DIGGING FOR HEAVENLY GOLD ON EARTH: HERE I STAND, I CAN DO NO OTHER.

I have sympathy for Father Martin Luther, founder of the Lutheran expression of loving Christ, and who nailed to the door of the Whittenburg Cathedral his ninety-five theses, which he wanted the Catholic Church to debate so they could reform. As a result of stirring the pot, which had become cold to some, he unwittingly did the same thing as his thesis intended. Although unintended, he inspired the Catholic Counter-Reformation, or Revival, to address some of the same topics he wanted discussed at the Ecumenical Council of Trent. He also unleashed unintended consequences that, in my estimation, got out of our control and led to what we now know as the Protestant Reformation. The Catholic Church is in constant need of reformation because, Pope, Bishop, or Priest, they are members of the human race, all essentially flawed in their choice of good or evil by the archetypal choice of Adam and Eve. The rise of the contemplative dimension of the Catholic Church, consisting of 23 different rites, with St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, in 540 A.D, basis ongoing consicousness and complexity based on earlier expressions of the need for an interior conversion of the individual, both dimensions are nothing else than a dualistic struggle between authority that is external on a universal scale, and the profound personal conversion that takes place within each individual Catholic as they encounter the energy of Christ in the upper room of their inner self. These two expressions both come directly from Christ and express a universality in which individuals take these tools to “Have in them the mind of Christ Jesus,” and, in the upper room of their inner selves, read Scriptures, and listen to Christ and the Holy Spirit, “with the ear of the heart,” as St. Benedict recommends in his Rule.

Those who take its teachings and make it real where they are and as they are, but within a framework of authority and discipline highlighted by the primacy of Peter and the unbroken line of bishops. Both expressions exist to equip baptized individuals with the tools they need to dig deeper into their ever-growing consciousness and complexity as the Body of Christ in each age confronts new and challenging anomalies to the Scriptures and what went before, through the ecumenical councils. The Holy Spirit is the lifeblood of the authoritative dimension of the Catholic Church, and guarantees its survival. But the Holy Spirit is also the energy that allows each individual Catholic to fulfill their intended evolution as humans, and move to the reason we were created and cultivated from the moment of creation. This is a mark of the Catholic Church: unity with diversity. The reality of the movement of the Catholic Church throughout time is one of conversion and renewal, although some times are better than others. Father Martin Luther and others who sincerely wanted to make Christ the center of the Church again (in their opinion) opted to change what could not be changed because it came from Christ, even though it is always in need of reform. The ultimate overhaul that affects me is conversio morae (daily conversion of heart), in which I use Cistercian practices and prayers to sit next to Christ on a couch and wait for the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, as I can receive it (capacitas dei).

THE GRAND FINALE THAT IS WITHOUT END

I conclude my series of blogs on The Art of Contemplative Practice by offering you my version of the ninety-five theses. These ideas are more summaries of where I have been and where I am, but definitely not the end of my processing of The Divine Equation. Like St. Paul, I run the race for the prize that eludes me on earth, but wish to do the will of the Father and learn to listen to God in that Holy of Holies, the temple of the Holy Spirit in the upper room of my inner self.

REFLECTIONS ON MARTIN LUTHER’S SEARCH FOR A DEEPER CONNECTION WITH JESUS.

I wrestled about how I would approach the subject of reforming the Church and what I consider to be a noble effort at having in them the mind of Christ Jesus, without slipping into a stance of “My God can beat your God,” or the consuming and almost fanatical focus on proving another one wrong because they don’t fit the mould that I have judged spirituality to be. What a waste of time for me to worry about whether others have a truth that I have determined is the interpretation of what Jesus wanted handed down to all of us. For me, this is borderline idolatry, with me being the golden calf for others to worship. If you alone are your own pope and ecumenical council, oblivious to the dynamics of the Mystery of Faith that the Holy Spirit has protected from human dilution (even from Popes or the Magisterium of the Catholic Church).

I struggle not to condemn others without looking into their hearts to recognize the effects of original sin on all of us, atheists included. No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” without the Holy Spirit.”

