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#mother being believed to have found the cross christ was crucified upon
essentiallychaotic · 1 year
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Kiddo at work: why didnt they put details in the eyes??? Like they spend ALL THIS EFFORT carving FABRIC couldnt they give them PUPILS???
Me, looking up from my desk: Ancient Roman Statues used to be painted ________.
Kiddo: well, that makes sense. The plain white eyes are CREEPY
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bottleofspilledink · 3 years
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God’s Watching, Put on a Show || Chapter XVI
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Eve made the sign of the cross with unsteady hands, filled with fear and guilt and shame and sin, wanting to be cleansed of it but at the same time not wanting to do what she had to in order to be saved, in order to be purified in order to be welcomed back into the Lord’s light.
“May the Lord be in your heart and help you confess your sins with true sorrow.”
“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.” Eve couldn’t help the tremble in her voice, hands reaching to fidget with the beads of her rosary. It brought her no comfort now, though, she honestly isn’t sure if it ever did… “My last confession was three months ago.”
“Proceed, my child.”
“I’ve, um…” She pauses momentarily, trying to think of something to say. None of the time she spent outside was spent actually reflecting on her sins. No, instead, the thirty minutes she spent on the pew was used to debate whether she would actually confess her sins or – and the thought of what it would cost her soul scared her, believe me – lie. “I’ve been ungrateful for what the Lord has provided me, Father.”
“How so?”
“Uh, b-because I was angry that my father was never home…” It was for the better, Eve thought, that she leave out the fact he was a womanizer. “I found myself wishing for a different family.”
Again, she left out that she wished for a different, more accepting family. Eve doubted that such a thing even existed, especially since she’s never even seen one.
The whispered words of Joan and Lilith and everyone else at the lunch table came to mind, or more accurately, what she was able to catch of it. They spoke of a place – she didn’t know what it was called but she knew it was a city – filled with people like them, where people loved the way they loved, a place of freedom, a place that, if she decided to tell the priest of it, he’d call a den of sin.
“I see.” The priest responded, more to let her know that he was still listening if anything else.
“I’ve been envious of my friends.” Envious of their normalcy, of their heterosexuality, the ease with which they lived. She prayed for it every night, after tucking away Lilith’s note, after wiping her hands on her sheets…
“And have you acted on that envy, my child? Have you stolen?”
Eve was quite sure there wasn’t a way to steal such things. She wished there was, though. Had it been possible, she’d have done it long ago, wrong as it may be.
What a painful thing it was, to want what you could never have.
Oh, but it was even more agonizing to want something she could so easily have, yet constantly have to deny herself of.
A tantalizing, forbidden fruit that lay in reach, red and ripe and just there, waiting for her to grab it.
“No, Father. I have not stolen.”
“Good.” The old man comments. “The Lord will be pleased that you’ve at least managed to resist some of the devil’s temptations.”
“I partook in something she did not wish me to. I was selfish in my decision and thought only of what I want.” She was running out of things to confess, the time she had to decide whether to hide the events of the past two weeks wearing thin.
“What did you do, my child?”
“Tell me what you partook in, my child. Remember, I am here in place of the Lord to forgive yours sins and save your soul, But I can’t help you if you do not confess properly.”
Ah, there was truly nothing better than the threat of damnation to scare someone straight.
“Recently, Father,” She continues, “I’ve been disobeying my mother…”
“I joined the gardening club against her wishes, Father.”
The fact this was considered a sin did nothing to surprise her, painful as it was. Practically everything that made her happy nowadays was a sin.
“What else?”
“I think bad things sometimes.”
“I cheated on a quiz.”
At this point, Eve was only saying things for the sake of saying them, to be able to say to herself that she had confessed.
“Being tempted is not a sin, my child. Have you nothing else to confess?”
This was it. Her last chance to tell him everything that had happened and hope to be forgiven. If she walked out of the confessional right now, she’d be a sinner.
“Anything more?”
She already was.
There was so much to confess.
Everything was dark and frightening in the cramped space of the confessional. It was as if the booth was closing in on her, hardwood walls coming nearer and nearer, squeezing the sin from her body and the air from her lungs.
She couldn’t breathe.
She couldn’t breathe.
She couldn’t breathe.
Lilith’s note burned like hot coals in her pocket. Everything she’d done with it were sins. Memories of the past week, all sinful, came rushing back to her in the deafening … that time she almost kissed Lilith. Another sin. A grave one. The lust she felt upon their second meeting after glimpsing her cleavage. Once more, a sin. Thinking that Lilith and Joan and Paula and Colette and Julia were good people despite them being unrepentant homosexuals. A sin. Letting Lilith change her blouse in the bathroom. More sin. The way she clung to Lilith after. Again, sin. The way she felt when Lilith held her close behind the gardening shed, as if God himself wouldn’t be able to hurt her if she’d hide herself in the girl’s arms. Did that count as blasphemy? Either way, a sin.
Hiding what Lilith had done the day of the fire. Sin.
Everything she’s ever done. Sin.
Everything she’s ever thought. Sick and sinful.
Sin.
Sin.
Sins. All of it. Everything. Even her.
“Do you have anything else to confess?” He asked again, at last breaking the deafening silence that had settled over them.
From the little light that seeped in from the already dim chapel, Eve could just barely make out the priest’s outline, portly and hunched, any other distinguishing features obscured from her, as she hoped she was to him.
“No, father.”
“Well then, if that’s the case, I will now give you my advice.” The man cleared his throat and for the first time since she began doing confession, just before her first communion, she dared to look at the almost opaque screen that separated them.
“In times of ungratefulness and longing, you should think of those who have less than and say a prayer of thanks and a prayer for the less fortunate.” Eve couldn’t help but think the man sounded haughty, as if believing his words to be filled with some sort of profound, unheard of wisdom.
“As for when you encounter temptation, you must simply look to God for strength and guidance. Pray to him, so that he may see your plight, so that he may see how hard you are trying to stay obedient to him that he may send aid.”
She was near tears, hands clutching at her rosary once more, holding it so harshly that there was now an indent on her thumb in the shape of a crucified Christ. Damn it all, she had been praying!
He looked… plain, undeniably human. Nothing he was resembled anything close to being the bridge between heaven and earth, in no part of him could you see the link between man and Jesus, nowhere in sight did his flesh look to be the naturally benevolent stand in of the ever-ethereal and unknown God they so wholeheartedly praised.
Eve prayed nearly every hour of everyday, through every trial, begging to be relieved of her ailments and sins, asking for help, reassurance, at the very least, some sign that this wasn’t all for naught and in vain, a light at the end of the ever-elongating tunnel.
“But remember, my child, the Lord will not make you face anything you are unprepared for. Have faith and thank him for giving you your cross to bear, that you may work your way into heaven.”
Everything this man was telling her, she’d heard before and twice over. The same advice regurgitated to her over the years by different voices using different words that all boiled down to the same two: Have faith.
When would that faith be rewarded?
When would she be free of her cross?
“For your penance, ten ‘Hail Mary’s, two ‘Apostle’s Creed’s and an ‘Act of Contrition.’”
In her mind, she doubled that number and added a ‘Lord’s Prayer’ for good measure, wanting to make up for her unconfessed sins but unwilling to state them.
Why?
For love, for Lilith. For the trust Lilith put in her, in exchange for keeping her own sins secret.
“I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
The confession had ended.
“Go, now, in peace, for you have been forgiven.”
Eve left, even more sinful than she’d entered.
...
“What did you tell the priest, Eve?!”
Lilith screamed, at last snapping the blonde into the present, pulling her from the prison that was her mind and making Eve come to and look upon her, agonized, in the throes of desperation and panic.
Never before had she seen Lilith so vulnerable, so scared. Was this what she’d looked like, Eve wondered, crying and clinging to Paula on the bathroom floor only days ago?
“Please, please, Eve!” Lilith begged, hysterical. Perhaps if she pleaded enough, Eve’s betrayal would undo itself and they could revert to their usual dynamic, with Lilith as the rock and Eve as the weeping one, or going even further back, return to what once was and rid herself of the ache and ailment that was being in love with Eve Peccator and the consequences that came with it.
Eve pried Lilith’s hands from hers, joining her where she knelt on cold, unyielding stone, breaking the painting of the damning deity and distraught repentant, instead creating one that was far more human, closer to their reality, one of two sinner, banished from Eden yet finding comfort in each other.
Stained glass figures and marble saints looked down on them both, now, passing their own judgements upon the pitiful scene. Other than them, no one was there to hear Lilith wail as she broke down, sharp features scrunching up as she let what had built over the day, over the week, over the year, over her entire lifetime out in the form of hot, salty tears that now fell on Eve as they rolled down her cheeks, blotchy and red as her hair.
She took Lilith’s sobbing face into her caring hands, full of love and respect for the girl in front of her even in what was the other’s most fragile and shameful moments.
There was a moment of silence when their eyes met for the first time in hours, earthly brown meeting tear-filled, heavenly blue.
“Nothing.” Eve wiped the tears off Lilith’s cheek with a tender stroke of her thumb.
“I told them nothing.”
Lilith again broke out in harder sobs as the fear that filled her melted away, Eve taking away her pain, her suffering, her cross as she leaned in close and brought their foreheads together, noses barely touching, never once breaking eye contact.
“I kept you secret.”
Oh, how heavy those words were… The weight they held was indescribable, more so coming from Eve. She almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She wanted to, though, wanted to believe that Eve loved her as much as she did, loved her enough to hide her away in her heart, away from the God she so feared in spite of the harm it may bring her soul.
“I've sinned for you, Lilith.”
___________
Have I destroyed you? Good ψ(`∇´)ψ
Happy holidays again and I’ll be back in January with more chapters :D
It’s now actually christmas!! This is my present for you guys (/≧▽≦)/ Take it!!!! Lmao make my holidays better by giving me comments ands reblogs cause yes!! (To the people who talk in the tags: I love you guys <333)
Taglist: @atahensic @anomiewrites @leahstypewriter @madame-ree @melpomenismask @littlemisscalamity @phillyinthebathroom @gaypeaches @extrabitterbrain @pirateofblood @i-wanna-be-a-rock
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orthodoxydaily · 3 years
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Saints&Reading: Thu., May., 7, 2021
Bright Thursday
 April 23/May 7  
The Holy GreatMartyr George the Victory-Bearer
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     The Holy GreatMartyr George the Victory-Bearer, was a native of Cappadocia (a district in Asia Minor), and he grew up in a deeply believing Christian family. His father had accepted a martyr's death for Christ, when George was yet a child. His mother, owning lands in Palestine, resettled there with her son and raised him in strict piety.      Having grown up, Saint George entered into the service of the Roman army. He was handsome, brave and valiant in battle, and he came to the notice of the emperor Diocletian (284-305) and was accepted into the imperial guards with the rank-title of "comites" – one of the higher military officer ranks.
     The pagan emperor, while having done much for the restoration of Roman might, and who was quite clearly concerned, as to what sort of danger the triumphing of the Crucified Saviour might present for pagan civilisation, in especially the final years of his reign intensified his persecution against the Christians. Upon the advice of the Senate at Nicomedia, Diocletian afforded all his governors full freedom in their court proceedings over Christians and in this he promised them all possible help.      Saint George, having learned about the decision of the emperor, distributed to the poor all his wealth, set free his servants, and then appeared in the Senate. The brave soldier of Christ spoke out openly against the emperor's designs, he confessed himself a Christian and appealed to all to acknowledge the true faith in Christ: "I am a servant of Christ, my God, and trusting on Him, I have come amidst ye at mine own will, to witness concerning the Truth". "What is Truth?" – one of the dignitaries said, in repeating the question of Pontius Pilate. "Truth is Christ Himself, persecuted by ye", – answered the saint.      Stunned by the bold speech of the valiant warrior, the emperor – who loved and had promoted George, attempted to persuade him not to throw away his youth and glory and honours, but rather in the Roman custom to offer sacrifice to the gods. To this followed the resolute reply of the confessor: "Nothing in this inconstant life can weaken my resolve to serve God". Then by order of the enraged emperor the armed-guards began to jostle Saint George out of the assembly hall with their spears, and they then led him off to prison. But the deadly steel became soft and it bent, just as the spears would touch the body of the saint, and it caused him no hurt. In prison they put the feet of the martyr in stocks and placed an heavy stone on his chest.      The next day at the interrogation, powerless but firm of spirit, Saint George again answered the emperor: "Thou wilt become exhausted sooner, tormenting me, than I being tormented of thee". Then Diocletian gave orders to subject Saint George to some very intense tortures. They tied the GreatMartyr to a wheel, beneathe which were set up boards inset with sharp pieces of iron. With the turning of the wheel the sharp edges tore at the bared body of the saint. At first the sufferer loudly cried out to the Lord, but soon he quieted, not letting out even a single groan. Diocletian decided that the tortured one was already dead, and he gave orders to remove the battered body from the wheel, and set off then to a pagan temple to offer a thank-offering. But at this very moment it got dark all over, thunder boomed, and a voice was heard: "Fear not, George, for I am with thee". Then a wondrous light shone, and at the wheel appeared an Angel of the Lord in the form of a radiant youth. And just as he lay his hand upon the martyr, saying to him: "Rejoice!" ‑- Saint George stood up healed. And when the soldiers led him off to the pagan temple, where the emperor was, the emperor could not believe his own eyes and he thought, that in front of him was some other man or even a ghost. In confusion and in terror the pagans looked Saint George over carefully, and they became convinced, that actually a miracle had occurred. Many thereupon came to believe in the Life-Creating God of the Christians. Two illustrious officials, Saints Anatolios and Protoleon, – secretly Christians, therewith openly confessed Christ. And right away, without a trial, by order of the emperor they were beheaded with the sword. Present also in the pagan temple was the Empress Alexandra, the wife of Diocletian, and she too knew the truth. She was on the point of glorifying Christ, but one of the servants of the emperor took her and led her off to the palace.      The emperor became all the more furious. But not having lost all hope of swaying Saint George, he gave him over to new quite fiercesome torments. Having thrown him down a deep pit, they covered it over with lime. Three days later they dug him out, but found him cheerful and unharmed. They shod the saint in iron sandals with red-hot nails, and with blows they drove him back to the prison. In the morning, when they led him back to the interrogation, cheerful and with healthy feet, he said to the emperor, that the sandals had fit him. Then they beat him with ox-thongs so much, that his body and blood became mingled with the ground, but the brave sufferer, strengthened by the power of God, remained unyielding.      Having decided, that magic was helping the saint, the emperor summoned the sorcerer Athanasias, so that he should try to deprive the saint of his miraculous powers, or else poison him. The sorcerer gave Saint George two goblets with drugged ingredients, the one of which should have quieted him, and the other – to kill him. But the drugs also did not work – and the saint as before continued to denounce the pagan superstitions and glorify the True God.      To the question of the emperor, what sort of power it was that helped the saint, Saint George answered: "Think not, that the torments do me no harm thanks to human powers, – I am saved only by calling upon Christ and His Power. Whoso believeth on Him hath no regard for tortures and is able to do the deeds, that Christ did" (Jn. 14: 12). Diocletian asked, what sort of deeds were they that Christ did. – "To give sight to the blind, to cleanse the leprous, to grant walking to the lame, and to the deaf – hearing, to cast out devils, and to raise up the dead".      Knowing, that never whether by sorcery, nor by any of the gods known to him, never had they been able to resurrect the dead, and wanting to test the trust of the saint the emperor commanded him to raise up a dead person right in front of his eyes. To this the saint replied: "Thou wouldst tempt me, but for the salvation of the people which shalt see the deed of Christ, my God wilt work this sign". And when they led Saint George down to the graveyard, he cried out: "O Lord! Show to those here present, that Thou art the One-Only God throughout all the world, let them know Thee as the Almighty Lord". And the earth did quake, a grave opened up, the dead one came alive and emerged from it. Having seen with their own eyes the Almighty Power of Christ, the people wept and glorified the True God. The sorcerer Athanasias, falling down at the feet of Saint George, confessed Christ as the All-Powerful God and besought forgiveness of his sins, committed in ignorance. The obdurate emperor in his impiety thought otherwise: in a rage he commanded to be beheaded both the new-believer Athanasias and likewise the man resuscitated from the dead, and he had Saint George again locked up in prison. The people, weighed down with their infirmities, began in various ways to penetrate the prison and they there received healings and help from the saint. There resorted to him also a certain farmer named Glycerios, whose ox had collapsed. The saint with a smile consoled him and assured him, that God would restore his ox to life. Seeing at home the ox alive, the farmer began to glorify the God of the Christians throughout all the city. By order of the emperor, Saint Glycerios was arrested and beheaded.      The exploits and the miracles of the GreatMartyr George had increased the number of the Christians, and therefore Diocletian decided to make a final attempt to compel the saint to offer sacrifice to the idols. They began to set up a court at the pagan temple of Apollo. On the final night the holy martyr prayed fervently, and when he dozed off, he beheld the Lord Himself, Who raised him up with His hand, and hugged him in giving him a kiss of greeting. The Saviour placed on the head of the GreatMartyr a crown and said: "Fear not, but rather make bold and be vouchsafed My Kingdom".      In the morning at the court the emperor offered Saint George a new test – he proposed to him to become his co-emperor. The holy martyr with a feigned willingness answered, that from the very beginning the emperor had seemed inclined not to torture him but rather shew mete mercy, and with this he expressed the wish to go forthwith into the pagan temple of Apollo. Diocletian decided, that the martyr was accepting his offer, and he followed after him into the pagan temple with his accompanying retinue and the people. Everyone waited, whether Saint George would offer sacrifice to the gods. He however, in going up to the idol, made the sign of the Cross and turned towards it, as though it were alive: "Thou wishest to receive from me sacrifice befitting God?" The demon inhabiting the idol cried out: "I am not God and none of those like me are God. The One-Only God is He Whom thou preachest. We are of those servant-angels of His, which became apostate, and in the grips of jealousy we do tempt people". "How dare ye to be here, when hither have come I, the servant of the True God?" – asked the saint. Then was heard a crash and wailing, and the idols fell down and were shattered.      There began a general confusion. In a frenzy pagan-priests and many of the throng pounced upon the holy martyr, they tied him up and began to beat him and demand his immediate execution.      Into the noise and the shouts rushed the holy empress Alexandra. Pushing her way through the crowd, she cried out: "Thou God of George, help me, in as Thou Alone art All-Powerful". At the feet of the GreatMartyr the holy empress glorified Christ, Who had humiliated the idols and those worshipping them.      Diocletian in a rage immediately pronounced the death sentence against the GreatMartyr George and the holy Empress Alexandra, who without being accompanied, followed Saint George to execution. Along the way she collapsed and slumped senseless against a wall. Everyone thought, that the empress was dead. Saint George offered up thanks to God and he prayed, that he should end his path worthily. At the place of execution the saint in heated prayer besought the Lord, that He would forgive the torturers that knew not what they did, and that He would lead them to the knowledge of Truth. Calmly and bravely, the holy GreatMartyr George bent his neck beneathe the sword. This occurred on 23 April 303.      In confusion the executioners and the judges catch glimpse of their Conqueror. In a bloody agony and mindless thrashing about ended the era of paganism. It lasted for all of ten years more – up until the time of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine, who was one of the successors to Diocletian upon the Roman throne, and who gave orders to imprint the Cross on his military-banners, as a testament also sealed by the blood of the GreatMartyr George and that of the blood of thousands of unknown martyrs: "By this sign thou wilt conquer".
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     Of the many miracles, worked by the holy GreatMartyr George, the most famous are depicted in iconography. In the native-region of the saint, at the city of Beirut, were many idol-worshippers. Outside the city, near Mount Lebanon, was situated a large lake, in which lived an enormous dragon-like serpent. Coming out of the lake, it devoured people, and there was nothing the people could do, since from one of its nostrils it infected the very air.      On the advice of the demons inhabiting the idols, the ruler there adopted this decision: each day the people would draw lots to give over as food their own children, and when the turn reached him, he promised to hand over his only daughter. That time indeed did come, and the ruler, having dressed her in her finest attire, sent her off to the lake. The girl wailed bitterly, awaiting the moment of death. Unexpectedly for her, the GreatMartyr George rode up on his horse and with spear in hand. The girl implored him not to leave her, lest she perish. But the saint, having caught sight of the serpent, signed himself with the Sign of the Cross and with the words "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit", he rushed off after it. The GreatMartyr George pierced the throat of the serpent with his spear and trampled it with his horse. Then he bid the girl bind the serpent with her sash, and like a dog, lead it into the city. The people fled in terror, but the saint halted them with the words: "Be not afraid, but rather trust on the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him, since it be He Who hath sent me to you, to save you". Then the saint killed the serpent with a sword, and the people burned it outside the city. Twenty-five thousand men, not counting women and children, were then baptised, and there was later built a church in the name of the MostHoly Mother of God and the Great Martyr George.      Saint George went on to become a talented military officer and to amaze the world by his military exploits. He died, when he was not even 30 years old. Hastening to unite with the Heavenly army, he entered into the history of the Church as the Victory-Bearer ("Pobedonosets"). With this title he was glorified in early Christianity and Holy Rus'.      Saint George the Victory-Bearer was the patron saint and protector of several of the great builders of the Russian state and Russian military might. The son of holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir, Yaroslav the Wise – in holy Baptism Georgii (+ 1054), much advanced the veneration of the saint in the Russian Church. He built the city of Yur'ev [i.e. "of Yurii" – "Yurii" being the diminutive of "Georgii", as "Ivan" is to "Ioann" (John)], he founded likewise the Yur'ev monastery at Novgorod, and he erected a church of Saint George the Victory-Bearer at Kiev. The day of the consecration of the Kiev Georgiev temple, done on 26 November 1051 by Sainted Ilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus', entered forever into the liturgical treasury of the Church as a special churchly feastday – Yur'ev Day, beloved by the Russian people as an "Autumn Saint George's Day".      The name of Saint George was indeed also borne by the founder of Moscow – Yurii Dolgoruky (+ 1157), who was the builder of many a Georgiev church, and the builder of the city of Yur'ev-Pol'sk. In the year 1238 the heroic fight of the Russian nation against the Mongol Horde was headed by the Vladimir GreatPrince Yurii (Georgii) Vsevolodovich (+ 1238, Comm. 4 February), fallen into eternal rest in the Battle at the Sita River. His memory, just like that of Egor (Igor) the Brave, and defender of his native-land, was reflected in Russian spiritual versification and ballads. The first great-prince of Moscow, in the period when Moscow had become the centre of the gathering together of the Russian Land, was Yurii Danilovich (+ 1325) – son of Saint Daniel of Moscow, and grandson of Saint Alexander Nevsky. From that time Saint George the Victory-Bearer – the horseman, smiting the serpent – became the coat of arms of Moscow and emblem of the Russian state. And this has more deeply strengthened the connections with Christian peoples and especially with the same-believing Iveria (Gruzia, or Georgia – the Land of Saint George).
