While he had many accomplishments on the field, he was a significant inspiration that lead me back to my Catholic faith.
Despite being raised by two devout Catholic parents, receiving the sacraments, and going to Mass every Sunday, I left the Church as many unfortunate souls do in my teenage years. It would not be until my mid-twenties when I attend a business seminar in which the presenter encouraged the attendees to consider their spiritual life that I would even consider faith and its effect on my life. The presenter was a born-again Christian, and I will be forever grateful to him for planting a seed. I stumbled around for a few years, going to Mass from time to time and reading about different Christian denominations. Still somewhat confused, I nonetheless grew in my faith. One day I came across a program offered at a local Catholic Church given by Tim Staples, a renowned Catholic apologist that explained many of the myths anti-Catholics espoused. I immersed myself in more reading and study, but it was in meeting then head football coach at UCLA, Terry Donahue, that sealed the deal.
The business meeting that would change my life
UCLA head coach Terry Donahue shakes hands with quarterback Troy Aikman (8) after defeating Stanford 27-17 at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports
A business client referred me to Coach, and we met at his house one evening going over some paperwork. I knew little about football and, quite frankly, didn’t initially know who Terry Donahue was. However, there was a presence that Terry had that till this day that can not be properly articulated, only to say I felt a certain amount of peace and gentlemanliness when we met.
Several days later, back in my office, an associate approached me and said, “Hey, I hear you are doing business with UCLA football coach Terry Donahue. I said yes. Then the associate proceeded to tell me that while he was a USC guy, UCLA’s crosstown rival, he admired coach Donahue. He went on to tell me that a good friend of his saw coach Donahue at Mass every morning in Church near UCLA campus St. Paul, the Apostle. He added, he is always with this other Italian-looking guy.
That Italian-looking guy was Angelo, my client who first introduced me to coach Donahue. At that moment, I knew I was headed in the right direction and formally reentered the Catholic faith. Angelo would later be the best man at my wedding, and we have been close friends for almost 30 years now. Terry would retire from UCLA a year or two after my first meeting with him, and we enjoyed discussing business and family and stayed in touch until his untimely death on July 4th, 2021.
Terry and his wife of 52 years, Andrea, came to my 50th birthday party hosted by my best man Angelo. At the party, I told Terry how he helped me back to the Church. His response was, “me, what did I do? We never talked about religion?” I said, “no, we didn’t but getting to know you, your family, your devotion to our faith, and how you treat others was an inspiration for me. He smiled and said,
“Welcome home”.
Upon his passing, I came across many coaches’ friends’ who posted thoughts and reflections on Facebook; one stood out that I feel compelled to share. I found it remarkable as it captured the essence of a man who affected so many lives with its succinctness and potency. With the picture of Terry and Andrea, the post read:
“They were a unit that, like for so many, bettered my life forever and always. I have no doubts that Coach Terry Donahue will rest in peace.”
He certainly bettered my life, and I have no doubts either. Rest in peace, and thanks for the friendship and inspiration coach.
Colbert, a Catholic offers his own funny and witty answers to the contradictions Ehrman discusses in the book. He concludes by asking— “isn’t it possible that Jesus is an elephant.”
A few years ago, we posted an interview with flamboyant journalist Milo Yiannopoulos and Joe Rogan. The post received many views and lots of different comments. Many people were offering their prayers for Milo. On Friday, March 12, 2021, Life Site News posted an exclusive interview with Milo where he revealed that he has left the gay lifestyle and is consecrating his life to Saint Joseph.
“St. Joseph is the spiritual father figure of the Holy Family. In this time of gender madness, devoting myself to the male protector of the Infant Jesus is an act of faith in God’s Holy Patriarch, and a rejection of the Terror of transsexuals.”
Background
Milo is British, of Jewish descent, baptized Catholic, and flamboyantly gay bucked the “born this way” narrative, and always joyfully proclaimed his Catholic faith. After a speech at a Southern California University, he was asked how he could reconcile his gay lifestyle and be Roman Catholic.
