AN IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION RE: ABORTION

   The Supreme Court has sparked a nation wide frenzy about a woman's Constittuional right to have an abortion. 

     And in everything I see and hear, women are proclaiming their right to do what they want with their own body.  But is that physically and medically correct?  The answer is, "No.  It is not the woman's own body."

     As the topic has been oftn explained, a woman's tonsils and appendix are her own body and therefore may be removed if necessary without any moral conern.  Or emotional concern.  

     A simple reference to Google will show what every physician knows, namely that a fetus is a being that contains half the mother's DNA and half the father's DNA.   It is a body and a life of it's own in the woman's body.

     I have  read that some single Catholics women had a secret abortion for fear of being punished by the Church for having become pregnant.

      It is not up to us to judge any woman who has an abortion.  It is most certainly up to us to do whatever we can to understand the circumstances that drive women to make such a major decision. And to do whatever we can to alleviate such circumstances.

     So, at least let's try to clarify the truth about what is or is not a pregnant woman's body.  That will be the first step toward taking a real look at this terrible cloud that darkens our society.

            

Comments:  massimini7@gmail.com    

   

    

                              AN ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT GOOD FRIDAY

    On this Good Friday we find ourselves witnessing an innocent country being crucified by a diabolical force.

    Actually, we must pray that Ukraine is experiencing a crucifixion from which it will arise and not totally be destroyed by the force of hell that is attacking it.

   The few people that crucified Jesus thought they were eliminating him forever.  I say, "the few people" because the people of Israel did not know what was happening on the hill where the Romans carried out their sacrilege.

   The lesson of Good Friday is that we will suffer crucifixions, small and large, in our lives.  For example, today we are suffering from a seriously collapse political atmosphere, daily murders in our cities, an uncared for climate, etc.  

   Will we experience a resurrection?  The Church has the way.  In the 1960's Vatican II gave us a clear way to put away our irrelevance to the everyday world and showed us with great detail how we must be actively working in our own homes, neighborbhoods, workplaces, schools, et al. to do whatever we can with the gifts and opportunities we have, to help make our society more peaceful, more healing, more open to a better future--in sum, more human

     Right now in Ukraine, we have a horrific example of the total opposite of helping to make the world more human. The horror being inflicted upon the people of Ukraine severely contradicits the teachings of the crucified and risen Christ, whom the people of Ukraine, Russia, and we worship.

   Here in America we are free to choose our own leaders.  And to vote them out of office if they don't serve our Constitution well.

I did not say, serve our deepest prejucises well.  I said to service our Constituton well, with the clarity and love given to us by Him, who is the Light of the World.

   This Good Friday and Easter, we are especially called to renew our determination to help bring ever new life and new love to everyone we meet and to all the leaders of our country.

   Let us thank the Crucified and Risen Christ that we have the opportunity and power to turn our Good Fridays into Easter Sundays.  And let us pray that we are able to reach out and help our crufidied neighbors from the diabolic attack from hell.

  

    

 

    

                    A FALSE GOD VERSUS THE TRUE GOD                                         

     There are 21 times in the Old Testament when God tells us not to have false gods.  Vladimir Putin seems to have missed all of them in his Sunday School lessons as a member of the Russian Orthodox Church. This severely disturbed man has created his own god, i.e., himself.  

       He was born in 1952, seven years after the end of World War II which had Murderously devasted his country..  And he is now acting as if he has never heard of the morally insance German leader Adoph Hitler.  Even worse, he is acting just as horrifically as Hitler did. 

       Putin, In his moral insanityhas created his own world, of which he is god.  I recently saw a picture of this false god standing alone, no doubt in one of his golden palaces, which serve as his heaven, watching a television screen which was showing the insancely immoral deveastation that he was inflicting on men, women and children of Ukraine.  There was a look of satisfaction on his face.

   Putin's life story tells of of a severely impoverished childhood. For a time he lived in a rat infested apartment, and was even attacked by a rat which he had cornered.  He was a major obedience roblem in school until a teacher helped him to change his attitude.  He then flourished intellectually.

   Later he joined the KGB, the Russian Intelligence Agency.  And that opened his path to becoming President of Russia.

                                           

  Dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, please hear the prayers of the Ukrainian people and of people throughout the world for peace in Ukraine and in the heart and mind of Vladimir Putin.  Amen      .  .  

