His Hand shall be against every man.

We do not entirely know what is transpiring in Egypt. One can guess, but the scripture gives us the following:
Genesis 15:17 "And it came to pass, when the sun went down, that there was a flame, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and lamps of fire that passed between those divided pieces. On the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying. "I will give this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates--the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Euaites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."

The angel of the Lord said to her: (Hagar) Gen: 16:11-12.
"Behold, you are with child,
And you shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,
For the Lord has taken notice of your humiliation.
He shall be a rustic man,
And his hand shall be against every man,
And every man's hand against him.
He shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."

Regarding Abraham and Sarah's son, Isaac; Gen: 17:19-22
"Then God said, "No. Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him and will increase and multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve nations, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year."

The True Israel: son of Abraham and David
Matt: chapter 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

Taken from the book of: "The Orthodox Study Bible." Regarding Matt:Chapter 1:1. "Jesus means "O Lord, save," referring the Jesus' role as Savior . Christ means "the Anointed One,: the Messiah, the One who is filled with the Spirit. Though the Son alone became man, God the father and the Holy Spirit work in the Savior to save us."

"Jesus became a man as a Jew, of the lineage of Abraham, the father of all Jews, with whom God established the covenant of circumcision; and of David, Israel's greatest king, the prototype of the royal Messiah. Jesus fulfills the promise and the righteousness of the Jews, bringing those who are faithful and righteous to Himself, God incarnate. The book of genealogy (vv. 1-17) reveals the history of God's choice of His servants and the preparation of humanity for His coming."

(Rev)5:9 "And they sang a new song, saying:
"You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals;
For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

Relocalization

Re-localization is the solution given by the prophets of doom, to correct the way we are living, living in the way we should have been living all along. This will take courage to stop, take stock, and revert back to where we came from. What it will mean is change....change we may not be able to accept, as we have too much.

The present direction is leading us into economic crisis, shortages in resources such as energy and clean water. We are creating machines, having artificial brains, which are becoming more intelligent than us humans, which could cause species dominance. These hostile robots could decide that we are inferior, and may terminate us.

The advent of military weaponry and quest for bigger and better, according the prophets of doom, have devised the option of nuclear threat from terrorists, with a square mile annihilation, killing the better of a million people. These prophets of doom say we are either to secure or apathetic today, to realize the danger we are in, and they say it is just a matter of time.

Our answer is simple. It is time to look backward. Time to stop transporting food items from all over the country and world and start the locally grown food items that are required for our area. That will mean that we will need to depend on each other and the talents that we collectively have, take care of each other, become self sufficient and self reliant. Maybe we will have to think for ourselves and not just of ourselves, to survive. We will need to be community once again, talking to our neighbors. We will need to share and lend, and be ultra-clean and conservative with our resources, becoming the human beings we were intended, and used to be.

These were the thoughts of a young school girl of seventeen, while taking a course called "problems of Democracy." She was criticized and almost thrown out of class, when she suggested that we were going the wrong way. Accordingly, the prophets of doom are saying the same thing, telling us action must be swift or it will be too late to turn back.

Consumption is a big problem, having saturated markets, we make and take more than we need and give. You'd better learn now, before the big crash--you cannot eat your money. We have got to stop long enough to ask ourselves, how are other's in control of your life. We allow others to tell us what we should wear, make medical decisions for us, and in fact run every detail of our awakening day. Just yesterday, the eye doctor asked me if I had a flu shot. I said no I was not interested, that I believed in preventative care. Further, with every victory over illness your body learns to defend itself, growing stronger. He said without a flu shot, you will die. I wonder if he actually heard what he was saying. Is he brainwashed or sold on pharmaceuticals, every thing is a pill in a bottle. Since when does science and insurance or drug companies determine your demise? I told him that I place my trust in the Lord. He didn't have an answer for that. God is my maker, fashioner and sustainer, nothing else.

