On May 23, 2015, Ireland's popular vote supported the legalization of gay marriage by a margin of 62 to 38 percent. [1] In little over a month, on June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court ("USSC") handed down a 5 to 4 majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges that made official the right to marry for all individuals, gay and straight, in all 50 states. Exactly two years earlier on June 26, 2013, only in states allowing two individuals of the same gender to marry were married couples permitted to have full federal rights under the US Constitution and all the state rights, see United States v. Windsor. [2] The background, majority and dissenting opinions of today's case published by the USSC can be read here. [3]
This entry continues where the USSC Justices left off, with questions that lie outside of the US Constitution and are not part of the majority and dissenting opinions. They are whether the Blessed Virgin Mary would have attended with Her Son a wedding between two individuals of the same gender, whether the Blessed Virgin Mary would have let Her Son know that the wedding had run out of wine and whether Jesus would have turned water into wine [4], a tacit endorsement of gay marriage.
Like the US Constitution, the Gospels do not specifically sanction or prohibit same-sex marriage or same-sex sexual acts, but unlike the US Constitution that addresses religion in general, the Gospels talk about God and Satan [5], and the secular government [6], with specificity. The question then becomes whether marriage is a topic under God and Satan or under the secular government? Under both is the answer.
Marriage is not merely an insular act evidenced by a certificate issued by the government; it is also an expression of love and commitment and a sexual bonding. If marriage is solely a legal status conferring certain legal rights to individuals in a union, then God has nothing to do with it. [7] However, since marriage is more than merely a recognition by a government, the part that is sexually intimate has everything to do with God because the mind, body and spirit belong to God--they are God's Creation.
The motives of a sex act can be complex. The two basic ones are procreational and recreational. Procreational sex is the only kind of sex between two married individuals that the Catholic church permits; any other kind of sex, whatever the reason or motivation, is deemed sinful.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus forgave the woman who slept with a married man and asked her to go and sin no more. [8] What was her sin, having recreational sex or for committing adultery, or both? It is unclear. In order to have some insight and clarity, it is necessary to resort to natural law.
Natural law is the strongest argument for classifying homosexual sex as sinful since it is never procreational and always recreational, supported by the fact that the human male sexual organ, the penis, is designed specifically for the human female sexual organ, the vulva, and no other orifice, naturally present on the human anatomy of a male or female or artificially constructed, and by the fact that the result of an act of sexual union between the male and female sexual organs is conception in accordance with Nature.
Anatomy is a part of man's nature. Sexual desires are also a part of man's nature. Thus, man desire for sexual relations with another of the same gender or both genders is within the bounds of Nature. Natural law, if applied equally to both man's anatomy and man's desires, is therefore not the best argument against homosexual sex. Thus, it is appropriate to look to God, the Creator of man, to see if homosexual sex ought to be considered a sin against Creation.
God made man not as a biological robot but in the image of God with Free Will. The driver of Free Will is desire, and desires are subject to temptations. To generalize, all temptations by the Devil lead man away from unconditional selfless love to conditional self-centered love.
It is important to note tangentially that acts, sexual and non-sexual, that are unconditional and selfless elicit more personal pleasure and satisfaction than acts that are conditional and self-serving. Accordingly, every action taken that has at its core the love for God and the love for neighbor [9] is good for the mind, body and spirit and is not a sin. As such, the decision to be married to another of the same gender and the inclination to have homosexual sex with the married partner is each to be evaluated in light of the two greatest commandments [10] according to the teachings of Christ.
Anything that is pure and good and is supported by the teachings of Christ has the approval of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In conclusion, if there is a marriage that is out of love for God and love for each other, then it is reasonable to assume that the Blessed Virgin Mary would attend and would let Her Son know should the wedding run out of wine, and that She would expect Her Son to ultimately listen to Her and carry out Her intentions in the same way She expects all to listen to Her Son and do whatever He says. [11]
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/24/world/europe/ireland-gay-marriage-referendum.html?_r=0
[2] http://www.scotusblog.com/2015/06/in-historic-decision-court-strikes-down-state-bans-on-same-sex-marriage-in-plain-english/ and http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-307_6j37.pdf
[3] http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pd
[4] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+2%3A1-11
[5] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%204:1-11
[6] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22:15-22
[7] Ibid.
