🧀The Cheese & Crackers = Quotes by Lorenzo Scupoli, Leon Bloy, and
Fr. Walter Ciszek, Servant of God
🥗The Veggies = My 2💰
🥔The Potatoes = “Leading up to the Death of Blessed Benedict Daswa”, by the Benedict Daswa Organization (Part 2 of 2)
🥩The Meat = ”Loving Jesus Above All Things”, by Thomas A Kempis
🎂The Dessert = “YouTube video: The Secret of Mary - Holy Slavery”, by Fr. Hugh Gillespie (Part 04)
”It is asked, ‘Why is this invocation made in Greek and not in Latin?’ One of the reasons given by the Fathers is that the highest natural wisdom flourished in Greece. And to show that to call on God’s mercy is the highest wisdom, this invocation is sung in Greek. Again, the faith came to us Latins from the Greeks; Peter and Paul came to the Latins from the Greeks and from them came salvation for us. And so that we may be mindful that this grace came to us from the Greeks, we preserve even now the very words and syllables with which the divine mercy was first invoked by the people. For we owe this reverence to the fathers, that the traditions which they instituted should be followed also by us”
🍯“Every man who begets a free act projects his personality into the infinite… If he begets an impure act, he perhaps darkens thousands of hearts whom he does not know, who are mysteriously linked to him, and who need this man to be pure as a traveler dying of thirst needs the Gospel’s draught of water. A charitable act, an impulse of real pity sings for him the divine praises, from the time of Adam to the end of the ages; it cures the sick, consoles those in despair, calms storms, ransoms prisoners, converts the infidel and protects mankind”. By Leon Bloy
🌰“Each of us has no need to wonder about what God’s will must be for us; his will for us is clearly revealed in every situation of every day.” By Fr. Walter Ciszek, Servant of God
address for anyone desiring to read the complete post: https://nealobstat.wordpress.com/2019/10/13/miscellaneous-thoughts-on-marriage-and-family/
“Pattie and I chose, planned, saved up long to make this time and space for laughter, prayer, laughing some more, reading, eating, drinking, walking, playing, chilling, watching sunrise and sunset, exploring new places together, laughing more, and praying again. Remembering our ‘early love,’ and seeing where it has come.MmWe talked about us, about hope for our future and the meaning of our past, about our children, about faith, about our past disagreements (and why we disagree on them) — about so many things we otherwise have difficulty finding sufficient time or mental energy to reflect on in this depth. After 24 years of marriage, we see so clearly that every time we make time to retreat together to be alone — whether in these rare stretches of days, or in the 5 to 30 minute ‘bubble time’ retreats we try hard to make time for at the end of each day — we are re-anchored in the rock of our sacramental covenant. There we uncover what exactly it is that “God has joined” that “man must not divide.”
When we fail to retreat and face each other again, the storms that never cease to rage around us begin to pull at us, tear us apart, drown us. The Catechism says “…the tempter does all he can to turn man away from prayer” — but I would add, “…and the tempter does all he can to turn spouses away from each other.” True to form, he mostly tempts us to drift apart busied with seemingly good things that dissipate our focus and imperceptibly erode the foundations. Diabolic literally means ‘the one who tears apart,’ and Satan so hates all that God has joined. And in God’s creation, marriage and family are ground zero for God’s plan to unite all things in Christ. United we stand, divided we fall. I wrote last night”:
You
me
us, we
alone at last
together,
now as past.
Presently, today
our time-worn
pain-knitted souls
are here reborn
in both soul and flesh,
our joy has been made fresh
like springs o’erflown.
Far hungrier am I now
for your heart I’ve long known.
Yes I know you so more, far more
and you me, in every which way!
May this way of being with you
ever be
o you my undying ecstasy,
with you, my all twirled-up bride
is my place of drowning,
my death in your lovely sea
welling-up from our always-lasting,
living-loving,
freshly-binding
life-creating Trinity.
Oh course, experiencing a poetic fever resulted in this collaboration
🦜DTJN- You, me, us
🦜tmm- Never shall there be a casting of one another under the bus
🦜DTJN- We alone at last together, now as past.
🦜tmm- Time please stand still, I beg you, do not march on so fast
🦜DTJN- Presently, today
🦜tmm- In an oh so special kind of way
🦜DTJN- Our time-worn pain-knitted souls
🦜tmm- Will continue to metamorph as the Holy Spirit unceasingly melts and molds
🦜DTJN- Are here reborn
🦜tmm- What a great blessing in our lives, by God’s will, that each other we brilliantly adorn
🦜DTJN- In both soul and flesh, our joy has been made fresh
🦜tmm- A growing crescendo more and more as we mesh
🦜DTJN- Like springs o’erflown.
