(Second Part: Of Man’s Redemption—Questions 12-85)
54. What dost thou believe concerning the Holy Catholic Church?
- That, out of the whole human race, from the beginning to the end of the world, the Son of God, by His Spirit and Word, gathers, defends and preserves for Himself unto everlasting life, a chosen communion, in the unity of the true faith; and that I am, and forever shall remain, a living member of the same.
55. What dost thou understand by the Communion of Saints?
- First, that believers, all and every one, as members of Christ have part in Him and in all His treasures and gifts; secondly, that each one must feel himself bound to use his gifts, readily and cheerfully, for the advantage and welfare of other members.
56. What dost thou believe concerning the Forgiveness of Sins?
- That God, for the sake of Christ’s satisfaction, will no more remember my sins, neither the sinful nature with which I have to struggle all my life long; but graciously imputes to me the righteousness of Christ, that I may nevermore come into condemnation.
ake away the must-have multiple offerings of the genus Viburnum, and the mandatory spring bloomers Forsythia and Flowering Quince, and there aren’t many deciduous shrubs worth having in the landscape. There are two specimines, however, that hold off blooming until later in the spring that have merit in a sunny location in a medium to large home landscape.
iversity is good, especially in the landscape. In the church, now, the issue is a bit more complicated. I’m not even going to go there. Let me just put my theological plug in and be done with it. Then we can get back to the landscape.
round these parts in May, folks are anxious to see the first offerings of the roses in the yard. To fulfill Southern tradition, in honor of their mother, one dons a rose on his or her lapel before going to church on Mother’s Day. If you didn’t have one, a neighbor would gladly let you snip one from his landscape. A red rose signifies that your mother is still living, while a white rose on the lapel means that your mother has “passed on.”
Under no circumstances would I end that with “go away.” Rain in Oklahoma is a blessing almost always. It has hindered the photography, though. I almost took some shots on Tuesday, which would have been best. Other things pressed in, and that day passed. Since then it has been quite rainy, making a good number of this week’s prospects pretty much unsuitable. This first shot says it all. These Oxalis blooms have not been damaged, they are merely rain-shy. In any case, more blossoms will return all summer long. You can expect to see a number of different Oxalis shots up in the summer months.
The red buckeye, Aesculus pavia, was what I was hoping to showcase this week, and I will, in spite of the rain. The overall appeal has faded a bit, but this one close-up showed a fair number of blossoms still strutting their stuff. Remember several weeks ago when I mentioned the acronym “MAD Horse?” The Horse part of it refers to the genus Aesculus, sometimes commonly called horse chestnut. Horse refers to strength, or in this case, poisonous. You will recall that the acronym helps you remember four genera. The entire genus Aesculus is one of those four in which the branches are arranged opposite one another. The red buckeye only reaches about fifteen feet in hight, and takes its sweet time to get there. It is a perfect small tree for small yards, if you do not have small children.