Gilder, Sowell and Gorky: Reason For AntiSemitism? Jews Are God's Chosen People

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

https://x.com/simonateba/status/1718631081547604029?s=20
⁰

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.





#Democrats = #AntiSemites

https://www.independent.org/issues/article.asp

https://www.ocregister.com/2023/10/20/anti-semitism-is-alive-and-well-in-the-democratic-coalition/



https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-10-23/israel-hamas-war-american-jewish-left


https://www.conservativedailynews.com/2023/10/the-israel-gaza-conflict-a-legitimate-defense/

https://www.conservativedailynews.com/2023/10/gilder-sowell-and-gorky-reason-for-antisemitism-jews-are-gods-chosen-people/




https://www.ocregister.com/2023/10/20/anti-semitism-is-alive-and-well-in-the-democratic-coalition/

CNN News

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?

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/31/us/cornell-antisemetic-threats-person-of-interest/index.html

Trade Schools or ?

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 high school students are not prepared for college. According to Sarah Butrymowicz, The Hechinger Report:

“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

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

Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi Original Climate Change Activist

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.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Theodore Guérin

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 

October 3rd is the Feast Day of Theodora Guerin.  Theodora Guérin (1798-1856,) remembered as a woman devoted to prayer, an educator, caregiver and leader. She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006, who summed up her life saying: “With great trust in divine providence, she overcame many challenges and persevered in the work that the Lord had called her to do.”

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

Facing Challenges with St. Mother Theodore Guerin: 

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

As a young girl, Anne-Therese Guérin experienced the loss of two brothers and her father.

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?”

Saint Mother Theodore, nee Anne-Thérèse Guérin was born near the end of the French Revolution, a period of significant change that caused a crisis within French Catholicism, when schools and churches were closed, and many Catholic priests chose exile over death, on 2 October 1798, in the village of Étables-sur-Mer in Brittany, France, to Laurent Guérin, an officer in the French Navy under Napoleon Bonaparte, and Isabelle Lefèvre Guérin

Anne-Thérèse knew from an early age that she would devote her life to serving God. When Guérin was fifteen, bandits robbed and killed her father as he was traveling home to visit his family.  As a result, her mother fell into a deep depression. The teenaged Anne-Thérèse accepted the responsibility of caring for her mother and sister. Around the age of twenty, Guérin asked for her mother's blessing to join a religious order, but Isabelle was still unable to cope with her loss and refused. Five years later, Isabelle recognized the depth of Anne-Thérèse's devotion to God and permitted her to leave home to join a convent

On 18 August 1823, Guérin entered the Sisters of Providence of Ruillé-sur-Loir congregation and was given the religious name of Sister Saint Théodore.

Sister Saint Théodore spent her early career as an educator, beginning as a teacher at Preuilly-sur-Claise in central France. In 1826, she began serving as a teacher and superior at the Saint Aubin parish school in Rennes before her transfer to a school at Soulaines in the Diocese of Angers. She also ministered to the needs of the area's sick and poor. While working in France, Sister Saint Théodore became seriously ill, most likely with smallpox. Although she recovered, the illness damaged her digestive system. As a result, Sister Saint Théodore could only eat a simple, bland diet for the rest of her life.  Then she travels to the United States!

Biography of Saint Mother Thedore

“What strength the soul draws from prayer! In the midst of a storm, how sweet is the calm it finds in the heart of Jesus. But what comfort is there for those who do not pray?” These words, written by Mother Théodore Guérin after surviving a violent storm at sea, perhaps best exemplify her life and ministry. Truly, Mother Theodore drew strength from prayer, from conversations with God, with Jesus and with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Throughout her life, she encouraged prayer as she sought to share the love of God with people everywhere."

Saint Mother Thedore Quotes

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.

St Jerome: From Feminist, Vitriolic, Remorsefully Licentious, Many Enemies, Reluctant Priest, Vulgate Author to Doctor of the Church

September 30 is Feast Day of Saint Jerome. Saint Jerome is a person one can easily identify with: As a young man drawn to libertinage, with a curious mind, he learns to stand on principle, eventually becoming an ascetic and a Bible Scholar. Traditionally, Saint Jerome is regarded as the most learned of the Latin Fathers. St. Jerome, patron saint of irascible, morbidly sensitive old curmudgeons

Saint Jerome was a Feminist, and an easy target of the noted Porphyry's accusation that the Christian communities were run by women and that the favor of the ladies decided who could accede to the dignity of the priesthood. Stubborn with a bad temper, Jerome could use a vitriolic pen, but his love for God and for Jesus Christ was extraordinarily intense; anyone who taught error was an enemy of God and truth, and Saint Jerome went after him or her with his eloquence and sometimes sarcasm. As Winston Churchill said, "You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life."

