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ManofTehSword
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Name: Craven
Country: United States
State: Ohio
Gender: Male
Interests: God, Theatre, Writing about things that I probably can't change at this point in my life, but that doesn't mean I can't try. Being Pope Anthony Daniel or Anthony Xavier, I haven't decided
Expertise: According to Some, acting and being humble, and writing, and listening, and so on, but of course, what do they know <3
Occupation: Education/training
Industry: Nonprofit
Message: message me
AIM:  ManofTehSword
Member Since:
4/11/2005
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| Lent The thing I see with Lent though, is it is not a time of mourning. It is a time a new beginnings, much more so I’d say than even Easter. Lent is a time to recognize out own sin, but also to come to the realization that we are loved by God and by others despite it. It is a time of celebration of forgiveness that we usually pass by as melancholy and sad. I say let it come, and let the pains of being a loved sinner come with it. Jesus gave us no mean feet. No that is not a typo. "Do you know what I have done for you? You who call me your teacher and your Lord? If I have washed your feet, so then must you do, as I have done for you." Washing the feet of the apostles... That is probably one of the most poignant moments for me in all of Scripture. This man, who is about to give his life away, the ultimate sacrifice, for people like Gandhi and Hitler, People who get it and people who don't, this man is still trying. He's trying to help us and his apostles get it. There are numerous times of failure in the Gospels and in our own lives. One way to look at this is that, if no one washed each other, if no one forgave, or helped. We would have a world full of smelly feet. Peter's Denial and Judas' Betrayal Both lead to Jesus being left to bear his cross alone, without morale support even. He is alone. Judas, I do have some sympathies for him because without his action there would be no victory over death, merely a wonderful man teaching some radical ideas about love. But with him we have the pinnacle of salvation history. He was needed. There. Anyway, Judas sinned. Duh. So did Peter. He denied friendship with Jesus. He lied, but more importantly, did he mean it? I'd say no, but did he truly convince himself even for a brief time that Jesus was not his friend? Something to ponder. But that is not the important part. The important part of this story is what they did in the wake of their sin. Judas, goes back to undo it; he runs to the temple and gives them the money back trying to get Jesus of the hook. He fails, and tries to run from it. The thing is we cannot run from our sin. In a way we must embrace it, understanding it, then we have the chance of overcoming it. Judas' actions lead to his own suicide; they lead to destruction. Peter acknowledges his sin, his wrongdoing, and tries to learn from it, asking forgiveness and theoretically becoming a better man out of it. You cannot undo what has been done. Live does not have the "Ctrl-Z" option, or a save and load button. Yet we all have things we wish we could go back and change. This is a false hope though, no one can change the past, it is done and set. What matters is what we do with what we have now. Now is when we have the power to change. Utter abandonment. Very few remain now. Jesus is left on the cross with only a few followers with him: crucified with criminals. His friends, the men he had walked, talked, and laughed with with for the past three years have run away, frightened for their own lives. He has been left, seemingly by God and everyone else, to bear the burden allotted to him alone. No place, no home, no life, no hope, no chance, no change. I would wager that everyone has had some sense of abandonment, the death of a relative, the departure or even the betrayal of a friend, breaking/being broken up with, etc. These "Good Fridays" pepper our existence. The fill us with pain, emotional and physical even. Yet without these, we cannot grow, or taste the betterness tomorrow can bring. If there is no life, then there is no death, but what profit is that to anyone. I think that opposites rely upon each other to exist. I've heard this argument countless times, that if one did not exist the other would not either, by the sheer default that no one would know any otherwise. It would become like air. It's just there, part of life, nothing to counter it, no question about it. Conversely, without death, there is no life. Without the trials and struggles, One does not know joy. On a more theological note, without the suffering of death, and Good Friday, there can be no joy at Easter. If there was no death, the Resurrection has no glory, and no value. It is through the death of Jesus, and our own deaths, that we come to the truest form of life. We have suffered, we know more, we have the experience to do better. Any suffering you endure, I have no doubt will help someone in the future. Either yourself, by keeping you from making the same mistakes, or providing counsel to a friend to keep them from making those mistakes, or even comforting and sympathizing with someone who has done the same as you. The hope in Good Friday comes from the hope of a new start. We see what has been done right and wrong. It only has meaning if we take truth from it, and learn. Do not rob suffering of it's meaning. Learn and act. | | |
| I was googling Greensleeves out of sheer boredom, seeing as it is the song that plays presently on my xanga, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it had lyrics other than those for "What Child is This". They were reportedly written by Henry VIII for Anne Bolyn. Enjoy! Alas, my love you do me wrong
To cast me off discourteously
And I have loved you so long
Delighting in your company Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight
Greensleeves was my heart of gold
And who but my Lady Greensleeves. I have been ready at your hand
to grant whatever you would crave;
I have both wagered life and land
Your love and good will for to have Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight
Greensleeves was my heart of gold
And who but my Lady Greensleeves. I bought the kerchers to thy head
That were wrought fine and gallantly
I kept thee both at board and bed
Which cost my purse well favouredly. Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight
Greensleeves was my heart of gold
And who but my Lady Greensleeves. Greensleeves, now farewell! adieu!
