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orthodoxadventure · 11 months

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The Proclamation of the Holy Synod of Bishops on the Glorification of the Righteous Matushka Olga

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

To the beloved Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America

God is wondrous in His Saints

November 8, 2023 Chicago, IL

The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America has heard the petition of The Right Reverend ALEXEI, Bishop of Sitka and Alaska, expressed in his November 2, 2023 letter to His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, concerning the glorification of the Servant of God, the Righteous Matushka Olga.

In this letter, His Grace Bishop ALEXEI states: “I am writing to Your Beatitude with respect to the departed handmaiden of God and faithful Orthodox Christian, Matushka Olga Nicholai of Kwethluk, known by the pious peoples of the Kuskokwim as Arrsamquq. Her humility, her generosity, her piety, her patience, and her selfless love for God and neighbor were well-known in the Kuskokwim villages during her earthly life. Her care for comforting the suffering and the grieving has also been revealed after her life by grace-filled manifestations to the faithful throughout not only Alaska, but all of North America. The first peoples of Alaska are convinced of her sanctity and the great efficacy of her prayers. For this reason, after prayerful consideration, I, Alexei, Bishop of Sitka and Alaska, am hereby making the formal request to Your Beatitude as the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America to begin the process that, if it be in accord with God’s will, would lead to her glorification.”

The Holy Synod, having prayerfully reflected upon this petition and having observed and acknowledged the sincere devotion among the faithful of Alaska and beyond, has unanimously determined that the time for the glorification of Matushka Olga has arrived, fulfilling the hopes and prayers of pious Orthodox Christians throughout Alaska and the entire world.

THEREFORE, meeting in Solemn Assembly in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois, under the Presidency of The Most Blessed TIKHON, Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada, We, the Members of The Holy Synod of The Orthodox Church in America, do hereby decide and decree that the ever-memorable Servant of God MATUSHKA OLGA be numbered among the saints. With one mind and one heart, we also resolve that her honorable remains be considered as holy relics; that a special service be composed in her honor; that her feast be celebrated on November 10 (October 28, old style) on the Feast of All Saints of North America, the Second Sunday after Pentecost; that holy icons be prepared to honor the newly-glorified saint in accordance with the Canons of the Sacred Ecumenical and Regional Councils; that her life be published for the edification of the Faithful, that the name of the new saint be communicated to the Primates of all Sister Churches for inclusion in their calendars; and that the date and location of the Rite of Glorification be communicated to the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of our Church in due time.

FURTHER, we entrust to the Canonization Commission of The Orthodox Church in America, under the Chairmanship of The Most Reverend DANIEL, Archbishop of Chicago and the Midwest, with the honorable task of assisting The Right Reverend ALEXEI, Bishop of Sitka and Alaska, in preparing for the celebration of the glorification by providing an authorized Life of Matushka Olga for the education and edification of the Faithful, with overseeing the painting of holy icons of her, in keeping with the canonical iconographical tradition of the Church, with the composition of liturgical texts to be sung at the Divine Services in which she will be commemorated, and with assisting in the uncovering and recognition of her holy relics, and in promoting her veneration among all the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of our Church.

We call upon the faithful to remember Matushka Olga at Memorial Services or Litanies for the Departed when appropriate until the day of her glorification.

Through the prayers of Matushka Olga and of all the Saints who have shone forth in North America, may the Lord grant His mercies and blessings to all who seek her heavenly intercession with faith and love. Amen.

Holy Mother Olga, pray to God for us!

Given at Holy Trinity Cathedral, this 8th day of November, in the Year of Our Lord, 2023.

[source]

#Christianity #Orthodox Christianity #Blessed Mother Olga of Alaska #Saints #Canonisation

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anastpaul · 4 months

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One Minute Reflection – 2 June – Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city …’ Luke 14:21

One Minute Reflection – 2 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Solemnity of Corpus Christi The Second Sunday after Pentecost – 1 John 3:13-18; Luke 14:16-24.– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/ “The servant went and reported this to his Master. Then the Master of the house was angry and commanded His servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and…

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#catholic #luke 14:16-24 #luke 14L21 #roman catholic #st ambrose

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hieromonkcharbel · 4 months

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June 2: Second Sunday after Pentecost. Sunday of All Saints of Rus’-Ukraine

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orthodoxsoul · 1 year

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Today I wanted to talk about the Apostle's Fast, but I ran into the online Orthodox backstory wall. You see, I originally started out this post by mentioning that the Apostle's Fast starts today, the day after All Saints', the second Monday after Pentecost, but then I remembered that I might have to back up and explain that All Saint's was on Sunday and not on November 1st (the day after All Hallows Eve) because that's the Catholic one and everyone knows about it. Then I'd have to explain that Pentecost was just 2 weeks ago because we have a different date for Pascha (but again most people follow the Catholic one). Then I'd have to decide whether to call it Easter or Pascha and whether I needed to explain that.

After getting through all that, I planned to talk about the beautiful rhythms of the Orthodox festal cycle, especially the two lesser fasting periods: the Apostles' Fast and the August fast for the Theotokos. But ...

Then I have to explain Orthodox fasting and how it's abstaining from animal products rather than "giving up" something like in Catholicism with a little aside about how Catholic fish on Fridays evolved and how we only get to indulge in fish twice during Lent but then I'd need to do a little detour to explain how we don't fast legalistically and how it's a spiritual discipline not something we don to earn some sort of reward from a God we've reduced to a vending machine (insert fasting, receive reward).

Anyway, all that too explain why I won't be writing about the Apostles' Fast today because Orthodoxy is complex and often misunderstood and can't be reduced to a brief Tumblr post.

So let me know, where are you in your Orthodox journey

#orthodox #orthodox christianity #apostles fast #fasting

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orthodoxydaily · 9 months

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Saints&Reading: Friday, December 28, 2023

december 16_december 28

THE HOLY PROPHET AGGEI/HAGGAI (500 B.C.)

The Holy Prophet Haggai was the tenth of the Twelve Minor Prophets. He was of the Tribe of Levi and he prophesied during the times of the Persian emperor Darius Hystaspis (prior to 500 B.C.). Upon the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity, he persuaded the people to build the Second Temple at Jerusalem, and he proclaimed that the Messiah would appear in this Temple in the last times.

It is believed that Haggai was buried with the priests at Jerusalem, since he was descended from Aaron.

