The Helpers

Every leader needs help but good help is hard to find, even for Jesus, the fearless One.  He chose twelve men.  One was Peter to whom He gave the keys to Heaven [1].  He denied his master three times, although he made up for it afterwards.  Another was Judas who for 30 pieces of silver betrayed his master. Then there was the young and innocent John whom Jesus loved [2], and to whom He gave His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary [3].  And who can forget doubting Thomas?  He wanted to see and touch the wounds of Christ before he would believe in the Resurrection [4].  As for the rest, not much was written about them [5].  One can speculate that they did not do much because they did not quite know what to do or how to go about doing what they were supposed to do since the conversion of sinners is never easy and turning non-believers into believers in Christ is even more difficult: they could not even convince one of their own, Thomas, to believe that they had witnessed the resurrected Jesus. [6]

Could the Son of God have assembled a better team of helpers?  My guess is no.  If Jesus had picked another dozen, they would likely be no different than the original twelve. Indeed, all twelve of Christ's disciples together form the essence of any man, a lousy helper who can love God one minute and betrays God's love the next, who can be in the presence of God while his faith is weak and who finds living his daily life by being indifferent to and denying God to be easier than by placing God front and center on his mind, on his lips and in his heart, but who God still invites to sit at the Supper Table.



[1]  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+16:13-20  Heaven probably neither has, nor does it need a security gate.  The keys Peter were given should unlock, metaphorically, all church doors through which the path to Heaven can be found.  The next blog entry defines the church.
[2] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+21%3A20-22
[3] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19%3A25-27&version=NIV
[4] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+20:24-29
[5] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+20:24-29
[6] If Christ's triumph over death cannot be believed, then the life of Jesus would be ordinary and be forgotten in time. That time has already arrived in the secular society.

The Fearless Leader

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus probably prayed for His return to Heaven before the betrayal, scourging, humiliation and crucifixion [1].  The prayer was met with silence.  He then prayed again. This time He submitted to the Will of God [2].  He had done so by not avoiding betrayal and running away from His arrest.

Did Jesus fear what was to happen to Him?  I think not. One does not have to fear something to not to want it.  For example, nobody wants to grow old but not many, thank goodness, stop living simply because they fear the loss of youth. [3]

Jesus was fearless from the beginning and He never deviated from it.  He knew and told the Truth, and lived in accordance with it.  Nothing about Jesus was political, hypocritical, devious or deceitful. He was the King but unlike some secular leaders who are coward bullies, employing underhanded means to take on those who are docile and outright fearing those who could damage their legacies, and other secular leaders who are ruthless gluttons, waging war on the weak to gain access to their natural resources, and still others who are timid chickens, constantly fearing for their lives and eliminating their nemises, and of course those who are persistent hypocrites, preaching without practicing.

A true leader leads fearlessly, lives by his words, loves all  with his heart and dies with one real but defeated enemy, Satan.


[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+26%3A36-39&version=NIV
[2] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+26%3A42&version=NIV
[3] Far more erudite and eloquent than me, Brent McGuire wrote a brilliant piece on the "cup" Jesus referred to in the Garden of Gethsemane.  See http://www.modernreformation.org/default.php?page=articledisplay&var2=4  I found the article after reaching my conclusion.  It is a worthwhile read.  The analysis is comprehensive, a stark contrast to my simple-minded example.

The Bigger Fear: Uncertainty Or Certainty?

An uncertain future can be unsettling but the certainty of Hell apparently is not since man keeps on sinning and being unrepentant.  Hell, which is eternal, and certain, does not faze man; yet, his uncertain future, which lasts only as long as he is breathing, causes him to act, ironically in ways that lead him to what ought to be his greatest fear of all--an eternity in Hell.

Vicissitudes Of Life

Life has ups and downs.  They seem to be so normal that few stop and wonder if they are what God had intended.  Should anyone wonder?  I suppose it does not hurt to ponder the imponderables.

