Simon Jenkins in the Evening Standard: Making London beautiful

Admiring the view yesterday evening on Westminster Bridge, I wondered at how London's loveliness now jostles with ugliness, in a manner inconceivable in rival capitals. The lighting of London's public buildings is now comparable with Paris or Amsterdam. At night the Palace of Westminster, County Hall and Somerset House are delicately etched in colour and shade. The river bridges are gently lit from below. It is well done. Read on...

A word of thanks...

...to the Anglican Archbishop of York and the Bishops of London, Winchester, Durham, Chichester, Exeter, Liverpool, Hereford and Lord Carey of Clifton who all voted for Lady O’Cathain and against the Government in its proposed equality law.

Maps

'Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home—so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any map of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person: The neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.' - Eleanor Roosevelt

(Statements at Presentation of In Your Hands: A Guide for Community Action for the Tenth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1958).

Federer V Murray Final

I like tennis. I like watching and playing it lots. I've been to Queens a couple of times and Wimbledon once so far. My favoirte player is Roger Federer. At Wimbledon I was lucky enough to stand about a foot away from him. I watched the epic Nadal-Federer final which I think is one of history's sporting highlights. He's a real sportsman, gracious in victory or defeat and seems a decent sort of bloke off the court. As I write this, Federer has just beaten Tsonga 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. That makes for a Federer-Murray final.

Pope Benedict XVI: Conversion of heart, subsidiarity

Prayer for Catholic Schools

Saint Thomas Aquinas, you are called by Holy Mother Church, the Angel of the Schools. Your wisdom, gathered through long meditation from the source of all wisdom, the most holy Trinity, has long been a shining light in the Catholic Church. Ignorance of the things of God is a darkness now enveloping the minds of many of our countrymen. In this darkness, we need an angel like you who will protect, foster, and nourish the schools we have, and guide and strengthen us in establishing and building newer and more adequate schools for the instruction of our children in the ways of Christ. Help and bless the generous sisters, brothers, and priests who labor so unselfishly in the classroom to spread the knowledge of Christ. Inspire our Catholic men and women to be most generous in the support of the schools we have. Grant to parents the wise generosity they need to give their child back to God when that child wishes to follow a priestly or religious vocation. Help us, Saint Thomas, Angel of the Schools, to understand what you taught, and to follow your example. Amen.

Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor

From Catholic Culture

St. Thomas ranks among the greatest writers and theologians of all time. His most important work, the Summa Theologiae, an explanation and summary of the entire body of Catholic teaching, has been standard for centuries, even to our own day. At the Council of Trent it was consulted after the Bible.

To a deeply speculative mind, he joined a remarkable life of prayer, a precious memento of which has been left to us in the Office of Corpus Christi. Reputed as great already in life, he nevertheless remained modest, a perfect model of childlike simplicity and goodness. He was mild in word and kind in deed. He believed everyone was as innocent as he himself was. When someone sinned through weakness, Thomas bemoaned the sin as if it were his own. The goodness of his heart shone in his face, no one could look upon him and remain disconsolate. How he suffered with the poor and the needy was most inspiring. Whatever clothing or other items he could give away, he gladly did. He kept nothing superfluous in his efforts to alleviate the needs of others.

After he died his lifelong companion and confessor testified, "I have always known him to be as innocent as a five-year-old child. Never did a carnal temptation soil his soul, never did he consent to a mortal sin." He cherished a most tender devotion to St. Agnes, constantly carrying relics of this virgin martyr on his person. He died in 1274, at the age of fifty, in the abbey of Fossa Nuova. He is the patron saint of schools and of sacred theology.

(Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch)

Patron: Academics; against storms; against lightning; apologists; book sellers; Catholic academies; Catholic schools; Catholic universities; chastity; colleges; learning; lightning; pencil makers; philosophers; publishers; scholars; schools; storms; students; theologians; universities; University of Vigo.

Symbols: Chalice; monstrance; ox; star; sun; teacher with pagan philosophers at his feet; teaching.

Things to do:

•Read G.K. Chesterton's biography, St. Thomas Aquinas, The Dumb Ox, which is full of Chestertonian profundity and wit.

•Dive into the intellectual depth and beauty of St. Thomas' thought in his Summa Theologiae. Familiarize yourself with his method of inquiry by reading his section on God's attributes, especially the goodness of God. Here is a Bibliography in English.

