What are some considerations before marriage?

David Pratt

Number 1:

Respect is more important than love: I did not say that love was not important. But there are many cases where couples decide to stay together even when their love passed away a long time ago. Sometimes to support their children until they grow up, or for financial security. On the contrary, once you lose the respect of your partner, they cannot coexist. Life turns to torture. Their voice penetrates your ears making noise in your skull every time you hear them speak. His touch burns your skin and his perfume chokes and hardens your chest. Every encounter is an affliction. You can revive love, but the loss of respect is irreparable.

Number 2:

Be Drawn to His Eyes: If you decide to fall in love with looks, be sure to lose yourself in his eyes because they never get old. The handsome guy you meet today will have a pancake belly and less hair in a few years. That stunning beauty you adore will now have a wrinkled face and drooping posture. If this is what happens to a celebrity, imagine what will happen to your partner.

Remember that the eyes are the window to the soul. There you will see the passion of your partner, his joy and his nostalgia regardless of his age.

Number 3:

Cross battlefields together: When your partner is experiencing difficult times in their career, struggling with health problems or losing their sanity; This is what I call the battlefield in a marriage. They must cross it together. If you decide to wait for this person on the other side of the field and allow him to cross on his own, you will lose him permanently. If he doesn't make it, you've lost him. And if it succeeds, you will still lose it.

Number 4:

You won't be the same person in 10 years: People change all the time. You lost your mind because of who you met today. This passionate, energetic and kind twenty-something human being, who knew how to listen, who dreamed big and wanted to change the world. But after years of continually being crushed by the wheels of business and life, the children's marathon, and being drowned by everyday tasks, guess what? All of this will make your partner's personality unrecognizable. They may now be more nervous, less sensitive, more aggressive, and less quick to forgive. They will definitely change. You must accept this new version of you and your partner, otherwise your life will be unbearable.

Number 5:

Work as a team: From the previous point, you have found that you both changed. Now more than ever they need to work as a team. It is very difficult to direct a ship with two captains, sometimes she must be in control and in others he will take the lead. At the end of the day you want to get to the other side safely, how do you know if they are compatible as a team? Simple: If you manage to stay calm in the middle of a lost road and help each other with a map until you find your destination, it means you can work as teams.

Number 6:

Feed Your Intimacy : Sex is like eating and drinking. Everyone knows that. But some believe that we can all survive on the same amount of food. For some a “happy meal” is more than enough, but others will not feel satisfied until they devour a full meal. It's the same with sex. Don't expect your partner to have the same appetite as you. If someone goes hungry that can end in infidelity. They must communicate what they feel, their needs and concerns, otherwise they will be stuck in an ox and donkey relationship.

Number 7.

Be friends: One day, many years later, when the cyclone of emotions, intimacy, children growing up and their work routines settle down, they will look at the road they have traveled and reflect. they will have a lot of time to be together. If the hours feel like an eternity and they have nothing to say to each other, they were never friends, friendship is the problem that holds the couple until the end.

Number 8.

Take nothing for granted: Always happy is an elusive statement. There are ups and downs in every relationship. Sometimes you will feel that you married the right person and other times you will perceive this person as someone sent from hell itself. It is a work in progress. Celebrate the good times and stay tuned for the tough ones.

Number 9.

Don't compare yourselves: The following scenario could happen to you after a few years of marriage: You are having dinner with another couple who look like Romeo and Juliet in modern times. They look at each other with passion and touch their hands as if it were the first time. She treats her man like the ideal husband while he talks about her like a trophy. While you look at each other thinking "why can't you be like this?" Be careful. What you just saw could be a show, like a movie in the theater, it had a beginning and an end. Some people are very good at performing in public.

Number 10:

Patience ... Patience ... and more patience: When you face obstacles just remember that time solves all problems. So take a deep breath Do you want it to be clearer? Turn. Be patient.

What is the simplest way to stay young?

Sergiu Finciuc

·

Hacking our biological system seems to be an early/exciting topic these years.

Pavel Durov (the founder of Telegram) has comprised a list of habits that he’s been following for quite some time. Will just repost his message from Telegram.

P.S. In case you want to follow him on Telegram: Durov's Channel

—

As I’m turning 36, some people ask how I manage to look younger than my age. I’ve asked the same question of many people who age well (from Jared Leto to a random fitness trainer who looks like 25 at 50). Here’s what all of these young-looking individuals do (and don’t):

1. AVOID alcohol. There may be some rare exceptions, but in general, alcohol (as well as other addictive substances) makes people less healthy and visually older.

