“I pray that
the God of peace, who brought our Lord Jesus back from the dead to become the
great shepherd of the sheep by the blood that sealed an eternal covenant, may
make you ready to do his will in any kind of good action; and turn us all into
whatever is acceptable to himself through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory
forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb.13:20-21)
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
HIGH HILL SHOES
High heels are a fashion staple, but what kind of
damage are you doing to your body wearing them every day?
The high heel is probably the one thing that every
woman has at least one pair of in her closet. More women are wearing heels, and
they're wearing them for longer, especially as the shoes are seen as the staple
for office wear.
However, significant long-term damage may be the
result of women donning high heels for longer periods. As many as a third of
women are already suffering permanent problems because of the fashion
statement, and it is almost a certainty that the effects will be felt with more
seriousness in later life.
The cause of the damage is the higher pressure placed
on the ball of the foot, and the higher a heel is, the greater the pressure. A
woman's entire centre of gravity is pushed forward, and, although this provides
us with the more attractive 'boobs-and-butt-out' shape desirable by men, more
pressure is placed on your spine, the nerves in your back and feet, leg
muscles, and neck muscles. This is not to mention the constant risk of slipping
and twisting an ankle, or falling.
Here are some of the health risks you face if you're
one of the one in ten women who wears a high heel shoe at least three days of
the week.
Twisted Ankles or Torn Tendons
If you aren't used to wearing heels, or are wearing a
different height of heel, you may often twist your ankle by mis-stepping or
misjudging the heel. If the heel is very high, twisting can result in serious
damage, such as torn tendons. Also, you might be more injured depending on
where it is you fall - down the stairs would not be a good idea...
Sciatica
Sciatica is a condition that is quite painful: it sees
nerves in the legs and hips become trapped between bones, muscles or ligaments.
Remember, the pressure is distributed throughout your entire body, so there is
any number of places a nerve could be trapped. The entrapment results in pain
and numbness as far down as the feet.
Pump Bumps
Pump bumps are bony enlargements on the back of the
heel where the hard backs of heels or the heel's straps constantly rub. If you
suffer from blisters in that region often, it is a sign that your shoes are too
tight at the back.
Back Pain
Because you compensate for the change in your centre
of gravity by leaning your torso forward and pulling your shoulders backward,
your back muscles become strained, constantly trying to keep you upright.
Bunions
Bunions are bony growths that form at the bottom of
the big toe. They are caused by shoes that don't fit quite so well. Because of
the growth, the toe begins to lean towards the other toes. The bump soon
becomes painful and unsightly.
Knee Pain or Osteoarthritis
The body is thrown forward when you wear high heels,
and this puts more pressure on the inner knee. The pressure could be over 25%
more than if you were wearing flats. This can lead to degenerative joint diseases
such as arthritis.
Morton’s Neuroma
If your heels have narrow toes, squeezing your feet
into them may result in Morton's Neuroma, or a thickening of the nerves inside
the foot. This causes a lump on the bottom of the foot, and also causes pain
and numbness in the toes.
Damaged Leg Tendons
The Achilles tendon and the calf muscle are designed
to be flexible, so that the foot can lie flat or point. When the foot points,
these muscles are contracted, and if you wear a high heel often - since you're
constantly pointing your foot - your muscles can actually shorten. This can be
avoided by wearing heels no higher than 1.5 inches.
Posture Problems
Wearing heels places the heel above the toes. This is
an unnatural posture, and in the long run can cause serious pain in the lower
back and the lower leg, as well as in the neck.
Hammer Toes
Hammer toes occur when you squeeze your feet into high
heels that don't fit quite so well. The toes curl up to fit into the shoes -
shortening the toe muscles - and eventually all the toes become so misshapen
that they can't be straightened.
Neck Pain
If you're wondering why your neck is always sore, it
might also be because of the heels you wear. When your heel is sitting above
your toes, your entire body is under pressure, leading to a stiffening of the
back muscles, the shoulder muscles, and the neck muscles. If this takes place
for a prolonged period of time, your neck may remain sore.
Heel Pain
Constant pressure in your foot can result in pain in
your heel as well, although most likely not to the extent that the ball of your
foot would be sore
Pain When Not Wearing High Heels
Eventually, after many years of wearing high heels,
the muscles in your legs are so shortened that you might not even be able to
put your feet flat at all. This is why some elderly people are seen teetering
in high heels, because not walking in high heels is actually quite painful.
FOR PICTURE
VIEW AND DETAILS CLICK http://women.howzit.msn.com/the-spiky-truth-behind-your-high-heels#image=1
Thursday, September 20, 2012
THE CALVARY OF OUR LIVES:
Is your present job/hobby/career/time-table/schedule/event/activity/vocation e.t.c for each day that with which you can draw/muster courage to say “consumatum est” {it is finished; Jn.19:30} to God should death meet you at that point or ‘as for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation and the time has come for me to depart. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come for me now is the crown of uprightness which the Lord, the upright judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his appearing’ [2 Tim.4:6-8] since our Lord’s sixth word on the cross at the Calvary confirmed the fear most men are unwilling to admit {‘since human beings die only once, after which comes judgment’ Heb.9:27} that we can die any second of the day whether rich/poor/married/single/barren/potent/righteous/unrighteous e.t.c [‘your pride has been flung down to Sheol with the music of your lyres; under you a mattress of maggots, over you a blanket of worms’ Isaiah 14:11]which will be followed by a detailed account of how we utilized or misused the Grace, Talent, Span, Intelligence, Honor, Immortality, Power e.t.c poured on us at creation (“the Lord God shaped man from the soil of the ground and blew the breath of life into his nostrils and man became a living being” Gen.2:7) and baptism {‘I shall no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know the master’s business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. You did not choose me, no I chose you; and commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name’ Jn.15:15-16} as Christ did [“I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do” Jn.17:4] which gave him the boldness to commend His Soul (‘…Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. With these words he breathed his last’ Lk.23:46) as his last word on the cross to the One who alone could save him and He was heard for His righteousness {“During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, with loud cries and with tears, to the one who had the power to save him from death and winning a hearing by his reverence, he learnt obedience, Son though he was, through his sufferings; when he had been perfected, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation and was acclaimed by God with the title of high priest of the order of Melchizedek” Heb.5:7-10}
BEFORE EACH DAY RUNS OUT TRY TO CROSS ANY OR SOME OF THESE HURDLE:
Abstinence from Food and Drinks supplemented with mental prayers and selfless encounter with other human being; Esther did with Mordecai and few Jew which saved them from the devious plan of Haman thus “whereupon Esther sent this reply to Mordecai, Go and assemble all the Jews now in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink day or night for three days. For my part, I and my waiting-women shall keep the same fast, after which I shall go to the king in spite of the law and if I perish, I perish. Mordecai went away and carried out Esther’s instructions…He looked up afire with majesty and blazing with anger, saw her. The queen sank to the floor…but God changed the king’s heart, inducing a milder spirit. He sprang from his throne in alarm and took her in his arms until she recovered comforting her with soothing words. What is the matter, Esther? He said. I am your brother. Take heart, you are not going to die; our order applies only to ordinary people. Come to me” {Esther 4:15-5:1}