•Nearly everyone, especially young people, knows and appreciates the story of St. Thomas chasing the prostitute from his room with a burning log. (She was sent by his wealthy family to tempt him away from the religious life.) After he drove away the temptress, two angels came to him and fastened a mystical chastity cord around his waist. Buy or fashion your own chastity belt, easy to make from braided yarn or thin, soft rope. (St. Joseph chastity belts are available at some Catholic shops.) This would be a beautiful alternative or addition to the "True Love Waits" chastity pledge and ring. It also serves as an excellent reminder to pray daily for the virtue of chastity.

•Meditate upon the profound humility of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose intellectual capacity far surpasses any since his time. He stopped writing at the end of his life after having a vision of the glory of God, claiming that 'All that I have written seems to me like straw compared to what has now been revealed to me.' How often do we take pride in our own intellectual achievements, fully crediting them to ourselves?

•If you are a student or teacher, or at all concerned about the crisis of Catholic education, make ample use of the Prayer to St. Thomas Aquinas for Schools and the Prayer to the Angel of Schools.

•Read Pope Leo XIII's encyclical, Aeterni Patris, strangely relevant to our time in its exhortation towards a renewal in philosophical study with a focus on the Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas.

•Finally, read Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Fides et Ratio, especially the section on The enduring originality of the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. He expresses a similar intent to that of Pope Leo XIII's in the following words, "If it has been necessary from time to time to intervene on this question, to reiterate the value of the Angelic Doctor's insights and insist on the study of his thought, this has been because the Magisterium's directives have not always been followed with the readiness one would wish."

Hubbub Deliveries

I read this a few days ago on the train home. It's from the Daily Mail. I like it - with exceptions. Supporting local, independent and family-run business is a worthy thing to do. Their website can be viewed at Hubbub Deliveries. I do think that it may tend to depersonalise the buying and selling, as it puts a distance between the shop owner the the customer, albeit for practical reasons given below. That connection between the people involved is also important for local community and local business. Online makes the whole thing a bit formal. It also cuts out the time laspe between choosing, paying and having it at your door. Consider the extra time that goes into producing the organic, home-grown and better quality produce. It seems wise that some extra time should then be given to the selecting, sampling and finally buying. I suppose it's taking the local village shops and the farmer's market into the city, but something is lost because of city life. At the moment it also seems to be a service for those that can afford to pay a bit more, but hopefully this will change as the business spreads into other localities. 

"An “Ocado-style” home delivery service for independent local shops in Islington has proved such a success it is set to expand across London.

Hubbub Deliveries, set up by Marisa Leaf, allows residents to select food online from gourmet grocers across the borough and drops it off in one package at their door. The 31-year-old gave up human rights law to focus on the scheme to help small businesses take on big supermarkets.

Hubbub Deliveries, based in Islington, targets the same customers as London's largest online grocer, Ocado. The website promotes local shopping and cuts delivery van pollution by limiting customers to using stores near their postcode.

It was launched last month with eight shops taking part, including food writer Nigel Slater's favourite butchers' and cheese shop in Highbury Barn. More are joining all the time.

A test-run last year involved La Fromagerie in Highbury Park and butcher Frank Godfrey, which counts historian David Starkey, Big Brother presenter Dermot O' Leary and Suggs from Madness among its regulars. Chris Godfrey, one of three brothers running the business, was the butcher on Gordon Ramsay's F-word TV show. He said: “Our customers seem to like being able to buy from us through the site.”

The concept has proved so popular Ms Leaf hopes to sign up shops across the capital, and eventually the rest of Britain, maintaining the same policy of keeping sales local. She is currently looking for more “angel” investors.

The Oxford University graduate, who lives in Barnsbury, used to work for charity Justice and law chambers Doughty Street. She said: “We're trying to reach busy people who want to shop locally but find it too difficult because of parking restrictions and the fact that small shops can be spread out.

“It can be a nightmare to traipse around them all with kids.[I guess this is something for mums and dads to have an insightful view on] We make it easy by delivering everything in one go within a one-hour slot between 4pm and 10pm. Everyone appreciates having quality independent stores near them, but to attract them and keep them open you obviously have to shop there.”

She added: “We have a fisherman on board who lives in Highbury but spends most of his week fishing in Dorset and selling down there. On Fridays he drives home, bringing his catch with him, which gets delivered to customers that evening.”

Research suggests that 75p of every pound spent in a small independent shop will reach the local economy, compared with just 15p spent in a branch of a supermarket chain. [Source?]