At the deepest part of my humanity, with the knowledge that allows me to begin to seek answers to the Divine Equation, which is my awareness, not of who God is, but who I am, I alone can choose to answer that ultimately defining characteristic of humanity–who determines what is good or evil for me to grow in complexity and consciousness to become whole again after the Fall of Adam and Eve. God shared Himself, the paradigm we all must retrace in whatever circumstances we find ourselves each day for humanity, not exclusively but inclusively. I must act with that same approach of being a servant of Christ, first of all to myself and my personal conversion (conversio morae) and then just sitting next to Christ and let my light show on the stand of my inner self, so that all may see my good works and give glory to the Father for what His adoption as done in me (or you). I do not judge anyone who proclaims that Jesus is the Son of God, Savior, as they see reality. Still, I do not confuse loving others with giving up my hard-won inheritance so that others and I become one, despite conflicting principles and beliefs. Many an early Church martyr had to undergo death, rather than offer incense to Caesar and give up what Jesus wanted for us. For me, I respect the Holy Spirit in everyone in front of me (or at least give it a good shot). Still, I will not give up that for which countless people have suffered the martyrdom of blood or the martyrdom of ordinary living in carrying our cross daily to follow Christ. I follow the advice of St. Paul, “Do not judge anyone inside the Church, and let God judge those outside of it. Here I stand, I can do no other. I favor the reforms of

My Catholic Church is not your Catholic Church because I am not you; you are not me; God is not us, and we, most certainly, are not God. Yet the precious heritage of Eucharist, Apostolic Succession, Baptism, and Confirmation is unique to the Catholic Church, not because I believe them but because Christ allows me to sit in His presence and imbibe grace (divine energy) as I can hold it (capacitas dei).

If I build new wineskins or create my own Catholic Church, I do so with God as the builder, Christ as the contractor, and the Holy Spirit as the sustainer of my house. Each of us must build based on what we know, what we think love is, and what we view as accurate. In the end, God judges each of us according to our works and the sincerity of our hearts. Even though I built my own Catholic Church, I use its blueprints to try to make it correctly during my lifetime, and with the evolving complexity and consciousness I have synced with all of reality, I resonate with it as building materials. So I am not a part of the Catholic Church as much as it is an essential part of me.

Here are my ninety-five theses, or probably more appropriately, the cryptic statements of a lifetime of struggling to become less and less me and more and more Christ (capacitas dei), which I have nailed on the door of that upper room of my inner self. I will state each thesis in bold below, but unlike Father Luther, my pride won’t let me do that without some commentary. What follows is my interpretation of what it means to be a Catholic in this age, as I am, and where I am.

As with Martin Luther, here I stand, I can do no other.

1. I AM ADOPTED BY THE FATHER TO INHERIT AND BE WITH FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT NOW, AND LATER ON WITH CHRIST IN HEAVEN. I am signed or tattooed with the cross on my spirit at Baptism and anointed priest, prophet, and king in keeping with the Father, inviting me to be an adopted son or daughter and heir to the kingdom of heaven, both on earth.
2. THAT IN ALL THINGS, GOD BE GLORIFIED. I realize that all I do is for the glory of God in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. The God who is, who was, and who will be at the end of the ages. _Cistercian doxology.
3. I USE THE DIVINE EQUATION TO PENETRATE THE MYSTERY OF MY HUMANITY USING THE MYSTERY OF FAITH. The Divine Equation, formed from a lifetime of digging deeper for heavenly gold, has nothing to do with who God is. Still, rather God through Christ and the Holy Spirit being present to me so that I can unlock the three longings for which my hungry heart is in dissonance.
4. THREE LONGINGS OF MY HUMAN HEART NEED SATISFYING. All three of these desires are restless until they rest in Christ.
5. MY FIRST LONGING IS TO DISCOVER THE KNOWLEDGE OF MY HUMAN CONDITION THAT WILL ALLOW ME TO EVOLVE FROM ANIMALITY AND RATIONALITY TO THE DEEPEST LEVEL OF MY HUMANITY. Way down deep, the words of St. Augustine resonate, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”
6. MY SECOND LONGING IS TO DISCOVER THE MEANING OF A LOVE THAT WILL ENABLE ME TO MOVE FROM MERE HUMAN TO THAT OF AN ADOPTED SON (DAUGHTER) OF THE FATHER. What it means to be Catholic is to hunger consistently and constantly with an ever-deepening appreciation of what it means to love, with Christ as my mentor and the Holy Spirit my source of energy.
7. THE THIRD LONGING OF MY HUNGERY HEART IS TO POSSESS THE CERTITUDE THAT LOVE AND KNOWLEDGE FROM A SOURCE OUTSIDE OF MY NATURE CAN RAISE ME TO BEING A NEW CREATION. I use my reason and free choice to select a way of thinking that leads to the truth, but one that is outside the corruption of human rationalizing and pride.
8. JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, SAVIOR VOLUNTEERED TO BECOME HUMAN TO NOT ONLY TELL ME BUT SHOW ME HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN THROUGH BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION. (Phillipians 2:5-12) My humanity, good as it is by nature, is flawed and incapable of the power needed to take the next step in my evolution. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved, says Scripture.
9. THERE IS BUT ONE KINGDOM, BUT THREE DISTINCT KINGS OVER EACH. The template of all reality.
10. EACH OF THE THREE KINGDOMS IS PURE ENERGY OF THE DIVINE NATURE: THE PURE ENERGY OF KNOWING OF ALL THAT IS OR WAS OR WILL BE; THE PURE ENERGY OF LOVE THAT FUELS ALL OF REALITY; THE PURE ENERGY OF ABSOLUTE TRUTH AGAINST WHICH ALL REALITY IS MEASURED.
11. AS I HAVE STUMBLED DOWN THE PATH OF MY LIFETIME, SIX QUESTIONS HAVE EMERGED, QUESTIONS THAT HAPPEN TO BE ANSWERED BY THE SIX THRESHOLDS I HAVE PASSED, ALL FROM THE AWARENESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. I WILL SPEND THE REMAINDER OF MY LIFETIME CONTINUING TO PROCESS THESE SIX QUESTIONS TO GROW EVER DEEPER IN CHRIST JESUS (Capacitas Dei). They are:
12. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE (ALL REALITY)?
13. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF MY LIFE WITHIN THAT PURPOSE?
14. WHAT DOES REALITY LOOK LIKE?
15. HOW DOES IT ALL FIT TOGETHER?
16. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOVE FIERCELY OR PROFOUNDLY AT THE DEEPEST LEVEL OF MY HUMANITY?
17. I KNOW I AM GOING TO DIE: NOW WHAT?
18. MY CATHOLIC FAITH IS A WAY WHERE I ALONE ACCESS THE TRUTH FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT TO LEAD A LIFE OF PENANCE AND REPENTANCE FOR MY SINS (MISSING THE TRUTH) AND TRY TO SIN NO MORE.
19. THE Church IS CHRIST PRESENT IN EVERY AGE TO BE OPEN TO EVERY HUMAN TO FULFILL WHAT HUMAN NATURE WAS INTENDED TO BE, BUT WHICH ADAM AND EVE CHOSE TO REJECT.
20. THE Church, IMPERFECT AS IT IS BECAUSE HUMANS LEAD IT AND FOLLOW (LIKE YOU AND ME), YET PROVIDING ALL THAT I NEED TO SUSTAIN ME AS I RUN THE GAUNTLET OF CHOICES FOR WHAT IS GOOD OR EVIL FOR MY HUMANITY.
21. I AM THE NEXUS OF WHERE THE Church UNIVERSAL MEETS MY PARTICULAR EXPERIENCES OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN.
22. I NEED HELP TO OVERCOME THE SEDUCTION OF THE EFFECTS OF FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHAT I THINK IS GOOD FOR ME, BUT WHICH IS ACTUALLY DEATH TO MY REACHING THAT NEXT LEVEL OF MY EVOLUTION.
23. BEING CATHOLIC MEANS NOT BEING SATISFIED WITH WHERE I AM IN MY EVOLUTION, BUT RATHER LONGING TO MOVE EVER DEEPER INTO THE MYSTERY OF MY HUMANITY.
24. THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF CITIZENSHIP I NEED TO EXPLORE, IF I AM TO MOVE DEEPER INTO THE VERY FABRIC OF ALL REALITY.
25. THE FIRST CITIZENSHIP DEALS WITH WHERE I AM IN TERMS OF MATTER (PHYSICAL UNIVERSE, PROSCRIBED BY THE LAWS OF NATURE, PECULIAR TO IT.
26. THE SECOND TYPE OF CITIZENSHIP REQUIRES THAT I USE REASON AND CHOICES OF GOOD OR EVIL TO MOVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF MY HUMANITY, THAT IS ONE WHERE I MUST CHOOSE TO ADOPT THE WAY JESUS HAS POSITIONED ME TO FIND THE TRUTH, AND SO LEAD A MORE SOPHISTICATED HUMANITY, ONE WHERE I WILL LIVE FOREVER.
