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starrlikesbooks · 3 years

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Let’s talk about upcoming books!

It’s hard to believe the year is nearly over, but it’s equally hard to believe that it’s somehow still 2020 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Either way, the new year means at least one good thing- cool new books!

Click the read more for a little on each and why I’m excited! And have a great new year! 💓🎉

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey is Gailey’s third full-length novel, and their second Adult novel. It’s an SFF story about a woman whose husband is cheating on her… with a clone of herself… which he made by stealing her research. The layers of betrayal! Obviously her and the clone have to kill him, what other choice do they have? I’m super excited for another one of Gailey’s fun, complex characters and the concept alone sounds so, so cool.

The Valley and the Flood by Rebecca Mahoney I’ve already had the pleasure over reading and I am PUMPED to get other people to read it! This is a magical realism story about grief and baggage mixed with a southern (western?) gothic vibe with the town in the desert full of otherwordly “neighbors”. This is a beautiful story of PTSD and healing and as well as a lushly magic one.

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore is another one I’ve already been lucky enough to get an advanced copy of. This is a magical realism story about the trauma of two characters’ unfortunately closely connected sexual assault. This one is heavy, and if you’re sensitive to stories involving rape and/or blackmail you may want to avoid it, but it’s well written and honestly an excellent story of healing and reflection.

Lycanthropy & Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O’Neal I…. have also already read! Sorry- I am just a very lucky reader of books! This is a really modern online friendship based story of a girl and her community of people with chronic illnesses, like the one that forced her to come back home from college. But it turns out her best friend’s chronic illness is a little… weird. I love the humor in this book, I love the characters, I love the representation of these illnesses and the online communities they form, and I honestly think that anyone who 1) like werewolves and 2) is still on tumblr will love this book.

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller combines three of my favorite things- bladesmiths, magical quests, and the author of The Shadows Between Us. A magical bladesmith takes a commission from someone far more dangerous than she knows, and winds up with an uber powerful sword able to steal secrets, on the run, and with some surprising friends. I can’t think of anything I don’t like from that, and I know I already love Levenseller’s characters, so!

Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater has… that title, but is also the sequel to Call Down the Hawk, Stiefvater’s Ronan Lynch centric TRC spin off. CDTH was incredible and ended with a massive cliff hanger, so I’m chompin at the bit for this book. More magical dreams! More disembodied voices! More murder and art theft and Declan Lynch failing at pretending not to be weird af!

May the Best Man Win by ZR Ellor has the potential to make me cry right from the get go. This is a MLM trans lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story and my God I’m vibrating. Basically it’s a battle for prom king between exes who had a messy break up because one of them ended their relationship in order to come out & transition. The cover is so cute and I’m ready for this to be fluffy and fun.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is McQuistion’s sophomore novel after Red, White & Royal Blue, so… obviously? This one is sapphic and involves falling for someone who is literally in the past. I trust McQuiston so much I’d need this book immediately even if the concept didn’t sound amazing, but I’m feeling blessed that it does!

Violet Ghosts by Leah Thomas is about being best friends with (and crushing on) a ghost while also coming out to yourself as trans. As an enby who likes ghost books- may I just say trans rights? This book also involved parental abuse, so beware if you find that distressing or triggering!

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury not only has a stunning cover and a main character who looks like she means serious business, but it’s a dark urabn fantasy about witches. The main character fails her ritual to come into her magic, she’s forced to kill her true love or strip her whole blood line. Ah, I love difficult choices, gray morality, and magic, so I’m already in love with this.

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson I’m astounded and super excited to know is going to exist at all. I loved the Truly, Devious trilogy, and while this isn’t exactly a part of that it is the same main character and it is still a mystery about an unsolved murder! Plus, I love summer camps, so a summer camp murder mystery makes me happy.

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta is a sappic enemies-to-lovers about two girls on opposite sides of a war fought by giant Windups. This is a cyberpunk book of spies and pilots and gay love, and it’s also the first in a series!

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell is the third and (most likely) final book of the Simon Snow series and it’s gonna be GOOD. My only wish is for it to be about 500 pages longer because I want a full out door stopper of tying up loose ends.

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters is the second book by the Ghost Wood Song author- which was on my most anticipated list for 2020 last year! That one was creepy and folky and queer, and this one looks to be the same. This one has a sister disappear and some strong magic to find out what happened to her, and if their mother was the one who did it.

Mark of the Wicked by Georgia Bowers is a dark fantasy about a girl who comes into her powers but has some different ideas about how she should be using them. I love morally gray or just plain dark main characters, so I’m ready to jump right on this one. This one also involves memory loss/blacking out and being framed, which always adds a cool mysterious layer!

Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn involves queer, selfish thieves forced to band together. I have a soft spot for characters who are really flawed and don’t want to work together (especially if it leads into found family!) and this also has a slow burn sapphic relationship and a lot of possible betrayal in it, so I’ll probably go crazy from reading it.

Beyond the Ruby Veil #2 by Mara Fitzgerald doesn’t have a title yet but it does have a great plot to work off of. I loved the first book- which was creepy, had a completely awful, villainous main character, and full (I mean full) of murder- and it ended in a way that point to the sequel being just as good if not better. The first one had the quality of just watching the world burn, and I have a feeling this one’s going to be the same thing with maybe more flames. If you plan on picking up either of them, consider checking out the CWs, though!

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen got added to this immediately because Owen definitely gained my love and trust via The Merciful Crow duology, and I’m certain it’s going to be incredible solely because she’s a wonderful writer and her characters are a lot of fun- and speaking of characters, she’s already shared some drawings and info on them and they’re GREAT I cannot wait to meet them. This is a retelling of The Goose Girl story, from the maid’s POV!

Jade Fire Gold by June C.L. Tan was originally on my 2020 most anticipated but then 2020 happened so… yeah. But it is actually coming out in 2021, as long as the world doesn’t end again (fingers crossed). Inspired by East Asian mythology, this one is about a dangerous cult, a peasant cursed to steal souls, and an exiled prince!

The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta is going to be one of those cute, fluffy, feel good reads, which I think we probably all need about now. I love Capetta’s work and their very queer characters, and I love the idea of a magical baker both breaking up and then getting couples back together. Also, the MC is agender- we love to see it.

The Second Coming by André-Naquian Wheeler follows a teen with a traumatic past falling for a boy who might be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Honestly, I’m a little nervous about this one- but also I almost wrote my own queer second coming story, so who am I to talk? I don’t know much more about this book, but I’m excited to see what it turns out like!