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  Comments:  massimini7@gmail.com

   

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Quo Vadis 

 

   In 1896 Polish author Henry Sienkewicz wrote a book that contains this story:  It is the 300's and Emperor Nero is carrying out a persecution of Christians in Rome.  St. Peter is fleeing from Rome.  On the road he meets Jesus coming from the opposite direction.  He asks Jesus, "Quo vadis?"  i.e., "Where are you going?"  Jesus answers, ""To Rome, to be crucified again."

   Today, we can tell the same story with a crucial difference.  "Jesus can say, "I am going to America to be crucified again."  

    in fact he has already arrived.       

1.    Here in America Jesus is being crucified again

   - -by every American who chooses to act with aggressive ignorance rather than with peaceful understanding and genuine patriotism. . 

   - -by political leaders who pledge to preserve and protect the Constitiution and then openly betray their pledge. .

  --  by a broken educational system that almost guarantees failure for too many children. In Christ, we cannot tolerate a system in which a School superintendant said, "Our goal this year is to try to see to it that our graduates can read their diplomas."

-- by continuing racism that is literally lethal to Black Americans.

-- by a financial system that permits corporations to pay little or no taxes that could help alleviate poverty and hunger for the poor.

_--by a still overly clericalized Church that is losing members every day who should be applying their vocations to help make our society more human by making it more luminously alive in the way Jesus actively taught and empowered us to be.

I  -- In sum, Jesus is being crucified here in America, by everyone of us who are not using our God-giving gifts to do all that we can to fulfill Jesus' great prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven." 

    Now we should ask ourselves, "Quo vadimus?"  Where are we going?

    I humbly advise all of my readers from the other 106 countries where I thankfully have readers, to make your own list for your own country.  .

Comments:  Massimini7@gmail.com

                                                                                   

 

    

  

   

     

 

OURTWO CONSTITUTIONS

     Today, January 6th, 2022, we commemorate the attack on our country and our Constitution by a mob of people stirred up by a spiritually lost President.   

     Also today, we commemorate an attack on another Constitution, the one given to us by Jesus:  the Beatitudes.  .  

   The two Constitutiions have much in common.  They both are a "blueprint" for living as true, fully human beings in brother/sisterhood, with respect and love for one another.

   This day must be a day for us to rededicate ourselves to respecting both Constitutions in our daily lives.  We owe this to ourselves now and to those wo will inherit the country we leave for them.   We owe it to our coujntry's Founders.  We owe it to Jesus, who is the beautiful embodiment of the way we should all live in love with and for one another, with no exceptions.

   I repeat:  No exceptions.  The more we disagree with someone, the more we must honor our two Constitutions and work toward resolving our disagreements peacefully.  

   Today is a day to reflect and to resolve to live according to our two Constitutions as well as we can.  

                                                   God bless America

                                              All Glory to Jesus Christ 

  

   

   

  

 

 

 A BADLY NEEDED CHRISTMAS

      Christmas, of course celebrates the birth of Jesus.  More particularly, Christmas celebrates the coming of  Infinite, Eternal Divinity to earth in  the form of a Hebrew baby who was named Jesus. 

     Little wonder that the Angels sang, "Glory to God  in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests." (Lk. 3:14)
Glory to God!!"

    Jesus, who is Divinity in human form, is  the perfect link  between God and all of humanity.  John (4: 6)    His birth calls for us to be the blessed representatives of God-in-Human-Form in and for today's society.

    So Christmas is a special time for us to receive the gift that is God, and to be re-inspired to do whatever we can to help our society grow and evolve in ever greater and deeper peace and love for everyone without exception.  As Vatican II said, we are called in the Spirit of Christ to work to make the world more human.  This means that we are gifted and called to be ever more loving and self-giving of service to others for the sake of  order, jusrtice, peace and love in our society.   

    This Christmas, given the condition of America,  we need the presence and influence of Divinity very badly.  We need a life renewing Christmas, a rebirth of Christ, who is the very meaning and presence of unity in love for one another without exception.                                                                                                

   Our "One Nation under God, with liberty and justice for all," is fast becoming five separate nations, White, Brown,  Black, red and Yellow, within a Godless land of social and political collapse.  

     Very importantly, we have become a nation in which a frightening number of us are giving  pagan-like allegience to a hopelessly self-serving man who had deeply infected our political system with his personal sickness.  

    Under his evil spell, one half of our government has  collapsed into a frightened heap of political cowards who are endangering our democracy in order to placate his sickness.  Those of his followers who should protect our democracy do nothing to move our country forward so they can be reelected and then continue to do nothing to move our country forward.  

