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Hey folks, I'm showing some prints in a big show with a bunch of other artists in Pasadena the following two weekends. If you're around, let me know and come on by, it'd be great to meet up!
Opening Reception:
Friday, August 21st, 6:30-11pm
Dates: August 21,22,28 & 29
Time: 6:30pm – 11pm
Location: (old town, pasadena)
32 S. Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91106
The image is an old favorite of mine from Buckskin Gulch during a snowstorm. Not certain yet, but I'm hoping this one will be a part of the series.
2010 CALENDARS now shipping!! - florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/gallery/8609384_K59HN
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Prints available: florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/
Adventures for your entertainment and edification: artinnature.wordpress.com/
San Marco in Lamis Gargano Puglia Italia© 2015 All rights reserved
FotoSketcher lively
Nikon coolpix p 7100
San Marco in Lamis è un comune italiano di 13.928 abitanti della provincia di Foggia, in Puglia.
San Marco in Lamis è nota soprattutto per la tradizionale Processione delle "fracchie", una manifestazione religiosa popolare molto suggestiva e assai singolare, che si ripete puntualmente da circa tre secoli ogni venerdì Santo per la rievocazione della Passione di Cristo, e che, ogni anno, richiama un grande afflusso di forestieri. Le fracchie sono delle enormi fiaccole, realizzate con grossi tronchi di albero di quercia o castagno aperti longitudinalmente a forma di cono e riempiti di legna, per essere incendiate all'imbrunire e divenire quindi dei falò ambulanti che illuminano il cammino della Madonna Addolorata lungo le strade del paese alla ricerca del figlio Gesù morto.Sembra che le origini di questo rito risalgano ai primi anni del XVIII secolo, epoca di edificazione della chiesa dell'Addolorata e le sue ragioni, oltre che di ordine religioso e devozionale, vadano collegate anche ad una motivazione di ordine pratico riconducibile alle precise condizioni fisiche dell'abitato. Infatti, quando venne costruita (1717), la chiesa dell'Addolorata si trovava fuori del centro abitato e lì sarebbe rimasta fino all'ultimo ventennio del XIX secolo. Una collocazione questa che sollecitò la fantasia degli abitanti, i quali pensarono di illuminare con le "fracchie" la strada che la Madonna percorreva dalla sua chiesa fino alla Collegiata, dove era custodito il corpo del Cristo. Le “fracchie più grandi possono essere lunghe anche 13-14 metri e pesare anche 60-70 quintali di legno di quercia , castagno o abete .
da wikipedia
San Marco in Lamis is a town of 13,928 citizens in the Italian province of Foggia, Puglia, Italy.
San Marco in Lamis is a town of 13.928 citizens and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It is located in the Gargano massif area.Apart from some tourism conted to pilgrimages at the local Catholic sanctuary of St. Matthew, the economy is mostly based on agriculture.San Marco in Lamis is known for the traditional procession of "fracchie", a very popular religious manifestation suggestive and very singular, that is repeated regularly from about three centuries each friday Saint for the reenactment of the passion of Christ, and that each year draws a large influx of foreigners. The fracchie are huge torches, made with large trees oak opened longitudinally cone-shaped and filled with wood, to be burned at dusk and become so a itinerant bonfires that illuminate the journey of our Lady of Sorrows along the roads of the country in search of the son Jesus died.It seems that the origins of this rite dates back to the early 18th century, a time of edification of the Church of our Lady of sorrows and his reasons as well as religious and devotional order, should be connected to a practical motivation due to precise physical conditions of the town. In fact, when it was built (1717), the Church of our Lady of Sorrows was out of town and would remain there until the last two decades of the 19th century. A bin that solicited the imagination of the inhabitants, whom they thought to illuminate with the "fracchie" the way that she ran from her church until the collegiate, where he guarded the body of Christ. The"Fracchia" can also get the length of 13-14 meters and weigh 60-70 quintals of wood of oak. From wikipedia
I found this awesome, 3-in-one vintage United States map set puzzle on eBay. It has one puzzle map showing "Pioneer History," one showing "Products and Industries" and a third one showing the major geographical highlights of each state.
Most likely from the late 1930s or early 1940s, the puzzle does not include Hawai'i or Alaska. Each state is die-cut along its boundaries, and the set isn't missing any pieces at all! And the box, while worn, has gorgeous graphics, too.
Scanned and cleaned up for your edification and enjoyment, the products of Texas--beef cattle, grapefruit, oil and cotton, along with copious amounts of cactus.
Interestingness 291: 12-12-2008
It will indubitably surprise some people to hear me say this, but Mr. Brown Pelican's feral compeers exert themselves to muddy the water, obfuscate the record, and cover up, by sophistries and denials, all of Mr. Pelican's mudslinging contretemps. Perhaps before going on, I should describe Mr. Pelican to you. Mr. Pelican is frowzy, passive-aggressive, and snippy. Furthermore, he yearns to create a beachhead for organized separatism. He favors conquest not only by violence but also by the peaceful and delicate methods of cheating and lying.
I plan to work within the system to persuade my fellow citizens that Mr. Pelican makes no sense at all, not because I lack the courage for more drastic steps but because Mr. Pelican's attempts to use organized violence to suppress opposition are much worse than mere Bonapartism. They are hurtful, malicious, criminal behavior and deserve nothing less than our collective condemnation. I clearly cannot emphasize enough how much I resent his quips. For your edification, I should truly point out that on several occasions I have heard him state that the health effects of secondhand smoke are negligible. I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a comment. What I consider far more important though is that when all discoverable facts and experience fly in the face of Mr. Pelican's shabby world view, Mr. Pelican stubbornly holds onto his ignorance as his birthright.
Fluorescent minerals at night by a mine Steve Sieren and I took our recent Twilight Workshop for some shooting. It was a blast!
10 exposure blend, to overcome technical limitations. Everything you see is a natural phenomenon save for the purple UV beam, which was added in PS.
It's dark.. and thus better seen in a dark room against the dark back of my website.
Check out my blog for some details if you're curious.
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Prints available: http://artinnaturephotography.com/
Adventures for your entertainment and edification: http://artinnaturephotography.com/wordpress
Relic under my custody .
Early life[edit]
Francesco Possenti was born on March 1, 1838, in Assisi Italy, the eleventh of thirteen children born to his mother, Agnes, and his father, Sante. The family were then resident in the town of Assisi where Sante worked for the local government. Possenti was baptised on the day of his birth in the same font in which Saint Francis of Assisi had been baptised.[1] Shortly after Francis' birth Sante Possenti was transferred to a post at Montalta and thence to Spoleto where, in 1841, he was appointed legal assessor. In Spoleto the family was struck with a number of bereavements: the deaths of a baby girl, Rosa, in December 1841; of seven-year-old Adele in January 1842; and of Francis’ mother, Agnes, in 1842.[2]
As a child and young man, Francis Possenti was well liked by his peers and had a reputation for great charity and piety. He was also known for the great care he took with regard to his appearance and would spend hours in preparing himself for parties. Francis could be a difficult child and was liable to bouts of anger. Francis was deeply involved with the social scene of Spoleto and soon earned for himself the nickname of "the dancer".[3] He was a ladies man, and had several romantic involvements and on the night he left for the monastery there were still hopes that he might become engaged to a local girl. He was educated first by the Christian Brothers and then by the Jesuits in the town’s college and there excelled, particularly in Latin. In 1851 Francis became desperately ill and promised to enter religious life if he recovered. Once he had recovered, his promise was soon forgotten. The same thing happened when he narrowly escaped a stray bullet during a hunting expedition with friends.[4] His brother Paul had died in 1848 and his brother Lawrence committed suicide in 1853. In 1853 Francis again fell ill, this time afflicted with a throat abscess. He attributed his healing to the recently beatified Andrew Bobola, SJ. Once more he had promised to enter religious life upon his recovery and this time actually set the process in motion. He applied to join the Jesuits, but for some unknown reason never proceeded. Tragedy struck again when his sister, Mary Louisa, who had cared for Francis after their mother’s death, died of cholera.
Vocation[edit]
After the cholera epidemic that killed Gabriel's sister ended, Spoleto clergy and civic authorities organised a procession of the ancient icon of the Virgin Mary in Spoleto’s cathedral. Francis attended the procession and as the image passed by him, he felt an interior voice asking why he remained in the world. This event was the galvanising force behind the first serious steps in Francis’ religious vocation.[5] After the procession he sought the advice of a priest and resolved to enter the Passionist Congregation. As there was no Passionist house near Spoleto, it is most likely that Francis’ choice was based on a personal devotion to the Passion of Christ.[6] His father refused to give him permission to leave for the Passionists and enlisted several relatives to dissuade Francis from his course. Their attempts were unsuccessful and soon his father was convinced that Francis' intentions were sincere and not capricious.
Passionist[edit]
St. Gabriel
Accompanied by his brother Aloysius, a Dominican friar, Francis set out for the novitiate of the Passionists at Morrovalle. During their journey they visited several relatives who had been enlisted by Sante to encourage Francis to return to Spoleto, but this was to no avail. He arrived at the novitiate on September 19, 1856.
Two days later he received the habit of the Passionists and the name "Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows". The following year Gabriel pronounced his vows. During this time, and indeed until his death, Gabriel’s spiritual life was under the care of his director, Father Norbert of Holy Mary.
In June 1858 Gabriel and the other students moved to Pietvetorina to continue their studies. Local disturbances meant they would stay only a year and, in July 1859, the group moved to the monastery of Isola del Gran Sasso in the province of Teramo.[7]
Gabriel proved an excellent student and his excellence in academic life was only outdone by the great progress he was making in his spiritual life. At the same time Gabriel began to display the first symptoms of tuberculosis. The news did not worry Gabriel, who was, in fact, joyful; he had prayed for a slow death so as to be able to prepare himself spiritually. Throughout his illness he remained cheerful and kept up all his usual practises. He was a source of great edification and inspiration to his fellow students, who sought to spend time with him at his deathbed. Gabriel had proved himself an exemplary religious and a perfect follower of the Passionist Rule, being especially devoted to the Virgin Mary.
On his deathbed he ordered his spiritual writings to be burnt for he feared they would tempt him to pride. Only his letters survive, alongside his ‘Resolutions’[8] which map the spiritual progress he made in his few years as a Passionist.[9]
Before he could be ordained a priest, Gabriel died in the retreat at Isola del Gran Sasso the early hours of February 27, 1862, in the presence of the community, holding close an image of Our Lady of Sorrows and smiling peacefully. Those who were with Gabriel when he died reported that at the moment of death, he sat up in bed and his face became radiant as he reached out to an otherwise unseen figure that was entering the room. It was the opinion of Father Norbert that Saint Gabriel had seen the Virgin Mary at the very moment of his death.[10]
Canonization[edit]
Gabriel was buried the day of his death. His companion in the novitiate, Bernard Mary of Jesus exclaimed:
Tears come to my eyes and I am filled with shame for having been so far from the virtues that he attained in such a short time.[11]
Immediately thereafter Father Norbert wrote a biography of his life. In 1866, four years after the death of Gabriel, the Passionists were forced to abandon the monastery of Isola del Gran Sasso, an the church where Gabriel lay buried went deserted for 30 years. Since his death, the fame of Gabriel’s sanctity had spread through the local area, as well as amongst the Passionists.[12] In 1891 the Congregation decided to formally open proceedings for Gabriel’s canonisation and, a year later, a committee visited his grave to examine his remains. Upon the arrival of the committee at Isola del Gran Sasso, the townspeople surrounded the church, determined not to have the body of Gabriel taken from their midst.[13] Two years later the Passionist returned to resume their life at Isola del Gran Sasso near the city of Teramo.
The two miracles presented for the beatification of Gabriel were the inexplicable healings of Maria Mazzarella from pulmonary tuberculosis and periostitus, and the instantaneous cure of Dominic Tiber from an inoperable hernia.[14] Gabriel was beatified by Pope Pius X on May 31, 1908. Present at the ceremony were his brother Michael, his companion Brother Sylvester, and his director, Father Norbert. The outbreak of the First World War delayed Gabriel’s canonisation for a while, but on May 13, 1920, he was raised to the altars by Pope Benedict XV.[15]
Patronage[edit]
The Shrine of Saint Gabriel
At the canonization of Saint Gabriel, Pope Benedict XV declared him a patron saint of Catholic youth, of students, and of those studying for the priesthood. In 1959, Pope John XXIII named him the patron of the Abruzzi region, where he spent the last two years of his life.
Millions of pilgrims visit St. Gabriel's shrine in Isola del Gran Sasso d'Italia near Teramo each year to see the saint's burial place and the monastic house in which he lived out his final years. The shrine of Saint Gabriel at Isola, is particularly popular. There's an ongoing tradition every March, when thousands of high school students from the Abruzzo and the Marche regions of Italy visit his tomb 100 days before their expected graduation day and pray him in order to achieve good scores on their final. Every two years from mid-July to the beginning of October, the Italian Staurós ONLUS foundation hosts at the Sanctuary of Saint Gabriel a celebrated exposition of contemporary religious arts. With average of 2 million visitors per year is one of the 15 most visited sanctuaries in the world.[16]
The cult of Saint Gabriel is especially popular amongst Italian youth; Italian migrants have spread the cult to areas such as the United States, Central America and South America. The Passionist Congregation also spreads devotion to the saint wherever they have monasteries. Many miracles have been attributed to the saint’s intercession; Saint Gemma Galgani held that it was St Gabriel who had cured her of a dangerous illness and led her to a Passionist vocation.
Saint Gabriel Possenti Society[edit]
The Saint Gabriel Possenti Society is a U.S. organization promoting the public recognition of Gabriel and lobbying for his designation by the Vatican as the "patron saint of hand gunners". The society was founded by gun lobbyist John M. Snyder, who began his effort in 1987.[17]
According to the society, Gabriel's marksmanship and proficiency with handguns allegedly saved the village of Isola del Gran Sasso from a band of 20 marauding bandits in 1860. This is in reference to a story mentioned in one biography of the saint,[18]:93 though the author admitted that some of the accounts in his book were invented to "enliven" the story.[18]:3 No account of the event is present in any other independently researched biographies, making it seem unlikely. Moreover, at the time of the alleged incident, 1860, Gabriel was in the later stages of tuberculosis, making such strenuous exercise impossible.[19]:37
Pinecones, flowers, and a small plant, no idea what, in Sequoia NP.
