Pio's Proverb 208: A True Christmas Story!

This is a true story:

{This is Copyrighted Material and cannot be printed out without expressed permission of the author, Pio Peter Zammit.}

                                       Little Angelito: Part 1

Once before all time, there was nothing – only God all by Himself.  God contemplated the joy of His being, the beauty of His being and His life.  Such a great joy grew and welled up in Him that a great light of joy shot out from him.  As the light was shooting out from him, he got an idea!  He caught the great light in his hands and fashioned it into a shape.  He brought the figure to his lips and said: “Be!”  Instantly, “Mighty Michael” came to be!  Michael only heard the sound “e!” as he became conscious and looked into the beautiful face of his Father God, “The Father of Lights!”  Mighty Michael began to realize he was just born!  He had full intelligence, full knowledge, full awareness.  A joy began to well up in him.  He could hardly contain his joy!  He actually could not contain it!  The joy became so great that a great light of joy shot out from him!  As the light was shooting out, God, the Father of Lights, cried out: “Catch it!”  So, Mighty Michael quickly reached out and caught the light before it could escape.  He fashioned the light into a figure by his creative intuition and presented the art work to God in thanksgiving for his new life.  God immediately and graciously accepted Michael’s gift and put it to His lips and said: “Be!”  And Gabriel came to be!  Gabriel figure looked around curiously and saw Mighty Michael, God and himself.  All were silent.  Gabriel seemed a little shy, but as he realized he was just born, and that there were only the three present: God, Michael, and himself!  He began to become happy because he felt loved – actually loved into being – loved to life!  His happiness grew and grew.  It became a great joy!  He couldn’t contain it, and a great light of joy shot out from him!  “Catch it!”, said  Michael to Gabriel!  Gabriel obeyed immediately!  He caught the light before it could escape.  He felt he should form it and give the form to Michael, who approves like a daddy angel would.  Michael treated the form lovingly as he presented it to God who also lovingly breathed the word, “Be!” into it.  Instantaneously, Raphael came to be!  Raphael was beautiful!  But of the three, Michael was the largest and the brightest.  Gabriel was not quite as large or bright because Michael wasn’t able to catch all the light that shot out from him.  Also, Gabriel was not able to catch all the light that shot out from him.  So each angel was just a little smaller and little less bright as the parent angel.  Thus, Raphael was the youngest - very beautiful - very different from the rest in stature and brightness. 

This did not diminish the joy of each because each had their own special gifts from God.  Each had their own unique beauty.  All were loved perfectly by God and the other angels.  No angel lacked anything, because God’s “Be!” made them perfectly beautiful in God’s eyes and in the other angel’s eyes.  What made them loveable was that God made them so unique, so beautiful, so  gifted in themselves.   No one was the same or a copy of another.  Each one’s beauty was never seen before in heaven and never will be.  Each angel was planned by God!

Well, on that day, millions and millions of angels were created because of God’s “Be!”, God’s love, together with each parent angel’s love, and because of joy and light!  So continued the “angel process of creation” until the birth of a tiny angel, Angelito.  Millions and millions of angel’s eyes were on him as God said: “Be!”  Little Angelito, sensing that all eyes were on him, felt he had to do something, perform something that angels are supposed to do.  As a joy started to well up in him. A little light shot out of him!  “Catch it!”  said his loving parent angel.  He did and fashioned into his own little beautiful art work.  He gave it to his parent angel, who gave it to the next parent angel, all the way up to God.  Every angel was very careful not to hurt the shape of little Angelito’s art work.  Finally, the figure was presented to God.  But God did not say the word, “Be” into Angelito’s form.  Instead, God put the form into his heart where it disappeared!  All of heaven was silent and motionless until Angelito piped up: “That’s ok, it’s not my job!”  Because the tension was high, this remark caused all the angels to laugh.  Even God smiled at the childlike remark and defense Angelito had just made.  God had not spoken the “Be” because “Little Angelito” was the last angel God had planned to create.  God, the Father of Lights, (angels were originally called “Lights”) loved all his “Lights”, all his angels equally.  Angelito was just as dear to God as was Mighty Michael!

 After all the great day of creation, God was tired.  He put His mighty hands over His eyes to rest a little while. Now the angels are like little children.  They just copy what they see God doing.  So all the angels from Michael to Angelito covered their faces with their wings and took a nap.  The next “heaven-day” (no one knows how many hours later), God took his mighty hands away from his face!  The light God’s face was like a brilliant morning that flooded heaven with a brilliance and warmth which of course the angels have never known before because this was their very first morning in heaven!  The light penetrated all the angel’s wings and immediately woke them up!  As they yawned and stretched, they noticed something different.  All were wearing a beautiful sash similar to what deacons wear around their shoulders and chest.  The sash had their name and their title.  “Mighty Michael-Choir Director “, “Gabriel-Messenger and Recorder of Prayers”, “Raphael-Healing of God.”  Ninety-five percent of all the angels had their name and position in the choir and what vowel they were to sing.  For example, the only word ever sung in the choir is “alleluia”.  Thousands of angels had to sing “Al:” whereas thousands more just sang the syllable “le.”   Thousands more just sang “lu”, and thousands more had to sing just “ia.”  So Mighty Michael would only point to different sections of the choir to get the syllable he wanted.  Now, there were sixty-four scales of music.  Each section of angels not only knew their syllable, they knew exactly what not to sing.  So each angel in the choir had one note and one syllable.  Mighty Michael would compose his polyphony (many melodies at once) as he conducted the choir.  Actually, the angels were living organ pipes with spirit and praise of God in their hearts.

So every angel scurried to their assigned places.  All of heaven was orderly.  Mighty Michael at first made all the choir sing all at once, all scales and all syllables, in one incredible might chord!  It blasted feathers off of some angel’s wings!  Even God looked up and smiled!  It was a sound never heard of before!  Then, Mighty Michael started beautiful melodies which his brilliant  mind composed as he went.  He could hear it all in his mind before a note sounded.  The melodies, multiple melodies, filled heaven with a majesty of sound, a brilliance of melodies, a moving surge of the joyful “sound of music!”

Everyone was gone to work, except one little angel, “Little Angelito.”  “There must be some mistake,” he said to himself.  “MY sash only says: “Little Angelito!”  There was no title, no position.  Angelito took off the sash and turned it inside out.  There was nothing except his name.  He began to become sad.  He felt he was capable and talented, and smart, and that his gift was to be wise – wisdom – but were could he use that, especially since he was alone.  There was no one to be wise to or for!   He got an idea!  “I’ll just go and ask Mighty Michael if I can join his great choir!  “I know the word ‘Alleluia’ – I can sing too!” he said to himself.  And off he flew and approached the Mighty Choir Director.  He flew right to Mighty Michael ‘s ear!  He perched right on the earlobe of Michael and called: “Mighty Mikiel” (he couldn’t say “Michael” very well), “ Mighty Mikiel!”  Michael did not hear him because as choir director, he was busy directing and composing!  Angelito put his head deep into the ear of Michael and shouted with all his might: “Mighty Mikiel  hear me!”  With that, (it was like a buzz of a bee in the ear) Mighty Michael put all the choir in one long sustained note.   “What is it?”  said  Michael patiently.  “What is it, my son, Angelito?”  “Father, I have no job!  Can I be in your choir?”  With all the angels singing on note – held by the pointed finger of Michael – Michael said, “All my positions are filled!  Also, your voice is so faint, no one could hear you.  If I place you in a section , they will feel they are not adequate!  I cannot take you in.  I am sorry son!”  “But Father,” said Angelito, “ I want to be somebody!  I want to be great! Don’t you want me to be somebody?  Don’t you want me to be great?”  Michael was careful to answer lovingly.  “I do…you will be great.  You are somebody now…if you just accept your job ‘to be’ –‘to be’ who you are!”  “If you accept who you are, you will be great!”  Andy with wisdom, Michael let the choir take a needed breath and resumed directing.  Little Angelito flew off the ear-perch of his father Michael and flew to his own spot where he napped.  There, Angelito strained and concentrated and said aloud: “I am going ‘to be’ me! I got ‘to be’ me!  I must ‘be me’!  I am going to be great!  I need to be great!  Maybe I am great!  For a full day of work, Angelito repeated these thoughts and was nearly exhausted!