   In this season of the birth of Him who is the Light of the World, many of us live in political and moral darkness.  In order to truly celebrate this Chrtmas, we will have to find a way through our self-imposed darkness of mindless prejudice and stupid, brutal, politics.  Unhappily, this Christmas, the prognosis is poor.       

   This year, we should celebrate Christmas with special spiritual intensity.  We should cry out.  "Come, Lord Jesus" from the very  depts of our hearts and souls.  .  "Dear Jesus, our society, our Constitution and our nation itself are in serious danger of collapsing because of our own inability to live and work togeter in mutual love and caring for one another and for our national unity.  

     You who are Divine Love and Unity in human form, open our hearts and minds to appreciate the miracle of your presence in our world, in our country and in every country.  You came to give us fullness of life in the form of the gift of love for one another witout exception.  

     In your Spirit of Divine Love, help us celebrate a Christmas that is a reneweal of our love for everyone, without exception.  Thus we pray with all our hearts, "Come, Lord Jesus!" 

    

   

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I GREET THE DIVINITY IN YOU

   When members of the Hindu faith greet one another,  they say,  "Namaste", which means, "I greet, (bow to) the Divinity in you."  They recognize the presence of Divinity in one another.

   In our own way, we Christians can understand the meaning of this custom.  When Moses asked Divinity's name, Divinity answered, "Yahweh."  "I am that I am."  In today's language. God said, "I am Living, Divine Existence."  

     Everyone and everything that exists is a created image of Divine  Existence.  And thus everyone and everything is a created, space/time image of the Universal Christ, who is Divinity in the Universe and World.  .  This is is why St. Paul proclaimed, "Christ is all in all."  (Col. 3:11)  So we can truly say to one another, "I bow to the Divinity in you."  

    As we look at ourselves and one another, we should be conscious of the fact that we are looking at a created expression of Christ, who is God in human form.  St. Paul said, "Ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what He has made."  (Rom. 1:20)     

   In today's society, in fact especially in today's society, we should take some time to remind ourselves that Divinity is present in everyone we meet and in every part of the world around us.  We must learn to see and appreciate that everyone and everything s a blessed image of Jesus Christ, who is the true presence of Divinity on earth. 

    Omnipresent Divinity shows itself as the omnipresence of Love.  As I have mentioned before, Thomas Merton told us of the time he and a fellow monk went to town for some shopping.  When his brother Trappist went into a store, he stayed outside and looked around and realized that we was totally in love with every person he saw.  He was seeing Divinity present in everyone, making everyone a living image of Jesus, who is the True Christ, the true presence of Divinity in our humanity.  

 

   Our Christ consciousness  enables us to see the presence of the Divine in everyone.  Unhappily we can also see those in whom Christ is being crucified.  So it is very important that our love should  know no exceptions.  Christ gives us all the insight, the strength of soul to love everyone without exception.

        

   In Christ we have eyes to see the presence of Divinity's grace in everyone, in ourselves, our families, communities, corporations, political leaders,  et al.  We all have the ability to create a truly graced society.  We are all called and enabled to work to work toward building a truly human society in which we can see and bow to, God's universal, saving Love.          

      

   Our keen awareness of Divine Existence in ourselves, one another and in the world is called our Christ consciousness, our ever present awareness of Divinity in human form here on earth.  Moreover, our Catholic faith is universal.  We can see the equivalent consciousness of Divine presence in people who are not Christians, e.g., Jews, Hindus, Native Americans, and all people of good will. 

   We who live in the Catholic faith believe that we have access to the fullness of faith.  At the same time we should not believe that we are superior to any others.  In some of us, our faith can be poorly informed, even prejudicial.  The simplest soul in the world can be a great beacon of faith compared to some of us.

   Our faith is not some abstraction floating in the air.  It needs a compatible culture in which to live, grow and thrive.  That is why Church teaching, especially the almost forgotten teachings of Vatican II, leads us to be fully involved in the everyday world so we can live our faith to the best advantage for today's society.  A faith disconnected from the everyday world is a useless faith.  Even Trappist monks and cloistered nuns pray for us in our everyday world.  "Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven."

  The prayer does not mean that we should wait for God to straighten out our failings.   God has already given us the grace and strength to correct our own failures.  we Americans do not need to have the truly collapsed national culture we have created. Pope Francis is calling  a synod of bishops to develop contemporary ways to get the laity involved in today's society.  I pray that the bishops are capable of leading such a very badly needed effort.   

