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bluewatsons · 4 years

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Elaine Hatfield & Richard L. Rapson, Culture and Passionate Love, in F. Deutsch, M. Boehnke, U. Kühnen, & K. Boehnke (Eds.), Rendering borders obsolete: Cross-cultural and cultural psychology as an interdisciplinary, multi-method endeavor: Proceedings from the 19th International Congress of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (2011)

Abstract

For more than 4,000 years, poets and storytellers have sung of the delights and sufferings of love and lust. This chapter reviews what scholars from various disciplines have discovered about the nature of passionate love and sexual desire. Anthropologists and evolutionary psychologists have assumed that passionate love is a cultural universal. Cultural researchers, historians, and social psychologists have emphasized the stunning diversity in the way passionate love and sexual desire have been viewed and experienced. Culture, ethnicity and the rules passed down by political and religious authorities have a profound impact on the way people think about and act out love and sex. Marriage for love and sex for pleasure have always been deeply threatening to political and religious leaders who have feared the individualistic implications of permissive approaches to romance and passion. Individualism and personal choice are seen as the enemies of order and authority; such freedom are deemed heretical, sinful, dangerous, and an invitation to chaos, selfishness, and anarchy. The fight over the rules governing love, marriage, divorce, and sex stands as one of history’s central and most powerful themes. Today, however, in the era of widespread travel, global capitalism, and the World Wide Web, many of these traditional cross-cultural differences seem to be disappearing. Authority is giving way nearly everywhere to increased freedom, particularly in the personal realm, in the world of passion. Is the erosion of traditional authority and strict personal rules really happening—and if so what does that portend for personal and societal futures?

In all cultures, men and women feel the stirrings of passionate love and sexual desire. Yet despite its universality, culture has been found to have a profound impact on people’s definitions of passionate love and on the way they think, feel, and behave when faced with appropriate partners in settings designed to spark such feelings. Cross-cultural studies provide a glimpse into the complex world of passionate love and increase our understanding of the extent to which people’s emotional lives are written in their cultural and personal histories, as well as “writ in their genes.”

Defining Passionate Love

The Sufi poet Jelaluddin Rumi, who was born in Afghanistan in 1207 A.D., contended, “whoever has been taught the secrets of love is sworn to silence with lips sealed.” Nonetheless, Rumi penned ecstatic missives celebrating the glories of love (Mathnavi and Diwan-I-Shams). In this snippet, he rhapsodizes:

With love, bitter turns into sweetness. With love, dregs turn into honey. . .

With love, thorns become flowers. With love, vinegar becomes wine. . . .

With love, misery turns into happiness.

In all cultures, people distinguish between two kinds of love: “passionate love” and “companionate love.” Passionate love (sometimes called “obsessive love,” “infatuation,” “lovesickness,” or “being-in-love”) is the variety of love with which we will be concerned in this paper. We will not discuss companionate love, a deeper, more intimate, and longer lasting variety of love and friendship.

Passionate love is a powerful emotional state. It has been defined as:

A state of intense longing for union with another. Passionate love is a complex functional whole including appraisals or appreciations, subjective feelings, expressions, patterned physiological processes, action tendencies, and instrumental behaviors. Reciprocated love (union with the other) is associated with fulfillment and ecstasy. Unrequited love (separation) is associated with feelings of emptiness, anxiety, and despair (Hatfield & Rapson, 2005, p. 71).

The Passionate Love Scale (PLS) was designed to tap into the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral indicants of such longings (Hatfield & Sprecher, 1986). The PLS has been translated and utilized by researchers in Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Peru, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. The PLS has been found to be a useful measure of passionate love with men and women of all ages, in a variety of cultures, and has been found to correlate well with certain well-defined patterns of neural activation (see Bartels & Zeki, 2000; Fisher, 2004; Hatfield, Rapson, & Martel, 2007; Hatfield & Rapson, 2009; Landis & O’Shea, 2000).

Theoretical Understandings of Passionate Love

Passionate Love: A Cultural Universal

Passionate love is as old as humankind. Love poems have been discovered on the outskirts of the Valley of Kings. Written during Egypt’s New Kingdom (1539-1075 B.C.E.) but surely composed much earlier, these songs (recorded on cuneiform tablets) speak to lovers today. Consider this fragment:

The Flower Song

To hear your voice is pomegranate wine to me.

I draw life from hearing it. Could I see you with every glance, It would be better for me Than to eat or drink.2

Today, most cultural theorists consider passionate love to be a universal emotion, transcending culture and time (Hatfield & Rapson, 2005; Jankowiak, 1995; Tooby & Cosmides, 1992). Jankowiak and Fischer (1992), for example, drew a sharp distinction between “romantic passion” and “simple lust.” They proposed that both passion and lust are universal feelings. Drawing on a sampling of tribal societies from the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample, they found that in almost all of these far-flung societies, young lovers talked about passionate love, recounted tales of love, sang love songs, and spoke of the longings and anguish of infatuation. When passionate affections clashed with parents’ or elders’ wishes, young couples often eloped. Cultural anthropologists have recorded folk conceptions of love in such diverse cultures as Indonesia, Morocco, Nigeria, the Fulbe of North Cameroun, the People’s Republic of China, Trinidad, Turkey, the Mangrove (an aboriginal Australian community), the Mangaia in the Cook Islands, Palau in Micronesia, and the Taita of Kenya (see Jankowiak, 1995, for a review of this research). A number of studies document that in both tribal and modern societies, people’s conceptions of passionate love are surprisingly similar (Neto et al., 2000).

Passionate Love: Cultural Differences

Americans are preoccupied with love—or so cross-cultural observers once claimed. In a famous quip, Linton (1936) mocked Americans for their naïve idealization of romantic love and their assumption that romantic love is a prerequisite for marriage:

All societies recognize that there are occasional violent, emotional attachments between persons of opposite sex, but our present American culture is practically the only one which has attempted to capitalize these, and make them the basis for marriage. . . . The hero of the modern American movie is always a romantic lover, just as the hero of the old Arab epic is always an epileptic. A cynic may suspect that in any ordinary population the percentage of individuals with a capacity for romantic love of the Hollywood type was about as large as that of persons able to throw genuine epileptic fits. (p. 175)

Throughout the world, a spate of commentators once echoed Linton’s claim that the idealization of passionate love is a peculiarly Western institution.

Background. The world’s cultures differ profoundly in the extent to which they emphasize individualism or collectivism (although many cultural researchers focus on related concepts such as independence vs. interdependence, modernism vs. traditionalism, urbanism vs. ruralism, affluence vs. poverty, or a family focus vs. an individualistic focus). Individualistic cultures such as the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, and the countries of Northern and Western Europe tend to focus on personal goals. Collectivist cultures such as China, many African and Latin American nations, Greece, southern Italy, and the Pacific Islands, on the other hand, press their members to subordinate their personal interests to those of the group (Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Triandis, McCusker, & Hui, 1990). Triandis and his colleagues point out that in individualistic cultures, young people are allowed to “do their own thing.” In collectivist cultures, the group comes first.

Hsu (1953, 1985) and Doi (1963, 1973) contended that passionate love is a Western phenomenon, virtually unknown in China and Japan, and so incompatible with Asian values and customs that it is unlikely ever to gain a foothold among young Asians. Hsu (1953) wrote: “An American asks, ‘How does my heart feel?’ A Chinese asks, ‘What will other people say?’” (p. 50). Hsu pointed out that the Chinese generally use the term “love” to describe not a respectable, socially sanctioned relationship, but an illicit liaison between a man and a woman. Chu (1985; Chu & Ju, 1993) also argued that although romantic love and compatibility are of paramount importance in mate selection in America, in China such feelings matter little. Traditionally, parents and go-betweens arranged young peoples’ marriages. Parents’ primary concern was not love and compatibility but men dang hu dui. Do the families possess the same social status? Are they compatible? Will the marriage bring some social or financial advantage to the two families? (A note: Later in this chapter, we will discuss the fact that since the 1950s, in the wake of globalization, Chinese attitudes and values have begun to undergo revolutionary changes.)

On the basis of such testimony, cross-cultural researchers once contended that romantic love is common only in modern, industrialized countries. It should be less valued in traditional cultures with strong, extended family ties (Simmons, Vom Kolke, & Shimizu, 1986). It should also be more common in modern, industrialized countries than in developing countries (Goode, 1959; Rosenblatt, 1967). In recent years, cultural researchers have begun to test these provocative hypotheses.

Recent Research on Culture and Passionate Love

Recently, cultural researchers have begun to investigate the impact of culture on people’s definitions of love, what people desire in romantic partners, their likelihood of falling in love, the intensity of their passion, and their willingness to acquiesce in arranged marriages versus insisting on marrying for love. From this preliminary research it appears that, although a few cultural differences do in fact exist, cultures frequently turn out to be more similar in their profoundest of feelings than one might expect. Let us now turn to this research.

