots, the walls bend and break with our desirous obsession to be seen and heard, but never our inner being felt but left unattended for we are alone in our presence, does he see and feel our prayers of anguish seeking something more than just our physical presence, a possible resurrection, we exist with callous hearts unwilling to lift another’s weight when they falter and fall, doubt in our own revelation, visions of takers in this external wonderland of hustlers, phantoms, haunted minds, greed, fixations on external glory, keeping us from experiencing our life through a vision of freedom without retribution, allowing us to accept the lingering impressions of his motives, these ambiguities that accumulate as one discovers the incoherent ramblings of politicians accepting bribes as just another way to make a profit in his empty temple, formal arrangement of repetitive rituals that express power and acceptance of exterior guidance that gives the ok to steal from the innocent, wink, wink and destroy peoples lives for profit especially when we feel separated from our inner truth easily deposed of in backyard rubbish, his holy

closeness a mirage, a fixation, willing something into existence, a godlike personality yet illusive, formative representation in our minds segregated ideals, as we enter a church with a crucified man hanging over the altar his head sinking forward from the weight of constant physical evil perpetuated by the madness of material gain, when death always lurks from the sidelines of existence, patiently waiting for another golden calf to worship, a belief in another external prophet, a man or a woman? funny not many gods are a woman’s revelations, that should say something about the time Jesus roamed the middle east, what about a balance with the all male dominance of the heavenly trilogy, redundancy without fruition, silent nights our minds numb with meager words of equality for we have been forgotten in our earthly sinful natures our addiction to surrendering to something outside ourselves, blaming our brutality on some other human interference, an incoherent digressions deflecting truth, our answers lie inward in our inner resurrection of our intuitive battle with these architects of power and manipulation their hypocrisy of a pretentious intellectual superiority that lies outward amongst sanctimonious propagandists, reaping the benefits of our gullibility, these image makers with their suit pockets full of loot stolen from elderly worshipers, praise god the lord for we are his children and as such they must be taken advantage of and stripped of their money interest for in death you will rise to the heavens on a

broken down wagon full of false gold, god bless you on your journey to never, never land, and thanks for giving of course to our fabulous scam, our dissection of his truth, twisting his words to suit our own interpretations to fool the many, shadow people without a purpose, a loyal god rich with mansions, servants and all the good things in this false life we have been living, we know you were confused but it all gets better once you understand that you have no finances and your broken down body needs cash, we stole for your medical treatment, amen! we are hallow, beastly human beings, granted and we seek easy targets for our “praise the lord” deceptions and in our surface glitter, as if this life is not filled with a deep illness, an unstructured reality based upon a god that came and went and gave the preachers their entire script to impose on the people and the profits flowed and more and more men and women of avarice saw the potential for being rich off these innocent souls that could be easily duped just with a loud hallelujah! can I get another hallelujah! how does it feel to be devoted to an ethereal man? when around you the planet rots in poisoned waters, the atmosphere polluted with corporate profits and we wait and we wait for our death and then our meeting of our god who ignored the visciousness of our demented leaders who saw not human beings but cattle to herd and put in corrals to work all their lives in praise of you lord who was and is a tool of the

true masters of this planet that use your words to control the anger growing as money men gain record profits as our infrastructure breaks down and people suffer for their beliefs and never truly see their own vision but feel the affects of our true buddy satan not in hell but on this earthly fire pit of torturous thieves present but not amongst the poor or middle class for they are tanning themselves cruising the Mediterranean in their luxurious yachts bought on the backs of people of all nationalities and in every country in this prison of deception and gluttony, we fear evil walking amongst us with their obedient servants, controlling minds with simple deceptions, listen to the corrupt voices, listen to them manipulate our inner purpose demanding we focus on one thing only, our physical presence and how we look to others, without depth or a willingness to become our intuitive self, we hunger for someone with purpose, a woman or man straight forward with words of power, creating a revolution, a way of taking back our earth, our individuality, our intuitive insights, but most get fooled again and again by believing and listening to the sirens call from the corrupt corporate voices, as they manipulate our mind’s hunger for recognition, so they praise our dementia of accepting a life not lived for oneself but for others, that hold tightly in their greedy hands the money we desperately need to feed our children, can we have another hallelujah that’s it children raise your