   Let us keep in mind:  God is with us.  God is within us!.   we are living, acting images of Christ, who has given us His Spirit. When we see a person let us be away that we are looking at an image of Christ.  And let us greet that person accordingly.  Let us remember that we are living in a fallen culture of e.g., fallen politicians, polluting and greedy corporations, failing urban schools, lingering rancid racism, , etc.  In all these example and more, people are being cheated of the opportunity to thrive.  In them, Jesus is being crucified anew.  

   We have eyes to see Christ in everyone, without exception.  From within everyone, Christ will look at us.  As long as we are doing whatever we can to alleviate his suffering and make Him more honored and obeyed, he will greet us with the great blessings, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

  

              

       

     

       

 AMERICA'S SPIRITUAL COLLAPSE

     I was in high school during World War II.  After D-Day, June 6, 1944, I bravely fantasized running onto the beach at Normandy with the invading Americans.  I would have proudly done everything I could for my beloved America.  Today I mourn for it.  

      I fear that an ever increasing number of us have lost respect for our  unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans, and for the rule of law contained in our Constitution.  

     our nation is experiencing an historical change.  The predominate color of our population is changing from White to Black and Brown.  In strong reaction, a frightened and frightening portion of White Americans, deeply committed to the notion of White privilege, have fallen into mindless, soul-sapping, aggressive social and political anger, and even violence against our fellow Americans of color.  Such behavior is not only immoral, but in its intensity it has it has fallen to the depth of our losing our God-given human dignity and integrity.  The result is that America is losing its soul and is falling beyond moral collapse into spiritual collapse.  

     We are losing touch with our deepest selves--with our humanity itself and with God.  If we continue on this path we will lose not only ourselves but our democracy and our country.  

     This spiritual collapse has been a long time coming.  I can think back to the 1960's when our World War II and 1950's culture fell apart and was followed by the naive immaturity of the Hippies, Woodstock and the "Coming of the Age of Aquarius," with its naive vision of "peace and understanding."  Unhappily, what followed was the 1970's and the "Me Generation."   

      We are choking in the ashes of an educational, religious and cultural collapse.  What we have left is a society in which people are murdered on the streets and in places of employment almost every day.  Today a former employee murdered eight of his former co-workers.  Then, in a symbol of our times, he killed himself.  Our culture is killing itself.  

     Too many of us have forgotten who we are as humans, Americans and the People of God.  We are living a lie.  St.  John tells us that Satan is the Father of Lies.  (Jn. 8:44)  And perhaps the worst lies are the lies that we tell to ourselves.  It is immoral to lie; it is spiritual collapse to not know or not care that you are lying.  

     Many corporate executives lie to themselves and believe that they deserve to be paid hundreds of times more than the employees.  Lies flood the Internet.  The self-deluded Evangelical preachers lie about their "messages" from God.       

     We are drowning in political lies.  President Trump told 30,000 lies during his tenure in office.  There is a reason for his behavior:  he is the victim of the emotionally and spiritually brutal treatment inflicted on him by his father.  But as president, he found a vast number of  Americans who, in their own way, had begun to lose their sense of truth and humanity.  Together, they formed a perfect storm. 

      The storm particularly showed itself on January 6th when a mob of demented Trump followers attacked our Capitol, causing five deaths and coming horrifically close to harming and maybe causing the death of members of Congress and even of Vice President Pence.  

     And yet, the storm continues.   A politician appeared on TV and calmly stated that the lethal attack was no different from an ordinary day when tourists visit the Capitol.  In Arizona, Trump's followers are  conducting a recount of votes, idiotically looking for bamboo in the ballots.  The House of Representatives removed a member from her duties because she told the truth, while, as above, it permits other members to tell truly insane lies.  Such human emptiness is beyond immorality.  It is a fall into evil!

     So, what are the People of Christ called to do in this present spiritual collapse?  Well, the Catholic bishops have one answer:  denying Communion to President Biden because he is "pro choice" regarding abortion.  And then what?   

     What are the Catholic laity (ever decreasing in number) being trained and commissioned to do in their everyday lives to help bring our society back to life?  They are the Church in today's broken society.  The Spirit of Christ fills the world, giving them the grace of enlightenment , strength and vocations to get actively involved in our society to help make it ever more clearly the Kingdom of God on Earth.  

     They are personally engaged in society every day.  And they enjoy the grace of Christ to give them insight into the worlds of the family, education, work, politics, etc.  They are the ones called by God to physically, morally and spiritual care for and elevate our society to make it more Christ-like in justice, order, peace, respect, etc., etc., all of which are expressions of love.

