The Rev. George Tinker preaches during an April 27 "Act of Repentance toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous Peoples" at the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, Fla. A UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey.

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I hope everyone had a blessed Forgiveness Sunday. Please forgive me, a sinner, of all my offenses and remember me in your prayers. Best wishes for the beginning of the fast!

Aposticha, Tone 4:

Thy grace has shone forth, O Lord, it has shone forth and given light to our souls. Behold, now is the accepted time: behold, now is the season of repentance. Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light, that having sailed across the great sea of the Fast, we may reach the third-day Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of our souls.

"This feast is dedicated to the spiritual martyrdom of Mary, Mother of God, and her compassion with the sufferings of her Divine Son, Jesus. In her suffering as co-redeemer, she reminds us of the tremendous evil of sin and shows us the way of true repentance. May the numerous tears of the Mother of God be conducive to our salvation; with which tears Thou, O God, art able to wash away the sins of the whole world.

The first Easter morning, Jesus rose from the dead, (never to die again), and was attended by Angels.

Later that day, walking with two of his followers, "....and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ (the Messiah), would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem."

(Luke Chapter 24, verses 46-47. The Bible)

Stained glass window depicting the Ressurection, in St. Martin's Church, Bowness.

In Elijah's Cave, Haifa. The guard ther said this was the most unique group to have come there in 27 years.

The Abrahamic Reunion hosted Israelis and Palestinians from Jerusalem and the Galilee on a journey to Faradis, Zichron Yaakov and Haifa, on Sept. 14, 2014. The trip included a Jewish-Muslim text study of sources on 'repentance' at the Tent of Sarah and Hagar, shared lunch and peace concert in Zichron Yaakov, walk in the Bahai gardens and healing prayers in Elijah's Cave- in Haifa, and unity gathering on the beach of Jizr il-Zarka at sunset.

Standing on Trailtrow Hill, Repentance Tower formed part of a chain of defense posts which warned against English raiding parties who crossed the border.

This three-storey tower house was founded by Sir John Maxwell of Terregles in the mid 16th century.

In 1548 an English force challenged the Douglases at Durisdeer, who were under the charge of Sir John. The night before the battle, he had been bribed to change sides in exchange for the hand of Agnes Herries and the title Lord Herries. His treachery, however, cost the lives of 12 of his kinsmen, who had been held at Carlisle Castle as hostages, one of which was his 12-year-old nephew. Maxwell was said to have built the tower as a sign of his remorse.

Another version of the tale has it that Repentance Tower was so-called because Lord Herries built Hoddom Castle out of stones from Trailtrow Chapel.

A delegate picks up a stone in the center aisle during an April 27 "Act of Repentance toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous Peoples" at the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, Fla. A UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey.

Bull Temple Bangalore

Bull Temple was constructed in 16th century and is dedicated to a sacred bull - Nandi carved out of a single granite block. The temple is a typical specimen of Dravidian architecture. Kallekai parse an annual festival is celebrated at the time of harvesting of peanuts during the month of Nov-Dec, thousands of visitors throng the city to participate in the festival from all over the state.

¤ About The Bull Temple

The "Bull Temple" is situated in Bangalore - the capital of Karnataka. The sculpture of bull is the holy deity in the temple, also known as "Nandi Temple". The gigantic bull measuring 4.57m in height and 6.10 m in length is carved out of a single rock. It is a sculptural magnum opus.

This Bull Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva's Vahana (vehicle), Nandi the bull. Large number of devotees visits the enormous monolithic statue of the sitting bull every day.

Nandi the bull of Shiva faces the temple of Lord Shiva haunch at the back with sculptures of God Surya and Goddess Candra on their chariots drawn by horses. There is a small Lingam shrine bedecked with the exquisite Gopuram. The underground "Sri-Gavi Gandadhareshwara Temple" holds its own charm, every year on 14th January known as Makara Sankranti festival, it is believed that a ray of light passes between the horn of a Nandi outside the temple and lights the idol kept inside. The Bull temple is full of liveliness during the Shivratri festival.

Non Hindus are not allowed in the temple. There are continuos festive celebrations throughout the year assisted by the musical programs held in the temple premises.

Timings: Entry to the temple is free and the daily timings are from 6a.m. to 8 p.m.

¤ Legend

The legend has it that the surrounding area of the temple, known as Sunkenahalli was cultivated for groundnut. A bull started grazing in the well-grown groundnut crop, at this, a farmer got furious and hit the bull with a club. Immediately the bull sat down becoming motionless and was transformed into a stone. Poor farmers were left stun and felt guilty. For their repentance they decided to build a temple for the bull, to their surprise the bull was growing in height. The worried farmer then prayed to Lord Shiva who advised them to redeem a trident buried a few feet away from the bull and place the trident on the forehead of the stone statue to stop it from growing. Farmers followed the Lord's advice and the bull stopped growing. Still one can see the trident place on bull's forehead.

Since then farmers offer their first crop of groundnut to the bull. The farmer's hold a Groundnut fair known as Kadalekayi Parishe, near the temple premises every year, to show their thankfulness. It is one of the worth visiting places in Bangalore.

¤ Architecture

The temple is a typical specimen of the Dravidian-style of temple architecture constructed by Kempe Gowda. The temple is nestling in Basavanagudi housing a scared bull of Lord Shiva, it is believed that the source of the river Vishwa Bharathi originates from the feet of the Nandi. There is a Ganesh temple inside the premises with a large deity all made of 110 kilos of butter. The deity of butter is distributed as a prashada (God's food) every four years.

Farmers offer the first groundnuts to the sacred bull. The Bhoganandiswara temple at the foothills of Nandi Hills goes back to the period of the Banas, Cholas, Hoysalas and the Vijayanagar Kings. The image has been carved out of single granite rock. The original color of Nandi bull was gray which has now turned black due to the application of coconut oil by the devotees.

¤ Festivity

Anually, Kadalekayi Parishe -the Groundnut Fair is held near the temple during the month of November- December when the groundnut crop is harvested. Farmers offer the first groundnuts harvest to the sacred bull. Thousand of visitors and devotees throng the temple site from all over the state.

¤ Accessibility To The Bull Temple

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus regularly operates from the all over the state to the Park. Coaches of B.T.S., I.T.D.C., are also available. Tourist coaches and taxis are also available for the park.

The following is taken from the Homily by Blessed John Paul II at Fatima, May 13, 1982, one year to the day after the attempt on his life in St. Peter's square in Rome.

... In the light of the mystery of Mary's spiritual motherhood, let us seek to understand the extraordinary message, which began May 13, 1917, to resound throughout the world from Fatima, continuing for five months until October 13 of the same year.

The Church has always taught and continues to proclaim that God's revelation was brought to completion in Jesus Christ, who is the fullness of that revelation, and that "no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord." (Dei Verbum, 4) The Church evaluates and judges private revelations by the criterion of conformity with that single public revelation.

If the Church has accepted the message of Fatima, it is, above all, because that message contains a truth and a call whose basic content is the truth and the call of the Gospel itself.

"Repent, and believe in the Gospel!" (Mk 1:15) These are the first words that the messiah addressed to humanity. The message of Fatima is, in its basic nucleus, a call to conversion and repentance, as in the Gospel. This call was uttered at the beginning of the 20th century and it was thus addressed particularly to this present century. The Lady of the message seems to have read with special insight the "signs of the times," the signs of our time.

