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For over 3000 years, The Middle East has been living in a day of unprecedented anger, vengeance and hatred living by the mantra of a #toothforatooth, often forgetting when or where the tooth was taken out and blinding generations with hate.
Palestinian children through years of indoctrination are already programmed to chant "Death to Israel, Death to America, Death to Infidels." Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi cited this as part of reason the Arab World does not want to take Palestinians, even though they could easily do it with the current level of foreign aid: " .. a mass exodus would risk bringing militants into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, from where they might launch attacks on Israel." Yet, according to CNN, Biden sides with Hamas - warns Israel against occupying Gaza as ground invasion appears near. What is required, whether it is a two-state solution or a resettlement is a massive reprogramming effort. In the 21st century, Deprogramming has evolved into a nontraumatizing, ethical, and legal approach.
Whoopi Goldberg speaking for progressives says women need to get rid of the Toxic Thing inside them. However, just like Hamas, the Islamic Industrial Complex and its ecosystem the Toxicity is in the heart, not in the womb. A hateful heart generates hateful thoughts. Such thoughts become acts of terrorism. Or if you prefer, Ben Sirach states [4] When a sieve is shaken, the refuse remains; so a man's filth remains in his thoughts. Chapter 27
Then there's Professor Russell Rickford of Cornell who calls the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians, which killed children & babies, “exhilarating”
Mohammad Jehad Ahmad, who teaches at Gotham Tech High School, according to his LinkedIn profile, changed his Facebook cover photo to an image of a person paragliding with a Palestinian flag attached to the parachute with "I stand with Palestine" written beneath, according to a screenshot flagged on X, formerly Twitter, by user Justin Spiro.
Ask yourself: Why is it the Arab World won't take Palestinians
The same image, also widely shared by a Black Lives Matter chapter after Hamas' surprise attack last weekend, references how terrorists descended onto Israeli communities with parachutes and gliders, killing hundreds of people and taking civilian hostages.
Biden's statement "We remain committed to speaking out against anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim hate and violence." viewed through the lens of history is #antiSemitic
Its not just the media distributing antiSemitic, pro Hamas propaganda, but also the illuminati - those whose level of hate for the USA far exceeds their love for terrorists. The self-described illuminati, include, WaPo, NYT, Students at Harvard, at UCLA, at Washington, Professors at Stanford at Cornell, RFK, Liz Cheney, Biden, McCarthy, Cori Bush. McConnell, Pelosi. Fox News, Kerry, Jarret, Ellison, Obama, Spartacus , IlhanOmar, Rashida Tlaib & the Squad, the Military Industrial Complex et al, to name a few.
But, Jesus changes the tooth for tooth paradigm: "In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord recalls the commandment, "You shall not kill," and adds to it the proscription of anger, hatred, and vengeance. Going further, Christ asks his disciples to turn the other cheek, to love their enemies. He did not defend himself and told Peter to leave his sword in its sheath. CCC 2262
CS Lewis tells us "Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him."
However; legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility. CCC 2265
The efforts of the state to curb the spread of behavior harmful to people's rights and to the basic rules of civil society correspond to the requirement of safeguarding the common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Punishment has the primary aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense. When it is willingly accepted by the guilty party, it assumes the value of expiation. Punishment then, in addition to defending public order and protecting people's safety, has a medicinal purpose: as far as possible, it must contribute to the correction of the guilty party. 2266
A reasonable solution to the Gaza Conflict must take into consideration the radical Islam programming and the 3000 years culture of anger, vengeance and hatred living by the mantra of tooth for a tooth. Sympathizer using Selective Historicity wrongly call Israel an Occupying Force: Israel is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did 3,000 years ago.
What is required, whether it is a two-state solution or a resettlement is a massive reprogramming effort. In the 21st century, Deprogramming has evolved into a nontraumatizing, ethical, and legal approach.
