I just love seeing all the fireworks around the world celebrating the new year. Why humans loves the midnight of December 31 I do not know for sure. I do know that it make me so very happy because a whole year of newness is upon us: it is fresh, it is clean, it is full of hope!
When Christ was born, we not only have a brand new year -- we have a brand new era in Anno Domini ("A.D."), defined literally as "'in the year of the Lord.'" [1] We all are actually living each moment in A.D., in the era of the Lord. Think about it. How lucky we are! How wonderful it is! We are in an era full of newness and full of hope! The newness of this era is a lasting newness with a brand new and eternal covenant between God and man which when distilled to its core is simply this: Love as Christ loves. [2], [3]
Love All! And Be Loved!
To My Dear and Beloved Readers: Happy New Year!
[1] http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/Anno-Domini
[2] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+13%3A34
[3] It would be incorrect to say Love as Christ loved because Christ is a living Christ. He resurrected. And He still loves!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Sunday, December 29, 2013
A New Year's Resolution
My new year's resolution is a hope to meet others who relate to the Virgin Mary as their real mother and to the Lord as their real father. This resolution is extension of a resolution I made during the year many, many years ago when I adopted the Virgin Mary as my mother and the Lord as my father. From that point on, they became my real parents while my biological parents became my designated father and mother on earth.
My real parents are the ones I go to first and always. Wherever I am, whatever circumstance I am in and whatever time it maybe they are there to guide, support and help me. I speak with them through prayers and they reply. [1]
My biological parents are elders whom I respect and love to the best of my ability. I am there for them as they have been there for me when I was young and incapable of taking care of myself. They have raised me up on earth and it is my hope that I can help raise them up toward Heaven.
[1] They are always replying. Only when I am fully aware of everything that is taking place at any moment do I know what the replies are. A reply could be an eventual feeling of peace even though the hopes that I sometimes attach to prayers are not fulfilled. Since my new year's resolution this year is a hope, it may go unanswered. If answered, it may not be any time soon, or it may be answered in some unexpected way. Deep down, I think I will have an answer but it will probably not be quick and easy.
My real parents are the ones I go to first and always. Wherever I am, whatever circumstance I am in and whatever time it maybe they are there to guide, support and help me. I speak with them through prayers and they reply. [1]
My biological parents are elders whom I respect and love to the best of my ability. I am there for them as they have been there for me when I was young and incapable of taking care of myself. They have raised me up on earth and it is my hope that I can help raise them up toward Heaven.
[1] They are always replying. Only when I am fully aware of everything that is taking place at any moment do I know what the replies are. A reply could be an eventual feeling of peace even though the hopes that I sometimes attach to prayers are not fulfilled. Since my new year's resolution this year is a hope, it may go unanswered. If answered, it may not be any time soon, or it may be answered in some unexpected way. Deep down, I think I will have an answer but it will probably not be quick and easy.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Comunità Cenacolo
The Light of Christ still shines brightly in select parts of the world and in the hearts of believers despite the increasing ground-gaining momentum of secularism and relativism [1] worldwide. Comunitá Cenacolo is part of this Light and this year, 2013, Comunitá Cenacolo is celebrating its 30th year.
Each one of us should be encouraged by the saintly Sister Elvira to do our part, however small, however humble it may be, to save those who are drowning in the meaninglessness of life, to lift up them from the suffocating depths of silent desperation and reignite their hope in Christ, their joy in the knowledge of salvation and return to them the inner peace that comes with prayers and faith in God.
[1] Secularism and relativism are two evil twins of modern society that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI often urged us to become aware of so that we do not fall into Satan's trap and remove Christ from our daily existence. See http://www.sces.uk.com/theme-2.html Incidentally, the concept of tolerance that Pope Benedict XVI's successor uses is synonymous to relativism in many ways, so beware of the creature's subtle means that could lead one to eternal ruin.
[2] Cenacle is defined as the upper room where the Last Supper was held. See http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cenacle
[3] http://www.comunitacenacolo.org/
Comunità Cenacolo America is part of the international Comunità Cenacolo, Community of the Cenacle [2] , founded in Italy in 1983 by a dynamic, vibrant, and faith-filled religious sister named Elvira Petrozzi. Mother Elvira felt certain that God was calling her to serve the poor of the modern world: disillusioned young men and women who live in desperation and hopelessness, convinced that life has no meaning or value. Unable to find peace or joy in their lives, they seek to fill the emptiness with the illusory pleasures of the world, only to find themselves steeped in an intense interior isolation. [3]As I see increasing clouds of evil darkening the world over, battles against Satan and its minions are still being waged. These battles do not require a regiment. They require only a single warrior. Sister Elvira Petrozzi is one and she is at the front line.
Each one of us should be encouraged by the saintly Sister Elvira to do our part, however small, however humble it may be, to save those who are drowning in the meaninglessness of life, to lift up them from the suffocating depths of silent desperation and reignite their hope in Christ, their joy in the knowledge of salvation and return to them the inner peace that comes with prayers and faith in God.
[1] Secularism and relativism are two evil twins of modern society that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI often urged us to become aware of so that we do not fall into Satan's trap and remove Christ from our daily existence. See http://www.sces.uk.com/theme-2.html Incidentally, the concept of tolerance that Pope Benedict XVI's successor uses is synonymous to relativism in many ways, so beware of the creature's subtle means that could lead one to eternal ruin.
[2] Cenacle is defined as the upper room where the Last Supper was held. See http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cenacle
[3] http://www.comunitacenacolo.org/
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
What Christmas Means
Christmas is about gatherings and gifts, parties and presents but Christmas is more than just that. Christmas is the day the Son of God became incarnate. As a man, Jesus was one of us, one Whom we understand, in all His humanity, One Who understands us, in all our excellence and all our frailties. Jesus become one of us to encourage us to maximize our excellence and to show us how to endure our trials. With the birth of Christ, everything is possible, even the seemingly impossible.
We are renewed every year at Christmas our faith in Christ that we will be safe, that we will no longer have to worry, no longer have stress, no longer fear and that we will always have peace. [1]
[1] How wonderful is that? Who, besides Christ, Who was born among us and lived among us can give us these gifts? Nobody, not the not those who govern, not those who preach, not our parents or our children, not even the saints.
We are renewed every year at Christmas our faith in Christ that we will be safe, that we will no longer have to worry, no longer have stress, no longer fear and that we will always have peace. [1]
[1] How wonderful is that? Who, besides Christ, Who was born among us and lived among us can give us these gifts? Nobody, not the not those who govern, not those who preach, not our parents or our children, not even the saints.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Is There Room At The Inn For The Prince Of Peace In A War Economy?
This entry is my reaction to an exceptional article written by Tony Magliano entitled "2 bishops dialog with Catholic peace activists" on page 20 in Catholic San Francisco. "On the evening of Nov. 12, several blocks away from the Waterfront Marriott Hotel [in Baltimore, Maryland USA], where the [United States Catholic bishops] were meeting, Archbishop Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis and Bishop John Michael Botean head of the Romanian Catholic eparchy (diocese) of St. George in Canton, Ohio, sat down with us to dialogue about war making, peacemaking, poverty and military chaplains in light of the teachings of the compassionate nonviolent Jesus." [1]
The quoted introductory words set the stage for this comment by Martha Hennessy, granddaughter of Dorothy Day:
Tony Mogliano continued to write that "Hennessy added that Dorothy Day would not have approved of the earlier bishops' dinner hosted by the Archdiocese for the Military Services -- with military recruiters lobbying the bishops to send more chaplains." and that "[s]he thought her grandmother would have said the bishops are being complicit with the permanent war economy." [3]
Hennessy's words cannot be refuted.
Tony Mogliano then quoted Bishop Botean who during the Iraq war wrote "that the war was 'objectively grave evil, a matter of mortal sin,'" and who said that "unfortunately the culture has more of an influence on the church than the Gospel." [4]
In the end, when Archbishop Tobin and Bishop Botean were asked "why the bishops during their annual meetings were not praying and dialoguing about how faithful or unfaithful of a witness they were giving - in light of our highly militaristic and unjust economy [5] - to the nonviolent Jesus who always sided with the poor and oppressed." [6]
They did not have an answer. They will never have an answer because the bishops want the freedom of religion which the "highly militaristic and unjust economy" gives them lest they are willing to die as martyrs under a different regime where religious are frequently persecuted. I doubt anyone of them is willing to give up their well-fed, well-housed, well-clothed lifestyle that is well-served by the laborers they hire and be martyred.
I suppose that the Prince of Peace whose birthday Christians celebrate in the USA in about two days would have no room at the Waterfront Marriott Hotel (inn) in Baltimore, Maryland.
[1] http://www.catholic-sf.org/files/digital_paper_201312105925.pdf
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] A militaristic economy and an unjust economy are both sides of the same coin. Imagine if all the money that is being spent annually by all the countries in the world on developing weapons, maintaining a military and engaging in wars of greed and ideology around the globe is used to aid the oppressed and bring comfort, joy and peace of mind to each and every family, then the Prince of Peace will have a place in every home. He would have no need to go to an inn.
[6] http://www.catholic-sf.org/files/digital_paper_201312105925.pdf
The quoted introductory words set the stage for this comment by Martha Hennessy, granddaughter of Dorothy Day:
"Based on my understanding of my grandmother's life, I would conclude that priests should not serve in the military, as one cannot serve Christ and the chain of command at the same time. Part of a chaplain's job is to make soldiers feel OK about doing their job, which is to kill, which Christ said we can't do." [2]Martha Hennessy's comment two-sentence comment packed so much power that it became a knockout punch for me. When I done reading it I was in a daze, and wordless. And wordless I remain.
Tony Mogliano continued to write that "Hennessy added that Dorothy Day would not have approved of the earlier bishops' dinner hosted by the Archdiocese for the Military Services -- with military recruiters lobbying the bishops to send more chaplains." and that "[s]he thought her grandmother would have said the bishops are being complicit with the permanent war economy." [3]
Hennessy's words cannot be refuted.
Tony Mogliano then quoted Bishop Botean who during the Iraq war wrote "that the war was 'objectively grave evil, a matter of mortal sin,'" and who said that "unfortunately the culture has more of an influence on the church than the Gospel." [4]
In the end, when Archbishop Tobin and Bishop Botean were asked "why the bishops during their annual meetings were not praying and dialoguing about how faithful or unfaithful of a witness they were giving - in light of our highly militaristic and unjust economy [5] - to the nonviolent Jesus who always sided with the poor and oppressed." [6]
They did not have an answer. They will never have an answer because the bishops want the freedom of religion which the "highly militaristic and unjust economy" gives them lest they are willing to die as martyrs under a different regime where religious are frequently persecuted. I doubt anyone of them is willing to give up their well-fed, well-housed, well-clothed lifestyle that is well-served by the laborers they hire and be martyred.
I suppose that the Prince of Peace whose birthday Christians celebrate in the USA in about two days would have no room at the Waterfront Marriott Hotel (inn) in Baltimore, Maryland.
[1] http://www.catholic-sf.org/files/digital_paper_201312105925.pdf
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] A militaristic economy and an unjust economy are both sides of the same coin. Imagine if all the money that is being spent annually by all the countries in the world on developing weapons, maintaining a military and engaging in wars of greed and ideology around the globe is used to aid the oppressed and bring comfort, joy and peace of mind to each and every family, then the Prince of Peace will have a place in every home. He would have no need to go to an inn.
[6] http://www.catholic-sf.org/files/digital_paper_201312105925.pdf
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Atheists On Judgment Day
My last two posts alluded to the gradual rise of evil on a grand scale orchestrated by the Prince of Darkness. This impending doom has been the talk for centuries but no evidence seems to suggest the irreversibility of its advancement or its tenacious grip on the world. Atheists would look at history and point out all those times when humanity had suffered greatly but nonetheless was able to recover and a new era of relative peace and prosperity would reign for some time. Based on this seemingly irrefutable pattern, they would extrapolate that the cycles of war and peace, of nature's destruction and man's reconstruction, of plagues and plagues' panacea would continue without end.
Some may agree with such an inference but I do not because humans are not living in equilibrium with their living host that is earth. The earth's natural resources are continuously being exploited for profit and excess comfort without regard to consequences, forever weakening its life-sustaining capabilities with toxicity. I can certainly be blamed in part for destroying the very world that is sustaining my life, and probably so can every other sinner who ever lived. As the world population increases with more and more people who are becoming wealthier and wealthier and indulging in all kinds of excess consumption, then human life as we know it would necessarily end in extinction in a Godless world.
Since man is a creation of God and has a soul, his extinction [1] is not part of nature's evolution like certain other organisms. Given this Truth and the greedy rate of consumption continuously exceeding the natural rate of replenishment and regeneration, man will have nowhere to run but to face his Creator, if not in the flesh then definitely as a soul, when Mother Nature can no longer sustain human life. This encounter will take place on Judgment Day.
Judgment Day is not an ordinary 24-hour day but rather a day like no other when the whole world will be at war, when neighbor will be against neighbor and brother will be against brother because everyone wants the last morsel of resource that will sustain life a while longer in the hope that something might be discovered or invented in time to save his own. Such a hope is futile because all hopes are taken away on that day when man reconciles himself in the Light of Truth, when he has nowhere to hide and his only chance to be reunited with his Creator is to have God's forgiveness.
For perhaps the first time, some atheists would kneel before the God they did not believe in and before the wounded Christ they eliminated from Christmas and the carols believers sing to rejoice in the birth of Jesus. Whether they will join the Prince of Peace or the Prince of Darkness for an eternity I do not know but I imagine that if they continue to think that life on earth would return to normal eventually as it had so many times in the past, then Satan would laugh derisively at their ignorance for it maintains that they have always been losers and are undeserving of God. [2]
[1] Extinction for the purpose of this post is defined as the total disappearance of the species, flesh and soul combined.
[2] Satan was Lucifer the angel that revolted because of its hatred toward humans.
Some may agree with such an inference but I do not because humans are not living in equilibrium with their living host that is earth. The earth's natural resources are continuously being exploited for profit and excess comfort without regard to consequences, forever weakening its life-sustaining capabilities with toxicity. I can certainly be blamed in part for destroying the very world that is sustaining my life, and probably so can every other sinner who ever lived. As the world population increases with more and more people who are becoming wealthier and wealthier and indulging in all kinds of excess consumption, then human life as we know it would necessarily end in extinction in a Godless world.
Since man is a creation of God and has a soul, his extinction [1] is not part of nature's evolution like certain other organisms. Given this Truth and the greedy rate of consumption continuously exceeding the natural rate of replenishment and regeneration, man will have nowhere to run but to face his Creator, if not in the flesh then definitely as a soul, when Mother Nature can no longer sustain human life. This encounter will take place on Judgment Day.
