Free Republic

October 13, 2008                                 Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Gal 4:22-24, 26-27, 31–5:1 Brothers and sisters:It is written that Abraham had two sons,one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.The son of the slave woman was born naturally,the son of the freeborn through a promise.Now this is an allegory.These women represent two covenants.One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery;this is Hagar.But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is...

Graham Kendrick - the author of such painful hymns as Shine, Jesus, Shine has been included amongst a list of 50 people responsible for ruining Britain. Being placed alongside individuals as nauseating as Paul Burrell, Jeffrey Archer and Janet Street-Porter might seem a little harsh for someone whose only crime is to have penned more happy-clappy songs than anyone else. Four hundred at the last count. But it's hard to fault the argument. "Happy-cr*ppy hymns are a pestilence," says Quentin Letts, a parliamentary sketchwriter. "They demean adult worship, dragging it to a level even lower than that of Mrs C...

Getting into God’s Stride " Enoch walked with God . . . " —Genesis 5:24 The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (seeJohn 1:35-37 and John 3:30 ). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second wind spiritually....

Traditional Holy Mass Propers † Traditional Sunday Propers ~ Dominica XXII Post Pentecosten ~ Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost † Missa Si iniquitátes observáveris, Dómine, Dómìne, quis sustinébit? ( "If Thou shalt observe iniquities, O Lord, Lord, who shall endure it?" ) 12 October 2008 Anno Dómini The Blessing of Christ by Fernando Gallego, 1492 Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the...

October 12, 2008                                 Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Is 25:6-10a On this mountain the LORD of hostswill provide for all peoplesa feast of rich food and choice wines,juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.On this mountain he will destroythe veil that veils all peoples,the web that is woven over all nations;he will destroy death forever.The Lord GOD will wipe awaythe tears from every face;the reproach of his people he will removefrom the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.On that day it will be...

Monday morning 10/13Kohen--Deuteronomy 33:1-7Levi--vs. 8-12Yisra'el--vs. 13-17 Tsday 10/14--First Day of SukkotKohen--Leviticus 22:26-23:3Levi--vs. 4-14Shelishi--vs. 15-22Revi`i--vs. 23-32Chamishi--vs. 33-44Maftir--Numbers 29:12-16Haftarah--Zechariah 14:1-21 Wdnsday 10/15--Second Day of SukkotKohen--Leviticus 22:26-23:3Levi--vs. 4-14Shelishi--vs. 15-22Revi`i--vs. 23-32Chamishi--vs. 33-44Maftir--Numbers 29:12-16Haftarah--I Kings 8:2-21 Thrsday 10/16--First Day Chol HaMo`ed Sukkot Kohen--Numbers 29:17-19Levi--vs. 20-22Shelishi--vs. 23-25Revi`i--vs. 17-22 Frday 10/17--Second Day Chol HaMo`ed SukkotKohen--Numbers 29:20-22Levi--vs. 23-25Shelishi--vs. 26-28Revi`i--vs. 20-25 Strday 10/18--Shabbat/Third Day Chol HaMo`ed SukkotMORNING Megillah--Qohelet (Ecclesiastes) Chapter 12, verse 13 is repeated at the end.Kohen--Exodus 33:12-16Levi--vs. 17-19Shelishi--vs. 20-23Revi`i--Exodus 34:1-3Chamishi--vs. 4-10Shishi--vs. 11-17Shevi`i--vs. 18-26Maftir--Numbers 29:23-28Haftarah--Ezekiel 38:18-39:16 EVENING Kohen--Deuteronomy 33:1-7Levi--vs. 8-12Yisra'el--vs. 13-17

Anyone interested in organizing an FR prayer and fasting event for the weekend before the election?

The Catholic diocese' Journey of Faith and Grace took an ungraceful step last week, when the pastor at what used to be called St. Albert the Great in North Tonawanda called 911 twice. "There's a gentleman here disturbing the peace and we need to have you come and speak with him so that we can have Mass," Father Ted Jost recalled telling dispatchers near the start of a 10 a.m. Mass Sunday, Sept. 28. That gentleman is Gus Suita, a parishioner and church usher since 1971 at what, since merging with the former Ascension parish earlier in the year has...