“the question itself exposes a level of lack of understanding about Catholicism and about what it means to be gay. He quotes Evelyn Waugh who once said, “If you think I’m bad with God, imagine me without him”. He talked about how the Catholic Church has historically protected gays’ safety against being murdered by the State. People are Anglicans or Baptists or Methodists or whatever because they believe they’re good people, but Catholics are Catholics because they know they’re not. We have this thing called original sin. We go to Church because we know we’re not good.
Watch the Joe Rogan interview.
Milo said he committed his life to helping others overcome their same-sex attraction and said he is disappointed that leaders in the Church continue to ignore problems with Priests and lack of leadership during these stressful times, which have left people searching more than ever for meaning. Watch the whole interview here.
We continue to pray for Milo and all others suffering from sin. Scripture tells us that Jesus “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4) and that he is “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matt. 6:12)
A nine-year-old Christian Mississippi girl who wore a “Jesus Loves Me” mask to school was forced to remove it and replace it with one the school approved. Students, however, within the same school district have freely worn masks with the logos of local sports teams or even the words ‘Black Lives Matter.’ The girl’s parents have filed a federal lawsuit you can read more here
Today, children are increasingly being taught sex education in a graphic manner, and they are taught about the LGBTQ lifestyle under the umbrella of inclusion, all the while excluding Jesus. It appears you can proclaim your allegiance to just about anything except Jesus
As devout Christians and faithful citizens of the United States of America, you have intense and heartfelt concern for the fate of your beloved country while the final results of the Presidential election are still uncertain.
News of electoral fraud is multiplying, despite the shameful attempts of the mainstream media to censor the truth of the facts in order to give their candidate the advantage. There are states in which the number of votes is greater than the number of voters; others in which the mail-in vote seems to be exclusively in favor of Joe Biden; others in which the counting of ballots has been suspended for no reason or where sensational tampering has been discovered: always and only against President Donald J. Trump, always and only in favor of Biden.
In truth, for months now we have been witnessing a continuous trickle of staggered news, of manipulated or censored information, of crimes that have been silenced or covered up in the face of striking evidence and irrefutable testimony. We have seen the deep state organize itself, well in advance, to carry out the most colossal electoral fraud in history, in order to ensure the defeat of the man who has strenuously opposed the establishment of the New World Order that is wanted by the children of darkness. In this battle, you have not failed, as is your sacred duty, to make your own contribution by taking the side of the Good. Others, enslaved by vices or blinded by infernal hatred against Our Lord, have taken the side of Evil.
Do not think that the children of darkness act with honesty, and do not be scandalized if they operate with deception. Do you perhaps believe that Satan’s followers are honest, sincere, and loyal? The Lord has warned us against the Devil: “He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character because he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44).
In these hours, while the gates of Hell seem to prevail, allow me to address myself to you with an appeal, which I trust that you will respond to promptly and with generosity. I ask you to make an act of trust in God, an act of humility and filial devotion to The Lord of Armies. I ask that all of you pray the Holy Rosary, if possible in your families or with your dear ones, your friends, your brothers and sisters, your colleagues, your fellow soldiers. Pray with the abandonment of children who know how to have recourse to their Most Holy Mother to ask her to intercede before the throne of the Divine Majesty. Pray with a sincere soul, with a pure heart, in the certainty of being heard and answered. Ask her – she who is the Help of Christians, Auxilium Christianorum – to defeat the forces of the Enemy; ask her – she who is terrible as an army set in battle array (Song 6:10) – to grant the victory to the forces of Good and to inflict a humiliating defeat on the forces of Evil.
