The atheist spent his whole life
Denying the existence of a deity
Preached to all who would listen
The atheist thoughts of his reality
He even stated that the universe
Was created quite accidently
Even on his final day on earth
He was content there was no deity
But a moment before he crashed
He cried out “oh God help me”
The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because their intercession was believed to be particularly effective against various diseases.
This
group of "helpers in need" originated in 14th century Rhineland, due
largely as a result of the epidemic that grew to become the Black Death, but
their veneration spread almost as quickly as the plague.
Cyriacus,
sometimes called Cyriac, according to Christian tradition, is a Christian
martyr killed in the persecution of Christians by Diocletian.
He protects
against temptation on the death-bed and is feasted on August 8th.
My soul was forged in heaven
And
my heart was filled with love
My
faith is as strong as iron
I
am akin to the angels above
Until
my soul returns to heaven
And
I bask in eternal love
The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because their intercession was believed to be particularly effective against various diseases.
This
group of "helpers in need" originated in 14th century Rhineland, due
largely as a result of the epidemic that grew to become the Black Death, but
their veneration spread almost as quickly as the plague.
Saint
Christopher venerated by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians alike as a
martyr killed in the reign of a Roman Emperor, however there is some confusion
whether it was Decius or Dacian.
His
patronage concerns Bubonic plague sufferers and protects against dangers while
travelling.
The
Eastern Orthodox Church venerates Saint Christopher on May 9th however the
Roman Catholic Church feasts him on the 25th July.
British Humanist Association
Pro
human rights
Pro-democracy
Pro
egalitarianism
And
pro mutual respect
Unless
of course
You
believe in God
God winds the clock of life,
It is wound but once
And when set in motion,
At the moment the second hand
Begins its sweep
It can be neither slowed
Nor hurried
There is no hint of duration
No preset point
When the hands cease
The only certainty
Is that the time piece will stop
All you can do is be ready for that day
Leave nothing unsaid
Nothing undone
Place your faith in God
And not the timepiece
Live your allotted time fully
And have no regrets
When the movement stops
At the appointed hour
The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because their intercession was believed to be particularly effective against various diseases.
This group of "helpers in need" originated in 14th century Rhineland, due largely as a result of the epidemic that grew to become the Black Death, but their veneration spread almost as quickly as the plague.
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, often better known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine was, according to tradition, was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius.
When she was tied to a wheel and burnt alive.
She was, According to her hagiography, or her CV to use modern parlance, a Christian saint and virgin, she was both a princess and a noted scholar.
She was around the age of fourteen when she became a Christian, and she personally converted hundreds to Christianity.
St Joan of Arc claimed Catherine appeared to her more than a thousand years after her martyrdom.
Her patronage protected against sudden death and her feast day is November 25th.
Omnipresent,
Omnipotent
Omniscient being
Ever present,
All powerful
All knowing, all seeing
Awesome,
Ubiquitous God
Of our spiritual wellbeing
Of everlasting life,
Salvation guaranteeing
The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because their intercession was believed to be particularly effective against various diseases.
This group of "helpers in need" originated in 14th century Rhineland, due largely as a result of the epidemic that grew to become the Black Death, but their veneration spread almost as quickly as the plague.
Saint Blaise was a physician, and later bishop of Sebastea, which in antiquity was in Armenia.
He was martyred, according to the Acta Sanctorum, by being beaten, attacked with iron carding combs, before being beheaded.
His patronage protected against illness of the throat and of domestic animals.
In the Latin Church his feast day falls on 3rd February, in the Eastern Churches on 11th February.
The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because their intercession was believed to be particularly effective against various diseases.
This
group of "helpers in need" originated in 14th century Rhineland, due
largely as a result of the epidemic that grew to become the Black Death, but
their veneration spread almost as quickly as the plague.
Saint
Barbara, known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was
an early Christian saint and martyr.
She
lived in 3rd century Nicodemia, now in Turkey.
In
images Saint Barbara is often portrayed with miniature chains and a tower.
As
one of the Helpers, Barbara continues to be a popular saint in modern times.