That's just what the problem is today. What would your solution be if asked by the prophets of doom? If it is to place your trust in what man has created, mistreated, misdirected, misused, and misunderstood, then your going to have a very big awakening. Your headed in the wrong direction. Set the standard, release the stranglehold. It is up to you to lead the way back into a simple lifestyle--do it now!

If you place your trust in the Living God, then it does not really matter what the gravest threat may be today, because He has your back and that you can trust in.

The gravest threat that we have today, is not what the prophets of doom predicted but, is the inability to listen to anything other than what we want, and not what God wants for us.

The Visitation Icon

The almanac predicted that today would be extremely cold, followed by a storm. Looks like they were right on. We were undecided whether or not we would venture to Washington D.C. as we had previously done, to join in The March for Life. Thankfully, we are praying at home, the cold is too extreme for me. Yet, today I find myself looking at the "The Visitation Icon."

This Icon shows Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, who is pregnant with him, embracing the Virgin Mary who is pregnant with Jesus. John recognizing Jesus, leapt with joy, at hearing the voice of Mary.

Elizabeth said to Mary "Blessed art thou among women & blessed is the fruit of thy womb." (Luke 1:41-42).

Gospel passages witness to the life in the womb. "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you... Jer 1:5 Is 44:2 Psalm 139: 13-16.

We are all creations of the Lord, who gives to us life, and creates life through us. A life that will be with us for all eternity. There is no greater gift to be given. We just need to place our trust in the Living God. Life is God's decision.

God bless you today in your witness for life, it is a human right.

Sarai, princess

This story is about Abraham. A movie that I watched off and on, as I took a quick nap, in between. A few lines which captured my interest, is what I want to share. Maybe drama brings out the story for me in a way reading never could. It showed how the characters "felt" in the story.

Canaan, not Egypt, was the land of promise. A famine, found Abram close to entering Egypt, but he knew his wife would be taken away and he would be killed, so it was decided that he would say she was his sister. Abram knew she was very beautiful, and the Pharaoh treated him well, for her sake, giving him sheep, oxen, donkeys, servants, mules and camels, hoping to make her his wife.

Sarai became confused as he tried to sway her heart away from her husband, knowing she was not his sister, and when the Pharaoh offered to give her anything, she asked to be released back to her brother (husband) and her people.

The next scene is touchy, as Sarai with tears streaming down her face confessed to Hagar, her Egyptian slave, that she asked for her freedom. Hagar replied to her that no one had ever escaped, and although she confessed that she was treated well, Sarai thought she was doomed to live a life of unhappiness, even though the Pharaoh patiently waited for her to want him.

The truth always comes out, and as God intervened by instilling a plague on Pharaoh and his house, because of Sarai, Abram's lie was exposed. They are exiled with Sarai, Hagar, all the goods. The strife continued as Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, while Lot dwelt on the plain of Jordan.

God had a perfect plan that included Hagar, who was the mother of Ishmael, son of Abram, who bore him when Abram was 86. God then gave to Abram the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession, calling him Abraham, in a covenant for all generations. Sarai is given the name of Sarah, queen, and at ninety years of age bore Isaac. Abraham was 100 years of age.

The story is full of emotion, Abram lost his heart when his wife was painfully taken from him. Abraham wept at the thought of having to offer his son as a sacrifice, as instructed by the Lord, in the land of Mariah, when Isaac was a mere lad. Seeing Ishmael sent away with Hagar the maidservant, knowing the promise that a great nation will be made out of him, as he also was of the seed of Abraham. This was done to secure the inheritance of Abraham and Sarah's son Isaac, ending the rift that was apparent between the two women.

Foreshadowing of the Eucharistic feast appeared as the priest of God Most High, Melchizedek blessed Abram, as they shared in the bread and wine that he brought. Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot's wife, lost her life because of disobedience to the Lord, turning to look back. And Abraham's willingness to make an offering of his son, in his test of faith, prefigured the Resurrection of Christ and the future Resurrection from the dead, in which Abraham believed.

