Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Rogation Wednesday

2 Kings, Chapter 25, Verse 26

Then all the people, great and small, left with the army commanders and went to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.

In view of the modern world I wonder: Are we still hiding in the fleshpots of Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans? Mary daughter of David help us!

Here we see the last remnants of David’s Kingdom in shambles. Now the Jews finally realize that Israel’s hope is gone. Yet, God has not totally snuffed out the line of David and through David’s line will come the Christ. Oh, that Israel would recognize Him.

The Fall[1]

· In the ninth year of his reign, Zedekiah rebels and Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem for two whole years.

· The famine grows extremely severe in a short period of time

· Zedekiah tries to escape at night with his soldiers, but he gets captured by the Babylonians (Chaldeans) before they make it very far.

· The Chaldeans kill Zedekiah's sons before his eyes, stab his eyes out, and take him in chains to Babylon.

· Nebuchadnezzar's captain of the bodyguard, Nebuzaradan, comes to Jerusalem and burns down the Temple, the King's palace, and all the houses of the city.

· The Babylonian army tears down the city walls. Nebuzaradan takes all the remaining people to Babylon—except for the very poorest, who still remain to be vinedressers and do farmwork.

Brunch with the King

· The Chaldeans break the bronze pillars that were in the Temple and carry them to Babylon.

· They completely loot all the remaining silver and gold from the Temple, stripping away all the treasures and bringing them to Babylon.

· Nebuzaradan sends the two highest priests of the Temple and the three guardians of the Temple's threshold to Babylon, where Nebuchadnezzar has them put to death.

· Shaphan's grandson, Gedaliah, becomes the new governor of Judah, which has been virtually emptied out and put in exile.

· Gedaliah tells some of the remaining warriors of Judah to put down their weapons and live peacefully under Babylon's rule.

· They do this for a while, but then a warrior named Ishmael leads ten men to kill Gedaliah.

· The remaining people then run away to Egypt, afraid of what the Babylonians will do to them as punishment.

· After thirty-seven years of exile and imprisonment, Jehoiachin is freed by King Evil-merodoch of Babylon. The king lets Jehoiachin eat at his own table in luxury and also gives him a generous, regular allowance.

· In fact, Jehoiachin eats daily at the Babylonian table is an assertion that there is hope and after the gospel of Matthew, for instance is quick to name Jesus as “son of David”.[2]

Mary is from the line of David and as Queen of Heaven desires to lead us to the promised land of Her son. We should listen to Her messages.

Rogationtide Wednesday[3]

Today would be a good day to reflect on what we want to harvest this fall; so like farmers we must till the soil of our soul reflecting this day on our use of our TREASURE (yes money/tithe) and look at in what ways we may offer our money to Christ to help build a harvest for His Kingdom. It has been said that money is the root of all evil. Yet, this is not exactly true for the real root of all evil is not money but the LOVE of money. Those who fear the Lord know that money is a gift from God. It is not to be buried but sown. This is the correction that God wishes us to accept. We are all sowers and we are to spread the seeds or gifts that God gives us out. Does God need a tithe from us? Or Does God need our hearts free from the love of money? Do not make my house a marketplace. For love of money or the lust for money is what corrupts men not the money itself.

Your Money or Your Life[4]

At this tense moment in our history, when external wars and internal violence make us so conscious of death, an affirmation of the sanctity of human life by renewed attention to the family is imperative. Let society always be on the side of life. Let it never dictate, directly or indirectly, recourse to the prevention of life or to its destruction in any of its phases; neither let it require as a condition of economic assistance that any family yield conscientious determination of the number of its children to the decision of persons or agencies outside the family. Stepped-up pressures for moral and legal acceptance of directly procured abortion make necessary pointed reference to this threat to the right to life. Reverence for life demands freedom from direct interruption of life once it is conceived. Conception initiates a process whose purpose is the realization of human personality. A human person, nothing more and nothing less, is always at issue once conception has taken place. We expressly repudiate any contradictory suggestion as contrary to Judaeo-Christian traditions inspired by love for life, and Anglo-Saxon legal traditions protective of life and the person. Abortion brings to an end with irreversible finality both the existence and the destiny of the developing human person. Conscious of the inviolability of life, the Second Vatican Council teaches: God, the Lord of life, has conferred on man the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life, a ministry which must be fulfilled in a manner that is worthy of man. Therefore, from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes (Gaudium et Spes, 51). The judgment of the Church on the evil of terminating life derives from the Christian awareness that men are not the masters but the ministers of life. Hence, the Council declares: Whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or willful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the human person...all these things and others of their like are infamies indeed. They poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a supreme dishonor to the Creator" (Gaudium et Spes, 27)

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Are these words just words highlighted by men during the age of enlightenment or are they the inspired will of the creator? America is special in that the founders realized this when they wrote our constitution which was established to ensure that laws are enacted and enforced that support life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Much of our misery in this country is caused by laws that reverse the order ensuring that wealth trumps liberty and liberty trumps life. No, it must be life first. Today our church honors Pope Paul VI who realized this when he wrote the Encyclical Letter “Humanae Vitae”

The transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator. It has always been a source of great joy to them, even though it sometimes entails many difficulties and hardships.

The fulfillment of this duty has always posed problems to the conscience of married people, but the recent course of human society and the concomitant changes have provoked new questions. The Church cannot ignore these questions, for they concern matters intimately connected with the life and happiness of human beings.

The protection of Life has primacy. If we are the children of the creator, we know that life must be protected at conception to its natural end. We must seek the dignity of the unborn, the living and the aged in our laws and traditions.

Are you into composting?[5]

When Americans die, most are buried or cremated. Washington could soon become the first state to allow another option: human composting. The novel approach, known as “recomposition,” involves placing bodies in a vessel and hastening their decomposition into a nutrient-dense soil that can then be returned to families. The aim is a less expensive way of dealing with human remains that is better for the environment than burial, which can leach chemicals into the ground, or cremation, which releases earth-warming carbon dioxide.

“People from all over the state who wrote to me are very excited about the prospect of becoming a tree or having a different alternative for themselves,” said state Sen. Jamie Pedersen, a Democrat, who is sponsoring a bill in Washington’s Legislature to expand the options for disposing of human remains. The recomposition bill would also make Washington the 17th state to allow alkaline hydrolysis, the dissolving of bodies in a pressurized vessel with water and lye until just liquid and bone remains. Pedersen plans to introduce the bill when the new legislative session begins next month.

This is scary, sounds like the movie “Soylent Green” was prophetic. Maybe if you are over fifty you need to stay healthy as possible for as long as you can.

Senior Health & Fitness Day[6]

For Grandma, Grandpa, Granny, Gramps, Nana, Papa and all our well-loved elders, Senior Health & Fitness Day is a time to explore the many senior-friendly physical activity options, and to understand the importance of exercise and nutrition for ongoing health and illness-prevention. A healthy diet can boost energy and immunity, and regular exercise is necessary to retain bone mass and lower the risk of fractures, and to build muscle strength and reduce the risk of falls. Various community events will be staged on Senior Health & Fitness Day, and seniors are encouraged to attend for health screenings and diet and exercise information sessions. Low-impact, non-competitive exercise program choices may include stretching, walking and swimming, all designed to increase strength and flexibility. And although Grandma is probably an excellent cook, she may be able to pick up a few healthy tips to make her legendary meals even more delicious and nutritious.