She added: “People think independent shops are more expensive than supermarkets but it isn't always the case. And, anyway, how can you compare cheap meat from a supermarket with that from a butcher which is free range, properly hung and properly butchered?”

Hubbub Deliveries customers pay a flat rate delivery charge of £3.50. The firm makes a small commission on sales but products cost the same as if they were bought in the shops. The stores benefit by reaching new customers.

That's My King!

On Christopher Hitchens Part 1

On Christopher Hitchens Part 2

On Christopher Hitchens Part 3

Final Day

ANTIPHON: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

V. I say unto thee, thou art Peter; R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

January 25: That missionary zeal will conquer the world for Christ.

Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you; regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Thy Will; Who livest and reignest ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Day 6 and 7

ANTIPHON: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

V. I say unto thee, thou art Peter; R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

January 23: That lapsed Catholics will return to the Sacraments of the Church.

January 24: That the Jewish people will be converted to the Catholic Faith.

Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you; regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Thy Will; Who livest and reignest ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Day 5

ANTIPHON: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

V. I say unto thee, thou art Peter; R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

January 22: That Christians in the United Kingdom may be one, in union with the Chair of St. Peter.

Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you; regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Thy Will; Who livest and reignest ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Day 4

ANTIPHON: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

V. I say unto thee, thou art Peter; R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

 January 21: For the return of all Protestants throughout the world to the unity of the Catholic Church.

Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you; regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Thy Will; Who livest and reignest ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Day 3

ANTIPHON: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

V. I say unto thee, thou art Peter; R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

January 20: For the return of the Anglicans to the authority of the Vicar of Christ.

Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you; regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Thy Will; Who livest and reignest ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Day 2

ANTIPHON: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

V. I say unto thee, thou art Peter; R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

January 19: For the return of the Eastern Orthodox Christians to communion with the Apostolic See

Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you; regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Thy Will; Who livest and reignest ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Catholic Education...

Fr. John Boyle has a good article on some recent developments in the area of Catholic school education in the UK. Read more...

Day 1

ANTIPHON: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

V. I say unto thee, thou art Peter; R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

Intention: January 18 For the return of the "other sheep" to the One Fold of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you; regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Thy Will; Who livest and reignest ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Fr. Paul Wattson of Graymoor

From Catholic Culture.

This Octave was first conceived by Father Paul of Graymoor on November 30, 1907, before his entrance into the Catholic Church. The initial success in 1908 was so encouraging that he decided to promote it annually, and he regarded the Octave as one of the special means which brought his Society of the Atonement into the Church on October 30, 1909.

It was given papal blessings by pope St. Pius X on December 27, 1909, just two months after the Society of the Atonement had entered the Catholic Church. Other popes have given it their blessings over the years, including Pope John XXIII (who urged its observance more widely throughout the world) and Pope Paul VI (who had promoted it in his archdiocese when he was the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan). Father Paul considered the Octave as the greatest project which came from Graymoor, and even though it was overshadowed by the less-specific "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" during his own lifetime, he rejoiced that those separated from the Catholic Church felt called to observe the January period as a time of prayer for unity. Even though their concept of unity differs from that of the Catholic Church, it is significant that so many pray for that unity which God desires for His people.

The Octave, as originally conceived by Father paul, reflects the unchanging truth that there can be no real unity apart from union with that Rock, established by Christ Himself, which is Peter and his successors. For that reason, St. Peter is considered the special Patron of the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Today is the beginning of the octave of prayer for Christian Unity. Praying that:

1. Orthodox Churches will enter full communion with the Catholic Church
2. Anglicanorum Coetibus will bear much fruit
3. The return of the Society of St. Pius X 
4. That the Jewish people with receive Jesus Christ as the messiah, Son of God and His Church

are all particularly pertinent matters that deserve our prayers, especially during this week. Pope Benedict has shown himself to be a Pope deeply committed to Christian unity. A few days ago Pope Benedict gave an address to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Below is some of the text with comments by Fr. Zuhlsdorf:

VATICAN CITY, 15 JAN 2010 (VIS) – Participants in the annual plenary assembly of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the president of which is Cardinal William Joseph Levada, were received this morning by the Holy Father. In his address to them he highlighted the fact that their dicastery "participates in the ministry of unity" which is primarily entrusted to the Pope through his "commitment to doctrinal fidelity. [In explaining his moves with both the SSPX and Anglicans Benedict XVI underscored his role, as Peter, as one of unity. He will not compromise anything that is essential in the regula fidei... he cannot. But he can be flexible with structures in the Church to facilitate the unity of those who would otherwise hold themselves apart from fullness of membership in the Church Christ founded.]