The Holy Empress Alexandra
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     The Holy Empress Alexandra: her supposed death was described in the Martyrdom Act of Saint George, which was compiled immediately after his death. The empress, however, was vouchsafed the crown of martyrdom some several years later, in the year 314.      During these years occurred many events. In the year 305 the emperor Diocletian resigned the throne and power passed to his co-ruler Maximian Galerius (305-311), a fanatic pagan, and a coarse and fierce soldier. His wife was the daughter of the holy Empress Alexandra – the holy Martyress Valeria, whom Diocletian had given in marriage against her will back during the years of his reign. Saint Alexandra raised her daughter in Christian piety. When Galerius died, the emperor Maximinus sought her hand in marriage. Having received a refusal, he banished Saint Valeria to Syria, where she lived with her mother. After the death of Maximinus in 313 the mother and daughter arrived in Nicomedia, hoping on the mercy of the emperor Licinius (313-324). Together with the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine, he had subscribed to the Edict of Milan, which presented Christians the freedom to confess their faith, but secretly he remained an enemy of Christianity. Licinius gave orders to execute the holy Empress Alexandra and her daughter Valeria. They were beheaded, and their bodies thrown into the sea.
All Texts© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.
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Luke 12:2-12
2For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. 4 And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 8 Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. 11 Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.
Acts 2:38-43
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
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pamphletstoinspire · 3 years
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Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr - Feast Day - February 1st
Also called Theophorus (Theophoros); born in Syria, around the year 50; died at Rome between 98 and 117.
More than one of the earliest ecclesiastical writers have given credence, though apparently without good reason, to the legend that Ignatius was the child whom the Savior took up in His arms, as described in Mark 9:35. It is also believed, and with great probability, that, with his friend Polycarp, he was among the auditors of the Apostle St. John. If we include St. Peter, Ignatius was the third Bishop of Antioch and the immediate successor of Evodius (Eusebius, “Hist. Eccl.”, II, iii, 22). Theodoret (“Dial. Immutab.”, I, iv, 33a, Paris, 1642) is the authority for the statement that St. Peter appointed Ignatius to the See of Antioch. St. John Chrysostom lays special emphasis on the honor conferred upon the martyr in receiving his episcopal consecration at the hands of the Apostles themselves (“Hom. in St. Ig.”, IV. 587). Natalis Alexander quotes Theodoret to the same effect (III, xii, art. xvi, p. 53).��
Saint Ignatius, Bishop and Martyr by Fr. Francis Xavier, 1877
St. Ignatius, a disciple of the Apostles, but more particularly of St. John, lived in the first century of the Christian Era. His surname was Theophorus–that is, a man who carries God in his heart. That he was a man of great piety is evident from the fact that he became Bishop of the city in which St. Peter had first established his See, in which he was succeeded by St. Evodius. I speak of Antioch, where the believers, heretofore called “disciples,” first received the name of “Christians.” For forty years this holy Bishop presided over the Church of Antioch, with so much wisdom and such unceasing solicitude, that he not only became widely known, but his counsel, on many occasions, was sought by all the Bishops in Syria. At the time of the persecution of Domitian, he remained with his flock, exhorting them to continue steadfast in the true Faith; but, for himself, he desired nothing so much as to shed his blood for Christ’s sake. Besides firmness in faith, he most earnestly preached to those committed to his charge obedience to the Bishops and Priests and the avoidance of heretics. “Be obedient to the Priests and Bishops,” said he, “but shun the heretics as wild beasts, that approach unawares, and wound you in such a manner that you cannot be easily healed.”
While St. Ignatius was thus anxiously occupied with the salvation of his flock, the Emperor Trajan came to Antioch, full of vain pride on account of the victory he had just won over the Parthians. Having been informed that St. Ignatius was the greatest enemy of the gods of the Empire, as well as the principal protector of Christianity, he had the Bishop brought before him. He asked if what had been reported of him was true. Undauntedly the Saint replied: “I pray to the only true God, and how happy would you and the whole Empire be if you believed in Him also! The gods whom you worship are devils: I cannot pray to them.” Trajan, interrupting him, said: “There is no time now to dispute;–sacrifice to my gods, and I will make you High Priest of Jupiter and a member of the Imperial Council. If you refuse, you shall die the most cruel death.” “I am a Priest of the Most High, to whom I daily offer a sacrifice,” replied St. Ignatius; “and blessed indeed should I consider myself were I to be sacrificed to His glory.” Trajan, enraged, immediately condemned him to die, giving this order: “Ignatius shall be conducted, bound, to Rome, and there become a prey to wild beasts.”
Never did criminal, condemned to die, manifest such joy on hearing that he was pardoned as did St. Ignatius when he heard the imperial sentence that doomed him to so dreadful a death. He exclaimed, with a loud voice, “I thank Thee, O Lord, for vouchsafing me the happiness of offering my life as a proof of my great love to Thee!” Having kissed the chains which were to deprive him of liberty, he joyfully extended his hands to be shackled. After praying with many tears for the Church, he bade farewell to his flock, consoling them most tenderly, and once more earnestly besought them to remain constant in their faith. Two deacons accompanied him to Rome. But what the holy Bishop suffered in his long journey over land and sea, from the brutality of the soldiers whose prisoner he was, words fail to tell. Neither can the heroic patience which he manifested be described, nor how unceasingly and ardently he longed to become a victim for his faith.
Whenever he approached a city the Christians, with their Bishops, came to meet him. He received them most affectionately, humbly entreating them to pray that God would give him grace to pass happily through his martyrdom. At Smyrna he was greeted by St. Polycarp, his most intimate friend, who had been a disciple of St. John with him. It will be more easy to imagine than describe the great consolation that these two holy men found in each other. From this city as well as from several other places, the holy Bishop wrote letters to the different churches, giving to all the most pious instructions, and declaring his eagerness to be immolated for his Lord’s sake. He found also in Smyrna several men from Ephesus, who were on their way to Rome, and as they would arrive there before him, he gave them a letter to the Christians living there, in which he most humbly besought them not to supplicate heaven for his life, and thus deprive him of the crown of martyrdom. Thus, in this letter, he again revealed his fervent desire to suffer and die for his God.
At length, after indescribable torments, the holy Bishop arrived at Rome. The faithful came in crowds to meet him, weeping bitterly while they saluted him. But he appeared more cheerful than ever, and, kneeling down in the midst of them, he prayed for the Christian Church, and offered himself as a sacrifice to the Son of the Almighty.
The Roman Book of Martyrs relates further that the holy Bishop was most barbarously tortured in Rome before he was thrown to the lions, but in what these tortures consisted is not known. Incontestible, however, is the fact that, on being brought into the amphitheatre, where innumerable people were present to witness his death, he addressed the multitude, saying that he, as a Christian Bishop, had been brought thither because he longed to suffer and die for Christ. Having said this, he prayed, and earnestly supplicated God not to prevent the wild beasts from destroying him, as had often happened to other Christians. As soon as the roaring of the lions was heard, he cried aloud: “I am the grain of Christ. I shall be ground by the teeth of these wild beasts, and so become the pure bread of Christ!” While he thus spoke they let the lions loose, which fiercely bounded towards the Saint, who while repeating the holy name of Jesus, was torn in pieces. The lions devoured him instantly, leaving only his bones, which were gathered by the faithful and brought to Antioch, where they were received by the Christians with the greatest honors. They were deposited with as much solemnity as circumstances would permit, in a sanctuary devoted to that purpose, and they were held in great honor by all believing in the true Faith.
St. Ignatius desired nothing more ardently than to suffer and die for the sake of Jesus Christ. The source of this desire was the Saint’s adoration of the crucified God, which he derived from contemplating the inconceivable love which moved Jesus to suffer and die for us. Therefore, was he often heard to say, “My love is the crucified God.” Can you likewise say, in sincerity, that the crucified God is your love, or the only object of your devotion? Ah! until now it most certainly has not been thus. A contemptible human being, a short-lived pleasure, a temporal profit, a sinful delight, you have loved more than your Saviour. Oh, shame! Has not Jesus, who loved so much that He suffered death upon the cross for you, deserved to be loved far above everything and beyond everybody? Devote yourself to Him from this hour, and show by your deeds that you love Him. This is done when you remain constant to your crucified God, and when you allow no sin to separate you from Him. Tell me who, at the time the Crucifixion took place, showed by deeds that they loved Christ? Certainly not the heathens, nor the Jews, neither Scribes nor Pharisees, not even the Apostles themselves, one only excepted. For the heathens crucified Christ, the Jews derided and scorned and helped to crucify Him; the Apostles deserted Him–yes, one of them even sold Him, and another denied him! These were no tokens of love. Only St. John, Mary, the Holy Mother, and a few other saintly women, showed by deeds their love for the crucified Christ. They did not leave Him in His hour of bitter trial, and much less did they deride Him, scorn Him, or assist in crucifying Him, as so many others. And just such tokens of love I require of you, especially during the time of the so-called Carnival, as being the time when your Saviour is not only again derided, scorned, and crucified by many sinners, but even, in many places, deserted and denied by His Apostles–that is, by those who, during the year, were zealous in serving Him. Remain, during that period, with your Jesus; do not separate yourself from Him by sin; leave Him not. In this way you can show by your actions that you love Him truly. The thought alone that Christ suffered so much for you should be sufficient to incite you to this. He has so fervently loved you, and showed so plainly His love in deeds: why will you not, in like manner, return His love, and manifest it also in visible deeds? 
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All Debts Cancelled
Let me be straightforward – this is literally a journal about God and how He canceled all my debts.
I still owe money to the bank, for sure. I am still broke but recovering with God’s grace. However, over time, the more I reflect on my dire financial situation, the more I realize that it is the perfect analogy for my spiritual condition: moral bankruptcy. And that is the debt I was referring to that God canceled and is ultimately the overarching theme of this and the rest of my journal entries.
You might be asking, “Are you delusional? What makes you think you are so special that God would cancel your debts?” Well, truth is, I am a nobody. I am a worthless, shameless sinner. And that is precisely what makes this story mind-boggling. But at the end of it all, does it matter who I am? Well, maybe, if only to provide context. However, let me be clear that this story is not about me but about the God of the Bible who graciously, lovingly, and mercifully paid all my debts in full. The hero in this saga, therefore, is not me but the One who was nailed to the cross on my behalf, whose resurrection gives me the hope of eternal life, and whose blood washed away my sins.
Sin. Now that is something easily identifiable when scrutinizing others but hard to own up to when looking inwards. If, in the past, someone had asked me if I were a sinner, I would have been offended. My first thought would have been, “Who do you think you are asking me that offensive question you immoral, arrogant, egotistical scum?” I would have been both evasive and defensive at the same time (a winning combo for sure) and I would center my argument around the fact that I am no Hitler and therefore, righteous to some degree. That’s it. Argument won.
Or was it?
Did I honestly believe that God would surely avert His eyes from all the lies, curses, anger, slander, and blasphemies that have since come out of my mouth within my lifetime just because I pale in comparison to Hitler? Would the Creator, the Most High God, who is perfect, just, and holy turn a blind eye to all of my shamefully immoral acts just because someone else is more wicked than I? If it were that simple, then that would be the end of it. To gain God’s approval or evade his wrath at the very least, I can choose to either commit less sin than my neighbor or cause them to sin more than me. And if this were true, then it follows we can be thankful for the worst offenders like Hitler for keeping our rankings at bay, right? Wrong. Very wrong. Not to mention disturbing.
Are you starting to see how flawed this logic is?
Let me illustrate further by using the bank analogy I mentioned earlier. If there were five of us who took out a loan from the bank in varying amounts between Php5,000 to Php1,000,000, bound by the same contractual terms and conditions, and all of us, by some misfortune, failed to pay on time, would the bank sort the balances from lowest to highest and then spare the lowest balance from the late penalty fees? Of course not. Everyone will be penalized according to the terms and conditions regardless.
Such is the case with sin. And unfortunately for mankind, the penalty of sin is death. (Rom 6:23) So, it is settled then—all I must do is avoid sin to avoid death. Sounds easy enough.
Obviously, you recognize the sarcasm in the previous statement as well as the gargantuan stumbling block leading to eternal life. It is written after all that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23)
From where I stand, it seems there is no way out. If all men sin and the penalty of sin is death, therefore all men will die. Logic 101. You have your premises leading you to your conclusion—a grim one at that.  But wait, everyone dies anyway so, what difference does it make? Even if I managed to commit zero sin, I will still die, wont I? What then is the use of repenting and changing the error of my ways if I will inevitably end up in a coffin? It seems there is no use trying. Let me just wallow in my wickedness and hope to have the best depraved life ever on Earth because the one after this, without a doubt, would be agonizingly worse.
Is that it, then? Do we stop here and give up?
Pause. Breathe. Read on because there is hope.
Let me switch gears for a moment and use a courtroom analogy to better demonstrate the hope I mentioned. Let’s say Tom accidentally backed his car into his neighbor’s fence and, thinking there were no witnesses, decided to keep quiet about it hoping his neighbor wouldn’t notice. But, as misfortune would have it, the neighbor has CCTV evidence showing it was Tom who trashed his fence. So, he drags Tom to court so he can be served his punishment according to the law. Tom was found guilty and was charged Php500,000 in property damages payable within 24 hours otherwise he will be locked behind bars. But Tom has no capacity to pay such huge fees. Luckily, Tom’s father was in the courtroom. He takes out his wallet, writes a check, and gives it to Tom’s neighbor. The father tells his son to consider the money as a gift and therefore does not need to be repaid. The judge then, seeing that the all the legal requirements have been satisfied, lets Tom go. Case closed.
In this story, Tom represents me, and the father represents the Savior.
Let me take this further by using a literal example. Barabbas. Do you remember him? He was the notorious criminal who was supposed to be crucified but was released after the crowd chose him over Jesus. “Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.” - (Mat 27:26) Like a lamb led to the slaughter, Jesus Christ—innocent, blameless, sinless, perfect—submitted himself to the fate that was supposed to be Barabbas’ which meant that while Barabbas was indeed tried and convicted for his crimes, nobody can stop him from walking free because he was lawfully released as someone else took on his penalties.
I am Barabbas. I am guilty of all the sins I have committed but have been forgiven. My penalties have been paid in full and I am therefore a rightful recipient of the promise of an eternal life and so is every single Christian who submitted themselves to Christ and called upon him to take on their penalties because it is too much to bear for any simple human being.
The gift of salvation is both simple and complex. It is just and righteous on one hand and yet seems so unbelievably unfair on the other. Unfair because you would initially think there is no way God would forgive just like that without any sort of punishment or compensation. Surely, I must work my way into heaven. I need to deserve it, earn it, and show some effort to be on the receiving end of it; otherwise, every other low-life murderer and rapist will enter the gates to heaven as easily as Mother Teresa.
But you see, that is precisely what makes it just and righteous. Everyone sins. Everyone is depraved. Yes, even Mother Teresa. And because man, whom God loves so much, (John 3:16) will never be able to save themselves, He provisioned this gift of salvation free for all—for all who humbly admit that 1) they have sinned; 2) that they are answerable for having committed all those sins against God; 3) that they have no capacity in any way shape or form to deliver themselves from the penalties of their sins and therefore 4) need someone to redeem them, save them, wash them, heal them, atone for them, die for them, and give them eternal life.
God is both the judge and the redeemer.
If a man stands before God and arrogantly proclaims that he will bear the penalties coming his way, well, that is precisely what he will get because he has the freewill to do so. But, if he chooses to go to God, plead guilty to his crimes, turn away from his sinful habits, and ask for forgiveness and redemption, God the Father will send him to His Son, Jesus Christ to be redeemed, to be washed with His own blood that He shed on the cross. He then sends him the Spirit of God, who will dwell in him and make him a new person like he was born again. “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” – (Titus 3:5-7) It is therefore “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” – (Ephesians 2:8)
Faith and not works. Works then becomes the fruit. It is after-the-fact. Not a requirement of salvation but a result of salvation.
This sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Like a get-rich-quick scheme bound to have something in the fine print requiring an impossible condition you can never hope to fulfill thus nullifying everything. Either that or it could be the greatest, most elaborate love story ever be written. A love story about the Most High God who “so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – (John 3:16)
God is love after all. He wants you in his turf. He wants you to belong to him again. So, you ask, why can’t he just give it to all of us then? Why do we have to repent, confess, etc.? Can’t he just grant this sweeping forgiveness and just let us all into heaven if He is all about love anyway? Can’t he just tolerate our sins and let us all be if He is after all the very embodiment of love?
Good question.
Yes, God is love. But we tend to ignore that He is also holy, just, and righteous. How would you feel if a judge sets a criminal free who robbed your house, killed your dog, and set your house on fire, just because he loves all men and therefore will set them all free? This kind of love will deem the judicial system corrupt and useless. It is unfair. It is dysfunctional. It is morally wrong. Do you want an unfair and corrupt God who will go about things in whatever way suits him at any given point in time? Or would you rather a fair, consistent, and trustworthy God who would exact the correct penalties as written in His law?
Therefore, the answer to your question is this: God, being righteous and just, put in place a set of laws of morality in order to draw the line between what is acceptable to Him and what is not. Without such standards, how can any human being expect to know whether they have done wrong or not? And if there are no laws, by what standards then will we be judged against? He is a righteous and just God. He put together those standards and made it known to everyone to make a clear distinction exactly when we are doing right and when we are doing the complete opposite. But while you mull over God’s justice and holiness, pay equal attention to this attribute as well: God is a loving and merciful God. While He knows that man, being the depraved creature that he is, is wallowing in sin and can never hope to meet the standards He set, He has in His heart mercy and the desire to put us all right with Him again and dwell with Him again like Adam and Eve before they sinned in the Garden of Eden. So, what does a just yet loving God do? He provides the perfect atonement that we can only dream of providing for ourselves. He sends His only Son to be at the receiving end of His penalty and wrath once and for all. He sends His Only Son who is blameless and pure, to take on our punishment so that through Him, we can be forgiven, we can be made righteous, and so that like Him, we can therefore be resurrected and given glorified bodies the way Jesus Christ himself was resurrected on the third day. And Jesus Christ, His Son, who loves His Father and loves us, willingly humbled himself to become like us, live as humans do, and willingly offer His life as the ultimate and perfect atonement for all our sins. He could have said no, but he didn’t. He didn’t have to lay down His life, but because of His great love for us and knowing we have no other way out of our own depravity, He offered His own life in exchange for ours.
If this is not the greatest love story of all time, then I do not know what is.
Can you imagine sending your own son or daughter to prison to spare one of your employees who embezzled money from you from being sent to prison himself? Are you willing to sacrifice the life of your child and have him bear the life sentence that should be served by the soulless man who shot a bullet through your spouse’s chest as he took her money? This kind of love is unheard of. This kind of love is beyond this world. This kind of love can only be coming from the Most High God in heaven who is pure love.
This thought never ceases to amaze me.
And this is precisely why I am starting this journal. I feel the need to record my own epiphanies since late 2018 when He found me and shepherded me back with the rest of His sheep. I hope that by sharing my own thoughts and realization, I will be able to reach kindred spirits as well as touch the lost ones who are trying to navigate their way around this crazy world that only seems to get worse by the minute.
This is not about a magical answer to all your pains and problems as if you were getting three wishes from a genie. No. This is about knowing and acknowledging where you come from, who created you, whom you should be loyal to, which kingdom you belong to, and who the God is that you serve. This is about the true gospel of God that is all about forgiveness, redemption, and freedom. This is about realizing that we are the long-lost prodigal son who finally came home into the open arms of his loving father, having been welcomed with gladness despite having done his father wrong. This is about experiencing joy amid an otherwise chaotic, upside-down world knowing that you don’t belong here but in God’s home. “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” -(Philippians 3:20-21)
If you are still reading up to this point and are one of those who feel this God-shaped void in their hearts, then God must be talking to You. He is pointing you to Him for He is the only One who can fill that void and make you whole. Start your journey. Pick up your Bible and start reading the four gospels a couple of chapters at a time: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Pray before you read and ask for faith.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – (Matthew 11:28-30)
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Supreme God in Christianity According to the Bible
 Spiritual Leader Saint Rampal Ji
When we talk about supreme God in Christianity, then these questions come automatically in our mind like
■ Who is God? ■ Why do we need to know about him?■ Are God and Jesus the same? ■ Has anyone seen God?
These questions have remained a mystery for all of us. But here all of these would be answered with proofs. All over the world, people are in search of the Supreme God, whether they are theist or atheist. Everyone needs God whether for money, mental peace or salvation. This article would be a complete solution for you if you want to know how can we reach God and get complete salvation.
But first, Let us give you a Brief Description of Christianity
The followers of Jesus Christ are known as Christians. Jesus was born circa 6 B.C. in Bethlehem. His mother was Mary. Christians believe Jesus was born through Immaculate Conception by an angel. Mary and Joseph were Jews. Jesus was given the knowledge of Injeel. 
Most of Jesus's life is told through the four Gospels of the New Testament Bible, known as the Canonical gospels, written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Throughout the New Testament, there are trace references of Jesus working as a carpenter while a young adult. It is believed that he began his ministry at age 30 when he was baptized by John the Baptist, who upon seeing Jesus, declared him the Son of God.
When Jesus grew up, spirits used to enter his body and they used to make prophecies and do miracles. Jesus preached about one God. As Jesus continued his preachings, the crowd became larger and they started calling him the son of David and as the Messiah.
The Judas and Pharisees heard of this and accused Jesus of having the power of Satan and calling himself the King of Jews in front of King Pilate. Pilate publicly washed his hands of responsibility, yet ordered the crucifixion in response to the demands of the crowd. The Roman soldiers whipped and beat Jesus, placed a crown of thorns on his head and then led him off to Mount Calvary.