God I pray to prosper thee;
For I am still thy lover true
Come once again and love me. Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight
Greensleeves was my heart of gold
And who but my Lady Greensleeves. | | |
| Read the post from 1/15 to understand this rant. Note that any articles not addressed are due to my personal lack of knowledge: I guess I shouldn't get so bent out of shape, but some the things are outright wrong... Catholics can't drink from the Communion Cup --- WRONG Praying repetitive words using Rosary beads is forbidden. --- WRONG --- The passage they use to justify this is not applicable, the Hail Mary is not meaningless recitation, or on the other hand, the Our Father could be considered such to, if one does not truly pray it. Mary is the Mediator between God and Man --- WRONG We implore Mary's aid as a path to her Son, like the Wedding Feast at Cana. Average Catholics are not Saints/priests --- WRONG They do not hold the title, but that does not mean they do not hold the same benefit. Those marked as priests or saints are there to serve the community as models of how to act, not to be better than anyone else. Everyone messes up, these included. Peter was married --- DUH This isn't disputed... what's their arguement here? Observance of Special Days condemned --- WRONG Ok, I give you that that date for Christmas is probably of pagan origin, however, the message of the passage they use to argue it, implies that they observe the day and mark it with celebration for the day's sake. Catholics are called to mark the meaning and praise God for the gifts the day symbolizes, i.e. Easter, or Christmas Worshipping idols, icons and images violates the 2nd commandment --- MISAPPLIED We're not worshipping anything. Venerating a cross is out of reverence for Christ's sacrifice, not because we worship addition symbols. Simliarly with statues; I agree at times that the Church may be better off without thirty statues and icons in the building, but no one is worshipping the statue. Saints are venerated for their works because they were accomplished through God, not because the saints are dieties themselves. Baptism is full immersion in water, not sprinkling. --- WHAT? Show me where in the Bible it says this HAS to be the only way baptism is performed. Also, ou try dunking a baby and not getting sued. Or if you wanna dispute the issue of infant baptism because the babies do not repent... They're babies, what have they done? This particular sect denies original sin, and babies don't sin, so what do they have to repent from? If you are going to argue against beliefs, pick a side and stick to it, don't grab rules from both sides. K thx. Did Jesus say little children are better models of purity and conduct than adults? --- WHAT? Is this disputed too? Hmm... news to me... Is the doctrine of inherited original sin found in the Bible? --- WRONG Gen 3:16-19 (God curses Adam for the Fall, and sentences Adam to death. And as Paul says in his letter, separate ones I believe, All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God, and that the wages of sin is death. So considering God curses Adam, the fact that everyone screws up, and that everyone is going to die for sin... yeah I'd say the Bible puts up a pretty good case.) FACT: Catholics are taught that only the priests can understand the Bible and the common man in the pew cannot understand the Bible without the priests help. --- WRONG WRONG WRONG St. Xavier High School, Freshman Year, Scriptures I really don't need to say any more. People are taught to thing freely. Bible study groups allow people to dicuss meaning and interpretations. The priest has no final say on what the "right" answer is, he's just as human as the next guy. Catholics are unwilling to defend their faith --- .... *&%$^%&%$&^$$&^ FACT: When Roman Catholics are challenged from the Bible to defend their faith, they are unwilling or unable to defend what they believe and say the priest has the answer and never search the truth out for themselves. Priests and Bishops never get permission to have open public Bible discussions with honest Bible students like ourselves. Imagine a local parish priest publicly defending infant baptism against a Christian who taught the practice contradicted the Bible! It never happens! Forget what the Bible says, just trust the priest! --- WRONG See the previous two sections Did Jesus say it was OK for man to change what the word of God teaches for man-made Catholic doctrine? --- MISAPPLIED No one is changing anything, it is interpretation based on the Bible. Now I'm pissed again... | | |
|  | Currently Watching
Little Miss Sunshine
By Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Marc Turtletaub, Jill Talley, Brenda Canela, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Chuck Loring, Justin Shilton, Gordon Thomson, Steven Christopher Parker, Bryan Cranston, John Walcutt, Paula Newsome, Dean Norris, Beth Grant, Wallace Langham
see related |
Read.  http://www.bible.ca/cath-overview-false-teaching.htm  Comment... I am really irritated by this...  | | |
| Welcome Christmas, bring your cheer; Cheer to all Who's far and near. Christmas day is in our grasp, So long as we have hands to clasp. Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have need Welcome Christmas, while we stand, Heart to heart and hand in hand. ~ Ted Giesel I love you all... | | |
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