Let me begin with the assertion that there are no down days in Heaven.  Why would there be any down day when every "day" in Heaven is perfect (as if Heaven goes by earth's 24 hour day -- it does not, but this entry uses it for reference purposes).  Not a single day goes by in Heaven that is not completely fulfilled.  When a soul no longer has desires, it is at its optimum.  At any moment when everything seems to go well and all desires seem to be satisfied ("seem" because life is as much a reality and it is a delusion when reality is filter through man's intellectually rationalizing mind), the human spirit is at its optimum and that moment is an up moment, albeit not a true "up" moment.  If all consecutive moments with a 24-hour period are at their optimum, then that day is an up day.  How often does it happen?  That question is for someone who had experienced it to answer.

Even if up days are somewhat delusional it is sometimes better to have some of them than none of them.  To have a truly perfect day, life must first be perfect, then all up moments would be true "up" moments, but life continues to be imperfect because man chooses continually to reject the good.

What is good?  Everyone seems to know what "good" is [1] but only God knows what is good because good comes from God.  If God's good is too abstract for man to grasp, it has been made concrete by the Son of God and the Mother of God.  If Their lives are not accepted, understood and emulated, and the overwhelming evidence shows that they are not, then the world will never be like Heaven, and all of the sinful man's days will never be truly fulfilled and his hopes for fulfillment will never be realized.

Man does not seem to mind living his unfulfilled life [2] with God in the periphery.  He escapes his dissatisfaction by detaching himself from the reality of unfulfillment and engaging in activities that distract him, leading him further and further away from God and drawing him closer and closer to Satan's embrace, but the average man still has a conscience which originated from good, and it is man's periodic return to his conscience that gives him a true "up" moment.  True "up" moments are rare but that does not faze man.  He compensates for what he does not have with his intellectually-contrived up moments, as well as drug, sex and alcohol-induced ones, thinking that they would cancel out his unfulfilled desires when they only increase the intensity of his cravings, the very poisons that distract him from the good.

Unable to extricate himself from the downward spiral of pretensions of happiness and fulfillment that empties his soul, man continues to believe that his life is destined to be full of ups (mostly phony and short-lived ones) and downs (real and repetitive) when in fact man has chosen freely to refuse the realizable true and lasting fulfillment from Heaven in favor of a multitude of temporary fake ones from Hell.  So leave it to the poets and ponderers to philosophize about life's vicissitudes as if man cannot find his way out of them [3].




[1] The selfish man does only what is good for him, and thinks that what is good for him is also good for mankind.  Nothing can be further from the Truth for man is not prepared to sacrifice himself without some kind of self-serving gain.  Such is man's nature and such is the nature of Sin.  In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve sacrificed their obedience to God by eating the Forbidden Apple because they want to become like God.
[2] Beyond an unfulfilled life, life could be utterly miserable but for those who choose to endure the misery with patience and love for God will likely see God.  Those who find their lives too miserable to carry on and commits suicide have in essence rejected God's gift of life, and possibly God as well. If indeed they had rejected God, they will not see God.
[3] As a practical matter, man cannot find his way out of the ups and downs in his life because of Sin. Until Sin is gone, life's vicissitudes will stay.  In other words, this blogger continues to have a valid license to lament over the vicissitudes of life since vicissitudes create a longing for man's ultimate fulfillment that he can only find in God, a longing that lasts long as life is long until he is shown his eternal destiny.

The Traveler

We are all travelers through life.  The journey is at times full of laughter and joy, at times quiet and lonesome, at times full of love punctuated by pauses of uncertainty and uneasiness, but at all times one can choose to bring God along, to share the fun and help with the challenges.

Every person is a solo traveler for every person's journey is different. This uniqueness is more apparent while on a spiritual quest than when one is wound up in the web of a daily existence, more conspicuous in the life of a single person than in the individual lives of a married couple and more pronounced for the spontaneous loner than in the regulated lives of individuals living by the rules of a community.