Give alms to the poor and let your love for others exude from your inner-heart for it washes away multitude of sin (‘above all preserve an intense love for each other, since love covers many a sin’ 1 Pet.4:8) when performed with good intention [“almsgiving is a most effective offering for all those who do it in the presence of the Most High” Tobit 4:11]
Let your actions, dressing, speech, intentions, silence, diligence, commitment e.t.c relay the message of righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit {Rom.14:17-19} to your soul and others bearing in mind the imminence of death, judgment, hell and Heaven (Col.3:16-17)
Why you should start practicing these and many more other virtues consistently and continuously:
“You love uprightness and detest evil. This is why God, your God has anointed you with oil of gladness as none of your rivals” {Ps.45:7}
‘Be sure of it, the wicked will not go unpunished, but the race of the upright will come to no harm’ [Prov.11:21]
“Uprightness makes a nation great by sin whole race are disgraced” (Prov.14:34)
‘It is hard for the upright to be saved, what will happen to the wicked and to sinners? {1 Pet.4:18}
“Uprightness will be the belt around his waist and constancy the belt about his hips” (Isaiah 11:5)
‘He never commanded anyone to be godless, he has given no one permission to sin’ {Sirach 15:20}
“But anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved” [Mtt.24:13]
‘love virtue, you who are judges on earth, let honesty prompt your thinking about the Lord, seek him in simplicity of heart; since he is to be found by those who do not put him to the test he shows himself to those who do not distrust him’ (Wisd.1:1-2)
PRAYER:
Lord, in answer to our prayer give us patience in suffering hardships after the example of your Only-begotten Son, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
BEFORE EACH DAY RUNS OUT TRY TO CROSS ANY OR SOME OF THESE HURDLE:
Abstinence from Food and Drinks supplemented with mental prayers and selfless encounter with other human being; Esther did with Mordecai and few Jew which saved them from the devious plan of Haman thus “whereupon Esther sent this reply to Mordecai, Go and assemble all the Jews now in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink day or night for three days. For my part, I and my waiting-women shall keep the same fast, after which I shall go to the king in spite of the law and if I perish, I perish. Mordecai went away and carried out Esther’s instructions…He looked up afire with majesty and blazing with anger, saw her. The queen sank to the floor…but God changed the king’s heart, inducing a milder spirit. He sprang from his throne in alarm and took her in his arms until she recovered comforting her with soothing words. What is the matter, Esther? He said. I am your brother. Take heart, you are not going to die; our order applies only to ordinary people. Come to me” {Esther 4:15-5:1}
Give alms to the poor and let your love for others exude from your inner-heart for it washes away multitude of sin (‘above all preserve an intense love for each other, since love covers many a sin’ 1 Pet.4:8) when performed with good intention [“almsgiving is a most effective offering for all those who do it in the presence of the Most High” Tobit 4:11]
Let your actions, dressing, speech, intentions, silence, diligence, commitment e.t.c relay the message of righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit {Rom.14:17-19} to your soul and others bearing in mind the imminence of death, judgment, hell and Heaven (Col.3:16-17)
Why you should start practicing these and many more other virtues consistently and continuously:
“You love uprightness and detest evil. This is why God, your God has anointed you with oil of gladness as none of your rivals” {Ps.45:7}
‘Be sure of it, the wicked will not go unpunished, but the race of the upright will come to no harm’ [Prov.11:21]
“Uprightness makes a nation great by sin whole race are disgraced” (Prov.14:34)
‘It is hard for the upright to be saved, what will happen to the wicked and to sinners? {1 Pet.4:18}
“Uprightness will be the belt around his waist and constancy the belt about his hips” (Isaiah 11:5)
‘He never commanded anyone to be godless, he has given no one permission to sin’ {Sirach 15:20}
“But anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved” [Mtt.24:13]
‘love virtue, you who are judges on earth, let honesty prompt your thinking about the Lord, seek him in simplicity of heart; since he is to be found by those who do not put him to the test he shows himself to those who do not distrust him’ (Wisd.1:1-2)
PRAYER:
Lord, in answer to our prayer give us patience in suffering hardships after the example of your Only-begotten Son, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
HAPPY NEW MONTH
Thank you
Lord, for the gift of a new month, ushering all and sundry into the last
quarter of the year 2012 {the year of the twelve tribes of Israel with regards
to the old testament and the twelve apostles of the Lamb as we have in the new
testament hence a confirmed year of masticating the Scriptures; THE WORD} as we
pray Him to grant us mercies on the past mistakes (sins) “and it is for the
Lord our God to have mercy and to pardon, since we have betrayed him” {Dan.9:9}
also seeking his Grace, and the full activation of His seven Spirits [Rev.4:5] within
us in order to desire and consistently bear witness to the truth in all our
endeavors. Amen.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
IF GOD DID NOT SPARE HIS ONLY SON {Mtt.27:46}? We cry out in travails and make excuse for ourselves why we should betray our Creator in order to steal from our parents/neighbors/offices/schools/relations/enemies e.t.c, defile our body and soul in masturbation/sudar-daddy & mummy affairs/pornography/adultery/fornication/lesbianism/homosexuality/incest/prostitution/drug trafficking & addictions/smoking/gluttoness/drunkenness/insults on parents/lying lips/partying-spirit/envy/jealousy/heresy/apostasy/indecent projection and exposure of our body parts in the lodges/streets/internets/markets/offices/schools with tight & mini tops/gowns/skirts, show back/breast/underwear/laps clothes, transparent clothes, boxers, bomb-shorts, trousers, strapless tops e.t.c with a back-up phrase of ‘God will understand & His mercies endures forever’ even those who wear long gowns and skirts which they easily roll up for a fling, quickie, fingering and five minutes sex under the belief that nobody saw you remember ‘…I know about your behavior: how you are reputed to be alive and yet are dead’ (Rev.3:1) and amidst all these and many more which Christ saw in us he decided to take our curse on himself that we might be saved {‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by being cursed for our sake since scripture says: Anyone hanged is accursed’ Gal.3:13} hence fulfilling the will of the Father under agonies and pain yet His Father did not spare him (“it was God’s good pleasure to crush him with pain; if he gives his life as a sin offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his life and through him God’s good pleasure will be done” Isaiah 53:10) thus he cried out “And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eli, eli, lama sabachthani? that is , My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mtt.27:46) It is a cry in the mysterious language of Hebrew to express the tremendous mystery of a God “abandoned” by God. The Son calls His Father, God. What a contrast with a prayer He once taught: “Our Father, who art in Heaven!” In some strange, mysterious way His human nature seems separated from His Heavenly Father and yet not separated, for otherwise how could He cry, “My God, My God”? But just as the sun’s light and heat can be withdrawn from us by the intervening clouds, though the sun remains in the sky, so there was a kind of withdrawal of His Father’s Face in the terrible moment in which He took upon Himself the sins of the world. This pain and desolation He suffered for each of us, that we might know what a terrible thing it is for human nature to be without God, to be deprived of a Divine Remedy and Consolation, but did not give up rather believed, trusted and commended His soul to His Father ‘…Father, into your hands I commit my spirit…’ (Lk.23:46) thus in moments of family crisis, life- challenges, sinful-desires stick-in with God and his righteousness because “after the ordeal he has endured, he will see the light and be content…” {Isaiah 53:10} and ‘you love uprightness and detest evil. This is why God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness, as none of your rivals’ [Heb.1:9]. For those who say there is no hell-fire because God cannot allow his creatures that he professed to love [‘God has appeared to me from afar; I have loved you with an everlasting love and so I still maintain my faithful love for you’ Jer.31:3] to suffer eternally under pain, torture and agony in hell-fire (Rev.20:15) have you forgotten what happened to Korah’s family and the 250 levi who protested against Moses and Aaron as we have in people who are