Have your children pray, using the holy words that you have taught them: those confident prayers will rise to God and will not remain unheard. Have the elderly and sick pray, so that they may offer their sufferings in union with the sufferings that Our Lord suffered on the Cross when he shed His Precious Blood for Our Redemption. Have young ladies and women pray, so that they turn to her who is the model of purity and motherhood. And you, men, must also pray: your courage, your honor, and your boldness will be refreshed and strengthened. All of you, take up this spiritual weapon before which Satan and his minions retreat furiously because they fear the Most Holy Virgin, she who is Almighty by Grace, even more than Almighty God.
Do not allow yourselves to be discouraged by the deceptions of the Enemy, even more so in this terrible hour in which the impudence of lying and fraud dares to challenge Heaven. Our adversaries’ hours are numbered if you will pray, if we will all pray with Faith and with the true ardor of Charity. May the Lord grant that one single devout and faithful voice rise from your homes, your churches, and your streets! This voice will not remain unheard, because it will be the voice of a people that cries out, in the moment when the storm rages most fiercely, “Save us, Lord, we are perishing!” (Mt 8:25).
The days that await us are a precious occasion for all of you, and for those who unite themselves spiritually to you from every part of the world. You have the honor and privilege of being able to participate in the victory of this spiritual battle, to wield the powerful weapon of the Holy Rosary as our fathers did at Lepanto to repel the enemy armies.
Pray with the certainty of Our Lord’s promise: “Ask and it shall be given unto you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you” (Lk 11:9). The King of Kings, from whom you ask the salvation of your Nation, will reward your Faith. Your testimony, remember this, will touch the heart of Our Lord, multiplying the heavenly Graces which are, more than ever, indispensable in order to achieve victory.
May my appeal, which I address to you and to all people who recognize the Lordship of God, find you to be generous apostles and courageous witnesses of the spiritual rebirth of your beloved country, and with it the entire world. Non praevalebunt.
God bless and protect the United States of America!
People often ask the question, “how did our society get so bad?” and “Why the mob rules?” While we usually prefer simple answers to even complex questions, substantive explanations are typically multifactorial. It is the same with our physical health, as we have seen with COVID-19. Most people exposed to the virus survive, yet some die. What ultimately killed the person can be complicated to determine. Was it the virus itself, or did the virus wreak more havoc on an already susceptible body? Obesity, diabetes, weakened immune systems are just a few contributing factors to human beings’ overall health. We prefer simple answers, so we blame it on COVID; the more in-depth explanation, however, is often far more complex.
So it is with our society. In Genesis right from the beginning, we can see that man is fallen and prone to sin. The fall of man explains why sin and misery exist in the world today. You need not be a religious person to recognize that man is inherently prone to various types of bad behaviors, stealing, lying, adultery, etc. The Christian believer knows their fallen nature and attempts, with the Grace of God, to move away from darkness, and towards the light. One Archbishop has been willing to speak about the great evil that has engulfed our Nation. In his letter to President Trump, Archbishop Vigano notes that “the children of light constitute the most conspicuous part of humanity, while the children of darkness represent an absolute minority.”
Why has a minority been able to inflict such destruction, with violent protests, the burning down of buildings, the tearing down of statues, and death? The simple answer many believe is the killing of George Floyd, a black man at the hands of white police officers. His death was captured on video that shocked the world and was the impetus for protests. Protests quickly turned to riots, looting, and complete mayhem. At the time of this writing, a portion of a Seattle city is under siege. Mayor Jenny Durkan called the confiscation of property the “Summer of Love.” She refused help from President Trump to thwart the violence and instead criticized the President saying, “One of the things this President will never understand is that listening to the community is not a weakness. It’s a strength”. She has since walked back her “Summer of Love” comments and with mounting carnage now wants to shut down the love fest.
In city after city throughout large parts of the United States, similar destruction has become a daily event. The carnage is so common that one becomes anesthetized to the news hearing of yet another statue torn down, building burned to the ground, and even death. In the Twitter video below, a homeless person in New York City is blown up and set on fire while no one did anything about it except to video it. Probably hoping it would go viral and get them more followers. No one had the courage to help.
