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August 31, 1999
(Rev 6:8) I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
REPORT: 3.5 MILLION NORTH KOREANS BELIEVED DEAD FROM FAMINE
(AP) -- Four years of famine in North Korea have eased after killing up to 3.5 million people, but the situation could worsen if outside aid is cut off, a South Korean relief group said Monday.
The group also said that at least 300,000 North Korean are living in hiding in China after crossing the border to search for food.
North Korea's farming industry collapsed after decades of mismanagement aggravated by bad weather. North Korea has received about dlrs 1 billion worth of international food aid since 1995.
HIV CONFERENCE OPENS WITH WARNING AGAINST COMPLACENCY
In the nearly two decades since the first cases of AIDS were reported, the deadly virus has claimed more than 300,000 lives. The good news is that the number of new HIV infections has dropped from about 100,000 a year to 40,000.
But at the same time, the epidemic is taking a greater toll on women and minorities, especially blacks who are becoming infected with AIDS at record rates, federal health officials said.
In the mid 1980s, blacks represented about 25 percent of the new cases of AIDS reported, Hispanics about 14 percent and women 8 percent, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher said. By 1997-98, blacks made up 45 percent of the cases, Hispanics 22 percent and women 23 percent.
Health officials are concerned about a growing complacency about HIV, especially among some of the people most at risk, health officials said Sunday at the first ever national conference addressing efforts to monitor and prevent the spread of the virus.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
60. He who prays in spirit and in truth is no longer dependent on created
things when honouring the Creator, but praises Him for and in Himself.
August 30, 1999
(Mat 10:21-22) "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
POPE MARKS CHRISTIANS WHO SUFFERED UNDER TOTALITARIAN REGIMES
(AP) Pope John Paul II paid tribute Sunday to Christians who suffered for their faith under totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, saying the same kind of repression continues today in countries around the world.
''We think in a special way of the clerics, of the religious men and women and of the laity who, in the totalitarian and anti-Christian regimes of our century, offered their lives in silence for love of Christ,'' John Paul said during a tribute for the feast day of evangelist John the Baptist.
''Today as yesterday, to be Christian signifies going against the current in respect to the mentality of this world,'' he said.
''Many, in diverse parts of the world, continue to suffer in the cause of the Gospel even in our day,'' John Paul said, without singling out any country by name.
(Rev 6:9-11) When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
59. If you wish to pray, you have need of God, 'who gives prayer to him who
prays' (1 Sam. 2:9. LXX). Invoke Him, then, saying: 'Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come' (Matt 6:9-10)- that is, the Holy Spirit and Thy only-begotten
Son. For so He taught us, saying: 'Worship the Father in spirit and in truth'
(John 4:24).
August 29, 1999
(Mark 13:7) When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
YELTSIN PRESSES FOR ANTI-NATO ALLIANCE WITH CHINESE
Thursday 26 August 1999- FORMER bitter rivals Russia and China are working on an anti-Nato alliance because they fear the spreading influence of the West, and America in particular, in former Communist countries.
President Yeltsin announced: "I am in fighting form, ready for battle, especially with Westerners," as he arrived for talks with President Jiang Zemin of China in Bishkek, capital of the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan.
He said: "The current summit is taking place in conditions of an aggravated international situation. Some nations are trying to build a world order that would be convenient only for them, ignoring that the world is multi-polar."
Via Email "currentevents"@aplus-software.com:
Friday Aug 27,1999 -- Joseph de Courcy, editor of the well-respected "Intelligence Digest," says in a mailing delivered to subscribers this week: "While NATO congratulates itself on bombing the Serbs into submission, Israel’s Mossad and other Middle Eastern intelligence sources have discovered that Kosovo was one humiliation too many for Russia. Now Moscow has agreed to back Saddam’s secret plan of revenge.
With this all-important Russian backing, Saddam is joining with hated Iran and Syria to launch one final war against Israel.
Amazingly, Saddam will allow Iranian troops to cross Iraqi territory to join the attack on Israel. And to keep America from interfering, Moscow has given Osama bin Laden and other terrorists the means to attack American population centers with weapons of mass destruction. The threat is real...and the implications terrifying..."
(Luke 21:31) Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
58. If the intellect has not risen above the contemplation of the created
world, it has not yet beheld the realm of God perfectly. For it may be occupied
with the knowledge of intelligible things and so involved in their
multiplicity.
August 28, 1999
(Acts 2:17 -19) "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
WESTERN FIRES ROARING IN SIX STATES
(AP) More than two dozen major fires are burning across the West, charring thousands of acres and forcing the California governor to call out the National Guard to help.
Experts feared that firefighting resources were being stretched thin.
''The situation is escalating and it's getting to the point where we're concerned about being able to respond to all the fires adequately,'' said Janelle Smith of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
By early today, 27 fires have burned 121,000 acres of grass, brush and timber in six states: California, Nevada, Oregon, Montana, Washington and Idaho.
Gov. Gray Davis on Thursday declared fire emergencies in four Northern California counties, allowing them to recoup the costs being spent fighting the blazes. He ordered California National Guard personnel to assist firefighters some of whom have been on the job for more than 30 hours.
Western fires have roared out of control since last weekend, with many fires sparked by lightning.
(Rev 8:5) Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
57. When the intellect no longer dallies with dispassionate thoughts about
various things, it has not necessarily reached the realm of prayer; for it
may still be contemplating the inner essences of these things. And though
such contemplation is dispassionate, yet since it is of created things, it
impresses their forms upon the intellect and keeps it away from God.