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A day after EU Guterres blamed Israel for the Gaza Conflict, he has a "Harvard Student Josh Willcox Moment" - Wilcox leads Harvard Palestinian group behind outrageous letter that blamed Israel for Hamas massacre. Wilcox eventually sort of apologized : “My organizing has always been an explicit support of non-violent advocacy in the hope of achieving dignity for Palestinians living under an internationally-recognized Occupation,” - operative words "internationally-recognized Occupation" not only shows selective historicity, but also what's in his heart.
Guterres said he was "shocked by the misinterpretations" of his address made before the U.N. Security Council.
Just like Whoopi Goldberg speaking for progressives says women need to get rid of the Toxic Thing inside them. However, just like Hamas, the Islamic Industrial Complex and its ecosystem the Toxicity is in the heart, not in the womb. A hateful heart generates hateful thoughts. Such thoughts become acts of terrorism.
Peter Kreeft was spot on:
Hamas leader, Fathi Hammad, says Palestinians should murder Jews as an act of worship for "Allah". He compares Jews to cancer that must be eradicated and calls for the establishment of an Islamic state which will commit genocide against the Jews. While Sacred Scripture reads:
"Sin must not reign over your mortal bodies
so that you obey their desires.
And do not present the parts of your bodies to sinas weapons for wickedness,
but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life and the parts of your bodies to God as weapons for righteousness."
"The fact that Europeans do not admit the culture war exists proves, more than anything else, that they have already lost it. The continent that used to be called Christendom is fast becoming a Muslim continent, and not by shedding blood in wars—we stopped that attempt at Poitiers and at Vienna and at Lepanto—but by shedding menstrual blood, that is, by a far harder, costlier, and nobler sacrifice than war: by having children. And I candidly have to say they deserve it, and we deserve to lose it. -
How to Destroy Western Civilisation and other Ideas from the Cultural Abyss - Peter Kreef
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Breaking! - NOT!
Anti-Semitism is alive and well in the Democratic coalition. Notably, Democratic Socialists of America and Black Lives Matter affiliates have issued statements of support for Hamas
Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal compares Israel's self-defense to Russia's "siege of Ukraine
Far-Left California says state-sponsored antiSemitism is OK- The White House & #GavinNewsom's silence on the issue is deafening: it can only mean they agree:
#RichmondCalif., City Council voted to support the Palestinian terrorists of the Gaza Strip with a resolution that accuses Israel of “ethnic cleansing and collective punishment”
George Soros has donated millions of dollars to far-left groups who have launched pro-Palestine protests..Nearly $14 million owas donated through #TidesCenter,' which sponsored nonprofits that publicly justified the Hamas attacks. (NYP). #IfNotNow and #JewishVoiceForPeace co-sponsored the event that stormed the U.S. Capitol complex on October 18th. Jewish Voice for Peace directly blamed the Hamas attacks on Israel.
#Muslims are conducting Ethnic Cleansing in #NagornoKarabakh. Where is #RashidaTlaib, #IlhanOmar, #CoriBush, Biden, Obama,#Ellison, Jarrett et al - where's the media & illuminati?
anti-Semitism is alive and well in the Democratic coalition.
The many faces of antiSemitism: Gilder, Sowell and Gorky didn't get there, but the reason for antiSemitism has not changed in 3000 years: Jews are God's Chosen People. As Charles Krauthammer put it: "Israel is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same+ name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did 3,000 years ago.
The good news is that according to Romans 11, Gentiles now receive nourishment through those holy roots, just as believing Jewish people do. Romans 3-21 is even more explicit: "Brothers and sisters: Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,
though testified to by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his Blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed, through the forbearance of God– to prove his righteousness in the present time, that he might be righteous and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out. On what principle, that of works? No, rather on the principle of faith. For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Does God belong to Jews alone? Does he not belong to Gentiles, too? Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised through faith."