Every journey has a past and a past to reminisce and examine plus a future to anticipate, as well as the road ahead. The past can be applauded and regretted but not remade.  The now can be used to study the past and improve on it in anticipation of the future, but that is not a guarantee that the road ahead will be more peaceful--it could very well be more violent.  For example, what one chooses from the past and improve on can be weapons, by making them more accurate and efficient in taking lives, rather than one's sinful nature, by ameliorating it to be more giving of oneself and more forgiving of others.

Not many people manufacture killing machines and I imagine even fewer actually enjoy killing. Whether one is in the business of taking lives or saving souls, everybody can be more charitable.  As a traveler through life, winning is never the goal--being a welcomed guest is.  Where one is seated at the dinner table and what one is served is not important--being invited and having something to drink and eat is. Thanking others along this journey is important--expressing appreciation and thankfulness with sincerity and a smile from the heart is far more important.

I wish all fellow travelers a good journey.  Whenever the terrain becomes unfamiliar and difficult, may the One true, familiar and unfailing travel companion one has chosen to invite along be there to lead and ease the way.

Lights Out

With Christmas ending ("the longer Christmas season ... extends either to the Baptism of the Lord for the Ordinary Form (the Sunday after Epiphany) or the Presentation of the Lord for the Extraordinary From [on] February 2nd") [1], the decorative lights that adorn the season no longer light up homes and store fronts, and those who had taken time off to celebrate the holidays with family and friends have returned to their regular schedules.

Not everyone is so lucky.  In a separate part of the world, lights have also gone out but those were not decorative lights but lights that told the universe that a vibrant civilization with intellect existed. That civilization, located in Syria, has been largely decimated.  The country "is shining just a quarter as bright as it was before the war [with the exception of] Damascus, the capital, and Quneitra, near the Israeli border, where the levels of light at night decreased by roughly 35 percent." [2]  In other words, "[n]ighttime light [had] declined by 74 percent across Syria between 2011 and 2014.  In Aleppo, it was 88 percent." [3]

"Aleppo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world; it has been inhabited since perhaps as early as 6th millennium BC.  Excavations at Tell as-Sawda and Tell al-Ansari, just south of the old city of Aleppo, show that the area was occupied since at least the latter part of the 3rd millennium BC." [4]  With 22 percent of lights that still light up at night in Aleppo, Aleppo is not yet a ghost town.  The place might be ruins but it is not yet wiped out.  At least there are people there to connect back to the time when it was first inhabited, people whose ancestors might have not only heard of Christ when He was on earth, but might have also met Him. [5]

As to where the people from Aleppo and the rest of Syria who used to light up the country are, nobody knows for certain.  Many had died; many became refugees.  Those who are responsible for extinguishing the light of life and dimming the light of hope may one day have their light and hope taken away from them for an eternity.  If they do not repent, the Fatima prayer may be of little help.


[1] https://www.catholiccompany.com/blog/does-christmas-end-on-epiphany
[2] http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/12/the-syrian-civil-war-from-space/383257/
[3] Ibid.
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleppo, Accessed January 16, 2015.  Citations omitted.
[5] The distance between Aleppo, Syria, and Jerusalem, Israel, is 524.56 km or 325.95 miles.  See http://www.distancefromto.net/between/Jerusalem/Aleppo

The Lord's Will

The Lord's Prayer, as I have learned it, states in part: "Our Father, Who art in Heaven, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." [1]   The prayer appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke [2], [3].

The Lord's will is certainly carried out in Heaven but not on earth.  On earth, Satan's will has prevailed, through secularism, relativism, materialism, division, disintegration of the family, degradation of morality and conscience, leading to the destruction of humanity.