🦜tmm- In such a good way this rocks my world right down to the bone
🦜DTJN- Far hungrier am I now
🦜tmm- Intrigued by what unfolds in regard to the why and how
🦜DTJN- For your heart I’ve long known.
🦜tmm - Making sure seeds of love were carefully sown as sweet kisses were blown
🦜DTJN- Yes I know you so more, far more and you me, in every which way!
🦜tmm- Halleluia, praise God Almighty, we were born to see the light of day
🦜DTJN- May this way of being with you ever be o you my undying ecstasy
🦜tmm- Forever reality rather than any mere fantasy
🦜DTJN- With you, my all twirled-up bride
🦜tmm- So looking good with you at my side
🦜DTJN- Is my place of drowning, my death in your lovely sea
🦜tmm-The place of abode, so perfect a fit for me
🦜DTJN- Welling-up from our always-lasting,
living-loving, freshly-binding life-creating Trinity.
🦜tmm- My dear Patti truly how blest in every way by God are we
Info from this site:
http://benedictdaswa.org.za/witchcraft/leading-up-the-death-of-blessed-benedict/
“From the time of his conversion and especially since his marriage in Church the pattern of Benedict’s life is very clear. He was totally committed to Christ and to the Catholic Church in which he was an enthusiastic and active leader. At the same time, he was also deeply involved and very influential in the life of the village. In both of these roles Benedict was always guided by his faith. He was never ashamed to admit his great trust in God. According to Hendrick Mughivi, “Benedict would say in front of everyone that it was God who would give him strength”.
Village Life
The catechist, Norman Tshifura, speaks of the link between faith and truth in Benedict’s life, “Benedict stood for the truth because of his faith. It was not just a matter of knowledge; it was through his faith because it opened his eyes. When he saw someone, he saw the likeness of God. He learned from Saints like St. Benedict. He knew his faith through the truth of the Church. He made himself strong through his faith and the catechism”. His growing in faith led him to an ever deeper involvement in the Church and in the community as Baldwin Mutshutshu recalls, “The older he got, the more his faith developed. He was more involved in the parish at the time of his death than ever before. He was involved in many things”.
Benedict’s faith was nourished by the regular reception of Jesus in the Eucharist. This great mystery of faith and love meant everything to him. It was the centre of his life. He would never miss Sunday Mass unless it was totally impossible to attend. We know this from Simon Khaukanani, “Benedict had a great love for the Mass and would walk about 4 or 5 kilometres to attend Church at Muramba, Malavuwe”. Over the years he had matured in his faith and was ready to face whatever challenges might come as we learn from Chris Mphaphuli, “He knew who he was, what his faith was, and therefore come what may, he was ready for everything”.
As Benedict’s faith was growing all the time, so also was the opposition to him at the Headman’s Council and among the people in the village. His stance against witchcraft was not a popular one, since he was opposing something very deep in the local culture. There were others who, like Benedict, saw the world of witchcraft as one of evil, fear, mistrust, enmity, injustice and violence which the people should abandon and put behind them. However, these, among them ministers of religion, kept quiet out of fear of reprisal.
The road where Benedict was ambushed
Benedict was different. In the words of one of the parishioners, Samson Managa, “Benedict spoke openly and strongly in public opposing people who wanted to use witchcraft. He didn’t believe in witchcraft, diviners, fortune tellers, etc”. His brother Calson reminds us that Benedict’s stance came from his Christian faith, “One thing is for sure, Benedict Daswa did not compromise his stand. He stuck to his Christian values: Don’t kill, don’t believe in witchcraft”. He defended people’s right not to kill witches or chase them away. Agnes Ramukumba recalls that Benedict, “defended people who did not want to pay to consult the sangoma, he did not want people to pay for something that was not true”. Above all, Benedict didn’t want any innocent person killed or banished from the village as a supposed witch.
What normally happens is that through hearsay, whispering and gossip, fingers are pointed at a certain individual, often an old woman or some other vulnerable person. People do not look for any proof of guilt but go to a sangoma who usually confirms their suspicions. The accused is given no possibility of defence. Benedict was very much aware of the damaging effects of gossip in the whole area of witchcraft. Chris Mphaphuli reports that, “Benedict despised gossip and would not be party to it. He was always seeking the truth in any situation and advocated speaking directly to the person with whom he had a problem”. According to Norman Tshifura, “There were people who hated him for standing for the truth and not allowing things to interfere with his faith”. Deacon Jonas Letlalo also emphasised this point that, “Benedict would not do something against or in contradiction to his faith”.