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hobbitsetal · 3 years

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“Give all you have and follow Me”

Dear anon,

You asked me, in the course of asking about another of Jesus’s parables, “also when he says that you cannot be a desciple without giving up everything we own.. like are we actually meant to give up everything we physically own?”

Since you asked about a parable in Luke, I’ll quote Luke’s account of this interaction also. Google tells me it’s found in Luke 18:18-30:

“And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

The question, I think, is “is it wrong for a Christian to own things?”

The short answer is “no.” The longer answer is you have to use Scripture to interpret Scripture; that is, passages like this one have to be understood within the greater context of Scripture as a whole. What else does the Bible have to say about owning things? and particularly about Christians owning things?

I’ll pull out a few things from the New Testament for you, since one might perhaps make the argument that Old Testament wealth was under the Old Covenant and not the New Covenant.

Joseph of Arimathea comes to mind. He was a wealthy man who gave up his tomb to bury Christ’s body. Nowhere in the text does anything indicate that Jesus had a problem with him being rich. In fact, because he was rich, he could afford a tomb.

Acts 4:34-37 illustrates the Christian attitude toward possessions well, I think:

“...and there was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

But does this mean we must sell what we have and donate it to the church? Well, no.

Further on in Acts, 16:14-15 to be specific, we learn of a woman who took the apostles into her home. “One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.”

Nothing is said of Lydia selling her home or her business. Purple, in Biblical/Roman times, was a very expensive dye, so mentioning that she sold purple goods was a way of saying she was rich. And she used the wealth to practice hospitality and to give the apostles a place to stay. She’s never mentioned again in the Bible.

There’s also James 4:13-15, one of my favorite passages:

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”“

James doesn’t condemn people for trying to make money; he reminds them that everything we have comes from the Lord.

So. I could go through more passages, but I’m trying to condense a book into a tumblr post, so let’s just summarize how I understand the Bible’s teaching on owning stuff overall and Jesus’s point in this passage.

The rich young ruler came to Jesus asking what he could do to earn salvation. Jesus reminded him that no one is good and reminded him of the Ten Commandments, to which the ruler answered that he’d kept all of them.

That’s a heck of a claim to make. James says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it,” and Paul says something similar in...Romans? Personally, I fail the First Commandment daily: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.”

You wanna know how many times I fail to prioritize God as I should? Enough times to make me grateful that He is a God of grace.

Yet Jesus doesn’t call him out on the height of this claim. He doesn’t even choose now to elevate the Law as He does in the Sermon on the Mount, when He equated hatred to murder. (I’m screwed on that count.) Instead, He tells the ruler that the only thing he needs to do to be righteous, to earn heaven, is to give up his wealth.

Jesus is God. God knows all things, including our thoughts. I’m convinced that Jesus knew already how the ruler would respond to this challenge. He knew that the ruler loved his wealth and what he had more than he loved and desired God.

That’s really it, anon. What do you love most in this world? What are you willing to give up for the sake of the Lord? If obeying God meant breaking up with your s/o, would you? If obeying God meant telling the truth when it would hurt you to do so, would you? If obeying God meant sacrificing some creature comforts?

There’s a pastor named Brad Bigney who preached a sermon series and wrote a book, both titled “Gospel Treason.” Bigney defines idolatry (or having a god before the Lord) as “anything you are willing to sin to get, or you are willing to sin to keep.”

If being rich or owning something is more important to me than anything else in the world, that’s a problem. That is a sin. That is what Jesus condemns in this passage.

Everything we have, from the breath in our lungs to the money in our bank account to the people in our lives, is a gift from God. Everything we have ultimately returns to God. There’s nothing wrong with me having money. In fact, it’s a very good thing that I do because I’m able to use that money for God. This isn’t my money; it’s God’s money. So when I make decisions about what to buy or not buy, I make those decisions to honor God to the best of my ability.

My parents bought a boat and a vacation home. They’ve used that boat and that home to bless other Christians: to take them out on the bay and to give them a beach getaway that would otherwise be too expensive. My parents have used their wealth and their physical possessions to feed souls and bring rest to the weary.

Nice clothes, books, quality furniture: there’s no sin in having these things. Indeed, owning something that will last for many years is usually a wiser use of money than buying something cheap that will need replacing, though it’s not always a feasible choice for people.

It always comes back to the heart: what do you value? What do you trust? Are you secure because you have money in the bank? Or are you secure because you trust Jesus when He says He will provide for what we need?

If you lost everything tomorrow and you were out on the street with the clothes on your back, could you say with the apostle Paul, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.“?

#give all you have and follow Me #theology #the gospel grace and God's glory

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win-cr-die · 5 years

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sooooo i have finally reached 400 followers which i did not think would happen and let me say something, i love each and every one to death. when i first joined this fandom, i did not think that i would even hit that mark –– let alone make as many friends as i have so this is a little list compiled to say thank you to each and every one of your asses for taking me in as your own and loving on me, daenerys and margaery !!!! if you aren’t included on this list, know that i love you all the same and you’ll have to jump into my IM’s and befriend my ass okay. honestly, i like to think of myself as a friendly and welcoming person so if you’re wanting to do something or just even make a friend, jump at me, yell at me and claim me. but lets get down to business and talk about what we’re really here for –– my bias list which which i was gonna put under a read more to stop everyones dashes from clogging buuuuut everybody deserves to know the wonderful blogs that have impacted my ass !!!!

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

MY SUN AND STARS // @kngcrw

kitcat, you are barely online anymore and that murders me because not only are you a friend but you are literally a fucking sister to me. making connections on this ride only ever enhances the quality of your writing in my eyes and i’ve been lucky enough to find somebody like you. i hate referring to you as a tumblr friend because that’s not all you are ... you are my best friend, my ride or die and my partner in crime and i am blessed to get to speak to you every day and hear your dramas even if they do make me roll my eyes to the back of my head each time you go on a long and twisted story. god, you’re a nightmare but you’re my nightmare and i cannot wait until the day your muse returns from the long lost war. my arms are wide fucking open waiting for you okay !!!!