Judgment Day is not an ordinary 24-hour day but rather a day like no other when the whole world will be at war, when neighbor will be against neighbor and brother will be against brother because everyone wants the last morsel of resource that will sustain life a while longer in the hope that something might be discovered or invented in time to save his own. Such a hope is futile because all hopes are taken away on that day when man reconciles himself in the Light of Truth, when he has nowhere to hide and his only chance to be reunited with his Creator is to have God's forgiveness.
For perhaps the first time, some atheists would kneel before the God they did not believe in and before the wounded Christ they eliminated from Christmas and the carols believers sing to rejoice in the birth of Jesus. Whether they will join the Prince of Peace or the Prince of Darkness for an eternity I do not know but I imagine that if they continue to think that life on earth would return to normal eventually as it had so many times in the past, then Satan would laugh derisively at their ignorance for it maintains that they have always been losers and are undeserving of God. [2]
[1] Extinction for the purpose of this post is defined as the total disappearance of the species, flesh and soul combined.
[2] Satan was Lucifer the angel that revolted because of its hatred toward humans.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
The Unrepentant Sinner And The Antichrist
This is all speculation because I do not know the Antichrist, and one way I am able to introduce it is to contrast it with the unrepentant sinner.
The unrepentant sinner rejects God time and time again by his actions in life, and when given again and again the chance to repent, he does not, not even at that one final moment, when he is given his last chance to will freely to gather up all his negative energy at one time within his being, the concentration of which would undoubtedly be extremely painful and difficult to bear, and offer it up to God with supplication in exchange for forgiveness and grace so that Hell would not be his eternal destination.
The Antichrist, I think, is different. It is Satan incarnate and as such, it is content being in Hell and has no need to repent. It acknowledges God, not as its Savior but as its enemy. Thus it has no reason to reject God but every reason to defeat God.
In order for the Antichrist to be seen, it has to be in the flesh. Since Satan is unable to create life, it has to hijack it. Therefore anyone of us who is weak, who does not ask for God's help to battle Satan, can be the Antichrist or a servant of the Antichrist.
The true Antichrist is not going to arise out of powerlessness. It is not going to duplicate the path of Jesus Christ. It will do the opposite. It will emerge in the seat of power. It needs to be in the seat of power, not just any power within the borders of a country or even a continent, but power that reaches every corner of this earth because it knows how difficult it is to direct every soul toward Hell. In the seat of power, it would be able to brainwash the weak to lead a Godless life, to sustain their negative energy by feeding them the emptiness of desire and the hatefulness of envy by rejecting the truth that the gift life is precious and that it comes from God.
Which seat has enough plenary power today to attract the Antichrist I do not know. I do not know how much power the pope, or any government or private sector leader has. I do know that a combination of several of them will have enough power the Antichrist would want. If the Antichrist is not just one person but an unholy trinity, then I conjecture that they would be comprised of one who controls ideology, a second who rules over the medium of exchange and a third who is both judge and executioner, and they all would have the same mind as Satan.
The unrepentant sinner rejects God time and time again by his actions in life, and when given again and again the chance to repent, he does not, not even at that one final moment, when he is given his last chance to will freely to gather up all his negative energy at one time within his being, the concentration of which would undoubtedly be extremely painful and difficult to bear, and offer it up to God with supplication in exchange for forgiveness and grace so that Hell would not be his eternal destination.
The Antichrist, I think, is different. It is Satan incarnate and as such, it is content being in Hell and has no need to repent. It acknowledges God, not as its Savior but as its enemy. Thus it has no reason to reject God but every reason to defeat God.
In order for the Antichrist to be seen, it has to be in the flesh. Since Satan is unable to create life, it has to hijack it. Therefore anyone of us who is weak, who does not ask for God's help to battle Satan, can be the Antichrist or a servant of the Antichrist.
The true Antichrist is not going to arise out of powerlessness. It is not going to duplicate the path of Jesus Christ. It will do the opposite. It will emerge in the seat of power. It needs to be in the seat of power, not just any power within the borders of a country or even a continent, but power that reaches every corner of this earth because it knows how difficult it is to direct every soul toward Hell. In the seat of power, it would be able to brainwash the weak to lead a Godless life, to sustain their negative energy by feeding them the emptiness of desire and the hatefulness of envy by rejecting the truth that the gift life is precious and that it comes from God.
Which seat has enough plenary power today to attract the Antichrist I do not know. I do not know how much power the pope, or any government or private sector leader has. I do know that a combination of several of them will have enough power the Antichrist would want. If the Antichrist is not just one person but an unholy trinity, then I conjecture that they would be comprised of one who controls ideology, a second who rules over the medium of exchange and a third who is both judge and executioner, and they all would have the same mind as Satan.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Evangelii Gaudium - Analysis And Opinion - Conclusion
I decided that I will not waste any more time dissecting this pope's Evangelii Gaudium because I know his modus operandi now: He often uses readily digestible words in explaining the teachings of Jesus. He is a master at that. However, if one examines carefully all the words that he uses, he is actually saying something what I suppose an Antichrist would say. He is also a master at that, at hiding his Christ-killing dagger, metaphorically speaking, in the center of his bouquet of noteworthy fragrant roses. I find that his tactics are not that much different from Judas' kiss of betrayal and death.
I predict that the more popularity he gains and the more followers he garners (many, including the religious, have already fallen prey to his diabolic pretenses), the bolder he becomes in destroying the Church by words and deeds.
Perhaps Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) should be renamed Satanam Gaudium (The Joy of Satan).
I predict that the more popularity he gains and the more followers he garners (many, including the religious, have already fallen prey to his diabolic pretenses), the bolder he becomes in destroying the Church by words and deeds.
Perhaps Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) should be renamed Satanam Gaudium (The Joy of Satan).
Evangelii Gaudium - Analysis And Opinion - Part 2
Continuing with my thoughts on the Evangelii Gaudium, this entry, too, will quote selected passages from the Evangelii Gaudium. Following each quoted passage in italics will be my analysis and opinion.
"35. Pastoral ministry in a missionary style is not obsessed with the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines to be insistently imposed."
This is a classic form of a "straw man" argument. "'Straw man' is one of the best-named fallacies, because it is memorable and vividly illustrates the nature of the fallacy. Imagine a fight in which one of the combatants sets up a man of straw, attacks it, then proclaims victory. All the while, the real opponent stands by untouched." [1] This creature makes the quoted statement above but has no evidence to support it. The unsubstantiated claim he alludes to is that any pastoral ministry that is not his missionary style is necessarily "obsessed with the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines to be insistently imposed." In other words, this creature wants to eradicate all existing ministries that he arrogantly assumes are "obsessed with the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines to be insistently imposed" and to force his own style of "pastoral ministry" upon all ministries under him. In the very next sentence, he tries to cover up his arrogance and unsubstantiated claim by asserting an ideal using flowery prose that truly stink: "When we adopt a pastoral goal and a missionary style...the message has to concentrate on the essentials, on what is most beautiful, most grand, most appealing and at the same time most necessary. The message is simplified, while losing none of its depth and truth, and thus becomes all the more forceful and convincing." [2]
After criticizing "the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines to be insistently imposed," this creature without so much as taking a pause, transmitted a multitude of doctrines in the next two paragraphs quoted below that I personally find disjointed:
"36. All revealed truths derive from the same divine source and are to be believed with the same faith, yet some of them are more important for giving direct expression to the heart of the Gospel. In this basic core, what shines forth is the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead. In this sense, the Second Vatican Council explained, “in Catholic doctrine there exists an order or a ‘hierarchy’ of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith”.[38] This holds true as much for the dogmas of faith as for the whole corpus of the Church’s teaching, including her moral teaching.
37. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that the Church’s moral teaching has its own “hierarchy”, in the virtues and in the acts which proceed from them.[39] What counts above all else is “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6). Works of love directed to one’s neighbour are the most perfect external manifestation of the interior grace of the Spirit: “The foundation of the New Law is in the grace of the Holy Spirit, who is manifested in the faith which works through love”.[40] Thomas thus explains that, as far as external works are concerned, mercy is the greatest of all the virtues: “In itself mercy is the greatest of the virtues, since all the others revolve around it and, more than this, it makes up for their deficiencies. This is particular to the superior virtue, and as such it is proper to God to have mercy, through which his omnipotence is manifested to the greatest degree”.[41]"
Perhaps one who is erudite will find the foregoing two paragraphs cohesive and "most beautiful, most grand, most appealing" and "simplified." [3] I am not that person.
I am not erudite and his nonsense is making me nauseous but I want to continue even at the risk of being wrong and being chastised that it is me who is spewing nonsense and not him. So let me now examine paragraph 39 quoted below:
39. Just as the organic unity existing among the virtues means that no one of them can be excluded from the Christian ideal, so no truth may be denied. The integrity of the Gospel message must not be deformed. What is more, each truth is better understood when related to the harmonious totality of the Christian message; in this context all of the truths are important and illumine one another. When preaching is faithful to the Gospel, the centrality of certain truths is evident and it becomes clear that Christian morality is not a form of stoicism, or self-denial, or merely a practical philosophy or a catalogue of sins and faults. (Emphasis added.)
The first three sentences are "set-ups" to lure the reader into a dizzying trance with pretty prose. Do not be deceived. "Hidden" in the middle of the fourth and final sentence of the paragraph quoted above, the ugly truth reveals itself beginning with these words: "Christian morality. " He never defines "Christian morality" but lets the reader make the almost subliminal connection between that and "the Christian ideal ", "the Gospel message " and "truths ". The question is how can the "Christian ideal " in the first sentence, "the Gospel message " in the second, and "truths " in the third be so casually grouped together under "Christian morality " without first laying the foundation for such a critical grouping? When did "the Christian ideal ", "the Gospel message " and "truths " become merely "Christian morality "? I take issue with this construction because in my mind, the Christian ideal is living the Gospel message which are divine truths. To dilute such truths embodied in the Christian ideal into a set of rules of proper conduct that is "Christian morality " is to eviscerate the divine truths, making them subject to judgment and compromise. Truth is never subject to judgment or compromise.
No sooner than this creature groups "the Christian ideal ", "the Gospel message " and "truths " under his "Christian morality " umbrella he attacks it. He states that "Christian morality is not a form of stoicism, or self-denial, or merely a practical philosophy or a catalogue of sins and faults. " [4] Let me emphasize part of what he is saying: "Christian morality " which based on my analysis encompasses "the Christian ideal " "is not a form of...self-denial... " [5] Does that mean that self-restraint is no longer necessary to be a Christian, so that under this creature's papacy, Catholics can binge on alcohol and drugs every morning and indulge in incessant lurid sexual escapades every night with impunity? He does not answer that. He leaves that open for interpretation and moves on ever so deftly and insidiously to the topic of love.
On the topic of love, this creature states under paragraph 39 of Evangelii Gaudium that "[b]efore all else, the Gospel invites us to respond to the God of love who saves us, to see God in others and to go forth from ourselves to seek the good of others. Under no circumstance can this invitation be obscured! All of the virtues are at the service of this response of love."
Be very careful what he is alluding to, that the God of love saves us no matter what we do, however many times we sin, however egregious our sins including our rejection of God. Then without pausing, not even with a punctuation mark, he completes the sentence again with fragrant flowery prose to obscure the stink of his diabolic agenda. He wants us to be so focused on his "pastoral ministry" that he completely and intentionally omits to speak of repentance. To further prove my point, he specifically states that "Christian morality" is not a "catalogue of sins and faults" [6] as if we could ignore our sins and would not have to be responsible for them. [7]
One can buy every word this creature has said so far but I am walking the other way and have been since Day 1 of his papacy. I prefer to follow the path of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, one that goes toward the pristine Church where Christ is present and not toward Hell where Satan resides.
[1] http://www.fallacyfiles.org/strawman.html
[2] Evangelii Gaudium, paragraph 35.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Evangelii Gaudium, paragraph 39.
[5] I zoom in on "self-denial " only because it is easiest for me to address even though I have a lot of problems with his choice words like "stoicism " (a "straw man" -- Christ was not stoic), "practical philosophy " (another "straw man"), and "a catalogue of sins and faults " (in his view sins are apparently now just things that belong on a list out of millions and millions of lists made by people of this world and not divine truths that God has decreed).
[6] Evangelii Gaudium, paragraph 39.
[7] Satan always makes things so easy for us by using arguments that are specious and temptations that are appealing and comforting.
"35. Pastoral ministry in a missionary style is not obsessed with the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines to be insistently imposed."
This is a classic form of a "straw man" argument. "'Straw man' is one of the best-named fallacies, because it is memorable and vividly illustrates the nature of the fallacy. Imagine a fight in which one of the combatants sets up a man of straw, attacks it, then proclaims victory. All the while, the real opponent stands by untouched." [1] This creature makes the quoted statement above but has no evidence to support it. The unsubstantiated claim he alludes to is that any pastoral ministry that is not his missionary style is necessarily "obsessed with the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines to be insistently imposed." In other words, this creature wants to eradicate all existing ministries that he arrogantly assumes are "obsessed with the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines to be insistently imposed" and to force his own style of "pastoral ministry" upon all ministries under him. In the very next sentence, he tries to cover up his arrogance and unsubstantiated claim by asserting an ideal using flowery prose that truly stink: "When we adopt a pastoral goal and a missionary style...the message has to concentrate on the essentials, on what is most beautiful, most grand, most appealing and at the same time most necessary. The message is simplified, while losing none of its depth and truth, and thus becomes all the more forceful and convincing." [2]
After criticizing "the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines to be insistently imposed," this creature without so much as taking a pause, transmitted a multitude of doctrines in the next two paragraphs quoted below that I personally find disjointed:
"36. All revealed truths derive from the same divine source and are to be believed with the same faith, yet some of them are more important for giving direct expression to the heart of the Gospel. In this basic core, what shines forth is the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead. In this sense, the Second Vatican Council explained, “in Catholic doctrine there exists an order or a ‘hierarchy’ of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith”.[38] This holds true as much for the dogmas of faith as for the whole corpus of the Church’s teaching, including her moral teaching.
37. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that the Church’s moral teaching has its own “hierarchy”, in the virtues and in the acts which proceed from them.[39] What counts above all else is “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6). Works of love directed to one’s neighbour are the most perfect external manifestation of the interior grace of the Spirit: “The foundation of the New Law is in the grace of the Holy Spirit, who is manifested in the faith which works through love”.[40] Thomas thus explains that, as far as external works are concerned, mercy is the greatest of all the virtues: “In itself mercy is the greatest of the virtues, since all the others revolve around it and, more than this, it makes up for their deficiencies. This is particular to the superior virtue, and as such it is proper to God to have mercy, through which his omnipotence is manifested to the greatest degree”.[41]"
Perhaps one who is erudite will find the foregoing two paragraphs cohesive and "most beautiful, most grand, most appealing" and "simplified." [3] I am not that person.