Its not just the media distributing antiSemitic, pro Hamas propaganda, but also the illuminati - those whose level of hate for the USA far exceeds their love for terrorists. The self-described illuminati, include, WaPo, NYT, Students at Harvard, at UCLA, at Washington, Professors at Stanford at Cornell, RFK, Liz Cheney, Biden, McCarthy, McConnell, Pelosi. Fox News, Kerry, Jarret, Ellison, Obama, Spartacus , IlhanOmar, Rashida Tlaib & the Squad, the Military Industrial Complex et al, to name a few.
Right after Tlaib denounced Israel amid an ongoing assault by Hamas terrorists, she irresponsibly blamed Israel for the bombing of a hospital. Tlaib, the Squad and the CCP are quick to jump on the pro-Hamas propaganda - GOP's Bergan moved uselessly to censure Tlaib.
Sort of like Josh Willcox, son of British perfume magnate Jo Malone. According to the Daily Mail, British perfume mogul Jo Malone's SON Josh Willcox helps lead Harvard Palestinian group behind outrageous letter that blamed Israel for Hamas massacre. While Malone spoke out about the war in the Middle East she failed to condemn her son, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Wilcox used Instagram to write in part: “My organizing has always been an explicit support of non-violent advocacy in the hope of achieving dignity for Palestinians living under an internationally-recognized Occupation,” - operative words "internationally-recognized Occupation" not only shows selective historicity, but also what's in his heart.
Let's not forget the Middle East has been in a state of wrath and anger, for over 3000 years, mostly a result of the Tooth-For-A-Tooth" mantra - Palestinian children through years of indoctrination are already programmed to chant "Death to Israel, Death to America, Death to Infidels." Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi cited this as part of reason the Arab World does not want to take Palestinians, even though they could easily do it with the current level of foreign aid: " .. a mass exodus would risk bringing militants into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, from where they might launch attacks on Israel."
Analogous to Whoopi saying women need to get rid of the #ToxicThing inside them. However, the Toxicity is in the heart, not in the womb. A hateful heart generates hateful thoughts. Such thoughts become acts of terrorism. Or if you prefer, Ben Sirach states [4] When a sieve is shaken, the refuse remains; so a man's filth remains in his thoughts. Chapter 27
Then there's Professor Russell Rickford of Cornell who calls the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians, which killed children & babies, “exhilarating”
Mohammad Jehad Ahmad, who teaches at Gotham Tech High School, according to his LinkedIn profile, changed his Facebook cover photo to an image of a person paragliding with a Palestinian flag attached to the parachute with "I stand with Palestine" written beneath, according to a screenshot flagged on X, formerly Twitter, by user Justin Spiro.
The same image, also widely shared by a Black Lives Matter chapter after Hamas' surprise attack last weekend, references how terrorists descended onto Israeli communities with parachutes and gliders, killing hundreds of people and taking civilian hostages.
George Gilder, echoing Thomas Sowell says "at the heart of anti-Semitism is resentment of Jewish achievement. Today that achievement is concentrated in Israel. Obscured by the usual media coverage of the “war-torn” Middle East, Israel has become one of the most important economies in the world, second only to the United States in its pioneering of technologies benefitting human life, prosperity, and peace.
He adds, "But so it has always been. Israel, like the Jews throughout history, is hated not for her vices but her virtues. Israel is hated, as the United States is hated, because Israel is successful, because Israel is free, and because Israel is good."