Finally, Angelito, in total exhaustion and frustration, began to pray!  “Dearest Father of Lights”!  I cannot sing; I can’t record prayers; I cannot heal anyone…I have tried, but I cannot even ‘be’ me very well!  Therefore Father, I offer you my poor being to praise you – to love you!”

This little prayer had a life of its own.  It shot out of Angelito’s soul.  It flew past Gabriel so fast that it went through Gabriel’s scanner and printed out on Gabriel’s screen.  It was caught and recorded, but it almost got away from Gabriel who never missed recording and storing copies of prayer.  (For an angel to pray is natural as a fish breathing underwater.  It is so natural for an angel to pray that it just flow naturally.)

Now this little prayer of Angelito flew around and around until it entered the Mighty ear of God!  It went down His ear and landed in God’s heart!  Then God’s heart made a Mighty Boom!  It was like thousands of thunder claps all at once!  It drowned out the choir!  Mighty Michael paused and stopped the choir.  Never had there ever been such a sound in heaven like this!  All the eyes of heaven were on the mighty arm of God as He moved His arm across heaven scurrying angels out of the way like snowflakes!  He then pointed His finger at Little Angelito who was still kneeling in prayer with eyes shut.  He opened his eyes to see all of heaven’s eyes looking at him, and God was pointing at him!  God said in a loving thunderous voice, “Come here, my son!” 

Little Angelito:  Part II

Angelito heard God say in a loving thunderous voice:  “Come here, my son!”  Immediately Angelito sprang up and flew up into the open Hand of God.  Now, God’s Hand was so big and Angelito so small that the cracks in God’s palm were to Angelito like an eight lane highway.  Then, God lifted Angelito up for all the angels of heaven to see.  God said: “My angels, my children, do you see this littlest of angels with no job except just ‘to be!”  He has something that none of you have to such a perfect degree!”  (Now, Mighty Michael – the greatest of angels – turned his ear toward God to listen more attentively; for what did this little angel have that Michael did not have?)  The Father of Lights went on to address the whole heavenly host:  “What Angelito has to such a ‘perfect’ degree in his perfect virtue of humility!”  Heaven was silent…all looking lovingly at Little Angelito.  All remained silent until Little Angelito innocently piped up: “Is that my job, Father?”  “Yes”, said God, who had raised His Hand higher above His majestic Head so that all the angels could see Angelito exalted above all the Angels of Heaven!  “Yes,” said God, “your job is ‘to be’ – ‘to be happy’ –to be little Mighty Angelito!  And the word “Mighty” appeared on little Angelito’s sash!  Mighty Michael’s wings fell from their pointing upward – fell like a woman’s hair in a mighty rain!  While all the angels rushed to congratulate and hug Little Mighty Angelito, Mighty Michael asked Gabriel for copies of all of Angelito’s prayers so to examin them learn the secret of Angelito’s greatness.  Gabriel gave Michael just two scrolls of Angelito’s relatively short prayers.  Putting the scrolls under his wings, Mighty Michael left the heavenly court and went on retreat in the outskirts of heaven – alone – by himself.  There, silently he read Angelito’s prayers and paused when he read: “Dearest Father of Lights!  I cannot sing; I cannot record prayers; I cannot heal anyone…I have tried, but I cannot even ‘be’ me very well!” 

“Therefore Father, I offer you my poor being to praise you – to love you!”  Mighty Michael said to himself – “there!  That word – ‘poor’ – what does that word mean?  No one in heaven has ever heard or said that word.  It’s not in the Angelic dictionary!  But I can try to figure it out from the context of surrounding ideas and emotions.  Angelito felt ‘down’ – literally and figuratively and spiritually the little angel felt his lowliness – being the littlest angel and having no talents or job – except he seems to be very, very wise for all his littleness.  He wisely tells God just how lowly he is.  He seems to have nothing but his ‘poor being’…that’s it!  That’s what made the Father’s heart go boom!  All that Angelito is and has – he gives to God.  That nothing he has can he offer except his ‘poor being’ because all he has – his little self – is from God.  Angelito was offering his ‘poorness’ to God because all we have comes from God no matter how little or great..” Michael kept thinking and thinking – especially that little Angelito was – without knowing it – holier that Mighty Michael – the largest and brightest and first of all angels…but little Angelito was ‘ mightier’ than Michael because of his “perfect virtue of humility!”  In the silence of the retreat, Michael felt totally alone…no one could understand his feeling of being dethroned as greatest angel.  No one could console him…then he realized that not in talents did greatness exist but in graces of virtue – especially in the great virtue of “humility” offered to God “in love.”  As this truth penetrated Michael’s being, he became overwhelmed with emotion.  He fell on his knees and bent his head nearly to the heavenly cloud floor and sobbed out to God: “Father of Lights – my Father – you created me to reflect your brightness and your glory.  You gave me the greatest intellect and talents and creativity.  All I am and I have comes from you, dearest Father of Lights!  Still, Father, in praise and love for you, I completely and wholeheartedly offer you my totally ‘poor being’!”

Before Gabriel could finish recording this prayer, a great, great “boom” of God’s Heart filled the heavens…and all looked up at God… even Angelito…all wondering what happened.  Then again God’s mighty arm swept across the heavens scattering angels like snowflakes!  The Hand of God reached out into the outskirts of heaven to touch Mighty Michael whose head was bowed down and whose wings touched the heavenly floor, and God said: “Come home, my son!”  Michael sprang up like little Angelito and went into the loving Hand of God who carried him to His heart!  From that day on Mighty Michael and Little Angelito were always together.  They became a joy to one another – both being the “poorest” in heaven.  Angelito could sing wherever he wanted.  Gabriel took him in as an assistant.  Gabriel and Raphael both were very patient teaching Angelito everything.  From Mighty Michael to little Mighty Angelito – all were very happy in heaven.  Got the Father was delighted in the happiness and being of His angels – all – from the least to the greatest –were – equally precious to Him.  All were equally dear to God!