I am not erudite and his nonsense is making me nauseous but I want to continue even at the risk of being wrong and being chastised that it is me who is spewing nonsense and not him. So let me now examine paragraph 39 quoted below:
39. Just as the organic unity existing among the virtues means that no one of them can be excluded from the Christian ideal, so no truth may be denied. The integrity of the Gospel message must not be deformed. What is more, each truth is better understood when related to the harmonious totality of the Christian message; in this context all of the truths are important and illumine one another. When preaching is faithful to the Gospel, the centrality of certain truths is evident and it becomes clear that Christian morality is not a form of stoicism, or self-denial, or merely a practical philosophy or a catalogue of sins and faults. (Emphasis added.)
The first three sentences are "set-ups" to lure the reader into a dizzying trance with pretty prose. Do not be deceived. "Hidden" in the middle of the fourth and final sentence of the paragraph quoted above, the ugly truth reveals itself beginning with these words: "Christian morality. " He never defines "Christian morality" but lets the reader make the almost subliminal connection between that and "the Christian ideal ", "the Gospel message " and "truths ". The question is how can the "Christian ideal " in the first sentence, "the Gospel message " in the second, and "truths " in the third be so casually grouped together under "Christian morality " without first laying the foundation for such a critical grouping? When did "the Christian ideal ", "the Gospel message " and "truths " become merely "Christian morality "? I take issue with this construction because in my mind, the Christian ideal is living the Gospel message which are divine truths. To dilute such truths embodied in the Christian ideal into a set of rules of proper conduct that is "Christian morality " is to eviscerate the divine truths, making them subject to judgment and compromise. Truth is never subject to judgment or compromise.
No sooner than this creature groups "the Christian ideal ", "the Gospel message " and "truths " under his "Christian morality " umbrella he attacks it. He states that "Christian morality is not a form of stoicism, or self-denial, or merely a practical philosophy or a catalogue of sins and faults. " [4] Let me emphasize part of what he is saying: "Christian morality " which based on my analysis encompasses "the Christian ideal " "is not a form of...self-denial... " [5] Does that mean that self-restraint is no longer necessary to be a Christian, so that under this creature's papacy, Catholics can binge on alcohol and drugs every morning and indulge in incessant lurid sexual escapades every night with impunity? He does not answer that. He leaves that open for interpretation and moves on ever so deftly and insidiously to the topic of love.
On the topic of love, this creature states under paragraph 39 of Evangelii Gaudium that "[b]efore all else, the Gospel invites us to respond to the God of love who saves us, to see God in others and to go forth from ourselves to seek the good of others. Under no circumstance can this invitation be obscured! All of the virtues are at the service of this response of love."
Be very careful what he is alluding to, that the God of love saves us no matter what we do, however many times we sin, however egregious our sins including our rejection of God. Then without pausing, not even with a punctuation mark, he completes the sentence again with fragrant flowery prose to obscure the stink of his diabolic agenda. He wants us to be so focused on his "pastoral ministry" that he completely and intentionally omits to speak of repentance. To further prove my point, he specifically states that "Christian morality" is not a "catalogue of sins and faults" [6] as if we could ignore our sins and would not have to be responsible for them. [7]
One can buy every word this creature has said so far but I am walking the other way and have been since Day 1 of his papacy. I prefer to follow the path of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, one that goes toward the pristine Church where Christ is present and not toward Hell where Satan resides.
[1] http://www.fallacyfiles.org/strawman.html
[2] Evangelii Gaudium, paragraph 35.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Evangelii Gaudium, paragraph 39.
[5] I zoom in on "self-denial " only because it is easiest for me to address even though I have a lot of problems with his choice words like "stoicism " (a "straw man" -- Christ was not stoic), "practical philosophy " (another "straw man"), and "a catalogue of sins and faults " (in his view sins are apparently now just things that belong on a list out of millions and millions of lists made by people of this world and not divine truths that God has decreed).
[6] Evangelii Gaudium, paragraph 39.
[7] Satan always makes things so easy for us by using arguments that are specious and temptations that are appealing and comforting.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Evangelii Gaudium - Analysis And Opinion - Part 1
Evangelii Gaudium is Latin for the joy of the Gospel. [1] This
document published recently by the Vatican has 224 pages in total. [2]
This version has an index: Evangelii Gaudium.
This entry will quote selected passages from the Evangelii Gaudium. Following each quoted passage in italics will be my analysis and opinion.
"27. I dream of a 'missionary option', that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. The renewal of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this light: as part of an effort to make them more mission-oriented, to make ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive and open, to inspire in pastoral workers a constant desire to go forth and in this way to elicit a positive response from all those whom Jesus summons to friendship with himself."
This sounds exciting [3] but decentralization can give rise to inconsistencies and conflicts and conflicts often result in ruin rather than resolution. Without uniformity, a Catholic who attends Mass celebrated by missionaries at a particular church with one set of customs could find himself without any familiarity or comfort attending Mass at another church with a different set of customs. If the current Church can be likened as a home away from Home (Heaven), then under this new evangelization, a church is no longer a home away from Home but a shelter with characteristics unique to its local customs foreign to a visiting Catholic. The feeling of safety and comfort that a Catholic seeks and is able to have by stepping into a church anywhere in the world at present could be replaced by a jarring experience. That would alienate Catholics from the Church rather than welcoming them as the current system has for centuries. [4]
Under this Evangelii Gaudium, what Jesus had asked His disciples to do in "remembrance of me" [5] theoretically no longer have to be done or done in accordance with Church tradition, because this pope wishes modern day missionaries to do things in ways as they see fit that comport with today's world even at the risk of destroying the cohesiveness and the universality of the Church. That is exactly what Satan wants to do to the Church.
"32. Since I am called to put into practice what I ask of others, I too must think about a conversion of the papacy. It is my duty, as the Bishop of Rome, to be open to suggestions which can help make the exercise of my ministry more faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ wished to give it and to the present needs of evangelization."
In this instance, this pope is almost not a hypocrite (see paragraph below the next) by saying he is to practice what he asks of others. Why would anyone want to be a hypocrite when he is himself? Why would Satan need to deceive when it has revealed itself in its entirety? Speaking of Satan, who, I wonder, would be the most keen on converting the papacy? Certainly not just any bishop of Rome but a minion of Satan seated upon the rock of Peter.
With regard to the conversion of the papacy, I ask how any pope can exercise his ministry "more faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ wished to give it and to the present needs of evangelization" than Jesus Christ Himself by His words and His deeds? Are the words and deeds of Jesus Christ no longer relevant or meaningful in today's world so that a fundamental change in the ministry of this pope is required?
The flowery language in paragraph 32 of Evangelii Gaudium quoted above camouflages a preordained sinister agenda in humility ("open to suggestions") and masks hypocrisy by pretending to acknowledge Jesus Christ, referring to Him by name, when in reality this creature never intended the referral to have substance but instead wishes to put his own words into the mouth of Jesus Christ for diabolical reasons.
This creature is truly slimy, and I would not be the least bit surprised when he becomes the superstar of popes in the eyes of many, many people. He has already been named Time Magazine's person of the year 2013.
I cringe, and I pray that God will have mercy on us and forgive us for our blindness and our sins. [6]
Let me break here and continue another time.
[1] http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/pope-francis-new-document-evangelii-gaudium-9-things-to-know-and-share
[2] http://www.vatican.va/evangelii-gaudium/en/index.html#3/z
[3] Allowing any self-designated pastoral worker without the grace of God or any theological background to speak and act on behalf the the Catholic Church can be fun and heady for some people. As much as I would like to be a pastoral worker and partake in this new evangelization, I refuse to do so, because I am not schooled in theology, nor am I so arrogant as to think that I have the grace of God to speak on behalf the Church. In this blog, I present my personal views and conclusions from a layman's perspective and as such, they have no authority whatsoever.
[4] If the number of Catholics who go to church has dwindled in recent years, the phenomena has nothing to do with the Church in its pristine state but has everything to do with those at the top handling, or rather mishandling, pedophilia, financial corruption and hypocrisies, to name just a few of its many, many issues. The Church in its pristine state is still drawing the faithful. The Sanctuary of Our-Lady of Lourdes in France is an example, but it is far away for most Catholics. Finding one locally maybe difficult but do not lose faith or hope. Until then, pray and be in communion with the pristine Church that lives in the heart.
[5] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+11%3A23-26&version=NIV
[6] I could be the one needing the most mercy for I could be the most blind of all for having written this entry, and for planning to write even more on Evangelii Gaudium in the near future.
This entry will quote selected passages from the Evangelii Gaudium. Following each quoted passage in italics will be my analysis and opinion.
"27. I dream of a 'missionary option', that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. The renewal of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this light: as part of an effort to make them more mission-oriented, to make ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive and open, to inspire in pastoral workers a constant desire to go forth and in this way to elicit a positive response from all those whom Jesus summons to friendship with himself."
This sounds exciting [3] but decentralization can give rise to inconsistencies and conflicts and conflicts often result in ruin rather than resolution. Without uniformity, a Catholic who attends Mass celebrated by missionaries at a particular church with one set of customs could find himself without any familiarity or comfort attending Mass at another church with a different set of customs. If the current Church can be likened as a home away from Home (Heaven), then under this new evangelization, a church is no longer a home away from Home but a shelter with characteristics unique to its local customs foreign to a visiting Catholic. The feeling of safety and comfort that a Catholic seeks and is able to have by stepping into a church anywhere in the world at present could be replaced by a jarring experience. That would alienate Catholics from the Church rather than welcoming them as the current system has for centuries. [4]
Under this Evangelii Gaudium, what Jesus had asked His disciples to do in "remembrance of me" [5] theoretically no longer have to be done or done in accordance with Church tradition, because this pope wishes modern day missionaries to do things in ways as they see fit that comport with today's world even at the risk of destroying the cohesiveness and the universality of the Church. That is exactly what Satan wants to do to the Church.
"32. Since I am called to put into practice what I ask of others, I too must think about a conversion of the papacy. It is my duty, as the Bishop of Rome, to be open to suggestions which can help make the exercise of my ministry more faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ wished to give it and to the present needs of evangelization."
In this instance, this pope is almost not a hypocrite (see paragraph below the next) by saying he is to practice what he asks of others. Why would anyone want to be a hypocrite when he is himself? Why would Satan need to deceive when it has revealed itself in its entirety? Speaking of Satan, who, I wonder, would be the most keen on converting the papacy? Certainly not just any bishop of Rome but a minion of Satan seated upon the rock of Peter.
With regard to the conversion of the papacy, I ask how any pope can exercise his ministry "more faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ wished to give it and to the present needs of evangelization" than Jesus Christ Himself by His words and His deeds? Are the words and deeds of Jesus Christ no longer relevant or meaningful in today's world so that a fundamental change in the ministry of this pope is required?
The flowery language in paragraph 32 of Evangelii Gaudium quoted above camouflages a preordained sinister agenda in humility ("open to suggestions") and masks hypocrisy by pretending to acknowledge Jesus Christ, referring to Him by name, when in reality this creature never intended the referral to have substance but instead wishes to put his own words into the mouth of Jesus Christ for diabolical reasons.
This creature is truly slimy, and I would not be the least bit surprised when he becomes the superstar of popes in the eyes of many, many people. He has already been named Time Magazine's person of the year 2013.
I cringe, and I pray that God will have mercy on us and forgive us for our blindness and our sins. [6]
Let me break here and continue another time.
[1] http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/pope-francis-new-document-evangelii-gaudium-9-things-to-know-and-share
[2] http://www.vatican.va/evangelii-gaudium/en/index.html#3/z
[3] Allowing any self-designated pastoral worker without the grace of God or any theological background to speak and act on behalf the the Catholic Church can be fun and heady for some people. As much as I would like to be a pastoral worker and partake in this new evangelization, I refuse to do so, because I am not schooled in theology, nor am I so arrogant as to think that I have the grace of God to speak on behalf the Church. In this blog, I present my personal views and conclusions from a layman's perspective and as such, they have no authority whatsoever.
[4] If the number of Catholics who go to church has dwindled in recent years, the phenomena has nothing to do with the Church in its pristine state but has everything to do with those at the top handling, or rather mishandling, pedophilia, financial corruption and hypocrisies, to name just a few of its many, many issues. The Church in its pristine state is still drawing the faithful. The Sanctuary of Our-Lady of Lourdes in France is an example, but it is far away for most Catholics. Finding one locally maybe difficult but do not lose faith or hope. Until then, pray and be in communion with the pristine Church that lives in the heart.
[5] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+11%3A23-26&version=NIV
[6] I could be the one needing the most mercy for I could be the most blind of all for having written this entry, and for planning to write even more on Evangelii Gaudium in the near future.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Atheists At Christmas
I am pained to see in the media that a digital sign saying "Who need Christ during Christmas? Nobody" [1] is in New York's Times Square. This sign was posted by the current president of American atheists David Silverman.[2]
I am pained because Christ is being crucified again, posthumously. These atheists are not unconscious of Christ because they are expressly rejecting Christ with knowledge and intellect. However, they could be unconscious of Satan and have become its minions. Evidences of that are in the ways they celebrate Christmas, with different kinds of entertainment, parties, trees full of ornaments and colorful blinking lights, all without the slightest attention being paid to the Holy Family.
Evidence is also in the giving of certain gifts that bring momentary smiles to faces, smiles that fade away when such gifts are no longer fashionable, broken or technologically embarrassing to own. Even gifts that are practical are temporal on the one hand and a nuisance when they are given year after year on the other [3] All these material things can be good but are all tainted in one way or another, before, during and after their creation, by Satan to bring ruin to life and all things that sustain it. [4], [5] Even receiving things that are produced by Mother Nature and are wholesome have nothing to do with Christmas.
Christmas is about Christ and His birth, His humility and His saving grace. With the birth of Christ, we have been given a new Adam, and a new Eve, the Mother of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are the Ones to give us all a chance at a new life. At the crucifixion, Christ had shed His Holy blood for the redemption of Sin and its variations. Upon His resurrection, the living Christ has given all hope for an eternity with God. These are the true gifts of Christmas. They are the reasons for the celebrations. Nothing else, not the sights and the sounds, the shopping and the gift-giving or the food and the drinks, matters.
Those who say that nobody needs Christ for Christmas, or at any other time for that matter, have taken their gifts for granted and have exercised their Free Will in favor of Satan. This Oratio Fatima is for them:
Domine Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra, salva nos ab igne inferni, perduc in cealum omnes animas, praesertim eas, quae misericordiae tuae maxime indigent. [6]
[1] http://pix11.com/2013/12/09/atheist-billboard-in-times-square-deletes-christ-from-christmas/#axzz2nPrq6xdA
[2] When I saw him on television, he does not look evil. Perhaps he had given up fighting his battles with Satan and Satan now owns him and has made him its spokesman. It is my hope that one day he will look into the mirror and see God waiting patiently for his return and reject the call of Satan.