The call to repentance is a motherly one. At the same time it is strong and decisive. The love that "rejoices in the truth" (1 Cor. 13) is capable of being clear-cut and firm. The call to repentance is linked, as always, with a call to prayer. In harmony with the tradition of many centuries, the Lady of the message indicates the Rosary, which can rightly be defined as "Mary's prayer," the prayer in which she feels particularly united with us.

She herself prays with us. The Rosary prayer embraces the problems of the Church, of the See of Saint Peter, the problems of the whole world. In it we also remember sinners, that they may be converted and saved, and the souls in purgatory.

The words of the message were addressed to children, ages seven to ten. Children, like Bernadette of Lourdes, are particularly privileged in these apparitions of the Mother of God. Hence, the fact that also her language is simple, within the limits of their understanding. The children of Fatima became partners in dialogue with the Lady of the message and collaborators with her. One of them is still living.

When Jesus on the Cross said: "Woman, behold, your son," (Jn 19:26) in a new way He opened His mother's Heart, the Immaculate Heart, and revealed to it the new dimensions and extent of the love to which she was called in the Holy Spirit by the power of the sacrifice of the Cross....

In the light of a mother's love, we understand the whole message of the Lady of Fatima. The greatest obstacle to man's journey toward God is sin, perseverance in sin and, finally, denial of God. The deliberate blotting out of God from the world of human thought. The detachment from Him of the whole of man's earthly activity. The rejection of God by man.

In reality, the eternal salvation of man is only in God. Man's rejection of God, if it becomes definitive, leads logically to God's rejection of man, to damnation. (Mt. 7:23;10:33)

Can the Mother, who . . . desires everyone's salvation, keep silence on what undermines the very basis of their salvation? No, she cannot.

So, while the message of Our Lady of Fatima is a motherly one, it is also strong and decisive. It sounds severe. It sounds like John the Baptist speaking on the banks of the Jordan. It invites to repentance. It gives a warning. It calls to prayer. It recommends the Rosary.

The message is addressed to every human being. The love of the Savior's Mother reaches every place touched by the work of salvation. Her care extends to every individual of our time and to all the societies, nations and peoples. Societies menaced by apostasy, threatened by moral degradation. The collapse of morality involves the collapse of societies.

Hundreds came to St. John Cantius parish to begin the penitential season of Lent. This is a privileged season of grace for the entire Church. It begins the annual solemn preparation for the Easter Mystery which is the culmination of the Church Year.

The Latin name for Lent, Quadragesima, means forty and refers to the forty days Christ spent in the desert which is the origin of the Season.

As happens on every Ash Wednesday, the people receive ashes on their foreheads in the shape of a cross while the priest says, "Remember that thou art dust and unto dust thou shall return." Ashes are a biblical symbol of repentance, sorrow, and humility. It is a fitting beginning to this holy season dedicated to the conversion of our hearts and the need to do acts of penance for ourselves and for the world.

Cosmic Caligraphies ——enhancing soul energy

Messages from 〇sifu

Great True Love

April 14th, 2010

So nice! I won’t feel tired when I saw kids. I have a childlike heart and utter innocent heart.

Children are the hope of the future.

Adults’ bodies and minds have been severely contaminated.

It’s very difficult to clean.

It’s very difficult to purge.

It’s very difficult to ascend.

There is a saying, “You can enter paradise only if your heart is as pure as children”. I don’t know who said that and if the original words are like so or not.

When I you see your eyes are clear and bright, I know that you come from heaven.

When I you see your eyes are innocent and naive, I know that your heart are higher than heaven.

When I you see your eyes are supreme genuine and kind, I know that your heart are purer than heaven.

When I you see your eyes are in sharp contrast between black and white, I know that your heart are bluer than the sky.

When I you see your eyes are misted with tears, I know that your heart are older than heaven.

Purge your heart as child’s heart!

Ascend your heart as Bodhisattva’ s heart!

Retrieve your heart as Buddha’s heart!

I love my children, is that enough?

I love all my children, is that enough?

Love all children, is that enough?

Love all people, is that enough?

Love all sentient beings, is that enough?

Love all，NOT for possession.

Love all，NOT for selfishness.

Love all，NOT for rewards.

Love all，NOT for ego existence.

Love all，NOT for seeking or begging.

Love all，NOT for obtainment.

Love all，NOT for affectional desires .

Love all，NOT for greed .

Love all，NOT for love desires .

Love all，NOT for external beautifulness .

Love all，NOT for benefits and enjoyment.

Love all，NOT for anything.

Love is love!

True love, is what all sufficiently endowed with.

True love, is the original existence.

True love, is the natural outpouring.

True love, does not need any reasons.

True love, does not need any excuses.

True love, does not rely upon any externalities.

True love, does not rely upon any exterior forms.

True love, does not demand of any conditions.

True love, does not require any times.

True love, does not require any spaces.

True love, is the one that I still love you even if you are in heaven.

True love, is the one that I still love you even if you are in Asura state.

True love, is the one that I still love you even if you are in human existences.

True love, is the one that I still love you even if you are in animals realm.

True love, is the one that I still love you even if you are in hungry ghosts realm.

True love, is the one that I still love you even if you are males.

True love, is the one that I still love you even if you are females.

True love, is the one that I still love you even if you are visible beings.

True love, is the one that I still love even you if you are invisible beings.

Because of true love, higher dimensional beings implement benevolent salvation.

Because of true love, higher dimensional beings journey in different dimensional spaces.

Because of true love, higher dimensional beings spare no effort.

Because of true love, higher dimensional beings often work as boats of compassion and pity.

Because of true love, higher dimensional beings preach earnestly and kindly.

Because of true love, higher dimensional beings’ love is infinite.

I often say that I feel bad in face of the great love bestowed upon me by Heaven.

I often say that I feel bad in face of the great love bestowed upon me by Mother Earth.

I often say that I feel bad in face of the great love bestowed upon me by all living beings.

I often say that I feel bad in face of the great love bestowed upon me by Buddhas and Divinities.

I often say that I feel bad in face of the great love bestowed upon me by God and Allah.

I often say that I feel bad in face of the great love bestowed upon me by the universe.

I often say that I feel bad in face of the great love bestowed upon me by the spatiotemporal beings.

What I have done is not good enough.

What I have done is not speedy enough.

I awakened some, and let more slip.

I salvaged some, and let more drained away.

All I can say is that making all-out efforts.

Someone told me something in the evolutionary and ascension processes are settled. I replied that I will still make all-out efforts！

Provided that time-space permits, I will still make all-out efforts！

Provided that the universe permits, I will still make all-out efforts！

Provided that cosmic laws permit, I will still make all-out efforts！

I am not able to reverse Laws，which I must conform to.

I am not able to reverse providence，which I must conform to.

I am not able to reverse time and space，which I must conform to.

I am not able to reverse the universe，which I must conform to.

I am incapable, and can only awaken, but it is too few whom I have awakened.

I am incapable, and can only guide, but it is too few whom I have guided.

I am incapable, and can only instruct, but it is too few whom I have instructed.