View large, thanks!
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Prints available: florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/
Adventures for your entertainment and edification: artinnature.wordpress.com/
Gateway Camp Verse
(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4
Isaiah 62:10
What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.
After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.
I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.
I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.
Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.
Sau2 muhn6 je2
Mihng6 dihng6
Kyuhn4 lihk6
Lihk6 leuhng6
Chong3 yi3 adjective
Chong3 jouh6 verb
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.
This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.
1) Welcoming the Father
2) Unifying the body
3) Partnering with the Chinese
4) Serving the city
5) Supporting the Chinese
Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!
Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.
Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)
Sihng4 jeung2
Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)
The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!
An Outburst
I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.
To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.
In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.
OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.
I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!
Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.
In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Disagreeable
I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.
I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.
In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.
…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.
I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.
Sihng4 jauh6 achievement
Ngwuih misunderstanding
Nggaai2 to misunderstand
Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive
Gaan2syun2 chosen
The Security Guard
At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.
Reconciliation
This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.
Sex Talk – Part One
The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.
While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.
Prayer
The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.
I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.
A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.
Keuhng4 jong3
Lai1 hei2 (pull up)
In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.
Oscillate between…and…
Vacillate…
Equivocated
Prevaricate
Sex Talk – Part Two
1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18
2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18
Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)
Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.
Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.
Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:
1) Call for help; Romans 10:13
2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13
Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.
3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22
4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14
I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.
5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16
I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.
6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7
7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7
Exterior of Mir-i-Arab Medressa and Kalon Minaret. Two tourists are sitting at the entrance to Kalon Mosque. Photo taken on July 08, 2012 in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
Marmot taking in the sunset over the Sierra Nevada.
For you skiers/snowboarders - those hills in the distance is mammoth.
You can now place your orders for a 2010 Calendar on my site! - florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/gallery/8609384_K59HN
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"Stephen, son of Geza, great-grandson of Arpad who led the Hungarians into the Plain of Pannonia, was a remarkable man on any Showing. Brought up by Bishop St Adalbert, his Christianity was that of the abbots of Cluny, informed by the spirit of revival and reform the great Benedictines introduced. Like them, Stephen had a strong character, great ability and deep religious faith. And he lived up to his religion. He was indeed a good administrator of his domain: rex recte regendo; defender and missionary of the faith; supporter of and obedient to the decrees of the Church; "just, pious and peace-loving": iustus, Pius et pacificus; ruling by the grace of God: Dei gratia rex; suited for ruling: idoneus; a real Christian king : rex christianus. It was said in his time that "no one could have been kinder to those he had defeated, or gentler to the meek.
His admonitions to his son, Imre are remarkable for a ruler of the eleventh century. One of its most famous sentences is: "Treat kindly Christian guests and newcomers, for they have a wealth of use to offer; they bring with them different languages, customs, weapons and knowledge, which serve to the edification of all countries and to the greatness of the King's Court, and overawe the conceited hearts of strangers. A country that has only one language and one morality is a weak country." Nothing could have explessed more clearly his concept of Christian universalism...
St Stephen's thinking was well expressed in his request for a crown made [c.1000] to Pope Sylvester II, a Frenchman and Benedictine monk steeped in the spirit of Cluny. The golden circle (the base of the holy crown as it is today) was brought to Hungary by a German monk. Only the Pope could grant Stephen a crown and the title of king without his having to swear suzerainty—thereby preserving the independence of the Hungarian people.
St Stephen ensured Hungary's independence of either the western or the eastern emperors (there was no one else who could have claimed its submission); then he offered Hungary—through the holy crown—to the Virgin Mary, promulgating the doctrine that Hungary belongs to the crown, and the crown to the Mother of God" - from The Tablet Archive (1978).
Today, 16th August is the memorial of St Stephen of Hungary who was canonised in 1083, and this marble relief of him presenting the Crown of Hungary to “Nagyboldogasszony” (“Our Lady”) is in the Hungarian chapel in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC.
Every year 10's of thousands of land locked Kokanee Salmon make their way up Taylor Creek from Lake Tahoe to spawn. It was an incredible sight to see!
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A boy who is about 10 years old has his hand in the air trying to gain the attention of the teacher in an open air class in a small town adjacent to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The boy's clothes are ragged and torn. His classmates also have their hands in the air. Photo taken on February 22, 2008.
Scarlet Tanager posing in Sapsucker Woods in Ithaca, NY.
This is from 2007, figured I should beef up my bird folder..
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Le Carmel de Beaune s'installa en 1619 dans l'ancien prieuré bénédictin de Saint-Étienne, fondé vers 1005. Le prieuré (dont des linteaux du 13e s. ont été remployés) étant en mauvais état, l'église du 16e s. fut d'abord réparée sommairement ; le 7 mai 1639 fut posée la 1ère pierre de la chapelle de l'Enfant Jésus. Le monastère fut entrepris en novembre 1640 et l'église en grande partie reconstruite de 1654 à 1657, date gravée sur la clé de l'arc du portail. Une chapelle dite de l'Ermitage de Bethléem fut édifiée en 1715 dans le jardin. Après la Révolution, l'ancien couvent connut différentes affectations qui entraînèrent des remaniements de la distribution intérieure d'après les devis de Quinard, Caristie l'aîné et Forest ; il abrita une salle d'asile pour enfants et une école de filles dans l'église, la gendarmerie et une prison dans les bâtiments du cloître. Entre 1819 et 1824, le sculpteur Bonnet transforma en Renommées les statues d'anges de la façade. Le percement de la rue du Tribunal entraîna la démolition de la partie du cloître contiguë à l'église et l'édification de nouvelles façades par P. Champonnois en 1823. Les bâtiments du cloître, occupés par la gendarmerie jusqu'en 1974, sont devenus en 1978 le siège de la Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Beaune. L'ancienne église, restaurée en 1996, abrite une salle d'expositions au rez-de-chaussée et les bureaux du SIVOM à l'étage.
The Carmel of Beaune settled in 1619 in the former Benedictine priory of Saint-Étienne, founded around 1005. The priory (of which 13th century lintels were reused) being in poor condition, the 16th century church was first summarily repaired; on 7 May 1639 the first stone of the chapel of the Infant Jesus was laid. The monastery was started in November 1640 and the church largely rebuilt from 1654 to 1657, a date engraved on the keystone of the portal arch. A chapel called the Hermitage of Bethlehem was built in 1715 in the garden. After the Revolution, the former convent underwent various uses which led to changes in the interior layout according to the estimates of Quinard, Caristie the elder and Forest; It housed a children's asylum and a girls' school in the church, the gendarmerie and a prison in the cloister buildings. Between 1819 and 1824, the sculptor Bonnet transformed the angel statues on the façade into Renommées. The opening of the rue du Tribunal led to the demolition of the part of the cloister adjoining the church and the construction of new façades by P. Champonnois in 1823. The cloister buildings, occupied by the gendarmerie until 1974, became the headquarters of the Beaune Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1978. The old church, restored in 1996, houses an exhibition hall on the ground floor and the SIVOM offices upstairs.
(pretty similar to the other one... but I like this one more, the clouds are more dynamic, and I found the colors in the sky to be too distracting in the previous one. This was from 5-10 min later. There were some issues with processing this one, but they got worked out :) Any thoughts on this vs. the other?)
Ancient Bristlecone Pine in the Schulman grove, with the Sierras in the backdrop, at sunset.
This is probably the most famous of the trees, and I finally decided to get my shot of it this past trip.. at lot shorter of a drive than the Patriarch grove!
View large!
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Gateway Camp Verse
(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4
Isaiah 62:10
What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.
After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.
I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.
I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.
Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.
Sau2 muhn6 je2
Mihng6 dihng6
Kyuhn4 lihk6
Lihk6 leuhng6
Chong3 yi3 adjective
Chong3 jouh6 verb
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.
This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.
1) Welcoming the Father
2) Unifying the body
3) Partnering with the Chinese
4) Serving the city
5) Supporting the Chinese
Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!
Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.
Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)
Sihng4 jeung2
Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)
The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!
An Outburst
I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.
To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.
In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.
OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.
I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!
Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.
In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Disagreeable
I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.
I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.
In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.
…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.
I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.
Sihng4 jauh6 achievement
Ngwuih misunderstanding
Nggaai2 to misunderstand
Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive
Gaan2syun2 chosen
The Security Guard
At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.
Reconciliation
This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.
Sex Talk – Part One
The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.
While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.
Prayer
The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.
I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.
A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.
Keuhng4 jong3
Lai1 hei2 (pull up)
In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.
Oscillate between…and…
Vacillate…
Equivocated
Prevaricate
Sex Talk – Part Two
1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18
2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18
Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)
Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.
Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.
Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:
1) Call for help; Romans 10:13
2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13
Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.
3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22
4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14
I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.
5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16
I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.
6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7
7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7
Students study the Malay language as one of the subjects of Thai Hong Primary School in Johor Bahru on 26 July 2011. Children in Malaysia begin primary schooling at around 7 years old.
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Twin houses in this style stand near the foot of the grand street in Merida which has been called "Yucatan's Champs d'Elysees".
From:
yucatan.travel/welcome-to-merida/merida-city/paseo-de-mon...
"These mansions, located at no. 45 of Paseo de Montejo, between Calles 45 and 43, are twin constructions with French Renaissance features. They are the work of European architect M. Umbdenstock and their building was carried out under the supervision of engineer Manuel Cantón Ramos, who was also in charge of the edification of Palacio Cantón, where the Regional Museum of Anthropology and History is located. Brothers Ernesto and Camilo Cámara Zavala brought the plans for these residences from France at the beginning of the XXth century. One house was acquired by Mr. Fernando Barbachano, who had it decorated with the latest style of those days; it is preserved that way. The other remained unfinished for many years and was completed by its current owner, Mr. Mario Molina Méndez.
Located on the west side of the street, one block from the beginning of Paseo de Montejo, these small palaces have Frenchified architectural elements, visible even on the wrought iron balconies and entrance doors, which are among the few reminiscences of the period of splendor Yucatán enjoyed during the first decade of the XXth century."
L'origine de ce lieu de culte remonterait à l'année 1592, quand un chasseur nommé Giulio Sargiano aurait accidentellement frappé une image de la Vierge située en haut d'une colonne, laquelle aurait ensuite saigné.
Si la construction de cet édifice remonte à 1596, sur un projet d’Ascanio Vittozzi, il faudra attendre 1733 pour que la gigantesque coupole elliptique consacrée à la Gloire de Marie soit achevée par Francesco Gallo. Enfin en 1891, le sanctuaire est complété par l'édification de quatre campaniles par Camillo Riccio et par l'achèvement de sa façade ouest.
The origins of this place of worship date back to 1592, when a hunter named Giulio Sargiano accidentally struck an image of the Virgin at the top of a column, causing it to bleed.
Construction of the building dates back to 1596, to a design by Ascanio Vittozzi, but it was not until 1733 that the gigantic elliptical dome dedicated to the Glory of Mary was completed by Francesco Gallo. Finally, in 1891, the sanctuary was completed with the construction of four bell towers by Camillo Riccio and the completion of its west façade.
Burned remains of the devastating Station Fire, under a hopeful sunset.
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Le château de Chambord est un château français situé dans la commune de Chambord.
Construit au cœur du plus grand parc forestier clos d’Europe (environ 50 km2 ceint par un mur de 32 km de long), il s'agit du plus vaste des châteaux de la Loire. Il bénéficie d'un jardin d'agrément et d'un parc de chasse.
Le site a d'abord accueilli une motte féodale, ainsi que l'ancien château des comtes de Blois. L'origine du château actuel remonte au XVIe siècle et au règne du roi de France François Ier qui supervise son édification à partir de 1519.
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_de_Chambord
The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its very distinctive French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures. The building, which was never completed, was constructed by King Francis I of France.
Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley; it was built to serve as a hunting lodge for Francis I, who maintained his royal residences at the châteaux of Blois and Amboise.
Middlebury, Vermont (January 9, 2019) - Winter scenics of the Middlebury College campus. (Photo © 2019 Brett Simison)
For your edification:
I have heard through his Parish Priest that a member of the Westminster Lourdes Pilgrimage, who suffered a stroke 5 years ago which has imprisoned him in a wheelchair ever since, was able to walk unaided into Mass the day after coming back from Lourdes this year.
Praise be to God!
Our Lady of Lourdes Pray for us and for all who invoke your aid!
THE BLACK EAGLE COMPLEX is probably the most monumental architectural accomplishment in Oradea
( Varadinum ) and in Transylvania, as far as the Secession building style is concerned. The contest to build this architectural complex was won by architects Komor Marcell and Jakab Dezső. Its construction, on the old location of the “Black Eagle” Inn, begins in 1907, under the supervision of construction engineer Sztarill Ferenc, and in December 1908, the edification is complete.
Black Eagle Palace has an interior passage covered with glass element that it singles secession architecture in the context of our country and also attract the attention of tourists. The palace is “Y” shaped with three entrances dominated by one eagle, emblem of the building. Part of the passage entrance from the V. Alecsandri street and from Union square is shaped like an eagle’s beak.
On the facade that is situated at Union square, you can see the features and the beautiful secession style clock tower. Note the ground ornaments (floral and zoomorphic), combined with other styles of baroque or rococo, and a mixture of elements is that make Black Eagle Palace an architectural monument special and a unique expression of artistic thinking from the early twentieth century.
And it is the largest and most representative architectural ensemble Secession style in Transylvania.
Saint-Stephen Cathedral Metz, France, is a Rayonnant Gothic edifice built with the local yellow Jaumont limestone. Like in French Gothic architecture, the building is compact, with slight projection of the transepts and subsidiary chapels. However, it displays singular, distinctive characteristics in both its ground plan and architecture compared to most of the other cathedrals. Because of topography of Moselle valley in Metz, the common west-east axis of the ground plan could not be applied and the church is oriented north-northeast. Moreover, unlike the French and German Gothic cathedrals having three portals surmounted by a rose window and two large towers, Saint-Stephen of Metz has a single porch at its western facade. One enters laterally in the edifice by another portal placed at the south-western side of the narthex, declining the usual alignment of the entrance with the choir. The nave is supported by flying buttresses and culminates at 41.41 metres high, making one of the highest naves in the world. The height of the nave is contrasted by the relatively low height of the aisles with 14.3 metres high, reinforcing the sensation of tallness of the nave. This feature permitted the architects to create large, tall expanses of stained glass. Through its history, Saint-Stephen Cathedral was subjected to architectural and ornamental modifications with successive additions of Neoclassical and Neogothic elements.
