#you might ask me what i was doing at the devil's sacrament and i will just nod | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wetcatspellcaster · 3 months

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Did you see Neil Newbon’s take that Ascended Astarion is the real him free to act on cruelty and violence and the spawn is the one with the mask? Yeesh.

Ooooooh, THAT'S the disk horse that's happening right now!! I knew something was happening (I felt a tremor in the waters) but I had no clue what it was lmao, I don't follow cast stuff.

I will try to respond to this in good faith, but I'm not very good at fandom discourse and so I'm afraid it may not be the answer you want.

I can see why that reading might make people angry, but I dont have strong feelings about it. Obviously, it's not my take on Ascension, but from the beginning I've been very upfront that my take is serving the genre I'm writing in and the ship dynamics I find hot. My Tav is lawful good to an unhealthy extreme, and that was how she was conceived in her Early Access bullying phase. And meanwhile, I wanted to be in a Gothic horror where he's obsessed (morality chains will do that to you) and they beat the shit out of each other. I have to make the Ascendent a monster, for that to work, and for people not to feel guilty every time they enjoy watching him getting stepped on lmao.

But I do feel like there is a morality policing around Astarion's ending that I don't want to partake in. This might seem dumb for me to say, given that my Tav is a veritavle walking moral policeman, but that is bc I fucking love Villain/Heroine ships, so I am literally right there, at the Devil's Sacrament with everyone else.

While I like the good ending and prefer it for many reasons, I would agree with a reading of Newbon's words that it could be read as a mask. This might be bc I mask with the best of them, am doing it right now even as I write and edit this ask 20 times. There's masking as an outright lie, and then there's masking as 'gotta get through day to day life as a functional adult without everyone suddenly deciding they hate me'... I personally think its nice that spawn!Astarion cares about other people, and cares about being a functional member of society at all! It shows he's no longer a lonely outcast.

I could also go deeper (the autism really shining through in this reply) and say it's a mask, in the sense that this has been deemed the 'polite' and morally correct ending, that is acceptable to others and enables the player to feel good about themselves. Which is often a way we derive pleasure from media, and not wrong in and of itself! Making Astarion good makes players feel good - that's not wrong, but if we're comparing endings, we have to acknowledge it. An Ascended Ending doesn't really cater to that impulse... unless the player really likes to be dommed (more power to them).

Unfortunately anon, I can't sit here with my most popular fic being an Ascended!Astarion fic, and pretend that there isn't a bunch of fascination or interest surrounding the Ascended version of his character. People clearly want to explore the implications of his evil ending and indulge in the excess of it, but feel bad doing so. People don't ascend him in-game, but they go to my fic and other people's fic because they want to have some space to enjoy the implications - in the sexiness, in the timeline where Astarion has revenge, in a timeline where he is obsessed with Tav etc. I mean, just look at me, I can't sit through the Ascended scene, but I'm here writing a fic about it!!

The fact that it seems to happen more in fic than in playthroughs tells me, if I was to get super deep in a tumblr ask, that people feel guilt about it. Some kind of mask is being employed, by someone, somewhere, in that mix. So I'm not about to add to any of that kind of policing. It would be pretty disingenuous of me to get my most feedback from an Ascendent fic I am writing, and then judge people for liking Ascendency narratives...

So while I don't have much interest in pretending the evil ending isn't the evil ending, that doesn't sound to me (second hand, through you, with my brain seeing 7 or 8 different implications) to be what Newbon is saying. He's just saying that the Ascendent is the less palatable Astarion to other people and that spawn!Astarion still has some kind of mask or a politeness filter on. Which... yeah. Kinda. In my world, I like that Astarion decides its worthwhile to restrain himself, because he has things to care about potentially ruining. But that's still in many ways employing restraint. People don't just stop masking, they learn to care about what others think in a healthy way. They have friendships, relationships, other ties to the world, that make them want to be something other than a cruel or violent or evil version of themselves. I think that's nice, and far less lonely but um... yeah. I can see Newbon's point, even if I don't want to like, live or die by it.

#i can't do discourse don't make me do discourse I'm sorry if you just wanted me to agree and i ended up making it deep #asks #anons #wip: pieces still stuck in your teeth #i think the morality of both endings is pretty cut and dry #its the 7000 murders for me that makes that clear #but in terms of interpreting Ascended!Astarion i doctored my reading heavily to achieve the story i wanted to tell #i dont consider it canon or anything approaching canon

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evilwickedme · 1 year

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Do you have any good Tim recs? Specifically ones that maintain his canon personality 👀

honestly this is very vague to me but I'm assuming you're mainly looking to avoid the fics that woobify him or flatten him into a coffee fueled anxiety machine. if that's what you're looking for, I gotchu

ship fics

Girl what were YOU doing at the devil's sacrament? is about timber's first date!! so cute, occurs immediately after the whole torture cult thing

Practice Makes Perfect - I know for a fact I've rec'd this one before in an ask maybe a few weeks ago?? this is a fic where tim and ace!bart practice kissing. ends in jaime/bart (I'm sure they have a ship name I just don't know it) and timkon but the timpulse content is actually a really good exploration of their characters imho

friendship as another word for love - this is tagged as minor timber but I'll still put it here. actually this might not be exactly what you're looking for cause my bookmark describes it as "red robin!tim is chaotic af", but honestly I think that's just a description of actual canon

Teenagers Scare The Living Shit Outta Me - okay this might be a crack fic HOWEVER you cannot convince me that everyone around the core four doesn't think there's something hinky going on there. also again not technically a ship fic but I'm still putting it here

Gonna Be A Better One (A Thousand Miles To Your Door) occurs during the time period where Tim quit being Robin (and y'know Steph became Robin instead, but the fic doesn't really deal with that). In this au Kon says fuck that and insists on staying in contact with Tim. great timkon and feels very true to both of them!

time flies by is very emotional for me. I described this in my bookmark as "post n52/rebirth, Tim misses Kon like a phantom limb". that's a good description honestly. I've reread this so many goddamn times actually

batfam fics

Obedience - I'm not the only one obsessed with Ella Enchated AUs, right? right??? anyway this fic is actually so concerned with what is and isn't typical behavior for Tim and also is one of my favorite type of AUs so it's near and dear to me

Exit Strategy breaks my heart - although tbf a lot of these fics do, I definitely read a lot of hurt/comfort. anyway this one is about Tim taking Damian's derision to heart and deciding to leave. The Tim & Damian stuff here is just chef's kiss

The Study of Birds - Tim & Damian bond over birding

Our Common Grave - this is not the only au I've bookmarked focusing on the time Damian cut Tim's line, but the others aren't as focused on Tim, imho, more on the consequences for Damian (or lack thereof, depending on the fic). It's not that I don't like those, I love them even, but obviously they don't fit on a Tim fic rec list. Anyway some quality Tim & Jason stuff here. Ironically even though it's probably my fav batfam dynamic I wouldn't put most of the Tim & Jason stuff I've bookmarked on here, a lot of it is woobified content. not all of it, but a lot of it.

finally, one of my favorites - break. in this au Tim never really joins the batfam and only bruce and alfred ever know his identity. and then he just... stops being a hero. hopeful ending. really good in general, another common reread for me.

hope you enjoyed and let me know if you want any more fic recs!!!

#if I wanted I probably could've made an entire list just of tim & damian fic recs but I don't think that's what you were looking for #unrelated but I have so many truly bizarre batfam fics saved like. just the batfam being unhinged fics #and while I was looking for the tim fics I was accosted by the sheer number of them cause in my mind #there's just the ratman fic and the wayne-kers verse #but no there's like ten of 'em or something at least idk I didn't count #also so hard not to turn this into a timkon fic rec like I skipped over so many good fics cause they didn't fit the prompt 😭#dc #fic recs #timkon #tim drake #timber #batfam #this made me realize I don't have almost any timsteph fics bookmarked I need to get a-reading #gail speaks #ask #anonymous

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amethystina · 7 months

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Spotify Tag Game

I got tagged by @sofapup17! Thank you so much 💜

The game: Put your Spotify On Repeat playlist on shuffle and post the first 10 songs!

