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It has been pointed out to me that I should share a Psalm on here; but I am not going to do that. Instead I will share the story of Saint Christopher, as it was told to me.
At the start of his life Reprobus, which was the birth name of Christopher, was the child of poor parents, growing up on a meager farm with hardly enough food. His only blessing was that he was massive in size, a veritable giant of a man with a strength to match, so much so that he would pull the plows for his family during the sowing seasons. When he came of age he decided that the life of a farmer was not for him, he felt called to a higher purpose, and so he left the farm to seek that purpose.
His search drew him to the castle of the King who ruled the demesne of his birth, and upon seeing the size of Reprobus the King immediately employed him, making him a bodyguard and a soldier. Reprobus quickly distinguished himself as a valiant warrior of the crown, his strength was such that he could overcome nearly any foe. After several years of serving the King, there came a time of hardship in the kingdom and the land became rife with banditry. A group of brigands sprung up in some foothills near the Castle. At first the King and Reprobus believed this to be nothing more than an ordinary band of brigands and so did no more to stop it than they would have done with any other band of brigands; which is to say that they did nothing. However, soon came the news that this band of brigands was special for it was lead by the devil himself.
Upon hearing this news the King fainted of fright and had to be carried out of the throne room. Upon seeing the kings fear and cowardice, Reprobus began questioning his service to the man. If Reprobus had been called to a higher purpose than surely he would have to serve the greatest lord in all the world. If his current lord was afraid of the devil than surely the devil was a greater lord. With this reasoning in mind Reprobus left the service of his king and set out to the nearby foothills; where he sought out the devil and swore allegiance to him, pledging to serve for all of his days.
For a long while Reprobus served the devil, acting as a lowly thug and brigand and obeying his new lord's every command. He robbed peasants and farmers and nobles alike; and believing himself to be in service of the greatest lord, Reprobus was happy.
However; the day came when the devil lead his band of brigands down from the hills to ambush a passing group of pilgrims. As they had done before. However, unlike the other groups there was a priest among the pilgrims and as the bandits descended upon them he cried out for the Lord God to save them from their attackers. Upon the invocation of the lord's name the devil clutched at his chest and fled in fear, abandoning his men, who followed him, fleeing in confusion. All except for Reprobus. Reprobus observed the fear that the name of the Lord God had inspired in the devil, and that made him think. If the devil had been afraid of God, then surely God must be a greater lord than the devil. And since Reprobus was meant for high purpose surely that meant he should serve the greatest of lords. So Reprobus approached the priest, and asked him how he could serve the lord.
The priest counselled Reprobus and suggested that the best way to serve The Lord was to become a priest himself. Reprobus accompanied the priest back to his church where he studied for some time, though he never became a priest. Reprobus quickly became frustrated with the life of a priest; he was not called to it, and he sought to serve his lord with his great strength, the greatest of his gifts. The priest, seeing Reprobus' frustration, prayed to the lord for guidance, and the next day he took Reprobus on a journey, and lead him to a river on the edge of a great plain. The priest told Reprobus that many pilgrims lost their lives trying to cross the river, and that he could serve the lord god with his strength by helping the pilgrims to cross.
Reprobus was happy to have a way to serve the lord with his strength and built himself a hut. He lived beside the river for many years; helping Pilgrims to cross. The river was deep and wide, but because of his strength and height Reprobus could cross it easily. He often carried the pilgrims who were neither as tall, nor as strong as he was, across it, sometimes two or three at a time. Such was the great strength of Reprobus. After Reprobus began living by the river, no more pilgrims lost their lives trying to cross it, and Reprobus was happy.
After his many long years of helping pilgrims cross the River, Reprobus' great strength began to fade. It was no longer as easy as it had once been for him to cross the river, but he persisted and continued his service.
One night there was a great storm and the river flooded it's banks, the waters rushed more swiftly that Reprobus had ever seen them before and the water rose nearly to the walls of Reprobus' hut. Believing that no one would be out in a storm like this Reprobus took himself to bed; and prepared to sleep away the storm. However, just before he fell asleep he heard a voice calling to him, as sweet as music and louder than the storm. He rose from his bed and checked outside, but there was no one there. So he returned to his bed, again as he started to drift off he heard the same voice calling him, and again he checked and found no one outside his hut. He returned to bed again, and once more just as he was about to fall asleep the voice roused him. Reprobus checked once more outside his house and found a child standing there in the cold and the wet.