August 27, 1999
(2 Chr 7:13-14) "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
DROUGHT WITHERS WEST VIRGINIA FARMERS' HOPES
One of this century's worst droughts has parched the U.S. Mid-Atlantic states this summer, and it's been particularly painful in Eglon and the rest of Preston County, in northeast West Virginia near the Maryland border. The county has 850 farms, the highest number of the state's 55 counties, all of which have been declared federal disaster areas by President Bill Clinton.
N.C. declared drought disaster by USDA
DRAMA OF MODERN MAN: LOSS OF SENSE OF SIN-- POPE JOHN PAUL II
"When we look at the contemporary world, we must admit that the awareness of sin has notably weakened. Because of widespread religious indifference, or rejection of what right reason and Revelation tell us about God, the sense of the alliance with God and of his commandments is dismissed by many men and women. Moreover, very often human responsibility is clouded by a desire for absolute liberty, which is seen as threatened and conditioned by God, the supreme law giver," the Holy Father lamented.
Because of this, the "drama of the contemporary situation, which seems to abandon some fundamental values, depends to a large extent on the loss of the sense of sin. This makes us realize the importance of ... the 'new evangelization.' It is necessary to restore (to human) conscience the sense of God, of his mercy, of the free nature of his gifts, so that there might be recognition of the seriousness of sin, which pits man against his Creator. The consistency of personal freedom must be acknowledged and defended as a precious gift from God, against the tendency to dissolve it in the chain of social conditioning or of uprooting it from its necessary reference to the Creator."
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO REPENTANCE? by David Wilkerson
Whatever happened to repentance? You rarely hear the word mentioned in most churches today — even in Baptist, Pentecostal or evangelical circles. Pastors nowadays seldom call for their congregations to sorrow over sin — to mourn and grieve over wounding Christ by their wickedness.
Jesus called people to repent before he even called them to believe! Mark writes, "…Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15). Christ preached, "Repent first — and believe."
Jesus' gospel was all about repentance!
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
56. One who has attained dispassion has not necessarily achieved pure prayer.
For he may still be occupied with thoughts which, though dispassionate, distract
him and keep him far from God.
August 26, 1999
(Jude 1:20-21) But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
OUR LORD'S
MESSAGE through Fr Jack Spaulding
(Bishop's Statement)
at
St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Phoenix, AZ AUGUST 19, 1999
My dear ones, I come to you this night to remind you once again to harden not your hearts. I invite you once again to the wedding banquet of heaven. I encourage you once again to be prepared. There are so many, My dear ones, who are not listening to My voice, to the voice of My Mother, to the voice of the Holy Spirit who speaks continually in your heart. They are not listening and they will not be prepared
Your wedding garment, My dear ones, is a pure heart; is a heart given to Me; is a heart that has Me in its center. My Mother has asked you to pray and I this night encourage you to pray. Do not give up praying, because in prayer you put Me in the center of your life and you prepare your heart for My coming. I encourage you, My dear ones, to take seriously this invitation that I will issue to you this night. Do not put off prayer. Do not put off mortification. Do not put off forgiveness. Prepare your hearts and as you prepare your hearts, I will then be able to use you to touch those who are far from Me this night.
My dear ones, I want all of My children with Me in heaven. Pray and prepare you heart. I bless you this night with My love and My mercy and I give you strength and courage to follow Me.
(Acts 2:17-18) "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
55. He who loves God is always communing with Him as his Father, repulsing
every impassioned thought.
August 25, 1999
ARCHDIOCESE ENCOURAGES CAMPAIGN AGAINST PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION
(NE) The Catholic Church in St. Louis has begun an intense pro life campaign to override Governor Mel Carnaham's veto of the Infant's Protection Act, a law passed by the Missouri General Assembly to ban partial-birth infanticide.
An override session will be held September 15, needing a two-thirds majority to void Governor Carnaham's veto.
LAWMAKER, ACTIVISTS SEEK END TO 'DEMENTED' ANIMAL DEATH VIDEOS
(AP) Lawmakers and animal rights activists are calling for a ban on the production of ''crush videos,'' films for viewers who get sexually aroused by watching women smashing rats and other small animals.
Sales of the videos, primarily on the Internet, is a worldwide business, Ventura County District Attorney Michael Bradbury said at a news conference Monday.
''Put a stop, won't you, to crush videos,'' said actor Mickey Rooney, an animal rights activist. ''What are we going to hand our children? This is what we're going to hand down, these videos, crush videos? God forbid.''
(Jer 6:15) Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them," says the LORD.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
54. He who wishes to pray truly must not only control his incensive power
and his desire, but must also free himself from every impassioned thought.
August 24, 1999
(1 Pet 5:8) Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
NUMBER OF U.S. OFFENDERS REACHES RECORD 5.9 MILLION
(Reuters) -- The number of U.S. adults behind bars or under police supervision last year reached a record 5.9 million offenders, almost 3 percent of the adult population, the Justice Department reported Sunday.
The figure, in a report issued by the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, means that about one out of every 34 adults were in the nation's prisons and jails, or on probation or parole for various criminal acts.
But not all American "criminals" are behind bars........
DRAMATIC APPEAL BY IRAQI BISHOP FOR END TO BOMBING
(ZENIT).- Iraq lives in daily fear of the bombs launched by Anglo-American aerial incursions. Recently, the French government also protested against the attacks, which have killed numerous civilians. Archbishop Emmanel Karim Delly, Episcopal Vicar of the Baghdad Chaldean Patriarchy, made a dramatic appeal on Vatican Radio. "As an Iraqi citizen, I strongly protest the bombings against Iraqis. Our nation wants to live in peace. These bombings are the continuation of a war that ended a long time ago. How can we live like this? We do not know when the English and U.S. planes will drop their bombs. Meanwhile, children continue to die, as there is a lack of medicines. We cry out: do everything you can to remove the embargo from us."