today dividing against the one Church instituted by Christ on Peter and the obedient succession of apostolic link of the Holy, One, Catholic and Apostolic Church (‘…these banded together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, you take too much on yourselves! The whole community, all its members are consecrated and God lives among them. Why set yourselves higher than God’s community?...Moses said, this is how you will know that God himself has sent me to perform all these tasks and that I am not doing them of my own accord…the moment he finished saying all this, the ground split apart under their feet, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their families, all Korah’s people and all their property…fire then shot out from God and consumed the two hundred and fifty men offering incense’ Numb.16:1-35) and the God of that period has not changed neither is he dealing with another people apart from his creatures sprung from the race of Adam and eve down to Jacob and Sarah {“No; I the Lord, do not change; and you have not ceased to be children of Jacob” Mal.3:6} or suffer the effects of mortal sins already forgiven [‘… you were a God of forgiveness to them, but punished them for their sins’ Ps.99:8] or venial sins not forgiven (“…there is a sin that leads to death and I am not saying you must pray about that. Every kind of wickedness is sin, but not all sin leads to death” 1Jn.5:16-17) before death in purgatory since we refused to atone for them here with mortification (Acts.13:2), alms-giving {Tobith 4:11}, living a life of testimony for Christ (Mtt.10:32-33), honest and sincere repentance using the sacrament of reconciliation [Jn.20:22-23] from evil desire to a craving for holiness in all ramifications {Heb.1:9} bearing in mind that “nothing unclean may come into it: no one who does what is loathsome or false, but only those who are listed in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev.21:27). Finally, if God did not spare his only beloved son that pain and agony on the cross in order to provide us with all the heavenly Grace, Strength and Power to overcome the enemy in moments of trials to prove our loyalty for Him which men of old like Enoch, Elijah, Abraham, Moses e.t.c showed even without their encounter with God made man (Christ) how do we think God will spare our sinful-generation who have both the knowledge {“…by his knowledge, the upright one, my servant will justify many by taking their guilt on himself” Isaiah 53:11} of the law complimented by Grace of the Calvary in forms of water and blood from His precious wound (‘…through his bruises you have been healed’ 1 Pet.2:24) hence as you excuse yourself in any sin remember “if after we have been given knowledge of the truth, we should deliberately commit any sins, then there is no longer any sacrifice for them. There is left only the dreadful prospect of judgment and of the fiery wrath that is to devour your enemies” {Heb.10:26-27}, ‘there is no favoritism with God’ [Rom.2:11], and “He never commanded anyone to be godless, he has given no one permission to sin” (Sirach 15:20), then those who are yearning as well as walking in righteousness remember “Everyone, no matter how firmly he thinks he is standing, must be careful he does not fall” [1 Cor.10:12], ‘but anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved’ {Mtt.24:13} and “I am coming soon: hold firmly to what you already have and let no one take your victor’s crown away from you” (Rev.3:11).
We cry out in
travails and make excuse for ourselves why we should betray our Creator in
order to steal from our parents/neighbors/offices/schools/relations/enemies
e.t.c, defile our body and soul in masturbation/sudar-daddy & mummy
affairs/pornography/adultery/fornication/lesbianism/homosexuality/incest/prostitution/drug
trafficking & addictions/smoking/gluttoness/drunkenness/insults on
parents/lying lips/partying-spirit/envy/jealousy/heresy/apostasy/indecent projection
and exposure of our body parts in the lodges/streets/internets/markets/offices/schools
with tight & mini tops/gowns/skirts, show back/breast/underwear/laps
clothes, transparent clothes, boxers, bomb-shorts, trousers, strapless tops
e.t.c with a back-up phrase of ‘God will understand & His mercies endures
forever’ even those who wear long gowns and skirts which they easily roll up
for a fling, quickie, fingering and five minutes sex under the belief that
nobody saw you remember ‘…I know about your behavior: how you are reputed to be
alive and yet are dead’ (Rev.3:1) and amidst all these and many more which
Christ saw in us he decided to take our curse on himself that we might be saved
{‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by being cursed for our sake
since scripture says: Anyone hanged is accursed’ Gal.3:13} hence fulfilling the
will of the Father under agonies and pain yet His Father did not spare him (“it
was God’s good pleasure to crush him with pain; if he gives his life as a sin
offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his life and through him God’s
good pleasure will be done” Isaiah 53:10) thus he cried out “And about the
ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eli, eli, lama sabachthani? that
is , My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mtt.27:46) It is a cry in the
mysterious language of Hebrew to express the tremendous mystery of a God “abandoned”
by God. The Son calls His Father, God. What a contrast with a prayer He once
taught: “Our Father, who art in Heaven!” In some strange, mysterious way His
human nature seems separated from His Heavenly Father and yet not separated,
for otherwise how could He cry, “My God, My God”? But just as the sun’s light
and heat can be withdrawn from us by the intervening clouds, though the sun
remains in the sky, so there was a kind of withdrawal of His Father’s Face in
the terrible moment in which He took upon Himself the sins of the world. This
pain and desolation He suffered for each of us, that we might know what a
terrible thing it is for human nature to be without God, to be deprived of a
Divine Remedy and Consolation, but did not give up rather believed, trusted and
commended His soul to His Father ‘…Father, into your hands I commit my spirit…’
(Lk.23:46) thus in moments of family crisis, life- challenges, sinful-desires
stick-in with God and his righteousness because “after the ordeal he has
endured, he will see the light and be content…” {Isaiah 53:10} and ‘you love
uprightness and detest evil. This is why God, your God has anointed you with
the oil of gladness, as none of your rivals’ [Heb.1:9].
For those who
say there is no hell-fire because God cannot allow his creatures that he
professed to love [‘God has appeared to me from afar; I have loved you with an
everlasting love and so I still maintain my faithful love for you’ Jer.31:3] to
suffer eternally under pain, torture and agony in hell-fire (Rev.20:15) have you forgotten what happened to Korah’s
family and the 250 levi who protested against Moses and Aaron as we have in
people who are today dividing against the one Church instituted by Christ on
Peter and the obedient succession of apostolic link of the Holy, One, Catholic
and Apostolic Church (‘…these banded together against Moses and Aaron and said
to them, you take too much on yourselves! The whole community, all its members
are consecrated and God lives among them. Why set yourselves higher than God’s
community?...Moses said, this is how you will know that God himself has sent me
to perform all these tasks and that I am not doing them of my own accord…the
moment he finished saying all this, the ground split apart under their feet,
the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their families, all Korah’s
people and all their property…fire then shot out from God and consumed the two
hundred and fifty men offering incense’ Numb.16:1-35) and the God of that
period has not changed neither is he dealing with another people apart from his
creatures sprung from the race of Adam and eve down to Jacob and Sarah {“No; I
the Lord, do not change; and you have not ceased to be children of Jacob”
Mal.3:6} or suffer the effects of mortal sins already forgiven [‘… you were a
God of forgiveness to them, but punished them for their sins’ Ps.99:8] or
venial sins not forgiven (“…there is a sin that leads to death and I am not
saying you must pray about that. Every kind of wickedness is sin, but not all
sin leads to death” 1Jn.5:16-17) before death in purgatory since we refused to
atone for them here with mortification (Acts.13:2), alms-giving {Tobith 4:11},
living a life of testimony for Christ (Mtt.10:32-33), honest and sincere
repentance using the sacrament of
reconciliation [Jn.20:22-23] from evil desire to a craving for holiness in all
ramifications {Heb.1:9} bearing in mind that “nothing unclean may come into it:
no one who does what is loathsome or false, but only those who are listed in
the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev.21:27).