THE BLESSED EMPRESS THEOPHANIA OF BYZANTUM (893)

Saint Theophanó was a pious and virtuous Empress, who was greatly praised by the chroniclers of her time because of her evangelical life, her almsgiving, and her exceptional piety. She born in Constantinople, the daughter of Constantine Martinakios and his wife Anna, who raised their daughter with diligence. When she was of a marriageable age, Emperor Basil the Macedonian chose her to be the wife of his son Leo the Wise (886 - 912), with whom she dwelt in marital fidelity for twelve years.

The Holy Empress Theophanó and her husband Leo were imprisoned for three years, because Leo was falsely accused of plotting to assassinate his father, Emperor Basil. After obtaining her freedom,Theophanó spent her life in prayer and fasting, earnestly struggling for her salvation. She was recognized as a Saint and a wonderworker, even during her lifetime, because of the many good works which she performed out of love for her neighbor.

Though she lived in the world, she renounced everything worldly, and became a benefactor of the poor. She also built churches and monasteries, or restored those in need of repair. She was a true mother to her subjects, caring for widows and orphans, and consoling the sorrowful.

Despite all the grandeur and wealth surrounding her, she preserved her customary humility and modesty. She preferred to dress in simple clothing so that she would not recognized. Accompanied by two trusted servants, she would visit the homes of the poor and the persecuted, offering her assistance. Her faith was such that she was found worthy of the gift of performing miracles. When medical science gave up on a patient because it could not heal him, Saint Theophanó restored him to health. In spite of all the bitterness she had experienced in her life, Saint Theophanó could still sing praises to the Lord, according to the words of the Prophet King David: "Sing praises to the Lord, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises" (Psalm 46/47:6).

Saint Theophanó reposed circa 893-894. Even before her death, her husband started to build a church, intending to dedicate it to Theophanó, but she forbade him to do so. It was Emperor Leo who decreed that the Sunday after Pentecost be dedicated to All Saints. Believing his wife to be one of the righteous, he knew that she would also be honored whenever the Feast of All Saints was celebrated.

The incorrupt relics of Saint Theophanó are preserved in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George, at the Phanar in Constantinople. A particle from her relics is in Dionysiou Monastery on Mount Athos.

Source: Orthoodox Church in America_OCA

HEBREWS 11:8,11:16

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude-innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

MARK 9:33-41

33 Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?" 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." 36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me. 38 Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us." 39 But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 40 For he who is not against us is on our side. 41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #easternorthodoxchurch #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #gospel #wisdom #bible #saints

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into-september · 2 years

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GATHER ROUND FOR I SHALL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE PLOT-SIGNIFICANT CHRISTIAN ALLUSIONS IN "I SHALL NEVER KNOW THAT SECOND DEATH" BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO COMMENTED TO TELL ME THE STORY LEFT THEM SOBBING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT OBVIOUSLY NEVER WENT TO SUNDAY SCHOOL

Three things to note before going into this:

I Am Not Religious, but grew up with a neat children's Bible with a lot of historical factoids that were intriguing indeed for the girl who wanted to be an archeologist. I'm also inordinately fond of Easter.

Ladybirds are strongly associated with The Virgin Mary. I don't care what behindthename tells you, "Marinette" is in practice a dimminutive of "Marie" and I refuse to believe that the Notre Dame's presence in the OP is incidental

The story's title is from "The Heart of Thomas" which is essentially just a huge Christ allegory

In the first chapter, each meeting Marinette has with a friend showing up at her door includes some more or less blatant Christian reference.

On the third morning, the doorbell rings and Chloé Bourgeois stands on the other side.

= Christ's ressurection was discovered on the third meaning. For people Swedish, Norwegian or Italian who listen to Easter songs and also look up name etymology like I do there might also be something in it being Chloé (="blooming" or "green shot") who gets this one; the Bible talks about spices, not flowers, but this song sure is all about the latter

youtube

(that is the most horrid version I've heard but I think it's the original so)

Myléne and Alix visited with a potted rose for her balcony. She pulls it out of its shaded spot as evening lets up the heat of the day, and she gazes out over the city.

reachy but the rose of one of the many symbols of Mary and this is of course why she discovers The Other Ladybug (Kagami btw)

Somewhere out there, there’s a superhero who might well be able to walk on water, but Marinette can’t perform miracles. For her, keeping her balance on ice is more than enough.

Christ walked on water and so does Marinette at the skating rink, even if she doesn't realise that that's what ice is

Outside her window, the Notre Dame sounds the call to Vespers. When song ends, she stretches her feet towards the ceiling and plays it again.

Nothing special except pay attention to the next chapter

If Paris had still followed the revolutionary calendar, the twenty-third of September would be New Year’s Day.

New Year's Day = feast day of Mary

It’s been fourty-nine days since Hawkmoth was defeated. Ten days ago, Ladybug announced her retirement, leaving the city in Cat Noir’s care until she’s needed again.

The Ascencion of Christ was thirty-nine days after the resurrection (Ladybug retired), marking this scene as happening on Pentecost (the day The Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles, initiating the Christian Church).

“Your parents were so nice. I’d never seen my father be happy about visitors. I think I still feel that way - like it’ll be a bother to Aunt Élizabeth if I bring someone home. But that was my father who was the weird one, and I hate when she’s upset for my sake.” “Is she getting easier around you?” Adrien shrugs. “I’m not sure what ‘easy’ is, for her. I think some of it might be because she’s happy that I’m there. She told me she always wanted children, but it never happened. And then suddenly I was there, and even if she’s sad about mum and upset about my father, she’s happy to have me there. ‘The Lord has done this for me’, she said.”

As We All Know, John the Baptist was the son of Mary's aging cousin Elizabeth, miraculously conceived by the blessing of Gabriel (the archangel not the deranged fashion designer) even though his parents were well into middle age. Adrien's Aunt Elizabeth quoted the Scripture verbatim

“Chrysanthemums,” Marinette feels her frown forming. “Even if they’re the only things flowering this late, it’s pretty morbid.” “I don’t know,” says Adrien, and stands on the tip of his toes to straighten the crown of flowers on Ladybug’s head, “you know, they aren’t about death. They’re used in funerals because they’re a symbol of eternal life. Maybe whoever left these flowers meant for them to mean that Ladybug will be back one day.”

