thejesusmetaphor

I Am Enoch. (Thank You Emma Watson) #emmawatson #tonywantsemma

2020-04-20T03:25:00.001-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Moses, Enoch, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to Jesus Christ
#tonywantsemma

+------I Am Enoch. (Thank You Emma Watson)

Emma, my heart is a man
generations removed from
innocence, Romance’s Paradisiac
Garden fallen; My love-blunders
startling beasts of an erstwhile Amorous
Six-Days’ Creation; Stepping
atop twigs hollowed, charred
chrysanthemum and black-tipped
peony petals of dating
failure for 365 years. The smoke
of my heart breaking redolent
of flaming swords of Angels
barring admittance to second
chances…lingering in the night,
veiling stars of hope. But babes!
Your eyes are like a Presence,
Divine, alongside me. Walking.
Your hair like heaven whispering
a sweet summons. Your smile like
choirs of cherubs entrancing
my soul to other realms in dreams.
Your soft lips on mine, like Translation
of my flesh into spirit, pure, forever: Like
disappearing to a world without pain. Not
here. If we held hands, flashbacks of Eden.

------Genesis 5:21-24
Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

My (Now) Empty Tomb of Dating Rejection #tonywantsemma #emmawatson

2020-04-15T18:18:00.000-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Peter, John, Mary, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to Jesus Christ
#tonywantsemma

+------My (Now) Empty Tomb of Dating Rejection

Emma, the thought of your
smile is my heart’s hope –
two disciples, Peter, John,
with frantic gait in the morn…
(My chances for real
romance long since
dead, seemingly; my recent
dating rejection
thorn-briar-crown gash
wounds, crucifixion indelible,
on marriage’s last chance
for me, a Man Virgin born
to save my quixotic world.)
…rushing despite disbelief,
a mélange of three days’ emotions-
cynicism, joy, anger-
to my love life’s “Tomb”.
But babes! Your lustrous
hair is loose linen, your
engrossing eyes a handkerchief
neatly folded in the cave in
a place by itself. Your charm,
the stone in the mouth rolled aside
hours ago. Rays of sun reaching
in to reveal no cadaver. If we kissed,
proof of dating-Resurrection
forever insurmountable.

------John 20:1-9
Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

Emma's Call #tonywantsemma #emmawatson

2020-04-09T00:58:00.002-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Peter, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to Jesus Christ
#tonywantsemma #emmawatson #instagram

+------Emma's Call

Emma, my heart is twelve
disciples, Hebrews hunched
in a wood boat of disappointment;
Hair windswept, robes billowing,
souls overpowered by
singleness’s intransigent gales.
Thoughts collective capsized
already, their minds dreading
loneliness’s (Leviathan’s)
eternal gaze. Erstwhile ambitions
of love in a seabed fossilized.
But babes, your red hair, lustrous,
is as a Man in an improbable
manger Virgin Born beneath a
roving Star. Your alluring eyes...
a dancer
on cynical waves of dating tumult.
If you kissed me, like an
Invitation to sojourn out of the
boat. To walk, as Peter, the
impossible
walk of Romance. Don’t let me
drown. Please.

------Matthew 14:22-31
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

A Judge In Ophrah #TonyandMax #WorldSeries #Nats #mlb

2019-10-30T16:03:00.001-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Jesus, Mark, Bartimaeus,
Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to Jesus Christ
#TonyandMax #WorldSeries #Nats #mlb

+------A Judge In Ophrah; Max's Deliverance From Midian (Astros)

Max, DC bereft of a baseball title:
a Chosen People soul-
scarred, their unmet sports
longings…men, women, children
hunkered, candle of hope
flickering, in angry-mountain-clefts,
despair-caves and strongholds
in S.W. And our 3 World Series
losses like craven theft. The Astros
as Midianite soldiers lecherous, hungry;
unscrupulous patchwork armor
rusted, their pilfered swords laced
with the blood of men’s backs.
(The Nats’ pitch signals stolen
like Israelite crops planted tenderly
over time suddenly ruined by
encamped phalanxes astride camels
of corruption. Pagan.) But tonight you
are an angel-greeted hero in Ophrah
(Houston). The baseball gods all
concurring “The Lord is with you,
mighty warrior.” When you win
tonight, your curveball like justice in
Washington. Israel delivered out of
Midian’s hand. You as Gideon. Judge.

