Finiscila, Jane! Dai troppo peso all'amore degli esseri umani. Sei troppo impulsiva, troppo irruenta. La mano divina che ha creato il tuo corpo, e poi vi ha soffiato dentro la vita, ti ha dotato di risorse che vanno ben oltre la tua fragilità dei tuoi simili. Al di là di questa terra e al di là del genere umano, c'è un mondo invisibile e un regno di anime. Quel mondo è tutto intorno a noi, perché è ovunque, e quelle anime vegliano su di noi, perché hanno il compito di proteggerci. E se stiamo morendo nel dolore e nella vergogna, se il disprezzo ci colpisce da ogni parte e l'odio ci schiaccia, gli angeli vedono i nostri tormenti, riconoscono la nostra innocenza e Dio, per incoronarci della meritata ricompensa, aspetta solo che il nostro spirito si separi dalla carne. E allora perché dobbiamo lasciarci sempre sopraffare dall'angoscia, quando la vita finisce in un attimo e la morte non è altro che un passaggio per la felicità, per la gloria?

I held back from seeing Jacob much during those weeks. He wanted only his mother, and I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing him like that. I stopped by to pick up his siblings and take them away, but I rarely went inside the house. After several days of this, I knew I must face the sight that my daughter faced daily. Inside, I approached the couch tentatively.Would I upset him? A few times when I had visited, he’d hidden his facein a blanket. I reached out hesitantly, touching his thin arm, the skin hot and dry as paper. He didn’t move, but I could see the rise and fall of his swollen chest. Suddenly, my legs gave way, and I dropped to my knees in front of the grandson that I loved so dearly. My hand shook as I lifted it to his soft, fuzzy head. I felt as though I was in the presence of someone very holy.“I love you,” I whispered, and when he didn’t respond, an even softer whisper, “Tell Grandpa that I love him and miss him.” And then, with a groan, “Dear God, don’t let him suffer.

أمقت تلك المسافات التي تفصلني عنك ،أتذمر من تلك المواقيت التي تسرقني منك ..أسخط على أعين تتأملك / على أنامل تلمسكعلى أنفاسك وهي تستنشقك !على نبضاتك وهي تستشعرك ، على ثيابك وهي تعانقك

Suppose it was even as you think,” he went on, even more gently. “Suppose that all you say was a fact, and that our Elders were but greedy tyrants, ourselves abandoned here by their selfish will and set to fulfill a false and prideful purpose. No.” Jamethon’s voice rose. “Let me attest as if it were only for myself. Suppose that you could give me proof that all our Elders lied, that our very Covenant was false. Suppose that you could prove to me”—his face lifted to mine and his voice drove at me—“that all was perversion and falsehood, and nowhere among the Chosen, not even in the house of my father, was there faith or hope! If you could prove to me that no miracle could save me, that no soul stood with me, and that opposed were all the legions of the universe, still I, I alone, Mr. Olyn, would go forward as I have been commanded, to the end of the universe, to the culmination of eternity. For without my faith I am but common earth. But with my faith, there is no power can stay me!

My reason for believing in Christ is not that I feel my need of Him, but that I have a need of him… When I come to Jesus, I know I cannot come unless I am awakened, but nevertheless, I do not come as an awakened sinner. I do not stand at the foot of his cross to be washed because I have repented. I bring nothing when I come but sin. A sense of need is a good feeling, but when I stand at the foot of the cross, I do not believe in Christ because I have good feelings, but I believe in him whether I have good feelings or not. The basis on which a sinner comes to Christ is that he is black, not that he knows he is black; that he is dead, not that he knows he is dead; that he is lost, not that he knows he is lost… Generally, the people who repent the most think they are impenitent. People feel their need most when they think they do not feel at all, for we are no judges of our feelings. Hence the gospel invitation is not put upon the ground of anything of which we can be a judge. It is put on the basis of our being sinners, and nothing but sinners.