Surely The Second Coming is at hand

“That was a goodnight kiss from Ladybug,” he says with a cheeky grin. It wasn’t, of course, but whatever little magic he just bestowed upon her hummed with an energy of the same frequency as the jet black jewel in her hand, with the same frequency as Cat Noir himself. That subsonic current that set her nerves tingling now radiates from her hand, paradoxically easing her mind into the peace she’s been missing for at least seven weeks.

If Ladybug is Jesus maybe and Cat Noir is John the Baptist then Tikki is The Holy Spirit trying to waken Marinette to the faith

The second chapter has a lot less of it but Cat Noir is still the lesser messianic trying his best to the appearance of the true Saviour, and Ladybug's ressurection is interrupted by the bells of the Notre Dame (maybe)

“Please, come find me,” she begs, and the air is filled with motion as the Notre Dame sounds her bells when All Saints Day topples into All Soul’s Day.

The Significance of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (= Day of the Dead) should be self-explanatory, but I'll leave it there to point out the implications of all this Biblical and Catholic nonsense.

Which is: All the nonsense casts Marinette as either Mary (a saint) or Christ himself. Now, sainthood is per definition a status achieved upon death, but Christ came back to life, left this Earthly plane and has been expected to come back any day now ever since.

If Ladybug = Mary, then she's dead, the end, Marinette never remembers

If Ladybug = Jesus, then she'll be back someday and Marinette will eventually regain her memories

and if that's not the most pretentious way to leave a story open-ended then I don't know what is

(thanks for asking I've been wanting to do this for ages)

#mira #blah #fanfic #literature #the bible

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veale2006-blog · 1 year

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The Oneness of the Godhead, Part 1 May 2, 2023 We will speak of Yeshua Hamashiach, and how He fits in the godhead. You pronounce Hamashiach “hah-ma-she-ah”. He is called Jesus Christ, in the Western world. Who is He, what is He, and what is His place in the godhead? First, the promise made to Moses.

Deut 18:15 – 18 15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

This is Moses speaking to the people. 16 According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.

At Mt. Sinai, the people were so scared of the ground shaking, the thunders, the loud trumpets, and the intense flames of fire, the people pleaded with Moses to tell Yeshua to stop talking and make the fire and thunder go away.

17 And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.

18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

Yehovah promised Moses that an anointed Prophet would be born in Israel of the tribe of Levi. Yeshua was that Prophet.

Now, the Psalm that King David wrote. We will paraphrase it.

Psalms 110:1-4 1 Yehovah said unto Yeshua, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 2 Yehovah shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. 4 Yehovah hath sworn, and will not repent, Yeshua shall be a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Here, in the Psalms, King David prophesied that Yeshua will be both a King, and a priest, just like Melchizedek.

Zech 9:9 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

On the 10th day of the 1st Hebrew month, named Aviv, every year the high priest would bring a lamb from Bethlehem thru the east gate and carry it up to the temple. For about 428 years with the first Temple, and 436 years with the second temple, it was a yearly rehearsal for the Messiah to come thru the East gate, four days before Passover. They knew that someday, one of those years, the Messiah would show Himself, riding on a donkey into Jerusalem.

In the year AD 28, on April 24, the 10th day of Aviv, close to 9:30 AM on Saturday, the Sabbath, Yeshua rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, as prophesied by Zechariah. This was Palm Saturday. There never was any Palm Sunday. That is another Catholic false teaching. Four days later, on Wednesday, the 14th of Aviv, Yeshua was sacrificed as the Lamb of God, on Passover. For three days and nights, Yeshua laid in the tomb, fulfilling the feast of unleavened Bread. On Saturday, in the late afternoon, about 5:30 PM, Yeshua rose from the dead. The Lord of the Sabbath, rose from the dead on the Sabbath. Maybe three hours later, Yeshua resurrected 24 Old Testament believers that had kept the Torah, and they walked into the city of Jerusalem. Sunday morning, after telling Mary Magdalene “Touch me not”, Yeshua took the 24 saints to Heaven, to present them to Yehovah, where they became known as the 24 elders. This was fulfillment of the First Fruits Offering.

Fifty days later, in Jerusalem, the 120 disciples of Yeshua were filled with the Ghost of Yeshua. This was the fulfillment of the Day of Pentecost, just as when Yehovah spoke from Mt. Sinai to Israel, giving them the new language of Hebrew.

Before the second coming of Yeshua, He must first fulfil the Day of Trumpets. In the first and second temple periods, whenever the first sliver of the renewed Moon appeared at sundown, it marked the beginning of a new Hebrew month. Those in Jerusalem that saw it would go to the temple gates and see if they would be “called up” by the high priest to a room where they would be questioned about what they saw. The high priest would stand outside on a balcony and point to who he wanted from the crowd gathering outside and say “Come up hither.” Two witnesses would be allowed to come up to a room and describe what they saw, confirming that the renewed Moon for the new month had been sighted. Then the call would be made to light the signal fires on the hilltops across the land to let all of Israel know that a new month has officially begun.

The most celebrated renewed Moon of the year is that of the seventh month named Tishri, marking the Day of Trumpets. Here are two assumptions. First, it is expected that after coming down from Heaven, the two witnesses will begin their testimony on the Sabbath. Second, it is expected that the two witnesses will rise from the dead upon the sighting of the renewed Moon, beginning the month of Tishri, on late Tuesday evening, September 23, 2025, after being dead for three and a half days, or eighty-four hours. This would be the Day of Trumpets. They would have ended their testimony before being killed by the anti-Christ, early the previous Saturday morning, September 20.

Counting back 1,260 days, or 180 weeks, from that Saturday, puts us to the month Aviv on Saturday morning, the Sabbath, April 9, 2022, the seventh day of the first Hebrew month. If certain guesswork is correct, Elijah and Enoch would begin their testimony on that day. Only Yehovah knows. Once they do appear, whether this year or years from now, how will the world react to the appearance of two men dressed in sackcloth, with fire streaming out of their mouths ever so often whenever they are threatened?

When they rise from the dead, after viewing the renewed Moon for a time, Yeshua will shout down from Heaven “Come up Hither”, meaning Come up here!! This is about the only way that Yeshua would be able to fulfill the feast of the Day of Trumpets. Three and a half years later, would be the second coming of the Messiah, Yeshua Hamashiach.