[3] For example, how many cappuccino makers does one need? How many sweaters and how much bling can one wear? Perhaps an exception could be made for a fine wine that improves with age but arguably that is a gift of God, a transubstantiable drink that can become the blood for Christ for the forgiveness of sins, but when abused, can lead to death and destruction. Having a discussion on alcoholism and drunk driving is not intended for this blog.
[4] For example, cell phones are a convenience and can be used for good, but how many different models and variations do people need, year after year? Are they not driven by corporate greed? Is greed not part of Satan's Original Temptation that led to Adam and Eve's Original Sin? Is not the seemingly innocuous and respectable business concept of creating demand, when stripped of its euphemistic coating, equivalent to any of Satan's temptations that exploit man's Free Will and corrupts his desires?
[5] Matters that can be good are tainted by Satan before their creation are driven by greed (see [4] above); those tainted by Satan during their creation are also driven by greed by exploiting natural resources without compunction for profit; and those tainted by Satan after their creation raises toxicity in the soil and in the water when they leak chemicals during the recycling and decomposition processes in concentrations that ruin health and lives.
[6] http://www.thesacredheart.com/latpray.htm#n
I am pained because Christ is being crucified again, posthumously. These atheists are not unconscious of Christ because they are expressly rejecting Christ with knowledge and intellect. However, they could be unconscious of Satan and have become its minions. Evidences of that are in the ways they celebrate Christmas, with different kinds of entertainment, parties, trees full of ornaments and colorful blinking lights, all without the slightest attention being paid to the Holy Family.
Evidence is also in the giving of certain gifts that bring momentary smiles to faces, smiles that fade away when such gifts are no longer fashionable, broken or technologically embarrassing to own. Even gifts that are practical are temporal on the one hand and a nuisance when they are given year after year on the other [3] All these material things can be good but are all tainted in one way or another, before, during and after their creation, by Satan to bring ruin to life and all things that sustain it. [4], [5] Even receiving things that are produced by Mother Nature and are wholesome have nothing to do with Christmas.
Christmas is about Christ and His birth, His humility and His saving grace. With the birth of Christ, we have been given a new Adam, and a new Eve, the Mother of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are the Ones to give us all a chance at a new life. At the crucifixion, Christ had shed His Holy blood for the redemption of Sin and its variations. Upon His resurrection, the living Christ has given all hope for an eternity with God. These are the true gifts of Christmas. They are the reasons for the celebrations. Nothing else, not the sights and the sounds, the shopping and the gift-giving or the food and the drinks, matters.
Those who say that nobody needs Christ for Christmas, or at any other time for that matter, have taken their gifts for granted and have exercised their Free Will in favor of Satan. This Oratio Fatima is for them:
Domine Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra, salva nos ab igne inferni, perduc in cealum omnes animas, praesertim eas, quae misericordiae tuae maxime indigent. [6]
[1] http://pix11.com/2013/12/09/atheist-billboard-in-times-square-deletes-christ-from-christmas/#axzz2nPrq6xdA
[2] When I saw him on television, he does not look evil. Perhaps he had given up fighting his battles with Satan and Satan now owns him and has made him its spokesman. It is my hope that one day he will look into the mirror and see God waiting patiently for his return and reject the call of Satan.
[3] For example, how many cappuccino makers does one need? How many sweaters and how much bling can one wear? Perhaps an exception could be made for a fine wine that improves with age but arguably that is a gift of God, a transubstantiable drink that can become the blood for Christ for the forgiveness of sins, but when abused, can lead to death and destruction. Having a discussion on alcoholism and drunk driving is not intended for this blog.
[4] For example, cell phones are a convenience and can be used for good, but how many different models and variations do people need, year after year? Are they not driven by corporate greed? Is greed not part of Satan's Original Temptation that led to Adam and Eve's Original Sin? Is not the seemingly innocuous and respectable business concept of creating demand, when stripped of its euphemistic coating, equivalent to any of Satan's temptations that exploit man's Free Will and corrupts his desires?
[5] Matters that can be good are tainted by Satan before their creation are driven by greed (see [4] above); those tainted by Satan during their creation are also driven by greed by exploiting natural resources without compunction for profit; and those tainted by Satan after their creation raises toxicity in the soil and in the water when they leak chemicals during the recycling and decomposition processes in concentrations that ruin health and lives.
[6] http://www.thesacredheart.com/latpray.htm#n
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Time Magazine's Person Of The Year
The criterion [for choosing Time magazine's person of the year] is “the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year.” [1]For 2013, the current pope has been selected. I have an opinion but that does not matter, nor does the magazine's opinion in the eyes of God. In fact, a person who is truly God's pick would not want to be a part of secular fame, let alone fame that is conferred by those whose opinions and reports are based on a Godless world.
Given what the magazine does every year so famously in picking the person, or thing, that most impact people's lives over the course of a year, let me for the fun of it make the pick for all time. Before doing so, an assumption needs to be made, that both Jesus and Lucifer are both men in this world doing what each does best in his own ways, both trying to draw people to his side, one with the promise of a blissful afterlife and the other with ruinous temptations in the present one.
So who "wins" as if being named Time magazine's person of the year is a game to be won? To be sure, being able to exert influence over others is not a game or a joke. Since it is not, my pick for the person of the year, year after year, is sadly not who I wish could pick but who I must pick based on Time magazine's criterion above and that is Lucifer.
Lucifer "wins" over Jesus time and time again because instant gratification is the norm for the majority and Lucifer is the master in tempting people to believe that they are able to have it with false hopes and promises whereas Jesus speaks the Truth about an eternity in Heaven that can only be reached after a lifetime of trials and tribulations and not that many have the faith and the patience to go the distance.
[1] http://poy.time.com/2013/12/10/everything-you-wanted-know-about-time-person-of-the-year/
Monday, December 9, 2013
The Unconscious Free Will
Free Will is an oft repeated theme in this blog. The Free Will that has been referred to so far has been a conscious choice, meaning that when man is given a choice between good and evil [1], he has the freedom to arrive at a decision that is known fully to him.
The concept of the unconscious choice came to mind in the last few days and I am writing about it as it is taking shape.
First I wanted to know if unconsciousness exists, and I found support that it does. "Unconscious processes are smart and adaptive throughout the living world, as Dawkins (1976) contended, and the psychological research evidence that has emerged since the time of his writing has confirmed that this principle extends to humans as well. In nature, the ‘‘unconscious mind’’ is the rule, not the exception." [2]
The question then is whether Free Will operated in the unconscious mind. Without doing any research, let me just postulate that it does. Free Will is part of God's perfection and it exists together with God. Free Will is a gift from God and it is pervasive. [3] It was given to angels before even Adam was created. Having Free Will, Lucifer was able to disobey God and became Satan; similarly, Adam and Eve took advantage of it, ate the forbidden Apple and their Sin became the seed of all our sins.
While Lucifer, Adam and Eve had exercised their Free Will knowingly at those specific instances, man also exercises his Free Will with all his cognitive faculties intact under a variety of circumstances on a daily basis, but when man sometimes acts without having sufficient time to deliberate or by finding it unnecessary to deliberate [4] and at those times, man necessarily relies on his unconscious mind that propels him to act or not act. Whether to act or not, or the nature of the act if action is chosen, all stems from Free Will. Therefore, Free Will operates in the unconscious mind.
My conclusion, if true, has ramifications. For instance, if those who live a life full of kindness and humility but are not consciously part of any organized religion, or a religion that is not Christian or Catholic, then under my theory, they would still be following the path of Jesus in their unconscious minds. In their unconsciousness, their words of kindness become their prayers and their acts of humility are their expression of their love for neighbors. [5] Conversely, those who are consciously and outwardly living a life of poverty, humility and charity but are not poor, humble or charitable with their time or their love, they have in their unconsciousness chosen freely to be under the influence of Satan to one extent or another. [6]
[1] Every moment we are confronted with such a choice.
[2] Quoted from the last paragraph of the conclusion of the Yale University report at: http://www.yale.edu/acmelab/articles/Bargh_Morsella_Unconscious_Mind.pdf, accessed December 8, 2013.
[3] I have no proof but I believe all living things have Free Will perhaps with the exception of vegetation.
[4] The decision not to deliberate is a cognitive one. An action that takes place without deliberation is, in my opinion, one that comes from the unconscious mind.
[5] I still like to think that I am Catholic even though in my opinion many of the Catholic churches are becoming more and more secularized and those who run them are succumbing to the inexorable influence of Satan with their hypocrisies.
[6] I would like to believe that those who have chosen to live contemplatively in Christ are living in poverty, humility and charity because they have no attachment to material things, act humbly in the service of others and are generous with their talents, time and love.
The concept of the unconscious choice came to mind in the last few days and I am writing about it as it is taking shape.
First I wanted to know if unconsciousness exists, and I found support that it does. "Unconscious processes are smart and adaptive throughout the living world, as Dawkins (1976) contended, and the psychological research evidence that has emerged since the time of his writing has confirmed that this principle extends to humans as well. In nature, the ‘‘unconscious mind’’ is the rule, not the exception." [2]
The question then is whether Free Will operated in the unconscious mind. Without doing any research, let me just postulate that it does. Free Will is part of God's perfection and it exists together with God. Free Will is a gift from God and it is pervasive. [3] It was given to angels before even Adam was created. Having Free Will, Lucifer was able to disobey God and became Satan; similarly, Adam and Eve took advantage of it, ate the forbidden Apple and their Sin became the seed of all our sins.
While Lucifer, Adam and Eve had exercised their Free Will knowingly at those specific instances, man also exercises his Free Will with all his cognitive faculties intact under a variety of circumstances on a daily basis, but when man sometimes acts without having sufficient time to deliberate or by finding it unnecessary to deliberate [4] and at those times, man necessarily relies on his unconscious mind that propels him to act or not act. Whether to act or not, or the nature of the act if action is chosen, all stems from Free Will. Therefore, Free Will operates in the unconscious mind.
My conclusion, if true, has ramifications. For instance, if those who live a life full of kindness and humility but are not consciously part of any organized religion, or a religion that is not Christian or Catholic, then under my theory, they would still be following the path of Jesus in their unconscious minds. In their unconsciousness, their words of kindness become their prayers and their acts of humility are their expression of their love for neighbors. [5] Conversely, those who are consciously and outwardly living a life of poverty, humility and charity but are not poor, humble or charitable with their time or their love, they have in their unconsciousness chosen freely to be under the influence of Satan to one extent or another. [6]
[1] Every moment we are confronted with such a choice.
[2] Quoted from the last paragraph of the conclusion of the Yale University report at: http://www.yale.edu/acmelab/articles/Bargh_Morsella_Unconscious_Mind.pdf, accessed December 8, 2013.
[3] I have no proof but I believe all living things have Free Will perhaps with the exception of vegetation.
[4] The decision not to deliberate is a cognitive one. An action that takes place without deliberation is, in my opinion, one that comes from the unconscious mind.
[5] I still like to think that I am Catholic even though in my opinion many of the Catholic churches are becoming more and more secularized and those who run them are succumbing to the inexorable influence of Satan with their hypocrisies.
[6] I would like to believe that those who have chosen to live contemplatively in Christ are living in poverty, humility and charity because they have no attachment to material things, act humbly in the service of others and are generous with their talents, time and love.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Snow Flakes -- A Peek At What Awaits In Heaven
Alexey Kljatov's photographs of snow flakes can be seen here: snowflake photos by alexey_kljatov [1] Each of them is unique and beautiful but only for a short time, then it melts. There is no need to feel sorry over the loss of such stunning creations because there are a limitless number of unique and beautiful snow flakes that are yet to be fallen. Imagine for a moment, that each snowflake is a material possession one possesses and prizes. What are the uses of human possessions when life is only for a moment relative to time, [2] when an eternity of endless and ephemeral beauty awaits in Heaven? [3]
[1] Or here: http://theawesomer.com/alexey-kljatov-snowflakes/260447/ or elsewhere on the internet.
[2] Time does not exist in itself because time is timeless. In other words, the human concept of duration is unknown and irrelevant to time.
[3] One commenter in the link above asked why not just leave beauty alone and not bring God into it. My answer is that God is the creator of all things directly and indirectly, seen and unseen and all that is humanly possible and impossible. Keeping God away is an exercise of Free Will. That leaves a void in the soul. Inside that vast emptiness the best one can have is meaninglessness and the worst is having it filled by Satan. I pity the soul that has abandoned God's boundless magnificence, especially at the end of its incarnation when its intellect asks, "Is that all?" and there is only silence from above only to be pierced all of a sudden by screams of torment below.
[1] Or here: http://theawesomer.com/alexey-kljatov-snowflakes/260447/ or elsewhere on the internet.
[2] Time does not exist in itself because time is timeless. In other words, the human concept of duration is unknown and irrelevant to time.
[3] One commenter in the link above asked why not just leave beauty alone and not bring God into it. My answer is that God is the creator of all things directly and indirectly, seen and unseen and all that is humanly possible and impossible. Keeping God away is an exercise of Free Will. That leaves a void in the soul. Inside that vast emptiness the best one can have is meaninglessness and the worst is having it filled by Satan. I pity the soul that has abandoned God's boundless magnificence, especially at the end of its incarnation when its intellect asks, "Is that all?" and there is only silence from above only to be pierced all of a sudden by screams of torment below.
God And Money
This quote from the Bible is well-known: "You cannot serve both God and money," [1] but money has become ubiquitous in society. No one escapes it except the very poor [2] or the few who choose to live in the wild. [3]
First question: Are the poor who are obviously not serving money spending time serving God? That I cannot answer because I cannot see into their hearts and minds.
Next question: Are those who have money saved up obviously serving money and therefore not serving God? The answer is both yes and no. Having money, one has to deal with people and the government. In other words, the money one has does not belong to him completely because if it did , he would not have to deal with people or the government if he chooses not to, but he must. He has to deal with people because he has to work for it, save it, invest it, spend it, account for it, pay taxes on it and so on.
Therefore, having to spend so much time in dealing with money, one is not serving God, certainly not on a dedicated basis, especially when one, driven by greed desires to make more and more of it, and driven by need spends time and energy dealing with envious, greedy and cunning people who want take more money than what they justly deserve. [4]
On the other hand, when one who is not obsessed with money deals with it from a detached point of view, acting only as a conduit in accounting for it, and in preserving its value to do good by creating opportunities for others to make their living and reinvesting the profits of such ventures to generate even more earning opportunities for those who need jobs to support themselves and their families. In that way, one is not only dealing with money but also serving God simultaneously, so long as one prays for help, never losing sight of one's ultimate goal, which is to have inner peace while on earth and eternal salvation in Heaven. [5]
[1] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A24&version=NIV
[2] This link shows photos of slums in India. (Notice in some of the pictures show a single child smiling, which proves my point in previous posts that the gift of life is a blessing.)