Honestly, I'm the worst person to do this x'D I don't use Spotify all that often so right now all songs on my On Repeat list are from the Who Holds the Devil playlist I made. So this turned into less of a "what music do you listen to" and more of a "let me explain why I put these specific songs on my Who Holds the Devil playlist." BUT I guess there might be an audience for that, too?

So let's go, I guess?

___

1. Heroes Rise - Tommee Profitt, Sam Tinnez

Definitely more of a Ga On-focused song what with that whole "hero" thing he's got going on and his attempts to make a change in the world. But there are also definite hints of Yo Han in that whole "heroes never die" aspect. Because while what he did was technically illegal and he's more of an antihero than anything else, he IS definitely still a hero. And what he did will be remembered for a long time to come, if nothing else because it gave rise to new heroes (see what I did there? ;D)

This is just a very good song to convey the overarching plot of heroes and the power they hold — but also the amount of conviction and dedication it requires.

2. I Didn't Ask For This - Beth Crowley

I am OBSESSED with this song right now, specifically in relation to Yo Han. There are parts of this song that hits just right for his character, both in the original drama and Who Holds the Devil. I mean:

Take what's left Of my fractured heart Bloodstained 'cause The pieces are so sharp

*chef's kiss*

But also:

*pterodactyl screech*

3. The Sacrament - HIM

My teenage emo phase coming back to bite me in the ass x'D No, but really, there's just something with this song that vibes with the whole religious themes of The Devil Judge. And the longing, desperation, and reverence of Who Holds the Devil.

Also, I just really, really love that piano. So sue me.

4. Die For You - PENTAGON

This one is pretty self-explanatory, I feel. Very much Ga On at the start of Who Holds the Devil, desperately longing for Yo Han. It also perfectly conveys his recklessness and just how far he'd be willing to go to be forgiven for his mistakes.

5. Dancing's Done - Ava Max

Possibly added during a bit of a YOLO moment, not going to lie xD BUT, there are definitely parts of the lyrics that apply:

I wanna give into your dark temptation I wanna touch you like nobody does, oh People like you and me were born to run So where we going when the dancing's done? (Oh)

Because Ga On sure has hell wants to give in to Yo Han's dark temptation, even if he pretends that he doesn't.

6. A Little Bit Dangerous - CRMNL

Yo Han. Through and through. It also has a bit of the same cheekiness as the original soundtrack, which I like. And, I mean:

Let out of the cage, took my chains away I'm so tough to tame now Look at what you made me Look at what you made me do

7. I Want You To Want Me - Chase Holfelder

Another Yo Han song. Like, if you've read The Gentle Light? You know why this song is here. You know about the desperation and the yearning and the need. So, really, I HAD to put this on the list.

BECAUSE PINING.

8. Let Me Be Your Armor - Assemblage 23

I am SO glad this song made it onto the list because this one actually requires an explanation. It's one that might not make a lot of sense in terms of style (it definitely has a different vibe than the rest) BUT. The lyrics. The LYRICS. Like, babes. Listen to the lyrics. Listen to the lyrics ALL THE WAY THROUGH and then tell me this isn't Yo Han (as he sees himself).

This is a song I've had in my folders for literal YEARS (a friend sent it to me as a mood song for one of my OCs) and the moment I decided to make this playlist, I KNEW this song had to be on it.

9. A Dangerous Thing - AURORA

Honestly, I'm not sure if I need to explain this one all that much. It kind of speaks for itself in a lot of ways. Though I WILL say that while the dangerous thing is Yo Han in most situations, just maybe, there might be times when it's Ga On. Especially in Who Holds the Devil.

(... you'll understand after chapter 37)

10. Addicted - MONSTA X

Look. I know we haven't really gotten to that part yet, but they be horny, okay? Desperate and horny. And very much addicted to each other. What more do you want me to say? xD

(for real, though, MONSTA X sure know how to make desperate and horny songs. Mercy is even worse, in the best way possible).

___

Well, I hope that was fun! Even if it turned into an advertisement for Who Holds the Devil and the attached playlist x'D

As for tagging, I tag @shi-toyu because I know you at least use Spotify ;) And everyone else who wants to do it!

#Who Holds the Devil #Amethystina Does Tag Games #With music this time!#And tbh the only reason I'm doing it is because of this playlist x'D #I actually listen to a lot of music #But not on Spotify or YouTube #Or streaming in general #I'm old school #And the player I use doesn't have a way to record what I've been looping lately #But it's mostly K-pop tbh #So doing it this way was more fun for me #Since it has a bit more variety #Though less metal than necessary to convey my true taste in music xD #Spotify

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circular-bircular · 5 months

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it genuinely is so shocking and confusing how many anons you get telling you to stop doing syscourse like it's a drug you're addicted to.

like. yk the whole 'girl what are YOU doing at the devils sacrament' thing? like buddy what are you doing on a syscourse blog if you're so against syscoursing??? i think you might be projecting and desperately need to take your own advice

anyway

love your stuff, you always have some pretty good commentary and create great discussions!

Thank you for the compliments! I definitely find it ridiculous too. I don’t know why these people bother sending me the asks. 🤷‍♀️

#asks #anon #beauty and poison go hand in hand #syscourse

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is-the-owl-video-cute · 1 year

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I still cant believe you and your wack fans found a twitter account posting gross art that used tags specific to that wack fetish in a way that made it very clear what the art was going to be, then clicked on the blurred image anyway and acted all shocked. You then proceeded to SHARE THE LINK TO THE ART. you were legit like "smh i cant believe this guy would post something so depraved in a public space" despite the fact you exposed a much larger audience to it than the twitter account would have ever gotten. I would have literally never seen any of that shit if your stupid ass didn't post the link. I would have gone my whole life never seeing it because i dont actively search "necrophilic feral art" on twitter.

Im not going to debate the actual ethicality of agro's art, but from your perspective: if you genuinely thought the content was harmful why did you share it???

I wonder if theres a term for this type of blunder. Theres definitely "dead dove: do not open" and "👀girl what were YOU doing at the devil's sacrament" elements at play here, but i wonder if theres a term for when internet people share niche disturbing content only to accomplish exposing the content to a larger audience and not actually do any "justice".

Anon I don’t have a twitter, did not visit his twitter, did not link his twitter, and just reblogged a few screen shots that showed his posts and heavily censored pictures of his art. I explicitly avoided any call out that posted the uncensored versions because I didn’t want anyone to have to actually look at the graphic material themselves.

And I only saw it in the first place because people linked me a call out post made by someone who has me blocked and doesn’t even like my blog lol.

You’re reaching very hard to try to catch me in a “ohoho you MUST have LIKED that stuff or you would’ve never FOUND IT” as though Agro and I didn’t have a previous falling out that made it relevant enough that my followers kept sending me receipts. I don’t know how or why the pit bull blog found all of that. You’d have to ask them, not me, because my answer is that I received some ten asks within an hour about it as soon as the post made by someone I’m not affiliated with was circulating.

Idk, anon. You’re grasping at straws on this one. I have also never gone to twitter and searched “necrophilic feral art”. I doubt the pit bull blog did either, Agro has promoted his nsfw twitter in his main account in the past. I think that just might be a more likely explanation for people finding it and being disturbed by what he posted since they could have followed his main for normal furry and warrior cats art.

#agro carnist

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violet-lazer · 1 year

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Terzo x angel GN reader?? You can do fluff or nsfw.. or angst 😊 soo basically its like where young terzo (mid 20s) is walking through the forest trying to relax but he is on guard bcuz he sensed that someone is following him, when the reader let their guards down expecting that he won’t notice them, Terzo suddenly turns around and catches the reader, he then asks them why they were following him then the reader explains smth like “i was sent to spy on you etc etc” because you know… terzo is trying to spread the word of satanism ☺️ tyy (also i am sorry if there is any spelling mistakes, English isn’t my first language 😅)

Well, you could mark today down as the day you stopped putting your name down for overtime. You suppose it was a little optimistic of you to think you might be handed a nice, easy guard shift at the Gates. Instead, you’ve been saddled with a recon job that sees you traipsing through an unidentified forest in Europe following some small-time Cardinal from the local branch of Satanic Church as he winds his way through the trees at a leisurely pace. You sigh. It’s been fifteen minutes and he hasn’t given the slightest indication that he suspects he’s being pursued. That’s poor situational awareness in action.