     So I suggest that the bishops put down the Book book of Canon Law and pick up the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and see how the Church really should operate.  Of course, I recommend as absolutely necessary, that they read the teachings of Vatican II, for which they have never shown a real understanding or will to implement.  

     In the meantime, may God give the laity the insight and will to implement their faith to help bring our everyday society one little step closer to being the Kingdom of God on Earth that Jesus prayed for.

  

  

 

NOT WHO, BUT WHAT KILLED JESUS

    There is a persistent misunderstanding among many Christians that the Jews killed Christ.  No.  Jesus was killed by a small group of religious/political leaders.  So to say that the Jews killed Christ is akin to saying  something like on January 6th the American people invaded the Capitol and killed five people.

    To be clear, God the Father did not send Jesus into the world to be killed.  Parents don't give birth to their children so they could be killed.  Jesus was sent to show us how to live our human lives within Divine Love.  He was killed by a very few people who were blinded by their own human power.  And he has been crucified ever since by the same human blindness.

   Example abound.  Our Catholic bishops, blind to Divine Love and to human love, permitted priests to kill children's spirits by sexually abusing them.  

   It appears that the killing of George Floyd by a police officer was an act of murderous power that blinded the officer to  both human and Divine Love.     

   Our true enemy, therefore, is blindness to Human and Divine Love.  And this blindness is self-imposed.  For example, I have lived long enough to see our American culture deteriorate from small town closeness and city neighborhood closeness to a scattered array of Americans who live in the same areas but don't know the people who live next door.

   Our schools are failing us, not because teachers don't care or don't work hard.  Most all of them care very much and work hard.  But the cannot overcome both a poor educational plan, e.g., that fails to teach human values for fear of being accused of teaching "religion," and the plight of children who are sent to schools almost hopelessly unprepared to learn.

   In sum, the collapse of neighborliness, effective education, strong family life, our political life and of Church effectiveness is crucifying our society today.  And sadly, there is no true resurrection in sight.

   We have many corrections to make in our Churches, our politics, ourselves and our society in order to be truly receptive to the Good News of Easter Resurrection.  With both our churches and schools not really ready to lead us, we are own our own. So we have to accept the cross we have created for ourselves and begin to work toward our personal resurrection and the resurrection of our o[ our educational programs, politics, society and culture.  

     Only in the love and power of the Risen Jesus can we succeed.  We have fallen far behind.  From our self inflicted cross we must reach out to the Innocent Crucified One and pray to him to help us toward the resurrection of our personal, family, social and political life.  And where necessary, of our spiritual life.  

   Only with Him and in Him can we succeed.  But as we do succeed, as we become newly resurrected in Christ, we will be able to proclaim to one another in His Love, HAPPY EASTER!    

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                     LORD, PLEASE LET ME SEE (Mt. 19:16-24)

   There are many ways to be blind besides physical blindness.  We can be personally  blind like the rich young man who identified himself as his money.  In order to get him to find his true self and human dignity and integrity, Jesus told him  to get rid of his riches.  Trapped in his false self, the young man walked away from Jesus.  

   We can be morally blind when we fail to see right from wrong.  A deeply sad example comes from political leaders who cater to the worst emotions of their people in order to get re-elected so they can continue to cater to their people's worst emotions.    

   We can be socially blind when we restrict our American citizenship to our own little physical and social "hometown" values, and look with suspicion and even hatred upon people who are different from us.

    Also, many of us are refusing to wear masks in public.  Blind to the truth that every right carries a responsibility, they claim that they have a right to act dangerously without caring for the people they may harm or even kill, 

    All these forms of blindness are examples of spiritual blindness.  These acts are examples of the loss of the dignity and integrity of our very soul that makes us humans.  

   "Lord, please let me see."  Christ has already answered our prayer.  In his Light, which is the Light of the World (Jn. 8:12) we are "everyday mystics" who can see the truth of our humanity and spirituality.  And we are "everyday prophets" who are called and enabled to "proclaim" Christ's truth by our actions to help people open their eyes and see the truth that in the One Body of Christ, we are all one regardless of color, nationality, social standing, etc., 

   In the darkness of today's society, Christ is depending upon us.  

COMMENTS:  amassimini"gmail.com

"Blind to the truth that every right carries a responsibility."  I like that idea.  LSP New Jersey

   

   

      

WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND HE IS US

   Back in 1970, Walt Kelly put these words in the mouth of his cartoon  character, Pogo.  Last week they came true, "thanks" to no one other than the President of the United States.