hands to the lord and listen to his deathly silence as we sink further into the oblivion of fear and despair, have they wronged you by taking your hard earned money? is not money our savior, it has been our deviation from living his words now for centuries, the real power is to accumulate assets, this is our sacred mission, the controlling of others not with only words but now with investments, the power and purpose here is to accumulate possessions, forget about it, what is living a life, enhancing your mind, understanding our history and why we believe in a man-god who came to earth, where you ask? well from outer space? or from inside you and me trying to preach kindness and the healing love of his gifts to all humanity, our inner beliefs we have in common and give not to these hypocritical players, their voices repeating empty cliche’s as if they meant anything but more profits for the wealthy that has their hands in every bank account around our planet and all we do is cower and say yes sir, yes your majesty as oligarchs tear apart families, tricking them to respond with anger at the simplest of actions, caring for someone else, these angry people live in a deceptive heart believing that they must fight against those trying to change the world not by violence and corruption but a clear vision, just a simply act of kindness toward others, do we even care anymore what the prophets spoke centuries ago gathering people together not to lash out at differences but opening our minds and hearts to support other human beings needing help but

that is to much to ask nowadays as our worthless politician sign another bill to move more of our hard earned tax dollars to offshore accounts and we the people continue to fight amongst ourselves as if this is a way to victory, wake up! devotion, determination, our intentness is rather iffy because we have begun a new era of praising criminality and the oligarchs of hate and dark hearts exploit all human beings as long as these crooks can do what they want with us and steal our money and burden us with loans and high interest rates all in the name of god and country and our silence continues as if we see any kind of future on this planet, we are addicted to hating someone else and not our own lack of individuality and insight, we need to feel the power through what, the anxiety of a new era of corruption deliberately creating dramas to keep the people distracted from their greed, we live in fear afraid to say enough, in our silent bondage waiting for our savior to return and do the dirty work for us, it is our responsibility to get rid of the massive take over of this planet by the wealth, politicians, oligarchs, kings and queens, corporations, dictators praised by our president, fiends, psychopaths, butchers, evil…on and on…his word traveled through the minds of the prophets spreading outward for his revelations began to falter through man’s selfish nature seeking on earth the power he expressed in human form, a love for your neighbor an inner awareness that it is our

responsibility to change this planet for the people by the people, he sacrificed himself for our sinful nature, and even his miracles performed couldn’t stay the continuous violence of wars, poverty, slavery, dictatorships, lies, drugs, addicts of possessions as the centuries passed and each new generation lessened their beliefs and inner character and decided why not make a living as the churches do by taking money from ordinary people in the stock market, with lies to invest in your future through one of these false investment schemes, we become cattle to be branded with a party and left without a means of change never to move past the hypocrisy of our elected officials, these misshapen demons not speaking about solving the massive problems we face but instilling in us terror that allows them to impose their will on the herd by distracting us from what is real and what our lives intended, our path is now set and journeys end before they begin, nature’s beauty no longer a lasting significance for we have made our bets on the second coming of an inner vision from the words labeled, his words, and that he was coming for us for we are after all god’s chosen few and this earth is our play ground even when we are using violence against innocence and waging wars against other cultures for their oil and land we can always ask your forgiveness oh lord,we kneel before your cross, that had to hurt big time the way they tortured you, ouch! please god hear our whispered

prayers to invite others to do our criminal acts, don’t you feel our sincere anguish at making billions of dollars on oil and arms dealings, bless you all for your patience as we rape and murder the people of earth, praise the lord in our corruption of faith, we accept his forgiveness for we are the true lords of power and vision, soon their will be monuments made of our glory for all to piss on

#greed #lord of power #unstructured reality #act of kindeness #addicted to possessions #cjcorwinoriginal

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iv-scruff · 4 years

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So, this one's a bitch for me to write about on at least two counts; a) these individuals do not any more attention, it only feeds the monster, and b) I want to be writing about more imporant/positive things –– the world has enough negativity going around. But then again, I am feeling extra feisty today, so here it goes anyway.

Here are my least favorite things about them Kardash/nners.