There he was crucified and hung on a cross. While the crucifixion, all the spirits left the body of Jesus. When he was dead, he was taken down and buried in the tomb. But surprisingly, after 3 days the tomb was found empty. He had risen from the tomb and he first appeared to Mary Magdalene, then to Mary, his mother and then to his followers.
Was he Jesus who Rose from the Tomb?
The answer is No. He was not Jesus who rose from the tomb, but he was complete God Kabir who appeared as Jesus to keep the faith of the followers intact. Otherwise, all those followers would have lost faith in God. They would have become an atheist.
In this article, many other secrets about Jesus and God will be unveiled.
What the Bible says about the Existence of God?
Let’s discuss the existence of God in the Bible. Bible is the collection of three sacred books- Torah, Injeel, and Zabur. In both Christianity and Islam it is believed that the first human-made by God was Adam and we all are his sons and daughters. In his clan, many prophets were born. Some of them are Hazrat Dawoowd, Hazrat Musa, and Hazrat Isa. 
Dawood or David received the book Zabur.Musa or Moses received Torah. Isa or Jesus received Injeel from Kaal Brahm (Satan).
which they believe to be the Formless God because he gave the verses of Torah, Zabur, and Injeel by Oracle. Hazrat Mohammad, who is the founder of Islam was born around 600 years after Jesus.  He was born a Jew. Later he received the knowledge of Quran Shareef by Zibrael who was sent by the same god Kaal Brahm and then, Mohammad preached about Islam.
Disciples of Moses are called Jews, disciples of Jesus Christ are called Christians and disciples of Mohammad are called Muslims.
Quran Shareef has around 40 percent of the same knowledge of the Bible. (Kabir Sagar, Chapter 14, Mohammad Bodh, Page no 6)
There are many instances in the Bible which validate the existence of God. Christians believe that God existed even before Adam was born. All the creation is made by God himself (Genesis). In the New Testament of the Bible, there exists a Trinity in Christianity which preaches about the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. The millennial has explained about the three and it is believed that God is separate from the above three.
■ Below are some verses from the Bible that validate the existence of God:-
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1)
And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6).
For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes, his eternal power, and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).
For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:19, 20).
Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts; there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one (Psalm 53:1-3).
The above verses prove that the Holy Bible accepts that there is the existence of God. He created the entire universe. He is eternal and divine. Those are fools, who say there is no God.
Myths in World Christianity (Christian Mythology)
There are 5 myths on which the Christians believe. Lets burst them one by one.
God is FormlessJesus is GodThere is no RebirthGod Ordered Christians to Kill and Eat AnimalsAdam was the First Human
Myth 1 - God is Formless in Christianity
World Christianity belief about God being formless contradicts the Holy Bible. In Genesis, in the creation of the universe, on the sixth day, God created humans in his own image.
Holy Bible - Genesis - Sixth Day of Creation
1:26 - Then God said, "And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small."
1:27 - So God created human beings, making them be like himself. He created them male and female,
These verses of the Holy Bible prove that God is not Formless.
Genesis - Holy Bible
3:8 - That evening they heard the Lord God walking in the garden and they hid from him among the trees.
3:9 - But the Lord God called out to the man, "Where are you?"
3:10 - He answered, "I heard you walking in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you because I was naked."
3:22 - And Jehovah God made long garments from skins for Adam and for his wife, to clothe them.
Holy Bible – Genesis
18:1 - And the LORD appeared to him (Abraham) by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.
18:2 - He (Abraham) lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth.
18:4 - Please, let a little water be brought and have your feet washed; then recline under the tree. 
18:5 - Seeing that you have come here to your servant, let me bring a piece of bread so that you may refresh yourselves
The lines above clearly describe the Lord God walking in the garden which Adam and Eve can hear walking and thus they hide. The Lord God also appears before Abraham who then bows unto them. 
Moreover, Abraham requests God's feet to be washed and then God reclines under a tree. Abraham even brings a piece of bread for God to eat.
No wonder the Lord God is in form as he talks, walks, meets, eats and can be seen. He also reclines and has feet which can be washed. Therefore the Lord God rightly said in the beginning that he created man in his own image. This clearly proves the Lord God to be in form
Myth 2 - Jesus is God in Christianity
This is the biggest myth in Christianity for Jesus is seen as God. Jesus was a prophet with some supernatural powers sent by Kaal Brahm on this earth. He was sent from Vishnu Lok (Kabir Sagar, Mohammad Bodh, Jabroot, Mokam 3).
Isa paigambar padhe kitaba, uska naam injeel kitaba.​
Salamalek taha hm keena, dasta bos unhu uthi leena.​
Tahwa baithe vishambhar rai, vahi peer to wahi khudai.
Yah vishnupuri hai bhai,yame bhi ek baikunth samai.
Vishnu hai yaha ka pardhana, sun mohammad gyan vigyana.
In the Christian Trinity, which explains about Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Jesus was the Son of God. Here are some biblical verses which prove that Jesus was the Son of God who was sent to spread the message of one God.
■ Hebrews 1:5- To which of the angels did He ever say, "YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU"? And again, "I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME"?
■ Matthew 17:5- While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!"
■ Mark 1:11- and a voice came out of the heavens: "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."
■ Luke 20:13- "The owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.'
In these verses, it is explained that Jesus was sent by God to give the message of complete God. He was the son or messenger of God.
Likewise in Hinduism, it is believed that Shri Krishna gave the knowledge of Shrimad Bhagvad Geeta.
In Geeta, it is written that only Complete God should be worshipped. 
■ Those who worship Brahma Vishnu and Shiva are fools.
But priests in Hinduism were not able to understand Geeta verses properly and they started worshipping Shri Krishna instead of Complete God Kabir.
Myth 3 - There is no Rebirth in Christianity
In both Islam and Christianity, it is believed that there is no rebirth. It is believed that all humans will keep dying, as long as this creation will continue. Let them bury in the grave. When the doom will come, the dead (men and women) will be brought forth from the graves. Their deeds will be accounted for by God. 
Those who have deeds according to all four books (Zabur, Torah, Injeel and Quran Shareef) will live in heaven. Those who have not obeyed the four books will be sent to Hell forever. After that, the creation will be destroyed forever.
This belief is wrong because when Hazrat Mohammad was taken up to heaven by Jibrael, there he saw David, Moses, Jesus, Abraham, etc. If we believe in the aforesaid statement then, Jesus, Moses etc should have been buried in the grave. How they went to heaven if they were meant to be in the grave till the doom? This proves that heaven and hell exists and also there is the rebirth of the soul.
Myth 4 - God ordered Christians to kill and eat animals
God is merciful and kind. Humans, animals and even the microorganisms are all his children. Then how can he order his one son to kill another son?
● God has made grass and leafy vegetables for the animals and grains, fruits and leafy plants as food for humans. 
■ Holy Bible - Genesis
1:29 - I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat;
1;30 - but for all the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food -and it was done.
Hence He ordered them to be vegetarians.
After Complete God went back to his throne, then Satan sent spirits that used to enter the body of Jesus Christ and made prophecies. 
In the Bible, Corinthians 2:12-17, there is proof that the spirits used to enter the body of Jesus.
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 
17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ, we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.
This proves that there were some spirits who used to speak in Jesus. Some said the words of God without any adulteration in it. But there were some spirits who used to peddle the word of God. These spirits have given the direction of killing animals and eating them. Those were not the words of Jesus.
Myth 5 - Adam was the First Human in Christianity
Both Christians and Muslims believe that Adam was the first human on this Earth. But is not true. Once upon a time, there was a sage called Manu. His son was Ikshwaku. In his clan, there was a king named Nabhiraj.
● The son of king Nabhiraj was Rishabhdev who was the founder of Jainism. Rishabhdev’s soul was reborn as Adam. This instance has been taken from the holy text of Jainism- “Aao Jain Dharm Ko Jane” from page no 154.
This validates that there were humans before Adam and Eve. When God Jehovah or Kaal Brahm sent them on this Earth, most of the place was uninhabitable. They were sent at a solitary place, which was cut off from everywhere. All Christians, Muslims, and Jews are the grandchildren of Adam. That is why they believe that Adam was the first human which is actually not true.
More than One God in Bible
God in the Bible is not the only one. There are more like him. So he can't be the Supreme God.
● Holy Bible – Genesis 3:22 - Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reaches out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.
● The Lord God Said, “Now these humans have become like one of us and have knowledge of what is good and what is bad.
■ Point to Ponder.
God is saying that after eating the wisdom fruit, these human beings have become like one of us. And if these humans ate the fruit of life from this garden, then they will become immortal like us. The key statement here is "one of us". 
The God, who is saying this statement, is also referring to other Gods of equal status, that is why he is using the line "one of us" which means he is not alone. There are more like him.
● Holy Bible - Genesis 18 - The Three Visitors.
God in the Bible is not alone. There are more like him. Therefore he cannot be the Supreme God.18:1 - The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.
18:2 - Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
18:3 My lord,” said Abraham, “if I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.
18:4 Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. 
18:5 And I will bring a bit of bread so that you may refresh yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant’s way. After that, you may continue on your way.”
“Yes,” they replied, “you may do as you have said.”
● Here the Lord has come up with two of his comrades. This clearly proves that there are more gods like him. This proves the belief of Christianity to be wrong that Jesus is the only God.
18:22 And the two men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.
● This verse of the bible also proves that God is in human form. He is standing, talking and eating bread offered by Abraham. So this concludes that the Lord is in Human form.
Up till 18:22 there is mention of 3 people. They are addressed in the Bible as "they". 
Also, there is a reference of 3 people in the Holy Bible, Genesis 19:1 to 19:25.
This further proves that there are more like them. These three Gods are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva who were sent by Kaal Brahm.
Who is God in the Bible?
After reading about Jesus and Jehovah are not complete Gods, the question which arises here is 
● Who is complete God?
The Holy Bible gives the answer to this question. Let's find out.
● Iyov 36:5 - Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)
See, El is Kabir, and despiseth, not any; He is Kabir in ko’ach lev (strength of understanding).
Translation: Supreme God is Kabir, but despises no one. He is Kabir, and firm in his purpose.
In all Bible translations, the word Kabir has been translated as "Mighty" or "Great" whereas Kabir is the original name of Supreme God. 
Conclusion: This verse of the Bible proves that Kabir is Complete God. The one who worships God Kabir by taking initiation from the complete saint sent by him gets complete salvation. After attaining salvation that souls rest in peace in the eternal abode Satlok forever. The throne of God is in Satlok.
God Kabir met Jesus and took his soul to Satlok. On their way, God Kabir made him see his ancestors David, Moses, Abraham, etc. in the Pitra Lokas. Then God took him to Satlok. But Jesus did not have faith in Lord Kabir. He did not believe him to be complete God, but he admitted that God is one. When he came back from Satlok he preached about one God and talked about salvation. After the crucifixion, he only pleaded God to forgive his children for all the harsh deeds.
 
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arabfanon · 5 years
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Prof. Christopher Clohessy Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Rome
The urge to draw contrasts between outstanding figures is highly seductive and can at times prove theologically perilous. With little effort, for example, one could find parallels between Mary, the mother of Jesus (particularly as she is portrayed in Catholic theology) and Fâṭima, the mother of al-Ḥusayn. Nor would we struggle to draw lines of convergence between two enigmatic personalities such as the Christian Saint Teresa of Avila (or Juliana of Norwich or Hildegard of Bingen for that matter) and Muslim mystic Râbica al-cAdawiyya of Baṣra. Some such resemblances are glaringly obvious, while others remain subtle and abstruse; nor do they necessarily suggest equity in the persons compared, but serve only to highlight virtue and hints of spirituality. Quite evidently, as we indicated before, they can be valid without being dogmatic, useful without being incontestable. What follows are some possible and tentative parallels between Jesus in Christian theology and al-Ḥusayn in Islamic, but specifically Shîcî, theology.
Examining the Karbalâ’ event and the type of theology and spirituality constructed around it, it is difficult not to think of the life of Jesus and the Christian theological and spiritual tradition. The claims that Jesus makes and that Christians make about him go far beyond the claims of al-Ḥusayn and the beliefs of the Shîca about who he was. Yet, for example, in the issues of the nature of the Imamate, the atonement of al-Ḥusayn’s martyrdom and the intercessory prerogatives, one gets powerful reminders of the sort of things that Christians posit about Jesus. This is not to forget that Christians and Muslims mean different things when they use words like ‘redemption’ and ‘atonement’. However, there are strong similarities in the sort of traditions that are built up around holy people, leaders of the community and their actions. Perhaps that is the most important point; that more often than not the similarities lie in the traditions that have been built up rather than in the reality of the lives themselves.
With these thoughts as a foundation, it might be interesting to look at a handful of the possible parallels in the lives of two people who appear to have lived good lives and died terrible deaths, though not without purpose: Jesus of Nazareth and al-Ḥusayn.
With Faces Set
The authors who examine the Karbalâ’ event stress the firmness of purpose in al-Ḥusayn as he makes his fateful journey from Mecca towards Kûfa. He goes with an almost certain knowledge of what lies ahead, and apparently ready to face martyrdom. The Gospel accounts posit this resoluteness in the face of death in Jesus. For both men, death appears to be something divinely preordained, although both are given the possibility of escape. The last moments of their lives are spent in fear, tension and a struggle with impending death. For both, death seems to be a necessary outcome that could, but should not be shunned. The picture of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane is not unlike that of al-Ḥusayn on the night before Karbalâ’, a picture of lonely anguish and despair. Angelic intervention, or at least the possibility of such assistance, is traditional to the stories of both men. Both face death having been abandoned by many who once followed them; and the fickle behaviour of the citizens of Kûfa is not unlike that of those who shouted ‘hosanna’ and shortly after that, ‘crucify him’ in the Passion Narratives of Jesus. The accounts of al-Ḥusayn’s last moments on the battlefield, with everyone around him killed, are not dissimilar to Jesus on the cross, feeling the loss even of God. For the Shîca, al-Ḥusayn was an innocent and sinless man, who was led to his death. While authors like Ayoub warn of extremists who attempt to make Jesus and al-Ḥusayn alike in every respect, the idea of being led like a lamb to its slaughter resonates deeply in the lives of both men.
All Creation Groans
The Shîca regard the death of al-Ḥusayn as a ‘cosmic’ event, touching all of human history, of nature and of the universe. The entire history of the world (and even prior history) revolves around the divinely preordained Karbalâ’ event. It was with the Imâms that the primordial history of creation began, and with them it will be judged and consummated. In the interim, all of humankind and the whole of creation participate in the lament over al-Ḥusayn’s death. The sixth Imâm, Ğacfar al-Ṣâdiq, insists that all creation, visible and invisible, weeps for al-Ḥusayn: it is hard not to be reminded of Saint Paul’s declaration that «the whole of creation groans, awaiting redemption» (Romans 8: 22). A major incentive for this weeping is that sacrificial deaths such as that of al-Ḥusayn have redemptive powers, which are rendered efficacious when the believers themselves take an active part in the suffering. Again we are reminded of Paul, who writes: «Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the Church» (Col. 1: 24).
Certainly, some of the poetical evocation of the martyrdom of al-Ḥusayn appears close to the Suffering Servant songs of Isaiah,[1] while elements in the memorial plays and the mağâlis seem to coincide with Christian commemorations during Holy Week (particularly in their more fervent expressions in some parts of the Catholic world). Some of the lamentation poetry conflicts with traditional accounts of a brave al-Ḥusayn going valiantly to his death, presenting instead the image of a weak and helpless man. There is no doubt that the Passion Narrative of St. John’s Gospel presents a different account of Christ’s Passion when compared to the Synoptic (Matthew, mark and Luke) accounts. The Jesus of John is a man in control, apparently free of anguish and doubt, whose sufferings and human weakness are not highlighted as they are in the Synoptic narratives.
When it comes to weeping, Fâṭima is a prominent figure, and it is not difficult to compare her to the mother of Jesus. Fâṭima is ‘the radiant one’, the ‘mistress of the house of sorrows’ (bayt al-aḥzân), who provides a continuity between the suffering of her family and the grief of the devotees. Even in the world to come, Fâṭima remains the ‘mistress of the house of sorrows,’ where her constant tears (until the vindication) kindle God’s wrath against her son’s murderers and His mercy and forgiveness for the community of believers. “All things weep in emulation of her tears, and the tears of the faithful here on earth are but a way of sharing in her sorrows and a means of bringing consolation to her broken heart.”[2] It is undeniable that there are strands of thought presented here that are adjacent to the popular devotion and piety that surrounds Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Part of ‘creation groaning’ is Karbalâ’ itself; just as the event transcends the borders of time and space, so too the place of the event is designated as being holy. No less interesting are the traditions of the history of Karbalâ’ in the lives of the prophets who lived prior to the event, and even in the accounts of the animals there. For example, Adam passed through Karbalâ’ and tripped there, gashing his foot and causing blood to flow, as if in emulation of al-Ḥusayn, causing Adam to weep in that place. Nûḥ’s Ark, adrift on the waters, was tossed about as if in a storm as it passed over the place where al-Ḥusayn would die and, like Adam, Nûḥ wept there. Ibrâhîm, passing through Karbalâ’ on horseback, fell and cut his head, causing it to bleed (in emulation of al-Ḥusayn). Even the horse he was riding was possessed by grief in the place. The sheep of Ishmâcîl refused to graze there, and told him why. cÎsâ, wandering in that area, found his path blocked by a lion which proceeded to tell him the story. Another tradition tells of a group of gazelles sitting in lamentation (mağâlis) and relating the event to cÎsâ.
In addition, at the very moment of al-Ḥusayn’s death, creation reacted in a startling way. His riderless horse, in an important and disquieting event in the commemoration events, beat its head upon the ground until it died. The birds stopped singing, the heavens darkened, the sun was eclipsed, the stars were visible by day and collided with one another, a strong gale blew and it rained blood for forty days. Muḥammad, according to tradition, predicted such earthly cataclysms at the death of al-Ḥusayn as the earth being shaken to its foundations, the mountains rocked, the seas rising up and the heavens shaken. This sort of apocryphal language is similar to Biblical terminology used for descriptions of the end times and for some of the events that occurred at the moment of Jesus’ death (rocks being split, tombs opening, dead people rising and the veil of the Temple being split in two).
Al-Ḥusayn’s very blood is understood as a source of healing and judgment, bringing disaster to his murderers but healing to his community. One cannot but be reminded of Pontius Pilate, carefully washing his hands whilst the crowd called down the blood of Jesus upon themselves and their children.[3] Nor is it far from the theological claims of Christianity concerning the Blood of Christ. Suffice to say that Karbalâ’ itself is constituted part of the redemptive quality of the event and has assumed a salvific nature, becoming a sort of Calvary for its devotees.
By The Healing Waters
The issues of mediation and of the intercessory prerogatives are crucial to understanding the redemptive qualities attached to the Karbalâ’ event, and the martyrdom of all the Imâms. They are no less important in grasping Christ’s redemptive act, which, like that of al-Ḥusayn, is perceived as something ongoing. As Ayoub writes: “Both [Christianity and the Shīca] accept a mediator between God and man, one whose essential being and place in human history plays a determining role in the Divine plan for creation, revelation and salvation.”[4]
Elsewhere, the same author writes that the Imâms are the true mediators between God and humankind, and were with God from the beginning as His first creative act. Al-Ḥusayn died for the sake of Islam, so as to free it from influences that were corrupting and distorting it. While suffering is not a good thing in itself, it can nevertheless be transformed and great good drawn from it. This, in essence, is the meaning of al-Ḥusayn’s death for the Shîca. Having died he now, in a manner reminiscent of the words of the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews about Jesus, ‘lives to intercede’ for the faithful community, whose own suffering is in some sense an extension of his and is in some way joined to his. The concrete symbol of his divinely given prerogatives is the ‘pool’ or ‘basin’ of Kawthar. The waters of this pool cleanse the blood and tears of the ‘people of the house’ and of all associated with them. Here, at this pool, will the faithful be gathered; and it is beside this pool that cAlî stands as judge, ready to turn evildoers away from its water on the ‘day of thirst’. Once again, it is hard not to find parallels with the idea of the ‘fountain of life’ and of the river that flows ‘from under the sanctuary,’ with all the Biblical promises attached to these.
In general then, and taking into account all the pitfalls and contrariety, parallels between Jesus and al-Ḥusayn (and in the theology constructed around them) are not without precedence. Even the traditions surrounding their respective conception, birth and infancy contain striking similarities (although hagiography, no matter who its subject, ought to be read with prudence). Both Mary and Fâṭima were pious, poor and sustained by God. The announcement to Muḥammad by Ğibrîl of al-Ḥusayn’s conception contained a prediction of his death, similar to the prophecies made about the infant Jesus by Simeon. According to Islamic tradition, both babies were carried in the womb for only sixth months. Both Mary and Fâṭima were subject to angelic visitations, and the Qur’ânic account of cÎsâ’s birth is close to the traditional accounts of the birth of al-Ḥusayn. Ğibríl intervenes in the naming of Fâṭima’s child, just as Jesus’ own name came to Mary from the lips of the angel. Both births produce and outburst of rejoicing in heaven and on earth, with one note of sadness; as angels visit Muḥammad to congratulate him on the birth of his grandson, they console him too over al-Ḥusayn’s future martyrdom (as Mary would be consoled by Simeon). Not unlike the Holy Family of Nazareth, the ‘people of the house’ are subject to privation and poverty; and God supplying their needs through miraculous intervention finds an echo in the accounts of the Holy Family in the Apocryphal Gospels. This intervention is to be found during the childhood of al-Ḥusayn and of his brother al-Ḥasan. Al-Ḥusayn is himself a man of great knowledge (related to the Imamate and including an ability to predict his own martyrdom), wisdom, compassion, courage, piety, miraculous ability, humility and generosity. All of this relates to his being ‘close to’ or ‘friend’ (walî) of God: and all of these are virtues that are highlighted in the life of Jesus, who, we are told, ‘grew in wisdom’ from childhood.