She
has a wide range of patronage, artillerymen, military engineers, miners, and
explosives technician’s as well as mathematicians and protects against fever
and sudden death.
Saint
Barbara’s Feast Day is December 4th
The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because their intercession was believed to be particularly effective against various diseases.
This
group of "helpers in need" originated in 14th century Rhineland, due
largely as a result of the epidemic that grew to become the Black Death, but
their veneration spread almost as quickly as the plague. According to Christian
tradition Saint Agathius, also known as Acacius of Byzantium, was a Cappadocian
Greek centurion of the imperial army.
He
was arrested for his faith on charges of being a Christian in Thrace, tortured,
and then taken to Byzantium (Istanbul), where he was scourged and beheaded.
He
was martyred in 303 because he would not give up his Christian Faith.
In
Greece during the reign of the Ottoman Empire in which the Ottomans attempted
to forcibly convert everyone to Islam he became very popular in the Christian
resistance.
His
patronage is against headaches and his feast day is observed on May the 8th.
At the end I am serenely at peace
In
the moments of my final hour
I
feel the presence of the Lord
Who
gently plucks me like a flower
The tradition of kissing Friday
Was called Nippy Hug Day
When Leicestershire men
Could demand on that day
A kiss from any woman
Of his choice by custom
And if she was to refuse
He could then pinch her bum
But since world war two
Kissing Friday doesn’t apply
It has fallen from favour
I can’t understand why
What do you call the day?
That
comes after Ash Wednesday
And
before kissing Friday
Well,
we just call it Thursday
I have given up for lent
Pate de fois gras
Lobster thermadore
And
Beluga caviar
Well
in a way
I’ve
never had them ever
But
I won’t have them
Between
now and Easter
This time of year, is significant
For what Lent represents
But I have racked my brains
And don’t know what to give up for lent
I really don’t know what to give up
I don’t have a sweet tooth
And I neither smoke nor drink
No vices at all and that’s the truth
So, despite its significance
For what Lent represents
I have come to the conclusion
It’s easier just to give up lent
It’s Lent once more
A
time to cleanse the soul
Empty
the trash
And
let Christ keep us whole
Clear
the spam
Empty
the buffers of sin
Deny
yourself
And
let the lord back in
It’s
Lent once more
Pray
to your saviour for peace
Cleanse
your soul
Then
your penance can cease
The palm branches blessed on Palm Sunday,
Are
the following year, burnt and blessed again
And
placed on the heads of the participants
To
the accompaniment of the familiar refrain
“Remember
that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”
Ashes are placed on the heads
Of
worshipers on Ash Wednesday,
Either
by being sprinkled or
More
often the traditional way
By
being marked as a visible cross
On
their foreheads on the day
There is a religious reason
Why
it is a significant day
But
cremated pancake on the hob
Is
the only ash around our way
Since before the Christian era
Shrove
Tuesday or Pancake Day
Was
celebrated far and wide
And
was originally a pagan holiday
Changing
seasons was a struggle
Between
Jarilo the God of brightness
Vegetation,
fertility, and springtime
And
the evil spirits of cold and darkness
So,
they had to help the God Jarilo
And
victory meant spring had begun
So,
they cooked and ate pancakes
Hot
and round symbolizing the sun
Since before the Christian era
Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day
Was celebrated far and wide
And was originally a pagan holiday
Changing seasons was a struggle
Between Jarilo the God of brightness
Vegetation, fertility and springtime
And the evil spirits of cold and darkness
So, they had to help the God Jarilo
And victory meant spring had begun
So, they cooked and ate pancakes
Hot and round symbolizing the sun
Nickanan Night or Shrove Monday evening
Was
a time for boys to commit petty crime
Now
we don’t have it on one special night
Instead
now it appears to happen all the time
Part of the traditional English Shrovetide
Falling on the Monday before Ash Wednesday
Merry Monday, is a Christian observance
Which more importantly precedes Pancake Day
The third day of Shrovetide
Once
known as Collop Monday
Named
after Collops of bacon
A
traditional dish of the day
Which
was served with eggs
It’s
the forgotten Shrove Monday
Part of the traditional English Shrovetide
Falling on the Monday before Ash Wednesday
Rose Monday, is a Christian observance
Hall Monday or Shrove Monday evening
Was a time for boys to commit petty crime
Now we don’t have it on one special night
The third day of Shrovetide,
Once known as Collopy Monday,
Was named after Collops of bacon
A traditional dish of the day
Which was served with eggs.