THE CRYPT BITCHEZ // @quccnnorth @wclfcrown @dracaesanguinem @thcbull @lghtbrnger @sisterofthousands @fjarra

jesus christ. long live the crypt bitchez !!!! you guys have been my rocks for so bloody long and i’m so lucky to have found myself in some morbidly fucked up friendship group that makes the most sickening jokes but also uplifts me when i’m all moody. honestly, you guys make me laugh to death and at times you’ve made me cry but never in a bad way. i truly feel like i have found a home in you guys and we’re not a clique i s2g but a family so thank u all for always making me feel like i have a place with you all. idk where i would actually be at in terms of writing without any of you around because you have taught me so much when it comes to developing my own characters and i feel so lucky that i get to watch all of your own characters beautiful growth ... even if it is as cracky as a crack den

MY HOMIES // @curiouscast @alordnamedsnow @brideofxdragons @xiledbear @theyoungxwolf @missandei-of-naath @blodistridi @asynjja @xneedlepoint @luciddreamsx @stagnot @zaldrczes @wclfsncw @rebxrnbyfire @ofimaginarybeings @chevalier-de-la-fleurs @ladybelmore @foolsgoldt

you guys have near enough been my back bone in providing me with threads that make me go all heart eyed and plots that tear my heart from my ribcage ... as well as friendships that just make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. listen, i love writing and talking with each and every one of you. thank you so much for being beautiful writing partners and friends that make me chuckle in some really weird awkward way whether i’m at home in my bedroom or out in public reading my phone. listen, you are all the BOMB and i am blessed to have you all on my dash and in my messages. i’m raising my bottle of water as a toast to doing more shit in the future because i love you guys so much okay !!!! i have made some beautiful ass friendships and don’t want to be on this crazy writing journey without any of you whether we write together or we’re just pals on this crazy old site. thank u guys for being the sweetest and nicest bunch of people that i have ever met and heres to whatever we do in the future

THOSE WHO PUT UP WITH ME // @killthebxy @serbriennecftarth @longmayshereignxcersei @reignfyre @secondaryking @goldcnlicn @rhaegail @wolveshonor @regalthorn @goldcnhand @thewhxtewclf @songtouch @thekingslxyer @wolfqueennamedstark @fallesto @champagne-coca1ne-gasoline @lessereviltm @ironbloodied @notenoughmuses @boysbackintown @allthosevoices @blackasniight @wedonotscw @sixthofhisname @ladyoftheiris @lordofthewatch ( aka my pop friend )

i have no idea how you guys have dealt with me jumping into your inboxes and spamming the hell out of you with thread ideas and just general chit chat but just know that i love and value you all to death, whethers it me or you who owes on a thread. i adore writing ( and just talking random shiteeeee tbh ) with each of you as i know i don’t have consistent and ongoing threads with everybody on this list or in some cases, i’ve written with you on previous blogs and have had to keep tabs on you or threads just haven’t taken off but !!!! yeah i love writing the characters that we’ve brought together whether they be in the most au absurd of ways or beaaaaautiful plots but just know that i would wait an eternity just to write with you guys and thank you so much for taking time out of your day to actually invest in me ?? i’m such a whirlwind, like i’m hyperactive and yet you all seem to tolerate me. god, keep on writing with me please because i would die if any of you just disappeared from my dash

ADMIRING FROM AFAR // @zcldrizes @mcsttrusted @boltxnbastard @exilekniight @thecomplication @behindaccents @crowncdcrow @viperspear @paetriarch @thesellsword @tyrion @jonsnowtm @i-will-break-the-wheel @xdraecarys @artfulprecision @jorah--the-andal @cqtelyn @tyrxshisword @perzyr @freefiire @lyspider

there are a few of you that i’ve had minor interractions with, some that i have never spoken to before and others who i’m not even mutuals with but who doesn’t love a little random positivity !!!! each time one of you flashes up on my dash, i am so in awe of whatever it is that i’m reading or looking at and i think that you guys deserve to be part of this bias list for just making my dash a beautiful place to be. thanks for portraying your characters in such an amazing light, even despite season eight sloooowly falling downhill. you guys, even though you all seem to be drowning in threads, deserve to know how much you’re appreciated on the dash –– even by a small old lil blog like mine that’s only hit 400 !!!!

#bias list. ♡♡#honestly this just seems like me being a kiss ass i know but !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#i just want to spread some love and positivity okay and let everyone know #how valued they are and what assets they are to the dash #man this took TIME #[[ ooc ]].#[[ about the mun ]].

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jackiestarsister · 5 years

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A year ago I wrote about how I unexpectedly became a Star Wars fan. Now I would like to share another unexpected part of that journey, how I ended up shipping a couple that I once thought was impossible and problematic, but I now believe is probable and key to the story itself. This is not meant to be a persuasive essay—other fans, more knowledgeable and articulate than I, have already written extensively about all the evidence to support their theories and predictions. Rather, I’m writing this to talk about my own perception and how my perspective changed.

The Force Awakens was the installment that made me a full-fledged Star Wars fan. On my first viewing, I did not fully understand the plot or all the dynamics of the characters, even though I thought them by far more understandable than the preceding films. My sister had already told me how it ended, so I did not feel any suspense about the character of Kylo Ren. I did not really understand him, as he just seemed to me to be the character they wanted to be a “wild card,” like Darth Vader. He chose wrong, and I thought that was the end of his arc. I was more interested in Rey and what direction her story would go in.

Like any other millennial, I turned to the internet to feed my new interest. I browsed DeviantArt for fan art of my favorite characters. I came across some pieces that showed Rey and Kylo Ren in a romantic light. While some of them were admittedly good quality artwork, I couldn’t see how anyone could seriously expect them to have romantic chemistry, much less a healthy, positive kind. Sure, the interrogation scene had some tension that could be read as sexual, but I figured that was incidental to the fact that they were a man and a woman. Sexual tension is not an indicator of romance. Even if the villain had feelings for the heroine, it could never be reciprocated. How could Rey ever have a place in her heart for Kylo after the things he did to her and her friends? How could she trust him to any degree after he killed his own father? Reylo seemed to me an intriguing idea at best, a perverted fantasy at worst, and overall unlikely to become canon.

Then, in 2017, I saw The Last Jedi the day after Christmas. While I don’t recall what my exact thoughts were immediately after seeing it, I remember being constantly surprised and thrilled and overall happy with it. As soon as I got home from the movie theater, I turned to Tumblr to nourish my enthusiasm … and the discourse and creativity of the Reylo community pulled me in like the dark chasm on Ahch-To.

As I read and listened to more fans’ analysis of Rey, Kylo, and their relationship, my understanding of the sequel trilogy, its characters, and their dynamics changed. Looking back on The Force Awakens, I could now see how that hints and seeds of romance between Rey and Ben/Kylo were scattered throughout the movie. I loved reading about the symbolism found throughout The Last Jedi—Freudian symbols, literary archetypes, elements of fairy tales, the hero(ine)’s journey, the coming-of-age. I loved the parallels I could now see between Rey and other favorite characters of mine, like Belle, Jane Eyre, and Jesus Christ, who persist in love while still calling out their loved ones’ bad behavior. Seeing the allusions fans made to other works of literature prompted me look into classics I had not been exposed to before. I read Pride and Prejudice last year after seeing so many comparisons made to it, and I hope to read Dante’s Divine Comedy soon. So in a way I have become more culturally literate through the influence of the Reylo community.

