from the first reading for today: 2 kings 19
hezekiah's (king of judah) prayer at the temple when threatened and insulted by invasion by sennacherib (king of assyria):
[15] "... 'YHWH Sabbaoth, God of Israel, enthroned on the cherubs, YOU ALONE ARE GOD of all the kingdoms of the earth, you have made heaven and earth.
[16] 'Give ear, YHWH, and listen. Open your eyes, YHWH, and see. Hear the words of Seenacherib who has sent to insult THE LIVING GOD.
[17] " 'It is true, YHWH, that the kings of Assyria have exterminated all the nations. [1] They have thrown their gods on the fire, for these were not gods but the work of men's hands, wood and stone, and hence, they have destroyed them. [19] But now, YHWH our God, SAVE US from his hand, I pray you, and let all the kingdoms of the earth know that YOU ALONE ARE GOD, YHWH.'"
[35] "That same night the angel of YHWH went out and struck down 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp.
[37] "One day when he (Sennacherib) was worshipping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword anad escapead to the land of Ararat. His son Esarhaddan succeeded him."
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Monday, June 20, 2016
dimensions of god's love # 4. RAHAMIN
RAHAMIN = Tender Compassionate Empathetic Love
>Isaiah 49:15 "Can a woamn forget her suckling child, that she should not have COMPASSION (merahem) on the son of her womb? Even though she may forget, yet I will never forget you."
I consider this God's feminine love. This is confirmed by www.divinemercy.org in stating:
"While 'hesed' highlights the marks of FIDELITY to self and of 'responsibility for one's own love' (which are in a sense MASCULINE characters), 'rahamin,' in its very root, denotes the love of a MOTHER (rehem = mother's womb).
>Confronted by evil, rahamin is manifest as MERCY (divinemercy.org).
>In the mother-child relationshipo, love is completely GRATUITIOUS, not merited; therefore it constitutes an INTERIOR NECESSITY, an "exigency of the heart."
>rahamin nuances
-- goodness and tenderness,
-- patience and understanding, i.e.,
readiness to FORGIVE.
-- (in OT) salvation from danger, especially from enemies
-- forgiveness of sins (individual and communal)
-- readiness to fulfill the promise and hope, in spite of human infidelity
>HOSEA 14:16 "I will HEAL their faithlessness, I will love them FREELY."
>Isaiah 49:15 "Can a woamn forget her suckling child, that she should not have COMPASSION (merahem) on the son of her womb? Even though she may forget, yet I will never forget you."
I consider this God's feminine love. This is confirmed by www.divinemercy.org in stating:
"While 'hesed' highlights the marks of FIDELITY to self and of 'responsibility for one's own love' (which are in a sense MASCULINE characters), 'rahamin,' in its very root, denotes the love of a MOTHER (rehem = mother's womb).
>Confronted by evil, rahamin is manifest as MERCY (divinemercy.org).
>In the mother-child relationshipo, love is completely GRATUITIOUS, not merited; therefore it constitutes an INTERIOR NECESSITY, an "exigency of the heart."
>rahamin nuances
-- goodness and tenderness,
-- patience and understanding, i.e.,
readiness to FORGIVE.
-- (in OT) salvation from danger, especially from enemies
-- forgiveness of sins (individual and communal)
-- readiness to fulfill the promise and hope, in spite of human infidelity
>HOSEA 14:16 "I will HEAL their faithlessness, I will love them FREELY."
dimensions of god's love # 3. HESED YESHUA
HESED YESHUA = Saving Love / Mercy
Examples:
>all the martyrs, e.g., St. Maximilian Kolbe, Servant of God German Bishop Wilhelm Finneman, SVD, first Vicar Apostolic of Mindoro, Philippines (26 October 1942: thrown by the Japanese soldiers off the coast of Mindoro after a week of torture for defying their desire to turn Catholic convents & schools into prostitution houses for "comfort women").
>St. Padre Pio was quoted to have prayed something like: "Lord, if you are going to send a dagger, let it fall on me and spare the people."
This is the highest form of love.
Question: Can I sacrifice myself for my enemy?
Examples:
>all the martyrs, e.g., St. Maximilian Kolbe, Servant of God German Bishop Wilhelm Finneman, SVD, first Vicar Apostolic of Mindoro, Philippines (26 October 1942: thrown by the Japanese soldiers off the coast of Mindoro after a week of torture for defying their desire to turn Catholic convents & schools into prostitution houses for "comfort women").
>St. Padre Pio was quoted to have prayed something like: "Lord, if you are going to send a dagger, let it fall on me and spare the people."
This is the highest form of love.