Those who still believe in salvation must continue to pray because prayers do change the course of events, by reversing the momentum in the direction of Hell back toward Heaven.  The more people who will pray, the sooner and more dramatic will be the reversal.  Otherwise, "small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." [4]


[1] In Latin it is: "PATER noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra." [Emphasis  added.]  See http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/lordpray.htm
[2] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A9-13&version=ASV
[3] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+11%3A1-4&version=NIV
[4] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A14&version=NIV

Boy With Gun

I almost attached a photograph showing a young boy with a gun prepared to shoot two captives.  On second thought, this blog does not need to show evil in action, although a link to the article is provided [1], reluctantly.

How can innocence be taken away so early in a child's life? Should anyone be surprised?  Take a look at the latest laser guided rifles [2], [3], [4].  What boy does not want to own one to show off what it can do?

How evil are the merchants of death!  Just how far will they go to satiate their avarice?  How barbaric are the societies that allow them to profit!  How truly sinful is man!

Is there a cure?  Not for the slaves of Satan.  Is there a place to which people who are not Satan's slaves can escape to follow Christ?  No.  Even Christ lived among the barbarians in His time.  He was here specifically to be with the sinners, to save them from damnation but toward damnation mankind continues to march, led by those chosen ones who broke their covenant with God and who rejected the new covenant offered by the Son of God and plotted His crucifixion.

For all the wrongs the Jews have committed, I think its present leader has done one thing right recently: he had asked the French Jews to leave France for Israel. [5]  In fact, I think he is so right that he should ask all the non-Christian European, North American, South American, Australian, African, Asian and Antarctican Jews, as well as those floating on any of the world's five oceans to return to Israel and then draw the battle lines between them and the Arabs so that the end can officially begin!



[1] http://www.vocativ.com/world/isis-2/islamic-state-child-soldier/
[2] http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/09/shooting-a-laser-guided-rifle-made-me-feel-like-a-robot/?cps=gravity_1967_-3947102277892986893
[3] http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/04/trackingpoint-google-glass-rifle-sight-concept-video/
[4] http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/16/trackingpoint-smart-rifles-military/
[5] http://mondoweiss.net/2015/01/netanyahu-crashes-french

Cost Of Pride And Avarice

It never ceases to amaze that humans gifted with such intelligence over all other creatures would label themselves as a civilization when they are in fact not civilized for underneath the shallow exterior of fashion and proper grooming, of moralism and piousness, they are all primal and barbaric like Satan.  Abusing their God-given intellect, humans of all colors and stripes have wasted an inordinate amount of natural resources and countless lives to carry out their ambitions rooted in pride and avarice in ways so ruthless that even their loved-ones and descendants will one day suffer the rippling consequences of their actions, in life and possibly in death as well.

Man's fascination to kill began with the Cain, one of the sons of Adam and Eve [1], and the technology and business of killing have continued to increase in sophistication and efficiency [2], [3], [4].  Despite requiring more ingenuity, time, dedication and resources to invent killing machines than providing food, shelter, clothing and comfort for everybody on the planet, man has chosen freely to live a difficult and ultimately a regretful life of pride, avarice and anxiousness.

Man's anxiety comes from his fear of reprisal during his lifetime but he fears not his eternal damnation.  To avoid eternal pain in Hell, man has to follow Christ Who by His miracles showed people a glimpse of eternal joy, and listen to His Blessed Immaculate Mother Mary Who by Her apparitions and counsel showed the path that leads them to Heaven.  Sadly, many do not seem to respond to an eternity of total fulfillment but instead have traded it for a temporal, albeit imperfect satisfaction that Satan offers.

Satan, being the Master of Deceit, has hidden from people the realities of Hell; It will only allow them to see the dazzling but impermanent gifts of this world, baits that lure man to what It deems to be his deserving place, one that extracts everything from his ruined soul, a place so primal and barbaric that souls battle each other in eternity without a moment of peace, a battle so intense that their once incarnated bodies could never imagine, leaving them with no hope, no forgiveness and no love.

Hell, the eternal cost of unredeemed pride and avarice, is very real and is to be feared.  It is truly amazing that humans gifted with such intelligence over all other creatures would live in denial of its existence.