I am incapable, and can only summon, but it is too few whom I had summoned.

I am repenting!

I am repenting sincerely!

But my repentance cannot solve the problems of sentient beings.

But my repentance cannot make Mother Earth relieved physically.

But my repentance cannot make Mother Earth more peaceful.

My great love can make Mother Earth feel at a little ease.

However, Mother Earth has her soul too.

However, Mother Earth feels the pains too.

However, Mother Earth will become sick too.

My great love cannot stop Mother Earth quivering, because the hurt is too painful.

My great love cannot stop Mother Earth adjusting, because the hurt is too severe.

My great love cannot stop Mother Earth whimpering, because the hurt is too deep.

We are supposed to love Mother Earth and you have to, without any reasons. In fact, there are thousands of reasons for loving Mother Earth.

We are supposed to repent to Mother Earth and you have to, without any reasons. In fact, there are thousands of reasons for repenting.

We are supposed to highly praise Mother Earth and you have to, without any reasons. In fact, there are thousands of reasons for praising.

Heaven heart, human heart and earth heart are ALL ONE with the same heart.

Heaven mind, human mind and earth mind are originally the same mind.

Heaven soul, human soul and earth soul are same soul from the same source.

So fine!

So wonderful!

Every time upon the news about earthquakes, all opened their eyes in sleep and fell asleep soon. Gradually, the number of this kind of news are increasing, all became insensitive.

Every time upon the news about tsunamis, all opened their eyes in slumber and sank into sleep soon. Gradually, the number of this kind of news are multiplied, all became numb.

Every time upon the news about floods, all opened their eyes in dream and fell asleep soon. Gradually, the number of this kind of news are rising, all became unresponsive.

Every time upon the news about wars, all opened their eyes in sleep and fell asleep soon. Gradually, the number of this kind of news are growing, all became unmoved.

Every time upon the news about shipwrecks, traffic accidents and air crashes, all opened their eyes in sleep and fell asleep soon. Gradually, the number of this kind of news are growing, all became impassive.

Every time upon the news about epidemic situations, all opened their eyes in sleep and fell asleep soon. Gradually, the number of this kind of news are growing, all became uncaring.

Every time upon the news about disasters, all opened their eyes in sleep and fell asleep soon. Gradually, the number of this kind of news are growing, all became insensible.

I have heard of many other things, but what only would like to say is, “wake up quickly”.

“Reverse mind into kind-hearted one, and changed mind into Buddha’s mind.” It is not so difficulty！

“Reverse mind into kind-hearted one, and changed mind into Tao’s mind.” It is not so hard!

“Reverse mind into kind-hearted one, and changed mind into heaven‘s mind.” It is not so difficulty！

“Reverse mind into kind-hearted one, and changed mind into genuine mind” It is not so difficulty！

“Reverse mind into kind-hearted one, and changed mind into enlighten one.” It is not so difficulty！

Well, today I have conveyed enough information. You are supposed to comprehend and discuss them by yourselves.

