CROWNING WITH THORNS

" So I say to you , there shall be joy before the angels of God upon one sinner doing penance . "Before the angels": By...

"For better is one day in thy courts above thousands . I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God , rather than to dwell in...

"But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity , mildness , faith , modesty ,...

"Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse, thou hast wounded my heart with one of thy eyes, and with one hair of thy neck. How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister, my spouse! thy breasts are more beautiful than wine, and the sweet smell of thy ointments above all aromatical spices. Thy lips, my spouse, are as a dropping honeycomb, honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments, as the smell of frankincense. My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclos

"And rend your hearts , and not your garments and turn to the Lord your God : for He is gracious and merciful , patient and rich in mercy , and ready to repent of the evil " (Joel 2:13, RHE).

"And he shewed me a river of water of life , clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb . In the midst of the street thereof, and on both sides of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruits every month: the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no curse any more: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. And his servants shall serve him. And they shall see his face : and his

"And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind and with thy whole strength . This is the first commandment. And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself . There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:29-31, RHE).

"Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat : I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink : I was a stranger, and you took me in : Naked, and you covered me : sick, and you visited me : I was in prison, and you came to me . Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry and fed thee: thi

"The fool steps boldly into a house, while the well-bred man remains outside; A boor peeps through the doorway of a house, but a cultured man keeps his glance cast down . It is rude for one to listen at a door ; a cultured man would be overwhelmed by the disgrace of it. The lips of the impious talk of what is not their concern, but the words of the prudent are carefully weighed " (Sirach 21: 22-25, NAB).

"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life: of whom shall I be afraid? Whilst the wicked draw near against me, to eat my flesh. My enemies that trouble me, have themselves been weakened, and have fallen. If armies in camp should stand together against me, my heart shall not fear. If a battle should rise up against me, in this will I be confident. One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after ; that I may dwell

"I will not leave you orphans: I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world seeth me no more. But you see me: because I live, and you shall live. In that day you shall know that I am in my Father: and you in me, and I in you " (John 14:18-20, RHE).

"And now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, and called thee...

"Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy as hard as hell, the lamps thereof are...

"Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8, RHE).