In the final analysis, the Shîca would posit of al-Ḥusayn that he saved Islam by his death. Of Jesus, Ayoub writes: “Yet Christ, as were all the messengers of God before him and after him, was a saviour in that he, by his message, helped to save humanity from error.”[5]
An important element is the angelic activity during the conceptions and births of Jesus and al-Ḥusayn, as well as the cosmic rejoicing when the births occur. In each case, so important an occasion merits a heavenly annunciation. In both cases too, there is a questioning of the angelic herald, although for different motivations. The annunciation of al-Ḥusayn is filled with the forewarnings of his martyrdom, as well as with predictions about his status and future achievements. In the case of Jesus, while the predictions about his status and future achievements are distinctly present, the forewarnings are absent, and are only spoken by Simeon when the child is presented in the temple by Mary and Joseph. In fact, there is a dream motif concerning Jesus’ death, but it comes long after the narratives of his birth; after his arrest, the wife of Pontius Pilate reports having «suffered much over Him today in a dream» (Mt. 27: 19). The content of this obviously disturbing dream is not revealed, but it is certainly within the context of the death of a man whom the wife of Pontius Pilate declares ‘righteous’.
While there is a cosmic reaction recorded for both births, these are moderately different. In the case of Jesus, the rejoicing of heaven is represented by the angels, who proclaim the news to shepherds, representing all the people of the earth. At the birth of al-Ḥusayn, the texts depict an outpouring of joy, among the angels, the people of Paradise, the inhabitants of the earth and even those in Hell, whose punishment is lightened for the occasion. The whole cosmological effect of al-Ḥusayn’s birth is underscored by the Shîcî texts; in the Christian accounts of the birth of Jesus, the angels’ jubilation and glorification is entirely centered upon God, and the cosmological effects of the Incarnation still lie in the future; conversely, the birth of al-Ḥusayn has an immediate consequence for those in Heaven and Hell, a portend of his martyrdom, which, as a ‘cosmic’ event, touches all of human history, of nature and of the universe.
Both Mary and Fâṭima gave birth under testing circumstances; Mary’s was the physical discomfort and immense poverty of her surroundings, while Fâṭima’s was psychological, her delivery of al-Ḥusayn marred by the predictions of his murder. The Shîcî texts use Qur’ânic wording to describe how she conceived and gave birth «with reluctance» (Q. 46: 15). In this sense too, both births were overshadowed by a sense of doom – Mary’s just after the birth and Fâṭima’s before it.
Both Mary and Fâṭima are mothers of sons who will be killed, and regarded, each in his own unique way, as a martyr. Fâṭima knows this even before her son is born, so that her sorrow is immediate. Mary’s knowledge of her Son’s death comes later – the prediction of Simeon is not absolutely explicit – but her sorrow could be held to have its starting point in the extremely difficult particulars of her pregnancy – a young girl pregnant outside of marriage – and the trying circumstances of the birth. These are followed in quick succession by the threats of Herod and his murder of countless children, the forced exile of Mary, Joseph and Jesus in Egypt, and the temporary loss of Jesus, aged twelve, in Jerusalem. The salient dissimilarity between the two women is that, while Mary witnesses the arrest, trial, torture and execution of her Son, Fâṭima does not; she has been dead for almost fifty years.
The Biblical image of Mary’s mournful stance at the foot of the cross has been captured in countless poems and hymns that now form an integral part of Catholic spirituality. Poignant examples of this Mater Dolorosa (‘sorrowful mother’) image are the Kontákion of St. Romanos the Melodist and the famous Stabat Mater of Jacopone da Todi (d. 1306). She weeps in sorrow as Jesus dies and, according to a tradition captured in Michelangelo’s renowned Pietà, receives him into her arms as he is taken from the cross. Fâṭima’s son, deprived of access to water and finally, on the 10TH day of the month of Muḥarram, massacred by the huge opposing force, was the last to die, alone, undefended, stripped of his clothing. Fâṭima, who has already wept copiously for him in her lifetime, looks on from beyond the grave and continues to weep as she awaits the Day of Resurrection. The texts are quite clear: these are not only tears of sorrow, but also tears of righteous anger, tears that hope to win the wrath of God against the killers and vindication for the one slain. No such suggestion is found in the tears of Mary. In the final analysis, whether one accepts such parallels or not, Jesus and al-Ḥusayn remain, for their devotees, archetypal figure whose lives and deaths have altered the course of history and radically changed countless lives.
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worshipmoment · 6 years
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False Religion: Islam
Islam is one of the major world religions that, along with Christianity and Judaism, teaches monotheism which is the doctrine that there is only one God in all existence. Islam teaches that Allah is the one and only deity in all existence (Qur'an 5:73; 112:1-4). He is supreme, all-knowing (40:20), ever-present, different from all of creation (3:191), and in complete control of all things. According to Islam, Allah created the universe in six days (2:29; 25:61-62), and all that is in it continues to exist by his permission and will. Allah is non-Trinitarian (5:73), but he is absolute and eternal.  Compared to Christianity, Islam has some similarities but significant differences. These differences make Islam a false religion.
Muhammad:
Muhammad (c. AD 570—632) was from Mecca, a city near the Red Sea in what is now Saudi Arabia. Muhammad was a religious man, often going on retreats to the mountains where he would pray. During one of these retreats, he reported being visited by the angel Gabriel, who supposedly gave Muhammad a revelation from Allah. Muhammad reported having several other revelations from Allah as well, and Muslims regard him as Allah’s last and greatest prophet to mankind. Muhammad claimed to have continued to receive revelations from Allah until his death, and Muhammad’s revelations were compiled after his death and canonized into what is now called the Qur’an, the Muslim holy book. Other respected writings in Islam include the Hadith, which is a collection of teachings, deeds, and sayings of Muhammad; and the Tafsir, which is a commentary of sorts on the Qur’an.
Qur’an or Koran:
The Quran or Koran is the sacred book of Islam and is broken up into 114 chapters called Suras which cover the subjects of ethics, history, law, and theology. It is highly revered by Muslims as the direct, literal word of God and without error. However there a lot of problems and contradictions in the Quran. Some examples are:
Can Allah have a son?
Yes: Surah 39:4, "If Allah desire to take a son to Himself, He will surely choose those He pleases from what He has created. Glory be to Him: He is Allah, the One, the Subduer (of all)."
No: Surah 6:101, "Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth! How could He have a son when He has no consort, and He (Himself) created everything, and He is the Knower of all things?"
Allah forgets yet Allah know all?
Forgets: Surah 32:14, "Taste ye then - for ye forgot the Meeting of this Day of yours, and We too will forget you - taste ye the Penalty of Eternity for your (evil) deeds!"
Knows all things: Surah 24:60, "Such elderly women as are past the prospect of marriage—there is no blame on them if they lay aside their (outer) garments, provided they make not a wanton display of their beauty: but it is best for them to be modest: and Allah is One Who sees and knows all things."
Scientific problems in the Quran:
Sperm comes from the chest of a man: Surah 86:5-7, "Now let man but think from what he is created! He is created from a drop emitted-Proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs."
Birds can talk: Surah 27:16, "And Solomon was David's heir. He said: "O ye people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and on us has been bestowed (a little) of all things: this is indeed Grace manifest (from Allah)."
Ants can talk: Surah 27:18, "At length, when they came to a (lowly) valley of ants, one of the ants said: "O ye ants, get into your habitations, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you (under foot) without knowing it."
There are 7 heavens and 7 earths! Surah 65:12, "Allah is He Who created seven Firmaments and of the earth a similar number. Through the midst of them (all) descends His Command: that ye may know that Allah has power over all things, and that Allah comprehends, all things in (His) Knowledge."
Mary is the sister of Aaron and Moses: Surah 19:27-28, "Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing. 28 O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot."
Having just outlined just a handful of many problems and contradictions to the Qur’an as a divinely inspired work, we are forced to reject the Islamic claim that the Qur’an represents an error-free word of God to humanity. However, when a similar standard is applied to the Bible, the result is self-vindicating, for the Bible emerges flawless.
Islam, the religion of peace:
Is Islam a religion of peace? Many of its advocates say that it is.  Let's see what the Qur'an actually says.
The Qur'an tells Muslims to kill and go to war to fight for Islam: Quran, chapters (Surahs) 9:5; 2:191; 2:193; 3:118; 4:75,76; 5:33, 8:12; 8:65; 9:73,123; 33:60-62.
Fight for Allah: "And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers, (Quran 2:191).
Muslims are to battle for Allah: "Those who believe do battle for the cause of Allah; and those who disbelieve do battle for the cause of idols. So fight the minions of the devil. Lo! the devil's strategy is ever weak," (Quran 4:76).
Kill those against Islam: "The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter," (Quran 5:33).
Beheading: "When thy Lord inspired the angels, (saying): I am with you. So make those who believe stand firm. I will throw fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Then smite the necks and smite of them each finger. 13That is because they opposed Allah and His messenger. Whoso opposeth Allah and His messenger, (for him) lo! Allah is severe in punishment," (Quran 8:12).
Slay non-Muslims: "Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful," (Quran 9:5).
Allah urges war: "O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness; and know that Allah is with those who guard (against evil)," (Quran 9:123).
Allah urges killing: " . . . the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease and the agitators in the city do not desist . . . 61Cursed: wherever they are found they shall be seized and murdered, a (horrible) murdering. 62(Such has been) the course of Allah with respect to those who have gone before; and you shall not find any change in the course of Allah, (Quran 33:60-62).
Allah loves those who fight for him: "Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure," (Quran 61:4).
As you can see, the Qur'an definitely teaches that its people are to fight for the cause of Islam. This list of verses is important because they are within the holy book of Islam. What are we to conclude if a Muslim is to take the Quran seriously? Is he not obligated to slay non-Muslims, to go to war, to kill those against Islam, etc.? Isn't this what the verses are teaching? Yes, they are.
Jesus:
Muslims claim that Jesus was one of the most important prophets—not God’s Son. Islam asserts that Jesus, though born of a virgin, was created like Adam. Muslims do not believe Jesus died on the cross. They do not understand why Allah would allow His prophet Isa (the Islamic word for "Jesus") to die a torturous death. Yet the Bible shows how the death of the perfect Son of God was essential to pay for the sins of the world (Isaiah 53:5-6; John 3:16; 14:6; 1 Peter 2:24). So since they do not believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ they are lost and damned to hell, unless they repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ.
Works Salvation:
Islam is a religion of salvation by works because it combines man's works with Allah's grace. Consider the following verses from the Qur'an. 
"To those who believe and do deeds of righteousness hath Allah promised forgiveness and a great reward," (Surah 5:9).
"And He answers those who believe and do good deeds, and gives them more out of His grace; and (as for) the unbelievers, they shall have a severe punishment," (Surah 42:26).
"O you who believe! If you are careful of (your duty to) Allah, He will grant you a distinction and do away with your evils and forgive you; and Allah is the Lord of mighty grace," (Surah 8:29).
In Christianity, we appeal to the work of Christ on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24) completely and totally and in nothing in ourselves as a basis for forgiveness because no good thing dwells within us (Rom. 7:18), that is, apart from Christ. We sincerely believe in Christ, but we never claim that forgiveness is in any way merited or gained because of our sincerity or our works. Rather, our forgiveness is based on faith and trust in God in what He has done for us in Christ. Salvation in Christianity is God-centered. In Islam, forgiveness of sins is man-centered in that it is dependent upon man's sincerity and man's works in combination with Allah's forgiveness. Both Christianity and Islam teach that we must have faith in God. But in Christianity, this faith in God is enough to save us (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9). In Islam, faith in God is not enough.
Conclusion:
Christians and Muslims disagree on the nature of God, salvation, prophets, the true Scriptures, and many more things.  I know most Muslims will not change their mind about their beliefs while reading this but I am a Christian, saved by the grace of my Lord and Savior, Jesus. In obedience to Christ and according to the Bible, I seek to expose error and teach the truth. Therefore, I must say that Islam is a false religion. I say this to convert Muslims to Christ so they may find salvation in Him and find everlasting peace.
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dfroza · 3 years
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At the closing of a Letter
Paul points to the significance of planting seeds in life, and what they grow into...
Today’s reading from the New Testament is the 6th chapter of Galatians
[Nothing but the Cross]
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience.
Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.
So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.
Now, in these last sentences, I want to emphasize in the bold scrawls of my personal handwriting the immense importance of what I have written to you. These people who are attempting to force the ways of circumcision on you have only one motive: They want an easy way to look good before others, lacking the courage to live by a faith that shares Christ’s suffering and death. All their talk about the law is gas. They themselves don’t keep the law! And they are highly selective in the laws they do observe. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast of their success in recruiting you to their side. That is contemptible!
For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can’t you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God—his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them!
Quite frankly, I don’t want to be bothered anymore by these disputes. I have far more important things to do—the serious living of this faith. I bear in my body scars from my service to Jesus.
May what our Master Jesus Christ gives freely be deeply and personally yours, my friends. Oh, yes!
The Letter of Galatians, Chapter 6 (The Message)
Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 17th chapter of First Kings that introduces Elijah:
And then this happened: Elijah the Tishbite, from among the settlers of Gilead, confronted Ahab: “As surely as God lives, the God of Israel before whom I stand in obedient service, the next years are going to see a total drought—not a drop of dew or rain unless I say otherwise.”
God then told Elijah, “Get out of here, and fast. Head east and hide out at the Kerith Ravine on the other side of the Jordan River. You can drink fresh water from the brook; I’ve ordered the ravens to feed you.”
Elijah obeyed God’s orders. He went and camped in the Kerith canyon on the other side of the Jordan. And sure enough, ravens brought him his meals, both breakfast and supper, and he drank from the brook.
Eventually the brook dried up because of the drought. Then God spoke to him: “Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I’ve instructed a woman who lives there, a widow, to feed you.”
So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the entrance of the village he met a woman, a widow, gathering firewood. He asked her, “Please, would you bring me a little water in a jug? I need a drink.” As she went to get it, he called out, “And while you’re at it, would you bring me something to eat?”
She said, “I swear, as surely as your God lives, I don’t have so much as a biscuit. I have a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a bottle; you found me scratching together just enough firewood to make a last meal for my son and me. After we eat it, we’ll die.”
Elijah said to her, “Don’t worry about a thing. Go ahead and do what you’ve said. But first make a small biscuit for me and bring it back here. Then go ahead and make a meal from what’s left for you and your son. This is the word of the God of Israel: ‘The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought.’”
And she went right off and did it, did just as Elijah asked. And it turned out as he said—daily food for her and her family. The jar of meal didn’t run out and the bottle of oil didn’t become empty: God’s promise fulfilled to the letter, exactly as Elijah had delivered it!
Later on the woman’s son became sick. The sickness took a turn for the worse—and then he stopped breathing.
The woman said to Elijah, “Why did you ever show up here in the first place—a holy man barging in, exposing my sins, and killing my son?”
Elijah said, “Hand me your son.”
He then took him from her bosom, carried him up to the loft where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he prayed, “O God, my God, why have you brought this terrible thing on this widow who has opened her home to me? Why have you killed her son?”
Three times he stretched himself out full-length on the boy, praying with all his might, “God, my God, put breath back into this boy’s body!” God listened to Elijah’s prayer and put breath back into his body—he was alive! Elijah picked the boy up, carried him downstairs from the loft, and gave him to his mother. “Here’s your son,” said Elijah, “alive!”
The woman said to Elijah, “I see it all now—you are a holy man. When you speak, God speaks—a true word!”
The Book of 1st Kings, Chapter 17 (The Message)
my personal reading of the Scriptures for monday, november 30 of 2020 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible, along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs
A post by John Parsons that reflects upon our time while in this world and our longing for Love:
You may sometimes feel lonely and afraid, wondering if anyone really cares for you; you may feel abandoned to wander about in your heartache, without a sense of acceptance or "place" for your life; you may feel estranged from others, in a place of desperation, a silent scream, without apparent comfort in the world... These are real feelings and I do not discount them, though often such feelings arise from unbelief, or at least from questioning whether God's love is for you, after all.
Friend, there is an intimate comfort for your mourning; there is heavenly consolation for the grief and emptiness you feel inside. Look again to the cross and attend to God's passion for you; believe in the miracle of Yeshua's love for you; by faith see his blood shed for you... He knows your alienation: he was "despised and rejected of men"; he knows the pains of your heart: he was a "man of sorrows acquainted with grief"; he knows the heartache of being forsaken, abandoned, and utterly betrayed. Indeed Yeshua knows your infirmities; he understands how you hurt and calls you to his comfort... Therefore when feelings of loneliness well up within you, go inward to commune with the Spirit. Ask God for his consolation so that you too might console others who are suffering (2 Cor. 1:3-4). Do not lose hope but foresee your blessed future. Focus on the coming day of healing for all the world. Remind yourself again and again that you are never really alone, that nothing can separate you from God's love, and that God's Name is "I-am-with-you-always," "I am your Abba, your Imma, your true home and place of belonging, all your dreams of love will come true, and unimaginable beauty and endless delight await you in the glories of the world to come.”
“Whoever has God truly has a companion in all places, both on the street and among people.. Why is this so? It is because such people posses God alone, keeping their gaze fixed upon him, and thus all things reveal God for them.... Such people bear God in all their deeds and in the places they go, and it is God alone who is the author of all they do.” - Eckhart (Talks of Instruction)
You will never feel safe as long as you regard the acceptance of who you are as conditional, since you will only be as secure as your own best efforts, a project that will exhaust you in the end. Instead you must know yourself as truly loved by God, just as the “prodigal son” came to know his father’s unconditional love and acceptance despite his many misdeeds (Luke 15:11-32). The incarnation of Jesus means that God “runs to meet and embrace you,” regardless of whatever happened in your life that made you run away from home. And whatever else it may be, sin is the separation from God’s love, but Yeshua made the decision to die for your sins before you were born. Your sin cannot overrule God’s surpassing and personal love for your soul, since God gave up his very life for you to find life.
The Hebrew word for “life” is chayim (חַיִּים), a plural noun that contains two consecutive letter yods (יי) that picture two “hands held together” (the Hebrew word yad [יָד] means “hand”), or the union of our spirit with God’s Spirit. The word itself reveals that there is no life apart from union with God, who extends his hand to you and says, “Live in me” (John 15:4). We live in him by faith, receiving our daily bread as his flesh and our drink as his blood (John 6:53). Yeshua is the Source of all life, and we find nourishment, strength, and fullness of joy in his life. The Lord is our light and our salvation, the Mediator of divine life (Psalm 27:1; John 1:4). As it is written, “Whoever has the Son has the life; but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 John 5:12).
The Lord is also called “the God of breath” (Gen. 2:7; Num. 16:22). The Hebrew word for breath is ruach (רוּחַ), a word that means both “spirit” and “wind.” God is as close as your breath and surrounds you like the unseen yet encompassing air. Since God’s name YHVH (יהוה) means “Presence” (Exod. 3:13-14), “Life” (Deut. 30:20), and “Love” (Exod. 34:6-7), he is the Beloved, the “I-am-with-you-always” lover of your soul. So fear not; you are never really alone. Yeshua breathes out to you and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). [Hebrew for Christians]
https://hebrew4christians.com/
11.30.20 • Facebook
Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research
November 30, 2020
Come Forth as Gold
“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7)
These words of Peter are certainly applicable today, but they have always been true. That proper character and testimony are of supreme importance to God was certainly recognized by godly Job in the midst of his heavy trials, for he claimed: “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). The context for this stirring statement of faith proves instructive.
Just as most people do, whether Christian or not, Job appealed to heaven for relief from his troubles (v. 3). Job felt he was suffering unjustly and wanted to state his case before God (v. 4), but more importantly, Job desired to know God’s will in the matter. “I would [i.e., desire to] know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me” (v. 5). He knew God well enough to know that God had a purpose in his suffering, and Job asked for knowledge of that purpose. Job knew God’s goodness, that He would not punish him for his questions, and felt that greater understanding would give him strength to continue. But without God’s revelation, Job knew he was unable to understand or even find God (vv. 8-9). God mercifully and lovingly allows trials to discipline, guide, and develop us. Such trials will, in the end, work to our advantage as impurities are removed, leaving behind only that which is lasting and precious.
The goal of our lives should be to bring “praise and honour and glory” unto our Lord, and if tribulation can best accomplish these goals, so be it! As David said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word” (Psalm 119:67). God knows what is best for us. He knows what He is doing, and we can rest in that fact. JDM
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khutbahs · 3 years
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Who was Jesus (pbuh)?
Yahiya Emerick
In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
There are varied beliefs about Jesus among people of different faiths. Many believe he is God or the son of God.Some maintain that he was simply a very wise man. Others do not recognize Jesus at all, religiously or historically. The Islamic position regarding Jesus comes from the Quran, the last revelation of God preserved in its original form, in which God relates the story of Jesus in great detail. The Quran tells us that Jesus said, “‘I am a servant of God. He has granted me the Scripture and made me a prophet’” (19:30). This brochure summarizes the reality of Jesus according to Islamic teachings.
Muslims believe that Jesus was a human being appointed by God as His messenger. His birth was extraordinary and he was blessed with great miracles from God (Allah in Arabic). In essence, God chose Jesus to deliver the same unified message that past prophets had brought to humanity: to worship the One God and to lead a morally upright life in order to attain salvation in the eternal life after death.
Jesus lived about 2,000 years ago in ancient Palestine when the Roman Empire was at its zenith. He was not conceived normally, but was miraculously implanted in the womb of a young woman named Mary by the command of God. In this sense, Jesus was a “word” from God and a special sign for humanity. In fact, he was the last in a long line of messengers sent to the Jewish people.
Mary, The Blessed
Mary was a righteous woman whose mother had dedicated her to God’s service even before she was born. As a child, she lived an admirable life marked by good health and piety. She was raised by the wise Zachariah, who instilled in her a beautiful sense of faith in God. As a young woman, Mary sought to purify herself further for her Lord. She withdrew from her people to a sanctuary in the east, where she could meditate in seclusion and peace. (Read more: Mary, the Mother of Jesus)
During this period, on a day that seemed no different from the rest, the angel Gabriel visited her in the form of a man. Fearful of the stranger, Mary prayed for protection. He comforted her, declaring that God sent him to announce the glad tidings of a faultless son. Stunned, Mary asked how this was possible since no man had ever touched her. Gabriel replied, “‘This is how God creates what He will: when He has ordained something, He only says, “Be,” and it is’” (Quran, 3:47).
When she felt the baby within her, Mary fled her sanctuary, fearing what people would do or say when they heard the news. In her anguish, she cried out, “‘I wish I had been dead and forgotten long before all this!’” (Quran, 19:23). The angel Gabriel reassured her of God’s blessings and she found shade and a cool spring. Under a date-palm in the warmth of late summer, she made her dwelling, and there bore the child who was unlike any other in human history.
