by Ken Sehested
Greater love hath none than this:
Than to caress the battered heart of one whose hopes have collapsed.
Greater love hath none than this:
Than to calm the fears of a child.
Greater love hath none than this:
Than to offer all you can to what you adore, and withhold your consent from every imperial demand.
Greater love hath none than this:
Than to honor promises made and vows professed.
Greater love hath none than this:
Than to hold onto truth when deceit is more profitable.
Greater love hath none than this:
Than to forestall a vengeful response to harm’s threat.
Greater love hath none than this:
Than to risk everything for the sake of the Revered.
©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Inspired by John 15:13.
guards you now / Your spirit safe in holy keep.” — Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, “
wandering Aramean was my ancestor” (Deuteronomy 26:5) is among the oldest testimonies of fate and faith. We are indeed strangers; but not foreigners. In common usage these two words seem similar. Biblically speaking, though, the theological difference could not be greater.”
1:31) / The earth is satisfied with the fruit of God’s greening hand. (Psalm 104:13) / Let the heavens be glad and the earth applaud. Let the sea roar, and the field exult, and all trees of the forest rejoice. (Psalm 96:11-12)”
the trees sing for joy. / The mountains beheld the Beloved, and writhed; the deep bellowed and pummeled the air with its waves.”
in singing, you Sierra Madres, you forests and every wild flower. . . . / Come, let us go up to Grandfather Mountain. There the Beloved will teach us the ways of righteousness that we may walk on the path of mercy.”
“When anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation.”
Sutra 11:23
under the earth.” — American industrialist J. Paul Getty
Delano grape strike in 1965 in California and was the lead negotiator in the workers’ contract that was created after the strike. She is the one who began using the Spanish phrase Sí, se puede (“yes it can be done”) in union rallies and marches, which became the motto of the UFW.
War II were a sacrifice to God.
National Opera and four Welsh choirs 
the protesting states have seen reductions of 6% or more from their peak. . . .”
decades, teachers are contributing more and more toward health care and retirement costs as their pay falls further behind. Teacher pay (accounting for inflation) actually fell by $30 per week from 1996 to 2015, while pay for other college graduates increased by $124.” —
teacher pay is 1.6% below their average earnings in 1999 and 5% lower than their 2009 pay, adjusted for inflation, according to the Department of Education.” —
¶ Benediction. “
©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Language not otherwise indicated above is that of the editor, as are those portions cited as “kls.” Don’t let the “copyright” notice keep you from circulating material you find here (and elsewhere in this site). Reprint permission is hereby granted in advance for noncommercial purposes.
(Che) Guevara, and Camilo Cienfuegos—welcomed Fidel to Havana one week later, where the charismatic leader formally declared victory before a massive crowd of supporters convinced that a new day had dawned on the economically and educationally deprived nation.
of these have been openly supportive of the “revolutionary project.” Others have been either privately or publicly critical of the “excesses” of the Revolution. Most have verbalized both satisfaction and criticism, a not uncommon assessment of the state of their country. Their current unease has to do with uncertainty over the political future of Cuba, and specifically over the identity of Raul’s successor.
recalled, and Trump ordered the expulsion of most of the Cuban diplomatic corps in Washington. Yet Trump chose not to break off diplomatic relations outright, an omission that did not go down well with wealthy Cuban American supporters, especially in south Florida, who accused him of failing to fulfill a more dramatic course of action promised them during the 2016 election campaign.
Cuba. We’ll lobby our government to restore the U.S. embassy in Havana to a full complement of consular officers so that Cubans wishing to travel to the U.S. will have at least an even chance of doing so. We’ll continue to demand that the Trump administration allow the Cuban embassy on 16th Street in Washington to be fully staffed in order to provide the full range of services that countries with normal diplomatic relations are supposed to provide to citizens of both countries.
enforced by a long succession of presidential executive orders – was 96-4. President Bill Clinton signed Helms-Burton, which now can be brought down only by congressional action and the signature of another U.S. president. This is a tall order, to be sure, especially in the Trump era, fraught as it is with foreign policy crises spanning the globe.
Another clear example of the same economic incentive for restored trade is Louisiana. Now that the shipping industry in and around New Orleans is flourishing following years of slow recovery from Hurricane Katrina’s devastation, ships moving goods from the Crescent City to Havana would amount to a boon to Louisiana’s economy, as well as that of several Midwestern states that ship corn, wheat and other agricultural produce down the Mississippi to the Port of New Orleans. Governors of both parties from these states long have pressured Washington to restore relations, knowing that trade with Cuba would provide relief to their beleaguered farm industries.
provincial and national legislatures will be chosen. The National Assembly will then chose a new president to succeed Raúl Castro, who retires on 19 April.
presidential elections, average turnout over the last 50 years is less than 55%. In mid-term elections that number goes down to 34.4. In most major cities, fewer than 15% of eligible voters participate. —for more see Drew DeSilver, “US trails most developed countries in voter turnout,” 
Above: Memphis, Tennessee sanitation workers on strike, 1968.
of every national newspaper.” —11-year-old 
through downtown for what Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill called “the biggest parade we’ve ever had in Starkville, absolute biggest.” City permit for the march was originally denied by the town’s aldermen but later reversed. March organizer Bailey McDaniel, along with her partner, Emily Turner (see photo at left), “I’m thankful for Starkville Police, they were amazing,” McDaniel said. “We took a huge group photo after. Chief (Frank Nichols) was on our side.” —
thy pity without end? / O make me thine forever; / and should I fainting be, / Lord, let me never, never / outlive my love for thee.” —Darrell Adams, in a gorgeous rendition of “
disasters) recently issued a new “strategic plan” for the coming four years, failed to mention climate change, global warming, sea-level rises, extreme weather, or any other terminology associated with scientific predictions of rising temperatures and their effects. —see 
April 1968, the night before his assassination.
loot the treasury of fear.” —continue reading “
Above: Sculpted relief by Margaret Beaudette of Mary Magdalene proclaiming "The First Easter Homily"