〇sifu2010.04.14开示

真好

〇sifu 看到孩子，就不会疲劳。

〇sifu有一颗童心。

〇sifu有一颗赤子之心。

孩子 是未来的希望呀！

成年人身心已经受到了太重的污染！

成年人身心很难清洗！

成年人身心很难净化！

成年人身心很难升华！

有一种说法，“只有你的心像孩子一样你才能到天堂”。不知道是谁说的，原话是否如此？

当〇sifu看到你的眼睛，清澈见底，〇sifu就知道你“从天而来”。

当〇sifu看到你的眼睛，天真无邪，〇sifu就知道你“心比天高”。

当〇sifu看到你的眼睛，至真至善，〇sifu就知道你“心比天净”。

当〇sifu看到你的眼睛，黑白分明，〇sifu就知道你“心比天蓝”。

当〇sifu看到你的眼睛，泪眼婆娑，〇sifu就知道你“心比天老”。

把自己的心净化如同孩子的心！

把自己的心升华如同菩萨的心！

把自己的心回归如同如来的心！

我爱我的孩子，够吗？

我爱所有的孩子，够吗？

爱所有的孩子，够吗？

爱所有的人，够吗？

爱所有的众生，够吗？

爱一切，不为占有。

爱一切，不为自私。

爱一切，不为回报。

爱一切，不为有我。

爱一切，不为求取。

爱一切，不为得到。

爱一切，不为情欲。

爱一切，不为贪欲。

爱一切，不为爱欲。

爱一切，不为色美。

爱一切，不为受乐。

爱一切，不为什么。

爱就是爱。

真爱，是本自具足的！

真爱，是本来就有的！

真爱，是自然流露的！

真爱，不需要理由。

真爱，不需要借口。

真爱，不需要外在。

真爱，不需要外相。

真爱，不需要条件。

真爱，不需要时间。

真爱，不需要空间。

真爱，即使你在天道，依然爱你。

真爱，即使你在阿修罗道，依然爱你。

真爱，即使你在人道，依然爱你。

真爱，即使你在畜生道，依然爱你。

真爱，即使你在饿鬼道，依然爱你

真爱，即使你在地狱道，依然爱你。

真爱，即使你是男身，依然爱你。

真爱，即使你是女身，依然爱你。

真爱，即使你是无形，依然爱你。

真爱，即使你是无色，依然爱你。

因为真爱，所以慈悲救度！

因为真爱，所以三界周游！

因为真爱，所以不辞劳苦！

因为真爱，所以常做慈舟！

因为真爱，所以婆心苦口！

因为真爱，所以爱无尽头！

〇sifu常说，“愧对上苍对〇sifu的厚爱”！

〇sifu常说，“愧对地母对〇sifu的厚爱”！

〇sifu常说，“愧对万灵对〇sifu的厚爱”！

〇sifu常说，“愧对佛神对〇sifu的厚爱”！

〇sifu常说，“愧对圣真对〇sifu的厚爱”！

〇sifu常说，“愧对宇宙对〇sifu的厚爱”！

〇sifu常说，“愧对时空对〇sifu的厚爱”！

〇sifu做的不够好。

〇sifu做的不够快。

〇sifu唤醒了一些，也错失了更多。

〇sifu打捞了一些，也流失了很多。

〇sifu只能说：“尽心尽力”！

有的给〇sifu说“已经定盘了！”，〇sifu回答说“〇sifu仍然会尽心尽力！”。

只要时空允许，〇sifu仍然会尽心尽力！”。

只要宇宙允许，〇sifu仍然会尽心尽力！

只要规律允许，〇sifu仍然会尽心尽力！

无法逆转规律，必须顺应。

〇sifu无法逆转天意，必须顺应。

〇sifu无法逆转时空，必须顺应。

〇sifu无法逆转宇宙，必须顺应。

〇sifu很无能，只会唤醒，但能唤醒的太少。

〇sifu很无能，只会指引，但能指引的太少。

〇sifu很无能，只会点化，但能点化的太少。

〇sifu很无能，只会呼唤，但能呼唤的太少。

〇sifu在忏悔！

〇sifu在真心忏悔！

可是，〇sifu的忏悔，无法解决众生的问题。

可是，〇sifu的忏悔，无法让地球母亲安身。

可是，〇sifu的忏悔，无法让地球母亲安神。

可是，〇sifu的忏悔，无法让地球母亲平息。

〇sifu的大爱可以让地母稍稍安心。

但是，地球母亲也有灵呀。

但是，地球母亲也会痛呀。

但是，地球母亲也会病呀。

〇sifu的大爱真爱，无法阻止地球母亲颤抖，因为伤太疼。

〇sifu的大爱真爱，无法阻止地球母亲调整，因为伤太很。

〇sifu的大爱真爱，无法阻止地球母亲低吼，因为伤太深。

都要 爱 地球母亲，因为你必须爱！不需要理由！

爱地球母亲的理由，其实有千万条。

都要向地球母亲忏悔，因为你必须忏悔！不需要理由！

向地球母亲忏悔的理由，其实有千万条。

都要 赞叹 地球母亲，因为你必须赞叹！不需要理由！

赞叹 地球母亲的理由，其实有千万条。

天心、人心、地心——一体同心。

天心、人心、地心——本是同心。

天心、人心、地心——同源同心。

真好

真妙

每次地震的消息来了，大家都会在睡梦中睁眼，很快又睡着了。慢慢此类消息多了，也就麻木了。

每次海啸的消息来了，大家都会在睡梦中睁眼，很快又睡着了。慢慢此类消息多了，也就麻木了。

每次洪水的消息来了，大家都会在睡梦中睁眼，很快又睡着了。慢慢此类消息多了，也就麻木了。

每次战争的消息来了，大家都会在睡梦中睁眼，很快又睡着了。慢慢此类消息多了，也就麻木了。

每次海、陆、空难的消息来了，大家都会在睡梦中睁眼，很快又睡着了。慢慢此类消息多了，也就麻木了。

每次疫情的消息来了，大家都会在睡梦中睁眼，很快又睡着了。慢慢此类消息多了，也就麻木了。

每次灾难的消息来了，大家都会在睡梦中睁眼，很快又睡着了。慢慢此类消息多了，也就麻木了。

〇sifu也听说很多事，但〇sifu只想说，“快醒来吧！”

“回心向善、回心向佛”，不难呀！

“回心向善、回心向道”，不难呀！

“回心向善、回心向天”，不难呀！

“回心向善、回心向心”，不难呀！

“回心向善、回心向灵”，不难呀！

好了，今天〇sifu传递的信息量已经够多了。

你们自己参悟交流吧！

Contact 〇sifu：

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El Monasterio de Santa Catalina, de casi 1.500 años de antigüedad, es uno de los emblemas de la religión ortodoxa. Se encuentra en medio de la cordillera del Sinaí, supuestamente donde Moisés habló con Dios. Tomada desde los Escalones del Arrepentimiento, en la bajada del Monte Moisés.

The Saint Catherine's Monastery, almost 1.500 years old, is one of the emblems of the eastern orthodox religion. It can be found in the middle of the Sinai mountains, supposedly where Moses talked with God. Taken from the Repentance Steps, going down the Moses mountain.

All three dogs were left out for a half hour between the time my mom left (my younger sister was taking a nap) and when I got home.

There was even more mess (tissues, a styrofoam tray for meat, etc) in the living room. Sigh.

As soon as I walked in Israel was "grinning" (he bares his front teeth and cowers on the floor, bowing over and over in repentance) and snuffling. He has a very guilty conscience.

I didn't yell, I didn't scream. I just said in a very disappointed voice, "Israel, what did you do??" and that was all it took for him to grovel and simper before me. Ridiculous. I sent him outside along with Shifra so that I could clean it up without them getting in the way.

When supervised, Israel is a very good dog. He doesn't get into anything. And neither does Shifra--as long as Israel is confined to his crate. Shifra's a big follower and not much of an initiator. So I know for a fact that this was Israel's doing and he knew it as well.

I never have to scream or smack him to show how mad/disappointed I am in what he does. If I just look at him he knows exactly how I feel and he is always very sorry.

But anyway. Israel is just a bad dog. He can't help himself! When not supervised, he simply cannot make the distinction between right and wrong. No one is there to show him, to guide him. So he does what his nose tells him to do--like get into the yummy stinky garbage and find a snack. Which included small (cooked) chicken bones.

He didn't do it to be bad, as a human I'm the one defining that behavior as "bad". Now if he had tried this while someone was around, THEN it would be bad because I didn't say he could do that.

Anyway. Israel can't make good decisions and his dog brain and nose tell him to get into what humans classify as trouble.

But I still love the stupid lug!

Photo: MarkO

www.unlessyourepent.com

www.unlessyourepent.com

My Friend: I am asking you the most important question of life. Your joy or your sorrow for all eternity

depends upon your answer. The question is: Are you saved? It is not a question of how good you are, nor if

you are a church member, but are you saved? Are you sure you will go to Heaven when you die?

God says in order to go to Heaven, you must be born again. In John 3:7, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Ye must be

born again.”

In the Bible God gives us the plan of how to be born again which means to be saved. His plan is simple! You

can be saved today. How?

First, my friend, you must realize you are a sinner. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”

(Romans 3:23).

Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to death. “For the wages [payment] of sin is death” (Romans

6:23). This includes eternal separation from God in Hell.

“ . . . it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

But God loved you so much He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear your sin and die in your place.

“ . . . He hath made Him [Jesus, Who knew no sin] to be sin for us . . . that we might be made the righteousness

of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus had to shed His blood and die. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11). “ . . . without

shedding of blood is no remission [pardon]” (Hebrews 9:22).

“ . . . God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

(Romans 5:8).

Although we cannot understand how, God said my sins and your sins were laid upon Jesus and He died in our

place. He became our substitute. It is true. God cannot lie.

My friend, “God . . . commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). This repentance is a change of

mind that agrees with God that one is a sinner, and also agrees with what Jesus did for us on the Cross.

In Acts 16:30-31, the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas: “ . . . ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they

said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved . . . .’ ”

Simply believe on Him as the one who bore your sin, died in your place, was buried, and whom God

resurrected. His resurrection powerfully assures that the believer can claim everlasting life when Jesus is

received as Savior.

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe

on His name” (John 1:12).

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).

Whosoever includes you. Shall be saved means not maybe, nor can, but shall be saved.

Surely, you realize you are a sinner. Right now, wherever you are, repenting, lift your heart to God in prayer.

In Luke 18:13, the sinner prayed: “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Just pray: “Oh God, I know I am a sinner.

I believe Jesus was my substitute when He died on the Cross. I believe His shed blood, death, burial, and

resurrection were for me. I now receive Him as my Savior. I thank You for the forgiveness of my sins, the gift

of salvation and everlasting life, because of Your merciful grace. Amen.”

Just take God at His word and claim His salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no

lodge, no good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it!

God’s simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your

place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you

receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith.

You say, “Surely, it cannot be that simple.” Yes, that simple! It is scriptural. It is God’s plan. My friend, believe

on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today.

If His plan is not perfectly clear, read this tract over and over, without laying it down, until you understand

it. Your soul is worth more than all the world.

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

Be sure you are saved. If you lose your soul, you miss Heaven and lose all. Please! Let God save you this very

moment.

God’s power will save you, keep you saved, and enable you to live a victorious Christian life. “There hath no

temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted

above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1

Corinthians 10:13).