The Soccer field
Everyone knew about Benedict’s principled stance against the use of muti to bring success to the Mbahe Eleven Computers soccer team. Some spread the rumour that Benedict himself was dabbling in witchcraft by having zombies help him in his garden. There was a lot of jealousy and resentment against Benedict. This was not only on account of his opposition to witchcraft but also because of his success in life. He was a respected man with a nice house. He was a good school principal and a leader in the Transvaal United African Teachers Association. He was active in the Church and in the Headman’s Council. Moreover, he was a close friend of the Headman.
According to his sister, Thinavhuyo, there were some people who believed that, “Benedict and the Headman were very protective of those people who were suspected of evil things in the village”. As a popular and highly-respected person Benedict was often invited to be the Master of Ceremonies at weddings. He had a high and a rising status in the village and some people didn’t like that.
During the late nineties there was a big increase in the number of witchcraft related crimes including a large number of deaths in the Venda homeland. Many were living in fear. Baldwin Mutshutshu recalls that, “People suspected of witchcraft were hiding in police stations”. Many of the crimes were politically motivated to help in the struggle against apartheid. By this time certain people had become blinded by jealousy and hatred of Benedict and decided the time had come to get rid of him. They didn’t want him with his Catholic faith influencing the people, especially the youth, against the traditional practice of witchcraft. In the words of one of his friends, Benedict “was killed because of his faith. They wanted him dead because of his influence on the community especially the young”. In the words of Convince Makwarela, “Benedict was killed because he stood for the truth”.
Lightning Strikes
The lightning strikes against some houses in the village during the period November 1989 to January 1990 gave them the opportunity to target Benedict. It is very widely believed that when lightning strikes a home, this is caused by a person whom the people regard as a witch. Witches should be caught and eliminated and so should anyone who protects them because they are a menace to society. This has been the traditional culture.
Benedict was aware of the mounting pressure against him. He was also aware of the seriousness of lightning strikes against homes. These were seen as affecting the village and not just individual families. Therefore they had to be discussed by the headman’s council. Referring to Benedict’s position in this matter his brother, Calson, says, “Benedict would have known it was a very dangerous stand to take and knew the risks”.
Benedict asked his close friends to pray for him, “Let’s pray hard. Let’s pray hard for the problems happening to me”. Samson Nephiphidi has a vivid memory of Benedict prayerfully reading his Bible in Church on the last Sunday of his life on earth, “What I can tell you is that the Sunday before his death, he came to Church and he opened his Bible silently. He was reading his Bible for a very long time before the Sunday Service”.
📖 Matthew 16:25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.*
“Blessed is he who appreciates what it is to love Jesus and who despises himself for the sake of Jesus. Give up all other love for His, since He wishes to be loved alone above all things. Affection for creatures is deceitful and inconstant, but the love of Jesus is true and enduring. He who clings to a creature will fall with its frailty, but he who gives himself to Jesus will ever be strengthened. Love Him, then; keep Him as a friend. He will not leave you as others do, or let you suffer lasting death. Sometime, whether you will or not, you will have to part with everything. Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death; trust yourself to the glory of Him who alone can help you when all others fail. Your Beloved is such that He will not accept what belongs to another—He wants your heart for Himself alone, to be enthroned therein as King in His own right. If you but knew how to free yourself entirely from all creatures, Jesus would gladly dwell within you.
You will find, apart from Him, that nearly all the trust you place in men is a total loss. Therefore, neither confide in nor depend upon a wind-shaken reed, for “all flesh is grass” and all its glory, like the flower of grass, will fade away. You will quickly be deceived if you look only to the outward appearance of men, and you will often be disappointed if you seek comfort and gain in them. If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him. Likewise, if you seek yourself, you will find yourself—to your own ruin. For the man who does not seek Jesus does himself much greater harm than the whole world and all his enemies could ever do.”
📖 Psalm 34:8-9 – "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing."
📖 Matthew 22:37-38 “He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment”
📖 Exodus 34:14 “You shall not bow down to any other god, for the LORD—“Jealous” his name—is a jealous God”
YouTube video link:
youtu.be/qkxcZkLD7-E