1) They run around with a man who's clearly going through some really tough mental health stuff (Kanye), yet they do nothing. Mental health is an all-time hot-button issue in this country, which they inhabit, I can only assume. Can you just imagine your man, the father of your child (or is it children now?), running around supporting the president of the United States of America in 2019, and holding rallies (he visited home, Salt Lake, earlier this year), and saying that he's running for president...? Those antics I mentioned are merely scratching at the surface of Kimmy's husband's mental and emotional health. And what might the wife(?) of such a man occupy her time doing...? Well, I'll tell you. . . selling the Instagram nation fucking makeup(?), and (according to the Netflix original documentary Broken/Makeup Mayhem) being sure to express her dislike for "fast fashion." I just can't with this. . . woman, control your man. But the great Judy Sheindlin says it best; "beauty fades, but dumb is forever."

2) Frankly, I can't help but notice their obsession with black culture and bedding attractive African American men. As an avid supporter of (almost everything) sex and the preferences that it sometimes brings with it, I am all about it. Go on, get yours. But, African American men are part of a group that continues to suffer in profound ways. They have all that fucking power and all those people who idolize them, but they do nothing. Can you just picture one of these trainwrecks at a Black Lives Matter march? It'd would be cruel to put African Americans though that mess –– I just can't imagine they'd be welcome. But still, the consequences of their actions would still ripple though time in monumental ways (which is an idea I don't love, but I'm willing to take one for the world). This is what you do with unimaginable fame and fortune; you go ahead and do your best to leave the world better than you found it. Let's be honest, it is everybody's civil duty as children of the planet. In their unique position in society and the world stage, however, it is a heinous act to remain quiet when the world and its people are screaming for help. Sorry, images or your "perfect" asses and breasts just aren't enough. We need more, some of us want less, and a select few of us want nothing at all.

3) They make self-hate look beautiful; I am not talking, Brooke Shields-beautiful, I'm talking Las Vegas Strip-beautiful.* Here's where things get tricky, they know what they used to look like, and they also know how they went from normal-looking to hot enough to incite attention. Spoiler alert: it's disgusting amounts of money, which their fans don't have, and they fucking know it. So, they are selling a fragile world an unachievable, disgusting something. Their lives/actions scream to us words so tragic; you are ugly, you are not good enough, change yourself, money buys happiness, fame is everything, look at your phone more, look at me even more, indulge, indulge some more, post your most intimate selfies online for the world to see. . . don't worry, society does not still behave unkindly to women/people expressing in this manner. And don't forget to purchase my latest lipstick and eye shadow palettes. Thus, in a world where the bar is ever so low, they remain the lowest.

4) One of them, some thing called Kylie, tried to trademark "Kylie" as brand. Motherfucker, nah. Now this, you most certainly cannot have. Kylie is, like, a name. . . and, like, a lot of people are named Kylie. . . you didn't think you were the only one, did you? Whatevs, Lips, listen up, as far as famous Kylies go, the only Kylie that matters is the one and only Kylie Minogue. Learn it, live it, love it, bitch. Whatever the fuck you accomplish in your whole miserable/entitled life will never truly amount to anything (in ways that truly matter). This is arguably your one constant trouble; in a world of Can't Get You Out of My Head, Slow, All the Lovers, Red Blooded Woman, and Love At First Sight, you are nothing more than trendy makeup, and makeup tends to go out of style.

5) They are ugly (hey, it's a fair shot since their entire empire is built atop the skeletons of society's idea of beauty). Sure, they bought looks with their 'hard' earned cash, and sure, those looks have made me stare longer than I care to admit on more than one occasion. . . they are still ugly. They represent one of humanity's worst traits; infinite greed. So, Kardash/nners, while you all are cruising the most beautiful corners of our planet on one of your many private yachts, the world is on fire. And it doesn't appear to matter that none of you will live long enough to enjoy the last of your riches, nor will any of your children (even if the world remains for (hopefully) a long time, there's that inescapable truth that, when it comes to the time we have here on earth to enjoy earthly possessions, the limit does exist. 'But what about their legacy?' one may argue, but there is no legacy. We are living historic moments, and outside of Sephora, that 'legacy' is utterly inconsequential. There is nothing more to take. . . it all seems to be slipping through our collective fingers. . . and what these individuals seem to want is. . . more? That's my true beef with each of these grossly glorified social media influencers. That is, each of them fails to understand the causation of their everythingness; we, the people of the world, lost our footing, and in our most vulnerable moment, we made them famous. Kindness would be an appropriate way to say thank you –– it may not always be expected from any of them, nor is it something they owe to anyone or anything. It's just that they way they move through life is so ugly, it transcends ideas of physical appearance. And goddamn you all, you're all so unpleasant to watch.