[1] http://www.gospelweb.net/YouthItems/cainandablethefirstmurder.htm
[2] http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/09/shooting-a-laser-guided-rifle-made-me-feel-like-a-robot/?cps=gravity_1967_-3947102277892986893
[3] http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/04/trackingpoint-google-glass-rifle-sight-concept-video/
[4] http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/16/trackingpoint-smart-rifles-military/

Anti-abortion Events--2015

From Washington D.C [1]. to San Francisco [2], [3], pro-lifers in the United States are getting ready for events later this month.  While I am in favor of life, I think that intervention at the stage of abortion is not enough.  By the time a woman is headed to the abortion clinic, her body has already changed, no longer the virgin she once was.  Is it not just as important to have events that advocate one's virginity before marriage?  Is abstention no longer a virtue, a behavioral norm in today's society? Whatever happened to procreation borne out of a loving marriage, or is sexual intercourse purely recreational and pregnancy merely an accident to be aborted?  Indeed, whatever happened to love at its purest and simplest, for oneself and one's own body, between a man and a woman, between a mother and the infant in her womb and a father and his expectant child? [4]



[1] http://marchforlife.org/march-for-life-2015/
[2] http://www.walkforlifewc.com/event-info/event-schedule/
[3] http://www.liferunners.org/race/fr-malloy-west-coast-walk-for-life-5k/
[4] Where the number of children is restricted by law, and where society places a premium on boys over girls, abortion and infanticide happen all too frequently.  Love becomes secondary and life becomes two-dimensional revolving around physical existence and material possessions.  What possibly could be lacking are a sense of wonder about ethereal things that cannot be monetized and traded and a yearning for absolute fulfillment that only the Holy Spirit, part of the Holy Trinity, can deliver.  A person without wonderment and a desire for complete fulfillment has a spirit that has no depth and possibly no future.  A futureless spirit is detachable from the body and a spiritless body has no meaning.  When a being is merely a group of cells that ceases to function at some point, it is without salvific value.

No Bigger Evil

Evil is all encompassing.  It is a continuous web spun perfectly. When unraveled, the web's thread forms a complete and unbroken circle.  Therefore, there is no bigger evil, and any act, however well-rationalized, that causes directly or indirectly an evil act is evil.  Evil does not discriminate among its own origins or variations; every origin and variation of evil is evil.

Based on this theory, one can identify the most heinous crimes of the present day and find their origins.  Even the extremist group ISIL has its origins.  Arguments can be had as to what or who caused it to come into existence, but such arguments are a waste of time for man is blinded by his sins to see his own faults.  Until man recognizes and admits to his own wickedness, he is unable to see Evil clearly and remains arrogantly self-righteous, thinking that he is on the side of good when he is doing the work of Satan.

Since man is inherently sinful, Evil is here to stay but true to Its nature, It does not force itself upon man.  Man has to choose one of the many tantalizing avenues that lures him. Greed for power is perhaps the most dangerous, for Satan wants to extract much in return since much will be given. This was evident in Satan's third temptation, giving Christ power over all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for the Son of God to reject the Father, to bow and worship the Enemy. [1]

Unlike Christ Who rejected Satan's offers, man has continued to embrace them, big and small by man's imperfect judgment and classification.  Man, without prayer, confession and the grace of God, is unable to resist the temptations that surround him.  Whenever he fails in his resistance, he himself becomes the merchant of evil, the slave of Satan and the very evil that is indistinguishable from and joined seamlessly to all other kinds of evil that Satan owns. [2]


[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4:8-11
[2] Evil can be diminished and ultimately defeated, if only man has the consistent strength to resist the splendor of Satan's offers, tailored to take advantage of each man's individual weaknesses in order to ruin his soul for an eternity. Rejection of Satan is an affirmation of God's existence and permits all the good to flow from the Father through the Son and the presentation of the Son's Sacred Heart to man by the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God.