It’s the forgotten Shrove Monday
Part of the traditional English Shrovetide
Falling on the Monday before Ash Wednesday
Shrove Monday, is a Christian observance
Which more importantly precedes Pancake Day
Black Monday or Shrove Monday evening
Was a time for boys to commit petty crime
Now we don’t have it on one special night
Instead now it appears to happen all the time
The second day of Shrovetide
Shrove
Sunday or Quinquagesima
Celebrated
in the Christian church
As
the fiftieth day before Easter
The first day of Shrovetide
Is
Shrove or Egg Saturday
An
Oxfordshire tradition
Sometimes
called egg feast day
Shrovetide begins on Egg Saturday
Heralding
the coming of lent
And
deciding what to give up
Is
normally the way it is spent
Just standing in a palace doesn’t make you a Tsar
Any
more than standing in a garage makes you a car
It
doesn’t make you a cook if you stand in a kitchen
So
just going to church doesn't make you a Christian
Christ the redeemer
He
died on the cross
He
died to save us
And
His majesty
Made
of the world
A
place of hope
A
place of grace
A
place of freedom
A
place of love
He
called us from the darkness
Into
His loving light
Faith is like electricity
You can’t see it
But you can see the
light
That emanates from it
At the end of his long life
A
Godly man passes into heaven
Where
he sits with God
And
revues their Journey again
While
he looked back
Sitting
at Gods right hand
He
saw it represented by
Two
sets of footprints in the sand
But
he noticed that at times
There
was just one set
When
he was at his lowest
And
he was very upset
So,
he spoke to God and asked
That
in the scene he was shown
Why
at the hardest times
He
walked the path alone
No,
my son you are mistaken
At
those times God said
I
thought it would be more fun
If
we hopped instead
The father is with us every moment
Of every hour both day
and night
Over every continent
and island
He keeps us in His
wondrous light
We
give our praise without condition
Given
freely to the Lord on high
We
sing it to the highest heaven
Our
hands held reaching to the sky
God’s eternal light
Illuminates
the starkness
Dispelling
evil
In the invading darkness
Flaxen haired angel
Spellbinding
in white
Exuding
purest love
And
Gods sublime light
Spread
your wings
CS Lewis came to God
The long way round
But because of this
His faith was sound
And he knew the truth,
He called Christ’s birth
The central event
In the history of the earth
I find it hard to forgive
But
we are taught we must
To
be a good Christian
We
must first forgive others
Before
God can forgive us
But
I find it hard to forgive
I
cannot let go the bitterness
Or
it’s associated baggage
The
betrayal of those I thought friends
The
deceit of family
The
put downs and the knocks
The
adversities and animosities
I
cannot make that commitment to forgive
All
I can do is promise to try
Try
to climb that ladder of forgiveness
One
painful rung at a time
And
if I do succeed
In
becoming a better person
A
more forgiving person
If
I manage to slowly climb the ladder
And
earn Gods forgiveness
I
will only do so with His grace
And
not by some sweaty effort on my part
Religions of the World can tell us many things
Words
of wisdom for all from paupers to kings
For example, wise Confucius say, "shit happen"
Mormons think shit happens again & again
Buddhists ask if shit happens, is it really shit?
Catholics believe if it happens, they deserve it
Unitarians ask what’s all this shit? how very sage
Islam dictates if shit happens, take a hostage
Zen wondered about the sound of shit happening?
Krishna’s sing shit happens rama rama ding ding
Jews ask why does shit always happen to me?
Taoism tells us that “shit happens” don’t you see?
All this shit has happened before the Hindus say
For Seventh Day Adventists it happens Saturday
Protestants say you get rid of shit with hard work
The
Rastafarians just smoke the shit and smirk
