An Inheritance Incorruptible

¹⁵ And he said to them: Take heed and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life doth not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth.
¹⁶ And he spoke a similitude to them, saying: The land of a certain rich man brought forth plenty of fruits.
¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying: What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
¹⁸ And he said: This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and will build greater; and into them will I gather all things that are grown to me, and my goods.
¹⁹ And I will say to my soul: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thy rest; eat, drink, make good cheer.
²⁰ But God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?
²¹ So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.
Luke 12

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O Holy Spirit, Thou Treasury of Goodness and source of all blessings, guide us so that we may see and value things according to their true worth. All that we have, we receive from Thee, grant us also the grace to hear Thee, and to listen to Thee, and to follow Thy promptings, so that we may make good use of the talents which Thou hast entrusted to us.

Good Saint Hospitius, pray for us, that we may not mourn overmuch what we had to leave behind or could not acquire, but that we will cling instead to God, Who alone can give us life.

Holy Saint Cristóbal, who gave away your last remaining possessions to your killers, pray for us, that passing things may have as light a hold on our souls, and that we will end in charity.

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¹⁹ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal;
²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Matthew 6

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Dear Rebecca, may we also remember to be grateful. Thank you for your friendship. For the good things we shared, let us both thank God.

Prayers for a "Theology of Liberation"

I just ran across this progressive reworking of part of the Lord's prayer, by Canaan Sodindo Banana, a liberation theologian and former president of Zimbabwe:

...Teach us to demand our share of the gold,
And forgive us our docility...

(He also reworked the Creed).

Prayer for Two Weak Men

Most pure Spirit of the Father and of the Son, Holy Paraclete, save us, O merciful God, from malice towards others, from envy, from avarice, from self-serving compromises with evil. Grant us the grace, O Lord, to live always in Thy light. Make us true sons of the Father, shunning deceitful ways and all the works of the devil.

We ask this in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who reigns with Thee in the glory of the Father, one God, forever and always. Amen.

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And he said to them: Take heed and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life doth not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth.

And he spoke a similitude to them, saying: The land of a certain rich man brought forth plenty of fruits. And he thought within himself, saying: What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said: This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and will build greater; and into them will I gather all things that are grown to me, and my goods. And I will say to my soul: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thy rest; eat, drink, make good cheer. But God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?

Luke 12:15-20

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You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou Fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee; Leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother: and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift. Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him: lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Matthew 5:21-25

Second Sunday of Lent

1 Thessalonians 4:1-7

¹For the rest therefore, brethren, we pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us, how you ought to walk, and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more.

²For you know what precepts I have given to you by the Lord Jesus.

³For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that you should abstain from fornication;

⁴That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour:

⁵Not in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles that know not God:

⁶And that no man overreach, nor circumvent his brother in business: because the Lord is the avenger of all these things, as we have told you before, and have testified.

⁷For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification: in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Saint Philomena, virgin and Martyr, pray for us that through thy powerful intercession we may obtain that purity of mind and heart which leads to the perfect love of God. Amen.

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Help us, O merciful God and source of all that is good, to love Thy creatures in due measure, honorably according to Thy will, and to love Thee above all that Thou hast created. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Who reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Where have you set your heart?

Ecclesiasticus 5:1-10 (Douay Rheims)

¹ Set not thy heart upon unjust possessions, and say not: I have enough to live on: for it shall be of no service in the time of vengeance and darkness.

² Follow not in thy strength the desires of thy heart:

³ And say not: How mighty am I? and who shall bring me under for my deeds? for God will surely take revenge.

⁴ Say not: I have sinned, and whet harm hath befallen me? for the most High is a patient rewarder.

⁵ Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and add not sin upon sin:

⁶ And say not: The mercy of the Lord is great, he will have mercy on the multitude of my sins.

⁷ For mercy and wrath quickly come from him, and his wrath looketh upon sinners.

⁸ Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day.

⁹ For his wrath shall come on a sudden, and in the time of vengeance he will destroy thee.

¹⁰ Be not anxious for goods unjustly gotten: for they shall not profit thee in the day of calamity and revenge.

Show with Haydock Commentary or the Latin Vulgate Bible
Bible passage courtesy of VeritasBible.com

Matthew 6:19-21 (Douay Rheims)

¹⁹ Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust, and moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal.

²⁰ But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven: where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through, nor steal.

²¹ For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.

