#sidon questions if men are the problem

[bldmnrises]

@vigilantdesert !

there were many reasons a zora could never travel to the valley of the gerudo. one could simply dry up and wither away under such an intense sun, or perhaps it was the very lack of water that prevented them that exposure to hydration that could allow oversight. in sidon's case, it seemed all too clear to him as he opened his arms to the chieftain in kind, walking alongside her through the field of central hyrule.

" how extraordinary!-- so if i were to somehow arrive at your gates, i would be denied? " to think, royalty of a neighboring nation could be so easily declined simply for their gendered role. it certainly made sidon rethink things, especially with how he perceived himself. masculinity was suddenly a sin far too prevalent, or perhaps that was the provoking thought on behalf of the gerudo? mind boggles and swims about like a beached fish, desperate for answers and the chance to breathe calm once more.

" is there any chance you could further explain, urbosa? "

#sidon! ic. #vigilantdesert #one thing i love truly diving into with sidon #ha get it #diving #is that he struggles with trying to understand #and furthermore be inclusive #and instead asking questions to educate himself #because learning helps with the problem of #the obvious #/not knowing/ #my phrasing's loose in the paragraph but essentially #sidon questions if men are the problem #but then realizes maybe he's thinking too far into it #it's meant to reveal just how much he overthinks things #on top of how much he tries to understand everyone's feelings and points of view #also to clarify #he does not think the gerudo hate men #he's just 'oh! men are banned. can i ask why?'

[tobiasdrake]

So, I have another Gerudo-related question, and this one is even more sensitive, if you can believe it.

For context, when you first get into the Gerudo Town shelter during the sandstorm, you can talk to one of the kids running around, and she will ask you if you are really a man. You can answer yes or no; if you say no, her response is "I knew it! All men are liars!" and her mother comes over to yell at you, because... I don't know if you've gotten to this point in the game, but even if you haven't I feel like it's something that needs to be discussed... apparently in Gerudo culture, they aren't allowed to interact with men at all until they are 18 (which is a whole other can of worms).

So in case you didn't really understand what I'm getting at, a lot of people have taken this moment as the game being transphobic, because if the player is projecting themselves onto Link and saying "no, I'm not a man", then they are being scolded for doing so.

[Personally, I didn't see it that way, as my painfully simple worldview simply took the moment as this game's equivalent of the "I'm Gerudo/you're short, blond, and I can't see your abs" moment from BOTW, but I can't act like these people don't have a right to feel offended.]

And actually, while we're on the topic, BOTW had something kind of similar with the person you buy Gerudo clothes from, who I still don't really know what to make of after 6 years.

What do you think? Is this too heavy to talk about? Do you even feel you have the authority to talk about something this serious?

I don't know if it's transphobic specifically. I'm not willing to speak from a position of authority on trans issues.

I will say that I wasn't surprised to see something like that. It's the same game that dialed down the Sidon bromance and outfitted him with a never-before-mentioned standard-issue "No Homo" girlfriend, whose sole function in the story is to firmly assert Sidon's heterosexuality. They also removed Link's cross-dressing Gerudo gear.

You know that guy at Nintendo who was like, "No, Link cannot be a woman because that would make Zelda redundant as a character. And no, Zelda can't ever be playable because then what would Link do? This is an unsolveable problem so I guess we'll just have to never make a game with a female protagonist."

I think the LGBT discourse surrounding BOTW made that guy uncomfortable.

#the legend of zelda #loz #breath of the wild #botw #tears of the kingdom #totk #gerudo #sidon

[corpsentry]

so you want to read that fic but you don’t know what a zelda is

a brief introduction to the characters and several elements of breath of the wild and age of calamity for this bitch. this is basically for my friends and longtime readers who want to read when the war is over/angels but have never played a video game in their fucking life so the rest of you can ignore this. also you should check out when the war is over/angels. it’s pretty great.

THE CHARACTERS

this is zelda, princess of hyrule, descendant of a goddess. her mom’s dead and her relationship with her dad’s kinda fucked. she’s also supposed to have these, like, superpowers or whatever, and these superpowers are supposed to, like, save the world or whatever, but we dunno where they are and she dunno what do about this. she has a complex about her powerlessness, of course. she’s also very beautiful so she gets two photos.

this is link. i don’t have a nice photo of him saved so you’ll have to deal with this. he’s been hella badass with a sword since he was like 2 years old and they kind of held him up as a Model Knight at the dinner table or some shit so now he’s very repressed and doesn’t know how to communicate his feelings openly to people anymore. he’s also the chosen knight that’s supposed to, like, save the world or whatever alongside zelda. he’s also zelda’s personal knight. he has canonically eaten rocks.

this is impa. friend and protector of zelda. scary. i would kill men for her.

the champions. the big dude with the hairy arms is daruk. he belongs to a race called the gorons that canonically eat rocks and he’s very nice. the tall lady with red hair is urbosa. she’s the chieftain of her people, the gerudo, and she’s the fucking coolest. she will also not hesitate to slap you. the bird is revali. he’s a bird. the tiny fish child next to zelda is mipha. mipha would never slap anyone unless it involved her brother sidon. the champions + link who is also a champion but like a special one, like how everyone has a favorite powerpuff girl, get to pilot these giant gundams called divine beasts and then kick ganon’s ass. that’s pretty much their entire job description. 1) get in the gundam shinji 2) kick ass 3) profit.

this is the egg guardian. he came from the future and only exists in the age of calamity timeline. you cannot find him in the botw timeline. why? because the bitch left.

this is calamity ganon. think of him as a giant worm on a string that wants to eat your family. spends most of his time vibing out as a concept. the primary antagonist of the zelda franchise though he’s not usually this fucked up looking.

SHORTHANDS AOC = hyrule warriors: age of calamity, a hack & slash spin-off game that was advertised as a prequel to the legend of zelda: breath of the wild. released 2020. BOTW = the legend of zelda: breath of the wild. the game. the legend. the bitch. released 2017.

THE STORY to get a grasp on That Fic all you really need to know is that a hundred years before the events of botw zelda and co fight against the giant worm on a string and lose. the champions, her dad, and like half of the kingdom’s population die. link also technically ‘dies’, but the sexy sword he picked up (master sword, legendary item, very swag) is like ‘if you send him to this big blue box called the shrine of resurrection on the great plateau he’ll take a 100 year nap and then wake up feeling hella great. he’ll also lose all his memories xd’. so they send link to the shrine of resurrection and then zelda goes to the castle to meet the giant worm on a string and she basically plays uno with him for a hundred years to keep him distracted from the whole eating her family thing while link lies in a box and gets over being dead. so here’s the catch: in aoc, they win. in aoc a hundred years before botw the giant worm on a string attacks and with the power of friendship and also time travel (they import some stock from botw aka Buff dudes and traumatized younger siblings and also children) they defeat him. aoc is literally fix-it fic but like shitty fix-it fic that doesn’t address anything particularly interesting and aims for making everyone happy instead of experience meaningful emotional development. i’m kidding the above is all strictly subjective opinion but the important thing here is that botw is neon genesis evangelion and aoc is the powerpuff girls and that’s a problem for me because they’re supposed to be the same story.

WHAT THIS FIC ADDRESSES WHEN THE WAR IS OVER/ANGELS is basically a very elaborate and fucked up answer to the question: is it possible to have them win and lose in the same universe? the answer by the way is no but through some elaborate buttfuckery i manage to smash both narratives to pieces and then weave them back together and also give everyone extra emotional trauma in the process. the story starts out in the aoc timeline and more or less follows the powerpuff girls story until chapter 2 which is when shit hits the fan. chapter 2 may confuse you, so i would recommend you check out the spoiler-filled addendum if you need clarification. chapter 3 won’t hurt you. i promise. in summary, everyone in this story would commit murder for zelda. and they do.

#my stuff

[triforceangel13]

The Royal Guard’s Secret Ch. 1 (A SidLink Omegaverse Au)

Chapter 1: The Mysterious Beauty

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Sidon asked his sister as he pulled the curtain back a little to look out at the quieting Castle Town around them. During the day he was sure this place was bursting with life but they had arrived late as something had been brought up.

Prince Sidon was to be presented to the Princess of Hyrule as a mature alpha. The kingdoms of Hyrule as well as Zora's Domain were to join together with the matching of the prince and princess.

There was one rather large problem however. Sidon was not a mature alpha. He was in fact...a virgin. He didn't know the first thing about taking a mate. He didn't understand heats or marking an omega. All he knew about was things that his teacher Muzu had given him in the extensive pamphlets during school lessons, which was no experience whatsoever.

He honestly wanted to take a mate of someone he loved but he had yet to meet anyone who got his heart racing and a flush to his cheeks.

The only one who knew of this problem? His sister. She agreed that he needed to know what was going on before he even thought of giving himself to a princess. Alphas were suppose to know yet Sidon really didn't with his inexperience. Being an Omega herself, Mipha was not really much help at all. So this was the only thing she could think of.

Castle Town was known for having many different things from special food vendors to different types of clothing. A melting pot so to speak of people as well as goods.

Though in the outskirts of town held some other...places. The outskirts were a bit of a darker place where questionable things were held. Everyone was told to stay away from the outskirts unless of course you were looking for that sort of thing.

And that was why Sidon was there upon Mipha's insistence. They had to arrive in an unmarked carriage, Sidon having to leave all of his embellishments with his luggage. They needed to be discreet. It would be an awful thing if they found out that the prince of the Zoras was in a place such as this. So discretion was to be upheld. And that was the motto of this place, or so Mipha had been told by a traveler they had come across.

What kind of a place it was really was up for debate, though most men and women came there for one thing; to spend a rather physical night with the omegas that “worked” there. It was a dream for those who wanted to be able to mate with an omega with no strings attached.

As much as Mipha did not approve of such a thing she knew that this was the only place that Sidon could get practice before they were to meet the princess.

“It's either this or you end up on your wedding night with no idea what to do,” Mipha said to him. “We can turn around and head to the castle like we are suppose to right now. We'll just be a few days early is all.”

Sidon sighed as he let the curtain fall, tucking the money he needed into the belt that he wore in a pouch on his hips. “I'd rather know what I'm doing.”

“Then by all means, go ahead,” Mipha said. “I'll meet you at the castle tomorrow, alright?”

Sidon nodded his head, grabbing hold of the door hand a little nervously. Mipha pat his shoulder lightly. “Everyone feels like this when doing...well that for the first time. It'll be alright.”

Sidon gave a small smile tough still felt a little weird that his sister was encouraging him to do this of all things. But she understood how embarrassing it would be to go to mate with the princess and having no idea what he was doing.

He stepped from the carriage and onto the road. The cloaked Zoran guard lightly snapped the reigns of the horse and the carriage pulled away, leaving Sidon standing in front of the building. It didn't have anything on the outside, looking much like a normal two story home. The only indication it was the place he was looking for was the crescent moon that was on the small sign that sat before the front step.

“G Treasures” was the name of the place from what he recalled his sister saying. He was surprised she had been able to find such a place but he wasn't about to ask questions of who she was talking to. It was a little terrifying but he knew that she was old enough to make the right decisions and steer him in the right direction.

He stepped into the home, rolling his shoulders in a bit to shrunk down a little to make himself not so big. He was honestly an eye sore even without all of his embellishments. He was still a bright red, very tall, Zora.

“You in the right place?” came a voice from behind a desk as he entered. Sidon startled a bit, nearly knocking over a potted plant. He quickly grabbed it to prevent a mess, setting it back on the table he had bumped into.

“This is G Treasures, is it not?” he asked, looking to the masked man that sat behind the desk. He was large, nearly as tall as him, with bright orange hair. A mask of a pig sat upon his face, hiding everything of him except the orange beard and mocking smirk on his lips.

A large grin spread across his face and he rose slowly from the desk. “You found the right place. Welcome to this treasured home. A place where alpahs like yourself can have the most fun you would like, as long as you follow the rules of course.”

“How did you-”

“Know you're an alpha? I can smell it on you. Alphas like myself and you have a distinct scent, much like betas and omegas have them as well....You're inexperienced aren't you? Honestly have to say I've never heard of that one before.”

“Is it really that obvious?” Sidon asked, shifting uncomfortably. The man shrugged his shoulders a little bit.

“Well since you don't even recognize even another alpha's scent I would only assume that you don't know much. So what are you looking for to pop that cherry? Someone inexperienced like you so you could go on the journey together or someone who knows what they're doing?”

“I would much like someone who knew what they were doing. I just hope that they wouldn't mind helping me through this,” Sidon said, reaching for the pouch on his hip for the money. “You see I actually am-”

“No. No names. Don't want to be trailed back to you now would it?” the man asked with a sneer on his face. Sidon's scales paled and he shook his head.

“Goodness no.”

“Then quiet. Now the rules. One hundred rupees per hour with the one of your choosing. You do as you wish, just do not under any circumstances mark my omegas or get them pregnant. I'm assuming that's nearly impossible however considering I make sure they are all on a suppressant to keep that from happening,” the man explained, going through one of the drawers on the desk, pulling out a key with a blue gem sparkling on it.

“I only have four hundred,” Sidon said as he pulled the pouch from his hips. “Is that enough to get...what I need done?”

“I'll cut you a break here,” he said taking the pouch from his hands. “I'll give you this one for the rest of the night. Just be out of here tomorrow morning. You like men right?”

“I well-”

“Haven't tried anything. Give him a shot. If you don't like him, just come back down here and I'll set you up with another.”

“I'm not quite sure-”

“On the second floor all the way at the end. Now get moving. You're wasting your precious time,” the man finished with a scowl, turning when he heard the tinkle of the bell on the outside door. “Now get going, I've got other customers and I'm not about to hold your hand while you mate with the omega.”

Sidon clutched the key in his hand, stepping up the stairs as the masked man walked away from him. He had to get moving like he said. Mipha had also reminded him not to let too many people see him. Who knew what people would come in there and who would recognize him as the Domain's prince.

The key felt like a lead weight in his hand as he approached the door. The halls were lit with a few lanterns, making it a little hard to see. Each door he passed had a symbol on it, each a different color and shape. Questionable noises emitted from one room, quickly having him step up the pace so he could get there faster.

The door in question seemed to stare back at him with the painted blue glass, mimicking the same gem on the key in his hand. This was it. This was the one that he would be with that night. His nerves bubbled in his stomach, causing hesitation.

It wasn't like he could go back now. The masked man had his money and his sister was long gone off to the inn in the town.

“Come now Sidon. You're a prince. You can do this,” he said to himself, straightening himself up and using the key to unlock the door.

Inside the sweet smell of of cinnamon hit him like a wall. Slowly he inhaled, his eyes dialating slowly. What was that scent?

He slowly followed the scent further inside, closing the door behind him, until the bed hit his legs, snapping him out of his slight trance.

