The trite and banal attitude of the media regarding God
I just watched a tv program on the subject of God in Ireland.
It was supposed to explore and give an account of how the population of Ireland are "divorcing" themselves from the Catholic Church.
It was utterly superficial and not surprisingly; revealed a total lack of understanding of the teachings of the Catholic Church.
The way the presenter talked with people regarding welcoming other religions and being "open minded" gave the impression at the end of the program that all religions are equally good, and mixing eastern philosophies with Christianity is better than the way it was before in Ireland.
The teaching around sexuality was brought up, and again, it was obvious that the presenter had no clue why the Church have these rules, and there was no one else on the program either who shed some light on it.
The presenter was, of course, gay, as it seems to me as one have to be these days, to get on the telly.
(I am getting tired of all these sob stories of how hard it was/is to be gay.) (Life is tough)
The presenter talking about the issues of the ban on "sex before marriage, and having children outside marriage" again exposed his own childish and naive simplification of the teachings of the Catholic Church.
According to the media, Ireland are now delighted to be embracing secularism, and are equally delighted to welcome all religions of the world with open arms into this country.
In France one is not afraid to denounce Islam, because it's aim is a political one.
This is a threat to all countries, as France and other European countries knows only too well,
but Ireland are still innocent and ignorant about this.
There are no similarities between my God: Jesus, and Mohammed, they are the direct opposites.
What was important for Ireland was to be seen to be modern, in other words: to imitate all the "modern countries" and therefore it voted for same sex marriage and abortion as a means to be so.
But there are also a lot of people who still have common sense; that knows that to oppose those things has nothing to do with being old fashioned or traditional, but are just simple common sense;
that a marriage is for a man and a woman, and it is wrong to kill.
Nothing complicated, judgemental or homophobic about that.
Again, in France, people were out on the streets demonstrating in huge numbers against same sex marriage, as it was an affront to their common sense, and it was not the "traditional catholics" who demonstrated. But it was brought in anyway, not by a vote, as it would have been voted down, it was just brought in.
The media are doing their brainwashing; trying to tell us that this is the way it is now, but what I see
is that people are coming to Mass in droves, and no, it is not because they are "traditionalists"
(whatever that means), or are coming for the social aspect.
Sorry RTE; you are just going to accept the reality that people are going to Mass because they believe in the one true God that can only be attained by following Jesus.
Yes, of course you can be a very good person without believing in Jesus, and you can be centered and relaxed with other things, e.g. eastern philosophies meditation, but you will never find God.
The Mystery of Faith
The expression "To lose one's mind" is often associated with mental illness.
But it can also mean the exact opposite:
Because our minds are full of concepts and judgements about almost everything, and
constantly exposed to input of others and to brainwashing.
To go beyond our minds, there is only one way: we have to go through it, and everything that is inside it. This is the only way it can genuinely "open up".
Behind it, there is true freedom, deep joy, infinite love, creativity: God.
It is hard work, and few people are willing to do it, or they only go "so far",
and the mind will certainly support you in convincing you that it is not worth it.
This is what we call "The Devil": the going spirit of "the world".
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
(Matthew 7, New International Version)
"And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it, only those who walk in that Way--and fools will not stray onto it."
(Isaiah 35:8, N.I.V.)
emotions and opinions, and if we can also be in charge of the impulses of the body, will find
behind it all, underneath it; ourselves again, in all our original simple, pure and clear sighted
state. This is where God resides.
God can only be found by following the teaching of Jesus, His Only Son: true God and true man:
our brother.
By faithfully praying the prayers of the Catholic Church, we will find again our real home with our Maker, while still here on earth.
That has to be done with our full presence and cooperation, there is no way you can get there by being half asleep or half resistant.
To offer oneself, to give everything to God, to have the courage to trust Him always, and to be willing to suffer when pain comes our way, not to take the easy way out, because we always have the choice to do that in any given situation.
