I agree Carol. I keep at peace by frequenting the sacraments and praying for God’s kingdom to come. I know Malachi Martin felt the fall of the Soviet Union was a ploy—a carefully arranged new strategy. I know we need the Consecration for the sake of Russia and for the world. Honestly I don’t know what to think of Russia.
Then, God sneaks in and provides us with such a beautiful, simple grace that we don't even take notice. His remedies are perfect. This Beautiful Religious Order Is For Women With Down Syndrome In stark contrast to a society that disregards them, or worse, tries to eliminate them, quietly and peacefully stand The Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb, a Catholic religious order for women with Down Syndrome and the sisters who guide them. Following the “Little Way” of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, these little flowers lead a simple life of prayer, work, sacrifice, and adoration. Under the guidance of Sisters who do not have Down Syndrome, they learn to work and pray in the tradition on Saint Benedict, fulfilling their religious vocation as God has called them, despite whatever limitations they may have. The origins of the community stem from the meeting of two young women, Mother Prioress Line and Veronique, a young girl with Down syndrome. Mother Prioress Line recognized in the young woman Veronique a true vocation to the religious life, but knew that it would be unlikely that an existing religious community would be equipped to accept her and nurture her calling. Shortly thereafter, The Little Sisters were founded in the village of Buxeuil, in the diocese of Tours, in 1985 after the encouragement of the scientist whose research discovered the chromosomal abnormality, Trisomy 21, that causes Down Syndrome, Professor Jerome Lejeune, Servant of God. In 1990, the group was canonically recognized as a public association by the Archbishop of Tours and became a religious institute of contemplative life through the Archbishop of in 1999. In an interview, Mother Prioress Line said of the community: The Institute of the Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb is a contemplative order and provides young girls with Down’s syndrome the opportunity to fulfill their religious vocation. This achievement is only possible because it is supported by Sisters without Down’s syndrome who answered a call to love, dedicating themselves to God with their disabled little sisters to form a single community. It is a unique vocation within the Church. John Paul II testified that all life is precious in God’s eyes. (Encyclical Gospel of Life – John Paul II). The Church, in recognizing the Institute specifically recommended that the Community would not be linked to any existing Order or Congregation. She asked the Sisters to seek to make their way by adjusting and adapting to the disability of the Little Sisters. That is why we are not two communities combined into one with Sisters without Down’s on one side and the Sisters with Down’s on the other. We are all one in the same community and the same family where all live at the same adapted rhythm. We share the offices and the same tasks of the Community where manual labor is adjusted to each according to her abilities. To learn more about the community or to offer support, you can visit their website Below is a short documentary about the Little Sisters in French:
Dude, I'm afraid that is more wishful thinking than anything else. You strike me as someone with the spirit of Esau as described in Genesis 25:27-34. This is a copy of something a friend sent me 10 years ago, a bible study by a Messianic Jew named Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum (www.ariel.org). It's titled "Arab States in Prophecy". From past posts I get the feeling you believe this "justice" will come from the Arab states; yet Scripture tells us that the outcomes for the Arab states will not be good. It's long, so I'll split this among multiple messages, and I did remove some content for reasons: The Arab States in Prophecy This is an excerpt from Dr. Fruchtenbaum's Messianic Bible Study #mbs-008, dealing with a most relevant topic nowadays and directly related to Israel's future: the future of today's Arab countries according to the Word of God is a subject that most believers do not know much about. If you want to understand the conflict between the Arab nations and the Jewish people you will certainly enjoy this study. THE ROOT OF THE CONFLICT In dealing with the root of the conflict, we are concerned with two key individuals in Genesis—Ishmael and Esau. In Genesis 12:1-3, we have the origin of the Jewish people. The origins of the Arab peoples is found in Genesis 12:10-20, which might also be called "Abraham’s folly." Knowing that the Egyptian Pharaoh would likely kill him to gain his wife, Sarah, Abraham passed her off as his sister. His wife was taken from him and placed into the Pharaoh’s harem. Dealing with