Reprobus asked why the child was out in the storm; and the child said that he was on a pilgrimage and had to cross the river. Reprobus did not hesitate, despite the storm and his failing strength he hefted the child onto his shoulders and set out to carry the boy across the river. However, with every step that Reprobus took he found his strength leaving him. The water was cold and it rose higher than ever before, it reached Reprobus' shoulders, and then his chin, and then his lips, but still he persisted; and with every step he became weaker and weaker and with every step the child on his shoulders seemed to become heavier and heavier until Reprobus felt as though he was carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. It was then that Reprobus knew that he could go no further and in a final act of desperation and fear for the life of the child on his shoulders, he threw back his head and called into the storm for the lord to help him, to grant him the strength to see the child safely across the river.
And his strength returned, enough for Reprobus to take another step, and then another, just enough that he could reach the other side.
As Reprobus collapsed onto the river bank, the child that he was carrying got down off of his shoulders and Reprobus looked up at him, happy that he had served the lord one last time. However, it was not the face of a child that Reprobus found gazing down at him, but that of the lord Jesus Christ, and Reprobus wept; for he had finally met the one he served. Christ embraced Reprobus and told him that he had served long and well and selflessly. Then Christ baptized Reprobus in the river and gave him the name Christopher which meant "Christ-bearer", for Christopher had carried not just the weight of the world on his shoulders but also the weight of the one who created it. Christopher served Christ for the rest of his life until he died a martyr in Lycia.
The story of Saint Christopher can teach us many lessons; which is part of the reason why Christopher is still honored as a Saint, even though he is no longer listed among the official saints of the Catholic church. The story of Christopher teaches us that those who seek Christ will always find him, that you do not need to accomplish great things to serve God faithfully and well, and, perhaps most importantly, that there is no one who has fallen so low that they cannot find redemption in the endless and eternal love of Jesus Christ; for if one who has served Satan can become a Saint than there is no sin that man can commit that he cannot be forgiven for.
To honor Saint Christopher in the coming days, we should all do a small kindness for someone. Whether it is helping a neighbor with their groceries or, perhaps most poetically, assisting someone in crossing the road; small kindnesses can go a long way in spreading the love and light of Christ in our world.
Lord Jesus,
You are the source and lover of life.
Reawaken in us respect for every human life. Help us to see in each child the marvelous work of our Creator. Open our hearts to welcome every child as unique and wonderful gift.
Help those who make our laws to uphold the uniqueness and sacredness of every human life, from the first moment of conception to natural death.
Together with Mary, your Mother, in whose womb you took on our human nature,
Help us to choose life in every decision we take.
We ask this in the joyful hope of eternal life with you, and in the communion of the Blessed Trinity.
Amen
SaintDymphna
Inspirational story of faith.
Ephesians 6:12 ESV
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
Evil= Communism
"Praise is rightfully yours, God, in Zion. Vows to you shall be fulfilled,
2 for you answer prayer. All humanity must come to you
3 with its sinful deeds. Our faults overwhelm us, but you blot them out.
How blessed those whom you choose and invite to dwell in your courts. We shall be filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.
5 You respond to us with the marvels of your saving justice, God our Saviour, hope of the whole wide world, even the distant islands.
6 By your strength you hold the mountains steady, being clothed in power,
7 you calm the turmoil of the seas, the turmoil of their waves. The nations are in uproar, in panic those who live at the ends of the earth;
8 your miracles bring shouts of joy to the gateways of morning and evening.
9 You visit the earth and make it fruitful, you fill it with riches; the river of God brims over with water, you provide the grain. To that end
10 you water its furrows abundantly, level its ridges, soften it with showers and bless its shoots.
11 You crown the year with your generosity, richness seeps from your tracks,
12 the pastures of the desert grow moist, the hillsides are wrapped in joy,
13 the meadows are covered with flocks, the valleys clothed with wheat; they shout and sing for joy."
Psalm 65
Catholic israel and lebanon
Welcome to the loving embrace of Jesus Christ.
Ok. That's good.I will remove the democratic tag then. We can have an interim Governing body till we have elections.
Let's say we have a Archbishop and Cardinal. The Archbishop will be the Head of the region and Cardinal will be his deputy.
I propose that Archbishop be given Appearance, Communications, polls and embassy. He can also suppress posts if necessary.
Cardinal be given Polls and embassy. Cardinal can be equivalent of foreign minister who will form embassies with other regions.
The founder will have the banjection powers.
Any views on this?
How do we go about recruiting new nations?
What made you all opt for this region, will apply to all new possible entrants.
Father,
Bless our veterans and all who serve our nation defending our freedom.
For those who bravely gave their lives, grant them eternal rest.
For those who are serving, give them courage.
For those who served, we offer our gratitude.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
I was just wondering, would it be a good idea for this region to create an embassy with Right to Life?
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