“Hey there,” came a warm voice from the bed. Sidon jumped a moment, looking in the dim light of the candles to the form on the bed.

A blonde hylian man lay naked on the bed, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, blue eyes piercing at him through the darkness.

“H-hello,” he responded, captivated by those gorgeous blue eyes.

With a smile on his lips the blonde rolled his shoulders as he sat up, the blanket falling to either side of him, baring himself to the prince.

Sidon felt his mouth go dry, feeling a stirring in his pelvis. He certainly knew now that males were something he would prefer when it came to omegas. Though he had to keep that away when he married the princess.

Those thoughts quickly halted as the blonde rose a hand and gestured him to come closer with his finger. Sidon obeyed without a moment's hesitation. His knee pushed into the bed as he hovered over him, hands coming to rest on his shoulders.

“I've never been with a Zora before,” he purred as he laid down, pulling Sidon down with him. The prince braced a hand next to his head looking down at him as his blonde locks laid about the pillow. “Ever been with a Hylian?”

“I well...No.”

“Well it doesn't matter, you haven't ever been with someone like me before,” the blonde whispered, leaning up to run the tip of his tongue over his cheek.

Sidon visibly shook, tempted to give into the touches but his brain was having a hard time keeping up with it.

“What's...what's your name?” he asked as he took deep breaths to calm himself. Hearing that the blonde leaned his head back a skeptical look on his face.

“You care about my name?”

“Yes, why wouldn't I?” he asked confused. Was this not proper etiquette in a place like this?

“Just, no one has ever cared to know. They come in, do their business and then leave,” the blonde said with a shrug.

“I would like to know.”

The blonde hesitated at first but then sighed, laying his arms over his head. “Link.”

I’m open for written commissions

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#breath of the wild #sidlink #omegaverse #the royal guard's secret

[newobsessioneveryweek]

If you're thirsty have a drink, just not this one.

Chapter 1: Vilia

I'm definately changing that title. My very first fanfiction ever is finally here (draft 1 I guess. Not sure how I feel about it yet)! Requested by the amazing artist @hylianfury

For some this might be too short; for others it might be too long. Hope you enjoy it either way.

Original post that inspired this story.

Overall Summary: a fanfiction in which Sidon slowly comes to realise how many people are thirsty for Link.

Chapter summary: Sidon and Link take a trip to the Gerudo desert and come across a certain female (?) Hylian. (I'm bad at summaries. Sorry friends)

"-and then I said-ok what's wrong?"

Sidon gave Link a confused look at the question.

"What do you mean dearest?"

"You've been acting way less enthusiastic lately. What's bothering you," Link asked, his expression revealing concern.

"Oh! Um... I wouldn't want to concern you with my musings dear. What was it you were saying?"

Link gave Sidon a deadpan expression, presumably waiting for a better response.

Sidon wavered on whether to tell him what was wrong or not, but, deciding that he would rather not lie to his beloved, he confessed.

He sighed. "I've just... I've never gone far beyond the Domain. The closest I've come to travel is going to Luralin, and I can't say that experience was particularly enjoyable," Sidon confided, absently stroking the scar on the side of his head. "I've always wanted to explore this beautiful land in which we live, but my duty has always confined me to my kingdom."

A sigh left Sidon's lips as he pondered his misfortune. He was always expected to be the dutiful pince that his father wanted and his people deserved- to live up to his sister,

- but Sidon wanted more. Travelling had always been an unreachable wish for him. He had always dreamt of exploring vast fields and climbing soaring mountains and traversing thick green forests, but could never act on those ambitions. He felt trapped in his own home.

Sidon felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Link grinning at him. He held up his hands to sign something, but quickly lowered them, seemingly hesitant.

Appearing to have decided to speak his mind, Link held up his hands once more,"What if we travelled together," Link asked with a hopeful glint in his eye.

Sidon smiled sadly. "Link, I already told you, I have duties-"

"What if we go to other regions as a means of establishing political bonds, kind of like a business trip? We go and we strengthen the Domains relationships with surrounding powers."

Sidon blinked. "That...that could actually work." Sidon thought about the possibility of experiencing more of Hyrule and getting to know more of the many cultural groups that inhabit the land. All he had to do was get his father to agree to let him go. After all Link's plan could actually benefit the Domain!

"I shall attempt to persuade my father tomorrow, though it might take some convincing."

0_0_0_0_0_0

"Well that didn't take much convincing at all," Sidon noted, floating calmly in the waters of the East Reservoir Lake, Link sitting beside him on the crystalline platform.

"He knows you need the time away. He's not without empathy, you know," Link stated with a smirk as he kicked his feet in the calm, cool water.

"Yes, I know," Sidon turned his face in the direction of the Domain, smiling to himself. He couldn't believe his father agreed to an excursion like this; full permission to go wherever he pleased for two whole weeks- business trip excluded!

Link promised to show him everything: the stables, the cities and towns, even interesting locations he crossed on his journey. Sidon very much looked forward to meeting some of the interesting characters Link mentioned. Tomorrow his journey with Link would begin.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would set out to the Gerudo desert with Link. He could feel the excitement rising in his chest and setting butterflies loose in his stomach.

Tomorrow...

He turned to his beloved wearing an expression of absolute elation.

"Thank you," he whispered, his words projecting every bit of the gratitude he felt.

Link simply smiled and kissed the top of his head.

They stayed like that for the majority of the night in comfortable, soothing silence.

0_0_0_0_0_0

If it weren't for the Skeika slate's warping technology, Sidon would have melted after taking just a few steps into the sweltering heat of the Gerudo desert. Even after drinking a chilly elixir it still felt like the harsh sun was drying out his scales.

"The elixir offers some heat resistance, but it's cooler inside the walls. We just have to get you an outfit to fool the guards into letting you into the town," Link signed. He promptly started walking in the direction of the Kara Kara Bazaar where he claimed he could find Sidon traditional Gerudo garments. Sidon followed, wiping the moisture from his forehead and dragging his feet through the loose sand.

"How are you moving so quicky? This sand is nearly impossible to traverse," Sidon complained petulantly. Truly he was excited to be so far away from the Domain, but the horrid conditions of the desert seemed to sour his mood more than he liked. Link's indifference certainly didn't help matters.

He pointed to his boots and signed something.

"Sand boots. I got them from the snow boots guy. Didn't I tell you?"

Sidon made a displeased face. Oh. THAT guy. Sidon remembered cutting off Link's story about how he obtained his snowboots.

"You did not. Well I certainly hope that's not the man who will be supplying my clothing as well."

Link snickered then simply shook his head.

Good. Sidon was not fond of that particular gentleman.

The pair made slow progress toward the bazaar thanks to Sidon's short legs and once they arrived Link guided Sidon to the top of the lone sandstone building where a figure dressed in pink waited.

The figure waved enthusiasticly.

"Link! I'm so glad to see you! It's been a while," the figure, who Sidon assumed to be female, pecked each of Link's cheeks, though he imagined the veil she wore made the action difficult. "Have you come to consider my offer by any chance," the woman winked at Link, who blushed and, instead of answering, went straight to asking for a set of Gerudo garb to purchase for Sidon. She didn't even seem to notice Sidon's presence until Link mentioned him.

Sidon thought on the woman's previous question. Offer? What offer? What could she possibly offer the Hylian champion, other than clothing?

He was pulled from his thoughts when the woman called for him to try on the clothes, promising to turn away.

Sidon fitted them on, and the moment the silky fabric of the last article of the set touched his scales the intense warth that had been bearing down on him lifted.

"EEEEEEEEE! You look adorable," the woman squealed, "Isn't the fabric so breathable. Aside from being fabulous, it really makes the desert heat a little bit more bearable."

Sidon couldn't help but agree. The material was light and loose and if Link looked as adorable as he did in his light blue set, Sidon was sure he looked adorable as well. The woman even noted how the orange of Sidon's outfit paired well with his scales.

"Of course, you look adorable too Link dear! I can't wait for you to stop by again! I could use some better company than from those sweaty men waiting bellow."

With a wave and a promise to visit when he got the chance Link left the rooftop with Sidon in tow.

Sidon cleared his throat prompting Link to look at him.

"So... what exactly is this offer that that woman mentioned?"

"Oh! Um... well she invited me to have dinner with her is all."

"I see. And that's all? Are you sure it wasn't at all a request to be romantically involved," Sidon questioned, his eyes narrowed, his suspicion only growing at Link's unusually red blush, though that could've been caused by the glaring heat. He leaned closer to Link to look into his eyes.

"I don't think that's how that works, but sure, I guess it is." Link shrugged.

Curious. Yet another individual pining for his beloved's affection. Sidon was awefully perturbed by Link's nonchalance towards the matter.

"...And you're not at all put-off by her advances?"

Link seemed to think about that. "Not really. Vilia's cool. Plus, she hooked us up with some very nice clothes."

"Hmm, I suppose you are right," Sidon said, slightly disgruntled with the response, but willing to drop the matter. "Your attitude toward this is still worrisome," he said with finality.

Link laughed at that and they continued to make their way toward Gerudo Town, now able to enter the women-only city.

0_0_0_0_0_0

Next

And that's that. This is the first draft. Feel free to critique my writing if you find any problems. I'll gladly fix them!

#sidlink #link x sidon #my first fanfiction #requested by hylianfury #enjoy! #fanfic #botw #loz botw #zelda botw #the legend of zelda #the legend of zelda breath of the wild #breath of the wild #fanfiction

[formofaservant]

Musings on the Destiny of the Unevangelized

So I received a question from a couple students about the church's position on the Eternal Destiny of the unevangelized. The unevangelized are people who die prior to being able to physically "hear" the gospel preached to them.  This is a difficult question because the bible does not speak directly to the destiny of those who have not heard or presumably will not hear the gospel during their lives on earth; however, this does not mean that the church has not thought about this issue somewhat in depth. The problem with answering this question is that much of it is shrouded in mystery namely because, as we said, the bible doesn't speak directly to it. With that said, it doesn't mean that the bible doesn't somewhat allude to it. The church has been careful in making sure that it does not contradict the more fundamental aspects of the faith namely that Christ alone reveals the Father in His fullness and that Christ alone is Lord and Savior of humanity. What this implies is that Christianity must be in some sense exclusive in that it does not allow for competitors to God's throne to be options for deliverance from death and sin. Although the Christian faith is exclusive in the sense that it provides only one option in terms of humanity's salvation, it in no way is exclusive in whom it calls to join the story and life of Christ and His church. All, regardless of background, are invited to join in this way. If this is the basic criteria then it would probably surprise you all then that a universalist approach, the idea that all people will be saved (eventually), does find its way within the broader Christian dialogue in trying to answer this question. Although a Christian universalist will say that all the unevangelized will be eventually saved, they qualify that it will only be because they will in someway be transformed and meet with Christ Himself. In other words, Christian universalism suggests that all will be saved because Christ will eventually save everyone. It does not suggest that anyone and everyone will be saved outside of Christ as if a non-Christian will be saved as a non-Christian. All will be saved because all will eventually become Christian. This view can find its roots in the universalism of one of the early church fathers, Origen, whom we spoke of when discussing one of the many theories of the atonement, namely the ransom theory. He believed that since all souls proceeded from God that they would somehow find their way back to Him at the end of all things. This view was summarily rejected and considered a heretical point-of-view (although they did not totally reject Origen himself). Still further, another important church father Gregory of Nyssa suggest something similar along the lines that love must win. The assumption is that if only a few are saved, then love did not entirely eradicate evil. This would be an astute assumption to have if it weren't the case that's not what the story of God is about. The "competition" between Satan and God are not over love's power, but love's reputation and character. Neither of which requires the absolute salvation of all regardless of their responsibility to respond properly to the knowledge that all humanity has of God (Rom. 1:18-19).

There are plenty of scripture verses that suggest that Christ alone is humanity's savior outside of whom there is no salvation (1 Jn. 5:11-12, Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Cor. 3:11; Ps. 16:4). Yet, there is no need to read these in a way that implies that all who die unevanglized outside of Christ meet an unavoidable eternal destiny of separation from God. The main objection for thinking otherwise is that it would seem a bit cruel, extremely selective, and contrary to the purpose of evangelizing the whole world if the unevangelized meet not uncertain eternal demise (the implication being that all would go to eternal separation having no chance whatsoever to respond in kind). Scripture texts such as Luke 3:6 in its reference to Isaiah 40:5 seem to also suggest that everyone will "see God's salvation." When seen in light of other texts, Jn. 12:32, 1 Cor. 15:22-28, and Phil 2:9-11, one can easily see that a universal knowledge of the gospel is the ultimate end game. Although, this again in no way implies that all will be saved. It only implies that all will in some sense be "evangelized."

There is also the question of "if" that we need to consider. Matthew 11:21-23 has a curious case of Jesus calling down woes upon the cities of Bethsaida and Capernaum. He states that if the cities of Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom (not unknown for their wickedness and sinfulness) has seen the same miracles these two cities had, they would have repented long ago. Some have pointed to this to suggest that God would save those who would have repented if He revealed Himself to them; however, this is a somewhat faulty implication. The thrust of the woe itself is not that God wills to save these sinful cities, only that God specifically chose not to save them despite their capacity to repent and turn. The point Jesus is making is not that God would have spared them, the answer is clearly that He did not. The point is that these wicked cities had the capacity to repent and would have if they could, yet these cities who are showered with God's miracles are so obstinate to the work of God that they refuse. The contrast is stark. The one who had no chance was not spared, the one who had a chance willed not to be spared. But here's one lesson to draw from this: God is in no way necessitated to save anyone who has already rejected Him since the days of Adam. Otherwise, it wouldn't be considered "grace." There is no biblical reason or logical reason why God has to save anyone. Unless the Lord extends His mercy, one's capacity to repent even in itself cannot save.

But then we must ask this question: if there are some whom God clearly passes over to leave them to their own demise, are there some God seems to pass over who will inevitably hear the gospel post-mortem and given a chance to repent? What we do know for certain is that Christ descended into the lower regions (hades or hell) as our creed states. But what was Christ doing there? In 1 Peter 3:19-20 we are offered a glimpse of Christ's post-mortem activities. It stats that Jesus "went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits - to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built." This offers us perhaps a clue that there is [or was] a proclamation of the gospel [presumed from context] to those who had died. It could very well be possible then that there is offered some ability for people to repent or turn in the confines of hades. Such a proclamation seems to have been foretold in Isaiah 24:21-22, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited." Is it possible that the unevangelized will be evangelized in the depths of hades? I would think most certainly. We have positive evidence from Holy Saturday and Christ's harrowing of hell. But we also have positive evidence, although cryptic, from Philippians 2:10-11 which states that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth..." The key phrase here being "under the earth." How can does "under the earth" bow their knees unless they have heard? It is not that they are mole-people to whom we must go as a church. They are the dead plain and simple. This, however, does not mean that those who have heard the gospel in life and rejected it are therefore given another chance post-mortem. No such hope is left for them, although I personally do not entirely rule this out. What all of our study does suggest is that concerning the unevangelized there does seem to be some hope for God's mercy even within the grave.