Abraham as Sarah’s brother and, thus, her official guardian, Pharaoh gave to Abraham the bride price (verse 16). Among the things Abraham gained in Egypt, in exchange for Sarah, were a number of maid-servants. Although Egypt and the Pharaoh had to give Sarah back to Abraham, he is allowed to keep all the gifts of the bride price. He brings all of these things, including maid-servants, back into the Land of Canaan. With the mention of "maid-servants," we have the origin of the Arab peoples. One of these Egyptian maid-servants, Hagar, will join with Abraham to parent a majority of the Arab states as we have them today. In Genesis 16:1-6, we are introduced to "Sarah’s folly." Though God had promised that she and Abraham would have a son, Sarah essentially gave up on this promise after waiting for ten years. In keeping with the laws of that day, Sarah provided her husband with a hand-maid with whom Abraham could produce children. We do not have a problem with immoral elements here, but rather a problem of a lack of faith because, in Genesis 12, God had already promised that Abraham was going to have a son and that son would come by means of his wife, Sarah. There was no need to resort to the laws of that day because the promise of God was made sure. Hagar is the hand-maid elected by Sarah and eventually conceives. In the ancient world, few women were more despised than those who were barren. Hagar, rather than remaining in submission to her mistress, began to clearly display her contempt for Sarah. In time, Sarah responded in kind and treated Hagar harshly, so much so that the pregnant maid-servant fled the house of Abraham. She then encountered the Angel of the Lord, who gave four prophecies in Genesis 16:10-12 regarding the son she was to bear: And the Angel of Jehovah said unto her, I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son; and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because Jehovah hath heard thy affliction. And he shall be as a wild ass among men; his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell over against all his brethren. ... Four things are stated about the son that Hagar is going to bear. The first prophecy is that "he is to be a wild ass among men." In Abraham’s day, there were packs of wild asses that roamed the desert. Ishmael and his descendants are characterized as being similar to these wild asses. Secondly, "his hand shall be against every man." The second characteristic of Ishmael was that of agression. He would be against every man, attacking those with whom he has contact. Thirdly, "every man’s hand shall be against him." As he displayed agression, he would bring upon himself retaliation. We have certainly seen this principle to be true in the History of Israel since 1948. On various occasions the Arab states have been aggressors against Israel, either by means of military conflict or terrorist action. This always nearly elicited some kind of Israeli response and/or retaliation in fulfillment of this prophecy. Fourthly, "he shall dwell over against his brother." The expression "dwell over against" is a Hebrew idiom meaning to dwell in a state of hostility. He would live side by side with his brother, but side by side in a state of hostility, as is the state of the Arab/Jewish situation today. With these four statements, the Angel of the Lord instructed Hagar to return to Abraham’s household and remain there. In the course of time she gave birth to Abraham’s first-born son, named Ishmael as God commanded. Eventually, Isaac was also born. In Genesis 21:8-9, we read that Ishmael soon began mocking his half-brother. The animosity that Hagar felt for Sarah was instilled in Ishmael. As a result, Ishmael and his mother, Hagar, were expelled from the house of Abraham in accordance with God’s command. The second father of the Arab states is Esau, and the beginning of his hostility is found in Genesis 25:27-34. Unlike half-brothers Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob were full brothers—twins, in fact. Nevertheless, as the first-born, Esau was entitled to inherit the double portion of his father’s inheritance. More importantly, his birth position meant that through him God would fulfill his divine program of the Abrahamic Covenant. We learn, however, that Esau did not want to be used of God to enact His program (verse 34). Jacob, on the other hand, wanted very much to be in the center of God’s plan. Thus, the birthright changes hands when Esau sells his status to Jacob for a bowl of soup. Then, of course, Jacob receives the patriarchal blessing in Genesis 27. The end product is in Genesis 27:41: And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then will I slay my brother Jacob. Not only is there Ishmael’s hatred toward Isaac, but now there is Esau’s hatred toward Jacob. The Arab states are all descendants of either Esau or Ishmael, and the root of the present-day conflict begins right here with these two individuals.