xo,

a feisty Queen

* This is not a race thing, it's a natural/unaltered beauty thing, or what social science refers to as bilateral symmetry. So, if the wrong person (an overly sensitive person in relation to certain words and the ideas they may or may not convey) were to find my words and attempt to go full Kanye on me, maybe don't.

Palate cleanser: feel free to listen to the playlist I made and was listening to while I was designing the graphic you see above. It was Saturday, December 21, 2019, and on this day, I consumed a lot of Mexican candy. It is my attempt to reconnect with the beautiful of my past.

#kim kardashain west #kardashiansisters

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thotsonthebible · 5 years

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A New Creation

2 Corinthians 5.17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

It doesn't matter what sins you have committed. It doesn't matter what lifestyle you are living. You haven't sunk so low that you are beyond God's reach.

Behold, the LORD's hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. —Isaiah 59.1 (NASB)

Salvation is available to all who believe that Jesus is the Son of God!

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. —John 3.16-17 (NASB)

But it doesn't stop there. After we accept God's free gift of salvation, how are we to live?

What does 'salvation' mean? Salvation from damnation, surely, but from what have we been saved in this life? We were saved from bondage to the elemental forces of this world. We have been set free from the burden of our sins.

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules? —Colossians 2.20 (NIV)

So then, we are not to continue to live as we had before we met the Savior; we are not to wallow in the same sins from which we have been set free.

When a woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus, He forgave her—but He told her to stop sinning.

Jesus stood up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.' —John 8.10-11 (ESV) (italics mine)

When you embark on your new life in the Messiah, you need to make a clean break from your old life. In my opinion, one of the most important things you need to do is to houseclean. Yes, you read that correctly. Get rid of the encumbrances of sin that once weighed you down, that kept you tied to your life of sin. Pour the alcohol down the drain. Throw the drugs in the incinerator. Dispose of the occult books and paraphernalia. Destroy the astrology charts, the pornography, the devil-inspired music that drew you to the world. Discard the trappings of your old life and step forward into a new life in the Spirit.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things… Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. —Colossians 3.1-2, 5 (NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. —Hebrews 12.1-2 (NIV)

Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven as a prize so great that we would give up everything we have in order to possess it.

'The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.' —Matthew 13.44-45 (ESV)

Don't risk the riches of the kingdom of which you are now citizens by keeping one foot in your old life, one foot in the world. Rather, embrace the new life in the Spirit.

Finally, we are commanded to be holy, for we serve a holy God.

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.' —1 Peter 1.14-16 (NASB)

#Bible #Bible study #Christianity #religion #salvation #Jesus #God #new creation #sin #holiness

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romancatholicreflections · 6 years

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22nd October >> Daily Reflection/Commentary on Today’s Gospel Reading for Roman Catholics on Monday, Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time (Luke 12:13-21).

We move on now in Luke to more immediate concerns of the Christian life. Today’s topic is about the perennial question of money, or rather, the love of money.

A man in the crowd asked Jesus to tell his brother to give him a share of the inheritance due to them both. According to Mosaic Law the general rule was that an elder son received double that of a younger son. If there was a dispute, it was usually settled by a rabbi, which is presumably why the man approached Jesus. It was the kind of problem in which Jesus was not remotely interested and he refused to get involved. One wonders how interested Jesus is when we make novenas to win lotteries or when we ask God to help us get our hands on the wealth of a rich and elderly aunt!!

Jesus now takes the opportunity to make some general remarks about material greed “in all its forms”. A man may be wealthy, he says, but his possessions do not guarantee him life. Life comes with freedom, peace and happiness. Money cannot buy these things.

There is no evidence that rich people enjoy more freedom, peace or happiness although many of us are inclined to think they do and we envy them. Their marriages do not last any longer. They do not bring up better children. They do not necessarily enjoy better health.

