Friday, February 14, 2025

Cyril and Methodius, Apostles to the Slavs. A Gospel for the East.

February 14 marks the memorial of brothers Sts Cyril and Methodius.


Cyril ( 826–869) and Methodius ( 815–885) were brothers, Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the Apostles to the Slavs. The brothers created the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet used to transcribe Old Church Slavonic. After their deaths, their pupils continued their missionary work among other Slavs. Both brothers are venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church as saints with the title of "equal-to-apostles". In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared them co-patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia.





The two brothers were born in Thessalonica, in the Byzantine province, in Greece. According to the Vita Cyrilli ("The Life of Cyril"), Cyril was the youngest of seven brothers; he was born Constantine, but was given the name Cyril upon becoming a monk in Rome shortly before his death. Methodius was born Michael and was given the name Methodius upon becoming a monk in Polychron Monastery at Mysian Olympus (present-day Uludağ in northwest Turkey). Their father was Leo, a droungarios of the Byzantine theme of Thessalonica, and their mother's name was Maria.

The two brothers lost their father when Cyril was fourteen, and the powerful minister Theoktistos, who was logothetes tou dromou, one of the chief ministers of the Empire, became their protector. He was also responsible, along with the regent Bardas, for initiating a far-reaching educational program within the Empire which culminated in the establishment of the University of Magnaura, where Cyril was to teach. Cyril was ordained as priest some time after his education, while his brother Methodius remained a deacon until 867/868.

The administrator and the scholar


History recounts that at first they were apart. The elder brother quickly distinguished himself as a capable administrator, becoming a public official in a province of the Byzantine Empire. The younger brother received a refined education in Constantinople- grammar, rhetoric, astronomy and music – meant to prepare him to be a high-level imperial functionary. But when he was finally offered such a position, Cyril refused it.

A new alphabet for the Bible


When Cyril was about 35, Emperor Michael III thought of him when the Khazars (in today’s Crimea) asked for a learned man who could debate with both Jews and Saracens. At that point the two brothers reunited, setting out on the first of numerous missions together. Two years later, in 863, they were asked to head to Greater Moldavia. The prince of that area had asked for missionaries who could counter the Germanic influence by speaking Slavic, but Cyril and Methodius went far beyond this. Probably realizing how difficult it was to communicate Sacred Scripture to the Slavic tribes in Latin and Greek, the official languages, the brothers – tradition has it, after prayer and fasting – invented a new alphabet, the “Glagolitic” alphabet, more commonly known as Cyrillic: 40 characters derived largely from medieval Greek cursive.



A Gospel for the East

Their work was so extraordinary that the Pope, who called them to Rome, set out in procession to welcome them. The great difficulties of their mission had damaged the health of the younger brother. On February 14, 869, Cyril, who had become a monk, died of an illness. Methodius was consecrated a bishop and continued their mission, overcoming hostility and incomprehension, and teaching his disciples how to translate the sacred texts. Bishop Methodius spent the next fourteen years evangelizing the people in their native language, forming clergy, and effectively administering the Church. He continued to endure harsh treatment from the Germanic clergy, even being imprisoned by them for a time, but he pressed on, extending his missionary work beyond the borders of Great Moravia.


A millennia later, the brothers received the universal honor they deserved when the Western Church added them to its liturgical calendar. A century after that, Pope John Paul II, a Slav himself, honored Cyril and Methodius with the title of co-patrons of Europe and Apostles to the Slavs.


Prayer to Saints Cyril and Methodius


Saints Cyril and Methodius, you gave your lives God’s service with zeal, creativity, and determination. Please pray for me, that God may use me to bring the Good News to people in ways to which they can relate. Saints Cyril and Methodius, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Paraphrasing the Bible to a Compendium to Deconstructing the Compendium: The RIY

Saint Philip Neri's Maxim for February 12 remind us of the power of Prayer: :There is nothing more to the purpose for exciting a spirit of prayer, than the reading of spiritual books.





If you have never read the Bible, but want to know what is in it, take one minute and read the Our Father: it's a paraphrase: According to Tertullian (CC 2761) said "The Lord's Prayer is truly the summary of the whole gospel." On the other hand, if you prefer a compendium of the Bible, read the Rosary. But wait, there's more:  if you need more detail, listed to the deconstructed Rosary:  Father Mark-Mary's Rosary in a Year Podcast.  Today marks day 43






A couple of years ago, our  daughter suggested we listen to Father Mike Schmitz's Cathechism in  Year (CIY)  Podcast.




