February 10, 2008

                The priest at Church said
                    Lent is about taking the focus
                    off ourselves and putting the focus
                    on God.

                The devil tempts —

                The devil wants us to be divided with
                    those over us — it then makes us
                    able to disobey the authority.

                Fr. Carter showed us how he always
                    obeyed his superiors — he never
                    talked about them he never
                    questioned his Jesuit superiors

                Now look at the 1st Reading —
                    Adam and Eve disobeyed God —
                    They thought they would be equal to God.
                    God took clay and breathed into it to
                    create Adam —

                Then Adam wanted to be equal to God.
                Can you imagine the human race
                    at the time of Noah —

                    So corrupt that God flooded the
                world and destroyed everything but Noah
                and the Ark to purify things.

                    Think of man enslaved in sin
                because of Adam and Eve's sin. Jesus
                came among us feeble creatures
                to be our Savior. Our Savior — Jesus
                the Son of God — the all powerful God
                took flesh and died to save us. He took
                on our sins mounted the cross and died for
                our sins.

                When people sin and act in jealousy,
                pride, anger, lust, selfishness —
                they teach others their ways —
                We all affect each other —

                    Look at the flooding earth at
                Noah — how the water spread and
                killed off the life —

                    Look at diseases, germs, cancer
                how it can kill off life.

                    Think of water that is life giving
                water in the scripture in the 3rd
                week of lent — the scripture Holy
                Saturday night "Come to the Water" — the
                thirsting of the people in the desert —
                so Moses begs God and God gives them
                water for their thirst when Moses
                strikes the rock —

                    Think of the slavery of the
                people and Moses did as God
                wanted and divided the Red Sea —

                    This prefigures baptism —
                from slavery to new life.

                    Think of the water and blood
                coming forth from the pierced
                Heart of Jesus — from His pierced
                Heart the Church was born —

                    Water for baptism

                    Blood for the Eucharist

                Oh I remember the ecstasies when I
                wrote the Mass Book — at first Jesus
                gave me such insight into understanding
                the great gift of the Eucharist, but
                later the ecstasies and revelations came when
                the Word was read — The Bread of Life
                is the Word and the Eucharist. I
                believe that as we go to the Eucharist —
                God helps us understand more deeply
                insight into His Word — As we
                are saturated more and more with His
                grace through reception of the
                Eucharist we become more enlightened
                in hearing His Word — the Word is
                like a two-edged sword.

                    The priest has such a gift to read
                the Word — to celebrate the Mass

                    The Word and the Eucharist is
                the Bread of Life — In today's scripture
                it says

                   "Not by bread alone does man live,
                    but by every Word that comes
                    from the mouth of God"

                    Think of God covering the earth
                at the time of Noah. All through
                salvation history God is renewing
                the human race.

                    There is this battle for man between
                following God or giving into the devil.

Excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.
P.60-61
 

136. THE FOURTH DAY

        A MEDITATION ON TWO STANDARDS

The one of Christ, our supreme leader and lord,
the other of Lucifer, the deadly enemy of our
human nature

PRAYER.   The usual preparatory prayer.

window at a former Jesuit Seminary

137. FIRST PRELUDE.   This is the history. Here it will be that Christ calls and wants all beneath His standard, and Lucifer, on the other hand, wants all under his.

138. SECOND PRELUDE.   This is a mental representation of the place. It will be here to see a great plain, comprising the whole region about Jerusalem, where the sovereign Commander-in-Chief of all the good is Christ our Lord; and another plain about the region of Babylon, where the chief of the enemy is Lucifer.

139. THIRD PRELUDE.   This is to ask for what I desire. Here it will be to ask for a knowledge of the deceits of the rebel chief and help to guard myself against them; and also to ask for a knowledge of the true life exemplified in the sovereign and true Commander, and the grace to imitate Him.
   

FIRST PART

                        THE STANDARD OF SATAN

140. FIRST POINT.   Imagine you see the chief of all the enemy in the vast plain about Babylon, seated on a great throne of fire and smoke, his appearance inspiring horror and terror.

141. SECOND POINT.   Consider how he summons innumerable demons, and scatters them, some to one city and some to another, throughout the whole world, so that no province, no place, no state of life, no individual is overlooked.