[8] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+8%3A1-11&version=NIV
[9] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2022:36-40
[10] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2022:36-40
[11] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+2%3A1-11
Friday, June 26, 2015
Divine Love Formula
Divine Love = Divine Justice + Divine Mercy but it is not a mathematical formula. If Divine Love is a number, it is infinite. Divine Justice is always in a deficit since it expresses how far short man is from being like Christ. Divine Mercy is not simply Divine Love absorbing the deficit resulting from Divine Justice being objectively rendered because Divine Mercy requires the active participation of the person being judged, to zero out the deficit by acts of humility and repentance that must be carried out simultaneously by having full faith in God and the irrevocable rejection of Satan.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
The Victim
This blog has consistently insisted that Jesus was not a Victim, that He was a Victor for overcoming Satan's temptations and a Savior for sacrificing Himself on the cross to redeem Sin. What it has not done is identify the victim. This entry attempts to do so.
To recapitulate, let it be established that no man can be designated as a victim when he knows his destiny and has full power over his victimizer, directly or indirectly. Since Jesus knew His destiny [1] and had a Father with absolute power over His victimizer [2], He was not a Victim, despite the fact that the Catholic church calls Him the "Holy Victim" -- "Holy" yes, "Victim" no.
If Jesus were a Victim, then who was He a Victim of? Surely He could not have been a Victim of God evidenced by His willingness to do God's will [3]. However, one can then say that Jesus was a "willing Victim" of God, but that would make God the Victimizer. If God were the Victimizer, then God could not have been Love, but God is Love. Since God is Love, Jesus was never God's Victim. If Jesus was not the Victim Who was crucified, then who, if any one, was? Were the two criminals who were crucified on either side of Jesus both victims? Actually only one of them, identified below, was the victim.
To recapitulate, let it be established that no man can be designated as a victim when he knows his destiny and has full power over his victimizer, directly or indirectly. Since Jesus knew His destiny [1] and had a Father with absolute power over His victimizer [2], He was not a Victim, despite the fact that the Catholic church calls Him the "Holy Victim" -- "Holy" yes, "Victim" no.
If Jesus were a Victim, then who was He a Victim of? Surely He could not have been a Victim of God evidenced by His willingness to do God's will [3]. However, one can then say that Jesus was a "willing Victim" of God, but that would make God the Victimizer. If God were the Victimizer, then God could not have been Love, but God is Love. Since God is Love, Jesus was never God's Victim. If Jesus was not the Victim Who was crucified, then who, if any one, was? Were the two criminals who were crucified on either side of Jesus both victims? Actually only one of them, identified below, was the victim.
To be accurate, there was not just one victim but many. In fact, everyone other than the Son of God and the Mother of God is a victim of Satan marked by Original Sin. Man [3] from the moment of his creation has not been able to escape from the lures of Satan and has continued to embrace Its temptations. Man, therefore, is the victim -- the perennial victim of Satan.
If every man is a victim of Satan, then the two criminals crucified along with Jesus would certainly have been victims, but this entry concluded above that only one of them was. The one who believed that Jesus was the Son of God, who asked Jesus to remember him in Heaven [5] had in effect transformed himself from a victim into a victor. His absolute faith in Jesus allowed him to realize his destiny, to know that he was going to be with Christ in Heaven, and by giving his entire being over to Christ, he had full power over Satan, and he exercised that power by rejecting It completely. One who has complete faith in Christ and has rejected Satan by surrendering freely one's entire self to Christ is not a victim. Thus, it was the other criminal on the cross who continued to disbelieve Jesus and rejected Jesus as the Son of God who was the true victim of Satan.