I know in real life a person like Kylo Ren would, at best, be in prison for his school shooting and collaboration in mass murders. But Star Wars is a myth, and myths are stories that reveal truths about life, human nature, and the world we live in. Knowing this, I love Rey, Kylo, and the Reylo ship for all that they represent, including some of the most profound and radical parts of my faith: compassion, repentance, forgiveness, conversion, redemption. Regardless of how you feel about the characters or their relationship, it is undeniable that they are shaping each other’s arcs, and that their relationship is shaping the course of the overall story, in powerful, dramatic ways. And I find that beautiful and thought-provoking.

#Reylo

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makeste · 6 years

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BnHA Chapter 015: Some Antics on a Boat

Previously on BnHA: Field trip from hell. Ride of the Valkyries played while about 200 villains appeared out of nowhere and tried to murder our beloved superpowered children and split them all up, thus setting the stage for lots of mayhem.

Today on BnHA: We meet the U.A. principal. Deku hangs out with Tsuyu and Mineta on a boat. Mineta gets a lot of focus, and I was prepared for it to be the worst thing ever, but it mostly isn’t, except for about once every four pages or so, when it kinda is.

(ETA: Yeah so he officially took it Too Far in chapter 17 and as of that chapter is now in fact dead to me. But I’m not gonna bother changing the recap, so you can all come along on that journey with me if you are so inclined.)

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 19 23 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

I really have to hunt down these color pages one of these days. I tried a brief google search the other day but it brought up too many pages I hadn’t seen yet, and I didn’t want to spoil myself by accident. guess I’ll have to be patient

son of a bitch All Might is in the break room all the way back at fucking U.A.??

here I thought there was a break room hidden somewhere in USJ. I mean, you’d think they would have one; rescue training has got to be tiring

he says he should be fine in another ten minutes. then he says he’s going now

but he immediately coughs up blood orz

HEY IT’S THIS PANDA WITH A SCAR!! I KNOW THIS GUY! well I don’t know him but I’ve seen him before!

holy fucking SHIT he’s the fucking principal??

what the fuck kind of I’ll-fuck-your-shit-up powers is he fucking hiding behind that cuddly face then

because I know it’s just an assumption, but surely the principal of U.A. has to be a stone-cold badass, right?

I can’t believe this fucking little gerbil knows Deku’s secret

now he’s fucking plugging the fucking superhero vitamin shoppe I can’t

and he’s holding up a tablet with a yahoo news article about All Might saving everyone and their fucking dog earlier that morning

that’s a nice little plug for you, tumblr. yahoo still owns this shit, right?

so this fucking rat praises All Might for being his good heroic self, but then gently tells him off and reminds him to take it easy

I’m glad he’s reminding All Might to take better care of himself, but...

you would fucking think so! and yet!!

oh my god now this guy is sitting down to have tea with him. he’s never going to make it to USJ at this rate

I have to assume the principal isn’t secretly evil, since if he was, he could take down All Might all too easily since he knows all of his fucking secrets. but he sure does have the worst fucking timing, jesus

though again, we still don’t know how much danger All Might would actually be in if he did go to USJ. those villains seemed pretty damn confident. maybe he should just stay here and enjoy some tea

he calls him “Sensei”... not sure if that’s just because the principal outranks him, or if he actually was his teacher at some point. it’s probably the former, but. hmm

and now we’re back at USJ! Thirteen and Iida are on the run along with Still Too Many Arms and The Bulky Guy with Slightly Racist Lips. (do you guys think they’re racist? idk I just think it’s 2018 and there are other ways to draw POC, Japan)

anyway, they’re fighting Dr. Neck who at this point really needs a new name because he’s still a shadowy blob and now he’s looking more like an octopus but Dr. Octopus is already taken, so

for now I’m just gonna call him Not Today, Satan. you know. cuz of all the Swirling Evil

Thirteen is sending Iida back to U.A. to let them know what’s going on since the communications and alarms are down! good thinking to send the guy with super speed. I just hope he has the stamina. they never really mentioned anything about that but I’ll assume he’s good to run however many miles back to the U.A. campus

that is, assuming he’s fast enough to dodge Not Today, Satan. but I have faith

Iida’s trying to argue that he should stay, but clearly this is the most useful thing he can do at the moment, especially considering that he’s the only one who can do it! just go, Iida.

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT, CLASS REPRESENTATIVE

lmao and I was actually thinking the same as NTS here:

oh, just, everyone. in shounen manga, ever, since the beginning of time. but I’m so fucking happy you pointed that out lmao

back on the boat, Mineta is still freaking out very unhelpfully. he thinks they should all just hide somewhere until the grown-up heroes come to save them

meanwhile, Deku is being smart and useful and brings up a very good point that hadn’t even occurred to me:

basically, he deduces that the bad guys don’t know what the kids’ quirks are. so they have the element of surprise on their side, AND the bonus advantage of the villains underestimating them

I’m super impressed with this kid’s leadership and planning skills right now. I know he’s already showed them off, but I’m still mad about him not utilizing Ochako’s powers properly the last time lol. but this time he seems to be off to a great start

also, what a contrast from his first time facing a group of intimidating “villains” back during the entrance exam! he’s come such a long way so quickly

Tsuyu starts listing all of her gross frog abilities (sorry, I love her, but “I can spit out my stomach” is not something I ever needed or wanted to know and now I kind of want to spit out my eyes from the mental image).

so gross

Mineta becomes derangedly fixated on her usage of the word “secrete” and just. why

I actually kind of wish they weren’t loudly explaining all of their strengths and weaknesses to each other within possible earshot of the baddies (some of whom could possess super-hearing for all they know), especially barely three pages after Not Today, Satan chewed out their friends for doing the same exact fucking thing. but whatever

now Mineta’s doing something. what’s your power then, Mineta. something to do with grapes I’m guessing??

how did this kid make it past the entrance exam

LMAO

THEY’RE SO MAD. EVEN DEKU. THAT’S THE MOST STERN I’VE EVER SEEN HIM. HE LOOKS LIKE LUFFY AFTER SOMEBODY HAS JUST TOLD HIM THERE’S NO FOOD

sob now Mineta is crying

this is quality fucking comedy

oh shit the villains are getting tired of waiting

um this unsettling man with a grasshopper face just fucking broke the boat in half

so Mineta shoots out a bunch of panic grapes for absolutely no reason

literally Lambo and his grenade trigger-response

I confess, I really think Mineta is cute and somewhat hilarious when he’s not being a perverted shithead

(ETA: I was young and naive and I didn’t expect him to actually go and start feeling people up holy shit)

Deku berates him at first but then realizes that the bad guys are avoiding the grapes out of an abundance of caution!

