"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." matthew 5:3

He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” luke 18: 9-14

"Jesus says the people who realize [that] they are bankrupt spiritually are truly blessed. And it's only this realization that turns them to God. You cannot fulfill what you are created to do and be without God's grace. Jesus rips away from believers the self-delusion that any person is capable of acquiring a condition of blessedness on their own. Jesus aims to produce in you a real poverty of spirit." 

Increase Your Faith: 75 Powerful Teachings of Jesus Christ for Your Spiritual Growth (Book 1 of 4) by Raj K Ashok (Author)

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." matthew 5:3

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beatitudes_(Spirit)_2016-10-15_2826.jpg

Chris Light [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

understanding the mind of God

imagine trying to explain relativity (as in "Einstein's theory of") to a young child. the young child knows better. a young child intuitively knows that their young mind is incapable of understanding Einstein's theory of relativity. 

when it comes to knowing God's ways, even the most learned among us is like a young child. 

"At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.'"     matthew 18: 1-5

 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land."     matthew 5:5 

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

God's gifts

A Prayer of Thanks for God's Many Good Gifts
JUNE 30, 2013 | Scotty Smith

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:17-18

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Col. 2:6-7

Heavenly Father, I awoke today a grateful man—keenly aware of the number and variety of good gifts you have poured into my life. As someone who has every reason to overflow with thanksgiving, here’s a few of your gifts for which I give you praise this morning.

First and foremost, I praise you for being the changeless Father of heavenly lights, as opposed to being the impetuous god of shifting shadows. I cannot predict you. I cannot control you. I cannot presume on your ways. But I can completely trust you to be impassible (without mood swings), yet passionately good and faithful. I know this to be true through Jesus, who is the same “yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).

I’m also thankful that twice you’ve chosen to give me birth. I was utterly dependent on you for both—for the first time I breathed in oxygen, or the second time you breathed the life of Jesus into my spirit, giving me the new birth. Life and salvation are “of the Lord”—from beginning to end. It’s all of grace—a grace which has taught my reluctant heart to sing, “the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Father, I’m also thankful for these things today: The watermelon I ate at a neighborhood party last night—the sweetest and crunchiest I’ve ever tasted in my life; my wife’s infectious laugh and my grandson’s face-decorating, room-lighting-up smile; the fresh renewal in the gospel you’ve been blessing me with in recent weeks; the music of Motown and The Beatles—the soundtrack of my high school years; the tear-producing taste of fresh wasabi on crunchy shrimp sushi; the assurance that you will finish making me like Jesus one day; an air conditioned home and car; and all the variegated hopes, dreams and longings you’ve placed in my heart, for the life we will eternally enjoy in new heaven and new earth.

Father, these are just a few of the many, many gifts that come down from you, all the time. What do I have that I have not received from you? Nothing! What gift have you given me that you don’t intend me to enjoy? Not one! How can I live as a “kind of firstfruits of all you’ve created”? (James 1:18) Show me! So very Amen I pray in Jesus’ most glorious and grace-full name.

"Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present." Bil Keane 

image by Nick Kenrick

Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is … | Flickr

labeled for noncommercial reuse

and I thank You, Lord, today for all of Your many, many gifts--including my beautiful wife of 52+ years. happy birthday, Jenny!

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

"...lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..."

unlike God, we live in time--yesterday, today, tomorrow. 
for God, there is no time--yesterday, today and tomorrow exist in an eternal present.

yesterday

yesterday in our world began when the universe began. scientists believe that the universe began 13.7 billion years ago. HubbleSite - Reference Desk - FAQs 

scientists believe that planet earth is 4.54 billion years old. How Old Is Earth? - How Scientists Determine Its Age | Space

scientists estimate that from 2 to 6 million years ago early humans lived in Africa. Introduction to Human Evolution | The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program 

the oldest human records are about 5,000 years old. Ancient history - Wikipedia 

yesterday for us began the day that we were born.

today

we live in a world racked by evil--war, deprivation, disasters, pain, suffering, death. 

some of us also believe that we live in a world where "...Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." (matthew 6:10). we see the goodness of God and God's creation. we believe that mankind is God's greatest creation. God made mankind in His image. God's greatest gift to mankind is our free will. we can choose to sin--or not. we can choose to believe--or not.