God’s Silence— Then What? " When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was " —John 11:6 Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any...

October 11, 2008                                 Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week                                     in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Gal 3:22-29 Brothers and sisters:Scripture confined all things under the power of sin,that through faith in Jesus Christthe promise might be given to those who believe. Before faith came, we were held in custody under law,confined for the faith that was to be revealed.Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ,that we might be justified by faith.But now that faith has come, we are no...

How Will I Know? " Jesus answered and said, ’I thank You, Father . . . that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes’ " —Matthew 11:25 We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— "But if we walk in the light," we are cleansed "from all sin" ( 1 John 1:7  ). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly...

October 10, 2008                                 Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Gal 3:7-14 Brothers and sisters:Realize that it is those who have faithwho are children of Abraham.Scripture, which saw in advance that Godwould justify the Gentiles by faith,foretold the good news to Abraham, saying,Through you shall all the nations be blessed.Consequently, those who have faith are blessedalong with Abraham who had faith.For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse;for it is written,...

Remembering my mother's home going 1 year this month and with the view of a red-tail hawk in flight with it’s song, also a fish fly by out of the running brook.

Leading this morning's memorial Mass on the 50th anniversary of Pope Pius XII's death, B16 donned a Roman vestment in tribute to the Eternal City's last native to become its bishop... and indicated that the movement toward Eugenio Pacelli's beatification continues well apace: Among other things, Benedict prayed aloud that the cause to declare Pius XII a saint “may move forward happily.” Benedict XVI’s comments came in a homily for a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Pius XII in October 1958. A reminder of the controversy surrounding Pius came earlier in...

Building on the Atonement " . . . present . . . your members as instruments of righteousness to God " —Romans 6:13 I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it? The greatest need we have is not to...

October 9, 2008                                 Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Gal 3:1-5 O stupid Galatians!Who has bewitched you,before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?I want to learn only this from you:did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,or from faith in what you heard?Are you so stupid?After beginning with the Spirit,are you now ending with the flesh?Did you experience so many things in vain?–if indeed it was in vain.Does, then, the...

None But the Hungry Heart #2 Number two of None But the Hungry Heart is shared with the specific purpose of setting forth some of the scriptural principles of growth in the Christian life. An over-all knowledge of the Word of God is very important, and can produce a certain amount of spiritual development. However, careful study and experiential heart knowledge of the explicit truths for growth in the Lord Jesus Christ are required to bring us to spiritual maturity. The contents of this booklet are prayerfully designed to guide the believer to his satisfying source--Christ Jesus, our life....

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Learning to pray with the Scriptures, improving homilies and ensuring an accurate interpretation of Bible passages were the major themes of formal presentations, open discussion and small-group work Oct. 7-8 at the world Synod of Bishops on the Bible. Canadian Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, the synod's English-language briefing officer, said the three concerns came up repeatedly during the Oct. 7 open-mike discussion in the synod hall and in small groups Oct. 8. Pope Benedict XVI was not present for the Oct. 7 evening session, and he does not participate in the small-group discussions. Father Rosica said...

The comment thread on my original post about Oakland's new "Cathedral of Light" has about 90 comments at this point. My editorial observations were minimal, but that didn't stop several people from claiming positions for me (and strongly disagreeing with ... the positions they thought I held). This thoughtful post by "Vitruvian Duck" gets closer to identifying the concerns I had when I first saw pictures of the cathedral. He received his Masters degree from the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, one of the best (if not only) classical schools of (Church) Architecture in the country. He...

Its observers abstain from food, sex, baths and wearing leather for 26 hours, casting away distractions that may cloud their mission: Getting closer to God. Jews will celebrate Yom Kippur on Wednesday and Thursday this year. Taking place 10 days after the start of Rosh Hashanah, the start of the new Jewish year, "Yom Kippur is the holiest of days on the Jewish calendar," said Kim Gonzalez, teen director and Jewish educator at the Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham. The holiday is both somber and joyful, a bittersweet reflection on one's good and bad deeds in the past year....