It is we who decide. Things do not happen by chance. There is always Cause and Effect.
Our faith is a faith of Revelation.
What you will discover will "blow your mind away."
When personal nothingness is all that is left
On Holy Thursday this Easter the priest spoke about the significance of Jesus washing his
disciples feet.
He said that at the time of Jesus, when having slaves was normal, not even the slaves were asked
to wash the feet of their Masters, that is how low this act was considered to be.
Contrary to what I thought, the priest said that the Masters washed their own feet.
The significance of this act goes beyond deep humility, it is an act of total surrender of everything that is attached to earthly, human values: personal pride, ego, status.
Before He sacrificed Himself for our sake, He emptied Himself of all that is human.
Because He was God, but He was also a man, like us.
In what ways can we imitate this act?
Who is different?
I have heard a few times said that we must pray for those that "are different to us".
It gives me the sense of barriers and of judgement; it seems to say: there is us and
then there are those who are different from us.
Do the people that say this think that they are identical to all the people that they group
themselves with?
This is not even about race or culture, it is about people that are being judged as being
"different" because they are not being understood.
They are not being understood because those people do not really want to understand.
They are faced with their own prejudices and so just decides that some people are "different."
Every single person on earth is completely unique, that is a scientific fact.
Not even identical twins are identical.
"Recent research presented at the 2012 American Society of Human Genetics meeting, however, suggests that identical twins may not be as genetically similar as hitherto suggested. Identical, or monozygotic, twins come from the same fertilized egg. So, at some point during cell division (before 14 days post-conception), identical twin embryos share virtually all of their DNA. During early fetal development, however, identical twins undergo more than 300 genetic mutations, or copy errors, on average. As human cells divide trillions of times during their lifespan, a few hundred genetic mutations could lead to millions or trillions of genetic differences in the DNA of identical twins over the years. Chemical factors can furthermore activate or suppress gene expression, which means that the same subset of genetic material can lead to the formation of different proteins."
(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-superhuman-mind/201211/identical-twins-are-not-genetically-identical)
Psalm 139:13-15:
It gives me the sense of barriers and of judgement; it seems to say: there is us and
then there are those who are different from us.
Do the people that say this think that they are identical to all the people that they group
themselves with?
This is not even about race or culture, it is about people that are being judged as being
"different" because they are not being understood.
They are not being understood because those people do not really want to understand.
They are faced with their own prejudices and so just decides that some people are "different."
Every single person on earth is completely unique, that is a scientific fact.
Not even identical twins are identical.
"Recent research presented at the 2012 American Society of Human Genetics meeting, however, suggests that identical twins may not be as genetically similar as hitherto suggested. Identical, or monozygotic, twins come from the same fertilized egg. So, at some point during cell division (before 14 days post-conception), identical twin embryos share virtually all of their DNA. During early fetal development, however, identical twins undergo more than 300 genetic mutations, or copy errors, on average. As human cells divide trillions of times during their lifespan, a few hundred genetic mutations could lead to millions or trillions of genetic differences in the DNA of identical twins over the years. Chemical factors can furthermore activate or suppress gene expression, which means that the same subset of genetic material can lead to the formation of different proteins."
(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-superhuman-mind/201211/identical-twins-are-not-genetically-identical)
Psalm 139:13-15:
"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
As we know ;culture, nurture, upbringing and other personal circumstance all play a part, but this old fashioned idea that some people are different and "we must pray for them", is
stupid and arrogant.
It is better to pray that God will open our eyes so that we can see our own faults and attitudes that hinders His work in us.
Heresy
An adult that I know announced that he wanted to be baptized.
He had to put together a team of people to accompany him on the journey of instruction in the Faith.
One of them said to him: "the most important thing about your decision is that you feel comfortable about the Church, and if you do not, then do not proceed with it."
I often get the feeling that the very active people in the Church believes that the Church = it is them.
In other words; if you do not like us, do not join us.
"Who do they think they are?" is my reaction.