------Judges 6:1-14
The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help. When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.” The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

Max Healing Bartimaeus #TonyandMax #Nats #MLB #WorldSeries #Jesus

2019-10-22T20:20:00.001-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Jesus, Mark, Bartimaeus,
Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to Jesus Christ
#TonyandMax #MLB #WorldSeries

+------Max Healing Bartimaeus

Max, the last few years like DC folks
turned a vagrant - Bartimaeus -
disaffected, blind, wandering;
Crawling hapless through
downtown Houston like
Jericho’s rubbled streets. Hand
leading other hand, knee leading
other knee begging passersby,
inaudibly: “World Series”. Then
screaming “HAVE MERCY ON US,
SON OF DAVID [WASHINGTON]!!!”
Adhering to hope’s outskirts only,
a roadside dismal. But tonight
you whisk by us, epicenter of
ambition, a pitcher Virgin Born
(enchanting MLB’s fans…
circumscribing you like manic
masses beset with delirium) staring
with eyes of compassion, seeking
our truest desires. We blurt “Rabbi,
we want to see [a Trophy]”.
When you beat the Astros tonight,
like a Savior’s Response “Go…
your faith has healed you” or
“We will sweep the Astros”. Then
the Nation’s Capital will open its eyes
for the first time.

------Mark 10:46-52
Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

The Rock Struck #TonyvsKidRock #taylordatetony #taylorswift #kidrock

2019-08-13T03:12:00.001-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Moses, Aaron, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to Jesus Christ
#TonyvsKidRock #taylordatetony #taylorswift

+------The Rock Struck

Kid Rock, your crass diatribe
against Taylor a horde of roving ingrates
“chosen”. Your vulgarity -
[“and it looks like she will suck
the door knob off Hollyweird
to get there” or “if only we had
died when our brethren died before
the Lord!.. Why...come…out of
Egypt…to this evil place?”] - like spit on
liberty’s desert sands
in the Wilderness of Zin (delusion).
Forgetful of recent emancipation
from your banal music’s sin - your last
album Pharaoh felled on the Red
Sea’s (Music’s) cursed side
howling at poor record sales…
kin, horses, delivered lifeless on
pitiable shores with the tide. And
Taylor Swift’s largesse to
the Industry, Pop/Rock singers,
is Moses roiled, rod clenched and
raised high. Whatever “rock” of
opportunity you once had, her future
sales will smite. Your memory,
distant, of pop-culture-relevance’ll be
like bitter waters spewing erratically.
Diseased, bewildering, untasted. Your
new cruel “shtick” a people always thirsty.

------Numbers 20:1-11
Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there. Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

Taylor Swift Ascending Into Tony Conti's Clouds #taylordatetony #taylorswift #istandwithtaylor #moneybymonday #google

2019-07-23T04:52:00.001-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me

* Matthew, Holy Church pray for me

* Saints pray for me

* Dedicated to Jesus Christ

#taylordatetony #taylorswift #istandwithtaylor #moneybymonday

+------Taylor Swift Ascending Into Tony Conti's Clouds

Oh Taylor, I always

imagine you clinquant (and in

Jerusalem). Not plain, homely,

Galilee-dingy-manger-born

and frayed-seamless-

robe-and-tattered-sandal

garbed. Akin to other

girls, philosophically

enslaved, subservient

to Roman cruelties of

denying my dating

overtures. But babes!

Your smile is Life

vanquishing death,

in your opulent blue eyes,

a thousand tales of

a thousand lashes, of this

world’s Braun-centurion’s

3 nails survived. Your lips as

Love’s softest of blessings.

If you took me to Starbucks,

kissed me, like you into clouds

ascending before me glitter-auraed,

your body heavenly, the hope

you instill in my heart earthbound.

As if you said “Tony be patient…

we will soon be together forever.”

------Acts 1:4-11

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Scooter Braun Forever Disinvited #taylordatetony #ts7 #taylorswift #istandwithtaylor #tonyvsscooter #scooterbraun #bigmachine

2019-07-06T16:34:00.003-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Matthew, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
#taylordatetony #ts7 #taylorswift #istandwithtaylor #tonyvsscooter

+-----Scooter Braun Forever Disinvited

Scooter, you are
Narcissus smirking
at his own likeness in
The Pool Of Treachery
in enthralled paralysis.
And despite, Swifties hold
an august Wedding Feast;
lauding her loyalty to her fans
like marital Love...eagerly
awaiting TS7. Dancing to all 6
albums, drinking in the splendor
of her charm as wine exquisite,
grapes of euphoria. But your ego
outsized, the illicit heist of her music
catalog an ostensibly dapper,
pristine toga - Big Machine arrogance
Caesarean-
in truth is tattered rags betraying
a robe. Foul, soiled leather lies
for sandals. So if you claim to be
her friend, Swifties will rebut, expel:
“How did you get in here without
wedding clothes, friend?” Your wicked
deeds rendering you speechless forever.
“Tie him hand and foot…throw him
outside into the darkness…there
will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth [due to his guilt] ."