Still, you suppose, casting your gaze to the treetops, it is quite nice to look upwards for a change. You’ve not had an Earth-side job for a while, and you did have a certain fondness for humans. Maybe not the one in front of you though. Where is he going? Hm. Probably looking for some poor defenceless animal to slaughter for some unholy sacrament. You suppose that’s a typical Satanist activity. Goat rituals and stuff. Seems messy.

Well, he should get a move on because you're starting to get bored. Management might be concerned about the rise in Satanic activity in this little corner of the globe but at present you can’t say you’re particularly overcome with demonic energy. You sigh a bit louder.

The Cardinal stops. You stop. He turns around.

“You are not very sneaky.”

Ah, shit. Your eyes widen in genuine surprise. In your mind you can see the mission briefing that clearly said “DO NOT ENGAGE” and you can also see your boss rubbing his brow in exasperation. Never mind.

“Excuse me?” you say.

The Cardinal takes a step towards you, regarding you with interest.

“I am saying, you are not very sneaky. Why are you following me?”

You meet his gaze and have a proper look at him. If you had to guess you’d place him as mid-twenties, with a handsome face and confident posture. The black robe suits him quite well, if you’re into that sort of thing. One of his black-rimmed eyes is white. Ah. The Mark. So he’s no mere pretender or half-committed preacher. Chosen by the Devil himself.

He furrows his brow, craning his head to take you in. Those who have been truly touched by Lucifer can sense the presence of the celestial, just as from this distance you can feel the faint prickle of an unholy aura emanating from him. The edge of the pit. Black claws reaching for the back of your neck.

“Oh,” he breathes. “You are from upstairs.”

“Took you long enough,” you bristle. You’re sensing a great deal of interest but a distinct lack of awe. If you’re going to botch the job you may as well terrify a mortal, but things aren’t looking particularly good on that front either.

“I wasn’t sure, but-” he’s approaching you, pausing mere steps away, eyes wandering over you- “I can smell the self-righteousness on you.”

You fold your arms. This is not the way this encounter should be progressing.

“You could have the decency to sound a bit awed,” you say. “I want to make sure you know what’s happening here- you’re talking to an angel.”

It’s considered a bit of a faux pas to let on that you’re an otherworldly being in casual conversation with mortals, even those marked by the Devil, but this man’s absolute lack of intimidation is annoying the piss out of you.

“Mm,” he says, still looking you over. “Where are your wings?”

Lord above.

“Considering I’m supposed to be passing as a human, I would be a bit shit at my job if I had my wings out,” you say. Your patience is gone. Now, you could cast off your glamour, do the dramatic wing reveal that’s been frightening mortals the world over since the olden times, but you don’t want to give him the satisfaction of getting what he’s asked for.

The Cardinal tilts his head, narrowing his eyes at you.

“Are you allowed to swear?”

You squint at him. “Yes. We’re allowed to swear.” “Fascinating. Well, it seems you are shit at your job regardless, as I have rumbled you. Why are you following me? Have I caught the attention of someone up on high?” “That’s none of your business.” He laughs. “Are you trying to recruit me?”

It’s your turn to scoff. You shake your head. “No, I think you might be a bit too far gone. Sorry.”

“That is a shame. Well…”

Leaning towards you, he fixes you with an inquisitive gaze, white eye boring into yours. “Are you interested in being corrupted?”

The forest around you seems to still as you become increasingly aware of your own heartbeat, birdsong and the breeze dimming to unimportant background instruments. This definitely isn’t supposed to happen. But you feel no pressure from the man in front of you as he awaits your answer, only genuine curiosity. An honest offer. Quite the question to drop on someone, though. Lots to unpack. Yes, yes, being born into a life of celestial servitude to the holy higher-ups wasn’t all it was cracked up to be sometimes. True, it was a bit tiring dispensing righteous justice according to a notoriously inflexible set of parameters with little room for nuance. And yeah, some of the more senior angels were really up themselves. But still, forsaking the Holy Father and throwing your lot in with the Satanists might be a bridge too far.

…To be fair, if you fuck the unholy priest you’re supposed to be watching from a safe distance they’d probably stop giving you recon jobs. Hmm.

You take a moment to gather yourself. “I’ll pass. Thanks for the offer though.”

The Cardinal leans back and shakes his head lightly. “Ah. Thought I had you there.”

“Almost,” you joke. You joke.

“Pity.” With one hand, he sweeps his hair out of his face. It’s an irritatingly confident motion. “Well,” he says, “I am content to let you follow me for a while longer. But don’t watch me from behind for too long, you’ll fall in love.”

He raises his eyebrows suggestively. You’re not going to dignify him with a response. This job was over. Go home and receive your evisceration from your boss. Don’t think about your own hammering heartbeat and the Cardinal’s blazing eyes on you. Are you interested in being corrupted? Are you interested in being corrupted?

At your lack of response, he hums and turns to leave with a wry smile. You watch him go; your arms folded, legs steady, mind racing. He looks back over his shoulder.

"My name is Terzo. If you change your mind, you know where I am, yes? I think a little sin would suit you."

#chloe's anon hour #the band ghost fanfiction #terzo x reader #this was fun thank you anon!#terzo

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the-hem · 10 months

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Jesus and the Basin. From John 13: 1-17.

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

This means the Disciples were enslaved as was the entire world, and all were reconsidering their position. This is what is meant by the Erev Pesach, "the Trick", or "the night before the predator comes, when the predator prepares to ambush his prey.

In the Torah, this meant God was preparing to revenge himself upon the slavers of the Israelites, the Egyptians ,and murder their children, preventing them from spreading the idea of slavery outside of Egypt ever again.

In the Gospel it is Judas "who is worthy of praise" preparing to sell Jesus into slavery to the Romans:

2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, "Who is worthy of praise, listens, but not all the time..." to betray Jesus.

3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

When Jesus takes off his outer clothes and puts on his "prayer towel" or Tallit Tekhelit, and it was very probably blue in color, like the Mediterranean, which means "to gaze and see one's greatness."

So under the outerwear of the Christ is His natural nakedness which is closed secretly by the Blue of the Tallit Tekhelit. This might seem bold but Jesus knew who He was and He would have worn an undergarment appropriate for His Exulted Position.

Read on:

Tekhelet: The Mystery of the Blue Thread

In ancient times, the tallit would have two kinds of threads attached to the corners, white wool (or whatever the garment was made of) and blue wool. This blue wool, known as tekhelet, was the hallmark of nobility, and in line with the tallit’s purpose of reminding the Jew that he is a member of G‑d’s “kingdom of priests.”

The unique blue dye was made from a byproduct of a sea creature known as the chilazon, which lives in the Mediterranean Sea. However, during the Talmudic era, as the center of Jewish life shifted away from the Mediterranean Sea, and tekhelet was heavily taxed or even outlawed, it became rarer and rarer, and eventually disappeared entirely from the tallit.

After the performance of Sacrament, like Aaron, another High Priest of Israel, Jesus dresses in his "regular clothes" once again, and tells the disciples to follow suit [=transfiguration.]

From Acherai Mot:

23 “Then Aaron is to go into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. 24 He shall bathe himself with water in the sanctuary area and put on his regular garments.

The fact this section of the Gospel of John discusses water and the washing of the feet makes me sure Jesus wore a blue and white towel.

Then,

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”

11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.

A man with bare feet is as vulnerable as it gets, to be vulnerable on purpose in order to accept what one does not yet understand is a sign of Discipleship:

“The world beneath our feet is always filled with small stones and debris. When we wear shoes, we easily walk upon all sorts of small things which stand in our way; in fact we barely notice them.

But, when we walk barefoot, we feel every single stone and pebble, every kotz vedardar, every thorn and every thistle, every last rock hurts us.

And this then is the hinted meaning of the text: To Moses, the preeminent leader of the people Israel, God said: “Shal na’alekha” “take off your shoes,” meaning, the leader of each and every generation needs to be aware of every barrier, every experience of suffering that is placed upon the way.

A leader must feel the pain of the people, and must be sensitive to their every suffering.”

This is the meaning of true leadership; understanding the power that comes when we walk barefoot through our lives. When, instead of ignoring the pain and suffering of others that abounds, we make ourselves vulnerable to it.