Many today have no faith in God and can care less about Christ. They are all victims of Satan as are the believers who are addicted to Satan's temptations and who continue to sin without supplicating and asking God for forgiveness. Hypocrites and betrayers of Truth are surely victims of Satan, just like those who are envy-obsessed, hate-obsessed, anger-obsessed, self-obsessed, money-obsessed and power-obsessed. The list goes on and on.
By God's grace, victims of Satan are not destined for Hell. There is a choice. They can choose to follow the path of the criminal who transformed himself into a victor to be with Christ, the Holy Victor, in Heaven, or they can remain as victims and choose the path of the criminal who refused to accept Jesus as the Savior and follow Satan to Hell.
If every man is a victim of Satan, then the two criminals crucified along with Jesus would certainly have been victims, but this entry concluded above that only one of them was. The one who believed that Jesus was the Son of God, who asked Jesus to remember him in Heaven [5] had in effect transformed himself from a victim into a victor. His absolute faith in Jesus allowed him to realize his destiny, to know that he was going to be with Christ in Heaven, and by giving his entire being over to Christ, he had full power over Satan, and he exercised that power by rejecting It completely. One who has complete faith in Christ and has rejected Satan by surrendering freely one's entire self to Christ is not a victim. Thus, it was the other criminal on the cross who continued to disbelieve Jesus and rejected Jesus as the Son of God who was the true victim of Satan.
Many today have no faith in God and can care less about Christ. They are all victims of Satan as are the believers who are addicted to Satan's temptations and who continue to sin without supplicating and asking God for forgiveness. Hypocrites and betrayers of Truth are surely victims of Satan, just like those who are envy-obsessed, hate-obsessed, anger-obsessed, self-obsessed, money-obsessed and power-obsessed. The list goes on and on.
By God's grace, victims of Satan are not destined for Hell. There is a choice. They can choose to follow the path of the criminal who transformed himself into a victor to be with Christ, the Holy Victor, in Heaven, or they can remain as victims and choose the path of the criminal who refused to accept Jesus as the Savior and follow Satan to Hell.
[2] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19%3A9-11&version=NIV
[3] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+22%3A42-48&version=NIV
[4] Man in this blog is gender neutral.
[5] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+23:39-43
[3] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+22%3A42-48&version=NIV
[4] Man in this blog is gender neutral.
[5] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+23:39-43
Sunday, June 7, 2015
A Different Linkage: "The Inseparable Link Between Holiness and Worship" by Fr. Cassium Folsom
Fr. Cassium Folsom, O.S.B. is a Benedictine monk who "founded the Monastery of San Benedetto in a small apartment in Rome in 1988." [1] This ought to give hope to any monk who wishes to have his own monastery since a limited amount of space is apparently not a barrier.
Two years later, Fr. Cassium Folsom moved to Norcia, Italy, at the request of Norcia's Archbishop to take up residence at a real monastery that had been closed since 1810. [2] The photo below shows how beautiful it is:
In 2011, on the 14th of April, Fr. Cassium received the Pro Fidelitate et Virtute Award. On this occasion, "Fr. Cassium delivered his acceptance speech entitled: 'The Inseparable Link
Between Holiness and Worship'. In the speech he explains, 'The humble priest has a certain ars
celebrandi, a certain way of carrying himself, a certain respect for the holy things, a fitting decorum in
the presence of God. The arrogant priest has a different ars celebrandi, and the faithful can tell the
difference immediately. The humble celebrant is transparent, so that the Lord can shine through. The
priest knows that the liturgy is not primarily his work, but the work of the Holy Trinity, and his job is to
be a good instrument and to get out of the way as much as possible so that the Lord is free to
accomplish his work of grace within the hearts of those present. How does the priest become humble? By a life of Christian asceticism, by allowing the Lord to break his stony heart, so that a heart of flesh
can emerge. By allowing Christ--by means of physical and spiritual suffering--to empty him of all that
is not godly.'" [3]
Fr. Cassium tactfully avoided to identify expressly the typical characteristics of the arrogant priest, probably because they are too varied and numerous to list, but simply said that the faithful could tell the difference between one who is arrogant and one who is humble. Fr. Cassium, however, did point out that the humble priest allows the Lord to shine through, and that he is "to get out of the way as much as possible so that the Lord is free to accomplish his work of grace within the hearts of those present." [4], [5] I cannot agree more. A priest ought to be a messenger of God without an ego, to speak to all who cross his path, to bless them and lead them to God, whether or not they are believers.