X (formerly Twitter)
By now, it should be abundantly clear to anyone paying attention that these violent uprisings have little to nothing to do with racism. Black Lives Matter, perhaps the lead but not the only agitator behind this mayhem, is unabashedly a Marxist organization that seeks to disrupt the normative Western Patriarchal (traditional) family. The organization also supports the advancement of LGBTQ causes and abortion. Marxism, abortion, and homosexuality are all considered intrinsically evil by the Church. Many Christians seem unaware of this, or they lack the courage to speak and stand up against this evil ideology.
Month in and month out; year in and year out; in cities like Chicago and Baltimore, adults and children are shot and killed regularly, and no one seems to care. In New York City, more black children are aborted than born alive. This has gone on for decades with no protests, rioting, or looting. Since the 1960s, politicians, psychologists, and celebrities, black and white, have been warning about the dangers of the destruction of the nuclear family and the havoc this phenomenon is having on children and society as a whole. No one is listening. The children of darkness are happy to have our silence.
Mobs rule when the opposition is afraid.
So how did we get here? In short, we stopped believing in God. At least in any real sense of the word “belief.” Clinical Psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson himself, on a spiritual journey, offers a profound answer to what it means to believe. Author and radio talk show host Dennis Prager, a conservative Jew, asked Peterson if he believed in God. The entire conversation is well worth listening to. This clip is Peterson’s response to Prager’s question. It should cause some consternation for all religious people.
As Peterson notes, today, many religious people profess a belief in God, but their actions reflect an apathy towards any real sense of what true faith might mean. They often embrace a pseudo-Christianity, such as the Prosperity Gospel, which proclaims that with the right prayer and offering God will bring earthly riches. Or a relativistic version of the Gospel with catchphrases such as “I am a good person.” Individuals twist the Gospel to mean whatever they want it to say, often resulting in a “feel good” theology. They profess a belief in Christ but live their lives autonomously; their “faith does not affect how they live their life. In short, they make the Gospel comport to their life. In 2 Timothy, we read:
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. —2 Timothy 3:1-5
This passage sums up what the Christian Apologist C.S. Lewis called the greatest sin of all “Pride or Self-Conceit.” According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.
Pride, faith in yourself ahead of faith in God, is what causes us to become fearful. We fear losing friends, losing a career, losing social status, or being mocked and ridiculed, so we become silent. Silence is like an incubator for evil. We did not get here overnight; our silence over many years has allowed this cancer to metastasize to the point it is now. This may leave one to ask, “Is it too late?” Are we witnessing the end times as many Christian preachers have been predicting? Only Christ knows that answer.
For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night —1 Thessalonians 5-1
It is, however, never too late to move towards the light. In the meantime we need to:
Therefore put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. —Ephesians 6:13-15
Why do mobs rule? The simple answer is we have turned on back on God, both as a Nation and individually. This is how the children of darkness, the minority has overwhelmed the majority. The majority, without any real belief, lack courage. Since its earliest days, the Church has taught seven virtues that serve to animate the Christian life. Faith, hope, and love are the three theological virtues and prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude are the four moral virtues. A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions. The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God.
While pseudo-Christianity ignores most of these virtues, in his book titled “Men of a Brave Heart: The Virtue of Courage in the Priestly Life,” Archbishop Jose Gomez’s writing is a powerful recall to these fundamental virtues. His reminder seeks to encourage priests to have the fortitude to persevere and have the courage to carry on the mission that God has bestowed upon them.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes fortitude as the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes of one even renouncing and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause. “The Lord is my strength and my song.” In the world, you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
Since, in a sense, we all share in a spiritual priesthood, the Archbishops call back to virtue, in particular fortitude, during this time is vital for all Christians, not just priests.