The edification of Saint-Stephen of Metz took place on an Ancient site from the 5th century. The construction of the Gothic cathedral began in 1220 within the walls of an Ottonian basilica dating from the 10th century. The integration into the cathedral's ground plan of a Gothic chapel from the 12th century at the western end resulted in the absence of a main western portal; the south-western porch of the cathedral being the entrance of the former chapel. The work was completed around 1520 and the new cathedral was consecrated on 11 April 1552. In 1755, French architect Jacques-François Blondel was awarded by the Royal Academy of Architecture to built a Neoclassical portal at the West end of the cathedral. He disengaged the cathedral's facade by razing an adjacent cloister and three attached churches and achieved the westwork in 1764. In 1877, the Saint-Stephen of Metz was heavily damaged after a conflagration due to fireworks. After this incident, it was decided the refurbishment of the cathedral and its adornments within a Neogothic style. The western facade was completely rebuilt between 1898 and 1903; the Blondel's portal was demolished and a new Neogothic portal was added.
CHATEAU DE PUYGUILHEM VILARS Northern Dordogne
The construction of the castle of Puyguilhem starts in 1513, sponsored by La Mondot Marthonie, first president of the Parliament of Paris. The man is a relative of Francis I and his mother Louise de Savoie. It administers the kingdom when the king goes to war.
It seems that the building has taken place in two stages: the first ending in 1524, including foundations, part of the corner tower and the hexagonal tower, the second following closely, seeing the castle s' completed in 1535. The design is between two eras, medieval and renaissance. Several elements are reminiscent of the Gothic style of the Middle Ages, including the lack of symmetry of the building and the inner parts while the outer facade evokes those of the Loire castles that its owner knows well since frequent the court of King.
The castle is modest in its dimensions. Mondot de La Marthonie intended it to serve as a second home and hunting lodge. Its design includes the parts strictly necessary to the life of a nobleman of the time.
Wikipedia
La construction du château de Puyguilhem démarre en 1513, commanditée par Mondot de La Marthonie, premier président du Parlement de Paris. L'homme est un proche de François Ier et de sa mère Louise de Savoie. Il administre le royaume lorsque le roi part en guerre.
Il semble que l'édification se soit déroulée en deux étapes : la première s'achevant en 1524, comprenant les fondations, une partie de la tour d'angle et la tourelle hexagonale, la seconde suivant de près, qui voit le château s'achever en 1535. Sa conception oscille entre deux époques, médiévale et renaissance. Plusieurs éléments rappellent en effet le style gothique du Moyen Âge, notamment l'absence de symétrie de l'édifice et les parties intérieures tandis que la façade extérieure évoque celles des châteaux de la Loire que son propriétaire connaît bien puisqu'il fréquente la cour du Roi.
Le château est modeste dans ses dimensions. Mondot de La Marthonie le destinait à servir de résidence secondaire et relais de chasse. Son aménagement comporte les pièces strictement nécessaires à la vie d'un noble de l'époque.
Wikipedia
San Marco in Lamis Gargano Puglia italia© 2015 All rights reserved
FotoSketcher lively
Nikon coolpix p 7100
San Marco in Lamis è un comune italiano di 13.928 abitanti della provincia di Foggia, in Puglia.
San Marco in Lamis è nota soprattutto per la tradizionale Processione delle "fracchie", una manifestazione religiosa popolare molto suggestiva e assai singolare, che si ripete puntualmente da circa tre secoli ogni venerdì Santo per la rievocazione della Passione di Cristo, e che, ogni anno, richiama un grande afflusso di forestieri. Le fracchie sono delle enormi fiaccole, realizzate con grossi tronchi di albero di quercia o castagno aperti longitudinalmente a forma di cono e riempiti di legna, per essere incendiate all'imbrunire e divenire quindi dei falò ambulanti che illuminano il cammino della Madonna Addolorata lungo le strade del paese alla ricerca del figlio Gesù morto.Sembra che le origini di questo rito risalgano ai primi anni del XVIII secolo, epoca di edificazione della chiesa dell'Addolorata e le sue ragioni, oltre che di ordine religioso e devozionale, vadano collegate anche ad una motivazione di ordine pratico riconducibile alle precise condizioni fisiche dell'abitato. Infatti, quando venne costruita (1717), la chiesa dell'Addolorata si trovava fuori del centro abitato e lì sarebbe rimasta fino all'ultimo ventennio del XIX secolo. Una collocazione questa che sollecitò la fantasia degli abitanti, i quali pensarono di illuminare con le "fracchie" la strada che la Madonna percorreva dalla sua chiesa fino alla Collegiata, dove era custodito il corpo del Cristo. Le “fracchie più grandi possono essere lunghe anche 13-14 metri e pesare anche 60-70 quintali di legno di quercia , castagno o abete .
da wikipedia
San Marco in Lamis is a town of 13,928 citizens in the Italian province of Foggia, Puglia, Italy.
San Marco in Lamis is a town of 13.928 citizens and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It is located in the Gargano massif area.Apart from some tourism conted to pilgrimages at the local Catholic sanctuary of St. Matthew, the economy is mostly based on agriculture.San Marco in Lamis is known for the traditional procession of "fracchie", a very popular religious manifestation suggestive and very singular, that is repeated regularly from about three centuries each friday Saint for the reenactment of the passion of Christ, and that each year draws a large influx of foreigners. The fracchie are huge torches, made with large trees oak opened longitudinally cone-shaped and filled with wood, to be burned at dusk and become so a itinerant bonfires that illuminate the journey of our Lady of Sorrows along the roads of the country in search of the son Jesus died.It seems that the origins of this rite dates back to the early 18th century, a time of edification of the Church of our Lady of sorrows and his reasons as well as religious and devotional order, should be connected to a practical motivation due to precise physical conditions of the town. In fact, when it was built (1717), the Church of our Lady of Sorrows was out of town and would remain there until the last two decades of the 19th century. A bin that solicited the imagination of the inhabitants, whom they thought to illuminate with the "fracchie" the way that she ran from her church until the collegiate, where he guarded the body of Christ. The"Fracchia" can also get the length of 13-14 meters and weigh 60-70 quintals of wood of oak. From wikipedia
Students in an Islamic seminary (madrassa) relax by playing volleyball. In the background large portraits of Ayatollah's Khomeini and Khameini look on. Photo taken on July 30, 2008 in Shiraz, Iran.
A final futile rant into the abyss, for my own edification & catharsis, since my recent posting of the CM-009 recovery photo rekindled my infuriation & disappointment.
Since 1967, NASA - and quite literally – EVERYONE has identified/propagated the Command Module that was on display at Expo ’67 as being CM-011, flown during the AS-202 mission.
With this post, I CANNOT any more simply & conclusively, comparatively demonstrate that this is WRONG.
It's been wrong for FIFTY-EIGHT (58) years, and counting!
Upon even only a cursory look at my montage, it should be/have been OBVIOUS that it was CM-009, flown during the AS-201 mission.
Yes, the “UNITED STATES” & U.S. flag in the red-bordered image of CM-011 corresponds to those on CM-009.
HOW HAS THIS BLUNDER BEEN PERPETUATED FOR THIS LONG?
INEXPLICABLE.
MIND BLOWING.
AND, TO ME, INEXCUSABLE.
As a slightly surreal & mildly sad example of the contagious collaborative cluelessness, read the following:
share.google/lBTKJArlWmpfUQE0S
Credit: “NASA Spaceflight” website/forum
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
Huh??? Potent, heavily-laced Koolaid indeed. Also consider the bloke’s consequently misinformed dad.
It’s like I’m in a rejected episode of the “Twilight Zone”, as I seem to be the only one that’s caught this, and frankly, the only one that evidently cares…with several NASA individuals having both dismissed and ignored me several years ago when I earnestly, naively & foolishly attempted to bring it to their attention.
With that said, although well written...
share.google/Zd3CKpemSwswVqGXK
share.google/6a6Cg7oyIY1gHRCCJ
Doesn’t an accurate historical/pictorial record matter, even if it’s now a moot point?
Buffoonery...on the world stage, with the first space race & Cold War raging.
And, for crying out loud, it was Apollo/Saturn.
Finally…potentially disconcerting is the fact that both CM-009 & CM-011 were subsequently used in land drop-tests. Were they correctly identified then? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
And extrapolating further, are the two capsules correctly identified at their respective display venues?
Images used in the montage are from my personal collection, the DVIDS website, Ed Hengeveld's post to the "Space Hipsters" FB group, at: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=7223350381062132&set=...
...the Internet Archive website, and a photo "pay-to-play" site that’ll remain nameless.
Extraordinary graces and miracles of St Paul of the Cross
In the extensive folio of Church documents pertaining to the life of Paul of the Cross we read countless first hand testimonies bearing witness to extraordinary miracles and graces that occurred throughout the life of the Saint. Among the many graces were numerous testimonies relating events where the Saint cured the blind, the deaf, those paralyzed and countless other sick people, converted numerous hardened sinners, battled openly with the demons, was seen in two places at once, was held aloft and carried great distance by an angel, and was gifted with the ability to read into the hearts of penitents.
Most of the extraordinary graces and miracle below are taken from the book “The Life of St Paul of the Cross –Founder of the Congregation of Discalced Clerks of the Holy Cross and Passion of Our Lord” written by Rev. Father Pius a Sprito Santo C.P. in 1867, only 90 years after the death of Saint Paul. Many of the miracles presented rest upon very strong evidence--no less than the sworn depositions of most respectable and unim-peachable witnesses.
A child brought back to life
At the close of a very successful mission given by the Saint in Orbetello, in September, 1741, a child which was gazing out of a window at the crowd of people who were leaving the church fell down upon the pavement and was killed at once. Medical assistance was called, but sadly he was pronounced dead.
In the meantime the Saint was returning to Mount Argentaro, and he was just about to enter a boat when the disconsolate parents of the child ran down to the shore and related to him what had hap-pened. He returned with them, and saw the corpse of the little innocent. He remained some time in silent prayer, then he spread his hands over the body. Breathless silence pervaded the crowd of people who were standing around. In a few seconds, life was restored to the child, and Paul gave him back per-fectly cured to the arms of his weeping parents.
Assistance of his guardian Angel
Paul once told a confidential friend that several times, when he could not say a single word upon the platform on account of his great infirmities, his guardian angel preached in his stead. Concerning this he remarked: "Oh, how many favours have I not received I and what return do I make for them but ingrati-tude! " It is needless to recount these favours more in detail, although it might be easily done, since names and dates are given in the documents from which we take our account.
He was several times in danger of losing his life, and an inspiration or interposition of God saved him. Once when he disembarked to give a mission in Langone, he had to climb up a large rock and upon doing so he slipped, yet without any visible reason, he was held aloft until he regained his footing. Another time, he and a companion sat under a tree to refresh themselves upon a journey. Paul said to the other that they had better go off to another shade, and his counsel was followed rather unwillingly; but scarcely were they seated in the next shade, when the former tree fell to the ground with a tremendous crash. Had the two fathers remained, they would certainly have been killed. Once when he was almost frozen due to the extreme cold, he was borne by an angel and carried a great distance, and set down within a few paces of his Retreat.
One day a poor man came to Monte Argentaro and asked a priest whom he met in the church if he could see Father Paul of the Cross. The father told him that unfortunately it was not possible at that moment, as Paul was away at that time. Then the man began to cry, and told him that he had lived in sacrilege for fifty years, and that he should continue so perhaps to the end if Father Paul had not appeared to him three different times, and threatened with an unsheathed sword to slay him if he did not go to confession. He found a confessor, of course, and returned to his home in peace and happiness, When this father met the Saint, shortly after , he said, in the way of a joke, "So, Father, you have taken to a new way of giving missions." "What is that?" asked, the Saint. "Oh, you go about with a sword threatening to kill people if they don't go to confession." He then related the story of the poor man, and he was told by the Saint that it was his guardian angel who took his shape, and preached in his stead, and that that was not the first time.
St Paul and the souls in Purgatory
Paul had often visions of the suffering souls in Purgatory; they were allowed by God to come to his cell and relate what they had to endure, and to beg him for his prayers. He would then arise at once, go to some chapel, and immediately took to prayer and disciplines to relieve his suffering friends in Christ. He would then be troubled at having gone beyond the bounds which his director set to his austerities; but one day his guardian angel consoled him by taking him in spirit to Purgatory for a few minutes, and let him experience what the holy souls there had to suffer. After this extraordinary grace he offered all the satisfactory acts he could for these poor souls, and tried to get others to do the same.
One case is recorded in the acts of his life which gives us an idea of the efficacy of his intercession. There was a priest whom the Saint esteemed very much, and in his holy frindship he advised him to correct some small failings to which he was subject. One night as the Saint had just retired to rest, he heard an extra-ordinary knock at his door. Thinking it was the devil come to torment him, he decided not to answer the door and let him stay outside. When the knock was repeated three times, he perceived that it must be a different visitor, and commanded him to tell who he was, and what brought him there at such an hour. "I am …..," he said,-Paul saw his soul by an interior vision,-" who has died this very night and I have come to tell you that I have been condemned to Purgatory on account of those faults which you lectured me. Oh, how I do suffer! it seems a thousand years since I passed from my earthly existence."
Paul looked at a watch, and found that he had been dead, according to his own account, for just a quarter of an hour.
The servant of God began his prayers and peni-tential exercises, and did not cease offering all sorts of indulgences and mortifications for the soul of his departed friend until near daybreak. As is usual in such cases, he received no clear intimation of his suffrages being accepted. At length, he exclaimed, "Oh, dear Lord, through the love Thou bearest my soul, I beseech Thee liberate my friend from his prison."
He was then given to understand that before midday the next day that the grace would be granted. At the break of the next day he said Mass for his repose, and just as he had consumed the sacred species he saw the soul of the priest go joyfully to heaven.