Shortly thereafter, the Quran recounts that Mary returned to her community carrying the child who was to be called the “Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary” (3:45). When her people saw the baby in her arms, they could not believe their eyes. They accused her of being unchaste and implied that she had ruined her family name and reputation. Gabriel had already instructed her to abstain from conversation (19:26). So, Mary simply pointed towards the child.
Jesus’ Miracles and Message
God granted Jesus many miracles which began right after his blessed birth. The Quran testifies that in defense of his mother and of the truth, Jesus spoke as an infant, saying, “‘I am a servant of God. He has granted me the Scripture and made me a prophet. And He made me blessed wherever I may be. He commanded me to pray, to give alms as long as I live’” (19:30-31). This miraculous speech silenced the detractors.
Throughout his youth, Jesus remained dutiful to his mother and developed quickly in intelligence, wisdom and devotion. He astounded the learned and was greatly admired by his companions. Jesus claimed to be a sign of God and a Messenger to the Israelites.
When he came of age, Jesus began to travel and preach throughout the land of Palestine. He taught the scripture that God sent to him, known as the Injeel (Good News or Gospel), which confirmed the truth of previous holy books.
Jesus taught that love and mercy overcome hate and anger. He stressed that only true and sincere faith in the Creator and obedience to Him can bring a person salvation in this life and the here-after. To reinforce his message, God granted him the ability to perform miracles. He healed the sick, uplifted the distressed and revived the dead. All of these miracles happened with God’s permission, and Jesus never took credit for them himself. According to the Quran, Jesus said,
“…I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I will make the shape of a bird for you out of clay, then breathe into it and, with God’s permission, it will become a real bird; I will heal the blind and the leper, and bring the dead back to life with God’s permission; I will tell you what you may eat and what you may store up in your houses. There truly is a sign for you in this, if you are believers. I have come to confirm the truth of the Torah which preceded me, and to make some things lawful to you which used to be forbidden. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. Be mindful of God, obey me: God is my Lord and your Lord, so serve Him– that is a straight path.” (3:49-51)
Jesus led a simple and pious life, attracting an inner circle of devoted followers who listened to his teachings with fervor and humility. These disciples included Peter, Barnabas and John, who helped spread Jesus’ message of submission to the One God.(Learn more: Jesus, a Servant of God)
A Test of Wills
As the message of Jesus began to gain wider acceptance, a small group of hypocritical and self-serving men began plotting against him. They were some of the priests and leaders of the Israelites, whose status and wealth depended upon their position as the sole interpreters of religion to the masses. They pursued him and his followers, and plotted to crucify him on a Roman cross. They were sure they had killed him, but God protected Jesus, saved him from their schemes and raised him up to Himself. God says in the Quran,
“[They] said, ‘We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of God.’ They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, though it was made to appear like that to them; those that disagreed about him are full of doubt, with no knowledge to follow, only supposition: they certainly did not kill him – God raised him up to Himself. God is Almighty and Wise” (4:157-158)
Hence, Islam teaches that God rescued the noble Jesus by removing him from this world. God raised him to the heavens, to a place near Him, and will cause him to return to this world at a later time.
With their messenger gone, the devoted followers of Jesus tried to maintain the purity and clarity of his teachings. However, in the next few centuries, different beliefs about Jesus developed amongst some of the early Christians. They held that he was divine, calling him the son of God, which eventually became the dominant Christian belief. In contrast, others maintained he was not the literal son of God or God Himself, but a messenger sent by the One God. Muslims share this second view of the early Christians, holding that Jesus was sent to guide his people just like the other prophets before him. (See: Who was Jesus According to Jesus?)
““[This is] a statement of the Truth about which they are in doubt: it would not befit God to have a child. He is far above that: when He decrees something, He says only, ‘Be,’ and it is.” (Quran, 19:34-35)”
Restoring Jesus’ Legacy
Muslims believe that every nation received a messenger from God. Just like the prophets before him, Jesus’ message lasted in its original purity for a period of time, but the scripture he received was slowly altered and his original call to absolute monotheism became corrupted. Six centuries after Jesus, God sent His last messenger, Muhammad pand revealed His final scripture, known as the Quran. Prophet Muhammad p was sent to all of humanity and he confirmed the miraculous birth of Jesus, the miracles he performed and the essential truth of the message that God chose to reveal through Jesus. The Quran has been preserved in its exact original form for over 14 centuries. Through this final revelation, God protects His guidance for the entire human race, containing the same core message sent to all prophets and messengers of the One God, including Jesus, Moses, Abraham and Noah, peace be upon them.
According to the Quran, Jesus himself puts any false claims about his identity to rest: “‘I told them only what You commanded me to: “Worship God, my Lord and your Lord.” I was a witness over them during my time among them. Ever since You took my soul, You alone have been the watcher over them: You are witness to all things’” (5:117).
Today, Muslims seek to follow the original message of Jesus and all the prophets before him as confirmed by God’s final messenger, Muhammad p Islam literally means ‘submission’ to God and is the same way of life followed by all the messengers of God. Only by following the original call of God’s messengers can we find clear direction and tranquility in our lives.
Suggested Reading:
Muhammad by Yahiya Emerick
The Cross & The Crescent by Jerald Dirks
Note: The subscript p next to Prophet Muhammad p represents the invocation Muslims say with his name: May God’s peace and blessings be upon him.
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dalyunministry · 4 years
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KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING JESUS THROUGH HIS MESSENGERS AND WITNESSES - Part 2
By. Bro. Paul Vincent Moses
🔰
Sunday, 27th September 2020
Dear members of Christ, I greet you all once again in the most precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Hope all our members in the group along with their families are safe and good by God’s grace. Thanks and praise be to God alone for all the safety and protection and care and love He has been showing upon all of us.
In our last week’s session we were discussing about KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING JESUS THROUGH HIS MESSENGERS AND WITNESSES.
Today, we are going with our discussion on ‘KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING JESUS THROUGH HIS PROPHECIES AND SIGNS. Let’s bow down and pray for the Lord’s leading being filled with God’s Spirit.
¶ PRAYER
Our Heavenly Father, thank you for another day, week and Sunday added unto us in our lives. There are several thousands of people across the world seen no more due to the pandemic that has universally spread. Yet, you have kept us safe just because of Your mercies showered upon us that we should not perish. As we are meditating Your Word now, Lord, please guide and lead us through Your Holy Spirit so that we would understand what is taught and that we would be able to live our practicing Christian lives. Use Thou me for your glory. I offer this prayer in Jesus mighty name. Amen!
Dear brothers and sisters, our today’s observations will be on: KNOWING JESUS THROUGH HIS PROPHECIES & SIGNS. Now let’s begin with – KNOWING JESUS THROUGH HIS PROPHECIES.
‘Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah”…Philip found Nathanael and told him, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph’. John 1:40-41, 45.
God, through the prophets, had draws a picture of the coming Messiah. Every Jew who heard readings from the Old Testament knew parts of this picture well. When Andrew and Philip met Jesus they began to see ways in which Jesus fit the prophetic picture. Believing Jews had waited centuries for this very moment. This kind of good news had to be shared! Philip soon told his friend, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote”.
The Nation of the Messiah Moses, in about 1500 B.C., was the opening writer of the Old Testament. He recorded God’s first promise of hope for the sinful human family.
God said to the snake: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head and you will strike His heel.” Genesis 3:15.
From the beginning, the prophecies point to a male offspring, a male child. He would crush or destroy the snake, Satan (Revelation 12:9).
Later, God spoke again of an ‘offspring’ or ‘seed’. God chose Abraham, and God promised him, “Through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed Me”. Genesis 22:18.
God repeated this promise to Abraham’s son Isaac as in Genesis 21:12; 26:4) and then to Isaac’s son Jacob as in Genesis 28:14. Jacob’s other name was Israel, and he had twelve sons. Which one of these twelve would God choose? Just before his death, Israel gave God’s blessings to each of his sons. Israel said to his son Judah: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until He comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is His.” Genesis 49:10.
In other words, kings would come from Judah. Many years after Genesis had been written, this prophecy came true. The kings of Israel did come from the tribe of Judah. Yet there was more to the prophecy. He would come – the One to whom that ruler’s rod really belongs. He would be more than just Israel’s King, for He would be over the nations.
• The Family of the Messiah
The first king from Judah’s line was David, in about 1000 B.C. God made amazing promises to David as in 2 Samuel 7:8-29; Psalm 89:3-37 & chapter 132. These promises were repeated by the prophets Isaiah (11:1), Amos (9:1), Ezekiel (37:24-28). Jeremiah, for example, foretold, “The days are coming when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 23:5.
The New Testament was written over 600 years after Jeremiah. The book of Matthew begins: “A record of the geology of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham”. Matthew 1:1.
Israel’s laws about holding land caused Jews to keep strict records of each family line. Therefore, it was well-known among the Jews that Jesus was from David’s family (Matthew 9:27; 15:22; Acts 2:22-36).
Was it just by chance that Jesus came into that one nation, that one tribe, and that single family predicted by God? The number of places in the world is beyond counting. Who could foretell the exact place of the Messiah’s birth? Yet the prophet Micah made an amazing promise: The great Ruler would come from the home village (1 Samuel 16) of His forefather David. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me One who will be Ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2.
• The mother of Jesus lived in Nazareth.
Government rules forced her to travel many miles to Bethlehem. Her male child was born there, in the very village marked 500 years earlier by Micah (Matthew 2, Luke 2 & John 7:42.
• Did this also happen by chance?
Andrew and Philip knew that only God could foretell and fulfill in such exact ways. They understood enough of the prophecies to be able to say, “We have found the Messiah.” However, some prophecies were more difficult to understand and accept.
Many Jews Expected an Earthly King
Many Jews thought that the Messiah would be like other kings. They reasoned that if the Messiah would rule all nations, He would do so by armed force. So they looked for one to lead them in the battle against their nation’s enemy, Rome (Acts 5:36-37). Seeing the great powers of Jesus, they wanted to force Jesus to become their king according to John 6:05. They expected earthly Jerusalem to be His capital city.
Later, when Jesus came to Jerusalem, large crowds shouted their greetings:
“Hosanna to the Son of David”. Matthew 21:9.
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David”. Mark 11:10.
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord”. Luke 19:38.
• The crowds were soon disappointed.
Instead of joining in their happiness, Jesus wept over the city (Luke 19:43-44). He warned that Jerusalem would soon be destroyed by the Romans (Luke 21:5-24). Instead of marching against the Roman rulers, Jesus came before them as an accused criminal on trial (Luke 23). Many who had welcomed Him began to call for His death. Nails were driven into His hands and feet to hold him onto the raised wood of the cross. There He was left to die slowly, in great pain. Neither the followers of Jesus, nor His enemies, expected that the Messiah would suffer in such ways. Great kings are supposed to be accepted by their people; Jesus was rejected by His people. Great kings have honour and respect; Jesus died in shame. Great kings defeat their enemies; Jesus was crucified by His enemies. His friends were confused and sad. They said, “But we had hoped that He was the One who was going to redeem Israel”. Luke 24:21.
If they had looked more closely at the Old Testament, they would have realized that it foretold that the Messiah would be rejected. Before He died, Jesus often predicted that He would be killed by the Jewish and Roman leaders as in Luke 17:25; 18:31-33; & 20:9-15. In proof of this, He quoted Psalm 118:22, which spoke of Israel’s leaders rejecting God’s chosen One. The prophet Isaiah as we find in chapter 53 and verse 3, had also shown that God’s chosen One would be despised and rejected.
• How Messiah Would Suffer and Raise
The Old Testament prophecies did not stop there. They went on to show exact ways in which the Messiah would be hurt.
Here are a few, linked with passages in the New Testament:
 A close friend would turn against Him. betraying Him to His enemies. (Psalm 41:9; Luke 22:47-48.
 The price to be paid for this betrayal was thirty pieces of silver. Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 26:14-15.
 His own followers would scatter, leaving Him alone. Zechariah 13:7; Mark 14:49-50.
 People would strike Him and spit on Him. Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 26: 67.
 While treated in the most shameful way, He would endure it in silence. Isaiah 53:7; Mark 14: 61; 15:5.
 He would be falsely judged and punished with criminals. Psalm 35:19; Isaiah 53:8,12; John 15:24-25; 19:18.
 He would be pierced, even in His hands and feet. Psalm 22:16; Zechariah 12:10; John 19:18,37; 20:27.
 Those who pierced Him would also gamble for his clothes. Isaiah 53:8; John 19L25-37.
 His death would be the guilt offering for removing the sins of us all. Isaiah 53:10-12; 1 Peter 2:24.
Old Testament laws allowed only animals to be used as guilt offerings. Isaiah wrote in about 700 B.C. and he followed those laws. How then could Isaiah speak of this Human as the guilt offering? Isaiah 53 said other surprising things. It showed that after His suffering He would enjoy great satisfaction as a result of that suffering. It showed that after His death He would again see the light of life. Isaiah 53:10-11.
Some might ask, Did Christians later write into Isaiah 53? The answer is No! This did not come from Christians. Remember that all the Old Testament was translated into the Greek language in about 250 B.C. Long before Jesus’ birth Isaiah 53 was already being read in many lands. The oldest known Hebrew copy of Isaiah was found in 1947 at Qumran near the Dead Sea, and has been kept in Jerusalem. Scientists have examined this Isaiah Scroll. They date this scroll as having been penned over 100 years before the coming of Jesus. Yet this very ancient Isaiah scroll says the same things in Isaiah 53 as your Bible says today. There is no doubt at all that Isaiah’s description of One dying for the sins of others, and then living again, was written long before Christianity began.
• Jesus Claimed to Fulfill Prophecy
None of us chooses our own family line and place of birth. None of us can choose to return to life after dying. Yet Jesus boldly claimed to fulfill all Old Testament prophecies about eh Messiah. To His own followers Jesus said, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself…He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms”. Luke 24:25-27,44.
And to the leading Jews Jesus said, “These are the Scriptures that testify about Me…If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about Me.” John 5:39, 46.
This continued to be the message of the early Christians according to Acts 3:24; 10:43; 13:32; & 26:22-23.
Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he said. Acts 17:2-3.
• Knowing that Jesus is the Christ is not a matter of wishful guessing.
It can be explained, reasoned and proved from the Old Testament Scriptures as in Acts 17:2-3. Jesus matched the prophetic picture perfectly. Yes, He even fit the parts that seemed impossible! Peter, an eyewitness who saw the prophecies coming true, assured us that the message of the prophets was certain as in 2 Peter 1:19.
• How can we be sure and can we understand prophecy?
God alone could accurately foretell everything about His coming Messiah. And only God’s true Messiah could fulfill all that God had foretold about Him.
Moreover, in order to understand prophecy, it is important to realize how God has spoken. “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways as in Hebrews 1:1. God has not spoken in just one way. He spoke in various ways and among those different ways, God has used literal ways of speaking and also symbolic ways of speaking. Literal means that the words have their normal meaning, which is often an earthly meaning. As an example of literal prophecy, look at Micah 5:2. It said that the Ruler from God would come from Bethlehem. “Bethlehem was meant literally that is, it was the earthly town by that name. the ways God spoke through Micah was easy to understand. Most of the Bible is written literally – using plain language.
However, God’s prophets used all the forms of speech, just as we do. Therefore they spoke at times in pictures, called symbols or figures. Malachi 4:5 is an example of symbolic or figurative prophecy. “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.” Jesus did not take this prophecy in its literal sense. He understood that the coming “Elijah” was John the Baptizer, who was like Elijah. (Luke 1:17; Matthew 11:14; 17:10-13.
As another example, consider Psalm
118:22, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes”. Through the New Testament we learn that Psalm 118 was especially about the rejection of Christ. (Luke 20:9-18; Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7. “Stone,” then stands for something much more than a piece of rock. It is a picture or symbol for Jesus. This was God’s way of saying that Israel’s builders (the leaders) would reject the stone (Jesus).
• KNOWING JESUS THROUGH HIS SIGNS
“Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then He told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine… He said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but You have saved the best till now.” This, the first of His miraculous sings, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him.” John 2:7-11.
Jesus gave much more than a gift at this wedding party. He gave a sign with important messages. The disciples had first believed through the witness of John the Baptizer. Their faith had grown through meeting Jesus personally. They began to see how He fit the old prophecies. Now, seeing His first miracle, they began to really trust in Jesus. They put their faith in Him.
• A True Sign
The Bible first mentions such signs in Exodus 4. God used miraculous signs to prove the authority of Moses. Israel could be sure by the signs that God had sent Moses. Through that same Moses god promised to send a Prophet like Moses as in Deuteronomy 18:17-18. Some Old Testament prophets did work miracles. Yet none of them had used miracles as fully and powerfully as Moses had used. Deuteronomy 34:10-12. The last famous miracles of the Old Testament were in the time of Daniel. That had been over 500 years before the births of John the Baptizer and Jesus. If the disciples were not used to seeing miracles, what made them so sure that they had seen a real miracle at Cana? John wrote as one who was present as in John 20:30 & 21:24. He knew the exact day of this first sign (John 1:43-2:1). Jesus came to join in blessing the newly married couple. What a blessing He gave them! There was nothing more for their guests to drink, and Jesus cared enough to solve their problem. He used 6 large jars that were already there. John 2: 6 says that each jar held about 20 to 30 gallons (75 to 115 liters) of water. This made a total amount of at least 120 gallons (450 liters). When they too some of the water to their leader, they found that it had become wine! Could there have been some trick? Many were present to examine all the facts: The wine had the finest taste – there was nothing poor or waters about it. All could test the wine’s quality. They could also check that the large amount of water had been supplied only by the servants. The servants had filled the water pots to the very top (John 2:6). Nothing else could have been added. In the same way, John’s report is clear and full. No room is left in John’s report for a mistake of memory or a trick. Nothing important has been left out. In nature God does use water to make grape juice. In the plant – the grape vine – water has slowly changed into juice with the help of sunshine, soil and air. What God does gradually through nature, He did in one moment through Jesus. Here was the power of God at work in a Man. Here was a true sign that only Heaven could give!
• Messages of Power
The miracle at Cana was just the beginning. For over 3 years Jesus did many miracles, showing powers that even Moses had not shown. Here are a few examples:
Jesus and His disciples were caught by a storm at sea. The boat seemed to be ready to sink. The disciples woke Jesus, crying, “Lord, save us! We are going to drown!” Then Jesus replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of Man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!” Matthew 8:26-27.
During another storm, Jesus came to their boat walking on the lake (Matthew 14:25). When Peter was invited by Jesus, he also walked on the water. Then Peter looked at the strong waves and high winds, and he began to sink. Jesus rescued him and helped him back to the boat. This happened soon after another memorable miracle. As the fame of Jesus grew, so did the crowds. They followed Jesus even to the lonely mountains east of Lake Galilee. Jesus told His disciples to find food for the crowds (Mark 6:38). Andrew came back and said, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down”. There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.” John 6:9-11.
Armies use many supplies, many cooks and much money to feed such numbers. Jesus used just a handful of food to make enough to fully satisfy 5000 men, besides women and children (Matthew 14). Honest eyewitnesses could not have been mistaken about such reports. Some ask,
“Could Jesus’ followers have made up a false story?”
Thousands who were there could have proved them liars. The whole Jewish nation would have laughed at such wild stories. The nation did not laugh. It took the reports so seriously that it divided over them (John 7:12, 43; 9:16). Many recognized the miracles as signs from God. Others saw the miracles as a threat to their own ruling positions. When Jesus raised the dead, they took the miracles seriously enough to seek the death of Jesus (John11).
• Messages of Mercy
With such powers, Jesus could have become very rich. Instead, He lived and died with almost nothing. He never used His miracles selfishly (Matthew 4:1-10; John 4:3-8). Some miracles of the Old Testament had destroyed people. Jesus came on a mission of mercy. “I did not come judge the world, but to save it’. John 12:47. Thus His miracles did no harm, even to enemies. His miracles carried a clear message of love and help for all, especially for the needy and suffering. When the 5000 men followed Jesus east of Lake Galilee, He had compassion on them and healed their sickness (Matthew 14:14). Another time, when Jesus fed over 4000, He said, “I have compassion for these people…I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way”. Matthew 15:32.
He Himself was fully human, feeling much hunger, thirst, tiredness, sadness and pain. So He could feel with the pains and needs of others. Jesus often reached out and touched sick people (Mark 6:5; 7:33). Even those with the worst illnesses, and with diseases that can be passed to others, were not left out.
‘A man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged Him, “Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I’m willing”, He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him”. Luke 5:12-13.
Were these true miracles of healing? Take a closer look. Jesus visited a pool called Bethesda in Jerusalem: “As Jesus went along, He saw a man blind from birth…Jesus spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam’, he said to him. So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” John 9:1, 6-7.
Many knew this beggar who had been born blind. Jesus’ enemies had to admit that God’s hand had been at work (John9:24). But they did not want to honour Jesus. So they tried to say that Jesus was a sinner. The healed man did not know Jesus well, yet to such things he replied, “Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I know, I was blind but now I see.” John 9:25. From verses 30-33 when we read we find further sayings of the healed blind man. “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where He comes from, yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to godly man who does His will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.” Some became upset that Jesus healed on the Jewish day of rest, the Sabbath. Jesus replied to them, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” John 5:19.
Jesus’ miracles showed God’s own will and work. God cares for His people. He reaches out to meet their needs. Through Christ He sets right the things that are wrong.
• Messages of Faith
Jesus used many lessons to prove God’s willingness to help. He used examples of God’s care in nature (Matthew 6:25-26). He used examples of family love, showing how much more the heavenly Father cares (Matthew 7:9-11). He also used the miracles themselves as examples for building faith in god’s power and kindness.
He told a healed woman, “Your faith has made you well”. He told a soldier, “It will be done just a you believed it would”(Matthew 8:13). When Jesus did an amazing miracle to a tree, He used it as an example for His apostles. Yet He used words showing that the basic lesson ‘ “have faith in God” – was a lesson for all. The word of God says,
‘Have faith in God…I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24.