Mineta freaks out again, and I was this close to writing down a paragraph about how I really empathize with him, since he’s just a kid and only like four days into high school, and all of a sudden he’s just thrust into this situation where he might fucking die (and probably die horribly at that). this close. but then he has to ruin it with a line about how much he wishes he could have sexually assaulted Momo before he kicked it

so that’s... great

but Deku saves the moment by quoting All Might while simultaneously doing That Thing I Fucking Love where someone tries to be brave and determined even though they’re also clearly scared. look he is trembling

Deku my son you are a constant delight and a gift to the world

oh my god

sure, just casually mention Kacchan as your inspiration for whatever heroic and probably very stupid thing you’re about to do next. go ahead, do that. don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine

...that is very Kacchan-like. like, the face and everything. he knows his shit

also, what exactly is he planning to do?

so he’s thinking that he can’t take out all of them no matter how extreme he goes. and then he says something about not sacrificing his whole arm, so is he gonna pull another stunt like he did with the baseball and his index finger?

GASP HE’S THINKING ABOUT THE EGG IN THE MICROWAVE

IS HE GONNA DO IT? CLENCH LIGHTLY DEKU!!!! I BELIEVE IN YOU

HE’S PULLING BACK HIS MIDDLE FINGER OH MY GOD IS HE GONNA FLICK THE WATER AND CREATE SOME SORT OF TIDAL WAVE

AHHH

THE WORST FUCKING STATE, LITERALLY MY LEAST FAVORITE!! BUT!! ALSO ONE OF THE SMALLEST SO IT’S FITTING!!!

YESSSS

EVEN BETTER THAN A TIDAL WAVE OMG. DUDE CREATED A FUCKING VORTEX

OH FUCK ME I DIDN’T NEED TO SEE THE AFTERMATH. WE ALREADY GET IT, JESUS

lkshdgk it’s not supposed to do that fuckk

Mineta is inspired, somehow, but doesn’t know how the fuck to direct it so he just throws more grapes

but now the grapes are actually coming in handy!!

looks like team rocket’s blasting off againnnn... *ping*

yay! and Deku’s not crying even though his hand is mangled! such a brave strong boy.

and then shawarma after

BONUS:

interesting that he thinks this is somehow “the right balance”

(ETA: hey Horikoshi, psa, literally committing sexual battery is not “balance” in any way, shape, of form. jesus christ. I love Japan for the most part, but the rampant misogyny there is completely ridiculous and I really need them to get their shit together already. #metoo needs to get the fuck underway there like yesterday.)

one thing I DO like though is that Horikoshi actually gives a very thoughtful and detailed explanation for exactly how he passed the exam! thank you for that! now I can stop wondering. I still have no clue about the invisible girl though lol

#bnha #boku no hero academia #makeste reads bnha #all might #midoriya izuku #asui tsuyu #mineta minoru #it really is a shame because he could have been a perfectly serviceable character if it wasn't for this crap #that moment with him explaining his quirk on the boat and the other two just going 'jiiii' was legit one of the funniest things I've read #alas #this is why we can't have nice things

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art-full-dodger · 2 years

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OF COURSE LITTLE IS TOLD OF WHAT HAPPENED AMONG THE PEOPLE OF JUDEA.... AFTER THE MURDER OF ONE NAMED JESUS CHRIST..... OR OF HIS FOURTEEN WORKERS..... SOME JOVOS TODAY LOOT BUSINESSES AND OF COURSE AN INFERIOR PRODUCT HEADS INTO THE MARKET..... CHEAPER THAN THE QUALITY MODEL..... WELL SOME OF THOSE WHO LOOTED AND ROBBED THE SHOP THAT GODLY EMPORIUM.... THAT FURNITUTE SHOP..... WITH ITS REVOLUTIONARY DESIGNS....... GOT HOLD OF SOME DESIGNS FOR THAT FURNITURE ..... AND JOVO CRAFTS PEOPLE TOOK UP THE WORK ON THE SAME PREMISIS...... A LOT OF TABLES AND STOOLS AND CHAIRS WHERE MADE... AND SOLD..... SLIGHTLY CHEAPER.... THERE WAS ANOTHER RIOT.... WHEN SEVERAL TAVERNS AFTER PAYING THE OVERPRICED STORE FOR THESE GOODS...... HAD CUSTOMERS UNCEROMONIOUSLY...... DUMPED ON THE FLOOR TABLES COLAPSE WHEN THE FURNITURE WAS USED SOME OF THE ACCIDENTS CAUSING ROWS AND BRAWLS AND UNFOUNDED ACCUSATIONS OF CLUMSY NESS ON SEVERAL PREMISIS.. THE FIGHT STARTED WHEN THESE PEOPLE SUED FOR THE RETURN OF THEIR MONEY AND CLAIMED DAMAGES......... OF COURSE JESUS .... DIED FOR THEIR SINS.... THEIR REGRETS. ... NO MORE GODLY FURNITURE.... AND THE PROFITS OF HIS MURDER THAT HAD BEEN LOOTED HAD TO BE PAID OUT IN DAMAGE CLAIMS...... THE ROMAN LEGION AND ITS COMMANDERS TOOK A VERY DARK VIEW OF THESE EVENTS AFTER A SHIPMENT OF SUCH FURNITURE TO THEIR QUARTERS INCLUDING COLAPSING AND FOLDING BEDS...... (at Jerusalem, Israel) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcDyp_ttKhD/?utm_medium=tumblr

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spiritcc · 7 years

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Sherlock Holmes in Russia

For a country that the rest of the world completely overlooks when it comes to cinematography, Russia has contributed surprisingly quite a few adaptations to the Sherlock Holmes franchise, much to ACD’s dismay. Since you guise like lists with links and I’m very conveniently blogging about all kinds of Russian SH exclusively, I thought hey, why not make a comprehensive guide to Sherlock Holmes in Russia.

Russians grasped the concept of the hot British detective back when the stories were still fresh and funky, so the hysteria had a pretty early start already. The every-man, the smartest boy in town, the Sasuke to 2010′s tumblr: Sherlock Golmes

As per the fantabulous tradition, Holmes in the early translations fell under the H=G train just like Garry Potter and sir Genry, but well, they recovered soon, although the early history still remembers this weird phenomenon of Sherlock Golmes (or Golmts) in pre-revolution Russia.