Yehovah created a plan for salvation of mankind from the bondage of sin and Satan. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was not put in the garden to test mankind, namely Adam and Eve. The tree was put there to snag Satan, hook, line, and sinker. Yehovah knew that Satan would jump at the chance to make Adam, the sixth advent of mankind to be put on this Earth, disobey God. By Adam eating of the forbidden fruit, this opened the door for Yehovah to take back ownership of Earth, and begin the downfall of Satan.

Adam was a sinless male earthling, made of the dust of the Earth. By eating of the forbidden fruit, he went to the pawnshop of Satan, and forfeited the birthright of Earth, and his soul, to Satan. In exchange, mankind received the curse of bondage, and subsequent death. The only person that could redeem the birthright and souls of mankind was another male earthling, that was without sin.

Satan thought that he had obtained a stay of execution by tricking Adam and Eve into eating the evil fruit. He knew that every human born by the seed of Adam would be born into sin. He thought that he had Yehovah stuck in a corner. But the super wise and powerful God had a plan to overcome Satan. Yehovah would father, or beget, a human male, born without sin, that would be King, Priest, and Prophet.

Mary’s mother was born of the priestly line of Aaron. Mary’s father was born of the kingly line of David and Solomon. That made Mary half Judean of the kingly line of David, and half Levite of the priestly line of Aaron. Yehovah quickened the womb of Mary in early December of 4 BC, by giving her a “Y” chromosome when she went to visit Elisabeth, her cousin. Three months later, John the Baptist was born on the first day of unleavened bread, March 31, 3 BC, one day after Passover. John was circumcised on the eighth day.

After staying a month with Elisabeth, to help her with her newborn baby, Mary returned to Nazareth in early May, over four months pregnant, and beginning to show. I suppose that Joseph went along with the wedding in June, after having the dream telling him that the baby was of the spirit of God.

When Yeshua was born, it was after sundown on September 26, 3 BC, which was the first day of the feast of Tabernacles, and was circumcised on the eighth day, like John the Baptist was. The analysis of Yeshua’s blood found on the Ark of Covenant proved that He was the human Son of Yehovah. It had one “x” chromosome, and 22 autosomes from Mary. It also had one “Y” chromosome that was not from a human male. It was from Yehovah. Other human beings have 46 chromosomes in their white blood cells. One ‘x’ or ‘y’ chromosome and 22 autosomes come from the father. One “x” chromosome and 22 autosomes come the mother. That is 46 chromosomes in all. But Yeshua only had 24 in all. One powerful, sinless chromosome from Yehovah, and 23 from Mary.

The ungodly Catholic Church teaches that the only reason Yeshua was born without sin, is because of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, meaning that she was born without original sin, and passed those attributes to Yeshua, which is a big fat lie. It comes from the Roman worship of Ishtar and Isis. Songs and prayers are devoted to Mary, which is nothing but pagan idolatry.

End of Part one.

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chrishansler · 2 years

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My Imperfect Holiday Observance

I didn’t grow up observing Advent. I was a Baptist, then a Pentecostal (which is funny in itself), neither of which observed Advent. I didn’t know anything about it. Even through Bible college and my first 20+ years of ministry I was apparently under an Advent rock because I knew relatively nothing about it. I was a Christmas guy. I did all of the Christmas things - carols, lights, trees, decorations, sledding, presents, stress - all of it. And then in about 2007 at the age of 44 I stumbled across an initiative called Advent Conspiracy, and I began to learn. And I fell in love with this historic, widely-observed practice that is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. I learned that it starts four Sundays before Christmas. I learned that it is a period to slow down and to reflect, even somber reflection as we recognize the darkness in the world and admit to our part in it. I learned about the advent wreath and the weekly themes of hope, peace, joy and love. But I also learned that those are a particular Western approach and that there are other themes and rituals in other historical parts of the church. I learned that Advent comes from the word “parousia” which means “appearing” and that Advent is a time of anticipation of the coming of Christ - not just His first coming at Christmas, but also His second coming where He will make all things new. Advent is a time to remember that we are in the in-between time and we wait with great anticipation for His coming. And then I learned that December 25th is actually the 1st day of Christmas, and all of the sudden the song “The 12 days of Christmas” made sense to me. The first day is Christmas, and the 12th day, January 6th is Epiphany - the reminder of the coming of the Wise Men. But my observance of Advent is imperfect. I would drive an Advent purist crazy, because while I observe Advent and do a daily Advent reading and light my Advent wreath each Sunday, I also put my Christmas decorations up around Thanksgiving. I get my Christmas tree, hang my lights and play Christmas music. But then I also play Advent Hymns. Perhaps I am defeating much of the purpose of Advent in my imperfect observance. I am impatient in my waiting for His coming and I want to bask in the celebration of His first coming. But there are no perfect holiday celebrations. Sometimes the lights don’t work right or 1/2 of a strand decides to go out in mid-December after they are on the house. Sometimes I can’t find the right Advent candles so I make do. Some believe in lots of lights and some don’t put lights up. Some think they should be every color and some think they should only be white. Some love Christmas trees, some don’t believe we should have Christmas trees. Some play only “Christian” Christmas songs and some mix in a little Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby or even the dreaded “Santa Baby.” Some think Santa detracts from the focus and some think He adds to the celebration. I have a big manger scene in my front yard, lights on my house (white, red and green which of course are the right colors), stockings hung on my fireplace mantle with some other little manger scenes inside the house, a Christmas tree in my living room with ornaments that mean more to me this year than ever, a little Santa by my fireplace and an Advent wreath on my dining room table. It’s a little of everything. I know it’s not perfect and maybe I’m not doing it “right.” But who is it all for? It is all to remind me of Jesus. I don’t have kids at home. My wife is gone. It’s just me in this house. But it all reminds me that I’m not alone because Jesus came, and I’m not without hope because He’s coming again to make it all new! Maybe your holiday observance isn’t perfect either. Maybe it’s been a hard year. Maybe like me you’ve experienced loss. Maybe your decorations aren’t just right, some of your lights are tangled beyond your level of patience, or maybe you just don’t have the energy this year to put them up. Maybe you have a sort-of-Advent, sort-of-Christmas thing going like me. But what matters is who you are celebrating. Jesus will not frown on your imperfect observance. Jesus did a lot of things that broke with religious convention to remind us that God is for us. So be free and do what helps you celebrate Jesus. That’s what matters, and He’s worth every light, candle, ornament, manger scene, wreath, tree, fruitcake, Christmas cookie, song or silent moment that you have.

