ACAD – Blessings: Genesis 49

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers. {Follow the link to read all the blessings.}

Remembering the Atrocities of Hiroshima

A couple of years ago, I saw Hiroshima, Mon Amour, a 1959 French film set in Hiroshima, Japan following the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945. I had learned a very sanitized version of the bombings in school, but I don't recall ever seeing the effects of the bombing, i.e.Continue reading "Remembering the Atrocities of Hiroshima"

ACAD – Blessings: Genesis 48

When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, “Who are these?” Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.”

ACAD – Injustice: Job 5

God saves the needy from their lies and from the harm done by powerful people. So the poor have hope, while those who are unfair are silenced.

God hurts, but he also bandages up; he injures, but his hands also heal. He will save you from six troubles; even seven troubles will not harm you. God will buy you back from death in times of hunger, and in battle he will save you from the sword. You will be protected from the tongue that strikes like a whip, and you will not be afraid when destruction comes. You will laugh at destruction and hunger, and you will not fear the wild animals, because you will have an agreement with the stones in the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.

ACAD – Injustice: Psalm 94

Crooked leaders cannot be your friends. They use the law to cause suffering. They join forces against people who do right and sentence to death the innocent. But the Lord is my defender; my God is the rock of my protection. God will pay them back for their sins and will destroy them for their evil. The Lord our God will destroy them.

ACAD – Injustice: Hosea 10

As for the king, he couldn’t do anything for us.” They make many false promises and agreements which they don’t keep. So people sue each other in court; they are like poisonous weeds growing in a plowed field. The people from Israel are worried about the calf-shaped idol at Beth Aven. The people will cry about it, and the priests will cry about it. They used to shout for joy about its glory,

ACAD – Injustice: Zephaniah 3

Its officers are like roaring lions. Its rulers are like hungry wolves that attack in the evening, and in the morning nothing is left of those they attacked. Its prophets are proud; they are people who cannot be trusted. Its priests don’t respect holy things; they break God’s teachings.