------Matthew 22:1-14
Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Tony Conti Descending The Sycamore-Fig Of Singleness To Dine With Taylor Swift #taylordatetony #ts7 #taylorswift #lover

2019-06-24T23:56:00.003-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Moses, Sarah, Abraham, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
#taylordatetony #ts7 #taylorswift

+-----Tony Conti Descending The Sycamore-Fig Of Singleness To Dine With Taylor Swift

Taylor, my heart’s a cynic,
(short in stature)
of Cruel Girls’ capacity to
reform, Hebrews downtrodden
by Rome rightfully; A tax
collector without scruples
exacting resentment from their
dating refusals, rusted drachma
coins. Yet I seek to change, my
desire scaling a sycamore-fig
to gaze. Oh babes! You are
Romance’s Savior tall. Your blue
eyes rapturous, diamonds of
Archangels, your voice beguiling,
galvanizing. Your fans like mobs
encircling you always miracle seeking.
If you took me to Starbucks, the
most amorous invitation: “come
down immediately. I must stay
at your house today.” My joy’d
be my lover-penitence. “Look, [Tay]!
Here and now I give half of
my possessions to the poor.”
My soul dining with yours like
Love’s true disciple. Over coffee.

------Luke 19:1-10
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Tony Conti's Heart Pregnant; Taylor Swift's Hopeful News #taylordatetony #ts7 #taylorswift #yntcd

2019-06-17T23:56:00.003-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Moses, Sarah, Abraham, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
#taylordatetony #ts7 #taylorswift #yntcd

+-----Tony Conti's Heart Pregnant; Taylor Swift's Hopeful News

Taylor, my heart is
a Hebrew crone-wife
barren on melancholy’s
desert sands. Hunched beside
avid romantic longing as
the great trees of Mamre.
Susceptible; my singleness’s
persistence like 90 years’
cynicism of cruel girls’ dating
refusals… taunting my womb
of aspirations void. But babes!
Your smile is 3 earnest angels
disguised as men assaying
my plight. Your blue eyes
three seahs of finest flour
worthy, your lips the price
of a tender calf, curds and milk.
If you took me to Starbucks,
– the most auspicious
(Bae) news: “I will surely return
to you about this time next year,
and [you] will have a son.” Our
kiss’d be a child of love. Isaac.

------Genesis 18:1-12
The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.” “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.” So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.” Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he said. Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?

Taylor Swift: Tony Conti's Angel Armed #taylordatetony #ts7 #taylorswift #me

2019-06-10T22:10:00.001-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Joshua, Angel of the Lord, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
#taylordatetony #ts7 #taylorswift

+-----Taylor Swift: Tony Conti's Angel Armed

Taylor, my soul is
Joshua, his Hebrew peoples
sans Moses (dating hope),
wary. A bull unblemished tracked
by Levites for slaughter, sweating
in crazed full-moon-flight to be free.
My perpetual singleness sturdy,
stubborn- the impregnable
walls of Jericho; Cruel girls’ dating
refusals like red irises of Canaanites
uncultured behind it, gleaming of
unromantic-barbarism. But babes!
Your blue eyes sacred, an angel salvific.
Your smile a man with a sparkling sword
unsheathed (and nimbus) to vanquish.
If you took me to Starbucks, your
assurance of a friendly alliance:
“as Commander of the army of Love
have I now come.” If you kissed me,
my heart’d take off its sandals for coffee.
Our shared joy like Holy Ground.