"Unity", he added, "is first and foremost unity of faith, upheld by the sacred tradition [Why continuity is so important…] of which Peter’s Successor is the primary custodian and defender. ... This is an indispensable service upon which depends the effectiveness of the Church’s evangelising activity unto the end of time.

"The Bishop of Rome", the Pope explained, "must constantly proclaim that … Jesus is Lord". The Roman Pontiff’s "potestas docendi" requires "obedience to the faith, so that the Truth that is Christ may continue to shine forth in all its grandeur, ... and that there may be a single flock gathered around a single Shepherd".

The goal of a shared witness of faith among all Christians "represents, then, a priority for the Church in all periods of history. [Ecumenism is not an option for us… but it must be ecumenism properly understood. Pope Benedict gets to determine what that is and his first collaborators are in the CDF. It is not by chance that the structures for the Anglicans were developed by the CDF and the Pont. Comm. Ecclesia Dei were placed directly under the CDF.] ... In this spirit, I trust particularly in your dicastery’s commitment to overcoming the doctrinal problems that still persist in achieving the full communion of the Society of St. Pius X with the Church".

Benedict XVI then went on to thank the members of the congregation for their efforts towards "the full integration of groups and individuals of former Anglican faithful into the life of the Catholic Church, in accordance with the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution ‘Anglicanorum coetibus’. The faithful adherence of these groups to the truth received from Christ and presented in the Magisterium of the Church is in no way contrary to the ecumenical movement", [RIGHT! This is the point. Liberals want to determine what ecumenism involves. That is over now.] he said, "rather, it reveals the ultimate aim thereof, which is the realisation of the full and visible communion of the disciples of the Lord".

There are some important documents that relate to Christian Unity:

1. Pope Pius XI, MORTALIUM ANIMOS
2. Venerable Pope Pius XII, MYSTICI CORPORIS CHRISTI
3. Blessed Pope John XXIII, AD PETRI CATHEDRAM
4. Vatican II, LUMEN GENTIUM, DEI VRBUM, UNITATIS REDINTEGRATIO
5. Venerable Pope John Paul II,  UT UNUM SINT
6. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, DOMINUS IESUS 
7. Pope Benedict XVI, ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS

Missionaries of 2009

Catholic charities deploy teams to Haiti

Pope's Sunday Angelus

"Affidiamo queste tre intenzioni – i nostri fratelli Migranti e Rifugiati, il dialogo religioso con gli Ebrei e l’unità dei Cristiani – alla materna intercessione di Maria Santissima, Madre di Cristo e Madre della Chiesa."

We entrust these three intentions - our brother migrants and refugees, religious dialogue with the Jews and the unity of Christians - to the maternal intercession of Mary Most Holy, Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church. Full Italian text here.

Would you like a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty?

UKIP have an online petition asking that the next government give the British people a referendum on membership of the European Union. ONLINE PETITION HERE

There is also an adobe download HERE.

Rescue by British firemen.

A British rescue team have rescued a toddler who was miraculously found alive after 72 hours buried under tons of rubble.

British firemen were working in the ruins of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince when they were told a child's cries had been heard coming from the wreckage of a nursery. Two-year-old Meea's mother had been calling into the rubble for three days and knew her daughter was alive.

Men from the UK Search and Rescue team reunited mother and child when they pulled Meea to safety after hours of work. The news came after another child - a 16-month-old girl called Winnie - was pulled from the rubble of a house by TV worker David Celestino and his Australian News crew.

Watch the rescue video here.

Something I've noticed about blogs recently

I've noticed two good things about Catholic blogs recently.

First, there are lots of prayer requests. Maybe I've only just noticed this? Anyway, their are prayers for the sick, the recently deceased, those suffering in body or soul. It connects people at a deeper level than the sharing of news, views and comments. It's Christian and also very human to seek the help of others. In asking for the prayers of others one recognises human limitations and weaknesses, so it can be humbling to ask and humbling to be asked. I think's it's a really good way of making use of communication technology.

The second thing I've noticed is how many people have put their websites and blogs at the service of those in need beacuse of the earthquake in Haiti. Lots of web space has been filled with news, sympathies and ways to help and donate. Again, a very good use of communication technology. Today in Mass a priest of the Holy Ghost Fathers gave the sermon. He spoke, amongst other things, about the Holy Ghost seminarians who died in Haiti, along with their archbishop. Fr Ray Blake has a video about this.  