"No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God." john 3: 13-21 

"...lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..." 

doesn't it make sense--for those of us who believe that our free will is God's greatest gift to us--that we give our free will back to our Father in heaven, in thanksgiving, so that we do only His will? isn't this what Jesus did? in the desert? when tempted by satan? in the garden? on the cross? 

John 3:16 | God'sMercyandLove | Flickr

public domain

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

Myriam, mother of Yeshua

Mary (Arabic: مريم‎, romanized: Maryam), the mother of Jesus (Isa), holds a singularly exalted place in Islam as the only woman named in the Quran, which refers to her seventy times and explicitly identifies her as the greatest of all women,^[2][3][4] stating, with reference to the angelic saluation during the annunciation, "O Mary, God has chosen you, and purified you; He has chosen you above all the women of creation."^[5] In the Quran, her story is related in three Meccan chapters (19, 21, 23) and four Medinan chapters (3, 4, 5, 66), and the nineteenth chapter of the scripture, titled "Mary" (Surat Maryam), is named after her. The Quran refers to Mary more often than the New Testament.^[6]
Mary in Islam - Wikipedia

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_Jesus_and_his_Mother_at_the_Fountain_(J%C3%A9sus_et_sa_m%C3%A8re_%C3%A0_la_fontaine)_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpg

James Tissot [Public domain]

Commons:Image copyright tags visual/PD USA - Wikimedia Commons

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

Yeshua, be my guide

Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." 

john 14:6

image by Sharon Tate Soberon

Lord, Light My Path | "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a … | Flickr

labeled for noncommercial reuse

Christ be our light.m4v - YouTube

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 

matthew 17:5, also matthew 3:17, mark 9:7, luke 9:35

doing good works and being in a church community can be good things; but, if you want to please the Father, then listen ONLY to His Son. 

image by Jimmy T. V.

John 14:6 | This is the most important verse in The Bible. Y… | Flickr

public domain

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

near death experience (NDE) life review

"I was amazed at first when I discovered that scientific research on NDEs (near death experiences) has gone on for decades. What’s most interesting for our inquiry is that innumerable documented NDEs include reports of a “life review,” including many accounts given by children. ...

The NDE field is large enough that it now includes bestselling books and major feature films. Over fifty years of research on thousands of cases of NDEs has yielded a rich set of new data that have been subject to multidisciplinary scientific scrutiny by scientists worldwide. Among many characteristics isolated by researchers is the fact that almost all experiencers report a vivid and joyful awareness of a discrete soul or selfhood that has the potential to survive the death of the body. In virtually every case, NDEers experienced the same numinous qualities that I had felt. In many cases they report the experience of a formal life review. And yet, according to premier NDE researcher Kenneth Ring, “Religious orientation was not a factor affecting either the likelihood or the depth of the near-death experience. An atheist was as likely to have one as was a devoutly religious person.”[1] 

NDE reports do have variations, but the long list of shared characteristics that have now been assembled by peer-reviewed researchers and which are being reported in a myriad of conferences around the world is leading to the conclusion that the NDE is a more or less objective phenomenon. The life review phenomenon, in my view, is one of the key modalities revealing to us the nature of the soul. Here, for example, is a typical life review account provided by the well-known author and NDE experiencer Dannion Brinkley: [A] powerful being enveloped me and I began to relive my entire life, one incident at a time. In what I call the panoramic life review I watched my life from a second person point of view. As I experienced this I was myself as well as every other person with whom I had ever interacted . . . When the panoramic life review ended, despite the many obvious mistakes I had made in my life, I experienced no retribution—no judgment and no punishment. I was the only judge presiding over my day in court! Given time to assimilate my life in retrospect, I was given the opportunity to know, first hand, both the happiness and the sorrow I had created through my actions.[2]

Scores and scores of detailed life reviews like this one have been documented in the research literature. The reviews are typically led by an angelic or celestial being whose role was to help draw life lessons.[3] Much like Brinkley, subjects report having a “holographic” experience overseen by such benign beings, in which they engage in a vivid reliving of life episodes in chronological sequence (or sometimes in reverse sequence). Another common description compares a life review to watching a movie. Guided at each step by one or several celestial beings, the experiencer will view scenes of their life in a way that can be fast-forwarded, slowed down, or paused in order to focus on a particular detail.