[1] https://catholicu.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/father-cassian.pdf
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] I was present at a Latin Mass on Palm Sunday this year. After I came out of the confessional, I realized that the parish priest had asked the attendees to kneel and kiss his ring before a palm was handed out to them. That was the last time I had attended Mass there. I was given a palm by another attendee before Mass began so I never knelt before him to kiss his ring. I walked out after receiving Holy Communion from the priest who listened to my confession. I had not returned to that church since. The celebrant who wanted his ring kissed was the same individual who I later learned had refused to give his blessing in his role as a priest to non-Catholic children who attended Mass. Priests like him distance me from the Catholic church. When he first arrived, I had so much hope that he would be holy, that he would be the one to lead me closer to God. He ruined my image of him as a holy priest and it hurts. I am now back to my old habits and have not been consistent in attending Sunday services. Off and on, I have been going to a different church although I continue to say the rosary consistently but not necessarily with uninterrupted devotion and on time.
Two years later, Fr. Cassium Folsom moved to Norcia, Italy, at the request of Norcia's Archbishop to take up residence at a real monastery that had been closed since 1810. [2] The photo below shows how beautiful it is:
Fr. Cassium tactfully avoided to identify expressly the typical characteristics of the arrogant priest, probably because they are too varied and numerous to list, but simply said that the faithful could tell the difference between one who is arrogant and one who is humble. Fr. Cassium, however, did point out that the humble priest allows the Lord to shine through, and that he is "to get out of the way as much as possible so that the Lord is free to accomplish his work of grace within the hearts of those present." [4], [5] I cannot agree more. A priest ought to be a messenger of God without an ego, to speak to all who cross his path, to bless them and lead them to God, whether or not they are believers.
[1] https://catholicu.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/father-cassian.pdf
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] I was present at a Latin Mass on Palm Sunday this year. After I came out of the confessional, I realized that the parish priest had asked the attendees to kneel and kiss his ring before a palm was handed out to them. That was the last time I had attended Mass there. I was given a palm by another attendee before Mass began so I never knelt before him to kiss his ring. I walked out after receiving Holy Communion from the priest who listened to my confession. I had not returned to that church since. The celebrant who wanted his ring kissed was the same individual who I later learned had refused to give his blessing in his role as a priest to non-Catholic children who attended Mass. Priests like him distance me from the Catholic church. When he first arrived, I had so much hope that he would be holy, that he would be the one to lead me closer to God. He ruined my image of him as a holy priest and it hurts. I am now back to my old habits and have not been consistent in attending Sunday services. Off and on, I have been going to a different church although I continue to say the rosary consistently but not necessarily with uninterrupted devotion and on time.
The Linkage
Scientists and geneticists can debate whether human beings are linked to one another by a common thread that traces back to Creation. This entry leaves them to prove and disprove the missing link between ape and man, between Darwinism and Creationism but draws its conclusion based on a decidedly non-scientific approach.
Darwin's theory of evolution could not have been propounded without God's creations. In fact, Charles Darwin own existence would not have been possible without God. All of the world's creatures arise out of God's imagination. It is the ability to imagine that God has given to man that distinguishes man from every other creature, when man was created in God's image. [1] The power to imagine inspires man to explore, discover and invent, and to challenge himself and master his environment in every way imaginable.
Indeed, it is the power to imagine what it is to be "like God" that led to the downfall of Adam and Eve [2] because they imagined wrongly. They had no clue what it would be like to be "like God." They had not read God's job description. [3] Had they done so (or imagined correctly), they would not have eaten the Forbidden Fruit and would still be lounging around in the Garden of Eden.