Allied warplanes strike residential area north of Iraq
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
53. The state of prayer is one of dispassion, which by virtue of the most
intense love transports to the noetic (intense longing) realm the intellect
that longs for wisdom.
August 23, 1999
ON HOPE FOR TROUBLED TIMES
Via Email Jim Collins: William: I will confirm this interpretation of the story of Joseph in my own life. Recently, I became unemployed, due to politics, over which I had absolutely no control, despite my best efforts to overcome. I was manipulated and betrayed by another during the process. (like the story of Joseph).
Just before things began to unravel, I saw a vision of a man who had a white beard, with white hair and was dressed in white. As I saw this vision on my way to the train station, I could hear the words, "the Ancient One" cross my mind. I interpreted this as a vision of God, the Father. God knew that His child would be going through difficult times. And He wanted me to know that He was watching over me during this particularly difficult emotional period.
So as with Joseph, He confirmed to me that He does not want His children to dispair when we go through "trying times". Interesting, one of the Biblical readings that I was drawn to during these times has been the story of Joseph. So I confirm: God is watching over each of His children as we go through our tribulations. Glory be to the Father.
Outcome: as with all suffering, many blessings have occurred. For example, my family has been blessed by the experience. We have closer, more intimate relationships. We do more with less and are closer as a result of this. And there is joy in our relationships.
A MILLION SIGN UP FOR SCREENSAVER SEARCH FOR ET
(Reuters) - More than one million people have volunteered to use a screensaver computer program that is helping search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The program, designed by a team at the University of California at Berkeley, analyzes data gathered by a radio telescope in Puerto Rico.
The SETI@home project uses a screensaver that people can download and install on their home computers. When their computers are idle and slip into screensaver mode, the program goes to work analyzing data gathered by the main SETI program. The home computers will search for any signals that appear to have been generated artificially as opposed to those triggered by objects such as stars and space dust.
(2 Th 2:9 -12) The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
52. We practise the virtues in order to achieve contemplation of the inner
essences (logoi) of created things, and from this we pass to contemplation
of the Logos who gives them their being; and He manifests Himself when we
are in the state of prayer.
August 22, 1999
HOPE FOR TROUBLED TIMES
(2 Cor 4:8-10) We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
From Ask the Rabbi:
When Yosef's (Joseph's) brothers sold him to a passing caravan, we are taught that G-d arranged matters such that the merchants would be carrying sweet-smelling spices instead of their usual foul cargo. Now, this would appear to be of little comfort to Yosef. He had just been betrayed by his brothers and sold to heathens as a slave. What was the consolation in his prison quarters having a nice smell?
The answer is that precisely because this was the lowest point of Yosef's life, G-d wanted to show that He was still with him. He did not want Yosef to fall into despair, so He sent him a small sign to reassure him. This minor but significant gesture strengthened Yosef's spirits during his long ordeal.
(John 16:33) "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
OUR LADY OF EMMITSBURG MESSAGE
Through Gianna Talone Sullivan
(Bishop's
Statement)
at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Emmitsburg, MD July 22, 1999
My dear little children, praise be Jesus!
God is light, little ones. You need light in order to see. Light reveals what lies hidden in darkness. You need His light to enlighten yourself. He will show you which path you are walking and which path is the way of truth. You need light to sustain life. Jesus is the light of life. Make no mistake but to be children of His light.
I love you, little children, and desire you all to know the truth about life and the current way of the world. I am not a mother who instills fear but a mother who gives hope. A mother has the responsibility to teach her children about authentic love, true freedom, honest practices and just human values, thus securing the respect for the moral order. A grave injustice is done on the human society as a whole when individuals, such as government authorities, do not respect and promote true human values. I am here to gather My children, so they may seek refuge in My Immaculate Heart and grow harmoniously in their spiritual development. I point to My Son who gifts Wisdom to all who desire to know the truth and receive the light to know themselves.
Jesus has come to save you, little ones, not condemn you. He is merciful but you must desire the truth and desire charity accompanied by patience and compassion to dwell in your souls. There is no room for evil. Jesus will not tolerate evil acts and His justice will prevail, but He is merciful to the repentant sinner.
Peace to you, little children. I love you and I take your petitions this night. I bless you in the name of Jesus. Progress in His love and the foundation of His truth by respecting the laws He has written. Thank you for responding to My call. AD DEUM.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
51. What is it that the demons wish to excite in us? Gluttony, unchastity,
avarice, anger, rancour, and the rest of the passions, so that the intellect
grows coarse and cannot pray as it ought. For when the passions are aroused
in the non-rational part of our nature, they do not allow the intellect to
function properly.
August 21, 1999
(2 Tim 3:1) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
NEW YORK ARCHDIOCESAN WEEKLY CRITICIZES MANIPULATION OF HUMAN EMBRYOS
(NE) The Archdiocesan weekly "Catholic New York" dedicated the editorial of its last issue to reflect on the use of human embryos in medical research, criticizing the manipulation to which they are subjected.
The editorial recalls as well that in July the American Cancer Society withdrew its sponsorship of Patients' Cure, an organization that endorses stem cell research because of the medical benefits it supposedly will provide. This organization used cells derived from "surplus" embryos created at in vitro fertilization clinics.
Opposing those who saw in this action a set-back for scientific progress, "Catholic New York" explained the Catholic Church's position, affirming that a "human embryo is just that -human- and the entire Judeo-Christian tradition insists that deliberately taking human life is wrong. Nor does the prospect of saving one human life by destroying another make that act of destruction morally right".
CANADIAN RESEARCHERS NAMED IN REPORT ON BABY PARTS MARKET- Aborted fetuses are being dissected alive, harvested and sold in pieces to fuel a vast research enterprise.