His preaching miraculously heard at a distance
When the Saint was giving a mission in the Isle of Elba, a man, who had need of a mission very much, happened to be coming into the town on some busi-ness or other. About a mile from the town he heard a voice denouncing sin, and displaying the dreadful punishment which awaits the sinner in the next life. He could not let the surprising words out of his mind, and when he arrived in the town, he found, on inquiry, that the famous missionary had just con-cluded his sermon on sin. He went straightway to tho church and made his peace with God. This remarkable favour was repeated many times.
A poor shepherd on the same island who was obliged by a master, or by his poverty, to stay with his sheep when he might wish to go to the mission, heard every word the missionary said in the wood where he used to sit ill the shade to watch his flock and say his rosary. A sick person in Oivita Vecchia heard him from his bed, although the church was the greater part of a mile distant. A doctor in Civita Oastellana contrived to arrange his sick calls that he was able to attend to the mission sermons of Father Paul. On two successive days he was called upon for extra visits, and had to give up, to his great regret, all idea of going to the mission. He stopped on his way to venerate an image of the Madonna which was placed in a niche on the roadside, and while there he heard distinctly every word the Saint was saying.
His powers over nature
On various occasions he kept the rain away from multitudes who were assembled to hear him in the open air. This happened at Sutri and Santafiora, about the year 1751. The fields and streets were deluged with rain, and so were all who ran away for shelter, while not a drop fell upon the Saint or those who had faith enough in his promise to stay and hear the sermon through.
He once had to go across an arm of the sea to give a mission, and there was no vessel but a rotten old wooden boat, which had been a long time out of use. He asked a few sailors to row him and his companions across in it; with good reason they refused at first, but when they were told by a companion who it was who asked them, they took courage and manned the boat. Knowing of his holy reputation, they believed that nothing could happen to them while in the company of the Saint. Their faith was rewarded and to their great surprise and edification the boat carried them all across safely.
Another time the Saint and his brother were given poison in their food by some wicked men whose con-duct they denounced from the platform. That Lord who said of His chosen servants, "If they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them," protected them; for in a few minutes after their meal they cast up the poisoned food, and went on with their work as if nothing had happened.
When the Saint was giving a mission in Monte Romano, he wanted to send a very important letter to Sutri, and engaged a person named Mattia Maire, to be the bearer of the letter. Mattia heard that a river which crossed his road was swollen by the heavy rains, and feared that he would be unable to fulfill his engagement. In reply, the Saint said, "Go, I promise you the Divine protection -yes, I promise it to you; and even if the water should reach the tops of the trees, never mind, pass over and don't fear."
Full of confidence Mattia set off, and his conduct gives us a beautiful evidence of the conception in which Father Paul was held by the people. Who would obey a Priest missioner and venture his life if he did not believe that the elements themselves were obedient to him? When he came to the river, he found a number of carriers detained. on the bank, who, of course, tried to dissuade him from pro-ceeding. With confidence in Paul’s assurance, Mattia drove the horse into the river, and without his knowing how, the animal galloped over the waters, so that the men on the shore saw his shoes. Astonished, they later reasoned among themselves that it must have been the devil, and were happy on their narrow escape from some worse fate than that of being weather-bound on the shore.
In the September of 1750 he gave a mission in Canepina; and the people, who lived chiefly on the sale of chest-nuts, came to the Saint with downcast looks, as they expected a year of famine from the withered appear ance of chestnut-trees and the drought, which had parched up whatever kernels had made their appear-ance on the branches. The Saint compassionated them, and, after praying fervently said from the platform, "Fear not, my dear people, recommend yourselves to God and trust in Him, for I hope the harvest of chestnuts will be abundant this year." After the mission copious rains fell, the trees flourished, and the prediction was more than verified.
In Arlena, near Montefiascone, a poor woman was very deaf, and wished to hear the mission sermons. She followed the Saint one night, applied his habit to her ear, and recovered her hearing perfectly. Another time, in Sutri, sometime about 1755, he cured a virulent cancer by making the sign of the cross upon it with the oil of the lamp before the Blessed Sacrament.
In a year of great scarcity of corn, shortly after 1750, the Saint was in Civita-Castellana. A charitable lady, who every year supported many poor people, told him that she would be forced to omit her charity this year, because their granary was almost empty. Paul said to her, "Give the usual alms, and even more, and God will multiply your store."
She obeyed him strictly. They had just thirty quarts of grain at the time of his visit. Following his direction, the began to give out even larger alms than usual, and to their great surprise the supply in the grainery never lessened. At the end of several months they found that they had exactly the same quantity of grain which they had in the beginning.
Miracles after his death
Upon the very day of the Saint's death, he appeared to a child, who was called Paula, in re-membrance of his having cured her mother, whilst in pregnancy, of a dangerous illness. The child was in the last stage of measles, and her eyes were closed. She never saw the holy man in life. and her de-scription of him corresponded exactly to his appear-ance. She said he came and cured her, and she remained cured for the years thereafter.
While his body lay in the church, a girl came from the other end of the city in hopes that she would be cured of a painful and vir-ulent ulcer in the cheek by his intercession,. With difficulty did she get through the crowd, but as soon as she kissed his hand, and touched her cheek with it, she was instantly in the sight of all the people cured by him.
Before the end of the month in which he died, a Poor-Clare nun of Civita-Castellana was cured by him.
The touch of a bead which the Saint had used cured a child in December of the same year. A picture of the Saint cured a painful illness in 1776. In the December of the same year an application of a simple picture cured an infant which was horribly deformed at its birth. Bits of his habit, handker-chiefs, or other articles used by him, wrought cures everywhere. Cripples, and persons despaired of by doctors, came to pray at his tomb in SS. John and Paul, and went home restored to health.
In the Beatification and Canonization processes, the names of all these people, and a great many more, are given, with a full description of the nature and stage of their disease, and of the manner and length of time in which they were cured, therefore we do not consider it necessary to transfer them to our pages. Enough has been said to show that our Lord is still faithful to His promises, and that His chosen servants do sometimes greater things than He has done. Enough has been said to show that the note of sanctity is still visible in the Church of God through the great holiness of her children, and that the spirit which planted Christianity still continues to maintain it. Enough has been said to show the sanctity of Saint Paul; and if many things have been omitted, we have the precedent of the inspired historian of our Lord's life in the Holy Scriptures for the course we have adopted.
We shall, therefore, content ourselves with briefly detailing the miracles which were proved in Rome, and passed the congregations for the Beatification and Canonization.
Miracles used for the Beatification and Canonisation
The first miracle for the Beatification was the cure of a little boy, which was performed in 1816, forty-one years after the death of the Saint. His father was a surgeon, and he and others of the same profession judged the child, who was just seven years of age, to be beyond the reach of medical art. Aneurism, fever, and a complication of other ailments brought him to deaths door; a consultation of physicians ended in the decision that nothing could be done for him .The sorrowing parents looked upon their boy in the last agony, and had to change their sobs into a few broken remarks about the preparation for his funeral. There lay the child, cadaverous, helpless, agonizing, unable to speak, move, or understand. Suddenly the father, caught between despair and hope, recollected himself and through an inspiration of God (one can assume) he recalled that he had a bit of Father Paul's habit in the house. Quickly retrieving it, they gave him a tiny morsel in a drop of water, which, with much difficulty, they managed to introduce between his clenched teeth. In a moment he was well, arose, called for strong food, and was perfectly recovered.
The second was the cure of a cancer in the breast of a modest young woman who would rather die than undergo an operation which was judged necessary by her physicians. She wore a piece of the habit of the venerable Father Paul on her breast, and recited for several days, three Our Fathers and Hail Marys to the Blessed Trinity, in thanksgiving for the graces bestowed upon the servant of God, as it was not then quite lawful to invoke his direct intercession-at least publicly. One day, while saying these prayers in the church, she found a thrilling sensation all over her, which made her imagine her end approached. On recovering from her fright she found herself perfectly cured. This extraordinary miracle happened in November, 1844.
These miracles, with the other evidences of his sanctity, closed the case for the Beatification.
From the numerous prodigies which were wrought through the blessed Paul's intercession since the solemn declaration Beautification in 1853, two were selected for the cause of the Canonization.
The first of these was a cure wrought upon a certain Rose d'Alena, similar to the second recorded above, with the slight difference that she was on her way to the surgeon's to submit to the operation when she accidentally turned into one of our churches (Passionist Church -editor), and prayed there before the image of blessed Paul. She decided to have a Mass celebrated in his honour at that very moment, and before the end of the Mass the cure was suddenly and perfectly accomplished. This happened in 1858.
The second miracle was the multiplication of corn effected in S. Angelo, near Vetralla, through the Saint's intercession, in 1854. The religious of this Retreat found that their supply of corn would not carry them to the summer, and that a bad harvest made it unlikely that begging could succeed in supplying their needs. The brother asked the Rector if he should continue to give the usual alms to the poor, and was told that he should. The provincial then told them to have recourse to our blessed founder; they said prayers in his honour every day, and some of them before the door of the granary measured the corn, and after having fed thirty-six religious and a multitude of visitors and poor for several months, there was more corn found in the storehouse than had been at the beginning. A multitude of people came to have their devotion gratified by a little of the miraculous grain when the miracle became known. The satisfying of their devotion seemed to increase the heap, and it went on thus until the harvest-time.
“Ah, poor Paul, how many years of life have I lived, how many sacraments and how many graces have I received! And how many Masses have I said, and how many missions have I given, and how many confessions have I heard? And yet, how will it fair for me before the tribunal of our God? But, I do not despair; I trust in the merits of the Passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.” –St Paul of the Cross shortly before his death
Elegant forms of an asymmetric Agave from Anza Borrego.
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Mt. Rainier at sunrise with a young lenticular cloud, from last summer. This was an absolute beast to process - shot it with both a 2-stop hard and 3-stop reverse filters, but neither could handle the dynamic range.. so the bracketed shots came to the rescue. I'd really appreciate any feedback on this one - both processing and otherwise, thanks!
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A view courtesy of tranzpress nz and captured in the months following the official opening of the Foxton Trolleybus Museum system in December 1988 of preserved Wellington City Transport British United Traction RETB1 trolleybus No. 107 of 1964 operating on the system along Main St.
It wasn't to be until August 1989 that I got to check out the Foxton Trolleybus Museum undertaking for the first time.
No. 107 ended its days in preservation as a smokers room at the Post Office Hotel next door to the trolleybus museum (it had been leased to the hotel by the museum), and just prior to the passing of Ian Little in 2008, was moved to a property in Bergin Rd. near the Foxton racecourse for storage after new management at the hotel no longer wanted it on the property.
During the time that the Foxton museum was under the stewardship of the late Wayne Little, No. 107 was finally towed away for scrapping on 30/5/2010 in a rundown condition after some years languishing in open storage.
PARKED TROLLEYBUS USED TO DEFY PUB SMOKING BAN
NZ Herald, 1 February 2005
Graham Wrigley has parked an old trolleybus leased from the Foxton trolleybus museum next door alongside his pub in an attempt to get round the smoking ban.
Mr Wrigley, who runs the Post Office Hotel in Foxton, says he will not give up on the ploy even if it means going to jail.
"I know they will try to prosecute me eventually," he said. "They can send me to jail if they like. I won't mind. I need the holiday."
But MidCentral Health smoke-free officer Robert Holdaway the bus ploy would not work as a means of getting around anti-smoking legislation which came into force on December 10, 2004.
Dr Holdaway said the Smoke-free Environments Amendment Act requires licensees to "take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that no person smokes at any time in a part of the premises that is not an open area".
He added: "I would certainly not be encouraging other publicans to scour local wreckers' yards for old buses."
However, Mr Wrigley argued that the bus, which he set up alongside an outdoor smoking area, was not "part of the premises".
"In America they set up limos outside the bars and smoke there," he said. "This is the same thing. The bus is mobile and you could probably drive it down the street if you want.
"There are 13 windows and two doors that are wide open. The wind goes howling through there sometimes, so you couldn't get more of an open area than that."
Mr Wrigley said he'd heard of a publican in Wairarapa who had responded to the suggestion that people could smoke in their hotel rooms by setting up a special "Room 12".
Wellington 107 businfo details...
www.businfo.nz/index.php?R=15407&OP=2
Wellington No. 107 running to Foxton Beach...
www.flickr.com/photos/51227209@N03/6108039797
THE FOXTON TROLLEYBUS SYSTEM
17 December 1988 was a red-letter day for the small borough of Foxton, in the Manawatu, where the world's smallest trolleybus system was inaugurated - the first museum trolleybus line running in public streets.
8y 11 am on Saturday 17th, three trolleybuses were lined up outside the Borough Council Chambers at Foxton – No. 77 (ex Dunedin) 107 (ex Wellington) and 48 (ex Wellington), with plenty of British flags hanging from the overhead wires adding to a festive occasion, a very large crowd of several thousand gathered for the opening of a new trolleybus system.
During the opening ceremony there were several speakers, the first a captain from the Salvation Army blessed the new system, followed by speeches by the Chairman of the Local Town Council, the Central Development Agency, Mr. Ian Little J.P. Q.J.M., Mr. Fraser, Mayor of Foxton, and finally Mrs. Annette King, M.P. who cut the ribbon declaring the system open. Dunedin trolleybus No 77 was the first official trolleybus to commence service, conveying invited guests, followed by Wellington trolleybuses Nos. 107 and 48. After the official run the invited guests participated in a luncheon at the Borough Council Chambers.
For the rest of the day the 3 trolleybuses were later joined by Dunedin No.10 giving free rides to all around the new circuit. There was a carnival atmosphere as the whole town came out for the occasion with the shops remaining open for the who l e day in this normally sleepy Manawatu township . A further parade during the day of local floats included the rubber-tyred horse tram, that formerly operated in Dunedin, but is now known as the "Pride of Foxton".
The opening wa s vlell represented by many members of the Wellington Tramway Museum and one THS member.
This trolleybus line was the dream come true for one man particularly Mr. Ian Little, a dedicated trolleybus enthusiast, and a former president of the Wellington Tramway Museum, who over the last few years has acquired a vast stockpile of overhead fittings and equipment and also collected a fleet of former New Zealand trolleybuses. He has virtually single handedly built and financed this Foxton system.
Ian Little had originally planned to build a trolleybus line at Featherston in the Wairarapa, but after experiencing local problems, sought another town finding the people of Foxton welcoming his scheme.