27. DUAL CITIZENSHIP MEANS WHATEVER THAT WAY OF CHRIST IS, I WILL FOLLOW IT, NOT JUST PHYSICAL EXISTENCE, BUT AT A DEEPER PENETRATION INTO WHAT HUMAN NATURE WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHOUT THE SIN OF ADAM AND EVE. JESUS REDEEMED US FROM STAGNATION AND THE LACK OF MOVEMENT THAT NATURE HAD ORIGINALLY INTENDED.
28. BECAUSE I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO EXISTS AS ME, JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS TO ALLOW ME IN MY TIMEFRAME TO DISCOVER WHO I AM AND ANSWER THE SIX QUESTIONS THAT UNLOCK THE MYSTERY OF FAITH.
29. PROVING GOD EXISTS IS A WASTE OF TIME. I KNOW WHO GOD IS BY DISCOVERING WHO I AM WITH THE ENERGY THAT COMES FROM A NATURE BEYOND MY PAY GRADE.
30. BEING CATHOLIC MEANS I AVAIL MYSELF OF THE GIFTS AND TOOLS PROVIDED BY THE CATHOLIC Church THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES, THOSE INSTITUTED BY CHRIST TO GIVE GRACE TO EACH PERSON, AS WE ARE AWARE OF OUR DAILY CONVERSION FROM THE FALSE SELF TO MY TRUE SELF.
31. “THE BIBLE DOES NOT TELL YOU HOW THE HEAVENS for it, BUT HOW TO for it TO HEAVEN,” –GALILEO USING THE SCRIPTURES TO PROVE SOMEONE ELSE IS WRONG IS NOT RIGHT.
32. FOUR QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENTS LINK ME DIRECTLY WITH GOD, UNBROKEN, AND LIKE AN UMBILICAL CORD. THEY ARE: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.
33. ATTENDING EUCHARIST WITHOUT REALIZING THAT EACH ONE HOUSES THE TABERNACLE WHERE THE REAL PRESENCE IS KEPT AFTER WE RECEIVE IT, MISSES THE POINT OF EUCHARIST AS REAL FOOD AND REAL DRINK FOR WHATEVER WE FACE IN LIFE.
34. IF THERE WERE NOT THE MANY WAYS WE HAVE TO FORGIVE SINS, ESTABLISHED BY JESUS, THEN WE HUMANS WOULD BE LEFT TO REAP THE REWARDS OF OUR SINFULNESS. PENANCE IS A SACRAMENT INSTITUTED BY CHRIST TO MAKE ALL THINGS NEW, AGAIN. LIKE EUCHARIST, IT IS WHERE WE ASK FOR MERCY AND FORGIVENESS FOR WANDERING OFF THE TRACK.
35. THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS ARE THOSE THAT ARE MY FALSE SELF AND WHICH I ALONE MUST PURGE BY REPLACING THEM WITH THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
36. CAPACITAS DEI IS THE UNSPOKEN AND UNWRITTEN TATTOO ON MY HEART THAT ALLOWS ME TO FULFILL THE LONGING TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST AND MOVE TO THAT DEEPEST LEVEL OF MY HUMANITY.
37. THE DIVINE EQUATION IS THE SIX QUESTIONS I MUST ANSWER TO MOVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF MY EVOLUTION, BEING, AND MAINTAINING ADOPTION AS SON OR DAUGHTER OF THE FATHER.
38. THIS DIVINE EQUATION DOES NOT PROVE WHO GOD IS AS MUCH AS IT SHOWS ME WHO I AM AS A HUMAN BEING AT THE DEEPEST LEVEL OF MY EVOLUTION.
39. I CAN SLIGHTLY KNOW WHO GOD IS BY LOOKING AT THE EFFECTS OF PURE KNOWLEDGE, PURE LOVE, AND ABSOLUTE TRUTH (GOD’S IMAGE AND LIKENESS) IN WHO I AM.
40. WHO I AM IS NOT WHOM I WILL BECOME BECAUSE I SEEK TO SIT IN THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST EACH DAY ALL DAY AND WAIT FOR WHATEVER COMES. THIS IS A CONTEMPLATION OF ENERGY THAT I NEED TO KEEP FROM SLIPPING BACK INTO SLOTH AND THE OTHER DEADLY SINS.
41. IF I WANT TO REPLACE HATRED, I MUST REPLACE IT WITH LOVE. I MUST BE AWARE ENOUGH TO BE WHAT I WISH TO REPLACE INSIDE ME.
42. MERCY AND PENANCE ARE MY CONSTANT MANTRA TO THE FATHER, THROUGH THE PASSION AND DEATH OF THE SON, AND THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ON THE APOSTLES, OR ANYONE WILLING.