(Rom 8:22-23) We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Creation Groaning: Major Earthquake Activity This Week
Turkey earthquake, 8/17/99, Mag. 7.8
Northern California (USA) earthquake, 8/18/99, Mag. 5.0
Greece, four earthquakes, 8/19/99, Mag. 4.1-4.2
Montana (USA) earthquake, 8/20/99, Mag. 5.3
Costa Rica earthquake, 8/20/99, Mag. 6.7
Japan earthquake, 8/20/99, Mag. 5.5
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
50. The warfare between us and the demons is waged solely on account of spiritual
prayer. For prayer is extremely hateful and offensive to them, whereas it
leads us to salvation and peace.
August 20, 1999
(Mat 24:14) And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
'JESUS' FILM MIRACLE WINS MUSLIM CONVERTS
Hundreds of Muslims have come to Christ since a blind 15-year-old Indonesian girl taken to a screening of the "Jesus" film had her sight restored at the exact moment the movie portrayed Jesus healing a blind beggar, said Paul Eshleman, director of The Jesus Film Project. (Source: Charisma magazine)
Jim Bramlett note: In just recent years the "JESUS Film", a full-length movie on the life of Christ taken directly from the Gospel of Luke, has been translated into more than 500 languages and has been viewed by more than 1.75 BILLION people in 223 countries. It is the most translated film of any type in all history, second place being "Gone With the Wind" which was only translated into a paltry 35 languages. The "JESUS" film is a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International, an interdenominational ministry.
Can there be any doubt that God is going to extremely extraordinary lengths to reveal Himself and His Son's great sacrifice and provision to the world in these last days?
Via email The M+G+R Foundation: We recommend that you take a look on this week's Newsweek under Society & The Arts, "Magician for Millions". Spiritually disgusting as it is, maybe the full readership of the Trib Times should have this "one more" guidepost of how far gone we are.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
49. Having prayed as you should, expect the demon to attack you; so stand
on guard, ready to protect the fruits of your prayer. For this from the start
has been your appointed task: to cultivate and to protect (cf. Gen. 2:15).
Therefore, having cultivated, do not leave the fruits unprotected; otherwise
you will gain nothing from your prayer.
August 19, 1999
(Rev 8:10 -11) The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water-- the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
COMETS MAY HAVE CAUSED EARTH'S GREAT EMPIRES TO FALL
(Mercury News Washington Bureau)- Recent scientific discoveries are shedding new light on why great empires such as Egypt, Babylon and Rome fell apart, giving way to the periodic ``dark ages'' that punctuate human history.
At least five times during the last 6,000 years, major environmental calamities undermined civilizations around the world. Some researchers say these disasters appear to be linked to collisions with comets or fragments of comets such as the one that broke apart and smashed spectacularly into Jupiter five years ago.
The impacts, yielding many megatons of explosive energy, produced vast clouds of smoke and dust that circled the globe for years, dimming the sun, driving down temperatures and sowing hunger, disease and death. The last such global crisis occurred between A.D. 530 and 540-- at the beginning of the Dark Ages in Europe -- when Earth was pummeled by a swarm of cosmic debris.
In a forthcoming book, Catastrophe, the Day the Sun Went Out, British historian David Keys describes a 2-year-long winter that began in A.D. 535. Keys quotes the writings of a 6th-century Syrian bishop, John of Ephesus: ``The sun became dark. ... Each day it shone for about four hours and still this light was only a feeble shadow.'' A contemporary Italian historian, Flavius Cassiodorus, wrote: ``We marvel to see no shadows of our bodies at noon. We have summer without heat.'' And a contemporary Chinese chronicler reported, ``Yellow dust rained like snow.''
NASA and the Air Force are searching for comets and asteroids that might be on a collision course with our planet. Fortunately, nothing of a dangerous size -- arbitrarily defined as more than a kilometer (0.6 miles) in diameter -- has been spotted heading our way for at least a century. But astronomers say a major impact is inevitable.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
48. When after many attempts the cunning demon fails to hinder the prayer
of the righteous man, he slackens his efforts a little, and then gets his
own back when the man has finished praying. Either he provokes the man
to anger, and so destroys the good effects of the prayer, or else he excites
him to senseless pleasure, and so degrades his intellect.
August 18, 1999
(Luke 21:10-11) Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
EARTHQUAKE REPORTED IN SAN FRANCISCO
(Reuters) - A quake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale hit the San Francisco area on Tuesday night but there were no immediate reports of damage or injury, officials said.
TANKS, MISSILES, ROLL THROUGH BEIJING IN DISPLAY OF MIGHT
(Reuters) -- In a charged atmosphere of confrontation with Taiwan, Beijing has showcased its military hardware -- tanks, missiles and artillery -- in a rehearsal for a giant parade to mark communist China's 50th anniversary.
Although the first National Day parade since 1984 has been planned for years, the timing has given China a chance to rattle its sabres in the face of a series of perceived threats, most seriously from Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui.
AMID TENSION WITH CHINA, TAIWAN ROLLS OUT UPGRADED TANKS
(AP) _ With military tensions with China at a three-year-high, Taiwan today rolled out souped-up tanks that would play a major role in repelling a potential Chinese invasion _ even though the vehicles are almost as old as the half-century conflict between the two sides.
The brief but deafening display of firepower was staged for a crowd that included legislators and residents of the area, about 125 miles south of Taipei. The demonstration included M-113 armored personnel carriers and various anti-tank rocket launchers.
RELATED STRATFOR COMMENTARY
China’s
Available Military Options and its Relations with the U.S.
