Libera nos, Domine.

With all of the nuclear "sabre rattling" going on between the leaders of the U.S., Korea, and Iran perhaps the "Litany of the Saints" (Litaniae Sanctorum) according to Beatus Leibowitz should be revived and recited daily.

"From the spirit of fornication,
O Lord, deliver us.
From the lightning and the tempest,
O Lord, deliver us.
From the scourge of the earthquake,
O Lord, deliver us.
From plague, famine, and war,
O Lord, deliver us.

From the place of ground zero,
O Lord, deliver us.
From the rain of the cobalt,
O Lord, deliver us.
From the rain of the strontium,
O Lord, deliver us.
From the fall of the cesium,
O Lord, deliver us.

From the curse of the Fallout,
O Lord, deliver us.
From the begetting of monsters,
O Lord, deliver us.
From the curse of the Misborn,
O Lord, deliver us.
From everlasting death,
O Lord, deliver us.

We sinners beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst spare us,
We sinners beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst pardon us,
We beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst bring us truly to penance,
We beseech Thee, hear us..."

(From: "A Canticle For Leibowitz" by Walter M.Miller Jr.)

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Hello or Goodbye?

Time, where man lives not.
What is it but eternity?
We live on Earth a moment or two,
Smack dab in the middle of forever.
Waste not your days in idleness
As time depends upon fulfillment.
The years go by like running water.
Forget what lies behind you.
Strain forward to what lies ahead,
Get acquainted with your eternal soul
And prepare yourself for lift-off.
The dead aren't permitted to speak,
They can't give away the ending.
It is supposed to be a surprise.
Some will be delighted and some not.
The secret to eternal joy is harmony,
With the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The dead speak again in the Resurrection,
They will either say "Hello," or
"Goodbye forever!"

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