As a young man off to study, Jerome was licentious. As C. S. Lewis said, “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a cleverer devil.” While, Jerome indulged himself quite casually he was remorseful and suffered terrible bouts of guilt afterwards. He was a reluctant Priest, yet he became a scholar, translated the Bible from Hewbrew into Latin and eventually became Doctor of the Church

Saint Jerome, nee Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus was born at Stridon around 342–347 AD but not baptized until about 360–369 in Rome, where he had gone with his friend Bonosus of Sardica to pursue rhetorical and philosophical studies. By his own admission, as a student, Jerome indulged himself but was remorseful, suffering terrible bouts of guilt afterwards. To appease his conscience, on Sundays he visited the sepulchers of the martyrs and the Apostles in the catacombs. This experience reminded him of the terrors of Hell.

In a piece published in Aleteia, Philip Koslosky writes: "Anger is a feeling, and in itself it is not sinful. It is even possible that anger can spur us on to do something heroic and stand up for those who are being persecuted. St. Jerome was known to lash out at people and spew angry comments, but it was his repentance that saved him"

The Gospel of Saint Matthew in Chapter 21 describes Jesus cleansing the Temple

"Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those engaged in selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And he said to them, “It is written: ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of thieves.”

Jerome is often pictured with a stone, which he would use to beat his chest as he repented for his sins. Once, upon seeing a painting of the great saint, Pope Sixtus V commented: “You do well to carry that stone, for without it the Church would never have canonized you.”

He eventually became a master of Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Chaldaic. After his preliminary education, he went to Rome, then to Trier, Germany. He spent several years in each place, always trying to find the very best teachers. As protégé of Pope Damasus I, and in order to put an end to the marked divergences in the western texts of that period, Pope Damasus encouraged Jerome to revise the available Old Latin versions of the Bible into a more accurate Latin on the basis of the Greek New Testament and the Septuagint, resulting in the Vulgate - Jerome undertook a revision of the Vetus Latina Gospels based on Greek manuscripts. He also updated the Psalter containing the Book of Psalms then in use in Rome, based on the Septuagint. The Vulgate was adopted as the Bible text within the Western Church. Ot eventually eclipsed the Vetus Latina. By the 13th century it had taken over from the former version the designation versio vulgata (the "version commonly used") or vulgata for short.

According to SBC Called, a Bible translator works in a cross-cultural context to facilitate the translation of the Word of God into the heart language of a local people. The goal of every Bible translation project is to produce a translation that is clear, accurate, natural, and acceptable to the people for whom it is translated. In order for a people group to meaningfully engage with the Bible and be transformed by its message, exegetical accuracy, linguistic naturalness, and cultural sensitivity are vital aspects of a translation.




Jerome was known for his teachings on Christian moral life, especially to those living in cosmopolitan centers such as Rome. In many cases, he focused his attention on the lives of women and identified how a woman devoted to Jesus should live her life. This focus stemmed from his close patron relationships with several prominent female ascetics who were members of affluent class. The resulting inclination of these women towards the monastic life, away from the indulgent lasciviousness in Rome, and his unsparing criticism of the secular clergy of Rome, brought a growing hostility against him among the Roman clergy and their supporters. Soon after the death of his patron Pope Damasus I on 10 December 384, Jerome was forced to leave his position at Rome after an inquiry was brought up by the Roman clergy into allegations that he had an improper relationship with the widow Paula.

Jerome traveled extensively in Palestine, marking each spot of Christ’s life with an outpouring of devotion. He spent five years in the desert of Chalcis giving himself up to prayer, penance, and study. Finally, he settled in Bethlehem, where he lived in the cave believed to have been the birthplace of Christ. Jerome died in Bethlehem, and the remains of his body now lie buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

Koslosky concludes: "What separates us from the saints is not our mistakes, but our ability to ask forgiveness from God and others. If we do that, we have much more in common with the saints that we might expect."

Prayer to Saint Jerome 

Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Jerome as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed through his many years of devoted service to Your Church.

St. Jerome, you were eager to study God and to devote yourself to Him after your conversion to Christianity. You studied Him faithfully for many years and wrote many important theological works.

Please bring my petitions before God with such faithfulness!

You became a priest and continued living an ascetic way of life as a hermit. You served as the Pope’s secretary, and you spent years translating the Bible.

Pray for me, that I may devote my life to serving God and His Church as faithfully as you did. Pray that I may be eager to devote my life wholly to God.

Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, Philipino, Martyred While Being Catholic In Japan.

Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, patron saint of Filipino youth, the Philippines, people working overseas, and altar servers was martyred for being a Christian His feast day is September 28.

8th



"I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for God;
Had I a thousand lives, all these to Him shall I offer." Saint Lorenzo Ruiz's -the first Filipino martyr to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church - last words as he and his companions were water boarded to entice them to renounce their faith.

Waterboarding is a brutal practice whereby an interrogator straps a prisoner to a board, places a wet rag in his mouth, and by pouring water through the rag induces controlled drowning. It is a paradigmatic torture technique that has long been considered a war crime. ACLU

Yet waterboarding was not enough. Afterwards, Lorenzo was subjected to a form of torture known as tsurushi, or "gallows and pit." Ana-tsurushi (lit. "hole hanging"), also known simply as tsurushi (lit. "hanging"), was a Japanese torture technique used in the 17th century to coerce Christians ("Kirishitan") to recant their faith. The victim was hung head-down by the feet.






One of the victim's hands would be held tight with a rope, but the other would be left free so that he could signal his willingness to recant.

The technique was said to be unbearable for those submitted to it. The body was often lowered into a hole, itself often filled with excrement at the bottom. Typically, a cut would be made in the forehead around their temples in order to let blood pressure decrease in the area around the head.
The objective was to break their resolve to renounce their faith or they would eventually die. Sometimes there was a doctor to resuscitate them only to be tortured again. An estimated 2,000 Christians died as martyrs. Christians were let go after apostatizing, and in this way the Shogunate practically purged Christianity from Japanll0

Lorenzo refused to recant.


According to the record of his death, his last words were, "I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for God. Had I a thousand lives, all these to Him I shall offer. Do with me as you please."

His traveling companions were all killed, steadfast until the end.


The history of the Catholic Church in Japan is anything, if not of perseverance. After St Francis Xavier and his fellow missionaries entered the country in the 1540s, the Church’s efforts were a striking success, bringing in 300,000 converts over the next 60 years.

But local leaders resented these dramatic inroads from abroad, and issued a nationwide ban on Christian missionaries, followed by a ruthless campaign of persecution, forcing the faithful to go underground for centuries. The Tokugawa shoguns eradicated Christianity in Japan via murder, persecution and decrees. In 1638, an estimated 37,000 people, mostly Christians were massacred after the Christian-led Shimabara Rebellion. In 50 years, the crackdown policies of the shoguns reduced the number of Christians to near zero. And as Tertulian prophesied: “We spring up in greater numbers the more we are mown down by you: the blood of the Christians is the seed of a new life. As of 2021, there were approximately 431,100 Catholics in Japan (0.34% of the total population), 6,200 of whom are clerics, religious and seminarians.


During its nearly 500-year presence, however, Japanese Catholicism has produced many heroic figures, including 40 saints and 200 Blesseds.

Lorenzo was beatified by Pope John Paul II on February 18, 1981. The beatification ceremony was held in the Philippines making it the first beatification ceremony ever held outside the Vatican.

A miracle attributed to his intercession occurred in 1983. A two-year-old girl, Alegria Policarpio, suffering from hydrocephaly, a condition she had since birth, was miraculously cured.

His canonization took place at the Vatican on October 18, 1987.





Saint Lorenzo Ruiz was born circa 1600 in Binondo, Manila in the Philippines to a Chinese father and a Filipino mother. Both were Christians and took care to raise Lorenzo as a Catholic. He served in his parish church as an altar boy and calligrapher and joined the Dominican Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary.


Later, he married a woman named Rosario. The happy couple had three children, two sons and one daughter. By all accounts, the family was ordinary and happy.


In 1636, Lorenzo was falsely accused of killing a Spaniard. To protect his family, he fled on board a ship with three Dominican priests and a leper. The ship departed the Philippines on June 10, 1636, bound for Okinawa. When they arrived in Japan, they did so in the middle of an ongoing Christian persecution.


Lorenzo was arrested by Japanese officials for the crime of being a Christian and ordered to recant his faith. When he refused he was imprisoned. On September 27, 1637, Lorenzo and his companions were taken to Nagasaki to be tortured and killed if they would not recant their faith and eventually martyred.


Saint Lorenzo, pray that we may persevere in our faith.

Prayer to Saint Lorenzo Ruiz

O most merciful and almighty God, You bestowed as a gift to Lorenzo Ruiz the strength to withstand the overpowering forces of death for the sake of his faith in You. Through his prayers, help us to follow his example by overcoming all life's trials and eventually, increase our hope and love in You.