Contains: pre-revolution grammar, Golmts, Vhatson

Theater soon caught up with the obsession, which resulted in Boris Glagolin securing his place as the first Russian Holmes on stage

Which in return, gave birth to the first still existing content:

Sherlock Holmes stage adaptations

Badly translated by yours truly.

You’d think they would just adapt the canon like normal people do, but jesus christ, in every story Holmes, that very same dude with no social life and couch as his best friend, keeps going all the way to freaking Russia to search for rich people’s missing jewelry. I am not joking in the slightest right now, the read will be wild. Interestingly enough, there is a strong sense of revolution already lingering in those plays, granted it’s 1906 onwards, if you follow me on this adaptational adventure you’ll see that Russians are really influenced by the mood of the country when creating new Holmes content. But it’s here already: some British detective suddenly involved in Russian drama of diamonds and freedom.

Contains: Holmes’ wife, MARIANI, explosions, first femlock, jewelry kinks, MOTHER RUSSIA

After this there was quite a long silence with lots of theater adaptations passing by without much notice. One of those highlights must be Vasily Lanovoy, THIS freaking man:

saying that yes he probably did play Holmes at some point, but he forgot when and how. Fuckin fantastic, Lanovoy, thnx for the input.

This continued up to 1971 even, when a few plays turned out to be so good they were honoured to get filmed for national television. This is how the earliest tv-adaptation has reached us, avocado millennials:

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1971): 1 | 2

No subtitles and never will be while I remain a proud man with standards.

This play is interesting because it’s the forbidden content tumblr craves for: all three plays were put on a shelf after one actor who played Watson in the Hound escaped abroad, and were never shown since. Decades later the Hound was miraculously discovered intact, restored and made available once again. That’s the sole interesting thing about this adaptation.

It is what you expect it to be: a two and a half hours tedious exactest motherfucking adaptation ever, you don’t even need subtitles for this, you only need to whip out your book, because every single freaking line is 100% according to text, but in Russian. It is what it is, what can I say, although it still has its own weird things like Frankland missing completely.

Contains: Henry and Watson sharing a bed, Mortimer touching Holmes’ skull, 2h30min of peaceful sleep while it plays

Everything went quiet until 1979 when things just decided to explode all at once, but I’ll start with what I at least think came first. In the span of the same year, Hound ‘71 got shelved, a Christmas Holmes musical came out, and as the final kick into the grave - that very Soviet Holmes series.

So, The Blue Carbuncle (1979) YT | Drive

I think this is the best adaptation on this pitiful planet because no other Holmes movie can inhale weed into your eyes right through the screen just as hard as this vid can. It’s fantastic how little it cares about canon and everything holy about Sherlock Holmes in general. Moreover, it’s a freaking Christmas musical shot for a country that doesn’t celebrate Christmas. It’s truly a gift for the mankind and has the lowest rating among all Russian SH adaptations because after finishing it, your eyes are so cloudy with weed you’re very likely to miss that deserved 10/10 with your trembling hands. Also, sneaky Igor Dmitriev somehow managed to star both in this shite, and the unholy Soviet series simultaneously as a villain and Inspector Gregson respectively. I have two sides indeed.

Contains: the least Holmes-looking Holmes you’ll ever see, off-key singing, the canon story with a twist, Shakespeare banter.

And here comes the blissful times of what is considered the best adaptation produced in Russia:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (1979 - 1986)

Subtitled poorly and uploaded in ever poorer quality by our beloved Lenfilm. Lenfilm: we hate the content we produce.

The last video in the playlist is both Hound episodes in bluray tho

This series is distinct by how very warm, healthy and snuggly it is, as they wanted to tell a story about friendship and better people. It is pretty close to canon, but granted it’s five movies in two parts mostly (as the majority of Soviet television adaptations went), they do combine, twist and turn things a bit. If you’re looking for faithful canon with no toxic sociopathic bs, lots of fun, heart-clutching and incredible music - that’s the series you will go to. This series is the sole GIANT Holmes thing in Russia and its influence is as big as ever, which sure has its ups and downs.

If you want to continue your course along the *Russians influenced by their times* theme, do pay attention to how English people and their interactions are represented, and especially note the sudden shift in mood of the last two episodes that were made right when Perestroika hit. People having no idea what life beyond the curtain looked like making up a dignified fantasy vs confronting worrying change. It’s subtle, but it’s there, pretty interesting as well.

Contains: lots of hugs, dead dogs, killer jams, Mycroft under a table, sir Henry and Watson getting smashed

*it might be worth noting that the same director decided to re-release the series weirdly in 2000 as a show about ACD hating life, Holmes and everything around him. The show mixed heartwarming series with the new hate, was aired like twice in its lifetime and is more remembered for all the lawsuits more than anything. But I respect Alexey Petrenko way too much to keep quiet about it.

After that we suddenly dipped into animation, resulting in

Sherlock Holmes and I (1986) short with Livanov as Holmes, subs provided.

A quick nonsensical story about Holmes and his best friend dog Tom. Yes. Has pretty killer electronic music and surprisingly famous actors on voicing for something this tiny.

Contains: a universe where Watson was never born, crocodile eating a banana, a dog having a mansion and Holmes still searching for pennies under his couch to afford a shitflat on 221Bitch Broke street.

After this new times hit big time, resulting in one of the first femlocks in the world:

My Dearly Beloved Detective (1986): YT | Drive

Youtube blocked the youtube vid hard recently, so it’s resting on google docs, subs provided.

I personally very love this movie as again it’s very healthy and non-toxic, very warm, all around the place, and yes, Holmes and Watson are women. Consider this movie the Soviet series’ little sister as it’s fully acknowledging Livanov, imitates its camera tricks and uses the same score granted the same composer is involved once again. Actually, that composer worked on all three adaptations, aka this movie, the series and the carbuncle. Wild stuff.

The movie is obviously not that fantastic and is safely forgotten in Russia, but I love it dearly nonetheless, and love it even more for how healthy it shows relationships getting sorted.

Contains: best Lestrade ever, crossdressing, bubble games, reused locations.

That was the last Soviet contribution as the next adaptation wouldn’t come out until 2005. Rest in pieces USSR, you were the golden age of Russian movies.

The next two dip us back into animation once again and are technically Ukrainian, but anyways. It’s the

Murder of Lord Waterbrook (2005) time, subs provided.

The short bases its characters on the Soviet series and slays them ruthlessly in the most hilarious fashion. Everyone is a fun idiot, everyone is a murder suspect, occasionally gay stomps in. Also, the short, save for the female roles, was voiced by one single guy. Tumblr will love the fact that this guy is the voice of Shrek in the Russian dub, so the cartoon was always in safe hands.