Question: Can I sacrifice myself for my enemy?
dimensions of god's love #2. HESED SEDAKA
HESED SEDAKA = Righteous or Holy Love / Mercy
This means that God's love is also TOUGH (yang of yin-yang). Getting out of order by violating physical and psycho-spiritual laws will have their corresponding karmic effects.
confirmation: 21 june 2016
fr: fb poster post of sis bernardita diamson
"RIGHETEOUSNESS is a term for covenantal relationship marked by FIDELITY. A righteous person cannot be unfaithful to God, who is the covenant-partner."
This means that God's love is also TOUGH (yang of yin-yang). Getting out of order by violating physical and psycho-spiritual laws will have their corresponding karmic effects.
confirmation: 21 june 2016
fr: fb poster post of sis bernardita diamson
"RIGHETEOUSNESS is a term for covenantal relationship marked by FIDELITY. A righteous person cannot be unfaithful to God, who is the covenant-partner."
dimensions of god's love #1. HESED EMET
Hosea 2:19 "I will bethroth you to myself for ever, bethroth you with integrity and justice, with TENDERNESS (rahamin: feminine*) and LOVE (hesed: masculine*)." (New Jerusalem Bible, Hebrew translation from biblehub.com; *www.thedivinemercy.org/message/scripture)
according to a franciscan friar exorcist of batangas (i forgot his name) whose talk i attended on MERCY at the marian encounter at UST on may 29, 2016, citing the Dictionary of the Bible, mercy is interpreted in the Old Testament as both (1) HESED and (2) RAHAMIN in Hebrew.
i felt he was directly talking to me as i sat at one of the last seats at the last row, as he expounded on the meaning of HESED (BTW, he was holding the crucifix of his rosary while talking, with the beads wound on his wrist).
before writing this, i researched on some websites on the meaning of hesed.
>there is no direct english translation of hesed because it cannot be captured by a word in this language. the closest biblical scholars came to is usually "LOVING-KINDNESS" or "lovingkindness" in other sites, which was coined by Miles Coverdale.
>Other English translations of hesed are kindness, love, mercy, steadfast love, "covenant-love" (Daniel Elazar), loyalty
>Hesed's equivalent in other languages:
--Greek: eleos = mercy, pity (c/o Septuagint Translation)
--Latin: misericordia (c/o Vulgate c/o St. Jerome)
--Sanskrit: metta = loving-kindness, friendliness (c/o Theravada Buddhism)
>hesed is also likened to agape = caritas
>"hesed" is also translated as "GRACE AND FIDELITY," considered a literary form called hendiadys (literally "one through two" in Greek; i.e., a complex idea is expressed by two words connected by a copulative conjuction) [source: www.thedivinemerayc.org/message/scripture]
Ex: Ex 34:6, 2 Sam 2:6, 15-20; Ps 25:10, 20:11-12; 85:11; 138:2; Mi 7:20)
>Fidelity is God's nature: He cannot deny Himself
"The juridical commitment on God's part ceased to oblige wherever Israel broke the covenant and did not respect its conditions.
But precisely at this point, 'hesed' in ceasing to be a juridical obligation, revealed its deeper aspect: it showed itself as what it was at the beginning, that is, as LOVE that gives, love more powerful than betrayal, grace stronger than sin."
[O] "This FIDELITY vis-a-vis the unfaithful 'daughter of my people' (Lam 4:3, 6) is, in brief, on God's part.
>Ez 36:22 "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, buty for the same of MY HOLY NAME."
(www.divinemercy.org/message/scripture)
NB: It becomes MERCY in consideration of human frailty.
>And "the fruits of this love are FORGIVENESS and RESTORATION TO GRACE, the reestablishment of the interior COVENANT." (divinemercy.org)
>"Hesed" appears 23 times in the Psalms
>Context: COVENANT of love between God and Israel
1. HESED (mercy) EMET (truth*) = STEADFAST LOVE
*"truth" is the Greek translation of "emet" in the Septuagint; other primary meanings are: "SOLIDITY, SECURITY, & FIDELITY" (www.divinemercy.org)
>i translate this in filipino as TAPAT na PAG-IBIG
>in an excellent jewish rabbi homily on youtube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPbV9OyjHsE) titled "Chesed ve emet" = Steadfast Loyalty), 3 traits of hesed emet are enumerated:
a. No allegiance oath
b. No benefits (i.e., intrinsic motivation)
c. No conditions attached
OT Example #1: Ittai, the foreign mercenary (probably Philistine) who staked his life for David in their low point (flight from Jerusalem due to Absalom's treason)
2 Samuel 15
[19] David to Ittai (a man from Gath): "Why are you also going with us? Turn back and stay with King Absalom because you are a foreigner. This is not your homeland. [20] You joined me only a short time ago. Should i make you wander with us when i don't even know where I'm going? Turn back and take your kinsmen with you. May kindness and loyalty be shown to you."
[21] But Ittai said to the king, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I WILL GO WHEREVER MY LORD THE KING GOES, WHETHER IT MEANS LIFE OR DEATH."