2. Sleep a LOT. Sleep is when your body repairs itself. You can’t borrow it: lack of sleep during the week can’t be compensated with oversleeping on the weekend.

3. Do NOT overeat. Excessive weight makes people look older and correlates with dozens of illnesses. Typically I eat twice a day within a 6-hour window or once a day, no snacking. Eating 3+ times a day is just a (bad) habit.

4. EXERCISE. Moderate but regular exercise makes people look healthier and live longer. Personally, I don’t do much cardio (I’d rather walk/cycle/swim in the open air) and prefer moderate weights.

5. LIMIT stress. There are mental habits that help. It helps to believe that everything that happens is for the better. Stoic techniques such as negative visualisation and generally not giving a shit also work. Living close to nature makes all of the above easier.

6. Do NOT eat meat. Eating seafood and wild-caught fish is fine, but farmed red meat is something most people who look younger than their age avoid. I suspect the unhealthy nature of farmed meat has to do with the way livestock is raised and killed (growth hormones, fodder etc).

7. Live ALONE. Surprisingly, all the young-looking, middle-aged men I spoke with lived alone for most of their lives. It may be the result of their independence from the sleeping/eating/behavioral patterns of another person. Or it’s just correlation, and people who are independent from unhealthy societal norms are also independent in their personal lives.

Interestingly, you can find scientific explanations for most of these points (even the last one is defensible, e.g. there are multiple studies showing that sleeping alone improves the quality of sleep). I’ve been following these rules for over 10 years, with "more sleep" being the most difficult due to the nature of my work.

If you are twice as young as I am and looking for the key takeaway, here it is: NEVER DRINK ALCOHOL. Once you give up on alcohol, you’ll stop silencing your intuition, which will tell you what is good and what is bad for you. You will figure out everything you need to know by yourself and won’t depend on other people for advice.

What are the really small things that tell a lot about a person's psychology and personality?

Louisa Liu

1. The speed of eating — fast eaters are ambitious, go-getters and impatient. Slow eaters are one for patience and savoring life’s pleasure.

2. Response to insults — people pleaser if they accept every insult, insecure if they get super-defensive, confident if they joke around it.

3. Ability to express emotions — people who can’t talk about their feelings have an unhealed traumatic history.

4. Showing anxiety physically — people who do repetitive behaviors like biting-nails, tapping foot tend to be perfectionists.

5. Behavior towards better people — if they talk with the contempt towards someone better than them, they feel threatened and jealous.

6. Who they talk about in a conversation — low self-worth if they deflect questions about themselves. Narcissistic if they can’t stop talking about themselves.

7. Ability to take a joke — the easier it is to offend them the bigger the ego and lower the self-esteem they have.

8. When pointing out their mistakes — big ego if they get offensive, victim mentality if they blame it on others, humble if they can accept.

Original text from:Focusing on means to date and meet soulmate.

What is a truth that nobody wants to admit or doesn't see?

Flavian Mwasi

1. The greatest human tragedy is that we spend our entire lifetimes running away from ourselves and those we love most.
2. Covid-19 is not the real threat to humanity right now. The real threat is that families are breaking up for being forced to face each other for more than a few months together, while friends and colleagues are being forced to keep away.
3. People who show you their backs when you’re going through a rough patch are not worth spending time with when things turn around for you.
4. When life gets rough on you, don’t try to go rough on people who never wronged you. Have compassion and remember that they too, could be in need of help in a different way.
5. The best way to come out of a problem is to go right through it, for that’s the only way you will understand the problem.
6. When riches increase, they don’t come with bells and whistles. They painfully trickle down, like droplets of water in a dry tap. However, when poverty strikes, it comes to you with force like a tornado.
7. A strong kiss when administered by someone who loves you deeply, is like a strong herb when you’re sick, a breeze of cool air during summer, a tree shade when the sun is hot, a strong shelter during a strong storm, a banquette of roses when life looks grim, and a cup of cold water when your mouth is dry.
8. 80% of your social media friends are fake.
9. People who don’t believe in God are just kidding you. They’re deeply tormented inside when they see things that can only be described as miracles, but at the same time, greatly ashamed to summon enough guts to acknowledge God’s presence.
10. When people talk behind your back, remember they took time out of their pathetic lives to think about you.
11. Write your own epitaph. Then go and live exactly like you’ve written.
12. Smile to someone today. Love someone, and brighten up the day of a miserable stranger.