When, instead of choosing a life of padding and cushion, we understand that we were meant to feel every rock and every pebble, every thorn and every thistle of the ground beneath our feet.

Jesus went on to say:

13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.

15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus was preparing His Disciples to walk on water, to transfigure. Only one who understands the importance of the contact of bareness of soles of the feet with the surface of the water will transfigure.

Adam and eve wore fig leaves, which were the product of desperation to hide their shame. Jesus was of course shameless and wore a fine towel. Adam and Eve were terrified of learning from God, as were the Disciples of learning from Jesus, but He was born to lead them out of this body onto the water into intimate contact with His Secret Self.

The Basin is the mind, it is the sea of chaos God created in order to begin a stepwise process that resulted in us and all the confusing things we do. To clarify the confusion first He broke through the Rock, the hard head of the ego called Peter and got Him to surrender his feet. To teach him and the rest of their greatness to come.

Alas, poor Judas left his loyalties exactly where he left them when he entered the room, with all the popular opinions Jesus was trying to combat. One, pertained to slavery:

What was life like for the enslaved?

Under Roman law, enslaved people had no personal rights and were regarded as the property of their masters. They could be bought, sold, and mistreated at will and were unable to own property, enter into a contract, or legally marry.

Most of what we know today comes from texts written by masters. These authors had little interest in describing servants' daily lives and they only present us with polarised depictions of enslaved individuals. They are presented either as stereotypical 'good slaves' or, more commonly, as 'bad', 'disloyal', 'lazy' and deceitful people. Despite the text's elite bias, we get a sense of how differently people could be treated, often based on their occupations and skills.

Some of the worst working conditions were those in mines or quarries. Enslaved people were forced to work with no respite, in deep, dark and narrow tunnels. The work was both physically demanding and dangerous, with the tunnels risking collapse. Describing the harrowing working conditions in Spanish mines, the historian Diodorus Siculus wrote in 1st century BC:

… the slaves who are engaged in the working of [the mines] produce for their masters' revenues in sums defying belief, but they themselves wear out their bodies both by day and by night in the diggings under the earth, dying in large numbers because of the exceptional hardships they endure. For no respite or pause is granted them in their labours, but compelled beneath blows of the overseers to endure the severity of their plight, they throw away their lives in this wretched manner […]; indeed death in their eyes is more to be desired than life, because of the magnitude of the hardships they must bear.

The Gospel of John was published circa 100-104 CE just after the Revelation of Saint John in 95-96 CE which concludes humanity, one and all will evolve into Christs and leave the rigors of the ancient uncivilized world behind, especially slavery. This section of the Gospel of John has strong hints about how this might happen.

The God of Israel, as creative as He is, remains dumbfounded as to how to get the world to stop listening to itself regarding the taking of slaves, to finally get us to walk away from the practice.

As we know, shorly after that last Passover celebration, public opinoin, AKA Judas Simon Ben Iscariot betrayed Jesus once again and it never really changed its mind after that.

The lesson behind Jesus and the Basin is there is still time and many ways we can make this place habitable for God and everyone who wants to know and serve Him.

The things Jesus asked us to do to compel society to keep the Law for this purpose are not popular all the time in all places, but that is why He said they are the Law; to be kept as a duty to Him, completly unsubject to opinions or changing times.

By washing our feet, the Lord rinses away any impure attitude about going where He says to go and the work that needs to be done in His Wake.

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midnightsslut · 3 years

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Can you tell us more about your concept of the lover trilogy made up of false god/afterglow/me? Would love to read a proper analysis with all the connections, similar themes etc + obvs your thoughts x

Hey! First of all, thank you for being interested in my lyric analysis omg that’s very flattering!! This is actually my first ask lol.

This got super long, by the way, so I’m adding a cut.

Anyway, let’s get to it. First, let’s talk about the structure of Lover’s tracklist, because that’s part of the reason why I consider False God, Afterglow, and ME! to be a trilogy of sorts, all foreshadowed by The Archer. From the first time I heard the album, I’ve always thought that Lover can be divided into a few main parts. The first five tracks serve as a primer for what’s to come. Taylor is also careful not to have too many bops or too many emotional ballads together. We get the dark, desperate, escapism-themed Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince between happy love songs like I Think He Knows and Paper Rings. The emotional core, however, lies in the second half. Cornelia Street acts as a bridge between the carefree songs and the more vulnerable ones, since there is a mix of tenderness and a fear of losing what she has.

This trilogy in particular is foreshadowed by The Archer, which discusses Taylor’s anxieties that stem from her past relationship (something she described as ‘phantom tragedy’ in her Live Lounge interview iirc). She has ‘a hundred thrown-out speeches’ ready for him, but she’s still ‘searching for a dark side’ on purpose, which runs the risk of ruining their honeymoon phase. Again, that risk is reflected on Cornelia Street, but that’s still a very romantic ballad about ‘sacred new beginnings.’

Taylor’s fears reach a new peak on Death By a Thousand Cuts. Once again, she’s ‘looking through the windows of this love,’ even though they ‘boarded them up’; in other words, they said they wouldn’t question the relationship in the same way you don’t question your god in the religion that her love has turned into (see: ‘sacred new beginnings that became my religion’ in Cornelia Street), yet here she is.

The False God trilogy is placed at the end of the album because it offers a resolution to this conflict. First, we get False God, where Taylor essentially announces that the honeymoon phase has come to a close. She has finally found the dark side she’s searching for (‘I can’t talk to you when you’re like this’). She’s no longer keeping her thrown-out speeches to herself; she’s daring him to leave her outright. Just three tracks earlier, she says she’s dying by a thousand cuts, but she flips that theme on its head and names the notion of dying for him as one of the things they were crazy for thinking. These doubts harken back to Cruel Summer. However, they also bring the story full circle; just as the then-friends with benefits stuck with each other through physical intimacy when they couldn’t confess their emotions, they are still hanging on, as if by a thread, because ‘they might just get away with it’ if they turn sex into their object of worship (‘the altar is my hips’). Cruel Summer’s theme of both angels and devils being involved makes a return as well, as the lovers end up in Heaven and Hell by turns. Whenever they do confess their sins, they use the sacramental wine to get drunk, have sex again… and refuse to actually address their issues, because neither of them can talk to the other ‘when [they’re] like this.’ When they have nothing left, their intimacy, the same thing that first brought them together, is ultimately what keeps them together. False God is ultimately more hopeful than Death By a Thousand Cuts, however, because Taylor is still adamant to hold onto her faith ‘even if it’s a false god.’ It doesn’t matter if their religion is a hoax. As long as they can stay together, she’ll keep worshiping. The title of the song is therefore a bait-and-switch à la peace and happiness.

After the bop buffer (lol) of You Need to Calm Down, we get back to this story with Afterglow as Track 15. The theme of sticking together through sex is affirmed by the title of the song, which basically refers to the period after an orgasm. That’s another, albeit partial bait-and-switch, however, because Afterglow involves Taylor finally admitting that she’s at fault. She did beg for forgiveness in False God, but she followed it up with daring him to leave her in the next pre-chorus (this cyclical nature of their fights resurfaces here, as she says she either ‘punished him with silence’ or ‘went off like sirens’). Here, all she does is ask him not to walk away (whereas she was literally threatening to do so herself two tracks earlier). The morning after a fight, Taylor suddenly realizes this relationship is worth it. This ‘ultraviolet morning light’ is the turning point in their relationship, for Taylor is now resolved to make things right with him again instead of patching things up temporarily. All she wants now is to share the light of her newfound insight with him… or, in other words, to meet him in the afterglow.

Despite its blissful title, Afterglow is still anxious, because she doesn’t yet know if he’s also decided to stay with her. Meanwhile, ME! is absolutely mutual (again, note the title vs the theme here lol), which is why it’s a duet. They now look at the flipside of all their troubles. She might have gone off like sirens/gone psycho on the phone, but that same fiery nature of hers causes her to be his summer. His nonchalant nature might have been the cause of her despair in Cruel Summer, but that same unpredictability is also the reason why he ‘will never bore her.’ ME! is all about them embracing all their flaws and declaring that their relationship is one of a kind and worthwhile because of them. This triumphant acceptance (as evidenced by the literal marching band she used for its debut performance) is a bookend to the self-loathing in The Archer and all the doubt scattered throughout the record.