43. IN ALL I DO, IN ALL I THINK, I TRY TO BE AWARE THAT CHRIST MUST INCREASE AND I MUST DECREASE. I SIT IN SILENCE AND SOLITUDE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND ASK FOR WHAT I NEED FOR THE MOMENT TO MOVE FROM MY FALSE SELF TO MY TRUE SELF.
44. IN PRAYER, I ALWAYS ASK FOR WHAT I NEED; IN THE OVERSHADOWING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHEN I ABANDON MY EARTHLY SELF TO WHATEVER CHRIST WANTS ME TO HAVE, I RECEIVE WHATEVER THE FATHER KNOWS I NEED TO CONTINUE MY PROCESS OF BEING AN ADOPTED SON (DAUGHTER) OF THE FATHER.
45. THE MINDSET OF A CATHOLIC UNIVERSALIST (FOR ME, THE ROMAN RITE) IS ONE OF CONSTANTLY SEEKING MERCY IN THE CONTEXT OF DAILY PRAYING MY ROSARY OF OUR LADY OF AKITA SO THAT OTHERS MAY BE LOOSED FROM THEIR SINS.
46. THE BLESSED MOTHER IS THE FIRST OF ALL CHRISTIANS, MOTHER OF GOD, BUT NOT DIVINE IN NATURE, WHO INTERCEDES ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER SAINTS IN HEAVEN WITH ME TO THE FATHER.
47. I USE THE WORDS OF THE BLESSED MOTHER EACH TIME I PRAY AND LISTEN AT THE FEET OF JESUS, “DO WHAT HE TELLS YOU.”
48. MY MINDSET IS TO PRAY UNCEASINGLY USING MY WHOLE CONSCIOUSNESS, WITH ALL MY MIND, WITH ALL MY HEART, AND WITH ALL MY STRENGTH; AND TO LOVE MY NEIGHBOR AS MYSELF.
49. I FOLLOW THE CISTERCIAN PRACTICES AND CHARISMS (TRAPPIST) AS I UNDERSTAND THEM AND CAN TRANSLATE THEM INTO MY LAY CISTERCIAN WAY EACH DAY.
50. TWO GIFTS THAT JESUS LEFT THE Church AS ITS HERITAGE ARE BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN DAILY LIFE.
51. TWO GIFTS THAT JESUS AUTHORIZED THE APOSTLES AND BISHOPS OF THE Church TO PASS DOWN TO EACH INDIVIDUAL YOU OR ME, ARE EUCHARIST, TO GIVE OF HIMSELF AS REAL FOOD AND DRINK, AND PENANCE, TO ALLOW HUMANITY TO RESTORE ITSELF TO HARMONY WITH GOD AND MAKE ALL THINGS NEW IN OUR RELATIONSHIP COVENANT.
52. BEING A CATHOLIC UNIVERSALIST (ROMAN RITE) MEANS I MUST CONSISTENTLY AND CONSTANTLY MAKE NEW WINESKINS TO HOLD THE NEW WINE THAT CHRIST POURS INTO ME. ONLY I CAN MAKE NEW WINE. THE Church TEACHES US HOW TO DO THAT BY CARRYING MY CROSS DAILY IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF CHRIST JESUS.
53. THE QUANTUM CATHOLIC Church HAS AN UMBILICAL CORD THAT COMES FROM GOD THROUGH CHRIST AND IS MAKE NEW IN EACH GENERATION JUST SO THAT I CAN PLACE MYSELF IN THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST AND, WITH THE ENERGYOF THE HOLY SPIRIT, OFFER TO THE FATHER WHAT MY HUMAN NATURE, OF ITSELF, COULD NEVER DO; TO GIVE PRAISE TO THE FATHER AND TO THE SON AND TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, NOW AND FOREVER. THE GOD WHO IS, WHO WAS, AND WHO WILL BE AT THE END OF THE AGES. -Cistercian doxology
54. THERE ARE THREE EPOCHS OF TIME-REALITY IN WHICH I FIND MYSELF FOR A FEW YEARS. THERE IS ONLY ONE REALITY. 1) THE GENESIS PRINCIPLE –– From the creation of matter through and up to the creation of Adam and Eve, and moving with complexity and consciousness up until the Magnificat of Mary. 2. THE CHRIST PRINCIPLE–– A continuation of the movement of consciousness and complexity of reality to be fulfilled with Christ becoming human to buy back (redeem) us from being hostages to the evolution of matter and mind. 3. THE PRINCIPLE OF TRUTH— A continuation of the movement of time in complexity and consciousness to allow me (and you), the individual, to have the energy I need to ask Jesus to lift me up to that next level of my evolution, that which fulfills matter and mind, and which I alone can access my my free choice of God as the one is the ultimate purpose of the deepest level of my human evolution– tob be an adopted son or daughter of the father and heir to the kindgom of heaven.