David eventually made him leader of 1/3 of his troops against Absalom's army. He probably died because he is no longer mentioned.
OT Example #2. Ruth, Jesus' great grandma
Ruth 1
[16] Ruth to Naomi: "Don't beg me to leave you or to stop following you. Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. [17] And where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me terribly if I do not keep this promise: Not even death SEPARATE us."
[In personality psychology, Dr. John Oldham calls this the DEVOTED Personality Style. The pathological form is the Dependent Personality Disorder.]
according to a franciscan friar exorcist of batangas (i forgot his name) whose talk i attended on MERCY at the marian encounter at UST on may 29, 2016, citing the Dictionary of the Bible, mercy is interpreted in the Old Testament as both (1) HESED and (2) RAHAMIN in Hebrew.
i felt he was directly talking to me as i sat at one of the last seats at the last row, as he expounded on the meaning of HESED (BTW, he was holding the crucifix of his rosary while talking, with the beads wound on his wrist).
before writing this, i researched on some websites on the meaning of hesed.
>there is no direct english translation of hesed because it cannot be captured by a word in this language. the closest biblical scholars came to is usually "LOVING-KINDNESS" or "lovingkindness" in other sites, which was coined by Miles Coverdale.
>Other English translations of hesed are kindness, love, mercy, steadfast love, "covenant-love" (Daniel Elazar), loyalty
>Hesed's equivalent in other languages:
--Greek: eleos = mercy, pity (c/o Septuagint Translation)
--Latin: misericordia (c/o Vulgate c/o St. Jerome)
--Sanskrit: metta = loving-kindness, friendliness (c/o Theravada Buddhism)
>hesed is also likened to agape = caritas
>"hesed" is also translated as "GRACE AND FIDELITY," considered a literary form called hendiadys (literally "one through two" in Greek; i.e., a complex idea is expressed by two words connected by a copulative conjuction) [source: www.thedivinemerayc.org/message/scripture]
Ex: Ex 34:6, 2 Sam 2:6, 15-20; Ps 25:10, 20:11-12; 85:11; 138:2; Mi 7:20)
>Fidelity is God's nature: He cannot deny Himself
"The juridical commitment on God's part ceased to oblige wherever Israel broke the covenant and did not respect its conditions.
But precisely at this point, 'hesed' in ceasing to be a juridical obligation, revealed its deeper aspect: it showed itself as what it was at the beginning, that is, as LOVE that gives, love more powerful than betrayal, grace stronger than sin."
[O] "This FIDELITY vis-a-vis the unfaithful 'daughter of my people' (Lam 4:3, 6) is, in brief, on God's part.
>Ez 36:22 "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, buty for the same of MY HOLY NAME."
(www.divinemercy.org/message/scripture)
NB: It becomes MERCY in consideration of human frailty.
>And "the fruits of this love are FORGIVENESS and RESTORATION TO GRACE, the reestablishment of the interior COVENANT." (divinemercy.org)
>"Hesed" appears 23 times in the Psalms
>Context: COVENANT of love between God and Israel
1. HESED (mercy) EMET (truth*) = STEADFAST LOVE
*"truth" is the Greek translation of "emet" in the Septuagint; other primary meanings are: "SOLIDITY, SECURITY, & FIDELITY" (www.divinemercy.org)
>i translate this in filipino as TAPAT na PAG-IBIG
>in an excellent jewish rabbi homily on youtube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPbV9OyjHsE) titled "Chesed ve emet" = Steadfast Loyalty), 3 traits of hesed emet are enumerated:
a. No allegiance oath
b. No benefits (i.e., intrinsic motivation)
c. No conditions attached
OT Example #1: Ittai, the foreign mercenary (probably Philistine) who staked his life for David in their low point (flight from Jerusalem due to Absalom's treason)
2 Samuel 15
[19] David to Ittai (a man from Gath): "Why are you also going with us? Turn back and stay with King Absalom because you are a foreigner. This is not your homeland. [20] You joined me only a short time ago. Should i make you wander with us when i don't even know where I'm going? Turn back and take your kinsmen with you. May kindness and loyalty be shown to you."
[21] But Ittai said to the king, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I WILL GO WHEREVER MY LORD THE KING GOES, WHETHER IT MEANS LIFE OR DEATH."
David eventually made him leader of 1/3 of his troops against Absalom's army. He probably died because he is no longer mentioned.
OT Example #2. Ruth, Jesus' great grandma
Ruth 1
[16] Ruth to Naomi: "Don't beg me to leave you or to stop following you. Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. [17] And where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me terribly if I do not keep this promise: Not even death SEPARATE us."
[In personality psychology, Dr. John Oldham calls this the DEVOTED Personality Style. The pathological form is the Dependent Personality Disorder.]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)