These people are barriers to new people who wants to come in.
The use of the word comfortable struck me. The authentic teaching of Jesus does not indicate that first you have to find the comfort, and then you choose that, because it suits you.
The Church is not an association or a club; it is about radical CHANGE, CONVERSION.
That is very rarely comfortable.
The role of the Church is to deliver the teaching, to transmit it to us in order that we can continue to hand it down.
The best way to transmit something is by example. So a person who priorities comfort, will by their very person, prevent the transmission of the complete understanding of Christ's message.
Essentially, it all amounts to surrender.
Abandoning oneself to God, means that one is empty of oneself inside, and that one accepts whatever comes.
When we say in truth: "God, it is you I want", we are throwing ourselves out on the deep end, and we do not know what is going to happen next.
It could even be extremely uncomfortable, who knows?
The point is that one accepts internally whatever comes our way, good and bad.
Because we know that life is like that for everybody, we are not exceptions just because we adhere to the Church.
He had to put together a team of people to accompany him on the journey of instruction in the Faith.
One of them said to him: "the most important thing about your decision is that you feel comfortable about the Church, and if you do not, then do not proceed with it."
I often get the feeling that the very active people in the Church believes that the Church = it is them.
In other words; if you do not like us, do not join us.
"Who do they think they are?" is my reaction.
These people are barriers to new people who wants to come in.
The use of the word comfortable struck me. The authentic teaching of Jesus does not indicate that first you have to find the comfort, and then you choose that, because it suits you.
The Church is not an association or a club; it is about radical CHANGE, CONVERSION.
That is very rarely comfortable.
The role of the Church is to deliver the teaching, to transmit it to us in order that we can continue to hand it down.
The best way to transmit something is by example. So a person who priorities comfort, will by their very person, prevent the transmission of the complete understanding of Christ's message.
Essentially, it all amounts to surrender.
Abandoning oneself to God, means that one is empty of oneself inside, and that one accepts whatever comes.
When we say in truth: "God, it is you I want", we are throwing ourselves out on the deep end, and we do not know what is going to happen next.
It could even be extremely uncomfortable, who knows?
The point is that one accepts internally whatever comes our way, good and bad.
Because we know that life is like that for everybody, we are not exceptions just because we adhere to the Church.
Obedience of Rules
It is understandable that one would revolt against rules that one does not understand.
The big controversial one in the Catholic Church, the one that poses a problem for most people,
is the rule around sexual relations that the Church imposes.
If it is not understood, then it is more or less impossible to adhere to.
With so much sex abuse and cover up in the Catholic Church, it might seem a bit rich to
continue to impose rules in this regard on ordinary, normal functioning people.
The thing is; they do not impose anything on anybody.
We decide ourselves, as adults, if we want to adhere or not.
Just like the priests who have made the vow of celibacy; they have to make a choice if they fall
in love with a woman; they have to decide if they stay or if they go, they are free to choose.
The teachings of the Catholic Church provides rules that takes in every single aspect of the human person.
The idea with that is not, as some people still thinks, that "these people" wants to dominate and interfere in people's life. They do not, they are simply transmitting the true teaching of the Church.
It is their job. But it is not for nothing that they do that, because the ultimate goal is our unification with God.
God lives in the center of our Being.
He can only be accessed through His only Son, Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, our brother,
if we adhere to his commands, and do all that he tells us to do.
That can not happen on the superficial, external level of our life, only in the depths of our hearts
and souls, when we employ our willpower and the control of ourselves, in all situations of our daily life. This includes also our feelings, reactions and perceptions.
It is why that to "follow your feelings" is normally not a good idea.
Due to their very changing and volatile nature, if you "follow your feelings" you could easily lose
your way and the run of yourself.
But it is important to be present with your feelings, accept them totally, especially the strong ones, the difficult and painful ones. (for example rage, revolt, fear, grief )
With the conscious use of the willpower and with great awareness, not always giving in to
biological and physical impulses, to control them, helps us to center us in the core of our being, where God lives.