Now, some may point to Hebrews 9:27 which states, "And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this, the judgment." They read from this that there is no occasion to repent after death because one is presumably judged and therefore no such occasion but judgment is given. Perhaps this could be true, except the evidence we have seen elsewhere. There are a couple of assumptions from those who read this verse in this light. First, that there is an absolute temporal proximity of judgment as death. One must assume that the judgment here is speaking to the moment right after death; however, the judgment here could easily be referring to the judgment of all on the last day and that the time-frame between death and judgment are much larger than first appearances. The most we could garner from these words is that there is a logical link between the two: death and judgment. Furthermore, there is no absolute reason from the context of the verse that requires us to read it with the temporal proximity of those who may think the unevangelized are damned. Although I do not say that this is the reading of those who have this stance, there are many who may misread "judgment" in a negative light, namely condemnation." They do this because they have made the two words synonymous; however, judgment can also be a good thing in that one can judge something to be of value.

So in conclusion: The destiny of the unevangelized is ultimately based on the grace of God and from the looks of it, it seems that God is willing to take every step and measure to see that the gospel is known by all. This provides an occasion for those who may not be evangelized now to be evangelized later. Some may think that this puts a dent in our evangelistic work as if not evangelizing provides the same outcome; but I think this is rather wrong-headed. I offer two quick thoughts as to why: 1) we should desire everyone to have the life we experience now, rather than later, 2) Christ wants us to imitate Him and that means in witnessing to others as well, there is a certain kind of transformation that occurs when we ourselves participate in evangelism. But I will say that knowing that God does evangelize the dead does put my soul somewhat at ease knowing that even though I am a vital part of God's mission, I am not the only one working. It also teaches me not to presume the grace of God to not be somewhere that it very much can be. I know that the grace of God is in His church, in His Word, in His sacraments, in the liturgy, but I cannot rule out that His grace cannot be experienced outside. I, of course, can give someone any assurances that God's grace is found here or there outside of the church, like I can with God's grace within His church, but I do not presume then that such a grace cannot be found. Like the case of Cornelius, God can come to us through various means and perhaps in this life lead those who are unevangelized to the doorsteps of the church. Like the case of those who died long ago, God comes to the unevangelized to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, an occasion that none of us should pass up.

So with that, let us pray for the dead, for those who are unevangelized both here on earth and under the earth, and for those who are evangelized but have not yet committed themselves to the Lord.

Lord have mercy.

[katedoesfics]

Breath of the Resistance: Chapter 35

Gunshots rang out. Link counted them; one… two… three-four…

Sidon was at his side. He pulled Link to his feet. Link leaned against him for a moment, watching as Dorian’s body dropped. Kohga’s spirit flew out of Dorian before his body landed on the ground and he swirled through the air frantically.

Link dashed over the ground, swiping the Master Sword up with him as Kohga changed direction, flying erratically towards it. Kohga headed straight for Link, and Link thrust the sword in the air as Kohga approached, slicing the apparition up the middle and it burst above him. Spectral-like dust scattered and rained down, disappearing in mid air, and the world fell silent.

From behind him, Link heard Dorian groan. He turned as Sidon hurried to Dorian’s side to inspect the damages. Link let his eyes scan the scene. The Sheikah soldiers were returning to their feet, their hands rubbing at their heads. They looked around at each other, slightly disoriented as they came out of their trances. Zelda stood off to the side of the canyon, the gun still in her hand. Even from the distance where she stood, Link could see her arms were shaking, the gun loose in her hand like she were about to drop it. Link dropped the sword and hurried to her, taking the gun from her shaking hands.

“I tried not to kill him,” she said, her voice shaking. “I thought… I thought I could just… just stop him...”

Link pulled her into his arms. “You’re fine,” he said. “Dorian is fine. You did perfectly.” He pulled her tighter and glanced back over at Dorian. He was leaning against Sidon. Two of Zelda’s shot must have missed, by the other two were hits. One looked to have grazed his right leg just on the outer thigh while the other hit his upper arm. Sidon said something to him and Dorian nodded. Dorian turned his sorrowful gaze to Link, then averted his eyes.

“That was insane!” Riju’s voice said. She bounded up to Link and Zelda. “Did you see that spirit? It had Dorian possessed, alright!”

Link guided Zelda down the canyon where Teba and Yunobo waited. Riju trailed excitedly behind them, and Sidon and Dorian followed slowly as Dorian limped along.

“Take her to Kakariko,” Link said to Teba.

“No,” Zelda said quickly, her hands on Link’s arm. “No, where are you going?”

“I’m putting that damn sword where it belongs,” Link said. “Where no one can get it for another thousand years.”

Teba let a gentle wing rest on Zelda’s shoulder, but Zelda didn’t move from Link’s side.

“Go,” Link said sternly. “I’ll meet you there, okay?”

“But-”

“Nothing’s going to happen. It’s over.” He tried his best to offer her a reassuring smile. It must have worked, because Zelda didn’t continue arguing with him. She let Teba lead her down the road to the car, where Riju had already skipped ahead and waited with a grin on her face. Link watched as they piled into the car. Sidon and Dorian finally closed the gap between them and stood at Link's side.

“Take some of my men,” Dorian instructed, still avoiding Link's gaze. He looked ahead across the canyon where three of the Sheikah helicopters waited. “Take one of the choppers to the forest.”

Link folded his arms over his chest. “Last time I did that -”

“Get rid of that damn sword and get your ass back to Kakariko,” Dorian interrupted in a low growl.

Link said nothing further as Dorian barked orders at his soldiers. The Sheikah army split themselves between the three helicopters, a small group of them standing aside to go with Link to the forest. Link watched as Sidon helped Dorian limp over to one of the helicopters. The Sheikah soldiers pulled him onboard where he disappeared, and Sidon returned to the waiting vehicles.

Link turned around and picked up the sword he carelessly dropped on the ground. He turned it over in hands for a moment before turning back around as one of the helicopters came to life and lifted off the ground. Once it was clear from the canyon, the second one followed suit. Link followed the Sheikah soldiers to the last helicopter, where they climbed on and quickly took to the sky. While the other two turned to the east for Kakariko, their helicopter moved north towards the forest.

It took them only an hour to reach the outskirts of the forest where the helicopter landed. Link jumped out before it even made contact with the ground, the Master Sword in hand. He didn't bother argue with the two Sheikah soldiers that entered the forest with him. In fact, he hardly spoke two words to any of them since they boarded the helicopter. He ignored them as they mumbled to themselves, intrigued by the confusing structure of the forest. He didn't answer their questions, convinced they were walking in circles. He didn't hear the same voice he had heard before, guiding him through the forest. But the sword did seem to glow brighter as he moved about the trees until they finally reached the center of the forest.

The two soldiers looked on in awe as Link stepped towards the pedestal before the Great Deku Tree. He positioned the blade above the stone, then thrust it back in where it would sit for who knew how long in the protection of the forest. The glow of the blade brightened momentarily before subsiding, and the forest fill still. Link held his gaze on it for a moment, feeling almost sad to part with it, as if he were leaving behind a part of him. But he let out a breath and turned away from the sword, grateful that it was finally over.

*****

It was late in the evening when they finally returned to Kakariko. Zelda and Impa were just outside the barracks when the helicopter landed, and Zelda threw herself into Link's arms when he jumped out. They followed Impa inside where Dorian and the four newly appointed champions waited. Link and Zelda stood before Impa, Dorian standing just slightly behind her, his arm now in a sling. He had on fresh clothing, free of dirt and blood. He rested his weight on his left foot slightly, but otherwise, there was no sign that he had been shot in the leg. His eyes were cast down to the ground, his expression sullen. The strong, authoritative figure Link had grown to know seemed to have been completely repressed with shame.

“The sword,” Impa said. Her hard gaze rested on Link's. “It's back in the protection of the forest?”

“Yes,” Link said simply.

Impa nodded, her eyes closed for a moment. “We are in your debt. If it weren't for you and your and your newly appointed champions, Kohga would have gained control of the entire Sheikah army, and Hyrule would have surely been lost to Ganon.”

“Banishing me was an appropriate way to show how grateful you are,” he muttered.

Impa narrowed her eyes at him. “You know that was not my doing,” she said. “Kohga had us all possessed to do his bidding. He worked closely with Ganon, and it was because of Ganon's power that Kohga's spirit remained after you killed him.” She paused. “Dorian was an obvious target considering his position with the Sheikah and the SFU. He possessed Dorian and managed to brainwash all of us into this mess in an attempt to take you out once and for all. Without you as a threat, he would have had no problem breaking Zelda’s seal and bringing Ganon back.”

To Link’s surprise, instead of bearing down on him with her typical annoyed, angry glare, she averted her gaze.

“I’m ashamed that something as simple as that ever got by my defenses,” she said. “I should have seen it coming. I should have been able to stop Kohga myself.”

Link shifted his weight on his feet. “Apology accepted,” he said with a shrug.

Impa shook her head and sighed, but a small smile split her face. She turned her gaze to Zelda. “Are you prepared to return to the city?”

Zelda hesitated. “I don't think I have much of a choice,” she muttered.

Impa smiled warmly at her. “You have a country to rule,” she said. “Just as your father had done. They are waiting for your reassurance and guidance. You will not be alone, though, I promise you that.”

Zelda sucked in a breath and straightened. “Thank you,” she said softly. She checked Link at the corner of her eyes. His hands were shoved in his pockets and his eyes on the floor.

“Stay here tonight,” Impa said. “We can worry about everything in the morning.” She nodded to them and turned away, walking towards the door at the end of the room and disappearing around the corner. Dorian followed dutifully, leaving the six heroes alone in the central room.

Link turned around and smirked at Zelda. “Have fun with that,” he said as he moved towards the double doors bringing him outside. He stood atop the steps as Zelda trotted after him. She narrowed her gaze at him.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“You have responsibilities,” he said, grinning at her. “But my job's done.”

Zelda put her hands on her hips. “Your job is done?” she repeated. “I don't recall hearing you quit. You're still employed in the SFU, and now I'm your boss.” She returned his grin, teasingly.

“That sucks,” he said. “There's a strict no dating your boss policy, you know.” He cocked a head at her and smiled crookedly.

Zelda blushed and averted her gaze. She looked out over the city. “Good thing we're not dating,” she said.

Link made his way down the steps. “I think I'll ask out that red head I used to know,” he said over his shoulder.

“For the love of Hylia,” Riju's voice said from behind Zelda. She pushed her way through Sidon, Teba, and Yunobo with a grunt, then around Zelda and trotted down the steps. She stopped in front of Link, her hands on her hips. “You have such a way with words, you know that?”

Link grinned down at the short Gerudo leader. “Go home,” he said simply, stepping around her and onto the road.

“I think we'll stay until tomorrow morning,” she said as she looked over the city. “I've never been here before. Well.” She paused and shrugged with one shoulder. “Last time I was here, we were busy with a rescue mission. Saving your ass.”

Link barked a short laugh over his shoulder. “If that's what you want to call it.”

Riju followed him onto the road, and Zelda, Teba, Sidon, and Yunobo followed suit. They stood for a moment on the hill, looking out over the city lights until Riju spoke again.

“Let's see what kind of trouble we can get into,” she said with a grin. “There's drinks to be had and men to flirt with.” She started to walk down the road, then shot a glare in the direction of the other champions. “Come on.”

Teba muttered under his breath but followed her regardless. “Let's go,” he said to Sidon and Yunobo.

“I don't want to flirt with men,” Yunobo said, his brows furrowed together.

Sidon pulled at Yunobo's arm. “Don't worry,” he said with a nod towards Teba. “We'll find you a cute girl.”

Yunobo opened his mouth to argue, but Sidon pulled him forward, and they followed Riju down the long drive, out the front gates, and into the city.

Link folded his arms over his chest, certain that it was no accident that Riju left him and Zelda alone together.

“Does the red head have a name?” Zelda asked.

Link met her gaze and turned his gaze up thoughtfully. “I decided I'm not into red heads any more,” he said with a shrug.

“Gorons, perhaps?”

Link rolled his eyes. He let his hands rest on Zelda's cheeks and pulled her towards him. He pressed his lips against hers and felt her body move in closer, pressing against him.

After a moment, Zelda pulled away slightly and looked up at Link. “So... Gorons?”

“Shut up,” Link growled as a grin split her face. He pulled her in once more and pressed his lips hard against hers. Zelda's hands moved into his hair and she pulled him closer, deepening their kiss. But the sound of footsteps and voices pulled them away for a moment. Zelda met Link's gaze, their faces still close together, and a flirtatious smile pulled at the corner of her lips. She took Link's hand in hers, pulling him with her as she started back up the stairs. She held her gaze for a moment more before trotting up the steps, tugging Link along with her.

#breath of the resistance #chapter 35 #botr35 #loz #legend of zelda #botw #breath of the wild #fic #fanfic

[minsyal]

[Link x Reader, An Artist’s View]

Summary: I’m a sneaky lil snakey snake, not really...

           The wind was blowing slightly to the north, causing your hair to constantly fall in front of your eyes. Irritated, you finally decided to tie it back with a ribbon you had gotten from your father. The last you heard from him was in Kakariko Village about to head out to visit the many stables that scattered across Hyrule. He was a committed artist and you could say you inherited that trait. While it was not your top priority, you did tend to find yourself sketching when you had down time.

           You had met Link while he was passing through the Dueling Peaks Stable on his way to Kakoriko. Initially, the men at the counter had given him directions, but you insisted he travel with you since you were already heading in that direction. Ever since then, the two of you had become an inseparable pair.

           The grass beneath you was long, coming up to your calves when standing and your waist when sitting. Link was sprawled out next to you, his hands acting as pillows that rested beneath his head. One leg was propped up and the other was kicked over it, resting in the air. His chest rose and fell slowly and his hair was a wild mess that just couldn’t be saved. In the distance you could see the slight breeze blowing the crimson red leaves on the trees. You could faintly hear the cry of laughter echoing from Tarrey Town. The rolling hills seemed to go on forever, holding secrets that the two of you had not yet discovered.

           You were on your way to see Robbie, another Sheikah scientist who you had briefly met before when he visited Purah in Hateno. Though, that was a long time ago when she had not been the guinea pig for her anti-aging experiment. Surely Robbie too had changed since then.

