#they may return to the hell you hath wrought

[ainarosewood]

Gifts or Curses

@sea-wolf-coast-to-coast​

FFxivWrite2022 Day 7 Prompt Pawn

Art thou a pawn or master of thy own fate, what hath thou wrought with thine own hand mortal?

Midgardsormr sneered at the Roegadyn before him.  

He intended then to leave but ere he could dissipate she snatched him out of the air and pulled his face in front of hers green eyes flashing with anger. “Listen here dragon I am dealing with your presence but now is not the time to mock me.  And I swear to all of the Twelve if what you did to the blessing is responsible for Moen’s death….”

He then felt remorse as he realized she was grieving for the fallen woman, Nay child even if thy blessing was accessible, due to thy mistress weakness, I believe the outcome would have been the same. 

Nimble Rabbit  stared at him for a moment longer then released him. Her shoulders still taught with anger she then slammed her fist into the stone of the wall and snarled, “Then what in seven hells use is it?  Why the hell was I gifted with this damn thing if it fails me when I need it most?  Why Hydaleyn!!”

Midgardsormr looked on with sorrow, wishing he could give her the answers she seeked.  He himself did not truly understand what the entity intended.  

His mind went unbidden to his flight from the dragon star.  His seven eggs held tightly against him in that vast cold desperate to keep them warm so they might survive.  Every star he passed was dead or dying. All of them had one thing in common: a small, avid creature black as night streaking in the sky and an overwhelming sense of despair and sorrow.  He had seen this on the Dragon Star too as he fled.  He flew as fast and as far as he could, his fiery mane extinguishing in the relentless cold of space until finally he saw a world bathed in life, in aether and he descended.  

Only to be met by a strange humanoid being who was overtly powerful at the edge of a lake brimming with life and aether.  Deep down he despaired for he knew if she chose to fight him he’d have not the strength to win and that would be the end for his brood.

“I beg of thee allow us to remain, mine children and I.  Far we have flown and this…this is the only star not beset by death or destruction.” he called wishing that his voice were stronger but to no avail his flight had severely weakened him.  He only preyed that the metal monstrosity that has brought his home star's end had not managed to fully follow him here to this glowing jewel of a star.

 The entity looked upon him, compassion filling  her brilliant blue gaze and she then stated, “I ask for a few deeds in return for thy sanctuary.  First, thou art to defend this lake, for it is the source of all magic here on Etheirys.  Thy eggs may bathe in these waters as well so they know life and strength. In return for this I ask they become stewards to this star, defending it and protecting it from harm.  Finally  there will come a day when a being will stand before you.  She will bear my mark, a glowing shield of protection.  When this occurs you will have to seal away this,” she waved a hand and a glowing ward appeared with multiple elemental crystals anchoring it. “It will not be hard to sense within her being. Once you have sealed it away, travel with her, test her, if she is strong enough your binds will release and she shall shine brighter than she did when you met my sweet spark. Agree to these terms and a life here on Etheirys shall be thine and thy children’s.”

Midgardsormr pondered her conditions, part of him wanted to refuse for she all but asked him to be in servitude in exchange for sanctuary and yet, was that too large a price to pay?   Would he allow his pride to deny him and his children what seemed to be their only chance for survival?  He could tell this entity truly felt for his plight there was no underlying malice, no ill intent she well and truly was offering him sanctuary in exchange for these deeds.

“If this by thy terms then I agree, for my children's sake.  Though I will say, the choice to defend this star is theirs, and theirs alone to make.  I will not bind them to such ere they are hatched.  I Midgardsormr shall make this covenant with thee…”

“Hydaelyn '' she responded, giving him a warm smile, “ And I accept thy terms as well. Now let me welcome thee and thy children to thy new home Midgardsormr.”  With that she held a stave before her and he felt aether surge from the lake surrounding him as it did he felt his essence tie into that of the lakes the source and as it did his vigor returned.  Roaring in joy he then set about placing his eggs carefully in the lake itself eager for them to draw upon its strength so they would grow strong.  

Midgardsormr then shook himself from his reprieve.  In the years that followed he time and again wondered if it had truly been the right choice to do as Hydaelyn bid.  When his eldest Bahaumt fell to the foul Alagans and then his eldest daughter Tiamat to the whispers of the cursed Ascians and then fettered by her own guilt. The day Azdaja disappeared into that voidgate leaving behind Vrtra to grieve and worry.  When Ratatoskr was murdered by mortals and his son Nidhogg lost his sense to rage, grief and guilt.  The pain and agony of his own death to the cursed airship.  Had it truly been worth it?  Was this really the last bastion of hope or had he simply cursed himself and his brood to death and despair in a different form?

These questions had danced in his mind for many ages and he felt a kinship for this Chosen of Hydaelyn for she too was granted a boon only for it to feel like a curse.  Deep down he was still unsure.  He knew not exactly what Hydaelyn had planned for him or for this mortal.  But he did know she needed to hear something at this time.

I know not why thy mistress granted thee the blessing nor why she agreed to allow me and mine to remain on this star.  But this I do know, despair will get thee no answers.  Do not give into it and stay strong if for no other than thyself.  Midgardsormr stated the diminutive dragon flying over and landing upon her shoulder.

Nimble Rabbit then looked at him and nodded, “Aye ye have the right o it.  To despair is to give up.  An I was raised te fight te the bitter end.  Thank ye Midgardsormr I needed te hear that.  And sorry fer grabbing ye like that.”

I am sturdier than thou thinks and I did goad thee.  Never mind past is past look to the future child he stated then dissipated before she got more sentiment out of him.

#FFxivWrite2022 #oc Nimble Rabbit #roegadame #roegadyn #hellsgaurd #midgardsormr #aether data center #midgardsormr server

[bookoformon]

3 Nephi 21, Part 1. "The Marble Office."

Jesus continues to speak about a time when everyone will be numbered among His people, and there will be a sign the Power of the Holy Ghost will prevent the hardening of hearts and make it so. The Book of Mormon was supposed to have been the sign, and as we know it was, and was not successful at melting hard hearts.

Israel will be gathered when the Book of Mormon comes forth—The Gentiles will be established as a free people in America—They will be saved if they believe and obey; otherwise, they will be cut off and destroyed—Israel will build the New Jerusalem, and the lost tribes will return. About A.D. 34. "Glared."

1 And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place—that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion;

2 And behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign—for verily I say unto you that when these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare unto you hereafter of myself, and by the power of the Holy Ghost which shall be given unto you of the Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles that they may know concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concerning this my people who shall be scattered by them;

3 Verily, verily, I say unto you, when these things shall be made known unto them of the Father, and shall come forth of the Father, from them unto you;

4 For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel;

5 Therefore, when these works and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter shall come forth from the Gentiles, unto your seed which shall dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity;

6 For thus it behooveth the Father that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that he may show forth his power unto the Gentiles, for this cause that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me and be baptized in my name and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be numbered among my people, O house of Israel;

7 And when these things come to pass that thy seed shall begin to know these things—it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel.

The numnutz -the Evangelicals and others like them tell the world they are a part of Israel, by the power of Grayskull or something, but as it turns out, not even the Monster would want to be a part of that mess we call Israel.

To say one is of Israel or numbered among those Belonging to the Lamb is absolutely absurd.

Following are the Seven Days the Spirit of God states are the beginning of Israel if we accept Him and His Counsel and come to know "the true points" of the doctrine:

v 1: Establish Zion. The Value in Gematria is 12004, יבאֶפֶסאֶפֶסד‎, "He will fail." Our current level of dispersion, which does not represent our penchant for diversity in the least is causing us to fail as a human race. Why are we so prone to failure? We can obviously all read, so it is not that, it is a failure to comprehend. He who cannot deign to try to comprehend the Scripture will fail. If one person fails, then many might soon fail with him.

v 2: A Sign/The Remant. The Value in Gematria is 14432, אד‎‎דג‎‎ב, "I'm sorry." Refers to repentance for all the violence, corruption, and hell on earth. Except these things are forbidden. The Remnant of the House of Jacob is our only hope for explaining this to the rest of the human race.

v 3: Verily, Verily. The Value in Gematria is 9745, טזדה‎ ‎, tezda, "documented." A document is a divorce decree. Once one says "I'm sorry" about being violent and divorces the Egyptians by observing the Passover, one can proceed to Day 4.

v 4: For it is wisdom (called Binah). The Value in Gematria is 9028, ט אֶפֶסבח‎, T. Ephesbah, "you are beautiful when you are organized."

"The verb צבא (saba') is complicated. Dictionaries give its meaning as to wage war/ fight/ serve, but here at Abarim Publications we entirely disagree with that:

Our verb focuses on the unified behavior of any closely interlinked group, whether it's an army that moves as a single unit but with separate divisions (Numbers 31:7), or Levites serving in the tabernacle (Numbers 4:23) or women serving at the tabernacle's entrance (Exodus 38:8).

Since in the Old Testament large, unified groups are usually armies, this verb mostly expresses military engagement. But to conclude that our verb is essentially military — and therefore that the servants of the tabernacle were engaged in spiritual warfare (as per HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) — is fantastic and wildly off the wall.

Our verb expresses a wholly integrated organization and all its activities: in the inevitable military sense, the whole of the military that consists of soldiers, cooks, engineers and what not. Our word 'military' is thought to have to do with the Sanskrit noun melah meaning 'assembly', which hits the nail on the head. A military engagement described by this verb covers not just the actual battle but rather the whole gamut of intelligence, planning and diplomacy; the whole engagement."

v 5: Therefore these works. The Value in Gematria is 13239, יגבג‎‎‎טm yagbeget, "yes, in the winepress."

v 6: For it behooveth. The Value in Gematria is 10918, אאֶפֶסטאח, apestah, "Ephesus." Ephesus is the epoch that comes after this one; it is the state of realization that happens after epic failure. Which explains us perfectly.

v 7: The House of Israel. The Value in Gematria is 10975, אאֶפֶסטזה‎, epistasis, "the Marble Office."

The Rab says the world, made in Seven Days contains Seven Marble Pillars which reside within gold sockets:

"The concept can be explained as follows:1 “The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling in the lower worlds.” The Sages saw a hint to this in the verse,2 “His thighs are pillars of marble based on sockets of fine gold.”

“The word ‘his thighs’ [שוקיו in Hebrew] refers to this world which G‑d desired [נשתוקק in Hebrew] to create. ‘Pillars of marble’ indicates that [the world] was created in six days [for the Hebrew שש means both ‘marble’ and ‘six’]. ‘Based on sockets of gold’ refers to the portions of the Torah.”3

On the verse,4 “In the beginning G‑d created...,” our Sages note that the word בראשית (“in the beginning”) comprises two elements — ב ראשית, implying “two firsts”; i.e., for the sake of two entities referred to as “first”, the Jews and the Torah, G‑d created the world.5 

This indicates that the ultimate intent of the creation of the world is that the Jews should study the Torah in the form in which it was given in this world. This fulfills [G‑d’s] intention in creating [all] the worlds, [i.e., the higher spiritual realms as well as this material world].

It is written,6 “Torah is light.” This implies that when all the aspects of existence are conducted according to the Torah, then the world will be maintained. Thus, our Sages declared,7 “The Holy One, blessed be He, made a condition with all the works of Creation: If Israel accepts the Torah, you will continue to exist; if not, I shall return you all to nothingness and void.’ ”

Fulfilling the Torah means that the mitzvos are observed as prescribed by the Torah. The Hebrew מצוה [“commandment”] is related to the word צוותא, meaning “connection”. [On a very basic level,] giving a command establishes a connection between the commander and the people who receive the commands.

On the material plane, we see that a command is only relevant between people who share a connection, e.g., a father commands a son, or a master, his servant. Furthermore, the fulfillment of a command in general, and in particular, the commitment to fulfill it in a precise manner, indicates the depth of the connection shared by the one receiving the command with the commander.

[To illustrate:] The way the commands of a master are fulfilled differs in several respects from the way the commands of a father are fulfilled. Sons possess an essential quality lacking in servants. Conversely, there is a superiority in the acceptance of the yoke [of servitude], which servants possess over sons.

Both [sons and servants] share a common factor: It is through the fulfillment of a command that they, the recipients of the commands, establish their connection and bond with the commander.

[In a spiritual sense,] it is the fulfillment of the commandments which brings pleasure to the Creator. As our Sages teach,8 “I derive satisfaction from the fact that I made a statement and My will was fulfilled.”

SO, what do you people think you are going to tell the history books about all of this? You read but didn't think? That you simply couldn't fathom how important it is to be non-violent, to avoid manufacturing weapns, to avoid making babies the world can't feed or support? How calling people names and legalizing their persecution is not of God?

These things are not of the nature of Israel, a place that bears God's Name, meant to be kept sacred and holy. But it is naught but a subject of controversy, endless agony and a symbol of the failure of mankind to behave and perform as the most beloved creation of God.

We must close this epoch as the scripture says, take with us the survivors and those willing to serve the rest and put a final end to the ignominy associated with the name Israel. If we rescue Israel, we will rescue the entire world for all time. If we abandon it as we have, then this world will conclude.

[adumbshitbutler]

moments in big time rush that made me go fellas,,,,,,,,👀

a continuation of a saga for @sunbeameyes

installment 2: big time school of rocque and big time cribs cause school of rocque was pretty short

big time school of rocque

wow he’s already wearing flannel right off the bat that was quick fellas

yo wait logAN’S BAG IS FLANNEL FELLAAAASA

(side note: my favourite part about this episode is how they’re trying to pretend logan isn’t buff as all hell when they have to lift those desks we know it’s not a challenge for you logan we see the muscles)

(another side note: but inch resting how there are COUNTLESS pool scenes in this series but i’ve seen maybe one teenage girl in a bikini,,,,,,take notes d*n,,,,,,,)

THE VANS ARE BACK FELLAAAAASSS

i cant believe this my guy is so gay he boutta play basketball in VANS for the sake of The Lewk we stan

and he’s back in flannel the queer coded of it ALL we stan

oh my goodness nd don’t even get me STARTED on all of carlos’s hoodies fellas

yeah i warned you this would just turn into me roasting their gay culture as fashion choices lmao anyway next up

big time cribs

THE BANDANAS HOW COULD I FORGET FELLAS

hulu is a bum and won’t let me screenshot and i can’t find it anywhere else but kendall and james look like they’re holding hands on the couch just tRUST ME ON THIS

“and we could all wear bandanas! it could be our thing: bandanas,,,,,” “james honey some of us wanna at least try to be straight passing”

i love camille. so much. this is a fellas check on me.

moving on

lil logey

the flannel is BACK BABEY

the eye black the tree hats the spy music this dramatic ass bi boi i sWEAR i cant breathe

“coME oN”

y’all,,,,,

lmao they’re in the closet

wow can’t believe he really created an entire superhero persona for his boyfriend like that now THAT is iconic people

jesus christ more flannel

ah now logan said it’s MY turn to wear the flannel give it up for logan’s inaugural flannel everybody!

in conclusion

i- i don’t know there’s no overarching lesson here anyway see you next time nikki

#big time rush #kendall knight #james diamond #logan mitchell #carlos garcia #kogan #kames #you can opt out at any time nikki lmao #i have the next three written out already #just say the word and i can throw them unto the flame #they may return to the hell you hath wrought #ne’er to be seen again

[rwmhunt]

Leviticus, chapter 27

1. Smoke.

2. Indeed, at the time, to the roles ascribed, as unto a gender,

Be it so aligned, that you wouldn't find to express by yourself

Such ways as others divined, as otherwise, you might have thought to.

