Praying for an increase in vocations and devotion to the Eastern Catholic Churches

dlamberth said:

I was also wondering where else this technology is being used. Hawaii would be a good choice.

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I would think Iceland as well.

Was Paul released from Roman prison for a time?

I think so.

Paul was released from Roman prison when he met Titus. Ti 1:

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.

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Crete is an island in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Turkey.

Ti 3:

12 As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there.

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Nicopolis was a city in Greece.

Later, when Paul wrote 2 Timothy, he was imprisoned again in Rome. 2T 1:

8 Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.

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Paul sensed his coming execution in 4:

6 I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

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Paul had gone through a trial in Rome:

16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!

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Not that long ago, Paul was in Miletus:

9 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus.

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Miletus was in Turkey. Apparently, Paul was released from Roman prison before he wrote 2T.

According to Blue Letter Bible, Paul was released from prison in 62 CE but was imprisoned again in 66 CE.

Insight.org:

During Paul’s first imprisonment, he awaited trial before Roman governors Felix and Festus (Acts 24–26). He then was under house arrest in Rome for two years (28:30), awaiting an appearance before Nero. Scholars believe Paul was released sometime in AD 62 because the Jews who had accused him of being “a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension” (24:5) didn’t press their case before the emperor. However, during Paul’s second imprisonment in the Mamertine dungeon, he had apparently received a preliminary hearing and was awaiting a final trial (2 Timothy 4:16). He didn’t expect acquittal; he expected to be found guilty, in all likelihood, for hating humankind. From there, Paul believed only his execution would be left (4:6–7), which was probably carried out in AD 68.

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Some early church writings mentioned Paul's travels to Spain.

tonychanyt said:

I can know about the assurance of my own salvation. I cannot know if others are. That's between them and God. They also can know their assurance of their salvation, just like I.

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Agreed...

And you can know you wont loose it.

Yes when I was first about to move in here the atmosphere was TERRRIBLE, the pit of hell, however I went into the garbage chute room and said "I break the power of the enemy over this building in the name of Jesus", instantly there was a miraculous transformation! The building really needed that, alot of places need this!

essentialsaltes said:

Purported writings from Antioch High School shooter show his plans, thoughts before death​

He was anti-Semitic in his writings and posted a flyer from the Goyim Defense League, which is a neo-Nazi white supremacy group that visited Nashville this summer.

Henderson said he was inspired by Candance Owens, a conservative Black pundit who previously called Nashville home.

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Nashville school shooting suspect posted photos on social media just before opening fire in cafeteria: Police​

A Pinterest account linked to Henderson features photos of past school shooters, including the shooters from Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas, a source told ABC News.

[Parkland shooter "expressed racist, antisemitic, homophobic, and xenophobic views." Uvalde shooter motive unknown.]

The 51-page document [posted by the shooter] expressed violent white supremacist beliefs, sources told ABC News.

He also expressed violent hatred toward Jews and used antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories to express his views, according to the sources. Henderson appeared to support neo-Nazi accelerationist and violent incel beliefs and expressed a desire to see genocide committed against racial and religious minorities, according to sources.

Authorities are still investigating how Henderson obtained the pistol, Nashville police said Thursday.

The gun was purchased in Arizona in 2022 and was not reported stolen, police said.

Henderson's social media presence also shows he may have been in contact with 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who carried out a shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, last month, according to law enforcement sources.

Vambram said:

Rev. Billy Graham was a humble servant of our Lord and Savior.

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Which is precisely the point.

Richard T said:

That is naive to think that there are no government subsidies on a project that large. Watch for property tax savings, lower electric charges per KW hour, public cost sharing and a whole host of subsidies that will occur. 10 Corporations Receiving Massive Public Subsidies From Taxpayers

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I didn't say there were no local subsidies. These kinds of companies don't build anything without some government help (welfare queens they all are). The $500 B claim is about the private investment, and it is an upper limit (an "up to"). When you take away all of the parts that were already under construction (the oracle data centers, etc.) and previously announced stuff it probably won't amount to much.

With the gerontocracy under a microscope, Chuck Grassley is a key GOP gatekeeper as Senate Judiciary chair.

The core of President Donald Trump’s agenda runs through Chuck Grassley, who has been in the chamber longer than his vice president has been alive.

Trump must count on the 91-year-old Senate Judiciary chair for everything from remaking the immigration system to unraveling the so-called “deep state” to ushering in conservative dominance of the federal courts — and that may turn out to be risky: According to interviews with a dozen lawmakers, lobbyists and other current and former GOP officials, some Republicans are privately questioning whether he’s too old for a job central to the execution of Trump’s agenda.


Continued below.