The Meaning of Passionate Love

Shaver, Wu, and Schwartz (1991) interviewed young people in America, Italy, and the People’s Republic of China about the way they viewed love. They found that Americans and Italians tended to equate love with happiness and to assume that both passionate and companionate love were intensely pleasurable experiences. Students in Beijing, China, possessed a darker view of love. In the Chinese language, there are few “happy-love” words; love is associated with sadness. Not surprisingly, then, the Chinese men and women interviewed by Shaver and his colleagues tended to associate passionate love with ideographic words such as infatuation, unrequited love, nostalgia, and sorrow love. Other cultural researchers agree that cultural values may, indeed, have a profound impact on the subtle shadings of meaning assigned to the construct of “love” (Cohen, 2001; Kim & Hatfield, 2004; Kitayama, 2002; Luciano, 2003; Nisbet, 2003; Oyserman, Kemmelmeier, & Coon, 2002; Weaver & Ganong, 2004). A few cultural researchers argue, for example, that romantic love is more important in modern, industrialized, individualistic cultures (Levine et al., 1995), in Latin cultures (Ferrer Pérez et al., 2008), and in European cultures than in Asian or Indian samples (Simmons et al., 1986, 1988; Medora et al., 2002), or in societies where men and women possess sexual equality (DeMunck & Korotayev, 1999).

There is, however, considerable debate as to how important such differences are. When social psychologists explored folk conceptions of love in a variety of cultures—including the People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Micronesia, Palau, and Turkey, as well as a variety of other nations—they concluded that people in the various cultures possessed surprisingly similar views of love and other “feelings of the heart” (for a review of this research, see Contreas et al., 1996; Fischer, Wang, Kennedy, & Cheng, 1998; Jankowiak, 1995; Kim & Hatfield, 2004; Shaver, Murdaya, & Fraley, 2001; Xu et al., 2008). In a typical study, for example, Shaver and his colleagues (2001) argued that love and sexual mating, reproduction, and parenting are fundamental issues for all humans (pp. 219-220). To test the notion that passionate and companionate love are cultural universals, they conducted a “prototype” study to determine (1) what Indonesian (compared to American) men and women considered to be “basic” emotions, and (2) the meaning they ascribed to these emotions. Starting with 404 Indonesian perasaan hati (emotion names or “feelings of the heart”) they asked people to sort the words into basic emotion categories. As predicted, the Indonesians came up with the same five emotions that Americans consider to be basic: joy, love, sadness, fear, and anger. Furthermore, when asked about the meanings of “love,” Indonesian men and women (like their American counterparts) were able to distinguish passionate love (asmara, or sexual/desire/arousal) from companionate love (cinta, or affection/liking/fondness). There were a few differences in the American and Indonesian lexicons, however:

The Indonesian conception of love may place more emphasis on yearning and desire than the American conception, perhaps because the barriers to consummation are more formidable in Indonesia, which is a more traditional and mostly Muslim country (p. 219).

Why are these diverse societies so similar in their views of love? Perhaps love is indeed a cultural universal. Or perhaps the times they are “a-changin’”. One impact of globalization (and the ubiquitous MTV, Hollywood and Bollywood movies, chat rooms, and foreign travel) may be to ensure that when people throughout the world speak of “passionate love,” they may well be talking about much the same thing. We would argue that culture and historical pressures produce visions of passionate love that are variations on a theme. Shading, melody, and tempo may vary with culture, but the underlying architecture of the mind may remain the same. Cultural traditions and values may affect romantic visions, how one describes one’s feelings when in love, how demonstrative people are in displaying their love, but the fact of passionate love may indeed be a cultural universal based on similarities in the architecture of the mind and a common neural substrate (Aron et al., 2008; Xu et al., 2008).

The Likelihood of Being in Love

Sprecher and her colleagues (1994) interviewed 1,667 men and women in the United States, Russia, and Japan. Based on notions of individualism versus collectivism, the authors predicted that whereas American men and women would be most vulnerable to love, the Japanese would be the least likely to be “love besotted.” The authors found that they were wrong. In fact, 59% of American college students, 67% of Russians, and 53% of Japanese students said they were in love at the time of the interview. In all three cultures, men were slightly less likely than women to be in love. (In America, 53% of men and 63% of women; in Russia, 61% of men and 71% of women; and in Japan, 41% of men and 63% of women indicated they were currently in love.) There was no evidence, however, that individualistic cultures breed young men and women who are more love struck than do collectivist societies.

Surveys of Mexican-American, Chinese-American, and European-American students have revealed that in a variety of ethnic groups, young men and women show similarly high rates of “being in love” at the present time (Aron & Rodriguez, 1992; Doherty et al., 1994; Hatfield & Rapson, 2005).

The Intensity of Passionate Love

Cultures also seem to share more similarities than differences in the intensity of passionate love that people experience. In one study, Hatfield and Rapson (2005) asked men and women of European, Filipino, and Japanese ancestry to complete the PLS. To their surprise, they found that men and women from the various ethnic groups seemed to love with equal passion. (In the following table 1, none of the ethnic group differences nor any of the gender x ethnic group differences were significant.)

Table 1. PLS Scores of Various Ethnic Groups

Hatfield and Rapson’s (2005) results were confirmed in a study done by Doherty and his colleagues (1994) with European-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Filipino-Americans, Japanese- Americans, and Pacific Islanders.

After viewing the preceding results, some cultural researchers observed: “True, people might fall in love, but they don’t expect to have these desires indulged. When it comes to marriage, in family focused societies people sacrifice their own desires, and accede to the wishes of parents, authorities, and friends.”

To test this notion, Sprecher and her colleagues (1994), asked American, Russian, and Japanese students: “If a person had all the other qualities you desired, would you marry him or her if you were not in love?” (Students could answer only “yes” or “no.”) The authors assumed that only Americans would demand love and marriage; they predicted that both the Russians and the Japanese would be more practical. They were wrong! Both the Americans and the Japanese were romantics. Few of them would consider marrying someone they did not love (only 11% of Americans and 18% of the Japanese said “yes”). The Russians were more practical; 37% said they would accept such a proposal. (These ethnic group differences were significant at the p < .001 level.) Russian men were only slightly more practical than men in other countries. It was the Russian women who were most likely to “settle.” (This gender difference was significant at p < .05).

Despite the larger proportion of Russian women willing to enter a loveless marriage, a large majority of individuals in the three cultures would refuse to marry someone they did not love (see Table 2).

Table 2. Would You Marry Someone You Did Not Love?

For additional information on culture, love and sex, see Boratav (2008); Gabreyna (2008); Gabrenya & Fehir, 2008; Levine et al., 1995; Ryder, Pfaus & Brotto (2008); Schmitz (2008)— several of whose work are represented in this volume.

In Conclusion

The preceding studies, then, suggest that (in the area of passionate love and sexual desire) the large differences that once existed between Westernized, modern, urban, industrial societies and Eastern, modern, urban industrial societies may be fast disappearing. Those interested in cross-cultural differences may be forced to search for large differences in only the most underdeveloped, developing, and collectivist of societies—such as in Africa or Latin America, in China or the Arab countries (Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi-Arabia, Iraq, or the United Arab Emirates).

However, it may well be that even there, the winds of Westernization, individualism, and social change are blowing. In spite of the censure of their elders, in a variety of traditional cultures, young people are increasingly adopting “Western” patterns—placing a high value on falling in love, pressing for gender equality in love and sex, and insisting on marrying for love (as opposed to arranged marriages). Such changes have been documented in Finland, Estonia, and Russia (Haavio-Mannila, & Kontula, 2003) as well as among Australian aboriginal people of Mangrove and a Copper Inuit Alaskan Indian tribe (see Jankowiak, 1995, for an extensive review of this research).

Naturally, cultural differences still exert a profound influence on young people’s attitudes, emotions, and behavior, and such differences are not likely to disappear in our lifetime. In Morocco, for example, marriage was once an alliance between families (as historically it was in most of the world before the 18th century), in which children had little or no say. Today, although parents can no longer simply dictate whom their children will marry, parental approval remains critically important. It is important, however, that young men and women are at least allowed to have their say (see Davis & Davis, 1995).

Many have observed that, today, two powerful forces—globalization and cultural pride/identification with one’s country (what historians call “nationalism”)—are contending for men’s and women’s souls. To some extent, the world’s citizens may be becoming one but in truth the delightful and divisive cultural variations that have made our world such an interesting (and simultaneously dangerous) place, are likely to add spice to that heady brew of love and sexual practices for some time to come. The convergence of cultures around the world may be reducing the differences in the ways passionate love is experienced and expressed in the modern era, but tradition can be tenacious, and the global future of passionate love cannot be predicted with any certainty.

References

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#culture #love #emotion #comparison #cross-cultural studies #universalism #passion #interpersonal relationships #marriage #romantic love #cultural differences

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gibelwho · 5 years

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Top 5: Best Films of 2018

2018 was quite a year for me personally. I got married to my best friend, we traveled to Japan for our honeymoon and we’ve spent the last few weeks of the year packing our house for an upcoming move. Attending the multiplex has not always been an option, but we endeavored to catch a few flicks in between major life changes. Despite these challenges, I wanted to post a special Top 5 detailing my best films of 2018. I have chosen my top films informally the last few years, but hadn’t gotten around to posting my thoughts. As I am surrounded by boxes and with all my film books packed away, I stole some time to reflect on this past year in cinema.