142. THIRD POINT.   Consider the address he makes to them, how he goads them on to lay snares for men and bind them with chains. First they are to tempt them to covet riches (as Satan himself is accustomed to do in most cases) that they may the more easily attain the empty honors of this world, and then come to overweening pride.

   The first step, then, will be riches, the second honor, the third pride. From these three steps the evil one leads to all other vices.
   

SECOND PART

THE STANDARD OF CHRIST

143.   In a similar way, we are to picture to ourselves the sovereign and true Commander, Christ our Lord.

144. FIRST POINT.   Consider Christ our Lord, standing in a lowly place in a great plain about the region of Jerusalem, His appearance beautiful and attractive.

145. SECOND POINT.   Consider how the Lord of all the world chooses so many persons, apostles, disciples, etc., and sends them throughout the whole world to spread His sacred doctrine among all men, no matter what their state or condition.

146. THIRD POINT.   . . .
   

end of excerpt of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

                Adam and Eve sinned — They were given
                great gifts from God in the garden
                before their sin

                    Death entered the world —
                    At Mass today we get
                the great reading in Romans

Romans 5: 12-19

Well then; it was through one man that sin came into the world, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned. Sin already existed in the world before there was any law, even though sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Nonetheless death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sin was not the breaking of a commandment, as Adam's was. He prefigured the One who was to come . . .

    There is no comparison between the free gift and the offence. If death came to many through the offence of one man, how much greater an effect the grace of God has had, coming to so many and so plentifully as a free gift through the one man Jesus Christ! Again, there is no comparison between the gift and the offence of one man. One single offence brought condemnation, but now, after many offences, have come the free gift and so acquittal! It was by one man’s offence that death came to reign over all, but how much greater the reign in life of those who receive the fullness of grace and the gift of saving justice, through the one man, Jesus Christ. One man’s offence brought condemnation on all humanity; and one man’s good act has brought justification and life to all humanity. Just as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience are many to be made upright.

                after the Genesis reading of the clay
                and how the devil tempted Adam
                and Eve and they sin —

                    This 1st Sunday of Lent we get the
                following Gospel —

Matthew 4: 1-11

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the desert to be put to the test by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was hungry, and the tester came and said to him, ‘If you are Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.’ But he replied, ‘Scripture says: 

    Human beings live not on bread alone 
    but on every word 
        that comes from the mouth of God.’ 

The devil then took him to the holy city and set him on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says: 

    He has given his angels orders about you, 
    and they will carry you in their arms 
    in case you trip over a stone.’ 

Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says: 

    Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ 

Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all these, if you fall at my feet and do me homage.’ Then Jesus replied, ‘Away with you, Satan! For scripture says: 

    The Lord your God is the one 
        to whom you must do homage, 
    him alone you must serve.’ 

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels appeared and looked after him.

                In the second week of lent
                we have the Transfiguration —

                    Week 1 - Adam was selfish he sinned

                    Week 2 - Transfiguration
                                    The New Adam
               

                    I had this great vision in China January 21st.   

Excerpt from January 22, 2008

                    When Jesus appeared to me in the mural
                over the altar in China — light was on
                Him — like a bolt of lightening coming
                down

                First I saw this light as if it came
                    upon Him, His whole body shown
                    lighted — so brightly, but it was
                    as if a light came as a beam from
                    the direction shown — from
                    above

                LIGHT, LIGHT, LIGHT

                Jesus spoke through me then —

                Then the blackest, black around
                    the left arch particularly the
                    left side

end of excerpt

Jonah 3: 10  

Romans 13: 11-14

Besides, you know the time has come; the moment is here for you to stop sleeping and wake up, because by now our salvation is nearer than when we first began to believe. The night is nearly over, daylight is on the way; so let us throw off everything that belongs to the darkness and equip ourselves for the light. Let us live decently, as in the light of day; with no orgies or drunkenness, no promiscuity or licentiousness, and no wrangling or jealousy. Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop worrying about how your disordered natural inclinations may be fulfilled.