All was wonderful until…a legion of angels in Michael’s choir sang on the off beat – not according to Michael’s direction – “We will not sing; we will not serve!”  Only “Alleluia” was permitted to be sung.  And this was not in harmony and was on the offbeat and in dissonance with the prevalent polyphonic melodies.  “We will not sing; we will not serve!”  Gabriel refused to record this!  Michael was even puzzled by the word “no” because no one ever heard of it.  But his mind calculated the meaning – these angels were in rebellion!!  Michael stopped directing – all listened in dismay to the chant led by “lucifer” (light hearer): “We will not sing!  We will not serve!”  Nothing was heard in heaven but this chant – out of tune – as well!  Then God appeared with a mighty sword in hand!  The sword was a mirror.  God gave Michael the sword!  All the rebellious angels while chanting turned their back on God whom they could not look at while chanting.  But Michael intuitively knew he should leave his podium and go behind the rebellious angels and shine God’s face into theirs – which blinded them and smashed them!  They were confused, because they could not hide from God!  Then God said to Michael in a great voice: “Sweep the “nots” from Heaven!”  Mighty Michael in obedience raised the great sword to make a great sweep of all the “nots” from the sight of God – sweep them all from heaven!  His sword was a mighty flame ready to clean heaven of all the “nots”!  But suddenly, “lucifer” flew up to the ear of Michael and said: “Mighty Michael! ...  Mighty Michael; you do not have to serve either!  Come and ‘be’ our God and rule over us because you are ‘like unto God!’ …Maybe God planned for you to be ‘God of the angels’.  If you are so ‘like unto God’, maybe you are equal to God!”  Mighty Michael had often pondered the distance – if any – between himself and God; whether he was meant to be a ‘god’ to rule over all creation.  So, Michael hesitated and dropped his sword to his side…to contemplate the deep philosophical proposition lucifer proposed.  Mighty Michael’s brow was wrinkled in thought.  He was not obeying God immediately and was having some doubts as to what to do.  God was looking and waiting.  Mighty Michael was in deep trouble!  He was torn between obedience to God and the prospect of great glory and “Godship” for himself.  While God was waiting patiently as a Father giving His son time…understanding and lovingly…and little Mighty Angelito knew his father, Mighty Mikiel, was in very deep trouble!  Angelito sprang up and flew to perch on Mighty Michael’s other ear and shouted with all his might: “Mighty Mikiel!...Mighty Mikiel!...remember, ‘Father, we offer you our poor being’!”  Mighty Michael realized in an instant that he was a “poor” created being not a god…that there was an infinite distance between a creature and Almighty God!!  Little Angelito’s wisdom (his gift from God) snapped Michael out of his doubts – out of his hesitancy!  Mighty Michael swept in one mighty blow all the “nots” from heaven!!  Little Angelito made a cry of glee and joy because he – being so little – saved him who was so great and mighty – but even more especially because God was honored and happy over Mighty Michael’s humble obedience to God!  Mighty Michael was showing in action that God had created him to love God, serve God, and know God forever and ever!

Mighty Michael took Angelito off his ear and him into his hand.  Michael said lovingly: “You are mighty, little one…you are mightier than I because your heart is so wise!  You are even wise in applying your wisdom at the right time!  You are so kind as to notice my trouble and came to help me…to even save me from lucifer’s lies, the father of “nots”.  You are the best of angels because of your virtue of humility.  Greatness is not in “Brightness” or “bigness” – but in “holiness.”  “You, my son, can sing in any choir, sing any note, any part of ‘Alleluia’ because your voice is so powerful and wise and loving!  Yes, also, the other angels can learn from you to serve God in humility and in perfect praise!”  Those words – spoken so lovingly and gratefully to Angelito – had a life of their own and actually gave Angelito an angelic kiss on his cheek.  He felt it just as you and I feel a kiss from our mom and dad.

After that, “Mighty little Angelito” and “Mighty Michael” were inseparable!  They were always together.  You would never see one without the other!
From that day onward in heaven – even to this very moment, there never was a sad moment in heaven ever again!  All the angels including Mighty Michael and Mighty little Angelito have been singing “Alleluia” in joy and praise of God while at the same time offering up to God their “poor” beings in utter humility and “love for God”!  All the angels were so happy just “to be” before God forever!
God smiled on all His angel children – especially on Mighty Michael and Mighty little Angelito because these two angels taught all the rest how to really love God.  After all, God created all the angels – each one – to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him forever – which is true eternal happiness!

Still – all the while - God was thinking…planning…to do something very great in the future: to create a little girl – a beautiful little girl called Mary whose heart would be greater than the sea (“maris” means the sea) and that she would be more humble that all the angels.  She would be so humble – humblest of all creatures – so pure, so holy that she would give birth to His Son, Jesus, who is both God and man. 

She would be truly “little” in her own eyes and would declare that her soul would “magnify  the  Lord”. God was thinking Mary would be one day be Queen of all the angels – Queen of His lights - who will love her so much because she would outshine them all!  All the angels..will one day adore Jesus and love Mary as their Queen Mother. She is our Queen Mother, too, because she gave birth to Jesus on Christmas Day ; and we are all baptized into Him and His life. Also she gave birth to all of us under the cross when Jesus said to John and to all of us: “Behold your mother!”  Thanks be to God. Amen! Amen!

Christmas Day, in the biginning of year 1:

As Jesus was being born, all the angels in heaven were anxious to see whom would God the Father pick to be Jesus' Gaudian angel. Many applied for the honor...even Mighty Michael. But Little Angelito was to busy to notice that the job position had been posted on the Heaven Bulletin Board. Interviews had been going on for several weeks prior to Christmas Day..but no one was picked. So The Father of Lights thought: "Perhaps we need to let the Baby Jesus pick His own guardian angel!" IN a flash all the angels bio's were paraded pass Jesus as He lay in his manger. "Stop!" the Baby thought to Himself when He saw the littlest angel of all, Little Angelito!  Jesus said to Himself, "Since I am so little, I need an angel who is the littlest, too!"  And Angelito grew up with Jesus and was always the same size as Jesus. We too can grow up with Jesus and relate to Him when we are children...and seeing Him alwasy as our own age...until we are 33 years old..and are the same age. When we grow older, Jesus will stil relate to us as his children. That is why Jesus said to Peter and His disciples who were in the boat fishing when the Resurrected Jesus called out to them from the shore: "My children, have you caught anything!?" 

So, Little Angelito did get the honor of protecting the Baby Jesus without even having to apply for it!  He was so Happy...and said, "Is that my job!?" ..Mighty Michael said: "Yes, you were always picked for this job even before you were born.....Do your best..." Yes, I will!" said Little Angelito. And Mighty Michael said, "I am sure you will!..and you will grow up with Jesus and especially comfort his in a garden when He is worried. Yet, for now, let us rejoice...and wish "Merry Christmas" to all in Heaven and on earth.."peace and joy to men of good will."...Alleluia!" Amen!

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Epilogue: This story was dictated to me by my Guardian angel in 1980. It is a true story. Perhaps my guardian angel IS Little Angelito! And that is why he knows it so well!

 

Peace and love, Pio   Merry Christmas!  December 25, 2012  

Pio's Proverb 207: Our Lady of Guadalupe: December 12, 2012

Today is December 12, 2012: the Feast Day of Our Lady of Quadalupe!!

She is patroness of the Unborn and the Americas. It all happened in about 1530 in what is now Mexico but then it was the territory of the Aztec Indians who were pagans and worshiped both the sun god and the snake god. Our Lady put an end to both of those false pagan idols.

Here is how she did it!  20% of the Indian children were sacrificed each year to the sun god and the snake god to assure good crops and blessings. These children were innocent and dies a violent death.

Our Lady is Patroness of the Unborn and is totally devoted to saving the lives of Children in and out of the womb. She was able to stop all child sacrifice in that territory as well as convert 10 million Indians to the Catholic Faith. How could she do all that? What was her master plan?

1) First, she became good friends with an Indian named Juan Diego who had become Catholic because of the Spanish having settled in that area.
She appeared to Juan many times...and cured his uncle. But Juan wanted to avoid to have to tell the Bishop to build a shrine ..a church..so she could bring the Indians to Christ. But Juan thought he was too little of a person to carry such a request...He tried to avoid Our Lady and took another different way home, But Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared on his alternate route too;  and she told him to gather the Roses growing on the hill she first appeared to him and to give them to the Bishop as a sign of her being really appearing to Juan and to validate her requests for the Bishop to build a church there. This was her plan to convert the Indians not to get praise to herself.  Juan picked the roses, roses of castille, and put them in his tilma which is made from cactus fiber into a cloak. Mary knew that the Bishop was a lover of plants and a sort of horticulturist. She knew that roses do not bloom like this in winter and that these roses were not native to this territory.