Gibelwho Productions Presents Best Films of 2018

5. Black Panther

4. Won’t You Be My Neighbor

3. A Star is Born

2. Crazy Rich Asians

BlacKkKlansman

Black Panther (February 2018): In the ongoing saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are the the blockbuster movies that include multiple heroes and converging storylines, but there are also the small films that focus on one hero. While the Avengers themed films are usually aimed at the lowest common denominator, Marvel allows the hero-focused films to be infused more with a genre flavor or the stylings of a distinctive director. Thus, Ryan Coogler was able to forge Black Panther into a film that envisions an Afro-techno-centric future, engages in discussions of black repression and power dynamics, as well as showing kick-ass and smart women of color as soldiers and scientists. I did have some quibbles with some of the film’s elements, but overall, it was a huge moment for black cinema and should thus be recognized. Wakanda Forever!

Won’t You Be My Neighbor (July 2018): In a year where divisions in this nation were heightened seemingly by the minute, this gentle film comes along to celebrate one of this nation’s best champions of kindness. A man who could relate to children genuinely, even when communicating to them via a sock puppet, and took on difficult subjects such as assassination, divorce, and death. I have fond memories of watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood as a kid, but this deeper examination made me appreciate even more the lessons he taught me as a child. The archival footage of Fred Rogers himself, the show, and the interviews all cut together paint a picture of a man doing his best to fight for children’s television; he was a flawed man, but one whose focus on kindness left a legacy this nation should tune into once more.

A Star is Born (November 2018): The fourth re-make of this age old tale shows a grizzled legend discovering a budding new star. While their romance shines as bright as her new stardom, it cannot last in the blinding spotlight. Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut and Lady Gaga’s starring debut combine to create movie magic. An homage to the Technicolor classics of old Hollywood, yet aware of the modern day challenges that come with fame and celebrity, the film doesn’t compromise on the quality of the songs and performances on stage, nor on the acting in between. I was especially impressed with the way Cooper and his cinematographer utilized light throughout the film, with some particularly stunning sequences that manage to comment on the state of the character’s evolution. Overall, this movie is incredibly authentic, an ode to the actors bringing these characters to life, but also to the way the musical performances were filmed on real stages.

Crazy Rich Asians (August 2018): This film arrived in theaters with much fanfare and didn’t disappoint! With fantastic performances from various Asian actors, incredible production value done on a tight budget, and a snappy and entertaining script, this film not only captured the heart of moviegoers, but also was a powerful statement about the importance and profitability of representing diversity on screen. I had so many friends that lauded the film as the first time they had seen a version of themselves and their family in the cinema. The dumpling making scene in particular reminded me of my adopted Filipino family (sans the tension with the potential mother-in-law). The mahjong scene at the film’s climax was intentionally crafted to translate both to audiences who intimately understand the game, as well as those who have never heard of it. In fact, that describes Crazy Rich Asians as a whole - one that is open to anyone who is a fan of romantic comedies, but one that shows a particular slice of culture, families, and faces that needs to be given more stories and opportunities to be seen and heard.

BlacKKKlansman (September 2018): All I can say is, Spike Lee better win some accolades for this joint. A film that tells a real life story, that speaks through the look and feel of the 1970s, but that speaks directly to today - a message that is shockingly re-enforced through the images in the last few moments of the film. Cinema history is deeply ingrained in Lee’s filmmaking - from the cross-cutting sequences that reclaims the editing technique from its roots in the racist film Birth of a Nation to the references to blaxploitation films of the 1970s. Lee is doing his best work in years, a film that is at once political, funny, artistic, and a gut punch that should make viewers leave the theater entertained and ready to take action.

Honorable Mentions:

Bohemian Rhapsody (November 2018): This film will be remembered for me as the most expensive movie date of 2018, where we spent $50 to attend the cinema. Yes, it happened to be a Friday night; it happened to be opening weekend; the time that worked happened to be the IMAX screening. And we bought a soda. Was the film worth the steep price of admission? Probably not, but we still enjoyed the experience nonetheless. Many critics have savaged the film, rightly pointing out that it was a conventional biopic made about the most unconventional man that has graced this planet. However, as someone who grew up knowing Queen through sportsball chants and not their incredibly compelling rise nor epic stadium concerts, it was a film that got the job done - exposed me to their members, their songs, their story - and Freddie. Rami Malek should win all the awards for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury. He layered the character with many levels and intimately captured the talent, the suffering, the queen in all his glory. One day, a brave filmmaker will make that creative and oddball biopic that Freddie deserves and - even though this wasn’t it - this film will serve as a foundation for Queen’s story.

Incredibles 2 (June 2018): When I turned 30, I rented a small movie theater in Los Angeles and screened one of my very favorite films - The Incredibles (2004). That film, those characters, the music hold a very special place in my heart and it was with a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation (don’t screw it up, Pixar) that I went into the cinema for Incredibles 2. While not a mother quite yet, I absolutely appreciated the reversal for the traditional gendered parent roles, watching an empowered Elastigirl kick butt and Bob discover that parenting is hard and exhausting. I also loved that the Pixar crew didn’t show the Dad as clueless and useless; rather, he was well-intentioned, did his best, and supported his kids. While I didn’t love every element (the villains could have used some work), perhaps my favorite laugh out loud moment of the year was Jack Jack fighting the raccoon.

Deadpool 2 (June 2018): This film is a movie that is made for this particular cultural moment, riddled with jokes and references that will fade from memory in a few months or years, similar to how Shrek will always be connected to the early 2000s. Ryan Reynolds slays as wacky and meta-aware Merc with a Mouth, and Josh Brolin as Cable and Zazie Beetz as Domino are awesome additions (can we see an action flick with just them!?) and the film tries to balance comedy with action with heart in a mostly effective mix.

#black panther #won't you be my neighbor #a star is born #crazy rich asians #blackkklansman #spike lee

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dalyunministry · 4 years

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TOPIC: HOW TO KNOW THE WILL OF GOD

By. Sister. Savita Manwani

💥

It’s time for today’s word ministration. Welcome all of you. Stay tuned and be blessed.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time you have given to share your word. May you send your Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us the truth of your word. Glory and honor be to your Holy Name. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

TOPIC: HOW TO KNOW THE WILL OF GOD

To know God is a great blessing, but how much He can work in our lives depends, many times, on the decisions we make.

It is a great advantage that we have the Holy Spirit and can depend on His direction and guidance. God doesn’t make mistakes. He knows what is best for us and is willing to give it to us.

In Proverbs 3:5-6, we are advised to, Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Wrong decisions are a result of doing things our way and not taking God’s advice into account. This can happen because we don’t realize that He is interested in the small things, or we don’t believe that the Bible has the answer to our needs.

¶ Benefits of doing the Will of God

We need to seek and consult with God for His guidance knowing that He never makes mistakes and chooses the best for us. He loves us and His thoughts are good and not evil. He wants to give us the things we dream of and the happiness we long for.

Jeremiah describes it in Jeremiah 29:11;

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.

To believe God and trust in Him is the best way to secure our future. God is like a pilot that sees the whole picture. He knows the things that benefit us and the things that would hinder us. Acting in wisdom is seeking His advice and obeying Him.

Romans 12:2 says:And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

This verse expresses three truths about the will of God. It is good, acceptable (pleasing) and perfect. The word good is a translation of the Greek word “agathos” which means, “something that is good in character with beneficial results”. It is good because it comes from God whose nature is kind. He desires to give us the best, so that we can fully enjoy the life that Christ won for us on the cross.

• Acceptable (pleasing) means that it is satisfying for us in every aspect. God knows what we like and according to this He chooses the best for us. We should not be afraid to trust in God. He knows us better than we know ourselves and gives us the best.

Some people fear submitting their emotions to God. They think that God will give them the opposite of what they desire and that He ignores their needs.

• Perfect comes from the Greek word “Teleios”, which means capacitating us to realize the true end or purpose of our existence. The Beacon Commentary says that “Telion” means “the experience of fullness, to be complete”. We can understand that by doing the will of God we develop ourselves to maximum potential, and understand our future existence under His will.

¶ HOW TO KNOW THE WILL OF GOD

To understand the perfect will of God we have to complete several steps that establish His purpose in our lives.

1. DIE TO MY OWN WILL IN ORDER TO OBEY WHATEVER GOD SAYS

The Lord has given us the gift of will power, the ability to choose. When we lived without Christ we made decisions ignorant of His will. Now, it is necessary for us to die to our feelings, to what we think, to our old way of doing things, and submit to His will. We must not try to manipulate God through prayer. “Lord, let your will be done, but please let your will be what I want”. Remember God does not yield to our every whim, no matter how much we insist.

God doesn’t make mistakes. We would live wisely if instead of clinging to what we want we would die to ourselves and wait on god; He knows what is best for us.

The Lord says in Isaiah 55:8-9; For my thought are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts”. We need to die to doing things our way, and submit ourselves to the will of God. He will give us what is best for us, even though it may not necessarily be what we wanted in the first place. We must trust His will and understand that His decisions are better than ours. He always has the best for our lives.