   In normal times an attack on our Capitol by insurrectionists would have been condemned at the highest levels of our government.  But these are not normal times.  This unholy attack was caused by President Donald Trump, aided and abetted by Congressional Republicans, who have lost all sense of duty, honor and patriotism.  The Republican Party has passed into history and has been replaced by the Trumpist Party.

   Why do I write this in a blog that deals with spirituality?  Because the attack on our Capitol is more than just a moral disgrace.  I can't say that the attackers had any real understanding of what they were doing.  They were beyond clear thinking and judging.  Beyond morality.

   Aided and abetted by our President, they showed that they had dehumanized themselves.  As a result they fell into the spiritually deformed hell of mindless killers--killers of our government, of our Constitution, and even of our fellow humans.

   I am furiously angry at what the insurrectionists did.  But I am not angry at them.  I mourn for them.  More than correction, they need resurrection. I specially mourn the youngest among them, like the young man pictured hanging from a balcony.  All that youth, all that possibility, all that hope and love, being horribly wasted!  Because of a spiritually dead President.

   Donald Trump leaves behind him a wasteland of millions of Americans who permitted themselves to be led into a spiritual swamp of ignorance, suspicious and hatred.  It will take a miracle to restore far too many of our brother and sister Americans to reasonability and genuine caring for the soul and wholeness of America.

   Benjamin Franklin famously said, "We have given you a republic, if you can keep it."  Our founders knew that in order for America to live and thrive, we need a strong family life, a a strong faith life and a strong sense of public service.  Our President and the insurrectionists attacked all three.  But they are not "others."  They are our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We have a very serious family problem.

    May God bless us with the understanding and will to restore our beloved country to the ideals of our Founders, and to be graced with the love and beauty that God desires for us and enables us to achieve.

Comments:  Massimini7@gmail.com

       

    

A MERRY AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS

      In these dark days of pandemic and concern, we remember the Star that shone over the birthplace of Christ.  

     Let us renew the hope, peace and love that is in our hearts because of His coming.                                                                                                                         

     A Merry and Blessed Christmas to you all. 

   

Thank you for reading my blog,

Anthony Massimini

   

THE SYMPHONY THAT IS CHRIST

    A young musician who was studying conducting was paying almost all his attention to the notes of the composition he was preparing to conduct.  His teacher told him he was missing the most important point.  The notes, he said, do not exist by themselves or for themselves.  They exist in patterns, in melodies.  It is the patterns, the melodies, that turn the individual notes into music.  If he did not see and conduct the patterns, he would conduct individual, disconnected sounds and miss the music that is greater than the individual notes and greater than himself.

    Unhappily, that is what happens to many of us Christians when we read Bible passages that were not meant to be taken literally.  Like the young conductor, we can easily read the words and miss the music, which is the symphony of God-with-us.  Without our consciousness  of the presence of God in the entire Bible, we are liable to give the texts our own meaning, with all our human limitations, including our errors and prejudices.

   To us Christians, God-With-Us has a name.  It is Christ, or the Christ Reality, Who is  God-With-Us within and throughout the entire universe from its very birth, 13.8 billion years ago.  With respect to our Jewish cousins who gave us what we call, The Old Testament," we Christians see the grand symphony of God-With-Us, Christ, beginning with the very first sentence of Genesis, which tells us that a mighty wind, the Spirit of God, swept over the initial dark abyss, bringing Divinity into the birth of the entire universe.  

   In the New Testament, St. John describes the same reality as God "speaking" Christ, i.e., Divinity's presence, into the newly created universe.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (1:Jn 1)   

   The "notes" of the Old Testament give us  beautiful and wonder-filled music.  The story of Adam and Even in the garden of Eden is a mythic wonder, i.e., a story that is not historically  true but that beautifully expresses the "music" of our creation by God, and our human frailty.  When we learned the scientific and historic truth of evolution, we were able to see ourselves from our very beginning as imperfect, yet deeply blessed and loved children of God.

   The symphony grows and develops in the wonder stories of the Great Flood and Noah's Ark.  Even the deliberately funny story of Jonah in the Whale carries the melody of love and resurrection.  And what poem or song can match the music of the 23rd Psalm, "The Lord is my Shepherd...?

   And when the ancients sent discords into the symphony of God, they had Prophets to call them back from their cacophony.