THE CONTINUATION OF THE CONFLICT The hatred and animosities of Ishmael and Esau toward the Jews was instilled in their descendants. There has been a continuous, perpetual hatred of the descendants of Esau and Ishmael against the Jews characterized especially by the Ishmaelites, descendants of Ishmael and the Edomites, descendants of Esau. An example which shows how early the descendants had this animosity is found in Numbers 20:14-21: And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and our fathers: and when we cried unto Jehovah, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border. Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy land: we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go along the king’s highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy border. And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass through me, lest I come out with the sword against thee. And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go up by the highway; and if we drink of thy water, I and my cattle, then will I give the price thereof: let me only, without doing anything else, pass through on my feet. And he said, Thou shalt not pass through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him. In the book of Judges we often read of Ishmaelites, Edomites, and other descendants of Ishmael and Esau inflicting damage upon Israel. In Psalm 83:1-8, the psalmist describes the situation in the Middle East in this time, as well as prophetically. He describes a united conspiracy and confederacy whose aim is to destroy the nation of Israel. It is no accident that various modern Arab leaders (Egypt’s Nassar, for example, just before the Six Day War) have virtually paraphrased these verses. In verses 6-8 the psalmist lists these various nations that come together against Israel. While these are all various ancient names, today they comprise the modern Arab states. For instance, in verse 6, Edom was in southern Jordan; Ishmael was the father of the Ishmaelites, one segment of the Arab world; Moab was in central Jordan; the Hagarenes were from Egypt. In verse 7, Gebal was up in Lebanon; Ammon was northern Jordan; Amalek was in the Sinai Peninsula; Philistia was in the Gaza Strip; Tyre was up in Lebanon. In verse 8, Assyria comprises all of what is today Iraq and quite a bit of Syria. Only since 1948 have all these nations combined forces against Israel. Such a total Arab alignment never occurred in ancient times. After the Six Day War of 1967, one Arab leader after another has clearly stated that the only way of gaining peace in the Middle East is by the total annihilation of Israel as a nation. There are other passages in the Bible which describe this perpetual hatred of the Arab nations against Israel, such as Ezekiel 35:1-5 and Obadiah 10-14.
THE FUTURE OF THE CONFLICT Ultimately, there will be peace between Israel and the Arab states, but it will take one of three forms: (1) by means of occupation; (2) by means of destruction; or (3) by means of conversion. It is necessary to deal with the various Arab states individually to get a clearer picture. A. Lebanon Peace between Israel and Lebanon will come by means of occupation. In Ezekiel 47:13 - 48:29 we are given the boundaries of the nation of Israel in the Messianic Kingdom. The tracing of the northern boundary shows that Israel will encompass all of modern-day Lebanon. B. Jordan (Edom, Moab, and Ammon) It is Edom (southern Jordan) in particular that the prophets were concerned about. Several passages reveal that peace will come between Israel and southern Jordan by means of total destruction. Some of those passages are Ezekiel 35:6-9, Jeremiah 49:7-13 and 19-20, and Obadiah 5-9 and 17-21. The fact that Israel will help bring about the final destruction of Edom (and, thus, the total annihilation of all descendants of Esau) is portrayed in Ezekiel 25:12-14. Moab (modern central Jordan) will also suffer destruction, but it will not be total. A remnant of Moab will return according to Jeremiah 48:47. As for Ammon (present-day northern Jordan), it will become a possession of Israel but its destruction will not be total. That is depicted in Jeremiah 49:1-6. C. Egypt Peace will come between Israel and Egypt initially by means of destruction and later by means of conversion, as comprehensively covered in Isaiah 19:1-22. Verses 1-10 reveal that because of her sins, Egypt will be characterized by civil war, desolation, and famine. The prophet states in verses 11-15 that Egypt will suffer because she has been led astray by her leaders. Under the dictatorship of Farouk, Nassar, and Sadat the nation went to war against Israel four times, resulting in heavy human and economic losses. Understandably, Egypt has developed a fear of Israel as prophesied in verses 16-17. This has come to pass only since 1948 and especially since the Six Day War . Prophetically, today is still the period described in Isaiah 19:16-17. Eventually, there will be total and lasting peace between Israel and Egypt, which in turn will give way to Egypt’s conversion in Isaiah 19:18-22. D. Northern Iraq and Eastern Syria (Assyria) Iraq and portions of modern Syria are two other implacable Arab enemies of modern Israel. However, peace will come between Israel and these two Arab countries by means of conversion according to Isaiah 19:23-25. Verse 23 describes an economic unit that will encompass Egypt, Israel and Assyria. Assyria will become a blessing in the earth and will receive a blessing from God. The three former enemies will now have a spiritual unity as well as an economic and political one. God declares: Egypt [will be] my people, ... Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance. E. Saudi Arabia (Keder and Hazor) Peace will come between Israel and Saudi Arabia by means of destruction according to Jeremiah 49:28-33. The passage describes the total devastation of Saudi Arabia by war until the inhabitants are scattered and dispersed all over the world. As for the land itself, Jeremiah 49:33 states: And Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation for ever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein. Saudi Arabia’s desolation will last for all of the one thousand years of the Messianic Kingdom. F. Persia or Iran (Elam) Iran is a Persian state rather than Arab, but it shares the same religion with the Muslim Arabs, Islam. Peace will come between Israel and Iran by means of destruction according to Jeremiah 49:34-39. However, the destruction of Iran will be partial, and the dispersion will be temporary. Eventually the inhabitants will return and resettle Iran. The future of Iran is similar to that of Egypt, but the length of time they will be in dispersion is not revealed. There will be a Nation of Elam---Persia or Iran, in the Kingdom. G. Southern Iraq (Babylon) Southern Iraq is destined to be a desolate spot throughout the Messianic Kingdom (Isaiah 13:20-22; Jeremiah 50:39-40). Not only is this area to be a desolate waste throughout the Kingdom, Revelation 19:3 says that it will also be a place of continual burning and smoke through the Millennium. The animal inhabitants mentioned in Isaiah 13:20-22 and Jeremiah 51:39-40 cannot live in a place of continual burning. Therefore, they cannot be literal animals as we know them. What they actually are is explained by Revelation 18:1-2: After these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird. This picture of continual burning and smoke will be a place of confinement for many demons during the Kingdom Period. It is clear from Revelation 9 and other passages that demons have animal-like features, and this is what the animals of the Isaiah and Jeremiah passages actually represent.
