Never Forget

LECTIO:

Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women,
and those children old enough to understand.
Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,
he read out of the book from daybreak till midday,
in the presence of the men, the women,
and those children old enough to understand;
and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform
that had been made for the occasion.
He opened the scroll
so that all the people might see it
— for he was standing higher up than any of the people —;
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
and all the people, their hands raised high, answered,
"Amen, amen!"
Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD,
their faces to the ground.
Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God,
interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe
and the Levites who were instructing the people
said to all the people:
"Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep"—
for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
He said further: "Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,
and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;
for today is holy to our LORD.
Do not be saddened this day,
for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!"

STUDIUM:

Ezra was a priest/scribe, and Nehemiah was an official from the Persian Court, assigned to oversee the rebuilding of Jerusalem.  Remember the people were exiled in Babylon for so long, not only did they forget their religion but maybe their language.  That is why they weep when they Ezra reviews what happened to them.  Ezra reads the Torah and they stand and prostrate themselves.  It's very dramatic and moving.

MEDITATIO:

Lord, why do You bother with us?  Look what we did to our Indigenous American Indian, the African slaves, and today's immigrants. These verses remind us that only God remains good.  That's the only constant.  You are precious.  All else may be lost.

ORATIO:

I pray that I never forget you, Lord. I know You will always love us.   Love is what is important.

CONTEMPLATIO:

If we love one another, God is present.

Knowing and Accepting

 The Apostles and disciples were always expecting Jesus to establish His kingdom here, on earth.  They found it hard to understand why Jesus didn't just tell the world Who He was.  Not until Pentecost did they understand.

Still, think of this.  Ever since Pentecost, the gospel of the kingdom has been proclaimed to the whole world.  Yet not everyone is receptive.  Everyone knows, but they don't accept the message.

Catholic Jubilee

For centuries, the Catholic Church has celebrated jubilee years.  These are times of pilgrimage, repentance, forgiveness, and redemption.  Pope Francis has designated 2025 as a jubilee year.  It began on Christmas Eve 2024, where the pope opened the door to St. Peter's Basilica.  Those of us who can't make the trip to Rome to see for ourselves, can view this awesome basilica digitally.  La Basilica di San Pietro – Microsoft Unlocked

Another jubilee sight to appreciate is the Jubilee Mascot.  I think of the digital video of St. Peter's as the adult's entertainment.  This Mascot is for the youth.

She is called "Luce".  Luce is Italian for "light."  You need light to see on a pilgrimage.  You tell you are on a pilgrimage because there're seashells in Luce's eyes, she has a walking stick and is dressed for weather with muddy boots.  Seashells are iconic symbols for walking on a pilgrimage. She must be Catholic because she wears a rosary.  Luce is ready to journey through life's storms. She is drawn in anime style to appeal to young people.

Attributes of God

 Like me, did you think of The Force, in Star Wars, as god?  He had a lot of power.  He was awesome.  But he was bad.  

God cannot be bad.

What are the attributes of God?  How about omnibenevolent, omnipotent, omniscience?  I don't know about Allah, or Tao, or Buddha, or even AA"s Higher Power.  But I do know that none of them are bad.

Since God has these attributes, and we don't, we trust Him.  At least, that's why I do.  All things work out for good.  Romans 8: 28 

Keep Going

 Go As A River by Shelley Read is a coming-of-age story.  Torie Nash is a young girl who inexplicably falls in love with a young man, who helped her home, when she hurt her ankle.

That's it.

A chance encounter and she interiorly commits herself to this idea of love with Wilson Moon.  Also, inexplicably, he must have had the same feelings because he doesn't leave town, although everyone there hates him--worse, they're out to get him.  

I was surprised by the prejudice against Indians.  Will is Indian and that's why everyone hates him.  Everyone except Torie.  I always thought it was a point of pride to be Indian or have some Indian in your family.  I guess not always.  At least, not in Colorado.

Will hides out in Torie's neighbor's house, where they meet and she gets pregnant.  Torie's family thinks like the town's people, and she knows her family would reject her, never mind Will and their baby.  In fact, Torie's brother, Seth, brutally kills Will.

Torie takes off and and has her baby in a deserted cabin, in the woods.  Again, inexplicably, on her way home, she leaves her baby with a couple who are picnicking.  

The rest of the book is about the baby growing up and Torie's carrying on in the family's peach farming business.

I found the plot improbable but the writing was so beautiful that I carried on reading the book, just like a river goes on and on, just like the title, Go As A River.

A Spiritual Post

 Still following the Concord Pastor's suggestions with my post about my visit to the dentist.  I still contend that nothing brings me closer to God than my dentist.  I even prayed four rosaries in that dentist chair.  

Since I pray the most fervently and frequently, I say my Dental Sorrowful Mysteries is my most spiritual post.

The 2024 Best

 The Concord Pastor has just offered me days of meditation.  He lists the 10 best posts of 2024.  Today, I'll post about the happiest event that happened in 2024.

I'm changing the modifier "happiest," to "most satisfying."  This event happened while playing cribbage.  In conversation, I explained the Rosary and to another person, the Immaculate Conception.  Plus, I became closer to these two people.  It was a "win/win."