As a series of massive and destructive wildfires in the Los Angeles area continue to burn, a new fire that sparked Wednesday north of the city, near Castaic Lake reservoir, has quickly burned more than 10,000 acres and as of Thursday is only about one-quarter contained.

The Hughes Fire has forced the evacuation of 31,000 people and more than 14,000 structures are threatened, according to Los Angeles County’s Coordinated Joint Information Center.

Father Vaughn Winters, the pastor at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church in nearby Santa Clarita, told CNA by email that “yesterday was very stressful, but the immediate danger seems to be past.”

He said “a couple hundred” St. Kateri parishioners living near where the fire is spreading were forced to evacuate, as evacuation warnings bordered the city of Santa Clarita, which is about 30 miles north of Los Angeles and home to 220,000 people.

Continued below.

In the final year of Jesus' ministry, Mt 14:

26 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.

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The disciples felt fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

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Jesus calmed them.

33 Those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

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Their fear turned to reverence. This is the first explicit recording of the disciples worshipping Jesus as the Son of God. Finally, they understood something about Jesus' divinity.

The passage highlights the themes of faith, fear, and the revelation of Jesus’ authority over nature, inviting readers to respond to him with awe and worship.

He 12:

28 Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.

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Stephen3141 said:

I agree that the laws of a country, may lag behind the move of technology.

But, my main point was that the current dilemma in America (not knowing how
to evaluate opinions and theories, to demonstrate that they are true or not),
is tied up with America's ditching of sound Epistemology.

This is a different topic, than the current state of legislation about technology.

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People simply don't care about epistemology, for the most part. I tend to agree with David Hume, that reason is ever the slave of our passions. People tend to believe what they want to believe, and when they are facing perceived psychological or existential pressures, they start believing nonsense.

Oompa Loompa said:

Yes really, I would argue that most people who have their child circumcised do so to prevent possible infections are foreskin complications.

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Again, this is not like wisdom teeth which are removed only when causing actual problems, not to prevent "possible infections". Foreskins may be removed for medical necessity, but it seems to be mostly religious/cultural practice. You might very well argue what most people do, but your argument as presented lacks credible evidence as to what "most people" have as motivation for circumcising their baby boys - are you including Jews and Muslims in your "most people"?

I believe that you would indeed argue this as you are, in fact, actually arguing this. Well, asserting this without evidence.



Most Jewish and Muslim men are circumcised; most Christian men, worldwide, are not.

Trump promised to declassify previously classified documents during his 2024 campaign​

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to declassify files on the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.


Trump had promised to release the previously classified documents during his 2024 campaign after decades of speculation and conspiracy theories about the killings.

"Everything will be revealed," Trump told reporters as he signed the order in the Oval Office of the White House.

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The court tried to rectify the government's failure—but it’s still far from enough.

Child killer Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced to 52 years behind bars—less than three times the combined age of the three girls he murdered. Typically, this means he will be freed from prison at the age of 70, if he is still alive, and if the parole board allows it.

Ahead of sentencing, the parent of one victim said “Axel should rot in jail” until dead. Their child was left needing surgery after the attack.

Under UK law, a whole life order can only be imposed on criminals aged 21 and above, though it can also be considered as a punishment in exceptional circumstances for those aged 18 to 20. Rudakubana was less than a fortnight away from his 18th birthday when he carried out his attack.

The parent, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told The Sun that should imprisoning the killer for life mean “the law needs changing, so be it.”

Patrick Hurley, the Labour MP for Southport, has also called for legislation to be updated so that criminals such as this can be given a whole life order.

Continued below.

As pro-life advocates journey to Washington, D.C., for the third post-Roe March for Life, the incoming president of the march believes “there’s a lot of reasons for hope” for the pro-life movement to continue scoring legislative and cultural wins going forward.

The 52nd annual March for Life is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 24, and it will be the last one led by Jeanne Mancini, the outgoing March for Life Education and Defense Fund president.

The group’s president-elect, Jennie Bradley Lichter, will take the helm on Feb. 1, about one week after the march.

Lichter — a Catholic mother of three, a lawyer, and a longtime advocate for the sanctity of life — has been active in the pro-life movement since her childhood. She told CNA that growing up, she witnessed the example of her mother and her father, Gerard Bradley, a retired pro-life Notre Dame law professor who advocated for the unborn.

Continued below.

Peace in Christ.

We….His people….are to HEAR His voice and to observe and do all of His commandments. He will then set us on high above all nations of the earth (those who are on the outside in deep darkness). The nations of this world will then SEE His glory appear over us.

Deu 28:1-2 KJV
(1) And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
(2) And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

The LORD shall make us the head and not the tail in this dark world.

Deu 28:13-14 KJV
(13) And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

We must not go after “other gods” to serve them.