At this point Jesus speaks a telling parable. A farmer who is already rich has a bumper harvest. It is so big that he has to pull down his existing barns to build larger ones. When all that is done, he smugly says to himself: “My boy, you have blessings in reserve for years to come. Relax! Put your feet up. Eat heartily, drink well. Enjoy yourself.” But that very night, Jesus says, God will terminate his earthly life.

What happens now to all his piled-up wealth? Yes, it all has to be left behind. “You can’t take it with you.” “How much did he leave?” was asked about a billionaire who died. “Every red cent,” was the reply. When the farmer met his God, what had he brought with him? Little or nothing. When Mother Teresa died, how much do you think she brought? One feels she brought a great deal. And she certainly left behind a great deal to enrich the lives of many.

What is my attitude to money and wealth? If I were to die now what could I bring with me to present to God? And what will I leave behind, apart from cash and possessions? All of us can be rich in God’s sight and it does not require any money. Someone has said that the really rich are not those who have the most but those whose needs are the least. [If you have a New Testament handy, read the following passage, 12:22-34, where Jesus spells out a recipe for a life free from anxiety, the life which he himself lived.]

And what we need most is the ability to reach out in love, the love that builds and makes life better for others. Think of what good parents leave behind in children whose lives are dedicated to making this world a better place. Or teachers who have helped young people to devote themselves to service of the community.

What we need is to live in communities where people look after each other. A situation where because everyone gives, everyone gets.

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godly-habits011497 · 3 years

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Prayer: Gathering treasures in heaven!

The other day we wrote here about store up treasures in heaven, we saw that despite the importance of our work and projects, we must also keep in mind where our real good is, that is, in our eternal home. This reminds us that the riches of this world are temporary and as much as we should plan and save, we cannot see our neighbor in need and fail to act.

More than having a fat reserve, diversified investments that provide us with a secure future here on earth, when we are generous and invest in people, in the church, in the Kingdom of God, we are accumulating a secure treasure in heaven. So today I want to pray with you to rebuke greed, remembering that your trust is not in earthly possessions, but in God, even if overnight everything is lost, he will still take care of you, because you are His child. I leave here a passage especially for you today:

Sell your possessions and give to the needy. By this you will store up treasures in heaven, and the purses in heaven will not wear out or crumble. Your treasure will be secure; no thief will steal it and no moth will destroy it.

-Luke 12:36

Prayer

Beloved God, I thank you for your care and love, for having mercy on me, even though I am just a sinner. I thank you for your provision, for all the goods that you have allowed me to gather so far, for food and for every thing that I may have even missed and not even realized was your care for my life.

Father I know that there are many people in delicate situations right now, without anything to eat, without a place to live, unemployed and in so many other unpleasant situations in the financial sphere that I can’t even mention. I pray that You will take care of them (quote in this part the names of the people you know, if you are in a delicate moment, expose your need to God), but I also pray that I can be a vessel of blessing at this moment for them.

Help me to see those who need my help, that in my heart there is no greed, but generosity, a desire to help others. I know that when I reach out my hand to another, You are also making sure that I lack nothing. Father, change the situation in my country and that by the end of the year there will be more people employed than unemployed.

I also pray that I will not fail Your Kingdom. My God, Yours is the power, the glory and the honor forever. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray, give thanks and ask that my words may reach the Lord like a sweet perfume!

Prayer of a mere servant of God

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basicsofislam · 4 years

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ISLAM 101: 5 PILLARS OF ISLAM: ALMS AND CHARITY: VIRTUES OF ZAKAT:

ZAKAT IS A MEANS FOR MERCY

Zakat is a major instrument in attracting the mercy of God, as those who achieve His eternal compassion are, justifiably, those who observe divine commands. Nurturing compassion for others through taking care of their needs is, no doubt, a means to attaining that limitless treasure—Celestial Mercy. The Noble Prophet (upon whom be peace) has highlighted this fact: “God treats with compassion those who treat each other with compassion. For that reason, have mercy on the earthly, so the Heavenly has mercy on you.”5 The Qur’an reinstates the mercy attracting aspect of zakat:

My mercy embraces all things; therefore I shall ordain it for those who ward off (evil) and pay the zakat, and those who believe in Our signs (revelations).” (A’raf 7:156)

Establish the prayer and pay the zakat and obey the Messenger, that perhaps you may find mercy. (Nur 24:56)

The Noble Messenger has further illustrated how charitable acts are virtually a magnet for the mercy of God: “Whoever has gathered, within himself, these four attributes will be immersed in

God’s mercy and granted Paradise: Protecting the poor, assisting the weak, kindness towards the slave and charitable towards the parents.”6 It should be stressed that all these praiseworthy acts entail, more or less, a degree of finance.