The linkage between God and man and between man and his fellow man is not limited to the power of imagination. God, man and his neighbor are linked by time, space and the earthly elements. If time is timeless (one way to think of timelessness is seeing the infinity of time as circular and not linear so that as one travels through it, it brings one back to any point in time as one wills it), then Adam and Eve can supposedly return to Eden and undo their mistake. That is not possible in reality but it is possible with imagination.
It is the imagined view of the future that brings people together and drives people apart. Whether one imagines hope and peace or fear and conflict, people are linked by time in the past, in the now and yet to come, from the time of Creation, through the fall of Adam and Eve and all the conflicts that ensued and are continuing, to the present moment.
As physical entities, people are linked also by space. Just like the concept of water displacement [4], a similar concept applies to space. For example, when a person has occupied a seat, another cannot occupy the identical space. The occupied space is therefore displaced. Space on this earth is large, but not infinite. Therefore, we are linked to one another by our very existence, since one's occupation of space takes away the occupation of the same space by another.
The planet earth not only contains its creatures but also the elements that sustain life. Humans are therefore linked by the earth's life-giving elements. In Chinese astrology, the five elements are metal, wood, water, fire and earth. [5] In modern society, the use and consumption of these five elements are continuous, and the contamination and refuge produced by man's use may or may not be returned to their original pristine state. Contaminated or not, irrevocably transformed or not, the elements that God had created remain. The earth on grounds that the Son of God had walked upon remain. The water that He touched remain. [6] The wood and metal He used as the Son of a carpenter remain. [7] And the fire that cooked the fish for breakfast for His disciples [8] can burn just as hot.
To the five elements, air is added here. Air fills the space that is not already occupied by something physical. The air on the planet earth has sustained life since life began. The air that sustained the life of Christ remain. [9]
A linkage therefore exists. We humans are linked by the air we breath, the earth's elements we survive on, the space we share, the timelessness of time we live in and the powerful imagination that God gave us which links us to God.
This linkage established by God is real and unbreakable. Humankind is a single unit joined to God, but in our ignorance, our fears and our sins we see each other as separate and distinct, and in our distinctness and within our differences conflicts arise and inner peace is destroyed. Without inner peace, there will be no peace in the family, between neighbors and among nations.
Think about the linkage to one another and to God by way of Christ and use the power of imagination without guise, without intellectual dishonesty for the absolute good of all of God's creations, creatures that live and matters that exist for their sustenance so that inner peace can prevail and world peace can be achieved.
[1] The supposed fact that certain chimpanzees in the wild seem to be able to fashion tools for their use, their tools have remained primitive. See http://www.eva.mpg.de/primat/staff/boesch/pdf/fol_prim_tool_use_making.pdf These animals are unable to make further improvements to their tools because they lack imagination. No degree of evolution will change this reality.
[2] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3&version=NIV
[3] An attempt will be made in the near future to put together one.
Indeed, it is the power to imagine what it is to be "like God" that led to the downfall of Adam and Eve [2] because they imagined wrongly. They had no clue what it would be like to be "like God." They had not read God's job description. [3] Had they done so (or imagined correctly), they would not have eaten the Forbidden Fruit and would still be lounging around in the Garden of Eden.
The linkage between God and man and between man and his fellow man is not limited to the power of imagination. God, man and his neighbor are linked by time, space and the earthly elements. If time is timeless (one way to think of timelessness is seeing the infinity of time as circular and not linear so that as one travels through it, it brings one back to any point in time as one wills it), then Adam and Eve can supposedly return to Eden and undo their mistake. That is not possible in reality but it is possible with imagination.
It is the imagined view of the future that brings people together and drives people apart. Whether one imagines hope and peace or fear and conflict, people are linked by time in the past, in the now and yet to come, from the time of Creation, through the fall of Adam and Eve and all the conflicts that ensued and are continuing, to the present moment.