As Maxim Gorky put it: “Whatever nonsense the anti-Semites may talk, they dislike the Jew only because he is obviously better, more adroit, and more capable of work than they are.” When asked to express his views about religion in a questionnaire sent by the French journal Mercure de France on April 15, 1907, Gorky replied that he was opposed to the existing religions of Moses, Christ, and Mohammed." "Gorky hated religion with all the passion of a former God-builder
Gilder, Sowell and Gorky might be right that jealousy for Israel's achievements is at the core of antiSemitism. Some have suggested the Jewish success is genetic. Yet 3000 years of recorded history tells us that the Jewish People were chosen by God and have been blessed when they have obeyed God and payed the consequences when they went astray, as described in the Psalms, like Psalm 136:
10 Who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his mercy endures forever;
11 And led Israel from their midst, for his mercy endures forever;
12 With mighty hand and outstretched arm, for his mercy endures forever;
13 Who split in two the Red Sea, for his mercy endures forever;
14 And led Israel through its midst, for his mercy endures forever;
15 But swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, for his mercy endures forever;
16 Who led the people through the desert, for his mercy endures forever;
IV 17 Who struck down great kings, for his mercy endures forever;
18 Slew powerful kings, for his mercy endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his mercy endures forever;
20 Og, king of Bashan, for his mercy endures forever;
21 And made their lands a heritage, for his mercy endures forever;
22 A heritage for Israel, his servant, for his mercy endures forever.
V 23 The Lord remembered us in our low estate, for his mercy endures forever;
24 Freed us from our foes, for his mercy endures forever;
25 And gives bread to all flesh, for his mercy endures forever.
While the Jews are the Chosen The good news is that according to Romans 11, Gentiles now receive nourishment through those holy roots, just as believing Jewish people do.
RELATED
Breaking! - NOT!
Anti-Semitism is alive and well in the Democratic coalition. Notably, Democratic Socialists of America and Black Lives Matter affiliates have issued statements of support for Hamas
Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal compares Israel's self-defense to Russia's "siege of Ukraine
Far-Left California says state-sponsored antiSemitism is OK- The White House & #GavinNewsom's silence on the issue is deafening: it can only mean they agree:
#RichmondCalif., City Council voted to support the Palestinian terrorists of the Gaza Strip with a resolution that accuses Israel of “ethnic cleansing and collective punishment”
George Soros has donated millions of dollars to far-left groups who have launched pro-Palestine protests..Nearly $14 million owas donated through #TidesCenter,' which sponsored nonprofits that publicly justified the Hamas attacks. (NYP). #IfNotNow and #JewishVoiceForPeace co-sponsored the event that stormed the U.S. Capitol complex on October 18th. Jewish Voice for Peace directly blamed the Hamas attacks on Israel.
#Muslims are conducting Ethnic Cleansing in #NagornoKarabakh. Where is #RashidaTlaib, #IlhanOmar, #CoriBush, Biden, Obama,#Ellison, Jarrett et al - where's the media & illuminati?
anti-Semitism is alive and well in the Democratic coalition.
CNN "reports" A person is in custody in connection with a series of antisemitic online threats made against Cornell University’s Jewish community, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Tuesday, two days after the messages first surfaced.
CNN does not report that
US Universities receive massive sums of money from countries that openly support #Hamas- why US Universities are Incubators for the #UmmahIndustrialComplex
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) antisemitism and disgraceful response to the attacks on Israel that Congressman Jack Berman introduced a resolution to censure her
Or Ilhan Omar rabid antiSemitism that even Adam Schiff was compelled to denounce her "Anti-Semitism has no place in the halls of Congress or civil society, and it’s incumbent upon all of us in leadership positions to speak respectfully and thoughtfully, even about issues as emotionally charged as those involving Israel and Palestine."
Or Haley Campaign Ripping
AOC Over Israel Resolution Snub: 'You Would Fit Great with the Anti-Semites' at UN"
Or Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) is under fundraising and associating with an antisemitic activist who once said she wants to burn “every Israeli” alive.
Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal compares Israel's self-defense to Russia's "siege of Ukraine
Stoney Heart Trumps Apologies
A day after EU Guterres blamed #Israel for the #GazaConflict, he has a "#Harvard Student #JoshWillcox Moment" - Wilcox leads Harvard Palestinian group behind outrageous letter that blamed Israel for Hamas massacre.
Under duress, both "apologized- But just like Whoopi Goldberg speaking for progressives says women need to get rid of the Toxic Thing inside them. However, just like Hamas, the Islamic Industrial Complex and its ecosystem the Toxicity is in the heart, not in the womb. A hateful heart generates hateful thoughts. Such thoughts become acts of terrorism.