The miracles served as spiritual windows. Through them people could look into the power of God at work in Christ. Jesus did not heal every ill person in the world, or even all the sick in the land of Israel. Jesus healed every case of every kind of illness brought to His attention (Matthew 4:23-24; 8:16; 9:35). He never failed. Thus he proved God’s power to help every person who comes to Him. He used the healing of man’s diseased body to prove that He could also heal man’s sinful spirit (Luke 5:17-26). He used the healing of the blind to prove that He could give spiritual insight to all who are willing to learn (John 9). He used the feeding of the 5000 to prove that He is “the living bread” for eternal life (John 6). He cast out demons to prove His power to throw Satan out of any person (Luke 11). He raised the dead to prove that He has the power to raise up the spiritually dead as well as all in earthly graves (John 5:25-29; 11:1-45). Jesus did not raise up every dead person in Palestine. He raised up enough to serve as clear examples. These and His other miracles were sufficient to make His message plain: Place your faith in God and in His Son, Jesus. God has the desire and power to help each of us who comes to Him through Christ. Jesus said to His followers, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.” John 14:11.
• Messages of the Messiah
When God promised to send the Prophet like Moses, God said, “I will put My words in His mouth, and He will tell them (Israel) everything I command Him.” Deuteronomy 18:18. When Jesus came, He kept claiming to speak as the Son faithfully speaking for His Father. He spoke only what God commanded Him.
“My teaching is not My own. It comes from Him who sent Me.” (John 7:16).
“There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not accept My words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of My own accord, but the Father who sent Me commanded what to say and how to say it.” (John 12:48-49).
• How could Jesus prove such great claims?
The same way Moses did – by great acts from God Himself! Speaking about the healing at Bethesda, Jesus said, “The very work that…I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent Me.” John 5:36. Later He said, “The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for Me.” John 10:25. Many Jews began to understand the message of the miracles. “Many in the crowd put their faith in Him. they said, When Christ comes, will He do more miraculous signs than this Man?” John 7:31. “Peter said, Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a Man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.” Acts 2:22.
Jesus’ miracles had the same purpose as Moses’ miracles. They showed the right, given by God, to lead and to speak for God (Exodus 4:12-17. Yet, as great as Moses had been, had he never said, “Trust in Me”. Moses did not say anything like these words of Jesus: “Believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” John 10:38.
“Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father…Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” John 14:9, 11).
Jesus’ miracles were greater, especially in giving life. He did “what no one else did” (John 15:24). Therefore, His signs had a greater message. While proving that Jesus was the Prophet, they also proved much more. Jesus’ claims about Himself and His Father were not empty words. The disciples began to understand this message when Jesus walked on the sea.
“Then those who were in the boat worshipped Him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:33. After seeing the power of Jesus, Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16.
• John also saw the signs of Jesus.
Near the end of his report, John showed the message of the miracles:
“Jesus did many other miraculous sings in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:30-31.
• If God really did send Jesus, how could God prove that fact to men?
By showing powers that only God can give. Jesus had those powers. He showed full control over every part of nature. He gave immediate healing from every sickness. He proved His complete power over death. Many witnesses saw and reported these signs to us. The signs have an important message for each one of us – Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Belief in Jesus and His name leads to life.
We’ll continue with this in the next week God willing. May God bless the portion that has been meditated till now! May the Lord bring a better understanding to all of us and to others through us about our Lord Jesus Christ who was a man of both Old Testament and New Testament! Also, may the Lord remove all the controversies about the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ! May today’s meditation of God’s word be a great blessing to all of us and all the members of our families!
• Closing Prayer
Our Father, thank you for being with all of us throughout our meditation. Help us to live our lives to give witness about the Lord whom we studied. Bless all of us and guide us towards your truth. May what we have learnt be a blessing to the rest through our living and preaching! I offer this prayer in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God our Father in heaven, the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with all of us especially those who rejoice in the Lord’s word, now and forevermore. Amen!
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frederickwiddowson · 4 years
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The writings of Luke the physician starting with his version of the gospel - Luke 24:1-12 comments: He is not here, but is risen
Luke 24:1 ¶ Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2  And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3  And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4  And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5  And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6  He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. 8  And they remembered his words, 9  And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. 10  It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. 11  And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. 12  Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
 The women who ministered to Jesus and the Apostles came to the tomb on the first day of the week, our Sunday, early in the morning. This is indeed the time that early Christians would worship, before going about their daily labors. Sunday was not a day off for 300 years after Christ’s resurrection. They brought spices to prepare the body of Christ, having had to refrain on the Sabbath.
 We get an indication here of first-century burial practices in Judea, such as placing the body in a rock-hewn tomb and packing spices around it to inhibit the smell of decaying flesh.
 Jesus was hurriedly placed in the tomb, the sepulcher, due to the approaching Sabbath. Some scholars write that a typical Jewish burial was done in two phases. The first, where the body was laid in the tomb and prepared with spices, wrapped, and placed in the tomb, and the second, much later, when the bones of the deceased were placed in a separate container called an ossuary. Christ’s resurrection would prevent this from happening. Of course, the poorest people would not have this kindness visited on them as ground burials were not uncommon.
 The stone that was placed in front of the tomb was rolled away. Matthew 27 is more detailed in giving the significance of this stone to keep the disciples from stealing Jesus’ body and the reference to the temple guard or Roman soldiers guarding it.
 Matthew 27:57 ¶  When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: 58  He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 59  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60  And laid it in his own new tomb, which he
had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. 61  And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. 62  Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 63  Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. 64  Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. 65  Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. 66  So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
 Jesus’ body is gone and two men stand there in shining clothing and they ask one of the great questions of the Bible; why seek ye the living among the dead? They continue with another wonderful declaration for the ages; He is not here, but is risen. These supernatural figures from the other side, the spirit world, in shining clothing remind Jesus’ followers that He told them these events would take place.
 The women run and tell the Apostles who do not believe them. Peter runs to the tomb and sees the burial clothes of Jesus neatly folded and no sign of Him. He doesn’t understand. Again, this shows that the Jews were not looking forward to the Cross as many evangelicals say. They had no clue in spite of being told over and over by Christ Himself of these events.
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pamphletstoinspire · 4 years
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In Defense Of Mary’s Assumption
When it comes to teachings about the Virgin Mary, non-Catholic Christians are usually quite apprehensive of these seemingly wild claims that are not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. This is largely because they adhere to an authoritative system called Sola Scriptura, which is Latin for ‘Bible Alone.’ Given the tumultuous history of the Church leading up to the Protestant Reformation and to the modern era, it is completely understandable why those who follow Christ would want to maintain a high standard of biblical authenticity reflected in Church ritual and doctrine. But what seems to be a byproduct of the Bible-alone mentality of the last 500 years is the flippant dismissal of anything that isn’t explicitly mentioned in the Scriptures. Though it is worth noting that even the Bible itself quotes,
“But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” — John 21:25 RSV
This passage itself seems to imply the Bible in its entirety is only a small glimpse of what may be possible, namely with what Jesus had done during His earthly life. If God is omnipotent, then there is nothing on this earth that could limit Him — not the Sacraments, nor the Church or even the Bible itself. And yet, all of these things are accepted by Christians as God-given and inspired. This leads me to believe that Christians in general have a habit of compartmentalizing their idea of how God thinks by claiming if something isn’t in the Bible, then it’s not true!
But then again, who are we to decide how God thinks? If God is truly sovereign (as a Calvinist would say), then every one of His created beings is subject to His sovereignty, including the role of the Virgin Mary.
The Assumption of Mary is a Catholic dogma that claims the Virgin Mary was carried up into Heaven at the end of her life on earth. 1 The first thing that often comes to mind regarding Mary’s assumption is that it sounds like she ascended into Heaven in the same manner Jesus did. This is often a cause of great criticism from Protestants, and where the importance of context comes in. The difference between the Ascension and the Assumption is Jesus went up to Heaven by His own power (since He is God). In Mary’s case, she did nothing out of her own power, but rather it was God who carried her up into Heaven.
It is important to note that the Bible is not clear on Mary’s fate. The consensus among Protestant Christians is all who are born of Adam have sinned, fall short of the glory of God and are subject to die once before facing judgment. 2 Granted this, non-Catholic Christians generally ‘assume’ Mary had died like every other human born in Original Sin. Pun intended.
However, the Bible refers to a few persons who have been said to have been taken up into Heaven. Elijah was carried off by a flaming chariot into Paradise, which would have been willed by the power of God. 3 Enoch was supposedly taken up and had not tasted death. 4 The Apostle Phillip was believed to have been snatched away from the earth. 5 Enoch, Elijah and Phillip were faithful servants of God, yet were still born in Original Sin. Given what the Bible reveals about these people and the lack of scriptural clarity, it is possible that Mary could have been raptured.
In my days as a Protestant, I have noticed Evangelicals are generally more inclined to give honor to patriarchs of the Old Testament as opposed to Mary as the Mother of Jesus. It is especially evident when people claim that naming something after Mary such as a church building, institution or event is considered elevating her above Jesus; yet will use names like Elijah-Fest, Calvin University (in honor of Protestant Reformer John Calvin) or First Baptist Church (arguably a homage to John the Baptist). Provided that many non-Catholic Christians seem to have no problem honoring Old Testament patriarchs, I think it’s worth pondering whether giving honor to Mary might stem from a misogynist view of women in the Bible. I think there’s an underlying fear of giving any sort of recognition of a woman living faithfully. Giving honor to the mother of Jesus is vehemently condemned among Protestant Christians under the guise of giving glory to God alone. This unfortunately is at odds with the Jewish commandment of honoring our father and mother 6 in addition to the the biblical verse, “…all generations shall call me blessed.” 7
As far as extra-biblical accounts of Jesus or the fate of the first Apostles, non-Catholic Christians generally don’t seem to have a problem accepting the possibility of them being true. Jesus is said to have taken up clay from the ground and created living birds during His youth in the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas. It is also generally accepted among Christian scholars that the Apostle Peter was martyred in Rome by being crucified upside-down. Saint Andrew is believed to have been crucified on an X-shaped cross in the city of Patras. These accounts of Peter and Andrew are not mentioned in Scripture, but are widely accepted by scholars and theologians as truth based on historical account, relics and tradition. Mary, on the other hand, did not have any relics associated with her from the time on earth. Some have theorized that the body of Mary might have been hidden or stolen by relic hunters. But since there appears to be no historical documentation over such a possibility, perhaps a supernatural occurrence should not be so readily dismissed?
It is also worth mentioning the Eastern Orthodox Church upholds a similar belief as the Assumption called the Dormition of the Mother of God. 8 The major difference is the Dormition is defined as Mary having ‘fallen asleep’ or died an earthly death before being taken up body and soul into Paradise. While this account is not mentioned in the Bible, it is largely derived from written documentation by the Early Church Fathers. In one instance, Saint John of Damascus wrote in the apocryphal work The Account of the Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God:
“St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451), made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven.” 9
The Catholic dogma on the Assumption is silent on whether or not Mary had died prior to her acceptance into the heavenly realm. Some have argued that she couldn’t have perished if she had lived a sinless life, which relates to the dogma of her Immaculate Conception (though that is a topic worthy of its own article). But regardless of whether or not Mary’s body perished, the outcome of the Assumption and the Dormition remains the same. They both imply that Mary holds a special position in Paradise with her son, which leads me to reference my other article: ‘In Defense of Mary: Mediatrix & Queen of Heaven?’
While most non-Catholic Christians would claim believing in the Assumption of Mary is not a litmus test for salvation, I would argue it has more to do with whether Jesus is true to His word. Believing her acceptance into the glory of Paradise is viewed by some Christians as the symbol of Christ’s promise to all who endure through faith that they too will be received into Paradise. If Jesus meant what He said regarding the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting 10 , how little hope is there for us if it weren’t true in the case of His own mother?
Though I think believing Mary is enjoying heavenly peace with her Son is a safe assumption.
REFERENCES:
1 – Wikipedia: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assum…
2 – Romans 3:23, 5:12, 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:22, Hebrews 9:27-28
3 – 2 Kings 2
4 – Genesis 5:21-24
5 – Acts 8:39
6 – Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:2,
7 – Luke 1:48
8 – Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormiti…
9 – Wikipedia: newadvent.org/fathers/0832.htm
10 – John 14:19
BY: RENÉ ALBERT
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precorbeatammariam · 6 years
Text
My Story
 Religion in my childhood
This is hard to write, as I don't know where to begin or if I even remember everything correctly or in perfect order.
I was born into a non-religious family, who was influenced by Christianity and the New Age movement - particularly Roman Catholicism and Wicca.
In other words, I had no religion growing up. My late grandmother, however, taught us a bit about prayer and a higher power/the other world.
We would pray/make wishes before going to sleep while gazing upon the moon, interpret our dreams in the morning using a dream interpretation book, read our horoscopes, occasionally visit or call psychic mediums, and my mother even learnt how to read/see the future from coffee.
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We’d usually wait for it to be 12 at night then open the window, and sit staring at the moon saying our prayers/wishes in silence.
This is where and when my connection with the otherworldly/The Divine began. 
I’m not sure exactly what my grandmother was thinking or feeling while we gazed on the moon, did she worship the moon in a pagan way just to have her wishes fulfilled or was it something else? I don’t know.
Even though I was a child and my grandmother never told me there is a god, there is a creator, this moon is a god or whatever. I myself felt a connection to something greater than me. I knew something out there can see me and hear my whispers, I knew it wasn’t the moon. I don’t know how but I remember praying silently throughout my life as a child (ages 4-11) by closing my eyes and just making petitions to ‘something’, I didn’t know the word ‘God’ and I didn’t call it anything, it was just in my nature as it is in every human being to pray and worship their creator.
I particularly remember being aware of my mortality as we would travel by air, I would pray before the flight took off and ask that we are protected and nothing bad happens to us and if we die that ‘it’ forgives us for doing anything wrong. I don’t understand how I’d have such thoughts or words in my head when I wasn’t raised with such thoughts or language but I believe it is because it really is in our nature.
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Both my grandmother and my mother were clairvoyant from birth. Both had dreams that would always come true and I got this from them too, it’s a blessing and a curse at the same time... sometimes you worry a lot about bad things becoming true and sometimes your dreams prepare you/warn you about them. 
This is why my mother picked up and mastered coffee reading very quickly.
Whatever she read to anyone from their coffee would always come true, she even predicted my grandmothers death and that’s when she stopped doing it as that experience hurt her a lot. I guess this is one of the reasons why fortune/future telling is condemned by the scriptures and the Church, because it is so dangerous and damaging. 
We would also light candles for our dead and visit the cemetery, and were taught that they're in another place/world, but still I was never taught about God or Christ. 'God', 'O God', and, 'Jesus Christ' were just swear words, and that's all I knew.
First time I saw a Cross and Christ
I was about 6 and I was at my aunt's house, my uncle was watching the new released film 'The Passion of the Christ' and I watched it with him, and that's when I saw  'Christ' for the first time ever in my life; and he was suffering greatly and being crucified!
While I was watching, I could tell he was innocent, good, and special/holy, but I also felt like He was being tortured forever; as if time stopped or was going on forever but with his sufferings... I just wanted His sufferings to end.
And around the same time it was summer and I was again at the same aunt's house, and I found a little gold Cross somewhere in her house and decided to keep it. (Basically, I stole it? idk, lol! Lord, have mercy! xD) 
I kept playing with it and looking at it; I had never seen anything like it before. I don't know if I actually knew it was connected to the suffering crucified man but my aunt from another city came to visit and I gave it to her and she gave me her necklace with a Cross on it too.
I don't remember where it's gone :/ but my aunt says she still has hers.
My second encounter with Christ/God
I was about 9 and we watched the film again, the same uncle & aunt but in a different house. I still didn't know much about Christ or God but I knew the Cross was connected to the crucified, suffering man.
Few months after, my aunt Martha came (my grandmothers 4th daughter) to visit us and they discussed the demonic/spiritual oppression that we were all experiences, both my mum (my nana’s last daughter), her kids (including me) and that aunt and her family and she mentioned christening, saying something it was important and could possibly help us or what not... I can't remember.
Not long after, I had a dream that I was in an old city resembling Rome or Jerusalem.
I was doing something behind the city's wall, I don't know what but I think I was looking for something or digging something up. I just know that I found a little coffin. I don't know why but with excitement and perhaps a little joy I ran to the city square to show it to my aunt Martha, her husband and their kids.
They were sitting around a table, I sat in the middle and showed them the coffin but they didn't seem to care or be amused at all! They were just quiet and calm (showing no emotion) like the dead with no interest...
When I opened the coffin I was shocked and in marvel, wonder, and even fear! In it was the tortured man nailed onto the Cross with many scourges, all bloody and everything...
I don't remember if he was still breathing or not. I tried to take him into my hand but broke him and his insides came out. :( At that moment, I saw the universe and our planet, and I felt like I destroyed it all and the most important/precious thing in our existence... I felt guilty and knew all of his sufferings were because of me. 
My religious beginning
I was about 13 or could've been young as 12, I cant really remember but it was at that age that I got somewhat interested in spirituality and religion. It sort of began with my dreams always being very strange and scary, some sort of a spiritual oppression.
I used to have prophetic dreams (where I could see the future) and dream about hell, and just experience demonic forces in my dreams and real life, and when I would pray it went away or stopped.
I wasn't the only one experiencing it but my younger siblings and mother too, and other relatives also.
 That was one reason why we decided as a family to get all baptised - my mother & her kids & her sister & her kids. They were the only two (+ their kids) to be not baptised, which was my grandmother's fault, since she left the church and sort of gave up on God after having her other 3 kids baptised but then a family accident which made her doubt God's goodness and turn atheist/new age. 
Later on it actually  her actually who encouraged/forced us all to get baptised and start attending RCIA. 
I'll be honest, I didn't really understand it and neither did my family. They just wanted us to be protected by God and no longer have weird demonic experiences.
I didn't really attend many classes except a few, about 3 �� I wasn't taking it too seriously and didn't feel like waking up so early to go to church for RCIA. I got baptised when I was 15 on Monday, New years’ Eve 31.12.2012 at St. George and all soldier saints RC church on Village Street in Derby by Fr. Peter Peterken, an ex-Anglican priest.
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Fr. Peter christening me.
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A picture from my Missal, 1940′s but not much has changed since except the Altar rail being taken out.
Islam
I was always interested in languages and different cultures, especially being a third culture kid and raised in a multi-cultural family.
When I was 14 we watched a film called Hanna (2011) about a girl who was raised in a secluded area of Finland, and was taught much wisdom by her father, including martial arts, how to survive under pressure and hardship, psychological tricks and so on but also many languages including Arabic.
I was completely mesmerised by her character, I really wanted to be wise like her and especially know so many languages. I could already speak English and my cultural language (a Slavic language) plus having a good grasp of Russian and Polish due to having Russian and Polish friends at school. 
I had friends from the Islamic world at school already so even before watching Hanna, I always wanted to learn the Arabic script. I had friends from Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan and Afghanistan, who all would know the Arabic script, not only because it was the holy script of their holy book, the Qur’an, but also because their languages adopted the Arabic script, when they adopted Islam after the Islamic conquest in the 7th century. 
Even before our baptisms and everything, these new friends at school. They were Muslim, and I came to a ‘belief/faith’ in God, goodness, life having a purpose, good behaviour/piety and being moral through them.
It started with them being super nice to me and just being so different from everyone I knew our age or even older. They seemed mature and having this love for God and religion, and even a relationship with him. I wanted to be like them, I wanted to trust God and know him.
Thud curiosity about religion began at school with them, and then at the same time, we began going to RCIA to prepare for our christening.
Even when I was being baptised I wasn’t too decided if I believe in Islam or Christianity. I wasn’t sure that Jesus was truly divine, and I believed there was only 1 God. The doctrine of the Holy Undivided Tri-Unity didn’t appeal to me at all. 
They told me that Jesus, the first Christians, original Christianity believed just like they do. No divinity of Christ, no Trinity, no incarnation, no crucifixion, no resurrection and Yes he was born of a virgin and had no earthly father but he wasn’t God’s son and so on. 
I thought, they must be saying the truth! Christianity has been infiltrated by Paganism and I’ve never seen any practising Christian who actually loved God.
I thought they were the only people that really followed God’s laws and loved him. 
I then met a girl online, her name was Jojo and she was from Egypt but living in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city in Islam! I still wasn’t too sure if I’m Christian or Muslim as I was about to be baptised and I loved the character of Jesus very much but I formed my relationship with God through Islam.
They taught me how to love and follow God. I read the Qur’an daily after school and listened to Islamic homilies and sermons. I never heard at church that God cares about us or that he loves us, that he is listening to us and he has a plan for us. I wasn’t catechised well at all.  
This girl I met, she quickly became my best friend and taught me a lot about Islam, the Arabic language and how to recite the Qur’an with a proper pronunciation (Tajweed) and encouraged me to take my Shahada, in other words to become Muslim.
A Shahada is a thing a person says when he wants to become a Muslim, making him a Muslim on spot. I wasn’t 100% convinced by Islam but decided to say my Shahada out of fear. “There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is His messenger”, the belief is that whoever dies without the Shahada will not make it to heaven but be damned. 
I did my best to practice Islam and learn more about it daily. I read and studied the Qur’an, spoke to many Muslims online, including laity and some Islamic educators. 
I quickly began doubting Islam, I doubted that there exists such a god, a god that cares so much about humankind to send a perfect book to them with precise instructions on everything, including punishments for certain sins. 
I couldn’t understand how Mohammed could be called the most perfect human being in creation and a prophet of God yet his life and deeds didn’t match up.
I couldn’t understand why God would put such strange laws and declare that they should be followed by all until eternity, laws which benefited no one but men, enslaving women and minorities such as Non-Muslims and so on.
I had many problems with Islam, a religion based on fear and hell. All I saw was hypocrisy around me, people performing religious duties mindlessly without even understanding what they’re praying, all out of fear that God would torture them in the grave and hellfire. The religion itself describing all the horrid tortures God would let sinners and Non-Muslims go through. 
I quickly realised it’s just fairy tales to put fear into the hearts and minds of people, to enslave them into submitting to the desires and fantasies of one sick man. I was heartbroken because Islam wasn’t what I thought it was! I gave up on God for some time and said no, fuck religion!
New Age/Hinduism
Then later I began attending college and I met a woman who was New Age and we talked about religion and spirituality and how sick religion is but how spirituality/Hinduism/Buddhism are about peace and acceptance and love.
I decided to look more into it at home and I I began to listen to chants and chant mantras while burning incense, meditating and so on. I really enjoyed it, feeling inner peace and being tranquil. 
I also kept seeing strange things visit me while I meditated and chanted, I saw orbs of light in my room, usually light blue-ish colour. They would pop up at random times, as if to say Hello but I'd also get horrible nightmares after some time, feeling dark and negative energy around me.