#Advent #Christmas

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pastortomsteers · 3 months

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THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

July 7, 2024

Pastor Tom Steers

Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto

Divine Service Setting III (Pages 184 – 202)

Lutheran Service Book

OPENING HYMN: 904 “Blessed Jesus, at Your Word”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7bikJOMZPk

Confession and Absolution Page 184-185

Introit

Psalm 132:13-16; antiphon Ps. 34:8

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread. Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

The Kyrie (Lord Have Mercy)

Congregation:

Lord have mercy upon us.

Christ have mercy upon us.

Lord have mercy upon us.

The Salutation:

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

Congregation: And with thy spirit.

Our Collect Prayer: (Please stand)

O God, Your almighty power is made known chiefly in showing mercy, grant us the fullness of your grace that we may be called to repentance and made partakers of Your heavenly treasures; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Our Bible Texts –

Frist Reading: Ezekiel 2:1-5

Psalm 123 (antiphon v.1)

Epistle Reading – 2nd Corinthians 12:1-10

Gospel Reading (please stand) – Mark 6:1-13

THE NICENE CREED Page 191

HYMN OF THE DAY: 839 ”O Christ, Our True and Only Light”

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THE SERMON –

God’s power is made known in Creation.

His holiness is seen in His Law.

But His mercy is revealed through the crucified and risen only Son, sent to us out of love.

His mission has built the Church – currently over two and a half billion Christians.

Much of the world’s eight billion people are non-believers, especially in secular places such as Toronto.

Yet God warned in the Bible that this would be so.

Christ said, “The gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

So, God sent believers to show the way, to spread the Gospel.

The prophet Ezekiel was of the priestly class in Jerusalem.

He was in the first wave of exiles that Nebuchadnezzar took out of that city in 597 B.C.

The Babylonian king left most of the people in this first stage, but took the leaders.

He was hoping to lop the head off any future rebellion.

The exiled people would serve as hostages to discourage those remaining from rebelling again.

It didn’t work.

Within a decade Nebuchadnezzar’s armies were encircling Jerusalem again.

This second invasion resulted in an exile far more brutal and thorough than the first.

God first calls Ezekiel in that decade when Jerusalem still stood.

Yet the apostasy, the rebellion against God in the land didn’t relent.

So, neither did the Babylonians.

The key here is that God was punishing His people through the pagans.

There was hope Nebuchadnezzar would let the first exile wave of exiles return.

Much of Ezekiel’s initial ministry is charged with squashing that hope, a tough mission assignment.

Before God’s restoration will come judgment, and punishment.

Repentance will come before absolution.

The Lord sends Ezekiel to a stubborn people with a history of rejecting God’s message, pleas, and prophets.

God doesn’t send out this prophet with a promise of success.

But He sends him.

The Lord will spare nothing.

He will put Ezekiel through humiliation and suffering to get this message across to the people.

To convince them of their need to return to God.

The Lord comes to a rebellious people today, a people who have repeatedly betrayed and turned away from Him.

His messengers should not think the mission will be easy, nor that it comes with a guarantee of success.

But He sends us anyway.

God will sort things out in the end.

We are called first, and foremost, to be faithful.

The Lord has created us with feet to go, ears to hear, mouths to speak, hearts to believe.

His Word and Sacraments create our faith.

The message and the mission are His.

In our Epistle reading, the Apostle Paul speaks of his own call.

It was a literary convention in the ancient world that one did not make much use of the first person, especially the first-person singular – the “I” or “me” pronouns.

So, when Paul speaks of a “certain man” who was taken up to the third heaven, he’s talking about himself, and specifically the encounter with Christ on the Damascus road.

Paul recounts that he was brought to this heaven, to the presence of God.

He says he will not boast about it; instead, he draws attention to a thorn in his flesh, a limitation.

He’s asked the Lord to take that thorn away, but God says His strength is made perfect in the weakness of His servants.

God’s answer is important here.

It speaks to the doctrine Lutherans call the Theology of the Cross.

It is clinging to the cross of Christ, to His suffering, death, and resurrection, as the sole basis and means for our justification and salvation.

A humble carpenter carrying His cross up a hill appears as a failure to many human eyes.

But it is God’s mechanism and plan of salvation.

God’s strength, shown in mercy, is made more evident, more perfect, in our weakness, not our human strength.

In this passage, Paul turned his history of persecuting the Church into the very occasion of grace in his preaching of Christ.

In our Gospel text the disciples are sent out two by two.

They’re authorized, and put into a situation, in which they must trust.

They go.

The Word is spread, demons are cast out, the sick healed.

Yet, it didn’t always work.

Sometimes they were rejected, as Jesus was at times.

Even in His home town, where the locals tried to kill Him.

Christ gives the disciples authority over demons and diseases, but not over whether people accept the message.

In fact, if they’re rejected, the most they can do is shake the dust off their sandals and move on.

Were they afraid, as we sometimes are, when God tells us to spread His Word?

Did they fear, at times, that they weren’t up to the task?

God stresses here that they went out.

We can feel our thorns in the flesh, and yet be reminded by God that it is His power and message that are at play, not our own.

And certainly not our ego, or score keeping.

Our Churches have too often overlooked Christ’s Great Commission to go and make disciples.

As have individual Christians.

Jesus knows our problems, and our neighbors’ issues as well.

That was the whole point of the Incarnation and the cross.

Christ embraced this world, and our humanity.

He gave His life for every problem, ours and our neighbors’.

The community, that was shattered in Eden’s fall, has been restored in Jesus.

In the righteous reign of Christ, we experience a true fellowship, as sins are forgiven and love is reborn.

This radically alters our relationships with others.

God cares for the world, and that is exactly why He sent us to tell this Good News and not an angel.

God works through, and despite, our weaknesses and limitations.

Because in our weakness, God’s strength is revealed.

God’s upside-down world of winning through losing, and dying to live, reflects the divine genius and compassion.

The broken of the world are the perfect vessels to spread Christ’s Gospel of salvation.

God uses us to change hearts and minds, because He has already started to work within us, and continues to do so, through His Word and Sacraments.