Show with Haydock Commentary or the Latin Vulgate Bible
Bible passage courtesy of VeritasBible.com

God vs. Mammon

Today's Epistle:

Blessed is the man that is found without blemish, and that hath not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money nor in treasures. Who is he, and we will praise him? for he hath done wonderful things in is life. Who hath been tried thereby, and made perfect, he shall have glory everlasting: he that could have transgressed, and hath not transgressed: and could do evil things, and hath not done them: therefore are his goods established in the Lord, and all the Church of the Saints shall declare his alms.

Ecclus. 31:8-11

In A Christmas Tale, Ebenezer Scrooge cherished the accumulation of wealth above all other considerations. But even a hard-hearted man is offered mercy, if he can endure it...

God of Mercy, free us from the chains that bind us.

Blessed Saint Casimir, constant in the midst of royal luxury, intercede for us so that by the Grace of God we may despise earthly things and ever aspire to those of heaven.

Financial Incentives for Apostasy

The muslims for centuries had the jizya, a special tax enacted on non-muslims. The Anglicans enacted penal laws which included financial penalties to Catholics for practicing the Faith. The natural tendency over the years was for people to abandon the Church founded by Christ and and adopt their oppressors' religion as a way to escape second-class status or worse.

This persecution of Christ's Church was reprehensible, but at least it is understandable that her enemies would act in this way. What is less understandable is why Christians would do this to themselves. For several years now, Germany has had the same kind of policy, providing a financial incentive for people to abandon their faith.

I guess the Devil has found a strategy that seems to work, and is sticking with it.

From the bit bucket

Good thing I checked my trash folder. Just today, I received this notification that I am now a wealthy man. All I have to do is send some personal details such as my bank account number, so that the Central Bank of Nigeria can make the large deposit it is waiting to give me, and I'll be set.

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CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA PLC
CBN HEADQUATER- ZARIA STR,
GARKI-ABUJA, NIGERIA
[OFFICE OF THE PAY MASTER GENERAL]
CONTRACT #: MAV/NNPC/FGN/MIN/009,
Swift Code: BPH KPL PK,
A/C#: 329606=101244=169=678
CENTRAL BANK NIGERIA
Our Ref: CBN/IRD/CBX/021/04
Dr Wright Tompson
Telephone: +234-8029269417
Email:(info_wright_paymaster@yahoo.com)

RE--PAYMENT SCHEADULE IMMEDIATE CONTRACT PAYMENT.CONTRACT #:MAV/NNPC/FGN/MIN/009 /

NEXT OFKIN FUND.

ATTENTION: Sir,

Dear Honorable contractors/next of kin inheritance,
From the records of outstanding contractors and next of kin inheritance due for payment with the Federal Government of Nigeria your name and company was discovered as next on the list of the outstanding contractors and next of kin inheritance who have not received their payments in respect of the contract or next of kin inheritance which you executed here in Nigeria. I wish to inform you that your payment is being processed and will be released to you as soon as you respond to this letter. Also note that from my record in my file your outstanding contract payment and next of kin inheritance which is these amounts that stated here US$10.5M) ten million five hundred thousand dollas.
Please re-confirm to me if this is in line with what you have in your record.
and also re-confirm to me the followings.

(1) Your full name.
(2) Phone, fax and mobile .
(3) Company name, position
(4) Profession, age and marital status.
(5)Your full bank information

As soon as this information is received, your payment will be made to you
Please note that all payments is strictly to made by transfer delivered or deplomartical way of delivering. Get back to me through my alternative Email (info_wright_paymaster@yahoo.com).

Regards,
Dr Wright Tompson
Central Bank of Nigeria PLC (CBN)
[OFFICE OF THE PAY MASTER GENERAL}

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Also retrieved from the same folder: a personal invitation from Donald Trump.

Subject: Personal invitation from Donald Trump, RSVP

AD-VE-RT-I-SE-ME-NT

Dear MICHAEL,

What if I could tell you that I could make your day better? It is possible for you to do something extraordinary right now that can alter the course of your life - take advantage of this rare personal invitation from Donald Trump.

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HTTP://uni.bawista.com/?ZMTU2ODM=Z-ZMTUwMDU2ODEsMzMxMzgz...
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The Donald obviously found out that I am now a fellow rich guy, hence the personal invitation, rather than the impersonal bulk email that the hoi polloi have settle for. Yep, we are pretty much best buds now, the Donald and I.

Avarice isn't still considered a sin, is it?

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I just checked -- it still is.

The "personal invitation" email appeals not only to avarice, but also to pride in the form of vanity. I wonder how many appeals to the other deadly sins I would have found, if I had carefully sifted through the rest of the contents of the bulk email folder, before flushing it.