For it is that they wouldn’t look the way you would mean to appear,

Nor would they be pursuant of the actions that you wouldst be undoing of;

But, tis normal to be inspired- so

Then experience revelations, and the found skills that're of being alive;

To acknowledge them and allow for their alterance as unto others irrevocably.

See, Erotion can never go back.

Her auxiliary capacious desire is here ignited and thrust.

It is this passion that both excited the lord,

and hath made of her the compulsive conclusion.

For where the lord hath giv'n unto her

Of a low forrid, owl features, a froward, evilfavouredness–

Yet, hath she a mallum, passive and usable; and of how many shekels?

We shall see.

But the freedom that hath brought me to her

Might moreover be wrought agin us.

Here, you really have to drill down on the mental illness,

As I, my own actress.

3. Come madame,

Come all the rest.

O

Shagahll ahnaaah-

Which translate here as

Escrow, usufruct,

Lo, my

Incarnate ignominy,

In relatively tepid water,

Whimsy, say, jsyk, that

She'd hair like a whip

And pretty good eyes,

And if it be a female,

By such metric

As flux the matrix, yet,

I know not who I am, Erotion,

So know me only by my appetites.

4. Only in death,

At the courts of love,

Doth a woman gain of herself

Judgement as unto crime's advantage.

And still, I mean,

They're shaken still, as unto this day. 

For that they have still not recovered

And I know not that ever they will.

I love you as

Can experience

Nothing through you

O wait, but didn't I just?

That gait, that fate, that lately

Fell to someone else's statement-

Leviticus? That you? I know why

You’ve got to focus on this sort of stuff, 

But I really think, I think really that that is not 

Where the numbers are;

I’m talking to today,

As women

Imagine their bodies

To be their own.

5. To every little girl watching tonight;

Of five years, even unto twenty,

That thy worth shouldst be as a fifth

of thy fathers-

Those men who hath brought you forth,

For as thy be their daughters,

Here to see what I will prove

Unable to do;

In the singular vow-

To shew verily

What you need

Is a system of value judgements,

Set out so, before the lord. In shekels.

And where social shame provideth not enough discipline,

Graft unto it from the rod of cultural capital-

Say, that because the Children are inherently bad,

And aware only of their denial, might they

Be tripped into taking an onus

That isn't rightly theirs, so do good by it,

Or else, bloody-minded,

They hyperchargeth the tendencies that demarkate

My eternal and internal boundaries, or,

Maybe, my babies,

It's time to join the can cult;

To get a new book-

If such be my contribution,

Then such is enough.

6. Non-mathmatical aesthetic identities,

According to the valuation, as clearly uttered-

Though it be of an accident, with a minced oath attachment,

And baked-in with wild conjecture, yet, me thinks, I heard-

Piled high, of thousands, a pressure mountain, ah,

But we have a different scribe here to the last, imho.

So Mose has handed over the keys, though, I don't know

The hand that handled the sword as his, really, either...

For here, calculators are wrought, and to the ready,

But we'll dispatch with them, it is not necessary;

Set that ceaseless bucket down.

7. And the bawling of missives, meant for one, there unto all-

The original context collapsing; grafted deep onto him in death,

Riding out his memory towards a destiny of Her own choosing, who,

By whatever generosity in prior tact the intended might have possessed,

As wouldst prove to be a benison, if brought unto the conflagration, it's lost;

Even, forced out beyond itself, and the function,

Encouraged to carve up the message unto its own ends,

Where the loss of context is pulled out of its context and loved.

8. The imposition of women,

A short for sacrifice of well-being,

As She, ultimately, makes sacrifice of herself for her appetites,

But, de gustibus, in grafting them unto her in death,

So She truly hath lived, there be no defeat-

And riding forth her memory towards a hell of her own choosing,

As to scrutinise the system, adequately substantiates it's requirement-

Thy confirmation, by corroboration with a backward-thinking;

Too poor to be valued, a daylight over static water,

O whimsy,

That a priest should find a way with,

What’s lower than an afterthought?

I don't remember.

9. Is death hell?  Sheol? A well

Avernus, tartarus, hades,

A shale shell,

Too deep to see the stars from?-

Doth your bird speake?

Not as a rule, but as

A narratal tool-

10. Exchanges are not to be made,

Lo. but if they, yet so; then holy be-

I heard she'd words with the chatty rat,

That as earn you side-eye from fellow travellers-

Nae, twas just a flurry of feathers,

Like pigeons who momentarily flummox eachother

Into a figment of a fox, by misreading of the other's,

Otherwise meaningless, sudden motion;

So only as you are;

Never shall thy speake.

11. And should a priest do as he be bid,

And look the gift horse lowly, well,

He hath abused his powers,

And abusers are cowards,

Feared of their just desserts,

Should they try to revert

To a precedent

That's slumpt, inert,

And just is.

12.  To drop the eyes, so take

the focus off the waiting.

One handed,

Straineth, and,

Before I lose my medical status,

Make a mimesis to

The viability-shield

Of barrier nursing.

13. And there was an evening

When she cursed,

Turned white overnight-

Not even only just her hair.

And it ran on for days,

Days as months

That aged like years;

So, acuity straid,

Don't say impaired-

We just hang on.

14. In unspoken dotage,

She ordered a home report unto

My eternal and internal boundaries,

As global eyes be a-watching you;

In real time, you can't go back.

Lo, not like that you can't-

Details fetishized, or forgot,

And writes that she loves Jhwh,

Using an exclamation point to add an extra emphasis.

- I don't think I need to do anything else.

- I don't think I do either.

Alright then.

I'm saved, as while outside,

The world is raging,

As global eyes swell watching you,

The forgotten who fell from the storm;

Here, you really have to have a drill-down on the mental ills.

15. Yet after all the work, the depth,

I do think now only of numbers;

Where are the convolutions

That a life as this requires?

Lo, but my cut please.

16. Out to the field, the trap, she went,

Lifting the flap

From the batter'd tent,

The old vhs player, the old liniments,

Tinctures, unguents, hartshorn, clinked,

One silver shekel, minted anew,

Glinting from a box of screws,

Fungus sprung from a seam in the pattern,

Tins of yam and of sacred beans,

A scientologist's half-filled-in questionnaire,

Some garden tools, a dressing gown,

The buried bones, exhumed again,

The climbing harness, the bathroom rug,

The old kitchen table, stained with blood-

A water-damaged iliad upon it, still,

As everything was- quite sodden.

17. So, by visitation,

To or from Aunt Miriam

That changes were rung

Within the domestic routine,

Being within walking distance

To the Post Office

And from what comes of the tent of meaning.

18. Lo, for she loved her processes

As a kind of glockenspiel

And when arose opportunity,

Tinked it for the rest of us

- That it ran through us all-

A thimble's klang; O Jubilee.

19. If tears are the understanding of grief,

Then differential can be deferential,

- But do not let Miriam be led

Like a baby that is born dead,

As dead things that never were,

With a body that is only half there,

To be wondered of a second childhood-

So here Mose crows, plied to a strain

Unknown in the voice, alone,

- Please Lord, make her well!

And there was no water for the congregation.

20. And went down

Through Joppa

To watch the waves rolling in,

21. And Erotion ascribed unto each,

Meaning,

22. And farther out

Were many waves

That couldn't be

determined,

As everything that

Has already been said.

23. Yet Erotion still tried,

And was always happy

With her answers,

And so was I.

24. Where tiny grains of hail

Should swell into orbiting moons,

And pull at bodies,

And make wider water move,

That might be discerned

And distanced, and rifled for meaning

As mere memorandum.

25. That you may not break the speed limit

Does not mean you may not run,

Whence, from one chair

In her kitchen,

She may not push

The boundary of human thought

Where she may yet

Press of her own;

26. And rising, she taketh a step,

The like which is more of a push from the back

Than a reaching with the front

Of such manner as Dr Molock wouldst

Consider to be good; nevertheless,

She doth so switcheth on the radio

And is met with applause.

27. Theory of relativity ran thus-

Trained to shoot missed rounds at centre-mass,

Against the retroviral doctrine of lache's mutinous strikes;

A high-stress phase, where stakes hit low-calibre bystander.

But when she read, of the self-help book,

That no sense could thus be made,

Where each of the examples

Suffered a circumstance

Different to him,

She deemed.

28. Notwithstanding no devoted thing

Being here redeemed, evangelicals,

The difference between being washed over,

And taking something up from the wash-

And coming back with it, and thence,

holding it to a burthen, is easy to see, 

Only after.

29. Ransom and be gored,

As all masacres, undertaken

To guarantee the peace;

So let the bodies pile high: 

Same customs revolved, same characters.

You can take his horn-torn shirt unto thy sister;

That she was tough as old eggs,

In returning from the engine room;

Unctioned only; as still alive;

The perpetual repair.

30. Finally Miriam,

Over the hill,

Rose out

From the face of family impasse,

Repurposed the old

To adapt to the current;

Rode forth

To the corner,

In  'de Gustibus,-

The Solid Scran Van',

She says she means of herself

A safety net, to be

The wheel in the street,

31. And looketh up to see

God's face in the moon

Or whatever it was

That can't be drawn

And I won't be drawn.

32. As round the tent entrance

of a palace of cloud, plastered in doubloons,

And cannot be kept from my imagination,

And what I perseve is right lively to the world-

Das ding und sich and such and but;

For I'll be the judge of that, and to my bias-

Whatsoever cloys under the great varnisher,

Who layers the crack in the camel's back,

That yet, we all must press low under,

In sweetness and/or in revulsion,

Where we too are fallible, still

The lord must only be cute.

Lo, but i hold no decree

And yet am repulsed

By vitric surfactants.

33. A relationship, broken in three places,

Months after a tremendously successful campaign cycle,

Where I, a simple volunteer, am accused

Of such stuff as I do not do, while the A.B.C.

Confirmeth or annuls the meaning,

With one Boeing E-6B Mercury flying off the East Coast;

With another high over Oregon- lo, practically,

Laws are abstract,

And will not bend

To their being wrong,

When unto him a dybbuk,

And; the series is severed,

The characters gone.

Don't look.

Gives you memories.

34. So be.

- For, it's that we're made

Of an edible stuff, mulled the steer.

-Nae, for I ate my piglets and now

I'm glad of it, said the sow;

Lo.

-All's well.

[skvaderarts]

Soliloquy Prologue:

If you’d Like to you can read it on A03 Here, FF.N Here or Wattpad Here! Oh, and my Website Here! Almost forgot

Otherwise, you can read it below! Enjoy the Megafic! Info can be found here

Read Below:

"Love seeketh not itself to please, Nor for itself hath any care, But for another gives its ease, And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair." -William Blake

Prologue:

And as soon as the battle had started, it stopped. All the demons that had been foolish enough to think that they stood a chance against the sons of Sparda now laid dead at their feet. Well, for now, at least. The base of the Qliphoth seemed to be an epicenter for demon activity, and it was never very long before they decided to return in mass quantities. And as entertaining as defeating the first hundred or so waves of hell beasts had been, it was long past time to leave this place.

Dante pulled his blade out of what remained of a Chaos carcass and flicked it clean before returning it to its proper place on his back. The devil hunter did a full 360 turn, taking in the perimeter of destruction they had wrought. The average demon didn’t stand a chance against him, but both of them together? The word “futile” came to mind. Dante shook his head and scoffed to himself. “They just don’t stop, do they?”

Behind him, Vergil twirled Yamato and dragged it along its scabbard to remove the residual blood before returning it to its proper place. He then spared a glance over his shoulder at Dante. “What made you think that they would in the first place, brother? This is the underworld. They’re not going to let up anytime soon, I can assure you of that.”

Dante sighed tiredly. Yea, there was no way he could have guessed that one with his brother’s assistance. But regardless of how obvious the statement was, the point he made was still valid. During their extended stay down here, Dante hadn’t really taken the time to consider the situation in full until now. The fighting was never going to end, and they had no safe area to call home. And then there was the conversation that they both knew they needed to have, but neither of them seemed to want to initiate.

The matter of how long they were going to stay down here.

“So, Vergil, I’ve gotta ask,” Dante said as he walked towards his twin brother. Vergil was standing with his back to him, looking at something far off in the distance that his younger brother couldn’t quite pinpoint. He seemed lost in thought; focused. He tilted his head ever so slightly in Dante’s general direction but was still clearly more focused on his prior observations. “How the hell did you get out of this place without Yamato?”

Vergil looked almost amused by the question. Of all the things his younger twin brother could’ve asked, that was his question? It was almost ironic. “...That is…” Vergil paused for a moment as if searching for the correct word”... It’s convoluted, to say the least. I would demonstrate but…”. Vergil didn’t need to say that it was an awful idea. Dante had deduced that one for himself from his brother’s tone alone.

“Got it. Let’s just hope we don’t need to do it again.” Dante shrugged. He didn’t think Vergil was going to try to explain that one, and part of him honestly didn’t want to know. It was probably something awful, considering Vergil’s track record. Their father Sparda had made it nearly impossible for more powerful demons to leave the underworld. Too bad he hadn’t left an instruction manual to go with his magic wards. It could have solved more than a few problems…

Vergil stepped forward and used Yamato to gesture towards whatever he had been looking at in the distance before. “We may have more luck over there.”

Dante looked towards what his brother was indicating. If he strained his eyes, he could just make out something red and jagged in the distance. A row of red thorn-like structures extended out across the horizon in what looked like a wall of some sort. Or that was what he thought it was from where they currently were. If distance worked the same way in the Underworld that it did in the human world, that had to be a few miles away. But, it wasn't like they had anywhere better to go, and they couldn't be any more exposed to attack than they were now.