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Sacrifice lies at the heart of love. To love is not only to will the good of the other, but also to be willing to take action to bring about the good of the other, and such action often requires sacrifice of some sort.

Transformed, Grumpy Old Saint Vincent de Paul: Father Of The Poor, Reformer

Today September 27, we celebrate the transformation of Saint Vincent de Paul on his feast day, patron saint of non-profits and volunteers.

The experience and needs of the poor turned Saint Vincent de Paul’s heart and energies to a life of care and compassion. A grumpy man by nature and by his own admission, Vincent became a gentle and loving servant of the oppressed. The Saint Vincent de Paul Society carries on his work in many parishes today.

Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), was an Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. By his own account, Vincent was a grumpy person with a short fuse, quick to anger and but for the grace of God he would have been hard and repulsive, rough and cross.

Eventually he was renowned for his compassion, humility, and generosity.

Vincent de Paul has become known as the “The Apostle of Charity” and “Father of the Poor.” His contributions to the training of priests and organizing parish missions and other services for the poor shaped the Church's role in the modern world.

 Just three days after being elected bishop of Rome and successor to St. Peter, 76-year-old Pope Francis, who even two weeks later hadn't yet referred to himself as pope, told representatives of the international media, “I would so like a poor church, one for the poor!”


Two miracles have been attributed to the work of Vincent de Paul, a nun cured of ulcers, and a laywoman who was healed of paralysis. Saint Vincent died at Paris, 27 September 1660. He was beatified 21 August 21, 1729, by Pope Benedict XIII and canonized 16 June 1737 by Pope Clement XII Pope Leo XIII made him the patron of all charitable societies. Outstanding among these, is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, founded in 1833 by his admirer Blessed Frédéric Ozanam.


According to the Catholic Catechism: "By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God's grace, the Church recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors." CCC 828

“We should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God" - Vincent de Paul


The deathbed confession of a dying servant opened Vincent de Paul’s eyes to the crying spiritual needs of the peasantry of France. This seems to have been a crucial moment in the life of the man from a small farm in Gascony, France, who had become a priest with little more ambition than to have a comfortable life.

In 1622 Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the galleys. After working for some time in Paris among imprisoned galley slaves, and although Vincent was too humble to accept leadership at first, he returned to be the leader of what is now known as the Congregation of the Mission, or the Vincentians. These priests, with vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and stability, were to devote themselves entirely to the people in smaller towns and villages. In the city, he organized the rich women of Paris to collect funds for his missionary projects, founded several hospitals, collected relief funds for the victims of war, and ransomed over 1,200 galley slaves from North Africa. He was zealous in conducting retreats for clergy at a time when there was great laxity, abuse, and ignorance among them. He was a pioneer in clerical training and was instrumental in establishing seminaries.

Founded in Paris by Frederic Ozanam in 1833, the St Vincent de Paul Society was established by like-minded individuals who wanted to put their faith into action. Frederic, along with his university colleagues, wanted to respond in a practical way to the hardship and poverty he was witnessing.

The Saint Vincent De Paul's website describes members as follows: Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul – known as Vincentians – are women and men who represent every age, every race, and every income. Without the classic blue shirt on, it would be hard to tell them apart from the people they are serving! Vincentians share their blessings of time, talent and treasure with those who need help and hope. We understand that service to a neighbor in need is an encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ, and are aware that poverty, suffering, and loneliness are present for millions in our communities. Vincentians serve more than 4 million people annually in rural, suburban, and urban communities across the United States.

Saint Vincent de Paul Prayer

Tender God, refuge of the poor, You filled Vincent de Paul with the strength of the apostles to work for the salvation of the poor and the instruction of the clergy. May we who follow the example of his life be driven by unceasing charity to continue the mission of Your Son in the world. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Sts Cosmas & Damian, Tried & Martyred For Being Christian

September 26 is the Feast Day of Saints Cosmas and Damian, patrons of physicians, surgeons, and pharmacists and patron saints of twins.

The twins were born in Cilicia, known as Arabia in the third century. Cosmas and Damian were the first children born in a family of seven boys. The twins studied medicine and are credited for being the first to attempt a limb transplant on a human being. They devoted themselves to the rich and poor alike, accepting no payment for their medical services, thus earning their title, "The Silverless Ones". These miraculous patrons of medicine were accused of being Christians by two fellow doctors and arrested by Lisia, the governor of the city of Aega. They were tried in a court of Ceasar's and sentenced to death by torture.