Finally, if
God did not spare his only beloved son that pain and agony on the cross in
order to provide us with all the heavenly Grace, Strength and Power to overcome
the enemy in moments of trials to prove our loyalty for Him which men of old
like Enoch, Elijah, Abraham, Moses e.t.c showed even without their encounter
with God made man (Christ) how do we think God will spare our sinful-generation
who have both the knowledge {“…by his knowledge, the upright one, my servant
will justify many by taking their guilt on himself” Isaiah 53:11} of the law
complimented by Grace of the Calvary in forms of water and blood from His
precious wound (‘…through his bruises you have been healed’ 1 Pet.2:24) hence
as you excuse yourself in any sin remember “if after we have been given
knowledge of the truth, we should deliberately commit any sins, then there is
no longer any sacrifice for them. There is left only the dreadful prospect of
judgment and of the fiery wrath that is to devour your enemies” {Heb.10:26-27},
‘there is no favoritism with God’ [Rom.2:11], and “He never commanded anyone to
be godless, he has given no one permission to sin” (Sirach 15:20), then those
who are yearning as well as walking in righteousness remember “Everyone, no
matter how firmly he thinks he is standing, must be careful he does not fall”
[1 Cor.10:12], ‘but anyone who stands
firm to the end will be saved’ {Mtt.24:13} and “I am coming soon: hold firmly
to what you already have and let no one take your victor’s crown away from you”
(Rev.3:11).
Friday, August 24, 2012
Forgiveness from God/ Secrets from God
How do you feel after deceiving yourself at the sacramental confession (Jn.20:22-23)? Because you decided to either justify some of your sins as minor offences, despicable (no one should hear/know apart from me and the environment therein because of my position in the church/society/family e.t.c), professional ethics that are anti-God {‘adulterers! Do you not realize that love for the world is hatred for God? Anyone who chooses the world for a friend is constituted an enemy of God’ James 4:4}, the time it happened [distance between now and the present; childhood, teen-ages e.t.c], the position of the accomplist, the character of the priest (‘since you have been forewarned about this, my dear friends, be careful that you do not come to the point of losing the firm ground that you are standing on, carried away by the errors of unprincipled people’ 2Pet.3:17) and your lack of knowledge of the Word [“My people perish for want of knowledge. Since you yourself have rejected knowledge, so shall I reject you from my priesthood; since you have forgotten the teaching of your God, I in turn shall forget your children” Hosea 4:6] under this paraphrase:
“the ones I remember and the ones I do not remember; I am sorry for all of them” while you willingly held them to yourself i.e hoping to grant yourself pardon for all these other sins as opposed to this passage ‘And it is for the Lord our God to have mercy and to pardon since we have betrayed him’ {Dan.9:9}.
It will be in your best interest to open up such canker thoroughly to God through the priest for complete healing (‘when he saw them he said, Go and show yourselves to the priests. Now as they were going away they were cleansed’ Lk.17:14) or face the poisonous fangs of your conscience till death {“then the Lord God of Sabaoth revealed this to my ears, this guilt will never be forgiven you until you are dead, says the Lord God of Sabaoth” Isaiah 22:14} because the secrets of our hearts from conception till date is as clear as the day before God [‘my being held no secrets from you, when I was being formed in secret, textured in the depths of the earth. Your eyes could see my embryo. In your book all my days were inscribed every one that was fixed is there’ Ps.139:15-16] who will judge us according to all of them in Christ (“according to the gospel that I preach, God through Jesus Christ, judges all human secrets” Rom.2:16) whose life we are living {“because you have died and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. but when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too, will be revealed with him in glory” Col.3:3-4} hence we are going to be revealed with Jesus Christ in the glory of heaven if our actual lifestyles here on earth exudes righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit (Rom.14:17-19)
The question for thought is “why should I allow my flesh which will be eaten up by maggots and ants (Isaiah 14:11) one day to control my spirit that will face judgment with an imperishable reward of either burning lake of sulphur [Rev.21:8] while one can rarely stand the flame from the stick of a matches/candle yet I am unwillingly to give up incest {mother to son, father to daughter, cousin to cousin, brother to sister, son with aunty, daughter with uncle, sister-in-law with brother-in-law, father-in-law with daughter-in-law, mother-in-law with son-in-law}, adultery (with husband’s best friend, with wife’s best friend, with next-door neighbor, with office colleagues/boss/clients, with lecturers/students, with church members/clergy), the truth about the paternity of your child to your husband and the child which will be more disastrous when the truth finally comes from outsiders, lesbian and homosexual lifestyles, nude/hal-nude/dirty pictures/videos/comments/write-ups of yourself or others that you watch/download/upload/read/keep/use around [phones/laptops/rooms/ipods/ipads] us from the internet/market which brings about uncontrolled passions, evil desires, impurities and sexual vices like masturbation, fornication, rape, indecent dressing on women (show-back/breast/underwear, tight tops/skirts/gowns, mini/pencil skirts, sleeveless/strapless tops, trousers, transparent clothes, boxers/bomb-shorts e.t.c) and men {tight shorts/trousers, sleeveless, boxers, transparent clothes e.t.c}, anger, hot temper, malice, abusive language, dirty talk, heresy, glutton, drunkenness, partying-spirit, abortion, pride, lying, buying and selling on Sundays/holy days of obligation, insults on parents/enemies/age-mates/relations/friends, idolatry, sorcerer, stealing, cultism e.t.c or gain the free water of life (Rev.21:17) for those who aim at glory, honor and immortality by persevering in good deeds (Rom.2:7)
Just turn around from your enslavement to those secrets {“I made my sin known to you, did not conceal my guilt. I said, I shall confess my offence to God. and you, for your part took away my guilt, forgave my sin” Ps.32:5}; love righteousness and hate sin then God will raise you above your contemporaries (‘you love uprightness and detest evil. This is why God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness, as none of your rivals’ Heb.1:9) because he does not desire the death of a sinner (“shake off all the crimes you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why die, House of Israel? I take no pleasure in the death of anyone—declares the Lord God – so repent and live!” Ezek.18:31-32).
“the ones I remember and the ones I do not remember; I am sorry for all of them” while you willingly held them to yourself i.e hoping to grant yourself pardon for all these other sins as opposed to this passage ‘And it is for the Lord our God to have mercy and to pardon since we have betrayed him’ {Dan.9:9}.