2. SEARCH FOR GOD’S COUNSEL THROUGH HIS WORD

Psalm 119:105; “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path”.

The Bible has the answer for each and every one of our needs – financial, emotional, studies, and family needs, etc. We need to come to the Word to seek what it says about our requests. If what we ask for is in accordance with the will of God, it will be confirmed through the Word. If you don’t know how to recognize God’s direction ask Him for wisdom, and He will give it to you abundantly without reproach.

James 1:5 – “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally, and without reproach; and it will be given to him”.

Look for Biblical verse according to your needs and God will speak to you.

The Word has that special ability to penetrate the most intimate parts of man, discerning all thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12).

3. GOD GIVES US THE DESIRE TO DO HIS WILL.

Philippians 2:13 - “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure”.

One of the signs that confirm that we are moving according to the purpose of God is that He will incline our heart to His desire because He loves us, as the Word says He does it “of His good pleasure”. It is fundamental that we submit the desires of our heart to the trials of time. If they come from Satan or from the flesh, they will fade away, but if they are from God they will remain. Remember that the desires of God are always according to the Word. This is how Psalm 33:11 confirms it: “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations”.

4. GOD PLACES PEACE IN THE HEART SO AS TO CONFORM HIS WILL

Philippians 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.

One of the most trustworthy signs of recognizing the will of God is that you have peace in your heart. It is an internal peace regarding the decision that we are about to make, a peace that surpasses our understanding. It is god who gives this peace. He removes doubt and uncertainty and brings complete security and assurance. This assurance cannot be based on good reasoning. We can demonstrate as apparent security, but we can’t silence that internal voice which says “No, don’t do it, that’s now how it goes”. That’s the voice of God telling us that the way we are thinking is not according to His will. Seek the Lord in prayer, be honest with Him, tell Him your most secret thoughts. Ask Him to put a stop to your plans, if they are not His will. But if it is His will then affirm our thoughts.

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established”.

The Holy Spirit works on the deepest part of our heart. He places feelings of confirmation or disapproval. He gives us a deep conviction of His perfect will, and a sense of peace that is beyond our understanding.

5. CIRCUMSTANCES WILL FAVOR US.

When we are moving in God’s way, circumstances will turn in our favor. When we are not, we will see them turning against us through adversities and difficulties.

The Bible tells the story of Balaam who acted against the will of God. he wanted to go and curse Israel, he consulted God but God answered saying:

“You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” – Numbers 22:12.

Nevertheless, Balaam’ selfishness was greater than his obedience, and he ended up going to that place to curse them.

God used a mule to stop him. The mule refused to move and even spoke. Then when he tried to curse them three times, God changed his curses into blessings.

We need to recognize when God is not involved in what we are doing. If we see that something always goes wrong, and things don’t go as planned, the smartest thing to do is to not fight against the current. Instead, step back from this situation and wait on God. He will have something better for you.

We follow these five steps our future will be secure. We will have the direction of the wisest Being in the universe. He sees everything and knows and wants the best for your life in every aspect.

May God bless you all.

Let us Pray: Father God, I thank you for your word. I pray let your word that have fallen on the good grounds of our hearts, yield and multiply and accomplish its purpose for which it has been sent, for the glory of God. May we be the doers of your word so that each one of us will desire to be in your will and do those things that are good and pleasant in your sight. We submit ourselves to you will. Do with us as it pleases you. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

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pamphletstoinspire · 6 years

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PADRE PIO and the SACRED HEART OF JESUS

With Images:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/padre-pio-sacred-heart-jesus-harold-baines/?published=t

by Most Rev. Paolo Carta, Bishop Emeritus of Foggia

When I spoke on the theme: "How I saw Padre Pio during my seven years as Bishop of Foggia from 1955 to 1962," I presented Padre Pio's spirituality as "A man of God who prays — absolves — suffers — offers."

Invited again by the Capuchin Friars, custodians of the tomb which is the destination of pilgrims from all the corners of the world, I am most happy to celebrate today and tomorrow the Mass with you and for you, my very dear brethren, inviting you to meditate with me on two other fundamental aspects of the spirituality of Padre Pio. Today Padre Pio and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Tomorrow, God willing, Padre Pio and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART

First of all it will be well to remember the deep significance of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

According to the admirable Encyclical of Pius XII Haurietis aquas in gaudio, the object of this devotion is the physical heart symbol of the triple love of Jesus: divine spiritual love that Jesus, as God, has in common with the Father and the Holy Spirit — spiritual human love — human tangible love.

It is the devotion to the love of Jesus for the Father and for us, and it is the devotion of love for Jesus as our reply, because love is repaid with love. This devotion ends with the Person of Jesus Himself, but considering his love, his interior life, his perfect human life.

The Heart of Jesus is the center of his personality; it is the intimate source from which his thoughts originate, his affection, his words, his works. It is the key of all the dogmas, it is the explanation of all the mysteries, it is the profound sense of each word of the Gospel because everything is illuminated and inflamed by charity. This is why Pius XI wrote in his Encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor: "The Heart of Jesus is the compendium of the whole Catholic religion."

It is not a devotion amongst others; it is the soul of all devotions. It is not a sentimental devotion because it obliges us to imitate the virtues of the Sacred Heart and especially to love the Heavenly Father and the brethren up to the heroism of total immolation. It is not a devotion foreign to actual social problems, because it aims at establishing the social kingdom of the Heart of Christ which is the kingdom of justice, love and peace.

Padre Pio knew this thoroughly through his profound intellectual knowledge and the prodigious personal experience he had of Christ's divinity and of his most sacred humanity.

But he certainly did not ignore the place occupied by Saint Francis in the story of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, which was revealed by Jesus Himself to Saint Margaret Mary in the vision of 4 October 1673, feast of the Saint of Assisi. Here is what the Saint relates: "Our Lord showed me this great Saint clothed in light and incomparable splendor and raised to very great glory, above all the Saints, because during his life he was most devoted to the Passion: a devotion that compelled Jesus, the divine and crucified Friend, to imprint Himself in the Saint with the five wounds and make of him one of the greatest favorites of his Heart."

Padre Pio's devotion to the Sacred Heart manifested itself in the mystical union, in a faithful imitation, a loving reparation and confident prayer. Padre Pio achieved intimate union with the most Sacred Heart of Jesus above all through intense faith which inspired his whole life, which enlightened all his difficult road, which inspired all his prayers and that sustained his heroic penances.

Moreover, he lived in union with the Divine Heart really present in the Eucharist. How many hours of silent adoration he passed up there in the gallery of this shrine, in his favorite place, the angle closest to the altar of the Most High!

And how ecstatic was his expression when he lovingly contemplated the holy Host as he raised it slowly on high to bless not only the crowd present at the evening service, but the whole world! At that moment he asked for rivers of grace to gush from the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus to convert sinners, to relieve the suffering, to sanctify consecrated souls, for the good of the whole church and the salvation of all men. I like to think that at that very moment Padre Pio heard repeated again the gentle and consoling words from the Sacred Heart: "Come to Me, all of you who are tired and oppressed and I will restore you."

But his union with the Heart of Jesus was much more intense during the celebration of Mass. It was the great moment when Padre Pio fully participated in the Passion of our Lord and relived it in himself in an impressive and prodigious way. But the Passion of our Lord was threefold. The Passion of the Body in the scourging, crucifixion and death— Passion of Honor, through the infamy of the death sentence and the death of the cross, punishment reserved to slaves and the worst malefactors — Passion of the Heart, especially at Gethsemane and on the Cross for the betrayal of Judas, the flight of the Apostles, the ingratitude of the people, the knowledge of the souls who, despite his sacrifice, would precipitate to hell. During the celebration of Mass, Padre Pio relived this triple Passion of Jesus, but in a special way the Passion of the Heart, his sentiments, anguish and his agony.

All this transported him to the highest ascetical sphere, in a complete effusion of his heart into the Heart of Jesus.

But this effusion became a fusion reaching the highest peaks of mysticism and penetrating the deepest mystery of the meeting of the creature with the Creator. Padre Pio himself revealed this sublime and inexpressible experience with words that I have already recalled last year, but which I now repeat for your and my admiration and edification. These are the exact terms of a letter he wrote on 12 April 1912: "When Mass was over I remained with Jesus in thanksgiving. Oh, how sweet was the colloquy with paradise that morning! It was such that although I want to tell you all about it, I cannot. There were things which cannot be translated into human language without losing their deep and heavenly meaning. The Heart of Jesus and my own — allow me to use the expression — were fused. No longer were two hearts beating but only one. My own heart had disappeared as a drop of water is lost in the ocean. Jesus was its paradise, its king. My joy was so intense and deep that I could bear no more and tears of happiness poured down my cheeks. When paradise is poured into a heart, this afflicted, exiled, weak and mortal heart cannot bear it without weeping."