Zakat also acts as a shield, vigorously protecting the giver against numerous pitfalls of the soul; in such a way, it is another manifestation of Divine Compassion. However, if zakat ceases to be observed, the benefits may well be withdrawn, as pointed out by the Prophet: “The Celestial gates of compassion will shut on those who disregard zakat, depriving them of rain. Surely, if it weren’t for the roaming beasts, they would receive none of it (rain).”7

The truth is that zakat is a strong means, now and the Hereafter, of procuring the boundless compassion of God. Wherever zakat is observed, animals also obtain a share in this divine feast of mercy; and in places where the observance of zakat has fallen, animals remain the only reason for the provision of rain, as the inhabitants have ignorantly slammed shut the gates of mercy by their disregard of the obligation of zakat.

ZAKAT PREVENTS MISERLINESS

The love of property has intrinsically been a part of human inclination for many concealed purposes. Overindulgence in this fondness, however, will indubitably result in a shameful dissipation. This innate inclination possessed by human, in which overexploitation leads to miserliness, is highlighted in the Qur’an: “…Human souls are prone to selfish avarice” (Nisa 4:128).

In history, miserliness has been the sole culprit in the destruction of many civilizations, as reiterated by the Messenger of God:

Beware of miserliness, as those before you were ruined because of it. Their rulers enjoined miserliness, the public acted in accordance; their rulers ordered them to sever kindred ties, the public hastened to severe; their rules commanded transgression which they immediately saw to.”4

One of the etymological derivatives of zakat is tazkiya, signifying purification. It purifies the poor of envy and hatred and conversely, purges the sinister disease of miserliness from the spirit of the rich. The acknowledgement of the rights of others in property, a notion that zakat inherently conveys, unfetters the benefactor from material obsession. Stinginess, a detrimental disorder, suffers defeat as the giver embraces the perception that what is given by God is simply to be spent in the manner, or location, desired by Him. The departure of miserliness from a person results in the arrival of an even greater fondness of God:

So keep your duty to God as best you can, and listen, and obey, and spend: that is better for your souls. And those who are saved from their own greed will surely prosper. (Taghabun 64:16)

Thoughtlessly withholding what is granted by God, then, is virtually treading on dangerous territory, as exhibited via the following Qur’anic admonition:

And let not those who hoard up that which God has bestowed upon them of His bounty think that is better for them. It is worse for them. That which they hoard will be their collar on the Day of Resurrection. God’s is the inheritance of the heaven and the earth, and God is aware of what you do. (Al Imran 3:180)

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pamphletstoinspire · 6 years

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Understanding The Bible - A Practical Guide To Each Book In The Bible - Part 33

Written by: PETER KREEFT

TEN

________

How a Christian Is Different: First Corinthians

Today, especially in America, Catholics, like everyone else (except Orthodox Jews and Fundamentalists), want to be “accepted”. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians is especially relevant to such people. Though it talks about dozens of separate issues, the most unifying theme is that Christians must be different.

Corinth was the largest, most cosmopolitan, and most decadent city in Greece. Two-thirds of its seven hundred thousand citizens were slaves. It was a major port and hub of commerce. Much of the commerce was in human flesh. “To act like a Corinthian” was an ancient saying meaning debauchery, especially prostitution. Men went to Corinth to take a moral holiday.

The city was also full of idolatry, which centered around Aphrodite, the goddess of sex. Her temple, atop an eighteen-hundred-foot promontory, had a thousand temple prostitutes. Paul had come here in the years A.D. 51 and 52 to evangelize. Now four or five years later, he writes this letter to address some of the problems of this new, struggling Church surrounded by an “advanced” world just like ours: a world in “advanced” stages of decay.