Matthew 24: 37-44

‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it be when the Son of man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept them all away. This is what it will be like when the Son of man comes. Then of two men in the fields, one is taken, one left; of two women grinding at the mill, one is taken, one left.

‘So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Isaiah 11: 1-10

A shoot will spring 
    from the stock of Jesse, 
a new shoot will grow from his roots. 
On him will rest the spirit of Yahweh, 
the spirit of wisdom and insight, 
the spirit of counsel and power, 
the spirit of knowledge 
    and fear of Yahweh: 
his inspiration will lie in fearing Yahweh. 
His judgement will not be 
    by appearances. 
his verdict not given on hearsay. 
He will judge the weak with integrity 
and give fair sentence 
    for the humblest in the land. 
He will strike the country 
    with the rod of his mouth 
and with the breath of his lips 
    bring death to the wicked. 

Uprightness will be 
    the belt around his waist, 
and constancy the belt about his hips. 

The wolf will live with the lamb, 
the panther lie down with the kid, 
calf, lion and fat–stock beast together, 
with a little boy to lead them. 
The cow and the bear will graze, 
their young will lie down together. 
The lion will eat hay like the ox. 
The infant will play 
    over the den of the adder; 
the baby will put his hand 
    into the viper’s lair. 
No hurt, no harm will be done 
on all my holy mountain, 
for the country will be full 
    of knowledge of Yahweh 
as the waters cover the sea.

That day, the root of Jesse, 
    standing as a signal for the peoples, 
will be sought out by the nations 
    and its home will be glorious.

Matthew 3: 1-12

 In due course John the Baptist appeared; he proclaimed this message in the desert of Judaea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.’ This was the man spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said:

    A voice of one that cries in the desert,
   ‘Prepare a way for the Lord,
    make his paths straight.’

This man John wore a garment made of camel–hair with a leather loin–cloth round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming retribution?  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance, and do not presume to tell yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father," because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees, so that any tree failing to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire. I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who comes after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing–fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing–floor and gather his wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’

Now John had heard in prison what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?’ Jesus answered, ‘Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, those suffering from virulent skin–diseases are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the good news is proclaimed to the poor; and blessed is anyone who does not find me a cause of falling.’

    As the men were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John, 'What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces. Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of whom scripture says:

Look, I am going to send my messenger
    in front of you
to prepare your way before you.

    'In truth I tell you, of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.

Yahweh spoke to Ahaz again and said: 

Ask Yahweh your God for a sign, 
either in the depths of Sheol 
    or in the heights above. 

    But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask. I will not put Yahweh to the test.’
    He then said: 

    Listen now, House of David: 
    are you not satisfied 
        with trying human patience 
    that you should try 
        my God’s patience too? 
    The Lord will give you a sign in any case: 
    It is this: the young woman is with child 
    and will give birth to a son 
    whom she will call Immanuel.

From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the service of the gospel that God promised long ago through his prophets in the holy scriptures.

    This is the gospel concerning his Son who, in terms of human nature was born a descendant of David and who, in terms of the Spirit and of holiness, was designated Son of God in power by resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ, our Lord, through whom we have received grace and our apostolic mission of winning the obedience of faith among all the nations for the honour of his name. You are among these, and by his call you belong to Jesus Christ. To you all, God's beloved in Rome, called to be his holy people. Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1: 13-16

Your minds, then, must be sober and ready for action; put all your hope in the grace brought to you by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Do not allow yourselves to be shaped by the passions of your old ignorance, but as obedient children, be yourselves holy in all your activity, after the model of the Holy One who calls us, since scripture says, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’

Genesis 9: 11-17

And I shall maintain my covenant with you: that never again shall all living things be destroyed by the waters of a flood, nor shall there ever again be a flood to devastate the earth.’ 

    ‘And this’, God said, ‘is the sign of the covenant which I now make between myself and you and every living creature with you for all ages to come: I now set my bow in the clouds and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I gather the clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I shall recall the covenant between myself and you and every living creature, in a word all living things, and never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all living things. When the bow is in the clouds I shall see it and call to mind the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth, that is, all living things.’ ‘That’, God told Noah, ‘is the sign of the covenant I have established between myself and all living things on earth.’