FAITHFUL IMITATION

Union, leads to imitation. And Padre Pio was exemplary in receiving the strong and gentle invitation of Jesus: "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

a) Humility

Padre Pio's humility shines in many episodes of his life. Above all his perfect religious obedience to the Superiors of his Order, and with his prompt and serene acceptance of all the orders coming from Rome, even when they were difficult and put him to the very hard test, even preventing him the free exercise of his priestly ministry for a good two years to his profound sorrow and bitterness. And how humility shines from his letters to his spiritual Fathers to whom he opens his soul with the candor of a child, asking and often in dramatic accents, for light and comfort in those terrible interior trials and in the terrible diabolical assaults. Most humble for all the extraordinary gifts he received from our Lord, such as the phenomenon of ecstasy, bilocation, healing, scrutinizing of hearts he attributed nothing to himself, but attributed everything to God and our Lady. And as for the incomparable gift of the Stigmata, not only did it give him no human complacency, but it was for him a source of "confusion" and he asked for the grace of having those "exterior signs removed, even saying: 'I have to answer for this terrible gift to our Lord'."

Those who well understand the human heart with its tremendous instinct of pride and presumption when achieving grandiose works must greatly admire Padre Pio who took no credit for having built this stupendous shrine of Our Lady of Grace and the providential Home for the Relief of Suffering.

I was sitting near him on that 5 May 1956 when the Home was solemnly inaugurated in the presence of Cardinal Lercaro and a group of high ranking personalities who had come from various parts of the world. He was raised to the heights by chance speeches, the object of universal and immense admiration, overwhelmed with thunderous applause, held up to the veneration of all, honored by the presence and the word of a Cardinal, I saw him with bent head, recollected, indifferent to so much applause and I said to myself: "And this is Padre Pio, humble in the midst of so much glory." And with sincere humility he began his speech: "The Home for the Relief of Suffering is finished. I thank the benefactors from all parts of the world who have co-operated. This is the creature that Providence has created helped by you; I present it to you. Admire it and together with me bless the Lord God.

"A stage of the journey has been accomplished. Let us not stop along the road, let us readily answer God's call for the good cause, each one of us fulfilling our duties: I with the incessant prayer of a useless servant of our Lord Jesus Christ and you with the ardent desire of clasping all suffering humanity to your hearts to present it with me to the mercy of the Heavenly Father. Go ahead then with humility of spirit and your hearts on high."

But perhaps the strongest temptation to human complacency could derive from another significant fact: that of seeing on their knees before him Confessors, Spiritual Fathers, illustrious personalities from every walk of life, Religious, Priests, Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals, famous men from far regions and nations, all eager to receive absolution from him, an enlightened word of consolation and hope. Before the so-called "great ones of the world" he remained indifferent to their homage because he was used to seeing in those who approached him only souls that had to be purified, sanctified and saved.

b) Gentleness

Exemplary, edifying and moving the humility of Padre Pio. Less evident and less constant could appear the other virtue for which the Heart of Jesus is the incomparable model: meekness, gentleness.

This is because some people experienced harsh and hard treatment from him and complained. But it is easy to defend Padre Pio by giving necessary information.

That Jesus who said: "Learn of Me who am meek and humble of heart" and who was infinitely good, patient and gentle with children, the sick and repentant sinners is the same Jesus who angrily drove away the vendors in the temple, whom He called hypocrites, whited sepulchers, brood of vipers the proud scribes and Pharisees and who even said to Peter: "Get behind me, Satan, for thou dost not mind the things of God, but those of men."

Thus the goodness, meekness and gentleness of Padre Pio is not denied by the fact that he reacted strongly against those who approached him just out of curiosity, or who went to confession without a sincere intention of leaving sin aside, or who gave clear signs of fanaticism towards him and who were in need of severe reproof.

Besides, even supposing that losing his temper could appear as a sign of imperfection it is good to read the self accusation he makes of this to his spiritual father who replies: "Don't be upset about those outbursts, although you should never be satisfied with them. If the Lord doesn't give you the grace of inexhaustible and continual gentleness, it is in order to leave you a means to practice holy humility. As a penance, every time you let yourself go, you must show yourself twice as gentle immediately." The docile spiritual son committed himself to possess completely the virtue of gentleness and informs his "very dear Father," about his efforts in writing: "Lady Gentleness seems to be making progress in me, but I myself am not satisfied on this point. However I don't want to lose heart. I have made many promises, dear Father, to Jesus and Mary. I want to acquire this virtue with their help and in return, as well as keeping the other promises. I have also promised to make this the subject of constant meditation and to suggest it continually to others also.

You see, then Father, that I am not indifferent to the practice of this virtue. Help me by your own and other people's prayers."

But on this subject I am happy to renew my testimony today on the meekness and gentleness of Padre Pio's innermost heart as I admired it every time I met him, and not only towards me but even when I presented sinners to him, people far from the faith and even outside the Catholic Church.

I will never forget his smile which was so gentle, amiable, luminous and radiant! A reflection of Jesus' smile with a heart overflowing with love for all humanity and mercy towards every prodigal son.

And I conclude this second point of our meditation saying that in imitating the Heart of Jesus, Padre Pio revealed a sign of the most profound humility when he told the Superior of the friary who showed esteem for him: "My son, you must know that I am the greatest sinner in the world," and he revealed the secret of the gentleness of his heart when he wrote to his Spiritual Father: "Jesus is gentleness and wants to spread it all in my heart."

LOVING REPARATION

Mystical union — Faithful imitation — Loving reparation

Reparation is an essential element of devotion to the Sacred Heart. The reason is obvious: because taking into consideration the love of Jesus which is not appreciated and is insulted — this devotion encourages fervent souls to undertake a generous reparation.

In the Mass of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus we read this prayer: "0 God, you mercifully deign to bestow on us the infinite wealth of your love in the Heart of your Son wounded by our sins; grant, we pray, that by our offering to it the home of our devotion, we may also worthily fulfill our duty of reparation."

Most appropriate, therefore, was the idea of the sculptor of the monumental Way of the Cross, to represent Padre Pio as the Cyrenean at the fourth station. And there is a large biography of Padre Pio entitled Everyone's Cyrenean.

As a matter of fact, Padre Pio turned his whole life into reparation for the ingratitude of so many souls redeemed by the blood of Christ, for the blasphemies and outrages for which his Heart lamented in the great apparition to Saint Margaret Mary. He implored for mercy and pardon for all sinners and for the salvation of all men.

Reparation through prayer, but above all through moral and physical sufferings. Moral, because of the painful events in his life, tormented with all kinds of painful tribulations. Physical, because of illnesses, the exhausting work of hearing confessions and above all for the martyrdom of the stigmata which lasted for a good fifty years. Fifty years with Jesus, at Gethsemane and Calvary, ready to alleviate the sufferings of the Divine Heart, offering himself as a victim of love, of expiation and reparation. In a letter of 20 September 1912 he wrote to his Spiritual Father: "Jesus has shed tears Himself and continues to shed them every day because of man's ingratitude. He chooses souls and despite my unworthiness he has chosen mine also to help him in the tremendous task of man's salvation.

The more these souls suffer without the slightest consolation, the more the sufferings of our good Jesus are alleviated. This is the whole reason why I desire to suffer more and more without the slightest consolation. In this consists all my joy." It is like Saint Paul who exclaims: "I am filled with comfort: I exceedingly abound with joy in all our tribulation" — 2 Cor 7,4.

CONFIDENT INVOCATIONS

In a letter to one of his spiritual daughters of high virtue, Padre Pio wrote: "Do not ever lose heart when the tempest rages; place all your trust in the Heart of the most gentle Jesus. Pray and I might add, devoutly pester the divine Heart."

What he advised the souls he guided along the paths of high spiritual ascents, he was the first to put into practice and more than anyone else lived this intense devotion. When the storms raged in his life which was filled with crosses, and to those who recommended themselves to his prayers, he placed all his hope and all his trust in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The fervent animation and luminous expression of this confidence was the devout daily recitation of a prayer called the "Irresistible Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus." Why irresistible? Because founded on three solemn statements and promises of Jesus in the Gospel. Promises that are unconditional when concerning graces of a spiritual order; and that are conditional for graces of a temporal order if they are in accord with the plans and the will of our Lord for our good in time and in eternity.

Many of you know and recite this Novena, but allow me to read it for those who do not know it, exhorting them to obtain it and recite it every day adding the prayer for the canonization of Padre Pio.

1. O my Jesus, who said: "Truly I say to you, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened for you," behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of…

Our Father (Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.),

Hail Mary (Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.),

Glory be to the Father ( (Doxology) - [Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.] .

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

2. O my Jesus, who said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, He will give it to you," behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of...

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

3. O my Jesus, who said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away," encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of…

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your and our tender Mother.

Say the Hail Holy Queen (Hail, holy queen, mother of mercy! Our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve, to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley, of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus; O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.)

and add:

St Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.

CONVERSING WITH THE PADRE

Mystical union — Faithful imitation — Loving reparation — Confident

Invocation: these were the essential characteristics of Padre Pio's devotion to the Sacred Heart that I have proposed for reflection and I now conclude by talking to the Padre with the confidence I have always had when talking to him at all my personal encounters or when confessing to him or in friendly and amiable conversation.

Beloved Padre Pio, you know that the Holy Father, Paul VI, has recently made a solemn and sublime declaration: "In opposition to the barbarity of hatred we proclaim the Civilization of Love."