In their life review experiences, NDErs report a clear perception of what it felt like for others with whom they interacted in each life episode. According to Dr. Raymond Moody, the first well known researcher in the field, “The [higher being] presents the dying with a panoramic review of everything they have ever done. That is, they relive every act they have ever done to other people and come away feeling that love is the most important thing in life.”[4]"

Near-Death Life Reviews Reveal Our Soul | Byron Belitsos

I can only imagine my joy at knowing that I am in heaven, despite my poor life record, because Jesus suffered horrible torture and death nailed to a cross--saving me from the just punishment that I deserve for my sins. 


"Oh Happy Day" Edwin Hawkins - Anthony Brown w/ FBCG Combined Choir - YouTube

1 John 1:7 | Sapphire Dream Photography | Flickr

labeled for noncommercial reuse

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

forgiveness

Brad was all alone when he moved to his new place. then he met Jennifer--she lived in his apartment building. they became friends. 

it wasn't long before tall, handsome Brad met other "friends". they palled around together, partied, drank, got high. Jennifer wasn't part of Brad's "new friends". 

then it happened--the "accident". Brad was charged with DUI and manslaughter. He got jail time, and was on probation when he was released from jail.

none of Brad's "new friends" visited him after the "accident"--only Jennifer. 

Freedom Through Forgiveness | 1. Our model for forgiving oth… | Flickr

image by Freedom Through Forgiveness

labeled for noncommercial reuse

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

john 20: 1-18, Yeshua's resurrection

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned home.

But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.

john 20: 1-18

File:The resurrection day.jpg - Wikipedia

labeled for noncommercial reuse

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

matthew 1: 18-25, Yeshua saves

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus. 

matthew 1: 18-25 

Blest Be The Lord By Dan Schutte - YouTube 

what an incredible gift from our Father Yahweh and His Son Yeshua! Yeshua took the just punishment for our sins upon Himself so that we may have eternal life with our Creator Elohim in heaven! what does Elohim ask for in return for Elohim's incredible gift of eternal life in heaven? 

1. Elohim wants our thanks.
2. Elohim wants us to keep His commandments. 
3. Elohim wants our love.
4. Elohim wants us to love others.
5. Elohim wants us to be sorry for our sins.

not much--all things considered. Innocent Yeshua suffered incredibly in redeeming us from the just punishment for our sins. Yeshua was rejected, betrayed, unjustly tried, sentenced to death, tortured and died a horrible death nailed to a cross. what kind of love is this? love that, as long as we live on this earth, we will never be able to comprehend. 

note: "Yahweh, Yeshua and Elohim are ancient hebrew words. Yahweh (spelled Yod, Hey, Waw, Hey or YHWH) is the Father. Yeshua is the Son. Elohim means Mighty One (most often seen as God)." (from the book FAITH THAT IS HIS: WHEN YOUR BELIEF IS HEAVY, HIS FAITH IS LIGHT, 2019, by Tracy Huey.) 

image by Church Iglesia

Matthew 1-21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou sh… | Flickr

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

john 10: 7-21: Yeshua is the gate

So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.”