For over 3000 years, The Middle East has been living in a day of unprecedented anger, vengeance and hatred living by the mantra of a #toothforatooth, often forgetting when or where the tooth was taken out and blinding generations with hate.
Yet, Anti-Semitism is alive and well in the Democratic coalition. Notably, Democratic Socialists of America and Black Lives Matter affiliates have issued statements of support for Hamas
Far-Left California #RichmondCalif., says state-sponsored antiSemitism is OK- The White House & #GavinNewsom's silence on the issue is deafening: it can only mean they agree:
#GeorgeSoros has donated millions of dollars to far-left groups who have launched pro-Palestine protests. Nearly $14 million owas donated through #TidesCenter, which sponsored nonprofits that publicly justified the Hamas attacks. (NYP). #IfNotNow and #JewishVoiceForPeace co-sponsored the event that stormed the U.S. Capitol complex on October 18th. #JewishVoiceForPeace directly blamed the Hamas attacks on Israel.
#Muslims are conducting Ethnic Cleansing in #NagornoKarabakh. Where is #RashidaTlaib, #IlhanOmar, #CoriBush, Biden, Obama,#Ellison, Jarrett et al - where's the media & illuminati?
That the US Education is Broken is a well-accepted premise. So, why is it that trade school is not normalized? Sir Ken Robinson, for example, argues that our current educational systems are still based on a industrial paradigm of education – education is increasingly standardised and about conformity, and kids, who are living in the most stimulating age in history, fail to see the point of going to school, which is about ‘finding the right answers to pass the tests’ rather than about stimulating divergent thinking
According to the Atlantic’s Meg St-Esprit the reason most of students do not choose trade schools is mostly due to parents - "when college is held up as the one true path to success, parents—especially highly educated ones—might worry when their children opt for vocational school instead." In this context "highly educated" may mean different things given the accumulated $1.7 Trillion worth of student loans. Are most of these "highly educated parents" responsible for such fiscal irresponsibility? Or as C. S. Lewis has suggested, education without values just makes us a more clever devil?
Or does the responsibility for the student debt which is roughly the GDP of the Soviet Union fall on teachers unions and unscrupulous politicians? After all $1.7 Trillion worth of useless diplomas is not just a blip in the radar but a massive output in a plan gone wrong!
For example, in California, students seeking a bachelor’s degree can get them at community colleges. Governor GavinNewsom and California lawmakers think students are too stupid to figure out which college courses to take to transfer to the University of California System, so they want to make it easier with AB1291. As Thomas Sowell might say: in an age of artificial intelligence, they are creating artificial stupidity.
The same people say the California University System is not good enough for Black Students. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that grants community college students who transfer to historically Black colleges and universities a one-time grant of up to $5,000 - guess who owns the politicians in Sacramento?
Now, consider the Teacher shortage is a manufactured crisis designed to bring in brain washers: you see, teachers are quiting due to value misalignment with the state: The Teachers Unions believe the children belong to the state. Most teachers don't agree. Similarly, there's a significant drop in student enrollment. To solve the problem and to "improve quality of life" some school districts are looking at a four day workweek. Others want to train new teachers. All that is required is a pledge of allegiance to the Teachers unions.
Of all the college majors that pay the most right after college are STEM-based. Except for a BS In Race Hustling - Race Hustling is the highest paid degree: The University of Michigan has 163 DEI officers. Ohio State & U of Virginia have 94. Georgia Tech has 41, but only 13 history teachers. The Highest-paid diversity and inclusion employees rake in substantially more than the average full-time professor!
A degree from the California State University System will soon be worth as much as a Zimbabwe Dollar.
“Most schools place students in what are called remedial courses in math or English before they can move on to a full load of college-level, credit-bearing courses – a process that is a financial drain on not only students, but also colleges and taxpayers, costing up to an estimated $7 billion a year.”