Finally, if you ask why this complete picture of the Antichrist is given us in Scripture, my answer is: in order that we might clearly recognize it when it is revealed. And what then must we do when we see it is come? Must we oppose it, must we fight it with the sword? That, of course, is completely impossible. It will come. It must come. And to oppose its coming is entirely vain. Its coming is irresistible. And the battle is not one of, the sword. But as the text has it, he that is for captivity, into captivity he goeth; and if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. No, we cannot oppose the power of Antichrist by main force. When that world-power comes and reigns supreme, we shall be submissive to the last, as far as God and our conscience permit. But here is the patience and the faith of the saints, that in all these times they remain faithful, and refuse to deny the Christ. They wait for the day of His coming. May God give us grace to be found faithful at all times, and watching and praying, so that no one may take our crown.

Remember young man, unceasingly,' Father Paissy began, without preface, 'that the science of this world, which has become a great power, has, especially in the last century, analysed everything divine handed down to us in the holy books. After this cruel analysis the learned of this world have nothing left of all that was sacred of old. But they have only analysed the parts and overlooked the whole, and indeed their blindness is marvelous. Yet the whole world still stands steadfast before their eyes, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Has it not lasted nineteen centuries, is it not still a living, a moving power in the individual soul and in the masses of the people? It is still as strong and living even in the souls of atheists, who have destroyed everything! For even those who have renounced Christianity and attack it, in their inmost being still follow the Christian ideal, for hitherto neither their subtlety nor the ardor of their hearts has been able to create a higher ideal of man and of virtue than the ideal given by Christ of old.

Tom has been having a difficult patch, and we meet at the church of IKEA as often as possible, because it is equidistant from our houses and always cheers us up. Yesterday I asked, 'In your depression, and with so many people having such a hard time, where is Advent?' He tried to wiggle out of it by saying, 'You Protestants and your little questions!' Then, when pushed, he said: 'Faith is a decision. Do we believe we are ultimately doomed and fucked and there's no way out? Or that God and goodness make a difference? There is heaven, community, and hope - and hope that there is life beyond the grave.' 'But Tom, at the same time, the grave is very real, dark and cold and lonely.' 'Advent is not for the naive. Because in spite of the dark and cold, we see light - you look up, or you make light, with candles, or with strands of lightbulbs on trees. And you give light. Beauty helps, in art and nature and faces. Friends help. Solidarity helps. If you ask me, when people return phone calls, it's about as good as it gets. And who knows beyond that.

The woman had gone down on her knees and was shuffling slowly across the cruel ground towards the group of crosses: the dead baby rocked on her back. When she reached the tallest cross she unhooked the child and held the face against the wood and afterwards the loins: then she crossed herself, not as ordinary Catholics do, but in a curious and complicated pattern which included the nose and ears. Did she expect a miracle? And if she did, why should it not be granted her? the priest wondered. Faith, one was told, could move mountains, and here was faith--faith in the spittle that healed the blind man and the voice that raised the dead. The evening star was out: it hung low down over the edge of the plateau: it looked as if it was within reach: and a small hot wind stirred. The priest found himself watching the child for some movement. When none came, it was as if God had missed an opportunity. The woman sat down, and taking a lump of sugar from her bundle, began to eat, and the child lay quiet at the foot of the cross. Why, after all, should we expect God to punish the innocent with more life?

In projecting onto others their own moral sense, therapists sometimes make terrible errors. Child physical abusers are automatically labeled “impulsive," despite extensive evidence that they are not necessarily impulsive but more often make thinking errors that justify the assaults. Sexual and physical offenders who profess to be remorseful after they are caught are automatically assumed to be sincere. After all, the therapist would feel terrible if he or she did such a thing. It makes perfect sense that the offender would regret abusing a child. People routinely listen to their own moral sense and assume that others share it.Thus, those who are malevolent attack others as being malevolent, as engaging in dirty tricks, as being “in it for the money,“ and those who are well meaning assume others are too, and keep arguing logically, keep producing more studies, keep expecting an academic debate, all the time assuming that the issue at hand is the truth of the matter.Confessions of a Whistle-Blower: Lessons Learned Author: Anna C. Salter. Ethics & Behavior, Volume 8, Issue 2 June 1998 p122