This is also why gluttony; overeating, is classified as a sin.
A sin, simply defined, is whatever thought, action or omission we commit that creates a barrier between us and God.
"The rules" are a set of spiritual practices, that if, faithfully adhered to, and in a spirit of trust and surrender to the will of God, will bring us closer to God.
The big controversial one in the Catholic Church, the one that poses a problem for most people,
is the rule around sexual relations that the Church imposes.
If it is not understood, then it is more or less impossible to adhere to.
With so much sex abuse and cover up in the Catholic Church, it might seem a bit rich to
continue to impose rules in this regard on ordinary, normal functioning people.
The thing is; they do not impose anything on anybody.
We decide ourselves, as adults, if we want to adhere or not.
Just like the priests who have made the vow of celibacy; they have to make a choice if they fall
in love with a woman; they have to decide if they stay or if they go, they are free to choose.
The teachings of the Catholic Church provides rules that takes in every single aspect of the human person.
The idea with that is not, as some people still thinks, that "these people" wants to dominate and interfere in people's life. They do not, they are simply transmitting the true teaching of the Church.
It is their job. But it is not for nothing that they do that, because the ultimate goal is our unification with God.
God lives in the center of our Being.
He can only be accessed through His only Son, Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, our brother,
if we adhere to his commands, and do all that he tells us to do.
That can not happen on the superficial, external level of our life, only in the depths of our hearts
and souls, when we employ our willpower and the control of ourselves, in all situations of our daily life. This includes also our feelings, reactions and perceptions.
It is why that to "follow your feelings" is normally not a good idea.
Due to their very changing and volatile nature, if you "follow your feelings" you could easily lose
your way and the run of yourself.
But it is important to be present with your feelings, accept them totally, especially the strong ones, the difficult and painful ones. (for example rage, revolt, fear, grief )
With the conscious use of the willpower and with great awareness, not always giving in to
biological and physical impulses, to control them, helps us to center us in the core of our being, where God lives.
This is also why gluttony; overeating, is classified as a sin.
A sin, simply defined, is whatever thought, action or omission we commit that creates a barrier between us and God.
"The rules" are a set of spiritual practices, that if, faithfully adhered to, and in a spirit of trust and surrender to the will of God, will bring us closer to God.
Updates
The updates that installes themselves on our computers are imposed on us, it is normally not we that
thinks about doing them. They are crucial to the efficient functionality of the computers, which as we know, do not operate in an individual or separatist fashion, but are part of a world wide web network. If the updates for some reason do not take place, the functionality of the computer will be drastically reduced.
In this respect, human beings are not that different from computers.
The initial downloading of our programs, the configurations, that forms our thinking, beliefs and habits that takes place when we are young, needs to be regularly updated in order for us to function properly in every new situation that might ressemble the initial situation.
Because the old original program does not help us to act correctly to the new situation,
due to the lack of updating.
Sometimes we see old people saying and doing exactly the same things that their parents did before them, without reflection, they believe fully that the world really is as they see it, and not as somebody else sees it.
Awareness in all things, especially the "small" things is the antidote. When one becomes aware of one's thoughts and one's words, the awareness will grow from there.
This awareness program will result in a growing updating to the new realities of a world that is constantly changing.
I am not here talking about acquiring new technology, neither I am talking about integrating
changing worldly trends of what is "acceptable", "cool", or "worthy" at any given time, because that is superficial, and has nothing to do with true consciousness.
I am talking about a process in the interior of the person, in the true awareness of things, as they really are.
thinks about doing them. They are crucial to the efficient functionality of the computers, which as we know, do not operate in an individual or separatist fashion, but are part of a world wide web network. If the updates for some reason do not take place, the functionality of the computer will be drastically reduced.
In this respect, human beings are not that different from computers.