  I would dream about the deities I interacted with. they would chase me or try to hurt me. I kept seeing horrible things in my dreams - dirty places, death and dead animals, dark places, destruction, snakes and so on.
I didn't understand it at that time but now I do. It was because these practises and deities were in fact demonic forces, not spiritual beings or good and holy at all. 
I was being told by friends who were into the same spirituality that it’s my fault, because of my sins. I remembered my childhood and having dark and negative stuff happening to me, my siblings and other relatives. I questioned myself, is this because my mum and grandma were involved with the occult? And is this spirituality the same thing? 
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 I couldn’t accept the truth, by this point I was baptised and I healed from my bad experiences with Islam. I didn’t understand why is this happening again.
I thought about going back to Islam, maybe I misunderstood the religion and Allah was calling me back to give up this false path. 
When I’d have such scary experiences I’d say an Islamic prayer which I knew well, it’s an invocation to God, seeking refuge in him from the Devil and when I said this prayer when I had these experiences, they would stop. 
“أعوذُ باللهِ مِن الشيطانِ الرّجيم” = Aaudhou billahi mina-shshaytanir-rajeem.
I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan. 
I looked deeper into Islam, I thought maybe I missed something, maybe I misunderstood.. maybe I have to look at it from another mindset. 
I tried but after a few months I realised I can’t form Islam in my own image and I don’t want to. I want the truth only but I still respected Islam and went back to my universalist mindset. All religions are equal, all worship the same being but just use different styles. All prophets and religious personalities were teaching the same thing! I especially loved Krishna, a deity from India. 
I loved the stories about him from the Bhagavad Gita, his childhood and how mischievous and funny he was. I made myself believe that all the signs God was sending was just in my mind, that the spiritual oppression and warnings in my dreams weren’t from God but just my imagination. I continued to worship Krishna by chanting his name, ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Rama, Hare Rama’, while loving and admiring all the personalities of other religions.
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The Qur’an, an idol of Krishna and an icon of Mary and Jesus.
Dreams, visions, warnings and coming out of the darkness
I didn’t understand why the bad dreams and why the demonic experiences kept happening and even the dreams which seemed like warnings from God.
Why? What was God trying to say to me? If he was calling me out of the New Age spirituality, then where was he calling me to? to Islam? Yes, when I prayed the Islamic protection prayer sometimes these experiences would stop but I remember having the same experiences even in Islam! When I’d play the Qur’an at night, I wouldn’t be able to sleep! I felt like something was choking me while I slept, sleep paralysis and a feeling of fear, as if something evil was watching me.
The deity of Islam was as dodgy as my spiritual oppressions, one of his names is (Al-makir) the deceiver after all! 
I worshipped all the deities, I listened to everything! Hindu mantras and prayers, Islamic prayers and hymns, Christian ones too, even Jewish blessings and so on. I really liked everything quite equally and believed God revealed himself to different people at different times as different personalities. I even loved the Christian saints and especially had an affinity to St. Therese of Lisieux aka The Little Flower. 
Then I met this Polish girl, she was Catholic and very religious but had many doubts and kept telling me that I should try praying the rosary as I love God very much.
I began praying the rosary but having a universalist mindset.
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The Little Flower
One day after praying the rosary I dreamt a strange dream where I saw her. I was in some strange place, like a hotel or some building and I went out looking for someone. I don't know who I was looking for but when I was outside it was dark and I realised I have no clothes on, only a blanket covering my whole body.
In the darkness of the night I saw a strange flickering light coming out from a distance, so I decided to follow it. As I kept getting closer I realised it was a cemetery, a scary cemetery. All around the cemetery were idols of Hindu deities and they all had scary features. I was terrified of them even though I wanted to adore them, something inside said they are evil, when will you see! I didn't want to loose my faith in universalism.
Then I found the light, it was coming from inside a grave, the grave that belonged to her, St. Therese. As I got closer to the grave I noticed there were strange numbers on her headstone. I also felt warmth and safety by her side.
When I woke up, I wondered what the numbers meant and to this day i don't know but I know what that the saint was showing me that my current spiritual path was faulty and leading me only towards more darkness but I still wasn't ready to accept this fact.
I kept having many other dreams like this, about being haunted by Hindu deities and something related to Christianity appearing to save me.
After the dream I looked more into Christianity, I've always been reading about the religion and watched so many documentaries.
I struggled however deeply with the concept of the Trinity. I kept looking for evidence that the Trinity isn't real. I found a man on Youtube preaching about how Christ isn't God and how God is not a Trinity, I contacted him and he send me a Bible with a commentary from his faith tradition - The Christadelphian church.
He also send me many tracts and books about their doctrines. I read it but didn't take it too seriously. I noticed straightaway that some of their doctrines don't align with my reality, such as their belief that there is no Devil, that evil doesn't exist or their literal reading of Genesis, that God literally made us in his image... that he is literally a man sitting up in heaven.
  One evening I worshipped Krishna and then fell asleep and had a dream which made me realise that Christ is trying to get my attention and was warning me.
I saw myself making prostrations to Krishna, being in pain and sorrow and asking him to ease my suffering.
I was then taken up into the sky and passed by many clouds then I saw the face of Krishna. I saw his true face... He was demon abiding in the skies. I didn't understand then but now I do as I think of this verse from Scripture.
"For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places."
Ephesians 6:12
'High places' here mean the skies, the heavens. Demons/fallen angels /false gods abide in them.
After this dream/vision, I realised it was a warning and a prophetic dream at the same time. I was being warned to stop worshipping false gods and if I don't I will be in such a miserable and sorrowful state.
I threw away my idol of Krishna and started to research more into Christianity. I opened my Christadelphian literature and Bible but I just didn't agree with them on most things except the Trinity.
Christianity
You might think that I'd go straight to Catholicism as I was baptised one and used to pray the rosary, and had experiences with a Catholic saint.
I couldn't though as the Catholic Church is heavily Trinitarian and I had a problem with that. I also had some leftover misconceptions about them from my days in Islam - holy images and statues, prayer to saints and so on.
I used to dream that I'd visit Catholic churches and they'd be on fire, the priests would be laughing and the church would be dirty and once even dreamt that there altar area had a toilet.
I didn't understand back then but now I do. It wasn't that the Church is false because of it's doctrines but the people within treating the Church's teaching and sacraments with mockery, polluting the temple of God.
I wasn't a 100% convinced by the Unitarian position which teaches that Christ is a lesser being to God, that he is not God.
But I was neither convinced by the Trinitarian position, that he is of one substance/ousia as the Father as the Creeds of the Church teach, in other words that he is Almighty God.
I struggled with this doctrine for a long time... I went from being a Unitarian, denying his divinity and believing he was only given divine authority to rule this planet. That he was 'a god' but not in a literal sense, that he was just representing God but he could hear our prayers and act as God because God gave him that power because of his virtues.
My reading Scripture and using my own understanding and logic, trying to co-operate with God's grace I kept growing in my beliefs.
I then heard the concept of Modalism - That God is 3 persons that take different modes as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
These 3 being the same person just in different modes, just as you could be a father, a husband and a brother but still only one person.
I then met this boy again that I knew before when I was Muslim, he was a Protestant Calvinist when I met him for the first time. We argued a lot about religion and I kept defending Islam but this time I was Christian and he wasn't a Protestant anymore.
Me being anti-Catholic I tried to argue with him to leave the Orthodox church because it is idolatry and polytheism.
He however showed me from scripture and from history that not only was my Trinitarian view (Modalism) false and not accurate to how the early Church thought of the Trinity but also how my worries about holy art or saints were not necessary.
I never knew that there was such a thing as the Church fathers!
I didn't know there was a church that had a continuity in practices and beliefs all the way from the time of the Apostles and Jesus.
This is what I've even looking for all the time! Islam told me that the Scriptures and Christianity was corrupted from early on, that there is no authentic Christianity out there anymore. However history says otherwise, you can clearly see in history from the 1st century what Christians believed, not only from the Bible manuscripts that are from those early times! But also from the Church fathers, who were students of the Apostles but also from non-Christians writing in those times about Christians.
Christians call this 'holy tradition', it isn't traditions of men but of the first Christians, of the Apostles themselves!
I understood this concept straight away as in Islam they have something similar.
They call it the Sunnah (tradition) of the prophet which was recorded by his Sahaba (companions/apostles). They have many books called the Ahadeeth and they can be proven with the help of history which ones are authentic and how far they go.
In other words, extra teachings and practises of the 'prophet' Muhammed outside the Quran.
For example the Quran doesn't say how many times you should pray or how, it just tells you to pray! But the Sunnah (tradition) teaches you to pray 5 times and tells you exactly how to perform the prayers.
Muslims told me Christianity was corrupted and changed but I had evidence before my eyes that it in fact was not at all.
I accepted the true historic and Christian Trinitarian formula which teaches that there is in fact only 1 God who is 3 persons that are completely united in their will, divinity and share the same substance/ousia but are distinct persons yet one being.
The Holy Trinity cannot be grasped by the human mind, no matter how many ways we come up with trying to explaining it, they all fall short. It's not meant to be understood because we are talking here about the nature of God, which cannot be comprehended by the human mind. We can't understand nor comprehend 'what' is God only 'who' He is, He is Love, Peace, Light, Beauty and so on.
I accepted the Athanasian Creed and practices the Orthodox faith, I got myself some iconography, read about the lives of the saints and prayed some of the prayers while I kept studying the religion daily.
Judaism
I practiced the Orthodox faith and knew what the early Christians actually believed and I did fine for months, studying the Scriptures and making plans to be baptised/received into the Eastern Orthodox church.
I don't know how it happened but I was scrolling on Facebook when I came across a video someone shared in of the Christian groups, a video of a Jewish preacher. His name is Rabbi Tovia was preaching against Christianity, I watched his videos thinking how stupid and annoying he was.
He was explaining the Old Testament passages which Christians taught were about Jesus, giving a different interpretation. He put many doubts in my head about Jesus, I doubted that Jesus really was the awaited Messiah.
As a person that also used history to accept Christian doctrines which I doubted or thought weren't authentic, I quickly disbelieved in Christ when this man used history to prove that Jesus wasn't the real Messiah, that Christianity was a fake and false religion created by a fake prophet - Jesus.
I tried to accept this reality and tried to practise Judaism little by little, I got a Mezuzah on the door, a prayer shawl and I tried to pray once in a while. I studied Judaism daily and tried to understand their laws, I watched many sermons and homilies explaining the Torah and Jewish law.
I didn't forget Christ during all of this, I still haven't wholeheartedly accepted Judaism or what the Rabbi taught me. I struggled with those Biblical passages and his explanation that the Messiah was supposed to be triumphant, not suffer and die but save Israel.
Around the same time my grandmother passed away and I was very distraught and was worried about her salvation so I turned to what I knew, I turned to Christ and to the only church I ever knew and visited, the Catholic parish I was baptised at.
I would visit and pray for her during the Mass, try to say rosaries for her, the divine mercy but also the Kaddish, a Jewish mourning prayer. I wasn't sure what is right or wrong. I just wanted her soul to be benefited wherever she was.
I decided to keep praying to Christ and his saints to reveal the truth to me, was he really the Messiah? If he was then please reveal the truth to me.
Coming back to Christ fully
This was about 2 years after all that, me trying to understand and know if Christ was really the Messiah while studying Christianity, praying both Christian and some Jewish prayers and pursuing becoming Eastern Orthodox even though I mostly visited the Catholic Church to pray as it was what was familiar to me.
I met a man online who was Eastern Orthodox but wasn't like most of the Eastern Orthodox people I've encountered online, he wasn't a Byzantine supremacist and tried to make me appreciate the Western Latin rite/tradition. He loved St. Thomas Aquinas and shared with me a website where I can download many books online for free.
I was still not a 100% sure if Jesus really was the Messiah and if he was I was going to join the Orthodox Church as I believed the Latin West was completely corrupted and void of any grace, I honestly thought everything Latin was wrong and a deviation...
I was taught by Byzantine supremacists who told me that even the Holy Rosary was demonic! Early Christianity was Eastern/Byzantine/Greek! Not Latin! Latin is bad! The language doesn't have enough terms to explain true Christian theology!
I told the man about my doubts that Christ was the Messiah and he told me to watch some of Fr. James Bernstein's videos and I did. He was a Jewish man that became an Eastern Orthodox priest.
I also found out he wrote a book called 'Surprised by Christ' and I found it free to be downloaded from that website! I downloaded it and began reading it, a 350 page book, I finished it in a few days.
I couldn't stop reading! Fr. James' journey from Judaism and his deep and intensive study into Jewish literature from before and after Christ surprised me, he showed how the Jewish Rabbi's before Christ and after Christ also believed that the Messiah would suffer.
They believed that the Messiah would suffer for Israel and then save Israel. Christ did this, he suffered not only for his chosen people but for the whole world but he will come again triumphant to save his people.
Fr. James Bernstein gave me a new understanding and evidence that Christ was in fact the promised Messiah, and true Jews knew the Messiah would suffer but they quickly changed the narrative to distance themselves from Christian thought.
Religious awakening and decisions over Orthodoxy or Catholicism
At this point I believed in Christ and wanted to attend church but I was suffering from many a afflictions - sorrow from my grandmothers death, deep depression, social anxiety and no confidence, a lack of help, trust or understanding from people around me, even mockery for my pursuit of religion and not to forget feeling extremely heavy laden and burdened by my sins.
I worried deeply about my sins, I feared death and resisted confession as I was too shy and anxious to visit any church and I was undecided if I want to be Orthodox or Catholic.
I kept looking for the perfect church, I looked and searched but didn't find it. I looked into Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and into traditional Catholicism.
I wasn't sure which of these churches has the right doctrines or valid sacraments as there was no single authority to give a decree and say how it really was. Some of them said the Roman church was void of any graces, some said she wasn't as she is a sister church and others said the Coptic church has no sacraments, while some Copts said we Chalcedonians have the wrong Christology thus no sacraments! While other Copts said we are all Apostolic churches and have the sacraments.
I really struggled with so many voices and reading so much material online. I read almost all books by Pope Shenouda III and that's when I really started to believe in the power of the Sacraments.
I read St. Athanasius' On the incarnation which helped me understand the reality of Christ's divinity and humanity at the same time, since I struggled with this too.
Another thing which confused me was how many Orthodox have a thing against the role of the Pope of Rome. Petrine primacy, many said they accepted it yet ignoring his actual role.
Many of the hymns from Syriac and Ethiopian tradition even speak about the Apostles keys, his special role in the church.
There are many voices in the Eastern Orthodox Church but generally official faith also believes in St. Peter's primacy as first among equals.
This is when I began reading a book written by an Anglican priest Rev. Edward Denny called Papalism: A Treatise on the Claims of the Papacy as Set Forth in the Encyclical Satis Cognitum.
This book being defending the Anglican (CoE) Church as having valid sacraments and 'disproving' the Catholic position.
By reading this book I actually became convinced of the Catholic position and the authority of the Roman Pontiff.
Rev. Denny gave much evidence for the Bishop of Rome's power and authority throughout history, agreeing and accepting his right to exhibit his authority but he also disagreed many times.
I, however, became very convinced of the Catholic position on this matter and I might make another apologetic post on it.
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septembersung · 6 years
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Faith alone, faith and works, or faith with/through works?
As Catholics, we understand that there’s no such thing as a “proof text”; we cannot point to one isolated verse in Scripture and say, “Game over.” Scripture must be interpreted as a whole. Indeed, if you just cherry-pick verses and read them with the usual limited contemporary sense of what is a “work” and what “faith” means, Scripture seems to contradict itself. But as part of a big-picture answer I do want to give a selection of my favorite verses that get at the living heart of what “faith and works” really means. This is by no means exhaustive, and skips some of the more obvious ones:
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians 2:12.
“Now i rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church.” Colossians 1:24
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, let any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:28
“Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks.” Luke 12:35
“Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21
“Every one who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock…” Matthew 7:24 ff.
“And he said to them, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39
“‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:45-46 [from the Judgment of the Nations discourse]
“And a ruler asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him […] You know know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not still, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ And he said, ‘All these I have observed from my youth.’ And when Jesus heard it, he said to him, ‘One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. […] For it it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ Those who heard it said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ But he said, ‘What is impossible with men is possible with God.’” Luke 18:18ff. 
“By faith Abraham obeyed” Hebrews 11:8
“Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe - and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” James 18-23
What i love particularly about the rich young man in Luke 18:18ff. is that Jesus’s direct answer to “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” is to do good works: keep the commandments and aid the poor. And the response from the rich young man and the people was, “this is too hard!” and Jesus reminds them that what is impossible for them is possible with God. He doesn’t say they don’t have to do the work! The work is necessary! Nonetheless it is by God’s power that they are saved. 
“Faith alone” is one of those heresies that makes me both sad and angry. It’s wrought so damage in the heart of Christendom. It’s a big part of the cutting down of what “faith” means and it’s introduced a false dichotomy into what was once a seamless concept. As Paul Gorman, a Protestant scholar and author of the pretty great book on St. Paul, Apostle of the Crucified Lord, puts it: faith means faithfulness.
Faith or works? In matters like these, the Catholic faith is always “both/and,” because human beings are body and soul, inseparably united.
“The Bible clearly teaches justification by faith. And we Catholics believe it. However, we do not believe in justification by faith alone because, among many other reasons, the Bible says, we are “justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24, emphasis added). Analogously, when the Bible says Scripture is inspired and profitable for “the man of God,” to be “equipped for every good work,” we Catholics believe it. However, the text of II Tim. 3:16 never says Scripture alone. There is no sola to be found here either! Even if we granted II Tm. 3:16 was talking about all of Scripture, it never claims Scripture to be the sole rule of faith. A rule of faith, to be sure! But not the sole rule of faith.“ [x]
Oftentimes the Catholic position is reduced to, “works are a sign of faith,” but that is incorrect. In this imagined dialogue between a Catholic and an Objector, which sets the issue out clearly and succinctly, we see: 
“But we Catholics insist that James 2:14–26 shows that works are more than mere evidence of faith. Works actually justify. James is speaking about works growing out of faith. If works of faith are not a part of our justification, then it is hard to understand why James would say, as he does, that “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?” (Jas. 2:21).”
This is demonstrated in several of the scriptural passages I quoted at the beginning.
Most objectors would immediately assume that “works are part of our salvation” means Catholics believe that we can “earn” or “buy” our way into heaven, but actually all permutations of that idea have been condemned as heresies, notably Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism. Think of Pelagianism as the “pull yourself up to heaven by your own bootstraps” philosophy: “For the Pelagian, access to the Kingdom is made possible by baptism, and since perfect sanctity is an obligation and a possibility for everyone, it rests with each individual Christian to merit eternal life by his conduct, modeled on the precepts and example of Christ.” [x]
By contrast, the Catholic understanding of faith and works holds in powerful tension two sovereign realities: the free will of God and the free will of man. From our finite and temporal point of view, these two freedoms seem to exist in tension, but in truth, the inviolateness of our will is the most awesome sign of God’s gratuitous gift of grace. 
Faith is an infused supernatural virtue. That means we cannot achieve it on our own, of our own nature; it is a gift of God. Having faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The gift of faith is an act of the will that directs two aspects of our selves: what is in our hearts and the work in our hands. Works are necessary because of the nature of free will, how sanctification works, and merit. Works are distinct from faith, but inseparably part of it. 
All that we have is given to us by God, including our free will. Free will means that we can choose God, or not, and God respects our decision. God wills that when we choose him, we become co-heirs with Christ; truly His children. Not in name only, but in actual fact. All that Christ has is also ours–including His merits. This is closely related to the Catholic understanding of sanctification: when God sanctifies us, we are truly made new and clean, holy in actual fact. (This hearkens back to the Protestant/Catholic debate over “justification” that became one of the theological lynchpins of the Protestant revolt in the 1500s, but we won’t go into that now.)
Think of it this way: when a parent gives a gift to their children, the children have done nothing to make the gift their own; they haven’t worked the job to make the money to pay for it, for example. The parent worked for and purchased the gift. But once the gift is given, it really belongs to the child. (I, for example, have no interest in claiming ownership of my children’s dinosaur collection.)
All merit, all holiness, all salvation, comes from Christ, from his Godhead, from his sacrifice on the Cross. Salvation is a completely gratuitous gift that we can never “earn” or “deserve.” We participate in Christ’s sacrifice and Christ’s merit, by God’s free gift, because He sees fit for it to be so. 
For more on merit, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. nos. 2006 - 2011. Consider also that the “righteousness” of one man has, throughout Scripture, been allowed to be “shared” with the unrighteous that they may “merit” the same consideration God gives the righteous. Look at the end of Job, and Job’s three unrighteous friends, or Abraham and Lot, or, indeed, unrighteous humanity and Jesus on the cross. We will come back to this point in detail in other posts for #500 reasons and counting. Suffice it for now to say that “merit” is a) enormously misunderstood, b) supremely Scriptural, and c) key for understanding a lot of Catholic doctrines.
Many Protestants do not believe in sanctification or free will the way Catholics do (and contemporary arguments often differ from Luther & co.’s, so their objections to the above arguments frequently hinge on those issues. if we don’t believe the same things about the nature of holiness and human nature, of course we’re going to disagree about what’s necessary for salvation!)
To address a common objection: but St. Paul condemns works of the law!
The “works of the law” St. Paul writes against that is usually brought up in this argument referred not to keeping the moral law (e.g. the ten commandments) or the commandments that Christ gives in the Gospels, but rather to the old Jewish law. This is all through Romans, most famously, but see also especially Galatians 3. There was a movement of “Judaizers” that wanted Christians, including converts, to follow the whole Jewish law - not just the moral law, not the commandments given us by Christ, but the ritual and cultural laws of Judaism, from food and clothing restrictions to the various sacrifices. But with the coming of Christ and his final propitiatory sacrifice on the cross, we have definitely moved past trying to reach God through symbolism - now God has reached out to us, with a truly effective sacrifice; because He has redeemed the world and made all things new there is no “unclean” food, etc, there is only purity of heart - living in grace, according to the moral law - and sin. If you read carefully, and in a good translation, you find different phrases used throughout the new testament that differentiate what kind of “works” are being discussed in each context: “works of the law” refers to the Mosaic law. Yet even the Mosaic law has its place and purpose: Jesus, who declares that not a jot or an iota of the law will pass away, that he has come to fulfill the law, not abolish it, and St. Paul writes - to pick just a single example - “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law” (Romans 3:31). “Works of the law” and the works in “faith and works” are not identical, but even though the Mosaic law does not apply anymore under the new covenant, it cannot be written off.