Do not trust your feelings. They change. Stand on God’s promises. They never change. After you are saved,

there are three things to practice daily for spiritual growth:

Pray -- you talk to God.

Read your Bible -- God talks to you.

Witness -- you talk for God.

You should be baptized in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ as a public testimony of your salvation, and

then unite with a Bible-believing church without delay. “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of

our Lord . . . .” (2 Timothy 1:8)

“Whosoever therefore shall confess [testify of] Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which

is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).

New King James Version (NKJV)

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Romans 8:28

New King James Version (NKJV)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

New King James Version (NKJV)

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Romans 8:28

New King James Version (NKJV)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

''I ask forgiveness of God'' - important words during the time of repentance

Now, that the image has been given a more natural skin tone, the fine sculptural details of the face and the whole body are more emphasized and radiates an awesome aura that can move one to repentance and deep appreciation of God's great love for mankind. If only we would contemplate before an image of His Passion and Death, Im sure we can all be better Christians, and more Christ-like.

Sir Peter Paul Rubens

Flemish, 1577 - 1640

Oil on canvas. 297x200 cm

Flanders. Circa 1617-1618

Source of Entry: Collection of Empress Josephine, Malmaison. 1814

After the success of his monumental altar triptych for Antwerp Cathedral in 1614, Rubens received a number of commissions to produce variations on the central panel, which showed the Descent from the Cross. The theme was traditionally used in art to illustrate the Christian dogma of atonement for the Original Sin and the mystery of Communion. Unlike Netherlandish paintings of the 15th and 16th centuries, which presented a detailed narrative, Rubens treated the subject in accordance with the canons set out by the Council of Trent (1545-1563). Instead of a multi-figure composition, here we find only those directly mentioned in the Gospels. Thus the dead body of Christ is supported in silent grief by Joseph of Arimathaea, Nicodemus and the young John the Evangelist. Mary, gently holding her son for the last time, symbolises the Christian virtue of resignation. Mary Magdalene has fallen to her knees, the personification of repentance.

The simplicity used in conveying the emotional state of each figure, united as they are by a common feeling of unbounded sorrow, was dictated by the artist's desire to emphasise their understanding of the necessity and inevitability of the Messiah's self-sacrifice.

DSCN8169

10th century miniature from the Noailles Bible. In: BAKKENHOVEN, John (1971)(Ed.). De Bijbel. De Geïllustreerde Pers N.V., Amsterdam/NV Spaarnestad, Haarlem.

---

Illustration from the Roda Bible: Biblia Sancti Petri Rodensis. BnF Ms Latin 6. c.1050-1100AD also known as the 'Noailles Bible'.

Although the stories portrayed in the illustrations are ancient, the figures wear 11th century Catalan costume.

--

Louis Antoine De Noailles, a Roman Catholic prelate of great note in French ecclesiastical affairs, was born May 27, 1651. Having entered the Church at an early age, he was, while quite young, made abbot of Aubrac; in 1675 he became D.D.; bishop of Cahors in 1679; of Chalons in 1680; and finally archbishop of Paris in 1695. At the beginning of the Quietist difficulties he interfered as mediator between Bossuet and Fenelon against both of whom he wrote subsequently. In 1700 he was appointed cardinal, through the influence of Louis XIV. While yet bishop of Chalons, he had approved the Reflexions morales with which Quesnel had prefaced his edition of the N.T. (1693); this turned out a source of many annoyances to him afterwards, the more so as he subsequently condemned the Exposition de la Foi of the abbe de Barcos, another Jansenist work — thus rejecting what he had formerly commended. He afterwards led the other bishops in protesting against the bull Unigenitus, and became one of the most ardent friends of the Jansenists. The Jesuits immediately set in motion all their influence to have Noailles brought to condign punishment. The object they had at heart was to secure the blind acceptation of the pope's bull and the degradation of the prelates who had ventured on demurring; and they induced pope Clement XI to address a brief to cardinal Noailles in April, 1714, summoning him to accept the bull within fifteen days, purely and simply and without comment; after the lapse of which term, if still refractory, the pope declared that "he would strip him of the dignity of cardinal." Louis XIV, though in favor of the acceptation of the bull, yet resented this threatened exercise of the pope's authority against the archbishop of Paris, and would not permit the brief to have public course. This, however, did not quash the dispute, which became more and more envenomed; until, in November, 1716, the pope coerced the cardinals into subscribing a letter he had himself drawn up, whereby they professed to exhort their colleague Noailles to submit, and which was accompanied by a brief directed to the regent Orleans, wherein the pope declared that if this appeal were disregarded no further mercy could be expected. This brief the clergy were inhibited by royal veto from receiving; and in March, 1717, four bishops lodged with the Sorbonne a formal appeal, in the matter of the bull Unigenitus, to a future general council, and this appeal cardinal Noailles approved as quite canonical, although he himself still abstained from the same step. But when it seemed certain that in Rome the proceeding of the bishops was about to be censured, Noailles himself lodged, though for a time secretly, a similar appeal to the pope, melius informandus, and to a general council, in the matter of the bull, and of the pope's refusal to explain it. Manifestly here was an act of possibly very deferential, but decidedly very distinct resistance to the will of the pope, who was on his part little disposed to put up with it. Agents were now dispatched to and fro between Paris and Rome, but no form of explanation which Noailles could suggest found acceptance with the pope; and at last, on March 3, 1718, there appeared a decree of the Holy Office condemning severely the appeal of the four bishops and of cardinal Noailles. This was followed up by tidings of the imminent issue of a brief pronouncing those schismatics who did not accept the bull simply and purely; whereupon Noailles, to have the start of the pope, convened a general assembly of the chapter of Notre Dame, to whom he made public his appeal, which next day was stuck against the churchdoors in his diocese. This led to a furious decree of the Inquisition, Aug. 12, 1719, against the cardinal, and, as Dorsanne would have us believe, the pope's mind was now firmly set on the project of stripping Noailles of his red hat. Yet, with all the passions excited against the recalcitrant obstinacy of the French prelate in refusing to accept papal dictation implicitly, it would appear as if the desire to wreak the uttermost vengeance on his head was arrested by the sense of the practical difficulties that stood in the way of its accomplishment. In spite of the pope's animosity and the fanning action of the Jesuits, it was found desirable to let the matter drop. Cardinal Noailles, though censured and fulminated against, escaped further persecution, and continued archbishop of Paris to his death, before which he had reconciled himself with his adversaries by a compromise due mainly to the regent Orleans' influence. Noailles accepted the bull Unigenitus Oct. 11, 1728. While his actions in this case may have been consistent, his whole life may be said to have been checkered considerably by a most inconsistent course. He was for a time a Jansenist, or at least a most ardent supporter of that sect. Placed in positions of trust, and endangered in these by opposition from Rome and the Jesuits, he wavered frequently in his tasks, and would only go forward when assured of the protection of the court, or those in influence there. Thus, in 1709, cardinal Noailles gave his consent to the suppression of the Port-Royal (q.v.). community, the closing of the abbey in the October following, and the removal of its inmates accompanied by circumstances of great cruelty, though he himself had long befriended the Port-Royalists, and was really in sympathy with them. That he ordered this work of destruction simply from weakness, he acknowledged himself in after-life; and the memory of these unjust deeds no doubt plunged him into great depths of anguish. In solemn testimony of his repentance he went to the ruins of Port-Royal, that he might there mourn as a penitent, exclaiming, "I will see my enormous sin in all its horrors! Here in the midst of this miserable devastation, here will I unburden my mind" (comp. Tregelles, Jansenists, p. 40 sq.). Nothing that Noailles could now do to repair the injury of his former acts would he leave undone; but alas that his first work was so well done that it could never be changed for better or for worse! He had lived to please the master Rho gave him bread, and he had wronged those who had hoped to find in him a friend and protector; once their life destroyed, he had not the power to resuscitate them, and there remained for him only a hoary age, full of remorse for unjust acts and an inconsistent life. Jervis has well summed up Noailles's life and work: "His moral character was stainless his piety unquestionable, his pastoral zeal universally acknowledged; but he was of an irresolute temper, and deficient in intellectual depth and solidity of judgment. He labored, consequently, under great disadvantages as an administrator" (Hist. Ch. of France [Lond. 1872, 2 vols. 8vo], 2:89). Cardinal Noailles died May 4, 1729. See S: Pere Avrigny, Memoires chronologiques et dogmatiques (Paris, 1730): Bansset, Histoire de Fenelon (ibid. 1808); Picot, Memoires pour servir a l'hist. ecclesiast. pendant le 18me sibcle (1806 and 1815); Journal de l'cabb Dorsanne (Rome, 1753).; Villefore, Anecdotes ou memoires -sur la constitution Unigenitus (Paris, 1730); Journal historique du regne de Louis X V (ibid. 1766, 12mo); Baron d'Espagnac. Hist. de Maurice, comfe de Saxe (1775, 2 vols. 12mo); Le Bas, Diet. encyclopecique de la France; Le Moniteur universel (from the 7th to the 9th Thermidor. an. 2:No. 310); Voltaire, Precis du rsgne de Louis XV, ch. lxvii; Chronologie militaire, v. 390; Waroquier, Tableau histor. de la noblesse de France, p. 274; Guettee, Hist. de l'Eglise de France, 11:144 sq.; Jervis, Hist. of France, vol. ii (see Index); De Felice, Hist. Ch. of France, p. 350 sq.; Wessenberg, Gesch. der Kirchenversamlungen, 4:348, 402; Cartwright, Hist. Papal Conclaves, p. 225-228; Migne, Nouv. Encyclop. theologique, 3:93; Gallia Christiana, vol. 1, 8, 9; Saint-Simon, Histoire de Port Royal.