55. From the time of my Baptism, my task is to know, to love, and to serve God in this lifetime and to be happy with God in the next life.– Baltimore Catechism, Q.6.
56. I must constantly grow deeper in my faith, like a butterfly moves from cocoon to true self. My humanity beckons me to move to that deepest level of my humanity, one where I can begin heaven on earth as much as I can be aware that life is just storing up treasures to take with me to furnish the mansion the Father has created for me in the life to come.
57. Only the rich get to heaven, so whether you are monitarily rich or poor makes no difference. I can take with me only those riches that God has deemed acceptable to play in His playground. Jesus became human to show me the way to do that, so that, using the truth that comes beyond human dissonance, I can lead a life full of love and one that fulfills the natural progression of my humanity, meant from the beginning.
58. Growing deeper means I harmonize my spirituality wth the resonance of all existence in its inexorable movement towards greater complexity and consciousness (Teilhard de Chardin). Literally, being in a state of grace means I am one with how all natures complement one another, each one a different reality. Sin means I am out of kilter, or in dissonance, with reality as it should be.
59. God tells humans how to exist in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:5), but the movement of spirituality over time means Christ, the Son of God, came to show us and tell us how to know, love, and serve God in this world and be happy with God in the next.
60. The purpose of Scriptures (John 20:33) states that all of this is written for me (and you) to have the authentic way that leads to what is true, which, in turn, allows me to claim my adoption as son or daughter of the Father and begin packing my earthly treasures to decorate my mansion in heaven that awaits me. We must come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
61. When we die, Christ will meet each of us at the portal to heaven and ask, “Show me your hands.” We will wonder what is going on and why such an innocuous test for heaven is necessary. We show Him our hands, and He says, “I see your hands are rough and calloused from doing good works for others; you are welcome to share the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of time.” “Let me take your hands in mine,” says Christ. When he reaches out his hand, I see the marks of the scourging on it and see the wounds left by nailing his hands to the cross, so that I could be here now. With eyes lowered and a heart filled with humility, I can only say to myself, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner.” “You are welcome,” replies Christ.
62. Many mysteries fascinate the fickle mind. The mystery of the Genesis Principle includes the mysteries of matter and time, human consciousness, faith, and life.
63. The mystery of the Christ Principle, from which flows a harmony with matter and time, the mystery of human consciousness, wounded by its inability to always choose what is absolutely true to its nature, and the mystery of faith, where those humans who choose can move to what seems like a nature of contradiction, but which is actually the fulfillment of human evolution.
64. The mystery of the Principle of Absolute Truth is the energy to assimilate and accumulate living reality from another nature into human nature, but only through, with, and in the mediation of Christ. It is what it is and not dependent upon human intervention or interpretation.
65. The grand mystery of all is heaven in heaven, where we get to bring with us those who know how, all the treasures we can pack from what we know, what we love, and what good works or service we shared with others, realizing that Christ is the template for the finality of human intelligent progression.
66. The Catholic Church is the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic quantum engalglement of authentic power cords from God through Christ, by the energy of the Holy Spirit available to the living body of Christ in each age, just so that I could have the opportunity to use what Jesus wanted me to have to be able to know, love, and serve God in this lifetime and so share the inheritance I have accepted as an adopted son or daughter of the Father.
67. There are five levels to my Catholic awareness. At the same time, I live, each one dependent upon the one before it, and each a deeper penetration into that mystery of my humanity, awaiting me just waiting in the presence of Christ in solitude and silence. These correspond to the five levels of my Lectio Divina prayer that help me uncover a deeper level of who I am.