The album ends with a short, calm summary of the whole story in It’s Nice to Have a Friend. On the album’s closer, Taylor finally puts all this turmoil, which stems from external (‘I trusted the wicked’)—something her relationship helped her through—and internal factors (‘I wounded the good’/‘maybe I’ve stormed out of every single room in this town’), behind her to step into the daylight. A frequently overlooked part of the song is the plural in ‘threw out our cloaks and our daggers because it’s morning now,’ which indicates that he is also stepping into the daylight with her. Without the aforementioned trilogy, including the blind faith in False God, the watershed moment of epiphany in Afterglow, and the declaration of self-acceptance in ME!, none of this would have been possible.

#lover #Taylor Swift #lyric analysis #false god #me #daylight #afterglow #dbatc #death by a thousand cuts #lyrics #analysis #cornelia street #miss Americana

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pate-de-rolo · 3 years

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Bridgerton Episode 5 thoughts

1) mama bridgerton is a positive force that would best simons ass if she knew how mean he was to Daphne

1.2) the hangover but was really funny ngl

2) Friederich is honestly a nice guy. A himbo for Cressida to work like a puppet. I love it

3) he’s DRUNK

3.1) lady Danbury is going to hit someone with her cane and I hope it’s Simon. Also I feel like Will?/boxing buddies wife will be so, so disappointed in him when she heard about this. Like “make your own damn dinner if you want to act like that” and she’s right

3.2) the hand snatch OOP

4) the dressmaker has the best energy

5) Penelope is scheming. Lady Featherington is an old bag

6) Daphne pulled a “and what were YOU doing at the devils sacrament, Cressida?” And it went wrong in 6 ways

7) THE ARTIST LIKES MEN

7.1) please let the middle brother be nice please let him be nice please let him be no

7.2) implied three-way with the dressmaker and some random lady????? Now that is a scandal

8) Marina is so badass. Like, seducing the Bridgerton brother? Amazing.

9) Rose deserves a livable wage (y’all know anything she might be getting paid is getting eaten up by room and board)

10) I’m sorry but I don’t like any of the costumes except for Daphnes revenge dress and even that is mostly for the feather fan.

11) Penelope’s crush/friendship with Colin Bridgerton hurts my heart.

11.1) poor Colin Bridgerton is such a sweet boy, he deserves so much better than a sham/shotgun wedding

12) THEYRE SWINGERS OHMYGOD. Two lgbtq+ folks being swingers. I love it. They’re living the best life. That’s the happy ending, the middle brother gets invited to be in their slutty swinger circle and never has to worry about responsibility. That’s it. That’s the show.

12.1) I choose to believe that the wife absolutely told her swinger-artist husband about the implied artist wife-dressmaker-Bridgerton three way, and that Mr Artist approached him at the party only to see his expression when he realized “oh, it appears I’ve fucked his wife”

13) opposite “and there was only one bed” energy

13.1) opening the door to see the other person was just about to come in is such a good trope/cliche I love it sm

13.2) “I am yours, Daphne. I have always been yours.” FUCK that’s good.

13.3) no but if either of them have an ounce of sense they’d realize how much they love each other

13.4) ever since seeing how they filmed that sex scene in lucifer I have so much sympathy for actors that have to film anything beyond holding hands.

13.5) we love the asking for consent :) 10/10 !

13.6) I really hate how Daphne is like completely oblivious to sex being a thing. Like I understand it might be semi-realistic (??) but like, it’s kinda weird. Idk. Not the choice I would have made.

13.7) I also hate how shows always have the woman nakey first/most nakey. (I’ve heard (?) Bridgerton is better) but it’s just icky to me

13.8) this is too scandalous. I’m getting second hand embarrassment for the actors. Jesus Christ.

#Bridgerton #bridgerton episode 5 #bridgerton e5 #Regé-Jean Page #Phoebe Dynevor #Kathryn Drysdale #bridgerton spoilers

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troybeecham · 3 years

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Today begins the Triduum, the three days leading up to the Sunday of the Resurrection. The Triduum begins with Maundy Thursday.

The Gospel reading and a reflection:

John 13:1-17, 31b-35 (NRSV) “Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.” After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Today’s and yesterday’s readings do an odd thing: yesterdays reading was taken right out of the middle of today’s. It can make it feel like two separate events, when I’m fact it was only one. Taking the story of the betrayal of Judas out as a single event does make a certain narrative sense, making it stand out as the heinous act it was. But it loses something, too, of the impact because it is easy to forget that he left just before Jesus washes his disciples feet, as he does in today’s reading.

The scene is very intimate. It is also filled with irony. Only Jesus and Judas know what will happen next: the arrest and trial of Jesus. The eleven are still basking in the hazy reverie of men thinking that they are soon to become powerful figures in the coming kingdom. And they are, just not in the manner they imagine. They will begin to become great in the kingdom over the following decades as they themselves learn to carry their own crosses as the missionaries of the Gospel, each of them dying as a martyr, just as Jesus died.

Though they still do not understand the importance of it, Jesus is preparing his followers for his death by equipping them with the one tool, the one attitude, the one spiritual path that will enable them to endure what is to come: a spirit of loving humility, of emptying oneself for the sake of others. It took the Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit before any of them began to understand. The same is true for us, as well.

In that culture, servants usually washed the feet of guests before a meal; but here, it is Jesus, the Son of God, who does so and he does it “during supper”. Peter is scandalized by it. How could the man about to lead an armed revolt and be declared king act like a servant or slave!?! Peter remonstrates him.

Imagine that, telling the Lord of creation that he’s doing it all wrong! How often do we do that, my friends, telling God who he must be rather than listening for God to tell us who we are? Jesus answers: only if I wash your feet can you “share” with me in the Kingdom. Still thinking in earthly terms, Peter wants more than a little bit of the kingdom! “If washing my feet means I get a little, wash my whole body because I want it all!” Back in Matthew 20:21-23, Jesus asked if his disciples could drink from his cup in much the same manner, and they pridefully boast “Yes!” because they think of earthly power and glory. And they will all of them eventually drink from his cup, the cup he asks his Father if it can be done another way.

With Jesus, we must always answer “Not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus attempts again to explain. As he, “Lord and Teacher” has been a servant to them, so each one of the disciples is to be a servant to every other; they are to follow his “example”. God is glorified by the revelation in Jesus of God’s servanthood and humility. Jesus is now on the path to the cross. He gives them “a new commandment” (from which is derived the word Maundy – short for commandment): Jesus is his follower’s example of how to love. This mutual love will show who truly are his disciples. May his love so dwell in us that others might see Jesus. It is after this that Jesus institutes the Holy Eucharist, the Most Blessed Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Jesus, our Servant Savior gives us his all, his everything, his flesh and blood even as he washes our feet.

Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

#christianity #jesus #god #salvation #Maundy Thursday #Holy Week #father troy beecham #troy beecham episcopal #father troy beecham episcopal

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pamphletstoinspire · 3 years

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Sexagesima Sunday - February 7, 2021 - Latin Calendar

The second Sunday of the Septuagesima season is known as “Sexagesima, which means “sixty”. Sexagesima Sunday comes roughly sixty days before Easter. Throughout this short Season and that of Lent (next Season) you will notice a deepening sense of penance and somberness, culminating in Passiontide (the last two weeks of Lent), that will suddenly and joyously end at the Vigil of Easter on Holy Saturday when the alleluia returns and Christ’s Body is restored and glorified.

Sermon for Children’s Mass: Sexagesima Sunday

by Fr. Raphael Frassinetti, 1900

Gospel. Luke viii. 4 – 15. At that time: When a very great multitude was gathered together and hastened out of the cities unto him, he spoke by a similitude: The sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside and was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And other some fell upon a rock: and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And other some fell among thorns, and the thorns growing up with it, choked it. And other some fell upon good ground: and being sprung up, yielded fruit a hundred fold. Saying these things, he cried out: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him what this parable might be. To whom he said: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. And they by the wayside, are they that hear: then the devil cometh, and taketh the word out of their heart, lest believing they should be saved. Now they upon the rock, are they who when they hear, receive the word with joy: and these have no roots: for they believe for a while, and in time of temptation, they fall away. And that which fell among thorns, are they who have heard, and going their way, are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and yield no fruit. But that on the good ground: are they who in a good and very good heart, hearing the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit in patience.