It will be in your best interest to open up such canker thoroughly to God through the priest for complete healing (‘when he saw them he said, Go and show yourselves to the priests. Now as they were going away they were cleansed’ Lk.17:14) or face the poisonous fangs of your conscience till death {“then the Lord God of Sabaoth revealed this to my ears, this guilt will never be forgiven you until you are dead, says the Lord God of Sabaoth” Isaiah 22:14} because the secrets of our hearts from conception till date is as clear as the day before God [‘my being held no secrets from you, when I was being formed in secret, textured in the depths of the earth. Your eyes could see my embryo. In your book all my days were inscribed every one that was fixed is there’ Ps.139:15-16] who will judge us according to all of them in Christ (“according to the gospel that I preach, God through Jesus Christ, judges all human secrets” Rom.2:16) whose life we are living {“because you have died and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. but when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too, will be revealed with him in glory” Col.3:3-4} hence we are going to be revealed with Jesus Christ in the glory of heaven if our actual lifestyles here on earth exudes righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit (Rom.14:17-19)
The question for thought is “why should I allow my flesh which will be eaten up by maggots and ants (Isaiah 14:11) one day to control my spirit that will face judgment with an imperishable reward of either burning lake of sulphur [Rev.21:8] while one can rarely stand the flame from the stick of a matches/candle yet I am unwillingly to give up incest {mother to son, father to daughter, cousin to cousin, brother to sister, son with aunty, daughter with uncle, sister-in-law with brother-in-law, father-in-law with daughter-in-law, mother-in-law with son-in-law}, adultery (with husband’s best friend, with wife’s best friend, with next-door neighbor, with office colleagues/boss/clients, with lecturers/students, with church members/clergy), the truth about the paternity of your child to your husband and the child which will be more disastrous when the truth finally comes from outsiders, lesbian and homosexual lifestyles, nude/hal-nude/dirty pictures/videos/comments/write-ups of yourself or others that you watch/download/upload/read/keep/use around [phones/laptops/rooms/ipods/ipads] us from the internet/market which brings about uncontrolled passions, evil desires, impurities and sexual vices like masturbation, fornication, rape, indecent dressing on women (show-back/breast/underwear, tight tops/skirts/gowns, mini/pencil skirts, sleeveless/strapless tops, trousers, transparent clothes, boxers/bomb-shorts e.t.c) and men {tight shorts/trousers, sleeveless, boxers, transparent clothes e.t.c}, anger, hot temper, malice, abusive language, dirty talk, heresy, glutton, drunkenness, partying-spirit, abortion, pride, lying, buying and selling on Sundays/holy days of obligation, insults on parents/enemies/age-mates/relations/friends, idolatry, sorcerer, stealing, cultism e.t.c or gain the free water of life (Rev.21:17) for those who aim at glory, honor and immortality by persevering in good deeds (Rom.2:7)
Just turn around from your enslavement to those secrets {“I made my sin known to you, did not conceal my guilt. I said, I shall confess my offence to God. and you, for your part took away my guilt, forgave my sin” Ps.32:5}; love righteousness and hate sin then God will raise you above your contemporaries (‘you love uprightness and detest evil. This is why God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness, as none of your rivals’ Heb.1:9) because he does not desire the death of a sinner (“shake off all the crimes you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why die, House of Israel? I take no pleasure in the death of anyone—declares the Lord God – so repent and live!” Ezek.18:31-32).
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Love for worldly things = hatred for God:
‘Adulterers! Do you not realize that love for the world is hatred for God? Anyone who chooses the world for a friend is constituted an enemy of God. Can you not see the point of the saying in scripture, the longing of the spirit he sent to dwell in us is a jealous longing? But he has given us an even greater grace, as scripture says: God opposes the proud but he accords his favor to the humble’ {James 4:4-6}
An adulterer is one who is not contented with his/her spouse hence goes outside the bed of matrimony to obtain wealth, satisfaction and happiness yet returns with betrayal, diseases and emptiness which can only be filled by the Source of all our longings {“In the daytime God sends his faithful love and even at night; the song it inspires in me is a prayer to my living God” Ps.42:8} who made us (Gen.1:27) and is always ready to remold us, if only we are willing to return sincerely to Him [‘if you come back, Israel, the Lord declares, if you come back to me, if you take your horrors out of my sight, if you go roving no more, if you swear, As the Lord lives! Truthfully, justly, uprightly then the nations will bless themselves by him and glory in him’ Jer.4:1-2].
Are you an adulterer? Have you inactivated the Holy Spirit you received at the waters of Baptism by sin? Which type of sin? Or the unending quest for genuine love from men and women that cannot be trusted? The craving for money/fame/favor/societal-class/spouse/carrier/education and its related degrees/power e.t.c
These yearnings we use to replace the major desire of our heart which is righteousness and peace in the Holy Spirit (‘for it is not eating and drinking that make the kingdom of God, but the saving justice, the peace and joy brought by the Holy Spirit’ Rom.14:17-19) as Christ demanded of us “set your hearts on his kingdom first and on God’s saving justice, and all these other things will be given you as well” [Mtt.6:33] nevertheless after getting all these things if God permits (‘so it is not a matter of what any person wants or what any person does, but only of God having mercy’ Rom.9:16) the soul’s emptiness and yearning for God increases thus a rich man whether cultic or righteous begins to seek God’s blessings with regards to the fruit of the womb (male/female/either sex), protection on family, business, partners, relations, state e.t.c. as well as eternal life just like the rich aristocrat “one of the rulers put this question to him, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?...” {Lk.18:18-23}
The woman who was a sinner “one of the Pharisees invited him to a meal. When he arrived at the Pharisee’s house and took his place at table, suddenly a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town. She had heard he was dinning with the Pharisee and had brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment. She waited behind him at his feet, weeping and her tears fell on his feet and she wiped them away with her hair; then she covered his feet with kisses and anointed them with the ointment…for this reason I tell you that her sins, many as they are, have been forgiven her, because she has shown such great love. It is someone who is forgiven little who shows little love…” (Lk.7:36-50)
Priests and would-be-priests as well as all of us (royal priests; baptized Christians; 1 Pet.2:9), who find it very difficult to descend a little low to aid the poor around us {face to face neighbor/sick relations/widows/orphans/religious extremists/unlearned/difficult parents/stubborn brothers & sisters/indecently dressed people/unethical office colleagues/annoying course-mates/friends e.t.c} with admonishing words, gifts and heart-warming presence remember “…now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him and passed by on the other side…” [Lk.10:29-37] as you prepare to acclaim yourself ‘A CHRISTIAN’ or “A Sacerdotal Priests” before God on the last day (‘it is not anyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven’ Mtt.7:21)
Hence let all you seek in life be primarily rooted on the fear of God (“In fear be submissive to the Lord; with trembling kiss his feet lest he be angry and your way come to nothing, for his fury flares up in a moment. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Ps.2:11-12), love of God {‘My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God’ 1 Jn.4:7}, garnished with self-control [“so with you, as you are eager to have spiritual powers, aim to be rich in those which build up the community/Church” 1 Cor.14:12] as we call to mind death (‘since human beings die only once, after which comes judgment’ Heb.9:27), judgment {“talk and behave like people who are going to be judged by the law of freedom. Whoever acts without mercy will be judged without mercy but mercy can afford to laugh at judgment” James 2:12-13}, Hell [‘but the legacy for cowards, for those who break their word, or worship obscenities, for murderers and sexually immoral and for sorcerers, worshippers of false gods or any other sort of liars, is the second death in the burning lake of sulphur’ Rev.21:8] and Heaven (“the curse of destruction will be abolished. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face and his name will be written on their foreheads. And night will be abolished; they will not need lamplight or sunlight because the Lord God will be shining on them. They will reign forever and ever” Rev.22:3-5)
Thursday, August 2, 2012
A NEW MONTH FROM HIS LOVING HANDS:
“…May you be blessed Lord, God of Israel our ancestor forever and forever! Yours Lord is the greatness, the power, the splendor, length of days and glory, everything in heaven and on earth is yours. Yours is the sovereignty, lord; you are exalted supreme over all. Wealth and riches come from you, you are ruler of all, in your hand lie strength and power and you bestow greatness and might on whomsoever you please. So now our God, we give thanks to you and praise your majestic name” {1 Chr.29:10-13}
Thanks be to God [1 Thess.5:18] who has allowed us to share in the light of this new month August as we pray for the forgiveness of God on us for the ways we misused his Grace last month hence approaching the throne of Grace to receive mercy and to find grace as we are in need of help (Heb.4:16) this month to attain a higher ground within the knowledge of him who has called us by his own goodness and glory {2 Pet.1:3}. Amen.
Happy New Month!!!
Thanks be to God [1 Thess.5:18] who has allowed us to share in the light of this new month August as we pray for the forgiveness of God on us for the ways we misused his Grace last month hence approaching the throne of Grace to receive mercy and to find grace as we are in need of help (Heb.4:16) this month to attain a higher ground within the knowledge of him who has called us by his own goodness and glory {2 Pet.1:3}. Amen.