A viable option for these students in trade school. Trade schools have a more streamlined approach to learning and provide students with a specialized skill set rather than focusing on general education that students care little about trade school training takes less time to complete, requires little critical thinking and communication skills, is usually hands-on and, a lot more cost-effective - thus is antithetical to the Teachers unions mission: The more students the more the budget can be inflated, the more accrued political power. This is also the reason the Teachers unions are diversifying: its not rocket science, while NASA can outsource to Space-X, the Teachers Unions continue to use an outdated transportation system, they are expanding food services and dabbling in health services.
Laudate Deum: We can debate the science. Facts Speak for Themselves
We live in a disposable society with the flawed notion that the planet has united resources: Hence it's easy to accept the idea of infinite or unlimited growth, which proves so attractive to economists, financiers, corrupt politicians, Propagandists and experts in technology
Some 150 million Americans will likely buy over $2 billion worth of pumpkins for Halloween. Of those pumpkins, most will end up in landfills instead of the stomach of hungry kids. Thirteen million hungry kids just in America alone are hungry, 700 million world with
Whole mountains are being leveled in the name of progress.
In Laudate Deum, Pope Francis writes: Despite all attempts to deny, conceal, gloss over or relativize the issue, the signs of climate change are here and increasingly evident. No one can ignore the fact that in recent years we have witnessed extreme weather phenomena, frequent periods of unusual heat, drought and other cries of protest on the part of the earth that are only a few palpable expressions of a silent disease that affects everyone. Admittedly, not every concrete catastrophe ought to be attributed to global climate change. Nonetheless, it is verifiable that specific climate changes provoked by humanity are notably heightening the probability of extreme phenomena that are increasingly frequent and intense. For this reason, we know that every time the global temperature increases by 0.5° C, the intensity and frequency of great rains and floods increase in some areas and severe droughts in others, extreme heat waves in some places and heavy snowfall in others. [4] If up to now we could have heat waves several times a year, what will happen if the global temperature increases by 1.5° C, which we are approaching? Those heat waves will be much more frequent and with greater intensity. If it should rise above 2 degrees, the icecaps of Greenland and a large part of Antarctica [5] will melt completely, with immensely grave consequences for everyone." 5
We may debate the science contained in paragraph 5 but Pope Francis is spot on here: "The ethical decadence of real power is disguised thanks to marketing and false information, useful tools in the hands of those with greater resources to employ them to shape public opinion. 29
Aesthetics versus Earth Care
Artificial intelligence and the latest technological innovations start with the notion of a human being with no limits, whose abilities and possibilities can be infinitely expanded thanks to technology. In this way, the technocratic paradigm monstrously feeds upon itself."
Then there's the Climate Change Billionaires Bliss
In Singapore, they call it "nudging" consumers to do what the state wants, which is increase use of public transportation, a government official explains, then cracks a big laugh, as he is behind the wheel of a Mercedes.
Recall California's Gavin, billionaires and corrupt politicians tell us to eat insects, turn off gas appliances, nudge us to stop using gasoline cars (make it imposdible to afford filling up) & instead switch to EVs - while they use private jets, eat scrumptious dinners and so on - that's nothing.
According to a 2022 Oxfam report, 125 of the world's richest billionaires each emit over a million times more carbon than the average person in the bottom 90%, and a solid 50-70% of billionaires' emissions are thought to result from their investment
October 4th is the Feast Day of Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, known as Francis of Assisi, and one of the most venerated religious figures in Roman Catholic history
He was born to a prosperous silk merchant, and a French noblewoman from Provence
He founded the Franciscan orders, including the Poor Clares and the lay Third Order. He and St. Catherine of Siena are the patron saints of Italy, and he is also the patron saint of ecology and of animals.