Contains: the origin of the gloryhole gif, tasty steak, 360p

Flash forward to 2013 and the same guys made this cartoon into a mini-series that we have also translated:

Sherlock Holmes and the Little Black Men (2013).

Six episodes add up to about 40min of overall watch time and follow a story with lots of canon and Soviet series references, more cool artstyle, music and jokes. Such a pity it’s so grossly overlooked as the cartoon is great fun and was made with love. Also, Shrek is back.

Contains: stupid Watson, cliffhangers, Totoro cameo

And here comes the last contribution to date, the very awesome

Sherlock Holmes (2013) series, subtitled with love.

This series, in my opinion, is a peak adaptation on topic *what if everything written in canon stories is bs*: it rewrites all the characters and the narrative from scratch, toys brilliantly with canon, references and easter eggs most of the previous Russian adaptations and a few Western ones, it’s incredibly well thought out and rewatching it at least once is a must because the plot is so ace and required double checking to understand it fully. It contains incredible acting, very consistent character traits, the bestest Watson to date and very entertaining stories.

Also, concluding so far the *big Russian Mood(tm)* arc, this series is blatantly, as confirmed by the director, about modern Russian social and political issues: bribery, racism, law meaning nothing, you name it. It’s a very good series and it deserves all the attention in the world.

Contains: british trump, bimbom bramsel, loser holmes, basil rathbone

And the last but not least:

this hilarious parody on classic, RDJ and BBC Holmes made by the parody show that knew it all too much. Don’t consider yourself a true Holmes fan if you’ve never seen it.

Contains: Lady Gaga, special subtitled gaze, “deduction”.

So here it is, the more or less comprehensive guide on all Russian Sherlock Holmes stuff I know, or at least consider important enough to mention. If you want to do some good old piracy, I always have the page ready with all the subs and best torrents.

It is indeed quite a few adaptations for a country so far away and wild, isn’t it.

#russian sherlock holmes #well many of them

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 5 years

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28th August >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 23:27-32 for Wednesday, Twenty First Week in Ordinary Time: ‘You who are like whitewashed tombs’.

Wednesday, Twenty First Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Matthew 23:27-32

You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets

Jesus said: ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of corruption. In the same way you appear to people from the outside like good honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the tombs of holy men, saying, “We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our fathers’ day.” So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets! Very well then, finish off the work that your fathers began.’

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 23:27-32

You are the children of those who murdered the prophets.

Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”

Reflections (4)

(i) Wednesday, Twenty First Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s responsorial psalm is, perhaps, one of the most striking of the psalms in the Book of Psalms. In that psalm, the person praying celebrates the presence of the Lord throughout the whole universe. The psalmist declares that the Lord is present even at the heart of darkness. There is that lovely line, ‘even darkness is not dark for you and the night is as clear as the day’. The Lord penetrates the darkness. He is there at the heart of our darkest experiences; the darkness of life can never extinguish the light of his presence. In the words of Paul in today’s first reading, this is ‘God’s message and not some human thinking, and it is still a living power among you who believe it’. The Lord’s message, the Lord’s word, is a living power; it continues to speak to us today. This psalm remains a living word for us today, especially for those who may find themselves in some kind of darkness at this time, reminding us that even darkness of not dark for the Lord. The more challenging side of the Lord’s message, which we hear in today’s gospel reading, is also a living word among us. There, Jesus accuses the religious leaders of hypocrisy. How they appear to others does not correspond to the reality of their lives. There is a disconnect between the outside and the inside. Jesus always places the emphasis on what is within, on what is in our heart, what it is that drives us and motivates us. Going back to the psalm, the Lord who is present throughout the universe wishes to reside in our hearts above all. That is why we are encouraged to pray that prayer, ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart; kindle in me the fire of your love’. The Lord wants his love to reside in our hearts so that we can each be mediators of his presence in our world.

And/Or

(ii) Wednesday, Twenty First Week in Ordinary Time

Image and appearance are important values in our culture at the moment. There is an emphasis on looking well, and people can go to great lengths to look well. In the gospel reading, Jesus highlights the importance of what is within rather than what is without. How people are within themselves rather than how they appear to others is what matters. Jesus himself appeared at his most unattractive as he hung dying from the cross. Yet, that was the moment when the love that was within him was at its most intense. The poor widow who put two copper coins into the Temple treasury looked an insignificant figure contributing an insignificant amount of money. Yet Jesus saw through the unexceptional appearance of this woman to the generous heart within, a heart like his own, and he called over his disciples so that they could learn from her. Appearances can be deceptive. In the case of the scribes and Pharisees in today’s gospel reading there was less there than met the eye. In the case of the widow and Christ crucified there was more than met the eye. The gospel reading this morning encourages us not to work so much on our appearances as on what is within, the quality of the love in our heart.

And/Or

(iii) Wednesday, Twenty First Week in Ordinary Time

In the gospel reading this morning, Jesus criticizes those same people for being more preoccupied with appearances, what is on the outside, than with what is within, what Scripture call the heart. Today, even more than in the time of Jesus, appearances, image, has become all important. People who have a certain image receive the most adulation, have the biggest following and, often, get the biggest salaries. We are easily taken in by appearances. Jesus invites us to look at little deeper, which is how God looks. As one of the books of the Jewish Scriptures says, ‘we look at appearances, God looks at the heart’. The ‘heart’ in the Jewish Scriptures and in the New Testament is the seat of the emotions, the intellect and the will. What matters to God is the heart, how we feel, how we think, how and what we desire. We are to bring our feeling, our thoughts, our desires into line with how God feels, how God thinks, what God desires for us. Our hearts are to reflect, in some way, God’s heart, which means Jesus’ heart. As Jesus says elsewhere in Matthew’s gospel, ‘Learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart’. It is the Holy Spirit who comes to us from God and the risen Lord who can mould our hearts into images of the Lord’s heart. We pray this morning that this work of the Spirit will be brought to completion in us.

And/Or

(iv) Wednesday, Twenty First Week in Ordinary Time

In the gospel reading Jesus criticizes those who look well on the outside but within leave a lot to be desired. We all know that appearances can be deceptive. There isn’t always a good fit between the person we present to others and the person we are in our heart of hearts. It is clear from the gospel reading that Jesus is more interested in how people are in their heart than in how they appear. He wants his followers to attend to what is within first, their basic attitudes and values, and not to be worried about appearances. If what is within is right, then it will show itself in how we appear to others. Jesus praised Nathanael as a person who was incapable of deceit, or, in an older translation, a ‘man in whom there is no guile’. In other words, there was a harmony between what was within him and what was evident to others. Nathanael had plenty of work to do on what was within, as Jesus went on to point out, but, at least, he wasn’t pretending to be someone he was not. The gospels suggest that Jesus had a very strong aversion to pretence. He looks for openness and honesty, a harmony between who we are in reality and how we appear to others, even if who we are in reality is not yet all that the Lord is calling us to be. The Lord recognizes that we are all on the way; we have not yet arrived; we are pilgrims. He just wants us to be honest pilgrims.