www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/N/noailles-louis-antoine-de.html

The Rev. Sandra Steiner Ball, a delegate from the Peninsula-Delaware Annual (regional) Conference, holds a stone as she prays at the conclusion of an April 27 "Act of Repentance toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous Peoples" at the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, Fla A UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey.

Road blizzard

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (February 17, 2021) Midshipmen, Faculty and Staff attend a Catholic service for Ash Wednesday. This marks the beginning of Lent a time of repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. As the undergraduate college of our country's naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. (U.S. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey/Released)

Coral Castle - Carving by Edward Leedskalnin

28655 S Dixie Hwy, Homestead, FL

In this corner, Ed has carved 2 holes that look like keyholes. No one knows how this story came about: When Ed was building Coral Castle for his imaginary family, he thought "what if someone misbehaves?” So he carved these 2 holes here, one for his wife and one for his kid.

When they need to be punished, he could shove their heads into these round openings at the top and lock them in with a piece of wood. This was in essence, a medieval stockade. When they stand there motionless in this torturous position, Ed could sit on a nearby stone bench and teach them some manners.

Sometimes recovery seems so out of reach. But I am constantly reminding myself of why I am fighting, I am fighting to LIVE.

Naked, she stands exposing her truth

sharp corners count bones that she does not see

Apostle of illusions, her mirror hangs low

Forgetting the girl that she used to be

Secrets that crevice her hallowed soul

A smile so wide to hide the disease

Naked, she stands exposing her sins

Repentance on show for a temple to please

Teeth bruised knuckles crack with control

Porcelain prayers dirty her knees

Digital devil on her bathroom floor

Telling lies (she knows) but she needs to believe.

Ohio State Reformatory

Mansfield, OH

August 7th, 2015

Delegates pray after selecting stones from the "River of Life" in the center aisle of the delegates' seating area at the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, Fla. The ceremony came near the end of an April 27 "Act of Repentance toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous Peoples." A UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey.

The Rev. Sandra Steiner Ball, a delegate from the Peninsula-Delaware Annual (regional) Conference, holds a stone as she prays at the conclusion of an April 27 "Act of Repentance toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous Peoples" at the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, Fla A UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (February 17, 2021) Midshipmen, Faculty and Staff attend a Catholic service for Ash Wednesday. This marks the beginning of Lent a time of repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. As the undergraduate college of our country's naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. (U.S. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey/Released)

Hoddom Castle is a large tower house in Dumfries and Galloway, south Scotland. It is located by the River Annan, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south-west of Ecclefechan.

The lands of Hoddom or Hoddam belonged to the Herries family, allies of the Bruce family who were Lords of Annandale from 1124. It passed to the Carruthers family, and then to the Maxwells. At the core of the castle is an L-plan tower house, built in the 16th century. It was probably built for Sir John Maxwell, who acquired Hoddom in the mid 16th-century when he married the heiress Agnes, Lady Herries. Maxwell also built Repentance Tower, on the hill to the south, as a watchtower for the castle.

In the aftermath of the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, the Regent Moray besieged Hoddom, which capitulated after only one day. It was briefly the base of the Warden of the Scottish West March, but was recaptured in 1569 by supporters of Queen Mary. The following year it was attacked by the English under Lord Scroop, who blew up the tower.

This tower was repaired and expanded in the 17th century to form a courtyard castle. It was acquired by Sir Richard Murray from the 6th Lord Herries, and then became the property of the Earl of Southesk in 1653. In 1690 it passed to the Sharpe family. In around 1826, General Matthew Sharpe of Hoddom commissioned William Burn to design modern extensions to the south and west of the castle. Hoddom was purchased in 1877 by the Brook family of Meltham, Huddersfield, who later bought nearby Kinmount House. Further extensions were built in a neo-Jacobean style to the north and west, some at least to designs by architects Wardrop and Anderson.

The house was requisitioned by the military during the Second World War, and was not reoccupied afterwards. In the 1970s William Burn's extensions were largely demolished. The castle now stands in the grounds of a caravan park, and the remaining 19th-century additions are used as offices.

Nazi, Neo-Pagan 'Christmas', Nazis celebrate the Winter Solstice. Reproduced in: 'The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich' published in 1940 by Burns Oates

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_persecution_of_the_Catholic_Ch...

Lying, atheist propaganda about Christians being in league with the Nazis - and that the Pope and Catholic Church were complicit in the persecution and of Jews has been propagated and spread by militant, atheist fanatics and other anti-Christian bigots since the end of the 2nd world war.

The truth ...

Hitler and the Nazis were pagan, naturalist, occultists with racial superiority and eugenics policies based on the writings of the German Darwinist, Ernst Haeckel.