68. The first level is to say the Word. (Lectio)
69. The second level is to pray the Word that I say. (Oratio)
70. The third level is to share the Word with others as Christ has shared with me. (Meditatio)
71. The fourth level is to use these four levels to move deeper into the mystery of faith in the silence and solitude of that upper room of my inner self, where I merely sit next to Christ and be what my nature intended. (Contemplatio)
72. All these levels combined produce energy through me to be what I say about the Word, what I pray, what I share, what I ponder in my heart to be that light of Christ on the pedistal where all can see my good works and give glory to the Father for being what our human nature once again intended. (Actio)
73. Good and evil are not choices I make from two ways of behaving, that of two equal ways with opposing outcomes. Instead, good exists independently and as an absolute reality, with no other choice to be made. Evil is the absence of good, not its equal. The real choice is at the basis of the Genesis Principle, where God gives Adam and Eve instructions as to what will allow them to live or to die in reality around them. The archetypal choice all humans must make before good or evil is who determines what is good and what is evil. My free will choices are to choose whether God is the source of pure love, pure service, and pure knowledge, or to use those merely flawed human experiences I have accumulated in my lifetime to become god, the source of who I am.
74. Do not let the Catholic Church hold you hostage and limit yourself to thinking that to be a member is to conform to what you believe the Church teaches about keeping the law and not sinning by doing this or that act. It is only when I deny myself and abandon my will “to have in me the mind of Christ Jesus,” that what the Church actually offers, which makes sense.
75. The Catholic Church is the guide with historical inheritances and heritage that I inherit. The purpose of the living Body of Christ, is to allow me to experience that same Jesus that preached the Beatitudes to the crowds, who gave the diciples His body and blood as real food and drink for the journey to heaven while on earth, that same Jesus who rose from the dead so that I (and you) can sit in the presence of the upper room of our inner self (my tabernacle with my temple of the Holy Spirit) and ask for mercy and forgiveness but also the grace to sin no more.
76. Jesus gives those who ask what they need to be faithful to their calling, not necessarily what they want. Prayer is one form of asking. Another dimension of placing myself in the presence of Christ (in multiple formal and informal prayers) is praying for others that God have mercy on them, as I hope God will on me.
77. I don’t see the results of my prayers for others, as in praying for those in Purgatory that they be loosed from their sins (Maccabees), because I must use the spiritual universe, with its invisible but real existence, to justify the efficacy of my prayer. I don’t see the outcome of any of my prayers in the way my humanity recognizes. I place myself in the presence of Christ and hold in my heart the intentions for those who have already passed from death to what is next in their evolution as humans.
78. I Hope that the words of Christ are valid, that if I believe in the resurrection of Christ, my own body will follow the same way, and that what is true in, with, and through Christ, is true not only for me, but for those awaiting their purification before entering heaven, which leads to a life in this world that includes the spiritual universe on earth and continues after I die, in heaven. While I still inhabit this earthly body, I can make a difference to those who have been killed but now await their purification.
79. If there is no resurrection from the dead of Christ, and hope for my life to come; if the Eucharist is just a memory rather than the actual Jesus, body and blood, soul and divinity; if I can’t grow deeper in the mystery of my humanity using the mystery of the Christ Principle, then, as Flannery O’Connor is said to have remarked to Dorothy Day, the hell with it all.
80. A lingering doubt in the back of my mind is always, “Does any of this prayer and repentance for sins do any good, or is it just my self deluding my consciousness that wants to believe in life after death?” I Hope so.
81. My personal center, the one principle on which all others depend, is: “Have in you the mind of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5) Each person has a center by default. Each person with awareness must choose a center of their activities and values. There are true centers and false centers. The center of the Church is the real presence of Christ in each age so that Jesus may be present to each person and each one present to the Trinity. The center of Jesus is the Father, along with the energy of the Holy Spirit. The center of God is pure knowledge, pure love, and pure service (pure meaning 100% of their nature), yet all three are one nature. All creation, from matter to mind to humans to angels, is made in the image and likeness of God.
82. All matter, invisible and invisible moves, not just in time (Chronos) but also in complexity and consciousness toward a point of fulfillment, the automatic flow of reality from less to more (Christos) — Teilhard de Chardin
83. Evil is not the opposite of good but the aberration of any nature to be what it was intended to be.
84. Catholicism is the collective consciousness of all those who have come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and, in that belief, they have life in his name. “Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book.^s 31But these are written that you may [come to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.^t” (John 20-30-31 from http://www.usccb.org)
85. Outside the Church, there is no salvation.” Peter, in showing that the Church is one and that only those who are in the Church can be saved, said: “In the Ark of Noah certain persons, numbering only eight, were saved by water, which Baptism effects in like manner for you” (1 Peter 3:20). He proves and demonstrates that the solitary Ark of Noah was the figure of the One Church. If, at the time of this Baptism of the world, anyone could have been saved without having been in the Ark of Noah, then he who is outside the Church could now be brought to life by Baptism.” ~ Cyprian of Carthage. c.250 A.D. (www.azquotes.com)
86. My Catholic Heritage is the forward movement of the Church Universe in each age to allow individuals to center themselves on the way, what is true, and so lead a life that leads to heaven on earth and the reward of continuing that life in Heaven with Jesus.