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie Please join us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf.

Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

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mnight305 · 5 years

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Eternal Life

ROMANS 6:23 NKJ 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Eternal life, or everlasting life, is more than living forever. Eternal life is the life of God, the Eternal One.

The Greek word “aionios” is usually translated as eternal or everlasting in the New Testament. (From this word we get our English word “eon.”)

“Zoe” is one of several Greek words that are translated life. According to Vine’s Dictionary, zoe means “life as a principle, life in the absolute sense, life as God has it… . Eternal life is the present actual possession of the believer because of his relationship with Christ… .”

A note in the Translator’s New Testament says, “In the New Testament eternal life is that kind of life which is given to all true believers in Christ. The word `eternal’ draws attention to the quality of that life, not to its duration in a temporal sense. Thus eternal life can be experienced by believers even while subject to the temporal conditions of earthly life. Translators should be careful to avoid expressions which mean no more than a timeless continuation of life after death.”

More than three times as many scriptures refer to eternal life as a present possession, than as a future possession.

JOHN 5:24 NKJ 24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

There is only one way to get eternal life. When a person is born again by receiving Jesus Christ, eternal life is imparted to that person’s spirit – making them new inwardly.

1 JOHN 3:14-15 NKJ 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

From this passage, we see that eternal life is a present-tense possession which changes the nature of a person: turning them into someone who cares for others. Eternal life enables people to overcome selfishness.

Just as something with fish life in it could do what a fish does, so someone with God’s life in them can do what God does – which is walk in love.

SAY THIS: God has given me a new kind of life through Jesus Christ – His life.

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#Blogger

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romancatholicreflections · 7 years

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15th June >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflection for Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time (Matthew 5:20-26): ‘Go and be reconciled with your brother’.

Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time Gospel (Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada & Southern Africa) Matthew 5:20-26 Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. ‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.’ Gospel (USA) Matthew 5:20-26 Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. + Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Reflections (4) (i) Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time In this morning’s first reading, Paul declares that ‘where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom’. He is declaring that those who are open to the Holy Spirit’s influence and guidance are free to live in the way the Lord desires us to live. They have the freedom to do God’s will as Jesus has revealed it to us. Most of us don’t have that freedom, most of the time. We struggle to live according to the Lord’s desire and will for our lives because we are no yet fully open to the working of the Holy Spirit within us. In the gospel reading, Jesus identifies one dimension of how God wants us to live. It is one example of the deeper virtue Jesus mentions at the beginning of the gospel reading, which only the Holy Spirit can give us the freedom to live by. Very few would dispute the commandment in the Jewish Law, ‘do not kill’. Jesus goes beyond that commandment; he goes deeper, focusing on the underlying attitude that can lead to murder. We are not to harbour the kind of anger that can have such deadly consequences; we are not to use the kind of disrespectful language, such as ‘Fool’, that can so easily spill over into disrespectful and deadly actions. Jesus is speaking about the freedom to be at a very deep level the kind of person God desires us to be and has created us to be. It is only the Spirit who can give us this quality of freedom, the freedom to be virtuous in heart so as to be virtuous in action. And/Or (ii) Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time In today’s gospel reading, Jesus declares that if any of his Jewish contemporaries were bringing their offering to the altar in the Jewish temple and they remember that someone has something against them they should first be reconciled with their brother or sister and only then present their offering. The Lord will always send us out to work to be reconciled with those who have something against us. We may not succeed in our efforts, but the Lord calls on us to be prepared always to make the first move. ‘Go and be reconciled’ Jesus declares. We are not just to wait for others to take the initiative; we have to make the move, even if in doing so we fail. The Lord took the initiative to reconcile us to himself, through his life, death and resurrection; he calls on us to be as ready as he was to take the same initiative when a relationship needs reconciling. And/Or (iii) Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time Paul makes a striking statement in this morning’s first reading, ‘this Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom’. ‘Freedom’ is one of the great values of our age. There is an emphasis on people’s freedom to choose. Saint Paul had a very particular understanding of freedom, ‘where the Spirit is, there is freedom’. For him, the truly free person is the person whose life is shaped by the Spirit, who is led by Spirit, in whose life is to be found the fruit of the Spirit. The primary fruit of the Spirit for Paul is love, love as it was revealed in the life of Christ, self-emptying love in the service of others. For Paul the truly free person is the person who is free to love in the way Jesus loved, to whom such a way of love comes easily and naturally. For Paul, the more we grow up into the loving person that Jesus was, the freer we are. The more we live out of that deeper virtue that Jesus speaks about in the gospel reading the more we display what Paul calls in his letter to the Romans ‘the glorious freedom of the children of God’. Paul would say that we will only have that glorious freedom to the full when all is made new, beyond this earthly life. Yet, he would also say that here and now we can begin to taste that glorious freedom of God’s children in so far as we live our lives under the influence of the Lord’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit. And/Or (iv) Thursday, Tenth Week in Ordinary Time In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus calls for a virtue that goes deeper than the virtue of the scribes and the Pharisees. He is looking for a virtue that is at the level of the heart or inner core of the person and not simply at the level of action. The Ten Commandments relate to actions which are to be done or, for the most part, not to be done. Jesus quotes one of the commandments at the beginning of our gospel reading, ‘You shall not kill’. What Jesus goes on to prohibit is not just the action of killing but the kinds of attitudes and emotions that can led people to kill one another. He warns against anger towards others and the perception of others that leads us to refer to them as fools. We might be tempted to think of the commandment, ‘Do not kill’, as not really relevant to us because the likelihood of any of us killing somebody is very remote. However, when Jesus speaks about the deeper level of emotion, attitude and perception, we cannot distance ourselves so easily. We have all experienced anger and can recognize its destructive power even in ourselves. We have all perceived some people in ways that lead us to speak of them or to them in a manner that is disrespectful. Even though we may differ from others at the level of action, when it comes to that deeper level that Jesus talks about in the gospel reading we all have much more in common. That virtue at the deeper level that drives our actions is one we are all constantly striving to attain. It can only be attained with the help of the Holy Spirit, whose power at work within us can begin to shape all we do and how and why we do it. Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland. Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ieJoinus via our webcam. Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC. Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf. Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.