We have to say “yes” to salvation. That yes can’t just be lip service - we must take up our cross and follow him. That’s what “faith and works” really is. To have faith is to do the work of faith; to hear the word of God, to receive it, is to do it. It was not enough for Abraham to say, “I believe.” He had to take Isaac up the mountain. It was not enough for Peter to say, “You know that I love you, Lord.” He had to feed the sheep. It was not enough for the “would-be followers of Jesus” to want him; they had to actually go.
God Himself, who could have redeemed the world with a spoken word even as he created the world and everything in it, chose to enflesh the work of salvation in material things: flesh and blood, bread and wine, cross and nails. Even Jesus, the living Word, wrought miracles through the work of his hands: mud and spit on blind eyes, five loaves and two fish multiplied to feed thousands, bread and wine becoming flesh and blood. Salvation is the work of God: if we do not work with him, we will not harvest with him; if we do not die with Him, we will not rise with him.
Further reading: 
Is St. John the Key to Settling the Justification Debate? 
The Meaning of Merit - clear and thorough explication
Reward and Merit - quotations from the Fathers of the Church
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pope-francis-quotes · 4 years
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10th April >> (@RomeReports) #PopeFrancis #Pope Francis Way of the Cross reflections for Good Friday. STATIONS OF THE CROSS 2020.
Introduction
The meditations on the Stations of the Cross this year were prepared by the chaplaincy of the “Due Palazzi” House of Detention in Padua. Fourteen people were invited by Pope Francis to meditate on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, bringing it to bear on their own situations. Those invited included five prisoners, a family that was the victim of a murder, the daughter of a man given a life sentence, a prison teacher, a civil magistrate, the mother of a prisoner, a catechist, a volunteer religious brother, a prison guard and a priest who was accused and then finally acquitted after eight years in the justice system.
Accompanying Christ on the Way of the Cross, with the raw voices of those who live behind the walls of a prison, is an opportunity to view the great battle between life and death, to discover how the threads of good and evil inevitably intertwine. Contemplating Calvary from behind bars is to believe that an entire life can be played out in a few moments, as happened to the good thief. All it takes is to fill those moments with truth: contrition for sins committed, the realization that death is not for ever, the certainty that Christ is the innocent man unjustly mocked. Everything is possible for those who believe, because even in the darkness of prison there resounds the proclamation full of hope: “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Lk 1:37). If someone holds out to them a hand, those capable of the most horrendous crimes can undergo the most unexpected resurrection. We can be certain that “even when we tell of evil, we can learn to leave room for redemption; in the midst of evil, we can also recognize the working of goodness and give it space” (Message of Pope Francis for World Communications Day 2020).
In this way, the Via Crucis becomes a Via Lucis.
The texts, compiled by the chaplain, Father Marco Pozza and volunteer Tatiana Mario, were written in the first person, but it was decided not to attribute names, for those who took part in this meditation wanted to lend their voice to all those throughout the world who are in the same situation. This evening, in the silence of prison, the voice of one wishes to become the voice of all.
Let us pray.
O God, Almighty Father,
in Jesus Christ your Son
you assumed the wounds and sufferings of humanity.
Today I have the courage to beseech you, like the good thief: “Remember me!”
I am here, alone before you, in the dark of this prison: poor, naked, hungry and despised, and I ask you to pour out upon my wounds the balm of forgiveness and consolation, and the wine of a solidarity that strengthens the heart.
Heal me with your grace and teach me hope in the midst of despair.
My Lord and my God, I believe; help my unbelief.
Merciful Father, continue to trust in me, to give me fresh opportunities,
to embrace me in your infinite love.
With your help and by the gift of the Holy Spirit, I too will be able to recognize you and serve you in my brothers and sisters.
Amen.
First Station
Jesus is condemned to death
(Meditation by a prisoner serving a life sentence)
Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus; but they shouted out, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no crime deserving death; I will therefore chastise him and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will(Lk 23:20-25).
Many times that cry, “Crucify him, crucify him!” is shouted out in court-rooms and in newspapers. It is a cry I even heard against me: I was condemned, together with my father, to a life sentence. My crucifixion began when I was a child: when I think back I see myself curled up on the bus that took me to school, sidelined because of my stutter, with no friends. I started to work when I was small, without having a chance to study: ignorance prevailed over innocence. Then bullying stole what was left of childhood from this boy born in Calabria during the 1970s. I am more like Barabbas than Christ, yet the harshest condemnation remains that of my own conscience: at night I open my eyes and I desperately search for a light that will shine upon my story.
Alone in my cell, when I re-read the pages of the Passion of Christ, I burst into tears: after 29 years in prison I have not yet lost the capacity to cry, to feel ashamed of my past history and of the evil I did. I feel like Barabbas, Peter and Judas in one single person. I am repelled by my past, even though I know it is my story. I have lived for years under the restrictive conditions of Article 41b of the Prison Administration Act and my father died under the same conditions. Many times at night I heard him crying in his cell. He tried to hide it, but I knew. We were both plunged into deep darkness. In that non-life, however, I was always searching for something that would be life: strange to say, prison was my salvation. If, for some, I am still Barabbas, that does not make me angry: I know in my heart that the Innocent One, condemned like me, came to find me in prison to teach me about life.
Lord Jesus, despite the uproar, we glimpse you among the crowds shouting for you to be crucified; perhaps we too are among them, blind to the evil of which we are capable. From our cells we want to pray to your Father for all those who, like you, are condemned to death and for all those who would substitute their own for your supreme judgment.
Let us pray.
O God, lover of life, in the sacrament of Reconciliation, you always give us a new opportunity to experience your infinite mercy. We ask you to grant us the gift of wisdom so that we can see every man and woman as a temple of your Spirit and respect their inviolable dignity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Second Station
Jesus takes up his Cross
(Meditation by two parents whose daughter was murdered)
The soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the praetorium); and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and they knelt down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him(Mk 15:16-20).
During that horrible summer our life as parents died together with that of our two daughters. One of them was murdered along with her closest friend by the blind violence of a ruthless man; the other, who miraculously survived, was forever deprived of her smile. Ours was a life of sacrifices based on work and family. We taught our children to respect others and to value serving the poor. We often ask ourselves: “Why did it happen to us, this evil which engulfed us?”. We find no peace. Nor is justice, in which we had always trusted, able to relieve these deep wounds: our condemnation to suffering will never end.
Time has not eased the weight of the cross placed upon our shoulders: we are unable to forget our daughter who is no longer with us. We are elderly, more and more vulnerable and victims of the worst pain that can exist: surviving the death of a daughter.
This is difficult to say, but at the moment in which despair seems to take over, the Lord in different ways comes to meet us, giving us the grace to love one another as spouses, and to support one another, hard as it is. He invites us to keep the door of our home open to the poor and the despairing, welcoming whoever knocks, even if only for a bowl of soup. The commandment to perform acts of charity is for us a kind of salvation: we do not want to surrender to evil. God’s love is truly capable of renewing life because, before us, his Son Jesus underwent human suffering so as to experience true compassion.
Lord Jesus, it pains us to see you struck, mocked and stripped, an innocent victim of inhumane cruelty. On this night of sorrow, we plead with your Father and entrust to him all those who have endured violence and evil.
Let us pray.
O God, our justice and our redemption, who gave us your only Son and glorified him on the throne of the cross, instil your hope in our hearts so that we can recognize you present in the dark moments of our life. Comfort us in every affliction and support us in our trials as we await the coming of your kingdom. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Third Station
Jesus falls for the first time
(Meditation by a prisoner)
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all(Is 53:4-6).
It was the first time that I fell, but for me that fall was death: I took someone’s life. It only takes a day to pass from a blameless life to committing an act which encompasses the violation of all the commandments. I feel like a modern version of that thief who implored Christ with the words “Remember me!”. I imagine him less a penitent than someone conscious of being on the wrong path. From my childhood I remember the cold and hostile environment in which I grew up. All it took was for me to figure out someone’s weakness in order to transform it into a kind of entertainment. I was looking for real friends, I wanted to be accepted for who I was, but I was unable. I resented the happiness of others, I felt hamstrung, they asked of me only sacrifices and to obey the rules: I felt like a stranger to everyone and I sought revenge at all costs.
I hadn’t realized that evil was slowly growing inside me. Until, one evening, my own hour of darkness struck: in a second, like an avalanche, the memories of all the injustices I had suffered in life exploded. Anger killed my kindness, I committed an evil immensely greater than any of those that I had received. Then, in prison the ill-treatment by others led me to self-hatred: I was close to ending it all, I had reached the limit. I had also ruined my family: because of me they lost their name and respectability; they had become merely the family of a murderer. I make no excuses and seek no reductions, I will serve my sentence to the end because in prison I have found people who have given me back the faith I had lost.
My first fall was failing to realize that goodness exists in this world. My second, the murder, was really its consequence, for I was already dead inside.
Lord Jesus, you, too, fell to the ground. Perhaps your first fall was the hardest because it was entirely new: the impact was hard and left you shaken. We entrust to your Father all those who are so caught up in themselves that they are unable to acknowledge the sins they have committed.
Let us pray.
O God, you raised mankind up when we had fallen. We ask you to come to help us in our weakness and to grant us eyes to see the signs of your love everywhere in our daily lives. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fourth Station
Jesus meets his Mother
(Meditation by the mother of a prisoner)
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home(Jn 19:25-27).
Not for a moment was I tempted to abandon my son in the face of his sentence. The day he was arrested changed our entire life: the whole family went into prison with him. Today people’s judgment remains implacable: like a sharp knife, fingers pointed are against all of us, increasing the suffering we already bear in our hearts.
The wounds grow with each passing day, they take our breath away.
I feel Mother Mary close to me: she helps me not to give into despair and to cope with the pain. I’ve entrusted my son to her: only to Mary can I confide my fears, since she herself experienced them on the way to Calvary. In her heart she knew that her Son would not escape human evil, yet she did not abandon him. She stood there sharing in his suffering, keeping him company by her presence. I think of Jesus looking up, seeing those eyes so full of love, and not feeling alone.
I would like to do the same.
I blamed myself for my son’s sins. I asked forgiveness also for my own responsibility. I beg for the mercy that only a mother is able to experience, so that my son can return to life after having paid for his crime. I pray constantly for him, so that day by day he can grow into a different man, capable once more of loving himself and others.
Lord Jesus, meeting your mother on the way of the cross is perhaps the most moving and most sorrowful of all.
Between your eyes and hers, we place all families and friends who feel pained and helpless before the fate of their loved ones.
Let us pray.
O Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, faithful disciple of your Son, we turn to you and entrust to your loving gaze and to the care of your maternal heart the cry of all humanity which awaits with anguish the day when every tear will be wiped away from their faces. Amen.
Fifth Station
Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the Cross
(Meditation by a prisoner)
As they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus (Lk 23:26).
With my job I helped generations of children to believe in themselves. Then one day I found myself lying on the ground. It was as if they broke my back: my job was the pretext for a shameful conviction. I entered prison: prison entered my home. Since then I have become an outcast in the city: I have lost my name, I am now known by the crime of which I have been charged, I am no longer the master of my life. When I think about it, that child with worn-out shoes, wet feet, secondhand clothes comes to mind: that child was me, I was once that child. Then, one day, my arrest: three men in uniform, a rigid protocol, the prison that swallowed me alive in its concrete maw.
The cross they placed on my shoulders is a heavy one. Over time I have learned to live with it, to look it in the face, to call it by name: we spend many nights keeping each other company. Inside prisons, Simon of Cyrene is known by everyone: it is the second name of volunteers, of those who mount this Calvary to help carry a cross; they are people who reject the law of the pack and listen to their conscience. Simon of Cyrene, too, is my cellmate: I met him my first night in prison. He was a man who had lived on a bench for years, without affection or income. His only wealth was a box of candies. He has a sweet tooth, but he insisted that I bring it to my wife the first time she visited me: she burst into tears at that unexpected and thoughtful gesture.
I’m growing old in prison: I dream that one day, I will be able to trust others.
To become a Cyrenean, bringing joy to someone.
Lord Jesus, from the moment of your birth to the time you met a stranger who helped you carry your cross, you wanted to depend on our help. We too, like the Cyrenean, desire to be close to our brothers and sisters and to help in offering the Father’s mercy that breaks the yoke that oppresses them.
Let us pray.
O God, defender of the poor and comforter of the afflicted, strengthen us with your presence and help us to bear each day the easy yoke of your commandment of love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sixth Station
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
(Meditation by a catechist)
My heart says to you,“Your face, Lord, do I seek”. Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Cast me not off, forsake me not, O God of my salvation! (Ps 27:8-9).
As a catechist, I wipe away many tears, letting them flow: they flood uncontrollably from hearts that are broken. Many times I meet despairing souls who, in the darkness of prison, try to find a reason for the evil that to them seems infinite. Their tears are those of defeat and loneliness, of remorse and lack of understanding. I often imagine Jesus here in prison in my stead: how would he wipe away the tears? How would he ease the anguish of these men who feel trapped by what they have become in yielding to evil?
Coming up with an answer is hard, often impossible within the limits of our petty human logic. The way pointed out to me by Christ is to contemplate, without fear, those faces marred by suffering. I am asked to remain there with them, respecting their silence, listening to their pain, and seeking to look beyond prejudice. In the same way that Christ looks at our own weaknesses and limitations with eyes full of love. Everyone, including those in prison, has an opportunity each day to become a new person, thanks to Christ’s look which does not judge, but gives life and hope.
In this way, the tears that fall can become the seed of a beauty that was difficult even to imagine.
Lord Jesus, Veronica had pity on you: she encountered a suffering person and discovered the face of God. In prayer we entrust to your Father the men and women of our times who seek to wipe away the tears of so many of our brothers and sisters.
Let us pray.
O God, true light and source of all light, in weakness you reveal the power and radicalism of love. Imprint your face in our hearts, so that we can recognize you in all human suffering. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Seventh Station
Jesus falls for the second time
(Meditation by a prisoner)
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”. And they cast lots to divide his garments (Lk 23:34).
In the past, whenever I walked past a prison, I looked the other way: “I will never end up in there”, I said to myself. The times I did look, I felt sadness and darkness: I felt like I was walking past a cemetery of the living dead. Then one day, I ended up behind bars, together with my brother. As if that wasn’t enough, I also brought my father and mother in there. From the foreign country it had been, the prison is now our home: we men were in one cell, our mother in another. I looked at them and I felt ashamed of myself. I no longer feel like I am a man. They are growing old in prison because of me.
I fell twice. The first time was when evil attracted me and I gave in: peddling drugs, in my eyes, was worth more than the work of my father, who was breaking his back ten hours a day. The second was when, after ruining the family, I began to ask myself: “Who am I that Christ should die for me?”. The cry of Jesus – “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” – I saw reflected in my mother’s eyes: she took on the shame of all the men of the house to save the family. And I saw it in the face of my father, as he secretly despaired in his cell. Only today can I admit it: in those years I didn’t know what I was doing. Now that I know, I am trying to rebuild my life with the help of God. I owe it to my parents: years ago, they sold all that we had of value because they didn’t want me to live on the street. I owe it above all to myself: the idea that evil can continue to guide my life is intolerable. This is what has become my way of the cross.
Lord Jesus, once again you have fallen to the ground: crushed by my attachment to evil, by my fear of not being able to become a better person. In faith we turn to your Father and pray for all those not yet able to break free from the power of Satan, from all his allurements and his manifold seductions.
Let us pray.
O God, you do not leave us in the darkness and shadow of death. Strengthen us in our weakness, free us from the bonds of evil and shield us by your power, so that we may forever sing of your mercy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Eighth Station
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
(Meditation by the daughter of a man sentenced to life imprisonment)
There followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us’” (Lk 23:27-30).
How many times, as the daughter of someone in prison, have I been asked: “You love your father: do you ever think about the pain he inflicted on his victims?”. Over these years I have never failed to answer: “Of course, it is impossible for me not to think about it”. But then I ask them this question: “Have you ever thought that, of all the victims of my father’s action, I was the first? For twenty-eight years I have been serving the sentence of growing up without a father”. For all these years I have lived with anger, restlessness, sadness: his absence is a heavy burden to bear. I have travelled throughout Italy, from south to north, to stay with him: I know its cities not for their monuments but for the prisons I have visited. I seem to be like Telemachus when he went in search of his father Odysseus: my journey takes me to Italian prisons and loved ones.
Years ago, I missed love because I am the daughter of a prisoner, my mother fell prey to depression, the family collapsed. I was left, with my small salary, to bear the weight of this sorry story. Life forced me to become an adult without ever being a child. In my home, everything is a via crucis: Dad is one of those sentenced to life imprisonment. The day I got married, I dreamed of having him beside me: even then he was thinking of me, though hundreds of kilometres away. “Such is life!”, I say, to encourage myself. It’s true: there are parents who, out of love, learn to wait for their children to grow up. In my own case, for love, I wait for my Dad’s return.For people like us, hope is a duty.
Lord Jesus, we see your words to the women of Jerusalem as a warning to each of us. Those words invite us to conversion, to pass from a sentimental religiosity to a faith rooted in your word. We pray for those who are forced to bear the burden of shame, the suffering of abandonment, the lack of a presence. And for each of us, that the sins of parents may not fall on their children.
Let us pray.
O God, Father of all kindness, you do not abandon your children in the trials of life. Give us the grace to be able to rest in your love and to enjoy forever the consolation of your presence. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ninth Station
Jesus falls for the third time
(Meditation by a prisoner)
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when he has laid it on him; let him put his mouth in the dust – there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, and be filled with insults. For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love (Lam 3:27-32).
Falling down is never pleasant; but beyond the fact that it is unpleasant, falling over and over again becomes itself a kind of condemnation, as if one is no longer capable of remaining standing. As a man, I have fallen all too many times: I have also gotten up many times. In prison I often think about how many times a child falls to the ground before learning to walk: I am coming to think that these are preparations for all the times when we will fall as adults. As a child, my home was like a prison: I lived in fear of punishment, alternating between the melancholy of adults and the carefreeness of children. Of those years I remember Sister Gabriella, the only happy image: she was the only one who saw the best in me. Like Peter, I have sought and found many excuses for my mistakes: the strange fact is that a fragment of goodness always remained alive in me.
I became a grandfather in prison: I didn’t experience my daughter’s pregnancy. One day, I will tell my granddaughter the story of only the goodness I have found and not the evil I have done. I will tell her about the one who, when I lay fallen on the ground, brought me the mercy of God. In prison, the worst form of despair is to think that life no longer has meaning. It is the greatest suffering: of all the lonely people in the world, you feel like the loneliest. It is true that my life was shattered into a thousand pieces, but the wonderful thing is that those pieces can still be put together. It is not easy, but it is the only thing that still makes sense here.
Lord Jesus, you fall a third time to the ground and, when everyone thinks that this is the end, once again you get up. We confidently put ourselves in the hands of your Father and entrust to him all those who feel imprisoned in the abyss of their errors, so that they may be granted the strength to get up and the courage to let themselves be helped.
Let us pray.
O God, strength of those who hope in you, you give peace to those who follow your teachings. Sustain our staggering steps, raise us when we fall through our unfaithfulness. Pour the balm of consolation and the wine of hope on our wounds. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Tenth Station
Jesus is stripped of his garments
(Meditation by a prison teacher)
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture, “They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” (Jn 19:23-24).
As a teacher in a prison, I see people entering jail deprived of everything: stripped of all dignity because of the crimes they have committed, stripped of all respect for themselves and for others. Every day I see how they become more and more dependent behind bars: they need me even to help write a letter. These are the unsettled lives entrusted to my care: helpless, frustrated by their weakness, frequently deprived of even the ability to understand the wrong they have done. At times, however, they are like newborn babies who can still be formed. I sense that their lives can start over in another direction, definitively turning away from evil.
My strength, however, is fading day by day. Encountering daily all this anger, pain and hidden malice ends up wearing down even the most experienced of us. I chose this work after my mother was killed in a head-on collision by a young drug addict: I decided to respond immediately to that evil with good. But even though I love this job, I sometimes struggle to find the strength to carry on.
In so sensitive a service, we need to feel that we are not abandoned, in order to be able to support the many lives entrusted to us, lives that each day run the risk of ruin.
Lord Jesus, when we gaze at you stripped of your garments we feel embarrassed and ashamed. Beginning with the first man, in the face of the naked truth we started to run away. We hide behind masks of respectability and clothe ourselves with lies, frequently with the threadbare rags of the poor, exploited by our greedy thirst for money and power. May the Father have mercy on us and patiently help us to become more simple, more transparent, more authentic: ready to abandon definitively the weapons of hypocrisy.
Let us pray.
O God, you set us free by your truth. Strip us of our interior resistance and clothe us with your light, that we may be the reflection of your glory in the world. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Eleventh Station
Jesus is nailed to the Cross
(Meditation by a priest accused and later acquitted)
When they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”. And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews”. One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong”. And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingly power”. And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”(Lk 23:33-43).
Christ nailed to the Cross. How often, as a priest, have I meditated on this page of the Gospel. When later, one day, they put me on a cross, I felt the full weight of that wood: the accusation was made in words as hard as nails, the ascent became steep, suffering weighed me down. The darkest moment was seeing my name pasted outside the courtroom: at that moment I realized that I was a guiltless man forced to prove his innocence. I hung on the cross for ten years: my Way of the Cross was populated with dossiers, suspicions, accusations, insults. Each time I was in the courtroom, I looked for the crucifix: I kept my eyes fixed on it as the law investigated my story.
For a moment, shame led me to think that it would be better to end it all. But then I decided to remain the priest I always was. I never thought of lessening my cross, even when the law permitted it. I chose to submit myself to a regular trial: I owed it to myself, to the young men I taught during the years at the seminary, to their families. While I was climbing my Calvary, I found them all along the way: they became my Cyreneans, they bore the weight of the cross with me, they dried my many tears. Together with me, many of them prayed for the young man who accused me: they never stopped. The day on which I was fully acquitted, I found myself happier than I had been ten years before: I experienced first-hand God working in my life. Hanging on the cross, I discovered the meaning of my priesthood.
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