The younger Son of Sparda opted to accept the offer and waved Vergil on, indicating that he was willing to follow him. After all, Vergil had spent a long time down here. A very long time. If anyone knew their way around this place, then it was going to be him. Vergil started down the well-worn path that led away from what was left of the Qliphoth. It would be good to leave this place behind them. It might now lay dead at their feet, cut to the ground by their blades, but it still served as a powerful reminder of Vergil's destructive and frankly tragically misguided desire for power at all costs. There would be a time and a place for that conversation, but that time hadn't come yet and it wasn't something either of them relished. For now, they would go to whatever the mysterious structure was in the distance and regroup. Perhaps they could take a break and collect their thoughts for a moment when they arrived.

-~-

The first leg of their long walk was surprisingly uneventful. Only a small handful of lesser Empusa bothered to stand in their path, most likely displaced from their home and purpose after the destruction of the Qliphoth and the sealing of the Hellgate the monstrous houseplant had housed. It was official: Vergil was never, under any circumstances, allowed to garden again. Anyone who could conger up the demonic equivalent of the magic beanstalk from Jack and the Beanstalk couldn't be trusted with plants to any capacity. If only Vergil could find a hobby that didn't end in people dying...

As they had continued onward, however, things had become a bit more hazardous. And as they neared their destination, things took a radical turn towards danger. The first dozen or two Empusa Queens hadn't been too hard to deal with. They were nothing new. But then the Behemoths decided to team up with the Chaos and Riot demons, and the Lusachia started showing up in droves. It was all a bit much to deal with at once, but when the Pyrobats showed up, they decided that they were done casually dealing with this. Dante's twin pistols Ebony and Ivory made quick work of the flying menaces, while Vergil took out the Behemoth's with concerning speed and efficiency. As soon as the last Pyrobat had died, Dante turned his attention to the Chaos. It had seemingly been sizing him up from across the battleground for a while now, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.

Dante bent over and placed his hands on his knees, gesturing between himself and the demon playfully. "What's wrong little guy, all bark and no bite?"

The demon, seemingly understanding Dante's little jab at him, snarled in rage before coiling up into a tight blade-lined disk and rocketing towards him at blistering speed. Dante smirked to himself and drew Cavaliere, readying it for a charge attack. Just a the demon was about to collide with him, Dante effortlessly swung the hulking bike blade into the hapless creature, shattering its razor-sharp bladed scales in an explosion of fuel fueled flames and exploding sparks. With just one well-placed strike, he had immobilized and disoriented the creature, effectively killing it. With one last powerful over the shoulder downward strike, he finished off the creature. The confused beast cried out in a mixture of pain and shock before flopping down onto the ground and dying.

Dante put Cavaliere away and stood back up just in time to come face to face with a Riot. He leaped backward several feet the very instant that the creature's long needle-like claws would have connected with his throat, reaching back to retrieve his blade from its resting place on his back as he landed. Just as he stepped forward to imbed his blade into the screeching demon's brain, a blindingly fast downward strike from Yamato's blade took the creature by surprise in much the same way that it had attempted to do with Dante. The demon howled in pain one last time as Vergil slowly sheathed his blade with a ringing click that sent the creature careening to the floor in two halves. Yamato's blade had split it down the middle effortlessly.

The area was once again silent with only the ambient sounds of the underworld to provide any indications of life. The twins were left facing each other surrounded yet again by the corpses of their enemies. Dante shook his head and let out a sound somewhere between a snort and a loud exhale as Vergil looked down at the dead monstrosity at his feet. If the younger twin hadn't known his older brother better, he would have sworn that he had just come to his rescue. Not that he particularly needed it, but it did seem that way.

Vergil stepped over the fallen demon and walked past Dante, heading in the direction they had been going in before. It was much easier to discern now that they were so close. It was a wall of demonic thorn-covered trees with dead-looking semi translucent black leaves sparsely covering them. The ground looked much like a hardened pyroclastic flow, white glowing vines snaking across the ground as they pulsated with a faint luminescence. Through the treeline, what seemed to be a river snaked through the underbrush against the bottom of a cliff face before flowing over the edge of the plateau the surrounding area was perched on. The deep azure liquid had an almost silver sheen to it that meant that it was almost certainly not water but was mystifying nonetheless.

"I get the idea that you've killed a lot of those." Dante kidded as he caught up with him, noting the way that his brother had effortlessly finished off the Chaos.

Vergil glanced back at him as he approached, slowing slightly as if to allow his brother a chance to catch up. "I lost count or care long before today of how many of those useless pests I've exterminated. They are innumerable and seemingly unending." Vergil spoke in a way that indicated to Dante that he was more than over dealing with these creatures. It was almost funny how sick of them he seemed to be. But considering how long he'd spent dealing with them, it made sense.

After a few minutes of nearly silent walking, they reached the treeline. As Dante stepped forward, Vergil held out his arm, stopping just shy of touching his twin brother. Dante raised an eyebrow at him, but took the hint and halted his movement. Had Vergil changed his mind? Was this the wrong place? Did he hear something? "Change your mind, Vergil?" Dante inquired passively. Whatever the issue was, he hadn't clued into it.

Vergil lowered his arm and tilted his head in the direction of the treeline. They were standing close to one of the red and black thorn-covered trees. "... I'd advise against touching one of these barbed trees."

Dante looked back and forth between Vergil and the trees. Yes, they looked like oversized thorn bushes, but they weren't exactly walking through this place naked. Vergil closed his eyes and exhaled, clueing into his brother's lack of concern. "These are Daturademonica, a relative of the Qliphoth. Only instead of feeding on human blood, they have an unquenchable thirst for the souls of the living. And unlike the Qliphoth, they are sentient."

Sentient demon trees that sucked the souls out of their victims. Just what they needed. "So if these things suck your soul out if you touch them or whatever, what are we doing here?" Dante inquired, totally at a loss for what could possibly be worth going into this deathtrap over.

Vergil took a step towards said deathtrap, assessing the best place to enter. Most of the sharp branches pointed upward, but the trees were still covered in long needle-like thorns. "Because most beings, living or dead, are not unintelligent enough to set foot in this place. We will encounter no meaningful resistance here, aside from the trees themselves." Vergil stepped under a branch, standing slightly to the side to allow Dante to pass him. "Mind the gap," Vergil said almost sarcastically," I believe I've failed to mention that these thorns are razor-sharp and coated with a sedative."

Dante shook his head in amused disbelief and stepped under the branches, following Vergil into the forest of death. Vergil always did have an askew sense of humor. Well, they both did, but that was neither here nor there.

They navigated the underbrush and vines with care. The same vines that snaked across the ground also hung from the tree branches, bringing the deadly spiked appendages closer than comfortable to them in a few instances. Despite their careful navigation, Vergil seemed intent to pass through this area as quickly as possible. Dante ducked around another branch, doing an unintentional double-take when the branch moved back around and placed itself in his path again. That was odd, he hadn't moved that to start with...

"Is there a problem?" Vergil asked, stopping for a moment to turn and make sure that Dante was still following him as closely as he had been before. When he noticed the almost puzzled look on his brother's face, a note of -was that concern?- passed over his face. "Tell me you didn't touch it..." The words were spoken in an almost breathless whisper.

Dante didn't show it outwardly, but he was actually more surprised by Vergil's concern for him than he was thrown off by the tree's unexplained movement. "No, I didn't... do these damn trees move?" Dante looked back and forth between his brother and the tree as he closed the distance between them.

Vergil stealthily exhaled the breath he hadn't noticed that he was holding and waited for him. That could have ended decidedly worse. "Did I not say moments ago that they were sentient?"

Dante shrugged as they resumed walking. "I didn't think you meant that they could move Vergil! I thought they could tell we were here or something."

After a few hurried moments of walking, Vergil stopped and ducked under one of the branches. "This entire forest functions as a sort of venus flytrap. The Daturademonica can discern our location, based off of where we walk. If given an opportunity, they will attempt to strike. But no matter. We've reached the clearing."

Dante followed his brother under the branch and into the clearing, making sure to stand clear of the trees. Keeping his soul inside of his body wasn't exactly low on his list of priorities. He looked out across the clearing and took in their surroundings. The once distant cliff was now only a few yards away, a small indent in it forming an enclosure just shy of a cave. There was a substance covering the ground that was reminiscent of grass, except it was grey and possessed a texture somewhat similar to moss. The water seemed to have an audible hum to it now that they were close enough to hear it, which was more than a little strange considering that it was a liquid, but it still maintained the same intense shine that it had when Dante had seen it from the entrance before.

It was all very beautiful in a haunting sort of way.

While the youngest Son of Sparda had been taking in his surroundings, the eldest of the two had repositioned himself at the edge of the river with his back to his twin. After an uncomfortably long moment of intense silence, things were starting to become uncomfortable. Vergil was staring quietly at the "water", seemingly lost in thought and it was clear that he had something to say that he wasn't saying. Dante sighed and approached him. What was the worst thing that could happen?

Well... best not find out the answer to that one...

"Should I even ask if this water is drinkable," Dante inquired as he kneeled over his twin. Vergil's eyes glanced up briefly to acknowledge his presence, but he didn't budge from his position.

"... I don't want you to be trapped down here with me."

Dante scoffed at the suddenness of his brother's statement. It was inevitable that they would have this "conversation" at some point, but right now? "You probably don't, but you need me to be." Dante knew that his statement was painfully true. There's was a complicated relationship indeed, and neither of them really comprehended the unending toxic nature of it. And at this point, they had stopped trying to. They were about ready to just accept it as a fact.

Vergil sighed in what seemed to be mild annoyance. "You have other more important things that should be occupying your time. I can find my way around down here just fine."

Dante almost laughed at the statement. Oh, really? "That doesn't change the fact that the last time I left you down here you ended up a slave to your mortal enemy and then I had to kill you," Dante felt a wave of revulsion wash over him at the very thought," Oh, and you took up the most deadly gardening hobby I've ever seen! How could I forget?"

Vergil let out a low growl of annoyance at the statement and stood up to face his younger twin, his rapid response giving off a level of hostility that he didn't intend. "You don't need to remind me, Dante. I haven't forgotten."

Dante held up his hands as if to stop his brother. "I know that. But I'm not going anywhere your not going, Vergil. I've done that for decades and it's a worse hell than this cursed forest we're standing in!"

Vergil shifted in discomfort and let a long bothered sigh. "I don't belong in the human world, and you know it. Let's not lie."

Dante fanned his arms at his sides, flexing in irritation. "You don't belong down here, either. Nothing good has happened to you since you fell down here when we were kids. And besides, you have plenty waiting for you up there, too." Dante gestured up towards the sky for emphasis. On that note, was the underworld even technically below the human world if they were in two different planes of existence? Nevermind, that was beside the point.

"I'd ask you to give me one good reason I should return to the human realm, Dante, but I don't think you have one" Vergil was clearly incensed by. It was a rare moment of pure emotion, though Dante could tell it was borne of something other than just anger. To say that Vergil was emotionally complicated was an understatement, but Dante wasn't going to just drop this and leave him down here alone again. It would be the ruin of them both.

"Give you a reason," Dante grumbled through almost clenched teeth," I could give you two reasons, Vergil, but I don't know if it would do any good."

Vergil stared at him in silence for a long moment before looking away. His posture slowly migrated into an almost defeated slump before he spoke again. "What then, brother? What then?" There was no anger in the words as he spoke them under his breath. Vergil would never admit it, but he was tired. He had been fighting everything and anything nearly his entire life. But as of late, he was losing the tolerance to argue with his brother. In their time apart, Dante had grown and become difficult to argue down; more sure in his resolve than he had seemingly once been. It was impressive but troublesome how difficult it now was to push his once eager to fight twin past the breaking point.

Dante exhaled slowly and, in an action that took Vergil slightly off guard, he extended his arm and placed his hand on his older twin's shoulder, shaking him gently. Vergil looked up at him and they locked gazes. After a moment of shared silence, Dante's unspoken point seemed to sink in. There were no words adequate to express what the youngest of Sparda's sons wanted to convey. "... Look, Vergil... If you won't do it for me or yourself, I get that." Dante sighed almost dejectedly," But if you won't do it for our sake... then do it for Nero's. He doesn't know you can do better, and he's not going to if you stay down here and run from your mistakes for the rest of your life."

Vergil stared at his brother blandly and visibly swallowed, chewing on the inside of his jaw as he closed his eyes and pulling away from him. He stood with his back to his brother in silence with his arms folded, looking out across the haunting expanses of the underworld. For the first time in a long time, Vergil was visibly shaken and upset. Dante had managed to strike a never he didn't even realize he possessed until now. Dante stared at his back, waiting for him to respond. He had to eventually.

A minute passed like this. The two. Then three. The discomfort only grew more volatile the longer the silence lingered. Finally, after what had to be a solid ten minutes, Vergil unfolded his arms and lowered them to his sides. He gripped Yamato's scabbard tightly in his hand but didn't move to draw it. This wasn't something he could fight with a blade, and that was perhaps the thing that unnerved him the most. The eldest Son of Sparda inhaled and then, after a long moment, exhaled in one long slow breath.

"... Do you think Nero would even talk to me? After everything I've done?"

Dante could practically feel the pain and despair in his twin brother's question. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Vergil had let his carefully cultivated shell crack, and the repressed feelings that he had been holding onto for so long were starting to slip through. Dante was taken aback, but he stepped forward and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder again. "You have to ask him that. I've got some things to answer for as far as he's concerned, too."

Vergil waited a moment before he spoke." He has no idea of the depths of my depravity, does he, Dante?"

Dante shook his head. "I conveniently left that part out when I told him about you being his old man after what happened with V." Dante paused when Vergil visually recoiled at the mention of that name. That entire situation was a bit unclear to him, but it seemed to deeply upset his twin. "Speaking of that, should I even ask who V really is and what the hell really happened to him. I mean, he was literally falling apart. Did you have something to do with that?"

Vergil looked like he wanted to avoid this topic even more than he wanted to face Nero again. "... Everything unfortunate that has ever happened to that child is probably my fault," Vergil snickered morbidly. "It is unfortunate that we ever crossed paths. Much like Nero, he was better off without me involved in his life..."

Dante shook his head. "You've got some prior with him, hu? How'd that happen?"

Vergil stared at him with a facial expression somewhere between discomfort and trepidation. Dante stared at him in confusion before transitioning to shocked disbelief. "...Vergil... you didn't... is he..."

Vergil stepped back and turned away from him, shifting Yamato into his dominant hand. His lack of an answer said everything it needed to. Dante sighed in disbelief. His brother wasn't normally so reckless. Or so he thought. Vergil unsheathed the demonic katana and cut a cross in the air in front of him, sheathing the blade as a portal opened before them. "... That is... a matter for another time. For now, we should leave before I change my mind."

Dante shook out of his disbelief and allowed elation to overwhelm him. Did he just hear his brother wrong, or was he insinuating that he was willing to return? "You're coming back with me after all then?

Vergil nodded once. "Hurry up before I come to my senses."