87. Awareness of who I am as a human comes from my placing myself in the presence of Christ in the upper room of my inner self and, in silence and solitude, then waiting.
88. Meditation is when I tell God what I want; contemplation is where God whispers to me what I need, then gives me the energy to achieve it.
89. “See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as ye would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. Whatsoever [the bishop] shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid.” ~ Ignatius of Antioch, c. 50 – 97 A.D. (www.azquotes.com)
90. The Devil tries to seduce each human into thinking that Satan is the ruler of the world. He is not, but presents temptations to each of us, while we live, to replace the good of Christ with the false promises of Satan. The sin of Lucifer is one of envy and jealousy, whereas the sin of Adam and Eve is pride, all leading to the death of the deepest part of our humanity. This is the daily battle between the choice of good (based on God’s grace) or evil (based on my failure to choose what is true). It takes place within the cosmic boundaries of Alpha and Omega, within my collective consciousness as a member of my species, within my personal and individual interpretation of what it means to be a disciple of Christ, and ultimate in the upper room of my inner self where I alone possess the ability to abandon all that is of the world to follow Christ, and in doing so, fulfill the next step of the evolution of my humanity.
91. As a baptized member of the Body of Christ, with Jesus being the head, I have been opened to another level of citizenship beyond just the visible reality of my humanity, that of the overlapping reality of being a citizen of the kingdom of heaven (beginning on earth with Baptism and continuing after I die, in heaven with Christ).
92. Like the notion of three universes that are experienced simultaneously, but qualitatively different, the idea of me being a pilgrim in a foreign land begins with my being accepted by Jesus as an adopted son or daughter of the Father, then overshadowed by the Holy Spirit for the remainder of my lifetime on earth, continuing in heaven forever. I now possess two citizenships, or what St. Paul calls the world and the other the spirit, both alike in appearance but different in reality.
93. Jesus said, “Peace I give you, but not as the world gives peace.” Two concepts of peace or love or anything human; one being good, and in the context of my everyday living, out of my humanity, without much thought. The other one is the peace that Christ gives, not the absence of conflict (kingdom of earth), but the presence of Love in the kingdom of earth, which I term profound peace.
94. The Catholic Church, being linked with the entanglement of one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, ensures that my personal and individual application of what I believe the Gospel message is for me, an adopted son or daughter of the Father, has the energy I need to daily convert myself to my true self away from my false self (conversio morae and capacitas dei).
95. It all comes down to this: ^a
    • Of David.
    • A
    • I. The LORD is my light and my salvation;
    • whom should I fear?
    • The LORD is my life’s refuge;
    • of whom should I be afraid?
    • 2 When evildoers come at me
    • to devour my flesh,^*b
    • These my enemies and foes
    • themselves stumble and fall.
    • 3 Though an army encamps against me,
    • my heart does not fear;
    • Though war be waged against me,
    • even then do I trust.
    • II
    • 4 One thing I ask of the LORD;
    • this I seek:
    • To dwell in the LORD’s house
    • all the days of my life,
    • To gaze on the LORD’s beauty,
    • to visit his temple.^c
    • 5 For God will hide me in his shelter
    • in time of trouble,^d
    • He will conceal me in the cover of his tent;
    • and set me high upon a rock.
    • 6 Even now my head is held high
    • above my enemies on every side!
    • I will offer in his tent
    • sacrifices with shouts of joy;
    • I will sing and chant praise to the LORD.
    • B
    • I
    • 7Hear my voice, LORD, when I call;
    • have mercy on me and answer me.
    • 8 “Come,” says my heart, “seek his face”;^*
    • your face, LORD, do I seek!^e
    • 9 Do not hide your face from me;
    • do not repel your servant in anger.
    • You are my salvation; do not cast me off;
    • do not forsake me, God my savior!
    • 10 Even if my father and mother forsake me,
    • the LORD will take me in.^f
    • II
    • 11LORD, show me your way;
    • lead me on a level path
    • because of my enemies.^g
    • 12 Do not abandon me to the desire of my foes;
    • malicious and lying witnesses have risen against me.
    • 13 I believe I shall see the LORD’s goodness
    • in the land of the living.^*h
    • 14 Wait for the LORD, take courage;
    • be stouthearted, wait for the LORD! (www.uscccb.org/psalm27