Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 12, 2025 -- THREE
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To the Editor:
I encourage the individ-
uals who have voiced regret
over the demise of the Good
News Only column to sub-
mit their news to the staff
at the Gazette-Times. They
can help, if needed, to get
the write-ups in good shape,
and the interest level of the
paper will certainly go up,
at least for readers who ap-
preciate straight news and
human-interest stories. If
you don’t have something
to share, you might have
enough info on a topic or
be curious enough about a
topic to suggest to the GT
staff that they check it out.
Last week’s paper was
an example of a combina-
tion of useful information
about what is going on in
our area and how this can
affect us and about fellow
citizens—who they are and
what they are contributing
to the comings and goings
of our communities. (I, for
one, preferred this to out-
dated “Sheriff’s Reports.”)
I also encourage read-
ers to suggest to people who
do not subscribe to our pa-
per to give it a try. Subscrip-
tions and advertisements
are critical to our small
paper, our one reliably ac-
curate, fact-based source
of information, which is
critical.
Since I am taking up
space, I will just add a tidbit
that would have gone into
the Good News Only: A
thoughtful individual, when
I wasn’t looking apparently,
bladed the snow from my
driveway last week! If that
kind-hearted person will
come forward, I will offer
a reward of hot chocolate
and cookies. Otherwise,
this heart-felt thank you
will have to suffice.
Doris Brosnan
Heppner, OR
Wokexico
Just when you think it
couldn’t get any weirder.
But then we should never
underestimate the Woke
when they put their heads
together. The DNC recently
rolled out its new rules with
this intellectually muddled
statement: “The rules speci-
fy that when we have a gen-
der-nonbinary candidate or
officer, the nonbinary indi-
vidual is counted as neither
male nor female, and the
remaining six officers must
be gender balanced.” Just
make it stop. This, folks,
is what you get when you
let Jello-filled brains make
rules.
Can we please just send
these people to a new plan-
et, preferably in a galaxy
far, far away? It does need
to be one that’s uninhabit-
ed though. Any intelligent
life would probably send
them back. This gives me
an idea. How about we
relocate them? Let’s make
it easy. Since we’re in the
process of deporting crimi-
nals anyway, let’s send the
Woke folks south too. I’m
sure they’d love to share
a country with criminals,
gang members, and Cartels.
All that marching in the
streets, yelling obscenities,
flag-waving (not ours), and
snitching on ICE won’t be
in vain.
Of course, they would
be looking for someone
to lead them. And since
Hamas will most likely be
looking for new people to
terrorize (once Trump is
through with them), I bet
they’d be glad to oblige.
It might take a little time
to educate them to the ap-
propriate DEI level, but it
wouldn’t be long and I’m
sure they’d be using correct
pronouns and making sure
their recruitment is gen-
der balanced. While there
might be a bit of a scuffle
between Hamas and the
Cartels, the Dems will see
that there is no “gun vio-
lence” by providing plenty
of counselors.
No worries about the
economy of their new Woke
state. They can create their
own DOGE to make sure
terrorists, Cartels, the Clin-
ton Foundation, and the
Bidens get their funds…
Woke tax dollars at work.
With Trump’s new bor-
der security, there will be
way less outsourcing of
sex trafficking so lots of
employment opportunities
there. China is always ready
to make a deal, and since
Fentanyl is a pretty hot
item right now…they’ll be
golden.
No more annoying,
Bible-thumping Christians
trying to shove the love
of Jesus down their throat
either. They’ll be free to
pray to the climate gods
as they worship the envi-
ronment and say goodbye
to earthquakes, hurricanes,
tornadoes, gas vehicles and
other horrific disasters.
Just one problem. They
will have some explain-
ing to do when their kids
learn the (real) history of
Wokexico. Come to think
of it, between the abortion
pill, LGBTQ, and the Trans
factor, chances of a “next
generation” are pretty slim.
Would I really like to
ship them all to another
planet? No, except may-
be a few…AOC, Pelosi,
Mayorkis (kidding). What
I would like to do is see
them come to their senses.