Dante wasted no time. His questions could wait until they were home and then he could get the answers to his pressing questions. He crossed the distance between them in an instance, waiting for Vergil to step through the portal before him. The Youngest Son of Sparda was many things, but he wasn't stupid enough to let Vergil come through the portal last. After all, the last time he went through a portal, Vergil had chosen to stay behind. But this time would be different. After all, there wasn't too much room to go lower from here, was there?

Vergil took a tentative breath, before stepping towards the portal. But before he could have second thoughts, the wind was promptly knocked out of him as he was firmly kicked in the back through the portal. He flew through the portal to whatever place was on the other side, disappearing behind the reflective black surface of the mirror-like portal.

"That's for breaking my damn sword, Vergil," Dante said with a slight laugh. And with that, he walked through the portal and into the unknown to join his brother. For the first time in a long time, they were in this together.

-~-

Thanks for reading the Prologue! The next chapter will be available very soon, and you can read it here and in the links in my bio. Have a wonderful day and stay safe! Also, thanks to this angel for helping me figure out why this post was coming out as one giant paragraph!

#omg i'm so excited #i hope everyone is okay #i hope yall like it #SkvaderStories #SkvaderFics #V #Nero #Dante #Vergil #v devil may cry 5 #v devil may cry #v devil may cry v #V Sparda #Vitale #nero devil may cry #nero devil may cry 5 #nero devil may cry v #dante devil may cry #Dante devil may cry 5 #DMC #DMC5 #Post Devil May Cry 5 #Mega Fic #mymasterlists #vergil devil may cry #vergil devil may cry v #Dante Sparda #Nero Sparda #Vergil Sparda #Vitale Sparda

[princess-of-france]

MARGOT The trumpet sounds. The battle is upon us. My lady—good Montjoie, as I should say— The time is struck. We must away to safety, Or stay for certain doom. I prithee, come! Think of the King, whose comfort must derive From thy reportage.

CATHERINE Thou shalt deliver all my news to him And to the Queen. Myself will keep the field. Rebuke me not. Today my world is here, Impossible to leave as lose my fear.

MARGOT ‘Tis not thy fight.

CATHERINE Ay, but it is, Margot.

(Henry V, Part 2; Act IV, scene iii)

CONSTABLE What trumpet’s that?

CATHERINE The English rally forth.

CONSTABLE Again! They mock us with their repetition: Another blast, another thousand dead. Is ‘t not enough to win, but they must force The bloody rag of victory all down Our throats that we die choking on the word, “Surrender”?

GRANDPRÉ Beshrew the tongue that utters it!

CATHERINE Yet must be spoken.—Send a messenger With all approving haste unto the English, Nay even to the bosom of their leader; Congratulate his rightful victory, (However wrongfully he came upon ‘t) And bid him gloriously his thousand bows, His armor, and his flesh-devouring swords Lay down. Tell him we do surrender us  Unto the mercy of the English, if Such mercy doth or ever could exist. Go to, sirrah. Dost not perceive our fate?

GRANDPRÉ God pardon me to live and cry “too late”! That which the soul consents not to endorse Is not the scourge of fate, but heavenly trial.

CONSTABLE A noble thought.

CATHERINE And wouldst condemn a thousand yet unslain To sacrilegious rites in bloody mire? Find out a messenger.

CONSTABLE Ay, do it, man.

GRANDPRÉ Her woman’s folly doth excuse her fear, Yet burns a Frenchman’s spirit in me still.— Sound the alarm.

            Alarum.

CATHERINE What hast thou done? Our countrymen cannot Sustain the fight. Their deaths are on thy conscience.

GRANDPRÉ What color is the sky? Is it not blue? Lies not today upon the English king?

CONSTABLE No doubt—and yet methinks the sky is grey.

CATHERINE But wherefore couldst thou not dispatch the truth?

GRANDPRÉ “Dispatch”? Now there’s an iron word well-wrought. I will dispatch, and live in ignorance Of all the shame my brethren endured Upon the feast of Crispian.             (stabs himself) Be it known Lord Granpré died of fatal bravery, As men of battle should, and like the saints Of time forgotten, marched into his grave. Transcribe it thus,—

            GRANDPRÉ dies.

CONSTABLE In heaven’s almanac, O brave Grandpré. Thy due shall be the cup Of glory’s milk, whiles angels kiss thy wound, For sure as stone, thou diest a soldier’s death. In faith, methinks we two shall shortly be Confederates in muddy salvation.

CATHERINE My captain’s face is pale. What ails you, sir? Alas, why sink you down? Good Constable! Thy sides are wet. What is this? What is this?

CONSTABLE The color of the English, good Montjoie. A liquid shroud of conquering crimson Binds up my ruined corse.

CATHERINE Speak not. What breath Thou hast, thou must needs save for healing.

CONSTABLE No. That time is past; ‘twas never time at all.

CATHERINE Canst not leave rain to God? Or to the sky, This leaking roof of Azincourt, which swamps Our gorish land with sluicing blood, and wracks Our frigid bones as they were dice, but thou Must add cruel drops of grief unto mine eyes? Take pity on thy herald, Constable. Let him not drown in these unasked-for floods. Stand, stand, I say! Bid me return to Henry, Bid me capitulate unto his crown, Bid me proclaim the glories of the English   Till that my jaw o’er-rusts and jails my tongue, Bid me forever doff these herald’s weeds And call myself but Catherine of Valois, Submissive daughter to a severed king, Yet do not go with Peter when he calls! Thrust out the angels, tell God He must wait His holy turn, prove me a foolish woman, Defy my fears, and live.

CONSTABLE Hear me, Montjoie. ‘Tis nothing much to die. Men do it oft. A thousand fates there are worser than hell: To die before the truth is utterèd, To live a lie and die upon the truth. Say thou to Orléans—my only friend, My good, my joy—tell him I stay for him.

CATHERINE Yet tell him so thyself.

CONSTABLE The trickling sands of time torment my blood. Too slow, too slow it comes. Montjoie, dear sir, Upon thy uniform I charge thee: spare Thy noble captain this betrudging death. It boots him not to crawl the path to heaven.

CATHERINE More bootless still, to charge thy courier A ripe assassin’s task. If thou canst suffer, Then thou canst survive. I will not drag That which belongs on earth to paradise Before the battle’s done. ‘Tis sacrilege ‘Gainst God and King and army, all at once! Think’st thou I hold my soul in such contempt?

CONSTABLE Contempted be the soul repudiates A righteous order from his captaincy.

CATHERINE Then do not, Constable, disgrace your office By issuing such dread commands as I Cannot obey. What did my brother chide? “Address thy princess correspondingly.” O, give me leave to be a princess now! My hands are cold, my heart is frail, My mind is bent to some villainous shape Such as I cannot think nor move nor breathe.

CONSTABLE Then hold thy breath as tightly as my sword, And so exhale them both.

CATHERINE Yet have some pity. Beg not this task of me. Too porcelain dainty Are my hands, my heart more precious still.             (stabs him) O God forgive me!

CONSTABLE Dwell upon it not. Most gracious herald, well-deserving queen, Thou art the truest soldier e’er served France.

CATHERINE The truest soldier lives, though only just, And I, the traitorous dog that bites his master, Only to stand guard above his corse.

CONSTABLE Talk not of dogs. The world is at an end; Let it be full of music, courage, light. Methinks a poet told me of a place Where laughter’s born and meadows blossom gold. I prithee, sing me there, that I may lie And breathe in sweet immaculate—

CATHERINE D’Albret?

CONSTABLE Sing, sing.

CATHERINE, sings What soft enamoring of sleep Hath you in some soft way? What charm’d death holdeth you with deep Strange lure by night and day? A little space below the grass, Out of the sun and shade; But worlds away from me, alas, Down there where you are laid?             (he dies) Now heaven scour my crime, and Charles, farewell. Thou leavest me a heavy tale to tell.

(Henry V, Part 2; Act IV, scene vi)

@harry-leroy @suits-of-woe @skeleton-richard @lizbennett2013 @henriadical

#week 5 #st. crispin's day #gentle herald project #catherine of valois

[factsonly0]

The VIP Analogy – The Blood of Our Saviour Jesus Christ -The Analogy Soccer is a big sport around the world, Sure there is Cricket, Rugby, Tennis and F1 Racing etc. but the One that is Dominant is Soccer. So let us look at this: A Guy with His Friend wants to go to watch a soccer Match because their favourite team is playing, and they go to buy the tickets but when they got there to buy the tickets they find out that only VIP Sections were available. Then A Random Guy Sees these 2 Friends and he saw that they were sad about something. He Approaches them and said: “Why Are you guys sad?”, and they answered, “We don’t have enough money to buy the tickets to the game.”…and this Guy said: “Hey, It’s Okay I’ll Pay for you Guys the price for the tickets, and you don’t have to pay me back. Do You Trust Me When I Say This?” And The Guys, With Excitement said: “Yes...Thank You Sir So Much.” So the Guy Went back to his house to get the money and he Said they should wait here. Hours pass, and the Guy has not returned, Friend one says : “I’m Going Home, This Guy Played us…are you still going to stay?” and the other friend says : “Yes, I’ll stay…I’ve Put my trust on that guy… he’ll come…let’s wait for him” but then the other friend did not stay and he went home. And at an unexpected time just before the game started, The Guy returns with the money and asked where did the other friend go, and he said he left he did not have enough trust so he went back home. However, The Guy Bought the 1 Friend the ticket and he went on, got into the VIP Section, and enjoyed the Soccer Match. -The Definition It would be so wonderful to get someone to do something like what this person did to these Guys, Giving his money to buy these kids tickets to a VIP section… Not just any type of section but the VIP... How Amazing Right? But Then… We already have a person who did something similar to this but what he did was much more… he gave His Life, and that Person is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ Gave His Life for us [For the Whole World] on the cross. God Almighty gave away his only Son to Die for Us as Sinners so that we may have access to the VIP Section [Heaven – The Kingdom of God]: John 3: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light [Jesus Christ] is come into this world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, lest his deed should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they area wrought to God.” This Scripture above says it all, For God so Loved the World…The Whole World that he gave away his Only Son for us and Die for us, So that the Blood on the cross would be a Atonement for our sins. A blood atonement that covers our sin so that we may be appear Right in the eyes of God. And You As well you can be Saved, Saved from the Judgement Of A Holy God…The Wrath of God that is to come to those have not believed is His Son. We cannot save our Selves but by only putting our TRUST (Just like the Guy in the analogy) in Jesus, That is the only and Only WAY to be saved. (Because He Is THE ONLY WAY, THE ONLY TRUTH AND THE ONLY LIFE – John 14). You cannot get Everlasting life by being Good [or Saying that you are a Good Person] [“Because there’s none Good but God”-Mark 10] or By Saying “I go to church every Sunday”… No that is not it…Sorry… Only Jesus Can Save Us from Sin and From Going to Hell. To Show What Sin is let Me Ask Some Questions: Have You Ever Lied? [If You Have, That Means you are a liar in the eyes of God], Ever Stolen something even if it is so small

[Well that makes you a Thief in the Eyes of God], Ever Hated someone? [To God, That is Murder…so you are a Murder], have you ever looked with Lust at Someone? [To God, You have already committed Adultery with that person in your heart]. So do you see? … We Deserve Hell, We Deserve Punishment, But God Gave us Everlasting Life instead, And There are 2 Things to do to have that : You Need Repent Of your Sins[Forsake Your Sins and Change the way you think and Act] and Trust in Jesus ONLY AS LORD AND SAVIOR, And that’s it Jesus Paid the Debt for us, All of Us Like The Guy With Paid for the Tickets… and We don’t even have to do anything to get everlasting it’s totally free…how Awesome is that!!! . Salvation [To Be Saved] is Free…We Don’t Work For it… We are given life FOR FREE. So Think about This with Much Caution and Make the right Choice: Turn to God and Trust in Jesus with all your heart.

[phynxrizng]