It so happens that today, last year (2023) Pope Francis released Laudate Deum, a new document taking direct aim at climate change deniers and castigating Western nations, particularly the United States, for irresponsible lifestyles causing irreparable harm to the planet. Laudate Deum starts out recalling Saint Francis: "1. “Praise God for all his creatures”. This was the message that Saint Francis of Assisi proclaimed by his life, his canticles and all his actions. In this way, he accepted the invitation of the biblical Psalms and reflected the sensitivity of Jesus before the creatures of his Father: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these” (Mt 6:28-29). “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight” (Lk 12:6). How can we not admire this tenderness of Jesus for all the beings that accompany us along the way!"
Indulged by his parents, Francis lived the high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man. As a young man, Francis became a devotee of troubadours and was fascinated with all things Transalpine. He was handsome, witty, gallant, delighted in fine clothes and spent money lavishly
As opposed to George Soros, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg et el, he did not start a Foundation to balance indulgence with hedenophobia. His displays of disillusionment toward the world that surrounded him came fairly early in his life, as is shown in the story of the beggar. In this account, he was selling cloth and velvet in the marketplace on behalf of his father when a beggar came to him and asked for alms. At the conclusion of his business deal, Francis abandoned his wares and ran after the beggar. When he found him, Francis gave the man everything he had in his pockets. His friends mocked him for his charity; his father scolded him.
After he returned from the war in a dream he heard the words “why do burden yourself seeking the servant instead of the Master?” At that moment his life took on a new direction, guided by his constant wish to know that to which God was calling him. Prayer and silent contemplation in the Umbrian countryside led him to embrace lepers and outcasts as brothers and sisters, those in the past he had always found disgusting and repulsive.
One morning in February 1208, Francis was taking part in a Mass in the chapel of St. Mary of the Angels, near which he had by then built himself a hut. The Gospel of the day was the "Commissioning of the Twelve" from the Book of Matthew. The disciples were to go and proclaim that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Francis was inspired to devote himself to a life of poverty. Having obtained a coarse woolen tunic, the dress then worn by the poorest Umbrian peasants, he tied it around himself with a knotted rope and went about exhorting the people of the countryside to penance, brotherly love, and peace.
Francis gathered with his numerous companions, who shared his desire to live the Gospel to the letter in poverty, chastity and obedience. In 1209 the first group of brothers gathered in Rome to meet Pope Innocent III who, struck by “that short and thin young man with burning eyes”, approved the Rule, later confirmed definitely in 1223 by Honorius III.
Francis was torn between a life devoted entirely to prayer and a life of active preaching of the Good News. He decided in favor of the latter, but always returned to solitude when he could. He wanted to be a missionary in Syria or in Africa, but was prevented by shipwreck and illness in both cases. He did try to convert the sultan of Egypt during the Fifth Crusade.
Climate Change Activists and conservatives wrongly see the Laudate Dem as tool for the political left. They seem to forget Laudate Si. The criticism is directly aimed at the pririviledged class referred to as Climate Change Billionaires Bliss - see link to Animation deleted by YouTube but available on Google
In Singapore, they call it "nudging" consumers to do what the state wants, which is increase use of public transportation, a government official explains, then cracks a big laugh, as he is behind the wheel of a Mercedes.
Recall California Governor Gavin, billionaires & corrupt politicians tell us to eat insects, turn off gas appliances, nudge us to stop using gasoline cars (make it imposdible to afford filling up) & instead switch to EVs - while they use private jets, eat scrumptious dinners and so on - that's nothing.
According to a 2022 Oxfam report, 125 of the world's richest billionaires each emit over a million times more carbon than the average person in the bottom 90%, and a solid 50-70% of billionaires' emissions are thought to result from their investment
St. Francis of Assisi: Make me an instrument of your peace
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Saint Mother Theodore, a study on perseverance against all odds in the order of the Prophets of the Old Testament, like King David, Nehemiah and Isiah.
"We are notcalled upon to do all the good possible, but only that which we can do." Saint Mother Theodore
Indeed, Saint Theodora's life not only shows great trust in the Divine Providence but is an illustration of perseverance in the face of adversity and opposition, not unlike the prophet Nehemiah.