------Joshua 5:13-15
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Jericho Toppled #TonyandDurant #NBA #Warriors #Toronto #Raptors

2019-06-10T16:23:00.001-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Joshua, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
#TonyandDurant #NBA

+-----Jericho Toppled

Kevin, Toronto is Jericho,
a walled city impregnable,
its coaches, players, Drake like
hardened Canaanites,
stouthearted NBA brutes. And
your Warriors’s 2-game deficit
is a Hebrew people once
valiant turned fretful, fearful
of conquest. But tonight,
your agility in the paint, like
armed soldiers courageous
against odds improbable marching.
Your long-range jumpshot 7 priests
bearing 7 trumpets of rams’
horns behind them. Carrying 3-peat
dreams across shoulders:
the ark of the Lord - circling the
city 6 days. In the 4th, when you dunk
on Kawhi to win the game, trumpets
blaring and shouts deafening. Like the
procession rounding 7 times, Joshua
raging. The Raptor’s wall of trophy
hope’ll fall flat. Jericho plundered.

------Joshua 6:12-20
And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days. But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city! Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.” So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

Steph Curry Streaking #NBA #Warriors #StephCurry #Drake

2019-05-30T01:16:00.000-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Matthew, Mary, Joseph, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
#TonyandSteph #NBA #Magi #Warriors #Drake

+-----Steph Curry Streaking

Steph, your jumpshot
is a supernova divine,
across Bethlehem
(Oracle Arena) streaking,
a trail of stardust in memoriam.
Your teammates, coaches,
like 3 pagan men wise,
charting it across the desert
(Toronto) for 3-peat salvation;
As horses unsaddled and
sentimental - eyes closed –
running for the first time, truly.
And Kawhi Leonard is King
Herod unfeeling, scheming
murder to kidnap the The Larry
O'Brien Trophy, a miracle Baby
Virgin born, for himself. But
Klay’s defense, Draymond’s
rebounding, KD’s clutch genes-
gifts of gold, frankincense,
myrrh. Steve Kerr happy,
the oldest Magi holding baby
Jesus as if he were his own.

------Matthew 2:7-12
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Taylor Swift and Tony Conti's Manger #taylordatetony #taylorswift #wcw #ts7 #me

2019-05-27T23:48:00.001-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Matthew, Mary, Joseph, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
#taylordatetony #taylorswift #wcw

+-----Taylor Swift and Tony Conti's Manger

Taylor, my heart, lonely
is three pagan men robed
and wise; searching Love’s cosmos
for a Star. For romance jumpy…
disquieted, rendered antiquity-
desert-vagabonds from
years of waiting for salvific
hope- a dating offer finally
acquiesced. Oh babes!
your smile is a streaking comet
on a chance night effulgent.
Your blue eyes like the
birthstones of the first
angels soaring above Eden.
If you took me to Starbucks
(Bethlehem), kissed me,
my gratitude bestowed on you
as gold, frankincense, myrrh
in a manger. Our first date like
a miracle baby Virgin Born a Savior.

------Matthew 2:7-12
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Taylor Swift's Breath, Tony Conti's Dry Bones #taylordatetony #taylorswift #wcw #ts7 #taylornation

2019-05-20T23:46:00.000-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Ezekiel, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
#taylordatetony #taylorswift #wcw

+-----Taylor Swift's Breath, Tony Conti's Dry Bones

Taylor, my enslaved heart’s
a valley desiccated. My inert
dating life a great many bones
(of men) thereunto on the floor,
dry. But babes! your smile
like a prophet mighty in Babylon;
Staring down the wheel of
cruel girls’ romantic repudiation:
Nebuchadnezzar heinous.
Your blue eyes…priceless
gemstones on hilts of angels’
swords fighting. If you took me
to Starbucks, a sweet
admonition: “Dry bones, hear
the word of [your Bae]!” Like
the breath of life (from 4 winds)
filling me. Then if you kissed
me- tendons of hope attaching
to flesh of joy in my soul. My spirit’d
come to life, stand up on its feet-
Our Love a vast army alive.

------Ezekiel 37:1-10
The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Haskins In Nineveh #TonyandDwayne #httr #Redskins #NFL #leaguedonemessedup #washingtondc

2019-05-18T21:03:00.000-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Jonah, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
#Nineveh #TonyandDwayne #httr #Redskins #NFL #leaguedonemessedup #washingtondc

+------Haskins In Nineveh

Dwayne those minutes
in Nashville, as teams
drafted guys 1 through 14
…anxious: like your heart
sailing for refuge in Tarshish.
Each pick successive like your
soul shunted by a City’s crew
from the deck into the sea raging.
And your ego’s resentment,
swallowed whole- 3 days, nights,
in a whale's belly of public
debasing. But! the 2019
season will be your redress.
Every TD throw, every Skins
win like you storming the
league a proselyte in Nineveh
“forty more days and [your smugness]
will be overthrown.” When you
win the Superbowl, ROY-
the NFL’s repentance. All who
doubted you donning
sackcloth and dust- finally.