New post on Witches Of The Craft® THE LAWS from Lady Sheba by ladyoftheabyss THE LAWS from Lady Sheba Your High Priestess In the Magic Circle, the words, commands, and every wish of the High Priestess are law. She is the earthly, living representative of our Gracious Goddess. She must be obeyed and respected in all things. She is Our Lady and above all others, a queen in the highest sense of the word. All female coveners must curtsy whenever they come before her and say, "Blessed Be." All male coveners must bend the knee and give her a kiss on the right cheek and say, "Blessed Be." Your High Priest He is the earthly, living representative of the Great Horned God and in the Magic Circle, He commandeth the respect due to one who is a Magus, a Lord Counselor, and father. The Laws 1. The Law was made and ardane of old. 2. The Law was made for the Wicca to advise and help in their troubles. 3. The Wicca should give due worship to the Gods and obey Their will, which They ardane, for it was made for the good of the Wicca, as the worship of the Wicca is good for the Gods. For the Gods love the brethren of the Wicca. 4. As a man loveth a woman by mastering her, 5. So the Wicca should love the Gods by mastering them. 6. And it is necessary that 0 (Magic Circle) which is the temple of the Gods, should be duly cast and purified that it may be a fit place for the Gods to enter. 7. And the Wicca should be properly prepared and purified to enter into the presence of the Gods. 8. With love and worship in their hearts, they shall raise power from their bodies to give power to the Gods. 9. As has been taught of old. 10. For in this way only may man have a communion with the Gods, for the Gods cannot help men without the help of man. 11. And the High Priestess shall rule Her Coven as the representative of the Goddess. 12. And the High Priest shall support Her as the representative of the God. 13. And the High Priestess shall choose whom She will, if he have sufficient rank, to be Her High Priest. 14. For, as the God himself kissed Her feet in the Fivefold salute, laying His power at the feet of the Goddess, because of Her youth and beauty, Her swetness and kindness, Her wisdom and Her justice, Her humility and gentleness and generosity, 15. So He resigned all His power to Her. 16. But the High Priestess should ever mind that all power comes from Him. 17. It is only lent, to be used wisely and justly. 18. And the greatest virtue of a High Priestess be that She recognizes that youth is necessary to the representative of the Goddess. 19. So will She gracefully retire in favor of a younger woman, should the Coven so decide in council. 20. For the true High Priestess realizes that gracefully surrendering the pride of place is one of the greatest virtues. 21. And that thereby will She return to that pride of place in another life, with greater power and beauty. 22. In the old days, when Witches extended far, we were free and worshipped in all the greatest temples. 23. But, in these unhappy times, we must celebrate our Sacred Mysteries in secret. 24. So be it ardane, that none but the Wicca may see our mysteries, for our enemies are many and torture loosens the tongue of men. 25. So be it ardane, that no Coven shall know where the next Coven bide. 26. Or who its members be, save only the Priest and Priestess and the Messenger. 27 And there shall be no communication between them, save only by the Messenger of the Gods, or the Summoner. 28. And only if it be safe may the Covens meet in some safe place for the Great Festivals. 29. And while there, none shall say whence they come, nor give their true names. 30. To this end, that if any be tortured, in their agony, they may not tell if they do not know. 31. So be it ardane, that no one shall tell anyone, not of the Craft, who be of the Wicca, or give any names, or where any abide, or in any way tell anything which can betray any of us to our faces. 32. Nor may he tell where the Covendom be. 33. Or the Covenstead. 34. Or where the meetings be. 35. And if any break these Laws, even under torture, the Curse of the Goddess shall be upon them, so they may never be reborn on earth, and may they remainm where they belone, in the Hell of the Christians. 36. Let each High Priestess govern Her Coven with justice and love, with the help and advice of the High Priest and the Elders, always heeding the advice of the Messenger of the Gods if He comes. 37. She will heed all complaints of all Brothers and strive to settle all differences among them. 38. But it must be recognized that there will always be people who will ever strive to force others to do as they will. 39. These are not necessarily evil. 40. And they oft have good ideas, and such ideas should be talked over in council. 41. But, if they will not agree with their Brothers or if they say: 42. "I will not work under this High Priestess." 43. It hath ever been the Old Law, to be convenient for the Brethren, and to avoid disputes. 44. Any of the third may claim to found a new Coven, because they live over a league from the Covenstead or are about to do so. 45. Anyone living within the Covendom and wishing to form a new Coven shall tell the Elders of their intentions and on the instand avoid their dwelling and remove to a new Covendom. 46. Members of the old Coven may join the new one when it is formed, but if they do they must utterly avoid the old Coven. 47. The Elders of the old and new Covens should meet in peace and brotherly love to decide the new boundaries. 48. Those of the Craft who live outside both Covens may join either indifferent, but not both. 49. Though all may, if the Elders agree, meet for the Great Festivals, if it be truly in peace and brotherly love. 50. But splitting the Coven oft means strife, so for this reason these Laws were made of old, and may the Curse of the Goddess be on any who disregard them! SO BE IT ARDANE. 51. If you would keep a book (your Black Book) let it be in your own hand of write, let Brothers and Sisters copy what they will, but never let the book out of your hands and never keep the writings of another. 52. For if it be in their hand of write, they may be taken and engained. 53. Le each guard his own writings, and destroy them whenever danger threatens. 54. Learn as much as you may by heart, and when danger is past, rewrite your book when it be safe. 55. For this reason, if any die, destroy their book, an they have not been able to. 56. For, an it be found, 'tis clear proof against them. 57. And our oppressors know well: "Ye may not be a Witch alone." 58. So all their kin and friend be in danger of torture. 59. So destroy everything not necessary. 60. If your book be found on you, 'tis clear proof against you alone. You may be engained. 61. Keep all thoughts of the Craft from your mind. 62. If the torture be too great to bear, say: "I will confess. I cannot bear this torture. What do you want me to say?" 63. If they try to make you talk of the Brotherhood, do not. 64. But if they try to make you speak of impossibilities such as flying through the air, consorting with the Christian Devil, or sacrificing children or eating men's flesh, 65. To obtain relief from the torture, say, "I hold an evil dream, I was beside myself, I was crazed.: 66. Not all the magistrates are bad; if there be any excuse, they may show mercy. 67. If you have confessed ought, deny it afterwards. Say you babbled under the torture, say you do not know what you said. 68. If you are condemned, fear not. 69. Fear not, the Brotherhood is powerful, they will help you to escape if you stand steadfast. 70. But if you betray ought, there is no hope for you in this life or that to come. 71. Be sure, if steadfast you go to the pyre, drugs will reach you, you will feel naught. You but go to death and what lies beyond. The Ecstasy of the Goddess 72. To avoid discovery, let the working tools be as ordinary things that any may have in their houses. 73. Let the Pentacles be of wax so that they may be broken at once or melted. 74. Have no sword, unless your rank allows you one. 75. Have no names or signs on anything. 76. Write the names or signs on them in ink immediately before consecrating them, and wash it off immediately afterwards. 77. Do not engrave them lest they cause discovery. 78. Let the color of the hilts tell which is which. 79. Ever remember, ye are the "Hidden Children of the Goddess," so never do anything to disgrace them or her. 80. Never boast, never threaten, never say you would wish ill of anyone. 81. If any person, not in the magic circle, speak of the Craft say, "Speak not to me of such, it frightens me. 'Tis eveil luck to speak of it." 82. For this reason: the Christians have their spied everywhere. These speak as if they were well affected to us, as if they would come to our meetings saying, "My mother used to go worship the Old Ones. I would I could go myself." 83. To such as these, ever deny all knowledge. 84. But to others, ever say, "'Tis foolish talk of Witches flying through the air. To do so they must be light as thistledown. And men say that Witches all be so bleary-eyed, old crones, so what pleasure can there be at a Witch meeting such as folks talk on?" 85. And say "Many wise men now say there be no such creatures." 86. Ever make it a jest and in some future time, perhaps, the persecution may die and we may worship our Gods in safety again. 87. Let us all pray for that happy day. 88. May the blessings of the Goddess and God be on all who keep these Laws which are ardane. 89. If the Craft have any Appenage, let all guard it, and help to keep it clear and good for the Craft. 90. And let all justly guard all monies of the Craft. 91. But if any brother truly wrought it, 'tis right they have their pay, and it be just. And this be not taking money for the Art, but for good and honest work. 92. And ever the Christians say, "The laborer is worthy of his hire" but if any brother work willingly for the good of the Craft without pay, 'tis to their greatest honor. SO BE IT ARDANE 93. If there be any quarrels or disputes among the brethren the High Priestess shall straightly convene the Elders and inquire into the matter and they shall hear both sides, first alone, then together. 94. And they shall decide justly, not favoring the one side or the other. 95. Ever recognizing there be people who can never agree to work under others. 96. But at the same time, there be some people who cannot rule justly. 97. To those who ever must be chief, there is one answer. 98. Void the Coven, or seek another one or make a Coven of your own, taking with you those who will go. 99. To those who cannot rule justly the answer be, "Those who cannot bear your rule will leave you." 100. For none may come to meetings with those with whom they are at variance. 101. So, an either cannot agree, "Get hence, for the Craft must ever survive." SO BE IT ARDANE 102. In the olden days, when we had power, we could use the Art against any who ill-treated the Brotherhood. But in these evil days, we must not do so! For our enemies have devised a burning pit of everlasting fire, into which they say their God casteth all the people who worship Him, except it be the very few who are released by their priest's spells and masses. And this be chiefly by giving monies and rich gifts to receive His favor, for their God is ever in need of money. 103. But as our Gods need our aid to make fertility for man and crops, so it is the God of the Christians ever is in need of man's help to search out and destroy us. Their priests ever tell them that any who get our help are damned to this Hell forever, so men be mad with the terror of it. 104. But they make men believe that they may escape this Hell if they give Witches to the tormentors. So for this reason, all be forever spying, thinking, "An I catch but one of the Wicca, I will escape this fiery pit." 105. So for this reason we have our hidels, and men searching long and not finding say, "There be none, or if there be, they be in a far country." 106. But when one of our oppressors dies, or even be sick, ever is the cry, "This be Witches' malice," and the hunt is up again and though they slay ten of their own to one of ours, still they care not. They have countless thousands. 107. While we are few indeed. SO BE IT ARDANE 108. That none shall use the Art in any way to do ill to any. 109. However much they injure us, HARM NONE and now times many believe we exist not. SO BE IT ARDANE 110. That this Law shall ever continue to help us in our plight. No one, however great an injury or injustice they receive, may use the Art in any way to do ill or harm any. But they may, after great consultations with all, use the Art to restrain Christians from harming us or tax others, but only to let or constrain them. 111. To this end, men will say: "Such a one is a mighty searcher out and a persecutor of old women whom they deemeth to be Witches, and none hath done him skith, so they be proof they cannot, or more truly where be none." 112. For all know full well, that so many folk have died because someone had a grudge against them, or were persecuted because they had money or goods to seize, or because they had none to bribe the searchers. And many have died because they were scolding old women. So much that men now say that "only old women are Witches." 113. And this be to our advantage, and turns suspicions away from us. 114. In England and Scotland, 'tis now many a year since a Witch hath died the death. But the misuse of the power might raise the persecution again. 115. So never break this Law, however much you are tempted, and never consent to it being broken in the least. 116. If you know it is being broken, you must work strongly against it. 117. And any High Priestess who consents to its breach must immediately be deposed. "For 'tis the blood of the Brethren they endanger." 118. Do good, an it be safe and only if it be safe. 119. And strictly keep to the old Law. 120. Never accept money for the use of the Art. For money ever smeareth the taker. "'Tis sorcerers and conjurers and priests of the Christians who ever accept money for the use of their Arts. And they sell dwale, and evil loves spells and pardons, so let men escape from their sins." 121. Be not as these. If you accept no money, you will be free from temptation to use the Art for evil courses. 122. All may use the Art for their own advantage, or for the advantage of the Craft, only if you are sure you harm none. 123. But ever let the Coven debate this at length. Only if all be satisfied and none be harmed may the Art be used. 124. If it is not possible to achieve your ends one way, perchance the aim may be achieved by acting in a different way, so as to harm none. May the Curse of the Goddess be on any who breaketh this Law. SO BE IT ARDANE. 125. 'Tis judged lawful if any of the Craft need a house or land and none will sell, to incline the owner's mind so as to be willing to sell, providing it harmeth it not in anyway and the full price is paid, without haggling. 126. Never bargain or cheapen anything whilst you live by the Art. SO BE IT ARDANE. 127. 'Tis the old Law and the most important of all Laws that no one may do anything which will endanger any of the Craft, or bring them into contact with the law of the land, or any of our persecutors. 128. In any disputes between the brethren, no one may invoke any Laws but those of the Craft. 129. Or any tribunal but that of the Priestess, Priest and Elders. And may the Curse of the Goddess be on any who do so. SO BE IT ARDANE. 130. It is not forbidden to say as Christians do: "There be Witchcraft in the land," because our opressors of old make it heresy not to believe in Witchcraft, and so a crime to deny it, which thereby puts you under suspicion. 131. But ever say "I know not of it here, perchance there may be, but afar off - I know not where." 132. But ever speak of those as old crones, consorting with the Devil and riding through the air. 133. But ever say: "But how many men may ride through the air an they be not light as thistledown?" 134. But the Curse of the Goddess be on any who cast any suspicion on any of the Brotherhood. 135. Or who speaks of any real meeting place where any abide. SO BE IT ARDANE. 136. Let the Craft keep books with the names of all herbs which are good for men, and all cures, so all may learn. 137. But keep another book with all the Bales and Apies and let only the Elders and other trustworthy people have this knowledge. SO BE IT ARDANE. 138. Remember the Art is the secret of the Gods and only may be used in earnest and never for show or pride, or vainglory. 139. Magicians and Christians may taunt us saying, "You have no power. Do magic before our eyes. Then only will we believe." Seeking to cause us to betray our Art before them. 140. Heed them not. For the Art is holy, and may only be used in need. And the Curse of the Gods be on any who break this Law. SO BE IT ARDANE. 141. It ever be the way with women, and with men also that they ever seek new love.. 142. Nor should we reprove them for this. 143. But it may be found to the disadvantage of the Craft. 144. As, so many a time it has happened that a High Priest or High Priestess impelled by love, hath departed with their love, that is, they have left the Coven. 145. Now if a High Priestess wishes to resign, they may do so in full Coven. 146. And this resignation is valid. 147. But if they should run off without resigning, who may know if they may not return within a few months. 148. So the Law is: If a High Priestess leaves her Coven, but returns within rthe space of a year and a day, then she shall be taken back and all shall be as before. 149. Meanwhile, if she has a deputy, that deputy shall act as High Priestess for as long as the High Priestess is away. 150. If she returns not at the end of a year and a day, then shall the Coven elect a new High Priestess. 151. Unless there be a good reason to the contrary, the person who has done the work should reap the benefit of the reward. 152. If somebody else is elected, the deputy is made maiden and deputy of the High Priestess. SO BE IT ARDANE. 153. It hath been found that practicing the Art doth cause a fondness between aspirant and tutor, and it is the cause of better results if this be so. 154. But if for any reason this be undesirable, it can easily be avoided by both persons from the outset firmly resolving in their minds that if any such ensure, it shall be that of brother and sister, or parent and child. 155. And it is for this reason that a man may be taught by a woman and a woman by a man and that woman and woman and man and man should never attempt these practices together. 156. And may all the Curses of the Mighty Ones be on any who make such an attempt. SO BE IT ARDANE. 157. Order and discipline must be kept. 158. A High Priestess or a High Priest may and should punish all faults. 159. To this end: all the Craft must receive their correction willingly. 160. All, properly prepared, the culprit kneeling, should be told his fault, and his sentence pronounced. 161. Punishment should be the $ followed by something amusing such as several S S S S, or something of this nature. 162. The bulprit must acknowledge the justice of the punishment by kissing the hand of the Priestess and by kissing the $ on receiving sentence; and again thanking for punishment received. ladyoftheabyss | February 16, 2017 at 4:02 pm | Categories: Wicca, Witchcraft | URL: Comment See all comments Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from Witches Of The Craft®. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://witchesofthecraft.com/2017/02/16/the-laws-from-lady-sheba/ Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

[leanstooneside]

Pheonixrana

Almighty gave and Ordained means to accomplish it that one Creature had obtained power to operate in the other and the one to help and assist the other to perform and fulfil all the Works of the Lord; and so an influence was permitted the Earth to bring forth by the Lights of Heaven as also an internal Heat to warm and digest that which was too cold for the Earth by reason of its humidity as unto every Creature a peculiar fashion according to its kind; so that a subtile sulphurous Vapour is stired up by the Starry Heaven not the common but another more clarified and pure Vapour distinct from others which unites it self with the Mercurial Substance; by whose warm property in process of time the superfluous Moisture is dryed up and then when the foulish property comes to it which gives a preservation to the Body and Balsam operating first into the Earth by a spiritual and sydereal influence then are Metals

comparison to be proved by a gross Example how many Creatures are there

tinging Spirit taken out of them which makes Gold sanguin being first opened and prepared and by their food and drink it becomes volatile wherefore this volatile Gold being satisfied with its food and drink assumes its own bloud to it self dries it up by its own internal heat by the help and assistance of the vaporous fire and there is a Conquest again which is quite fix'd makes the highest Constancy that the Gold becomes an overfix'd Medicine by reason of abundance of Bloud it yields no Body except another superfluous Body be again put to it wherein the abounding fix'd bloud may disperse itself this additional Metallick Body by reason of the great heat of the fix'd Lions bloud is penetrated as by fire and purged from all impurity and forthwith throughly digested to a perfect ripeness and fixedness: That first of all the Servant brings the Matter unto Riches because the Master before could not spare any of his Cloaths to give away seeing that Nature had lent and endowed him with one Noble Suit only; on the other side the King when he hath received his Aides and Contributions from his Subjects can then distribute possessions and permanent Liveries that the Lord and Servant may remain both together; and do not think it strange that the King needs to borrow of his Subjects because their Bodies are unfix'd

bodies of the other Metals are inconstant

your speculation of Philosophy but rather cause a ruine of that benefit which you pursued with so much diligence; and know if you have a hearty desire and strong affection to gain the Golden Magnet that in the first place your prayer be truly directed to God in true Knowledge Sorrow Repentance and true Humility to know and learn the three distinct Worlds which are subject

death of these things is to be esteemed natural but the return of a new life in its knowledge is supernatural; but because we are accustomed

Spirit of Mercury be intended and qualified from above upon Animals it becomes an Animal Substance; if it goes upon Vegetables by order it becomes a Vegetable Work; but if by reason of its infused nature it fall on Minerals it becomes Minerals and Metals yet each one hath its distinction as they are wrought

men who have truly shed the sweat of their Brows will be my sufficient witnesses and confirm the Truth and indeed believe and hold for a truth all that which I write in this case as true as Heaven and Hell are preordained

Mars hath caused which I omit to nominate particularly being well known unto the discreet Physician what Diseases are subject

Martial Diseases are expell'd cured

Wits who are naturally inclined

[giftofshewbread]

Absent from the Body, Present with the LORD

: By Candy Austin  Published on: April 21, 2020

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

In a previous article I talked about the ‘erroneous misconceptions’ people have about the afterlife, such as thinking that everyone goes to Heaven when they die and that we all become ‘another one of the angels’ up there. If people would ‘know and read’ their Bibles, they would find that ‘old wives’ tales’ and ‘handed down through the ages’ sayings of the ‘traditions of men’ do not line up with the Word of Truth! Let us look to what the Creator of the Universe has to say about our final Destiny. God’s Holy Word tells us everything we need to know if we would only look to Him for the answers!

