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While Sharon Lies Sleeping It may be nearly time to say good-bye to a fallen leader. Reports indicate that Ariel Sharon now suffers from kidney failure. This may be the problem that brings about his long delayed death. Ariel means Lion of God in Hebrew. Indeed he was something like a lion, participating boldly and strikingly as a warrior, helping to bring Israel to victory time and again, fighting against what seemed to be all odds…at least from a humanly-derived perspective. But his last name has a meaning, too. Sharon is an area of fruitful land in Israel. Something to...

Mercy  God-With-Us But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for every one.  Hebrews 2:9, RSV Lord, the pain wraps around us, throbbing, throbbing, like the rhythm of the hammer fall piercing, deeper, lodging in the wood. The pain, oh the pain, a woman crying out as her loved one is slain, a child shocked at the blood falling from a beheaded parent, the armwrenching agony as they hauled you,...

THE scientist who led the team that cracked the human genome is to publish a book explaining why he now believes in the existence of God and is convinced that miracles are real. Francis Collins, the director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute, claims there is a rational basis for a creator and that scientific discoveries bring man “closer to God”. His book, The Language of God, to be published in September, will reopen the age-old debate about the relationship between science and faith. “One of the great tragedies of our time is this impression that has been...

Mercy Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, Psalm 103 1-4 God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and...

Know anyone with the Italian surname of Esposito or Innocenti? Most of them are descended from an orphan taken care of by the Catholic Church. For centuries, Italian cities had hospitals where abandoned babies (espositi, innocenti) were taken in and cared for, and a number of them married and passed on to their own children a family name reflecting the foundling hospital in which they grew up. Nor was it always a grim existence; a good part of Vivaldi's music was composed to be performed by girls at the Catholic orphanage in Venice where, in the early 1700s, he was...

5/30/2006 - YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFPN) -- Three Airmen from the 374th Medical Group here are deployed to the U.S. Navy hospital ship, USNS Mercy, as it travels through Southeast Asia on a humanitarian mission. The mission is an opportunity for a U.S. team consisting of medical professionals from the Air Force, Army and Navy to work with members of the U.S. Public Health Service and nongovernmental organizations. The Airmen joined the Mercy crew in the Philippines and will get the opportunity for hands-on training in the field, including diagnosing and surveying diseases in the area; analyzing industrial hygiene;...

Day 8 In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. 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. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of...

Day 5 In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. 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. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of...

Day 4 In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. 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. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of...

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. 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. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray...

Day 2 In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. 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. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of...

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. 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. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray...

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2006 – Continuing America's longstanding tradition of helping those in need, the U.S. Navy recently deployed the hospital ship USNS Mercy on a proactive humanitarian mission to Southeast Asia, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet said here yesterday. "The Mercy deployment (is) an exciting and important opportunity to assist friends and neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region, and to facilitate the security and stability and the prosperity, particularly in the maritime domain, in this region, in which we all share common interests," U.S. Navy Adm. Gary Roughead said during a State Department Foreign Press Center briefing. The...

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- U.S Naval hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) arrived here May 2, making its first stop during a humanitarian assistance mission to the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia. This deployment to the region exemplifies the U.S. commitment to South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific island nations while building upon relationships established during Operation Unified Assistance in 2005. Meeting the arriving ship at the pier, Adm. Gary Roughead, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, told members of the media and Mercy crew members that accomplishing the mission will be all about teamwork. “This is about a partnership,”...

A man suspected of burning and stabbing a pit bull puppy that later died was arrested early Thursday, according to reports. Deshann Brown, 21, was arrested shortly after midnight in Corinth, a community in Denton County, and charged with animal cruelty, according to a report from NBC 5. The 10-month-old puppy, named Mercy, died Sunday despite efforts to save her from extensive injuries. She had been cut, stabbed, doused with gasoline and set afire. At one point last week, her caretakers said she had experienced a comfortable night and was eating. Mercy was found about two weeks ago in a...

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- The U.S. Naval hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) is scheduled to depart its San Diego homeport April 24, in support of a five-month humanitarian assistance mission to the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia. Following logistics stops along the way, Mercy should arrive in the Philippines in mid- to late May. The ship’s mission is being coordinated with host nations in the region and is being carried out in conjunction with non-governmental relief organizations to provide medical, dental and other humanitarian assistance programs ashore and afloat. “The deployment of USNS Mercy to Southeast Asia and...

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- The thunder of the C-130 Hercules engine vibrates through the cabin as the aircraft lifts off of the runway. Today’s mission is different than most. Today, Australians and Americans leave pallets and passengers behind, making room to gather the wounded and bring them back home. Affectionately called “the mercy channel,” this weekly mission pairs a Royal Australian Air Force C-130J and aircrew with a U.S. Air Force medical team. Moving more than 1,883 patients since August, these missions travel throughout Iraq and Kuwait, gathering injured servicemembers and delivering them to higher care facilities. “The patients we...

case of mercy versus justiceBy Paul PratherHERALD-LEADER CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST The Jewish prophet Micah said this: "And what does the lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." That statement seems as pertinent today, and as complicated, as it must have sounded several thousand years ago. We're at war with terrorists who intend to destroy us. We deal daily with less dangerous, but infuriating, annoyances: self- serving politicians, crooked business partners, drug users, crabby spouses. Meanwhile, God requires us to demonstrate justice, mercy and humility -- all at the same time....

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The mother of an American journalist kidnapped in Iraq appealed for her daughter's life on Thursday, the eve of a deadline set by her captors for the release of all women in U.S. custody in the country. "Taking vengeance on my innocent daughter, who loves Iraq and its people, will not create justice," Mary Beth Carroll said in a message aimed at the gunmen holding Jill Carroll, 28. Sunni Muslim leaders in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East joined intensifying calls for mercy. But as new video images emerged Thursday of the pale, dark-haired woman surrounded...

'We will cut them until Iran asks for mercy' By Massoud Ansari (Filed: 15/01/2006) Deep in the lawless triangle connecting Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, eight terrified Iranian soldiers are being held hostage by a Sunni group that is vowing to "slaughter" them if Teheran does not bow to its demands. "We will chop their heads once our deadline is over," Abdul Hameed Reeki, chief spokesman of the Jundallah or Brigade of God group, told the Sunday Telegraph, slowly drawing an index finger across his neck to demonstrate the seriousness of his intent. The deadline for the men is tomorrow. The...