The present system, as built, consists of a trolleybus depot which is a new steel framed, corrugated iron shed which can house up to six trolleybuses. This is built on a rear section along an alleyway off the Main Street. The overhead then runs across the main road almost diagonally to Wharf Street and by use of a trailing point joins the trolleybus circuit. Wharf Street is a sealed road-way and down at the bottom it reaches the Manawatu River where the line turns and snakes its way along Harbour Street, which is rather picturesque. At present this road is not sealed.
This is the first time trolleybuses have operated on unsealed roads since the last section of Travis Road on the North Beach line in Christchurch was sealed in 1933/34. However this will not be for long as Harbour Street is to be sealed during 1989. At the end of Harbour Street the line turns up a nice steep rise as it briefly turns into Union Street and then into Main Street where it runs along the left hand side of this wide road past the Borough Council Chambers back to Wharf Street mixing with traffic in the main street. The whole line is most scenic.
During construction of the system great co-operation was received from the Horowhenua Power Board who arranged the concrete overhead poles which were new ex NZR poles not suitable for the railway electrification project, and in conjunction with Ian Little, these were all erected by the Board. The majority of the system's overhead is hung from side bracket arms of a new design built locally placed neatly in a nice row along Main Street. All the corners are of span wire construction using wooden spacer bars and pull offs identical to the style used quite extensively in Dunedin. 99% of the overhead came from the closed Dunedin system - all Ohio Brass. Only three sweeps have been used on the system. The span wires are all of the modern insulated parafil type now used extensively in Wellington. The new overhead fittings acquired for the ill-fated ARA system have not been used as the hangers were found to be much inferior to the old Ohio brass type. During construction Ian was short of 1 mile of overhead running wire to complete the line. Unfortunately he was not able to purchase any from the Wellington City Corporation, and as the firm formerly manufacturing new overhead in New Plymouth is now closed, he had to fly to Melbourne and purchase 1 mile of tramway wire from the M.T.A.
All the overhead and bracket arms were erected at no cost to the council by Ian Little and a few helpers. The high standard of the overhead construction is a credit to all concerned.
To power the system, a power plant has been built utilising an ex Wellington trolleybus motor connected to a 30 h.p. electric generator which is capable of powering two trolleybuses satisfactorily. Another ex Wellington trolleybus motor connected to a diesel generator has been mounted on a trailer which can be towed behind a trolleybus when away from the wires.
On opening day both generators were connected together and provided enough power to operate four trolleybuses simultaneously. Although at present the world's smallest trolleybus system, it may not. have the smallest fleet, as a considerable number of operable trolleybuses have been acquired, many of the Wellington ones which should never have been withdrawn from service in the capital city.
As only a few trolleys can be housed at the present depot the rest are stored at the NZR depot compound in Main Street. At the present time the fleet consists of 15 trolleybuses:
Trolleybus No. 117 was sold by the WCC and was converted into the 'Trolley Chef' cafe in Thorndon, Wellington, where it was used as a dining room together with another trolley. After the cafe closed it was purchased by Ian Little's son, Wayne, who converted it back into a trolleybus and once again runs under the wires, but although,is still in 'cafe' pink livery. Ian's son also owns another trolley No. 66 at Porirua. Two further trolleybuses ex Wellington Nos. 80 and 85 are stored under cover on a farm at Foxton, eventually to be used on the museum line too.
As well as the trolleybuses the museum has two overhead tower wagons ex Dunedin (one diesel, one petrol) for erecting and maintaining the overhead, as well as a tractor for towing trolleybuses. The trolleybus line is now part of a trust run by the Motor Coach Museum Trolleybus Trust. It will operate regularly on Wednesdays and Sundays and at other times by arrangement. - Tramway Topics, January-February 1989.
IAN LITTLE – A RETROSPECT
By Peter Rendall, published in Trolleybus (UK), Volume 47, No. 565, August 2008
Ian Foster Little was born in Dunedin more than seventy years ago, and from an early age exhibited an interest in public transport. I was once told by Hubie Hobbs, an early Otago area operator, that he used to see this little boy standing at Lookout Point obviously watching the buses grind by. He once offered the boy a ride but it was declined - perhaps even then Ian’s bias for electric traction was showing. He did, however, many years in the future acquire one of Hubie’s buses for his collection. In the mid to late 1960s Ian was working for Wellington City Transport as a trolleybus driver, and became closely involved with the group that was setting up the tramway museum in Queen Elizabeth Park.
In not too many years he was chairman of the Board and pushed the development of the tramway along. This also included helping to organise the demolition of the New Plymouth trolleybus system (a saga about which many tales are related after a few ales), and the erection of a relatively short lived circle of trolleybus overhead at the tramway where he could operate the New Plymouth Crossley 1, Auckland Farmers 2 and DCT No 1.
Along the way there was a major dispute between members of the museum, and Ian left to open the Miramar Motor Coach museum. This occupied various sites in Miramar and over time changed into more of a charter operation using older buses. Ian left the WCCT and began Community Transport Services with a fleet of mainly ex Dunedin Leylands. CTS became the local operator linking the new development of Whity (north of Wellington) with its nearest railway station on the suburban service - Plimmerton. After some years the electric traction bug surfaced again and Ian moved to Featherston where a start was made to develop a trolleybus line on the local streets. This was not greeted with universal acclaim, and was actively opposed by a number of locals and the local council, so Ian moved to Foxton.
The rest, as they say, is history. A circuit of trolley overhead round one town block, with a single pair extension ending in a reversing triangle by the local chicken processor, and another single pair off a trailing frog that you reversed down to access the bus shed.
Visitors were always welcomed, and often offered a drive, which in the early days entailed firing up the trusty Leyland diesel which sat on a trailer coupled to a trolleybus traction motor ... which was then used to generate the current to enliven the system. In later days a more conventional rectifier system was used to provide current.
A risk all visitors faced was to be dragged into the local radio station, Radio Foxton, another of Ian’s passions - where he would interview you for the edification and delectation of the listening audience. A character indeed, who leaves a large space to be filled.
Ian Foster Little was born in Dunedin, November 2, 1931. From his first marriage he had three sons and two daughters. In 1975 he married Christina Knowler with whom he had two sons and one daughter. Ian died in Hutt Hospital on July 15, 2008, aged 76, after a fall.
First light on these strange basalt formations in Owen's Valley, CA.
Please view large.
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THE ELECT MARTYR, SAINT MARINA
I- THE EARLY YEARS: St. Marina evolved in Antioch in Pisidia. This city was in the middle of Asia Minor in Perga on the borders of Pisidia. [Not to be confused with "Great Antioch" on River Aasi, about 15 miles east of the Mediterranean; where the Throne of the Pope of Antioch was.] The city was founded by Silesius Ist. (Nectarius,) one of the army Generals of Alexander the Great. He called it Antioch after his father Antiochus. It was an important commercial center, and the Romans made it their headquarters for all Southern Galatia. Silesius gave residence to a group of Jews there. The book of Acts mentions that St. Paul visited Antioch in Pisidia during his first evangelical journey, and delivered a sermon in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Many of the Jews believed, but some of them "stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from the region" Paul and Barnabas "..made many disciples"in that city. St. Paul mentioned to his disciple Timothy the "persecutions and afflictions which happened to me at Antioch." Nothing much is left now from that city except some ruins near a city called Yelfetch on the southern slope of the mountainous chain called "Sultan Daghlary" in mid Turkey
II-THE FAMILY OF THE SAINT:Diocletian [Valerius Diocletianus,] (245-313) Roman Emperor from 284 to 305. Diocles, on the murder of Numerian, the army proclaimed him Emperor at Chalcedon on 17 Sept. 284. This date was considered the beginning of the Coptic Calendar of the Martyrs because of the extreme cruelty Diocletian (as he now chose to call himself) was famous for in torturing and killing the Christians. He made his place domus divina and his own person sacred. It was in 303 that the Great Persecution broke out. He issued several edicts to demolish churches, burn Christian books and torture and kill all who refuse to worship him or his idols. On the other hand, he built many temples for his gods and assigned priests and high priests to serve them.The chief of those high priests was called Dasius. He was the father of an only daughter named Marina. Dasius was extremely busy with his devotion to his offerings, incense and rites. When Marina reached her fifth year, her mother died. Her father could not find time to care for his daughter. He put her to the care of a Christian governess
III-THE SAINT IN THE HOUSE OF HER NURSEMAID: This nanny was living in a small town, about 15 miles from Antioch Pisidia. Marina lived with her new nanny away from her father’s idols and gods and his blasphemous practices. This nursemaid enjoyed a great deal of piety, righteousness and love of Christ. She was fond of reading the biographies of the martyrs and saints as well as the sayings of the holy fathers of the church.In this beautiful, holy, spiritual atmosphere lived little Marina enjoying the blessings of this saint. There, in her nanny’s house she heard nothing but prayers and religious enchanting; and she saw nothing but meekness, faith and hope. Her nursemaid could teach her true faith, not only by words but mostly by the good example and the tender regard. Little Marina felt joy and comfort with her nanny. She forgot the instability and the conjure which were in her parents’ house, and she loved her nanny with all her heart. She was brought up in the best of manners. She learned courage, purity and truthfulness. Marina lived with this saint for ten years until she was fifteen. Her father died, but St. Marina preferred to stay with her governess. Also, the nanny considered Marina’s stay with her a blessing from the Lord.
IV-THE SPIRITUAL FIGHT OF THE HOLY SAINT :St. Marina heard from her nanny a great deal about the holy martyrs; about their steadfast faith, and their extreme courage when facing the ferocious rulers and the mad emperors. She was told about how those heroes did not hesitate to declare their faith when the rulers threatened to torture them and to throw them to the hungry beasts. She knew how the martyrs were actually racing each other to gain their martyrdom because of their love to Christ the Lord.One day she started praying " You know, our compassionate Lord, how weak the human nature is. I ask You to give me strength to be able to conquer Your opponents and to praise you for ever. Amen."One day, a new ruler came to Antioch Pisidia from Asia. His name was Alupharnus. He was assigned to capture all Christians and torture them in the most ferocious way. While the evil ruler was in his carriage with his soldiers looking for the Christians, he saw St. Marina with her nanny, going out from their house. The ruler saw them. He was dazzled by her beauty and decided to marry her, whatever it would cost him. He sent his soldiers to bring her to him. When they tried to do so, Marina started praying; "Have mercy on me, O my Savior. Do not destroy my soul in the hands of the blasphemers, nor my life by the blood-shedders. Do not forsake me lest the sinners should destroy my soul and defile my ears and my mind. Send Your grace to me from up high to give me strength, and to keep me steadfast in my faith without fear, and to be able to answer that blasphemer according to his demand. I see my poor soul like a lamb among wolves, or like a bird confronting the hunters, or a fish in the net of fishermen. Come to me, Lord Jesus Christ, and save me from their hands. Glory and praise be to You for ever, Amen." The soldiers returned to the ruler and told him that they could not bring her to him (to marry her) because she was a Christian. The ruler was deeply disturbed by the news.
V-CONFRONTING OF THE RULER: The ruler was very angry. The devil moved him to frighten this young girl with threats of torture and death. He ordered his soldiers to bring ‘the slave’ to him by force. When they did he said to her, "From which race are you?" She answered, "I am a Christian, and I am not a slave." He asked, "So, which tribe are you from? What is your name?" She replied, "I am from the tribe of Jesus Christ. My name is Marina." The ruler asked, "Which god do you worship?"Marina said, "I worship God who created heaven and earth and all creation."He asked, "Then you worship Jesus the Nazarene from Galilee whom the Jews had crucified.""Yes, I do," she replied, "though I am not worthy that He may help my weak soul with His grace, and save me from your blasphemy."The ruler ordered his soldiers to keep her in his custody until they entered the city. When they did, he entered the temple of his gods to offer sacrifices unto them. He, then, called Saint Marina and when she arrived, he said to her, "Let it be known to you, Marina, that I pity your youth and your beauty. I advice you to change your mind and obey my orders to worship my gods and offer them sacrifices. If you do I will surely reward you with great rewards, and you will gain privileges over your peers."The saint answered him, "I will never deviate from worshipping my living God. I will offer my sacrifice of gratitude only to the great Creator, the Savior of all mankind. "The ruler, then, said to her, "This persistence will only cause you great torment. Your members will be cut with iron and burned with fire. You will suffer my great rage, and nothing can save you from my hand except by being submissive and obedient to me. Get rid of your stubbornness and worship my gods. This way you will find rest, and you will save your beauty. I will, then, give you abundantly the most expensive presents, and will raise you to the highest ranks. You will be my wife, and will become a princess!" The great saint answered him, "You blasphemer, who has a cruel heart, do you think that you can scare me with your threats ? I do believe that my merciful God will strengthen me, and will send me help from His holy place. I know that you have authority only over my body, but you have no authority over my spirit. My God says in His holy Gospel, "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear. Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him." As for me, I am quite ready to receive your torture, thus I will be worthy to join the wise virgins in their comfort. They became worthy to gain the real Groom, Jesus Christ, and to go with Him to heavenly joy. My Lord Jesus Christ, whom I worship, died for our salvation; and I am not worthy to offer my body as a sacrifice for Him, or to suffer all kinds of torments for His sake."The ruler became furious. He ordered the saint’s hands and feet to be tied with ropes, and to scourge her and beat her with clubs.