The movie expressed the suffering of those in relationship. The heart torn Abram, and Sarai. Sarai not having her own child, and having to endure the other woman. The servant's snickering and advances toward her husband, in a decision that was hers, initially. The struggle between two sons who would both inherit a great nation, the promise of the Jews and the Gentiles. The movie suggested that Isaac and Ishmael were present at the burial of their father and that they held hands over him.

In the end, as two brother's have, we embrace the faith of Abraham, multiplied exceedingly, which holds for our world, hope and great promise, which began through the promise of the "father of many nations."

Going Green Challenge

This week we lost power. Luckily it was for a little over one hour. Since I have been listening to a radio show, "Going Green" I have been focusing on how we can be more efficient with our energy sources. As I threw on additional clothing, a second layer that day, I was thinking about survival.

Electricity rules the day here in our home, as it is responsible for everything that we utilize, heat, cooking, cleaning and entertainment. As we sat in candle lit rooms, I couldn't help but realize how dependent we are on one source. Except for candles, and battery-lit flashlights, we had a cell-phone, which needed electrical charging, running water, which is a plus, some canned items, and a hand held can opener.

Having become dependent on electricity, we are at a loss to provide what we are accustomed to enjoying, the computer, television and as a result, felt helpless and useless. The days of being that still are behind us in our society. Reading a book or word-find, was all that I possibly could do in the near dark.

Going green is a good idea, but for me that means, changing to a more efficient light-source, using less electricity when I can, and keeping the home temperature at a sensible level. Cooking up larger batches, reheating in smaller portions, or not cooking at all, is living green. Our Anderson windows keep the air securely out, and lined drapes capture any spillage. Doors have rolled draft-dodgers against them. Furniture is arranged on inside walls and rugs and cushions retain heat everywhere. We get hot-water from our running furnace, which saves money in the months when we heat our home.

Today, icicles are hanging from the gutters, as seen from the inside of our home. It is not possible to get to the back as drifted snow has hardened and is quite deep. It has taken all I have just to keep the drive-way, and stairs to the front door cleared. Yesterday, I made my way to the deck, which is on the side of the house, and finally was able to free up the door, which has been blocked for days by the first storm, leaving more than 2 plus feet of snow piled against the pane. I was only able to shovel half the deck, after the driveway, walk and stairway in the front. Hopefully, we'll get to it today, before the next storm which coming in a few days following the "deep freeze". Looks like the car in my neighbors carport, will be there for a long, long time. His tiles blew off the roof and are buried beneath the snow in my backyard. Oh the joys of winter.

The trash pickup was yesterday, and the large recycle container was plowed-in by town trucks. I knew they wouldn't empty it, so off I went to recover it from it's deep containment of snow. We frankly have run out of room with snow accumulations everywhere. Our regular trash barrel of approximately 30 gallons, containing a plastic tied bag, had been blown across the drive, and cover off, was lying on its side on the ground. That was better than a few weeks ago, when the trash fell over in the road, and I spent hours retrieving the spilled and blown contents from neighbors yards--during a blizzard.

When we talk green, it is not the same for all. It largely depends on where you live. I do not think that many are as frugal as I am. I have always been a stickler on wastefulness, everywhere--to the extent that it will almost drive me absolutely crazy. I have reused, recycled, and cut down or out altogether most everything that I can possibly think of in an effort to be more green, (recycling the recycled).

Today, they were talking about solar panels. I laughed as I couldn't even get my solar lights to work here. New England is a tough place to implement many of the ideas initiated in warmer states. We have wind, but not enough to amount to much. My roof has panels, the electrical type, as we have had ice dams in the past, due to small amounts of sun, if any at all, in the front of our home. Thick ice hangs down the side of everyone's home, three feet or longer. It is freezing and will get much colder. I'm just hoping that the electrical lines will stay up, as well as our roof.