[3] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/vietnam/10231861/Vietnamese-father-and-son-found-living-in-a-treehouse-for-40-years.html
[4] What about donating it? Is that not serving God? In a way yes, but that is not always the case because serving God is not about throwing money at charities and reducing guilt. Serving God is about serving your family, your neighbor and the poor with love and with time. Serving God means loving God in the way Jesus loves His Mother, His disciples and all the sinners. That is easier said than done of course, but not impossible. Making repeated efforts doing so is part of the battle against Satan.
[5] When one is dealing with money, even with detachment, it will inevitably attract those who are envious, greedy and cunning, trying every which way to get at it, including stealing it, taking it by brute force or by the force of law. In spite of all of the evil that money attracts, one must keep the focus on Christ, on the peace that Christ gives us, the peace that begins in the mind and comes to rest in the heart, primarily by praying on the one hand and secondarily by doing whatever earthly that is necessary to mitigate the forces that stresses the body and disturbs the mind on the other. By keeping the focus on the teachings of Jesus, one must always be reminded of His forgiveness. Only in forgiveness can one attain peace that Jesus gives.
First question: Are the poor who are obviously not serving money spending time serving God? That I cannot answer because I cannot see into their hearts and minds.
Next question: Are those who have money saved up obviously serving money and therefore not serving God? The answer is both yes and no. Having money, one has to deal with people and the government. In other words, the money one has does not belong to him completely because if it did , he would not have to deal with people or the government if he chooses not to, but he must. He has to deal with people because he has to work for it, save it, invest it, spend it, account for it, pay taxes on it and so on.
Therefore, having to spend so much time in dealing with money, one is not serving God, certainly not on a dedicated basis, especially when one, driven by greed desires to make more and more of it, and driven by need spends time and energy dealing with envious, greedy and cunning people who want take more money than what they justly deserve. [4]
On the other hand, when one who is not obsessed with money deals with it from a detached point of view, acting only as a conduit in accounting for it, and in preserving its value to do good by creating opportunities for others to make their living and reinvesting the profits of such ventures to generate even more earning opportunities for those who need jobs to support themselves and their families. In that way, one is not only dealing with money but also serving God simultaneously, so long as one prays for help, never losing sight of one's ultimate goal, which is to have inner peace while on earth and eternal salvation in Heaven. [5]
[1] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A24&version=NIV
[2] This link shows photos of slums in India. (Notice in some of the pictures show a single child smiling, which proves my point in previous posts that the gift of life is a blessing.)
[3] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/vietnam/10231861/Vietnamese-father-and-son-found-living-in-a-treehouse-for-40-years.html
[4] What about donating it? Is that not serving God? In a way yes, but that is not always the case because serving God is not about throwing money at charities and reducing guilt. Serving God is about serving your family, your neighbor and the poor with love and with time. Serving God means loving God in the way Jesus loves His Mother, His disciples and all the sinners. That is easier said than done of course, but not impossible. Making repeated efforts doing so is part of the battle against Satan.
[5] When one is dealing with money, even with detachment, it will inevitably attract those who are envious, greedy and cunning, trying every which way to get at it, including stealing it, taking it by brute force or by the force of law. In spite of all of the evil that money attracts, one must keep the focus on Christ, on the peace that Christ gives us, the peace that begins in the mind and comes to rest in the heart, primarily by praying on the one hand and secondarily by doing whatever earthly that is necessary to mitigate the forces that stresses the body and disturbs the mind on the other. By keeping the focus on the teachings of Jesus, one must always be reminded of His forgiveness. Only in forgiveness can one attain peace that Jesus gives.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
God's Picks Are Always Special
From the hills of Assisi, in the Umbria region of Italy, came San Francesco d'Assisi and Santa Chiara d'Assisi, and now living with us, breathing the same air as us, as one of us and part of us [1], Heaven has from the same area, brought us a singing Friar, Alessandro Brustenghi. [2]
A gift from Heaven, Friar Alessandro had nonetheless the need to battle Satan who wanted to take him away from God. He won those battles. [3], [4] At 34 [5], he is relatively young, and Satan probably has not yet given up on him. It will again approach with temptations, just like it had approached Christ in the desert, not once but three times. [6] I have faith in Friar Alessandro that he has the fortitude to continue battling with Satan for the ultimate win, his own salvation, and ours, as the messenger of Christ, bringing Him to us, and us to Him, with his songs, his words and his spirit. [7]
[1] We are all part of each other because we are all part of God and God is part of all of us.
[2] http://www.youtube.com/user/FriarAlessandro
[3] Quoted from http://friaralessandro.com/about:
[5] http://www.italytravelandlife.com/2013/08/music-of-italy-friar-alessandro/
[6] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A1-11
[7] What I see when Friar Alessandro smiles is joy from deep within the soul, a joy that is pure, that comes from God with a single desire: to be ever closer to God through Jesus Christ by living in His spirit surrounded by the beauty and love of His Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
A gift from Heaven, Friar Alessandro had nonetheless the need to battle Satan who wanted to take him away from God. He won those battles. [3], [4] At 34 [5], he is relatively young, and Satan probably has not yet given up on him. It will again approach with temptations, just like it had approached Christ in the desert, not once but three times. [6] I have faith in Friar Alessandro that he has the fortitude to continue battling with Satan for the ultimate win, his own salvation, and ours, as the messenger of Christ, bringing Him to us, and us to Him, with his songs, his words and his spirit. [7]
[1] We are all part of each other because we are all part of God and God is part of all of us.
[2] http://www.youtube.com/user/FriarAlessandro
[3] Quoted from http://friaralessandro.com/about:
When you meet Friar Alessandro Brustenghi you realise straight away there is something beatific, possibly angelic about him. Slight and sweet in his brown Friar’s garb. When we meet in the Porziuncola-Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli/St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi he talks about the troubled passionate saint with empathy.
Like St. Francis, Friar Alessandro, 34, has multiple missions and was conflicted in his past. His journey to his final vow, was a precarious soul search, like St. Francis himself.
For a long time his music and his faith were hanging in the balance. Fortunately the release of Voice of Assisi shows that ultimately neither was sacrificed. His voice is pure and pain soaked. The songs heartbreakingly beautiful. Alessandro’s eyes have a permanent twinkle. In his voice you hear the essence of who he is, of being filled with love.
‘When I was a boy I wanted to be a drummer but I knew I would have to study music first, so I began with the organ when I was 9 or 10. At first I was made to do just the solfeggio scale but I wanted to play Bach. I asked my teacher again and again and again and finally he gave me a piece of Bach and I played it well and I continued to study piano and organ and when I was 14 I decided to study specifically music and I went to an experimental school where we had normal lessons, but many many more hours of music.
‘We studied chant, harmony, composition, the history of music and regular things like Latin and philosophy. We worked for six hours in the morning and three in the afternoon and at the same time I was in the music conservatory. At 6am I started from my home (a village) to come toPerugia. When I went to the conservatory it was beautiful.
‘I’d always sung in the choir but I had a tiny voice. One teacher told me that I should sing as well not because she thought I could improve but because she needed the students to fill up her class. I began singing in October 1996 in another class. My voice was still tiny and at the end of the year, by the time I was 19, they were not convinced about me and they thought to stop me, and in that moment I decided to become a friar.
‘I discovered the presence of God, a new presence, a different presence. Not just the feeling of goodness, but God as a person. I felt him close to me. He is in the creation, he is in the people, I felt him inside of me and his love for all people, and not for experiences. Suddenly I was not attracted to experiencing danger. I felt it was love that is important I felt if Jesus gave Himself the only way for me to say thank you was to give myself to him as a consecrated person.
‘I was very afraid of this experience, afraid because I had wanted to become a musician. I wanted to have a family of my own, a wife, children. All this was in opposition with this desire that was borne inside of me. It was a conflict.
‘Then I saw a film about St. Francis. He too started off as a merchant and came to the conclusion that he couldn’t be linked to material things. This was all inside of me but I thought I am just a boy, let’s just think about this for a few years. Maybe there’s another way. Maybe I can be a musician and I can still pray and do something for other people.
I thought for three continuous years. By the time I was 19 I needed help to know if this was a real calling and it was at that moment that I decided to leave studying the organ so I would understand more my new vocation because it simply wasn’t possible to practise five hours a day and study for my vocation. It was a very hard choice, but I thought my music, my organ, was a gift that I had that I wanted to sacrifice to give to God. Of course you need to sacrifice the wrong things not the good things, but I didn’t know that then.’
He didn’t sacrifice his singing because at the time his singing wasn’t as important to him. I kept on singing because I wanted to remain linked to music, but I still wasn’t very good. In fact I wasn’t even allowed to do a singing exam because I was told I would never pass.
The road to Alessandro fulfilling his vocation to become a friar continued to be turbulent. He was told that he could not enter as a postulant unless he passed a singing exam and he had been told by his teachers that he was not up to passing this exam. ‘I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. If I wasn’t going to continue in the Friary it was necessary to have some kind of diploma. I also felt that it was a good thing to have discipline inside of you. You started this study, don’t stop until the conclusion. So I began to train myself with breathing exercises. It was like climbing a mountain, but I studied for hours and hours per day with the kind of breathing that felt as though I was going to break my heart and then it was a miracle, a miracle of training and a miracle of God.
It was his unstoppable desire to fulfil his vocation that drove Alessandro into discovering his voice. He didn’t bring his voice to the vocation; the vocation brought the voice to him – it truly was a gift from God.
‘I found my voice. I passed the exam with a distinction. I began to love opera. I met a friar who introduced me to the voices of the great tenors. I joined the order and when I was a postulant I told my spiritual master I will stop singing now, I just want to be a friar to work and pray together. My master said “No, you will continue. It is a talent from God, you can’t refuse it.”
‘So I continued to sing doing concerts and exhibitions, and then the master said, “Now you are going to stop.” At first it was hard, then I felt a strength because I discovered the music was inside of me. It was another spiritual connection. God’s gift was in my heart. When I woke up in the morning in my heart I heard melodies.
‘This had been a test and when my spiritual master discovered that I was at peace with this and I was able to leave singing he told me I would continue after two months. I had my first profession of vows and then I began to study for the final profession. Then I had a big crisis of faith. I didn’t believe in my vocation. It’s a mystery to me why.
‘I asked for help. They told me it was just a temptation. So after this crisis, which was in November 2001, I decided, like St. Francis, to live like a hermit, in solitude. I could work with wood and I would not wear a habit. I wasn’t tempted by a secular life at that time. I didn’t want to have a girlfriend; it wasn’t that kind of temptation -It was working out if God wanted me to be a Franciscan friar. How was I going to do that when it seemed to me that the Devil was trying to tempt me away from this?
‘I believed in the Lord, but perhaps another lord. I wanted to feel him inside of me. I waited till I would feel myself be a brother of all men and a brother of the friars but I was not so brave to ask to come back. I waited for three years and it was like a self-punishment. I continued singing and woodworking and restoring musical instruments.
‘Eventually I worked out that I should come back and I could still continue singing. I often sing Neapolitan songs and opera songs that are not religious. Why not? People think, “Oh, why is the Friar singing a love song?” Well why not? It’s not required that I’m living what I’m singing. I am just a channel. I am a man, I am a creature. I have feelings inside of me but I channel them to communicate so I am able to sing whatever I want, whatever is beautiful.’
The three years he spent on his own were long and torturous. ‘I would sing every day and weep every day.’ By the time he was ready to re-enter the friary in the January 2005 his singing voice was palpably filled with the love he talks about. Mentally and spiritually he grew stronger and more able to balance his life in music and his life in God.
‘The journey was not easy, but finally I felt I could find balance and do both. After the solemn profession (final vows) in 2009 I was thinking that perhaps I should stop singing and I asked for a sign. There was a celebration of the night prayer and at the end of this prayer a man came and said “Your voice is fantastic. God gave you an incredible gift. When you started to sing I felt something incredible inside of me.” I thought that this was a sign from God.’
Alessandro was singing again in a small church in 2011, when he was encouraged to audition with a manager. The manager was moved and amazed and took his finding to Decca Records who were similarly stunned at the self-doubting friar with the miracle voice. They discovered him to be an extraordinary tenor, his voice velvet and warm. And he has become the first friar to land a deal with a major record label – Universal Music Group.
‘I worried that this was too big a project for me but I also felt that this had happened for a reason, maybe a mission, maybe through God. I don’t love so much the fame, cameras or journalists and indeed the money will go to assist the activities of the Order of the Friars Minor.[4] All of God's picks are vulnerable to Satan's temptations and have to struggle hard to resist them (they are designed be irresistible) because God wants them to exercise their Free Will to choose God and jreject Satan. Since no man can overcome Satan on his own, he must supplicate and ask for divine assistance which is always given freely with love. With God's help, Satan always loses.
[5] http://www.italytravelandlife.com/2013/08/music-of-italy-friar-alessandro/
[6] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A1-11
[7] What I see when Friar Alessandro smiles is joy from deep within the soul, a joy that is pure, that comes from God with a single desire: to be ever closer to God through Jesus Christ by living in His spirit surrounded by the beauty and love of His Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Who Is God And What Is Prayer?
Who is God? God is our creator. Through Jesus Christ, the Son of God and His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are able to have a close, personal relationship with the One nobody has seen or touched. Without Them [1], we are unable to reach the Father. [2], [3]
What is prayer? Prayer is a conversation, not a soliloquy. Prayer is a pleading for divine intervention, for oneself, for someone else or souls that need it. Prayer is a means to express our gratitude for God's gifts. Prayer is a hymn, sung in praise of God. Prayer is a time of holy ecstasy, if we are so lucky to experience even a moment of it once in our lifetime.
Prayers are always welcomed, heard and answered.
Supplicate, and be showered with blessings!
[1] Without the Virgin Mary, we would not have Christ, and without Christ, we would not be able to have access to God, not anymore. See [2] below.
[2] "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" See http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A6&version=NIV
[3] Some segments of the population still believe that they have a direct line to God. That might have been true in the eras before Christ (B.C.) but that line has been cut off because the Commandments, only ten of them (see http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/command.htm), were ignored. I do not believe God has spoken to these people or given them any more tablets (iPads and other android tablets do not count because they are not directly from God) or commandments since Christ was born (Anno Domini or A.D.) 2,013 years ago. Why they are still waiting for their Messiah is a mystery to me when the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ had already taken place.
What is prayer? Prayer is a conversation, not a soliloquy. Prayer is a pleading for divine intervention, for oneself, for someone else or souls that need it. Prayer is a means to express our gratitude for God's gifts. Prayer is a hymn, sung in praise of God. Prayer is a time of holy ecstasy, if we are so lucky to experience even a moment of it once in our lifetime.