2) Juan Diego went to the Bishop and openned his tilma and the flowers fell forth. But the Bishop and the others in the room feel to their knees. Juan was behind the tilma and did not see what they saw at first; but then he looked and saw the beautiful image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the tilma! She was beautiful!

3) She wore blue and had stars on her gown. The stars were later analyzed as the exact constellation of stars in the year 1531 in December!

4) But more startling things were associated with this tilma that is now over 500 years old:

a) The image has been scientifically analyzed and was determined that there is no known paint or element which makes the image. It is not on the atomic chart.

b) The cactus fibers only last 20 years; but this tilma has lasted 500 years in perfect preservation.

c) In her eyes, there are the images of Juan Diego and the Bishop looking surprised which the eyes of the Virgin has captured. Also these images of Juan and the Bishop are in both eyes along with Indians in the room. Just one of these images would be much much smaller than hairs of a paint brush. The image of the Bishop is true and compares perfectly with a painting of him made in the 1530's. The curvature of the eyes are perfect human eyes following the laws of opthamology.

d) Just a full copy of this image that toured the US has caused cures...and the eyes have shown tears.

e) Our Lady of Guadalupe (named after a shrine in Spain) appeared in front of an abortion clinic to beg the mother about to abort her child to save the child's life and the child and she were precious to God. The mother kepted her child. Mary is again trying to save children from child sacrifice. But in the US, 25% (not the Aztec's 20%) are sacrificed and killed by abortion.

May Our Lady of Guadalupe -- whose image on the Tilma is preserved and shown over the high altar in the Cathedral church in Mexico City -- preserved us. May what she said to now Saint Juan Diego: "Why are you worried? Am I not your mother and do I not protect you under my mantle?"

Because of this image -- that shows Mary blocking out the sun god's rays and stepping on the serpant god --  10 million Indians were converted to the Catholic faith.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is an image of a pregnant Indian woman with the coloring of the yet-to-be-born Mexican Nationality. Her coloring was the color of the mixture of Spanish and Indian peoples.

Mary always appears as to be accepted by the people as their own. Her black sash was the sign of the Indian women of the day that the woman was pregant.

Our Lady of Guadulupe, Pray for us!!  We love you!

Love and peace, Pio  xoxo

Pio's Proverb's 206: King of kings and Lord of lords!

As the Magi approached the little child, the openned up their gifts of gold, frankensense and myrr. Surely the gold was to honor the little Child as the long awaited King of the Jews.
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Pilate asked Jesus: "Are you a king?"

Jesus said, "Who ever hears my voice hears the Truth. This is why I came into the world: to bear witness to the Truth."

Pilate said: "Then you are a king?"

Jesus said: "It is you who say that I am a king....My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, my attendants would have kept me from being turned over to the Jews; but as it is, my Kingdom is not of this world."
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Satan said to Jesus: "Here are all the kingdoms of the world. They are all yours if you would bow down and worship me."

Jesus said: "You shall adore the Lord thy God; and him alone should you adore."

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Jesus said: "I am the Alpha and the Omega: the beginning and the end: Seems that the Truth is that Jesus is both King and Lord of all the Universe: in Heaven and on earth from forever to forever.

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Is Jesus King of our hearts; or is He a mere figurehead in our lives?  Seems that for Him to be declared King of our hearts, we must choose to serve Him as our King.

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Is Jesus King and Lord of your business life, family life, academic life, sex life, religious life, spiritual life?
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Is Jesus your King and Lord? Hopefuly "Yes".

If not, then by default, you  are serving the would-be-king: satan.


Peace and love,

Pio

Pio's Proverb 205: Thanksgiving Day, 2012: what does it mean?

Thanksgiving Day 2012 is a day like no other because it follows a national election and parallels a time of almost civil war on many issues: religious liberty, protection of life for the unborn under the 14th Amendment, foreign policies that divide the country, military involvment in Iraq and Afganistan with the back-burner war of the US with Red China on civil liberties and domestic-foreign trade deficits.

How is this time like the times of 1863 when the first Thanksgiving day was made a national holiday by "Proclamation" by the President of the United States of America?  Here are President Lincoln's own words that is very much in the style of the Gettisberg address. President Lincoln did not delegate this procolamation to someone else to write. He wrote it himself which shows the greaetness of the man:

"The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and heathful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come. Others have abeen added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitualy insensible to the ever watchful providene of Almighty God.

"In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and serverity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military confilct; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense, have not arrested the plough, the shuttel or the ship; the axe has enlarged the boarders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as for the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Populations has steadily increased, notwithstaning the waste that been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permittied to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me to fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverenttly and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.

"I do  therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning to foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as the day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our Beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.  And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverance and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perversness and disobedience, commend His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in this lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Diivne purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and Union.

"I testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the Seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Indepenence of the Untied Stetes in eighty-eight.


                               By the President: Abraham Lincom
                             William H. Seward, Secratry of State."


There is no sense of separation of church and state in this Proclamation.
God is honored, relied upon, thanked and praised. ON Thanksgiving Day in our Nation today, how much is about Thanking God? Yes, it is a time to be Thankful for family love, food on the table, our jobs, our health, our love for one another; but Abraham Lincoln goes one step further and tells us to look for the "source from which they came."  To him "They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God."  During these times, the ACLU wants no mention of Christ or have figures of the baby Jesus at Christmas on public ground..where you cannot display the Ten Commandments at Court Houses and cannot have prayer in public schools, this mention of God as the source of all our blessings is going out the window..as just not politically or fashionably correct. The fact is true though that without God, there would be nothing for us to be thankful for at all because ALL comes from Him initially: our life, our being, our health, our parents, our very need to thank God: all these "are the gracious gifts of the Most High God".

Therefore, for the Supreme Court to deny the 51 millions unborn lives to be born is what President Lincoln would call "sin": "They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy."  What President has used the word, "sin" during our life time? 51 million lives lost is truly our national "sin". We are only second to atheistic Red China who has 400 million abortions in the last 30 years. How is it that we are Second in the World to Red China in number of abortions in the last three decades. They do not believe in God. But we do. Or do we? 

Let us be thankful for all the blessing from God as so lovely said by Abraham for us to celebrate today in Thanksgiving and Praise to our Beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."


Peace and love and thanks be to God! Pio

Pio's Proverb 204: A "good wife's" short exam!

Dear good wives across the world (and those who would love to be): I pray you all to do well on this "inspired" exam:

                                      Sirach 26: 1-4, 6-9, 13-18

"Happy the husband of a good wife, twice lenghened are his days;

A worthy wife brings joy to her husband, peaceful and full is his life.

"A good wife is a generous gift bestowed uon his who fears the Lord;

Be he rich or poor, his heart is content, and a smile is evr on his face."


[Whereas]

"A jealous wife is heartache and mourning
     and a scourging tongue like the other three.
 A bad wife is a chafing yoke; he who marries her seizes a scorpion.
 A drunken wife arouses great anger, for she does not hide her shame.
 By her eyelids and her haughty stare an unchaste wife can be recognized."

[Rather]

"A gracious wife delights her husband, her thoughtfulness puts flesh on his bones;

A gift from the Lord is her governed speech, and her firm virtue is a surpassing worth.

Choicest of blessings is a modest wife, priceless her chaste person.

Like the sun rising in the Lord's heavens, the beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her home.

Like the light which shines above the holy lampstand, are her beauty of face and graceful figure.

Golden columns on silver bases are her shapely limbs and steady feet."


---------------------------------Hope  you did well-------------------------------


and...men: "Husbands loves your wives as Christ loves His Church and who sacrifices (gives up) His life up for her...." (St. Paul)

Pio's Proverb 203: Male and Female Approaches to God.