THE SEED OF THE WORD OF GOD THAT FALLS BY THE WAYSIDE, ON THE ROCKS, AMONG THORNS, OR UPON GOOD GROUND

It is hardly necessary to explain this Gospel, for Our Lord Himself gave the explanation of it by His own mouth. Let me ask you what kind of hearts you possess, what good do you derive from the frequent hearing of the word of God? Let me ask you if the ground is hard and trodden down where the seed falls; is it at once carried away by the devil, or is it rocky soil where it cannot take root? You hear the word of God, but does it grow up within you? Do you become more pious, more attentive, and reverent in God’s house? You hear the word of God, but do you observe the feasts of the Church with more devotion; do you go more frequently to the sacraments? You hear the word of God, but do you avoid bad companions, who lead you into sin? You hear the word of God, but do you give good example to your companions; or are you not, by your bad deeds and your wicked words, a rock of scandal to those who come near you?

Too often it happens that those who have all the advantages of good advice and example are still wicked themselves and make others so. This is a great source of sorrow to the priest who sows the seed of God with such assiduity, with much labor and solicitude. “Give an occasion to a wise man, and wisdom shall be added to him. Teach a just man, and he shall make haste to receive it.” But it is not so with the bad, who wish to continue in their evil ways; you may preach to them in vain, you may pray for them with many groans and tears; all is useless. You may represent to them the enormity of their sins, the scandal they are giving, and the imminent danger of eternal perdition in which they live, but all is in vain. You will not be able to make them say their prayers morning and night, they will not go to confession, they will not even say a Hail Mary in the day. If you tell them they should pray in temptation, that they should call on Jesus and Mary, they only laugh at you.

Heavenly wisdom will not enter a wicked soul, the hearts of such become harder and more obstinate, they are disgusted with the word of God. Is the number of these few, do you think? No, indeed. Go to church on Sundays and holydays; you will see that what I say is true. The streets, the public places, the saloons, are full of people, but few are found in the churches. This is the greatest punishment that God can send us, to let us go on in this disgust of His holy word. You should not belong to this class. You have religious training enough to know better. Do not imitate so many who never give themselves time to hear the word of God, though they have time enough to go to bad places and to immoral plays where the soul is ruined. Never do the like; remember that those who do not like to hear the word of God, have already the mark of damnation on their foreheads. Listen then gladly, for it will be your salvation. St. Bernard says that there is no surer sign of eternal damnation than to despise the word of God. Yes, my good young people, put aside all fear of hell provided you keep in your hearts the love of the word of God.

Here is a beautiful example of the holy virgin Scholastica which is found in the breviary. This holy virgin consecrated herself to God from her earliest childhood. Nothing delighted her more than to hear of God, or to speak of Him to others. At one time, as was her custom every year, she went to visit her saintly brother Benedict, who came out of his monastery to meet her, for women were not allowed within the men’s cloister. They had their supper together in the evening, after having passed the day in conversation about God. When Scholastica saw that the hour was getting late, she said to her brother: “You might do me the favor of staying with me overnight, that we may talk of the goodness of God, for it is now a late hour.” He answered, “I cannot do this, my sister; it is not allowed for a monk to remain outside of his cell during the night.” When Scholastica had heard this she was grieved, but she buried her face in her hands and began to pray. All at once a terrible storm broke out, with thunder and lightning, and the rain fell in torrents. St. Benedict knew that his sister had prayed for this. “What have you done, sister dear? You have prayed to keep me out of the monastery. May God forgive you.” The holy virgin with a bright smile answered: “I asked you to stay, but you would not listen; I asked my God, and no sooner had I made the petition than He listened to me. The sky, as you saw, was clear, but no sooner did I pray than the storm broke out.” St. Benedict was obliged to remain in the company of his sister, and spent the remainder of the night in prayer and pious reading. In the morning St. Benedict went back to his monastery and Scholastica returned to her home. Three days after, the holy monk raising his eyes, saw the spirit of his sister carried to heaven by the angels with great joy and festive song.

You, O good youth, who like to talk of God, console yourselves for the pretended loss of much pleasure in the conversations of the world, for you are of the number of the elect. They who are of God hear the word of God.

Let me beg of you, since it is in your power, to be always the good soil which receives gladly the seed of the word of God and so yields a hundred-fold. Let us not grow tired in doing good. Many young people indeed begin well; they are good, obedient, and respectful to grown people; they have faith; they love the Church and the sacraments, but when they grow older somehow they lose their piety. We find them in bad company, idle, beginning to drink, hangers-on at pool-rooms and gambling-places, and they avoid going to church. They go from bad to worse until they are ready for any deed of wickedness.

O, indeed, young men, if you did well you would have joy in this life, you would have the peace of God about you, that peace which the world cannot give, that peace which surpasseth all understanding. What great consolation will you feel at the hour of death when you shall see reserved for your glory and collected for your benefit all the good you have done in this life! The wicked will go to their graves with great show and pomp, but they are indeed poor before the throne of God, who rejects them, and sends them into exterior darkness. But to the good youth He will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord,” and then He will show him His beautiful home where He is to reign with God for all eternity.

#sexagesima sunday

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queen-of-deans-booty · 4 years

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99 Problems: Part One

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 1,846

Warnings: typical supernatural violence, language, angst, blood, you know the usual

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Any and all comments on these are appreciated. I really want to hear what you guys think about this one!

Feedback is the glue that holds my writing together.

Tags at the bottom

The wound on your side keeps bleeding no matter how much magic you use. Sam’s injuries are minor, Dean just barely got away, but you got the worst of it. After all, you’re the reason why you three are in this mess to begin with. Blood covers your left hand as it puts pressure on the wound, and your right focuses the magic to work within you. Blue magic strings from your fingertips and into the wound, and you watch as it slowly closes. You would tend to the brothers’ wounds, but yours is more pressing. Dean races down the street without looking back in fear the demons are right behind him.

“Drive faster, Dean,” you grunt.

“I can’t! Are you both okay?”

“Yeah, I’m amazing,” Sam grits.

“I’ll be fine. Why the hell were there so many demons? You two ever see that many?”

“No way, not in one place,” Sam shakes his head.

Even though the surface of your wound is sealed, you know there could be internal damage which is why you keep siphoning magic into it.

“What the hell?” Dean mutters.

“Sam, come here. Let me fix you,” you offer and scoot closer to the younger Winchester.

Sam takes his hand away from his bloody shoulder, and you reach out to touch it when Dean slams on his brakes. You were about to tear him a new one when you saw the barricade up ahead. It is up in flames, covering the entire stretch of road which means there is no possible way for you three to get around it. Someone had either did this deliberately or it was a freak accident, but there has to be another way around it. Dean starts to back up the car when the windows shatter.

Demons from all sides of the car break the windows to try and grab it the three of you. Dean is prepared for this just about as much as you and Sam are, which isn’t really a lot. They try and grab whatever they can manage, and just start pulling. A demon reaches into the car, but you throw small balls of magic at him to get him to back off. The impact makes him wince in pain, and you keep trying to hold them off. You’ve learned a lot about your powers ever since you found out you were pregnant. You can do a lot more with the energy that’s been sitting inside of you.

Yes, you plan on telling Dean, but now is not the right time for it. It’s not fair you’ve been keeping this secret from him, and it’s time you step up and take responsibility for your actions. Before the demons could do anymore damage, about half a dozen men and women show up in a big vehicle with fire truck hoses. The main leader start spraying the demons with water, but when you see their skin start to sizzle, you know it’s holy water. Where did these guys come from? How do they know about demons? You don’t recognize them as hunters, so who are they?

The demon screams in pain as they release you and the brothers and move away to try and get to safety. The main leaders starts to perform an exorcism in Enochian, and now you’re curious as hell. Where did they learn the language? Who are these people? You get out of the car just as the demons fall to the ground. Black smoke pours out of their mouths and disappears into the air.

“Well that’s something you don’t see every day,” Dean chuckles.

“You three alright?”