The Difficult Path

This entry begins with the "largely deserted path" that concluded the posting four days ago on January 4.  On this path, will one find the satirists that make fun of someone else's beliefs and those who intend to silence them? Together are they not children of God who have the Free Will to choose a pen or a gun to express themselves, perhaps not so wisely by being self-righteous, judgmental, unforgiving and unloving against the teachings of Christ Who taught by example by dying a sinless death with humility, forgiveness and love?  If satirists [1] can stop satirizing and uplift others [2] rather than taunt their beliefs and killers can stop killing and celebrate lives with others rather than end them, this world would be a better place.  The path to peace is not easy and all too easily ignored not only by the participants, but also by the commentators and the observers, who, too, can be self-righteous, judgmental, unforgiving and unloving.


[1] I am certainly capable of satire and sarcasm but have tried to minimize their use and regret that I had used them in the past.
[2] Cartoonists can emphasize the morality in Islam which can be found here: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/articles/134385/morality-in-islam

Does Satan Ever Listen And Obey?

There is no question that Satan is powerful but can Its power overcome man?  My answer is no, even though everyone, except the Son of God and the Mother of God, had experienced defeat in ways both small and large.  Being defeated in the past does not mean one has to suffer defeat again.

Man, made in the image of God, is superior, not subordinate, to Satan.  Original Sin, the burden of man, does not attenuate in any way man's superiority over Satan.  The consequence of Original Sin is death at the end of life [1], not enslavement by Satan.  In fact, Original Sin reminds man not to fall into Satan's temptations in order that his soul will be free to return to God.

Satan, the ever-endearing friend (almost a relative) that never seems to leave man alone, is forever beckoning him into Its varied temptations that entraps and ruins his soul. In exchange, Satan gives man a taste of the forbidden fruit.  With every bite, each of man's darkest desires becomes realized. What he wants after that is more bites of that delicious "Apple."

At some point, man ought to wake up from his wantonness to save his own soul, to go to confession for a thorough cleansing.  When the confession is over, a clean new soul emerges and at this moment man is no longer beholden to Satan and has the authority to command Satan to leave him.  With repeated commands (Satan can be hard of hearing), Satan will obey and leave.

Satan is not only deaf most of the time, It is also forgetful.  Like that beloved friend that never stays away for long, It returns.  Again, It lays on the table "your" cards, a game too easy to get back into and win--Satan always lets man win in life in order that he loses his soul to Satan in eternity.  Satan is fair, is It not?  It even lets man choose if he wants to play Its game.  Once the game is again in play, Satan will be deaf to all commands for It will be the Master and man the slave, beholden to the Master's gifts, until the next confession.



[1] There is no certainly surrounding the death of the Blessed Virgin Mary before Her Assumption.  This is the conclusion of Pope Pius XII in his Apostolic Constitution dated November 1, 1950: "[T]he Immaculate Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory."  See paragraph 44 at http://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-xii_apc_19501101_munificentissimus-deus.html.  There is a deliberate omission of any reference to the death of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Pope Pius XII.  I believe he was correct since only those with Original Sin is subject to death.  The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception, Who was without the stain of Original Sin, was not subject to Sin's consequence which is death at the end of life.  Jesus Who was also without Sin did die.  He died on the cross.  I have two thoughts on this. First, Christ Who was without Sin died because He was carrying our sins.  By assuming all our sins, He had to die.  By His subsequent resurrection, He triumphed over Sin and all its variations.  Second, the consequence of Original Sin is death at the end of life.  Since Christ was crucified, He did not come to the end of His life naturally.  His life was "taken" but as I see it, He gave up His life to save ours.  Had He come to the end of His natural life as did His Immaculate Mother, He, too, would have been assumed into Heaven without a death.

Confessions

For someone who had never found the need to go to confession, it is now a common occurrence. Confession cleanses the soul and makes it new again.  A clean, new soul is light and floats toward Heaven.  In its path are constant and repetitive temptations.  A soul that has fallen into temptations disturbs the mind, troubles the heart, depresses the spirit and manifests itself in the form of confusion, stress, impatience, frustration and anger [1], leading to the loss of focus, injured relationships and failures small and large, gradual and sudden, apparent and inconspicuous.