Experiencing the Male and Female Journeys to God
                                    
                     Written by Pio Peter Zammit, 1997,
 for MA class requirement in Theology: Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
                                                            
Introduction:

Since Jesus was fully human and gave glory to God the Father in His humanity, then to truly discover the divine in ourselves, we must become fully human. Since the quest of our humanity is union with Infinite Love and Truth and our capacity seems limitless, our approach to God must come from the depths of our humanity.

Our approach to God is a male approach and a female approach - since theology is basically coming from the male and female perspective. Christ’s approach to the Father encompassed both perspectives - which made Him fully human. Therefore, I would like my blog to be not a survey of all the insights from all the readings, but to use a few particular insights from the readings that support this fundamental truth - that we must approach God with a male-female perspective for men - and a female-male perspective for women; that is to say, that we cannot know ourselves fully as human until we have communion with the Divine; and we cannot have full communion or find God unless we understand the male-female spirituality as experienced in ourselves.

"Experienced" is the word - to know the experience of women in their quest for God is the "sine qua non" for finding God as a man. Knowing the male experience in his quest for God is the "sine qua non" for finding God as a woman. Jesus’ experience seems to have fully known both as evidenced in his fully relating to women and to men. His knowledge of women’s perspective is without parallel in human history. We men cannot become fully dignified as men - fully human - unless we not only know but experience female spirituality. Jungs’s concept of "anima" is helpful, but it must go beyond this. Knowing the spirituality of Theresa of Avila, Catherine of Sienna, our Lady, Joan of Arc and Julian of Norwich is a possible starting point, but head knowledge is not the basis of my thesis - EXPERIENCE is the key, and how do we get it? [Since Jesus is the expression/experience of the Father’s Being outwardly, then our experience of the divine will be in and through our humanness’ contact with Jesus inwardly - and expressed in Love for God inwardly - contemplation - and outwardly in Love for our neighbor.]

We, as men and women, can get the experience by knowing the struggles of the male and female journey to God in our own contemporary context. The dignity of our being fully human and its full realization are accomplished by seeing how Jesus did it and by seeing how men and women now - like Mother Theresa - are doing it - and by applying that wisdom in our life. Wisdom is right knowledge correctly applied. Getting Wisdom is what this course is all about. We can also ask for Divine Wisdom - it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can illuminate the readings so they become our own experience.

Therefore, how the struggles of both impact our spirituality is fundamental to our becoming fully human; that is, experiencing the struggles will impact on our reflecting the Divine more fully - and ultimately to coming to Love God with all our hearts, minds, soul and will - both here on earth and heaven. Growth in Love of God is dynamic - it starts now and continues forever!

How all the above impacts our ministry, our perceptions of ourselves, our perceptions of our neighbor, our perceptions of our mission and above all our perceptions of God are paramount.

　
Jesus’ experience seems to have fully known both as evidenced in his fully relating to women and to men. His knowledge of women’s perspective is without parallel in human history/example.

The role of the Holy Spirit in the readings and in Moreno’s role playing as a possible technique:

. Implications for my own ministry now and in the future experience.

.Going beyond Jung’s concept of anima by entering into Jesus’ Spirituality

. Male and female spirituality as experienced in ourselves: how is that possible since we are only one or the other? Knowing the experience of the other. An exercise in Moreno’s reverse role playing method:
                     
. Learning the experience and enter into female Spirituality through the Saints:

. Theresa of Avila:

. Catherine of Sienna:

. Our Lady:

. Joan of Arc:

. Julian of Norwich:

. The struggles of the male and female journey to God in our own contemporary context:

Therefore, how the struggles of both impact our spirituality is fundamental to our becoming fully human; that is, experiencing the struggles will impact on our reflecting the Divine more fully - and ultimately to coming to Love God with all our hearts, minds, soul and will - both here on earth and heaven. Growth in Love of God is dynamic - it starts now and continues forever!
Let us look now at:

.Spirituality and Personal Growth of Two Subjects

.On their Journey to Full Maturity in God
.Spirituality and Personal Growth

.The Inter-relationship between Psychology and Spirituality

　

　
　
Introduction


Who has fully known the human heart and the deep mysteries contained in it? If God is such a Great Mystery - the Absolute Absolute - known completely by God alone, then how mysterious is God’s creation - human nature - embodied as man and woman. Just as there are many different human faces in this world, so too there are as many different human spirits, all at different stages of personal development both psychologically and spiritually.

This paper gives two contrasting examples of the above: one is a 47 year old man; the other is a 40 year old woman. The man developed to age 11 and, because of trauma, remained there, where it was emotionally safe and where he had mastered the tasks appropriate to that stage of personal growth. Spiritually, he loves God very much and God loves him. Since my interview with him on April 22, 1997, there is clear evidence tht he is beginning to move out of his safe-harbor stage of pre-adolescence. The emotional and spiritual growth in his perceptions of himself is giving him an effective clear sign that it is safe to move beyond his past pseudo-safety stage to a new experience of the self, due (in part) to new parenting.

The woman subject is far advanced beyond her years both in emotional maturity and spiritual growth. In the Teresa of Avila mode of spirituality, this woman is between the fourth and fifth mansions in the castle. She is actually further developed in the castle than Teresa was at the same chronological age of development. The accelerated growth of this subject is due to an early trauma that catapulted her to God as well as a result of loving, mature parents who gave her the best example of a faith response. Her responses to the questions are insightful as well as delightful.

The method of these two studies is that of the interview based on condensed parameters presented by Dr. Ana-Maria Rizzuto, psychiatrist. Dr. Rizzuto:

"shows how a person’s God-image is formed and developed, and she demonstrates the image’s potential for generating belief or unbelief...Her conclusion draws a direct correlation between belief, personal experience, and the God representation at a given developmental moment. That is, belief in God, or its absence depends on whether or not a conscious "identity of experience" can be established between the God representation of a given developmental moment and self- representations needed to maintain relatedness and hope."¹

Let us examine the responses of both subjects in order to see their images of self and God, and their individual responses to life’s difficulties. The man’s response was to remain safe by not differentiating/separating from his protective mother until she died in 1993.

The woman’s response was to advance to being "mother" to the community by giving love, nurturance and examples of heroism in the Spirit. In the eyes of God, both are His beloved ones. The mystery of I-Thou relationships is only known fully by God, and known to the subjects in their ineffable experiences within their spirits. The mystery is heightened by our call from the Holy Spirit to full maturity in Christ. Our daring challenge is twofold: to grow from where we are just as the man dares to grow from where he is, and to mirror God as the woman does by her reflecting the beauty of God in her contemplative self.

Let us begin, then, with a brief review of definitions, terms and concepts from Theology, Spirituality, and Psychology which are mainly taken from hand-out notes provided by our professor:

For Fr. Karl Rahner: "Nearness to God and genuine human autonomy grow in direct and not inverse proportion. The more fully human one becomes, the more God is taking hold."

        
"Grace: God’s presence to and indwelling within the human person and human history."

"Theology is about the critical unpacking of the revelation of God that takes place in human experience through faith. (Fr.Dermot Lane, The Experience of God.)

"Spirituality: describes things of the spirit as distinct from things of matter."