Prayers are always welcomed, heard and answered.
Supplicate, and be showered with blessings!
[1] Without the Virgin Mary, we would not have Christ, and without Christ, we would not be able to have access to God, not anymore. See [2] below.
[2] "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" See http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A6&version=NIV
[3] Some segments of the population still believe that they have a direct line to God. That might have been true in the eras before Christ (B.C.) but that line has been cut off because the Commandments, only ten of them (see http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/command.htm), were ignored. I do not believe God has spoken to these people or given them any more tablets (iPads and other android tablets do not count because they are not directly from God) or commandments since Christ was born (Anno Domini or A.D.) 2,013 years ago. Why they are still waiting for their Messiah is a mystery to me when the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ had already taken place.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Demons In Us And In Our Midst
As sinners we live with our very own demons. When they surface, we are vulnerable. Unless we recognize them as such, we are unable to control them and mitigate their influence. When they are known to us, we will be able to recognize them, and when they approach, we must arm ourselves accordingly. We must battle them until we win. These are not battles we can afford to lose. To win, we need God. We need to pray, at the moment of peril, of course, and everyday. We must pray everyday to minimize the powers of Satanic creatures, whether invisible (those in our minds) or visible (those very weak people in our midst who have been successfully demonized--they could be anyone). [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]
[1] I was motivated to write this entry in response to the death of one of my favorite American actors who was tempted by his business partner and Merrill Lynch financial advisor (see http://www.wealthmanagement.ml.com/wm/pages/accolades.aspx?pageurl=TheRodasGroup, internet page accessed 12-1-13 and http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/paul-walkers-death-details-emerge-660827?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thr%2Fnews+%28The+Hollywood+Reporter+-+Top+Stories%29) out of Glendale, California, to leave a charitable fundraiser for a joyride in his cherry-red Porsche, a Carrera GT. See http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2516403/The-final-photograph-Fast--Furious-star-Paul-Walker-pictured-getting-friends-high-powered-Porsche-GT-just-moments-engulfed-deadly-ball.html
[2] The two prayers that come to mind are:
For the deceased -
Oratio Fatima
Domine Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra, salva nos ab igne inferni, perduc in caelum omnes animas, praesertim eas quae misericordiae tuae maximae indigent. See http://www.thesacredheart.com/latpray.htm#ljesus (scroll down until the section entitled "Rosarium Rosary" appears, then scroll down further within that section.)
For all who are plagued by demons -
Oratio Sanctum Michael
Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio, cóntra nequítiam et insídias diáboli ésto præsídium. Ímperet ílli Déus, súpplices deprecámur: tuque, prínceps milítiæ cæléstis, Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos, qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in múndo, divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde. Ámen. See http://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/b009rpMichael.htm
[3] For those who do not believe in the unseen, listen to what Paul Walker said "prophetically" in response to interviewer Philbrick's parting comment that he'll see Walker on Fast 8 in the final seconds of this interview starting at about 3:40: http://www.iamrogue.com/roguetv/video-interviews/item/10202-exclusive-video-paul-walker-talks-hours-in-one-of-his-final-interviews.html
[4] If Vin Diesel is right about Heaven gaining a new angel in Paul Walker, and Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson is right about Paul Walker being a "light," then where did the other guy who snuffed out Paul Walker's light go? See http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/12/01/paul-walker-death-costars-react-vin-diesel/ I wonder if the second part of Oratio Fatima will help the reckless driver. Confessedly, I at first refused to think of him in my prayer but I later yielded to my better, more compassionate side and said one for him so that his soul might be saved. God knew I would say it eventually so I do not think the prayer arrived too late to be a part of the scale that counterbalances Truth and Justice with compassion. Actually, I read about this character in a Merrill Lynch magazine a few years ago, about how he made his initial acquaintance with Paul Walker. At the time I formed my opinions about him, whether right or wrong, I had not expected the ending to be a tragic one. I think if Paul Walker is already a soul in Heaven, he would have forgiven the driver and prayed for his salvation.
[5] A bit of insight as to who Paul Walker was in his own words and in the words of his life coach, Jesse Brisendine: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/paul-walker-dead-tragic-actor-2873139 The words Paul Walker wanted on his tombstone reveals the beauty of his humility: "he was a good guy and a kind person." Sadly, perhaps, too good a guy and too kind a person who fell prey to Evil that is always present, calculating and systematic. Do not fall prey to Evil. Pray to God. Prayers are man's only defense against Evil's incessant advances.
[1] I was motivated to write this entry in response to the death of one of my favorite American actors who was tempted by his business partner and Merrill Lynch financial advisor (see http://www.wealthmanagement.ml.com/wm/pages/accolades.aspx?pageurl=TheRodasGroup, internet page accessed 12-1-13 and http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/paul-walkers-death-details-emerge-660827?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thr%2Fnews+%28The+Hollywood+Reporter+-+Top+Stories%29) out of Glendale, California, to leave a charitable fundraiser for a joyride in his cherry-red Porsche, a Carrera GT. See http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2516403/The-final-photograph-Fast--Furious-star-Paul-Walker-pictured-getting-friends-high-powered-Porsche-GT-just-moments-engulfed-deadly-ball.html
[2] The two prayers that come to mind are:
For the deceased -
Oratio Fatima
Domine Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra, salva nos ab igne inferni, perduc in caelum omnes animas, praesertim eas quae misericordiae tuae maximae indigent. See http://www.thesacredheart.com/latpray.htm#ljesus (scroll down until the section entitled "Rosarium Rosary" appears, then scroll down further within that section.)
For all who are plagued by demons -
Oratio Sanctum Michael
Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio, cóntra nequítiam et insídias diáboli ésto præsídium. Ímperet ílli Déus, súpplices deprecámur: tuque, prínceps milítiæ cæléstis, Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos, qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in múndo, divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde. Ámen. See http://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/b009rpMichael.htm
[3] For those who do not believe in the unseen, listen to what Paul Walker said "prophetically" in response to interviewer Philbrick's parting comment that he'll see Walker on Fast 8 in the final seconds of this interview starting at about 3:40: http://www.iamrogue.com/roguetv/video-interviews/item/10202-exclusive-video-paul-walker-talks-hours-in-one-of-his-final-interviews.html
[4] If Vin Diesel is right about Heaven gaining a new angel in Paul Walker, and Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson is right about Paul Walker being a "light," then where did the other guy who snuffed out Paul Walker's light go? See http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/12/01/paul-walker-death-costars-react-vin-diesel/ I wonder if the second part of Oratio Fatima will help the reckless driver. Confessedly, I at first refused to think of him in my prayer but I later yielded to my better, more compassionate side and said one for him so that his soul might be saved. God knew I would say it eventually so I do not think the prayer arrived too late to be a part of the scale that counterbalances Truth and Justice with compassion. Actually, I read about this character in a Merrill Lynch magazine a few years ago, about how he made his initial acquaintance with Paul Walker. At the time I formed my opinions about him, whether right or wrong, I had not expected the ending to be a tragic one. I think if Paul Walker is already a soul in Heaven, he would have forgiven the driver and prayed for his salvation.
[5] A bit of insight as to who Paul Walker was in his own words and in the words of his life coach, Jesse Brisendine: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/paul-walker-dead-tragic-actor-2873139 The words Paul Walker wanted on his tombstone reveals the beauty of his humility: "he was a good guy and a kind person." Sadly, perhaps, too good a guy and too kind a person who fell prey to Evil that is always present, calculating and systematic. Do not fall prey to Evil. Pray to God. Prayers are man's only defense against Evil's incessant advances.
Loving God - Words By Sainte Thérèse di Lisieux
From Manuscript C, in Thérèse own words, translated by John Clarke, O.C.D.:
[1] Thérèse, de Lisieux, Saint. Story of a Soul The Autobiography of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux . 3rd Edition. Translated by John Clarke, O.C.D. Washington D.C.: Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, Inc., 1996, p.256.
[2] The words that struck me are these: "For me to love You as You love me, I would have to borrow Your own Love, and then only would I be at rest" -- original, profound and saintly. Only with the grace of God can one's love for God be so sweetly and humbly expressed. I would like to memorize this in the original French and use as a prayer. See http://www.archives-carmel-lisieux.fr/english/carmel/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=356:ms-c-35r&catid=11&Itemid=107 One day I hope to find someone to help me read her writing and pronounce the words. I think the sentence begins after the second exclamation mark (!) on the image and before "O mon Jésus ....
You know, O my God, I have never desired anything but to love You, and I am ambitious for no other glory. Your love has gone before me, and it has grown with me, and now it is an abyss whose depths I cannot fathom. Love attracts love, and, my Jesus, my love leaps toward Yours; it would like to fill the abyss which attracts it, but alas! it is not even like a drop of dew lost in the ocean! For me to love You as You love me, I would have to borrow Your own Love, and then only would I be at rest. (Emphasis original.) [1], [2]
[1] Thérèse, de Lisieux, Saint. Story of a Soul The Autobiography of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux . 3rd Edition. Translated by John Clarke, O.C.D. Washington D.C.: Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, Inc., 1996, p.256.
[2] The words that struck me are these: "For me to love You as You love me, I would have to borrow Your own Love, and then only would I be at rest" -- original, profound and saintly. Only with the grace of God can one's love for God be so sweetly and humbly expressed. I would like to memorize this in the original French and use as a prayer. See http://www.archives-carmel-lisieux.fr/english/carmel/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=356:ms-c-35r&catid=11&Itemid=107 One day I hope to find someone to help me read her writing and pronounce the words. I think the sentence begins after the second exclamation mark (!) on the image and before "O mon Jésus ....
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Giving Thanks
Every forth Thursday in November is Thanksgiving, a national holiday in the United States. [1], [2]
A holiday that has been designated for people to give thanks to each other and to God is a beautiful thing but the spirit of gratitude seems to have given way to materialism. Retailers are tripping over each other to start their sales earlier and earlier and quite a number of people have been transformed into ravenous consumers, some even going as far as camping out in front of certain stores for days in order to be one of the first to purchase something on sale. I wonder if any of these people who line up for material indulgences and make time to go shopping ever spend a few minutes remembering God's gifts, among them life, Free Will and creativity [3] and say with sincere gratitude a prayer of thanks.
[1] The history of Thanksgiving in the United States can be traced back to a corn harvest in November 1621 during which the English settlers who sailed on the Mayflower gave thanks to the indigenous American Indians who taught them, among other things, how to grow corn. See http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving
[2] I have never paid much attention to the history of Thanksgiving, because secular history is not something that interests me and because I am a deracinated individual (by choice) whose original birthplace has no such holiday.
[3] This is the first time I have mentioned creativity being a gift of God. I placed it after Free Will to underscore its importance. Highlighting creativity as part of God's many gifts came to mind during my Thanksgiving gathering with family this afternoon. Creativity can be achieved within science but scientific creativity is limited by the laws of physics. The creativity that is unlimited is achievable by our imagination, made possible by the grace of God, and I would like to believe that it is communicable with words, music and art which, arguably, are limited by human experience, physics and materials. However, words, music and art are not the end products; they are intermediaries: they serve only as suggestions, like imaginary stepping-stones, that lead one from one place where things can be seen and heard and possible to another where things can only be imagined but not possible in this world. Whether a communicated image that is otherworldly is a true vision of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory or a likeness of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory that can best be imagined by the limited human mind and expressed by the even more limited human language using words, music or art is beyond my abilities to determine. As an example, I quoted how Dante described one of his visions of Heaven, translated by John Ciardi, at http://lemomentdepaix.blogspot.com/2013/11/dantes-glimpse-of-heaven-in-third-sphere.html
A holiday that has been designated for people to give thanks to each other and to God is a beautiful thing but the spirit of gratitude seems to have given way to materialism. Retailers are tripping over each other to start their sales earlier and earlier and quite a number of people have been transformed into ravenous consumers, some even going as far as camping out in front of certain stores for days in order to be one of the first to purchase something on sale. I wonder if any of these people who line up for material indulgences and make time to go shopping ever spend a few minutes remembering God's gifts, among them life, Free Will and creativity [3] and say with sincere gratitude a prayer of thanks.
[1] The history of Thanksgiving in the United States can be traced back to a corn harvest in November 1621 during which the English settlers who sailed on the Mayflower gave thanks to the indigenous American Indians who taught them, among other things, how to grow corn. See http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving
[2] I have never paid much attention to the history of Thanksgiving, because secular history is not something that interests me and because I am a deracinated individual (by choice) whose original birthplace has no such holiday.
[3] This is the first time I have mentioned creativity being a gift of God. I placed it after Free Will to underscore its importance. Highlighting creativity as part of God's many gifts came to mind during my Thanksgiving gathering with family this afternoon. Creativity can be achieved within science but scientific creativity is limited by the laws of physics. The creativity that is unlimited is achievable by our imagination, made possible by the grace of God, and I would like to believe that it is communicable with words, music and art which, arguably, are limited by human experience, physics and materials. However, words, music and art are not the end products; they are intermediaries: they serve only as suggestions, like imaginary stepping-stones, that lead one from one place where things can be seen and heard and possible to another where things can only be imagined but not possible in this world. Whether a communicated image that is otherworldly is a true vision of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory or a likeness of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory that can best be imagined by the limited human mind and expressed by the even more limited human language using words, music or art is beyond my abilities to determine. As an example, I quoted how Dante described one of his visions of Heaven, translated by John Ciardi, at http://lemomentdepaix.blogspot.com/2013/11/dantes-glimpse-of-heaven-in-third-sphere.html
Monday, November 25, 2013
Divine Energy
Back on November 10, I said that an energy consumed by pure Evil without any sense of compunction forever repels Divine Energy that is Pure and all Good and that we by our Free Will choose our ultimate destination by the source of our
focus and the direction of our drive in our earthly lives. [1] Today in Sermons of the Curé of Ars, [2] I found support for my statement when I read the sermon on death. [3] Sainte Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney said: [4]
[1] http://lemomentdepaix.blogspot.com/2013/11/serve-with-love.html
[2] Ven. Curé of Ars (Jean Baptiste Marie Vianney), Sermons of the Curé of Ars (Minnesota: The Neumann Press, 1984).
[3] I have said it before: nothing I write about in this blog is new. That is a good thing because that means my experiences are normal and my thoughts are not all that farfetched. I write because sometimes I enjoy it, and sometimes I feel compelled to do so. I write what comes to my mind that I think is worth sharing, however strange, however theoretically abstruse, even though it may lack originality. I thank Google's blogger.com for giving me this platform and I thank everyone who has visited my blog.
[4] The book has a note that is bothersome. It is on page iv, quoted below:
[5] Ven. Curé of Ars (Jean Baptiste Marie Vianney), Sermons of the Curé of Ars (Minnesota: The Neumann Press, 1984), 25-36.
[6] Ibid., 31.