“Peachy.”

“Be careful, it’s dangerous out there,” he warns.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second,” you interrupted and got out of the vehicle.

“No need to thank us.”

“No, hold up a second! Who are you?”

“I’m Rob. We’re the Sacrament Lutheran Militia.”

“I’m sorry—the what?” Dean inquires.

“I hate to tell you this, but those were demons and this is the Apocalypse. So… buckle up.”

“Yeah, we know. We’re hunters.”

“Prove it,” Rob scoffs.

You take a quick look at Dean, and he rolls his eyes lightly, but opens the trunk of his car up. There is nothing but an empty trunk, but as soon as he pulls up the cloth flap, all of your weapons are on display. Three of the important men take a look at the weapons to see if you three are legit.

“Looks like we’re in the same line of business,” Sam comments.

“And among colleagues. That’s a police-issued shotgun,” Dean motions you the shotgun in Rob’s hands. “That truck is, uh… inspired. Where’d you guys pick up all this shit?”

“You know, you pick things up along the way,” one of the other men shrug.

“Guys, come on. This whole corner of the state is nuts with demon omens. We just want to help. That’s all,” you sigh.

“We’re on the same team here. Just talk to us,” Dean tries to convince them.

“Follow us,” Rob nods and heads back to his truck with his friends.

Dean shuts his trunk and locks it before all three of you climb inside the car. Once Rob and his friends get inside their car, he takes the lead through the forest on a back road that Dean didn’t see earlier. The forest is dense, the trees are thick, and there’s a little bit of fog, but it hides the road well enough from cars that are passing by. Once Rob makes it out of the forest you can see a small town up ahead barricaded with barbed wire.

There are many men with guns surrounding the place, and you can’t help but think what might’ve happened here. They let both cars through the gate and close it once you’re safely inside. Dean Parks off to the side and gets out to see what exactly is going on. Everyone seems to be gathering at the local church, which is why you three are heading inside.

“Dylan, it’s a church. Headphones off,” an older woman says to one of the men with Rob.

He’s a bit younger, maybe about early twenties, but still too young for this kind of work. Well, you started off way younger, but that was under different circumstances.

“Yes mom,” he sighs and does as he’s told.

In front of the church are two men with guns, and in between them is a devil's trap. Everyone who passes through it passes the test, but it doesn’t stop them from giving you and the brothers weird looks. You can tell they don’t take strangers lightly here. Not with all of the protection they feel the need to take. It’s best if they don’t know you’re a witch, so you keep quiet about that part of yourself.

Walking inside the church, you notice that it’s not that different from outside. The pews are full, and there are three couples in front. It looks like there might be a wedding going on, but you can’t be so sure about that.

“Who would have thought the Apocalypse could be so romantic? Marriage, family—it’s a blessing. Especially in times like this. So hold on to that,” the pastor says.

“A wedding?” you whisper. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. We’ve had eight so far this week,” Paul, one of Rob’s men, confirms.

Apart from the creepy ceremony happening, every person sitting in the aisle seat of each pew holds a shotgun like Rob’s. What the fuck is going on here? It looks like the pastor is the main bitch around here, so you patiently wait for the ceremony to be over to approach him. As soon as it is, the three couples leave the church as people throw confetti above them. They can pretend this is a real wedding all they want, but it’s not.

“So Rob tells me you three hunt demons,” the pastor says when he approaches you.

You look over at the man but pause. He is decked out in weapon gear from the thigh holster to a shoulder one. This man may be a preacher, but he’s definitely something else.

“Uh, yes sir.”

“Please, call me Gideon. But you missed a few.”

“Yeah, tell us about it. Any idea why they’re here?” you ask.

“They sure seem to like us, though. Follow me, gentlemen, lady,” he nods.

He leads you back into the now empty church toward the back. There is a door that when you walk down the stairs, it leads to the basement.

“So you’re a preacher?” Dean asks.

“Not what you expected, huh?”

“Well, dude, you’re packing.”

“Strange times,” he shrugs and opens the door.

There are people of all ages and backgrounds inside. There are stations where people work and do different things. At one table, there is a little girl making salt rounds, and you try to hold in your initial shock. Everyone is doing something, and there isn’t a twiddling thumb anywhere.

“Is that a twelve-year-old packing salt rounds?” you ask.

“Everybody pitches in.”

“So, the whole church?” Sam wonders.

“The whole town.”

“A whole town full of hunters. I don’t know whether to run screaming or buy a condo,” Dean shudders.

“Well, the demons were killing us. We had to do something.”

“Why not call the National Guard?” you ask.

“We were told not to.”

“By who?” you ask but receive no answer.

“Come on, Padre. You’re as locked and loaded as we’ve ever seen. Plus, that exorcism was Enochian. Someone’s telling you something.”

“Look, I’m sorry, I, uh, I can’t discuss it,” he sighs.

“Are you talking to angels?” you gasp.

“Look—”

“Dad, it’s okay,” a young woman says from behind you three.

You turn around, and you immediately get bad vibes off her. There is definitely something wrong with her.

“Leah—”

“It’s Sam and Dean Winchester, and Y/N Singer. They’re safe. I know all about them.”

“The angels?” you ask. “There’s only one species who know Enochian.”

“Yes, the angels,” she nods with a smile.

“Awesome,” Dean scoffs.

“Don’t worry, they can’t see you here. The marks on your ribs, right?”

“So, you know all about us because angels told you?” Sam wants to confirm.

“Yes. Among other things.”

“Like the snappy little exorcism spell?” you ask.

“And they show me where the demons are going to be, before it happens, and how to fight back,” she nods in response to your question.

“Never been wrong. Not once. She’s very special,” Pastor Gideon goes to his daughter's side with pride.

“Let me guess. Before you see something, you get a really bad migraine, and see flashing lights?” Dean asks.

“How’d you know?”

“You’re not the first prophet we’ve met,” you give her a bittersweet smile.

“Excuse me for a second,” Pastor Gideon apologizes and takes his daughter off to the side to speak with her.

“There’s something not right with her.”

“What do you mean?” Dean asks.

“She’s not human. I don’t know what she is, but it’s not human.”

“We’ll keep an eye on her,” he assures you.

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buggie-hagen · 4 years

Text

Sermon for Day Pentecost (5/31/20)

Primary Text | Psalm 104:24-35

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear People of God,

The last month I’ve been offering brief livestream devotions on the psalms through Facebook. One might ask, why did you choose the psalms? Aren’t those boring? But, au contraire, little deer, the psalms are lively and active and gushing with the Holy Spirit. You know the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” well, I say, “a psalm a day keeps the devil away.” I say this meaning I think it would be of great benefit if we all read a psalm a day, the rest of our lives. The psalms, which are the prayers of Jesus, are God’s way of speaking to our every need. Timothy Wengert, professor emeritus of Reformation History at United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia, wrote this: “The psalms reflect every emotion of the human heart: from praise and jubilation to quiet trust; from questioning to lament and sorrow and even despair.” The psalms reflect that in Christ we have a God who shares with us every facet of what it means to be a human being. He knows your every pain, your every struggle, your every joy, your every hope. He knows you better than you know yourself.

Today is the Day of Pentecost—the day we celebrate God sending his Holy Spirit to live in the hearts of his chosen people. There are many misconceptions on who the Holy Spirit is. For many, the Holy Spirit is not a who, but a what. When this happens, the Spirit is equated to a warm feeling in the heart, or an ecstatic experience, or a general sense of the human good will in every culture and place. Most misleading of all—many will equate whatever they think the Spirit is to a supposed “divine spark” in which God directly gives you some inner-revelation of his will. None of these things are true. Rather, the Spirit is as we confess in the Nicene Creed—the Lord, the giver of life. He is the third person of the Trinity. Co-equal to the Father and the Son in glory and majesty, and yet there is only one God. The Holy Spirit is not the most expendable person of the Holy Trinity. In fact, he is very necessary. The Large Catechism teaches, “We could never come to recognize the Father’s favor and grace were it not for the LORD Christ, who is a mirror of the Father’s heart. Apart from him we see nothing but an angry and terrible judge. But neither could we know anything of Christ, had it not been revealed by the Holy Spirit.” It is the Holy Spirit who comes to you from beyond yourself, and preaches to you the gospel, and bestows upon you his gifts—forgiveness of your sins, life, and salvation.