The idea was not too appealing.  After  I had previously recommended to the family that whenever there were doubts about Church Teachings, to simply refer to the Catechism- I even bought them all a printed copy. Then the online version became available. All very convenient, yet there was a caveat: The Catechism was too technical and it was not easy to read or comprehend.

We reluctantly started our daily dose of CIY and  Bible in a Year (BIY) podcasts. On short notice we were hooked on Father Mike's down to earth engaging style. We found Father Mike's presentations not only easy-to-understand but also informative and entertaining, dispelling many myths along the way, even though I
had already read different versions of the Bible, listened to various Bible expositors, such as Pastor Chuck Smith, Greg Laurie, Rick Warren and others. I was also studying the writings of Cardinal Ratzinger aka Pope Benedict XVI.


Father Mike Schmitz, using the Catholic Catechism, deconstructs the Lord's Prayer, using the last twelve episodes of his Catechism In a Year Channel and shows why Tertullian was right.


Then there's the Book of Revelation. In Seven Days, starting in Day 359, Father Mike's treatment of the Book of Revelation took the mystery out of it and made it easier to digest.

Whether you are a Bible neophyte or a Bible expert - like I thought I was - going through Father Mike's Bible In a Year and Catechism In a Year Podcasts cannot only be edifying but get you ready to give an answer:" Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame." 1 Peter Chapter 3

As Saint Paul charged Timothy: "I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths.

But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry." 2 Timothy 4:


I felt so confident on my accumulated wealth of Biblical knowledge that more than once, I had said something like "It's not Biblical." Referring to Homilies, art or simply comments. To only later realize I was wrong after hearing Father Mike Schmitz's Podcasts 


We successfully completed Father Mike Schmitz's Catechism In a Year (CIY) Podcast as well as the Bible in a Year (BIY,) and picked up Divine Office along theway, three times a day: Lauds, Vesper and Compline. While it took some convincing to pick up Father Mike's podcasts, we completed them both on December 2023.

So what about Father Mike-Mary's Rosary in a Year Podcast?




Last month our daughter introduced us to Father Mike-Mary's Rosary in a Year Podcast.  Again, we were reluctant to tackle it.  After all, we thought, Father Mike is an all-star Father Mark-Mary's a monk, and we pray the Rosay daily, what's the value add?

Once again, we were 100% wrong.  Father Mark-Mary's deconstruction of the Rosary is very enlightening & his style is perfect for the subject matter.  While we are just on day 43 of the RIY podcast, we can't wait to finish.  We are hooked!




Tuesday, February 11, 2025

The DOGE Disruption

Long gone are the days of citizen legislators. Forget civil servants.“Politician” is now officially a professional career. Explains why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she' the boss

and Elizabeth Warren say citizens don't have to know how the government spends taxpayers' money.




Parasitic Bureaucracies 

Recent DOGE findings confirm what we have been writing about for the last twenty years about parasitic bureaucracies, including the public education system

Consider 


LIST OF STATE OF CALIFORNIA GOVT. AGENCIES:AKA Parasitic Bureaucracies


CA- Directory Listing Coordinator Information

Each state government agency, including departments, boards and commissions, is required to designate at least one person within their organization as the Directory Listing Coordinator (DLC). The DLC assists the Office of Technology Services (OTech) by submitting monthly telephone directory listings data files to Directory Services




The Circular Reporting Mafia Ring 









If  professional fact-checkers were to jump in and dispute what  AOC & Pocahontas said, meant or didn't say,  consider  MSM was in lockstep with the Biden Administrstion promoting #PulitzerPrizeForFakeNews
In several categories 





#NationalSecurityHoax 
#DEIHoax
#SaferAmericaHoax
#J6InsurrectionHoax



#BoomingEconomyHoax 
#SanctuaryCityRuleOfMigration
#MassMigrationHoax
#NormalizedDelinquencyHoax
#SendMoneyForStudentsHoax
#SanctuaryCityRuleOfMigration
#HollywoodsRuleOfPedophilia





In the case of the Russia Hoax a fabricated charge is leaked to one outlet.




From then on, every other outlet repeats the same made up story to the point that the masses conclude it must be true, since everyone is saying - hence, Circular Reporting.