"Spirituality concerns the way in which God influences conduct, our behavior and manner of life, our attitudes to other people." (The Study of Spirituality)

"Spirituality is the way a person leads his or her life. Christian Spirituality is the way we respond to God in the experiences of life, mediated through the life and teaching of Jesus Christ." (Roger Haight, "Liberationist Spirituality")

"Spirituality refers to the totality of human life energized by an inner drive for self-transcendence, that is , for moving beyond self-maintenance to reach out in love, free commitment to seek truth and goodness." Christian Spiritually: "this capacity is experienced in relation to the divine mystery as Source, and Incarnate Word, and life-giving Spirit there is Christian spirituality. (Joann Conn: Women’s Spirituality)

"Psychology is concerned with the study of the human person, mind and behavior, here and now for the purpose of healing and health." (Dr. Gerald May, Will and Spirit).

"The psychologist believes in the dignity and worth of the individual human being, He is committed to increasing man’s understanding of himself and others." (Professor’s notes)
　

Stagnation: As applying directly and critically to our male subject is paramount:

"The crises of which Erikson speaks is the challenge with which the person is faced as he or she experiences these opposing impulses. This is a decisive period in personal development, a critical time in one’s life. Some resolution must be reached. The person may decide not to face this new challenge, not to deal with the new questions raised, but rather to remain with the resolution of an earlier stage. But there is no reprieve. To choose not to face a new developmental challenge is to choose not stasis but stagnation. The ‘strengths’ of earlier stages of development remain so only as they are tested and transformed at later stages. Without this subsequent transformation, earlier strength atrophy into defended or immature responses." (Evelyn Eaton Whitehead/James D. Whitehead: Christian Life Patterns, p.31)

"Erikson divided Adolescence into three periods: the first is the Juvenile Period: early adolescence: 11-15 (Professor’s notes).

Transformation: As applying directly to our female subject is paramount:

"The Interior Castle, as a document of religious experience, is describing a series of conversions or transformations. The call of God moved Teresa into the unknown, into the anti-structure with its liminal experiences. The images in her document can be understood as symbolic vehicles for the greater awareness and new meanings born in the unknown."(John Welch: Spiritual Pilgrims, p.25)

"In other words, religious experience is not religious experience until it is communicated. I communicate it when I find some way of paying attention to, and reflecting upon, the experience. The communication may only be from myself to myself, but I am attending to my experience when I story it and I am hearing that experience as it is storied."(John Welch: Spiritual Pilgrims, p.23)

Images: As applying directly to all spirituality:

"Images for God should come from what matters most to us in life." (Professor’s notes)

‘In reflecting upon the Interior Castle, I believe it is possible to say that Teresa was using a process of active imagination. She was taking the images which spoke to her of her experiences with God and engaging them in a literary form. As one might sculp or paint images, Teresa imbedded hers in a story for reading and reflection. The story expresses her religious experience. Teresa is communicating her transformations, her conversions through image." (John Welch: Spiritual Pilgrims, p.23)
　 　 　
"Jung writes about the role of image in human experience. It is important to note that image aids our spirituality when we enter into our experience with the belief that God is calling us to union. Teresa’s entire castle story is the result of hearing God in her life." (John Welch: Spiritual Pilgrims, p.23

　
"The fourth dwelling place (mansion or room in the Castle image of Teresa of Avila)marks a time of transition in the prayer life of the traveler. Prayer becomes less and less discursive or activity totally controlled through human effort. Gradually, the experience becomes one of God drawing the soul into an interior state of recollection. The individual becomes passive in prayer."(John Welch: Spiritual Pilgrims, p.18)

"The fifth dwelling place is a time of deepening contemplative prayer which Teresa calls the prayer of union. In this prayer there is an experience of union with God..."(John Welch: Spiritual Pilgrims, p.23"

　
"Just as the persona is a mediating function between the ego and the outer world, so the anima or animus is a mediating function between the ego and the inner world. They lead the way in one’s spiritual development--just as Dante was led by Beatrice in his vision of ultimate truth. Thus the contrasexual psychic (anima/animus) entity also serves a positive function, and plays an important role in the journey toward wholeness." (Jung and Christianity: The Structure of the Psyche p22-23
"Other archetypal images are frequently encountered in the individuation process. Among these are the archetype of the great mother, the archetype of the spiritual father, the archetype of transformation, and what might be called the central archetype, which expresses psychic wholeness or totality: the archetype of the self." (Jung and Christianity: The Structure of the Psyche p22-23

Conclusion

These two stories are "ongoing". By the time this paper is read, both subjects will have advanced and changed because of their new experiences of the self. But this paper, a snap-shot in time of their spiritual and psychological growth, gives us a glimpse of how their God-imaging and self-imaging are dynamically related. Their real parents were key, but all their new "community parents" also have keys to unlock their hearts to God.

We are all reflecting images for good or ill to one another: Husbands are mirrors for their wives as wives for their husbands; brothers for their sisters, sisters for their brothers, pastors for their parishioners, the Church for the faithful, the faithful for their clergy, fathers and mothers for their sons and daughters. St. Theresa of Lisieux’s growth in the spiritual life was a mirror of how she saw herself as her father’s "little princess". So, too, she saw God as her Father who considered her His little princess. She dared to crawl up in God’s eternal lap with such familiarity as to almost treat God as an equal in her bold intimacy with Him. As she saw herself mirrored in her own dad, so she advanced spiritually with the confidence of a princess who had as good a God-image and self-image as any little girl could possibly have. Thus our image of self and our God-image are dynamically linked for belief or unbelief, trust or mistrust, intimacy or alienation, self esteem or low/no esteem, care for others or self absorption, subservience or dominance, capacity to love or not to love, safety to move successfully through the stages of life or to remain stagnated -- from early childhood of differentiation and identification to the later generative stage of caring for the community and finally letting go, having reached integrity in old age.

As our male subject’s image of himself changes, so does his identity of self change. And as that changes, so does his God-image. By parenting him, the community now mirrors for him a better image of himself than he saw as a child. He can begin to move out of pseudo safety, dare to set sail on a new adventure, and become the marvelous person God intended him to be. He can grow in his special relationship with God who is becoming more known with each new experience of his true self.

How does all this relate to our ministry:

Because of the inter-relatedness of Theology, Spirituality and Psychology, human and spiritual growth are moving together synergistically in the human person’s spiritual and personal growth.

Since Karl Rahner’s words: "The more fully human one becomes, the more God is taking hold" are being fulfilled contextually in the lives of both subjects of this study and can be experienced as true in their and our own very selves, then ministry must be multi-deminsional. Our awareness must be heightened:

We must be very aware of what we are mirroring to others about themselves. Are we mirroring as Jesus did the woman at the well: "I will give you living waters that well up within you." The adulterous woman: "Neither do I condemn you." Peter:"Do you love me, Peter?" Nathaniel: "Here is a man without guile." Judas: "Do you betray with a kiss?" For my ministry and yours, the most central thing from this course is that we are co-creating each day the image people have of themselves; and this will have dramatic effects on their God-imaging and faith in God.

Peace and love, Pio

Pio's Proverb 202: Prophets: old and new and you!

This blog was written on April 13, 1998 as a class assignment reflection for Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. I hope it speaks to your heart. I consider Fr. Paul's class the best of my classes. God bless, Fr. Paul. Perhaps we are all called by the Holy Spirit to be a "Prophetic Voice for the Church"!...as Fr. Jim told me this summer that God has called me to be. If He is calling me; then He is calling thee!

Pope Benedict XVI said this on September 22, 2012: 

"Yet, in the face of this situation, Christians are called to act and express themselves with a prophetic spirit capable of seeing in these tranformations the unceasing and mysterious presence of God in history - and thus to shoulder their newly emerging responsiblitites with realism, confidenc, and hope."


Extra. Reflect 3: Pio: 4-13-98 Prophets - how they affect us now in our ministry.