(14) And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

“Other gods” are the church handwritings of ordinances/dogmas which are written by man’s hands….by the hands of the fleshly-minded church scribes that thought they saw something in the Scriptures…trespassing into them…and have incorporated external commandments to keep into their handwritings.

The product of their own hands are the "graven images"....similar to the outside world's documents (such as constitutions...church constitutions). Church handwritings resemble the outside world's self-governing and self-judging documents. They are "images" of them...the things on earth. They also resemble the Scriptures....things in heaven.

They say that God commanded such things (their handwritings) but He did not. They are “other gods”. They are “graven images”…graven by the man’s hand out of his own earthly-minded imagination.

They use the handwritings to judge themselves and others with…thereby becoming slaves to the sin.

God is our only Judge. We are not “gods” or judges for God by judging others according to the handwritings of man’s hand.

They are the “weak and beggarly” elements (founding principles contained in their handwritings) that we are not to be keeping and serving. We are not to do “service”…be a slave…. unto them.

They were not written by God but by men who want you to keep and serve them rather than His commandments which are written upon our hearts and minds by God Himself. They are “other gods” that are not to be served…to be slaves to.

Gal 4:8-9 KJV
(8) Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
(9) But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

We must come out from among the man-based (based on their handwritings) churches and be separate from them.

We must “awake” from those who are “dead” in their trespasses and sins …from the “sleep”. We must awake from our “sleep” and come out from among the churches of men that serve their handwritings so that Christ will give us His light. We are then to be the “light of this world”…to the people of the world who are in deep spiritual darkness.

Eph 5:13-14 KJV
(13) But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
(14) Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

"O sleeper" ARISE from those who are dead. Call upon God so that God will "think"...that is, SHINE... upon those who are on the outside who are serving other gods and do not know Him. Then those who are on the outside who see and believe will be saved. The nations of this world who will then walk in HIs light (believe) shall be saved.

Jonah 1:6
(6) So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think (SHINE) upon us, that we perish not.

God…in His great mercy and love for us….makes us alive together when we were “dead in sins”….the keeping and serving the church handwritings of ordinances (the “other gods”…the “graven images”.

He raises us up together and makes us sit together in (that is, above) the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. He makes us be ABOVE ALL of the nations of this earth.

Eph 2:4-6 KJV
(4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
(5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)
(6) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

We are to be with Christ ABOVE all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named (their authority) not only in this “world”…that is, in this AGE…but also in that age which is to come.

Eph 1:17-21
(17) That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
(18) The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
(19) And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
(20) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
(21) Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world (AGE), but also in that which is to come:

They nations of this world shall see then His brightness of His glory and the express image of His person through us who are in Christ. Seeing is believing for the people of this dark world. But blessed are those who will hear and believe in His testimony about these things.

Heb 1:2-3 KJV
(2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
(3) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
.
We are the light of the world. We…who will HEAR His testimony and believe…shall then become the “city” that is set on a hill that cannot be hid.

Mat 5:14 KJV
(14) Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

The glory of the LORD shall rise upon us….and those outside nations of this world who are in darkness shall then SEE His glory. They will SEE the light as they look upon us as we are the light of the world in Christ.

Isa 60:1-3 KJV
(1) Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
(2) For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
(3) And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

If California goes down--the 5th largest economy in the world--there will be extremely negative repercussions to our country's economy.
So if the president is thinking about acting out of vindictiveness today to punish a state that has carried the poorer states on its back for decades, he should think again.
If compassion and human decency can't inspire him, perhaps dollars and cents will.

FireDragon76 said:

We "program" our children at schools, and teach them how to solve problems. Does that make them any less intelligent because they didn't figure it out on their own?

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You're opening up all sorts of new topics, that AI.

Teaching children, is very different than programming a computer.
You need to define what you mean, by "programming" children.

JulieB67 said:

I don't know, -compared to the 2020 riots when buildings, cities and much more were burned to the ground (all of which was called mostly peaceful by the MSM even as fire was raging in the background in some scenes) I'd say it was just as peaceful even more so than any of those. I don't condone violence on either side but I believe there's a lot more going on with Jan 6th that we don't know about.
Also we're supposed to believe that all of the sudden, the left wants to uphold the police when back then it was all about defunding? The hypocrisy is pretty blatant. I'm not a fan of either side at this point. As a Christian for me it's all about seeing how everything plays out according to our Father and his will.

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I'm talking about the riot at the Capital Building.

You are making an argument, about some other event.
Your approach is common, in social media discussions.
But, you still haven't dealt with the topic of the rioting at the Capital Building.

An Original Work / January 24, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Hi
The first day of this creation began when Noah stepped of the ark it would take 6 days to complete each day would be 1000 years long the end of creation would be mankind in the image of God which is the body of Christ which hevwill present to the Father on his return

Love and Peace
Dave