Coming to Jesus " Come to Me . . ." —Matthew 11:28 Isn’t it humiliating to be told that we must come to Jesus! Think of the things about which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words— "Come to Me . . . ." In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the...

October 8, 2008                                 Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week                             in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Gal 2:1-2, 7-14 Brothers and sisters:After fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas,taking Titus along also.I went up in accord with a revelation,and I presented to them the Gospel that I preach to the Gentiles–but privately to those of repute–so that I might not be running, or have run, in vain.On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Gospel...

This was forwarded to me by the mother of an Army 1LT (now deployed), 2006 graduate of West Point. It seems like a good idea to me. Subject: Another Debate, Another Feast Day The secular world would call this coincidence, but we know there are no coincidences – only God-incidences. Once again, tonight’s presidential debate is taking place on a significant feast day, The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The one after this takes place on Oct. 15th, which is the Feast of St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church for her contribution to us on the...

The Nature of Reconciliation " He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him " —2 Corinthians 5:21 Sin is a fundamental relationship— it is not wrong doing, but wrong being— it is deliberate and determined independence from God. The Christian faith bases everything on the extreme, self-confident nature of sin. Other faiths deal with sins— the Bible alone deals with sin. The first thing Jesus Christ confronted in people was the heredity of sin, and it is because we have ignored this in our presentation...

October 7, 2008                                 Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Gal 1:13-24 Brothers and sisters:You heard of my former way of life in Judaism,how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measureand tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaismbeyond many of my contemporaries among my race,since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.But when he, who from my mother’s womb had set me apartand called me through his grace,was pleased to reveal his Son to me,so that I might proclaim him...

Monday morning 10/6Kohen--Deuteronomy 32:1-3Levi--vs. 4-6Yisra'el--vs. 7-12 Thrsday 10/9--Yom KippurMORNING Kohen--Leviticus 16:1-6Levi--vs. 7-11Shelishi--vs. 12-17Revi`i--vs. 18-24Chamishi--vs. 25-30Shishi--vs.31-34Maftir--Numbers 29:7-11Haftarah--Isaiah 57:14-58:14 EVENING Kohen--Leviticus 18:1-5Levi--vs. 6-21Yisra'el/Maftir--vs. 22-30Haftarah--The Book of Jonah; Micah 7:18-20 Strday 10/11--Shabbat Parashat Ha'azinuMORNING Kohen--Deuteronomy 32:1-6Levi--vs. 7-12Shelishi--vs. 13-18Revi`i--vs. 19-28Chamishi--vs. 29-39Shishi--vs. 40-43Shevi`i--vs. 44-52Maftir--vs. 48:52Haftarah--II Samuel 22:1-51 EVENING Kohen--Deuteronomy 33:1-7Levi--vs. 8-12Yisra'el--vs. 13-17

"You search the Scriptures in vain, thinking that you have eternal life in them, not realizing that it is they which testify concerning me." With these words, our Lord confronted what has always been the temptation in our reading of Holy Scripture: to read it without Christ as the supreme focus of revelation. Many people who come to embrace the specific tenets of the Protestant Reformation (grace alone, scripture alone, Christ alone, to God alone be glory, faith alone, etc.) are liberated by the good news of God's free grace in Christ. Pastors who used to preach a human-centered...

The Nature of Regeneration " When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me . . . " —Galatians 1:15-16 If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He faces? It is simply this— I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision; I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. But if Jesus Christ is truly a regenerator, someone who can put His...

October 6, 2008                                 Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week                                 in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Gal 1:6-12 Brothers and sisters:I am amazed that you are so quickly forsakingthe one who called you by the grace of Christfor a different gospel (not that there is another).But there are some who are disturbing youand wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ.But even if we or an angel from heavenshould preach to you a gospel other than the one that we preached to you,let...