The same thing happened with social media,  where the practice is called Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior - usually reserved for Bots.  In all these hoaxes, the platforms, including Twitter and X, allowed it, for some reason.

DOGE reported Samantha Power's USAID funded  over 6,200 journalists across 707 media outlets and 279 "media" NGOs, including nine out of ten media outlets in Ukraine, the NYT, Reuters, the AP,  Politico and even the BBC

Why I call it the Circular Reporting Mafia Ring- CRMR

My question is:  why is it Pam Bondi has not brought RICO charges?






In social media, this level of activity is known as Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior and is automatically blocked by most platforms.  

Popular accounts are that PBS/CPB/NPR only receive half a billion from the government, but  digging down a little deeper the real number is over a billion. Agencies across the government routinely provide hundreds of additional grants to our state-funded media apparatus.





Necessary but not sufficient
In the age of artificial intelligence any government representative paying for legacy media subscription at this insane rate should be fired and persecuted!
And it's not only the buyer but the seller - selling extended release culture pills.

Why I ask, when is Pam Bondi going to bring RICO Charges against the Circular Reporting Mafia Ring?






Forget the civil servant, it's the professional politician 

The Circle of Corruption


The average representative term has  quadrupled while the average Senate tenure has more than doubled.



The factors attributed to increased tenure are expansion of incentives, perqs and power.  And it's not just the Circle of Corruption


Link to post on X 








So what does the taxpayers get from a professional politician?

A new state flag!






Import Democrat voters


Laundromat 







Global Warming Hypocrisy 




Department of Agriculture 




Government Accountability Office 

The Government Accountability Office employs 3,275 people.






There are over 70 statutory Inspector Generals in the federal government. 

Yet a child nicknamed Big Balls found more fraud in a week than the entire Band of IGs and GAO have done in decades. They should all resign in shame! - then prosecuted!



The DOGE subcommittee just discovered $2.7 TRILLION in improper payments in Medicare and Medicaid overseas, to people who should not have gotten it.

Medicare/Medicaid

The US government sent $2.7 TRILLION in Medicare & Medicaid money overseas to people who were NOT eligible to receive it. That’s 8% of the US national debt. Medicare isn't going broke. The money is being stolen.




Meanwhile, California's Gavin Newsom’s budget director  admits the state  is spending $9.5 BILLION a year on illegal immigrant healthcare costs – and are giving 23% of every Medi-Cal general fund dollar in the state budget to illegals! 

AntiSemitism 






FEMA






Department of Fish and Wildlife Foundation




HHS





HUD


$1.9 billion of HUD money was just recovered after being misplaced during the Biden administration due to a broken process. These funds were earmarked for the administration of financial services, but were no longer needed.
@SecretaryTurner and
@DOGE worked together to fix the issue and de-obligated the funds which are now available for other use by the Treasury.

Regime Change



USAID funded at least one organization that fabricated evidence which was used to impeach President Trump, not counting the Circular Reporting Mafia Ring. The Deep State frequently funds regime change efforts abroad, but when it uses taxpayer money to undermine our own government, isn't that treason?






Department of Education 








I've been telling you, for decades, that the education system is not only broken, but has turned into a Devshirme System: More Indoctrination, less Education.  DOGE is proving me right.


The Department of Education granted $8M to this NGO, which argues that America is a "racialized structure of power, privilege, [and] oppression" and suggests that Republicans are "violently fighting for the maintenance of white supremacy." It advises public schools in 13 states. 





When you have the Department of Education promoting hate, division and anti-conservativism, who needs Google and Facebook?




The Department of Education funded a training program for teachers, because babies are racists.


It claims that babies develop racial biases as infants and begin "attributing negative traits to non-dominant (non-white) races" by age five.




Don't say I didn't tell you so.It's a Devshirme system:  more Indoctrination less Education. Just look at the Colorado Teachers Union's charter.


I've been telling you, for decades, that the education system is not only broken, but has turned into a Devshirme System: More Indoctrination, less Education.  DOGE is proving me right.










The Department of Education funded another NGO, which argues that white children must "push through all of the white fantasy that is just part of what it means to grow up in a white supremacist society." They believe that white children are not "innocent."





The Department of Education funded an NGO which promotes Black Lives Matter ideology - the idea that the American public school system is a "concentration camp" designed to "harm black and brown children." "There's gas chambers everywhere, and I'm part of that system."



And a child shall lead them

After a child @DOGE leads the way.