United
States Timing Will Raise Eyebrows in Beijing
Editor's comments:
During the Kosovo crisis, the Trib Times featured a report (A Watchman's View of the Kosovo Crisis) which chronicled demeaning, almost humiliating behavior on the part of the Clinton administration towards Russia. Fortunately Russia was apparently too debilitated economically and militarily to respond. It appears that the intrepid Clinton administration is now provoking China with a similar series of insults. These include a lukewarm response to Taiwan's recent assertion of statehood, promises to defend Taiwan in case of conflict, the welcoming of the Dalai Lama, and the missile defense agreement signed yesterday with Japan (see United States Timing Will Raise Eyebrows in Beijing). It is almost enough to make one wonder whether the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia during the Kosovo crisis was indeed an accident!!
Why? Why has the Clinton administration chosen to enrage two different nuclear powers in less than 6 months? The following Scripture verses come to mind:
(1 Ki 22:20) And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' "One suggested this, and another that.
(1 Ki 22:21) Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.'
(1 Ki 22:22) " 'By what means?' the LORD asked. " 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said. " 'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the LORD. 'Go and do it.'
Is the Clinton administration under attack by lying spirits? Please join me in intense prayer for peace, for prayer is the only weapon that can succeed in the intense spiritual war in which we are engaged.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
47. The demon is very envious of us when we pray, and uses every kind of
trick to thwart our purpose. Therefore he is always using our memory to stir
up thoughts of various things and our flesh to arouse the passions, in order
to obstruct our way of ascent to God.
August 17, 1999
MAGNITUDE 7.8 EARTHQUAKE STRIKES TURKEY
(CNN) -- Rescuers dug frantically with their hands, trying to save trapped victims after a powerful earthquake struck western Turkey on Tuesday, killing at least 500 people and injuring some 2,500 others.
In Istanbul, a metropolis of 12 million people, at least a score of buildings collapsed; survivors were unearthed from the rubble and rushed to hospitals.
The National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado, said the quake had a magnitude of 7.8, making it nearly as powerful as the 7.9-magnitude San Francisco quake, which killed 700 people in 1906.
ONLY THREE STATES CLEARED FOR Y2K TROUBLES
(AP) -- Only Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota have completely tested their computer systems and are ready to face the new year without fear of potentially dangerous Year 2000 glitches, according to a federal report released Saturday.
The rest of the states have only 139 days to guarantee reliability of their systems that run everything from law enforcement agencies to utilities.
"No one can predict what might, or might not, happen once the clock ticks past midnight this New Year's Eve," said Rep. Stephen Horn (R-California). "The only certainty is that this January 1 deadline cannot be extended."
Y2K RELATED LINKS
Y2K Newswire
Y2K News Magazine
Dr. Ed Yardeni's Y2K
Center
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
46. While you are praying, the memory brings before you fantasies either
of past things, or of recent concerns, or of the face of someone who has
irritated you.
August 16, 1999
(Jer 10:23) I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.
PARALYZED MAN GETS WISH,DIES AFTER HOSPITAL DISCONNECTS VENTILATOR
(AP) -- A man who remained motionless in a hospital bed since 1967, when he was paralyzed in a high school gym accident, died when hospital authorities heeded his wish and unplugged his ventilator.
Prosecutors this week said they would not oppose White's request to have the machine unplugged. Under New York law, patients may discontinue lifesaving treatment.
Michael McBride, a friend of 25 years who staunchly opposed White's decision, said he was struggling to understand it and the hospital's refusal to talk him out of it. "Why his life should not be worth living I'll never know," McBride told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle on Friday. "He was a great guy. I miss him already."
The era of the Designer Baby is unfolding, step by step
Our future could be one of gene-rigged humans that come in special physical and behavioral packages of our own choosing. No inherited diseases—and attractive traits to boot.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
45. When you pray, keep close watch on your memory, so that it does not distract
you with recollections of your past. But make yourself aware that you are
standing before God. For by nature the intellect is apt to be carried away
by memories during prayer.
August 15, 1999
From the Catechism:
966. "'Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.'[LG 59; cf. Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus (1950): DS 3903; cf. Rev 19:16.] The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians: In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.[Byzantine Liturgy, Troparion, Feast of the Dormition, August 15th.]"
RELIGIOUS EVENT IN VIETNAM MOSTLY UNDISTURBED BY GOVERNMENT
(AP) As many as 200,000 people swarmed the tiny village of La Vang Saturday, arriving by foot, car, bike and hand-drawn cart to mark the 200th anniversary of the reported sighting of an apparition of the Virgin Mary.
The Roman Catholic Mass this morning was just part of a weekend of activities marking the sighting the only one of the Virgin Mary reported in Southeast Asia.
Ho Thi Huong, 66, arrived three days ago from Ho Chi Minh City, some 700 miles to the south, with a group of 54 friends from her neighborhood. She had already had witnessed a miracle, she said: A boy, mute for the last 10 years, spoke a few words after being taken to the towering statue of the Virgin Mary and Christ child under three trees.
Vietnam's 76 million people are predominantly Buddhist, but the Catholic contingent is the largest in Southeast Asia outside the Philippines.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
44. If your intellect is still distracted during prayer, you do not yet know
what it is to pray as a monk; but your prayer is still worldly, embellishing
the outer tabernacle.
August 14, 1999
SURVEY: 75 PERCENT U.S. COMPANIES HAVE ALREADY HAD Y2K FAILURES
(IDG) -- First, the bad news: Three-quarters of U.S. companies have already experienced year 2000-related failures, according to an ongoing survey of information technology executives at 161 companies and government agencies.
The good news is that only 2 percent of those companies polled have actually suffered business disruptions because of those glitches, as they were able to either fix the problems quickly or enact workarounds, the survey found. Looking ahead, that could be a positive harbinger of what might occur early next year.
Still, the survey results highlight other concerns. Only 48 percent of the organizations polled expect to have all their mission-critical systems prepared, and 16 percent don't expect at least half of their most important systems to be ready.