           Mindlessly, you reached into your overflowing pack and recovered a notebook and a small piece of graphite that was slowly dwindling down to nothing. Maybe after seeing Robbie, you could make your way East toward Death Mountain to get some more. Your eyes scanned the area, looking for something to draw to remember the moment. The guardians in the Torin Wetland were too far to get any detail, Tarrey Town had been sketched many times before. You knew it needed to be something worthwhile, as your father always enjoyed looking through the book when you met. Finally, you spotted it;  the perfect thing was right before you -- Link.

           He had never been properly portrayed in paintings from the past. The ones you saw always displayed him as some stone-cold warrior. That was the problem with royal artists, they never exactly captured people how they truly were. They always had them pose in unnatural positions and hold deadpan faces that could easily turn anyone away. You saw Link how he really was, at least you hoped you did.

           The stone hit the paper and you began the process of scribbling shapes until something coherent formed. You continued for ten minutes, scribbling and smearing lines to create depth and shadows. Link remained still, at least that what you thought.

           “What’s that?” Link’s chin came to rest on your shoulder and his arms linked together in front of your chest. You had been so engulfed in your drawing that you hadn’t noticed him move.

           “Nothing!” You pushed the paper to your chest and held it tight. He had never seen any of your sketches before, and it would be fairly embarrassing for him to find that there were more than one of him.

           “Well, it’s something. Come on, show me.” He leaned forward putting pressure on your back, only causing you to hunch over to protect the book.

           “N-nope! It’s nothing!” You insisted, attempting to roll onto your side to get him off of you. He seemed to be in a playful mood and began to progress the issue further by reaching for it. “Stop that!”

           “Come on, please.” He extended the “e” sound for a second longer. His arms unlinked from you and he sat up straight next to you. Pushing yourself to a sitting position, you never once let the book move from your chest.

           “Link, I said no.”

           His ocean blue eyes pleaded with yours, his lip jutting out like a child’s. Sometimes he could be so silly, something you really wouldn’t expect from the Hero of Hyrule. He clasped his hands together and held them next to his face, pushing hard against his cheek. You just shook your head and turned to grab your pack to put it away. Quickly, Link snatched it away from you and took off up the hill toward the Fairy Fountain.

           You weren’t nearly as fast as him, and it showed. He was already up the hill and rapidly flipping through the pages by the time you got to him. A smug smile was strewn across his features, his eyes lighting up when they scanned the pages.

           “You drew me?” He questioned, flipping the book around to display the scene you had just sketched.

           “Let’s just not talk about it.” You sighed in defeat.

           “More than once?”

           “Link, I said let’s not talk about it.” Your eyes were focused on the ground beneath you. You kicked the grass and watched as it swayed back and forth before re-positioning itself. Surely Link would connect the dots and figure out you liked him, meaning you would need to leave so he can continue his journey alone. Of course he didn’t like you back, how could he? He was a Champion! It was always implied that he and Princess Zelda were basically a couple, at least that’s how the stories the elders told you went. 

            Not a second later, the Sheikah Slate was slipping between your fingers. Its screen was illuminating with the beautiful swirling colors of the sunset. The stark yellows kissed the bewitching rays of orange and it faded into hues of red and lilac. Hyrule Castle stood tall in the distance, the rays cast by the Divine Beasts penetrating its barriers. You recognized the location, you had just been there the other day. Your eyes scanned the screen only to land on a peculiar shadow -- it was you. His hand came to change to the next photo. It was similar to the first, but you were sitting this time. It was at Zora’s Domain. The children surrounded you with vibrant faces, they looked as if they were holding on to every word you were saying. You could see one of their mothers walking over in the background to collect her little one. Sidon was even there, sitting next to you with his arms up in the air. He had been acting out the story you told, the children loved it. Link moved to the next photo, another one of you. There were so many. 

            “I’m not much of an artist, but I do know a stunning view when I see it.” 

Request: Hi! I just found your blog and i am in LOVE with your writing! Could you pretty please do a scenario where reader is perhaps half-secretly painting or drawing link while they're taking a break from adventuring and he notices?

#link x reader #link x you #reader insert #link botw #botw fanfiction #link #botw #fanfiction #loz

[momma-eggy]

The smallest hero, he is dangerous

The evening is quiet.

A dull hush has replaced the bustling domain. Zora have turned in for the night and only a few remained out and about.

Sidon was one of them.

By now he would return to his father and share what he has managed to accomplish, then have the dinner that was prepared for him and retire to his room. It was what he did almost everyday.

But here he was, carrying a small sleeping child back to his room in an inn.

Sidon never thought he would do such a thing. He never expected to watch over such a small thing. Sure he liked children but he has never experienced one like Link before. Link had more bravery than most men, one would hardly believe the things he did. But now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. Sidon had to get him dry before he fell ill. If that were to happen no doubt it would only cause problems. He couldn’t let his newfound friend suffer. He walked at a brisk pace, the inn coming into his line of view.

Once inside, he was meant with a pleasant warmth. A few patrons sat at the tables, exchanging stories or small talk. There was a quiet hum through the air. It was welcoming. Sidon found someone that could help him find Links room, a brown haired Hylian lady who worked at the inn recognized the sleeping child. She helped show Sidon to his room and that was all. Seeing how it was unfit to sleep in wet clothes, he tried to wake the boy.

Which was ultimately a horrible idea.

After a few moments of dull whining from Link, he was greeted with two very angry blue eyes. Sidon gave him a small smile before setting him down.

“ Do not give me that look. You simply cannot sleep in wet clothes. You will get sick. Come, get changed and you can go right back to sleep. “ Sidon said gently to the grumpy child. As child pointed to a small bag on the dresser, a silent request for Sidon to retrieve it. He did so with ease and brought it back to the boy. In that time, Link had lit the candle by his bed, kicked off his boots and was starting the process for removing his gear. Once his small belt had been removed and placed on the chair next to the bed, he then took the small bag from Sidon. Sidon watched as the boy produced a large tunic from the bag. It was clear that it was the only contents of it. The tunic was the same shade of green the boy was currently wearing only it was much bigger. Getting at what Link planned to do next, Sidon turned to give him his privacy. He listened as Link removed his wet tunic and hung it on the back of the chair. The sounds that followed were something being shaken then the bed creaking slightly. Seeing how Link must be dressed, Sidon turned to say his goodbye.

Though he almost didn’t want to.

Link was at the head on the bed and hanging his green hat off the post closest to him. The tunic he was now wearing was much too big, barely hanging on to him. He was certain it stopped at the child’s ankles. Link looked as though he was fighting the urge to sleep when he turned around to sit. It made Sidon smile a bit.

“ There now, feel better? I will not pester you any longer so you may rest. Sleep well my friend. I will see you in the morning. “ Sidon said as he coaxed Link to lay down. He picked up the hem of the thin blanket and covered the small boy in an attempt to keep him warm. Sidon couldn’t help but notice that in this state, Link looked so different from the boy he saw earlier. This child wasn’t risking his life to deliver a letter nor was he making the journey up a mountain. He was simply at peace and trying to rest. It was almost sad to think about. Did he have anyone that saw him as that? A child in need of a good night’s rest? How often did he sleep in the cold because he was a few rupees short of a night in an inn? It was upsetting to think that many ignored him but there wasn’t much Sidon could do to ease his troubles. Many didn’t seem to understand that Link had no one. He was alone in this strange world with only a name to look for. That broke Simon’s heart a bit.

Once Link was tucked in, Sidon brought back his hand as to not give into his urge to ruffle his blond hair. He didn’t get far before a small hand latched onto his. Sidon stopped his movements to give the boy a questioning look.

Link gave him a small smile before he signed his thanks. It caused a nice feeling to run through Sidon and he couldn’t help but let his smile grow a bit more.

“ You are very welcome. I would do this again in a heartbeat if I had to.” he said before he did give into his urge and ruffle the blonds hair gently. He said his goodnight again, this time getting one from Link. Sidon leaned over to blow out the candle and extinguish the warm light covering the room. In it’s place was cool darkness. It wouldn’t be long before Link was asleep. Sidon left quietly and made his way out if the inn, saying his goodbyes to the inn workers.

He had quite a bit to talk about with his father.

It was a few days before Sidon saw his tiny friend again.

Due to the day he essentially took off he was behind on many pressing duties. He had two days dedicated to just meetings and politics, discussing recent threats of monster attacks and rumors from the lands far away about the divine beasts acting strangely. Those took a while to calm down but they did and the respectful representatives went back until they were needed again. He then took a couple of days based solely on training. It took some work and sleepless nights but he managed to get the hectic schedule back in order. Meetings and training followed each other accordingly and he back where he started, struggling to find time for his people.

Yes nothing had changed.

Today was no different when he went to start the basic training drills for the soldiers. He greeted the Zora’s he saw on the way and thought about how the day would go.

He would walking into the training ground early, greet the few that were there and wait for the others to arrive so they could start. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

At least that was what he thought until he actually arrived and saw almost every Zora soldier there. Though they had yet to notice him which he found odd. Not that he cared, what they were huddled around thoroughly captured their attention. Half of his was worried about what he would see. A fight? Those were uncommon but not unheard of. Some monster being picked apart? Unlikely, that would be just reckless to bring something dangerous into the domain. Sidon didn’t have time to dwell on what they were marveling at before he heard a very familiar yell.

The unmistakable sound of a sword making contact with something solid rang through the grounds.

Then sounds of cheers and laughter.

Sidon momentarily forgot his manners as he moved a few Zora out of the way to see what in the name of the goddesses above was going on. He half expected to find some poor creature being forced to fight.

That would have been half right.

Sidon did not find some small monster being picked at or being forced to fight. No instead he found a sweaty, beaming Hylain child holding a sword twice the size of him. The sword was easily recognized as one you would find in the Zora domain but it was still dangerous. The weight alone was more than Link could handle and the size made it difficult not to hurt untrained users.

Especially if they were children.

Sidon had half the mind to take it away from him but he didn’t have the chance to before the others insisted he watch what this Hylain could do. He didn’t budge so easily.

“ Need I remind you this is a child you have given a weapon to? Someone that most certainly shouldn’t handle one such as this. Link you must understand that this is dangerous. So much could go wrong and I,” Sidon didn’t get to finish his concerns before the other Zora spoke up.

“ This is no child. He is small yes but please your Highness, watch this. You will have a change of heart. “ a large bus Zora said as he gave him a small smile. Said Zora then gestured for Link to proceed with what he was going to do.

Link smiled and straighten his stance. He wobbled a bit as he lifted the heavy sword and clipped it to his back. It took a moment to steady his stance and a longer one to prepare himself for the climb he was about to do. His small size was hard to go against training dummies meant for full grown Zora. Link had to resort to scaling a large wooden box in order to be at the same level as the dummy. Though the box wasn’t close to the intended target. It was in fact in the opposite direction. Sidon didn’t get a chance to ask what was going on before Link removed the sword from his back and leaped forward at the dummy, a loud shout leaving the blonds mouth. A soft “thunk” was heard as Link had stuck the day, sitting a few inches away from where a normal heart would be.

Laughter and cheers again were heard as Link dropped to the ground in landed on his feet. A Zora removed the sword from the dummy and handed it back to the boy, all the while Link was beaming at Sidon.

It had the Zora Prince thinking that maybe he was going about treating this child all wrong.

Instead of simply plucking the sword away from him like his better instincts tell him do, he smile smiles and sees where his mistake was.

“I see, my mistake. Forgive me for doubting your skills my friend. It is clear your talents extend farther than I thought they would.” Sidon says as he bows to the tiny male. Yes he was freaked out that this small thing could do something like that but it was insulting to treat him like he was weak. Link by no means was. He was just as skilled as any other soldier and should be treated as such. Sidon had to stop using his size as a limitation.

At least that’s what the more logical side of Sidon said to himself.

The more emotional, parental so to speak, told him that a child should not know how to handle such things. The small sword Link normally had was pushing it. Something bigger than the child himself was out of the question. It should have never been put in Links hands. He was a fighter, yes. He was skilled higher than most, yes. But he was still so young. Children his age should be handled with care. They shouldn’t have to rely on their sword skills to survive. Link was no exception. He should have the chance to be brought up in an environment where fighting was the last thing on their minds. But he couldn’t. As much as he wanted to, Sidon couldn’t control what the boy did. He had no say in his future. Link was the only person that did and that both pleased and frightened him. Sidon didn’t want harm to cross this boy and he felt it has more than needed. He wanted to keep him safe but the only way was to let him learn how to defend himself. This world was cruel, Sidon knew this. He just wished it showed mercy to one’s who needed it. If he took away Link’s fighting than he took away all Link had. A sword, bow and wooden shield where his main possessions. Many children had toys and such but Link didn’t. He was sure the blind didn’t even know how to play with such things. Sidon couldn’t take those away. He needed to help guide him with those tools. So he would.

“ I do regret to do this but I will have to bring this show to an end for now. These Zora have training of their own that they cannot skip out on. It will not be for very long and you are very much welcome to come back after it is over. I encourage that you do my friend. I would like to see what other weapons you can control. ” Sidon said as he flashed his small friend a smile. Link in return beamed at him before turning back to a much darker blue Zora. He shyly held the large sword out to the male before it was taken, the Zora thanking Link for his demonstration. Many others followed suit and continued until the child had said his goodbyes and left.

Sidon turned to the soldiers and training began as normal. Though he wasn’t as focused as normal, many things buzzing in the princes head.

He knew so little about his new friend but one thing was certainly clear.

The young blond was to be admired.

((I hope you like this part because the next one might be a little darker. ))

#sidlink #platonic #child link #mute link #supportive sidon #worried sidon #protective sidon #loz link #loz sidon #the smallest hero #multi part #orphan link #part three

[9r7g5h]

Jealous

Fandom: Xena: Warrior Princess

Rating: K+

Genre: General

Summary: Xena wanted to say she didn’t get jealous. That would be a lie. 

Words: 1,794

AN: This was given to me by @spacenuggetrey, and their number (which I cannot for the life of me remember) ended up being ‘Jealous!’ This is a strange lil thing, but I hope you guys still enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Xena.

Xena wanted to say that she didn’t get jealous. Not now, not after everything she and Gabrielle had been through together. She knew they were both happy, was secure in the fact that Gabrielle loved her as much as she loved Gabrielle, and knew, for a fact, whose bedroll Gabrielle would be in when night fell. She knew, for a fact, that everything was, while not perfect, as close as they could get in this world. So, Xena wanted to say that she didn't get jealous.

But that would be a bold faced lie. And as much as Xena liked to fool herself, she couldn't help the little ball forming in her stomach as she watched Gabrielle flirt with the merchant.