This good work, of God, in us, will continue, until He brings it to completion on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH

SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT Page 194

THE LORD’S PRAYER Page 196

THE WORDS OF OUR LORD Page 197

Pax Domini Pastor: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

Congregation: Amen.

THE DISTRIBUTION

Post Communion Collect (Left-hand column) Page 201

Salutation and Benedicamus Page 201-202

Benediction Page 202

CLOSING HYMN 924 “Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing”

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spaciousreasoning · 3 months

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A Few Days in Passing

On Saturday we visited Creswell Bakery again for sandwiches and a full loaf of sourdough bread. In the evening headed out to Marcola for an evening of Scrabble with the Grange crowd.

During the day, we also spent a few minutes going through some more instructions for the new Outlook and checked to see if it would fit in the garage. The car fit into the space, but there was still too much junk along the sides to get in and out of the car easily.

On Sunday went to St. Thomas for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost. The homily was delivered by the Deacon, the first time we had heard him since we started attending.

After church we stopped by Trader Joe’s for some shopping. When we made it home, we had a bit of lunch, and went out to the Albertson’s for some other goods, including cat food and litter and some ant traps. We are attempting to rid ourselves of the pesky little critters that are popping up all over everywhere at all times of the day and night.

I made it to the Sunday night meeting for another week. Three members celebrated anniversaries of more than 25 years, something that does not happen all that often.

There was very little sleep Sunday night and Monday morning, thanks to the ongoing problems with my intestines. After arising very early, I went back to bed in the middle of the morning for a few extra winks.

When I finally got up, I showered and dressed, putting on shorts for the first time, since the temperature for Monday was supposed to reach 80 degrees. If we had stayed in Tucson, I would have had shorts on long before we left town.

Later, Nancy took the wheel for the drive over to the insurance company to set up the account for our new car and to arrange for renter’s insurance. Then we went around the corner to Abby’s Legendary Pizza and got a pepperoni and mushroom thin crust pie. It was our first visit, and we were pleased with the product.

After lunch and a nap, we cleared some more space in the garage so we can hide the new car from the heat. We chopped several boxes into bits so they would fit in the recycle bin. The trash and recycle moves to Friday this week because of the Fourth of July on Thursday.

Monday night I managed to sleep all night for only the second time in the past few weeks. After our morning coffee, games and bagel, we went over to the shop where I dropped off my SSD a couple of weeks ago. They had left a voicemail Monday evening that said they couldn’t get it working or take the files off of it. The next options would be expensive, so I picked up the drive, paid the bench fee, and said, “Thanks, but no thanks.” I don’t actually recall what was on there that I wanted to rescue, but it appears to be too late for that.

Then we drove to Costco and filled the tank on the new car. We had logged nearly 400 miles and used about 12 gallons, which makes the MPG around 30-ish.

We also synced the car with the garage opener before putting it in place. The only problem at this point is the lack of a key for the door from the garage into the house. The key for the front door does not work. We are weighing whether to wait on the rent agency to get around to getting a key to us or simply replace it ourselves.

#oregon #life

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johnhardinsawyer · 3 months

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Holy Interruptions

John Sawyer

Bedford Presbyterian Church

6 / 30 / 24 – Sixth Sunday after Pentecost[1]

Lamentations 3:22-33

Mark 5:21-43

“Holy Interruptions”

(Resonance in the Moment)

It happens to all of us. We are trying to focus – to work on a task – and we are just getting into it, our mind is kicking into high gear, and. . . we get interrupted. Whether we are eighteen months old, wanting to hold onto a certain magic marker and it gets taken away. Whether we are seven years old, wanting to work on an arts and crafts project when suddenly it’s time for school and we have to put it down, unfinished. Whether we are in school or out of school, working hard in the office when the phone rings or wanting to not think about work in the office when the phone rings and. . . it’s the office, interruptions are our constant companions.

Interruptions happen to. . . Hey, did you know that a recent study from the University of California, Irvine, shows that the average time spent working on a task before you get interrupted is 12 minutes and 40 seconds. And the average elapsed time before returning to work on that same task is 25 minutes and 26 seconds. And, once you resume a difficult task after being interrupted it can take at least 15 minutes of work on that task to get back into the same level of intense concentration.[2]

In other words, interruptions end up wasting a lot of time – between 5% and up to about 28%.[3] Which means. . . Hey, did you know that frequent interruptions can also lead to higher rates of exhaustion, stress-induced ailments, and a doubling of error rates.[4]

This means that. . . You know, I did not know that scientists have been studying the phenomenon of interruptions since the 1920’s. Now, you would think that there would be a whole “interdisciplinary overview of the concept of interruption,” but, according to a paper written for the National Institutes of Health in 2023, there is no such thing. So, until “interruption science” becomes a complete field of study, for today’s purposes, perhaps it would be helpful to think about the interruptions we encounter and how many of them are unnecessary, but some of them are very much necessary. Some are even Holy.

In today’s reading from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus encounters a Holy interruption.

Jesus and his disciples are returning from the land of the Gerasenes – across the Sea of Galilee to their familiar stomping ground in Capernaum and Magdala. They are coming back after – as you heard last week – Jesus interrupts a violent storm on the water with the words “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:39) After the storm, Jesus interrupts the suffering mind and spirit of a man possessed by a legion of evil spirits and gives the man peace, at last.[5]

But there is no peace for Jesus as he arrives back and steps out of the boat. There is a crowd of people waiting for him – and, there is an emergency.

A desperate man named Jairus – a leader in the local synagogue – pushes his way through the crowd, finds Jesus and falls at Jesus’ feet, and begs him repeatedly, “Come and lay your hands on my daughter. She is sick – sick and at the point of death. If only you were to touch her, she would be made well.”[6]

What news could be more urgent than the news of a dying child? I can’t think of any news that would be more ominous. . . any news that would throw me into a panic. Now, Jairus’ request to Jesus – to help heal Jairus’ daughter – might be, in and of itself, an interruption. I mean, Jesus has just gotten off the boat. There is no time for a snack, or a pit-stop, or a prayer, or anything else. Jairus does not ask whether Jesus has other plans. If Jesus does have plans, they are shelved, for the moment. There are more important things to do. Jesus follows Jairus. The crowd presses in.