Happy New Month!!!
Friday, June 29, 2012
HEALTH
United States have found new cancer in human beings caused by Silver Nitro Oxide. Whenever you buy recharge cards,
Don’t scratch with nails as it contains Silver Nitro Oxide coating and can cause skin cancer.Share this message with your loved ones ...
Important Health Tips:> Answer phonecalls with the left ear.>
Don't take ur medicine with coldwater.... >
Don't eat heavy meals after 5pm.>
Drink more water in the morning, less at night.>
Best sleeping time is from 10 pm to 4 am>
Dont lie down immediately after taking medicine.>
When phone's battery is low to last bar, don't answer the phone, bcos the radiation is 1000 times stronger.
· Kindly forward this to ppl u care abt?I just did! Kindness costs nothing and knowledge is power.__
Don’t scratch with nails as it contains Silver Nitro Oxide coating and can cause skin cancer.Share this message with your loved ones ...
Important Health Tips:> Answer phonecalls with the left ear.>
Don't take ur medicine with coldwater.... >
Don't eat heavy meals after 5pm.>
Drink more water in the morning, less at night.>
Best sleeping time is from 10 pm to 4 am>
Dont lie down immediately after taking medicine.>
When phone's battery is low to last bar, don't answer the phone, bcos the radiation is 1000 times stronger.
· Kindly forward this to ppl u care abt?I just did! Kindness costs nothing and knowledge is power.__
Saturday, June 9, 2012
A LADY WHO SAID SHE CANNOT SPEND AN HOUR WITHOUT FORNICATION AT THE AGE OF 27:
Many were saying give your life to JESUS (Mtt.1:24)
for he is our Savior; yes this is the one first, basic and important step but
is that all?
Such a person needs to be informed about good
works that compliments faith as JESUS himself retorted ‘it is not anyone who
says to me, Lord, Lord who will enter the kingdom of Heaven but the person who
does the will of my Father in Heaven’ [Mtt.7:21] also St. James rightly stated “how
does it help my brothers when someone who has never done a single god act
claims to have faith? Will that faith bring salvation? {James 2:14}
Hence such a person needs to flee from this sin
as a snake (Sirach 21:2)as well as renounce it which involves change of environment thus
Be informed that as a human being (imago Dei;
image of God: Gen.1:26-27) you are masters of everything including your
passions hence “do not be governed by your passions, restrain your desires. If
you allow yourself to satisfy your desires, this will make you the laughing-stock
of your enemies” {Sirach 18:30-31}
Change the type of friends you keep or hang out
with new ones who practice genuine Christianity not lip-service Christians (‘this
people worship me with their mouths but their hearts are far away from me’ Mtt.15:8)
because bad company ruins good moral (1 Cor.15:34) hence “cultivate your
neighbors to the best of your ability and consult with the wise. For
conversation seek the intelligent, let all your discussions bear on the law of
the Most High. Have the upright for your table companions and let your pride be
in fearing the Lord” {Sirach 9:14-16}.
Change the type of books you read, videos and
films you buy, watch and keep around you, pictures you watch, download on your
phones and laptops and hang in your rooms, shops and company’s and the places
you visit because all these things are the gateways through which we feed our
thoughts, thoughts control our passions and desires which manifest themselves
in our speech, reasoning and actions hence “More than else, keep watch over
your heart, since here are the wellsprings of life” (Prov.4:23) and ‘out of the
abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks’
Change the type of clothes you wear as well as
your entire fashion sense because when you wear tops that are too-tight to your
breast; you always the screeching of such tops against your nipples which
excites lustful passions in some women or tops that reveals your breast and
makes you admire your breast more than necessary which also has been proven
psychologically and medically to be a medium of sexual ecstasy on most women or
those admiring you whether male or female colleagues hence you hear accusing
statements and expressions of inner lust from such people as this “you are
looking sexy, cute, sharp, hot e.t.c in tandem with this passage ‘…the accuser
of our brethren who accuses them day and night before our God’ {Rev.12:10}
while some will fornicate with you in their hearts (‘if anyone looks at a woman
lustfully, he has committed fornication with her in his heart’ Mtt.5:27) as
others will go home masturbating while calling your name since you are very
quick at giving out your names to people who compliment your indecent dressing
mode.
You need to spend more time reading the WORD (‘in
the beginning was the WORD, the WORD was with GOD and the WORD was GOD’ Jn.1:1)
as you implore the Holy Spirit of God (‘after making man out of the dust of the
earth, He breathed into him the breath of life’ Gen.2:7) in you to aid your
understanding of the Scriptures in the right sense (“any of you who lacks
wisdom must ask God, who gives to all generously and without scolding; it will
be given” James 1:5) as you open your self to HIS GRACE and the guidance of the
Holy Spirit (‘but when you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law’ Gal.5:18)
because with God nothing is impossible (Lk.1:37).
Men who exploit people of this category who
come around you with a quest for fingering, oral-sex, fornication, massaging, and
prostitution or for counseling/help/prayers should be mindful of the words of
Christ (Mtt.18:6, Mk.9:42, Lk.17:1-2) “anyone who leads any of these little ones
of mine into sin is better thrown into the ocean with a big-stone hung around
his neck” so you better practice self-control than inflict more pains on these
people who need our help.
Ladies who admire those who go on skimpy
dresses like trousers, tight-tops, tight-skirts, hot-mini, see-through apparels
(clothes that reveal under wear), show back/breast/tummy, shot-bomb, sleeveless
e.t.c as well as other funny fashion life-style of fixing artificial nails,
weavons, eye-lashes, attachments, lip-sticks, color-rioting in the name of
make-ups for what God was not able to make well that depicts and often
transfers the wicked and promiscuous life of Jezebel into them should be
careful because all that glitters is not gold. Many who are finding it
difficult to control their sexual libido and would freely open their legs to
any man as well as dogs, cats, horses, rabbits their fingers, candle-sticks,
banana-sticks and sexual vibrators were those who said let me just have a fling
or a quickie with their boyfriends during campus days, house-boys when the
husband went for a trip, office-colleague inside the comfort-room/main office
behind closed doors after office hours, inside the change-over cubicle within
boutiques when there is no other customer, at the back of the house when no one
seems to be watching e.t.c. You sit in your grace-filled realm as a child of
GOD admiring them or planning how to join their social status while they weep
every second as they pray God to grant them the Grace of last return and denunciation
of their present predicament. They might receive answers to their prayers
towards the tail-end of their lives and they will be giving few strokes (purgatory)
according to St. Luke gospel “the one who did not know, but has acted in such a
way that deserves a beating, will be given fewer stokes…” (Lk.12:48) but “the
servant who knows what his master wants but has got nothing ready and done
nothing in accord with those wishes will be given a great many strokes of the
lash” {Lk.12:47} because Ezekiel prophesied thus “if I say to someone upright:
you are to live and then trusting in this uprightness, he does wrong none of
the uprightness will be remembered; because of the wrong doing he will die. If however
I say to someone wicked: you are to die and he turns back from sin and does
what is lawful and upright, if he returns pledges, restores what he has stolen,
keeps the laws that give life and no longer does wrong, he will live and will
not die” (Ezek.33:13-15) but do not wait for last minute rush because the hour,
time and moment that the master will come you do not know (Lk.12:35-36) in
essence ‘make the best of the present time for it is a wicked age’ (Eph.5:16)by
spending every passing second as if it were my (your) last. Those who died
today you are not holier, healthier, stronger or better than them.
