Year Zero

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the self-will of the Jewish people (1 Samuel 8 [also known as 1 Kings 8]): * How the Jews besought Samuel to appoint a king for them; * How Samuel protested this in the name of the Lord, Who proclaimed that He is the only King; * How the people remained stubborn, rejecting the will of God and the counsel of Samuel. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss thi...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the plagues that befell the Philistines because of the captured Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 5:6 [also known as 1 Kings 5:6]): * How the people were afflicted with tumors [hemorrhoids], and mice devoured the crops, wherever the Philistines set down the Ark of the Covenant; * How the Philistines, terrified, returned the Ark of the Covenant to the land of Israel; * How...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the punishment of God upon the people of Israel for the sins of the sons of Eli, the judge and high priest (1 Samuel 4 [also known as 1 Kings 4]): * How the sons of the high priest [Hophni and Phinehas] sinned openly in Shiloh, and also secretly before the Ark of the Covenant; * How God gave the Philistines victory over Israel, and many thousands of Israelites were sla...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the miraculous appearance of God to the child Samuel (1 Samuel 3 [also known as 1 Kings 3]): * How one night, when Samuel was lying down, the Lord called him three times by name; * How the Lord told Samuel of the condemnation of the House of Eli [Heli] (because of the corruption of the sons of Eli) and of the condemnation of all of Israel; * How the Lord did not want t...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the mercy of God toward the barren Hannah, the mother of Samuel (1 Samuel 1 [also known as 1 Kings 1]): * How Hannah was barren, and in her sorrow implored God that she be enabled to bear a son, promising to dedicate him to God; * How God heard the prayers of Hannah, and she bore a son, and named him Samuel (bidden of God); * How Hannah brought Samuel to the Temple and...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the providence of God, which rewarded the virtue of Ruth and Boaz (The Book of Ruth): * How Ruth, being left a widow, remained faithful to Naomi, her aged mother-in-law, and how by her labors she fed both Naomi and herself; * How the wealthy Boaz was merciful, and helped these two poor women; * How Boaz and Ruth entered into marriage, from whom was born Obed, the fathe...

John and I read and discuss chp 1-3 of Ordinary Men This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tommysalmons.substack.com/subscribe

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the miraculous strength of Samson (Judges 14): * How the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he was able to tear lions apart with his hands, and was able to snap the rope by which he was bound, and was able to slay many Philistines; * How the Spirit of the Lord withdrew from him when he confided the secret of his strength to a heathen woman [Delilah] and was then...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the miraculous announcement of the birth of Samson (Judges 13): * How an angel of God appeared to Manoah and his barren wife, and announced that his wife would give birth to a son, who would deliver the people from slavery; * How, for this, Manoah offered a sacrifice to God; and an angel ascended to heaven in the flame of the sacrifice; * How even a barren woman can gi...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the ingratitude of the Jews toward God the Deliverer, and on God’s punishment of them (Judges 13): * How the sons of Israel, yet again, did that which is wicked before the Lord; * How the Lord gave them over into the hands of the Philistines for forty years; * How the ungratefulness of a liberated people toward God the Deliverer is punished by bondage under foreigners,...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate God’s miraculous assistance to the repentant Israelites (Judges 11): * How the penitents cried out to God: Do Thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto Thee; deliver us only, we pray Thee, this day (Judges 10); * How the Spirit of the Lord descended upon Jephthah and he destroyed the Ammonites and liberated Israel; * How, even today, the repentance of men brings peace...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the punishment of God upon Israel (Judges 10): * How the Israelites committed that which was evil before the Lord, worshipping the Syrian, Sidonian and Moabite idols, and others; * How the Lord gave them over in bondage to the Philistines, who, for eighteen years, punished them and oppressed them; * How the Lord is fearsome toward apostates from the true Faith. This is...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the punishment from God that befell Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judges 9): * How Abimelech, with the help of the men of Shechem, slew seventy of his brethren; * How Abimelech then slew the Shechemites, plowed their city under and sowed it with salt; * How, after many victories, Abimelech was killed by a woman who hurled a piece of a millstone onto his head from a to...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the miraculous victory of Gideon over the Midianites (Judges 7): * How Gideon gathered thirty-two thousand soldiers and set out against the Midianites; * How God commanded him to reduce the number, so that the Israelites would not brag about themselves and say that they were victorious, and not God; * How Gideon selected only three hundred soldiers, and defeated the Mi...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the miraculous sign that God showed Gideon (Judges 6): * How one night only the fleece was wet with dew and the remaining ground was dry; and how the second night, all the ground was wet with dew, and the fleece was dry; * How the first signified the Israelites in the midst of the pagan world (until the coming of Christ) and after that, the pagan world under grace, and...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the miraculous burning of the sacrifice on the rock (Judges 6): * How an angel appeared to Gideon, and Gideon ran to bring bread and meat to offer hospitality to the angel; * How the angel touched the bread and meat with the top of the staff, and a fire arose and consumed the sacrifice. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or g...

John and I discuss the evils of men, changing ourselves, and reading the preface to Ordinary Men. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tommysalmons.substack.com/subscribe

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from Sisera and his forces (Judges 4): * How the Lord showed mercy on the enslaved Israelites, hearing their cries, and granted them victory over Sisera; * How the prophetess Deborah sent a small force to Mt. Tabor against Sisera, who had nine-hundred chariots of iron and an enormous army; * How the forces of Sisera were sca...

Reading The Voyage of Saint Brendan the Navigator This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tommysalmons.substack.com/subscribe

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the miraculous victory over the Amorites (Joshua 24): * How God sent hornets against the Amorites, and they all fell into confusion and were defeated by the Israelites; * How the Lord God is mighty; and how He destroys the proud and unjust, with the aid of small things. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonu...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the miraculous standing still of the sun and the moon (Joshua 10): * How Joshua, in order to complete the victory over the Gibeonites, ordered the sun and moon to stand still in their courses; * How God heard the voice of the righteous man, and by His power caused the sun and moon to stand still; * How God created even nature to serve man, and how God acts according to...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the miraculous victory of the Israelites over the men of Ai (Joshua 8): * How the men of Ai pursued the Israelites and almost defeated them; * How, according to the command of God, Joshua raised his banner in the air and held it upraised until the men of Ai were defeated; * How, in times of danger, I should lift up my heart to God as a banner, and with the Cross in my...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the suffering of the entire people because of the sin of one man (Joshua 7): * How the Israelites were prohibited by God from taking any of the possessions belonging to the conquered people of Jericho; * How one man took something of the spoil, and because of this the Israelites were defeated by the Ai; * How, even today, many suffer because of one man’s transgression...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the miraculous appearance of the archangel to Joshua, the son of Nun, when he set out to conquer Jericho (Joshua 5): * How the captain [commander] of the heavenly hosts appeared to Joshua with a drawn sword in his hand; * How he told Joshua to remove his shoes (Joshua 5:15); * How even we, in the battle of life, should not rely on our own feet and our own equipment, bu...

CONTEMPLATION To contemplate the miraculous crossing of Israel over the Jordan River (Joshua 3): * How by the power of God and through Joshua, the waters of the Jordan parted and the priests and the people crossed over; * How the priests, with the Ark of the Covenant, stood on dry land in the midst of the Jordan, while the people crossed over; * How even I need not be afraid of the floods of this...