[Image Credit: Google]

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The writer is an entrepreneur, social philosopher, life coach and author of “Naked Quotes”

Why do non-French people join the French Foreign Legion, instead of their own country's military?

Why do non-French people join the French Foreign Legion, instead of their own country's military?

Tom Martin

Heck, let’s explore this beyond the question. If you don’t want to read this, well, move along.

Well, I thought aside from the Officers, isn’t the French Foreign Legion intended to be composed of foreigners, hence the name?

From their website:

What DOES matter to join the Legion

• to be a man between 17.5 and 39.5 years – read more here:
  Age limits for joining the French Foreign Legion
• to have a valid ID (Identity document)
• ID Card or a Passport for recruits from the European Union (EU)
• PASSPORT for recruits from all over the world
• to have a birth certificate verified copy (translation into English or French languages preferred)
  – confirmation of the certificate’s copy not older than 6 months while enlisting
  – you are allowed to enlist in the Legion without the certificate as well, nonetheless, the document will facilitate your engagement
• to be NOT wanted by Interpol (NO murders, NO drug trafficking…)
• to be physically fit to serve at all times and in all places around the world, for at least 5 years
• to have BMI between 20 and 30 – read more:
  Height and weight requirements for joining the French Foreign Legion
• to be able to write and read in your native language

What does NOT matter to join the Legion

• your citizenship (if you are a Brazilian, Indian, Russian, Japanese citizen etc…) doesn’t matter
• your race origin doesn’t matter
• your religion doesn’t matter
• your knowledge / ignorance of the French language doesn’t matter
• your educational background doesn’t matter
• your qualifications doesn’t matter
• your social status doesn’t matter
• your professional status doesn’t matter
• your marriage / marital status or family status doesn’t matter
• your previous military or non-military background doesn’t matter

Well, obviously if you’re a criminal wanted by Interpol they don’t want you.

So back to the question:

Why do non-French people join the French Foreign Legion, instead of their own country's military?

What sort of limited mind would suggest this is an ‘either-or’ situation?

Veterans

Many who joined the FFL were former servicemen, and an incredible number of them were combat veterans, including Vietnam Vets from the US, British Vets from different conflicts, Soviet military of all sorts after the collapse, and infamously, Waffen SS. In some cases, they didn’t want to go back, in others they got use to the comradery of fighting men in conflict, as more than one Vietnam Vet found, going back to the mill, driving a cab, or sitting in a college classroom was hard to do after being in combat.

Young recruits

When I was young and dumb and full of cum, at 18, I’d little interest in joining the military, HOWEVER, I was interested in challenging myself and in my case, it was the Marines. There are others who would do the same. I can imagine young Euros who are less than impressed with their own country’s military because of a different understanding of the role of the military instead going to the FFL.

Once we’d gone through Marine Recruit Training and some tough schools like Infantry, there were Marines who found themselves and loved the challenges. Back then, the appeal of joining say contract military in a certain country in Southern Africa or joining the FFL might have been interesting.

Interestingly, some Germans, Belgians and other Europeans join the FFL because it is a pure martial organization and I remember in the 1980’s as the changes and political correctness swept NATO organizations, some males preferred to serve in more traditional military formations with the usual values.

Not popular, but a reality, there are some who aren’t all bravado. They like war. They like action. They like getting into the shit. Among them are some who were simply made for it. They’d have no other purpose in a society.