It was a tactic she had used so many times during their travels- Gabrielle would spend a few minutes staking out her target, watching the merchant in question deal with their customer, and take stock of how they treated each. If it seemed like their minds were more focused on their goods, then she went in head strong and stubborn, breaking down their defenses by claiming sub-par quality. Traveling as they had, she could easily claim she had seen much better for much cheaper somewhere else, tricking the seller into giving her a deal. More often than not it worked, spreading their few dinars much further than if Xena had been in charge of their shopping. She never pushed it so much as to cheat the merchants, no, but just enough to ensure they weren't being cheated themselves.

But if the merchant's eyes were more on the buyers, especially the women? Well, Gabrielle had no issue with brightening her smile, shimming her skirt down another inch or so, and shifting her top so a little bit more than normal showed before approaching the stall.

It was a tactic Xena had seen her use a hundred times before. But then the merchants had been old men, cranky things that had perked up at the sight Gabrielle presented, and who had responded well to a cute little blonde flirting with them. Men who had given her deals in exchange for a wider smile, perhaps a promise of a meeting at the local tavern. Promises Gabrielle vaguely acknowledged as she shopped, picking out the things she wanted, never fully striking them down until after the money had exchanged hands. Men she more often than not shamed into slinking back to their wives, all with a wide smile as her quick tongue tore into them. Men Gabrielle immediately rolled her eyes at when her back was turned as she returned to Xena's side, her clothes returning to their normal place as she presented her winnings with a smirk and a comment on how easy it had been.

Those relatively quick interactions Xena just watched with a wary eye- Gabrielle could take care of herself, had used her staff to make the creepier of the merchants back off before Xena could get to her side, but it was still something she kept an eye on. They had never struck a chord before, and as they had walked away, Xena had easily been able to put the men out of mind.

But this merchant was no old, married man that Gabrielle put up with for ten minutes as she restocked their medicinal herbs or bag of apples. No, she was young and pretty and single, and for the last hour she and Gabrielle had just stood there and talked, only occasionally looking down at the bolts of cloth spread on the table before them.

Xena didn’t have any problem with Gabrielle having friends. She was glad she did, and they often found themselves in the Amazon village, or stopping by Athens whenever they were in the area, so Gabrielle could catch up with her sisters and the other bards she had become so close with. She didn’t have a problem with Gabrielle’s friendly nature- she liked that about her, that she would easily find someone to connect to wherever they went.

But even though the stare the woman gave was similar to one Xena had seen many Amazons wearing, a longing gaze that had just had Xena chuckling in pity for the poor girls, this time it bothered her.

Xena couldn't help her little huff as she watched Gabrielle laugh, the merchant woman joining in after a moment's pause. It was clear the woman was attracted to her- she had reached out and touched Gabrielle's arm, her hand, had even held up a scrap of fabric to Gabrielle's face so she could see if it matched her eyes, her hand brushing against Gabrielle's cheek. From what Xena had been able to hear of their conversation, she had sold Gabrielle the supplies they needed in order to repair Argo's saddle blanket and their sleeping furs at a pittance, low enough that even Xena had known it was wrong. Gabrielle had even tried to give her more money, a fair price- but the woman had just shaken her head and refused to take it.

That, and the fact that her eyes hadn't met Gabrielle's in quite a while, instead focused on either her lips or lower, and it was clear that the woman had other intentions in mind for the bard.

Xena wanted to say she wasn't jealous. She knew nothing would come of it. That, when the conversation finally ended, Gabrielle would be by her side shortly after.

But again, that would be a lie, and Xena was done waiting.

"Gabrielle, who's your friend?"

Gabrielle jumped as Xena slid to her side, a small scowl replacing her previous smile at being startled. When Xena just shrugged, Gabrielle shook her head and rolled her eyes, though she leaned into the arm Xena wrapped around her shoulders.

"Dima, this is my partner, Xena," Gabrielle said, turning back to the merchant. "Xena, this is Dima. She's from Phoenicia. She was just telling about her home."

"Phoenicia, huh," Xena asked, her eye brow raising as she examined Dima. Just as pretty up close as she was from a distance, though the smile that she wore now seemed a bit stiff, her eyes glancing between Xena's face and the arm hooked around Gabrielle's shoulders- a protective, possessive move, even if Gabrielle herself didn't realize the meaning behind the cuddle. "I took my army through there about seven, eight years ago. Fought against Sidon. Yours?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head, "Arwad. Though I remember hearing about Sidon being attacked...and fending off the attackers, quite easily, if I so recall." A slight hint of a challenge in her voice. Brave, and immediately Xena's respect for the woman rose. Very few stood up to her, when she brought up her past.

"The first time, maybe," Xena said, her smile perhaps a bit too wide, showing perhaps a few more teeth then necessary. Perhaps with a gaze that was a little too intense, Dima's own stare finally dropping as she fiddled with the display. "But not the second. Gabrielle," Xena said, abruptly changing the topic, glancing down at the confused woman still tucked into her side, "we need to get going. Got everything you need?"

When Gabrielle nodded in confirmation, confusion still written on her face as she glanced between Dima and Xena, Xena just nodded at the other woman before pulling away and lacing her hand with Gabrielle, leading her away after her own brief goodbye with the merchant.

For a few long moments they walked in silence, Xena leading them both through the market, back to the inn where they were staying. It was quiet, at the moment- the dinner rush wouldn't get in for another hour, meaning hopefully the baths would be just as empty. A warm soak after so many nights sleeping on the ground would be just the thing she needed to lift her mood, and the relative privacy would let them talk. They needed to figure out where they were going from here, and while prying ears listening in on their planning wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, Xena preferred their plans to not be common knowledge.

"You were jealous, weren't you?"

Xena almost missed a step as Gabrielle spoke, though she quickly recovered before it was noticeable. Glancing over her shoulder, a lie on her tongue, her words froze as she saw Gabrielle's face- a displeased pout that would make lying hard to do.

"Maybe a little bit," Xena finally grumbled, letting go of Gabrielle's hand as they reached the inn. Ducking her head into the barn next door, she nodded happily as she saw Argo settled in; the horse tender had done a good job, and she made a mental note to give him an extra dinar when she next saw him. "But you didn't see how she was looking at you," Xena protested as she turned back, Gabrielle's pout still set on her face. "She was looking at you like...like..."

"Like how most people look at you whenever we're near civilization," Gabrielle pointed out, her own eyebrow raising as she stared Xena down. "Like they wanted to get to know you in a Zeusian way? Yeah, Xena, I knew the look. And I knew what she was thinking."

"Why did you encourage her then," Xena asked, a pout of her own appearing on her lips. Part of her wanted to be mad, but considering Gabrielle had a point- it was a running joke they had, counting how many people had fallen in love with her at the drop of a dinar, and she couldn't very well be angry at Gabrielle for playing her marketing game with someone who wanted to play it back- all she did was cross her arms and look away instead.

"Because I was enjoying the conversation, got everything we needed for a lot less than it's actually worth, and you're cute when you pout," Gabrielle teased. Leaning up on her toes, she pressed a quick kiss to Xena's cheek before continuing to the inn, leaving her behind.

Xena wanted to say that she didn't get jealous, and she definitely didn't pout over her girlfriend getting along with other people. She really, really wanted to be able to say that.

But when she walked in, only to find Gabrielle openly flirting with the maid at the front counter, she couldn't help it.

Gabrielle squealed as Xena ducked and grabbed her around her knees, her stomach falling onto Xena's shoulder as she rose, leaving her half draped across Xena's back as she walked them to their room. Only for that squeal to turn to laughter as Xena plopped her onto the bed, laughter that was quickly silenced by the kiss that followed.

#Xena #XWP #Xena: Warrior Princess #Xena fanfic #Xena fanfiction #XWP fanfic #XWP fanfiction #Xena: Warrior Princess fanfic #Xena: Warrior Princess fanfiction

[poetryofchrist]

2 Samuel 24

You can look these places in the journey up (sort of) on a map. They start by travelling towards modern day Jordan through some places that are not identifiable, into the land of Dan north of Kinnereth, then further north to Sidon where they turn south to Tyre then way south to Beer-sheva, 100 or so km south of Jerusalem. I tried mapping it on Google maps - without much success.

A difficult journey today, and probably difficult in David's time as well. Verse 1 - what was David doing? In the parallel 1 Chronicles 21, it is an accuser (Hebrew, Satan) who incites David. Could David  just want to 'number' (ספר) Israel. The verb here is מנה, portion, apportion, and in a few places (like Qohelet 1:15) I have used fathom. This seems to me to be a credible sin. Otherwise what's the problem with a census (ראשׁ a head count)? In response to the request to fathom Joab visits and conscripts (פקד, also commonly visit). I have used this verb also in Numbers where tradition has number. As you can see, counting is represented by 4 different stems in the Hebrew. Hence my predicament when dealing with these, whatever they are, shades of 'meaning'. It is not possible, by the way, to get answers to these kinds of puzzling questions from a 'study Bible'. Most of these simply assume the traditional glosses and fail even to point out the guesswork behind the scenes of the translations. They are about as good for what we need to know from the Bible as a Google map for an ancient journey.