Again there was a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He is possessed and out of his mind; why listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the words of one possessed; surely a demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”

john 10: 7-21 


Are You Washed in the Blood? - YouTube

image by Church Iglesia

John 10-10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to… | Flickr

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." john 14: 15-18

"'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' Then they understood that he was not telling them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Matthew 16: 11-12

Italian bishops vote to change translation of the Our Father | Catholic Herald 
Here’s Pope Francis’ big change to the ‘Our Father’ 

what is this really all about? 

image by underminingme

https://www.flickr.com/photos/30228426@N03/2832163100

labeled for noncommercial reuse

one would think, after two thousand years, that the translation would be correct. after all, what could be more important than the prayer that Jesus Himself taught to His followers when they asked Him how they should pray? 

the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) is the current bible used by the catholic church. http://www.usccb.org/bible/ 

"... and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6: 11-22 http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/6 

"... and do not subject us to the final test." Luke 11: 4 
http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/11 

in catholic high school (1960-1964) we used the Jerusalem bible. it is not on the current list of approved translations. Approved Translations of the Bible 

"... And do not put us to the test, but save us from the Evil One." Matthew - Chapter 6 - Bible - Catholic Online 

"... And do not put us to the test." Luke - Chapter 11 - Bible - Catholic Online 

wikipedia gives other translations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord's_Prayer both Matthew and Luke in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) say "... lead us not into temptation ...".

"1928 Episcopal BCP (with doxology);[15] Catholic version (without doxology)[16] Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [The 1928 BCP adds: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.]

1662 Anglican BCP[17] Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven: Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil: When before the Collect the priest alone recites the prayer, the people here respond: Amen. When after all have communicated the people repeat each petition after the priest, the prayer ends: For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen. 

Other English translations are also used. ... All these versions are based on the text in Matthew, rather than Luke, of the prayer given by Jesus:

Matthew 6:9–13 (English Standard Version, ESV) "Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

so, what gives? why would bishops think that it's necessary to tweak the translation of the Lord's prayer after 2,000 years? pride? idle minds? one would think that for at least the last several decades that they would have more important things to do--like ridding the church of sexually abusive priests and bishops that cover it up, vatican bank scandals, etc. or is it deliberate obfuscation?

"'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' Then they understood that he was not telling them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Matthew 16: 11-12

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Lord%27s_Prayer_(Le_Pater_Noster)_-_James_Tissot.jpg

James Tissot [Public domain]

 