As physical entities, people are linked also by space. Just like the concept of water displacement [4], a similar concept applies to space. For example, when a person has occupied a seat, another cannot occupy the identical space. The occupied space is therefore displaced. Space on this earth is large, but not infinite. Therefore, we are linked to one another by our very existence, since one's occupation of space takes away the occupation of the same space by another.
The planet earth not only contains its creatures but also the elements that sustain life. Humans are therefore linked by the earth's life-giving elements. In Chinese astrology, the five elements are metal, wood, water, fire and earth. [5] In modern society, the use and consumption of these five elements are continuous, and the contamination and refuge produced by man's use may or may not be returned to their original pristine state. Contaminated or not, irrevocably transformed or not, the elements that God had created remain. The earth on grounds that the Son of God had walked upon remain. The water that He touched remain. [6] The wood and metal He used as the Son of a carpenter remain. [7] And the fire that cooked the fish for breakfast for His disciples [8] can burn just as hot.
To the five elements, air is added here. Air fills the space that is not already occupied by something physical. The air on the planet earth has sustained life since life began. The air that sustained the life of Christ remain. [9]
A linkage therefore exists. We humans are linked by the air we breath, the earth's elements we survive on, the space we share, the timelessness of time we live in and the powerful imagination that God gave us which links us to God.
This linkage established by God is real and unbreakable. Humankind is a single unit joined to God, but in our ignorance, our fears and our sins we see each other as separate and distinct, and in our distinctness and within our differences conflicts arise and inner peace is destroyed. Without inner peace, there will be no peace in the family, between neighbors and among nations.
Think about the linkage to one another and to God by way of Christ and use the power of imagination without guise, without intellectual dishonesty for the absolute good of all of God's creations, creatures that live and matters that exist for their sustenance so that inner peace can prevail and world peace can be achieved.
[1] The supposed fact that certain chimpanzees in the wild seem to be able to fashion tools for their use, their tools have remained primitive. See http://www.eva.mpg.de/primat/staff/boesch/pdf/fol_prim_tool_use_making.pdf These animals are unable to make further improvements to their tools because they lack imagination. No degree of evolution will change this reality.
[2] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3&version=NIV
[3] An attempt will be made in the near future to put together one.
[4] http://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/multimedia/chapter3/lesson2
[5] http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/astrology/five-elements.htm
[6] https://www.fcwa.org/story_of_water/html/hydrocycle.htm
[7] http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/introduction-to-chemistry-general-organic-and-biological/s08-01-the-law-of-conservation-of-mat.html
[8] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+21%3A4-13&version=NIV
[9] http://water.me.vccs.edu/concepts/oxycycle.html
[5] http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/astrology/five-elements.htm
[6] https://www.fcwa.org/story_of_water/html/hydrocycle.htm
[7] http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/introduction-to-chemistry-general-organic-and-biological/s08-01-the-law-of-conservation-of-mat.html
[8] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+21%3A4-13&version=NIV
[9] http://water.me.vccs.edu/concepts/oxycycle.html
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Want To Be Like God? Think Again.
Eat the forbidden fruit "and you will be like God." [1] To be like God, one must know who is God and what is God first.
Who is God? God is the all powerful Creator. What is God? God is love. To be God is to be all love first and all powerful next. Even though love is higher ranked than power, they are inseparable. It is easy to be powerful but how difficult it is to love? Very, especially to love unconditionally.
One cannot be like God and be all powerful without love. To want to be all powerful but care not about love is to be like Satan. Many in the world who want to be powerful but have no love for their enemies are minions of Satan, and whatever "love" they have for their "friends" is seldom, if ever, unconditional.
[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3&version=NASB
Who is God? God is the all powerful Creator. What is God? God is love. To be God is to be all love first and all powerful next. Even though love is higher ranked than power, they are inseparable. It is easy to be powerful but how difficult it is to love? Very, especially to love unconditionally.
One cannot be like God and be all powerful without love. To want to be all powerful but care not about love is to be like Satan. Many in the world who want to be powerful but have no love for their enemies are minions of Satan, and whatever "love" they have for their "friends" is seldom, if ever, unconditional.
[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3&version=NASB
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