There is so much hatred in the world today; between nations, between social classes, between political parties, between men with contrasting interests. And hatred generates violence and death. But we want to be united to the Pope proclaiming the Civilization of Love. I ask you, beloved Padre, from where can we obtain this spirit of love to spread over the world? And your reply is that we must obtain it from where you obtained it, from the Heart of Jesus! Because you were a marvelous authority and announcer of that fraternal love which has its inexhaustible source from the Heart of Christ. Modeled on the Divine Heart, your big heart, as big as the world, has always been full of love for everyone; for repentant sinners, giving them back saving grace — for tepid souls, inflaming them — for fervent souls, guiding them to sanctity — for the sick, building the Home for the Relief of Suffering for them — for the crowds who came from all parts of the world, blessing them with a warm paternal gesture. You really have worked for a Civilization of Love in the world.

We beg you: continue today, tomorrow and always your evangelical mission to save humanity from the explosion of hatred, the ruin of terrorism and the tragedy of war.

Now that you contemplate the Heart of Jesus in all its radiance, now that you are eternally and fully united to Him in that blessed Kingdom "where the boundaries are only of love and light" as Dante says, obtain with your powerful intercession that in the name of Christ, the Civilization of Love spreads, reigns and triumphs in all nations and peoples.

#padre pio

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officialyourdailyinspiration · 7 years

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The Divine Transcendence by Aiden Wilson Tozer

O Lord our Lord, there is none like Thee in heaven above or in the earth beneath. Thine is the greatness and the dignity and the majesty. All that is in the heaven and the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, O God, and Thou art exalted as head over all. Amen

When we speak of God as transcendent, we mean of course that He is exalted far above the created universe, so far above that human thought cannot imagine it. To think accurately about this, however, we must keep in mind that ”far above” does not here refer to physical distance from the earth but to quality of being. We are concerned not with location in space nor with mere altitude, but with life.

God is spirit, and to Him magnitude and distance have no meaning. To us they are useful as analogies and illustrations, so God refers to them constantly when speaking down to our limited understanding. The words of God as found in Isaiah, ”Thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity,” give a distinct impression of altitude, but that is because we who dwell in a world of matter, space, and time tend to think in material terms and can grasp abstract ideas only when they are identified in some way with material things. In its struggle to free itself from the tyranny of the natural world, the human heart must learn to translate upward the language the Spirit uses to instruct us.

It is spirit that gives significance to matter, and apart from spirit nothing has any value at last. A little child strays from a party of sightseers and becomes lost on a mountain, and immediately the whole mental perspective of the members of the party is changed. Rapt admiration for the grandeur of nature gives way to acute distress for the lost child. The group spreads out over the mountainside anxiously calling the child’s name and searching eagerly into every secluded spot where the little one might chance to be hidden.

What brought about this sudden change? The tree-clad mountain is still there towering into the clouds in breath-taking beauty, but no one notices it now. All attention is focused upon the search for a curly-haired little girl not yet two years old and weighing less than thirty pounds. Though so new and so small, she is more precious to parents and friends than all the huge bulk of the vast and ancient mountain they had been admiring a few minutes before. And in their judgment the whole civilized world concurs, for the little girl can love and laugh and speak and pray, and the mountain cannot. It is the child’s quality of being that gives it worth.

Yet we must not compare the being of God with any other as we just now compared the mountain with the child. We must not think of God as highest in an ascending order of beings, starting with the single cell and going on up from the fish to the bird to the animal to man to angel to cherub to God. This would be to grant God eminence, even pre-eminence, but that is not enough; we must grant Him transcendence in the fullest meaning of that word.

Forever God stands apart, in light unapproachable. He is as high above an archangel as above a caterpillar, for the gulf that separates the archangel from the caterpillar is but finite, while the gulf between God and the archangel is infinite. The caterpillar and the archangel, though far removed from each other in the scale of created things, are nevertheless one in that they are alike created. They both belong in the category of that-which-is-not-God and are separated from God by infinitude itself.

Reticence and compulsion forever contend within the heart that would speak of God.

How shall polluted mortals dare To sing Thy glory or Thy grace? Beneath Thy feet we lie afar, And see but shadows of Thy face.

(Isaac Watts)

Yet we console ourselves with the knowledge that it is God Himself who puts it in our hearts to seek Him and makes it possible in some measure to know Him, and He is pleased with even the feeblest effort to make Him known.

If some watcher or holy one who has spent his glad centuries by the sea of fire were to come to earth, how meaningless to him would be the ceaseless chatter of the busy tribes of men. How strange to him and how empty would sound the flat, stale and profitless words heard in the average pulpit from week to week. And were such a one to speak on earth would he not speak of God? Would he not charm and fascinate his hearers with rapturous descriptions of the Godhead? And after hearing him could we ever again consent to listen to anything less than theology, the doctrine of God? Would we not thereafter demand of those who would presume to teach us that they speak to us from the mount of divine vision or remain silent altogether?

When the psalmist saw the transgression of the wicked, his heart told him how it could be. ”There is no fear of God before his eyes,” he explained, and in so saying revealed to us the psychology of sin. When men no longer fear God, they transgress His laws without hesitation. The fear of consequences is not deterrent when the fear of God is gone.

In olden days men of faith were said to ”walk in the fear of God” and to ”serve the Lord with fear.” However intimate their communion with God, however bold their prayers, at the base of their religious life was the conception of God as awesome and dreadful. This idea of God transcendent runs through the whole Bible and gives color and tone to the character of the saints. This fear of God was more than a natural apprehension of danger; it was a nonrational dread, an acute feeling of personal insufficiency in the presence of God the Almighty.

Wherever God appeared to men in Bible times, the results were the same--an overwhelming sense of terror and dismay, a wrenching sensation of sinfulness and guilt. When God spoke, Abram stretched himself upon the ground to listen. When Moses saw the Lord in the burning bush, he hid his face in fear to look upon God. Isaiah’s vision of God wrung from him the cry, ”Woe is me!” and the confession, ”I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips.” Daniel’s encounter with God was probably the most dreadful and wonderful of them all. The prophet lifted up his eyes and saw One whose ”body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.” ”I Daniel alone saw the vision” he afterwards wrote, ”for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground."

These experiences show that a vision of the divine transcendence soon ends all controversy between the man and his God. The fight goes out of the man and he is ready with the conquered Saul to ask meekly, ”Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

Conversely, the self-assurance of modern Christians, the basic levity present in so many of our religious gatherings, the shocking disrespect shown for the Person of God, are evidence enough of deep blindness of heart. Many call themselves by the name of Christ, talk much about God, and pray to Him sometimes, but evidently do not know who He is. ”The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,” but this healing fear is today hardly found among Christian men.

Once in conversation with his friend Eckermann, the poet Goethe turned to thoughts of religion and spoke of the abuse of the divine name. ”People treat it,” he said, ”as if that incomprehensible and most high Being, who is even beyond the reach of thought, were only their equal. Otherwise they would not say ‘the Lord God, the dear God, the good God.’ This expression becomes to them, especially to the clergy, who have it daily in their mouths, a mere phrase, a barren name, to which no thought whatever is attached. If they were impressed by His greatness they would be dumb, and through veneration unwilling to name Him."

Lord of all being, throned afar, Thy glory flames from sun and star; Center and soul of every sphere, Yet to each loving heart how near!

Lord of all life, below, above, Whose light is truth, whose warmth is love, Before Thy ever-blazing throne We ask no luster of our own.

(Oliver Wendell Holmes)

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ucflibrary · 7 years

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Hispanic Heritage Month, established in 1988, runs from September 15 through October 15. It recognizes and celebrates the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans have made to the United States. Florida in particular has a strong Hispanic background including the oldest inhabited city in the U.S., St. Augustine, which was founded in 1565 by the Spanish.

Join the UCF Libraries as we celebrate our favorite Hispanic authors and subjects with these 20 suggestions. Click on the Keep Reading link below to see the full list of books along with their descriptions and catalog links.

PS. The free museum day hosted by the Smithsonian is on Saturday, September 23 this year, and includes admission to the Tampa Bay History Center which is currently featuring Gateways to the Caribbean: Mapping the Florida-Cuba Connection. Get a free ticket to visit here.

For a full list of participating Florida Museums, click here.