And I’d really like to see
them repent and come to
Jesus. This world is serving
up some eloquently spoken
lies and we all need discern-
ment. So, I pray for that.
Jesus, give us ears to hear
the truth and a heart for you.
Expose the lies and evil
schemes and make common
sense common again.
“Jesus answered, “I am
the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to
the Father except through
me,” (John 14:6).
Susie Crosby
Prineville, OR
From the Archives
Spiritually Speaking
Father Thankachan Joseph
Blessed Are You: If You Abide by Christ
Last Sunday, we reflected on the call to Peter and the
first apostles in the Lucan narration. Trusting in the words
of Christ always impacts people’s lives. The same idea
runs through this Sunday’s readings, as well.
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose
hope is in the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the
waters that stretches out its roots to the streams: it fears
not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green; in the
year of drought, it shows no distress but still bears fruit.”
(Jeremiah 17:6-8).
How often do we trust these scripture passages as
Simon and his companions did? It calls us for a deeper
trust and faith in the Lord. The church is gradually moving
towards the season of Lent. That calls us for a change of
heart and mind. The main theme of Lent will be “repen-
tance” and “come back to the Lord.”
The first reading and the Gospel of the day stress a
similar theme dealing with cursed and blessed. Anyone
who leaves the statutes of Christ and lives by worldly
norms and designs is considered as cursed and the one
who lives and moves according to the words of Christ is
described as blessed. The first reading from the prophet
Jeremiah pronounces it like this; “Cursed is the one who
trusts in human beings who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the Lord” (17:5). This verse
doesn’t require any more descriptions. It is very apt and
touching words of the Messiah to return to Him if we
have gone astray from Him.
The Gospel reading is from Luke (6:17, 20-26), which
is described as the Beatitudes. I was reminded of one
of the old stories I read some time back. A priest began
his homily on this week’s Gospel by asking for a show
of hands from all in the congregation who would love
to be poor, starving, weeping, and hated by everybody.
No hands went up. Then he asked who, on the contrary,
would love to be rich, happy, joyful, wealthy, well-fed,
laughing, and well-spoken of in the community. All hands
went up. A similar survey in any church would probably
yield similar results. Yet Jesus in Luke declares a blessing
on those who are poor, hungry, weeping and hated. To
make sure we get the point, He goes on and explicitly pro-
nounces a woe on those who are rich, well-fed, laughing,
and well-spoken of. What is happening here? Does Luke
want us to understand that material poverty in itself is a
sign of divine approval and material prosperity a sign of
divine disapproval? Certainly, not!
Poverty in itself is not a blessing but an evil, a lack.
In fact, all the qualifying factors mentioned in Luke’s
Beatitudes—poverty, hunger, weeping, hatred, rejection,
reviling, defamation—are all evils. These are things no
good parents would want for their children. Neither would
God want these things for us, God’s children. How are we
then to understand Luke’s beatitudes? The key to Luke’s
Beatitudes is to be found in an important clause which
he adds at the end of the last beatitude: “on account of
the Son of Man.” What Luke is saying is that those who
accept these evil conditions as the price that they must
pay for following Christ, are the blessed ones. Some
knowledge of the social background of Luke’s Gospel
would help us here.
Luke wrote his Gospel at a time of terrible social and
religious persecution taking place against the believers
in Christ. It was so severe that anyone professing to be
a follower of Christ knew for sure that he or she would
be disowned by family, rejected by friends, and exclud-
ed from the synagogue. One immediately lost one’s
birthright, free association, and social relationship in the
community. Even if one was a very rich person with lots
of land and farms, the moment they declared their faith in
Christ, they were automatically dispossessed and reduced
to a state of stark poverty. But the love of Christ and His
message attracted them and enabled them to go through
all these difficulties and hardships; because they knew for
themselves that the one who called them will never leave
them. I was reminded of the beautiful words of Paul to
the Philippians, “There is nothing I cannot do in the One
who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).
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