2 Samuel 24 Fn Min Max Syll וַיֹּ֙סֶף֙ אַף־יְהוָ֔ה לַחֲר֖וֹת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיָּ֨סֶת אֶת־דָּוִ֤ד בָּהֶם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֵ֛ךְ מְנֵ֥ה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְאֶת־יְהוּדָֽה 1 And again the anger of Yahweh burned in Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, Go, fathom Israel and Judah. 3d 4C 13 22 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֶל־יוֹאָ֣ב ׀ שַׂר־הַחַ֣יִל אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֗וֹ שֽׁוּט־נָ֞א בְּכָל־שִׁבְטֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מִדָּן֙ וְעַד־בְּאֵ֣ר שֶׁ֔בַע וּפִקְד֖וּ אֶת־הָעָ֑ם וְיָ֣דַעְתִּ֔י אֵ֖ת מִסְפַּ֥ר הָעָֽם 2 And the king said to Joab, chief of the force that was with him, Rove please among all the sceptres of Israel from Dan and to Beer-Sheva, and conscript the people, so I may know the count of the people. 3e 4C 40 9 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יוֹאָ֜ב אֶל־הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ וְיוֹסֵ֣ף יְהוָה֩ אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ אֶל־הָעָ֜ם כָּהֵ֤ם ׀ וְכָהֵם֙ מֵאָ֣ה פְעָמִ֔ים וְעֵינֵ֥י אֲדֹנִֽי־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ רֹא֑וֹת וַאדֹנִ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ לָ֥מָּה חָפֵ֖ץ בַּדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה 3 And Joab said to the king, May Yahweh your God add to the people as they are, and a hundred times as they are and let the eyes of my Lord the king see, but why does my lord the king delight in this matter? 3e 4C 41 15 וַיֶּחֱזַ֤ק דְּבַר־הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֶל־יוֹאָ֔ב וְעַ֖ל שָׂרֵ֣י הֶחָ֑יִל וַיֵּצֵ֨א יוֹאָ֜ב וְשָׂרֵ֤י הַחַ֙יִל֙ לִפְנֵ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ לִפְקֹ֥ד אֶת־הָעָ֖ם אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל 4 But the word of the king was resolute to Joab and against the chiefs of the force, and Joab and the chiefs of the force went out, in the presence of the king, to conscript the people, Israel. 3e 4C 19 25 וַיַּעַבְר֖וּ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן וַיַּחֲנ֣וּ בַעֲרוֹעֵ֗ר יְמִ֥ין הָעִ֛יר אֲשֶׁ֛ר בְּתוֹךְ־הַנַּ֥חַל הַגָּ֖ד וְאֶל־יַעְזֵֽר 5 And they crossed over at the Jordan, and encamped at Aroer on the right hand of the city that is in the midst of the wadi of Gad, and toward Yazer. 3d 4B 8 25 וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ הַגִּלְעָ֔דָה וְאֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ תַּחְתִּ֖ים חָדְשִׁ֑י וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ דָּ֣נָה יַּ֔עַן וְסָבִ֖יב אֶל־צִידֽוֹן 6 And they came toward the Gilead and to the land of lowest new moon [Txtymhodshy], and they came towards Dan (because) [Dan-Yeem] and round about to Sidon. 3e 4B 15 13 וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ מִבְצַר־צֹ֔ר וְכָל־עָרֵ֥י הַחִוִּ֖י וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֑י וַיֵּֽצְא֛וּ אֶל־נֶ֥גֶב יְהוּדָ֖ה בְּאֵ֥ר שָֽׁבַע 7 And they came the enclosure of Tyre, and all the cities of the Hivite and the Canaanite, and they went forth to the south of Judah, Beer-Sheva. 3d 4A 18 13 וַיָּשֻׁ֖טוּ בְּכָל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ מִקְצֵ֨ה תִשְׁעָ֧ה חֳדָשִׁ֛ים וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים י֖וֹם יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם 8 And they held out in all the land, and came at the culmination of nine months and twenty days to Jerusalem. 3c 4A 9 18 וַיִּתֵּ֥ן יוֹאָ֛ב אֶת־מִסְפַּ֥ר מִפְקַד־הָעָ֖ם אֶל־הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַתְּהִ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֡ל שְׁמֹנֶה֩ מֵא֨וֹת אֶ֤לֶף אִֽישׁ־חַ֙יִל֙ שֹׁ֣לֵֽף חֶ֔רֶב וְאִ֣ישׁ יְהוּדָ֔ה חֲמֵשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת אֶ֖לֶף אִֽישׁ 9 And Joab gave the count of the conscription of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand men of ability that drew a sword, and those of Judah, five hundred thousand men. 3d 4C 16 31 וַיַּ֤ךְ לֵב־דָּוִד֙ אֹת֔וֹ אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֖ן סָפַ֣ר אֶת־הָעָ֑ם וַיֹּ֨אמֶר דָּוִ֜ד אֶל־יְהוָ֗ה חָטָ֤אתִי מְאֹד֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֔יתִי וְעַתָּ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה הַֽעֲבֶר־נָא֙ אֶת־עֲוֺ֣ן עַבְדְּךָ֔ כִּ֥י נִסְכַּ֖לְתִּי מְאֹֽד 10 And the heart of David struck him after so counting the people, and David said to Yahweh, I have sinned excessively in what I have done, and now Yahweh, let pass please the iniquity of your servant, for I have been excessively silly. 3e 4C 16 39 וַיָּ֥קָם דָּוִ֖ד בַּבֹּ֑קֶר וּדְבַר־יְהוָ֗ה הָיָה֙ אֶל־גָּ֣ד הַנָּבִ֔יא חֹזֵ֥ה דָוִ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר 11 And David arose in the morning, and the word of Yahweh happened to Gad the prophet, the visionary for David, saying, 3e 4B 8 17 הָל֞וֹךְ וְדִבַּרְתָּ֣ אֶל־דָּוִ֗ד כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה שָׁלֹ֕שׁ אָנֹכִ֖י נוֹטֵ֣ל עָלֶ֑יךָ בְּחַר־לְךָ֥ אַֽחַת־מֵהֶ֖ם וְאֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לָּֽךְ 12 Go and speak to David, Thus says Yahweh, Three I will tolerate over you. Chose one of them for you, that I will undertake for you. 3e 4C 24 13 וַיָּבֹא־גָ֥ד אֶל־דָּוִ֖ד וַיַּגֶּד־ל֑וֹ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֡וֹ הֲתָב֣וֹא לְךָ֣ שֶֽׁבַע שָׁנִ֣ים ׀ רָעָ֣ב ׀ בְּאַרְצֶ֡ךָ אִם־שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה חֳ֠דָשִׁים נֻסְךָ֨ לִפְנֵֽי־צָרֶ֜יךָ וְה֣וּא רֹדְפֶ֗ךָ וְאִם־הֱ֠יוֹת שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת יָמִ֥ים דֶּ֙בֶר֙ בְּאַרְצֶ֔ךָ עַתָּה֙ דַּ֣ע וּרְאֵ֔ה מָה־אָשִׁ֥יב שֹׁלְחִ֖י דָּבָֽר 13 So Gad came to David and made it clear to him, and said to him, Will seven years of famine come to you in your land, or three months you withdraw before your foes while he pursues you, or will there be three days pestilence in your land? Now acknowledge and see. What word will I return to him who sent me? 3e 4B 11 64 וַיֹּ֧אמֶר דָּוִ֛ד אֶל־גָּ֖ד צַר־לִ֣י מְאֹ֑ד נִפְּלָה־נָּ֤א בְיַד־יְהוָה֙ כִּֽי־רַבִּ֣ים רַֽחֲמָ֔יו וּבְיַד־אָדָ֖ם אַל־אֶפֹּֽלָה 14 And David said to Gad, My troubles are excessive. Let us fall, please, into the hand of Yahweh, for many are his compassions, and into the hand of humanity let me not fall. 3c 4C 11 20 וַיִּתֵּ֨ן יְהוָ֥ה דֶּ֙בֶר֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מֵהַבֹּ֖קֶר וְעַד־עֵ֣ת מוֹעֵ֑ד וַיָּ֣מָת מִן־הָעָ֗ם מִדָּן֙ וְעַד־בְּאֵ֣ר שֶׁ֔בַע שִׁבְעִ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף אִֽישׁ 15 And Yahweh gave a pestilence on Israel, from the morning and to an appointed time, and there died from the people, from Dan and to Beer-Sheva, seventy thousand men. 3e 4B 20 19 וַיִּשְׁלַח֩ יָד֨וֹ הַמַּלְאָ֥ךְ ׀ יְרֽוּשָׁלִַם֮ לְשַׁחֲתָהּ֒ וַיִּנָּ֤חֶם יְהוָה֙ אֶל־הָ֣רָעָ֔ה וַ֠יֹּאמֶר לַמַּלְאָ֞ךְ הַמַּשְׁחִ֤ית בָּעָם֙ רַ֔ב עַתָּ֖ה הֶ֣רֶף יָדֶ֑ךָ וּמַלְאַ֤ךְ יְהוָה֙ הָיָ֔ה עִם־גֹּ֖רֶן הָאֲרַ֥וְנָה הַיְבֻסִֽי 16 And the angel extended his hand to Jerusalem to destroy, and Yahweh sighed at the evil, and said to the angel, the destroyer among the people, Too much now. Let your hand desist. And the angel of Yahweh was beside the threshing-floor of Aravnah the Jebusite. 3e 4C 45 17 וַיֹּאמֶר֩ דָּוִ֨ד אֶל־יְהוָ֜ה בִּרְאֹת֣וֹ ׀ אֶֽת־הַמַּלְאָ֣ךְ ׀ הַמַּכֶּ֣ה בָעָ֗ם וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֤י חָטָ֙אתִי֙ וְאָנֹכִ֣י הֶעֱוֵ֔יתִי וְאֵ֥לֶּה הַצֹּ֖אן מֶ֣ה עָשׂ֑וּ תְּהִ֨י נָ֥א יָדְךָ֛ בִּ֖י וּבְבֵ֥ית אָבִֽי 17 And David said to Yahweh when he saw the angel of striking among the people, and he said, Behold I, I have sinned, and I myself have been perverse, but these, the flock, what have they done? Let be, if you will, your hand against me, and against the house of my father. 3d 4C 47 10 וַיָּבֹא־גָ֥ד אֶל־דָּוִ֖ד בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ עֲלֵה֙ הָקֵ֤ם לַֽיהוָה֙ מִזְבֵּ֔חַ בְּגֹ֖רֶן אֲרַ֥וְנָה הַיְבֻסִֽי 18 So Gad came to David in that day and said to him. Go up. Raise up for Yahweh an altar on the threshing-floor of Aravnah the Jebusite. 3e 4C 11 22 וַיַּ֤עַל דָּוִד֙ כִּדְבַר־גָּ֔ד כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָֽה 19 And David went up according to the word of Gad as Yahweh commanded. 3e 4C 15 וַיַּשְׁקֵ֣ף אֲרַ֗וְנָה וַיַּ֤רְא אֶת־הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ וְאֶת־עֲבָדָ֔יו עֹבְרִ֖ים עָלָ֑יו וַיֵּצֵ֣א אֲרַ֔וְנָה וַיִּשְׁתַּ֧חוּ לַמֶּ֛לֶךְ אַפָּ֖יו אָֽרְצָה 20 And Aravnah leaned over to look and he saw the king and his servants crossing to him, and Aravnah went out and he prostrated himself to the king, his nose earthward. 3c 4C 21 17 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲרַ֔וְנָה מַדּ֛וּעַ בָּ֥א אֲדֹנִֽי־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ אֶל־עַבְדּ֑וֹ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר דָּוִ֜ד לִקְנ֧וֹת מֵעִמְּךָ֣ אֶת־הַגֹּ֗רֶן לִבְנ֤וֹת מִזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וְתֵעָצַ֥ר הַמַּגֵּפָ֖ה מֵעַ֥ל הָעָֽם 21 And Aravnah said, Why has my Lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy from you the threshing-floor to build an altar to Yahweh, that the plague may be contained from over the people. 3c 4C 18 33 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲרַ֙וְנָה֙ אֶל־דָּוִ֔ד יִקַּ֥ח וְיַ֛עַל אֲדֹנִ֥י הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ הַטּ֣וֹב בְּעֵינָ֑יו רְאֵה֙ הַבָּקָ֣ר לָעֹלָ֔ה וְהַמֹּרִגִּ֛ים וּכְלֵ֥י הַבָּקָ֖ר לָעֵצִֽים 22 And Aravnah said to David, Let my Lord the king take and offer up of what is good in his eyes. See the oxen for the burnt offering, and threshing instruments and vessels of the oxen, for wood. 3d 4C 25 21 הַכֹּ֗ל נָתַ֛ן אֲרַ֥וְנָה הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ לַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲרַ֙וְנָה֙ אֶל־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ יִרְצֶֽךָ 23 The whole Aravnah gave to the king for the king. And Aravnah said to the king, Yahweh your God accept you. 3d 4C 13 19 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֶל־אֲרַ֗וְנָה לֹ֚א כִּֽי־קָנ֨וֹ אֶקְנֶ֤ה מֵאֽוֹתְךָ֙ בִּמְחִ֔יר וְלֹ֧א אַעֲלֶ֛ה לַיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהַ֖י עֹל֣וֹת חִנָּ֑ם וַיִּ֨קֶן דָּוִ֤ד אֶת־הַגֹּ֙רֶן֙ וְאֶת־הַבָּקָ֔ר בְּכֶ֖סֶף שְׁקָלִ֥ים חֲמִשִּֽׁים 24 And the king said to Aravnah, No, for buying, I will buy from you at a price, for I should not offer up to Yahweh my God burnt offerings for nothing. And David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen with fifty shekels of silver. 3c 4C 34 23 וַיִּבֶן֩ שָׁ֨ם דָּוִ֤ד מִזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וַיַּ֥עַל עֹל֖וֹת וּשְׁלָמִ֑ים וַיֵּעָתֵ֤ר יְהוָה֙ לָאָ֔רֶץ וַתֵּעָצַ֥ר הַמַּגֵּפָ֖ה מֵעַ֥ל יִשְׂרָאֵֽל 25 And David built there an altar to Yahweh, and he offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and Yahweh was petitioned for the land and the plague was contained from over Israel. 3e 4C 19 22

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[callowsermons]

Being Reconciled: The Gifts of God

I want to draw back this morning and refocus on the central message of this series, or what I hope is the central message of this series. Before launching into the passage we have been given from Romans, I want to talk about the Gospel reading because I think it can be very instructive for us though it can be difficult for many. As we’ve just heard Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon, a gentile region. While he’s there a woman starts shouting at him, “"Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” At first Jesus ignores her, but his disciples urge him to shut her up because she won’t stop bothering them.

So Jesus tells the syrophonecian woman, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” To which she doubles down, kneeling before him begging him to help her. But Jesus replies, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.” This is where people have a good deal of trouble. It seems absolutely contrary to everything we want to know about Jesus. First of all, we really wish Jesus would just exorcise her daughter’s demon immediately instead of playing this waiting game. But secondly, we certainly don’t want Jesus shooing a poor woman away. It seems against his character to shoo anyone away. But finally, he acknowledges a boundary of first century Palestine. Jews do not meet with gentiles, let alone gentile women. The gentiles are nothing more

than dogs, because they worship dumb idols. And Jesus says, it is not good that children’s food, Israel’s food, be thrown to dogs.

But the woman’s response is astounding, instead of being hurt she responds in faith, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” What was to be reserved for the people of Israel, now is given to even the dogs. Because what it takes to accept the gift of grace is not membership in a certain club, it’s not the identity you happen to have, or the people you happen to know. All it takes to receive the gift of grace is to have faith in the one who offers grace.

The point of this account is not to show us how mean Jesus can be. Or, God forbid, present Jesus like some sort of racist. Jesus is not being racist here because racism doesn’t really exist quite yet. The significant boundary isn’t race but practice, the syrophonecian woman does not keep the law of Moses. No, this account is given to us that we might see how it is that faith in grace overcomes division. The division of Jew and Greek in that culture was iron clad. It was not just that the Jews wanted to be to themselves, but the Greeks also looked down on them and wanted little to do with them. This account also reminds us that salvation is not meant for us. Salvation comes from the Jews. The grace that we receive are the crumbs falling from the children’s table. We are the outsiders, we are the undeserving. But we have yet received, and by receiving we have been made deserving.

If salvation is a gift, with that gift comes God’s favor. In giving us forgiveness of sins, in washing us clean by the blood of Christ, we have been reckoned as God’s own children. We have been ingrafted into that covenant that was made with Abraham. And who will stand before God and say he is wrong? Who can stand before God and say his

salvation is unfair? That so and so deserves the gift, but so and so does not? The reality of grace shatters all our prejudice, all our idolatry, all our attempts to raise ourselves above others because the only opinion that really matters in the last instance is God’s. And God gives grace to Jews, and the crumbs to the gentiles. God gives grace to men and women. To black and white and hispanic and asian and Arab and American and Chinese and Nigerian. We all have received the same gift. We all have been incorporated into salvation.

This morning Paul expands on the gift. The gift, once offered, is irrevocable. Sure we can turn away, but God never turns away. Once God has offered the gift he has made his stand. Even our own disobedience, God only takes to fulfill his call and his gift. Nothing stands in God’s way. Nothing frustrates God’s plan. He has acted decisively in history to reconcile us by giving us Christ. We can choose to be part of that reconciliation, or we can choose to fight it. But if we fight it we will lose. Because God holds all history in his hand, and it comes to its completion. Ground zero of God’s reconciliation is his Church, which is made of all races and backgrounds and sinners and saints.

I understand that now may be a time of worry. Reconciliation may seem very, very far off. We have a president who, regardless of what you think of him is very divisive and seems to revel in it. We have neo-nazis duking it out in the streets with protestors. We have inflamed racial tensions, where innocent lives are lost and thorny questions abound. Terrorists continue their carnage apace. We may seem very far from reconciliation.

But it is not our job to save the world, Jesus already died for the world. It is not our job to fix our society because, frankly, how could we? The problems of society come from the same sin we are all caught in. All God calls us to is faithfulness here, amongst ourselves. It is our obligation to hold all this in prayer. When God gives us his grace the proper response is prayer. Prayers of thanksgiving, of lament, of intercession, God works through those prayers in ways we cannot immediately see. God uses prayer in his work of reconciliation.

But we also need to recognize that God earnestly desires reconciliation, he literally died that we may be reconciled. And so we are not moving heaven and earth to bring people together, heaven and earth moves that we may be made one. It is us who get in the way, we who are tormented by sin who drive one another apart. So in our own lives, in our own relationships, in our own enmities and arguments and whatever else, we can open up a space for God to work. When we listen in humility, when we challenge our perspective, when we let the other speak and also speak strongly and frankly about our own experience and perspective. When we leave the room for God to speak and put the truth on the table, God takes that. The work of reconciliation is already won, the gift is irrevocable, it is up to us to let God work.