The initial downloading of our programs, the configurations, that forms our thinking, beliefs and habits that takes place when we are young, needs to be regularly updated in order for us to function properly in every new situation that might ressemble the initial situation.
Because the old original program does not help us to act correctly to the new situation,
due to the lack of updating.
Sometimes we see old people saying and doing exactly the same things that their parents did before them, without reflection, they believe fully that the world really is as they see it, and not as somebody else sees it.
Awareness in all things, especially the "small" things is the antidote. When one becomes aware of one's thoughts and one's words, the awareness will grow from there.
This awareness program will result in a growing updating to the new realities of a world that is constantly changing.
I am not here talking about acquiring new technology, neither I am talking about integrating
changing worldly trends of what is "acceptable", "cool", or "worthy" at any given time, because that is superficial, and has nothing to do with true consciousness.
I am talking about a process in the interior of the person, in the true awareness of things, as they really are.
Church Abuse
This week yet another court case is taking place regarding the cover-up of clerical sex abuse.
It used to be hard to imagine that the rape of children could be made even worse by having
another crime added on to it.
In the Catholic Church, we know that often other priests had knowledge of abuse taking place,
and the bishop too, and yet nobody did anything to stop and prevent it, but instead denied it.
It is this last fact that has caused hundreds of thousands to turn away from the Church, never to return.
The same pattern of denial and silence that accompanies every new case, is a completely counterproductive exercise.
Brainwashing
A definition of brainwashing is: Persuasion by Propaganda or Salesmanship which
implies that one has given up individual independent though process.
I find that scary, because my mind and my intelligence are things that I value.
Old fashioned things like freedom of speech, where in the attitude of respect of others,
and in a democratic mind-set, one could agree to disagree on issues, seems to exist no longer.
I expressed a few years ago that I did not see the relevance in the demand for
gay marriage, because the definition of marriage is a life long union between a man and a woman.
implies that one has given up individual independent though process.
I find that scary, because my mind and my intelligence are things that I value.
Old fashioned things like freedom of speech, where in the attitude of respect of others,
and in a democratic mind-set, one could agree to disagree on issues, seems to exist no longer.
I expressed a few years ago that I did not see the relevance in the demand for
gay marriage, because the definition of marriage is a life long union between a man and a woman.
Christmas
Apart from the Mass, I do not like Christmas very much.
What we are celebrating at this time, is the miracle of life, a miracle that is unfolding
every moment of every day.
The celebrations endeavors to bring to our awareness that
because of Jesus's coming,
In reality every day is Christmas
What I dislike about this period is the excessive food and drink that people seem to think that
they are obliged to indulge in.
What does "Do not judge" mean?
The Bible tells us not to judge.
First of all, the definition of the word Judgement:
Faculty of the mind that allows to judge
shows us that it is not enough to say "do not judge" as if it were a slogan.
On the contrary, life depends on our ability to judge.
Which is enforced by the synonyms of the word:
Discernment, Common Sense, Evaluation, Consideration
Humility
At Mass this morning, it is the new parish priest who is saying mass.
I like him, he is natural, solid, intelligent, grounded.
And he has a quality that it takes me a while to name.
I realize afterwards that it is because it is such a rare quality,
not many people have it.
It is true humility.
Later on in the day I go to visit my friend; the donkey.
He is in his little field together with some sheep (all black) and some chicken,
plus the magnificent rooster.
The donkey is gorgeous.
He is always delighted to see me, today too.
When he hears me coming, he runs up to the fence.
I give him some of the delicious weeds and grass that I am able to pick from the outside of the fence, and I feed him through the holes in the wire.
He knows that it is a gesture of love, and not a question of feeding, because he does that himself,
he does not need me for that!
Then he nibbles on my jacket sleeves as best he can, through the little openings, and I feel that
this is how he shows me his love.
There is something completely adorable about him.
It is his humility.
I understand why Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, and not on a horse!
Healing
Since I was little I have looked for someone to help and to heal me.