Now, sorry to interrupt, but you may not know that the streets are very narrow in the towns and villages where Jesus does almost all of his ministry – just wide enough for two donkeys to pass each other – a foot or two wider than the aisles in our own sanctuary. So, when the text tells us that “a large crowd follow[s] him and pressed in on him,” (5:24) maybe you can imagine just how tight it is for Jesus.

Time is tight, too. A little girl is dying. The crowd is packed tightly around – full of people, each one of them capable of interrupting Jesus with requests for healing, or peace, or justice, or any number of other things. And in the crowd, there is this one woman – a woman whose life has been interrupted by twelve long years of illness.

Now, some of you may already know about this woman and her plight. We actually talked a little bit about her back in February of this year. One time – twelve years prior to meeting Jesus – the woman’s monthly menstrual cycle had begun and then it had just not stopped. . . ever. According to the laws of her people, everything this woman touched – from the bed she slept on to any place where she sat – would be unclean.[7] People believed that if they touched this woman – or if she touched them – that they would be unclean all day and would have to bathe and wash their clothes. So, no one wanted to touch the woman or even go near her – even let her sit down to rest. She had spent all of her money on so-called “physicians” and had undergone unspeakable indignities by their hands but nothing they did helped her. In fact, she had only gotten worse. (Mark 5:25-26)

But, as the crowd presses in on Jesus – hundreds of people with pressing needs, all their own – this woman somehow makes her way through to touch him. “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well,” she says to herself. (5:28) And so she reaches through the crowd and touches Jesus’ clothes, and, as the original language reads, “immediately her flow of blood dried up and she knew in her body that she was healed from her affliction.”[8] In today’s passage, the woman’s touch interrupts Jesus’ urgent task. According to the story, Jesus feels the healing power go out of him and this stops him in his tracks. God’s power to bring wholeness and peace cannot be contained, especially when Spirit-filled faith is part of the equation. Here is a miraculous interruption of grace that seems to surprise even Jesus. This moment clearly means something to Jesus. And when Jesus figures out what has happened, this woman and her faith clearly mean something to him.

When was the last time you were interrupted by grace? I’m going to be honest and say that I am sometimes too distracted by the task at hand or too distracted by the many interruptions that occur on a regular basis to recognize grace in the moment and to see it for what it is. Maybe you know what I’m talking about. The cell phone dings while you’re at the dinner table, there is a crisis (that, upon later reflection, really isn’t a crisis), someone is having a meltdown over Lord-knows-what, the word “Alert!” flashes on the TV screen and it causes our stress hormones to go off the charts, we forgot to turn off our push notifications from Insta-Chat-Tick-Tok-Face-X and it distracts us, all the more. [Ding!] “Apparently, someone has said something about something and it’s supposed to make us feel something. . .” . . . and we do – whether we want to or not. Anger or anxiety or apathy. . . are all insidious in their own way. There is so much emotional, and technological, and ideological noise. Everything seems so urgent. Everything is heightened. Everything is in our face and in our eyes and ears – living rent free in our minds, and hardening our hearts, and wounding our souls.

And yet. . . and yet. . . there are times when the Spirit interrupts all of it to bring us a moment that resonates with grace. The Spirit can cut through the noise. Grace can stop us in our tracks. God can, and will, and does interrupt us with the Holy.

Now, we might not always be paying attention, but it helps if we try. And, in our trying, if we were to turn down some of the noise in our lives it would be a good start. Spending a day untethered from your cell phone, or a day without television, or a day without going on the internet? Yikes! You might be surprised at how anxious you might feel, at first, without some of these things. I know I would – even though it is these things that often cause me to be anxious, in the first place. And yet, without these things you and I might be surprised by how much more we are aware of the world around us – of the needs of our neighbors, of the wonders of nature, of the joys of human interaction, of moments that have real depth and meaning – that resonate with God’s grace.

Andrew Root and Blair Bertrand – two scholars of the church and culture – write that maybe we do need all of our busyness to be interrupted by a special resonance.

Many of us, most of us actually. . . have some sense that there are moments in our lives that are more amazing than others. Often these moments come in a relationship or when we are doing something very meaningful. These moments rise above our everyday lives. They shape who we are and how we relate to the world. These moments surprise us with their power. They come to us just when we need them or force us to change in unexpected ways. Often these moments give us a sense of purpose and meaning that is difficult to articulate but that we know at some deep level is true and right and good. They set us on a meaningful trajectory.[9]

Jesus is interrupted from an urgent task, and yet, he stops, and seeks out the faithful woman who has been made well through the abundant overflowing grace of God, and he blesses her with peace. The moment resonates with grace, and then Jesus goes on his way. Over the course of this interruption, the tragic news comes that Jesus is too late. The girl who was sick is now dead. But Jesus – with his great power to bless, and heal, and change us – interrupts death, itself. . . raising the girl to new life and everyone is amazed.

Sometimes there are certain events that have real and lasting meaning – they resonate with us in a certain way – a confession of love, a call from an old friend, witnessing a beautiful sunset, laughter with the clerk in the check-out-line at the grocery, a knowing look between two people who know each other, a touch that is filled with faith and love and trust, a moment of connection that is deeper than surface-level. Oh, to be interrupted by the Holy in moments like these – to have the Holy resonate in our minds, and souls, and bodies in ways that wake us up, and change our direction, and give us purpose and meaning. Oh, to have the presence of mind and heart and spirit to say – in the moment – “Wow! This moment matters because this experience matters, this person matters. . . there is peace, there is healing. . . God is in this moment.” Oh, to be interrupted by the Holy. . . to resonate with grace.

May God grant us the grace-filled presence to live in the present.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

-------

[1] Year B. Proper 8.

[2] https://hr.berkeley.edu/grow/grow-your-community/wisdom-café-wednesday/impact-interruptions.

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10074991/.

[4] https://hr.berkeley.edu/grow/grow-your-community/wisdom-café-wednesday/impact-interruptions.

[5] See Mark 5:1-20.

[6] Mark 5:23 – Paraphrased, JHS.

[7] See Leviticus 15:19-31.

[8] Rough translation of Mark 5:30 – JHS, from BibleHub.

[9] Andrew Root and Blair D. Bertrand, When Church Stops Working: A Future for Your Congregation Beyond More Money, Programs, and Innovation (Grand Rapids: Baker Books/Brazos Press, 2023) 17.