------Jonah 3:1-10
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

This Is It

2019-05-13T23:40:00.000-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Jonah, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
#Nineveh

+------This Is It; Jonah's Words To The King Of Nineveh, Trembling

Believe me, I have
seen and heard things
previously unfathomed-
King David staring
into Goliath’s eyes
emptied before collapsing
at the feet of his cohort
of Philistines. Thrown overboard
into havoc’s deep, for 3 days
endless, (in a Whale’s Tomb)
I addressed, deliberated
with your flayed ghost pleading
for his nation’s rebirth
after death. I heard echoes
asleep of stampeding chariots,
tormented wailing of Assyrians.
Please, you have 40 days
to repent, rethink your ethos.
If not…I swear everything and
everyone here...will burn.

------Jonah 3:1-10
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Why Are You Persecuting Me?

2019-05-11T20:21:00.003-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Paul, Luke, Mary, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
#goads

+------Why Are You Persecuting Me?; God's Words To Paul on Damascus's Road #Goads

I intuited it pretty early on
- a child, privileged,
inculcated in Platonic
idealism (Gamaliel), and
Roman Pride; I was Aeneas
seething
watching Troy burn
vowing revenge (but for
Hebrew oppression)–
a scintilla of whispers
in my soul at night:
“you were meant
for so much more.” They were
just flights of balderdash
until now- my horse lost and
deluded, scampering off
to Greece- me on my back blind.
Lying prostrate by a dust cloud
enshrouded…punching the air,
my teeth clenched, accusing
Christians of this. But now the Voice
louder, sonorous: “Saul,
you are not a murderer,
pedantic – You are Paul,
herald of God’s peace,
unifier of the entire world”

------Acts 26:12-18
“On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Taylor Swift and Tony Conti On Damascus's Road #taylordatetony #taylorswift #tgif #ts7 #google

2019-05-10T01:39:00.001-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Paul, Luke, Mary, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to #taylordatetony #taylorswift
#tgif #ts7

+------Taylor Swift and Tony Conti On Damascus's Road

Taylor, my heart is
Saul bestride a horse
– lonely, rife with misgivings,
disaffected. On Damascus’s
(singleness’s) road livid;
full of invectives for cruel girls’
treatment of my prior dating
overtures - Heretics Of Love.
Commissioned by chief
priests of amorous despair
to rail against their Way, the
blasphemy. But babes!
Your smile is a blaze of light
from heaven striking my mourning
blind. (My horse of bitterness
standing on hind legs crazed)
Your laughter, sweet, like Romance
chiding “[Tony, Tony]
why do you persecute me?”
If you took me to Starbucks,
stared into my eyes, like a
pronouncement of our fate
together: “It is hard for you
to kick against the goads.”
Like you whispering:
“Stop chasing after other
girls and resisting me,
I am your Bae.” "And you are Paul."

------Acts 26:12-18
“On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Taylor Swift and Tony Conti's Easter Experience #taylordatetony #taylorswift #ts7 #sundayfunday

2019-04-28T14:53:00.000-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Matthew, Mary, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to #taylordatetony #taylorswift
#Triduum #ts7 #sundayfunday

+------Taylor Swift and Tony Conti's Easter Experience

Taylor, my heart- sullen, lonely-
is Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary, assaying to
figure out my (years’) protracted
singleness like loss,
the crucifixion of the Savior (of
Romance). Standing without
the Tomb of other cruel
girls’ dating refusals after
3 days verging on eternity,
bawling. But babes!
Your smile, glorious, is
life’s redemption; your lips,
your blue eyes like my battered dating-
Passion revivified and manifested
suddenly. If you took me to Starbucks,
my soul clasping to your feet
in gratitude. If you held my hands,
like words of your encouragement
consummate: “[Tony] Do not
be afraid. Go and tell my brothers/
sisters (Swifties) to go to Galilee
(Instagram).” “Tell them Im
your Dear Love (Bae) resurrected.”