It's hard to be green when it is so white. The green that I want to see about now is the green that comes in the springtime.

Scorpio

People that know me say that I love a challenge. No question, when I just become comfortable with the responsibilities that I have, something else comes along that allows me to grow just a little bit more.

Some people are givers and some takers. Which are you? I have spent a lifetime doing for other's which in turn, has brought me much joy and happiness. Being involved it is said by many, keeps you young and hopeful.

Sometimes, you can learn to swim a little at a time, like my grandson, Nate, who has been taking swimming lessons and improving each week. Mostly, due to the fact that he is comfortable with his swim instructors who have been fantastic with him. Music is something that you can learn gradually, as well as many other skilled activities. Generally you improve, unlike the Pat's who were off in their game yesterday, and as a team, will not be able to participate in the Super bowl, as in previous years. There is always tomorrow! It has to be hard to live with the disappointment, I'm sure. They failed us and each other. So sad!

My case has usually been, for some odd reason, I get something thrown at me and its sink or swim. The challenge has got to be part of my birth sign. I hope it's the same, as I haven't changed one bit and it's always been a perfect fit. Other's have said their astrological sign has changed, I find that hard to believe.

So what gives those born under Scorpio the drive to meet with life's challenges, courage, pride or determination? Maybe all three.

Whatever it is in the character of our sign, we are going to achieve because we have to, and we will not stop until our goal is met. Why would I want to be anything else? Why would you?

I think our astrological sign plays a big role in our characteristics, and as far as I know they don't change.

Sweet January

Facing me is a new challenge, the new year. How's it been so far? Sometimes you need to look to your past to know how such a cold, bleak month has been such a great friend to you.

Beside all the obstacles January throws at you, it has its own merit. Unlike November, when the days grow increasingly dark, January offers brightness. Someone pointed out to me just the other day, that he notices how much lighter the day becomes, as each day passes. That implies a hopefulness, a foreshadowing of spring.

Yesterday, I ventured out for lunch with my best friend and husband, John. We actually went to a restaurant where we had been to many years prior, in Sturbridge. This time of the year usually it is quieter and they had a wonderful fire going in the fireplace across the room. We had window seats and enjoyed the home-cooked meal, Southern style. I like biscuits with anything, and they also had great corn muffins. If you enjoy soup, then, another reason to like January and other winter months when we practically live on spicy broths. I remarked that the sun was blinding, as snow remained everywhere in huge piles.

They have a fantastic gift shop where candy is boss. Not that I eat candy, but it reminds me of Valentine's day, which is not too far away. The kids toy section offers many specialty items, long forgotten. What caught my eye was a huge mat and large checkers, which could be set-up and left out on a bar or coffee table, ready to go. Or, as some would say, the ongoing challenge. January is a time for indoor games and activities. Interestingly enough, the news featured a lady in her swimsuit outside getting a tan, just after the last snowfall. She was from Webster, a neighboring town. Wishful thinking, I'd say but never the less, hopeful.

If we were to put on our swimsuit in January, we would possibly see the need for preparing for summer fun by shedding unwanted pounds at the gym or by walking. Many, keeping their goal for fitness and good health, do so in January, with their New Year's Resolution.

Oh January, the new year is upon you to provide for us hope for the future. It is a time when we take stalk of the many acquaintances, old and new, that have helped us on our journey. Soon we will celebrate another birthday, Steve my son, born on the 27th. We just had Nate's birthday celebration last week, also a January baby. His parents put on an amazing party for our first grandson's fifth birthday. All he could say to everyone was "are you coming to my party?" and, "I'm five now."

I can make a list of the people that came into my life in January, including my husband, looking back, and know that January is a great month. It has been good to me. Life is what you make it, and for us New Englanders we know January is just the beginning of the cycle of the "newness of life," filled with light and hope which heralds all good things in the coming months.