Let it be for us as it was in the days of St. Justin Martyr, in the second century, who wrote, “We who hated and destroyed one another, and on account of their different manners would not live with men of a different tribe, now, since the coming of Christ, live familiarly with them, and pray for our enemies, and endeavor to persuade those who hate us unjustly to live conformably to the good precepts of Christ, to the end that they

may become partakers with us of the same joyful hope of a reward from God the ruler of all.”1

[romancatholicreflections]

20th August >> Sunday Homilies and Reflections for Roman Catholics on the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Text: Matthew 15:21-28 vs.21 Jesus left Gennesaret and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. jesus canaanite womanvs.22 Then out came a Canaanite woman from the district and started shouting, “Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.” vs.23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples went and pleaded with him. “Give her what she wants,” they said “because she is shouting after us.” vs.24 He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” vs.25 But the woman had come up and was kneeling at his feet. “Lord,” she said “help me.” vs.26 He replied, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house dogs.” vs.27 She retorted, “Ah yes, sir; but even house dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.” vs.28 Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.” And from that moment her daughter was well again. ******************************************************************* We have four sets of homily notes to choose from. Please scroll down the page for the desired one. Michel DeVerteuil : A Trinidadian Holy Ghost Priest, Specialist in Lectio Divina Thomas O’Loughlin: Professor of Historical Theology, University of Wales. Lampeter. John Littleton: Director of the Priory Institute Distant Learning, Tallaght Donal Neary SJ: Editor of The Sacred Heart Messenger **************************************** Michel DeVerteuil Lectio Divina with the Sunday Gospels- Year A www.columba.ie General Comments This Sunday’s gospel passage is in two sections, – an introduction in verse 21. – the main story in verses 22-28 To get the significance of verse 21 we must look at the preceding passage which tells of the Pharisees’ continued hostility to Jesus. It was because he was rejected by the religious leaders then that Jesus decided to “leave that place” and “withdraw” to a foreign environment, “the region of Tyre and Sidon”, ending up experiencing a radically new dimension to his mission. So often an experience of rejection leads to new possibilities being opened up. Our “region of Tyre and Sidon” turns out to be a place of new beginnings. – Verses 22 to 28. This is another of the many stories of Jesus healing someone “tormented by a devil”. We can be creative in interpreting what this means. We think of the demonic forces which “torment” people and societies today – elitism in its many different forms, the desire to avenge old injustices, ruthless ambition. Many people are still “shouting after us” looking to be healed. Christians have always found the story difficult to interpret because of Jesus’ seemingly harsh words to the Canaanite woman. Bible scholars have given various explanations to show that he was not as harsh as he seems to us today. For some, it a question of translation. In their original language the words were Jesus’ symbolic way of explaining where he stood in his mission. He saw himself as “sent to the lost sheep of Israel”, meaning that he chose to start his life’s work among the people he lived with – an admirable approach for all who embark on a program of community renewal. Others see in Jesus’ words a form of gentle teasing that was common among the rabbis of the time; it would have amused and not given offense. For others again, Jesus was giving the woman an opportunity to express her faith – like teachers who ask seemingly naïve questions as a way of drawing out the best in their students. These explanations seem to me rather complicated, however. I feel it is better not to go into the question at all, but simply to join Jesus in celebrating the faith of this wonderful woman – letting her remind us of people who have made a deep impression on us, as she did for Jesus. We remember the times when we too could not help exclaiming, “You have great faith”. Two things are significant about her: she was a woman and a “Canaanite ” – a foreigner. She belonged to two groups therefore who were considered inferior by the religious leaders of the day and so is representative of all those who by their greatness challenge the false values of our culture. As a woman she can be linked with Mary of Magdala – both women were the first teachers of faith in the church. As a foreigner she opened a new era of evangelization- the first gentile to receive the blessings of Jesus’ ministry. On both counts then, the “Canaanite woman” represents the countless people in the course of history who started off God's familyas “outsiders” and eventually brought a new richness to the Church. We think of the so-called “pagan nations” of the first centuries – Rome, Greece and Ireland – which brought out new dimensions to the message of Jesus. We think today of the Church being renewed by the cultures of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Jesus celebrated the woman’s faith and the first Christian communities recorded the story. They are models for the church of all times, including our own, telling us that we must celebrate the great men and women who by the example of their lives have shown up our petty prejudices. The woman’s concern is not for herself but entirely for her daughter. In her selflessness she reminds us of the great women of our time. – Caribbean mothers moving heaven and earth to get their children into a good school; – Latin American mothers campaigning to find out the truth of their husbands’ “disappearances”; – Women gathering at the gates of prisons to bring clothes or food to their relatives who have been arrested – guilty or not. The “Canaanite woman” does not represent women only but all people who are passionately committed to a noble cause. All the various aspects of her faith are worth meditating on, starting from our experience of great people we have known. For example, she was unconcerned about what others thought of her – she “came out” and immediately “started shouting”. Committed people don’t mind making a nuisance of themselves. Then there is the good humor which enabled her to turn Jesus’ harsh words to her advantage, while keeping her dignity intact: “I don’t mind being considered one of the house dogs since that means that I have a right to scraps from the children’s food”. Turning our focus back to Jesus, we are touched by the extraordinary discretion of “may your wish be granted”. He makes no mention of the problem she faced – a model for an age when benefactors (including church members) tend to proclaim on the housetops and in great detail what they have done for others. Scripture Prayer Reflection Lord, you guide us in mysterious ways. Sometimes we experience rejection and feel so deeply hurt that we go away somewhere where no one knows us, like Jesus withdrawing to the region of Tyre and Sidon. But in your providence some Canaanite woman is there waiting for us, to ask for our help, but also to give us a new understanding of faith. Lord, we praise and bless you for our (Caribbean) mothers. When their children are in need there is nothing that will stop them. They will continue shouting no matter who cares; they will accept humiliation, in fact they will see the humor in their situation, but they will not rest until their wish is granted and their children are well again. “He who has never praised is not fully human.” … St Alfonsus Liguori humble JesusLord, we Church leaders tend to think that we must always be in the role of teachers, we must always be models for others. Teach us to be humble like Jesus, to recognise publicly the great faith of others and to let them evangelize us. “Nature has produced a common right for all but greed has made it a right for a few.” …St Ambrose, 4th century Lord, forgive us people of this twentieth century, that there are men and women who must be content to eat scraps that fall from their masters’ tables. Lord, there are times when we feel hurt by our Church community. We feel we don’t belong at all, that the community is not there to look after us. Don’t let us give in to discouragement or to bitterness. Give us instead the faith of the Canaanite woman so that we can recognise that there are many scraps falling from the table that can nourish us, and our wishes can in fact be granted. Lord, your Church has become narrow in its concerns: – almost exclusively focused on the Western world; – giving all its time and energy to the care of priests and religious. But now the Church has heard the cry of other Canaanite women: – people of third world cultures; – oppressed minorities; – lay people in need of spiritual guidance. They have cried for liberation, hoping even for scraps that fall from the master’s table, and their faith and perseverance have brought us a new understanding of the Church’s mission. Lord, theology had become a cold abstract exercise. Today it has become a matter of ridding society of its demons, racism, unemployment and unjust debt. Some find that this kind of passion is unseemly, like the disciples pleading with Jesus to get rid of the Canaanite woman because she was shouting after them. But Jesus is with us and he knows that people of faith must have their wishes granted. ********************************************************* Thomas O’Loughlin Liturgical Resources for the Year of Matthew www.columba.ie Introduction to the Celebration Jesus healsWhen we gather each Sunday to celebrate being the People of God, we address Jesus as ‘ our Saviour’. But we often forget that the basic image of ‘saviour’ is that Jesus came to bring healing. We are addressing Jesus as the one we look to for healing, health, and wholeness. This aspect of the ministry of the Christ is brought out in today’s gospel when a woman calls on him as ‘Lord’ and ‘Son of David’ asking him to heal her daughter. So just like that woman long ago who asked Jesus for healing, during our gathering today we shall keep our need for healing in mind in our prayer. We all need, in one way or another, healing for our bodies when afflicted with pain, we need healing for our minds when they are distressed or embittered, and we need healing for our spirits which become damaged by sin. To encounter Jesus is to encounter the Father’s gift of wholeness. Let us pray now that we shall share in it through this Eucharist. Homily Notes 1. There are two basic facts that stare us in the face every day. First, we know that there are areas of our lives which are just a mess, they are not as they should be, they are awry, they are somehow a problem to us. It may be a physical affliction, it may be a cause of stress, it may be a memory that haunts us, it may be a relationship that has broken down. Whatever it is, we know that we would love to have it sorted out, mended, fixed, renewed. Second, we are all aware that our lives are fractured, bro­ken up into little pieces that do not seem to mesh with one another. We want to live peaceful lives, yet we are caught up in various stressful pursuits. There are conflicts between what we would like to do and what we actually do. There are stresses between the demands of family and work. There are demands from various quarters that seem to contradict one another. 2. This need for healing and renewal takes on many expres­sions. Some people try to ignore it, others seek out various miracle cures, other seek out alternative medicine, lifestyles, or exotic New Age spiritual paths. We as Christians see it as a cry from within our deepest selves that we are incomplete without seeking God. ‘You, a God, have made us for your­self, and our hearts are ever restless until they rest in you,’ prayed St Augustine, while generations of believers have prayed that God would show them his face, turn his face to­ward them, and show them his mercy. 3. Every occasion of human sickness should somehow, in some way, and to some extent remind us that we are not self-suffi­cient, that we need others, need forgiveness and mercy, and need God’s love and mercy. wholeness 4. The awareness of the fractured nature of our lives, of our brokenness, is what provides the basis for the ‘wholeness’ in­dustry which promises a ‘holistic approach’ to this, that, and the other. But the fact that there are people cashing in on this human need should not cause us to forget that there is a really human desire for wholeness, to bring the various parts of our lives into connection, and to give our lives direction. This quest for wholeness has been an aspect of the Christian search for holiness down the centuries. Part of our wisdom is that this brokenness is somehow related to sin and so a first step towards a more integrated life is an acknowledgment of our sins and a willingness to accept forgiveness from God. Another part of our wisdom is that wholeness cannot be at­tained without prayer and care for others. 5. Lastly, while we seek healing and wholeness, we must be suspicious of ‘instant solutions.’ Healing comes in many forms, but it is usually slow, and always partial. Wholeness is never ‘just there for the picking,’ and its pursuit is the life­long quest. Again, as believers in the God of infinite mercy, we know that complete healing and complete wholeness will only be ours when we enter into the fullness of life in the di­vine presence. This last point seems rather dull given that we are bombarded with advertising promising us both healing and wholeness in a simple package: all that stands in our way is our willing­ness to pay for it! In the face of such illusions, bursting the bubble may seem churlish, but it is good news. **************************************************************** John Litteton Journeying through the Year of Matthew www.Columba.ie Gospel Reflection There was a long history of conflict between the Israelites and the Canaanites. Over the years, the Canaanites were defeated and most of them fled the land. Some of them settled in Tyre and Sidon (Lebanon and Syria). It was here that Jesus met the woman in today’s gospel reading. Why, we may ask, did Jesus travel to this Gentile region, especially given the turbulent historical background? The most likely reason is that he had been in conflict with the Pharisees and other religious leaders, and he wanted to go away for a while, not least because he did not want the trouble with his enemies to escalate. That is one of the practical reasons for his venturing into Gentile territory at this time. prejudiceJesus’ spiritual and religious reasons seem clear. The Jewish leaders were battling with him, were jealous of him and were, in essence, rejecting him. So he turned his attention to the Gentiles — those who were not Jews. He entered Gentile territory at the very time the Jewish leaders rejected him, and a Gentile woman publicly recognised his power and authority. The contrast must have been clear to his followers. The woman cried out to Jesus: ‘Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil’ (Mt 15:22). Her words are significant. She was aware of the historical animosity between the Jews and the Canaanites. Nevertheless, she expressed her belief in Jesus as the promised Messiah. It was astonishing that she should make that kind of acknowledgement, notwithstanding her anxiety to have her daughter healed. At first Jesus was silent, perhaps testing her perseverance. She was not found wanting, following him and pleading with him. Jesus, the Jewish messiah Jesus, the Jewish Messiah Jesus’ silence was educational. He wanted his disciples and the woman to understand fully that he was the Son of David, the Messiah. The kingdom had to be offered to the Jews first, in fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies. However, the woman humbly knelt before Jesus and begged: ‘Lord, help me’ (Mt 15:25). Jesus continued to test her by reminding her about the historic enmity between her people, the Canaanites, and the Chosen People, the Israelites. He told her that she was asking him to give privileges intended for the children (the Jews) to the house-dogs (the Gentiles). The woman was not offended. She knew that the long awaited Messiah was a Jewish Messiah and that the Jews were the Chosen People. But she quipped that even the dogs ate the crumbs that fell from their master’s table. In other words, although God’s mercy is first for the Jews, surely some of it can be spared for the Gentiles. The Canaanite woman’s words were a manifestation of real faith in Jesus, and were in stark contrast to the lack of faith of the Jewish leaders who rejected him. Jesus rewarded her faith by healing her daughter. The account of Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman teaches us about the grace of God and about the trusting faith that is appropriate when we experience suffering. But there is another lesson. We are challenged to bring the message of God’s saving grace to the whole world. For meditation Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted. (Mt15:28) ********************************************************** Fr Donal Neary, S.J Gospel Reflections for the Year of Matthew www.messenger.ie Fighting for her child She was a woman like many. She would fight for her child, so she took on Jesus, the best known religious figure around. Like someone taking on the minister for health or children over a medical card for a chronically ill child, and not letting them off the hook. Jesus was testing her. He saw faith, but he wanted ev­eryone else to see it. So he told her she didn’t fit into the local re­ligious sphere because she was foreigner, like an asylum seeker or a refugee. She knew she fitted into the heart of Jesus simply because she was the mother of a sick child and believed he could help. Even if he would cure everyone, maybe he would come back to her at the end. Jesus went further – he cured her child and praised her faith. She is another of the unnamed ones of the gospel. Like the woman of Samaria, the rich young man, the thief on Calvary – she is herself, and she is all of us. She is everyone, man and woman, of faith. Faith in a surprising God who, in Jesus, his Son, never says no to goodness. Faith that keeps us energetic and alive, not tired, in soul as well as body. Remember your feeling of gratitude for the children of your family. Lord, I believe, strengthen my faith.

[lifeofjesuschrist-blog]

D. The Public Life of Jesus: His Journeys The journeys made during His public life may be grouped under nine heads: the first six were mainly performed in Galilee and had Capharnaum for their central point; the last three bring Jesus into Judea without any pronounced central point. We cannot enter into the disputed questions connected with the single incidents of the various groups.

1. First Journey December, A.U.C. 778 - Spring, 779. (Cf. John, i, ii; Matthew, iii, iv; Mark, i; Luke, iii, iv.) Jesus abandons His hidden life in Nazareth, and goes to Bethania across the Jordan, where He is baptized by John and receives the Baptist's first testimony to His Divine mission. He then withdraws into the desert of Judea, where He fasts for forty days and is tempted by the devil. After this He dwells in the neighbourhood of the Baptist's ministry, and receives the latter's second and third testimony; here too He wins His first disciples, with whom He journeys to the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee, where He performs His first miracle. Finally He transfers His residence, so far as there can be question of a residence in His public life, to Capharnaum, one of the principal thoroughfares of commerce and travel in Galilee.