They were haters of Christianity and, just like the atheists in all the brutal, communist regimes, their ultimate aim was to eliminate Christianity.

"We live in an era of the ultimate conflict with Christianity. It is part of the mission of the SS to give the German people in the next half century the non-Christian ideological foundations on which to lead and shape their lives. This task does not consist solely in overcoming an ideological opponent but must be accompanied at every step by a positive impetus: in this case that means the reconstruction of the German heritage in the widest and most comprehensive sense."

— Heinrich Himmler, 1937

Here is the real history in "Facts and Documents Translated from the German" and published at the time.

Frontispiece from 'The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich' published in 1940 by Burns Oates

www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/14425597587

"The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich" Published in 1940 is full (565 pages) of translated copies of original Nazi documents and cartoons lambasting the Church from the 1930's - 1940.

What about quotes from Hitler's writing and speeches, frequently presented by atheists, which allegedly show that Hitler supported Christianity?

It is well known that what Hitler said and what Hitler actually did were two entirely different things. Hitler didn't want to risk antagonising Christians in Germany. So he attempted to give the impression that he was on their side, however, the actions of the Hitler's National Socialist Party proved the exact opposite, as shown in this book.

And - even if Hitler claimed to be Christian, he couldn't have been, because he directly opposed the teaching of Jesus and the Church. This means he was an heretic and therefore would be automatically excommunicated.

Anyone who knows anything about Christianity knows that simply calling oneself Christian doesn't make one Christian. An heretic cannot be a Christian.

So Hitler and the Nazis were not Christian, they totally disregarded Christian, moral teaching and the Ten Commandments.

They believed in situational ethics and moral relativism (which is the essence of the atheist, Humanist Manifesto) just as Stalin, Mao and all the atheist tyrants of the 20th century did.

So Hitler's moral and ethical values were akin to atheist morals and ethics, inasmuch as they had no definitive yardstick. The Nazis abandoned the moral and ethical values of Christianity and were left with ephemeral ethics - which are reliant only on the situation, opinion or fashion. Just like the Humanist Manifesto, with no definitive, moral yardstick or inalienable, God-given rights, there can be no moral or ethical absolutes - right can be deemed to be wrong, and wrong can be deemed to be right. It varies according to the situation or what is judged to be 'necessary'. it is a recipe for tyranny.

Hitler was not strictly an atheist in belief, but he was similar in his ethical and moral relativism.

His ideology is best described as Darwinian inspired paganism. There are documents in this book which prove the Nazis were pagans, not Christians.

There are also documents reproduced in the book which prove that the Church hierarchy did not support the Nazis, that is why so many priests etc. were arrested, imprisoned and tortured on trumped-up charges.

So we know that, as Hitler rejected the teaching of Jesus on morals, he could not possibly be a Christian, regardless of what anyone claims.

The moral values of Christianity are the Ten Commandments and the values espoused in the teaching of Jesus and His Apostles.

Anyone who rejects those values, cannot claim to either be a Christian or to be acting as a Christian. They are based on two principles of loving God and loving one's neighbour (and even enemies) as oneself.

Every Christian has to aspire to those principles. If they fail through weakness they are guilty of sin, for which they can be forgiven with sincere repentance. If they deliberately reject those moral principles they forfeit the right to call themselves Christian. So, it is not possible for a true Christian to knowingly support a tyrannical regime such as the Nazis or the Communists, which murders, tortures or persecutes innocent people. If they do, they cease to be Christians, no matter what they may claim to the contrary.

www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/14425393220

It is obvious from the Nazi cartoon in the image above that the Nazis themselves certainly didn't think the Church or Pope were complicit in supporting Nazism. On the contrary, they obviously thought the Church was complicit in supporting the Jews. Which was in fact, the real truth as presented in the book below - written by a Jewish Rabbi.

'The Myth of Hitler's Pope' - How Pope Pius XII rescued Jews from the Nazis. by Jewish Rabbi David G Dalin.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/0895260344/ref=cm_cr_dpvoterdr?...

What about books, such as; 'Hitler's Pope' by the journalist John Cornwell, which claim that Pope Pius XII was complicit in the persecution and murder of Jews by keeping quiet about the crimes of the Nazis?

Cornwell's book has been completely discredited.

Catholics who attended church in Nazi Germany were left in no doubt that the Church opposed the Nazi regime well before 1940.

'The Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich' 1940 - has page after page of contemporary source material, such as translated copies of Pastoral letters, Encyclicals and Sermons issued by Bishops, Archbishops and Cardinals read in German churches at the time, including one from a combined Pastoral of Bishops, which criticise the National Socialists and point out the Nazis opposition to Catholicism and Christian civilisation.

Furthermore, Cardinal Pacelli, who became Pius XII, was one of them. And he was singled out for vilification by the Nazis in the Nazi publications of the Schwarze Corps.

So the idea that Catholics didn't know that the Church opposed Hitler and the Nazis is complete balderdash.

Catholic newspapers and publications were systematically banned or censored at the time. So Encyclicals and sermons were the only voice the Church had within Germany.

All German radio and newspapers were controlled by the Nazis. They wouldn't have publicised any public pronouncement by the Pope or any other opposition from the Catholic Church.

So the Church certainly wasn't silent - or complicit with the Nazis. And thousands of Catholics and priests were imprisoned, tortured and executed for being in league with Jews and also falsely accused of being in league with Freemasons and Communists.

The Nazis considered the Catholic Church (and other Christians) an enemy within.

And overwhelming evidence shows that the Pope was actively organising the escape of thousands of Jews from the Nazis. Vatican Radio had to keep the Pope's involvement out of the news in order not to undermine or damage the rescue effort.

The Pope was well aware that antagonising the Nazis with worldwide, public pronouncements from Vatican Radio would lead to an increased crackdown on priests and other Catholics who were working undercover to help Jews escape. It would have been completely counterproductive.

It is very significant that the Jewish Historian, Martin Gilbert, the biographer of Winston Churchill, who knew much more than Cornwell, or any other historical 'revisionists' wanted Pope Pius to be given the title Righteous among Nations.

“As one of the world’s leading experts on the Holocaust and WWII, Sir Martin was well aware of the lifesaving efforts of Pope Pius XII, most especially to save the Jews from the barbarism of the Nazi regime,” Krupp told the Register. “It was Sir Martin who encouraged me to nominate Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII) to Yad Vashem to be named ‘Righteous Among Nations.’”

"In an interview in 2007, Gilbert explained how the wartime pope’s interventions and protestations directly helped to save 4,700 Jewish lives in Rome and that 477 Jews were given refuge in the Vatican. He also documented other ways in which Pius XII rescued Jews persecuted by the Nazis."

"In an earlier interview in 2003, he hoped his research would “restore, in a way, on the foundation of historical fact, the true and wonderful achievements of Catholics in helping Jews during the war.

Pave the Way Foundation also filmed an interview with Gilbert, during which he discussed his personal research on the actions of Pope Pius XII during World War II.

He was eager to see the Holocaust museum Yad Vashem open a file on Pius to study his worthiness to be included in the institution’s “Department of the Righteous.” He also wanted to see the wartime archives opened to the public so that historians could better understand Pius’ role."