Christ Chooses Me

Christ Chooses Me January 22, 2021 Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children Father Robert DeCesare, LC Mark 3:13-19 Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons: He appointed the Twelve: Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that through baptism you have invited me to share in your friendship. I trust in your Church, Lord. You have given us this institution as the guide to help us in our salvation. I love you, Lord, because you have loved me first. I love you, Lord, for calling me to be your friend and apostle. I may be a mere sinner, but with you, Lord, I believe that I can do great things. Petition: Lord, help me to collaborate in your work of salvation. Christ Summoned Those Whom He Wanted:   Christ has chosen to need our assistance. He wants our help with the great work of the New Evangelization. As great and powerful as Christ is, he has willed that man collaborate with him in his plan of salvation. He wants to involve others in helping people to come to know, love and serve him. He makes use of man’s free and responsible collaboration in order to carry out his plans. Therefore, even though man is a creature of very limited possibilities, he can achieve truly unimaginable things when he lives and works for God. He Calls Me by Name:  Christ does not haphazardly choose me to collaborate with him in the New Evangelization. He knows me. He knows me better than I know myself, and out of love he invites me to be with him. When he calls me by name, he reaches into the depths of my heart and soul. He delves into the depths of who I am, and he identifies with me. When he calls me by name, he calls me out of love; “he calls me to share in his own divine life” (Lumen Gentium, 2). He calls me by name because he knows how great the gift is that he wishes to share with me. He Gives Me a Mission: “He sent them to preach and to drive out demons” (Mark 3:14-15). Christ doesn’t call me just to enjoy the present life. He has created me for a purpose. He has given me a specific vocation that only I can fulfill. I am irreplaceable; there will never be another me. The opportunity that I have to share in this friendship with Our Lord is an invitation to do something with him and for him. Christ’s love for me invites and beckons me to collaborate with him. Who can resist an invitation to collaborate with someone so great, and with an offer so challenging and yet so fulfilling? Conversation with Christ: Lord, you have wished for me to enter your friendship. You have called me by name to be your friend. You have invited me to help you in the New Evangelization. I want to help you and do my part. Give me the strength to be close to you and to collaborate with you in this great undertaking. Resolution: I will bring up the faith in a conversation with someone. Our Daily Meditation is also available with audio: CLICK HERE TO START LISTENING! FORWARD TO A FRIEND

Racism: The Inheritance of Slavery

Shay Cullen

23 January 2021

 

The most powerful and richest country on the planet is still arguably the poorest in moral values and social and racial equality. It is suffering a shock to its democratic system. The days when black people in the southern states of America had to use special seats in the back of buses, go to separate drinking fountains and restaurants, their children forced to go to separate schools and churches and live lives segregated from white people, may be over. That great civil rights movement and the march on Washington led by Martin Luther King in August 1963 did not end racism in America. The attitudes still persist and maybe worse than ever. President Joe Biden has a mighty challenge ahead of him.

 

Racism has many facets and causes much hurt, suffering, anger and hatred and social unrest. It is when one group discriminates, oppresses and dominates another because of the color of their skin- be it black, brown or olive- or their facial features. In America, those that discriminate and reject people of color as having equal rights are known as white supremacists. At the behest of President Trump, their champion, they invaded and briefly took over the US Capitol on 6 January 2021. They are not a minority in America and consider themselves racially superior to black or brown-skinned people. Racism is exclusion, it exists in the minds and hearts, beliefs and attitudes of a single dominating group that treats the other group as inferior, even less than fully human, because they are of different skin color. Racism perpetuates itself everywhere when social and economic and cultural equality is absent. Racism and discrimination oppress another segment of society because of their economic weakness, poverty, lack of opportunity and skin color. The dominant group considers the other as an inferior race and denies them opportunity of equality and education to rise out of poverty. It is a vicious circle of the oppressed. Institutional racism denies almost all opportunities to the people of different skin color and they will always remain poor and disadvantaged and blamed because they are considered racially inferior.

 

When the Black American community did prosper and proved them wrong, they were annihilated by the white supremacist groups. Asuch is what happened in the thriving, prosperous black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, whose members were well off and owned property, banks and businesses and had a superior school system for higher education. Some rich families owned their own airplanes. In 1921, racial violence broke out. The community was attacked by jealous white supremacists. They bombed 35 city blocks, killed 300 black people, seriously injured 800 and 900 were made homeless and the white supremacists looted and burnt everything to the ground.

 

The dominant racist group need not be in the majority as was the case in apartheid South Africa where a small minority of white people of European descent ruled the nation and segregated the Black majority. This was reversed by the anti-apartheid movement led by Nelson Mandela with the help of the international community that imposed sanctions.

 

In the Philippines, the indigenous people of different ethnic heritage and darker skin color, such as the Aeta or Manobo people, suffer racial discrimination and racial slurs and bullying. the Manobo people. Most of them remain in poverty. In Myanmar, the ethnic group of Rohyngya has been so discriminated against that accusations of genocide are leveled against the Myanmar ruling class who forced them to flee their villages to Bangladesh where they make up the largest single refugee camp in the world.