If a person is at the moment of death possessed of a vicious habit, his soul will descend into hell; if, on the other hand, the soul is in a perfect condition, it will forthwith take its flight to heaven. If it falls to our lot to have to go purgatory, we will surely find the path some day. All this depends on the life which we have led. It is certain that our death will correspond with our life. If we have lived as good Christians and in fear of the Lord, we shall die as good Christians and live with the Lord for all eternity. But if, on the contrary, we have lived for our passions, our pleasures, and excesses, then we shall without fail die in sin. [5]
Yes, my friends, as the life, so the death. Do not hope for a miracle, which God vouchsafes but seldom. If you live in sin you will die in sin. [6]The sermon talked about a habit that is vicious, such as living for our passions, our pleasures and excesses. While such a habit may not be pure Evil on its face, it is pure Evil considering the elements underlying it, among them, the absence of God, the abuse of the mind (e.g., engaging in intellectual dishonesty) and body (e.g. indulging in drugs, sex and alcohol) and the presence of greed with all of its variations such as having different kinds of insatiable desires and obsessions. These are palpable life situations and the sermon inspired me to dwell on them. I was more abstract when I spoke of an evil energy that is incompatible with Divine Energy. I believe that the energy of a being is also the energy of the soul. When the being dies, the soul inherits the energy of the being. The energy is not transformed. During life, if the being's energy is an angry, bitter and vengeful energy, it will remain as such in the afterlife--negative. That negative energy is sourced in Evil and it is destined for the receptacle of all sinister energies, Hell. Negative energy repels Divine Energy and is repelled by Divine Energy. Negative energy and Divine Energy are polar opposites, and unlike magnets, these polar opposites do not attract. Therefore, a soul consumed by negative energy will only have access to Hell and nowhere else. However, if a being with negative energy has retained a certain uneasiness about the negativity, this compunction then ought to allow the willing soul admittance to Purgatory and unity with Divine Energy some time later.
[1] http://lemomentdepaix.blogspot.com/2013/11/serve-with-love.html
[2] Ven. Curé of Ars (Jean Baptiste Marie Vianney), Sermons of the Curé of Ars (Minnesota: The Neumann Press, 1984).
[3] I have said it before: nothing I write about in this blog is new. That is a good thing because that means my experiences are normal and my thoughts are not all that farfetched. I write because sometimes I enjoy it, and sometimes I feel compelled to do so. I write what comes to my mind that I think is worth sharing, however strange, however theoretically abstruse, even though it may lack originality. I thank Google's blogger.com for giving me this platform and I thank everyone who has visited my blog.
[4] The book has a note that is bothersome. It is on page iv, quoted below:
Note.--In order to present a complete set of sermons for the ecclesiastical year, a few sermons for Sundays and feasts, not found among those of the Curé of Ars, have been added to this volume by other authors.Which "few sermons" that were added by other authors were not identified. I would rather have a few less sermons but all of which are the work of Sainte Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney. So frustrating.
[5] Ven. Curé of Ars (Jean Baptiste Marie Vianney), Sermons of the Curé of Ars (Minnesota: The Neumann Press, 1984), 25-36.
[6] Ibid., 31.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Dante's Glimpse Of Heaven In The Third Sphere
In Dante Alighieri's words, in Canto VIII of The Paradiso, translated by John Ciardi:
[1] Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy. The Paradiso. Trans. John Ciardi. New York: New American Library, 2003, p.657.
so I saw lights circling within that lightI believe anyone who can describe a non-static image of Heaven, including images that defy the earthly laws of physics, has either been given a vision of the true Heaven or the likeness of Heaven that can best be grasped by the limited human mind and expressed in the even more limited human language. I also believe that Heaven has far more beautiful sights than this planet and the universe it is in have, and they are as different as the different descriptions people have given.
at various speeds, each, I suppose, proportioned
to its eternal vision of delight. [1]
[1] Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy. The Paradiso. Trans. John Ciardi. New York: New American Library, 2003, p.657.
Friday, November 22, 2013
The Antipodes: Holy Poverty And Economic Poverty
Holy poverty and economic poverty are in economic terms the same poverty but they are situated as far apart from each other as the mind can imagine.
Holy poverty is by choice. The best example is San Francesco d'Assisi. He was the decadent son of a wealthy merchant who chose to become poor and lived on alms. He became a saint by following the footsteps of Christ. While leading his life of holy poverty, he was granted the ability to perform miracles and was given the stigmata. [1]
By contrast, economic poverty is a result of circumstance either of birth or of societal ills. I have not yet come across the efficient allocation of poverty where the economically poor are truly holy. To put it bluntly and perhaps cruelly, it would be simplest, and most efficient, for the poor to choose to stay poor and live a saintly life of holy poverty. That is not the case, however.
The one exception I know is Sainte Bernadette Soubirous who lived in abject poverty with her parents and siblings, and whose nature was kind and courteous. [2] She would become the saint who would give the world the miraculous healing water of Lourdes after encountering the Blessed Virgin Mary and doing exactly as She instructed. The Lord has not given us too many saints like Bernadette.
If the poor in this world would choose to live in holy poverty like San Francesco d'Assisi or without envy like Sainte Bernadette Soubirous, there may not be another war. Those who are poor have not made such choices, but if they did choose to follow Christ, they could do it right away without having to sell any of their possessions (they have none). [3]
The poor are not to blame. As sinners, the poor, like everyone other sinner, are vulnerable to Satan's temptation. Before the poor, Satan has placed the fruit of envy and before the wealthy, the fruit of greed. Just like our first parents, Adam and Eve, we have eaten what we do not have to.
Most of us sinners, whether wealthy or poor, have chosen not to live in holy poverty and follow Christ like San Francesco d'Assisi. We have, under the supervision and with the support of Satan, created a divide that can never be closed, a scale of justice that will never be in balance. [4]
In dealing with inequality, all Satan wants us to do, including the priests and those in charge of the Vatican, is to be hypocrites, to pay lip service to social justice, like writing a catechism on the topic [5], playing politics with the poor by trading false promises for power or blogging about poverty online, pointing our fingers at every other secular entity or government or every other religious group except ourselves.
In the final analysis, we who have not chosen the path of Christ are all to a certain extent, greater or smaller, living in unholy poverty (spiritual, economic or both) that is antipodal to Holy poverty.
[1] http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06221a.htm
[2] http://www.biographyonline.net/spiritual/bernadette-soubirious.html
[3] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+19%3A21&version=NIV; http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+18%3A22; and http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+10%3A21&version=ESV
[4] "We" in the sentence include the rich and powerful whose greed makes them want to exploit sadistically the earth's resources and those inferior to them as well as the powerless paupers whose refusal to be productive (referring to charitable or for-profit productivity and not procreative productivity--that they excel in with abandon) makes them envious, bitter, angry and vengeful. Without prayer, we would swirl deeper and deeper into the vortex of depravity, the dark hole of hopelessness that Satan designed to trap people's souls during life so they can be Hell-bound after death.
[5] http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c2a3.htm
Holy poverty is by choice. The best example is San Francesco d'Assisi. He was the decadent son of a wealthy merchant who chose to become poor and lived on alms. He became a saint by following the footsteps of Christ. While leading his life of holy poverty, he was granted the ability to perform miracles and was given the stigmata. [1]
By contrast, economic poverty is a result of circumstance either of birth or of societal ills. I have not yet come across the efficient allocation of poverty where the economically poor are truly holy. To put it bluntly and perhaps cruelly, it would be simplest, and most efficient, for the poor to choose to stay poor and live a saintly life of holy poverty. That is not the case, however.
The one exception I know is Sainte Bernadette Soubirous who lived in abject poverty with her parents and siblings, and whose nature was kind and courteous. [2] She would become the saint who would give the world the miraculous healing water of Lourdes after encountering the Blessed Virgin Mary and doing exactly as She instructed. The Lord has not given us too many saints like Bernadette.
If the poor in this world would choose to live in holy poverty like San Francesco d'Assisi or without envy like Sainte Bernadette Soubirous, there may not be another war. Those who are poor have not made such choices, but if they did choose to follow Christ, they could do it right away without having to sell any of their possessions (they have none). [3]
The poor are not to blame. As sinners, the poor, like everyone other sinner, are vulnerable to Satan's temptation. Before the poor, Satan has placed the fruit of envy and before the wealthy, the fruit of greed. Just like our first parents, Adam and Eve, we have eaten what we do not have to.
Most of us sinners, whether wealthy or poor, have chosen not to live in holy poverty and follow Christ like San Francesco d'Assisi. We have, under the supervision and with the support of Satan, created a divide that can never be closed, a scale of justice that will never be in balance. [4]
In dealing with inequality, all Satan wants us to do, including the priests and those in charge of the Vatican, is to be hypocrites, to pay lip service to social justice, like writing a catechism on the topic [5], playing politics with the poor by trading false promises for power or blogging about poverty online, pointing our fingers at every other secular entity or government or every other religious group except ourselves.
In the final analysis, we who have not chosen the path of Christ are all to a certain extent, greater or smaller, living in unholy poverty (spiritual, economic or both) that is antipodal to Holy poverty.
[1] http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06221a.htm
[2] http://www.biographyonline.net/spiritual/bernadette-soubirious.html
[3] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+19%3A21&version=NIV; http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+18%3A22; and http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+10%3A21&version=ESV
[4] "We" in the sentence include the rich and powerful whose greed makes them want to exploit sadistically the earth's resources and those inferior to them as well as the powerless paupers whose refusal to be productive (referring to charitable or for-profit productivity and not procreative productivity--that they excel in with abandon) makes them envious, bitter, angry and vengeful. Without prayer, we would swirl deeper and deeper into the vortex of depravity, the dark hole of hopelessness that Satan designed to trap people's souls during life so they can be Hell-bound after death.
[5] http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c2a3.htm
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
An Afterthought on "Holy Victim"
I have written quite a few entries stating that Christ is not a victim, even though Christ is Holy. [1] I have not changed my mind; I just want to add an afterthought.
Some people may think that "Holy Victim" sounds good, and that by putting the word "holy" in front of the word "victim" and capitalizing both words would somehow transform the meaning of victim into something otherworldly and therefore the two words together, capitalized, would describe Christ appropriately. They cannot be more wrong.
In the English language, many idioms begin with the word "holy" which is followed by an obscene or vulgar four-letter word. From what I know, an obscene act or a vulgar by-product preceded by the word "holy" is not transformed into something otherworldly. Based on this reality, a victim is also not transformed into someone otherworldly when the word "holy" is placed before it, with or without capitalization.[2]
[1] http://lemomentdepaix.blogspot.com/2013/10/my-final-analysis-christ-is-not-victim.html
[2] Having made my argument, I now contradict myself by saying that it does not apply to the Holy Spirit or the Holy Trinity. Holy Spirit is a name, a proper noun. It is part of the Holy Trinity. Likewise, Holy Trinity is also a name, a proper noun, to address the Father, Son and Holy Spirit together. "Holy Victim," on the other hand, is not a name for Jesus Christ--it is a gratuitous, superfluous and affected attempt to describe Jesus. It is very wrong, like calling Christmas Holy Victim's Birthday. Christ is our hope for eternal salvation, not an eternal victim to be pitied through the ages.
Some people may think that "Holy Victim" sounds good, and that by putting the word "holy" in front of the word "victim" and capitalizing both words would somehow transform the meaning of victim into something otherworldly and therefore the two words together, capitalized, would describe Christ appropriately. They cannot be more wrong.
In the English language, many idioms begin with the word "holy" which is followed by an obscene or vulgar four-letter word. From what I know, an obscene act or a vulgar by-product preceded by the word "holy" is not transformed into something otherworldly. Based on this reality, a victim is also not transformed into someone otherworldly when the word "holy" is placed before it, with or without capitalization.[2]
[1] http://lemomentdepaix.blogspot.com/2013/10/my-final-analysis-christ-is-not-victim.html
[2] Having made my argument, I now contradict myself by saying that it does not apply to the Holy Spirit or the Holy Trinity. Holy Spirit is a name, a proper noun. It is part of the Holy Trinity. Likewise, Holy Trinity is also a name, a proper noun, to address the Father, Son and Holy Spirit together. "Holy Victim," on the other hand, is not a name for Jesus Christ--it is a gratuitous, superfluous and affected attempt to describe Jesus. It is very wrong, like calling Christmas Holy Victim's Birthday. Christ is our hope for eternal salvation, not an eternal victim to be pitied through the ages.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Confident In Love
For someone without a bloated ego, having confidence in oneself is challenging, especially one who is young, who lacks the requisite "looks," talent, intellect, knowledge or experience necessary to be "someone," someone who stands out among friends or family, someone who seems to get all the attention.
Do not envy those who bow to all the applause and receive all the accolades. Such things are ephemeral. Silence will return as soon as the applause stops and the next presentation of accolades will eclipse the last and the applause will be for someone else.
In the shadow of the spotlight, one can easily wallow in dejection, alone and unnoticed, quiet in pain. During these difficult and vulnerable periods, know that God's love is constant. Beware also that Satan's wickedness is also constant.
A time when one is vulnerable, when one has no sign of God's presence, is not a time to turn away from God, to abandon one's faith and turn toward Satan. One must pray, especially in the most painful and lonely of moments, until the pain subsides somewhat, until one has gain back the courage and energy to do the things one normally do.
One must not turn to over-the-counter (non-prescription) pain-killers, alcohol or illicit drugs, all of which Satan puts on the table as quick-fixes. They are not quick-fixes--they are addictive and ruinous. To consume them is to help Satan realize its goal: to ruin souls. Be very careful not to step into Satan's hell holes on this earth, then sink deeper into them, for the climb back up is more painful than the original pain, however much it hurts, for however many times and for however long.
While Satan's presence is apparent why is God's not? Why could God not work a miracle and heal instantly the pains of sadness by filling one's interior with joy and fulfillment? I could not answer these questions during a time when I personally experienced such pains, pains so sharp they pierced into the depths of my being. I did not go to therapy, consume alcohol, take medication or drugs. I prayed.
I prayed every time the pain returned, and every time it came back, I noticed that it was shallower, more tolerable. [1] It was no fun going through those episodes. I still recall how painful they were, where I was when the pain attacked, how I contorted my body, how lonely I felt.
Looking back, if I knew what I am writing now, I would have had an easier time. I would have told myself to be confident in love, in the love of God. I prayed then, but I did not embrace the love of God. I did not know how to embrace God. I know a bit more now. To embrace God's love means not embracing myself. I was embracing myself, not God. My focus was entirely on myself, the self-pity, the loneliness, the world that was against all that I was, perhaps it was, but that was no reason to embrace myself even more tightly, ever more dearly.
