Compassion
(The saving of Moses from the river)
Now a new king arose over
Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, "Look, the
Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal
shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our
enemies and fight against us and escape from the land." Therefore they set
taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply
cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the
more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the
Israelites. The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites,
and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every
kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on
them.
The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah
and the other Puah, "When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see
them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she
shall live." But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of
Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned
the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and allowed the
boys to live?" The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew
women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth
before the midwife comes to them." So God dealt well with the midwives;
and the people multiplied and became very strong. And because the midwives
feared God, he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every
boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall
let every girl live."
Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman
conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him
for three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket
for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and
placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a
distance, to see what would happen to him.
The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants
walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid
to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took
pity on him. "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said.
Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get you a
nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" Pharaoh's
daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's
mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for
me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and
nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and
she took him as her son. She named him Moses, "because," she said,
"I drew him out of the water."
Exodus
1:8-2:10
Moses Saved From the Water
RAPHAEL
1518-19
Fresco
Palazzi
Pontifici, Vatican
The Raphael
Loggia, Vatican
http://www.biblical-art.com/artwork.asp?id_artwork=277&showmode=Full
The joy that compassion brings is one of the best-kept secrets
of humanity. It is a secret known only to a very few people,
a secret that has to be rediscovered over and over again.
Henri J.M. Nouwen
Rest assured that, generally speaking, others are acting in
exactly the same
manner that you would under exactly the same circumstances.
Hence, be kind, understanding, empathetic, compassionate, and loving.
~ Gary W. Fenchuk
There is more to life than increasing its speed.
~ Mohandas Gandhi
Reina Sakamoto (great-niece) came from Japan to visit.
Phyllis (my good friend from Germany and Japan days)
met us all at the airport and housed us, fed us,
chauffeured us, and entertained us!
Bless you, Phyllis!!!
Reina wanted to see Biosphere2 and we all found it
fascinating.
Sonoran Desert
It was definitely the monsoon season in Tucson!!!
This is as close as Reina got to a javelin (we think).
I have always wanted to see an elf owl!
We had some mighty BIG thunderstorms.
I was amazed to see the Walden family’s 6,000 acre pecan farm!
http://www.sahuaritafarms.com/about/
It certainly is green.
The pecans are green now; they will be harvested in November.
This is Phyllis’s lovely home …
… and this is Phyllis’s saguaro in her yard!
(It has a way to go before it is a BIG saguaro!)
Reina brought omiyage
(gifts/ souvenirs) for each of us.
Vicki showing off her omiyage.
Phyllis with one of hers.
What a lovely visit we had!
Thank you, PHYLLIS!!!
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August 21, 2011 Twenty-first Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Previous
OPQs may be found at:
http://www.dotjack.com/opq.htm
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said,
"Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah
or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I
am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the
living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of
Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in
heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of
the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Then he sternly
ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Matthew
16:13-20
Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein
Agnus Day appears with the
permission of www.agnusday.org
Exodus 1:8-2:10
Psalm 124:1-8
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20