 

European conquering nations colonialized the people of the world and robbed their wealth while millions of natives died and more were enslaved and impoverished as many of the native Americans today. Slavery became the basis of the colonialist’s economic prosperity. The American native population were corralled into reservations. The colonialists imported captured people from Africa to North and South America. In a period of 300 years, 13 million Africans were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean in slave ships built to purpose. The black descendents of these slaves are the victims of institutional racism. It is this culture of exclusion, discrimination and racial bias that is the open wound in America today. While many white people support the rights and dignity of African-American people, many do not.

 

Nowhere else is the racial inequality more apparent than in the relations of the black community with law enforcement. Poverty, inequality and non-education of many Black youth that suffer broken homes and dysfunctional families drive the youth to join the drug culture. This is a source of income and escapism from the frustration, pain and hopelessness of high unemployment and uselessness of life. US law enforcement is predominantly white, male and a culture of racism prevails. Last July 2020, a research paper published in the proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences found that one Black boy or man in every thousand are likely to be killed by police sometime in their lifetime and that Black males are 2.5 times more likely to be victims of police shootings than white males. It found that the leading cause of death among young Black men is violence by police. Here are some shocking statistics from the survey. 

• 1 in 11 Black adults are currently under correctional control (in prison or on parole/probation)
• 1 in 230 Black youth are detained in juvenile facilities
• 1 in 3 Black families have zero or negative wealth
• 1 in 2.5 Black adults were unemployed or temporarily furloughed on April 2020
• 1 in 2.5 Black women will die within five years of diagnosis of endometrial cancer
• 1 in 1,350 Black Americans have died of COVID-19
• 1 in 13 Black Americans of voting age are disenfranchised
• 8 in 10 Black adults with at least some college experience report having experienced racial discrimination.

It is this and much more with the killing of many Black people by police that the Black Lives Matter movement that has grown and spread around the world. We can only hope that President Joe Biden will do all he can to bring justice and equality to the lives of the 41.4 million African American community.

 

www.preda.org

Confronting Evil with the Gospel

January 22, 2021 Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Readings for Today Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children—USA Memorial  Saint Vincent, Deacon and Martyr—Optional Memorial (Celebrated January 23 in the USA)

He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. Mark 3:14–15 The Twelve Apostles were first called by Jesus and then sent to preach with authority. The authority they were given was for the purpose of driving out demons. But how did they do that? It’s interesting to note that the authority they were given over demons was, in part, associated with their commission to preach. And though there are some recorded instances in the Scriptures of the Apostles driving out demons directly by command, it should also be understood that the preaching of the Gospel with the authority of Christ has a direct effect of driving out demons. Demons are fallen angels. But even in their fallen state, they retain the natural powers they have, such as the power of influence and suggestion. They seek to communicate with us to deceive us and draw us away from Christ. The good angels, of course, also exercise this same natural power for our good. Our guardian angels, for example, constantly seek to communicate to us the truths of God and His grace. The angelic battle for good and evil is real, and as Christians we must be aware of this reality. One of the greatest ways to confront satan and his demons is to listen to the Truth and to proclaim it with the authority of Christ. Though the Apostles were given a special authority for their preaching, every Christian, by virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation, is entrusted with the message of the Gospel to proclaim in various ways. And with that authority, we must constantly strive to bring forth the Kingdom of God. Doing so will have a direct impact on the diminishment of the kingdom of satan. Reflect, today, upon your duty to share the Gospel with others. Sometimes this is done by an explicit sharing of the message of Jesus Christ, and at other times the message is shared more by our actions and virtue. But every Christian is entrusted with this mission and must learn to fulfill that mission with true authority, knowing that as that authority from Christ is exercised, the Kingdom of God increases and the activity of the evil one is overcome. My all-powerful Lord, I thank You for the grace You have given me to proclaim the truth of Your saving message to those whom I encounter every day. Help me to fulfill my mission to preach in both word and deed and to do so with the gentle yet powerful authority given me by You. I offer myself to Your service, dear Lord. Do with me as You will. Jesus, I trust in You.