VI-THE GLORY OF PAIN:As they tortured her, the saint was looking up to heaven, and praying, "To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O My God, I trust in You; let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed. Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O Lord. Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation. On You I wait all day. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they have been from of old." For I withstand these pains because I confess Your holy name. Send Your mercy and compassion to me so my grief will become joy."As the saint was enchanting and praising the Lord, the soldiers were beating her so severely that her flesh was torn and her blood flew profusely. The Archangel Michael, then, appeared to her and said to her,"Great is your faith, Marina. Have more strength, for it is by your good confession that your soul will survive, and you will gain the holy baptism."The people who were watching her were crying. Some of them said , "O Marina, your pretty body has been destroyed by this cruel ruler. His intention is to erase your name from the face of the earth. Please, obey his orders, and believe in his gods, so you can be saved from his torture."The great among the martyrs then answered, "God has already helped me and sent the venerable Archangel Michael to me to take away my pains and to heal my wounds. He gave me strength, and opened my eyes and I could see the wonders of the Lord who made me able to expose and shame that blasphemer. Now, what do you want from me, O weak in faith? Because, if my flesh is to be destroyed, my spirit will be renewed and will be with the wise virgins. As for you, please listen and believe in the Lord for He listens to all who pray to Him. But I will never bow to mute and blind gods, which were carved by men." Then Marina looked at the ruler and said,"Whatever you want to do according to the instructions of your father, Satan, do it as fast as you can; because my God has comforted me, and He is my Strength. If you have a power over my body to destroy it, you have none over my spirit. Only my God has the authority over my spirit, and He will save me from your hands, that I can expose you; the rejected blasphemer who is far from the living God, and whose soul is descending to Hades where Satan and his soldiers dwell. The power of God is surely far from you, and the eternal punishment is going to catch you."The ruler, becoming exceedingly furious, ordered his soldiers to comb her flesh with big heated iron forks. The elect saint raised her eyes towards heaven and said,"For dogs have surrounded me; the assembly of the wicked has enclosed me... But You, O Lord, do not be far from me; O my Strength, hasten to help me. Deliver me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth. Help my humility, give me strength and the Spirit of life that You may protect my soul from defilement. With Your help I will be able to face the devil, my enemy, and conquer him, and become a good example for all those who seek Your holy name, which is blessed for ever. Amen."The ruler screamed at her, "I swear by my own life that if you do not bow to the gods, you are going to die in the worst way, and I will cut your members with my sword."The elect martyr answered, "O blasphemer, what life do you have? You should know, you who worship the defiled idols, that if I pity my body, my spirit will not ascend to heaven and will not be crowned with the illuminated wreaths."
VII-IN PRISON:The ruler ordered that she would be put in prison. When she entered, she crossed herself and said, "O Most holy, who designs all good matter. All creation tremble from the fear of Your glory. You are the hope of all those who repent, and You set all captives free. You are a father to all orphans, and a judge to all widows. Look at my humility and poverty and save me. Do not forsake me, my God, for I raised my soul to You and You are my only hope."I, poor Theophimos, used to deliver bread and water to saint Marina from her nanny through a little window in prison. She used to write her prayers, and all what happened to her, and give it to me.While she was praying at night, Archangel Michael appeared to her with a light brighter than that of the sun, and crossed her with the sign of the Holy Cross, and all her wounds and pains disappeared. He said to her, "Have strength, O bride of Christ, the elect saint Marina, for you are going to have all what you asked for. You are going to face your enemy, Satan, fight him and overpower him. You are also going to receive the holy baptism and your spirit is going to rise to the eternal bliss.Marina continued praying until morning, when the ruler called for her.
VIII-MORE FEROCIOUS TORTURE:When Marina was brought to the ruler, he was exceedingly amazed when he saw her completely healed from all signs of his torture. He told her that he was sure then that she was a great magician. She said,"I am not a magician, but I am a worshipper of Jesus Christ. Now your defiled helpless idols have been exposed."The ruler was enraged. He ordered to saw her flesh with iron saws, and to cut her skin with knives. When he thought that she was dead, he ordered his soldiers to put her body back in prison until she rots. Archangel Michael appeared to her again, strengthened her, and repeated what he said to her before. He, then, crossed her, cured her and disappeared
IX-THE DRAGON:While Marina was praying, a huge fearful dragon came out from one of the prison corners. It was spitting fire from its nostrils, and was whistling in an awesome way. When she saw it, Marina was scared, and prayed, "O invisible God, who tied Satan and untied those who were tied by Satan. Who raises the dead, and breaks the power of the great dragon. Look at me and have mercy on me so I can conquer this bad beast with Your power." The dragon came forward towards her. It opened its mouth and swallowed her. Because Marina’s arms were raised in the form of a cross when she was praying, this caused the dragon’s stomach to rupture when it swallowed her. By the grace of God, Marina came out safely, and the dragon immediately succumbed
.X-SATAN:When St. Marina stood again to pray, she noticed the devil coming from the left corner of the prison. He looked like a man, sitting down and crossing his arms around his knees. Marina prayed,"My Lord Jesus Christ, Source of wisdom, King of kings, Eternal Rock. I thank You, my God, for you are a Rock to those who seek refuge in You, and a Guide for those who travel, and a Wreath for the virgins. You are the Savior of the world."When she prayed, she held the devil with her hand. The devil said to her, "Why don’t you listen to the ruler, Marina, and obey his orders?"She found a hammer, and started to beat the devil’s head with it. She stepped on his neck and said to him,"Hold it ! you cursed one, for my God saves me from all sins"When she said that, a bright light came upon her, and the holy Cross appeared to her with a Dove on top of it. The Dove spoke and said to her, "Your are blessed, O holy virgin Marina. A crown of light has been prepared for you, and the doors of Paradise are open, waiting for you."
XI-BAPTISM:Next morning, the ruler ordered his soldiers to bring Marina. When they did, he repeated his orders to her to worship his gods. She refused, and the ruler gave his orders to tie her to a pole and burn her. They did. Then he ordered that they tie her hands and legs, and put her in boiling water. When she was in the water, St. Marina looked up to heaven and said, "O God who dwells in heaven, I ask You to untie me, and to make this water a baptism for me. Dress me with the robe of salvation through it. Take away from me the old man and put on me the new man. Make me, with this baptism, worthy to inherit the life eternal, and make my faith steadfast."A great earthquake shook the place, Marina’s ties were loosened, and she immersed herself in the water three times in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. She came out of the water praising God. A voice came from heaven, and all the people who were gathered there heard it. The voice said,"You are blessed, Marina. You were baptized, and became worthy of the crown of virginity."Many of those who witnessed these events declared their faith, became Christians and were baptized. The ruler ordered all of them to be killed. They were beheaded, and gained the wreath of martyrdom.
XII-MARTYRDOM: The ruler was then sure that Marina’s presence conformed a real danger for his idols and gods. He had but one choice; to behead her. The soldier who was assigned to that task, took her out of town, and there he told the saint that he also believed in Jesus Christ. He told her that he saw Christ with His angels. St. Marina said to him, "For that reason I ask you to wait a little time so I can pray." He agreed.The elect saint started to pray: "O God, who created heaven and earth, hear me. I ask You, my God, for every sinner who comes to You repenting, erase all his sins. Everyone who comes to my alter praying, give him all what he asks for. Anyone who is presented in a scary court of law, and mentions my name in confidence, grant him victory over his foes. Anyone who builds a church in my name, or writes the story of my martyrdom, give him, my Lord, all what pleases his heart. All sick people who ask You wellness in my name, grant them soon, if You will, good physical and mental health. Everyone who comes to my church, or hears the story of my martyrdom, have compassion on him, O Lord, by forgiving all his sins. Anyone who is afflicted, or who falls in the hands of those who are cruel and unjust to him, and he asks You in my name, give him deliverance and relief. Whomsoever travels in an awful route, whether it be by land or in the sea, help him, O Lord, and return him to his home safely. The believers who commemorate my martyrdom, and those who are present in Your holy alter in remembrance of me, whether they be of the clergy or the laity; remember them, O Lord, in that Day when they stand in front of You. Judge them not, but rather give them comfort with Your saints."When Saint Marina finished her prayer, a great earthquake shook the place, and the Savior appeared to her with his angels. The elect saint was scared and threw herself in contrition in front of Him, but the Savior said, "Fear not , O Marina, I came to you to grant you all what you have asked for. You are blessed because you asked for the sinners who come to Me repenting. I will give you more than what you asked. Archangel Michael will protect any church which will have a part of your body. No evil spirit will be able to approach any place where a part of your body, or a book of your biography is kept. Rather, peace and the Spirit of truth will be in that place.Saint Marina, then, said to the swordsman, "My brother, do now what you are assigned to do." He refused and said, "I cannot possibly kill the blessed worshipper of Christ." She answered, "If you do not fulfill what you were ordered to do, you will have no share with me in the Kingdom of Heaven." Asking God to forgive him, the trembling soldier, then, beheaded her, and immediately killed himself by the same sword. The earth was shaking, and many sick and disabled people who were watching, rushed to her body seeking blessings and wellness, and they obtained them. Many saw the angels enchanting around the martyr Marina’s body saying, "There is none like You among gods, O Lord." Many believed and obtained glory with Saint Marina.As for me, poor Theophimos, I was accompanying the elect Saint Marina from the beginning to the end. I wrote her biography with all honesty. I added nothing nor did I cancel anything from it I was the one who took her body and put it in a casket made of marble, and I put plenty of frankincense and scents with it. I put the marble casket in the city of Antioch in Pisidia. Blessed be everyone who commemorates her martyrdom, on the twenty-third day of the month of Abib. She will be interceding for him on the Judgment Day.May her prayers and intercessions be with us always. Praised be the Lord forever. Amen.SOME OF THE
MIRACLES WHICH OCCURRED IN ST. MARINA’S CHURCH AT ANTIOCH, IN PISIDIA, AFTER HER MARTYRDOM.
I-EDIFICATION OF THE CHURCH OF THE MARTYR (1) St. Theophimos said, "One day the nursemaid of the elect Saint Marina came to me and said that while she was praying at midnight. a dazzling light shone on her, and an angel, crowned with precious stones, and accompanied by a group of angels, appeared to her and said, "I am the Archangel Michael, who is assigned to serve Saint Marina. I came to instruct you with what you should do: Harry up and take the body of St. Marina from the marble casket, and put it in a hidden tomb, because she is suffering from the continuous honoring of her body."The nanny said that she did not notice any crosses on him or on anyone of his followers. So, she said to that angel that she was aware that the devil can appear in the form of an angel, but without a cross on him. She asked him if he could be a devil. Then, I poor Theophimos, answered her, " I saw the angels of heaven taking the soul of the great St. Marina and ascending to heaven while they were enchanting with joy. The devil surely envies the believers who are cured every day when they visit her body and gain her blessing."Suddenly, the blessed martyr Marina, came to us in a white robe with golden crosses over it. She greeted us and said to her nanny, "Blessed be the Lord who fulfilled to me all what I asked Him. He promised me that my spirit would be in the Paradise, while my body will be all over the world. That way the Lord would protect all those who touch a part of my body. You should know that the one who appeared to you in the form of an illustrious angel was my enemy, the devil. Cast him away with the sign of the cross. The Archangel Michael will give those who pray to God in any place where a part of my body is kept, all what they ask for. This year all idol worshipping will cease. I ask you to build a church in my name, in the place where the marble casket is kept.
(2) I, the miserable Theophimos, spoke with the saint’s nanny about building the church which the elect martyr desired to have. She answered that she was, in fact, joyous and eager to see the church erected, but she was afraid that they might not have the money or the ability to finish the project. I answered her that we were going to ask for help from God and His believers, and He would, surely, soften their hearts to build the church through the intercessions of the great Saint Marina. While we were talking, Saint Marina appeared to us in her splendid white robe, with golden crosses all over it, and she greeted us, then, she said to her nanny, "Didn’t I say to you that the Lord Christ had promised to grant me all what I asked Him? Why, then, did you doubt Him? Rise, nanny, with Theophimos and start working. The Lord will help you, and the church’s building will be completed." She, then, disappeared in great glory.In the morning, a group of masons came to us and told us that they had a dream. In their dream, behold, there was a glorious queen who ordered them to come to a person named Theophimos for the purpose of digging the foundation of a church. She promised them that she would pay their wages. She even showed them, in the dream, the place where the church would be erected. She marked, herself, the boundaries of the foundation with chalk, and showed them a marble casket which should be included in that building. When they asked about her name, she answered, "Marina."I called the nanny and told her about the masons. We all, then, went together to the casket and found that the place was, indeed, marked with chalk. The masons were amazed, and shouted glorifying the God of Saint Marina. They immediately started digging the foundation.At the sixth hour (twelve noon,) some merchants arrived and told us that they had traveled from their land loaded with a lot of merchandise and money. When they approached Antioch, they were attacked by highway robbers who plundered them of all what they had. They remained all day chagrined and hungry, and in that evening, one of them started reading the biography of Saint Marina. He reached her prayer, before her martyrdom, where she said, "..and whomsoever travels in an awful route, whether it be by land or in the sea, help him, O Lord and return him to his home safely." They then screamed asking for the intercession of the elect Martyr Marina. They vowed to give tithes of whatever they recover from the robbers to Saint Marina. Suddenly a great king appeared to them accompanied by an honorable queen. They had with them the thieves in handcuffs and all the goods and the money which the merchants had lost to the thieves earlier that day. The king and the queen returned their properties to them and instructed them to give what they vowed to the church of St. Marina in Antioch. The queen said to give what they had promised for the church to Theophimos, and with it she gave them fifty ounces of gold to deliver it to him for the same purpose. The merchants asked about their names, and knew that they were Archangel Michael and the elect martyr Saint MarinaNext morning, Ten men came to us with thirty camels with them. On each of the camels there was a huge load of stones. They told us that they arrived from a far land and when they had approached Antioch, they unloaded the camels and set them to pasture on the grass. They also started to have some food. When they finished eating, they fetched the camels, but they did not find them. Moreover, when they tried to go back to their place where they left the stones, they discovered that they were lost. They were greatly disturbed, and thought that they would surely die. They started to pray and ask for the intercession of Saint Marina. To their great surprise, and delight, St. Marina came to their rescue. She asked them to follow her, and she guided them to the place of their load of stones, and they found the camels with it. The saint told them to take the stones to her church in Antioch, and guided them to our place.When the masons finished the construction, the carpenters started to work. At that time, a man came from Antioch and said to us, "My master is a wood merchant. One day, a terrible fire threatened all the wood in his store. He stood up praying to God, and asked for the intercession of St. Marina so she would save his trade and he vowed to donate one quarter of his wood to her church if she did. Immediately, Archangel Michael appeared to him in an illustrious form, holding a golden cross in his hand. He extended his hand with the cross towards the fire and said, ‘The Almighty God who extinguished the fire from around the Three Holy Young men will put off this fire.’ The fire was extinguished, and all the wood was saved." The man added, "And now my master is asking you to send someone to carry the wood that he had vowed to donate to the church."From all these pledges, the building of the church was completed. His Holiness Pope Gregory came to consecrate it with some Metropolitans, Bishops and priests. They saw the great Saint Marina in their midst. The consecration of the church was on the twenty-third day of the month of Hator. May her intercession always be with us. Amen
.II-THE HEALING OF THE BLEEDER AND HER LEPER SISTER: There was a very rich Jewish woman in the city of Lystra. She suffered from a chronic severe bleeding. For seven long years, no physician could help her, and she spent a good deal of her money in vain. She became wasted, pale and bed ridden. One day a group of her Christian neighbors visited her, and told her that they were on their way to Antioch in Pisidia to celebrate the feast of the blessed martyr St. Marina in her church. She began asking them about St. Marina, and they briefed her about the intercessions of the saint and the miracles which took place in her church. The Jewish lady asked them if she could accompany them and go to her church seeking her intercession. But they told her that she could not do that until she was baptized and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. The lady, then, felt a great urge to go to St. Marina’s church and pray there. As if a grace came over her and convinced her that if she did, if she was baptized, believed and prayed to Jesus and asked for St. Marina’s intercession, she would surely gain the cure which she had, for so long, asked for. She immediately called four strong men, who carried her over a stretcher, and brought her to the church, with her Christian neighbors.There, in the church, she asked the priests to baptize her, so she would be able to approach the holy body of St. Marina. She was baptized, had communion and prayed beside the marble casket and spent her night beside it. In the morning, she woke up completely cured. She told the priests that she saw in her dream St. Marina and heard her saying to her, "Now that you are healed, keep the baptism which you have gained holy." She vowed to celebrate the feast of the holy martyr every year. After three days the lady returned home with her Christian neighbors.When her husband and relatives saw that she was completely healed, they were extremely amazed. They inquired from her about what had happened, and she told them all about her baptism, communion and the intercessions of St. Marina. They, then, said to her, "If what you have told us is true, we would like to see the power of the intercession of St. Marina in curing your sister’s leprosy. And if the martyr’s prayers heal your sister, we all are going to seek baptism and become Christians." She told them that she brought some holy oil from the church of St. Marina. They called for a priest who prayed for the sister, anointed her with the oil, and she was cured. They were baptized and became Christians. The family presented three golden oil lamps and expensive curtains and many other valuable gifts to the church. They were also persevering to celebrate the feast of St. Marina every year.May her intercession be with us. Amen.