Truly great post from the only perspective: Biblical Thank you very much! I need to figure it out Bit by bit What is the Kingdom Period?
“Dude,” let me stop you right there before you go any further. I never wrote “justice will come from Arab States.” Justice will come from God. Which nation He chooses to administer that Justice on those responsible for arming and funding Christian-killing terrorists in the Cradle of Christianity in Syria remains to be seen. Maybe the much prophesied Chastisement is linked to this ongoing persecution of Christians in Syria. Maybe God’s Justice will come directly from God in a supernatural fashion. But the ongoing murder and torture of the Christians (and other innocents) in Syria at the hands of the Western-sponsored “Rebels” (an interesting label given that the Antichrist who we know will launch an end time persecution of Christians is described in the NT as the “Rebel”) is a sin that cries to Heaven for Vengeance. Isaiah 17 - which many of the Christian Zionist crow loves to cite in defense of their support for the Zionists in Israel and the terrorists in Syria - actually describes the destruction of a wicked element in Israel: as goes Damascus, so goes this wicked element in Israel.
I believe St. Paul who told us that before the second coming of Jesus, "all Israel" will convert. Whether that happens before or after some big war in the ME could be anyone's guess. Meanwhile, I believe that ME Christians are regarded as collateral damage by the superpowers. I saw a news story recently about Christians in the Kurdish held region of Syria, and things are not good for the Christian there. The situation on the ground in Idlib according to the Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo: http://www.asianews.it/news-en/For-...hristian-families-live-in-the-area-44901.html For Vicar of Aleppo, Idlib is a pretext to hit Syria. Christian families live in the area Mgr Georges views international pressures as “scary”. A big chunk of the country cannot be left in the hands of terrorists and jihadists. The prelate complains that the media have not reported the death of six Christian children and women, hit by rockets launched by local extremist groups. The UN warns of the worst humanitarian crisis of the century. Aleppo (AsiaNews) – International tensions around Idlib "are scary". In the country, there is a strong feeling that Western powers, especially the United States and its allies in the region, “are looking for a pretext" to strike at Syria, said Mgr Georges Abou Khazen, Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo of the Latins. Speaking to AsiaNews, he noted that whilst "in all battles there is a real danger to civilians", it is not possible to leave an entire area of the country in the hands of jihadist groups and terrorists. The prelate points to the rockets and grenades launched from the area against a Christian town, killing scores of people, mostly women and children. For the vicar of Aleppo, it is necessary to keep the focus on the fate of the civilian population, but, at the same time, "Western governments and the mainstream media exacerbate the situation". In his view, Christian victims are often relegated to the side-lines. "Four days ago, terrorist groups [close to Turkey] in Latamneh fired rockets at the Christian town of al-Mahardeh, killing ten people," he said, including "six were children and three women. Only the father survived” (pictured the family that was hit). The area from where the rockets came is controlled by al Qaeda and is one of the targets of the offensive announced by the Syrian army, which seeks to regain control of the whole province. "No one spoke of this attack and that is unacceptable," Mgr Abou Khazen said. Hopefully, "an agreement can be reached that leads true reconciliation" avoiding violence and fighting, he said. However, people "are sceptical. We need to understand Turkey’s position and evaluate its actions. Words are one thing, action on the grounds is another". For example, nothing came of last week’s meeting in Tehran between Russia, Turkey and Iran. The exodus of millions of desperate people, who sought shelter outside the Middle East – in Europe, North America and Australia – is one of the most serious consequences of the conflict that has torn Syria apart for seven years. The expected offensive against Idlib raises serious concerns about a new humanitarian emergency and its international repercussions with a possible intervention by the US-led Western bloc. Washington has already threatened to attack Syria in case of use of chemical weapons in the province. For some critics, this is a pretext to move against Assad and its allies: Russia and Iran. The main UN agencies present in the area are also raising the alarm, noting that more than 30,000 people have already fled the province in the first nine days of September. Some fear that this might become "the worst humanitarian catastrophe" of the century. For apostolic vicar, this is overly dramatised. “The people at risk in the province of Idlib include at least 200 Christian families who never left the area, despite the presence of al Nusra terrorists,” the prelate explained. "In six years, they saw their homes and land seized, had money stolen, and their women were forced to cover their heads. A statue of Our Lady was used for target practice. We hope that these people will be liberated because no one, be they Christian or Muslim, should live in the hands of terrorists.”