RELATED E-MAIL:
I got this last night and decided to check it out, although I've already run my machine through a whole bunch of tests that confirmed it was Y2K ready. To my surprise, this little detail had not been corrected by the programs I'd used and it's incredibly simple to do, even for those of us who are "technologically impaired". Takes only a few seconds too!
TEST
Double click on "My Computer".
Double click on "Control Panel".
Double click on "Regional Settings" icon.
Click on the "Date" tab at the top of the page.
Where it says, "Short Date Sample", look and see if it shows a "two
digit" year. Of course it does. That's the default setting for Windows 95,
windows 98 and NT. This date RIGHT HERE is the date that feeds application
software and WILL NOT rollover in the year 2000. It will roll over to 00.
Click on the arrow button across from "Short Date Style" and select
the option that shows, mm/dd/yyyy. (Be sure your selection has four Y's showing,
not two).
Click on "Apply" and then click on "OK" at the bottom.
Easy enough to fix. However, every single installation of Windows worldwide
is defaulted to fail Y2K rollover.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
43. Conscious awareness of prayer is concentration accompanied by reverence,
compunction and distress of soul as it confesses its sins with inward
sorrow.
August 13, 1999
(Mat 16:24-27) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
CHRISTIAN LIFE IS THE WAY TO HEAVEN, SAYS POPE
"Christian life can be considered as a great pilgrimage to the house of the Father", the Pope said, recalling that "our present life is already marked by the salvation which Christ has won for us through his death and resurrection".
"We are journeying towards the full actualization of this salvation, which will take place at the final coming of the Lord. As we make this journey, we are called to share in the Paschal mystery of the Lord and to live up to the demands of Christ's offer of redemption".
An important part of this, the Holy Father explained, is the "continual purification and struggle against sin, in the knowledge that in rising from the dead, Christ has already overcome the power of sin and death". "In involving ourselves in the realities of this passing world, we must fix our gaze on our final goal, bringing the light of God to bear on all that we do".
DUTCH PLAN FOR KILLING 12-YEAR-OLDS
(LSN) - The Netherlands, the world's most aggressive advocate of euthanasia, will make it legal to kill children as young as – or as old as – 12 years of age. A Reuters report cites the Justice and Health ministries as saying that "in the case of 12 to 15 year olds the consent of the parents or guardian is required, but in the event of refusal ... a minor's request may nevertheless be met if the doctor is convinced this would prevent serious detriment to the patient."
(Mat 24:12-13) Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
42. Whether you pray with brethren or alone, try to pray not simply as a
routine, but with conscious awareness of your prayer.
August 12, 1999
(Luke 21:10-11) Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
CHINA TO ATTACK IF TAIPEI REFUSES TO DROP STATEHOOD CLAIM
(AP) -- Beijing has decided to use military force against Taiwan if Taipei refuses to abandon President Lee Teng-hui's recent declaration of statehood, a Hong Kong newspaper reported Wednesday. The South China Morning Post said the Chinese were considering an "appropriate degree of force," but the only option mentioned was the invasion and temporary occupation of an outlying island held by Taipei.
PAKISTAN, INDIA TRADE PIN-PRICK BLOWS
(Reuters) - India and Pakistan traded pin-prick blows Wednesday, s the tensions between South Asia's nuclear rivals.
RUSSIA STEPS UP AIR OFFENSIVE AGAINST REBELS LED BY CHECHEN WARLORDS
(AP) Russia intensified its air and ground offensives Wednesday against Islamic separatists in the southern Caucasus Mountains, and the rebels said two Chechen warlords were leading their campaign.
ISRAELI JETS ATTACK SUSPECTED GUERILLA TARGETS IN LEBANON
(AP) _ Israeli warplanes repeatedly attacked suspected guerrilla hideouts in southern Lebanon Wednesday, firing 10 missiles, Lebanese security officials said. An hour before the airstrikes began, Hezbollah guerrillas attacked an Israeli convoy in the same area, scoring ``direct and precise hits,'' the Iranian-backed group said in a statement in Beirut.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
41. See whether you stand truly before God in your prayer, or are overcome
by the desire for human praise, using prolonged prayer as a disguise.
August 11, 1999
(Job 25:2) "Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven.
TWO BILLION CAN ENJOY MIRACLE OF ECLIPSE
(Reuters) - Up to two billion people in Europe and the Middle East can marvel on Wednesday at one of nature's greatest miracles -- the sun's last total eclipse before the millennium.
"It will be the total eclipse that will be seen by the most people in history because of the path it is taking and because of the way the world's population has grown,'' said Brigadier Gage Williams, Britain's eclipse coordinator.
From the windswept coast of southwest England to the desert plains of Iran, the shadow of the moon will race at up to 2,000 miles per hour (3,200 kph), blocking out the sun and turning day into night.
ECLIPSE WILL TURN NATURE UPSIDE DOWN
(Reuters) - Birds stop singing, badgers leave their lairs and bats fly into new-found night when a total eclipse of the sun turns the natural order upside down. Darkness baffles the animal kingdom with dogs howling and disoriented cows laying down to sleep. British zoos are keeping many of their large animals inside in case they injure themselves. Nature's internal time clocks mean nothing at all.
Writer Virginia Woolf, echoing mankind's fascination with the eclipse over the centuries, perfectly captured the sense of awe that eclipses inspire when she viewed Britain's last total one in 1927. "I thought we were like old people in at the death of the world...like Druids at Stonehenge.'' Then the light returned and "It was like recovery .. We had seen the world dead.''
Links to eclipse-related Web pages some of which will lead you to webcasts of the eclipse.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
40. It is right to pray not only for your own purification, but also for
that of all your fellow men, and so to imitate the angels.