If I had embraced God ever so dearly instead of myself, I would be able to stand upright, swing open wide my door, step outside and show the world that I have confidence in how I am able to love anyone, in the way God loves everyone, regardless of how I looked or what I lacked in talent, knowledge, experience or intellect. I would be able to embrace with my spirit the most beautiful, the most angelic of God's creations without the desire to possess but with love that is given freely without any expectation of reciprocity. To love this way is to love as God loves, as Christ loves, and as the Blessed Virgin Mary loves.
So why did God not show me my fault and the cure then? Was God an absent parent? No. Without having experienced the pain, I would never have known it. As difficult as it was for me to tolerate it, it could not compare to the immense intensity of the many layers of pain Christ suffered in humility when He was betrayed, scourged, forced to wear a crown of thorns and taunted as a king and crucified by those who rejected Him, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Heart of Heaven that bled for the redemption of Sin and the salvation of souls. For me to have felt a very tiny bit of one of the many pains of Christ was and continues to be a blessing. It is God's gift of a never-ending grace. God was there to give it and I was blessed to receive it. [2]
[1] Prayers heal the soul. The soul, in turn, heals the mind. That must have been what happened in my case.
[2] God is never absent. We do not feel God's presence because we do not want to know what is good for us and do not believe what is good for us can be a bitter pill. Sometimes we need to go through difficult periods in order to correct our faults and experience Christ personally. That is a blessing. Those who curse at life's challenges and become more and more bitter are on the losing side of the battle against Satan. To lose that battle is to turn one's life into a living hell. A person might say that his life is already a living hell. To turn it around, he should first ask himself: "How humble am I? How sincerely and unconditionally have I loved, not myself but God and others?" Then he should humble himself and start to love God and others sincerely and unconditionally.
Do not envy those who bow to all the applause and receive all the accolades. Such things are ephemeral. Silence will return as soon as the applause stops and the next presentation of accolades will eclipse the last and the applause will be for someone else.
In the shadow of the spotlight, one can easily wallow in dejection, alone and unnoticed, quiet in pain. During these difficult and vulnerable periods, know that God's love is constant. Beware also that Satan's wickedness is also constant.
A time when one is vulnerable, when one has no sign of God's presence, is not a time to turn away from God, to abandon one's faith and turn toward Satan. One must pray, especially in the most painful and lonely of moments, until the pain subsides somewhat, until one has gain back the courage and energy to do the things one normally do.
One must not turn to over-the-counter (non-prescription) pain-killers, alcohol or illicit drugs, all of which Satan puts on the table as quick-fixes. They are not quick-fixes--they are addictive and ruinous. To consume them is to help Satan realize its goal: to ruin souls. Be very careful not to step into Satan's hell holes on this earth, then sink deeper into them, for the climb back up is more painful than the original pain, however much it hurts, for however many times and for however long.
While Satan's presence is apparent why is God's not? Why could God not work a miracle and heal instantly the pains of sadness by filling one's interior with joy and fulfillment? I could not answer these questions during a time when I personally experienced such pains, pains so sharp they pierced into the depths of my being. I did not go to therapy, consume alcohol, take medication or drugs. I prayed.
I prayed every time the pain returned, and every time it came back, I noticed that it was shallower, more tolerable. [1] It was no fun going through those episodes. I still recall how painful they were, where I was when the pain attacked, how I contorted my body, how lonely I felt.
Looking back, if I knew what I am writing now, I would have had an easier time. I would have told myself to be confident in love, in the love of God. I prayed then, but I did not embrace the love of God. I did not know how to embrace God. I know a bit more now. To embrace God's love means not embracing myself. I was embracing myself, not God. My focus was entirely on myself, the self-pity, the loneliness, the world that was against all that I was, perhaps it was, but that was no reason to embrace myself even more tightly, ever more dearly.
If I had embraced God ever so dearly instead of myself, I would be able to stand upright, swing open wide my door, step outside and show the world that I have confidence in how I am able to love anyone, in the way God loves everyone, regardless of how I looked or what I lacked in talent, knowledge, experience or intellect. I would be able to embrace with my spirit the most beautiful, the most angelic of God's creations without the desire to possess but with love that is given freely without any expectation of reciprocity. To love this way is to love as God loves, as Christ loves, and as the Blessed Virgin Mary loves.
So why did God not show me my fault and the cure then? Was God an absent parent? No. Without having experienced the pain, I would never have known it. As difficult as it was for me to tolerate it, it could not compare to the immense intensity of the many layers of pain Christ suffered in humility when He was betrayed, scourged, forced to wear a crown of thorns and taunted as a king and crucified by those who rejected Him, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Heart of Heaven that bled for the redemption of Sin and the salvation of souls. For me to have felt a very tiny bit of one of the many pains of Christ was and continues to be a blessing. It is God's gift of a never-ending grace. God was there to give it and I was blessed to receive it. [2]
[1] Prayers heal the soul. The soul, in turn, heals the mind. That must have been what happened in my case.
[2] God is never absent. We do not feel God's presence because we do not want to know what is good for us and do not believe what is good for us can be a bitter pill. Sometimes we need to go through difficult periods in order to correct our faults and experience Christ personally. That is a blessing. Those who curse at life's challenges and become more and more bitter are on the losing side of the battle against Satan. To lose that battle is to turn one's life into a living hell. A person might say that his life is already a living hell. To turn it around, he should first ask himself: "How humble am I? How sincerely and unconditionally have I loved, not myself but God and others?" Then he should humble himself and start to love God and others sincerely and unconditionally.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
What Is God?
Pope Benedict XVI's first encyclical, "a letter addressed by the pope to all the bishops of the church", [1] was entitled God is Love: Deus Caritas Est. I have not yet read it but the title clearly indicates that Pope Benedict XVI believes that God is Love.
With God's plenary love, one has no need to fear or worry provided that one prays often and trusts God completely. The stronger the faith, the less the fear and worry, the greater the inner peace.
Attaining inner peace does not mean one does nothing; it means that one must act as necessary with the aid of prayers to achieve it since many people are deceitful and manipulative in their words and conduct. In them, evil works to sow discord and distrust, generating fears, worries and stress that replace inner peace, which is an extension of God's love. [2]
To diminish Satan's influence on them, prayers are indispensable, as is the Truth, for Satan detests prayers and fears the Truth. Those under Satan's influence are constantly avoiding, disguising and attacking the Truth so that evil in every form imaginable can achieve its selfish or diabolical ends. [3] Protect oneself against attacks by the minions of Satan that are everywhere by praying and living in God's love and by God's Truth since God is love and God's love is the absolute Truth. Use prayers as the sword the Truth as the shield.
Even when properly armed, one cannot deter Satan's attacks which can be frequent, painful and devastating. Matthew 10:28 states: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body [or torment the mind] but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." [4] By praying, believing and living in God's Truth and forgiving, one can have inner peace even in the face of death (including a natural death) or persecution. Prayers, together with forgiveness, will soothe the pains of torment and nurture the growth of inner peace.
Prayers alone, without forgiveness, are ineffective because the absence of forgiveness is the presence of anger and vengeance and they are weapons against oneself, putting continuous stress on the body and the mind to the delight of Satan. To completely overcome Satan, Christ on the cross prayed with these words: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." [5] One must learn to do the same to triumph over Satan, not with hate and retaliation, but with prayer and forgiveness so that the peace that Christ has given with these words can thrive within oneself: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives." [6], [7], [8], [9]
Inner peace can only germinate within a tranquil soul undisturbed by the cares and evils of the world and will perish surrounded by such disturbances. Attaining inner peace is not easy, keeping it alive is very difficult. Even Francesco d'Assisi had to escape from the crowds [10] and go into solitude to nurture it, to keep God close to him, to share in the peace of Christ, given to all by God for God is love.
[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/encyclical?s=t
[2] The words of Christ, the Son of God: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives." See http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A27&version=NIV
[3] If everyone knows the Truth, no one would side with Satan making it irrelevant. Satan's relevance in this world is its greatest accomplishment, allowing it to lead as many souls as possible to perdition.
[4] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt.%2010.28
[5] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=LUKE%2023:34
[6] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A27&version=NIV
[7] Christ's prayer for the forgiveness of sinners on the cross does not contradict the second sentence in Matthew 10:28, warning everyone to "be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" because God's plenary love is not a blind love: it is an unconditionally forgiving love, which is why Christ had to pray to God the Father to forgive His persecutors because if Christ did not intercede for them and ask forgiveness on their behalf, there could not be forgiveness because in order to be forgiven one or one's intercessor must first pray to God for forgiveness. Those who conspired to put Christ to death did not believe that they did anything wrong and therefore would not think to ask for forgiveness. Without Christ praying for their forgiveness, their souls and bodies could not be forgiven and would have to suffer continuous and eternal destruction in Hell.
[8] The implication that God cannot forgive a person who has not prayed for forgiveness himself or by his intercessor does not mean that it is wrong to believe that God is love. God is love because God is ready, willing and able to forgive as soon as a sinner by his Free Will no longer wishes to hold onto his sins and reject God. How a person who does not personally pray for forgiveness and has not willed freely to be forgiven is able to receive God's forgiveness is a miracle made possible by the grace of God. I do not know how exactly the miracle works without contravening the Gift of Free Will. Perhaps the person is given a peek at the Truth and a second chance to repent, and if he still does not repent, then by his Free Will, he would have made the ultimate choice and God would have to let him go and let his choice be permanent.
[9] My proposed axiom that God cannot grant forgiveness except man himself or his intercessor prays to God for forgiveness does not apply to man. Man is not God. Man must forgive those who have sinned against him even though they have not asked for forgiveness. Not forgiving means not ever having inner peace. Indifference is not enough because indifference without forgiveness is a denial of forgiveness. To have inner peace one must have forgiven fully every wrong. Inner peace is God's peace, it is a peace that is from God's love, given to all by Christ Who has forgiven, a peace not of this world (John 14:27), a peace from God Who is love.
[10] From the book, Armstrong, Regis J. O.F.M. Cap. et.al. Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Volume I, The Saint. Page 409. New York: New York City Press, 2000, the following is excerpted:
With God's plenary love, one has no need to fear or worry provided that one prays often and trusts God completely. The stronger the faith, the less the fear and worry, the greater the inner peace.
Attaining inner peace does not mean one does nothing; it means that one must act as necessary with the aid of prayers to achieve it since many people are deceitful and manipulative in their words and conduct. In them, evil works to sow discord and distrust, generating fears, worries and stress that replace inner peace, which is an extension of God's love. [2]
To diminish Satan's influence on them, prayers are indispensable, as is the Truth, for Satan detests prayers and fears the Truth. Those under Satan's influence are constantly avoiding, disguising and attacking the Truth so that evil in every form imaginable can achieve its selfish or diabolical ends. [3] Protect oneself against attacks by the minions of Satan that are everywhere by praying and living in God's love and by God's Truth since God is love and God's love is the absolute Truth. Use prayers as the sword the Truth as the shield.
Even when properly armed, one cannot deter Satan's attacks which can be frequent, painful and devastating. Matthew 10:28 states: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body [or torment the mind] but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." [4] By praying, believing and living in God's Truth and forgiving, one can have inner peace even in the face of death (including a natural death) or persecution. Prayers, together with forgiveness, will soothe the pains of torment and nurture the growth of inner peace.
Prayers alone, without forgiveness, are ineffective because the absence of forgiveness is the presence of anger and vengeance and they are weapons against oneself, putting continuous stress on the body and the mind to the delight of Satan. To completely overcome Satan, Christ on the cross prayed with these words: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." [5] One must learn to do the same to triumph over Satan, not with hate and retaliation, but with prayer and forgiveness so that the peace that Christ has given with these words can thrive within oneself: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives." [6], [7], [8], [9]
Inner peace can only germinate within a tranquil soul undisturbed by the cares and evils of the world and will perish surrounded by such disturbances. Attaining inner peace is not easy, keeping it alive is very difficult. Even Francesco d'Assisi had to escape from the crowds [10] and go into solitude to nurture it, to keep God close to him, to share in the peace of Christ, given to all by God for God is love.
[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/encyclical?s=t
[2] The words of Christ, the Son of God: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives." See http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A27&version=NIV
[3] If everyone knows the Truth, no one would side with Satan making it irrelevant. Satan's relevance in this world is its greatest accomplishment, allowing it to lead as many souls as possible to perdition.
[4] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt.%2010.28
[5] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=LUKE%2023:34
[6] http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A27&version=NIV
[7] Christ's prayer for the forgiveness of sinners on the cross does not contradict the second sentence in Matthew 10:28, warning everyone to "be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" because God's plenary love is not a blind love: it is an unconditionally forgiving love, which is why Christ had to pray to God the Father to forgive His persecutors because if Christ did not intercede for them and ask forgiveness on their behalf, there could not be forgiveness because in order to be forgiven one or one's intercessor must first pray to God for forgiveness. Those who conspired to put Christ to death did not believe that they did anything wrong and therefore would not think to ask for forgiveness. Without Christ praying for their forgiveness, their souls and bodies could not be forgiven and would have to suffer continuous and eternal destruction in Hell.
[8] The implication that God cannot forgive a person who has not prayed for forgiveness himself or by his intercessor does not mean that it is wrong to believe that God is love. God is love because God is ready, willing and able to forgive as soon as a sinner by his Free Will no longer wishes to hold onto his sins and reject God. How a person who does not personally pray for forgiveness and has not willed freely to be forgiven is able to receive God's forgiveness is a miracle made possible by the grace of God. I do not know how exactly the miracle works without contravening the Gift of Free Will. Perhaps the person is given a peek at the Truth and a second chance to repent, and if he still does not repent, then by his Free Will, he would have made the ultimate choice and God would have to let him go and let his choice be permanent.
[9] My proposed axiom that God cannot grant forgiveness except man himself or his intercessor prays to God for forgiveness does not apply to man. Man is not God. Man must forgive those who have sinned against him even though they have not asked for forgiveness. Not forgiving means not ever having inner peace. Indifference is not enough because indifference without forgiveness is a denial of forgiveness. To have inner peace one must have forgiven fully every wrong. Inner peace is God's peace, it is a peace that is from God's love, given to all by Christ Who has forgiven, a peace not of this world (John 14:27), a peace from God Who is love.
[10] From the book, Armstrong, Regis J. O.F.M. Cap. et.al. Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Volume I, The Saint. Page 409. New York: New York City Press, 2000, the following is excerpted:
"Therefore, that most holy man, who had come to know how to divide his time usefully between himself and those around him, on a certain occasion left the crowds of secular people, sought out a place of solitude, and took a few companions with him, in order to defend his repose from all the tumult of those who thronged to him. For, on occasion, he longed to have time free for God alone, and to shake off any dust he had picked up while dealing with men. And after his mind was quiet for a little while, he tasted the sweeter fruit of contemplation, then with all his heart he longed to know what to do to be able to make the sacrifice of himself more pleasing to the Lord." Emphasis original.
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