If I had only known then that the Person that can do that, was so near, is still near,
and will always be near, I would have avoided many traps, but there you go.........
That Person is Jesus, who Was, Is, and always Will be.
No other person can really understand you, no matter how much they love you,
or are motivated to help you, and no matter how intelligent or qualified they might be.
They cannot really understand you, for the simple reason that they are not you!
Jesus, on the contrary, knows everything about you, he knows you intimately.
He knows every small problem you are worried about and every single burden you have.
And when you approach Him for help, He has all the time for you as if no one else exists.
That is how valuable you are to Him and how absorbed He is in you.
He is The Truth and The Way that will lead you to The Life.
I do not know about you, but that is the God that I want!
I do not want any other one than This One, the Only True One.
If I had only known then that the Person that can do that, was so near, is still near,
and will always be near, I would have avoided many traps, but there you go.........
That Person is Jesus, who Was, Is, and always Will be.
No other person can really understand you, no matter how much they love you,
or are motivated to help you, and no matter how intelligent or qualified they might be.
They cannot really understand you, for the simple reason that they are not you!
Jesus, on the contrary, knows everything about you, he knows you intimately.
He knows every small problem you are worried about and every single burden you have.
And when you approach Him for help, He has all the time for you as if no one else exists.
That is how valuable you are to Him and how absorbed He is in you.
He is The Truth and The Way that will lead you to The Life.
I do not know about you, but that is the God that I want!
I do not want any other one than This One, the Only True One.
What is Man
Happy and Holy Christmas as we celebrate the Incarnation of Our Lord
"What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet"
(Psalm 8:4-6 (NKJV))
OUR FATHER
When I pray:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name ;
I pronounce that God, who is invisible, exists, and that I honour Him
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
I want His will to be done in me, even though I do not know what that is yet,
only that it implies letting go of my own will. I face the unknown.
Give us this day our daily bread;
Give me Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, who is the Real Bread of Life
And forgive us our trespasses;
Remove my guilt in the Sacrament of reconciliation
As we forgive those who trespass against us;
Eliminate any feelings of anger, bitterness or antipathy towards anyone that has done me wrong
Let us not enter into temptation;
Let me always be awake and aware in order that I do not fall
But deliver us from evil ;
Protect me from the Evil one, who is everywhere
How to teach your child to be a good consumer
Formation of a materialistic mind
Santa Claus:
A perfect business conception
When your child is small, all he wants is to have his biological needs, and his need for love, fulfilled.
Those are his "values" in life.
Trusting God
What does it mean to "trust God?"
If I surrender myself to God, if I hand myself over, consciously,
I let Him act in me.
If I do not, He can not find a place to enter me,
because I would be full (of myself).
If I surrender myself to God, if I hand myself over, consciously,
I let Him act in me.
If I do not, He can not find a place to enter me,
because I would be full (of myself).
There is no conflict between religion and science
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth
«'A Day Without Yesterday': Georges Lemaitre & the Big Bang
Divine Life lives inside us
It is covered over by our sins, that is why so many people has lost awareness of it.
When jealousy, envy, fear, anxiety, anger, lies, falseness, hypocrisy, materialism, greed,
unforgiveness, bitterness, arrogance, self importance, pride, selfishness, guilt, condemnation, ambition, all sorts of addictions, disbelief, the interior refusal to accept things that one cannot change, conformity to the world, etc. takes up too much place in us,
unforgiveness, bitterness, arrogance, self importance, pride, selfishness, guilt, condemnation, ambition, all sorts of addictions, disbelief, the interior refusal to accept things that one cannot change, conformity to the world, etc. takes up too much place in us,
the connection with God is not possible.
Our work consists in eliminating that, and then we start to see the reality.
God is Living
God is Living
The Living God
LIFE
The sovereignty of God
The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit
When we recognise our limits, our smallness, we recognise Him who made us. Then with our reasoning, we practise trusting Him who made us in His image.
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