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swldx · 3 months

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BBC 0413 24 Jun 2024

12095Khz 0359 24 JUN 2024 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from TALATA VOLONONDRY. SINPO = 55445. English, ID@0359z pips and newsday preview. @0401z World News anchored by Chris Berrow. Attacks on police posts, churches and a synagogue in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan have left 19 people and five gunmen dead. At least 16 people were taken to hospital with injuries after the Sunday evening attack. Three days of mourning have been declared in Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim republic in southern Russia which neighbours Chechnya. The apparently coordinated attacks targeted the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala on the Orthodox festival of Pentecost, with an Orthodox priest among those killed. US prosecutors have recommended that the Department of Justice (DoJ) brings criminal charges against Boeing. It follows a claim by the DoJ that the plane maker had violated a settlement related to two fatal crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft which killed 346 people. Protests in New Caledonia have flared up after seven pro-independence activists were detained and taken to France for their alleged role orchestrating riots against a controversial voting reform bill. A town hall, police station and several other buildings were set alight across New Caledonia, France's high commission to the South Pacific territory said. A British boy with severe epilepsy has become the first patient in the world to trial a new device fitted in their skull to control seizures. The neurostimulator, which sends electrical signals deep into his brain, has reduced Oran Knowlson’s daytime seizures by 80%. Epilepsy seizures are triggered by abnormal bursts of electrical activity in the brain. The device, which emits a constant pulse of current, aims to block or disrupt the abnormal signals. Democracy is not a crime and autocracy is the real "evil", Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Monday after China threatened to impose the death penalty in extreme cases for "diehard" Taiwan independence separatists. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has made no secret of its dislike of Lai, who took office last month, saying he is a "separatist", and staged war games shortly after his inauguration. Wildfires burning near Port-Cartier, Quebec, in Canada forced the evacuation of inmates from the local maximum-security prison, officials with Correctional Service Canada confirmed Sunday as favourable winds bolstered efforts to battle a pair of out-of-control blazes north of the city. The federal agency said the evacuation order was issued Friday and inmates have since been moved to other secure federal correctional facilities. Israel’s prime minister has said the "intense phase” of fighting Hamas in Gaza is nearly over, allowing forces to move to the northern border with Lebanon to confront its ally Hezbollah. In his first Israeli media interview since the start of the war in October, Benjamin Netanyahu said he expected the ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to be completed soon. But he stressed that “doesn’t mean the war is about to end”, with action continuing until Hamas was completely driven from power. The first liquefied natural gas tanker since January is sailing through the Red Sea, just days after Yemen-based Houthi militants sank their second vessel in attacks begun last November. The vessel, Asya Energy, passed Yemen, travelling through the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Tuesday, shiptracking data from LSEG and Kpler showed, the same week that the second ship believed to have been hit by the militants sank. @0406z "Newsday" begins. Backyard fence antenna w/MFJ-1020C active antenna (used as a preamplifier/preselector), JRC NRD-535D. 250kW, beamAz 315°, bearing 63°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 15359KM from transmitter at Talata Volonondry. Local time: 2259.

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anastpaul · 1 year

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Our Morning Offering – 11 June – Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium

Our Morning Offering – 11 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Solemnity of Corpus Christi, The Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ and Sunday within the Octave – The Second Sunday after Pentecost Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis MysteriumSing, My TongueBy St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)Eng trans – Fr Edward Caswell CO (1814-1878)(Excerpt on the image – the 4 last…

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#corpuschristi #pangelingua #stthomasaquinas

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the-single-element · 3 months

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Good morning. Just a short thought for today.

As we settle back into Ordinary Time, it can be tempting to look at it as the "easy" part of the year. There's no fasts or stressful preparations like there would be in Advent or Lent, and there's no great miracles to celebrate like in the Christmas and Easter seasons. It'd be easy to let it all fade into the background until Advent comes again in half a year.

But we'd be missing a trick, if we did that, because it's in these quiet moments that the Holy Spirit is hardest at work, bringing forth the abundant harvest that Ezekiel and Mark visualize for us today. Not just blessings, but a bumper crop of blessings, a rush of wonders that we hardly understand.

Consider, for example, the history of the post-Pentecost festival season we just wrapped up, and the feasts we spent that time celebrating:

Trinity Sunday was a celebration of the nature of God, but through a fairly esoteric and intricate lens, a doctrine that had to be worked out in fourth-century ecumenical councils.

Corpus Christi celebrated God's closeness to us, through a belief that was hardly universal at the founding of the Church.

And the "Sacred Heart" devotions, focused on Jesus's synthesis of eternal divinity and mortal humanity, were invented closer to today than to the time when he was living his earthly life.

None of these were obvious the way Christmas, Easter, or Pentecost are obvious. None of them are commemorations of big flashy miracles, of God's "strong right hand and holy arm". They're more subtle ideas, articles of our faith that only came after the Spirit, after its coming enabled the new Christian community to come to understand what Jesus had no time to explain properly.

It was by adding the Spirit that the hunkering-down apostles became the beginnings of Christianity-as-a-community. In the same way, it was by adding the Spirit that we became aware of all kinds of truths which had been hidden until then, and found ourselves "shouting from the housetops what we hear in whispers", moved to action by our enthusiasm, by our love and wonder.

All this happened in the "long now" of Ordinary Time, to people who were awaiting the Second Coming just as we are. In other words, that era is the era of Ordinary Time, in which the seed sowed by the Spirit - which Jesus couldn't possibly have explained in his own time, about what the Kingdom's sort of love means in a world like our own - are finally bearing fruit.

We are, today, living in those heady days, this strange, in-between time after the Spirit's coming but before Jesus's return. We have a chance to discover, in our everyday lives, wonder after wonder about what living in the Kingdom of God is really like.

It still has the opportunity to surprise and amaze us, any day and every day. Maybe what we learn this year, this month, this week, won't look exactly like what we've come to expect from the gigantic tree that, over the last two millennia, has grown from what the Apostles transplanted into something that shades the whole world as a "major world religion". After all, Ezekiel also reminds us today that sometimes such big trees become withered and must be brought low.

But that's part of the wonder of this season. "Ordinary Time" - everyday life, but the sort of life that could last forever and not get old - life as experienced in the Kingdom of God. We have all the time in the world, to "sleep and rise, night and day", and through living that life which the Spirit has ignited, discover what is being brought to fruition in us.

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