From gotquestions.org: “What does it mean to be absent from the body?”

Answer: The phrase “absent from the body” is found in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8. Paul states that he is confident in his eternal destiny and longs for the day when he can be “absent from the body” and be present with the Lord he loves and serves. To be “absent” from one’s body simply means to die because, at death, the spirit is separated from the body and moves into its eternal abode—either heaven with the Lord or hell, separated from God for eternity.

In the same way, Christians are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the presence of God. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. When a born-again believer dies, his soul goes immediately into the presence of the Lord. There, the soul consciously awaits the resurrection of the body. To the church at Philippi, Paul wrote from a Roman prison:

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:21-24).

Paul’s desire in life was to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. If he lived, he could continue to labor for the Lord. If he faced execution, he would depart this life and be with Christ. He desired to be with his Savior, but if he remained on earth, he could continue to minister to others.

There are some who believe in soul sleep, meaning that when a person dies, his body and soul sleep in the grave, awaiting the resurrection. But if this were true, why would Paul not want to live to minister as long as possible, rather than sleep in a grave? And if it were true that the body and soul are never separated, it would be impossible to ever be absent from the body and present with the Lord.

We conclude, then, that believers who die are indeed absent from their physical bodies and present with the Lord in conscious bliss awaiting that grand resurrection day! – Source

Only those who are Truly Born Again by Believing (True Saving Faith) in the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ on their behalf (for their Sins) will be in Heaven (Present with the Lord) when their physical bodies die (Absent from the Body).  Contrary to popular ‘secular belief,’ we do not become angels when we die!

So… No… your loved one that passed is not another angel ‘flying high’ in Heaven looking down and watching over you! They are either in Heaven or Hell depending on their Salvation in Christ! They are either enjoying Paradise with our Savior or are agonizing in Torments separated from our Lord Jesus Christ for all Eternity!

From gotquestions.org: “Do we become angels after we die?”

Answer: Angels are beings created by God (Colossians 1:15-17) and are entirely different from humans. They are God’s special agents to carry out His plan and to minister to the followers of Christ (Hebrews 1:13-14). There is no indication that angels were formerly humans or anything else—they were created as angels. Angels have no need of, and cannot experience, the redemption that Christ came to provide for the human race. First Peter 1:12 describes their desire to look into the Gospel, but it is not for them to experience. Had they been formerly humans, the concept of salvation would not be a mystery to them, having experienced it themselves. Yes, they rejoice when a sinner turns to Christ (Luke 15:10), but salvation in Christ is not for them.

Eventually, the body of the believer in Christ will die. What happens then? The spirit of the believer goes to be with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:8). The believer does not become an angel. It is interesting that both Elijah and Moses were recognizable on the Mount of Transfiguration. They had not transformed into angels, but appeared as themselves—although glorified—and were recognizable to Peter, James and John.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul tells us that believers in Christ are asleep in Jesus; that is, their bodies are dead, but their spirits are alive. This text tells us that when Christ returns, He will bring with Him those who are asleep in Him, and then their bodies will be raised, made new like Christ’s resurrected body, to be joined with their spirits which He brings with Him. All believers in Christ who are living at the return of Christ will have their bodies changed to be like Christ, and they will be completely new in their spirits, no longer having a sin nature.

All the believers in Christ will recognize one another and live with the Lord forever. We will serve Him throughout eternity, not as angels, but along with the angels. Thank the Lord for the living hope He provides for the believer in Jesus Christ. – Source

2 Corinthians Chapter 5, KJV

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

“Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

“For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Charles Spurgeon Study Bible Notes:

5:1 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Our affliction is light compared with the glory that is so soon to be revealed to us and in us. How soon our mortal life must end! But does the brevity of life cause us any anxiety? Oh, no! “We have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” And once we reach that blest abode of all the saints and look back on our earthly experiences, we will feel that any affliction we had to endure was light, indeed, compared with the unutterable bliss that will then be our eternal portion.

5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” The apostle mentions here a great general principle. Walking implies the possession of life. We can make a dead person sit in a certain position, but to walk necessitates the possession of inward life. It is appropriate, therefore, to ask whether one has the life of God within. In the sense that the term “walk” is here used, the ungodly person does not walk at all. Walking is also a position that signifies activity. As genuine Christians we do not merely learn; we practice what we know. We are to be engaged in displaying to others the blessings we have received and are to exhibit in our daily actions the fruits we have gathered from communion with God. “We walk” is more than some can say. They can affirm, “we talk; we think; we experience; we feel” – but true Christians say, “We walk.”

Walking also implies progress. A person who walks makes some headway. True believers are always making advances; we are to be going from faith in its beginning to faith in its perfections, waxing stronger and stronger. There is a progress to be made in every Christian grace. Persons who do not make any headway give cause for suspicion as to whether they know much about the divine life at all.

Walking also implies perseverance. When a person only takes a step or two and then stops, we do not call that walking. The true Christian keeps on going. Further, walking is the ordinary manner of the Christian life. Running is not best for progress; it cannot be kept up for long; it fatigues and tires. But walking is that kind of progress in which a person continues hour after hour, and after a night’s rest he rises again to walk on as before, until reaching the goal.

This text also contrasts two principles: walking by faith and walking by sight. We naturally walk by sight. But any child or fool can walk by sight. There is something exceedingly ignorant about believing only what can be seen. Even in common life, the eyes cannot see nine out of ten things that are the most wonderful. And this is most decidedly the case with regard to spiritual things. Further, walking by sight is a deceptive way of walking. The eyes do not see anything, and they often deceive. And again, the principle of sight is a changeable one. We can see well enough in the day, but what do we do in the night when we cannot see?

The principle of faith does best in the dark. And those who walk by sight walk alone. Walking by sight is just this — “I believe in myself.” Whereas walking by faith is this — “I believe in God.” Lastly, a caution is implied in the text: we are never to mix the two principles — “We walk by faith, not by sight.” – Charles Spurgeon Study Bible

Bottom line, when we pass from this life… cross over… look beyond the veil… and are ushered into eternity, we will be in one of either two places. The Word of Truth, God’s Holy Word, The Holy Bible tells us the Saved, the Redeemed, the Truly Born Again will immediately be in the Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ where there is ‘Fullness of Joy’ Forevermore! Where eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him!

1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

The Lost, the Unredeemed, the Unbelieving (Fearful, Unbelieving, Abominable, Murderers, Whoremongers, Sorcerers, Idolaters, Liars, Unrighteous, Fornicators, Adulterers, Effeminate, Abusers of themselves with mankind, Thieves, Covetous, Drunkards, Revilers, Extortioners). Basically, the Unrepentant, those who refuse to turn from their Sin and turn to Jesus Christ, who will not change their minds from Unbelief to Belief, will find themselves in a place where the worm dies not, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, where there is no more Chance or Hope of a life with God ever again! It is a place of ‘Total Separation’ from the Only One who Died to Save you! It is a place of ‘Absolute Despair and Utter Hopelessness’!

Therefore, my admonition to you is to choose wisely! The choices we make in this life determine our standing in Eternity. Once this life is over, there is no such thing as the ‘demonic teaching of reincarnation.’ According to God’s Word, man lives and dies once; and after this is the Judgment! Choose wisely… because there is no going back once you take that final breath!

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

Until next time… Maranatha!

(JESUS = WAY, TRUTH, LIFE)

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The Church's Year - INSTRUCTION ON THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

The Introit of this days Mass is a canticle of praise and thanks:

INTROIT Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle alleluia; because the Lord hath done wonderful things, alleluia; he hath revealed his justice in the sight of the Gentiles. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. His right hand hath wrought for him salvation; and his arm is holy. (Ps. XCII.) Glory etc.

COLLECT O God, who makest the minds of the faithful to be of one will: grant unto Thy people to love what Thou commandest, and to desire what thou dost promise; that amidst the various changes of the world our hearts may there be fixed where true joys abide. Through etc.

EPISTLE (James I. 17‑21.) Dearly beloved, Every best gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor shadow of alteration. For of his own will hath he begotten us by the word of truth, that we might be some beginning of his creatures. You know, my dearest brethren. And let every man be swift to hear, but slow to speak, and slow to anger: for the anger of man worketh not the justice of God. Wherefore, casting away all uncleanness, and abundance of naughtiness, with meekness receive the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

INSTRUCTION Of all the gifts that come from God, the most excellent is the gospel and regeneration in baptism, by which He has made us His children and heirs of heaven. How great is this honor, and how earnestly we should endeavor to preserve it! To hear the word of God, when preached to us in sermons, will aid our endeavors. The admonition of the apostle to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, contains true wisdom, for: In the multitude of words there shall not want sin; but he that refraineth his lips is most wise. (Prov. X. 19.)

ASPIRATION Aid me, O Lord, to preserve the dignity received in baptism, grant me a great love for Thy divine word, and strengthen me to subdue my tongue and to use it only for Thy glory.

GOSPEL (John XVI. 5‑14.) At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: I go to him that sent me: and none of you asketh me: Whither goest thou? But because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow hath filled your heart. But I tell you the truth: it is expedient to you that I go; for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you: but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he is come, he will convince the world of sin, and of justice, and of judgment. Of sin, because they believed not in me: and of justice, because I go to the Father, and you shall see me no longer: and of judgment, because the prince of this world is already judged. I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when he, the, Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but what things soever he shall hear, he shall speak, and the things that are to come he shall show you. He shall glorify me, because he shall receive of mine, and shall show it to you.

INSTRUCTION As the disciples, in their grief at Christ's going to His passion and death, after the accomplishment of which He was to return to His Father, never once asked Him: "Whither goest Thou?" many Christians, because of their attachment to this world and its pleasures, never ask themselves: Whither am I going, whither leads my way? By my sinful life I am perhaps going towards hell, or will my little fervor for the right, my lukewarm prayers take me to heaven? Ark yourself in all earnestness, dear Christian, whither leads the way you are going? Is it the right path? if not, retrace your steps, and follow Jesus who by suffering and death entered heaven.

Why could the Paraclete not come before the Ascension of Christ?

Because the work of Redemption had first to be completed, Christ had to die, reconcile man to God, and enter into His glory, before the Spirit of truth and filial adoption could abide in man in the fulness of grace. From this we may learn that we must purify our hearts, and be reconciled to God, if we wish to receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

How will the Holy Ghost convince the world of sin, of justice and of judgment?

He will convince the world, that is, the Jews and Gentiles, of sin, by showing them through the preaching, the sanctity and the miracles of the apostles, as well as by gradual inward enlightenment, the grievous sins which they have committed by their infidelity and their vices; of justice, by unveiling their error, and showing them that Christ whom they unjustly rejected, is the fountain of justice; of judgment, by showing them their condemnation in their prince and head, the devil, whom they served. This prince is now driven from idols and from the bodies of men, and his kingdom is destroyed in the name of Jesus by the apostles.

Why did not Christ tell His apostles all He had to tell them?

Because they could not yet comprehend, and keep it in their memory; because they were still too weak, and too much attached to Jewish customs, and also because they were depressed; He. therefore promised them the Holy Ghost, who would fit them for it by His enlightenment, and would teach them all truth.

How does the Holy Ghost teach all truth?

By guiding the Church, that is, its infallible administration, by His light to the knowledge of the truth necessary for the salvation of souls, preserving it from error; and by advancing those members of the Church who seek His light and place no obstacle in its way, in the necessary knowledge of truth.

What is meant by: He shall not speak of himself, but what things soevey he shall hear, he shall speak?

That the Holy Ghost will teach us only that which He has heard from all eternity from the Father and Son; His teaching will, therefore, perfectly agree with Christ's teachings, for the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and Son and is equal God to them, and that which He teaches is also their doctrine, which is expressed in the words: He shall receive of mine.

ASPIRATION Ah, my Lord and my God! direct my feet in the way of Thy commandments and preserve my heart pure from sin, that Thy Holy Spirit may find nothing in me deserving of reproach, that He . may teach me all truth, and lead me to Thee, the eternal Truth, in heaven. Amen.