Archbishop Gomez describing the influence Pope John Paul II had on his life, profoundly reminds us that the central underlying theme of Pope John Paul II’s entire pontificate was one of fearlessness and courage. Perhaps his most famous phrase to the world was “Be Not Afraid.”
During his inaugural homily, the Pope said:
“Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power. Help the Pope and all those who wish to serve Christ and with Christ’s power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization, and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows ‘what is in man’. He alone knows it.”
The Pope’s message was a call to each of us individually that together with Christ, we can overcome this evil. No one person can do it alone. You have a part “Be Not Afraid.”
In 1979 the Pope took a pilgrimage to his native Poland. Speaking to the Polish people who were oppressed by the evils of communism, the Pope said,
“Let the Spirit descend and renew the face of the earth. This earth.”
Today we need the spirit to descend upon this earth.
Silence in the face of evil allows evil to grow. Evil is a lie— the antidote is truth. Be not afraid to speak the truth.
“Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power, Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil” -Ephesians 6:10-11
Pope John Paul II stood on the balcony of St. Peter’s, he said, “Be not afraid,” and in closing prayed, “Let the Spirit descend. Let the Spirit descend and renew the face of the earth, the face of this land.” While this prayer and exhortation were said to the world, the Polish people, especially, knew he was addressing them. Lech Walesa said that these words energized the Solidarity movement in Poland. At the same time, Yuri Andropov, then head of the KGB, commenced a study of the implications of a Polish pope, concluding that this papacy would destabilize Poland and undermine Soviet authority in the communist block.
That is precisely what happened. Despite attempts by the Soviets to squelch the Pope and false media reports, the Pope drew massive crowds where ever he went. “You are not who they say you are, so let me remind you who you are.” He emphasized the need for spiritual and cultural renewal, preserving Poland’s strong faith, and the transforming power of Christ’s love. In response, the people chanted,
“We want God, we want God, we want God in the family, we want God in the schools, we want God in books.” In 1980, the government recognized Solidarity as the first independent trade union in the communist bloc.
President Reagan said to a friend, “I have had a feeling, particularly in the Pope’s visit to Poland, that religion may turn out to be the Soviets’ Achilles’ heel.” Faith in Christ is, in fact, the Achilles heel of all evil. Satan shutters even at hearing the word Jesus. A proclamation of the faith, however, is not enough. Real faith is needed that engages the believer to stand up to the devil and to proclaim the truth, proclaim the Gospel. It is a difficult battle, but as Christians, we already know who wins the war, it is not Satan. We must reclaim the virtue of courage and develop the fortitude to fight and “Be Not Afraid.”
“Christ cannot be kept out of the history of man in any part of the globe,” the Pope said in his homily, at Mass, this touched off applause and chants from the worshipers shouting —”We Want God.”
Hundreds of thousands crowd into Warsaw’s Victory Square for the Pope’s open-air Mass.
There is little doubt that today we are living in a world where many have become afraid, afraid to be a witness to Christ. Inch by inch, Western civilization’s values are being torn down by a minority who have beaten the majority into submission too afraid to speak the truth. Even many of our Catholic schools have become Catholic in name only and surrendered to the minority. Regretfully, many people have become afraid. We fear to lose a friend or a job, or not being liked. Speaking the truth will undoubtedly cost you some friendships, but it will gain new ones, closer ones, because they are based on truth and respect. There is a price to pay for speaking out, and there is also a price for lying or remaining silent.
President Franklin Roosevelt’s received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Oxford in 1941. At the time, Britain badly needed the inspiration to fight on in a war for freedom. Borrowing from Emiliano Zapata, the Mexican revolutionary, Franklin said in his speech at Oxford:
“We, too, born to freedom, and believing in freedom, are willing to fight to maintain freedom. We, and all others who believe as deeply as we do, would rather die on our feet than live on our knees.”