His main point is that Christians are called out of paganism to a radically distinctive lifestyle. For Christ is the Lord of every aspect of life. Paul is utterly Christocentric; in 1 Corinthians 1:30 he identifies four great abstract ideals (wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption) with Christ Himself. In 1 Corinthians 2:2 he says that he “decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ”. Any addition to Him would be a subtraction.

America is strikingly similar to Corinth. According to polls, most Catholics consider themselves “Americans who happen to be Catholics”, rather than “Catholics who happen to be Americans”. Two of the words they dislike the most are “authority” (or “lordship”) and “obedience”. Yet these are precisely what Paul calls for.

Christ always sought out the most needy, and His Church has always followed His lead. Christianity naturally flows to the lowest places, like water. Corinth was the world’s lowest place, the spiritual gutter. Yet the Corinthians thought of themselves as high, not low—like the high and airy temple of Aphrodite. For one thing, they were rich due to trade and prostitution. For another, they were well educated. Though they did not produce any philosophers, many philosophers from Athens taught there. The most prominent philosophical school at the time was probably Scepticism. The last thing any of them would believe was a man rising from the dead.

Into this atmosphere heavy with lust, greed, and pride, Paul had introduced the clear light of Jesus when he first visited (2:1-5). And he now continues the same strategy: not compromising, not pandering, not patronizing, but calling for the hard way, the distinctive way of living the life of Christ in a Christless world.

This is not a systematically ordered letter, like Romans. It moves from topic to topic. There are many minor topics, but the four major ones are (1) sectarianism, (2) faith and reason—Christianity and philosophy, (3) sex and love, and (4) the resurrection from the dead—both Christ’s and ours. Other topics include incest, pagan lawyers, eating food offered to idols, prostitution, virginity, marriage, divorce, the Eucharist, order in worship, speaking in tongues, and other spiritual gifts.

The first two of these major points are treated together since simple faith unites while pride in reason divides. Paul is utterly scandalized at the growing factionalism in the Corinthian church (1:10-13). Can anyone seriously wonder which of the many “denominations” he would approve today?

Paul sees the source of division as the proud claim to possess superior “wisdom” and not submitting to Christ as God’s Wisdom. The wonderful irony and paradox of God’s folly being wiser than human wisdom (1:18-3:23) is the definitive passage for philosophers or theologians with “original” minds who tend to resist Christocentrism and want to “advance” in different and schismatic directions.

If all Christians had kept this passage uppermost in their minds for the last two thousand years, I believe that the tragedies of 1054 and 1517 and the hundreds of tears in the seamless garment of the Church since then could never have happened. If the Church ever becomes visibly one again, this passage will be the foundation for unity. Yet she always remains substantially and invisibly one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic.

On the number one topic in modern morality, sex and love, Paul does three things. First, he condemns sexual immorality in chapters 5 and 6, as well as the Corinthians’ lax attitudes that accepted it. Instead of justifying incest, they should excommunicate the offender. Instead of justifying prostitution by the slogan “all things are lawful” (6:12), they should realize that in doing so a Christian, as a member of Christ’s Body, makes Christ fornicate with a prostitute (6:15)!

Second, Paul gives a positive alternative picture of Christian marriage in chapter 7. Here he clearly distinguishes God’s commands from his own opinion, which is to stay single. I think there is a wonderful divine humor in God revealing some deep and perennial principles of marriage through a celibate who confesses that he personally does not recommend it! I also see a wry divine humor in including in Scripture (7:6-12) a clear distinction between what is divine revelation and what is not. The distinction between divine revelation and human opinion is a matter of divine revelation, not human opinion!

Third, Paul writes the most famous passage about love ever written, chapter 13. This is the essential alternative to pagan lust for both married and unmarried. It is also a call to a clear and distinctive lifestyle and Christian witness. After all, Christ had prophesied that the world would be able to distinguish Christians from others by the special kind of love they had (Jn 13:35), not by having the same kind of love as the world had.

First Corinthians 13 is often read at weddings because it is the best definition of love ever written. This love (agape) is not a feeling or desire (eros) but a life; it is as Dostoyevsky put it, “love in action” rather than “love in dreams.”