   For us Christians the symphonic music of the Bible builds until the blessed day when Christ, God-With-Us appears physically in the world in the person of Jesus.  Jesus is our Divine Way, Truth and Life.  (Jn. 14:6)  

   In Christ Jesus there is no place for hateful views of those who are different from us, racially, culturally, politically, etc., etc.  And there is no room for depressed and depressing predictions of the imminent end of the world, or for "infallible" predictions of election results, or for adamant refusal to accept true election results.

    In Christ Jesus there is room only for love for everyone without any exception.  And there is room only for loving confidence that Christ Jesus will get us through whatever crucifixions life may send us.

   At this crucial moment in our beloved country's history we must keep in our mind and heart our love of Christ Jesus, God-With-Us.  In him we find the beautiful music that is the symphony that is Christ, God-With-Us, who is the true melody of our lives and of our beloved America.  

Comments:  Massimini7@gmail.com

 

A TIME FOR PROPHETS

    This election is so important that we cannot in good faith turn away from the stark reality of this moment of our history.  As the People of Christ, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, we must speak truth about the condition of our country, and speak it loudly.  We are all prophets of Christ: we all have the grace, opportunity and responsibility to speak the truth as loudly and clearly as we can.

   The Truth of Christ is that we must vote to save our country, our very democracy, our rule of law, and our political and moral dignity.  That is what the contemporary prophets of Christ are called and empowered to do.

   First, let's get the important question of abortion out of the way.  In a very short time, Amy Coney Barrett will be sworn in to the Supreme Court.  She will give the Court the sixth conservative justice as opposed to three liberal justices.  So the Court can easily vote to end Roe v. Wade.   

   In the Spirit of Christ we must decide if we want to have a country and  a government that are based in the Constitution and the Rule of Law, and not on the whims of a President and his slavish followers who are operating out of the back woods of the American psyche.

   We have to decide if we want to continue to have corporations that pay very little taxes and have CEO's who receive obscene compensation while they keep the employees' salaries and benefits under tight control, and while they disregard the air pollution and physical damage they inflict on the environment.

   We have to decide how to enlighten and help those of us who are polluting our public life with political prejudices born of tribal mindsets, poor schooling and ineffective and even misleading religious leaders.   

   This election is testing us to show what level of humanity we want to live on.  It is all too clear that some of us are acting out of the primitive, or reptilian, part of our brain.  These are the ones who form and act in political hate groups.  Members of these groups live out of our basic instincts where we are controlled by pre-formed fears and prejudices that give birth to actions of hatred and violence.   These brothers and sisters of ours are victims of our social and political collapse.

   Lastly, we have to vote for leaders who will work for living conditions that are fair, just, safe and peaceful for all of us, with special concern for the poor, sick, vulnerable and outcast.  We have to vote for leaders who will give us better schools with better education plans that prepare our children not only to find good jobs but also to be good citizens.  We have to vote with care for our fellow Americans who do not have the opportunities that America owes them.  

   Christ is calling to us to be the prophets that his grace has formed us to be.  Now is the time to vote to help bring the Kingdom of God on earth, the Kingdom of Love for everyone without exception, ever closer to reality here in our beloved country.

   

MAKE GOOD TROUBLE, NECESSARY TROUBLE

    When Jesus sent his apostles out into the world to preach the good news of salvation, he knew they were going to get into trouble.  "I am sending you out as lambs among wolves."   (John. 18:25)   In fact, all of Jesus' apostles were killed--murdered--by the citizens of the world of evil, hatred and violence.  Like Jesus, his apostles paid the price for making good trouble.

   When John Lewis walked across the Edmund Pettis bridge, he also knew that he was going out as a lamb among wolves.  Being a citizen of the world of justice, peace and love, he went out to make good trouble.  And like the apostles before him, he shed his blood, terribly wounded by the citizens of the world of evil, hatred and violence.

   We live in a number of worlds:  a) the physical world of space and time, e.g., of nature, towns, cities  and countries;  b) the emotional world of feelings; c) the mental world of thought and understanding; d) the moral world of right and wrong; and e) the spiritual world of universal and personal consciousness which is the world of all-inclusive Creative, Healing and World-transforming  Love.

   We live in all these worlds at once.  And we have a choice.  We are called and enabled to build one world of beautiful, all-embracing justice, peace and love, a world that is the one radiant Body of Christ on earth.  This world in the one that loves Jesus.