As George Weigel observed in his second biography of the pontiff, “The End and the Beginning,” Pope John Paul “did not live without fear; still, less did he deny fear. Rather, he lived beyond fear, and his courage was an expression … of his faith.” In his book titled “Men of a Brave Heart: The Virtue of Courage in the Priestly Life, Archbishop Gomez describes the influence Pope John Paul II had on his life. He reminds us that the central underlying theme of Pope John Paul II’s entire pontificate was one of fearlessness and courage.
Nine Days That Changed The World is a powerful documentary that chronicles the courageous Popes visit to Poland as he stood up to the evil communist regime.
What is one of the primary differences between someone who is well-adjusted, and someone who is not?
The well-adjusted have a goal or a purpose. Those who are not well-adjusted have no goal or purpose. They are losing peace of soul.
You would not have a gadget in your house for ten minutes without asking, “What is this for?” And so it is with life. Man must have a purpose. Typically, people decide this before they decide anything else.
The ultimate well ordered purpose of man is to be happy.
What man wants as his final goal is LIFE; not a life for just five more minutes, but enduring life. He wants TRUTH; not the truth of geography to the exclusion of science, but ALL truth. He wants LOVE; not a mere fleeting emotion, but an enduring ecstatic love.
This is the normal goal of human beings.
Perfect LIFE, perfect TRUTH, and prefect LOVE is the definition of what we call GOD. In other words in seeking happiness, man is really seeking God.
There is a philosophical principle that the first in intention is the last in execution. Suppose you intend to drive to Los Angeles from Las Vegas. That’s first in your intent, but its the last place you get. You have to go through Primm, Baker, and Barstow before you get to LA.
So too a happy person decides first what is their ULTIMATE goal in life.
Meditation:
Do I recognize that God is my ultimate goal and purpose? Is my journey moving me closer or further away from this end?
“Because you have made us for Yourself, our hearts are restless till they find their rest in Thee.“
“D’ORNELLA: How do you feel about the coronavirus crisis?
CARDINAL SARAH: This virus acted as a warning. In a matter of weeks, the great illusion of a material world that thought itself all-powerful seems to have collapsed. A few days ago, politicians were talking about growth, pensions, reducing unemployment. They were sure of themselves. And now a virus, a microscopic virus, has brought this world to its knees, a world that looks at itself, that pleases itself, drunk with self-satisfaction because it thought it was invulnerable. The current crisis is a parable. It has revealed how all we do and are invited to believe was inconsistent, fragile and empty. We were told: you can consume without limits! But the economy has collapsed and the stock markets are crashing. Bankruptcies are everywhere.
We were promised to push the limits of human nature ever further by a triumphant science. We were told about artificial procreation, surrogate motherhood, transhumanism, enhanced humanity. We boasted of being a man of synthesis and a humanity that biotechnologies would make invincible and immortal. But here we are in a panic, confined by a virus about which we know almost nothing. Epidemic was an outdated, medieval word. It suddenly became our everyday life. I believe this epidemic has dispelled the smoke of illusion. The so-called all-powerful man appears in his raw reality. There he is naked. His weakness and vulnerability are glaring.
Being confined to our homes will hopefully allow us to turn our attention back to the essentials, to rediscover the importance of our relationship with God, and thus the centrality of prayer in human existence. And, in the awareness of our fragility, to entrust ourselves to God and to his paternal mercy.
“Being a Catholic is the most important aspect of my life,” the first thing I do when I start my day is, I get down on my hands and knees and give thanks to God. Whenever I go outside of my house, the first thing I do is stop at the church. The kids will be mad with me. “Daddy! It takes too long!” I’m saying: “It’s only 10 minutes and this is something I really need to do.” Because I do. If I can start my day out by saying my prayers and getting myself focused, then I know I’m doing the right thing. That 10 minutes helps me in every way throughout the day.” Keep reading…
“They were a unit that, like for so many, bettered my life forever and always. I have no doubts that Coach Terry Donahue will rest in peace.”
X (formerly Twitter) 
Meditation:
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