Traditional Holy Mass Propers † Traditional Sunday Propers ~ Dominica XXI Post Pentecosten ~ Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost † Missa In voluntáte Tua, Dómine ( "All things are in Thy will, O Lord" ) 05 October 2008 Anno Dómini The Blessing of Christ by Fernando Gallego, 1492 Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ~~ Philippians...

The Nature of Degeneration " Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned . . . " —Romans 5:12 The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man’s sin, but that the nature of sin, namely, my claim to my right to myself, entered into the human race through one man. But it also says that another Man took upon Himself the sin of the human race and put it away— an infinitely more profound revelation (see Hebrews 9:26 ). The...

October 5, 2008                                 Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Is 5:1-7 Let me now sing of my friend,my friend's song concerning his vineyard.My friend had a vineyardon a fertile hillside;he spaded it, cleared it of stones,and planted the choicest vines;within it he built a watchtower,and hewed out a wine press.Then he looked for the crop of grapes,but what it yielded was wild grapes. Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,judge between me and my vineyard:What more was there to do for my vineyardthat I...

The Vision and The Reality " . . . to those who are . . . called to be saints . . . " —1 Corinthians 1:2 Thank God for being able to see all that you have not yet been. You have had the vision, but you are not yet to the reality of it by any means. It is when we are in the valley, where we prove whether we will be the choice ones, that most of us turn back. We are not quite prepared for the bumps and bruises that must come if we are...

October 4, 2008                            Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, religious       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jb 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17 Job answered the LORD and said: I know that you can do all things,and that no purpose of yours can be hindered.I have dealt with great things that I do not understand;things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.I had heard of you by word of mouth,but now my eye has seen you.Therefore I disown what I have said,and repent in dust and ashes. Thus the LORD blessed the latter days of Jobmore than his earlier ones.For he...

St Giles' in Cheadle, Staffordshire is an exceptional Catholic church. Built between 1841-46 and financed by John Talbot, the 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, A. W. N. Pugin endeavoured to create "a perfect revival of an English parish church of the time of Edward I". Often, Pugin's ambitions had to be scaled down because of the lack of funds, but here at Cheadle, Pugin's patron had seemingly ample resources to match Pugin's imagination and skill. Consequently, the church possesses a soaring 200ft spire, so that the church dominates the town as no other Catholic church in England does, and inside, the...

The Place of Ministry " He said to them, ’This kind [of unclean spirit] can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting’ " —Mark 9:29 His disciples asked Him privately, ’Why could we not cast it out?’ " ( Mark 9:28 ). The answer lies in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. "This kind can come out by nothing but" concentrating on Him, and then doubling and redoubling that concentration on Him. We can remain powerless forever, as the disciples were in this situation, by trying to do God’s work without concentrating on His power, and by following instead the...

October 3, 2008                                 Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week                                in Ordinary Time       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jb 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5 The LORD addressed Job out of the storm and said: Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morningand shown the dawn its placeFor taking hold of the ends of the earth,till the wicked are shaken from its surface?The earth is changed as is clay by the seal,and dyed as though it were a garment;But from the wicked the light is withheld,and the...

Rediscovering traditionalism By John Casey On 14th June this year about 1,500 people filled Westminster Cathedral. Every seat was taken; people stood in the aisles and spilled out on to the piazza outside. The occasion was a mass, but not an ordinary mass. It was indeed a mass in what is now officially called the ``extraordinary form'' of the Roman rite, i.e. the mass as it had existed before the changes that followed the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). It was celebrated by Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, and was the first mass in the traditional form to be celebrated in the Cathedral...

The Place of Humiliation " If You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us " —Mark 9:22 After every time of exaltation, we are brought down with a sudden rush into things as they really are, where it is neither beautiful, poetic, nor thrilling. The height of the mountaintop is measured by the dismal drudgery of the valley, but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God. We see His glory on the mountain, but we never live for His glory there. It is in the place of humiliation...