No doctor will prescribe confession as an antidote for an illness, physical or psychological, even though people will be healthier and happier overall after they perform an examination of conscience and go to confession.  They will also be closer to God and be at peace, but a majority of people live their lives without going to confession, and think that they are living their lives as if theirs is the way a life ought to be lived.  They feel that they are in charge and are content with their status quo.  I had certainly lived and felt that way.  Everything seemed fine, at least on the surface.  I was self-sufficient and proud, without being at peace [2].

A visit of inner peace, however ephemeral, is what confessions bring.  A moment of inner peace is better than none at all.  This blog is entitled Place de la Paix.  Let me just say that no amount of words generated here will bring interior peace: only words that cleanses the conscience uttered inside a confessional will.


[1] Unforgiveness, envy, bitterness, sarcasm, jealousy, condescension, pride and so on are also part of this very long list, and certain aches and pains, too.
[2] People numbed by routine, obsession, comfort, callousness, power, popularity, pretension, fame, wealth, drugs, food, alcohol and each of their derivatives often delude themselves into believing they are at peace.

The Three Wise Men

On Christmas Eve my entry noted the three wise men were already present at the stable at the church's Nativity Scene, waiting for the birth of Jesus.  Subsequent to posting I added a footnote after realizing that the figurines were not the three wise men but shepherds, and that the three wise men were on the right side of the Holy Doors and the Nativity Scene was on the left.  Today at Mass I visited the Nativity Scene again and the wise men were present.  When they "arrived" I do not know.  It does not matter for Jesus waits for all who are on their way to see Him.  Present day travelers no longer have the Star of Bethlehem to guide them but the path, framed by Christ's teachings, laid down by His crucifixion and secured by His resurrection, is broad and bright but largely deserted.

Three Wishes For The New Year

My three wishes for the new year and in the years that follow:

1.  Forgiveness
2.  For Love
3.  Forever

Temptations Of The New Year

Temptations of 2015 will be as salacious and cunning as those in years past and personal battles to combat each time a temptation occurs will also be as difficult.  Intellectual dishonesty and denial will only cause the temptations to succeed sooner, adding difficulty and time to heal the injuries caused by the failure to resist them.  Confessions will help cleanse and return the mind, body and spirit to their wholesomeness.  To confess truthfully and fully will take courage; to start over having fallen yet once again will require will power.

The sinner willing to be saved from the dark side of life will have to seek the intercession of the Mother of God through deep prayers that will strengthen his faith in the Blessed Virgin Mary and his love for Her Son, the Child Jesus, during this Christmas season for sinning weakens the bonds of faith and love for both Mother and Child.  Without supplicating, one will succumb to Satan's patient and ceaseless beckoning.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the only person, being born without Sin, Who was able to resist Satan.  A woman, Whose constitution was closest to man's, Who was chosen by God, protected by the angels, accompanied by the Holy Spirit and loved by Her Son, Jesus, God's only Child, has become our Mother in Heaven, Who is the Immaculate Conception, but Who understands the flesh and all its ramifications and Sin in all its permutations.  She therefore has the most compassion for those who sin and continue to sin again, and again.  Only the Lord knows how often this sinner needs Her to intercede for him and redirect his path along darkness back to one in the light.

I believe the intensity of temptations is proportionate to the intensity of one's will to walk the path of Christ.  The farther along one is on this path, the more time and energy will be unleashed by the forces of evil to thwart one from it.  Indeed, one will fall, and fall again, but one will fall less often and get up sooner, if one adheres to the plan to do the work of God and prays for the strength to continue.  No one has ever said that the path of Christ was easy, in the year that ended or in the year that has just begun.

Unlike temptations that lead to Hell, never in any new year, including 2015, has anyone been known to be tempted to love God and his neighbor and live in peace.