The first paragraph (13:1-3) shows the infinite value of love by contrasting it with other things of great value: speaking in tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith, and even the works of love without the soul of love.

The second paragraph distinguishes this love from all others by describing it in fifteen characteristics (vv. 4-7). Love is the skeleton key that unlocks all these doors. For instance, it is impossible to be patient with difficult people without love, but love brings patience with it.

Finally, the last paragraph shows the eternal destiny of love. Everything else, including all the things the Corinthians set their hearts and lives on, is doomed to die. Even faith and hope and earthly wisdom are not needed after death. But love is. When we love now, we plant seeds for eternity.

Chapter 13 is sandwiched between two chapters on spiritual gifts, especially the gift of tongues, and their use in worship. Paul shows moderation and wisdom in avoiding both the extremes of naive enthusiasm and suspicion, and in subordinating everything, even supernatural gifts, to love. He himself speaks in tongues and wants everyone to (14:5, 18), but the issue is much less important for Paul than most charismatics and their critics think.

Next to chapter 13, chapter 15 is the most famous and most important. It is the primary text in Scripture on the resurrection of the body. None of the Greek philosophers in Corinth believed in bodily resurrection, not because they did not believe in miracles, but because they did not believe the body was good and created by God. Their sexual materialism and their philosophical spiritualism went hand in hand. Paul revealed instead that the body is more real and good and important than they thought. It is a holy thing, the Spirit’s temple now (6:19) and the seed of something destined to live with God eternally, not a mere animal organism seeking sexual pleasure as its greatest good.

Plato had called the body “the soul’s tomb”. Paul tells the Corinthians, who were probably influenced by this philosophy, that to deny or ignore Christ’s bodily Resurrection is to abandon the whole faith. Without the Resurrection, “our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain” (15:14), “you are still in your sins” (15:17), and “if for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied” (15:19).

And this Resurrection is no mere symbol, no merely subjective and spiritual “resurrection of Easter faith”, or some such silly subterfuge. The Greek words for “the resurrection of the body” are anastasis nekron, which means “the sitting-up of the corpse”! Denial of the literal Resurrection, according to the Word of God, is denial of Christ, denial of the faith.

After demonstrating its existence (15:12-34), Paul gives some hints about its nature (15:35-58) through natural analogies. This body is the seed of another one. This body is as different from the resurrection body as a planet differs from a star. Paul’s contrast between a “physical body” and a “spiritual body” does not mean that the post-resurrection body will not be tangible. Christ’s was and is. It means that the source of this physical body is physis, nature, the dust we return to, while the source of our resurrection body is the Spirit of God, who will raise us as He raised Christ.

Paul concludes the great chapter with words that sound like trumpets (indeed, that is why Handel accompanied them with a trumpet in his “Messiah”). He concludes by sticking his tongue out at death, taunting it: “O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” Death is now a stingless bee for us because its stinger is in the body of Christ crucified. He took the stinger of Hell out of the bee of death for us.

The central theme in each of the specific topics Paul deals with (probably from questions in a letter the Corinthians had written to him) is the theme of Christian distinctiveness. This is seen most strikingly in chapter 6, where Paul is scandalized that Christians sue other Christians before pagan lawyers and judges. No one today even blinks at that practice, for we have so radically lost that sense of distinctiveness.

But why would a cat go before a dog to adjudicate a dispute with another cat? The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is like the difference between a cat and a dog. It is not, for Paul, merely a difference between two beliefs, but a difference between two beings, two species.

I continually ask my theology and philosophy classes the simple question, “According to the New Testament, what is a Christian?” They always answer it not according to the New Testament but according to something else. For they always say what a Christian thinks, or believes, or feels, or does, or likes, or desires, but not what a Christian is. Paul knew what a Christian is: a Christian is a little Christ, a member of Christ, a cell in Christ’s body.

Because of this radical transformation of our very “I”, everything in our lives is transformed. As he was to put it in his second letter to these Corinthians (5:17), “If any one is in Christ, he is a new creation.” In our desperate, bored search for novelties and “new theologies”, we can never be more radically new than to simply rest on “the Church’s one foundation — Jesus Christ her Lord”.

#understanding the bible

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