October 2, 2008                                     Memorial of the Guardian Angels       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jb 19:21-27 Job said: Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,for the hand of God has struck me!Why do you hound me as though you were divine,and insatiably prey upon me? Oh, would that my words were written down!Would that they were inscribed in a record:That with an iron chisel and with leadthey were cut in the rock forever!But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,and that he will at last stand forth...

The Place of Exaltation " . . . Jesus took . . . them up on a high mountain apart by themselves . . . " —Mark 9:2 We have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain, when we have seen things from God’s perspective and have wanted to stay there. But God will never allow us to stay there. The true test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain. If we only have the power to go up, something is wrong. It is a wonderful thing to be on the...

October 1, 2008                           Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus,                         virgin and doctor of the Church       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jb 9:1-12, 14-16 Job answered his friends and said: I know well that it is so;but how can a man be justified before God?Should one wish to contend with him,he could not answer him once in a thousand times.God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;who has withstood him and remained unscathed? He removes the mountains before they know it;he overturns them in his anger.He shakes the earth out...

ROME, SEPT. 30, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university. Q: At the consecration of the bread at Mass, is the priest required to hold the host up with two hands? In our church, the priest raises the host with only one hand in a rather casual manner. This makes me almost cry, as I cannot help but think that this gives a message of irreverence to the church community. I would appreciate your thoughts on this. -- K.S., Frankfurt, Germany A: The General Instruction of the Roman Missal...

The Assigning of the Call " I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church . . . " —Colossians 1:24 We take our own spiritual consecration and try to make it into a call of God, but when we get right with Him He brushes all this aside. Then He gives us a tremendous, riveting pain to fasten our attention on something that we never even dreamed could be His call for us. And for...

September 30, 2008                                      Memorial of Saint Jerome,                                     priest and doctor of the Church       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Jb 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23 Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.Job spoke out and said: Perish the day on which I was born,the night when they said, “The child is a boy!” Why did I not perish at birth,come forth from the womb and expire?Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth,like babes that have never seen the light?Wherefore did the knees receive me?or why did...

None But the Hungry Heart #2 Number two of None But the Hungry Heart is shared with the specific purpose of setting forth some of the scriptural principles of growth in the Christian life. An over-all knowledge of the Word of God is very important, and can produce a certain amount of spiritual development. However, careful study and experiential heart knowledge of the explicit truths for growth in the Lord Jesus Christ are required to bring us to spiritual maturity. The contents of this booklet are prayerfully designed to guide the believer to his satisfying source--Christ Jesus, our life....

Vatican City, Sep 29, 2008 / 10:29 am (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI will complete his stay at the papal summer residence tomorrow, and as final preparations are being made for his return to Rome, he addressed the local bishop, religious, local civil authorities and security personnel on the topic of angels. Today marks the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, the Pope pointed out to Bishop Marcello Semeraro of Albano (the diocese in which Castelgandolfo is located) and the assembled crowd. With this Feast in mind, he prayed, "let us trustingly invoke their help, and the protection of...

The Awareness of the Call " . . . for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! " —1 Corinthians 9:16 We are inclined to forget the deeply spiritual and supernatural touch of God. If you are able to tell exactly where you were when you received the call of God and can explain all about it, I question whether you have truly been called. The call of God does not come like that; it is much more supernatural. The realization of the call in a person’s life may come...

Traditional Holy Mass Propers † Traditional Sunday Propers ~ Dominica XX Post Pentecosten ~ Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost † Missa Omnia, quæ fecisti nobis, Dómine, in vero judício fecístì ( "All that Thou hast done to us, O Lord, Thou hast done in true judgment" ) 28 September 2008 Anno Dómini The Blessing of Christ by Fernando Gallego, 1492 Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue confess that Jesus...

September 29, 2008                         Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael,                                 archangels       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 As I watched: Thrones were set upand the Ancient One took his throne.His clothing was bright as snow,and the hair on his head as white as wool;His throne was flames of fire,with wheels of burning fire.A surging stream of fireflowed out from where he sat;Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,and myriads upon myriads attended him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.As...