This course - my first on the Old Testament Prophets - has taught me much for ministry today:

(1) That the Prophetic texts, themselves, have been redacted in order to actualize them for later situations and times and that still, these redactions are part of the Jewish canons of Holy Scripture. So, too, we as ministers - ordained or lay - must be able to actualize these text for our own day.

(2) That we learn from all these encounters between God and His prophets and with the chosen people of Jerusalem and Israel, just what God is like and why he acts in the way He does. And What is God like? He is in the answer given by Jonah: "The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children, to the third and fourth generation." So, God is so merciful to those who turn toward Him and a God of retribution to those who hate Him. "The implied point...is that if God’s forgiveness is available to the most wicked people imaginable, then surely it is available to repentant Jews." (Ward). What of the Hitlers and Saddam Husseins of our own day? If they had any remorse and turned to God, God will forgive them. God acts compassionately on those who are helpless and weak. Does not any father help his weak children? How much more so God?

(3) That God strongly counters all the false beliefs, arrogance, self righteousness of believers, corruption in high places and in individuals (like Nathan sent to David) of each generation. He counters by sending His prophets to carry His word - by His sending us in this our day. The counter-cultural message of Pope John Paul in the youth rally in Denver was seen by the Protestants as exactly that. The news media reported the Pope’s message to youth as "counter-cultural". We must follow the lead of this modern day prophet.

(4) That God chooses whom He wills and when he wills to do a special work for a special time or task. First there is the encounter between God and the chosen prophet. This encounter is in itself the Prophet of prophets - God, Himself - who is speaking His own Word on His own behalf to an audience of one - the would be prophet. We learn even from the responses of the prophets and we act like them too. We tend to respond or feel like these chosen prophets felt - that we are not equal to the task - or just not pure enough for the task - or just not old enough for the task - or perhaps too old for the task - or just not articulate enough for the task - and for sure not worthy of the task. How does God respond? God seems to be able to adapt to any disposition with great Wisdom and persuasion - He send hot coals to purify lips, makes the prophet eat the word of God like honey. . . . .even re-inspires His Words when Kings burn them. Our God is very adaptive and proactive. He is engaging and awesome - has a sense of humor in whom He chooses. What I learned is that these chosen prophets were transformed by the Word of God - became more loving of God and more courageous - having the Holy Spirit of courage within them. We should trust in that same Holy Spirit when we are called by the community to go out and preach the Good News by our words, action, and very lives. We have that same Spirit that was given to these great prophets of old. We are called at our baptism into Christ to be prophets to all the nations - that we meet in our community.

(5) That all the prophets point to THE PROPHET - Jesus Christ: On the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-15), when Jesus caught up to those walking about seven miles from Jerusalem, Jesus pretended to know nothing. Those walking responded to Jesus: "‘Are you the only resident of Jerusalem who does not know the things that went on there these past few days?" He said to them, ‘What things?" (They said) ‘All that had to do with Jesus of Nazareth, a PROPHET, powerful in word and deed in the eyes of God and all the people.’." What a perfect description of Jesus, and He was listening to it. The O. T. Prophets’ encounter with God has come full circle now in Jesus. This Jesus is the greatest Prophet of God - whom all the prophets pointed to in some aspect - and even today as we read the Scripture encounters us as we walk along our lives pondering all that has happened in the Paschal Mystery. In Jesus, we can clearly hear our call to be prophets. And "What things" is He asking of us?

(6) That if we are truly called to be prophets, then we are surely called to suffering. All the O.T. prophets and Jesus suffered in being sent unto the nations who would not listen! To the nations who responded to good by malicious plotting to kill the messengers of God. In so many prophets, God - in a mystical manner or in the circumstances of their lives - all felt God’s feelings -of knowing the infidelity and fickleness of God people, His Bride.

(7) That the O.T. prophets as well as Jesus are ALL models for us of great COURAGE and FIDELITY to God in holy OBEDIENCE. God’s Revelation of Himself to His prophets and revealing Himself in the through the prophets and in the Person of Jesus - all come to complete fruition - in holy and humble obedience. [Humility is that constant medicine against the disease of pride and self-righteousness.] So we also must have a humble and obedient heart - ever ready to be sent - even before knowing the whole of our mission. We need to be ready to say, "Yes" as did Mary without her knowing all that it would bring to us in suffering. Being a prophet and be obedient are inseparably linked. Obedience and faith are also linked. Faith and God are so closely linked that just the word "in" between them go together. Likewise God and Jesus are one and the same. And even we with Jesus are inseparably linked because of our adoption as sons of the one same Father. Jesus said obedience is better than sacrifice.

(8) That scholars have discerned an exact time in history - of the Babylonian exile - to which time and circumstance God sent His Word by calling chosen men who became great lovers of God by both hearing the Word and preaching it. So, too, we are called to restore to God all peoples - in this exact time of cultural death,

to go out into the deafness of society who don’t want to hear the Word of God on life issues, on peace, on moral responsibility - speaking the Word of God. So, too, are we called and plant the Word of God mightily in the midst of societal moral chaos. In so doing, we are to become the reality of the Words: "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." We need to fill the world with the goodness of God’s Word by living that Word. We can only do this by understanding our call to suffering - as were all the prophets and especially the greatest - Jesus. How are we to be ready? Firstly, we need to be where God can so easily find us best - in prayer - before the Holy Eucharist: where we meet God personally in faith. There is where we will hear clearly the call, and in community - we will be confirmed in that call - since community is where the Holy Spirit speaks most clearly. When we hear, we must change and be formed by the Word we hear.

(9) That we must know that those to whom we are sent are also called to all things restored in Christ. Even the Babylonians and Assyrians of our own day are called. We cannot smash those to whom we are sent, but need to be gentle as Jesus was - ever calling them with meekness - because getting all to the Father is our final goal of all we are called d to do. We are prophets. Let us be prophets and witness to the truth by our lives, by our words, by our deeds, by our faith and by our devotion to Jesus Christ - King and Prophet - Lord and God.

(10) And finally, that we - prophets - are bound together - ordained and lay - in the common call of the One God of the one mission to the restoration of the universe in Christ. We are part of it - our minds, our bodies, our spirits, our lives and our destinies - to witness with the fiber of our beings - God lives and loves and is our final end. In Christ, we are not called to ruin but to total life in God forever -and we must bring those to whom we are called to preach - with us! The greatest result of this class is that God has been walking us through history of His working the lives of many prophets and people of Israel to get us ready for our mission, to understand God more, to have courage to follow our call and to do so in holiness. The prophets of old were lovers of God who became holy. We cannot be true prophets of God without holiness of heart. Amen.

[Thanks, Fr. Paul, for the most important class I have taken for the M.A. The whole class was a prophetic message to all of us.]

Peace and love, Pio  (November 16, 2012).  

Pio's Proverb's 201: Unforgiveable Sins!

Sins against the Holy Spirit are unforgiveable because they are against the graces of God's Mercy and Forgiveness. God honors our free will. He cannot and will not force our love or free will. Actually our free will is one of the ways we are created in God's image and likeness.

When I asked Fr. Bohdan Kosicki if God could forgive Adolf Hitler, Father said in a letter to me: "God's Mercy is greater than all the sins of the world!"

But if then God is all forgiving and merciful, would he not forgive even those unforgiveable sins against the Holy Spirit?  Good question, God would  forgive even those sins IF we repent of them and trust in God's mercy as our final act of the will. But the person who IS sinning against the Holy Spirit IS by his/her sin saying to God: "I do not want your forgiveness." If one dies with that free choice, then that person will have eternity to regret it in being totally separated from God forever!  But we hope that as Judas was hanging himself, he turned to God for forgiveness before his last breath.

How are sins against the Holy Spirit manifested? How many are there?