III-THE MARTYR PROTECTS HER CHURCH: When numerous miracles took place in the church of St. Marina, the devil envied everyone who gained from her blessings. He became adamant to conceal her body by some cunning trick.The devil appeared in the form of a great king with many servants and followers, to a Jewish man who lived in Antioch in Pisidia . The devil promised this Jew to make him rich and to give him many presents of gold if he could find a way to steal the body of St. Marina, plus whatever he could take from the vessels and curtains, from her church. The Jew went to a Christian man named John, who was related to one of the Church Board members. The Jew told John about his intention and wanted to make a deal with him to pay him if he would leave the church door open after the Vespers Prayer. John warned the Jew about the consequences of his robbery. He explained to him the power of the miracles St. Marina performs in her church, and what could happen to him if he despised her holy place. The Jewish man did not believe anything he told him. One Saturday evening, John, after the Vespers Prayer, left the church door open. He was saying to himself that he believed that St. Marina was capable to protect her church and give a rough lesson to the Jew.In the thick of the night, the Jew sneaked in the dark and was in his way to the church, when St. Marina appeared to him and asked him about what was he intended to do at that time of the night. He told her that he had challenged a Christian that he could steal Marina’s body from her church and sell it; and if he succeeded, that Christian would convert to Judaism. He added, "I am going to see what miracle can a dead body punish me with !"He entered the church, and looked in the room where the icon of St. Marina was displayed. There were three golden oil- lamps hanging in front of her icon. He stretched his arm to one of the wooden corbels from which the lamp was hanging, but his hand was glued to the wood. He was hanging in the air and started screaming, "O Saint Marina, have mercy on me !" St. Marina appeared to him in a dazzling light and said to him, "You have no way out until the priests would arrive in the morning and see you hanging there." In the morning, all the congregation witnessed that great miracle, and heard the Jew confessing his sin. He became Christian and served in the church of St. Marina for the rest of his life.
© Saúl Tuñón Loureda
La basílica del Sagrado Corazón de Montmartre, (en francés: Basilique du Sacré-Cœur) es un importante templo religioso situado en París (Francia). Está ubicado en lo alto de la colina de Montmartre.
Se trata de una basílica menor dedicada al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (en francés, SacréCœur de Jésus).
Historia
Su construcción fue decidida por la Asamblea Nacional en 1873, como un edificio religioso a perpetuidad en homenaje a la memoria de los numerosos ciudadanos franceses que habían perdido la vida durante la Guerra franco-prusiana. Según sus promotores se hacía también para expiar por la impiedad del Segundo Imperio francés.2 Fue el arquitecto Paul Abadie quien ganó el concurso para su construcción.
La primera piedra se colocó en 1875, y aunque se completó en 1914, no se consagró hasta el fin de la Primera Guerra Mundial, en 1919. La iglesia fue construida con fondos procedentes exclusivamente de una suscripción popular.
Es uno de los monumentos más visitados de la ciudad parisina.
Arquitectura
La planta del edificio está más central que basilical. Tiene forma de cruz griega, adornada con cuatro cúpulas: el domo central, de 80 m. de altura, está tocado por una linterna, formada por una columnata. En el ábside, una inmensa torre cuadrada hace las veces de campanario que guarda, entre otras, la Savoyarde, una campana de 3 m de diámetro y de 18.550 kilogramos de peso, ofrecida por la diócesis de Chambéry. La cripta posee la misma disposición que la iglesia, y es una de las curiosidades de la basílica.
La arquitectura se inspira en la arquitectura romana y bizantina e influyó en otros edificios religiosos del siglo XX, como la basílica de Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux. Es posible acceder a la basílica tomando el funicular de Montmartre.
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bas%C3%ADlica_del_Sagrado_Coraz%C3%...
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur (French: Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, pronounced [sakʁe kœʁ]), is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France. A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Sacré-Cœur is a double monument, political and cultural, both a national penance for the defeat of France in the 1871 Franco-Prussian War and the socialist Paris Commune of 1871[1] crowning its most rebellious neighborhood, and an embodiment of conservative moral order, publicly dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular vision of a loving and sympathetic Christ.[2]
The Sacré-Cœur Basilica was designed by Paul Abadie. Construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919.
The inspiration for Sacré Cœur's design originated on September 4, 1870, the day of the proclamation of the Third Republic, with a speech by Bishop Fournier attributing the defeat of French troops during the Franco-Prussian War to a divine punishment after "a century of moral decline" since the French Revolution, in the wake of the division in French society that arose in the decades following that revolution, between devout Catholics and legitimist royalists on one side,[3] and democrats, secularists, socialists and radicals on the other. This schism in the French social order became particularly pronounced after the 1870 withdrawal of the French military garrison protecting the Vatican in Rome to the front of the Franco-Prussian War by Napoleon III,[4] the secular uprising of the Paris Commune of 1870-1871, and the subsequent 1871 defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War.
Though today the Basilica is asserted[5][when?] to be dedicated in honor of the 58,000 who lost their lives during the war, the decree of the Assemblée nationale, 24 July 1873, responding to a request by the archbishop of Paris by voting its construction, specifies that it is to "expiate the crimes of the Commune".[6] Montmartre had been the site of the Commune's first insurrection, and the Communards had executed Georges Darboy, Archbishop of Paris, who became a martyr for the resurgent Catholic Church. His successor Guibert, climbing the Butte Montmartre in October 1872, was reported to have had a vision, as clouds dispersed over the panorama: "It is here, it is here where the martyrs are,[7] it is here that the Sacred Heart must reign so that it can beckon all to come".[8]
In the moment of inertia following the resignation of the government of Adolphe Thiers, 24 May 1873, François Pie, bishop of Poitiers, expressed the national yearning for spiritual renewal— "the hour of the Church has come"—[9] that would be expressed through the "Government of Moral Order" of the Third Republic, which linked Catholic institutions with secular ones, in "a project of religious and national renewal, the main features of which were the restoration of monarchy and the defense of Rome within a cultural framework of official piety",[10] of which Sacré-Cœur is the chief lasting triumphalist[11] monument.
The decree voting its construction as a "matter of public utility", 24 July,[12] followed close on Thiers' resignation. The project was expressed by the Church as a National Vow (Voeu national) and financial support came from parishes throughout France. The dedicatory inscription records the Basilica as the accomplishment of a vow by Alexandre Legentil and Hubert Rohault de Fleury, ratified by Joseph-Hippolyte Guibert, Archbishop of Paris. The project took many years to complete,
The overall style of the structure shows a free interpretation of Romano-Byzantine features, an unusual architectural vocabulary at the time, which was a conscious reaction against the neo-Baroque excesses of the Palais Garnier, which was cited in the competition.[18] Many design elements of the basilica symbolise nationalist themes: the portico, with its three arches, is adorned by two equestrian statues of French national saints Joan of Arc (1927) and King Saint Louis IX, both executed in bronze by Hippolyte Lefebvre; and the nineteen-ton Savoyarde bell (one of the world's heaviest), cast in 1895 in Annecy, alludes to the annexation of Savoy in 1860.
Sacré-Cœur is built of travertine stone quarried in Château-Landon (Seine-et-Marne), France. This stone constantly exudes calcite, which ensures that the basilica remains white even with weathering and pollution.
A mosaic in the apse, entitled Christ in Majesty, created by Luc-Olivier Merson, is among the largest in the world.
The basilica complex includes a garden for meditation, with a fountain. The top of the dome is open to tourists and affords a spectacular panoramic view of the city of Paris, which is mostly to the south of the basilica.
The use of cameras and video recorders is forbidden inside the Basilica.
Access
The Basilica is accessible by bus. Buses 30, 31, 80, and 85 can be taken to the bottom of the hill of the Basilica. Line 12 of the metro can be taken to Jules Joffrin station and visitors can then change to the Montmartrobus and disembark at Place du Tertre. Line 2 or 12 of the metro can be taken to Pigalle station where visitors can change to the Montmartrobus and disembark at Norvins, or to Anvers station which gives easy access to the steps or the funicular car that lead directly to the Basilica.
Sacré-Cœur is open from 06:00 to 22:30 every day. The dome is accessible from 09:00 to 19:00 in the summer and 18:00 in the winter.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacr%C3%A9-C%C5%93ur,_Paris
La basilique du Sacré-Cœur, dite du Vœu national, située au sommet de la butte Montmartre, dans le 18e arrondissement de Paris, est un édifice religieux parisien majeur.
La construction de cette église, monument à la fois politique et culturel, suit l'après-guerre de 1870. Elle est déclarée d'utilité publique par une loi votée le 24 juillet 1873 par l'Assemblée nationale de 1871. Elle s'inscrit dans le cadre d'un nouvel « ordre moral » faisant suite aux événements de la Commune de Paris, dont Montmartre fut un des hauts lieux. Avec près de 11 millions de pèlerins et visiteurs par an, c'est le second monument religieux parisien le plus visité après la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
Depuis longtemps la colline de Montmartre a été un lieu de culte : paganisme gaulois supposé puis temples gallo-romains dédiés à Mercure et probablement à Mars ; culte chrétien après le martyre de l'évêque Denis au IIIe siècle, chapelle surmontant la crypte du martyrium de saint Denis, construction au XIIe siècle de l'église Saint-Pierre, parmi les plus anciennes de Paris, pour l’abbaye royale de Montmartre par le roi Louis VI et sa femme Adélaïde de Savoie. Le nom de la colline de Montmartre vient probablement du nom du lieu, Mons Martis(mont de Mars). L'église de Montmartre qui s'est substituée aux temples romains a été élevée en l'honneur des saints martyrs saint Denis, Rustique et Éleuthère décapités selon la légende3 sur la colline et dont une chapelle, située sur le flanc sud de la butte, devait commémorer le lieu traditionnel du supplice, en prenant le nom de Saint-Martyre. Le mont de Mars a donc pu être réinterprété vers le IXe siècle en Mont des Martyrs (Mons Martyrum), puis par dérivation populaire en « mont de martre », martre signifiant « martyr » en ancien français4. La substitution toponymique du mont païen par le mont chrétien reste cependant hypothétique et la double étymologie (mont de Mars et mont des Martyrs) est encore actuellement traditionnellement proposée. Il faudrait, « pour pouvoir trancher la question, savoir comment le peuple, dans son langage parlé, appelait cette colline avant le IXe siècle, puisque c'est à cette époque que les documents écrits enregistrèrent le changement de nom.
Le 16 juin 1875, le cardinal Guibert pose la première pierre (un marbre rose) de la basilique, non loin de l'ancien moulin de la galette, d'où le surnom donné à la basilique par le peuple de Montmartre, « Notre Dame de la Galette »24.
Des mois sont nécessaires afin de consolider les fondations : les galeries souterraines et les effondrements de terrain imposent la construction de 83 puits d'une profondeur de trente-trois mètres. Remplis de béton et reliés par des arcs, ils font office de pilier qui vont cherche la couche solide sous la glaise25. Dès le 3 mars 1876, l'archevêque de Paris inaugure à côté des travaux une chapelle provisoire. En 1878 débute l'édification de la crypte et en 1881 celle de la basilique. L'intérieur de la nef est inauguré le 5 juin 189126. Les vitraux posés entre 1903 et 1920, sont détruits pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale et remplacés par des vitraux contemporains. Le campanile (clocher haut de 90 mètres) est terminé en 1912, mais il faut attendre 1914 pour que l'ensemble de la façade soit achevé. La consécration, initialement prévue le 17 octobre 1914, est reportée à cause de l'entrée en guerre. Elle a lieu le 16 octobre 1919, célébrée par le cardinal Vico, en présence du cardinal Amette, archevêque de Paris, et de nombreux évêques, dignitaires ecclésiastiques, membres du clergé, personnalités civiles et simples fidèles. L'église est alors érigée en basilique mineure27. Le bâtiment est officiellement achevé en 192328 avec la finition de la décoration intérieure, notamment les mosaïques de l'abside29. Les années 1930 voient le début de la construction des annexes, sacristie, bureaux et dortoir pour accueillir les pèlerins.