Music History
The modern state of Italy did not come into being until
1561, though the roots of music on the Italian Peninsula can be traced back to
the music of Ancient Rome. However, the underpinnings of much modern Italian
music come from the Middle Ages.Contents
[hide]
1 Before 1500
2 Renaissance era, 16th century
3 Baroque era, 16th – 18th centuries
4 19th century
5 References
6 Notes
[edit]
Before 1500
Italy was the site of several key musical developments in
the development of the Christian liturgies in the West. Around 230, well before
Christianity was legalized, the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus attested the
singing of Psalms with refrains of Alleluia in Rome. In 386, in imitation of
Eastern models, St. Ambrose wrote hymns, some of whose texts still survive, and
introduced antiphonal psalmody to the West. Around 425, Pope Celestine I
contributed to the development of the Roman Rite by introducing the
responsorial singing of a Gradual, and Cassian, Bishop of Brescia, contributed
to the development of the monastic Office by adapting Egyptian monastic
psalmody to Western usage. Later, around 530, St. Benedict would arrange the
weekly order of monastic psalmody in his Rule. Later, in the 6th century,
Venantius Fortunatus created some of Christianity's most enduring hymns,
including "Vexilla regis prodeunt," which would later become the most
popular hymn of the Crusades.[1]
The Guidonian Hand
The earliest extant music in the West is plainsong,[2] a
kind of monophonic, unaccompanied, early Christian singing performed by Roman
Catholic monks, which was largely developed roughly between the 7th and 12th
centuries. Although Gregorian chant has its roots in Roman chant and is
popularly associated with Rome, it is not indigenous to Italy, nor was it the
earliest nor the only Western plainchant tradition. Ireland, Spain, and France
each developed a local plainchant tradition, but only in Italy did several chant
traditions thrive simultaneously: Ambrosian chant in Milan, Old Roman chant in
Rome, and Beneventan chant in Benevento and Montecassino. Gregorian chant,
which supplanted the indigenous Old Roman and Beneventan traditions, derived
from a synthesis of Roman and Gallican chant in Carolingian France. Gregorian
chant later came to be strongly identified with Rome, especially as musical
elements from the north were added to the Roman Rite, such as the Credo in
1014. This was part of a general trend wherein the manuscript tradition in
Italy weakened and Rome began to follow northern plainchant traditions.
Gregorian chant supplanted all the other Western plainchant traditions, Italian
and non-Italian, except for Ambrosian chant, which survives to this day. The native
Italian plainchant traditions are notable for a systematic use of ornate,
stepwise melodic motion within a generally narrower range, giving the Italian
chant traditions a smoother, more undulating feel than the Gregorian.[3]
Crucial in the transmission of chant were the innovations of Guido d'Arezzo,
whose Micrologus, written around 1020, described the musical staff,
solmization, and the Guidonian hand (image, right). This early form of do-re-mi
created a technical revolution in the speed at which chants could be learned,
memorized, and recorded. Much of the European classical musical tradition,
including opera and symphonic and chamber music can be traced back to these
Italian medieval developments in musical notation,[4] formal music education
and construction techniques for musical instruments.
Even as the northern chant traditions were displacing
indigenous Italian chant, displaced musicians from the north contributed to a
new thriving musical culture in 12th-century Italy. The Albigensian Crusade, supposedly
to attack Cathar heretics, brought southern France under northern French
control and crushed Occitan culture and language. Most troubadours fled,
especially to Spain and Italy. Italy developed its own counterparts to
troubadours, called trovatori, including Sordello of Mantua. Frederick II, the
last great Hohenstaufen Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily, encouraged music
at the Sicilian court, which became a refuge for these displaced troubadours,
where they contributed to a melting pot of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim
musical styles. Italian secular music was largely the province of these
jongleurs, troubadors, and mimes.[5] One important consequence of the
troubadour influence during this period, in Italy and across Europe, was the
gradual shift from writing strictly in Latin to the local language, as
championed by Dante in his treatise De vulgari eloquentia; this development
extended to the lyrics of popular songs and forms such as the madrigal,[6]
meaning "in the mother tongue." Also around this time, Italian
flagellants developed the Italian folk hymns known as spiritual laude.
Between 1317 and 1319, Marchettus of Padua wrote the
Lucidarium in artae musicae planae and the Pomerium artis musicae mensuratae,
major treatises on plainchant and polyphony, expounding a theory of rhythmic
notation that paved the way for Trecento music (Italian ars nova). Around 1335,
the Rossi Codex, the earliest extant collection of Italian secular polyphony,
included examples of indigenous Italian genres of the Trecento including early
madrigals, cacce, and ballate. The early madrigal was simpler than the more
well-known later madrigals, usually consisting of tercets arranged
polyphonically for two voices, with a refrain called a ritornello. The caccia
was often in three-part harmony, with the top two lines set to words in musical
canon. The early ballata was often a poem in the form of a virelai set to a
monophonic melody.[7] The Rossi Codex included music by Jacopo da Bologna, the
first famous Trecento composer.
The Ivrea Codex, dated around 1360, and the Squarcialupi
Codex, dated around 1410, were major sources of late Trecento music, including
the music of Francesco Landini, the famous blind composer. Landini's name was
attached to his characteristic "Landini cadence," in which the final
note of the melody dips down two notes before returning, such as C-B-A-C.
Trecento music influenced northern musicians such as Johannes Ciconia, whose
synthesis of the French and Italian styles presaged the "international"
music typical of the Renaissance.
During the 15th century, Italy entered a slow period in
native composition, with the exception of a few bright lights such as the
performer and anthologist Leonardo Giustinian. As the powerful northern
families such as the d'Este and Medici built up powerful political dynasties,
they brought northern composers of the Franco-Flemish school such as Josquin
and Compère to their courts. Starting in the last decades of the century,
Italian composers such as Marchetto Cara and Bartolomeo Tromboncino wrote
light, courtly songs called frottole for the Mantuan court of Isabella d'Este.
With the support of the Medici, the Florentine Mardi Gras season led to the
creation of witty, earthy carnival songs called canti carnascialeschi.
[edit]
Renaissance era, 16th century
For more details, see also Roman School, Venetian School,
Venetian polychoral style, Music of Venice
Saint Mark's in Venice. The spacious, resonant interior was
one of the inspirations for the music of the Venetian School.
The 16th century saw the advent of printed polyphonic music
and advances in instrumental music, which contributed to the international
distribution of music characteristic of the Renaissance. In 1501, Ottaviano dei
Petrucci published the Harmonice Musices Odhecaton, the first substantial
collection of printed polyphonic music, and in 1516, Andrea Antico published
the Frottole intablate da sonari organi, the earliest printed Italian music for
keyboard. Italy became the primary center of harpsichord construction, violin
production started in Cremona in the workshop of Andrea Amati, and lutenist
Francesco Canova da Milano earned Italy an international reputation for
virtuosic musicianship.[8]
Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa.
Music achieved new heights of cultural respectability.
Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier recommended proficiency at music as a
courtly virtue, and Santa Maria di Loreto, the first music conservatory, was
built in Naples. Adrian Willaert developed music for double chorus at St. Mark's
in Venice. This tradition of Venetian polychoral music would reach its height
in the early baroque music of Giovanni Gabrieli. Unlike the earlier, simpler
madrigals of the Trecento, madrigals of the 16th century were written for
several voices, often by non-Italians brought into the wealthy northern courts.