------Matthew 28:5-10
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

I'm Back #Easter

2019-04-28T01:53:00.000-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Matthew, Mary, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to Jesus Christ
#Triduum #Easter

+------I'm Back; Jesus' Words To The Women At His Tomb

Ladies, PEACE. When I
called Lazarus forth,
he strode from his tomb I
whispered “friend, you were
just fully awake for the first
time”, albeit briefly. An eagle
seizing his inaugural
Spring wind-gust before
sensing nest-alienation. He
hasted to put his grave
clothes back on. So I convey to
you what I did to him:
situate yourselves sleeping, but
restless. The world will soon rise
from consciousness-death
to Dawn, Persephone
fleeing Hades towards the sun,
smirking. Go: tell the brothers
I live, of humanity resuscitated.
That…3 days ago everything they
thought they knew was a lie.
That to die is to live, really*

------Matthew 28:5-10
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

God Dying

2019-04-21T00:49:00.000-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Luke, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to Jesus Christ
#Triduum

+------God Dying; Jesus' Last Thoughts On The Cross

Hanging betwixt two
thieves, a thorn-crowned
King naked. My clothes gambled
away. Blood streams
from my whip-gashed brow
in my eyes, I flit in and
out consciousness.
The one to my left, a liar
in blasphemy’s thralls,
full of taunting – Satan
dangling from the Tree
in Eden seducing
disobedience. I think of David
trembling in Adullam’s cave
fleeing Saul. Of Aeneas wailing
watching the Greeks burn
Troy, his family. Blackened skies,
my presage. So now
I have fully known broken
dreams. My Father, my friends
are gone. So this how dying feels.
This is how Adam felt. When he
fell and his eyes rolled back.
I cant breathe.

------John 19:17-30
Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,
“They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.”
So this is what the soldiers did.
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

The Last Toast #Triduum

2019-04-20T23:40:00.001-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Luke, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to Jesus Christ
#Triduum

+------The Last Toast; Jesus' Thoughts At The Passover Meal

We raise our cups,
13 men bucolic toasting to tonight-
angels pledging allegiance to
their fixed destinies
in Heaven. The wine
redolent of ambrosia,
I think, now, of Hercules
deified reposing at the gods’
banquet halls on Olympus. My eyes
closed, I see Hebrews fraught with fear
of the Ghost of Death hovering above,
of Pharaoh without scruples.
But I defer. For now there is no
redress of political wrongs, no Roman
worries, just songs, bread. A warm
wind wafts into the Upper
Room, the candle flames bowing
slightly in homage from laughter
boisterous. I wash their feet calmly,
smiling. As if the collapse of the known
world can wait for just a few hours.

------Luke 22:14-30
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this. A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Bread And Stones

2019-04-07T13:08:00.000-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Luke, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to Jesus Christ
#TheTemptation

+------Bread And Stones; Jesus' Response To Satan's Temptation

I think now, enervated,
partly delirious, cracked-tongued,
of Prometheus stealing
fire from the gods (betrayal),
his [warmth of] charity
towards men. Of Jeremiah’s
insistence on Nebuchadnezzar’s
siege of Judah to spur his
peoples' repentance. Despite
beatings savage (meted
out by friends), the former despite
his liver cyclically fed to Eagles
voracious, sadistic. And reshaping
stones to bread would comfort
me, yes… But I will suffer, will
not eat things forbade. Indeed,
this is how you seduced Eden’s
apocalypse years ago. Adam RIP

------Luke 4:1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Loneliness's Testing After 40 Days, Nights; Taylor Swift's Rescue Of Tony Conti Lovelorn #taylordatetony #taylorswift #ts7 #acmawards

2019-04-06T13:40:00.000-04:00

* Spirit of Jesus pray for me
* Luke, Holy Church pray for me
* Saints pray for me
* Dedicated to Jesus Christ
#taylordatetony #taylorswift #wcw #ts7

+------Loneliness's Testing After 40 Days, Nights; Taylor Swift's Rescue Of Tony Conti Lovelorn

Taylor, singleness is
a test (quotidian), like my heart
indigent in the desert 40 days
and nights (forevermore). All desire
famished, my soul’s throat
parched. And cruel girls are
Satan- serpentine, mendacious,
spectral. Their callous temptation
to accept, hardily, their
unremitting dating refusals
like a slick offer to turn stone
to bread, to worship loneliness
as ruler of kingdoms melancholy,
to throw myself off the Temple
of Despair’s pinnacle. But babes!
Your blue eyes are angels’ comfort
after enduring much pain,
your smile like divine soothing in
my vulnerable moment. If you took
me to Starbucks, kissed me: like
sumptuous celestial food and drink.
Like me ruddy again, standing
tall as your Bae. Savior of the world.

------Luke 4:1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.