August 10, 1999
DISCOVERY NETWORK PLANS LIVE ECLIPSE COVERAGE
(AP) -- The Discovery Network plans three hours of live television coverage next Wednesday of something mom warned you never to look at directly -- a solar eclipse. Eclipse coverage runs from 6 to 9 a.m. EDT, with an hour-long wrapup that night at 10 p.m.
Discovery will do more than beam three hours of the sun. It will explain the science behind the eclipse and show how people in each country react to it. The network hopes to climax its coverage with an arresting image of the eclipse over the Taj Mahal.
SOLAR ECLIPSE AND SUPERSTITION
(ZENIT).- The SWG Institute of Sociological Research has published the results of a survey, according to which three out of four Italians regard next Wednesday's eclipse "as a simple astronomical event." One out of ten expects "consequences on health and love." Four out of 100 (more or less a million people) regard it as "a supernatural warning." 1.9% of those interviewed consider the solar eclipse to be a sign of the end of the world.
Click here for a sky map for Aug. 11, 1999 as seen from Bucharest, Romania.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
39. In you prayer seek only righteousness and the kingdom of God, that is
, virtue and spiritual knowledge; and everything else 'will be given to you'
(Matt. 6:33).
August 6-9, 1999
Will be away from the computer. Trib Times to resume publishing, God willing, on Aug. 10.
God bless you!!
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
38. Pray first for the purification of the passions; secondly, for deliverance
from ignorance and forgetfulness; and thirdly, for deliverance from all
temptation, trial and dereliction.
August 5, 1999
POLITICAL PITFALLS AWAIT POPE'S MIDEAST PILGRIMAGE
Pope John Paul II continues to plan for a series of millennium pilgrimages which, despite his wishes to the contrary, will be seen as politically significant by millions in the Middle East, who will try to exploit the visit for their own ends.
Conceding that people would attempt to make political mileage out of the papal visits, a Vatican representative in Jerusalem said this week the Pope was not unprepared for the risks. "He is aware, everyone is aware of the very delicate situation that prevails here," said Monsignor Eugene Nugent. "But that shouldn't prevent him from coming. He will come as a pilgrim and a man of peace." "People are free to draw their own conclusions, but we should be fair. This is a spiritual journey."
The Pope hopes to visit a number of locations central to the biblical account - from Ur in ancient Mesopotamia, birthplace of the patriarch Abraham, to Athens, Greece where the apostle Paul preached the gospel.
Between those two points near the beginning and end of the Bible, a series of other places are on the proposed papal agenda - Mount Sinai (where Moses received the Ten Commandments); Mount Nebo (where Moses died); Bethlehem and Nazareth (birthplace and hometown respectively of Jesus); Jerusalem (King David's capital and location of Jesus' death and resurrection); and Damascus (where Paul was baptized).
If he achieves his goal, the Pope will, for the first time in his 21-year tenure, visit six new countries - Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Syria and Greece, as well as the area under Palestinian control. (During his years as the Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, the Pope visited the Holy Land twice, in 1963 and 1964.)
"There are always tensions when the Pope goes on a pilgrimage, whether civil or political or church politics," Nugent said. "When the Pope went to Cuba, to Poland, people were looking for some sort of political message. He wants to bring across the message of the gospel, the message Jesus Christ brought to the world.
Many Catholics see the biblical trips as the most important ever for the 79-year-old Pope. Said Nugent: "Some observers are seeing it as the final great pilgrimage he will make."
PAPAL WORLDWIDE EVANGELIZATION EFFORTS CONTINUE
"The Priest and the Third Christian Millennium" by The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy
This document encourages all priests to renew their evangelical efforts. It also identifies the major obstacles to the "New Evangelization" of the world which the Pope is calling for. The document is dated March 19th, the Feast of St. Joseph, and was published in L'Osservatore Romano on July 21st.
Download by clicking here and saving to disk.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
37. If you long for prayer, renounce all to gain all.
August 4, 1999
STUDY DATES SHROUD OF TURIN TO BEFORE 8TH CENTURY
(AP) -- The Shroud of Turin is much older than some scientists believe, according to researchers who used pollen and plant images to conclude it dates from Jerusalem before the eighth century.
"We have identified by images and by pollen grains species on the shroud restricted to the vicinity of Jerusalem," botany professor Avinoam Danin of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem said Monday during the International Botanical Congress here. "The sayings that the shroud is from European origin can't hold."
Danin identified a high density of pollen of the tumbleweed Gundelia tournefortii. The analysis also found the bean caper. The two species coexist in a limited area, Danin said. "This combination of flowers can be found in only one region of the world," he said. "The evidence clearly points to a floral grouping from the area surrounding Jerusalem."
Excellent online pictures of the shroud:
Examine The Shroud of Turin
Key facts about the Shroud of Turin:
The
Turin Shroud
Email comment on the newest Shroud developments via "Table of the Remnant":
"We were just saying that the just shall walk by faith, and yet, He gives us this gift."
| Editor's commentary:
Within the past week we have had the nationwide Fox telecast "Signs From God: Science Tests Faith", followed by the report in the "Irish Family" about the scientifically unexplainable events surrounding Christian Gallagher (see August 2 update), and finally this preliminary authentication of the area of origin of the Shroud. The Lord appears to be reaching out to all who would listen! Spread the Word!!! (Mark 1:15) "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" |
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
36. Prayer is the ascent of the intellect to God.
August 3, 1999
FIRST CRISIS HITS PEACE TALKS UNDER NEW ISRAELI GOVERNMENT
(AP) _ Less than a month after Ehud Barak took office with a promise to jumpstart peace talks with the Palestinians, he was entangled in his first major crisis Monday with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Infuriated by Barak's insistence on skipping one of two promised West Bank troop pullbacks, Arafat accused the Israeli prime minister of trying to break peace agreements. Barak, in turn, warned Arafat he was being too rigid, while Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy accused the Palestinians of ``creating drama.''