The Catholic Bishops of Syria have been with Assad since day one of this conflict. I’ll believe them over any other “voice” or outlet of “news” on this conflict. What sickens me most as a Trump voter is that Trump has failed to live up to his campaign promises regarding Syria and has surrounded himself by the Neocon swamp (Bolton, Haley, Pompeo, etc. ) and has continued the Neocon foreign policy for Syria begun during Obama’s reign of terror.
What's going on in Syria is a proxy war. It's impossible to tell the good guys from the bad. The Christians are meat in the sandwich. It seems to be a lose, lose for them no matter which of the super powers comes out on top. Assad's days are numbered even if he gains control of the whole country. The best that can be hoped for is a negotiated settlement giving some kind of assurance and representation to minorities but even that won't be of much use to the Christian remnant because their numbers have been decimated. That he was protecting the Orthodox Christians from genocide was probably good for Putin's image at home. How will the split between the Russian Orthodox and the Patriarch of Constantinople work out for the Orthodox Christians in Syria?
I believe he can’t go against these forces. Why? Because he arrived too late in the game. There is no salvaging this. He may believe riding with the Pentagon on this issue may benefit the ME and the USA in the long run. What he may not understand is that he is opening the door for the Antichrist to gain more power worldwide. Mystery Babylon unites again against Christians. Israel teamed up with the Saudis to destroy all physical evidence of Christianity in the ME. First the Christians, probably later the Saudis. I just don’t think this is a fight between good and evil. I only see evil.
Thank you. Figuring out what is true about Israel and how to think of the state is kind of a conflict. There's a lot of hyper-Zionism in the Evangelical world. Not a lot of balance. Thank you.
New Mexico AURA Observatory Explains Mysterious Shutdown https://gizmodo.com/new-mexico-observatory-finally-gives-explanation-for-my-1829105554 .........Now AURA has finally shed some light on the mystery. Shari Lifson, a spokesperson for AURA, released a statement Sunday night: AURA has been cooperating with an on-going law enforcement investigation of criminal activity that occurred at Sacramento Peak. During this time, we became concerned that a suspect in the investigation potentially posed a threat to the safety of local staff and residents. For this reason, AURA temporarily vacated the facility and ceased science activities at this location. The statement explains that AURA decided to evacuate the area because of “logistical challenges associated with protecting personnel at such a remote location, and the need for expeditious response to the potential threat.” AURA has decided to re-open the facility and allow residents and staff to return to the area today.
I had a very vivid dream last night. I dreamt I was working on the forum when suddenly across a white sceen came reoprts of seismic disturbances, Earthquakes from right acorss the planet at the one time..totally off the scale..a true global earthquake..as mentioned n the Book of the apocalypse.
Oh dear. Sobering. I observed Ember day today per a request on our Catholic radio station. I have no memory of this as a child but these days are additional fast and abstinence days. Offering in union with all intercessors for the deliverance of our Church and our country and the world. No doubt the earthquakes are coming regardless but perhaps more souls can be converted.
The Church was moving away ftom Ember Days in the 60s Strangely before I became Catholic in 1963, I remember hearing about ember days in the Episcopal Church in the early 1960s but had no idea what it involved Way to go AED