The phrase "No good deed goes unpunished" is a sardonic commentary on the frequency with which acts of kindness backfire on those who offer them. In other words, those who help others are doomed to suffer as a result of their helpfulness. We can be sure thar opposition will come, in one form or another. Sometimes it comes in a very subtle manner, and at other times it comes through strong, open resistance. In the work place, it may be the Not Invented Here Syndrome - a challenge to our ideas or proposals. In our families, it may be a retaliation against our principles. And in faith, opposition may come as a mockery or even a threat.
King David knew the severity of opposition and experienced it regularly throughout his reign. More than once, he fled into the mountains, fearing for his life. Frequently, such as in Psalm 3, he cried out to God over the extreme opposition he faced.
The Book of Nehemiah contains several classic examples of opposition encountered by a man called by the Lord to accomplish a specific task. Nehemiah committed his problems to the Lord, faced the issues, and emerged victorious.
As opposition came, Nehemiah faced it squarely. He cried out to the Lord for help and then made sound decisions. He did not allow himself to be intimidated by the opposition or the people who caused it. The end result was victory. The people of Jerusalem had their protective walls, and the city was safe again.
Some of the challenges faced by St Mother Throdore were described in a February 4, 2021 virtual presentation hosted by the Sisters of Providence, titled
During the presentation, Sister Jan Craven noted that it was important to understand St. Mother Theodore had a lot of suffering before she came to Indiana in 1840 at the age of 42 to start a mission to educate pioneer children. But perhaps the suffering she faced in a new country, with new culture, as a business entrepreneur pale in comparison
She became Sister St. Theodore after taking vows with the Sisters of Providence in Ruille, France. There, she formed a close bond and significant friendship with the general superior, Mother Mary LeCoeur, but misunderstanding led to Mother Mary withdrawing her friendship from Sister St. Theodore. At times, the rupture in their friendship almost crushed the young Sister Theodora, and its duration made it more poignant. All during her early trials in America, Mother Theodore stood almost alone.
Sister Jan spoke of Mother Theodore’s anxiety about the future of the community for all kinds of reasons. She was distressed at the prejudice she felt from the people; she felt isolated from France and Mother Mary, who wouldn’t answer her letters for months.
Then, there was a conflict with the bishop. His disagreements with, lack of support , and disrespect for Mother Theodore were so great that at one point, he locked her in a room for the day and excommunicated her from the congregation she founded.
Despite the treatment Sister Theodora was subjected to, when the bishop released her from the room, she kissed his ring and bowed and showed him great respect.
Then, there was a devastating fire that destroyed the community in October 1842. The small community was just beginning to feel they had a chance to succeed. They had pupils, and they had a good harvest stored in their barns for the upcoming winter. The fire set by an arsonist destroyed everything, the barn, the harvest, and all the farming implements.
At this time, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods was a separated congregation from the one in Ruille. Mother Theodore had to seek funds to restore the community on her own.
According to Helen Flavin, Mother Theodore’s life illustrates the peace and joy of walking with God, who says, "I will hold you by the hand and watch over you - Isaiah 42:6."
Mother Theodore can inform our lives. She walked with Divine Providence. She showed in life that, though it seems we’re walking in the dark, we are moving forward, fully participating in God’s plan for our lives.
Flavin noted that life’s challenges offer an opportunity to turn away or to keep walking and trusting in God. Mother Theodore shared the peace and joy she found in trusting in Providence.
Mother Theodore and her community persevered despite fires, crop failures, prejudice against Catholic women religious, misunderstandings, and separation from their original religious congregation. She once told her sisters, “Have confidence in the Providence that so far has never failed us. The way is not yet clear. Grope along slowly. Do not press matters; be patient, be trustful.” Another time she asked, “With Jesus, what shall we have to fear?”
The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are blessed to have a foundress who loved to record her thoughts and prayers. The following is a handful of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin quotes.