Single-Minded Devotion

January 21, 2021 Thursday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time Readings for Today Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr—Memorial

He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. Mark 3:9–10 It’s fascinating to ponder the enthusiasm that so many people had toward Jesus. In the passage above, we see Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready for Him so that He would not be crushed as He taught the crowd. He had been curing many who were sick, and the crowd was pressing upon Him to try to simply touch Him. This scene provides us with an illustration of what must happen within our interior lives regarding our Lord. The people can be said to have been single-minded in their devotion to Jesus and fervent in their desire for Him. Granted, their desire may have been somewhat selfishly motivated by the desire for physical cures of their ailments and those of their loved ones, but nonetheless, their attraction was real and powerful, driving them to put their complete focus upon our Lord. Jesus’ choice to get into a boat and distance Himself a bit from the crowd was also an act of love. Why? Because this act allowed Jesus to help them refocus upon His deeper mission. Though He did miracles out of compassion and so as to manifest His almighty power, His primary focus was to teach people and to lead them into the full Truth of the message He was preaching. Therefore, by separating Himself from them, they were invited to listen to Him rather than just try to touch Him for the sake of a physical miracle. For Jesus, the spiritual wholeness He desired to give the crowd was of much greater significance than any physical healing He also gave. In our own lives, Jesus may “separate” Himself from us in somewhat superficial ways so that we will be more open to the deeper and more transforming purpose of His life. For example, He may remove certain feelings of consolation or permit us to encounter some trial through which He seems to be less present to us. But when this happens, it is always so that we will turn to Him on a deeper level of trust and openness so as to be drawn more deeply into a relationship of love. Reflect, today, upon how single-minded your devotion is to our Lord. From there, ponder, also, if you are more attached to the good feelings and consolations you seek or if your devotion is deeper, focused more on the transforming message our Lord wants to preach to you. See yourself on that shore, listening to Jesus speak, and allow His holy words to transform your life more deeply. My saving God, I turn to You, this day, and seek to be single-minded in my love and devotion to You. Help me, first and foremost, to listen to Your transforming Word and to allow that Word to become the central focus of my life. Jesus, I trust in You.

Grieved at the Hardness of Heart

January 20, 2021 Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Readings for Today Saint Fabian, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial Saint Sebastian, Martyr—Optional Memorial

Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. Mark 3:4–5 Sin damages our relationship with God. But hardness of heart is even more damaging because it perpetuates the damage done by sin. And the harder one's heart, the more permanent the damage. In the passage above, Jesus was angry with the Pharisees. Oftentimes the passion of anger is sinful, resulting from impatience and a lack of charity. But at other times, the passion of anger can be good when it is motivated by love of others and hatred for their sin. In this case, Jesus was grieved by the hardness of heart of the Pharisees, and that grief motivated His holy anger. His “holy” anger did not cause irrational criticism; rather, it drove Jesus to cure this man in the presence of the Pharisees so that they would soften their hearts and believe in Jesus. Sadly, it didn’t work. The very next line of the Gospel says, “The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death” (Mark 3:6). Hardness of heart should be greatly avoided. The problem is that those who are hard of heart are usually not open to the fact that they are hard of heart. They are obstinate and stubborn, and oftentimes self-righteous. Therefore, when people suffer from this spiritual ailment, it is difficult for them to change, especially when confronted. This Gospel passage offers you an important opportunity to look into your own heart with honesty. Only you and God need to be part of that interior introspection and conversation. Begin by reflecting upon the Pharisees and the poor example they set. From there, try to look at yourself with great honesty. Are you obstinate? Are you hardened in your convictions to the point that you are unwilling to even consider that you may be wrong at times? Are there people in your life with whom you have entered into a conflict that still remains? If any of this rings true, then you may indeed suffer from the spiritual ill of a hardened heart. Reflect, today, upon your own soul and your relationships with others with as much honesty as possible. Do not hesitate to let your guard down and be open to what God may want to say to you. And if you detect even the slightest tendency toward a hardened and stubborn heart, beg our Lord to enter in to soften it. Change like this is difficult, but the rewards of such a change are incalculable. Do not hesitate and do not wait. Change is worth it in the end. My loving Lord, this day I open myself to an examination of my own heart and pray that You will help me to always be open to change when necessary. Help me, especially, to see any hardness I may have within my heart. Help me to overcome any obstinacy, stubbornness and self-righteousness. Give me the gift of humility, dear Lord, so that my heart can become more like Yours. Jesus, I trust in You.