#the church's year

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THE MYSTERY AND REVELATION OF THE FALSE christ AS PROPHESIED IN REVELATION 13:11-18. The end times book of Revelation foretells of 2 beasts that shall appear in the form of men upon the earth prior to the second coming of Christ. The first beast is Satan the Devil himself come in the flesh to set up his end times New World Order kingdom on earth as prophesied and he shall also seek to destroy biblical Christianity; Revelation 13:1-10 -- Daniel 7:23. I have sadly witnessed some people claim that these two beasts are not men but are empires or religious orders or monetary systems; but the wordage contained in the scriptures CLEARLY defines and prophesies them BOTH as MEN and that EXACTLY the form in which they shall appear; please do NOT let anyone deceive you into believing anything that is contrary to sound doctrine; the words contained in the prophetic word of God are CHOSEN and PRECISE; God is not a fool, he is more than capable of defining and expressing exactly what he intends to say without man adding or taking away from it. THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING!! The book of Revelation was written SOLELY for those saints that shall be on earth during it's fulfillment which is why EVERY true preacher and teacher of Gods word should be preaching and teaching on it in order to forewarn and prepare the saints for what is written concerning them.. Howe many preachers and teachers do you see or hear preaching this most IMPORTANT book? THE PASTORS HAVE DESTROYED THE CHURCH; The pastors have spiritually DESTROYED the church Jeremiah 12:10 and God shall recompense unto them for their wickedness and deceit Jeremiah 23:1-2 -- Jeremiah 23:32 -- Jeremiah 14:14 -- Jeremiah 23:25-26.. THE MYSTERY OF THE LAMB THAT SPEAKS AS A DRAGON; There is a very specific reason why the book of Revelation depicts the 2nd beast as looking like a lamb but is really a dragon in disguise. Revelation 13:11 I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. The reason is that this entity is going to convince the world that he is the true Christ but in reality he is an IMPOSTOR.. Incredibly, Christ has forewarned that a false christ shall appear BEFORE his own return and he categorically states that we are NOT to believe or be deceived when this entity appears as him. Matthew 24:25-27 Behold, I have told YOU before IT HAPPENS. Therefore if they shall say unto YOU, Behold, HE is in the desert; do NOT go forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; DO NOT BELIEVE IT. For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall ALSO the [TRUE] coming of the Son of man be. [IN] HIS DAY. Matthew 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto YOU, Lo, here is CHRIST, or there; DO NOT BELIEVE IT. Mark 13:21 And then if any man shall say to YOU, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; BELIEVE HIM NOT: What Christ is prophesying here is the coming of the DRAGON that shall appear as a LAMB, and which will subsequently deceive the whole world by the means of the incredible miracles that he has the power to perform and the world will be AMAZED at his powers!! 2 Thessalonians 2:9 Even him, whose coming is AFTER the working of Satan with all POWER and SIGNS and LYING WONDERS, Revelation 13:13-14 And he does GREAT WONDERS, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And DECEIVES THEM that dwell on the earth [BY] the MEANS of THOSE MIRACLES which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; THE MARK OF THE BEAST WILL ALTER HUMAN DNA; The book of Revelation scriptures also reveal that this demonic entity deceives ALL those who worship the beast and take his mark; therefore whatever will be in his mark will make those who receive highly susceptible to his miracles, in other words he will have full power and spiritual control over them; it may well be that the mark of the Devil placed IN the hand or forehead will alter the DNA of those who willingly take it. Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought MIRACLES before him, [BY WHICH] he DECEIVED THEM that had RECEIVED the MARK of the BEAST, and THEM that WORSHIPED his IMAGE. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. THE WISE SAINTS OF GOD WHO ARE GROUNDED IN THE BIBLICAL TRUTH OF HIS WORD SHALL NOT BE DECEIVED; HOWEVER THE LUKE WARM WILL BE TAKEN FROM GODS OPEN HAND! Revelation 13:8 And ALL that dwell upon the earth SHALL worship him, whose names are NOT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and THEY that dwell on the earth SHALL wonder, ALL whose names were NOT WRITTEN in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. Revelation 20:14-15 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And WHOEVER was not found WRITTEN in the book of life was CAST into the lake of fire. THE SIGNS OF OUR TIMES ARE VITALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTANDING THE PROPHETIC TIME FRAME OF CHRISTS BIBLICAL RETURN; Not knowing the prophesied signs of our times will cause those who lack to be defined as hypocrites. Christ called the Pharisees of his day hypocrites because they could not discern the signs of his coming as it was written of him that he should come to them and thus shall it also be likewise in our day when he shall appear the second time when hypocrisy once again shall cause many to stumble through lack of Godly knowledge and spiritual discernment.. Matthew 16:3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye HYPOCRITES, ye can DISCERN the face of the sky; but can ye CANNOT discern the SIGNS of these TIMES? THE FALSE christ WILL BE ACCEPTED AS THE TRUE CHRIST BY THOSE WHO ARE EXPECTING AN UN-BIBLICAL RETURN BEFORE THE PROPHESIED APPOINTED TIME.. Just think about that! the pre-trib generation which amounts to the majority of modern day Christianity are awaiting to be snatched away; yet Christ forewarned that an impostor shall appear BEFORE his own second coming and shall work incredible miracles by which he shall deceive those who dwell upon the earth; what then do you think is going to happen to those who have rejected his true prophesied return AFTER the tribulation of the saints Matthew 24:29-30? The truth and reality is that they shall NOT know the difference because they have rejected the biblical truth in order to believe a lie and an ideology that is contrary to the truth and Antichrist, therefore their savior shall be a DRAGON in the form of a LAMB!! THOSE WHO ARE DESIRING TO SEE THE EARLY RETURN OF THE [TRUE] CHRIST SHALL NOT SEE IT; BUT THEIR FATE SHALL BE SEALED IN THE REJECTION OF HIS TRUTH.. Luke 17:22-25 And he said unto the disciples, The DAYS will come, WHEN ye shall desire to see [ONE] of the days of the Son of man, AND YE SHALL [NOT] SEE IT. And they shall say to YOU, See here; or, see there: DO NOT GO AFTER THEM, NOR FOLLOW THEM. For as the lightning, that shines out of the one part under heaven, shines unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. THE WARNINGS ARE CLEAR; BUT THE SHEPHERDS ARE GONE ASTRAY. Isaiah 56:11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Amos 1:2 And he said, The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither. Jeremiah 25:36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the Lord hath spoiled their pasture. Ezekiel 34:8-10 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which [seems] right unto a man, but the [end] thereof are the ways of death.

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The harder you work, the luckier you are

ELEMENTS WHEREBY THEY ARE NOURISHED

DEATH OF THESE THINGS IS TO BE ESTEEMED NATURAL BUT THE RETURN OF A NEW LIFE IN ITS KNOWLEDGE IS SUPERNATURAL; BUT BECAUSE WE ARE ACCUSTOMED

SPIRIT OF MERCURY BE INTENDED AND QUALIFIED FROM ABOVE UPON ANIMALS IT BECOMES AN ANIMAL SUBSTANCE; IF IT GOES UPON VEGETABLES BY ORDER IT BECOMES A VEGETABLE WORK; BUT IF BY REASON OF ITS INFUSED NATURE IT FALL ON MINERALS IT BECOMES MINERALS AND METALS YET EACH ONE HATH ITS DISTINCTION AS THEY ARE WROUGHT

BODIES OF THE OTHER METALS ARE INCONSTANT

BODIES YET ARE THEY

PERCEIVED SOMETIMES FORETELLING DEATH OR OTHER DISASTERS SOMETIMES THEY DISCOVER BY THEIR APPARITION RICHES AND GOOD FORTUNE IN CERTAIN PLACES AND THE FIERY SPIRITS APPERTAIN HERE ALSO WHICH APPEAR IN A FIERY SHAPE OR LIKE A BURNING LIGHT; ALL THESE ARE SPIRITS

TINGING SPIRIT TAKEN OUT OF THEM WHICH MAKES GOLD SANGUIN BEING FIRST OPENED AND PREPARED AND BY THEIR FOOD AND DRINK IT BECOMES VOLATILE WHEREFORE THIS VOLATILE GOLD BEING SATISFIED WITH ITS FOOD AND DRINK ASSUMES ITS OWN BLOUD TO IT SELF DRIES IT UP BY ITS OWN INTERNAL HEAT BY THE HELP AND ASSISTANCE OF THE VAPOROUS FIRE AND THERE IS A CONQUEST AGAIN WHICH IS QUITE FIX'D MAKES THE HIGHEST CONSTANCY THAT THE GOLD BECOMES AN OVERFIX'D MEDICINE BY REASON OF ABUNDANCE OF BLOUD IT YIELDS NO BODY EXCEPT ANOTHER SUPERFLUOUS BODY BE AGAIN PUT TO IT WHEREIN THE ABOUNDING FIX'D BLOUD MAY DISPERSE ITSELF THIS ADDITIONAL METALLICK BODY BY REASON OF THE GREAT HEAT OF THE FIX'D LIONS BLOUD IS PENETRATED AS BY FIRE AND PURGED FROM ALL IMPURITY AND FORTHWITH THROUGHLY DIGESTED TO A PERFECT RIPENESS AND FIXEDNESS: THAT FIRST OF ALL THE SERVANT BRINGS THE MATTER UNTO RICHES BECAUSE THE MASTER BEFORE COULD NOT SPARE ANY OF HIS CLOATHS TO GIVE AWAY SEEING THAT NATURE HAD LENT AND ENDOWED HIM WITH ONE NOBLE SUIT ONLY; ON THE OTHER SIDE THE KING WHEN HE HATH RECEIVED HIS AIDES AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM HIS SUBJECTS CAN THEN DISTRIBUTE POSSESSIONS AND PERMANENT LIVERIES THAT THE LORD AND SERVANT MAY REMAIN BOTH TOGETHER; AND DO NOT THINK IT STRANGE THAT THE KING NEEDS TO BORROW OF HIS SUBJECTS BECAUSE THEIR BODIES ARE UNFIX'D

COMPARISON TO BE PROVED BY A GROSS EXAMPLE HOW MANY CREATURES ARE THERE

PART OF THE WORLD YET TRULY ARE NATURAL

ALMIGHTY GAVE AND ORDAINED MEANS TO ACCOMPLISH IT THAT ONE CREATURE HAD OBTAINED POWER TO OPERATE IN THE OTHER AND THE ONE TO HELP AND ASSIST THE OTHER TO PERFORM AND FULFIL ALL THE WORKS OF THE LORD; AND SO AN INFLUENCE WAS PERMITTED THE EARTH TO BRING FORTH BY THE LIGHTS OF HEAVEN AS ALSO AN INTERNAL HEAT TO WARM AND DIGEST THAT WHICH WAS TOO COLD FOR THE EARTH BY REASON OF ITS HUMIDITY AS UNTO EVERY CREATURE A PECULIAR FASHION ACCORDING TO ITS KIND; SO THAT A SUBTILE SULPHUROUS VAPOUR IS STIRED UP BY THE STARRY HEAVEN NOT THE COMMON BUT ANOTHER MORE CLARIFIED AND PURE VAPOUR DISTINCT FROM OTHERS WHICH UNITES IT SELF WITH THE MERCURIAL SUBSTANCE; BY WHOSE WARM PROPERTY IN PROCESS OF TIME THE SUPERFLUOUS MOISTURE IS DRYED UP AND THEN WHEN THE FOULISH PROPERTY COMES TO IT WHICH GIVES A PRESERVATION TO THE BODY AND BALSAM OPERATING FIRST INTO THE EARTH BY A SPIRITUAL AND SYDEREAL INFLUENCE THEN ARE METALS

I WILL SAY NO MORE HEREOF AT PRESENT BUT REFER THE OPENING OF SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES MORE AT LARGE TO ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY WHERE I SHALL PARTICULARLY TREAT OF VISIONS AND SPIRITUAL APPEARANCES WHICH ARE ESTEEMED UNNATURAL

MEN WHO HAVE TRULY SHED THE SWEAT OF THEIR BROWS WILL BE MY SUFFICIENT WITNESSES AND CONFIRM THE TRUTH AND INDEED BELIEVE AND HOLD FOR A TRUTH ALL THAT WHICH I WRITE IN THIS CASE AS TRUE AS HEAVEN AND HELL ARE PREORDAINED

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Articles on Catholic Theology and Teachings - Part 10 - The Catholic Doctrine of Justification by Grace

Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. --Acts of the Apostles 2:38

What does Justification mean?

In Catholic theology justification is a term that means the cleansing of sin in a person, and the communication by grace of "the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22) " through Baptism. Catholics believe that mankind has inherited original sin through Adam. The original sin destroyed the righteousness originally attributed to our first parents and created the chasm of sin between God and man. Sin separates us from God and thus by justice causes death of the soul in hell. "For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)". The Council of Trent affirms that original sin creates a weakness in human nature and calls this weakness of will concupiscence. Concupiscence weakens the will of man toward evil and warps his nature towards selfish passions rather than the love of God. Human nature and the Jewish law of the Old Covenant are incapable of allowing man in his natural faculties to rise above the fall of mankind and the temptations of Satan.

Because of the infinite love and mercy of God, Jesus Christ willingly paid for our sins by his suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection and thus merited the redemption of humanity. This means that provided humans cooperate by act of free will with God’s grace, a person can be justified by the grace of God and become a new creature in Christ. Justification of the soul is a work of grace by the Holy Spirit. With this in mind, we can define justification as the transformation of the soul from the state of original sin to that of grace and divine sonship through Jesus Christ.

What is Grace?

God’s gift of salvation was one of pure love. He desired humanity to join him in heaven, but he could not force us to accept

his gift of love. Upon creating humans, he endowed us with free will so that we could freely return his infinite love with love.

Thus God could only attribute the salvation of Christ’s passion (his crucifixion and resurrection) to those who freely returned his love in faith and hope.

Human experience shows that people often have a tendency to draw toward evil and selfish passions. This misplaced love

for the things of our natural world is a result of the original sin of mankind and the continuing temptation of Satan. In order to

help humanity choose God over selfishness and temporal happiness, the crucifixion of Jesus brought forth a new gift: the gift of grace.

Grace is the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call. The Church teaches us that grace moves us to participate in the life of God and moves us to begin and sustain a relationship with our Creator. Grace not only assists us in

living the Christian life through purification of our hearts, it literally changes our souls by infusing divine life to heal the wounds of

sin. Grace is wrought through the work of the Holy Spirit, and grace is what initially moves our hearts to conversion and repentance.

Justification by Grace

The theology of the Church holds that Christ’s passion not only merited the forgiveness of sin, but also the gift of grace. Grace, wrought by the Holy Spirit, is a gift that heals the soul and sanctifies it. Sanctifying grace, the grace that communicates supernatural life into the soul, is received through the sacrament of Baptism. Baptism marks the beginning of justification by forgiving all personal and original sin as well as communicating sanctifying grace. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, a person receives supernatural disposition to live and act with God’s call.

Justification and Sanctification are one

The Council of Trent helped to clarify and reinforce the Church’s doctrine of justification, by focusing on sanctification as part of justification. The Council’s decrees laid to rest the heretical doctrines of the Protestant Reformers by insisting that justification of the believer is not a forensic declaration of a person’s righteousness, but an actual interior purification of the soul. Justification truly makes the soul just through grace. Thus the sanctification of the soul is a necessary part of justification. Sin is not covered or concealed, but is literally cleansed away by purification of sanctifying grace. Justification consists of one act of God that includes forgiveness of sin and sanctification of the soul. Thus a justified person is truly made pleasing to God.