La basilique n'est pas construite selon le plan basilical traditionnel. Elle est en forme de croix grecque, ornée de quatre coupoles. La coupole centrale a une hauteur sous clef de voûte de 54,94 m et un diamètre de 16 mètres ; son dôme central, haut de 83 m (c'était le point le plus élevé de Paris avant la construction de la Tour Eiffel), est surmonté d'un lanterneau formé d'une colonnade. Un escalier en colimaçon de 237 marches permet d'accéder à la galerie intérieure et extérieure de ce dôme, la première offrant une vue sur l'intérieur de l'église et la seconde un panorama circulaire sur 30 km par temps claire31. Le style éclectique architectural de l'édifice, s'inspirant de l'architecture romane, de l'architecture byzantine, et particulièrement de la cathédrale Saint-Front de Périgueux, a influencé plusieurs autres édifices religieux du XXe siècle (basilique Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux par exemple).
Contrairement à la plupart des églises qui ont traditionnellement une orientation Est-Ouest, celle de la basilique est Nord-Sud, tournée vers le centre de Paris, plus particulièrement de Notre-Dame qui est située dans l'alignement de l'édifice.[réf. souhaitée]
La pierre blanche retenue pour la construction est un travertin qui provient des carrières de Château-Landon et de Souppes-sur-Loing (les pierres de l'Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile ont la même origine)32. Elle a été retenue par l'architecte Paul Abadie pour ses qualités de dureté et d'auto-nettoiement au contact de l'eau, ce calcaire exsudant du calcite, ce qui garde la teinte blanche de la pierre. La basilique repose sur le gypse au moyen de piliers qui traversent les marnes et les sables sus-jacents33.
À l'intérieur, le plafond de l'abside est décoré de la plus grande mosaïque de France (Émaux de Briare), couvrant une surface de 473,78 m2. Conçue par Luc-Olivier Merson et exécutée de 1918 à 1922 par les ateliers Guilbert-Martin, elle représente le Sacré-Cœur de Jésus glorifié par l’église catholique et la France. À sa base on peut lire une phrase en latin signifiant : « Au Cœur très saint de Jésus, la France fervente, pénitente et reconnaissante. »
Une immense tour carrée servant de clocher renferme, entre autres, la plus grosse cloche de France. Baptisée la Savoyarde, elle a été fondue à Annecy en 1895 par les frères Paccard. Elle mesure 3 mètres de diamètre et pèse 18 835 kg. Quant à son support, il pèse 7 380 kg. Le marteau qui la frappe pèse quant à lui 1 200 kg. Symbole nationaliste rappelant l'Annexion de la Savoie, elle fut offerte à la basilique par les quatre diocèses de la Savoie, et arriva sur la butte le 16 octobre 1895, ce qui fut un événement parisien.
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilique_du_Sacr%C3%A9-C%C5%93ur_d...
Gateway Camp Verse
(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4
Isaiah 62:10
What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.
After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.
I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.
I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.
Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.
Sau2 muhn6 je2
Mihng6 dihng6
Kyuhn4 lihk6
Lihk6 leuhng6
Chong3 yi3 adjective
Chong3 jouh6 verb
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.
This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.
1) Welcoming the Father
2) Unifying the body
3) Partnering with the Chinese
4) Serving the city
5) Supporting the Chinese
Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!
Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.
Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)
Sihng4 jeung2
Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)
The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!
An Outburst
I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.
To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.
In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.
OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.
I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!
Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.
In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Disagreeable
I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.
I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.
In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.
…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.
I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.
Sihng4 jauh6 achievement
Ngwuih misunderstanding
Nggaai2 to misunderstand
Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive
Gaan2syun2 chosen
The Security Guard
At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.
Reconciliation
This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.
Sex Talk – Part One
The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.
While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.
Prayer
The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.
I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.
A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.
Keuhng4 jong3
Lai1 hei2 (pull up)
In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.
Oscillate between…and…
Vacillate…
Equivocated
Prevaricate
Sex Talk – Part Two
1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18
2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18
Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)
Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.
Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.
Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:
1) Call for help; Romans 10:13
2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13
Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.
3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22
4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14
I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.
5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16
I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.
6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7
7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7
Cap 110 is a memorial erected in memory of slavery. It was built at Anse Caffard during the sesquicentennial of the abolition of slavery in 1998 by Laurent Valere, a painter and sculptor of Martinique. The choice of Anse Caffard is not trivial.
This is indeed the edge of the Anse Caffard (which owes its name to Jean Caffard a colon) a ship carrying 300 slaves ran aground in a storm on the rocks of the coast on the night of April 8, 1830. Now at that time, the slave trade was illegal since 1817. The boat was completely destroyed what prevented him from knowing his name and find its source. Only six bodies were recovered.
The bodies of the sailors were buried in the cemetery and those slaves were buried near the shore. 86 slaves, 26 men and 60 women were rescued from the wreck and transferred to Fort-de-France.
The 15 busts were built of reinforced concrete and bleached with sand of Trinidad and Tobago. Their weight is about 4 tons to a height of 2.5 meters. All represent the same face bent in the meaning, worn, distressed, downcast eyes to the earth and the sea. They are the anonymous victims of processed trade, the slave trade, which lasted three centuries (17th to 19th century ) between Europe, Africa and the Americas.
The 15 busts of white concrete have different symbolics. The white symbolizes mourning in the Caribbean. The triangular shape is the triangular trade between Europe, Africa and the Americas, orientation heading 110° East, the Gulf of Guinea where the boat would likely come. The memorial is located in front of Rocher du Diamant.
Dans la nuit du 8 au 9 avril 1830, un bateau de traite clandestine transportant un nombre inconnu de captifs africains s’est échoué sur les rochers de l’Anse Caffard, au nord de la ville du Diamant, avant d'être totalement détruit. M. Dizac, géreur de l’Habitation La Tournelle, qui reçut la nouvelle vers 23 heures, arrive à sauver quatre-vingt-six captifs (dont vingt-six hommes et soixante femmes1), grâce au travail des esclaves de son atelier. Le lendemain du naufrage, en plus de nombreux débris, quarante-six cadavres ont été retrouvés sur la côte, dont quarante-deux Noirs et quatre Blancs. Comme aucun homme blanc de l'équipage survécut, et qu'aucun document précisant le nom du bateau n'a été trouvé sur eux, l'identité du bâtiment reste inconnue à ce jour. Le rapport du directeur de l'Intérieur du 16 avril 1830 indique que les corps des marins négriers furent enterrés au cimetière, ceux des captifs du bateau "à quelque distance du rivage"2.
Ce fait divers tragique, a pris une dimension historique et symbolique importante pour la ville du Diamant. Il s’agit du dernier naufrage de navire négrier de l'histoire de la Martinique. C’est la raison pour laquelle cette communauté, en 1998, a confié à Laurent Valère l’édification d’un mémorial sur le site présumé du naufrage, c'est-à-dire à l’Anse Caffard, au pied du Morne Larcher, face à la mer des Caraïbes.
Le château de Chambord est un château français situé dans la commune de Chambord.
Construit au cœur du plus grand parc forestier clos d’Europe (environ 50 km2 ceint par un mur de 32 km de long), il s'agit du plus vaste des châteaux de la Loire. Il bénéficie d'un jardin d'agrément et d'un parc de chasse.
Le site a d'abord accueilli une motte féodale, ainsi que l'ancien château des comtes de Blois. L'origine du château actuel remonte au XVIe siècle et au règne du roi de France François Ier qui supervise son édification à partir de 1519.
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_de_Chambord
The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its very distinctive French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures. The building, which was never completed, was constructed by King Francis I of France.
Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley; it was built to serve as a hunting lodge for Francis I, who maintained his royal residences at the châteaux of Blois and Amboise.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU_QR_FTt3E
La chiesa fu edificata a partire dal 1280, sull'area di un preesistente oratorio dedicato a S. Lorenzo. Secondo il Barbarano, che nel '600 scrisse la Historia ecclesiastica della città, territorio e diocesi di Vicenza, l'edificio originario esisteva già dal 1185 quando fu donato dal vescovo Pistore ai canonici della Cattedrale e questi nel 1280 lo permutarono con i Minori per la chiesa di S. Francesco.
I frati francescani infatti, giunti a Vicenza tra il 1216 e il 1222, si erano insediati nell'ospedale di S. Salvatore, dove prestavano servizio agli ammalati e officiavano la chiesetta omonima situata nei pressi della Cattedrale, avendo però cambiato la titolazione in S. Francesco.
Il passaggio a S. Lorenzo permise loro la costruzione di una chiesa decentrata rispetto al Duomo, cui afferivano gli abitanti di un borgo in particolare espansione com'era quello di Porta Nuova e, nello stesso tempo, l'ordine religioso si prese cura delle importanti reliquie dei Ss. Lorenzo, Quirico e Margherita, ivi rinvenute nel 1278. L’edificio dovette essere compiuto già dal 1300, anno in cui il Maggior Consiglio della città deliberava che il podestà, la Curia, gli Anziani e le Arti visitassero il tempio.
Il Comune stesso aveva contribuito alla sua edificazione rinunciando, in favore della fabbrica, alla terza parte dei ricavato della vendita dei beni confiscati agli eretici dal Tribunale dell'Inquisizione (officio affidato ai Francescani dal 1254). Dal 1290 si impegnava inoltre a versare delle ingenti quantità di denaro pro constructione et edificatione dicte ecclesie. Non mancò inoltre il concorso dei privati, che sostennero con legati e donazioni quello che si avviava ad essere uno straordinario centro di cultura e di predicazione.
La chiesa gotica, con forti reminescenze romaniche, si arricchì di altari e di straordinarie opere d'arte che i Minori Conventuali custodirono per secoli. Nel XIV secolo fu addossato alla parete laterale destra l'oratorio dell'Immacolata Concezione (demolito nel 1909) e nel sec. XV quello di S. Bernardino, che si affacciava sulla piazza dal lato sinistro del Tempio (distrutto nel 1755). Nel 1796 le truppe napoleoniche devastarono la chiesa trasformandola in fienile e adibendo il convento a caserma. Gli stessi frati Minori, prima trasferiti nella chiesa dei Servi, subirono nel 1810 la soppressione. Soltanto nel 1836 l'edificio divenne proprietà del Comune di Vicenza, e dopo un primo restauro fu riaperto al culto trasportandovi sepolcri e monumenti da altre chiese nell'intento di fare di S. Lorenzo una piccola S. Croce vicentina. L’urgenza di ulteriori restauri portò ad una seconda chiusura, dal 1871 al 1911, finché nel 1927 fu riaffidata ai Minori Conventuali, che nel frattempo avevano perso il diritto di proprietà e che a tutt'oggi officiano la chiesa.
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fonte: Ufficio diocesano di Vicenza per i beni culturali
One of the skylights of the triangular Forum Building in Barcelona. Located down by Diagonal Mar, it is considered by some to be an icon of the "New Barcelona ". The building is structured around an auditorium with a capacity to hold 3,200 people. The seating is below the Forum Plaza level. Architect was Herzog and De Meuron.
"San Marco In Lamis" Gargano Puglia Italia © 2015 All rights reserved
FotoSketcher lively
Nikon coolpix p 7100
San Marco in Lamis è un comune italiano di 13.928 abitanti della provincia di Foggia, in Puglia.
San Marco in Lamis è nota soprattutto per la tradizionale Processione delle "fracchie", una manifestazione religiosa popolare molto suggestiva e assai singolare, che si ripete puntualmente da circa tre secoli ogni venerdì Santo per la rievocazione della Passione di Cristo, e che, ogni anno, richiama un grande afflusso di forestieri. Le fracchie sono delle enormi fiaccole, realizzate con grossi tronchi di albero di quercia o castagno aperti longitudinalmente a forma di cono e riempiti di legna, per essere incendiate all'imbrunire e divenire quindi dei falò ambulanti che illuminano il cammino della Madonna Addolorata lungo le strade del paese alla ricerca del figlio Gesù morto.Sembra che le origini di questo rito risalgano ai primi anni del XVIII secolo, epoca di edificazione della chiesa dell'Addolorata e le sue ragioni, oltre che di ordine religioso e devozionale, vadano collegate anche ad una motivazione di ordine pratico riconducibile alle precise condizioni fisiche dell'abitato. Infatti, quando venne costruita (1717), la chiesa dell'Addolorata si trovava fuori del centro abitato e lì sarebbe rimasta fino all'ultimo ventennio del XIX secolo. Una collocazione questa che sollecitò la fantasia degli abitanti, i quali pensarono di illuminare con le "fracchie" la strada che la Madonna percorreva dalla sua chiesa fino alla Collegiata, dove era custodito il corpo del Cristo. Le “fracchie più grandi possono essere lunghe anche 13-14 metri e pesare anche 60-70 quintali di legno di quercia , castagno o abete .
da wikipedia
San Marco in Lamis is a town of 13,928 citizens in the Italian province of Foggia, Puglia, Italy.
San Marco in Lamis is a town of 13.928 citizens and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It is located in the Gargano massif area.Apart from some tourism conted to pilgrimages at the local Catholic sanctuary of St. Matthew, the economy is mostly based on agriculture.San Marco in Lamis is known for the traditional procession of "fracchie", a very popular religious manifestation suggestive and very singular, that is repeated regularly from about three centuries each friday Saint for the reenactment of the passion of Christ, and that each year draws a large influx of foreigners. The fracchie are huge torches, made with large trees oak opened longitudinally cone-shaped and filled with wood, to be burned at dusk and become so a itinerant bonfires that illuminate the journey of our Lady of Sorrows along the roads of the country in search of the son Jesus died.It seems that the origins of this rite dates back to the early 18th century, a time of edification of the Church of our Lady of sorrows and his reasons as well as religious and devotional order, should be connected to a practical motivation due to precise physical conditions of the town. In fact, when it was built (1717), the Church of our Lady of Sorrows was out of town and would remain there until the last two decades of the 19th century. A bin that solicited the imagination of the inhabitants, whom they thought to illuminate with the "fracchie" the way that she ran from her church until the collegiate, where he guarded the body of Christ. The"Fracchia" can also get the length of 13-14 meters and weigh 60-70 quintals of wood of oak. From wikipedia
A detail of some of the cool rocks usually hidden under the sea.
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