 

The martyr twins are invoked in the Canon of the Mass in the prayer known as the Communicantes (from the first Latin word of the prayer): "In communion with the whole Church, they venerate above all others the memory of the glorious ever-virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, then of blessed Joseph, husband of the Virgin, your blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, ...John and Paul, Cosmas and Damian and all your Saints: grant through their merits and prayers that in all things we may be defended by the help of your protection." They are also invoked in the Litany of the Saints, and in the older form of the Roman rite, in the Collect for Thursday in the Third Week of Lent, as the station church for this day is Santi Cosma e Damiano.

Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian along with their younger brothers Anthimus, Leontius and Euprepius, were martyred during the Diocletianic or Great Persecution because they would not renounce their faith.

While Emperor Nero is often depicted as the architect of early Christian martyrdom due to the brutal ways in which he sought to eliminate the fledgling religion, Christian persecution started with the crucifixion of Jesus as foretold in the Gospel of Matthew, and is still going on

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's foes will be those of his own household.” - Matthew 10:34

Early Christians were persecuted at the hands of both Jews, from whose religion Christianity arose, and the Romans who controlled many of the early centers of Christianity in the Roman Empire.

Three decades after Christ’s crucifixion, Emperor Nero began the Roman Empire’s persecution of the early Christians. It all culminated with executions in Nicomedia almost 300 years later. Emperor after emperor tried to stifle the Christian faith with prohibitions, extreme torture, and monstrous methods of execution. But it didn’t help much. Roman governors reported that condemned Christians seemed almost elated at the prospect of becoming Christian martyrs


Not sure if Cosmas and Damian along with their younger brothers Anthimus, Leontius and Euprepius, were elated to be martyred during the Diocletianic or Great Persecution that extended several years beyond the reign of Diocletian, where as many as 3,500 Christians were executed under the authority of Imperial edicts. Yet, this pales in comparison with the 19th-century Korean persecutions of Catholic Christians where nearly 10 000 Koreans were martyred, mostly laypeople. As Tertulian prophesiedno: “We spring up in greater numbers the more we are mown down by you: the blood of the Christians is the seed of a new life.
Tertullian , born c. 155/160, Carthage was an early Christian theologian and moralist. He became impressed by the courage, morality, and uncompromising monotheism of Christian martyrs, that he converted to Christianity.


Cosmas and Damian were physicians and early Christian martyrs. They practiced their profession in the seaport of Aegeae, then in the Roman province of Syria. Cosmas and Damian were third century Arabian-born twin brothers who embraced Christianity and practiced medicine and surgery without a fee earning the name anargyroi (from the Greek Ἀνάργυροι, 'the no money" or 'unmercenaries') doctors; bringing many to the Christian faith

They were arrested by Lysias, governor of Cilicia, modern day Çukurova, Turkey during the Diocletian persecution because of their faith and fame as healers. They stayed true to their faith, enduring being hung on a cross, stoned and shot by arrows and finally suffered execution by beheading. Anthimus, Leontius and Euprepius, their younger brothers, who were inseparable from them throughout life, shared in their martyrdom

As early as the 4th century, churches dedicated to the twin saints were established at Jerusalem, in Egypt and in Mesopotamia. Devotion to the two saints spread rapidly in both East and West. Theodoret records the division of their reputed relics - Theodoret of Cyrus or Cyrrhus (Greek: Θεοδώρητος Κύρρου; c. AD 393 – c. 458/466) was an influential theologian of the School of Antioch, and Christian bishop of Cyrrhus -  Their relics, deemed miraculous, were buried in the city of Cyrrhus in Syria. Churches were built in their honor by Archbishop Proclus and by Emperor Justinian I who restored the city of Cyrrhus, dedicated it to the twins. Justinian brought their relics to Constantinople, where after his cure, ascribed to the intercession of Cosmas and Damian, Justinian, in gratitude also built and adorned their church at Constantinople

Prayers to Saints Cosmas and Damian

We suffer from bodily diseases and mental disorders, from physical disabilities and emotional disturbances, from impure desires and from demonic attacks. Help us, Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, for we are in urgent need of your holy medicine and sacred ointment. With faith in the Almighty and Merciful God, and with hope in your medical aid from Heaven, we call upon you in this manner:

Deliver us, for you are brothers in flesh and in spirit.

Deliver us, for we are distraught in body and in mind.



Deliver us, for you are physicians by training and by the will of God.

Deliver us, for we are stricken by illness and by the stress of society.

Deliver us, for you are gifted with cures and prayers.

Deliver us, for we are perishing with maladies and sins.

Deliver us, Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, holy brothers and merciful healers of the afflicted.