A federal audit published by the National Science Foundation’s Office of the Inspector General Feb. 6 revealed significant financial mismanagement within several of Northeastern’s federally funded research projects.

Nearly $14 million of Northeastern research grants deemed ‘neo-Marxist propaganda’ in investigation led by Ted Cruz








Plain Corruption



The Elon has your personal Information red herring 






Pentagon








The U.S. Army has diverted over $151 million meant for soldiers’ food, according to the Military Times. Financial records show that more than half of the money collected from junior enlisted troops was spent elsewhere. Food fund allocations at select Army bases: • Fort Stewart, Georgia: $17 million collected, $2.1 million spent on food • Fort Drum, New York: $18.2 million collected, $3.9 million spent on food • Fort Carson, Colorado: $22 million collected, $5 million spent on food • Fort Riley, Kansas: $19.1 million collected, $5.1 million spent on food • Fort Bliss, Texas: $22 million collected, $11 million spent on food • Fort Cavazos, Texas: $42.5 million collected, $11.7 million spent on food • Fort Bragg, North Carolina: $34.6 million collected, $16.6 million spent on food • Fort Campbell, Kentucky: $18 million collected, $5.1 million spent on food Army officials refused to disclose where the missing funds went, despite growing concerns about food shortages on bases. Soldiers require sufficient meals with adequate caloric intake and nutrition. Meanwhile, taxpayers demand that their funds are spent on what the U.S. government claims they are being spent on. 





U.S. State Dept. Accidentally Gave $239 Million to Taliban Since Disastrous Afghanistan Withdrawal: Report - The Maine Wire

IRS


Link 



Or as someone on X puts it;

There’s something very Hypocritical and Evil hiring 87,000 IRS agents to audit us down to $600 but now freak out when Elon and a tiny crew audits them exposing 100’s $BILLIONS of government waste and corruption. Could it be any more obvious that the Democrats are criminals?





Lawfare:














The Democrat Coalition has been planning the lawfare against the Trump administration for 2 years. Consider Democrats have been planning the lawfare against the Trump administration for 2 years. They have 800 lawyers and 280 civil service organizations. They were pre-interviewing plaintiffs in November of 2024 - That is according to the New York Times. This constitutional crisis narrative has been planned in advance and is being executed because they have hundreds of lawsuits planned, supported by the Circular Reporting Mafia Ring.






A progressive foundation that Mark Zuckerberg has funneled $2 billion to is bankrolling one of the leading groups currently suing the Trump administration and @DOGE




Conflict of Interest














Asking if judges working against president Trump's agenda have a conflict of interest dealing with USAID,



Is like asking over 1/2 a million journalists if their paycheck is tied to USAID funding

Like asking if McClatchy Media funds hit pieces against president Trump.






Which is like asking Hitler if he's responsible for the final solution.







Link to Post on X












Misc

Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Special Services, testifies before the DOGE Subcommittee that robust ID verification could save $1 TRILLION every year in entitlements. Feb 12, 2025


DOGE just cancelled a $25,000 grant for “Empowering LGBTQIA+ Refugees in Greece”


Today’s contract update February 13, 2025 167 cancellations with savings of ~$115M, including a $2.23M contract for HHS for “equity assessments of existing program policies”.


US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled: - $10M for "Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision" - $9.7M for UC Berkeley to develop "a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills" - $2.3M for "strengthening independent voices in Cambodia" - $32M to the Prague Civil Society Centre - $40M for "gender equality and women empowerment hub" - $14M for "improving public procurement" in Serbia - $486M to the “Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening,” including $22M for "inclusive and participatory political process" in Moldova and $21M for voter turnout in India - $29M to "strenghening political landscape in Bangladesh" - $20M for "fiscal federalism" in Nepal - $19M for "biodiversity conversation" in Nepal - $1.5M for "voter confidence" in Liberia - $14M for "social cohesion" in Mali - $2.5M for "inclusive democracies in Southern Africa" - $47M for "improving learning outcomes in Asia" - $2M to develop "sustainable recycling models" to "increase socio-economic cohesion among marginalized communities of Kosovo Roma, Ashkali, and Egypt"


Conclusion

And how do professional politicians react  to Big Balls' findings?  Stop DOGE! Let the good greed roll" - Laissez les bons avidité rouler!


A great argument to fire  all the IG's and go back to part-time citizen legislators.  Firing Paul Martin is a start.