Sir Martin Gilbert estimates the Catholic Church saved up to half a million Jewish lives.

books.google.co.uk/books?id=KQvGxx1qG90C&pg=PA191&...

Of course, this is all available in the public domain, but still atheists and other anti-Christian bigots persist in ignoring the truth and continue to propagate distortions and lies. Their motivation is not historical accuracy, but militant, ideological fanaticism.

www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/21486403228

www.flickr.com/photos/truth-in-science/21487545830

Season of Lent --

a time for reflection and repentance. This will be one of my first times in a while I get to spend the holyweek not vacationing on an island. Gives one more time to review our lives.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (February 17, 2021) Midshipmen, Faculty and Staff attend a Catholic service for Ash Wednesday. This marks the beginning of Lent a time of repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. As the undergraduate college of our country's naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. (U.S. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey/Released)

cascades a km above Minyon Falls, Whian Whian SCA

Achive shot:

folksong.org.nz/mckenzie/seager.html

There's a story that you're bound to hear

if you're down Otago way

about an outlaw and the dog that bought him fame

of an ancient Maori trail

to a grassy mountain vale

in the rugged land that bears Mackenzie's name.

And the station riders say

when Aurob'ralis play

and the stars that form the Southern Cross are shining high and pale

you may see a phantom collie

drive a ghostly mob of sheep

through the mists along the old Mackenzie Trail

When the campfires are a blazin'

and the drovin' men are lazin'

all fired with Hokonui mountain grog

there's a story in the makin'

with per- -haps a little bacon

as they weave their legends round Mackenzie's dog.

Now Mackenzie so the story goes

rode the ranges on a steer

preselecting squatters' sheep then when he'd done

he would tell his collie pup

to go back and round them up

and to punch them homeward to his mountain run.

Then the troopers took the trail

swore to bring this Scot to jail

and recover all the mossy faces too

and they captured him at last

in a rugged mountain pass

and he went before the judge in Timaru.

There was no sign of repentance

when Mackenzie heard his sentence

but the last words rang from him a broken cry

he defied the law and told them

that no prison bars could hold him

when the judge condemned his faithful dog to die.

That was years ago but the records show

that Mackenzie kept his word

on the evening of a cold and wintery day

when he rolled the dice with fate

how the troopers fired too late

though they wounded him Mackenzie got away

Now there are city folks who swear

that Mackenzie and his dog

were nothing more than thievin' scoundrels wrapped in hair and hide

but along the mountain stations

where the campfires burn at night

you can hear old timers speak their names with pride.

There's a story that you're bound to hear

if you're down Otago way

when the night winds through the mountain passes wail

they will tell you tat's Mackenzie

whistling home his collie dog

through the mists along the old Mackenzie's trail.

New King James Version (NKJV)

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Romans 8:28

New King James Version (NKJV)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (February 17, 2021) Midshipmen, Faculty and Staff attend a Catholic service for Ash Wednesday. This marks the beginning of Lent a time of repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. As the undergraduate college of our country's naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. (U.S. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey/Released)

"At that time: Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?’ This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 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 8:1-11, which is the Gospel for the 5th Sunday of Lent (Year C).

This terra cotta tympanum depicting today's Gospel is from the church of the Holy Rosary in Greenville SC.

"Jesus made a tour round the villages, teaching. Then he summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs giving them authority over the unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to wear sandals but, he added, ‘Do not take a spare tunic.’ And he said to them, ‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust from under your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set off to preach repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them."

– Mark 6:7-13, which is today's Gospel for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Statues of Christ and the apostles from the facade of the Abbey church of the Benedictine abbey of Montserrat.

CE2015-02-23-02.52.37-Spoty PriereMirror

LARGE view please. Learn more on this busy carpenter bee at:

images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fs.fed.us/wild...

images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://johnbokma.com/mexi...

images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://davidprasadblogs.c...

___________________________________________

www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/lord_byron.html

Lord Byron, British Poet

Birth: January 22, 1788; Death: April 19, 1824

Folly loves the martyrdom of fame.

Fools are my theme, let satire be my song.

For in itself a thought, a slumbering thought, is capable of years, and curdles a long life into one hour.

For pleasures past I do not grieve, nor perils gathering near; My greatest grief is that I leave nothing that claims a tear.

For truth is always strange; stranger than fiction.

Friendship is Love without his wings!

Friendship may, and often does, grow into love, but love never subsides into friendship.

He who is only just is cruel. Who on earth could live were all judged justly?

He who surpasses or subdues mankind, must look down on the hate of those below.

Her great merit is finding out mine - there is nothing so amiable as discernment.

__________________________________

Friday, August 29, 2008

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Martyrdom of John the Baptist.

For more on Jesu’s cousin, see

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John_the_Baptist

1 Corinthians 1:17-25

Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11

Mark 6:17-29

When I was in junior high, for 7th and 8th grades, we had the same nun who taught religion and almost all the other subjects. She liked to have us act out various Gospel accounts. One was the martyrdom of John the Baptist. Wisely, she did not include the dance! But, one of the girls came out from the kitchen with a platter, covered with a pan, and showed it to another girl who brought it to the "king." I liked those reenactments; they involved us in many Gospel accounts.

It was dramatic. As well it should be. This gospel is not for perusal. It shocks. The prophet has been arrested, taken away, is subject to the king's whims. This is so often the fate of the prophets. Now, because he has condemned, adultery and ravenous desire for revenge leads to John's death. The one who declared basic repentance and basic justice, who recognized the Lamb of God, is martyred.

Perhaps you and I can reenact this gospel and the biography of John the Baptist in our own lives today. How do I recognize the "One who is to come"? For He will come again. How do I apply elementary forms of justice in my life? What is the depth of my repentance? Or, more difficult, is to reflect on the Baptist confrontation with Herod about his adultery. Most likely this is not an immediate issue for you, but it continues to be now as in centuries past: fundamental infidelity and public immorality. And the lesser forms of accommodation with the ways of the world that denigrate human dignity and chastity, purity and fidelity. Perhaps there are places in our lives where the edges have been rounded down?

St. Paul makes it clear that Christ is a stumbling block. We want so much to think of His gentle presence, perfectly valid, but not His demands.

The Martyrdom of John the Baptist is also a day to pray with all the martyrs who persevered through the most difficult of human suffering. They help us find purpose in our own suffering. There is a glory to be exhibited. It is under the cover on the platter. When it is lifted, God's rising Son is displayed.

- Rev. Stephen H. Gratto

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Romans 8:28

New King James Version (NKJV)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Stones are piled in the central aisle of the Tampa Convention Center in preparation for an April 27 "Act of Repentance toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous Peoples" at the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, Fla. A UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (February 17, 2021) Midshipmen, Faculty and Staff attend a Catholic service for Ash Wednesday. This marks the beginning of Lent a time of repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. As the undergraduate college of our country's naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. (U.S. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey/Released)

Taken at Repentance Tower near Annan. This was a shot from one of my Timelapse videos.

New King James Version (NKJV)

Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

Romans 8:28

New King James Version (NKJV)

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

"testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus." Acts 20:21

A print from the Phillip Medhurst Collection at St. George's Court, Kidderminster.