Keeping Holy the Sabbath

January 19, 2021 Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Readings for Today

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” Mark 2:23–24 The Pharisees were greatly concerned about many things that were distortions of the law of God. The Third Commandment calls us to “Keep holy the Sabbath Day.” Furthermore, we read in Exodus 20:8–10 that we are not to do any work on the Sabbath but are to use that day for rest. From this Commandment, the Pharisees developed extensive commentary on what was permitted and what was forbidden to do on the Sabbath. They determined that picking the heads of grain was one of the forbidden actions. In many countries today, the Sabbath rest has all but disappeared. Sadly, Sunday is rarely set aside any longer for a day of worship and rest with family and friends. For that reason, this hypercritical condemnation of the disciples by the Pharisees is hard to relate to. The deeper spiritual issue seems to be the hyper “nitpicky” approach taken by the Pharisees. They were not so much concerned about honoring God on the Sabbath as they were interested in being judgmental and condemning. And though it may be rare today to find people overly scrupulous and nitpicky about the Sabbath rest, it’s often easy to find ourselves becoming nitpicky about many other things in life. Consider your family and those who are closest to you. Are there things they do and habits they have formed that leave you constantly criticizing them? Sometimes we criticize others for actions that are clearly contrary to the laws of God. At different times, we criticize others on account of some exaggeration of fact on our part. Though it is important to speak charitably against violations of the external law of God, we must be very careful not to set ourselves up as the judge and jury of others, especially when our criticism is based on a distortion of the truth or an exaggeration of something minor. In other words, we must be careful not to become nitpicky ourselves. Reflect, today, upon any tendency you have in your relationships with those closest to you toward being excessive and distorted in your criticism. Do you find yourself obsessing over the apparent minor faults of others on a regular basis? Try to step back from criticism today and renew, instead, your practice of mercy toward all. If you do, you may actually discover that your judgments of others do not fully reflect the truth of God’s law. My merciful Judge, give me a heart of compassion and mercy toward all. Remove from my heart all judgmentalness and criticalness. I leave all judgment to You, dear Lord, and seek only to be an instrument of Your love and mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.

San Sebastian Church (Manila)

The Minor Basilica of San Sebastian (Filipino: Basilika Menor ng San Sebastian; Spanish: Basílica Menor de San Sebastián), better known as San Sebastian Church (Filipino: Simbahan ng San Sebastian) or San Sebastian Basilica, is a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church in Manila, Philippines. It is the church of the parish of San Sebastian.

San Sebastian Basilica Basilika Menor ng San Sebastian
Basílica Menor de San Sebastián

Completed in 1891, San Sebastian Church is noted for its architecture. An example of the Gothic Revival architecture in the Philippines, it is the only steel building church in the Philippines.^[1][2] It was designated as a National Historical Landmark in 1973^[3] and as a National Cultural Treasure in 2011.^[4]

San Sebastian Church is under the care of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, who also operate the San Sebastian College adjacent to the basilica. It is located at Plaza del Carmen, at the eastern end of Recto Avenue, in Quiapo, Manila.^[5]

History

The San Sebastian Basilica under construction in 1890.

In 1621, Bernardino Castillo, a generous patron and a devotee of the 3rd-century Roman martyr Saint Sebastian, donated the land upon which the church stands. The original structure, made of wood, burned in 1651 during a Chinese Filipino uprising. Succeeding structures, which were built of brick, were destroyed by fire and earthquakes in 1859, 1863, and 1880.^[5]

In the 1880s, Esteban Martínez, the parish priest of the ruined church, approached Spanish Architect Genaro Palacios to build a church that will withstand the earthquakes. Palacios planned to build a fire and earthquake-resistant structure made entirely of steel. He completed a design that fused Earthquake Baroque with the Neo-Gothic style.^[5] His final design was said to have been inspired by the famed Gothic Burgos Cathedral in Burgos, Spain.^[5]

Construction (1888-1891)

The prefabricated steel sections that would compose the church were manufactured in Binche, Belgium.^[1] According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, the knockdown steel parts were ordered from the Societe anonyme des Enterprises de Travaux Publiques in Brussels.^[6] In all, 52 tonnes (51 long tons; 57 short tons) of prefabricated steel sections were transported in eight separate shipments from Belgium to the Philippines, the first shipment arriving in 1888.^[5] Belgian engineers supervised the assembly of the church, the first column of which was erected on September 11, 1890.^[7] The walls were filled with mixed sand, gravel, and cement.^[3] The stained glass windows were imported from the Heinrich Oidtmann Company, a German stained glass firm, while local artisans assisted in applying the finishing touches.^[1]

The church was raised to the status of a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII on June 24, 1890.^[3] Upon its completion the following year, on August 16, 1891, the Basílica Menor de San Sebastián was consecrated by Bernardino Nozaleda y Villa OP, the 25th Archbishop of Manila.^[3]

According to Jesús Pastor Paloma, an Augustinian Recollect priest, the structure was also supposed to have a prefabricated retablo (reredos) altar, which was lost at sea when the ship carrying it from Belgium capsized in a storm.^{[citation needed]} A wooden altar was made locally in its stead. Paloma also noted that the bottom part of the church was designed to resemble a ship's hull, so that it would sway during an earthquake.^{[citation needed]}

Restoration (2011-present)Edit

Restoration works began in 2011.