Let me count them for you:

1) Despair - a great sin against the Holy Spirit - is giving up hope in God's goodness and mercy and making God into our own small image and likenss. Thus the despairing person makes God as too small to forgive him because the person does cannot forgive him/herself. Judas felt guilt because the devil -- after tempting Judas -- makes Judas feel overwhelming guilty so as not to have time to have sorrow for sin. Judas had guilt but not repentance. Jesus would have forgiven Judas immediatly if he came to Jesus in repentance. But that takes sorrow for sin and humility to ask for forgiveness. The devil is in despair and knows how to share his despairing feelings to get a person to commit suicide. St. Peter's sin was no less than Judas'; but Peter had compunction and sorrow and cried..and asked for forgiveness. For his penance, Jesus asked him to give a public act of Love three times. That was merciful...

2) Resistance and refusal to believe in a revealed truth: That God is a loving God and exists and loves us personally is resisted and refused belief by atheists. But if they repent - as many do - they will be forgiven. But if an atheists continues till death to not believe in and trust in and love God, he will have eternty to think about that great mistake and sin!

3) Refusal to admit a miracle that one sees in the lives of others:
When the Pharasees saw Jesus heal a man of blindness, they became upset and said he should not heal on the sabbath. They did the same for the man who was healed of lameness. They found fault in Jesus and try to make his act of the love - the Love of God - into a sin. Chosen blindness to an obvious miracle is a sin against the Holy Spirit. One atheists criticized Mother Teresa of Calcutta and called her "that short Abanian" and tried to put her down instead of seeing all the good she was doing that were modern miracles of charity.

4) Presumption is when a person says: "God is good and forgiving, so I can go on sinning and repent on my death bed." Well, God gives the grace of repentance when He gives it. We cannot schedule when God should give His graces. Presumption is like a man who has a most devoted wife who loves him so much and unconditionally; but he takes advantage of that and uses her love for him as an occasion to be unfaithful. She sees him go out at night all specially dressed; but he consoles himself that she will forgive him....The same if with God: We should not use His Mercy and Love to sin against Him..with reliance that we will repent later and be forgiven later. To use God's love and mercy to offend God is using God for one's own pleasure.


5) Envy of the spiritual goods of others. There was nun (superior of ther order) who would not let Bernadette Soubrous' (St. Bernadette) memoirs/spiritual writings to be published or known till 10 years after that that envious nun died. Envy is feeling that someone elses graces take away from our own: which is a delusion. We all have our graces from God to get to heaven and do His will.

6) Attributing God's work to the devil. When Jesus cast out a devil from a boy, the Pharasees said: "By the prince of devils you cast out devils!" Jesus said it was by the "finger of God" that the devil was case out. And Jesus seeing that they had attributed his good work to the devil instead of the Holy Spirit, said: "You will die in your sins!" because they had attributed to the devil what He did with the Holy Spirit.

7) Final unrepentance. When Errol Flynn on his death bed was offered a priest to pray with him, bless and obsolve him of his sins, he refused and said: "Give me my wine, women and song!"  There are many who say: "I would rather burn in hell than forgive that person who offended me!"
But there was a man who almost did the same thing. He was a sailor who had been hurt on deck from enemy fire. The priest came to his side and told him that he only had a few moments to live and would he like to go to confession. The sailor said: "Father, I have three girl friends. They all know it. I am intimate with all three at the same time. I am simply not sorry.
The priest knowing that this was the last opportunity to bring this person to heaven, made a loving jesture and said: "Well, now, are you "sorry" that you are NOT sorry?" The sailor said: "Yes, I am sorry for not being sorry." With that the priest gave the man absolution and then the sailor died.
You might wish to read about John Wayne in my blog: "God shoe-string catch of John Wayne." But Maureen Ohara brought that about. And God sent her; and she played her best role in converting John Wayne to become Catholic just 3 day before he died. He had not even been baptized; but he became so becasue Maureen Ohara...was the angel God sent to him to bring him to heaven.

May the Holy Spirit show us where we are sinning against Him in our lives -- before it is too late..

Peace and love,

Pio

Pio's Proverb 200: "False Abstractions"

Gabriel Honore' Marcel -- Born in Paris on December 7, 1889 and died in Paris October 8, 1973 -- was a French Philosopher, a leading Chrsitan Existentialist who wrote 30 plays and focused on the modern indivdual's  struggle with techonolical dehumanizing Society. Sounds like exactly where Society is today as well. 

Besides plays, Gabriel wrote books: notably his book: "Man Against Mass Society" which was required reading for my degree in Philosophy.
IN that famous book, Gabriel succintly and brilliantly defined and described what he called: "False Abstractions".  This concept is more needed today than any time in history.

From memory, I will try to give you an updated definition based on his basic concept: 
 
A "false abstraction" is a delusion which is a false belief based on illogical assumptions that appear right to the thinker but are in fact ontologically false and intrinsically evil.

Here a few examples from history.

a) Heads rolled for the concepts of "equalite", fraternite’ and liberte" but you would not have been able to find a Frenchman who knew what those words meant in the context of cutting thousands of aristocrats in two - which were acts diametrically opposed to those three concepts. (Gabriel Marcel's example). 

b) "Pure Arianism" and the slogan "forward" and "final solution" were the banner concepts that allowed Hitler to pass laws making it legal to kills Jews and Poles (Non Arians). Besides the four millions of poles who died in the Nazi occupation of Poland, 6 million Jews were killed in the Concentration Camps. But even worse, 350 German civilians volunteered to shoot/execute Jews within the city limits. For Hitler, rights were "endowed not by the Creator" but by the State; and Hitler was the State. The courts of Nuremberg exposed his "false abstractions"/delusions.

c) Our present day concept of "pro-choice" annihilates the fetus’s right to life which is guaranteed under the 14^th Amendment: "no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law." In the last 38 years, 51 million fetuses have lost their lives in the USA as well as 400 million in China. The USA is only second to China in abortions. But the ontological fact is that none of those 451 million fetuses had any choice at all. The Michigan Health Code has a section on abortion. I have a full copy of that code. I quote it: "..in abortion, the fetus, homo sapiens, is killed." Thus our own State of Michigan has defined a fetus as a person, "homo sapiens." The 14^th Amendment should protect that fetus-person’s life. Science also has defined human life to exist at Conception - not a potential person; but a true person: body and soul. That fact has changed Dr. Nathanson from an abortion doctor to an ardent pro-life advocate and lecturer. Additionally, according to international law, a fetus can inherit an estate...but cannot inherit his/her own life. Thus "pro-choice" is a "false abstraction" and that - like all of the above - is intrinsically evil.

d) The KKK cried "White Supremacy" and killed many African Americans because of this concept because of the belief (delusions) that Black people were not really totally human. Seems that Geneticists have recently proven that concept totally false through DNA - "that all people on the earth – and all who ever lived – have all come from or can be traced to just one woman." How sad that the KKK in white hoods were busy about killing and hanging their own brothers! But that is typical of "false abstractions" which remove their followers from reality and human decency and seeing the dignity of all human personhood. False abstractions are on a continuum: They can begin small but at the extreme right end up taking lives.

e) President Obama said in his first debate that the goal of Government is to "keep everyone safe."  That is a "false abstraction" because he gives $500 million a year to Planned Parenthood to kill babies in the womb. He does not keep those 1.2 million babies a year safe. 60% of those abortion clinics are situated in low-income Black neigborhoods. A neice of Martin Luther King , Jr. said: "Defund Planned Parenthood because how can we have "the dream" if we are killing our kids." She surely has that right..and is perfectly right-on true! 

So, in light of all these examples, let us see this formula:

False Abstraction = false belief = a delusion = intrinsic evil.


Peace and love,

Pio