2. Second Journey Passover, A.U.C. 779 - about Pentecost, 780. (Cf. John, ii-v; Mark, i-iii; Luke, iv-vii; Matt., iv-ix.) Jesus goes from Capharnaum to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover; here he expels the buyers and sellers from the Temple, and is questioned by the Jewish authorities. Many believed in Jesus, and Nicodemus came to converse with Him during the night. After the festival days He remained in Judea till about the following December, during which period He received the fourth testimony from John who was baptizing at Ennon (A.V. Aenon). When the Baptist had been imprisoned in Machaerus, Jesus returned to Galilee by way of Samaria where He met the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well near Sichar; He delayed two days in this place, and many believed in Him. Soon after His return into Galilee we find Jesus again in Cana, where He heard the prayer who pleaded for the recovery of his dying son in Capharnaum. The rejection of Jesus by the people of Nazareth, whether at this time as, St. Luke intimates, or at a later period, as St. Mark seems to demand, or again both now and about eight months later, is an exegetical problem we cannot solve here. At any rate, shortly afterwards Jesus is mostly actively engaged in Capharnaum in teaching and healing the sick, restoring among others Peter's mother-in-law and a demoniac. On this occasion He called Peter and Andrew, James and John. Then followed a missionary tour through Galilee during which Jesus cured a leper; soon he again taught in Capharnaum, and was surrounded by such a multitude that a man sick of the palsy had to be let down through the roof in order to reach the Sacred Presence. After calling Matthew to the Apostleship, He went to Jerusalem for the second pasch occurring during His public life, it was on this occasion that He he aled the man who been sick for thirty-eight years near the pool at Jerusalem. The charge of violating the Sabbath and Christ's answer were the natural effects of the miracle. The same charge is repeated shortly after the pasch; Jesus had returned to Galilee, and the disciples plucked some ripe ears in the corn fields. The question became more acute in the immediate future; Jesus had returned to Capharnaum, and there healed on the Sabbath day a man who had a withered hand. The Pharisees now make common cause with the Herodians in order to "destroy him". Jesus withdraws first to the Sea of Galilee, where He teaches and performs numerous miracles; then retires to the Mountain of Beatitudes, where He prays during the night, chooses His Twelve Apostles in the morning, and preaches the Sermon on the Mount. He is brought back to Capharnaum by the prayers of the centurion who asks and obtains the of his servant.

3. Third Journey About Pentecost, A.U.C. 780- Autumn, 780. (Cf. Luke, vii, viii; Mark, iii, iv; Matt., iv, viii, ix, xii, xiii.) Jesus makes another missionary tour through Galilee; He resuscitates the son of the widow at Naim, and shortly afterwards receives the messengers sent by John from his prison in Machaerus. Then follows the scene of the merciful reception of the sinful woman who anoints the feet of the Lord while He rests at table in Magdala or perhaps in Capharnaum; for the rest of His missionary tour Jesus is followed by a band of pious women who minister to the wants of the Apostles. After returning to Capharnaum, Jesus expels the mute devil, is charged by the Pharisees with casting out devils by the prince of devils, and encounters the remonstrances of His kinsmen. Withdrawing to the sea, He preaches what may be called the "Lake Sermon", consisting of seven parables.

4. Fourth Journey Autumn, A.U.C. 780- about Passover, 781. (Cf. Luke, viii, ix; Mark, iv-vi; Matt., viii, ix, x, xiii, xiv.) After a laborious day of ministry in the city of Capharnaum and on the lake, Jesus with His Apostles crosses the waters. As a great storm overtakes them, the frightened Apostles awaken their sleeping Master, Who commands the winds and the waves. Towards morning they meet in the country of the Gerasens, on the east of the lake, two demoniacs. Jesus expels the evil spirits, but allows them to enter into a herd of swine. The beasts destroy themselves in the waters of the lake, and frightened inhabitants beg Jesus not to remain among them. After returning to Capharnaum he heals the woman who had touched the hem of His garment, resuscitates the daughter of Jairus, and gives sight to two blind men. The second Gospel places here Christ's last visit to and rejection by the people of Nazareth. Then follows the ministry of the Apostles who are sent two by two, while Jesus Himself makes another missionary tour through Galilee. It seems to have been the martyrdom of John the Baptist that occasioned the return of the Apostles and their gathering around the Master in Capharnaum. But, however depressing this event may have been, it did not damp the enthusiasm of the Apostles over their success.

5. Fifth Journey Spring, A.U.C. 781. (Cf. John, vi; Luke, ix; Mark, vi; and Matt., xiv.) Jesus invites the Apostles, tired out from their missionary labours, to rest awhile. They cross the northern part of the Sea of Galilee, but, instead of finding the desired solitude, they are met by multitudes of people who had preceded them by land or by boat, and who were eager for instruction. Jesus taught them throughout the day, and towards evening did not wish to dismiss them hungry. On the other hand, there were only five loaves and two fishes at the disposal of Jesus; after His blessing, these scanty supplies satisfied the hunger of five thousand men, besides women and children, and remnants filled twelve baskets of fragments. Jesus sent the Apostles back to their boats, and escaped from the enthusiastic multitudes, who wished to make Him king, into the mountain where He prayed till far into the night. Meanwhile the Apostles were facing a contrary wind till the fourth watch in the morning, when they saw Jesus walking upon the waters. The Apostles first fear, and then recognize Jesus; Peter walks upon the water as long as his confidence lasts; the storm ceases when Jesus has entered the boat. The next day brings Jesus and His Apostles to Capharnaum, where He speaks to the assembly about the Bread of Life and promises the Holy Eucharist, with the result that some of His followers leave Him, while the faith of His true disciples is strenghened.

6. Sixth Journey About May, A.U.C. 781- Sept., 781. (Cf. Lk., ix; Mk., vii-ix; Matt., xiv- xviii; John, vii.) It may be owing to the enmity stirred up against Jesus by His Eucharistic discourse in Capharnaum that He began now a more extensive missionary tour than He had made in the preceding years of His life. Passing through the country of Genesar, He expressed His disapproval of the Pharisaic practices of legal purity. Within the boarders of Tyre and Sidon He exorcized the daughter of the Syrophenician woman. From here Jesus travelled first towards the north, then towards the east, then south-eastward through the northern part of Decapolis, probably along the foot of the Labanon, till He came to the eastern part of Galilee. While in Decapolis Jesus healed a deaf-mute, employing a ceremonial more elaborate than He had used at any of His previous miracles; in the eastern part of Galilee, probably not far from Dalmanutha and Magedan, He fed four thousand men, besides children and women, with seven loaves and a few little fishes, the remaining fragments filling seven baskets. The multitudes had listened for three days to the teaching of Jesus, previously to the miracle. In spite of the many cures performed by Jesus, during this journey, on the blind, the dumb, the lame, the maimed, and on many others, the Pharisees and Sadduces asked Him for a sign from heaven, tempting Him. He promised them the sign of Jonas the Prophet. After Jesus and the Apostles had crossed the lake, He warned them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees; then they passed through Bethsaida Julias where Jesus gave sight to a blind man. Next we find Jesus in the confines of Caesarea Philippi, where Peter professes his faith in Christ, the Son of the living God, and in his turn receives from Jesus the promise of the power of the keys. Jesus here predicts His passion, and about a week later is transfigured before Peter, James, and John, probably on the top of Mt. Thabor. On descending from the mountain, Jesus exorcizes the mute devil whom His disciples had not been able to expel. Bending his way towards Capharnaum, Jesus predicts His Passion for the second time, and in the city pays the tribute-money for Himself and Peter. This occasions the discussion as to the greater in the kingdom of heaven, and the allied discourses. Finally, Jesus refuses His brethren's in vitation to go publicly to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.

7. Seventh Journey Sept., A.U.C. 781- December, 781. (Cf. Luke, ix-xiii; Mark, x; Matt., vi, vii, viii, x, xi, xii, xxiv; John, vii-x.) Jesus now "steadfastly set His face to go Jerusalem", and as the Samaritans refused Him hospitality, He had to take the east of the Jordan. While still in Galilee, He refused the discipleship of several half-hearted candidates, and about the same time He sent other seventy-two, two by two, before His face into every city and place whit her He Himself was to come. Probably in the lower part of Peraea, the seventy-two returned with joy, rejoicing in the miraculous power that had been exercised by them. It must have been in the vicinity of Jericho that Jesus answered the lawer's question, "Who is my neighbour?" by the parable of the Good Samaritan. Next Jesus was received in the hospitable home of Mary and Martha, where He declares Mary to have chosen the better part. From Bethania went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, where he became involved in discussions with the Jews. The Scribes and Pharisees endeavoured to catch Him in the sentence which they asked Him to pronounce in the case of the woman taken in adultary. When Jesus had avoided this snare, He continued His discussions with the hostile Jews. Their enmity was intensified because Jesus restored sight to a blind man on the Sabbath day. Jesus appears to have His stay in Jerusalem with the beautiful discourse on the Good Shepherd. A little later He teaches His Apostles the Our Father, probably somewhere on Mt. Olivet. On a subsequent missionary tour through Judea and Peraea He defends Himself against the charges of Pharisees, and reproves their hypocrisy. On the same journey Jesus warned against hypocrisy, covetousness, worldly care; He exhorted to watchfulness, patience under contradictions, and to penance. About this time, too, He healed the woman who had the spirit of infirmity.

8. Eighth Journey December, A.U.C. 781-February, 782. (Cf. Luke, xiii-xvii; John, x, xi.) The Feast of Dedication brought Jesus again to Jerusalem, and occasioned another discussion with the Jews. This is followed by another missionary tour through Peraea, during which Jesus explained a number of important points of doctrine: the number of the elect, the choice of one's place at table, the guests to be invited, the parable of the great supper, resoluteness in the service of God, the parables of the hundred sheep, the lost groat, and the prodigal son, of the unjust steward, of Dives and Lazarus, of the unmerciful servant, besides the duty of fraternal correction, and the efficacy of faith. During this period, too, the Pharisees attempted to frighten Jesus with the menance of Herod's persecution; on his part, Jesus healed a man who had drospy, on a Sabbath day, while at table in the house of a certain prince of the Pharisees. Finally Mary and Martha send messengers to Jesus, asking Him to come and cure their brother Lazarus; Jesus went after two days, and resuscitated His friend who had been several days in the grave. The Jews are exasperated over this miracle, and they decree Jesus must die for the people. Hence He withdrew "into a country near the desert, unto a city that is called Ephrem".

9. Ninth Journey February, A.U.C. 782- Passover, 782. (Cf. Luke, xvii-xxii; Mark., x, xiv; Matt., xix-xxvi; John, xi, xii.) This last journey took Jesus from Ephrem northward through Samaria, then eastward along the border of Galilee into Peraea, then southward through Peraea, westward across the Jordan, through Jericho, Bethania on Mt. Olivet, Bethphage, and finally to Jerusalem. While in the most northern part of the journey, He cured ten lepers; a little later, He answered the questions raised by the Pharisees concerning the kingdom of God. Then He urged the need of incessant prayer by proposing the parable of the unjust judge; here too belong the parable of the Pharisee and Publican, the discourse on marriage, on the attitude of the Church towards the children, on the right use of riches as illustrated by the story of the rich young ruler, and the parable of the labourers in the vineyard. After beginning His route towards Jerusalem, He predicted His Passion for the third time; James and John betray their ambition, but they are taught the true standard of greatness in the Church. At Jericho Jesus heals two blind men, and receives the repentance of Zacheus the publican; here He proposed also the parable of the pounds entrusted to the servants by the master. Six days before the pasch we find Jesus at Bethania on Mt. Olivet, as the guest of Simon the leper; Mary anoints His feet, and the disciples at the instigation of Judas are indignant at this seeming waste of ointment. A great multitude assembles at Bethania, not to see Jesus only but also Lazarus; hence the chief priests think of killing Lazarus too. On the following day Jesus solemnly entered Jerusalem and was received by the Hosanna cries of all classes of people. In the afternoon He met a delegation of Gentiles in the court of the Temple. On Monday Jesus curses the barren fig tree, and during the morning He drives the buyers and sellers from the Temple. On Tuesday the wonder of the disciples at the sudden withering of the fig tree provokes their Master's instruction on the efficacy of faith. Jesus answers the enemies' questions as to His authority; then He proposes the parable of the two sons, of the wicked husbandmen, and of the marriage feast. Next follows a triple snare: the politicians ask whether it is lawful to pay tribute to Caesar; the scoffers inquire whose wife a woman, who has had several husbands, will be after ressurection; the Jewish theologians propose the question: Which is the first commandment, the great commandment of the law? Then Jesus proposes His last question to the Jews: "What think you of Christ? whose son is he?" This is followed by the eightfold woe against the Scribes and Pharisees, and by the denunciation of Jerusalem. The last words of Christ in the Temple were expressions of praise for the poor widow who had made an offering of two mites in spite of her poverty. Jesus ended this day by uttering the prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, His second coming, and the future judgement; these predictions are interrupted by the parable of the ten virgins and the talents. On Wednesday Jesus again predicted His Passion; probably it was on the same day that Judas made his agreement with the Jews to betray Jesus.

#lifeofjc

[journeythroughbible]

Will God Give You More Than You Can Handle? NO GUARANTEE

Matthew 11 – 13

It’s so tough getting into long readings of the Gospels without talking about almost every verse. Verse 11:19 caught my eye:

 Then the Son of Man appeared—He didn’t fast, as John had, but ate with sinners and drank wine. And the people said, “This man is a glutton! He’s a drunk! And He hangs around with tax collectors and sinners, to boot.” Well, Wisdom will be vindicated by her actions—not by your opinions.

 One of the problems with Jesus as the Messiah is so many people had this preconceived idea of who He should be. To most He was going to be a warrior and great political figure to free the people from Roman rule. He broke the mold and focused on relationships more than rituals and traditions. Don’t think we are immune today; just look how Christians get judged when they get a six pack. I fear Jesus could come and stand before the church today only to be rejected again because He did not fit the mold we expected.

 I need to touch on verse 11:21 since we talked about this subject yesterday:

 Woe to you, Chorazin! And woe to you, Bethsaida! Had I gone to Tyre and Sidon and performed miracles there, they would have repented immediately, taking on sackcloth and ashes.

 Tyre obviously returned and notice the difference in response. In reality Jesus is for losers and not the righteous. Follow me here, Jesus did not come to save the God loving and following people, but the sinners. Now one can argue since NO ONE can be righteous before God, He came for everyone, but the point is more our perceptions of ourselves.

 Think about it, if we think about how we judge others without looking inward we may be in the same place. Honestly, we need to just live for all and focus on our own sin and not everyone else’s.

 Verse 12:7 sums up how we should focus:

 Do you not understand what the prophet Hosea recorded, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”? If you understood that snippet of Scripture, you would not condemn these innocent men for ostensibly breaking the law of the Sabbath.

 God is not looking for us following rules and procedures, but rather following HIM. He wants a relationship and not that of a drinking buddy but rather a parent/child. We need to follow Him without question or pause. And it’s simple even if you can’t read the “God prompts” yet; just love God and each other as you love yourself.

 Look at verse 12:40 and tell me if you think this is a prophecy of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

 Chapter 13 is full of stuff to talk about with 4 parables. There are hours of sermons and tons of pages on these, so I would say carefully read and understand how they can apply to your life, even if this is the “hundredth” time you have heard these stories.

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