Features

The Finding in the Temple stained glass window manufactured in Germany by the Heinrich Oidtmann Company.

San Sebastian Church has two openwork towers and steel vaulting. From its floor, the basilica's nave rises 12 meters (39 ft) to the dome, and 32 meters (105 ft) to the tip of the twin spires.^[3]

Trompe-l'œil murals of Carmelite saints within the dome's tholobate.

The ceiling of the church, showing the groin vaults.

View of the main altar

The faux finished interior^[4] of the church incorporates groined vaults in the Gothic architecture style permitting very ample illumination from lateral windows.^[1] The steel columns, walls and ceiling were painted by Lorenzo Rocha, Isabelo Tampingco and Félix Martínez^[4] to give the appearance of marble and jasper.^[1] Trompe-l'œil paintings of saints and martyrs by Rocha were used to decorate the interiors of the church.^[6][4] True to the Gothic revival spirit of the church are its confessionals, pulpit, altars and five retablos designed by Lorenzo Guerrero^[8] and Rocha. The sculptor Eusebio Garcia carved the statues of holy men and women.^[9] Six holy water fonts were constructed for the church, each crafted from marble obtained from Romblon.^[10]

Above the main altar is an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, given to the church by Carmelite sisters from Mexico City in 1617.^[3] The image withstood all the earthquakes and fires which had destroyed previous incarnations of San Sebastian Church, but its ivory head was stolen in 1975.^[3]

Cultural and historical declarations

San Sebastian Church was declared a National Historical Landmark by President Ferdinand Marcos through Presidential Decree No. 260 on August 1, 1973.^[11][1] Subsequently, the church was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines on August 15, 2011, with the unveiling of the marker on January 20, 2012.^[4]

On May 16, 2006, San Sebastian Church was included by the National Historical Institute (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) in the Philippines' Tentative List for possible designation as a World Heritage Site, on account of its architectural and historical heritage.^[1] As of 2017, the church is no longer included in the Tentative List.

Preservation

In recent years, San Sebastian Church has encountered threats to its structural integrity. The steel structure has been beset by rust and corrosion due to sea breezes from nearby Manila Bay.^[12] State funding was accorded to the church through the National Historical Institute which undertook restoration in 1982. The Recollect community has likewise expended funds for the church's maintenance and restoration.^[1] In 1998, it was placed on the biennial watchlist of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund, though it was not retained in the subsequent watchlists.^[13]

The church was listed again as one of the most endangered monuments in the world by World Monuments Fund in the 2010 World Monuments Watch, along with the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras and Santa Maria Church. All of the sites were taken off the list in 2011 after the passage of the National Cultural Heritage Act.^[14]

UNESCO re-inclusion troubled

On October 1, 2018, it was revealed that a thirty one-storey residential highrise building of Summithome Realty Corporation is being planned to be constructed beside the historic San Sebastian Church, negatively affecting the site's possible re-inclusion in the UNESCO tentative list as the area around the church is integral to the site as a 'buffer zone'. The site, the first and only all-steel church in Asia, used to be in the UNESCO tentative list but was removed in 2015 due to structural decay. To re-establish the site's integrity and re-inclusion in the tentative list, it underwent a massive restoration program, which conservationists have cited as a megalithic success. However, with the looming threat of the high-rise building, the site's inclusion in the UNESCO list is bleak. Summithome was able to acquire a barangay clearance supporting their application for a building permit from the barangay chairman, without the site managers being initially informed.^[15]

Alleged involvement of Gustave EiffelEdit

It has long been reputed that Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer behind the Eiffel Tower and the steel structure within the Statue of Liberty, was involved in the design and construction of San Sebastián, but this was never confirmed.^[2][6][12] However, it was confirmed later on that Eiffel was involved in designing and supplying the metal framework for San Ignacio Church in Intramuros, thus confirming the contribution of Eiffel in Philippine church architecture, if not in San Sebastian Church.^[16]

Source: Wikipedia