Madrigalists aspired to create high art, often using the refined poetry of
Petrarchan sonnets, and utilizing musically sophisticated techniques such as
text painting. Composers such as Cipriano de Rore and Orlando di Lasso
experimented with increasing chromaticism, which would culminate in the
mannerist music of Carlo Gesualdo. In 1558, Gioseffo Zarlino, the premier
musical theorist of the period, wrote the Istitutioni harmoniche, which
addressed such practical musical issues as invertible counterpoint. Lighter
music was represented by the villanella, which originated in popular songs of
Naples and spread throughout Italy.
Music was not immune to the politically charged atmosphere
of Renaissance Italy. In 1559, Antonio Gardano published Musica nova, whose
politically pro-republican partisan songs pleased the northern Italian
republics and riled the Church.[9] In 1562-1563, the third portion of the
Council of Trent addressed issues of music in the Church. Most paraliturgical
music, including all but four Sequences were banned. An outright ban on
polyphonic music was debated behind the scenes, and guidelines were issued
requiring that church music have clear words and a pure, uplifting style.
Although the tales of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina "rescuing"
polyphony with the Missa Papae Marcelli are no longer accepted by scholars,
Palestrina's music remains the paradigm of the musical aesthetic promoted by
the Church.[10] Shortly afterwards, in 1614, the Editio medicea (Medicean
Edition) of Gregorian chant was released, rewriting the Gregorian chant
repertory to purge it of perceived corruptions and barbarisms, and return it to
a "purer" state closer in style to Palestrinian melodies.
In the late 16th century and early 17th century, composers
began pushing the limits of the Renaissance style. Madrigalism reached new
heights of emotional expression and chromaticism in what Claudio Monteverdi
called his seconda pratica (second practice), which he saw originating with
Cipriano de Rore and developing in the music of composers such as Luca Marenzio
and Giaches de Wert. This music was characterized by increased dissonance and
by sections of homophony, which led to such traits of the early baroque as
unequal voices where the bass line drove the harmonies and the treble melody
became more prominent and soloistic. This transitional period between the
Renaissance and baroque included the development of the Sicilian polyphonic
school in the works of Pietro Vinci, the first extant polyphony written by
women, the fusion of Hebrew texts and European music in the works of Salomone
Rossi, and the virtuosic women's music of Luzzasco Luzzaschi performed by the
Concerto delle donne in Ferrara.
[edit]
Baroque era, 16th – 18th centuries
Claudio Monteverdi
The exact nature of ancient Greek musical drama is a matter
of dispute. What is important, however, for the later development of Italian
and European music is that poets and musicians of the Florentine Camerata in
the late 16th century thought—in the words of one of them, Jacopo Peri--that
the "ancient Greeks sang entire tragedies on the stage".[11] Thus was
born the musical version of the Italian Renaissance: paying tribute to
classical Greece by retelling Greek myths within a staged musical context—the
first operas. The works emerged in this period with relatively simple melodies
and the texts about Greek mythology sung in Italian. (Opera may have deeper
roots in the Tuscan maggio drammatico tradition[12][13]). Three cities are especially
important in this period in Italy: Venice, as the birthplace of commercial
opera; Rome, for Palestrina's school of Renaissance polyphony; and Naples, as
the birthplace of church-sponsored music conservatories. These conservatories
evolved into training grounds, providing composers and musicians for Italy and,
indeed, Europe as a whole. Claudio Monteverdi is considered the first great
composer of the new musical form, opera, the person who turned Florentine
novelty into a "unified musical drama with a planned structure."[14]
The years 1600 to 1750 encompass the musical Baroque. A new
dominance of melody within harmony at the expense of text led to great changes,
including the expansion of instrumental resources of the orchestra. The
keyboard was extended, and the making of stringed instruments by Antonio
Stradivari became a great industry in Cremona. Instrumental music started to
develop as a separate "track," quite apart from the traditional role
of accompanying the human voice. Instrumental forms include such things as the
sonata, symphony, and concerto. Important names in music within this period in
Italy are Alessandro Scarlatti, and Antonio Vivaldi, representing the
importance of Naples and Venice, respectively, within this period.
The San Carlo theater (building on right in photo) in
Naples.
The physical resources for music advanced greatly during the
18th century. The great opera houses in Naples and Milan were built: the Teatro
di San Carlo and La Scala, respectively. It is the age, as well, of the rise to
prominence of the Neapolitan—and then Italian—Comic opera. Important, too, is
the restoring of balance between text and music in opera, largely through the
librettos of Pietro Trapassi, called Metastasio.[15]
Important Italian composers in this century are: Domenico
Scarlatti, Benedetto Marcello, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Niccolò Piccinni,
Giovanni Paisiello, Luigi Boccherini, Domenico Cimarosa, and Luigi Cherubini.
It is also the age in which Italian music became international, so to speak,
with many Italian composers beginning to work abroad.
Giuseppe Verdi.
[edit]
19th century
The 19th century is the age of Romanticism in European
literature, art, and music. Italian opera forsakes the Comic opera for the more
serious fare of Italian lyric Romanticsm. Although the generally light-hearted
and ever-popular Rossini was certainly an exception to that, Italian music of
the 19th century is dominated at the beginning by the likes of Bellini and
Donizetti, giving to Italian music the lyrical melodies that have remained
associated with it ever since. Then, the last fifty years of the century were
dominated by Giuseppe Verdi, the greatest musical icon in Italian history.
Verdi's music "sought universality within national character";[16]
that is, much of what he composed in terms of historical themes could be
related to his pan-Italian vision. Verdi was the composer of the Italian
Risorgimento, the movement to unify Italy in the 19th century. Later in the
century is also the time of the early career of Giacomo Puccini, perhaps the
greatest composer of pure melody in the history of Italian music.
Frontispiece from the score of Cavalleria Rusticana, a
masterpiece of Italian Verismo from 1890.
Perhaps the most noteworthy feature of Italian musical form
in the 19th century, and that which distinguishes it from musical developments
elsewhere, is that it remained primarily operatic. All significant Italian
composers of the century wrote opera almost to the exclusion of other forms,
such as the symphony.[17] There are no Italian symphonists in this century, the
way one might speak of Brahms in Germany, for example. Many Italian composers,
however, did write significant sacred music, such as Rossini a Stabat Mater and
his late Petite Messe solennelle and Verdi Messa da Requiem and Quattro Pezzi
Sacri.
Romanticism in all European music certainly held on through
the turn of the century. In Italy, the music of Verdi and Puccini continued to
dominate for a number of years. Even the realistic plots and more modern
compositional techniques of the operas of Italian Verismo, such as Mascagni's
Cavalleria Rusticana, did not greatly affect the extremely melodic nature of
Italian music.
[edit]
References
Atlas, Allan W. (1998). Renaissance Music. New York: W. W.
Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-97169-4.
Crocker, Richard L (1966). A History of Musical Style. New
York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-486-25029-6.
McKinnon, James, ed. (1991). Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Eaglewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-036153-4.
Hiley, David (1995). Western Plainchant: A Handbook.
Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-816572-2.
Ulrich, Homer; Paul Pisk (1963). A History of Music and
Musical Style. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanoich. ISBN 0-15-537720-5.
Gallo, Alberto (1995). Music in the Castle: Troubadours,
Books and Orators in Italian Courts of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Centuries. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-27968-5.
Hoppin, Richard (1978). Medieval Music. New York: W. W.
Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-09090-6.
(Italian) Magrini, Tullia (ed.), ed. (1992). Il maggio
drammatico: una tradizione di teatro in musica. Bologna: Edizioni Analisi.
Palisca, Claude V. (1985). Humanism in Italian Musical
Thought. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-04962-5.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
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