Russian President Boris Yeltsin, seeking a greater role for Russia in the Middle East peace process, told Barak during talks Monday in Moscow that the peace process was moving too slowly and that Russia was ready to help negotiate a settlement.
(Zec 12:3) On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.
(Psa 122:6) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be secure.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
35. Undistracted prayer is the hightest intellection of the intellect.
August 2, 1999
Doctor baffled by Achill experience
(The Irish Family)--July 16, was the sixth anniversary of the 1993 opening of the House of Prayer, Achill Sound, Co. Mayo, and a large number of people from all parts of Ireland and some from overseas, visited the House of Prayer, and took part in the prayers and devotions to mark the anniversary.
It was reported that as the afternoon prayers were about to commence, Mrs. Christina Gallagher, who was kneeling in the chapel, went into an ecstatic, trance-like state, and this was closely witnessed by a number of people, both lay and clerical, and lasted for ten minutes or more.
Eyewitness account of Irish medical doctor Dr. Michael Anketell:
I observed that Mrs. Christina Gallagher, who was kneeling in front of the altar on our arrival, had suddenly stood up, and just as suddenly her hands jerked upwards in what I could only describe as a praying position.
"With that, to my amazement, her whole body arched backwards with the curvature of her thoracic spine entering a forty five degree angle. With both knees slightly bent, the lower lumber region of her back and pelvis started to sway backwards and forwards. Thinking she was about to fall and crack her head off the floor, I leapt forward, and found to my amazement that her whole body seemed to be suspended as if in mid-air.
Suddenly to my shock, her head and neck snapped back in a ninety degree angle, so that her face and head were now in a horizontal position to the ceiling of the chapel and appeared to be focussed and concentrated on one area up there. In this arched, fixed position, which I feel no highly trained professional gymnast could achieve, her whole body, arms out-stretched upwards, started to sway, backwards and forwards."
"As I looked down on her face, which was waxen in complexion, I noted with amazement that the pupils of her eyes were fixed and dilated with complete absence of the blink reflex, despite flashing cameras now focussed on her face. "This phenomenon I was witnessing was defying all the laws of medicine and science. According to my training, this woman was clinically brain dead, despite the extraordinary involuntary movements of her body."
"As her whole body continued to sway in this very unusual arched position, her mouth suddenly opened and her tongue projected slightly forward, what I would call a healthy uncoated vascular tongue, in the timing of the blink of an eye, it suddenly started to fill with a white circular disc resembling a Communion host, except that it appeared to be whiter than usual and exuded a gleam of light or brightness out of the ordinary. After a period, Mrs. Gallagher consumed the 'host'..."
..."One other observation I feel I am obliged to make is an extraordinary perfume or fragrance that I personally experienced during this phenomenon. To describe it is impossible - it had no resemblance to ordinary fragrance or perfume, but an almost intoxicating, overwhelming odour of flowers, plants, herbs, impossible to formulate in words.
To conclude this testimony I can only say that it was completely accidental that I was present to witness these events. I can find no 'natural', 'medical' 'scientific' or 'psychological' explanation for what I witnessed."
The account above was personally confirmed by Christina's webmaster,
Marita Wojdak.
Christina Gallagher's web site can be found at:
http://web.frontier.net/cgallagher/.
Christina will be speaking at a
Special Prayer Meeting
in New York City on Sept. 11,1999.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
34. Do not be distressed if you do not at once receive from God what you
ask. He wishes to give you something better- to make you persevere in your
prayer. For what is better than to enjoy the love of God and to be in communion
with Him?
August 1, 1999
33,000 SUFFER FOOD SHORTAGES IN VIETNAM PROVINCE
(AP) -- A lengthy drought has left 33,000 people short of food in the northern province of Ha Giang, a local official said Saturday. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs said in March that 2.3 million Vietnamese were suffering from food shortages in 34 northern and central provinces.
STARVED BY WAR, HUNGRY CONGOLESE TURN TO PARK ANIMALS FOR SURVIVAL
(AP) _ Lubanga Bulabi and his 22-year-old son lived on game before their forest home was turned into a moneymaking gorilla reserve. Now, hungry Batwa Pygmies of southeastern Congo say they have no choice but to resume their hunt for lowland gorillas and antelope that live in the national park. Like other poachers in the area, Bulabi doesn't think he is doing anything wrong. The 50-year-old Pygmy trekker is landless, jobless and must feed his two children and wife.
The 1.5 million-acre park was closed to visitors a year ago after Rwandan-backed rebels took up arms against Congolese President Laurent Kabila. Since then, park officials say poachers have killed 114 lowland gorillas, almost all the reserve's 300 forest elephants and untold numbers of antelope.
EAST SUFFERS WORST DROUGHT IN A DECADE
(AP) --The prolonged dry spell has seized the Northeast, withering crops, feeding forest fires and sucking rivers and lakes so dry that Baltimore has only a month's worth of drinking water in its reservoirs. Maryland declared the first drought emergency in its history Thursday, joining Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and scores of communities in urging people and businesses to curb water use.
The Saharan summer is so worrisome that forecasters are rooting for a tropical storm. Better yet, two.
Heat
wave continues; in New York, hottest July ever
More
heat deaths in Chicago, 150 dead nationwide since mid-July
(Rev 6:8) I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
The Philokalia excerpt: Evagrios the Solitary "On Prayer"
33. What is good, except God? Then let us leave to Him everything that concerns
us and all will be well. For He who is good is naturally also a giver of
good gifts.
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