divine praises

Blessed be God—Elohim--one God—three Persons.
Blessed be Elohim's holy name.
Blessed be Yahweh--God the Father.
Blessed be Yahweh's Holy Name.
Blessed be Yahweh's creation--everything that exists, ever existed or will exist--all of Yahweh's creation is good—including humans.
Blessed be Yahweh's sovereignty, His supremacy, His majesty.
Blessed be Yahweh's wisdom, justice, mercy and love—all of which work together completely and perfectly in a way that we cannot comprehend.
Blessed be Yahweh's only Son--Yeshua.
Blessed be Yeshua's holy name.
Blessed be Yeshua's conception—by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Myriam--the Blessed Virgin Mary.  
Blessed be Yeshua's holy birth—in a stable, in Bethlehem.
Blessed be Yeshua's private life in the home of Myriam and Joseph, during which He grew in wisdom and strength.
Blessed be Yeshua's public life during which He performed miracles, taught and proclaimed the kingdom of God.
Blessed be Yeshua's horrible passion and death during which the innocent Lamb of God redeemed us from the just punishment for our sins.
Blessed be Yeshua's glorious resurrection.
Blessed be Yeshua's glorious ascension—He sits at the right hand of the Father and judges the living and the dead.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, third Person in the Trinity.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit’s holy name.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit conceiving Yeshua in the womb of the Myriam--Blessed Virgin Mary.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit at Yeshua's birth—in a stable, in Bethlehem.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit during Yeshua's private life, during which Yeshua grew in wisdom and strength in the home of Myriam and Joseph.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit during Jesus’ public life—particularly at Yeshua's baptism in the jordon river at the beginning of His public ministry and Yeshua's transfiguration with Moses and Elijah at mount tabor towards the end of His public ministry.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit descending upon the disciples, giving them grace, courage and strength to spread Yeshua's gospel to the ends of the earth, as Yeshua commanded them to do.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit’s promise to be with the faithful until the end of time.
Blessed be Myriam, mother of Jesus.
Blessed be her holy name.
Blessed be Myriam’s Immaculate Conception in the womb of St. Anne, her mother.
Blessed be Myriam's holy birth.
Blessed be Myriam’s complete and perfect devotion and obedience to God at the annunciation when she learned that she would be the mother of the Messiah, despite not knowing how this would come to be, or the sorrows that she would suffer because of her yes.
Blessed be Myriam’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth during their pregnancies.
Blessed be Myriam’s great prayer, the Magnificat. “My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
Blessed be Myriam giving birth to Yeshua—in a stable, in Bethlehem.
Blessed Myriam’s and Joseph’s complete and perfect devotion and obedience to God as they presented their firstborn male son Yeshua at the temple for circumcision--according to Hebrew custom and law.
Blessed be Myriam during Yeshua's private life—she fed Him, she clothed Him, she took care of Him when He was sick, she taught Him, she prayed with Him—as He grew in wisdom and strength.
Blessed be Myriam’s complete and perfect devotion and obedience to God during Yeshua's public life. 
Blessed be Myriam in her sorrow during Yeshua's horrible passion and death when Yeshua was rejected, betrayed, falsely accused, falsely tried, falsely sentenced to die, tortured and died nailed to a cross. Only Myriam and John of Yeshua's closest followers stood at the foot of the cross while Yeshua suffered and died.
Blessed be Myriam’s glorious assumption into heaven.
Blessed be Myriam’s glorious coronation as queen of heaven and earth.
Blessed be St. Joseph.
Blessed be his holy name.
Blessed Joseph’s complete and perfect devotion and obedience to God during Yeshua's private life—he provided shelter for Him, he fed Him, he clothed Him, he taught Him, and he prayed with Him as Jesus grew in wisdom and strength.
Blessed be Joseph’s complete and perfect devotion and obedience to God as he took Myriam into his home as his wife, took Yeshua and Myriam to Egypt when Herod was trying to kill Yeshua and brought Myriam and Yeshua back to Galilee when God told him that it was safe for him to do so.
Blessed be Joseph during Yeshua's private life--he provided shelter, food and clothing for Yeshua. he taught Him. he prayed with Him. he loved Him--as Yeshua grew in wisdom and in strength.
blessed be God in all his angels and saints.
Amen. 

Holy God we praise thy name - YouTube

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

isaiah 53

Who would believe what we have heard?
To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
He grew up like a sapling before him,
like a shoot from the parched earth;
He had no majestic bearing to catch our eye,
no beauty to draw us to him.
He was spurned and avoided by men,
a man of suffering, knowing pain,
Like one from whom you turn your face,
spurned, and we held him in no esteem.

Yet it was our pain that he bore,
our sufferings he endured.
We thought of him as stricken,
struck down by God and afflicted, 

But he was pierced for our sins,
crushed for our iniquity.
He bore the punishment that makes us whole,
by his wounds we were healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep,
all following our own way;
But the LORD laid upon him 

the guilt of us all. 

Though harshly treated, he submitted
and did not open his mouth;
Like a lamb led to slaughter
or a sheep silent before shearers,
he did not open his mouth. 

Seized and condemned, he was taken away.
Who would have thought any more of his destiny?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
struck for the sins of his people.

He was given a grave among the wicked,
a burial place with evildoers,
Though he had done no wrong,
nor was deceit found in his mouth. 

But it was the LORD’s will to crush him with pain.
By making his life as a reparation offering, 

he shall see his offspring, shall lengthen his days,
and the LORD’s will shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his anguish he shall see the light;
because of his knowledge he shall be content;
My servant, the just one, shall justify the many,
their iniquity he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the many,
and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
Because he surrendered himself to death,
was counted among the transgressors,
Bore the sins of many,
and interceded for the transgressors. 

Isaiah 53 

"The traditional view is that all 66 chapters of the book of Isaiah were written by one man, Isaiah, possibly in two periods between 740 BCE and c. 686 BCE, separated by approximately 15 years..." Isaiah - Wikipedia 

Isaiah 53:2-5 | WC Ferrell | Flickr

public domain

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love