The Psalm for today shows the Spirit as Creator when it says, “When you send forth your Spirit, they are created.” Indeed, we can say that every creature has breath because it is the Holy Spirit who has breathed life within that creature. Without this breath of life, not one thing would be alive. In our fallen world, his greater work is to bring life-giving relationship between God and humankind. It’s one thing to be alive, it’s another thing to be spiritually alive. The Holy Spirit’s job is to make us holy. And he does this by coming to us from beyond ourselves—through the proclaimed gospel in the word and sacraments. Through these, as through means, he “produces faith, where and when he wills, in those who hear the gospel. It teaches that we have a gracious God, not through our merit but through Christ’s merit, when we so believe.” God has sent the Holy Spirit into your hearts through the word and sacraments precisely because he wants you to know that God is gracious and kind. Your faith is not your own production, but the production of the Holy Spirit—who wonderfully creates and sustains your faith—so you can know that you have a gracious God for the sake of Christ. So that you can know that God wants you to have every good thing. He is a light in the darkness.

Let’s briefly speak on this darkness. It will speak to why we celebrate Pentecost. Everything in the world is not cheery and light-hearted. We like to pretend it is. It is not. Sin lurks around every corner. This past week we got the stark reminder of the world’s present darkness with the death of George Floyd and the ensuing chaos that resulted. I’m sure many of us watched and heard the video of his grisly death cry. We must speak the truth publicly, that George Floyd died because of racism—racism is not something that was assassinated with Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968, but it, with all forms of hatred and bigotry, continues to infect the fallen world we live in. As it is, the ugly truth is we live in a world of death and not a world of life. The lectionary, the set of readings assigned for every Sunday, is often a good and helpful thing. It exposes us to a wide variety of the Sacred Scriptures—God’s way of speaking to us. But, sometimes, it does not do this well. For example, our Psalm for today I have as Psalm 104:24-35 in your bulletin. If I strictly followed the lectionary assigned for today, it would exclude the first half of verse 35. Let me read it to you, and you will understand why: “Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!” In this instance, the lectionary sanitizes the Psalm. It takes out the word of judgment—the words, “Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more.” I think it is a mistake to exclude this verse because it plays into our desire to pretend everything and everyone in the world is good, that desire to cover things up and say, “There’s nothing to see here.” Dear people, it is precisely in times like the present—with the stark reminder of human depravity—when this white police officer unnecessarily put his full body weight on a black man’s neck, that we need verses of judgment. The rich, the powerful, all those who don’t care whether God smiles or frowns should know that God will hold them accountable for their actions and that all evil ways will come to ruin.

In the middle of this world’s present darkness we celebrate Pentecost—the day God gave the Holy Spirit to his chosen people—the Church. Our gracious and faithful God is both saddened and abhorred by this world of death. And, so through his church, the Holy Spirit breathes life to a world much in need of being saved. We need God to give us his life-sustaining breath. We need God to give us his life-sustaining Word. The Spirit of God brings us to God’s remedy—Christ who suffered and rose from the dead. Human efforts to fix the world will fail. It is God himself who will renew the face of the earth. That is our hope. We live by faith, faith alone. Amen.

#keypreaching

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myquestformeestaceesm · 5 years

Text

The Green Man (Part 4)

The next day was Sunday

This day he was to rest

and he composed a song

he considered it his best.

The Priest thought he would visit

and he brought Communion

so the fairy might receive it

and the priest went in and then

he found that Dorian

was as happy as could be

he was in his usual

prized mulberry tree.

He greeted the Father

and received the Sacrament

but the Priest did not share

Dorian’s merriment.

So Dorian told him all

about the skillful woman bard

the priest did not know of her

but he found it very hard

to think the Lord had sent her

this was most unusual.

But Dorian said “Her voice-

was so very beautiful...”

The good priest felt such pity

for this secluded lonely thing

whose only true pastime

was just to merely sing.

But Father made him aware

That she still seemed suspicious

“The Lord may be a monster

cruel and loud and vicious...

But the Devil is cunning

and must be very quiet

if he is to trap his reckless

victims in his net.

Be wary of the woman

and be wary of all men.

and pray that you are strengthened

by this Sacrament”

The Priest then said Mass

for all of the Woodland

and then he gave the Host

unto the Green Man.

He said “Remember Jesus Christ

is your greatest friend

and He receives all the

many prayers you send.”

The Green Man then nodded

feeling somewhat assured

for he did want to believe

the Good Priest’s every word”

He said “Yes Father

He answers all my prayers

For when I wanted truth

I found you over there

teaching a small class

how sin was our demise

you spoke of Christ and I-

asked to be baptized.

You taught me that God

does not always give

but requires of us trials

in which we must live.

If the woman’s stories

are proven untrue

At least I know that I have God

and I also have you.

Fairies might be race

that are not ordinary.

and I know my species

is mostly solitary

I will be alright

though sometimes it is hard

but I will do my only job

of of this forest guard.

He gave unto the priest

to take unto his parish

A freshly killed young deer

by the hunters perished.

And he made it invisible

so the priest could carry it

and he thanked the priest for giving

him the Eucharist.

A whole week went by

when there had been a murder

Some noblemen had killed

another wasteful hunter.

I don’t know what about

but some said that they

had made a sacrifice

to the Green Man of the Fay.

When finally the Green Man came

He saw it was too late

all that was left for him to do

was of his pain placate.

Then he imprisoned all of them

in many tangled vines

He was so very furious

and he destroyed their shrine.

And so he kept in the forest

for three terrifying days.

It was his responsibility

to make them all pay

He terrified all of them

and then sent for the priest

He called them all demonic

idiotic wild beasts.

And when the right time came

he set the nobles free

and some people then arrived

to take away the body.

He didn’t have to explain

for all was understood:

They wanted to worship

the Green Man of the wood.

A compromise to do

anything that they wanted...

An appeasement to the spirit

that the forest haunted.

He felt had to get out and go

he felt he had to leave.

But most of all he wanted

was to just be merely free

He was tied to this cursed land

with no way to get out.

The Priest then approached him

looking old and wise and stout

but then there was no easy way

to comfort him.

Because Dorian then thought

about the unwilling victim.

And he said unto the Priest

“Stay away and leave me alone!”

and out of his wild eyes

his misery had shone.

Three days came and went

but once they had gone by

the woman found the fairy

by the emerald riverside.

The Green Man had fallen

in a deep depression

She saw this and spoke

with a sense of great discretion:

“Dorian, I found you!”

I’m sorry it’s been so long

is it still okay if I tell you

my best and greatest song?

But I am so sorry

I’m sorry for everything

with everything that’s happened

we don’t have to sing...”

But Dorian was glad to see

his lady once again

“What is your name, my lady”

asked the Green Man Dorian

and so she said to him

“My name is Idony”

and he said to her

“I’m glad you came to see me”

He sang her the whole story

with a ghostly haunting tune

He told on a night

when there was a full moon

How he was warned

by a ragged mocking bird

then chanting in the wood

he then plainly heard.

She listened to his story

for he had to tell someone.

and she never interrupted

and when Dorian was done

She gave him a big hug

she said how he was brave

for how hard he tried

to of the victim save

She also said to him:

“But let us look now

right up at the sky

do you see the trees

and how they block the light?

but whatever light escapes

is pleasing to the sight?

That’s Hope that passes the gapes.

So let us be open now

in all the trials of our lives...

Let us never despair

Let us go and live and thrive.

Let us find the golden glow

that is truly meaningful

and let us go and appreciate

all that is beautiful.”

And so she help to raise

the fairy’s spirits high

and with his beloved Idony

time flew quickly by.

When it finally got dark

and she had to go home

she was quite surprised at how

much the time had flown.

The whole day they spent

at the emerald riverside.

Asking many questions

and telling of their lives...

He gave her a flower crown

and it fit like a glove.

It was pretty obvious

that the Green Man was in love.

Tomorrow she would try

her dark and magical song

so wherever she bid him to go

he would have to go along

Why! She almost felt guilty

but she knew she had a job

and this wouldn’t be the first time

a life she had to rob.

End of Part Four

---Ava Nerio

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