Father Tim Finigan has some very good posts on Haiti that are worth a read. He's listed some charities we can donate to, and also a patron saint for Haiti.

Cardinal Vlk

From The Daily Telegraph

Czech Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, the Archbishop of Prague, said Muslims were well placed to fill the spiritual void "created as Europeans systematically empty the Christian content of their lives".

"Europe will pay dear for having left its spiritual foundations and that this is the last period that will not continue for decades when it may still have a chance to do something about it," he said.

"The Muslims definitely have many reasons to be heading here. They also have a religious one – to bring the spiritual values of faith in God to the pagan environment of Europe, to its atheistic style of life."

"Unless the Christians wake up, life may be Islamised and Christianity will not have the strength to imprint its character on the life of people, not to say society."

The 77-year-old cardinal made his remarks in an interview to mark his retirement after spending 19 years as the leader of the Czech Church. He said he did not blame Muslims for the crisis as Europeans had brought it upon themselves by exchanging their Christian culture for an aggressive secularism that embraced atheism.

"Europe has denied its Christian roots from which it has risen and which could give it the strength to fend off the danger that it will be conquered by Muslims, which is actually happening gradually," he said.

"At the end of the Middle Ages and in the early modern age, Islam failed to conquer Europe with arms. The Christians beat them then.

"Today, when the fighting is done with spiritual weapons which Europe lacks while Muslims are perfectly armed, the fall of Europe is looming."

He called on Christians to respond to the threat of Islamisation by living their own religious faith more observantly.

Last year Cardinal Jose Policarpo, the Patriarch of Lisbon, warned Catholic women against marrying Muslims. Italian Cardinal Giacomo Biffi also urged the Italian government to give priority to Catholic migrants over Muslims in order to protect his country's religious identity. The Vatican has also opposed Turkey joining the European Union partly because the Muslim country does not share the continent's Christian heritage.

The Bible is older than we thought

The ancient text shown in this drawing was discovered on a shard of pottery in Israel, and turned out to be the earliest known example of Hebrew writing. Credit: University of Haifa

The ancient text shown in this drawing was discovered on a shard of pottery in Israel, and turned out to be the earliest known example of Hebrew writing. Credit: University of Haifa Scientists have discovered the earliest known Hebrew writing — an inscription dating from the 10th century B.C., during the period of King David's reign.

The breakthrough could mean that portions of the Bible were written centuries earlier than previously thought. (The Bible's Old Testament is thought to have been first written down in an ancient form of Hebrew.)

Until now, many scholars have held that the Hebrew Bible originated in the 6th century B.C., because Hebrew writing was thought to stretch back no further. But the newly deciphered Hebrew text is about four centuries older, scientists announced this month.

"It indicates that the Kingdom of Israel already existed in the 10th century BCE and that at least some of the biblical texts were written hundreds of years before the dates presented in current research," said Gershon Galil, a professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa in Israel, who deciphered the ancient text.

BCE stands for "before common era," and is equivalent to B.C., or before Christ.

The writing was discovered more than a year ago on a pottery shard dug up during excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa, near Israel's Elah valley. The excavations were carried out by archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. At first, scientists could not tell if the writing was Hebrew or some other local language.

Finally, Galil was able to decipher the text. He identified words particular to the Hebrew language and content specific to Hebrew culture to prove that the writing was, in fact, Hebrew.

"It uses verbs that were characteristic of Hebrew, such as asah ('did') and avad ('worked'), which were rarely used in other regional languages," Galil said. "Particular words that appear in the text, such as almanah ('widow') are specific to Hebrew and are written differently in other local languages."

The ancient text is written in ink on a trapezoid-shaped piece of pottery about 6 inches by 6.5 inches (15 cm by 16.5 cm). It appears to be a social statement about how people should treat slaves, widows and orphans. In English, it reads (by numbered line):

1' you shall not do [it], but worship the [Lord].

2' Judge the sla[ve] and the wid[ow] / Judge the orph[an]

3' [and] the stranger. [Pl]ead for the infant / plead for the po[or and]

4' the widow. Rehabilitate [the poor] at the hands of the king.

5' Protect the po[or and] the slave / [supp]ort the stranger.

The content, which has some missing letters, is similar to some Biblical scriptures, such as Isaiah 1:17, Psalms 72:3, and Exodus 23:3, but does not appear to be copied from any Biblical text.