Agua Santa = Holy Water by Pat Mora Drawing on oral and lyrical traditions, this book honors the grace and spirit of mothers, daughters, lovers, and goddesses. From a tribute to Frida Kahlo to advice from an Aztec goddess, the poems explore the intimate and sacred spaces of borderlands through many voices: a revolutionary, a domestic worker, a widow. Suggested by Andrew Hackler, Circulation

Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges "The Aleph" is a short story by the Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges. First published in September 1945, it was reprinted in the short story collection, The Aleph and Other Stories, in 1949, and revised by the author in 1974. Suggested by Christina Wray, Digital Learning & Engagement Librarian

Aloud: voices from the Nuyorican Poets Café edited by Miguel Algarín and Bob Holman Compiled by poets who have been at the center of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City, Aloud! showcases the work of the most innovative and accomplished word artists from around America. Suggested by Christina Wray, Digital Learning & Engagement Librarian

Chol (Mayan) folktales: a collection of stories from the modern Maya of Southern Mexico by Nicholas A. Hopkins and J. Kathryn Josserand Chol (Mayan) Folktales deftly combines high-quality and thoughtfully edited transcriptions of oral storytelling with translation and narrative analysis, documenting and analyzing a trove of Chol folklore. The work provides a look into the folktale culture of the contemporary Maya presented with a rare and innovative theoretical framework. The rich Chol oral narrative tradition is represented by eleven stories, each printed in the original language of the storytellers with parallel English translations and accompanied by a brief introduction that provides the relevant cultural and mythological background. Included with eight of the stories is a link to an audio clip of the tale told aloud in the Chol language. In addition, Chol (Mayan) Folktales introduces a model for the analysis of narratives that can be used to demonstrate the existence of a tradition of storytelling applicable to other Maya lore, including Classic period hieroglyphic texts. Suggested by Adriana Neese, Circulation

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende Daughter of Fortune is a sweeping portrait of an era, a story rich in character, history, violence, and compassion. In Eliza, Allende has created one of her most appealing heroines, an adventurous, independent-minded, and highly unconventional young woman who has the courage to reinvent herself and to create her hard-won destiny in a new country. Suggested by Andrew Hackler, Circulation

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muoz Ryan Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico--she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--Mama's life, and her own, depend on it. Suggested by Peggy Nuhn, Regional Campuses

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero Gabi Hernandez chronicles her last year in high school in her diary: college applications, Cindy's pregnancy, Sebastian's coming out, the cute boys, her father's meth habit, and the food she craves. And best of all, the poetry that helps forge her identity. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Subject Librarian

How to Leave Hialeah by Jennine Capó Crucet Coming to us from the predominantly Hispanic working-class neighborhoods of Hialeah, the voices of this steamy section of Miami shout out to us from rowdy all-night funerals and kitchens full of plátanos and croquetas and lechón ribs, from domino tables and cigar factories, glitter-purple Buicks and handed-down Mom Rides, private homes of santeras and fights on front lawns. Calling to us from crowded expressways and canals underneath abandoned overpasses shading a city’s secrets, these voices are the heart of Miami, and in this award-winning collection Jennine Capó Crucet makes them sing. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Subject Librarian

La Perdida by Jessica Abel Jessica Abel’s evocative black–and–white drawings and creative mix of English and Spanish bring Mexico City’s past and present to life, unfurling Carla’s dark history against the legacies of Burroughs and Kahlo. A story about the youthful desire to live an authentic life and the consequences of trusting easy answers, La Perdida–at once grounded in the particulars of life in Mexico and resonantly universal–is a story about finding oneself by getting lost. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

Mexican Phoenix: Our Lady of Guadalupe: image and tradition across five centuries by D.A. Brading In 1999 Pope John Paul II proclaimed Our Lady of Guadalupe a patron saint of the Americas. According to oral tradition and historical documents, in 1531 Mary appeared as a beautiful Aztec princess to Juan Diego, a poor Indian. Speaking to him in his own language, she asked him to tell the bishop her name was La Virgen de Guadalupe and that she wanted a church built on the mountain. During a second visit, the image of the Virgin miraculously appeared on his cape. Through the centuries, the enigmatic power of this image has aroused such fervent devotion in Mexico that it has served as the banner of the rebellion against Spanish rule and, despite skepticism and anticlericalism, still remains a potent symbol of the modern nation. In Mexican Phoenix, David Brading traces the intellectual origins, the sudden efflorescence, and the theology that has sustained the tradition of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Suggested by Adriana Neese, Circulation

Night Prayers by Santiago Gamboa A thrilling literary novel about crime and corruption in Latin America told in alternating voices and perspectives, Night Prayers is the story of Manuel, a Colombian philosophy student arrested in Bangkok and accused of drug trafficking. Unless he enters a guilty plea he will almost certainly be sentenced to death. But it is not his own death that weighs most heavily on him but a tender longing for his sister, Juana, whom he hasn't seen for years. Before he dies he wants nothing more than to be reunited with her. Fans of both Roberto Bolaño and Gabriel García Márquez will find much to admire in this story about the mean streets of Bogotá, the sordid bordellos of Thailand, and a love between siblings that knows no end. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of the Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings translated by Dennis Tedlock Popol Vuh, the Quiché Mayan book of creation, is not only the most important text in the native languages of the Americas, it is also an extraordinary document of the human imagination. It begins with the deeds of Mayan gods in the darkness of a primeval sea and ends with the radiant splendor of the Mayan lords who founded the Quiché kingdom in the Guatemalan highlands. Originally written in Mayan hieroglyphs, it was transcribed into the Roman alphabet in the sixteenth century. This new edition of Dennis Tedlock's unabridged, widely praised translation includes new notes and commentary, newly translated passages, newly deciphered hieroglyphs, and over forty new illustrations. Suggested by Tim Walker, LibTech

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older Sierra Santiago planned an easy summer of making art and hanging out with her friends. But then a corpse crashes their first party. Her stroke-ridden grandfather starts apologizing over and over. And when the murals in her neighborhood begin to weep tears... Well, something more sinister than the usual Brooklyn ruckus is going on. With the help of a fellow artist named Robbie, Sierra discovers shadowshaping, a magic that infuses ancestral spirits into paintings, music, and stories. But someone is killing the shadowshapers one by one. Now Sierra must unravel her family's past, take down the killer in the present, and save the future of shadowshaping for generations to come. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

Stories from Spain = Hisorias de Espana by Genevieve Barlow and William N. Stivers In Stories from Spain/Historias de Espana, we've placed the Spanish and English stories side by side--lado a lado--so you can practice and improve your reading skills in your new language while enjoying the support of your native tongue. This way, you'll avoid the inconvenience of constantly having to look up unfamiliar words and expressions in a dictionary. Read as much as you can understand, and then look to the facing page for help if necessary. As you read, you can check your comprehension by comparing the two versions of the story. You'll also find a bilingual vocabulary list at the end of the book, so you'll have a handy reference for new words. Suggested by Adriana Neese, Circulation

The contemporary Spanish-American novel: Bolaño and after edited by Will H. Corral, Juan E. De Castro, Nicholas Birns The Contemporary Spanish-American Novel provides an accessible introduction to an important World literature. While many of the authors covered―Aira, Bolaño, Castellanos Moya, Vásquez―are gaining an increasing readership in English and are frequently taught, there is sparse criticism in English beyond book reviews. This book provides the guidance necessary for a more sophisticated and contextualized understanding of these authors and their works. Underestimated or unfamiliar Spanish American novels and novelists are introduced through conceptually rigorous essays. Suggested by Adriana Neese, Circulation

The Hispanic Condition: The Power of a People by Ilan Stavans In The Hispanic Condition, Ilan Stavans offers a subtle and insightful meditation on Hispanic society in the United States. A native of Mexico, Stavans has emerged as one of the most distinguished Latin American writers of our time, an award-winning novelist and critic praised by scholars and beloved by readers. In this pioneering psycho-historical profile, he delves into the cultural differences and similarities among the five major Hispanic groups: Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Central and South Americans, and Spaniards. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Acclaimed by critics, beloved by readers of all ages, taught everywhere from inner-city grade schools to universities across the country, and translated all over the world, The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero. Told in a series of vignettes – sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous – it is the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Few other books in our time have touched so many readers. Suggested by Peggy Nuhn, Regional Campuses

The Infinite Plan by Isabel Allende A saga of one man’s search for love and his struggle to come to terms with a childhood of poverty and neglect, The Infinite Plan is Isabel Allende’s first novel to be set in the United States and to portray American characters. Suggested by Andrew Hackler, Circulation

The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel Inspired by the process of creating a library for his fifteenth-century home near the Loire, in France, Alberto Manguel, the acclaimed writer on books and reading, has taken up the subject of libraries. “Libraries,” he says, “have always seemed to me pleasantly mad places, and for as long as I can remember I’ve been seduced by their labyrinthine logic.” In this personal, deliberately unsystematic, and wide-ranging book, he offers a captivating meditation on the meaning of libraries. Suggested by Christina Wray, Digital Learning & Engagement Librarian

The Story of my Teeth by Valeria Luiselli Highway is a late-in-life world traveler, yarn spinner, collector, and legendary auctioneer. His most precious possessions are the teeth of the "notorious infamous" like Plato, Petrarch, and Virginia Woolf. Written in collaboration with the workers at a Jumex juice factory, Teeth is an elegant, witty, exhilarating romp through the industrial suburbs of Mexico City and Luiselli's own literary influences. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

#hispanic heritage month #featured bookshelf #ucf libraries bookshelf #ucf library #booklr

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dfroza · 3 years

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Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for Thursday, december 3 of 2020 with Proverbs 3 and Psalm 3, accompanied by Psalm 73 for the 73rd day of Autumn, and Psalm 38 for day 338 of the year (now with the consummate book of 150 Psalms in its 3rd revolution this year)

[Proverbs 3]

My child, if you truly want a long and satisfying life,

never forget the things that I’ve taught you.

Follow closely every truth that I’ve given you.

Then you will have a full, rewarding life.