   For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another.  Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them; if prophecy, in proportion to the faith; if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.  (Rom. 12:4-8)

   Or we can build a world of greed, hatred and evil, a world that is morally and spiritually lost, with broken individuals and,families, poor education, morally compromised political parties and government, etc.  This is the world that hates Jesus and his followers. (John 16:18-20)

   We are free to live in the world of our choice.  Jesus has called and empowered us build up the world of justice, peace and love for all people and for all of nature, with a special option for the poor, sick and outcast.  This is the world that is the Kingdom of God on earth that Jesus prayed to be built and developed.  "Thy Kingdom come...on earth."

   In building the Kingdom of God of earth we have to learn how to "get in the way" of the world that hates Jesus.  Thankfully, Jesus has taught and enabled us how to "get in the way" and "make good trouble."  He has made us everyday mystics and everyday prophets.  As everyday mystics we can see what people without faith cannot see.  (How many of those who attacked John Lewis and his fellow marchers called themselves Christians and attended Christian churches?)  

   As everyday prophets we can and must make good and necessary trouble by peacefully and lovingly working to open people's eyes and minds to the world of love, as Jesus did.  All we need is the commitment to act, with the gifts and opportunities that God provides to us.  

   St. Francis of Assisi very beautifully showed us how to make "good trouble:"

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love.

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

   

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive

It is is pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

   Thank you, St. Paul.  Thank you, St. Francis.  Thank you John Lewis.  Thank you, all who are making good trouble as you help build up the Kingdom of God on earth.  All that we do, we do for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ.  To him be all honor and glory now and forever.  Amen

   

PLEA FOR EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL AMERICANS

"Do you hear it?" I cry out.
Nothing.  So again I shout,
"Can't you hear the deadened nothingness?
Can't you hear the moaning sad distress?"
It shouts at us like angelic blasts of doom
In woeful gloom.
America is dying.

Black White, Yellow, Brown and Red,
Born with the right to get ahead.
Politicians with demonic verve,
Forgetting those whom they should gladly serve.
Depriving us of our God-given right
To live in light.
America is crying.

The rich ask, "What's this all about?
Look at the wealth we proudly tout.
We are makers, not those who take,
We leave the lazy in our wake."
And those left behind strive in vain to get ahead,
For daily bread.
America is sighing. 

Lady Liberty, old friend,
When will all this darkness end?
With saddened hope to you we cry and plead,
Help us as our hearts so sorely bleed.
With your harbor's light shine out new clarity,
New Charity.
America is dying.

A SPECIAL TIME TO BUILD

   No matter where you are reading this post, in any of the 100 countries from which I have received readers (Thank You!), it is almost certain that you are living with the corona virus on your mind.  Even when we are not thinking of the virus,its presence is influencing us and guiding us in the way we are acting and living.

   In a crazy, odd way, we have been forced into contemplation.  We can describe contemplation as our mystical awareness of God's existence, presence and guidance.  By "mystical" we mean our ability to see what non-believers cannot see.  Because of our faith we can "see" i.e., be aware of, God's presence, i.e., Divinity, in the universe, the world and within ourselves and everyone else. 

   Another word for Divinity is Loving, Life Giving and Guiding Existence.  If Loving, Life Giving and Guiding Existence were not present within us, we would not exist and we would not be capable of living in the love for ourselves and others that makes us the images and likenesses of God that we are.  

   In its own way, our consciousness of the corona virus makes us aware of and alert to the need to protect ourselves against this deadly pandemic.  It is a vital, life-protecting and guiding consciousness.  Even when we are not actually thinking of the virus, consciousness of it is there in the background guiding us and protecting us in everything we do.

   In the same way, even when we are not aware of Divine Love within us, it is always there, guiding and protecting us in  our everyday lives.  For example, think of the love we have for our parents, siblings, children, friends, others, and even plants and animals.  While we are paying attention to those we love, we are actually being guided by the Divine, Life-Giving Love that lives within us.

   Some of us might ask, "If Divine Love is with us always,  then why are we suffering with this virus, and with all the others diseases and kinds of distress that afflict us?"  In a recent post, I pointed out that God does not cause our troubles, nature does.  The Bible tells us, "There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. (Eccles. 3:1, and also, read the story of Job.)  We will be without troubles, sickness and death with God in eternity.

   We are here in limited space/time to work to build up the Kingdom of God here on earth, which is the Kingdom of Love.  "Thy Kingdom come, on earth."   The happiness we receive in eternity will depend on the love and joy we create here on earth.  At this time of a world-wide virus, we have a special call to build the Kingdom of Love for ourselves and for all others as well as we can, within the presence and power of the Divine Love that shines within us and is guiding us.