The Sacraments

The Council further explains that the instrumental cause of grace is by the holy Sacraments of the Church. The Sacramental system, instituted by Christ, is one of the means by which grace is transmitted. Baptism, which we have already explained, is the necessary means by which a person receives sanctifying grace. Because grace can be lost by mortal sin, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the normative way by which a person can receive sanctifying grace after it has been destroyed through mortal sin. The sacraments also serve to increase justification of the soul, through the increase of grace. The holy Eucharist, especially, is the nourishing food of the soul. The doctrine of increasing grace means that the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity can be strengthened and increased. St. John notes that "…he that is just, let him be justified still: and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still (Rev 22:11)." Thus the Church rightly teaches through Scripture and Apostolic Tradition that supernatural faith, hope and charity are gifts of grace that can be increased through the Sacraments.

The Doctrine of Increasing Justification

The Ecumenical Council of Trent, definitively proclaimed that "Having, therefore, been thus justified, and made the friends and domestics of God, advancing from virtue to virtue, they are renewed, as the Apostle says, day by day; that is, by mortifying the members of their own flesh, and by presenting them as instruments of justice unto sanctification, they, through the observance of the commandments of God and of the Church, faith co-operating with good works, increase in that justice which they have received through the grace of Christ, and are still further justified (Council of Trent, Sixth Session, Chapter 10)". Thus the council the redemptive role of suffering in the Mystical Body of Christ, as well as the increase of grace through good works.

St. Paul explains to the Christians in Rome, "For we account a man to be justified by faith, without the works of the law (Romans 3:28)." In this epistle to the first Jewish Christians, Paul warns the people not to consider themselves justified by the Mosaic Law expounded in the book of Leviticus. Because Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant, St. Paul tells us that Christ’s Passion has merited the gift of grace, "But now without the law the justice of God is made manifest, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the justice of God, by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe in him: for there is no distinction: For all have sinned, and do need the glory of God. Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption, that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21-24)." St. Paul explains that works of the law such as circumcision and ritual cleansing are not required for justification, because grace is the perfect gift of Christian justice and faith. St. Paul’s reference to "the Law" does not include the works of righteousness done through grace and the theological virtue of charity. St. James’ epistle attempts to clear up the difficulties of those we mistakenly feel that justification is imputed by faith alone without consideration of works of righteousness in grace. He tells us, "What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him? And if a brother or sister be naked, and want daily food: And one of you say to them: Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit? So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself. But some man will say: Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without works; and I will shew thee, by works, my faith. Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well: the devils also believe and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:14-17)."

Thus the holy Catholic Church proclaims that charity and good works enliven and work with faith and hope for the justification of man. Good works are not meant for the glorification and boasting of man, but for the glorification and love for God, the members of the Body of Christ, and indeed all men. We must take to heart Christ’s two commandments: "Jesus said to [the Pharisee]: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)."

Is obeying the commandments and precepts of God necessary for Justification?

In the Gospel of Matthew, a young rich man asks Christ, "Good master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting? [Jesus] said to him: Why asketh thou me concerning good? One is good, God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. [The young man] said to him: Which? And Jesus said: Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness. Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man saith to him: All these I have kept from my youth, what is yet wanting to me? Jesus saith to him: If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me (Matt 19:16-21)". Contrary to the doctrine of the Reformers, we must note that Christ never said that faith alone would supplant good works and obedience to God’s laws. Jesus message in the Gospels tells us that if we truly believe in Christ we will obey his commandments, be baptized into a life of grace and thus receive divine sonship in Christ. The gift of grace imputes forgiveness of sin, sanctification of the soul and the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. God’s grace works within us to move us to new, divine heights of faith, hope and charity. By cooperating with the grace of Baptism, we can do good works out of faith and love for Christ.

The Theological Virtues

Justification of the soul imputes the three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. These virtues make Christians capable of acting as the children of God and meriting eternal life. The Catechism of the Church tell us that "faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself (CCC 1814)." Hope is a virtue "by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1817). Finally, charity is the virtue "by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God. (CCC 1822)." The virtues of faith, hope and charity allow us to aspire to the divine love of God. Rather than become a slave to God, the grace of God allows us to partake in the virtues of the Spirit to truly become adoptive sons and daughters of the Father.

Faith, hope and charity prior to Baptism

One might ask that if faith, hope and charity are theological virtues imputed by grace, how could a person be moved to conversion to Christianity or experience faith, hope and charity prior to Baptism. It should be emphasized that the Holy Spirit leads a person to Christianity through an act of actual grace. In addition, faith, hope and charity can exist in the natural state of man prior to baptism. However, the motive for natural charity is often misplaced. Works of natural goodness found among the unbelieving person is often for love of mankind rather than God. Natural faith can aspire and lead one to God through the work of the Spirit, but baptism is needed to bring sanctifying grace to the soul to purify it and impute supernatural faith, hope and charity. The Catechism notes that "the faith required for Baptism is not a perfect and mature faith, but a beginning that is called to develop…For all the baptized, children or adults, faith must grow after Baptism. (CCC 1253)."

Baptism of Infants and small children

The Catholic understanding of justification by grace calls all men, women and children to justification by the cleansing water of rebirth. Since Baptism is normatively necessary for justification by grace, baptism is not reserved exclusively for adults or children who have reached the age of reasoning. Christ said, "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such (Matthew 19:13)." Although faith in Christ leads to Baptism in adults, infants cannot be expected to harbor intellectual faith in Christ. Instead, the faith of a child’s family is asked so that the child can grow in faith with the loving support of the family. Baptism is the sacrament of faith, and through supernatural grace leads a growing child (or adult) to deeper faith, hope and love for his Creator. It is a precious gift that should not be with held from any person, be they young or old. Indeed, it is a sad thing that some Protestant denominations such as Baptists and evangelical Protestants withhold Baptism from their infants. For those and other children, who are denied Baptism by no fault of their own, the Church offers its prayers and commends those infants who have died without Baptism to the mercy and love of God.

Merit

Merit is defined by the Catechism as "recompense owed by a community or a society for the action of one of its members, experienced either as beneficial or harmful, deserving reward or punishment (CCC 2006)." In Catholic doctrine, merit is a result of God’s fatherly decision to associate man with the work of his gift of grace. It must be emphasized that the original work of justification and sanctification must be attributed to God himself. Man cannot merit the initial grace of the Holy Spirit. It is a free, undeserving gift of God. However, by the grace of Baptism, as adoptive sons and daughters of God, we can merit for ourselves additional graces of sanctification through Christian charity and good works. It is always the gift of God’s love that brings forth merit through charity. St. Augustine proclaims the Church’s position in his cry to God, "You are glorified in the assembly of your Holy Ones, for in crowning their merits you are crowning your own gifts." Prayer is a central part of Christian life, for it is through prayer that we can merit the increase of grace and theological charity for others in the Mystical Body of Christ as well as ourselves.

We must not believe that, "God owes us something." For the gift of grace is exactly that, a free and undeserved gift. It is only by our acceptance of grace through Baptism, that we can associate our works with that of grace from God. St. Paul tells us, "And if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God, and joint heirs with Christ: yet so, if we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him (Romans 8:17)". St. Paul emphasizes that by the grace merited from Jesus Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection we can be co-heirs with Christ and participate in merit by grace. Thus good works done in faith, hope and love for God, after justification of Baptism, can merit further increases in grace, justification, and sanctification. We participate with God in good works because of our love for him as our heavenly Father.

The Redemptive Role of Suffering

Christ desires for us to participate in his Passion, and thus suffering within the Body of Christ has a redemptive role. Because baptized Christians are part of the mystical Body of Christ, Jesus Christ the head of the body asks its members to participate not only in his resurrection and grace, but also in the suffering of his Passion. St. Paul firmly evinces this doctrine, "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church (Colossians 1:24)." He also says, "And if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God, and joint heirs with Christ: yet so, if we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him (Romans 8:17)."

This does not mean that Christ’s redemption is lacking, or that his suffering was not enough for the redemption of the world. It only means that we are chosen to offer up our sufferings for the expiation of the temporal punishment deserved by our sin and the free participation in the life of Christ. Christ merits our redemption and forgives our sins but the punishment and penance for our selfish actions must still be. Paul’s letter to the Colossians notes that by offering our own sufferings for the body of Christ, we can make up for those members of the body of Christ whose sufferings are lacking. Thus the body of Christ, the Catholic Church, offers the collective suffering of its members for the expiation of temporal punishment and follows in the Passion and sufferings of the Head of the body of Christ, Jesus Christ.

This does not mean that Catholics go out of their way to look for suffering and hardship. Suffering, in itself, is a result of sin and evil manifested by the fall of mankind. Such acts as fasting, prayer and the offering of hardships to the Lord are beneficial. However, purposeful undue suffering and pain can in fact be a sin. In fact, the Church does attempt to correct and alleviate the temporal suffering of mankind (such as natural disaster victims, the hungry, the persecuted etc.) What Paul is really talking about is the unavoidable sufferaing that is a part of temporal life. A good Christian will accept the hardships of life that can not be alleviated. With good Christian humility and charity a suffering person will offer their suffering for the Body of Christ and its head, Jesus Christ.

Can Justification be Lost?

St. Paul warns us that justification and sanctification are a life-long process, and we should be vigilant not to turn against God and lose our justification. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews is particularly powerful, "For if we sin willfully after having the knowledge of the truth, there is now left no sacrifice for sins, But a certain dreadful expectation of judgment, and the rage of a fire which shall consume the adversaries (Hebrews 10:26-27)." Paul assures us that those who take justification of grace for granted and continue to rail against God and defy cooperation with grace can lose their justification. Paul also warns Christians to be vigilant, "But I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway". Paul tells us that he himself must resist the temptations of the flesh lest he be cut away from the Body of Christ.

Like St. Paul, we must constantly guard against mortal sin, the sin of will against God. Mortal sin is that which cuts us off from Christ. Those who have been justified through the grace of baptism can still sin against the Lord. Grace does not take away the gift of free will and because of this a Christian can still choose to sin.

Sin takes two forms; that of mortal (deadly sin) and venial sin(sin that offends charity). The Catechism of the Church tells us "sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity (CCC 1854)" and that there is a distinction between sins, that of mortal and venial sin. "Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him (CCC 1855)." Venial sin is a sin of less serious matter that weakens charity and impedes the exercise of virtue. The bible testifies to the differentiation between mortal and venial sin. St. John’s epistle tell us "there is such thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray (1 John 5:16)". The Tradition of the Church affirms that mortal sin destroys sanctifying grace of the soul and cuts the sinner off from the body of Christ. Scripture again affirms Tradition when Jesus compares the Body of Christ, the Church, to a vine. The members of the Church are warned by Christ, "Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned (John 15:6)." Indeed St. Paul writes, "Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, Nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Thus a mortal cuts us off from the Body of Christ until the sinner is moved to repentance in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Can we have a definitive assurance of our Salvation?

No, St. Paul and St. John’s epistles warn us that justification can be lost. Thus without an extraordinary revelation from God, we cannot be assured of our salvation or justification. The Council of Trent tells us, "If any one saith, that he will for certain, of an absolute and infallible certainty, have that great gift of perseverance unto the end, -unless he have learned this by special revelation; let him be anathema (Council of Trent, Sixth Session, Cannon 16)". Assurance of salvation is a presumption upon God that we can infallibly judge the state of our souls. The Bible is very clear that only God and God alone can judge a person’s soul. Paul writes, "For we must all be manifested before the judgement seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil (1 Corinthians 5:10)." Paul also emphasizes that salvation and justification are not a one-time event, but a lifetime process that we must work out with participation in grace. He tells us, "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but much more now in my absence,) with fear and trembling work out your salvation (Philippians 2:12)". Because justification can be lost and Christian truth demands that it is a process and not a one-time event, there can be no infallible assurance of salvation.

Instead, the Holy Spirit offers the theological virtue of hope that leads us to desire the kingdom of heaven, the love of Christ and the fellowship of the Spirit. By hope a Christian can ask God for perseverance in his friendship and love. Even if a person mortally offends God and rejects his grace, Christ offers us the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the forgiveness of sin and the recovery of sanctifying grace. God is always willing to embrace his prodigal sons and daughters provided they repent and ask of forgiveness in his holy Sacrament.

The Virgin Mary is the supreme model of grace in all of God’s creatures

The holy Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the epitome of Christian grace. Her willing participation in the birth of Jesus Christ, her life of Christian virtue and the sorrow endured by her in Christ’s Passion provides the ultimate example of faith, hope and charity for the Body of Christ. The angel Gabriel proclaims to the Virgin Mary, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women (Matthew 1:28). Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus, is thus granted the fullness of grace from God and attains the highest perfection of any created creature. In her humble love for God, she willingly participates in the redemption of Christ (the second Adam) as the second Eve. Thus Catholics venerate Mary as the role model by which we give undying love to our Lord, Jesus Christ. We echo the words of Mary filled by the Holy Spirit," Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him (Matthew 1:48-50).

Conclusion

Since this article was quite long and thorough let us recap:

Justification is a term that means the cleansing of sin in a person, and the communication by grace of "the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22) " through Baptism.

Christ has redeemed the whole world, but we must freely choose to cooperate in the redemption.

Justification includes the forgiveness of original and personal sin, restoration of the interior man and sanctification of the soul through grace. Thus justification and sanctification occur together and are not exclusive of each other.

Grace is a free gift of God that imputes divine life into the soul as well as the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity.

Sanctifying grace of the soul must normatively be received through the sacrament of Baptism. Through baptism, God adopts us as his sons and daughters. This is why Catholics baptize infants.

Jesus Christ alone can merit our initial justification and sanctification through his Passion and Resurrection.

Once grace is imputed in the soul, faith, hope and charity can merit the increase of justification and sanctification.

Faith without good works is dead faith (James 2:17).

The seven Sacraments of the Church increase grace and thus justification in the believer.

Prayer for those of the Body of Christ and ourselves can merit increasing grace for others and ourselves.

Christian suffering has a redemptive role by allowing us to cooperate with Christ’s Passion and suffering.

Rejecting God’s love and grace through mortal sin results in lost justification.

Venial sin weakens charity, but does not cut us off from Christ because venial sin (although offensive to God) is not a rejection of the heavenly Father.

No person can have an assurance of their salvation unless they receive an extraordinary revelation from God.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, full of grace, is the perfect model of Christian faith, hope and charity in God’s created creatures.

By the grace of God, we commend ours to participate in the divine life of Christ. Let us pray for the conversion of souls and give thanks to Jesus Christ for his loving and willing redemption of the world.

#catholic theology