Hold on to loyal love and don’t let go,

and be faithful to all that you’ve been taught.

Let your life be shaped by integrity,

with truth written upon your heart.

That’s how you will find favor and understanding

with both God and men—

you will gain the reputation of living life well.

[Wisdom’s Guidance]

Trust in the Lord completely,

and do not rely on your own opinions.

With all your heart rely on him to guide you,

and he will lead you in every decision you make.

Become intimate with him in whatever you do,

and he will lead you wherever you go.

Don’t think for a moment that you know it all,

for wisdom comes when you adore him with undivided devotion

and avoid everything that’s wrong.

Then you will find the healing refreshment

your body and spirit long for.

Glorify God with all your wealth,

honoring him with your very best,

with every increase that comes to you.

Then every dimension of your life will overflow with blessings

from an uncontainable source of inner joy!

[Wisdom’s Correction]

My child, when the Lord God speaks to you,

never take his words lightly,

and never be upset when he corrects you.

For the Father’s discipline comes only

from his passionate love and pleasure for you.

Even when it seems like his correction is harsh,

it’s still better than any father on earth gives to his child.

Those who find true wisdom obtain the tools for understanding,

the proper way to live,

for they will have a fountain of blessing pouring into their lives.

To gain the riches of wisdom is far greater

than gaining the wealth of the world.

As wisdom increases, a great treasure is imparted,

greater than many bars of refined gold.

It is a more valuable commodity than gold and gemstones,

for there is nothing you desire that could compare to her.

Wisdom extends to you long life in one hand

and wealth and promotion in the other.

Out of her mouth flows righteousness,

and her words release both law and mercy.

The ways of wisdom are sweet,

always drawing you into the place of wholeness.

Seeking for her brings the discovery of untold blessings,

for she is the healing tree of life to those who taste her fruits.

[Wisdom’s Blueprints]

The Lord laid the earth’s foundations with wisdom’s blueprints.

By his living-understanding all the universe came into being.

By his divine revelation he broke open

the hidden fountains of the deep,

bringing secret springs to the surface

as the mist of the night dripped down from heaven.

[Wisdom, Our Hiding Place]

My child, never drift off course from these two goals for your life:

to walk in wisdom and to discover discernment.

Don’t ever forget how they empower you.

For they strengthen you inside and out

and inspire you to do what’s right;

you will be energized and refreshed by the healing they bring.

They give you living hope to guide you,

and not one of life’s tests will cause you to stumble.

You will sleep like a baby, safe and sound—

your rest will be sweet and secure.

You will not be subject to terror, for it will not terrify you.

Nor will the disrespectful be able to push you aside,

because God is your confidence in times of crisis,

keeping your heart at rest in every situation.

[Wisdom in Relationships]

Why would you withhold payment on your debt

when you have the ability to pay? Just do it!

When your friend comes to ask you for a favor,

why would you say, “Perhaps tomorrow,”

when you have the money right there in your pocket?

Help him today!

Why would you hold a grudge in your heart

toward your neighbor who lives right next door?

And why would you quarrel with those

who have done nothing wrong to you?

Is that a chip on your shoulder?

Don’t act like those bullies or learn their ways.

Every violent thug is despised by the Lord,

but every tender lover finds friendship with God

and will hear his intimate secrets.

The wicked walk under God’s constant curse,

but godly lovers walk under a stream of his blessing,

for they seek to do what is right.

If you walk with the mockers you will learn to mock,

but God’s grace and favor flow to the meek.

Stubborn fools fill their lives with disgrace,

but glory and honor rest upon the wise.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 3 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 3]

A song of David composed while fleeing from his son Absalom.

Eternal One, my adversaries are many, too many to count.

Now they have taken a stand against me!

Right to my face they say,

“God will not save you!”

[pause]

But You, Eternal One, wrap around me like an impenetrable shield.

You give me glory and lift my eyes up to the heavens.

I lift my voice to You, Eternal One,

and You answer me from Your sacred heights.

[pause]

I lie down at night and fall asleep.

I awake in the morning—healthy, strong, vibrant—because the Eternal supports me.

No longer will I fear my tens of thousands of enemies

who have surrounded me!

Rise up, O Eternal One!

Rescue me, O God!

For You have dealt my enemies a strong blow to the jaw!

You have shattered their teeth! Do so again.

Liberation truly comes from the Eternal.

Let Your blessings shower down upon Your people.

[pause]

The Book of Psalms, Poem 3 (The Voice)

Book Three

[Psalm 73]

A song of Asaph.

Truly God is good to His people, Israel,

to those with pure hearts.

Though I know this is true, I almost lost my footing;

yes, my steps were on slippery ground.

You see, there was a time when I envied arrogant men

and thought, “The wicked look pretty happy to me.”

For they seem to live carefree lives, free of suffering;

their bodies are strong and healthy.

They don’t know trouble as we do;

they are not plagued with problems as the rest of us are.

They’ve got pearls of pride strung around their necks;

they clothe their bodies with violence.

They have so much more than enough.

Their eyes bulge because they are so fat with possessions.

They have more than their hearts could have ever imagined.

There is nothing sacred, and no one is safe.

Vicious sarcasm drips from their lips;

they bully and threaten to crush their enemies.

They even mock God as if He were not above;

their arrogant tongues boast throughout the earth; they feel invincible.

Even God’s people turn and are carried away by them;

they watch and listen, yet find no fault in them.

You will hear them say, “How can the True God possibly know anyway? He’s not even here.

So how can the Most High have any knowledge of what happens here?”

Let me tell you what I know about the wicked:

they are comfortably at rest while their wealth is growing and growing.

Oh, let this not be me! It seems I have scrubbed my heart to keep it clean

and washed my hands in innocence.

And for what? Nothing.

For all day long, I am being punished,

each day awakening to stern chastisement.

If I had said to others these kinds of things about the plight of God’s good people,

then I know I would have betrayed the next generation.

Trying to solve this mystery on my own exhausted me;

I couldn’t bear to look at it any further.

So I took my questions to the True God,

and in His sanctuary I realized something so chilling and final: their lives have a deadly end.

Because You have certainly set the wicked upon a slippery slope,

You’ve set them up to slide to their destruction.

And they won’t see it coming. It will happen so fast:

first, a flash of terror, and then desolation.

It is like a dream from which someone awakes.

You will wake up, Lord, and loathe what has become of them.

You see, my heart overflowed with bitterness and cynicism;

I felt as if someone stabbed me in the back.

But I didn’t know the truth;

I have been acting like a stupid animal toward You.

But look at this: You are still holding my right hand;

You have been all along.

Even though I was angry and hard-hearted, You gave me good advice;

when it’s all over, You will receive me into Your glory.

For all my wanting, I don’t have anyone but You in heaven.

There is nothing on earth that I desire other than You.

I admit how broken I am in body and spirit,

but God is my strength, and He will be mine forever.

It will happen: whoever shuns You will be silenced forever;

You will bring an end to all who refuse to be true to You.

But the closer I am to You, my God, the better because life with You is good.

O Lord, the Eternal, You keep me safe—

I will tell everyone what You have done.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 73 (The Voice)

[Psalm 38]

A song of David for remembering.

O Eternal One, please do not scold me in Your anger;

though Your wrath is just, do not correct me in Your fury.

The arrows from Your bow have penetrated my flesh;

Your hand has come down hard on me.

Because Your anger has infected the depths of my being and stolen my health,

my flesh is ill.

My bones are no longer sound

because of all the sins I have committed.

My guilt has covered me; it’s more than I can handle;

this burden is too heavy for me to carry.

Now sores cover me—infected and putrid sores,

because of all the foolish things I have done.

I am bent down, cowering in fear, prostrate on the ground;

I spend the day in mourning, guilty tears stinging and burning my eyes.

My back aches. I’m full of fever;

my body is no longer whole, no longer well.

I am completely numb, totally spent, hopelessly crushed.

The agitation of my heart makes me groan.

O Lord, You know all my desires;

nothing escapes You; You hear my every moan.

My heart pounds against my chest; my vigor is completely drained;

my eyes were once bright, but now the brightness is all gone.

Even my friends and loved ones turn away when they see this marked man;

those closest to me are no longer close at all.

Those who want me dead lay traps upon my path;

those who desire my downfall threaten—my end is near—

they spend their days plotting against me.

Like one who is deaf, my ears do not hear.

Like one who is mute, my tongue cannot speak.

The truth is this: I am like one who cannot hear;

I cannot even protest against them.

Still I wait expectantly for You, O Eternal One—

knowing You will answer me in some way, O Lord, my True God.

I only asked, “When I stumble on the narrow path,

don’t let them boast or celebrate my failure.”

I am prepared for what may come; my time must be short;

my pain and suffering a constant companion.

I confess, “I have sinned,”

and I regret the wrong I have done.

My enemies are alive and well,

they are powerful and on the increase,

and for no reason, they hate me.

When I do good, my opponents reward me with evil;

though I pursue what is right, they stand against me.

Eternal One, do not leave me to their mercy;

my True God, don’t be far from me when they are near.

I need Your help now—not later.

O Lord, be my Rescuer.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 38 (The Voice)

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