The Question of How? When you are writing goals, or even thinking about achieving big things in life, the question that will come to your mind is “how?” You may think, “I don’t have enough education or money, and my health isn’t good enough. How will I ever be able to achieve these goals?”These thoughts alone can discourage you from going any further. However, take this simple example: Imagine you are standing in front of your refrigerator and would like to open the door. What do you do? Do you think about how to do it? Do you worry about whether or not your muscles will respond and help you open the door? Unless you, unfortunately, have a physical disability, you are able to open the refrigerator door, having full faith that you can do it. Just as you may not be aware of the complexities of the way your body works to allow you to you to open that refrigerator door without thought, so the Universe has provided you with everything in abundance, and a continuous flow of prosperity can come your way. Only when you accept that it is possible, you can and will live the life that you dream about.

Welcome to the forest of Earth, my dear, greatly beloved and fearfully made Christian brothers and sisters. We all start from different points, on our journey to the home we've never seen. Home is ahead travelers, have hope and you will have perseverance. Our hearts have sung for home since our very earliest memories. Many struggles await us on the winding paths of this epic and powerful adventure. We walk through fallen times, through the very shadow of death. But fear not my family. Lights shine in the dark forests, lights of the Holy Spirit, guiding us on our way. The Father goes with us. And to those who have not begun the journey, our Savior Jesus Christ awaits you at the beginning of the trail, to wash you clean of your sins, and to give you the Holy Spirit to guide you along the way. This is a majestic and beautiful journey my family, and those who soon will be my family. Walk this path bravely, without fear, keep your feet planted on the trail, but keep your head in the clouds, eyes focused on the coming eternity, eyes focused on one coming home to the Father of lights, to live with him in the place we belong.

It [Communism] is not new. It is, in fact, man's second oldest faith. Its promise was whispered in the first days of the Creation under the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: "Ye shall be as gods." It is the great alternative faith of mankind. Like all great faiths, its force derives from a simple vision. Other ages have had great visions. They have always been different versions of the same vision: the vision of God and man's relationship to God. The Communist vision is the vision of Man without God.It is the vision of man's mind displacing God as the creative intelligence of the world. It is the vision of man's liberated mind, by the sole force of its rational intelligence, redirecting man's destiny and reorganizing man's life and the world. It is the vision of man, once more the central figure of the Creation, not because God made man in his image, but because man's mind makes him the most intelligent of the animals. Copernicus and his successors displaced man as the central fact of the universe by proving that the earth was not the central star of the universe. Communism restores man to his sovereignty by the simple method of denying God.

Semua itu sudah tertulis di lauhil Mahfud, kita tinggal memerankan saja apa yg tertulis disana, jadi apa susahnya menjalani.Ibarat novel, kita tidak usah pusing-pusing gimana caranya bikin novel sherlock holmes yg banyak penggemarnya. Kita tinggal baca aja, gampang kan? Dan kalau bab 1 kita bacanya udah selesai kita lanjut ke bab 2 yg kasus2nya pastinya tidak kalah seru. Bahkan ketika Sir Arthur Conan Doyle membuat Sherlock Holmes mati ditengah keseruannya, banyak penggemar yang mengecam sang pembuat novel tersebut, mereka menghujani ribuan surat kepada Conan untuk menghidupkan kembali tokoh idaman mereka-Sherlock Holmes. Dan akhirnya Sherlock Holmes dihidupkan kembali oleh authornya. Lalu penggemarpun bertambah banyak dan memuji hasil karnyanya. Namun umur manusia ada batasnya dan mau tak mau Sherlock Holmes harus berhenti dari hidupnya. Tetapi ketika dia mati disaat yang seharusnya, sang author tidak lagi mendapat kecaman melainkan penghargaan. ^^ Jadi buat kamu yg sedang dirundung masalah, janganlah patah semangat. Yakinlah kalau kita sudah berhasil menjalani hidup ini, diakhir nanti kita akan mendapatkan penghargaan dari banyak orang, dan kalaupun tidak, kita akan mendapatkan penghargaan dari Sang Pencipta.

Златната корона той заменил с черно було, заповедничеството - с послушание, богатите трапези - с въздържание и пост, държавническия жезъл - с проста монашеска тояга и светския шум - с безмълвната монашеска килия.